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.”

We live in a time where emotions are running high. And rightly so, as we have seen a lot in the last 5 years alone. We dealt with and survived COVID, the first presidency of Trump, heinous acts against people of color, a fluctuating economy, and job loss. We have lived through the institution of DEI and the good and bad benefits that came with it. We are witnessing the dismantling of the same along with what seems like an increase is prejudice, bias, and outright bigotry. It is easy to understand why emotions are running high.

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

There is something about the love of God! 

Fear only comes after us during those times when we lose sight of the love of God. God’s love gives us rest. That measure of faith that he gives us all, positions us to accept the love of God. Matthew tells us to “learn of me”. It is in this process of learning of Him that we understand how to rest in his love. There is no fear in his love.

Let’s talk about fear. 

By definition, fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

Some accompanying emotions to fear are: terror, fright, alarm, panic, agitation, trepidation, dread, dismay, distress, anxiety, worry, angst, unease, apprehension, nervousness, doubt, and suspicion. 

There are many more, but you get the point. Anything that is not faith can be included here.

The goal of fear is to keep you so tied up or focused on your emotions that you do not have time to deal with the will and plan of God.

“In the last 5 years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for therapy has seen a significant increase. This is due to a combination of factors including a historic decline in mental health, destigmatization of seeking help, and the increased accessibility of virtual care.”

Social media influencers, Employers, and physical health providers all encourage you to seek therapy to deal with emotions that if left unchecked can lead to physical manifestations and lead to behavioral issues. 

Yes, we do need to deal with these emotions. If you need help, please get help and don’t be ashamed about it.

But we must also be careful not to allow the emotions we are experiencing distract us from the will of God for our lives.

However

The God we serve is the same – always. He operates outside of this spectrum of emotions. God has expectations – that we grow and mature in him. The struggles you had when you first came to know God, should not be the same after you have walked with him and gained personal experience of his goodness. This personal experience increases our faith.

Fear has no place in this equation!

The scriptures says it this way in Romans 14:23: “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

The opposite of fear are calmness and confidence.

Calmness is the state or quality of being free from agitation or strong emotion; being free from disturbances or violent activity.

Confidence the feeling that one can rely or someone or something; firm trust.

Nehemiah was facing threats from Sanballat, Tobias, and others, who wanted to undermine his efforts to rebuild the wall. 

• Do you not think Nehemiah experienced high emotions during this time?

They accused him of plotting to rebel against the King. They tried to use fear against him to trick him into stepping away from the work he was called to do.

• Nehemiah asked his accusers “why should I stop working to come and meet with you?

He understood the assignment. Nehemiah exhibited both calmness and confidence. He did not fly off the handle at Sanballat and Tobias. Instead, he prepared himself to battle the enemy while he kept working the work before him.

His primary duty was to complete the task of rebuilding the wall. He had 1 part in the plan of God. He understood if he failed the impact would be great and the ripple of his failure would affect Israel’s restoration. 

He decided to push the fear aside and focus on obedience to the call of God. He chose faith over fear.

Now that we know what God has not given us (fear) let’s talked about what he has.

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

God has given us a sound mind or self control. 

Self control is defined as the ability to manage your impulses, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals, often involving resisting short-term temptations for the sake of a greater future benefit. It is about choosing what is healthy over something that is more appealing in the moment.

We need to allow the love of God to swallow up the fear that is causing you to avoid your responsibility. There is a job/calling/gift/vision that God has invested in you with the expectation you will strive to perform. We cannot afford to allow fear to stop us from being obedient to God.

First of all repent. Then go back into the grave yard of your past. Dig up those dreams and visions that God gave you, but your fear caused you to hide them away. Brush off the dirt of uncontrolled emotions, and stretch your faith. Trust in love. The same God that gave them to you is the same God that is going to give you everything you need to fulfill the call.

We need to have the same attitude as Nehemiah. We must focus on the work God has given us, but be prepared to fight the enemy over this same work. Our primary focus should be to accomplish what God has breathed into our spirit.

Fear is not an option!

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

Hi OTP Family – We are still walking through lessons learned from the 7 churches spoken of in Revelations chapters 2 and 3. One such lesson is to hold on. Think about it, how great a shame it would be if we wait to we are close to the finish line, just to give up or to throw in the towel just when the match is almost over?

