Knock, Knock. Whose there?

  Knock, Knock. Who's There?

                Hello and welcome to My Little House of PrayerMinistry. I am your host Dayla Smith. So glad you could join me today. At the time I prepared this message, I went through something very serious. I won’t go into detail about it. I do want to talk about that. 

                Do you remember the knock, knock jokes we used to tell as kids. Well, Satan and his cohorts do this. They knock on the door of our hearts. But, it’s not a funny joke. It’s more like the story with the 3 little pigs. And, our survival depends on our relationship with the LORD. 

                 Let’s look at Matthew 7:24-27says, 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. I think this passage sounds like the three little pigs..  One Little Pig built his house of straw. Another pig built his house of hay.  Another pig built his house out of brick. The first 2 were lazy. So, when the big, bad wolf (Satan) came to blow the house down, they had narrowly escaped and ran to the brother who built his home out of brick. And when the wolf (Satan) came to blow that house down, he found out it could withstand him. So, our salvation is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 28:16 says, 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. 1 Peter 2:6 says 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. I find it interesting that in the old testament the word they use haste. Which means, hurry or run. Then, in the new testament the word they choose is confounded which means, confused or perplexed. So, when our foundation is based on our salvation in Jesus Christ, we will not hurry, run, be confused, or perplexed. Here in the south we would say, If you don’t stand for something, you won’t stand at all. That is why James 4:7 says, 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. You know, as a parent, all I would have to do is stand up and look at my daughter when she was misbehaving. The nonsense would immediately stop. In spiritual warfare, when you resist satan enough, he will stop for a time. He waits to see if there is another way in. And, he will try again. 1 Peter 5:8 says, 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Revelation 5:5 says,  5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

            In warfare you need to know who you are in Christ and to whom you belong. Christ Jesus. If you don’t have a relationship with Christ, you are no match for satan and his cohorts! I am so tired of him eating my brothers and sisters lunch because they either don’t know who they are in Christ or even how to fight. This is what my ministry is about. To teach people how to fight for themselves. How to pray effectively. James 5:16 says,16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  Because, it hurts Jesus’ heart even more. Let’s look at Acts 19:1-16. 19 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. 7 And all the men were about twelve. 8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. 10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. 13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 

                           I find it interesting that verse 14 mentions 7 sons of sceva, a jew and chief priests. The priests were definitely supposed to have a relationship with the Lord. So, you see, you can be called a christian and yet have no relationship with the Lord. And,  if you think you can just warm a pew and do nothing, that he will leave you alone. You are sadly mistaken. If you think that you will just avoid this Christian walk all together and he will leave you alone, he will. And he will laugh while you don’t make heaven your home at the white throne judgment seat of Christ. Please don’t wait to ask Jesus in heart. We are not promised tomorrow. We don’t have later. And, for our pew warmers. We need your assistance. Your pastor needs your assistance! How refreshing it would be for him to wake up and not have near the warfare to deal with because everyone took their place and fought in the night for him and his family. Because we took our place and fought for our brothers and sisters in Christ. How refreshing would it be. You know, you reap what you sow and your prayers return to your own bosom.

                        Matthew 12:25-30 says, 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

                       You know, we all like to talk about the revival that God is promising is coming. He has also been saying it is going to be soon. The LORD does not work on our time schedule! He works on His. We are called to get ready. We aren’t called to say maybe later Lord. I’ll get ready tomorrow, Lord. Revival is coming whether you are ready or not! And the rest of the word was that when revival comes after that He will call us home. Do you still want to tell Him that maybe later you’ll get ready?

            We have all gone through something traumatic in our life. Some of us are going through something traumatic in our life now. Let me say this, if you think that just because you got saved that you are a complete new creation. Therefore, there is no need for change. YOU ARE SADDLY MISTAKEN. If you are unteachable, you are unreachable. Plain and simple. Jesus cannot use someone that is not willing to grow. We called to grow in Him according to Ephesians 4:13. 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: So, you see. We are instructed to grow in Him. How? You ask. Read your bible and pray. If you don’t, you will die spiritually! I can’t express the importance of this. The Word of God is your spiritual food. Your bible pages are a plate. When something speaks to you, highlight it, or underline it. A pastor advised me to do this. If you want to put notes in there, I use sticky notes. Just sayin’. That same pastor said, “picture the page as a plate. The words are your food. When you eat, There is residue left behind that says you had eaten there. That is what the highlighting and underlining is. Evidence that you ate there.” I’ve held on to this advice since 1994. 

