rawls articles

I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Isaiah 43:25; Psalm 103:12; Mark 11:35&26; Romans 8:33&34 and Romans 8:1.

It is not uncommon in the judicial system for a case to be litigated, tried and retried until a decision is finally rendered by the Supreme Court. In that the Supreme Court is the highest judicial court in the nation, once it rules no lower court can overturn its decision. Obviously, the Supreme Court is powerful, but its judicial power cannot be compared to the sovereignty of God.

Nonetheless, it is also not uncommon for believers and unbelievers alike to remember a person’s past when God Himself has forgiven and forgotten. It is therefore something sinfully wrong with anyone who chooses to remember what God has forgotten! Furthermore, if you are unwilling to forgive and to forget the transgressions of others, rest assured that neither will God forgive and forget yours. Furthermore, God is the Supreme Judge of the universe! So, when a repentant sinner receives salvation, there is no one, and I do mean no one, that can bring any charges against him or her.

However, many well-intentioned Christians who profess to love God are living in bondage because of their unwillingness to forgive and let go of the past. You may feel justified in not forgiving someone for a particular wrong committed against you. And that would probably be understandable if you were not guilty of committing wrongs against others. But even if you have deceived yourself into believing that you have never done anyone wrong, you cannot say that you have not sinned against God. And having sinned against God, you have committed wrongs against others! Remember, Jesus said that what you have done unto the least of them, you have done unto me. Other people have certainly done you wrong and you have undoubtedly done others wrong as well. Therefore seek forgiveness and reconciliation with God and man.

Notwithstanding the fact that you must forgive and release others of their wrongdoings committed against you or loved ones in order to be released by God from your sinful acts, there are inherent tragedies to refusing to forgive. First, Booker T. Washington said, “You cannot hold a man down without staying down with him.” Being on top of the bottom is really no better than being on the bottom of the bottom. Second, whenever you refuse to forgive others, they in effect become your prisoner and you their jailer. Although they are unable to escape your vengeance, you are also held captive by your vengeance. They are imprisoned in the inner cell of your unforgiving heart and you are imprisoned in its outer cell of self-righteousness. However, it matters not who is imprisoned in the inner or outer cell of your hardened heart, both of you are imprisoned! Both of you are your prisoners! But perhaps most tragically of all, while you are conspiring to hold them down or back, you are compelling God to judge you exactly the way you are judging them.

We are commanded to love God and one another. Since it is a commandment, obey. Since it takes much more energy and effort to hate than to love, choose to obey God. It is the godly thing to do. Granted, love is volitional. It is a choice that you must make for yourself. So do not allow anyone to prevent you from making the right choice. Your love for Christ will be measured by the person or persons you love the least or hate the most. Your love for Christ is measured by your love for others.

Remember, love and freedom or liberty is inseparable. Anyone that does not love is in bondage to Satan. But, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” John 8:36. Christ demonstrated His love for us on the Cross. Love died on our behalf. We must accept His love in order to live in Him and Him in us.

So, how much do you love Christ? Are you really free?

It’s in the House

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Jesus saith unto them, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” THERE is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” John 14:2-3&6; Romans 8:1 & II Corinthians 5:17.

Jesus’ promise is unmistakably clear: In His Father’s house is many mansions. The word “mansion” is also interpreted as house, apartment, or room. But regardless of how the believer’s dwelling place in heaven is described, it will be exceedingly more grandiose than the most elaborate palaces on earth. And although one popular dictionary defines mansion as a large house, Jesus’ promise reveals that His Father’s house includes mansions for all of the redeemed.

Moreover, his promise is, “And I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.” The place, our dwelling place or mansion is prepared for us by Jesus. The Holy Ghost is preparing us for that prepared place. Father and His angelic host are awaiting our arrival, but in the interim between time and timeless we are commissioned to introduce everyone along our sojourn journey to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And during our transitory journey we must continue to prepare ourselves to move from the temporal to the eternal abode of God. But even in the natural, moving from one place to another is always a hassle because of the accumulation of so much stuff. It is especially challenging when the latter house is larger than the former. In that case, you must sort through all the artifacts, trinkets, memorabilia, furnishings and cherished accessories in an effort not to take anything that is inappropriate for the new home.

Preparation for our mansion in heaven is even more challenging in the sense that all habits, behaviors, attitudes, and lifestyles that are ungodly cannot be taken in us into the mansion. It is therefore necessary that we rid ourselves of everything that is unpleasing to God. But you cannot give these ungodly things to anyone else because you should not have had them for yourself in the first place. Housecleaning or the sanctification of the spirit, soul, and body is a must in preparation for your dwelling place with God. Since your past is past, commit to walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

But it is understandable why numerous unregenerate persons and carnal Christians fail to accept Christ or to prepare themselves for eternity. You must deny your old life, and willingly place your new life in the loving care of an invisible Savior who is visibly manifested through the lives of every redeemed person that is baptized in the Holy Ghost and committed to constant infillings. Remember, once filled with the Holy Ghost, you will need to be refilled throughout your Christian life.

If you are truly preparing for your mansion, you will have to stop communing with sin and give up old friendships with the world. You will have to commit to studying your Bible, understanding that it is the Word of God. Since it is not a book, but the very mind of God revealed in book form, you must not approach it as if it is a book of fiction. In the Bible, we are certain of biblical history and predestined by prophecy. We are part of God’s plan for humanity. We are the central theme in each of His redemptive thoughts. Although ambassadors of Christ, it is not uncommon to try and dictate God’s plan of salvation. But we must remember, Father is the Creator, Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and the Holy Spirit is the Director of our walk in Christ.

Also, we must not forget that the Word of God is the manifestation of the Person of Christ. It is inspired by the Spirit, conceived in the heart of the believer, and rightly divided by everyone that hungers and thirsts after and for righteousness. Nonetheless, you may wonder what will happen to the old you if you give up the only life you have ever known. You will become who you are. The person you were when conceived in the mind of God.

Whether or not you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, remember: Christ died for sin. You were born dead in sin. But once reborn you are dead to sin. In order to prepare for your mansion, you must become and remain dead to sin.

Finally, whatever you need is in the house. Your mansion is in the house! Redemption, resurrection, joy, peace, love, healing, deliverance, forgiveness, and divine protection are in the house! And when Jesus returns, the fullness will be ushered in.

Do You See What I See?
(We Are More Than They!)
By
Rufus Rawls

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! How shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” Amos 3:7; Proverbs 29:18; II Corinthians 5:7 & II Kings 6:8-12;15-17.

Verses eight through twenty-three in the sixth chapter of Second Kings chronicles how the Lord God delivered Elisha and his servant out of the hands of the Syrians. And Elisha was a prophet, a man chosen by God. And we know that a prophet serves in a number of capacities, to include foreknowing, foretelling, foreseeing, and forewarning. A spiritual visionary, the prophet makes clearer the ways and purposes of God to His people. He is also anointed by God to know the plans of his enemies. Moreover, the prophet does what every believer is expected to do, walk by faith and not by sight.

To say the least, Elisha exemplified all of the aforementioned characteristics of a true prophet. In so doing, he was able to foil the king of Syria’s plans to attack Israel. After learning that Elisha, and not a spy in his own camp, was responsible for keeping the king of Israel out of harm’s way, he plotted to capture Elisha. And although he came by night and compassed the city, the man of God’s angelic army was far superior to that of the Syrian king.

The servant of Elisha saw the Syrian army arrayed for battle on the mountaintop. But his fear subsided when the man of God explained to him that they had nothing to fear, and prayed for the Lord to open his eyes so that he could see what he saw and knew. God open the servant’s eyes, blinded the eyes of the enemy and allowed Elsiha to lead them captive to Samaria. After which he prayed that the Lord would open their eyes.

Although the Syrian army was captured and helpless against the power of God, Elsiha instructed the king of Israel not to kill them. He was not permitted to take credit for what God had done. Instead, the captured army was fed, released and allowed to return home, ending that season of war against the king of Israel.

The Lord God opened the eyes of the servant, blinded the eyes of the enemy and then reopened their eyes. The servant was empowered to see into the spirit realm while the Syrian army was blinded physically before having their physical eyesight restored. Had they been able to see into the spiritual realm themselves, they would have surely opted to flee before being captured.