Yet we live in a time when that is just what the enemy wants us to do. The enemy thinks if he burdens us with a deluge of distractions design to shift our focus from the things of God or from the work of God, that we will give up. But one thing he either does not understand or he cannot fathom is the power of the Godly inspiration. Just one word from God dropped or spoken in our spirit is enough not just to power a whole movement, it is enough to keep us through any and everything. Just like Jeremiah said – it is like a fire shut up in our bones (Jeremiah 20:9).

So, I encourage you to Hold On! Your strength may be little, but it is also mighty.

Church 6 – Philadelphia, Revelations 3:7-13

“Philadelphia combines the Greek words for “love” and “brothers.” The king of Pergamum founded the city in in 189 BC and named it Philadelphia because of His brother’s loyalty to him; his brother was the king of Lydia.

In His letter to the church at Philadelphia Jesus identifies himself as holy and true. The two characteristics are significant. Because Jesus is holy, He cannot lie. Therefore, He is both holy and true. Jesus also identifies himself in verse 7 as the one who has the key of David. It is also true that Jesus holds the key to open and shut a door that no one can open. He was able to use the key to open the doors of opportunity for the church at Philadelphia to advance the gospel into Asia’s unevangelized regions. Further, He could use the key to lock out the church’s enemies.” (BibleRef.com).

It is good to know that even when it feels like our lives are out of control, that God is indeed in control. He is not lost nor confused. Even when it feels that we are. He has the keys (power and authority) to open and close doors. He knows just when to exercise this authority. We may look at our situation and feel out of control and wonder where is God? But God is not confused. He is just being the God of our lives, and working in the background to bring about the things as they need to be for our good.

Our job is to learn to relinquish control and allow God to move in his sovereignty. We must learn to lean on him and trust in him. For he has never let us down before.

Looking at verse 8, Jesus describes the church as having only a little power, but confirms the church has used that power to good effect. Commends them for keeping his word and for remaining loyal to Him. I like this “Obeying the Word and staying loyal to Jesus ought to be significant features of any church. Opposition to Jesus and His word are fierce and insidious, but they cannot overcome a church that obeys Jesus and is loyal to Him.” (Bible ref.com). This is the key to our ability to hold on! In spite of everything – we trust and obey God. We stay loyal to his word.

It may feel as though you have just enough strength to hold on for one minute more. But at the end of that minute you find yourself still holding on. So, we keep on holding. This is the cycle of the believer. We keep holding on. God keeps inspiring us to hold on just a little tighter, just a little longer. There is that word that like a fire shut up in our bones again. After a little while we can look back over our lives and see just how far the Lord has brought us. And we never gave up. Understand, your ‘little strength’ is mighty indeed, through Christ!

Looking at verse 9, Jesus again speaks about those fake believers. Those wolves in sheep’s clothing otherwise known as those of the synagogue of Satan. These are those who say that love and follow the teachings of Christ, yet the life they live is in direct opposition to them. Here Jesus call them liars. It is nothing new that these bad apples give all Christian’s believers a bad name. But we do not allow their actions to prevent us from performing the work of Christ. Showing the love of Christ to all. Operating in the love of Christ at all times.

Revelations 3:10, ESV – “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”

Ah, the promises of God! This church has a foundation of patient endurance. Trusting God is their way of life. Because of this, Jesus promised to keep them (us, as true believers) from the coming tribulation that is to try the whole world. “Jesus’ words make it clear that the church will not go through the hour of trial, a reference to the “tribulation,” a seven-year period of intense earthly distress and the subject of much of the book of Revelation.” (Bible ref.com). Thank God for the catching away of the church!

Looking at verse 11, ESV, “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” This highlights our responsibility. Our duty is to hold fast, to hold on tight, through faith in Christ. We have to protect ourselves that no one takes our crown. This verse indicates that we can relinquish our crown by letting go. As long as we hold tight, it cannot be taken away.

How do we let go?

When our focus shifts away from our the cause of Christ, our grip begins to loosen. When our attention is more on the cares of this life, rather than reaching the lost. When our light is so dim that it no longer illuminates the way for those without hope. When we can no longer remember or care about the call on our lives. When we have allowed idols to take over the center stage of our lives. These are some of the ways we lose our grip. The enemy if able to take our crown, and the sad part is we may not even realize its gone until its too late.