            Now, back to the subject at hand. These traumatic situations can make or break you. From personal experience they are allowed so that we can learn something. I don’t know what that something is. You have to go and pray. Seek His face. And ask Him what it is you are to learn. I promise if you will ask your question. Then, you will be quiet loooong enough for Him to answer. I promise that He will answer you. People don’t like to wait. Excuse #1. I don’t have time. He says make time. Excuse #2 My life is too busy. He says get unbusy. Excuse #3 You don’t understand. He says He understands. You see when you truly love someone, you make time. You aren’t too busy. This is what he understands. True love is not like Burger King. Your way, right away. What if your spouse came at you all the time, just demanding of you. Asking constant questions and just walking away without waiting for the answer. How would you feel on that type of receiving end? Then, let me ask you this. Why would you do this to the Lord your God? Deuteronomy 6:5, 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deuteronomy 10:12, 12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

You can also find this same commandment in Deteronomy 11:1. And in 19 verse 9 says that if we love Him this way He would give us 3 cities. I can think of the 3 I would want. Can you. Ville Platte would be first on my list. He also said beside the 3 we already had. That is a grand total of 6 cities! Chapter 30 verse 6 He says He will save our children and our children’s children that we might live! And, just so you know that this is the same in the new testament also, Matthew 22:37 says, 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. So, it is there also. You see, the Lord your God wants a relationship with you. 

                  I Had an incident happen to me. Let me tell you that in all my life, I have never been pushed to the level of anger that I shot to. Never! Let me tell you that I cried out immediately for the Lord to help me. And He did. It took all of Him to help me hold my flesh back. I was angry. But, I promise you that I did not sin. I did not have to do any repenting due to it. Thank you Jesus!!!!! Because the old Dayla wanted to rise up something terrible. My entire flesh hurt from the event.  Let me tell you this, there is nothing like the devil showing up saying, “I’m in your house and ready to hurt you and the people you love.” The mama bear rose up. Fear came to knock on my door. And, it wasn’t a gentle knock. Let me tell you that. It was an in your face knock. I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down, knock. Open up and let me in. It screamed at me with a high pitch voice. If I had chosen to open the door just a crack, a crack was all it needed to take over and his buddy, anger would have been right behind him wrecking everything I loved and cherished. You see the enemy, be it anger, fear,  doubt, unbelief etc….) doesn’t just come with a soft knock and let you open the door before you let him in. He knocks and then waits for you to turn the knob. Then, if you turn the knob, he comes bursting through the door. Jesus is the door. But, He is a gentleman. He will knock and then wait for you to invite Him in. He will dine with you. He will visit with you. In Revelation 3:20 it says, 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  

                    We do not have to open the door to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that knocks on the door of our hearts. We are supposed to close the door of our heart to the will of the flesh and the devil. But, we are supposed to open the door of our heart to the will of the Father and the Son. In John 10:7-10 it says this, 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 

                       You see, the Lord is about blessing His children. He wants us to open our hearts to Him so we can commune together. You would say, “This sounds like a call to salvation.” Yes, it is. We all need saving everyday. No, we do not have to beg. But, our new man has to grow, and our old man has to die till the day that Jesus comes. Look at Exodus 20: 20-22. 20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. 21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. The Lord revealed a truth to me right here. That when we open the door of our heart to Him and we let Him in. He, then, turns our hearts into a kind of ark. An ark of the covenant. When we get saved, we make a covenant with the Lord. His blood is upon the mercy seat. Inside the ark are the 10 commandments of love and all of our testimonies. When we bow our knee, and we come to Him in prayer, He promises to meet us there. Don’t you want to meet with Him? Do you know He wants that more than you do? I absolutely love this scripture! I also love His presence. I love to watch Him mold and make me. I love the testimonies we put in the ark of my heart. I love His law of love. 

                           So, I ask you today. If there is anyone in this room today, and you don’t know Jesus, can I introduce you to Him. The word says that if we call on the name of the Lord, we shall be saved. That if we repent of our sin, turn from our wicked ways, pray and seek His face. We shall be saved. Won’t you pray with me today? Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Let’s take a moment to acknowledge our life of sin before Him. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen. I want to be the first one to welcome you to the family of God. I also want to let you know, heaven is having the biggest shindig over your decision. Welcome and we love you. 

               Now, I hope you all enjoyed today’s message. I hope you learned something today. I sure did. May you have a blessed day and week. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

A Prophetic Word from the Lord

  A Word From the Lord

Hello and welcome to My Little House of Prayer Ministry. I am putting this up because the Lord revealed something to me for the complete body of Christ. 