Always remember that God is with you and His angelic army is standing by to help you in times of need. Understand also that you need not destroy your enemies. Be obedient to God, and allow Him to be glorified in every victory. Allow Him to fight your battles. Even though you may not be able to befriend all of your enemies, they will know that God is God and that you are His child.

Regardless of who is against you, remember you are always the majority because God is with you. Listen to the true prophets of God, and God will show you what He is showing them. You are never alone. Trust those who by faith can see into the spirit realm and pray God will open your eyes of faith so that He can use you for His glory.

Happy Belated New Year!?

Rufus Rawls

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” Philippians 3:13-14 & Psalm 118:24.

Happy New Year…!? What do we really mean when we say, “Happy New Year?” Are we talking about an astronomical year, an equinoctial year, a natural, solar, or tropical year? Or, are we simply referring to a calendar or civil year, the time occupied by the earth in one revolution around the sun, 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds in length? But from a Christian’s perspective, what makes 2009 a happy year? And now that the dawning days of ’09 have come and gone, what, aside from the obvious, makes it any different from the former year? Is it rejoicing and glorying over its own arrival and celebrating itself for the remaining of its reigning time? Does it have the power to change woes into joys, defeats into victories, or unrighteousness into righteousness?

The New Year, though it was celebrated throughout most of the world, asked more questions of its celebrants than it possibly has or can answer. During its celebration, however, some reckless and lustful hearts probably conceived babies during the debauchery hours that quickly faded into the last minutes of the old year. But is the old year really gone or going or will it linger in the shadows of 09? Crime, rape, drunkenness, untimely deaths, unwanted pregnancies, and all sorts of unthinkable and undesirable occurrences fell under the dubious auspices of celebrating the New Year. Resolutions, mindless, and shallow commitments ushered it in. Watch Services were held in churches of various denominations and most likely the people at Times Square in New York welcomed it in with a salutatory bang! And just as in previous times, at 12:01 a.m. it was proclaimed, “Happy New Year!” But in and of itself, the New Year is neither happy nor sad. It is simply the unfolding of a piece of timelessness into the portals of time. In truth, neither your bank account nor anything else, for that matter, automatically or miraculous changed simply because the clock turned another page, unveiling a day that may or may not be a New Year for you.

However, also in truth, each day is a small allocated disbursement of a new year, of new opportunities, of new beginnings. Therefore, what makes this year, ’09, new is not that ’08 has passed from us but that we have passed from it. Nonetheless, while the “New Year” marks a new year as such, each day ushers in the newness of today. So, what’s newer, this year or today? God does not command us to ritualistically celebrate time in general, but rather that we should celebrate today, this day! Not because it is necessarily a particular holiday, but according to Psalm 118:24, “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

The Apostle Paul and the psalmist understood the importance of time. And after Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the Damascus road, his life in Christ began and everything, from that transforming moment forward became new because he was a new creature. His zealousness and ignorance were forgotten as well as his previous successes. Also, he immediately understood that he did not know Christ as intimately as Christ knew him. Nevertheless, he committed himself to forgetting and reaching. And, as he realigned his foresight and affections, he refocused his life on Christ, on reaching that goal, mark, or spiritual destination that Christ had preordained that he should attain to. His life was no longer defined by successes and neither was it lost in ashes of yesterday’s failures. He began to agree with the psalmist, “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

So, the newness or antiquity of today, of your life, depends not on what the calendar says the day or year is, but by your willingness to grasp and to embrace the beauty of this day of illimitable opportunities, knowing that God created today for you and you for today. This truth and this truth along makes today a new year’s beginning. Therefore choose to press forward in the power of God’s might. If not, you will have chosen by default to be and to remain repressed by your cumulative yesterdays and yesteryears?

One last question: Is yesterday and today a hurdle or a stumbling block?

Seedtime and Harvest
By
Prince Rufus Rawls
Shepherd, Triumph Church, Summit, Mississippi

“And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” Genesis 8:21-22.

            It is a fact made known by the Lord that a person’s heart is bent toward evil from youth. Nonetheless, the Lord has promised not to smite again His creation because of Adam and Eve’s sin. And His promise will prevail until Jesus returns and raptures the Church. During the interim, however, life continues along a predictable pattern. Seasons of sowing and reaping will continue and the various meteorological seasons will also continue.

            It is of little surprise when autumn turns to winter or spring to summer. The ability to adapt to the various seasonal changes, whether it involve sleet, snow, rain, tornadic disturbances, extreme heat, or earthquakes, these natural phenomena or tragedies are taken in relative stride. In that we know, expect, and accept these weather conditions as part of life, and though they frequently cause loss of life and property, we have learned to bravely weather these storms of life.

            But when it comes to seedtime and harvest, many of us, including born-again believers, seem totally oblivious to the relationship between sowing and reaping. No farmer, for example, who plants a field of corn, is surprised when he reaps a field of corn. Not only that, but the farmer knows that more corn will be harvested than planted. The farmer also knows that the corn must be protected from drought, weeds, and anything else that would stunt or destroy its growth. The process is easily understood; therefore the farmer equips himself to deal with all of these factors.

Although Jesus and the Bible had and has much to say about sowing and reaping, almost everyone, at some time or the other, one way or the other, finds it difficult to understand why certain things happens. It is not uncommon to hear a person say, “I’m having bad luck!” Although it is a relative easy thing to excuse the obvious, bad luck is a myth, a way of excusing one’s self from taking responsibility for his or her actions. Once the truth is accepted that whatever planted is going to reproduce after its kind, it becomes easier to choose not to sow what you don’t want to reap.

In Galatians 6:7-8, we are sternly warned: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Whatever we plant in the soil of our spirit is going to grow. And whatever you think on the longest becomes the strongest. But in that sin is indigenous in our nature, if we choose not to sow seeds of righteousness, seeds of unrighteousness will automatically grow. Have you noticed that weeds will grow on your lawn although you did not plant weeds? The reason being, weeds are indigenous in the soil!

I once heard a preacher comment that you don’t have to teach a child how to lie because lying is inborn in his or her nature. But in order for that child not to become a habitual liar, a transformation process must take place, to include encouraging him or her to tell the truth.

The farmer decides his harvest at seedtime. In other words, he decides what he will reap by choosing what he will sow. Although it should be as clear-cut for the believer, some have deceived themselves into trying to deceive God and the laws of nature. For that reason, it is important to understand that every thought, act, or deed is, in effect, a planted seed, and it will reproduce after its kind. Seeds of gossip will produce a harvest of gossip and gossiping. And anytime the choice is not to plant seeds of righteousness, innate seeds of unrighteousness will sprout up.

Righteous actions will water, cultivate, and fertilize the seed of the Word. But unbelief, disbelief, and doubt will cause weeds, thistles, and thorns to invade the soil of your spirit, soul, and body. Jealousy, envy, and fear will viciously attack faith and progressively dissolve the nutrients of righteousness. Again, every thought, deed, or act is seeds sown, and every seed will invariably reproduce after its kind.

As long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest also remains an endless process. It’s not a mystery: Your sowing and reaping are inseparable.

The Prophetic Dream

Rufus Rawls

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goeth froth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” Isaiah 55:6-11.

Although the Rapture is not the gist of this article, I beseech you to prepare for the Rapture..! Having said that, with a large set of blueprints in hand, the undertaking of the huge building project was underway. The clearly seen heavy equipment was going and coming while curious spectators stood around observing the work in progress. And the crews of workers were walking swiftly back and forth with a sense of purpose.

A cemetery was located at the end of a field of well-groomed, thick, green grass. The construction site was much longer than it was wide. Nonetheless, each neatly arrayed, white-marbled tombstone looked brand new, appearing completely untarnished of sun and weather. Amazingly, the cemetery was likened to Arlington – neat and full of history. The scores of tombstones, standing tall as well-trained soldiers in formation at reveille, appeared from afar much smaller than their actual size.

The enigma was the fact that the construction site was located on the same property as that of a cemetery. With curious observation, the question was asked, “What about the cemetery?” Before the ponderous question could be answered, God responded, “I’m going to move it!” His answer was both startling and sobering.

