Psalms 61:1-2, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

² From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Hello OTP Family!

I just wanted to offer you a little encouragement this evening.

Looking at the current political landscape it is easy to see the plan of the enemy forming. I am reminded of the scripture Isaiah 54:17 “no weapon form against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” The enemy may make various plans and devices to circumvent the will of the Lord in us. But we have a might weapon – the promises of God. They are sure and have never failed. They are so big he cannot get around them, so high he can’t go over them and so deep he cannot get under them.

Our duty is to stand upon them by faith. We keep the Lord in remembrance of his word. We pray his word, we speak his word. Even when the reality of our situation seems to be in direct opposition of God’s word. We must make a choice – to take God at his word. Believe that and stand upon that – no matter what our situation looks like. Because the truth is – God’s word is the true reality.

What we see with our physical eye is just the illusion the enemy wants us to give into. The truth is – if we stand faithfully on the word to declare it, no matter what, God will bring it to pass. That is God’s promise to us! Our other option is to give into the enemy and believe the lie he is trying to sell us. But our God watches over his word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). I will take the assurance of God over the lie of the enemy any day of the week! What about you?

But this flesh! It is weak and wants to give in to what is easier over what is right, most of the time. So, we have those times when we are feeling overwhelmed. Times where it is a struggle to stand fast and trust God.

God is so amazing that he understood this too.

There are times when all you have left is a good cry. But this is not a cry of defeat. This is a cry for help. It is a cry for strength. It is sometimes a cry of frustration. It is a cry that is directed to the only one who is able to hear and understand.

This cry is not even words at time, it is just a sound from the depth of our soul that God completely understands. He becomes our rock – that solid ground that we desperately need. He becomes the net that catches us from falling into the hands of the enemy. Setting us back on the solid ground of the path that he has for us to take.

No matter where we find ourselves, God is there. We are never alone.

So, I encourage you to – cry out to God. Especially when you can’t even form the words you want to say with your tongue. God still knows your thoughts and your heart. He understands your groans. More than that, God is there to touch, save, heal, deliver, and set free. His presence is there to strengthen you and to be that strong tower where the righteous can run into and are safe. Hidden from the enemy, where your strength is renewed.

We are never alone – God is always there.

Oh, the peace of God! It is amazing and it is priceless. Although the world may be in chaos, in a constant state of flux, we are not. For in the inner man we bask in the peace of God. For in his peace we can hear, we can see, and we can pray strategically.

Be encouraged and have a blessed night.

Isaiah 43:1-2, “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

² When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

Hey OTP Friends! We are continuing our series on the 7 Churches as noted in Revelations chapters 2-3.

Church 3 – Pergamos – Revelations 2:12-17

1 John 3:20 tells us that God knows everything. What I find absolutely amazing is that God knows me personally and in depth. He knows the situations we find ourselves in. He knows the things that tempt us. He knows our thoughts and our heart.

God allows us the space to work on/work out things in our life. But we are not alone. He is there routing for us, praying for us, whispering guidance in our ears, and reminding us of his word (through various avenues) to help us make better choices.

Ultimately, this is a faith walk that is routed and grounded in faith in his word. God wants us to choose him and his word over everything else. We have to choose to obey his word and live our life based on the fundamental tenets of his word.

In Revelations 2:12-17, God writes to the church at Pergamos – “These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;” This sword is his word (the Holy Scriptures). Just as the word is in his mouth, it should also be in ours. We must know it, so we can live according to it.

In verse 13, “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.”

To help us understand this verse a little better, one commentary provides some additional insight: “In this verse the one who walks among the churches shows His perfect understanding of the situation the church at Pergamum faced. He understood the church existed in Satan’s stronghold. People in Pergamum worshiped Zeus, the chief god of the Olympian gods. Perhaps the mention of Satan’s throne at Pergamum was a reference to the Altar of Zeus. Residents of Pergamum also worshiped the Roman emperor; Dionysius, the god of wine and vegetation; Athena, the goddess of Athens; and Asklepios, the god of healing. 

Satan had arrayed a conglomerate of false worship that made it difficult for Christians to declare that they worshiped Christ. This is one of four times that Satan is mentioned in these messages to the seven churches (Revelation 2:9, 24; 3:9).”

This helps us to understand the strongholds this church had to face on a daily basis. He spoke to their situation directly. As most of us can attest, it is easy to receive from someone who knows what we are going through and who can speak to our “right now”. They were in a constant battle – influences from these satanic worshipers was always seeking to invade the church. Many of these false doctrines were infiltrating the church doctrine, tempting and persuading the people to follow after Balaam and the Nicolaitans.