                A couple of weeks back, the Lord told me to tell everyone in the body of Christ to anoint their homes. Didn’t tell me why. But, I don’t always ask why. Well, as I went outside, the Holy Spirit told me to anoint my mailbox and command all lack to go. To command lack to return everything it has stolen and held back. Then, to call all blessings from the north, south,east and west to come in.  

              Speed up to yesterday. He showed me the worldwide revival being held back by lack. So,fast forward to yesterday. While talking to a friend, He has told me to tell everyone in the body of Christ,to command lack to give back every soul it has stolen and kept back back. To command the blessings of the harvest of souls for Jesus to come in from the north,south,east and west.  

              Revival is coming. Please come be apart of it. Unite in prayer for it. Until we meet again later this week, have a blessed week.

Do You Love Me?

 Do You Love Me?

               Hello and welcome to My Little House of Prayer Ministry. The title of the message today is Do You Love me? The Lord is asking this question of all of His children. But, before I get into the meat of this message, I want to read out of John. John 21:1-19 says, 21 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. 15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest  that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

                              I find it interesting that the chapter starts out about fishing. In Matthew 4:18-19 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. If you notice in John 21:1-6, Once again, what is Jesus doing? Instructing them on how to become true fishermen. He loves to take the natural, and use it to teach spiritual lessons. When they obeyed His voice, they had to call for help. We need each other. PERIOD! We Need to learn to lean on one another. Each of us is unique. Each of us has gifts and talents He has given us. These gifts and talents are as unique as we are. That is the message the Lord was teaching His disciples in this chapter. When you draw nigh unto Him, He will draw all men unto you. He will teach all of us to be fishers of men. He is all about souls. We are His creation. He wants to get back to what He had in the Garden of Eden with Adam. Where He walks and talks with us in the cool of the day. No veil. No separation. No sin. And, if He is all about souls, we should be all about souls.

                  I’ve learned this in my personal walk. In the beginning of my salvation, He showed me that the world is filled with hurting people. Broken people. And, when you realize that, you become sensitive to when He opens the door for you to be a beacon for Him in someone’s life. Walmart is my favorite place to go. I see it as God’s mission field. Especially for the workers of the store. Walmart is known for the abuse of its employees. Also, the abuse from the customer’s that shop there. They shop with the entitlement attitude. No conscience that the employees are human also. So, I go with the, “ I'm gonna rescue a soul for Jesus today,” attitude. Hahahahaha. The cashier’s can’t wait for me to come to their registers, now. Which excites me even more.

          Next, let’s look at verses 9-13 of John 21. What is waiting for the Disciples on the fire. A fish and a loaf of bread. Remember the 5 loaves and 2 fishes that fed 5,000 men + women and children? Remember Jesus said John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Praise God. Exodus 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. Where did Jesus take his blood? To the throne of grace and the mercy seat. That is how we are able to come boldly to make our requests known to God. That is how we obtain God’s wonderful mercy in our lives. What did He tell Moses He wanted there? To Commune with Him. The last supper was called what? Communion. If you go to a mountain top, you will find no food or water there. So, how did Moses survive on the mountain top for 40 days and nights? He ate of the heavenly bread. The bread of Life. He drank the heavenly water. The water of Life. Hallelujah!!!!! So, when they met with Jesus on the shore, He had communion with them! Hallelujah! They had a grand total of 1-5-3 fishes. 100 speaks of completeness. 5 speaks of grace. 3 speaks of the trinity. The complete grace in the triune Godhead.

                        Nothing in the word is per chance. The word of God is by divine inspiration of God. It is the one thing that can connect us to Him. It is our spiritual life stream. It is the tool that helps us become restored in Him. It can bring healing. It can restore us, if we let it.

                     In verses 15-17 of John 21,  I believe Jesus was not just addressing the times Peter rejected His relationship with Jesus. The 3 times He lied. He wanted to restore and heal Peter. He knew the grief that still had Peter's heart in chains. But, He also was giving Peter a message. A great commission so to speak. If you will. He knew Peter loved Him. He knew the third time Peter denied knowing Him, that Peter ran away bitterly crying. You see, Peter went before God to repent. There is no account of Peter going to man to repent of his wrong doing. The grief of it was breaking Peter. The relationship between Peter and Jesus became separated because of the lie. Lying is a sin. Unrepented sin, eternally separates you from God. Peter could not forgive himself. Therefore grief was allowed to stay and fester. Grief became the center in Peter’s heart. Not the Lord. That’s why it says, He could not recognize the Lord. At least until Jesus did something familiar in their relationship. Jesus wanted His relationship with Peter back. So, 3 times He asked Peter if he loved Him. Each time Peter responded with Yes.