Moreover, God continued to speak. The set of blueprints are My Word and Will. My chosen servants are anointed to walk in the power of My might into divine destiny. The foundation I have laid: Study and obey the blueprint of My Word. Build on My purpose and for My glory. However, the cemetery located at the far end of the construction site represents the dead works buried in the hearts of some that are deeply rooted in the Body of Christ: The traditions of men and the doctrines of devils and witches that for years have held the church and My people hostage in the wilderness of religion. The cemetery also represents persons within the body living dead lives in the belly of disobedience and rebellion. The neatness of the cemetery symbolizes the well-organized assault Satan is waging from within the church through the workers of disobedience and rebellion. The intent of his crafty strategy is to cripple the body of Christ, and to keep every deceived believer in bondage. The cemetery is the burial ground for all practices and teachings that lead to death, and “I shall move it,” says the LORD.

In a little while, when the fullness of My work reaches the deadness in the cemetery, “I will move it.” The ‘little while,’ however, has to with opportunity and not with time itself. My grace and mercy is for the time being an open door of opportunity for every unruly and unsaved person in the house of prayer to seek true repentance and total restoration. Because when I move the cemetery, I shall move out of My way everything and everyone that is living in the graveyard among the tombs of hypocrisy and deceit. Do not be deceived and fight against Me: nothing but the power of My Word will be able to stand.

Lot’s wife was disobedient. Do not commit the same sin and suffer destruction. Because she was comfortable living among the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah, distrust and disobedience seduced her into looking back, causing her to be turned into a pillar of salt. When you look back at what I have commanded you to leave behind, your life becomes a stony pillar of savorless salt in a world of sin and destruction whose wages is death. Too many of My children are confessing with their lips that they are pressing forward toward the mark of My high calling for them in My Dear Son, but in their hearts they are chasing dead memories and broken dreams scattered across the sands of time.

Listen to Me dear children! None of you can return to the past, whether yesterday or yesteryear, because it no longer exists. Remember, therefore, that today’s sunrise is in the faith realm yesterday’s sunset. The birth of today is the death of yesterday.

If Trees Could Talk

Rufus Rawls

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good: or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit” Matthew 7:15-20 & Matthew 12:33.

A wise man once said, “What you are doing is speaking so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying.” From that profound statement, we can surmise that the voice of action often speaks much louder than one does verbally. However, Jesus makes it unmistakably clear that, though deception is running rampant, the true nature of a person can be accurately discerned by the fruit or actions that his or her life bears. In that Satan is working devilishly hard with untiring effort to counterfeit the holy character of Christ, we are warned not to allow false prophets and teachers or their evil and worthless fruit to deceive the elect of God.

Too many people who profess to be Christians are bragging about all the good they are doing, yet their self-proclaimed works of righteousness are not bearing the fruit of the Spirit. However, Galatians 5:22-23 are excellent fruit-inspecting verses. In them are revealed the character of Christ Himself, the very same nature that every born-again believer has. Although the fruit of the Spirit must be nurtured and developed in the heart of the believer, each of us is endowed with it at the time we are born again. The fruit of the Spirit is not an accessory. It is inborn in every believer, but the degree of fruitfulness depends on the believer’s righteous commitment to grow in the likeness of Christ.

Paul shares the character of Christ in the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” As you know, laws do not change or control the heart. If they did, the lusts of the flesh and man-made laws that punish offenders would not be necessary. Only the love of Christ indwelling the believer’s heart in the Spirit of Christ can transform the heart of that person.

God created humanity with the ability to verbally communicate with one another. But that ability is often perverted with lies and deceit. And, more often than not, what a person says is not necessarily what he or she means. However, we are not without hope. Unless a person’s conversation produces or bears fruit likened to his or her conversation and lifestyle, it is obvious that that person is not a good tree. Although we are able to talk to each other and to exchange ideals and feelings, we are not left at the mercy of idle and empty talk. Jesus assures us that a person’s life will invariably produce the true fruit of the heart. Therefore you can easily identify a person’s true character by the fruit that his or her life is bearing or producing. So, we as human beings have implicit and explicit means of communicating, verbal and nonverbal.

The most severe and hurtful expression of hypocrisy is to profess you are a fruit-bearing believer without the constant manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit flourishing in your life. Remember, a good tree or person cannot bear evil fruit and an evil tree or person cannot bear good fruit. It is also true that, for example, an apple tree, though indeed an apple tree by nature, that is not bearing apples, would not, if it could talk, brag that it was an apple tree! The fruit of a tree, not its leaves, identifies it as a fruit tree.

Moreover, women in the Old Testament considered themselves cursed if they were not able to bear children. In fact, they equated their womanhood with their ability to bear children and recognized that the fruit of their womb was a blessing from God. But unlike the apple tree that can only bear apples, we are blessed with a multi-facet fruit that love bears. Joy is in the seed of love! Peace is in the seed of love! Longsuffering is in the seed of love! Gentleness is in the seed of love! Goodness is in the seed of love! Faith is in the seed of love! Meekness and temperance are in the seed of love!

The apple tree cannot talk, but you and I can. But let us not brag about fruitfulness, let us be fruitful. If we are truly saved, we cannot produce anything in our lives except the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit, not leaves of hypocrisy blowing in the wind of deception, is what identifies the believer as a child of God.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels: and then He shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say to you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom” Matthew 16:25-28.

What are your plans for the future? Education, career, marriage, and working toward retirement with adequate financial stability to live comfortably are all very important. And although there are short-term and long-term goals that we are taught from an early age to plan and prepare for, it is not uncommon to overlook or ignore the longest of long-term plans – eternity! Granted, it is no mystery that everyone will spend eternity someplace and there are only two possibilities – heaven or hell. Yet, some Christians, of all people, are living their lives as if eternity will be as long coming as eternity is.

Much of humanity is doing everything humanly possible to save their lives and to protect their dearest possessions. But now and particularly during the Great Tribulation, those that attempt to save their lives by trying to stay one step ahead of the enemy or by striving relentlessly to keep themselves out of harm’s way by compromising with unrighteousness will actually lose their lives. The only way to save your life is to accept Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. And regardless of what happens to you in the interim, between now and the Rapture will not prevent you from spending eternity with God.

Nonetheless, some believers, and unbelievers as well, are living their lives as if this is it! But believers should remain or become focused on their focus – eternity with Christ. Listen! Jesus asked a soul-searching question, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? More than a question, it is a warning. Don’t spend your precious time chasing fame and fortune while ignoring Christ and God’s love for you. Besides, even if you achieve everything in this life that you thought you wanted, you will realize, perhaps when it’s too late, that it really wasn’t what you desired and definitely not what you needed. Thus, when the sinner stands before God at the Great White Throne Judgment and “faces the disastrous hell of remorse and suffering for his lost soul, with what will he buy it back from perdition?” Nothing!

Moreover, Jesus promise in verse twenty-eight was fulfilled on the Mount of Transfiguration when Peter, John and James were eyewitnesses of His splendorous glory. But insofar as spending our entire lives pursuing everything in place of God reminds me of my going to a Greyhound race track many years before I was saved. Those graceful Greyhound dogs, with every ounce of strength within them, chased that “rabbit” around the track. But the sad thing about it was the “rabbit” wasn’t a rabbit at all! The scent of a rabbit had been smeared on the contraption that looked like a rabbit.

Not only that, but the mechanism that the contraption was mounted on was programmed to remain just out of the dogs reach but close enough to keep them chasing it. And even it they had caught it, though they didn’t, it wouldn’t have been what they thought it was.

That’s the tragedy of striving to gain the whole world, to only lose your very soul in the process. Therefore, if you are saved, thank God for Jesus. If you are not saved, ask Jesus to come into your life right now. But if you are saved, tell every “whosoever” about your Lord and Savor.

Remember, the Rapture can occur at any time. Be ready!!!

Repent and Be Saved

Rufus Rawls

“You did run well; who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? So you, O son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel, therefore you shall hear the word at My mouth, and warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die; if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; (sin) but you have delivered your soul. Therefore, you son of man, say to the children of your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turn from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sins. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he has committed, he shall die for it” Galatians 5:7, Ezekiel 33:7-9,12-13.

Paul often referenced our journey in Christ as a race. The Olympian athletes during Paul’s day, as well as professional athletes today must be well-conditioned and well-disciplined in order to compete for the prize. However, it is not uncommon for an athlete to possess the talent but lack conditioning and discipline. Consequently, many promising careers are short-lived. Moreover, from a Christian perspective, many young and zealous believers began the race that is set before them with a spiritual bang, only to fall to the wayside along the way.

