by Jamie Pantastico | Jul 14, 2020 | Devotionals |
This post is in response to several new believers that were questioning themselves on whether or not to pray because they felt their daily walk was off the mark. My first response was we are not under law we are under grace (Romans 6:14). Read on…
‘Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’
Hebrews 4:16
God wants us to commune with Him. This is what prayer is all about. It’s a two-way street. God speaks to us through his Word; we speak to Him through prayer.
For believers that hesitate or have fear and trepidation about coming to God with your prayer needs because you’re thinking you missed the mark. Stop that thinking immediately. As believers, there is no more condemnation, not because of anything that we have done but because Christ shed His blood and died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead three days later. The sin dilemma was taken care of at the cross.
Christ purged our sins; past, present, and future sins. The culmination of God’s plan of salvation is complete when Christ rose from the dead.
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews 1:3
So therefore there is no more condemnation.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
We, believers, have the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, and He knows exactly what we are going through.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:14-15
Conclusion
The bottom line is Christ wants to hear from us and tells us so clearly that because of what He did on our behalf, the work of the cross; we are to go boldly to Him with our needs. And for believers, we need Him all the time, so don’t hesitate but go boldly to Christ in prayer.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
by Jamie Pantastico | Jul 10, 2020 | Devotionals |
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
…and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart
Our Heart! The innermost being of who we are and it is the Word of God that tells us what we’re thinking. What? How? By feeding on the Word of God, meditating on His Word, and studying Scripture what does it do? It convicts! It convicts us of every evil thought. It convicts of everything that we do contrary to the Word of God. God’s Word reveals to us where we are missing the mark and it is God’s word and His grace that we are able to get on track.
We don’t deserve to continue on day after day being less than what God would have us to be but God doesn’t give up on us because of His grace. God doesn’t say I’ve had it with you. Never! But the Grace of God continues to work in our lives and speaks to us through the power of His Word.
Pick up your Bible and study daily. Meditate on the Word and go boldly to the throne room of God in prayer.
by Jamie Pantastico | Jul 4, 2020 | Devotionals |
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
I Thessalonians 2:19
The apostle Paul is referring to that day when the Lord comes for the Church and believers have that great meeting in the clouds (1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:15).
Paul recognized that he would most likely never see those at the Thessalonian Church in the flesh again but the moment they came into the presence of the Lord in that meeting in the clouds Paul would not only see them, he would know them.
We too will see and know our loved ones when the trumpet sounds and all believers of this age of grace dead and those alive will meet the Lord in the clouds.
‘For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ‘
I Thessalonians 4:14-17
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 30, 2020 | Daily Encouragement |
The antiChrist “the beast” and the false prophet are both men born of women and raised up like any other human. But they will become emissaries of Satan; one the political leader and the other religious leader. They will come on the scene after the body of Christ is raptured.
Here are two verses that identify these personalities as men of flesh and bone. First, let’s look at Revelation 19:20.
‘Then the beast (the anti-Christ) was captured, and with him (the ‘him’ is a pronoun referring to a man the ‘anti-Christ’) the false prophet (another man) who worked signs in his presence, by which he (‘he’ another pronoun that identifies the false prophet as a man) deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two ( men) were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. ‘
Revelation 19:20
At the Lord’s second coming, at the end of the 7 years of tribulation, these two men will be captured. They will be the first tossed into the lake of fire without the benefit of the Great White Throne judgment.
For another passage move ahead one chapter to Revelation 20 verse 10. This is at the end of the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth and we are ready to go into eternity. And we see the Great White Throne Judgment but before that Satan will be tossed in the lake of fire and look who will already be there; the anti-Christ and the false prophet.
‘The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast (the anti-Christ a man) and the false prophet (a man) are (take note that the anti-Christ and the false prophet have been in lake of fire for 1000 years) And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.’
Revelation 20:10
Conclusion
The anti-Christ, the false prophet, both men and Satan (the fallen angel Lucifer) are the three personalities that make up the unholy trinity. The anti-Christ and the false prophet go to their eternal doom first then Satan himself will be tossed into the lake of fire. This unholy trinity will go straight to their eternal doom with no time before the Lord at the Great White Throne judgment. They will be joined by all the lost of the ages who will at least have their moment of time before the Lord at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 22, 2020 | Daily Encouragement |
‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?’
Psalms 27:1
For believers, the veil (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) of darkness has been lifted because the light of the gospel has shined on us and we believed the Truth. Praise God for opening our hearts and shining the light of the knowledge of the glory of God upon us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Now, that we have the light of God, the Holy Spirit indwelling us as a lamp in this dark and evil world. We can now see what’s in front of us, we are no longer lost, groping for the wall like the blind, stumbling in the noonday (Isaiah 59:10).
So because we have the Light in our heart, we walk carefully, not like fools knowing the brevity of this life we seek every opportunity to shine the light of the gospel in this dark world (Ephesians 5:15-16).
Scripture Reading
‘But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. ‘
II Corinthians 4:3-4
‘But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.’
II Corinthians 4:3,6
‘For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ‘
Ephesians 5:8
‘He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ‘
Colossians 1:13
‘For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.’
Psalms 18:28-30
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