OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES A WAY OUT OF TEMPTATION

1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4, speaking of the Israelites moving through the wilderness away from Egypt and toward the promised land,  says this;

and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

The apostle Paul cautioned the believers in the churc222h of Corinth about the need to be uphold the highest levels of conduct for even though though they were saved and had been baptized, it was possible for them to end up out of alignment with God's purposes and falling by the way side.

Paul used the Israelites as examples to illustrate that even though all of them had been delivered out of Egypt and gone through the baptism of the crossing the red sea and then all partook in the eating of the spiritual food of manna and  drinking of the spiritual water that came out of the rock that was with them. 

However, many Israelites still participated in idolatry, immorality, revelry and grumbling  and for these things, many of them were struck down and their bodies strewn in the wilderness.

Likewise, believers should be aware that participating in the  spiritual community does not exempt us from judgement. Paul therefore offers us this counsel out of 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 12 and 13;

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Amen.

OUR FATHER IS WORTHY OF PRAISE (from Psalm 92)

It is good to praise you Lord and make music to your name

From early in the morning your love will I proclaim

I  will always sing of you my Lord O most high

I will extol your deeds, declare  your faithfulness at night,

How great are your works O God

You are forever exalted Lord

Amen.

OUR FATHER'S LEGITIMATE SERVANTS SHOULD HAVE OUR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT

The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 3, wrote these words;

This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.

The verse begs two questions. Who was judging Paul and on what basis were they judging him?

At the beginning of chapter 3, we learn that Paul was writing to the people of the church at Corinth many of whom came to the Lord through his ministry and it is to those among them who were judging him  that he was giving a defence of himself.

There appears to have been a consensus forming among them that he was not a legitimate apostle likely because he was not a member of the original twelve apostles. As well,  he was also being judged because he did not carry out his ministry like the other apostles did.

To counter the challenge to his apostleship, Paul began by listing the things that accredited him as a bonafide apostle. Firstly,  he was a free man, secondly, he had personally seen the Lord Jesus, and finally, he had a legacy of those who came to Christ through his work whom he was,  in fact,  addressing in his letter.

To counter the claims against him based on how different his ministry was from the other apostles, Paul described the way the other apostles carried out their ministries as completely legitimate. He asserted that they had a valid scriptural right to make a living from the gospel and to take along a believing wife on mission trips.

As such, Paul argued that being an apostle himself gave him those same rights but he declined to use them in order not to hinder the spread of the gospel in any way.

The apostle Paul forfeited his right to earn wages as a minister as well as the right to be married while serving in the ministry but instead, worked a regular job to pay his own way as he carried out his work in the ministry to believers and as he travelled to expand the reach of the Kingdom of God. 

Thus the apostle Paul demonstrated that the judgements against him were misplaced because they were founded on incorrect conceptions of what apostles were such as the notions that only those who walked with Jesus in Galilee and that only those in full-time ministry could be apostles.

Let us wholeheartedly uphold our Lord's legitimate servants placed in our midst and not sit in judgement of them.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO CALLS US TO OBSERVE SPIRITUAL PROTOCOLS

The book of Jude verse 9 says this;

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

The book of Deutronomy chapter 34 verses 5 - 6 recounts the death and burial of Moses in a valley in the land of Moab as follows;

So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.

In this passage, the Lord himself buried Moses but Jude adds details about a spiritual contention that occured between Michael the archangel and the devil over the body of Moses.

The doctrinal lesson that Jude emphasizes is that believers, when operating in the celestial  realm, should be careful to follow the hierachical protocols related to interactions with spiritual beings.

If great archangels like Michael did not insult or condemn spiritual entities like the devil but rather invoked the rebuke of the Lord to repell him, should not humans, at the very least, follow that example?

Jude sternly warned the people that instinctively insulting celestial beings they knew nothing about would lead to their destruction.