But God! We serve a great and mightily God that is full of grace and mercy. He always provides warning signs. Picture flashing caution lights that are designed to alert us that we are approaching this grave danger. We must give heed to these signs. Repent and make the changes that will help us tighten our grip back on our crown. It is that still, small voice speaking to our spirit letting us know we need to sure up, and firm our grip. We serve a soon coming King.

Hold on. Yes, your strength may seem little, but it is also mighty. As the song says, little becomes much when we place it in the master’s hands. Don’t fall for the trick of the enemy. You do have enough strength to keep holding on. Do not be tricked into letting go and giving up your crown.

Let’s pray together – Father, thank you for your word, for letting us know we do have the strength to keep holding on. Thank you Father for increasing our strength and our ability to patiently endure. Thank you for your promise to keep us from the hour of trial that is coming to the whole world. Father we pray that you continue to help us stay focused and do the work you have given us to accomplish. We do repent Father for those things in our lives that had us loosening our grip. We are encouraged and determined to hold fast, so that no man steals our crown. Father we thank you in Jesus name, amen!

Have a blessed night.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

Hello OTP Family! We have heard the old saying “knowledge is power” and this is so very true. But life has a way of piling on so much that we are weighed down. So much so that the enemy has almost convinced us that we did don’t know anything about God. The enemy is so subtle, so tricky, so sneaky, that if we are not on our watch, we will know see, recognize, or discern when he has come in. But God! God is all powerful, and has promised us that he will never leave or forsake us. But he has called us to responsibility.

We have to meet God part way. We have to walk in obedience to his word, his will, and his way. It is our responsibility to feed on the word so we can grow. We grow in him and we learn God. We learn who he is, what he promised, what is his will for our lives, and what he requires of us. Yes, there are things we know through our experiences with him. This level of Growth requires us to watch and pray. To walk in the things we now know of God.

By definition, to know is to be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information. To have developed a relationship with (someone) through meeting and spending time with them; be familiar or friendly with.

We are still continuing in our study of the 7 churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelations.

Church 5 – Sardis, Revelations 3:1-6

The Matthew Henry commentary describes the church at Sardis this way; “Hypocrisy, and lamentable decay in religion, are sins charged upon Sardis, by Jesus – the one who knew that church well, and all her works. Outward things appeared well to men, but there was only the form of godliness, not the power; a name to live, not a principle of life. There was great deadness in their souls, and in their services;”

Hypocrisy is nothing new to church life. It is still prevalent to most churches today. Lamentable decay in religion – such a very sad state that is most notably seen by the world. Although there is much good done by the church, that is not what is shown to the world in the media today. But the blame for this can be laid at the churches feet. We have fallen down on job and been very lax in our responsibility.

Matthew Henry goes on further to state, “Our Lord called upon them to be watchful against their enemies, and to be active and earnest in their duties; and to endeavor, in dependence on the grace of the Holy Spirit, to revive and strengthen the faith and spiritual affections of those yet alive to God, though in a declining state.”

Isaiah 62:6, “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night.” In Ezekiel 3:17-21, God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman over the house of Israel’s charging him with the responsibility to warn the people of their sinful ways and the impending consequences if they do not repent.”

Somewhere along the way, the watchmen that were appointed stop doing their job. Somewhere along the line the people of God forgot they serve a jealous God. A God who does not like it when other things are given place in our lives before him. Somewhen along the way we forgot that a little leaven will leaven the whole loaf. Spiritual compromise will always lead to spiritual death – if we don’t repent.

So we need to ask the question: What Do You Know?

Looking at the definition of to know is given above. After having walked with God for any length of time we should know:

–How God thinks of us (Jeremiah 29:11) – He gives us his peace, not evil. Only the enemy wants to give us evil. God desires to give us an expected end. He desires to give you the desires of your heart, those things that bring glory to his name.

–That all things will work together for your good (Romans 8:28). This goes hand in hand with Jeremiah. The enemy wants you to believe that the horrible life experiences happened to you because you were not worthy of good. But God says, even in those experiences, I can turn it around so the thing the enemy devised to destroy you will only work together for your ultimate good. We just have to trust God through the process.

–That we may know him (Philippians 3:10). As we walk with him and go through life’s experiences we get a better understanding of God. We intimately know him as we apply his word to our lives and walk therein.

