Entertainers or Worshippers?

Read: John 4:23-24, Acts 19: 11-16, 2 Chronicles 16:9

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

In our present day culture we are seeing a lot of entertainment rather than worship in Christian circles. Now, some things may come to mind when you read this. For instance, lights, big screens and big productions. These are not all bad if done with the right heart. If we remember, in the Book of Exodus the magicians did some of the same acts that Aaron did with his staff (Ref. Exodus 7:10-11, Exodus 7:20-22, Exodus 8:6-7). Both things can look the same but one may have the right heart behind it and the other may not. As Christians we are supposed to exercise our discernment. Doing this comes with maturity in the Christian walk (Ref. Hebrews 5:14) and will help you to know right from wrong. In order to do this we need to be praying for discernment in the first place. This should be of high priority in a Christian’s prayer life.

Entertainment is seemingly taking over the genre of Christian/Gospel music in our culture. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it’s right in your face. Generally speaking, a lot of the new age worship that glorifies self rather than the Lord comes from a slow fade over the years. Satan is not omniscient with his demons therefore he cannot be everywhere. If he can get you off track and let you go the rest will take care of itself. He will then move on to bigger targets.

I am reminded of the story in Acts 19 where the seven sons of Sceva attempted an exorcism and failed miserably. “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:11-16)

Does Satan know who you are? The seven sons of Sceva were zero threat to Satan and his demons. They thought they could replicate what Paul was doing but they were sadly mistaken. Relating this Bible story to the topic of this post we see that all of these entertainers on platforms are also zero threat to Satan. Trying to conjure up something through entertainment or any other means will never yield good spiritual fruit. Satan is not worried about you when you are entertaining during worship rather than ministering to the Lord. American Christianity sometimes portrays a stardom mentality anymore and it’s not leading people in the right way. A lot of worship leaders, singers, and instrumentalists seem more concerned about their style, presentation, immodest clothing and many more things rather than getting into the presence of God and worshipping in spirit and truth. Additionally, it appears as though people are putting too much emphasis on worship rather than the Word of God. Yes, worshipping God is what we are commanded to do but that needs to be an outflow of our hunger for God’s Word which leads and sustains us in this life. The Word of God comes first. We must filter it all through the lens of the Bible and we need balance as Christians. Does Satan know who you are (because of your genuine relationship with Jesus) or are you like the sons of Sceva that were zero threat to Satan and his demons? Much of the new age movement in the Church we are seeing today is in fact zero threat to Satan. This is why power from on High is not in full effect in these churches.

American Christianity has glorified worship leaders when they should be looking to Jesus only. Don’t get me wrong, there are wonderful men and women of God out there that lead worship and serve on worship teams at some wonderful spirit led Bible based churches. I think it is important to ask ourselves this question- are we entertaining or are we worshipping in spirit and truth? Remember, Satan isn’t worried about entertainers. You have zero power in the spirit and Satan isn’t trying to stop you because you are already on the wrong path. However, if you worship in spirit and truth expect opposition and blessing. God will work in the genuine worship and do wonderful things for His glory and honor. It may not always happen right away (although it can-God is not in a box) but in due time you will see a true and lasting fruit that will not fade. Will it be easy? Maybe not, but it will far exceed anything you could have done on your own in the name of entertainment.

Are you a worship leader or on a worship team as a singer or instrumentalist? Are you worshipping in spirit and truth or are you more focused on entertaining people and having them look at you rather than the Lord? This is a good question to consistently ask ourselves before we partake in ministry anywhere. After all, we are all in the flesh and need to be on guard. God is faithful to help us when we call on His Name. We all need the Lord.

God is looking for those who are fully committed to Him! Continue to seek Him daily and He will direct your paths.

May His Name be praised!

RESPONSIBILITY IN SONGWRITING

Scripture Reading: John 4: 23-24, 1 Corinthians 3:5-8, Psalm 33: 1-4

What is the most important thing for Christian’s when writing music? Take a second to think on it.

The answer is very simple- to uphold Scripture. The songs we write should be modeled after the Word of God and have roots that are strong in the Scriptures.

There was no greater songwriter than David in the Bible, and we can start by looking into the Psalms. A lot of time, we want to sing about how we are feeling and there is nothing inherently wrong about that. We may feel a certain way and that comes out in a prayer of sorts in our songwriting. However, we cannot forget about the Biblical value that our songs must represent. You will be sure to find every emotion displayed in the Psalms. Additionally, in the Word of God as a whole, you will always find something that will relate to what your are feeling. Making sure that we uphold Scripture within our music is a personal responsibility of leading worship music and writing songs. If you disagree with this, then you need to ask yourself this question -am I doing this to glorify my feelings, self, or anything else other than glorifying God and King Jesus?

