And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; “These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Revelation 3:1-6
strengthen
Encouraging, Giving Strength to One Another
“Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease. ” Proverbs 22:10
“And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.” Acts 18:23
Let us always be aware that there are those who will make a mockery of what the Scripture says, what we believe as Christians, and a mockery of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Deity, power and glory. Through this let us pray for their eyes to be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ, or for God to take them out of the way and His name glorified.
Let us pray always one for another in the faith of Christ to be always walking in the Holy Spirit, full and overflowing. Let us speak words of encouragement and faith to each other, even correction by the Spirit of God; and to be faithful to the Scriptures of the word of God as being the inerrant, infallible word of God.
If you do not know Jesus Christ today; He is the only One who became your sin and took the wrath of the Father upon Himself in the death of the cross, was buried, and He rose again. Call on His name and He will hear you and He will deliver you from sins condemnation.
Great Is Our Lord, and Of Great Power
“Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names.
Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.
The LORD lifteth up the meek: He casteth the wicked down to the ground.
Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; He hath blessed thy children within thee.
He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
He sendeth forth His commandment upon earth: His word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool: He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
He casteth forth His ice like morsels: who can stand before His cold?
He sendeth out His word, and melteth them: He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
He sheweth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and His judgments unto Israel.
He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for His judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalm 147:1-20 (KJB)
A Thing… In the King’s Heart
“Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem: and hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.” Ezra 7:27-28 (KJV)
The words above come from Ezra the scribe. After being given a letter from king Artaxerxes of Persia, he rejoices in the LORD God for directing the heart of the king in matters of God and Israel.
One thing I will always stand by, and believe is: God reigns in the affairs of men, and nations. I believe Ezra realized that. Every follower devoted to Jesus Christ should realize that God is carrying out His plans in this world.
The rulers of this earth, the kings, the presidents, the prime ministers, think they have their own plans; but God will have His way, and He does so by directing the hearts of those who rule…
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.” Proverbs 21:1
Even when men begin to call “Wrong” right, and “Right” wrong; and evil seems to be the genre of the day; God still reigns. Evil is its own worst judgment.
What is evil? What ever the LORD God says it is. To despise His Word, and turn your backs on Him is evil.
The LORD God Almighty reigns. Walk in His ways. Begin by trusting His only way of salvation; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ His Son.
The Fire and Hammer 