Just as the church at Pergamos faced these evil influences, we face our own today. We have everything at our fingertips through our cell phones, tablets, and laptops. Social media and the internet gives us access to far more information than is wanted or needed. Sadly, we are not always equipped to distinguish truth from lies. We are bombarded with so much evil all the time. If we are not careful, we will find our spirits polluted with this evil. With the purpose to turn us away from God.

God knows your struggle!

God is so awesome, that he provides a warning before judgement. He advises the church to repent or else I will come to you quickly. God says – I will you judge you by the same word that is in my mouth. The same word that he wants us to know and live by. There is enough power in his word to sustain us in all things.

God also promises a reward to those who repent and overcome. Verse 17 says, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”

The manna is hidden because it is reserved for believers only. While non-believers will reject God and his word, believers embrace it and can partake in the benefits and rewards promised therein. Those who reject him will never know the joy of salvation and the satisfaction of living by faith in him. God will give us a new name that has importance that is know only to God and to the one who receives it.

This is amazing because some will want to keep us trapped in the past, to the person we used to be with the our sins attached. But when we repent God sees us as he called us and gives us a name that reflects what he sees – victorious over comers!

Yes, God knows your struggles, but gives us what we need to overcome them. He sees us beyond where we are currently. He knows our up rising and down sitting. He calls us victorious even in those times when we feel defeated.

In Isaiah 43, God tells us he created us, formed us, redeemed us, and called us by name. He states emphatically that we are his. We do not have to fear. When we mess up – and yes, we will do this frequently – we only need to repent to get back in right standing. He goes on further to tell us he is with us, through the water or the fire – he is our protection! The water will not overflow us, the fire will not burn us because God is with us. Our struggle will not defeat us, it will only work to make us better.

So, let us take the advice given to the Pergamos church – Repent and do better. Get back in right standing with God.

Have a blessed night.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

1 John 4:18 & 19, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”

The love of God keeps us. Because of his perfect love we can be kept free of and safe from fear.

The Bible’s tells us fear is full of torments. How true this is. Just the thought of fearful things can immobilize even the strongest person for pursuing or moving forward. Fear is one of the most powerful tools in the enemy’s arsenal against the people of God. He uses it plentifully as fear comes in many different forms. Sometimes it is overt or obvious to spot. Other times it creeps in subtly or is disguised as something innocent that we, as the people of God, fail to recognize it from what it is.

Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.

The power of fear is the thing we fear does not even have to happen. Just the thought of the things we fear is enough to keep us from accomplishing our goal. Just thinking that something is dangerous, painful, or threatening can be paralyzing to many.

But God is so amazingly awesome, that he stops this whole fear thing in its tracks. He assures us that he has not given fear to us. He takes the time to explain exactly what we do have instead of fear – we have power, we have love (his great love), and we have a sound mind. Everything we need to combat fear when it tries to rear its ugly head in our presence. We have the power fight and rebuke it. We have the love of God to stand fast in. We have soundness of mind to combat the lies that fear brings with it.

This love is evident when we discuss the 2nd church noted in Revelations 2:8–11, Smyrna.

Once again God shows the church that not only is he with us always, but that he knows us so well.

God tells the Church at Smyrna – I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich). He knows the inward struggles of their minds. How they thought themselves to be one thing when they were something altogether more. He knows the battles they faced. How they had to deal with people who said they were one thing, but was something altogether opposite. He knows how they had to fight the enemy in the midst of their congregation.

The most awesome thing? God knows you too!

The scriptures tells us that God warns the church not to fear any of the things they must suffer for the cause of Christ. He even warns that some may put into prison to be tried. But tells them even with that there is an expiration date. Know your trial will not last for ever – even though there are times when it feels like they will. The Bible tells us that God declares the end from the beginning. Going into your trouble, God had already the ending of it. What a mighty God we serve!!

The God tells them of their blessing he has for them – if you remain faithful unto death, He will give them a crown of life. God loves us so that he is handing this reward out himself! He said “I will give…” what a wonderful savior. He provides further blessing – he that can over this fear they shall not be hurt of the second death. The magnitude of this blessing is great as the second death is a final eternal death.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary says it like this: “The second death is unspeakably worse than the first death, both in the agonies of it, and as it is eternal death: it is indeed awful to die, and to be always dying. If a man is kept from the second death and wrath to come, he may patiently endure whatever he meets with in this world.”

Understanding the blessing of overcoming fear and remaining faithful until the end gives us incentive to continue to fight the good fight of faith.

Again we ask, why should we fear? God is with us.