The temptation a lot of times when writing music is to appeal to people. Will people connect with it? When we get in that state of mind, we lose genuineness. Sometimes we want so badly for people to like our songs that we become an echo of what others have done in the past that are popular or have had “success”. But success in worship is measured through the lens of Scripture. It is successful when you worship in spirit and truth (Ref. John 4:24) and when you are genuine. God gave you a gift to create music, so don’t be an echo of others, but rather be who God called you to be!

God is the One who brings the increase (Ref. 1 Corinthians 3:5-8). If you think you can conjure something up to be successful, know that it won’t last. However, when the Lord breathes on something, that is what will last! The best thing to tell anyone when creating music is to just open up the Bible. Have it out and readily available. The Word of God is useful for all things and is the best resource to use when writing music!

May the Lord be praised!

Are You Fully Committed?

Scripture reading: Matthew 22:36-37, Luke 21:25-28, John 4:24, James 4:8

The world is becoming increasingly more wicked day by day. We can see the signs of the times everywhere. We are truly living in the last days. In these last days we are seeing things that we may have never thought possible in the public squares as well as many churches. Just a few examples:

1. We are seeing gay and lesbian lifestyles enabled by churches and their leaders (as well as other sinful lifestyles and not just homosexuality) instead of modeling the real and true love that Jesus showed in a call to repentance.

2. We are seeing leaders in the church not taking a stand against abortion and speaking against it in how we vote because politics supposedly can’t be spoken about in church (wrong).

3. We are seeing cancel culture take center stage injecting fear into the hearts of people because they may lose their job and family income if they don’t bow down to the standard.

4. We are seeing so much offense taken by people and everyone trying to make everything right in the name of social justice. People can’t make mistakes anymore it seems. Where is the grace and forgiveness? Surely those who accuse will find themselves in need of that same grace and forgiveness they never offered when they fall short themselves.

5. We are seeing movements and riots that are ungodly and do not have the spirit of God.

6. In the church we are seeing compromise for the sake of “unity” (which is really a false unity). We are trying to attract more and more people with the appearance of things rather than attracting people with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and the anointing. Weak preaching and well timed services for the sake of the congregation while the sheep are left without proper food from the pastor who is their shepherd. We are essentially planning the Holy Spirit right out of the building. It seems some people only want part of Jesus and not all of Him.

This is just a few examples of the signs of the times. All of this can sound pretty bleak but what an opportunity we have as Christians in this time! Are you fully committed to Jesus? In these last days we need to be close to the Cross. We should always be close to Jesus but surely now is the time to repent and come back to our first love. Don’t wait. Christians need to be the beacons of light amongst all the darkness in the world and darkness subtly infiltrating the church at large (speaking generally because there are plenty of wonderful churches still out there today). The remnant needs to rise up and speak truth even when people want to cancel you. Your faith will be put to the test but God never leaves His children lacking bread. Don’t worry. He is faithful when you seek Him and put Him first.

The Scripture says in Matthew 22:37 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Furthermore the Scripture says in John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”God is looking for those who are fully committed to Him and who are genuine in their walk with Him. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 16:9 “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” You can’t be a Christian and not spend time in the Word and with the Lord. The Lord wants time with you and we must make it a priority in our lives. It’s so rewarding and your life will be filled with the joy of the Lord. The breakthrough starts in the secret place.

Now more than ever is the best time to be a Christian. We have an opportunity to move in the power of God through His Holy Spirit ministering to people and speaking truth in all the darkness around us whether at home, the workplace, recreational activities, etc. As things get worse in the world our opportunity to witness and minister vastly increases. What a wonderful time to be alive! Instead of being discouraged at the things we see happening in our world we should count it all joy. Our redemption draws closer and closer. So the question to you is this- are you fully committed to Jesus? Go and be a light in this world that needs Jesus!

May the Lord be praised!

Painfully Waiting

Not the most encouraging title huh? Ha! Hopefully it got your attention! Many times waiting is painful. It goes against our natural fleshly desire to have things quick and fast. Nevertheless, for the Christian, waiting is a necessary muscle to develop. The countless stories in the Bible about waiting should encourage us to never quit. Waiting is a timeless message because everyone at some point will wait on God for something whether it be a financial breakthrough, marriage, relationships needing restored, etc. God is always faithful. As we wait on God and spend time in the Word and in relationship with Jesus our desires line up with His and we can be assured that God will come through!