On the other hand, sometimes athletes’ careers are permanently sidelined due to injuries that were not necessarily their fault. For example, another athlete may have caused a maliciously injury. However, in our spiritual race, other people may conspire, and definitely Satan himself, to take us out of the race, yet can’t anyone prevent you or me from obeying the truth! Others can try to trip you up, but salvation and sanctification is a matter of obedience to Christ.

But before continuing, let us address the importance of repentance. “Repentance is a decision that results in a change of mind, which in turn leads to a change of purpose and action.” Naturally, then, repentance necessarily involves godly sorrow, not for being found out, but for having committed the sin. Therefore we are to live a life of repentance. But if you are repenting for the same thing, over and over, without a change of mind, leading to a change of purpose and action, you have not truly repented. Remember, repentance leads to a change of purpose and action, it causes you to TURN from sin to God.

In the case of the children of Israel, God appointed Ezekiel a watchman on the wall. He was commissioned to warn the people, and if they repented they would be saved from death at the hands of their enemies. However, let us look at being saved, not only from physical death by repenting and turning to God, but more tragically anyone that persists in living an unrepentant life is in danger of losing his or her soul, of being eternally separated from God.

God warned the people through Ezekiel that turning from sin would save them alive. But turning from righteousness to sin would cause them to die. Righteousness is not a commodity that you can put in the layaway, and redeem it during a time in which you decide to live unrighteously. Righteousness will not save you if you willfully choose to turn to unrighteousness!

Each of us, in a sense of speaking, is a watchman on the wall. It is our Christian responsibility to live a righteous life before everyone, believers and unbelievers alike. And it is also our commission to warn the ungodly and everyone that is walking contrary to the will of God. In that it is not God’s will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, we must endeavor to run this race so that our lives are both an example and a precept.

But what does it mean to be a precept? Our lives should line up so perfectly with the Word of God that we can be used by the Holy Spirit as a principle or a guideline of the righteousness of God. Since everyone is not going to faithfully read the Bible, allow your life to be their Bible until they themselves commit to Christ Jesus. Just as parents may assign their oldest child watchman over his or her younger sibling, we must teach the immature, the weak, and the ungodly. We must watch over their souls, we must encourage and warn them, in love, to enter the race of life and to run it with patience.

“You did run well; who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?”

Are You Lonely?

Rufus Rawls

Shepherd --Triumph Church, Summit, MS

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is outside the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body. 1 John 1:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 5:19.

L - Longs to be the apple of that special person’s eye.

O – Overburdens the heart.

N – Nags the heart late at night.

E – Entices wrong thoughts and decisions.

L – Lingers on past experiences and fantasies.

I – Imagines the unimaginable.

N – Nurtures unrealistic and unattainable desires.

E – Embraces romantic dreams and selfish ambitions.

S – Searches for true love, power, and a place of real belonging, in the wrong places and for the wrong reasons.

S – Seduces the will into disobeying God.

Loneliness is real. It is a multi-facet spirit that is invading the church. Loneliness is likened to an itch that you can’t scratch and even if you could, scratching would only intensify the itch. It is also likened to a chameleon lizard: It changes its approach to fit your circumstances by tempting you in your weakest area.

But, what is it that you are really lonely or longing for? The answer, of course, is God! Whatever ails you can be traced back to either a fractured or no relationship with God. Accept God’s love, the highest form of love, and love for each other will take its proper place. Love for a friend or fellow believer is expressed differently than love for a sweetheart or spouse. However, if you have never experienced the love of God, it may seem natural to look for what you think is love in the wrong places, quite possibly with the wrong person or maybe the right person, but for the wrong reasons. We are told in Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Although both verses are virtually the same, the warning is repeated to ensure that we grasp its importance: a single thought, whether good or bad, produces multiple blessings or curses. In this case, it is curses. Nonetheless, before you can disobey God you must first convince yourself that your way is better than God’s way.

In reference to relationships, the decision for a single person to have sex outside of marriage or for a married person to have sex outside of his or her marriage is responsible for a wide-range of problems and consequences that have infested the whole of society. But keep in mind, adultery and fornication can be more than a sin of the flesh. It is also a spiritual sin when we commune and commit ourselves to other things. When we worship things made with the hands of man instead of worshipping God, it makes that person an adulterer, an adulteress, or a fornicator.

It is no wonder so many people are burnt out on sex, overburdened with things, but lonely for a loving relationship and for the love of God. The desires and lusts of the flesh present an oxymoron for the transgressor: an oxymoron “is a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.” For example, “faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.” Other examples are sweet and sour, bitter and sweet, hot and cold, iced coffee, righteousness and unrighteousness, holiness and unholiness.

Loneliness, if you are lonely, goes beyond your relationships with people. So, if it is marital issues, seek God first! If it is power hunger, seek God first. If it is directions, seek God first. If it is peace, seek God first. If it is finances, seek God first. If it is health, seek God first. If it is salvation, by all means, seek God first! By all means, first seek God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

But if the desires of your flesh have misled you into spiritual ruins, listen, again, to 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The cleansing process is all-inclusive. It restores spiritual wholeness. Commit to retain or to regain your chastity, both naturally and spiritually. And, if you have tasted the forbidden fruits of disobedience, allow God to deliver your spirit, soul, and body from the bonds of sin so that you can develop or redevelop a loving relationship with Christ, spouses, loved ones, and friends.

“For with God nothing shall be impossible” Luke 1:37.

The Year King Uzziah Died

Rufus Rawls

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” Isaiah 6:1-5…

It is one thing for God to tell us something, but it is a totally different experience when He shows us Himself, His glory. Most of us go to God for things. It may be for healing, finances, or to seek peace or vindication from our enemies. And that is biblical. He promises us those things, to supply all our needs. But that’s minor in comparison. God’s greatest desire for us is that we know Him and to behold His glory. So, let’s not go to Him for things. Let’s come to God to worship Him. He is God!

If you or I were to, for example, commit the most despicable sin and repent, God is faithful and just to forgive us. But even though that is an undeniable truth, our deepest reverence when approaching God, whether it is for repentance or not, should be in our knowing that He is holy. And although the believer is made the righteousness of God through the blood of Jesus by the washing of the Word, there is still a sense of unworthiness when experiencing the Holiness of God’s presence.

But when Isaiah said, “I’m a man of unclean lips, it wasn’t that he was so unrighteous himself, but he for the very first time saw his unworthiness. Furthermore, He saw how that his personal holiness was not even a faint comparison to the holiness of God. However, when the seraphim touched his lips with the live coal, he began to prophesy and to warn the people of their need to repent and of the suffering that would follow their refusal to repent. Even though his prophetic ministry began in chapter six, God used him to prophesy the impending consequences of their sins in chapters one through five.

God wants us to worship Him. He is God and is seeking true worshippers. “For the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” John 4:23. For the hour comes, and now is. We are in that hour. The deepest desire of God’s heart is for us to become true worshippers! Therefore seek first God and His righteousness. His blessings are His nature. His blessings are the wet of His water. In other words, if you receive the living water, you will be exceedingly wetted and immersed in His blessings, in God Himself. Worship God in spirit and truth, come to Him, and receive who He is.

Each time we approach God, whether privately our during worship services, we should earnestly ask Him: What would you have us to do? His answer is in the worship because it engenders fellowship that is an open door to revelation.

Whatever we do in the name of Jesus, we should also ask ourselves, “Is our difference making a difference? Is what we are doing resulting in a massive revival of salvation for thirsty and dying souls, manifesting healing and deliverance, and most of all is our walk with God leading us into His Shekinah Glory, into the Holy of Holiest where we commune with God, Spirit-to-spirit, in true worship, fellowship, and revelation? Only then will we see God with unveiled eyes; only then will we know Him as the true and living God; only then will we talk with and hear from Him; only then will we see Him in the beauty of His Holiness, not through the eyes of darkened religiosity or unclean hearts.

Worshipping God in spirit and in truth takes us beyond the outer court, past the inner court into the Holy of Holiest. In the outer court, we try with all our heart and might to make contact with God in our flesh, but He’s not there. So, we proceed into the inner court, desperately trying to worship Him in our soul, where our minds, wills, and emotions are on the throne, but He’s not there. Finally, we enter into the Holy of Holiest, where our spirit connects with His Spirit, and there we enter worship, fellowship, and receive revelation.