The backdrop of this caution by Jude is the infiltration of the church by evil people who had taught believers to be rebellious, to grumble, and to be sexually immoral, to pursue personal profit and to reject authority.

These false teachers also taught believers to heap abuse on beings of whom they knew nothing and thus they were consequently destroyed.

Let us use disernment to avoid false teachers and always observe proper protocols when walking in the spirit.

Amen.

Reference Sources:  www.gotquestions.org

OUR FATHER WHO WORKS ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE

Ezekiel chapter 19 verse 4 says this;

The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

This verse speaks of an up-and-coming prince of Israel named Joseph, son of Jacob.

Israel's spiritual meta-kingdom fostered a son whom they hoped would be a great prince among the people but the spiritual nations surrounding Israel heard of his coming and they orchestrated a pre-emptive attack on him where his brothers became his enemies and they conspired to sell him into bondage.

They trapped him in a pit and when traders on their way to Egypt passed by, his brothers sold him to them and they bound Joseph with shackles and led him to Egypt as a slave.

Before this, the young Joseph, under the spiritual  tutelage of his father, had so much promise as a leader that he was seen as a threat to the spiritual overlords of the surrounding nations and they expended a lot of effort to smother his potential. Having him enslaved ensured that he would not rise up as a threat to them. 

However, even this work of darkness could not suppress the plans that the Lord had for Joseph and as time progressed, he experienced  trials as well as increasing responsibilities that  prepared Him for the ultimate purpose the Lord had for him as a saviour of his family and of the neighbouring nations from a devastating drought that brought ruin to the whole land.

Bless the Lord  for "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8 verse 28. 

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO SCATTERS THE REBELLIOUS

Ezekiel chapter 12 verses 14 - 15, referring to the prince of Jerusalem, says this;

 I will scatter to the winds all those around him—his staff and all his troops—and I will pursue them with drawn sword.

“They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries.

The prophet Ezekiel was instructed by the Lord to act out a prophetic object lesson where he was to enact the departure of an exile from the city of Jerusalem when the people would be dispersed  among the nations. 

He was to pack his belongings and carry them as he left Jerusalem by digging a hole in the city wall and leaving with his head covered so he would not see his own land as he left.

He was do these actions in the sight of everyone so the rebellious people of Jerusalem would see him and ask what he was doing and he could explain to them that these actions symbolized the judgement that was coming to them because of their rebellion.

Even the prince of the Jerusalem would face the judgement of being exiled to Babylon from where he would never return and all his staff and soldiers would be scattered.

Some of the people said that Ezekiel's prophecies of exile and being scattered to the winds and among the nations were referring things that would happen in the distant future but the Lord warned them that there would be no delay. Ezekiel chapter 12 verses 26 - 28 says it this way;

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’

“Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Like this prophecy in Ezekiel's time, the Lord's prophetic words for our present time will come to pass very soon.

Shudder and tremble.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOM WE EXTOL AND WHOM WE EXTOL TO OTHERS

Psalm chapter 99 verse 3 - 4  says this;

Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy.

The King is mighty, he loves justice—you have established equity; in Jacob you have done  what is just and right.

This passage exhorts the people of God to praise the great and awesome name of the Lord who is Holy and who loves justice. 

The passage then addresses the Lord, the King of Zion,  with honor for the things He has done for Jacob that are Just and right.

The whole chapter alternates between speaking of the Lord in third person (He loves justice) and addressing him in second person (you have established equity).

The Psalmist is pivoting between addressing the people about the Lord and addressing the Lord directly. Following, is the whole of chapter 99 color coded to show this pattern. 

The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.

Let them praise your great and awesome name—he is holy. 

The King is mighty, he loves justice—you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.

Moses and Aaron were among his priests,  Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the Lord and he answered them. He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

This Psalm give us a model for our lives where we honor the Lord by speaking to Him directly with praise and affirmations of His greatness and goodness. 

Then we also honor the Lord when we speak to other people of His greatness and goodness and when we exhort others to honor and praise Him.

Amen.