You will never hear people say that waiting is easy and comfortable. In fact, the reality is that it’s the complete opposite. It’s hard and uncomfortable. Abraham waited on a child (Isaac), David waited on his kingship and Joseph waiting to get out of prison. There are numerous stories in the Bible of the Lord’s faithfulness in the midst of lengthy waiting periods. As time elapses our faith will either grow weaker or stronger. But I truly believe that depends on the choice we decide to make in the waiting.

Joshua 24:15 says “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Serving the Lord requires faith. Trusting in God’s timing requires faith. We need to make a choice daily of whom we are serving.  Are we serving our minds, our thoughts, our limited viewpoints or are we going to serve the living God and trust Him to meet our needs even in the midst of chaos and periods of waiting? God looks to strengthen those are fully committed to Him (Ref 2 Chronicles 16:9).  So the question is, are you fully committed to God? Do you trust Him completely?

Be encouraged today that this waiting period you are going through is not in vain. When has God ever forgotten His children? If you can recount one story in the Bible of this please do. It is impossible to find a story of God not being faithful. He is always faithful to His children. Like the Psalmist, remind yourself constantly of God’s goodness, His faithfulness and of who God is. Remind yourself that you are in Christ Jesus and that He has your back! YES WAITING IS PAINFUL but it’s necessary. Greater dependence and greater faith as you deepen your roots in your relationship with Jesus. The muscle you build in the waiting will certainly give you the tools you need for the next season of your life.

Are you painfully waiting today? Take heart friend! For those that are in Christ Jesus all things are working together for good (Ref. Romans 8:28). Oh, it’s hard, it’s gut wrenching and almost unbearable some days but God will come through for you.  Don’t give up praying, don’t give up serving Him and never quit! Pain produces character. Persevere and know that eventually you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

May His Name be praised!

Persistence

Read Luke 18:1-8

Persistence is something that is not popular in our culture. Our culture tends to gravitate towards the painless and easy. Persistence requires exponential effort against all opposition and difficulties that come against us. It requires strength! Persistence is not for the faint of heart.

In the Christian life it requires the strength of the Lord because we cannot do it on our own. It requires the power of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 18 the persistent widow did not give up. Jesus ends the parable asking the question: “...Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Persistence and faith go hand in hand. Faith without works are dead (Ref. James 2:26) and those works require persistence. Jesus used a worldly example of what persistence can do with an unrighteous judge if we don’t give up which was highlighting all the more of what our Father in Heaven will do if we do not give up. Scripture interprets Scripture. Ask, seek and knock (Ref. Matthew 7: 7-9). Do not quit. That desire in your heart may very well be God-given. Discern it for yourself according to the Word and if it’s from Him. Many times the Lord leaves room for seeking and knocking. Will He find faith on the earth? Will He find faith in you?

Without faith it is impossible to please God (Ref. Hebrews 11:6). We believe in Jesus by faith and receive salvation by faith. We must also believe in the Lord in our daily walk and persist. Persistence requires consistency. To persist one must be constant, steadfast and unwavering in their trust and faith in the Lord. As we persist against all adversity, trials and opposition we can expect that God will bring us through. We cannot escape the reality of life because we are followers of Jesus. We will have trouble in this world but we are to take heart because Jesus has overcome the world (Ref. John 16:33). We persist in faith believing and knowing that one day we will be with Him in Heaven. We persist in our trials knowing that God will bring us out of it in due time.

Please know that whatever it is today that you are going through, for those in Christ Jesus who have received the free gift of salvation, you have nothing to fear or be worried about. Persist in prayer and in spending time with the Lord. Persist in bringing your request to the Lord. Allow the Lord to direct your desires in accordance with His Word and wait on the Lord with expectancy for His Hand to move! PERSISTENCE. Do not give up!

May His Name be praised!

P.S. If you are not in Christ Jesus and do not know Him as your personal Savior and have not made Him Lord of your life, you can today! Romans 10:9 says “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (NASB 1995). THIS WILL BE THE BEST DECISION YOU HAVE EVER MADE 😊. If this is you today and you made this choice our ministry would love to help you with next steps after receiving salvation. You can reach out to us at wearethegatheringofficial@gmail.com. We would love to speak with you. We encourage you to find a full Bible believing church and to read the Word of God daily. Blessings to you!