                    In John 21: 15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest  that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. This is the first time he questions Peter. What did He tell Peter? Feed my lambs. Feed the little ones that I am having to leave behind right now. Take care of those I am leaving behind. Do you notice the choice word right here was lambs? The first time Peter denied the Lord, he lied to a maid. A child. A young girl. Peter I saw how you repented before me. So, I am trusting my little ones in your care now, while I am away. He was forgiving Peter.  This is also our great commission. To extend Christ’ forgiveness to His little ones till He comes to take us home.

             

                        In John 21: 16 says, He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Go to Mark 14: 66-72. It says,  66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. 68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. 69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. 71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. 72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. All the maid was doing was making an observation. She wasn’t accusing him. All the second maid said was, “yeah, I know this man. I’ve seen Him with Jesus. “ Yet Peter denied knowing Him still. How does Jesus respond? Feed my sheep. Take care of the one’s I am leaving behind. Extend my redemptive grace to those I am leaving behind. Show them what I am showing you. That My Love is inescapable. Nothing can separate us. Romans 8:35-39 says, 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So you see, He restored His relationship with Peter. And, told him to extend that same restoration message to His sheep He was leaving behind. He commands all of us to do the same thing. Extend that same restorative message to others.

           In John 21: 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. This third time Jesus addressed where Peter’s grief came in. Jesus didn’t just want to forgive. He didn’t just want to restore. He wanted to make Peter whole! The Spirit of Grief and self condemnation had to go if Peter was to go on with Jesus. So, Jesus addressed this. The only way we can be set free of something like addictions, abuse, etc…. Is to face it head on. We can’t get free if we are sweeping it under the rug of denial. SoJesus is helping Peter face the grief in his choice to deny his even knowing of Him. Much less, having a relationship with Him. How many times have we denied having a relationship with the living God. Have you done like Peter? Have you run away weeping before God. Or have you done like Judas, and wept before man. Remember, the Lord saves our tears in a bottle. At Judgment Day , He will take those same tears in His bottle and pass judgment over them. Why? Because our tears are what makes up the streams that make glad in the city of God. Psalm 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. Hallelujah! So, Jesus was telling Peter to let Him have those tears that were meant to accuse him. Let Him redeem them. Remove the pain of the memory of those bad choices. Let Him Restore the right relationship between Him and Peter. Peter Do You Love Me? Peter Do You Know How Much I Love You? Will you take care of my little lambs and sheep? Show them all the love, grace, mercy, and healing I have shown you?

              He is asking that of all of us. Do you love Me? Do you know how much I love you? Are you willing to feed my lambs and sheep? Those I’ve had to leave behind. Will you care for them. Will you look past the smoke screen they put out there to hide what is really going on in their brokenness. You see my sheep are scattered and hurting. Some are cast down. Some are wounded. Some have been isolated and are left to be wolf bait. Some have a hireling for a shepherd. They all need to be corralled in to My pasture. Where I can Heal and restore them. Where I can deliver them from all plague and pestilence. 

                       Isaiah 61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

                       If you do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ right now, you are one of the little lambs Jesus is talking about. I want to extend His beautiful hand of mercy and grace towards you. I want to be the one to tell you how great His love is for you. That there is nothing you have done that is unforgivable for Him. That He is standing at the door of your heart and knocking. Waiting for you to open it and let Him come in to change your life around. To instruct you in His righteousness. To shine his love, light, and life in your deep, dark 

tunnel. Won’t you pray with me right now? Please repeat after me. 

                           Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

             Now, for those of you who have prayed for His salvation, let me welcome you to the family of God. Let me let you know that He is throwing the biggest party in heaven over your decision right now. Everyone in heaven and including me are jumping up and down with sheer joy over your decision right now. 

             For those of you who have tuned in that are already saved. But, have made some bad choices, and like Peter, grief has control over your heart and mind. That spirit of grief has told you that you can never return to that relationship you once had with the LORD. Let me tell you that this is a pure lie from hell!!! That when you truly repent before God, He buries your sin in the sea of forgetfulness. And, He NEVER REMEMBERS IT AGAIN!! So, I ask you to believe in God with me right now. To truly repent before the LORD your God. Then, be still and let him wash all of that away. Let Him redeem your heart and mind again. Let Him heal the wound of the memory of it. Let us pray together.