We have to we that watchman that God had called us to be. We cannot to lose any more ground. We must strengthen that which remains. As we strengthen, we can add back the things we allowed the enemy to slowly erode away.

There is still space to repent. Hear what the spirit is saying to the church. Repent so that our name stays in the lams book of life. “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.” Revelations 3:5.

Glory be to God! The worst thing we can do is know that we are in perilous waters, at risk of drowning in sin, and refuse to swim to safety. Let us repent and get back to being the watchmen on the wall. Like Ezekiel- appointed to warn the people of the impending consequences of their actions if they don’t repent.

Right now, take a few minutes to talk to God. Tell him what you know…

Have a blessed night OTP family.

Proverbs 31:10 (Amplified Bible), “An excellent woman [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is fat above rubies or pearls.

Psalms 139:14, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Ephesians 1:4, “According as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”

We are precious according to Proverbs, unique according to Psalms, and according to Ephesians we are chosen by God even before the world was formed. Our worth is so great, that it was only the Blood of the Lamb – Jesus Christ, that could redeem us. We are worth far more than we give ourselves credit. God sees this. Now, we just have to continually remind ourselves of this.

We are continuing our series on the 7 Churches as noted in Revelations chapters 2 and 3.

Church 4 – Thyatira – Revelations 2:18-29

Background: “Residents of Thyatira worshiped Apollo, the sun god under the surname Tyrimnas. Apollo was a son of the chief Greek god, Zeus. As such, it is significant that Jesus identified himself to the church at Thyatira as the Son of God. Likewise, this probably explains why Jesus is here depicted with flaming eyes and feet like burnished—white hot—brass. His deity outshines the sun by far, so the church at Thyatira could view Him as far more glorious than Tyrimnas. 

Jesus’ power and spiritual sight is on full display here. Nothing can escape His scrutiny. He can see what is right and wrong with the church. His feet appear to be like blazing white brass. He stands ready to judge whatever sin He finds in Thyatira.” (Bible Ref.com).

God sees and knows us. He instructed John to write to Thyatira that he knows their work, charity, service, faith, patience, and their desire for their last work to be more than their first. This speaks to their growth and maturity in the work of the Lord. Because God sees and knows them – he also pointed out their deficiencies. As much as they loved God, they still refused to route out the evil influences that plagued their church.

In verse 20, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” The scripture reminded us that she called herself a prophet, she was not called by God. Yet the church allowed her (this spirit) to teach and seduce the people of God. The Bible tells us to know those who labor among us (1 Thessalonians 5:12). We cannot allow ignorance or the fear of what people will say or do to keep us from doing what we know God requires. God called us to walk in discernment. To know what is of God and what is not.

God shows his goodness and mercy in verse 21, “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.” This confirms Jezebel knew exactly what she was doing and that her actions were not ordained by God. She was aware that she could repent and change her ways, but refused to. This is still true today. Those who operate in this spirit know they are opposing God. They are fully aware they are not trying to share the good news (Gospel )of Jesus. They are trying to share a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5).

Although Jezebel was long dead, that spirit behind her was (is) still alive and well.

Jezebel – the daughter of Ethbaal king of Zidonians (1 Kings 16:31).

– Seduced Ahab, King of Israel, to tolerate Baal.

– Replaced the worship of God with the worship of Baal.

– Commanded the death of the Prophets of God (1 Kings 18:4).

– Lead followers to practice fornication and to eat foods offered to idols.

– Responsible for killing Naboth and confiscating his vineyard for Arab (1 King 21: 1-6).

– Came close to killing Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-3).

The spirit of Jezebel is still at work in many churches today. That seducing spirit still seeks to encourage the people of God to tolerate sin. The Bible warns us not to give place (space) to the devil (Ephesians 4:27-30). If you give him an inch, he is going to want the whole ruler. The enemy is ever trying to replace holy worship with an unholy mess. It is still trying to kill the prophets of God by physical violence, by killing reputations, and by placing worldly standards on the things of God – just to name a few ways.

But we still need to know our worth…we still need to discern to plan of the enemy. We need to stand in the gap for the people of God, in the name of Jesus.

Even Elijah came under the attack of this spirit. Elijah had just finished a great work to the glory of God. But as soon as he heard the threat of Jezebel, he ran away. God had to send his angel to feed and minister to him. God had to ask him, why are you here, Elijah?