Who is your king Uzziah? Are you too busy looking at people, things, and circumstances that you are unable to seek God for yourself…?

The Day of Pentecost is Fully Come

Rufus Rawls

“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” Luke 24:49 and 11:13; Acts 1:8 and 2:1.

The promise that Jesus instructed the disciples to tarry or wait for in Jerusalem is given to us simply by asking in faithful obedience to God. Unlike the one hundred and twenty that waited for the Holy Spirit to be endued with power from on high, the Holy Spirit is now waiting on the believer to receive Him. Unlike then, He is not coming, He is already here. So, ask Him to endue you with power and then let Him in. But being endued with power is much more than professing to being filled with the Holy Ghost. It is a miraculous experience of being truly filled so that the Holy Ghost has you!

Moreover, understand that the “was” in Acts 2:1 now is. The advent of Pentecost is past, yet it is a continuously present, miraculous event that is the expected, supernatural experience of every believer. In that the day of Pentecost is fully come, do not abate the power of God in you. Rather, allow the power of the Holy Ghost to transform you from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from the natural into the supernatural. The works of God recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, more commonly known as the Books of Acts, chronicles how the supernatural to them was natural, the expected norm, fulfillment of the promise, “But ye shall receive power…”.

The miraculous power given to the disciples in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost was for them then and for us now. But in regards to Pentecost, the word means “fiftieth” and refers to the Feast of Weeks or Harvest which was celebrated 50 days after Passover in May or June. It was one of three annual feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, that God directed all of the Jewish males in particular to attend, regardless of where they lived.

At Pentecost an offering of firstfruits was made. And, after ten days in the Upper Room, “fifty days after Christ had risen from the grave, the Holy Spirit came as the firstfruits of the believer’s inheritance. Those gathered into the church were also the firstfruits of the full harvest of all believers who would follow.” Moreover, on that day, the fiftieth day, when Pentecost was fully come, the hundred and twenty believers were with one accord, with single spiritual mindedness. But in order for them to have had single spiritual mindedness, it was necessary for them to be in one place, the Upper Room, together, at the same time. Furthermore, they obviously had many differences to work out among themselves and within themselves. Jesus knew that it would take ten days for them to come together, and that the tenth day would occur on the fiftieth day of His resurrection. Thus, Pentecost was fully come!

However, it is currently impossible for the Church, the Body of Christ, to assemble in one physical location, but we can have the same Spirit-filled mind, the mind of Christ, accessible through the Person of the Holy Ghost. Remember, Jesus said that we would receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon us. Has He come upon you? Has your self-will been dethroned and Christ enthroned as Lord and Savior?

We must have the power of the God reigning in us before we can preach Christ and manifest signs and wonders following. The power Christ has given us is unquenchable, unstoppable, irrefutable, and undeniable. And there are two words in the New Testament to describe the power that God has given us. Exousia means “authority, jurisdiction, capability, absolute power.” To which Jesus said in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” The second word is dunamis, which means “miraculous power, ability, strength, force. It is an inherent power, power possessed.”

But in order to witness Christ we obviously need the power of the Holy Ghost. And, before we can grow from faith to faith and from glory to glory, we must develop discontented contentment. We must be full, yet hunger for more and more of God. We must allow God to manifest so powerfully and indisputably in us that our testimony of Jesus Christ will overcome every religious argument.

Spirit-Filled, Anointed, Sent

Rufus Rawls

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. THEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them: And saith to Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thy serve. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” Luke 4:1, Matthew 4:1 & 8-10; Luke 4:13 &18-19.

The preceding verses reveal a wealth of truth concerning Jesus’ earthly ministry, truths that can benefit us in our Christian walk. At some point, between birth and the age of twelve, Jesus began to mingle with the people, to ask questions and to listen to them. However, between the ages of twelve and thirty, virtually nothing else is recorded in the Bible regarding His life. Thus, it is safe to assume that he continued to do what He had been doing, learning the people He was to minister to while maturing for that purpose. At which time, at the age of thirty, He, being full of the Holy Ghost, was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Notice, He was full of the Holy Ghost and was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness for a specific purpose - to be tempted of the devil. On the other hand, when most Christians are tempted by the devil we assume that the devil is the initiator of the temptation. And in one sense, this is true: for he is the source of temptation. It is his attempt to get us to disobey God and obey him. But in order to conquer temptation and to overcome every trial along the way, we must confront the tempter in order to overcome the temptation. Therefore, life is comprised of situations in which we will always have to choose to resist Satan and obey God, or resist God and obey Satan.

Again, the Word says Jesus was led up of or by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Although He was traveling a horizontal plane into the wilderness, He was connected vertically to the Father. However, in the first two temptations recorded in Matthew four, Satan was trying to dupe Jesus into operating as the Son of God instead of the Son of Man, though his ultimately purpose was revealed in verse nine. “…All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” What he wanted Jesus to do, he wants us to do: worship him. And we must confront and conquer that temptation the same way Jesus did. “…For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus even told Satan that he, although he can’t, was to worship God. So you can understand why we are commanded to worship God.

Let us learn from Jesus the importance of patience. His public ministry began when he was thirty and lasted for three and a half years. He spent ten years in preparation for every year of ministry. And after He had resisted Satan for forty days and nights in the wilderness, the Word lets us know, “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season” Luke 4:13. Satan did not go into retirement. He withdrew for a season, looking forward to an opportunity to continue his attacks and temptations against Jesus.

Just as Jesus had to resist Satan himself before embarking upon His public ministry that led Him to Calvary, we must likewise resist him. After which He went into the temple and proclaimed in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit, and sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel to the poor. He was anointed and sent by the Holy Spirit to heal the brokenhearted. He was anointed and sent by the Holy Spirit to preach deliverance to the captives. He was anointed and sent by the Holy Spirit for the recovering of sight to the blind. He was anointed and sent by the Holy Spirit to set at liberty them that are bruised. He was anointed and sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Remember, then, that our jubilee is NOW.

EVERYTHING Jesus did as the Son of man, He did full of the Holy Ghost, anointed, and sent. As children of God, we must do EVERYTHING the same way!!!

Spirit-Filled, Anointed, Sent

Rufus Rawls

EVERYTHING Jesus did as the Son of man, He did full of the Holy Ghost, anointed, and sent. As children of God, we must do EVERYTHING the same way!!!

Is it a Temptation or a Test?

Rufus Rawls

A temptation can be a test, but temptation is not necessarily a test. On the other hand, a test can become a temptation, but a test is not a temptation. One definition of temptation is a trial with beneficial purpose and effect. Also, the word tempted, nasah (nah-sah); Strong’s #5254: “To put to the test; to try, prove, tempt.” Although test and temptation are closely related in meaning, and are often used, one for the other, only the Holy Spirit can explain how they differ. In Hebrews 4:12, we are told, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even 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.” In a word, the Word of God can separate water from wet! God, who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, can do anything He wants to do, and that is exactly what He does. Because God is all-knowing, has absolute power, and is present everywhere at the same time, He does everything according to His Word. Yet, in a sense of speaking, He is limited by His Word. But in that the Word is without error, completely holy and righteous, God honors His Word according to His will that is fully His Word. God is holy. Therefore everything He does is holy.

Let us look more closely at the difference between temptation and test. When the devil tempts you, his plan is to get you to disobey God. But if you disobey the devil and obey God, his temptation is transformed into a test. When God tests you, He is giving you an opportunity to obey Him, to grow, and to be exalted in Him. For this reason, Satan will conspire to get you to disobey God and obey him. But if you hold fast to your confession and obey God, your test transforms into growth and victory. But if you fail the test, it is deformed into a temptation that is conformed into sin. God always tells us what to do, and then He empowers us to do it. So, when the devil tempts you, obey God! And when God tests you, obey God! If you will always obey God, whether it is a test or temptation is unimportant. But if you disobey God, you will inevitably suffer. Again, it matters not whether the devil is tempting or God testing; obey God!

James 1:13-15 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” The difference between a temptation and a test is determined by whether its source is of God or Satan. Therefore the way you respond is very important. The seventeenth verse of James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” God cannot lead us astray. We are born in a fallen state with the propensity to sin. He transforms us from sin through redemption. But God does not change, nor can He.