           Lord Jesus, I come before you. Still a sinner in desperate need of a Savior. I am desperate for you Lord Jesus. Desperate to find my way back to the relationship we once had. I thank you for forgiving me. Now, I forgive myself. Help me to forgive myself by receiving your healing power over my mind, heart, and emotions. Thank you for making me whole again. And Jesus, I do love you. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Are Your Vessels Filled With Oil

     Are Your Vessels Filled with Oil?

                         

                            Hello. Welcome to My Little House of Prayer Ministry. So glad you could join me today. It is a day the LORD hath made to rejoice and be glad and rejoice in. Today’s topic  is Are Your Vessels Filled with Oil?

                          Funny question to ask these days. Thanks to technology. But, in the Spirit realm we walk this Christian walk by the light of His Torah truth. Psalms 119: 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

And Matthew 25: 1-13 says,

 25 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

                               Let’s look at the word lamp in psalms and Matthew. In it is nir or ner.  In Greek it is lampas or lampo. Both Hebrew and Greek have the same meaning. To glisten, to light, to beam, to radiate brilliancy, give light, or shine. (From the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.)  The torah truth lights up, glistens, shines, beams, radiates brilliancy, or gives light. Light shows us the direction we are headed in. If we are headed the wrong way in a lighted path, because of the light, we can turn around. So, in Psalms we have a promise that as we read and meditate on God’s word, the light of the Torah truth will guide us in the right direction. Sounds awfully familiar to what happened with the urim and thummim. The Priest would ask for direction and the stones would light up. We have a spiritual urim and thummim. Don’t think for one minute that things have changed that much. It is our spiritual heart that lights up. How powerful is this? It is our witness from the Holy Spirit. When truth is spoken, the Holy spirit lights up in our hearts. What happens when it lights up in our hearts? It convicts us. It directs us.  It bears witness to the truth when it is spoken. Look at Ephesians 1:17-18 says, 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 

                    In verse 18, enlightened in the Greek is photizo, meaning to shed rays, to shine, to brighten up, to illuminate, or to make to see. So you see, it is the same in the old testament as the new testament. In the tabernacle, there is the menorah. It has 7 lamps. Isn’t that interesting.  Each post is called a lamp. What do they use for fuel? Pure Olive Oil.  The oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. How are you enjoying this so far? The number 7 in scripture represents the completeness of the Christ. The Priests were instructed to place new oil twice a day. This was so that the light of the Torah truth never went out. So, in others words, we are supposed to meditate on God’s word day and night. Allowing the Holy Spirit to instruct us, to be a light for our path, to convict us when we are headed in the wrong direction. 

                           Jesus spoke of 10 virgins. The number 10 speaks of the completeness of the law, judgments, and the covenant. When Jesus shared this parable, He chose the number 10 because he wanted to establish that He was talking about our covenant with the LORD and His laws. The Lord wants His people to walk in a covenant with Him. Remember, The marriage supper of the Lamb is the rehearsal dinner. And, in the rehearsal dinner, you have the groom, the bride, the bridesmaids, and the groomsmen, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, the ring bearer, the flower girl, the Father of the bride and groom, the Mother of the Bride and groom, and any other family member who participating in any way in the wedding.  Let’s look at the Diagram that is set up Matthew 13:8, when Jesus speaks about seeds and where they fall.

Ephesians 4: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 

                      So you see, He wants us to make heaven our home more than we do. He is giving us every opportunity to make heaven our home. He wants us to not only make heaven our home, but also to grow and mature in Him. The only way to grow and mature is to read His love letter/road map. To Pray and seek His face not His hand. Remember, His hand is connected to His face. Hahahahahaha 

                  Next He divides them into 2 groups. Five wise. And, Five foolish. The number 5 speaks of Grace. His grace reached out to both groups. But, the choice was still in their hands as to how they chose to respond to it. The 5 foolish could have chose to keep their lamps filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit. The 5 wise remained ready. They were watchfull. Prayerful. They kept the Torah truth of God’s word constantly before them. They depended on the truth of God’s word to lead and guide them into a deeper relationship with Him. They stayed repentant before Him. 

                The five foolish only took lamps with them. While the five wise also took vessels. In the Greek, vessels is pronounced angeion, which means a pail or a receptacle. So, they brought a pail also with them that was filled with oil. Remember I said oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. That He lights up the Torah truth of God’s word and convicts and directs us. He teaches us the perfect will of God in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! They made sure that they constantly were ready spiritually for the call for the marriage supper of the lamb. 