Yes, there are times when the attack seems so great that we want to run, forget the call of God, and hide ourselves away. Be we cannot give into this. We must fight this feeling with faith, and take our rest in worship. This allows us to come back to ourselves. To remember who we are and whose we are. We have to know our worth. This gives us strength to get back up and fight the good fight of faith.

For the Church of Thyatira, God warned if they do not repent he would cast Jezebel and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation. He will kill her children with death. God is saying if you don’t route out that spirit, he will – along with everything that spirit gave birth to. God says he knows our hearts and will give to us according to our works. We cannot hide from him. God also comforts us – He promised that if we are not guilty of this we will not have to bear no other burden. “But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:”

God encourages us to know our worth and to hold fast till he comes. Do not allow the enemy to trick us this close to the finish line.

Hold on and have and be blessed!

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.

Revelations 2:1, “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;”

Hello OTP family!! I have been doing steady on the seven churches spoken of in the second and third chapters revelations. I just wanted to share some things that got a place on my heart during my studies.

Introduction:

God provides warnings and encouragement to the churches

Although these churches were in such different states as to purity of doctrine and the power of godliness that the words of Christ to them will always suit the cases of churches today. The God we serve knows and observes their states; though he is in heaven, yet he walks in the mist of his churches on earth. He observes what is wrong in them and what they want.

It is awesome to know that God is with us still.

The Church at Ephesus:

Because God knows us so well, he sees what other people do not. This church God commended them for diligence in duty. Just as he promised, Christ keeps an account of every hour’s work his servants do for him. He promised our labor will not be in vain in the Lord.

But he also warned – diligence is not enough. There must also be patience:

– we must bear in patience,

– and we must wait in patience,

– we must show zeal against sin. By definition, zeal is great energy or enthusiasm  in pursuit of a cause or an objective. This zeal is rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. We must always operate in love.

The Church of Ephesus could not bear evil doers. They tried those which call themselves to be one thing and found them as liars because they were not who they profess to be.

What God held against them was they lost their first love. God encouraged them to repent, and to do their first works over. This loss of love impacted how they treated evil doers.

What this means – the Church did not lose their love. What they lost was their fervent (passion, compassion) degree of that love they had when they first came to Christ. They allowed their love to grow remiss or cold towards him. When our love grows cold, we lose the compassion to deal with and treat the people of God in a manner that brings glory to his name. Cold love makes it difficult for people to receive our ministry. It causes us to speak with carelessness and indifference. This, God sees as sinful.

By definition, fervent is having or displaying a passionate intensity.

Remember hate is not the opposite of love, indifference is. Be definition, indifference is lack of interest, concern, or sympathy. Where there is indifference, there is no love.

To get back our first love is to pray earnestly for that first zeal, tenderness, and seriousness we had at the beginning of our walk with Christ. and then once we have retrieve this first love, we must watch over it diligently, so we don’t lose it again.

We have to remember this Christian life is a warfare against sin, against Satan, against the world, and against the flesh. We must be careful to never yield to our spiritual enemies. We serve a God that always causes us a triumph, and anyone who is triumphant does not give up in battle. The strength to stay faithful in battle is rooted and grounded in the love of Christ and his holy word.

God is so faithful that he encourages us in this journey. To the church at Ephesus – he promised to all who persevere they shall eat of the tree of life. This means we shall receive from Christ – as he is a tree of life – perfect perfection, confirmation in holiness, and happiness; communion with Christ and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Impact:

Sometimes we find ourselves in a place where it seems our love has also grown cold. We still care, we still work, and we still pray. However, we have lost the ferventness of our work. This includes prayer, Bible study, and our testimony – sharing Christ with everyone we meet. That degree of passion and compassion is not the same as when we first started walking with Christ.

We must remember that our focus should be all about winning lost souls to Christ. But this is impossible to do when we are indifferent. Cold love does not draw, it pushes people away. We must drive to get that fervent love back.

Conclusion:

God is still with us.

As he promised, to never leave or forsake us. It is we who sometimes turn our back on him. He told us “those whom he loves he chastises”. He is our father. Just as a father has to correct his children, God must also correct us. This is love! It’s a blessing to know that God considers us so much that he takes the time to provide correction to us.