In Isaiah 46:10 God Himself says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” God knows the end from the beginning because He determines from the beginning the end. And He says, I will do whatever I want to, when I want, through whom I want, and cannot anyone or anything prevent Me from “doing all my pleasure.”

Remember, then, sin is not birthed unless the sperm of temptation and the egg of lust are joined together in a willful act of disobedience. For example, a woman is not impregnated unless the sperm and egg are joined together. So unrepentant sin conceived in the womb of the heart births death! But you cannot give birth to sin unless you sleep with the enemy. And while it is true that we have two natures, the old and the new, it is equally true that God has given us power, through the Holy Ghost, to keep our old nature in a crucified state until we have put on immortality and incorruption.

You may wonder how it is possible not to sin. Well, making a mistake that is sinful does not make you a sinner. Remember, too, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Romans 8:1. In your walk, you will stumble, but if you are not walking to stumble, you will not fall, and will learn to stumble less frequently as you continue to walk after the Spirit. A lapse in judgment is far different from lapsed judgment that can evolve into a full-blown lifestyle of sin. So, thank God for grace and mercy. Thank God for repentance. Thank God He is longsuffering. Through the shedding of Jesus’ blood, grace and mercy made a way for us to be reborn before we were born. Furthermore, our sins and sicknesses are and were nailed on the cross at Calvary. Even so, be careful not to abuse grace that sin abounds!

Beware! Temptation wears many faces. You can be,

Tempted of - The lust of the flesh is an internal presence; preexistent from birth, awaiting an opportunity to revive and manifest. Therefore, keep the flesh under subjection, crucify it daily.

Tempted by - Lust of the flesh awakened by another person, thing, or situation that is presented to you when you are at your weakest.

Tempted with - Lust of the flesh in which at least two persons are coconspirators, the victims and victimizers whose lustful desires are consensual.

Tempted from - A lustful spirit of covetousness that desires a neighbor’s property, spouse, or another family member.

Tempted over - Lust that is aroused from ungodly associates.

If you ignore temptation, it will haunt and taunt you until you submit, and are overcome by it.

Therefore confront temptation and overcome it. Trust God to lead you into the wilderness of life to be tempted of the devil. You cannot stand up in the sanctuary of your life and proclaim, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord”( Luke 4:18-19), until after you have overcome the devil’s temptations by committing or recommitting to the righteousness of God.

Is it a Temptation or a Test?

Rufus Rawls

Beware! Temptation wears many faces. You can be,

Tempted of - The lust of the flesh is an internal presence; preexistent from birth, awaiting an opportunity to revive and manifest. Therefore, keep the flesh under subjection, crucify it daily.

Tempted by - Lust of the flesh awakened by another person, thing, or situation that is presented to you when you are at your weakest.

Tempted with - Lust of the flesh in which at least two persons are coconspirators, the victims and victimizers whose lustful desires are consensual.

Tempted from - A lustful spirit of covetousness that desires a neighbor’s property, spouse, or another family member.

Tempted over - Lust that is aroused from ungodly associates.

If you ignore temptation, it will haunt and taunt you until you submit, and are overcome by it.

Experience the Light: See and Hear

By

Rufus Rawls

“And it came to pass that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of the things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus” Acts 22:6-11.

            Saul of Tarsus is a marvelous testimony of the grace and mercy of God. Although everyone has and is experiencing God’s grace and mercy to varying degrees, it is, nonetheless, important that we remind ourselves that He is indeed merciful and longsuffering toward us all. Moreover, Paul’s account of his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus is definitely regarded as a supernatural encounter with Christ; but we should also regard it as extraordinarily supernatural in terms of his response to Christ.

            Even though Saul was greatly feared by Christians, and rightfully so, Christ saw Paul in Saul. And while en route to destroy the saints, he himself was converted. As you can see from Saul’s experience, the road taken and the purpose for taking it do not always lead to the intended destination or conclusion. But a closer study of Saul’s experience that converted him into Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, will teach us much about ourselves and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

            The glory of God is indeed much brighter than the sun is at noon, and Saul had nothing else to compare it to. Thus, his only conclusion was that it was brighter than the sun at noonday. Imagine a great light that is brighter than the sun. And not only that, but it shone around about you! And although the persons that accompanied Saul saw the light, they did not hear the voice of Christ.

            It is important that we understand this miraculous truth: Everyone that has ever heard the Word of God preached in the power of the Holy Ghost is exposed to the Light of the gospel. Thus, the Word of God illuminates the darkness that is deeply rooted in the soul of mankind, yet one must submit to the Light, and ask as Saul did, “What shall I do?” Not only that, but Saul also asked Christ a rhetorical question, “Who art thou, Lord?” In order words, Saul himself answered the question he asked Christ! It is perhaps easy to deny Christ; that is, until you meet Him on your Damascus road!

            So, the first step to conversion or deliverance is to experience the Light of the gospel, yet there is no conversion or deliverance unless you hear and submit to the Word of God. For that reason, Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” It does not say that faith comes by seeing, but “…by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Moreover, in Mark 8:18 Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for the depth of their blindness, deafness, and forgetfulness: “Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear yet not? and do ye not remember?”

            However, neither the light of the sun nor light produced by various energy sources can compare to the glory of God, but we can discover how light penetrates darkness, as well as the dangers of living in darkness. For example, being exposed to natural light after having been in total darkness for a substantial time period will blind you. Furthermore, your first encounter with the Light of the gospel did likely blind you also. But on the other hand, departure from light and entering into darkness intensifies the darkness. Think about going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. If you turned the light on in the bathroom and turned it off before returning to the bedroom, the darkness became exceedingly dark!

It is extremely dangerous to depart from the Light of the gospel and return to the darkness of an unregenerate lifestyle. Remember, in Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, (clear) your whole body shall be full of light. But if the eye be evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!” But how can light be darkness? It is because the deceptive light of an evil heart creates an illusion of enlightenment that spreads darkness and affects the total person.

You are therefore encouraged to see the Light of the gospel and to hear the voice of God!!!

                                                                        Copyright © 07.27.09 Rufus Rawls

Is it a Temptation or a Test?

By

Rufus Rawls

A temptation can be a test, but temptation is not necessarily a test. On the other hand, a test can become a temptation, but a test is not a temptation. One definition of temptation is a trial with beneficial purpose and effect. Also, the word tempted, nasah (nah-sah); Strong’s #5254: “To put to the test; to try, prove, tempt.” Although test and temptation are closely related in meaning, and are often used, one for the other, only the Holy Spirit can explain how they differ. In Hebrews 4:12, we are told, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even 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.” In a word, the Word of God can separate water from wet! God, who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, can do anything He wants to do, and that is exactly what He does. Because God is all-knowing, has absolute power, and is present everywhere at the same time, He does everything according to His Word. Yet, in a sense of speaking, He is limited by His Word. But in that the Word is without error, completely holy and righteous, God honors His Word according to His will that is fully His Word. God is holy. Therefore everything He does is holy.

Let us look more closely at the difference between temptation and test. When the devil tempts you, his plan is to get you to disobey God. But if you disobey the devil and obey God, his temptation is transformed into a test. When God tests you, He is giving you an opportunity to obey Him, to grow, and to be exalted in Him. For this reason, Satan will conspire to get you to disobey God and obey him. But if you hold fast to your confession and obey God, your test transforms into growth and victory. But if you fail the test, it is deformed into a temptation that is conformed into sin. God always tells us what to do, and then He empowers us to do it. So, when the devil tempts you, obey God! And when God tests you, obey God! If you will always obey God, whether it is a test or temptation is unimportant. But if you disobey God, you will inevitably suffer. Again, it matters not whether the devil is tempting or God testing; obey God!

James 1:13-15 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” The difference between a temptation and a test is determined by whether its source is of God or Satan. Therefore the way you respond is very important. The seventeenth verse of James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” God cannot lead us astray. We are born in a fallen state with the propensity to sin. He transforms us from sin through redemption. But God does not change, nor can He.

In Isaiah 46:10 God Himself says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” God knows the end from the beginning because He determines from the beginning the end. And He says, I will do whatever I want to, when I want, through whom I want, and cannot anyone or anything prevent Me from “doing all my pleasure.”