               A wonderful friend of mine shared with me a little nugget she obtained. According to Jewish tradition, Only the Father of the groom knew when the bride and groom would be married. He would call out at midnight on the day He decided it was time. This was handed to them in the old testament laws. In this parable, Jesus says that a cry went out for the marriage supper of the Lamb, when? At midnight. Hallelujah! How powerful is this to you? 

                 In verse 5, the bridegroom tarries. He waits. He waits for His father to tell him it is time to go get his bride. So, if Jesus is our example, and He is waiting. We are called to follow that same example, and wait also. Psalm 46: 10 says,  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. How do we wait, staying in God’s word. Read it daily. Meditate on it. Chew on it mentally and spiritually. Allow the Holy Spirit to light up His Torah truths in you. And, pray. Seek His face. Reach out to others with the message of hope He has placed in you. And expect His promises, and His soon coming. His coming back to call us back to Him. 

                   So, the cry goes out and how does each group respond?

The first group, the wise virgins, were ready. They had plenty of oil for their journey. Are you ready? Do you have plenty of oil for your journey? Yes, they all slept. But the 5 wise were ready in their hearts. They kept their hearts alert for His promise to come get them. They walked in His anointing. The anointing of the Holy Spirit. They stayed repentant before Him. They sought His face. They read and meditated on the Torah truth of God’s word. They constantly let the Holy Spirit shine the light on His torah truth. Are you doing this? 

 

                          You see, when we get to heaven, or the kingdom of God, we will not be walking in. We won’t walk in high and mighty, like we are all that and a bag of chips. No. We will be crawling in. We will  be bowed down and coming low into His presence. In Matthew 19:16-24 says 16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

So, the rich man had to cast all of his worldly riches, his old life, away before he could enter the kingdom of God. That means we have to do the same. To stay ready and not fall asleep.

              Now let’s look at the five foolish virgins. What happened to them. They looked at the 5 wise and said give us some of your oil.  We are not prepared. We fell asleep thinking surely he wouldn’t be coming today. “I will receive His gift  of salvation tomorrow. “
“ I will pray tomorrow.” “ I can repent and quit this sin tomorrow.” Just like the rich young ruler, they were not ready to get rid of those worldly cares or sins that the Lord was dealing with them to get rid of. Hebrews 12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, .  So, the oil they once had was used up. There was no longer the light of the Torah truth of God’s word to light their way. They were wanting to rely on someone else's anointing. To depend on someone else’s prayers. To depend on someone going to church in their place. I’m sure we can all put ourselves in that place at some point and time. 

                     When they cry was made, they left to go find and buy oil for their lamps. But it was too late. He comes as a thief in the night.

They were left behind. I don’t want to be left behind. You can be too late in any part of God’s plan for life. No, you won’t miss the kingdom of God right now. Because we all have this moment to repent. He has given each and everyone of us gifts and talents. When you are walking in those gifts and talents, you are good. You are making heaven your home Matthew 6:20-21says, 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. This is what the five wise virgins did. They laid up their treasure in heaven. Their cares were for the kingdom of God. The 5 foolish virgins laid their treasure in the world.  Their cares were for the things of this world. 

                           What happened when the 5 foolish virgins returned? The door was closed. Let me say this, there is a prophecy going out at this time. It has been prophesied. But, now the stage is being set. There is a great revival coming and now is. Don’t despise the small beginnings. It is coming. People will be flocking to the churches. There will be signs and wonders. Not just in the church. But in the earth and the heavens. And,  even now, are. Be ready! There will be a cry. And, even now, it is. There will be a great revival and then the cry will go forth, and the sky will split open. We will be raptured out of here. 

                       You see now is the time to repent. To receive the gift of God which is eternal life. To walk out their salvation with fear and trembling. To know our very lives are in His hand . To do good to us. Not evil or harm. Will you please answer this call. If you don’t know Jesus, as your savior, please pray with me. Please repeat after me.  Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Let me say welcome to the family of God. So happy for you in this decision. It is the most important decision you will ever make.

                 Now, are your vessels filled with oil? Are you walking with the Lord? Are you seeking His face. Meditating on His word? And, letting the Holy Spirit light up the Torah truth of God’s word in your heart? Let’s pray. Lord, I repent of the times I held back from you. The times I hesitated to walk with you. The times I was lax when your Spirit came to convict my heart. Thank you for forgiving me. I commit today to get in your word. To seek your face. And, anticipatingly waiting for your soon coming. In Jesus Name, amen.