What a mighty God we serve! What a loving God we serve!

Have a blessed night.

Discovering our call for 2025!

2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.“

Happy New Year – Welcome 2025. Today is Sunday, January 12, 2025. Statistics say that New Year Resolutions end by the 2nd Friday of the Year. This day is known as “Quitter’s Day”.

Thankfully, we are now past this time frame and can focus on discovering God’s plan for us in 2025. We are at the point where we are no longer focusing on New Year Resolutions. Hopefully, we have come to the realization that God wants better for us than we have had in previous years. But we also know that we cannot achieve the better with the same mindset we have had. As the saying goes “if you do what you always have, you will get what you always got”. If you want better, we need to do better. This requires a new mindset.

We need to clear away the old to make room for the new.

To do this we need to hear from the Lord. We need direction, a plan of attack, for 2025.

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thought that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not if evil, to give you an expected end.”

In this verse God acknowledges that he has a plan for each and every one of us. However, for most of us, we have no idea what the fullness of this plan is. I believe it is human nature to want all the details. It gives us a sense of comfort, makes us feel as though our feet are on solid ground. However, if we knew all the details, what would be the point of having faith?

We do not need all the details. What we do need is a plan. We need to settle ourselves to hear from God. Then walk in obedience to the direction he gives. Rest assured, God will speak to us. It is our duty to make sure we are positioned to hear. Revelations 2:7a, “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;”

It’s Fasting Time:

The Bible is our instruction manual. It provides concrete, specific instructions on how we can effectively walk by faith in our journey to be obedient to God’s will for our life. The instruction manual tells us how to fast – to break up the fallow ground that has developed in our hearts.

In farming vernacular – Fallow ground is land that has been plowed and prepared for planting but is left idle for a period to time, allowing the soil to regain its fertility and rest before being used to grow crops again; essentially, its a farming technique where land is left unplanted to recover and replenish nutrients.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline used for increasing faith sanctification repentance, power, strength, and hearing from God.

God is saying, now is the time to get to work. But we must first receive direction. It is time to move away from being idol, to planting seeds, and establishing a plan to bring in the harvest! We know that God has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11), we now must settle ourselves to hear from God to receive the direction. This is where fasting comes into play.

Types of Fasts:

• The Absolute Fast (Matthew 4:2) – a total fast which includes complete refraining from food or drink for the duration of the fast.
• The Partial Fast (Daniel 10:3) – this fast is from particular food or things that hinder our spiritual growth.
• The Daniel Fast – this is a biblically based partial fast. There are 2 options: Option 1 – only fruits and vegetables, drinking only water for a beverage. Option 2 – Is still only fruits and vegetables, but includes dairy, breads, and pasta.

Daniel fasted for 21 days. However, I am recommending fasting starting tomorrow, January 13, 2025, through the end of the month. Please decide the type of fast you will offer as a sacrifice to God. Remember to give up something during this time that means something to you.

While you are fasting, remember to have quiet time set aside. This is time spent with the Lord in study, prayer, and daily devotion. Cultivating this habit will support your faith and draw (keep) you closer to God.

I also recommend having a journal during your quiet time. You will want to write down what God shares with you.

I wish you all a blessed time during your fasting journey.

Remember, it’s time to clear away the old, to make room for the new.

Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Praise Him my OTP friends and family!!

It has been a little while since I last posted, but I could not let the year end without a good close out conversation. Yes, 2024 was full of ups and downs, challenges and struggles. But it was also full of blessings and triumphs. God is faithful that even when we are going through trials and troubles he still allowed the sun to shine upon us to refresh, renew, and recharge when it was most needed.

The New Year will come with a lot of “unknowns” that can make us feel apprehensive. But just as we have with every other challenge, we will face this new year in faith and fight every battle with faith and God’s holy scripture.

I encourage you to keep God’s word alive in your heat and ready on your tongue. For we will need it to fight and withstand the attack of the enemy.

Most importantly, embrace and enjoy all that God has in store for you in 2025!

What God has promised you he is able also to perform. 2025 is your year to walk in God’s plan for your life – the fullness of the purpose he has for you. We don’t deal in fear, for it is full of torments. But we walk by faith, and faith is full of freedom.

So, Happy New Year!! 2025, here we come in the name of the Lord!!

May God bless you all!!