Remember, then, sin is not birthed unless the sperm of temptation and the egg of lust are joined together in a willful act of disobedience. For example, a woman is not impregnated unless the sperm and egg are joined together. So unrepentant sin conceived in the womb of the heart births death! But you cannot give birth to sin unless you sleep with the enemy. And while it is true that we have two natures, the old and the new, it is equally true that God has given us power, through the Holy Ghost, to keep our old nature in a crucified state until we have put on immortality and incorruption.

You may wonder how it is possible not to sin. Well, making a mistake that is sinful does not make you a sinner. Remember, too, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Romans 8:1. In your walk, you will stumble, but if you are not walking to stumble, you will not fall, and will learn to stumble less frequently as you continue to walk after the Spirit. A lapse in judgment is far different from lapsed judgment that can evolve into a full-blown lifestyle of sin. So, thank God for grace and mercy. Thank God for repentance. Thank God He is longsuffering. Through the shedding of Jesus’ blood, grace and mercy made a way for us to be reborn before we were born. Furthermore, our sins and sicknesses are and were nailed on the cross at Calvary. Even so, be careful not to abuse grace that sin abounds!

Beware! Temptation wears many faces. You can be,

Tempted of - The lust of the flesh is an internal presence; preexistent from birth, awaiting an opportunity to revive and manifest. Therefore, keep the flesh under subjection, crucify it daily.

Tempted by - Lust of the flesh awakened by another person, thing, or situation that is presented to you when you are at your weakest.

Tempted with - Lust of the flesh in which at least two persons are coconspirators, the victims and victimizers whose lustful desires are consensual.

Tempted from - A lustful spirit of covetousness that desires a neighbor’s property, spouse, or another family member.

Tempted over - Lust that is aroused from ungodly associates.

            If you ignore temptation, it will haunt and taunt you until you submit, and are overcome by it.

            Therefore confront temptation and overcome it. Trust God to lead you into the wilderness of life to be tempted of the devil. You cannot stand up in the sanctuary of your life and proclaim, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord”( Luke 4:18-19), until after you have overcome the devil’s temptations by committing or recommitting to the righteousness of God.

                                                                                      Copyright © 07.10.09 Rufus Rawls

Experience the Light: See and Hear

By

Rufus Rawls

“And it came to pass that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of the things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus” Acts 22:6-11.

            Saul of Tarsus is a marvelous testimony of the grace and mercy of God. Although everyone has and is experiencing God’s grace and mercy to varying degrees, it is, nonetheless, important that we remind ourselves that He is indeed merciful and longsuffering toward us all. Moreover, Paul’s account of his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus is definitely regarded as a supernatural encounter with Christ; but we should also regard it as extraordinarily supernatural in terms of his response to Christ.

            Even though Saul was greatly feared by Christians, and rightfully so, Christ saw Paul in Saul. And while en route to destroy the saints, he himself was converted. As you can see from Saul’s experience, the road taken and the purpose for taking it do not always lead to the intended destination or conclusion. But a closer study of Saul’s experience that converted him into Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, will teach us much about ourselves and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

            The glory of God is indeed much brighter than the sun is at noon, and Saul had nothing else to compare it to. Thus, his only conclusion was that it was brighter than the sun at noonday. Imagine a great light that is brighter than the sun. And not only that, but it shone around about you! And although the persons that accompanied Saul saw the light, they did not hear the voice of Christ.

            It is important that we understand this miraculous truth: Everyone that has ever heard the Word of God preached in the power of the Holy Ghost is exposed to the Light of the gospel. Thus, the Word of God illuminates the darkness that is deeply rooted in the soul of mankind, yet one must submit to the Light, and ask as Saul did, “What shall I do?” Not only that, but Saul also asked Christ a rhetorical question, “Who art thou, Lord?” In order words, Saul himself answered the question he asked Christ! It is perhaps easy to deny Christ; that is, until you meet Him on your Damascus road!

            So, the first step to conversion or deliverance is to experience the Light of the gospel, yet there is no conversion or deliverance unless you hear and submit to the Word of God. For that reason, Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” It does not say that faith comes by seeing, but “…by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Moreover, in Mark 8:18 Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for the depth of their blindness, deafness, and forgetfulness: “Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear yet not? and do ye not remember?”

            However, neither the light of the sun nor light produced by various energy sources can compare to the glory of God, but we can discover how light penetrates darkness, as well as the dangers of living in darkness. For example, being exposed to natural light after having been in total darkness for a substantial time period will blind you. Furthermore, your first encounter with the Light of the gospel did likely blind you also. But on the other hand, departure from light and entering into darkness intensifies the darkness. Think about going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. If you turned the light on in the bathroom and turned it off before returning to the bedroom, the darkness became exceedingly dark!

It is extremely dangerous to depart from the Light of the gospel and return to the darkness of an unregenerate lifestyle. Remember, in Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, (clear) your whole body shall be full of light. But if the eye be evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!” But how can light be darkness? It is because the deceptive light of an evil heart creates an illusion of enlightenment that spreads darkness and affects the total person.

You are therefore encouraged to see the Light of the gospel and to hear the voice of God!!!

                                                                        Copyright © 07.27.09 Rufus Rawls

Is it a Temptation or a Test?

By

Rufus Rawls

A temptation can be a test, but temptation is not necessarily a test. On the other hand, a test can become a temptation, but a test is not a temptation. One definition of temptation is a trial with beneficial purpose and effect. Also, the word tempted, nasah (nah-sah); Strong’s #5254: “To put to the test; to try, prove, tempt.” Although test and temptation are closely related in meaning, and are often used, one for the other, only the Holy Spirit can explain how they differ. In Hebrews 4:12, we are told, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even 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.” In a word, the Word of God can separate water from wet! God, who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, can do anything He wants to do, and that is exactly what He does. Because God is all-knowing, has absolute power, and is present everywhere at the same time, He does everything according to His Word. Yet, in a sense of speaking, He is limited by His Word. But in that the Word is without error, completely holy and righteous, God honors His Word according to His will that is fully His Word. God is holy. Therefore everything He does is holy.

Let us look more closely at the difference between temptation and test. When the devil tempts you, his plan is to get you to disobey God. But if you disobey the devil and obey God, his temptation is transformed into a test. When God tests you, He is giving you an opportunity to obey Him, to grow, and to be exalted in Him. For this reason, Satan will conspire to get you to disobey God and obey him. But if you hold fast to your confession and obey God, your test transforms into growth and victory. But if you fail the test, it is deformed into a temptation that is conformed into sin. God always tells us what to do, and then He empowers us to do it. So, when the devil tempts you, obey God! And when God tests you, obey God! If you will always obey God, whether it is a test or temptation is unimportant. But if you disobey God, you will inevitably suffer. Again, it matters not whether the devil is tempting or God testing; obey God!

James 1:13-15 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” The difference between a temptation and a test is determined by whether its source is of God or Satan. Therefore the way you respond is very important. The seventeenth verse of James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” God cannot lead us astray. We are born in a fallen state with the propensity to sin. He transforms us from sin through redemption. But God does not change, nor can He.

In Isaiah 46:10 God Himself says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” God knows the end from the beginning because He determines from the beginning the end. And He says, I will do whatever I want to, when I want, through whom I want, and cannot anyone or anything prevent Me from “doing all my pleasure.”

Remember, then, sin is not birthed unless the sperm of temptation and the egg of lust are joined together in a willful act of disobedience. For example, a woman is not impregnated unless the sperm and egg are joined together. So unrepentant sin conceived in the womb of the heart births death! But you cannot give birth to sin unless you sleep with the enemy. And while it is true that we have two natures, the old and the new, it is equally true that God has given us power, through the Holy Ghost, to keep our old nature in a crucified state until we have put on immortality and incorruption.

You may wonder how it is possible not to sin. Well, making a mistake that is sinful does not make you a sinner. Remember, too, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Romans 8:1. In your walk, you will stumble, but if you are not walking to stumble, you will not fall, and will learn to stumble less frequently as you continue to walk after the Spirit. A lapse in judgment is far different from lapsed judgment that can evolve into a full-blown lifestyle of sin. So, thank God for grace and mercy. Thank God for repentance. Thank God He is longsuffering. Through the shedding of Jesus’ blood, grace and mercy made a way for us to be reborn before we were born. Furthermore, our sins and sicknesses are and were nailed on the cross at Calvary. Even so, be careful not to abuse grace that sin abounds!

Beware! Temptation wears many faces. You can be,

Tempted of - The lust of the flesh is an internal presence; preexistent from birth, awaiting an opportunity to revive and manifest. Therefore, keep the flesh under subjection, crucify it daily.

Tempted by - Lust of the flesh awakened by another person, thing, or situation that is presented to you when you are at your weakest.

Tempted with - Lust of the flesh in which at least two persons are coconspirators, the victims and victimizers whose lustful desires are consensual.

Tempted from - A lustful spirit of covetousness that desires a neighbor’s property, spouse, or another family member.

Tempted over - Lust that is aroused from ungodly associates.

            If you ignore temptation, it will haunt and taunt you until you submit, and are overcome by it.

            Therefore confront temptation and overcome it. Trust God to lead you into the wilderness of life to be tempted of the devil. You cannot stand up in the sanctuary of your life and proclaim, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord”( Luke 4:18-19), until after you have overcome the devil’s temptations by committing or recommitting to the righteousness of God.

                                                                                      Copyright © 07.10.09 Rufus Rawls

Experience the Light: See and Hear

By

Rufus Rawls

“And it came to pass that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of the things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus” Acts 22:6-11.

            Saul of Tarsus is a marvelous testimony of the grace and mercy of God. Although everyone has and is experiencing God’s grace and mercy to varying degrees, it is, nonetheless, important that we remind ourselves that He is indeed merciful and longsuffering toward us all. Moreover, Paul’s account of his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus is definitely regarded as a supernatural encounter with Christ; but we should also regard it as extraordinarily supernatural in terms of his response to Christ.

            Even though Saul was greatly feared by Christians, and rightfully so, Christ saw Paul in Saul. And while en route to destroy the saints, he himself was converted. As you can see from Saul’s experience, the road taken and the purpose for taking it do not always lead to the intended destination or conclusion. But a closer study of Saul’s experience that converted him into Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, will teach us much about ourselves and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

            The glory of God is indeed much brighter than the sun is at noon, and Saul had nothing else to compare it to. Thus, his only conclusion was that it was brighter than the sun at noonday. Imagine a great light that is brighter than the sun. And not only that, but it shone around about you! And although the persons that accompanied Saul saw the light, they did not hear the voice of Christ.

            It is important that we understand this miraculous truth: Everyone that has ever heard the Word of God preached in the power of the Holy Ghost is exposed to the Light of the gospel. Thus, the Word of God illuminates the darkness that is deeply rooted in the soul of mankind, yet one must submit to the Light, and ask as Saul did, “What shall I do?” Not only that, but Saul also asked Christ a rhetorical question, “Who art thou, Lord?” In order words, Saul himself answered the question he asked Christ! It is perhaps easy to deny Christ; that is, until you meet Him on your Damascus road!

            So, the first step to conversion or deliverance is to experience the Light of the gospel, yet there is no conversion or deliverance unless you hear and submit to the Word of God. For that reason, Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” It does not say that faith comes by seeing, but “…by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Moreover, in Mark 8:18 Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for the depth of their blindness, deafness, and forgetfulness: “Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear yet not? and do ye not remember?”

            However, neither the light of the sun nor light produced by various energy sources can compare to the glory of God, but we can discover how light penetrates darkness, as well as the dangers of living in darkness. For example, being exposed to natural light after having been in total darkness for a substantial time period will blind you. Furthermore, your first encounter with the Light of the gospel did likely blind you also. But on the other hand, departure from light and entering into darkness intensifies the darkness. Think about going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. If you turned the light on in the bathroom and turned it off before returning to the bedroom, the darkness became exceedingly dark!

It is extremely dangerous to depart from the Light of the gospel and return to the darkness of an unregenerate lifestyle. Remember, in Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, (clear) your whole body shall be full of light. But if the eye be evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!” But how can light be darkness? It is because the deceptive light of an evil heart creates an illusion of enlightenment that spreads darkness and affects the total person.

You are therefore encouraged to see the Light of the gospel and to hear the voice of God!!!

                                                                        Copyright © 07.27.09 Rufus Rawls

Is it a Temptation or a Test?

By

Rufus Rawls

A temptation can be a test, but temptation is not necessarily a test. On the other hand, a test can become a temptation, but a test is not a temptation. One definition of temptation is a trial with beneficial purpose and effect. Also, the word tempted, nasah (nah-sah); Strong’s #5254: “To put to the test; to try, prove, tempt.” Although test and temptation are closely related in meaning, and are often used, one for the other, only the Holy Spirit can explain how they differ. In Hebrews 4:12, we are told, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even 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.” In a word, the Word of God can separate water from wet! God, who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, can do anything He wants to do, and that is exactly what He does. Because God is all-knowing, has absolute power, and is present everywhere at the same time, He does everything according to His Word. Yet, in a sense of speaking, He is limited by His Word. But in that the Word is without error, completely holy and righteous, God honors His Word according to His will that is fully His Word. God is holy. Therefore everything He does is holy.

Let us look more closely at the difference between temptation and test. When the devil tempts you, his plan is to get you to disobey God. But if you disobey the devil and obey God, his temptation is transformed into a test. When God tests you, He is giving you an opportunity to obey Him, to grow, and to be exalted in Him. For this reason, Satan will conspire to get you to disobey God and obey him. But if you hold fast to your confession and obey God, your test transforms into growth and victory. But if you fail the test, it is deformed into a temptation that is conformed into sin. God always tells us what to do, and then He empowers us to do it. So, when the devil tempts you, obey God! And when God tests you, obey God! If you will always obey God, whether it is a test or temptation is unimportant. But if you disobey God, you will inevitably suffer. Again, it matters not whether the devil is tempting or God testing; obey God!

James 1:13-15 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” The difference between a temptation and a test is determined by whether its source is of God or Satan. Therefore the way you respond is very important. The seventeenth verse of James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” God cannot lead us astray. We are born in a fallen state with the propensity to sin. He transforms us from sin through redemption. But God does not change, nor can He.

In Isaiah 46:10 God Himself says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” God knows the end from the beginning because He determines from the beginning the end. And He says, I will do whatever I want to, when I want, through whom I want, and cannot anyone or anything prevent Me from “doing all my pleasure.”

Remember, then, sin is not birthed unless the sperm of temptation and the egg of lust are joined together in a willful act of disobedience. For example, a woman is not impregnated unless the sperm and egg are joined together. So unrepentant sin conceived in the womb of the heart births death! But you cannot give birth to sin unless you sleep with the enemy. And while it is true that we have two natures, the old and the new, it is equally true that God has given us power, through the Holy Ghost, to keep our old nature in a crucified state until we have put on immortality and incorruption.

You may wonder how it is possible not to sin. Well, making a mistake that is sinful does not make you a sinner. Remember, too, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Romans 8:1. In your walk, you will stumble, but if you are not walking to stumble, you will not fall, and will learn to stumble less frequently as you continue to walk after the Spirit. A lapse in judgment is far different from lapsed judgment that can evolve into a full-blown lifestyle of sin. So, thank God for grace and mercy. Thank God for repentance. Thank God He is longsuffering. Through the shedding of Jesus’ blood, grace and mercy made a way for us to be reborn before we were born. Furthermore, our sins and sicknesses are and were nailed on the cross at Calvary. Even so, be careful not to abuse grace that sin abounds!

Beware! Temptation wears many faces. You can be,

Tempted of - The lust of the flesh is an internal presence; preexistent from birth, awaiting an opportunity to revive and manifest. Therefore, keep the flesh under subjection, crucify it daily.

Tempted by - Lust of the flesh awakened by another person, thing, or situation that is presented to you when you are at your weakest.

Tempted with - Lust of the flesh in which at least two persons are coconspirators, the victims and victimizers whose lustful desires are consensual.

Tempted from - A lustful spirit of covetousness that desires a neighbor’s property, spouse, or another family member.

Tempted over - Lust that is aroused from ungodly associates.

            If you ignore temptation, it will haunt and taunt you until you submit, and are overcome by it.

            Therefore confront temptation and overcome it. Trust God to lead you into the wilderness of life to be tempted of the devil. You cannot stand up in the sanctuary of your life and proclaim, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord”( Luke 4:18-19), until after you have overcome the devil’s temptations by committing or recommitting to the righteousness of God.

                                                                                      Copyright © 07.10.09 Rufus Rawls