Gather Your Vessels

2 Kings 4: 1-7: “Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” (NASB1995)

The story of Elisha and the widows oil is so interesting and encouraging. The widow obeys the directions of the Lord through Elisha.  To further understand what was going on, the widow’s husband was dead.  She owed a debt. According to mosaic law it was rightful for the creditor to come and take her two sons as slaves as a means pay off the debt. Relating this to today, imagine if you lost your spouse and your children were the payment for slave labor for the debt. The widow in this story must have felt such despair.  There was nothing she could do as she didn’t have the means to pay the debt. 

Have you ever been in a hopeless situation with no physical way of seeing things through? You have tried but to no avail and you are left hopeless.  This is what the widow must have felt like when speaking to Elisha. Now look what happens, the widow obeys and does what she is told in faith. She goes and gathers the vessels in with her sons all the while having barely any oil herself. Imagine how she must have felt. The sons were gathering the vessels all the while having barely any oil at home. They had to expect the miracle and believe God for something great. They had to expect that somehow God would make use of these vessels and that God would do the miraculous. This is a classic example of faith without works being dead (Ref. James 2:18). Saying it again for effect: FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD. The widow had to be obedient and follow through in what she was directed to do. 

Today, ask yourself and examine yourself. In the Bible, David, would pray that the Lord would show him any offensive way in him. (Ref. Psalm 139:24). Are you obeying all that God is showing you? Are you waiting on God for a miracle and holding back from what the Lord has shown you to do? Are you not jumping in the deep end because of fear? The widow could have said this is stupid when Elisha told her what to do, gathering all those vessels when she had barely any oil. What was going to happen with those vessels? But with God, nothing is wasted. He sees the obedience and does the miraculous. Obedience leads to blessing. Faith WITH works is the conduit by which we see the breakthrough. God is in the “working” of it. 

Has God directed you to do something? Has He directed you to move forward with something but you have been dragging your feet? First and foremost, if you haven’t heard from the Lord and learned to discern His voice don’t be discouraged. We all need to learn this daily. Spend more and more time in the Bible, consider fasting, and ramp up your time with Him.  Through personal relationship with the Lord it becomes easier to discern His voice! So if God has been speaking to you about something and you haven’t made the choice to move forward and take steps, let today be the day you do it. The widow didn’t see the miracle right away. But in the PROCESS of gathering the vessels God was working something fabulous. God does the miraculous but wants to see our faith “working”. The walls of Jericho didn’t fall right away.  It took seven times. Naaman wasn’t healed right away, he had to go to the Jordan River and dip in it 7 times for his healing. Sometimes things aren’t automatic. God wants to see our faith working towards the promise and in expectation that He can do the miraculous. The widow gets the vessels and then begins to pour the oil over and over again as it kept flowing. The miracle right in front of her eyes taking place. She had enough to fill every vessel she received when she barely had any oil in the first place. WOW! What a miracle. Elisha then tells her to sell the oil to pay her debt and whatever was left to live on it. The interesting part here is that the oil conveniently stopped flowing when the widow ran out of vessels. As many vessels that were gathered is what she saw the miracle in.  Matthew 25:29 says “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but to the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.” (NASB1995). Just like the parable of the talents where Jesus was speaking of the slaves that gathered in more talents we see a similar story with the widow’s oil. If she was to not gather in the vessels she would have been like the slave in Matthew 25 that failed to do anything with the talent he received … “but to the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”  Instead the widow did something and gathered the vessels just like those whom brought back more talents in Matthew 25. From this Jesus spoke of everyone that has that more shall be given and that there would be an abundance. 

The widow saw the miracle because she acted in faith and obedience.  She didn’t give up. And I firmly believe she would have been given more if she gathered even more vessels in. God is in the working of it. Sometimes we are to sit and wait completely and see the salvation of the Lord. But sometimes we are required to work! Be encouraged today that while you wait on your miracle that God is faithful. Don’t give up! God comes through! 

May His Name be praised!

LIfe

Read Deuteronomy 6, Mark 11:22-26, Luke 10:38-42

Life. One word and only four letters yet it carries so much meaning and purpose. Life is a gift from God. Nevertheless, during life we face trials and hardships of various kinds. Some of these trials are small and some are very large. What is the secret to being content in life when everything is always shifting and changing in the world? It’s simple but yet we as humans make it so difficult. The answer is Jesus. It’s fully depending on Him and trusting Him with all of our heart, mind and soul. It’s spending time with Him in the Word of God as we read, pray, worship and simply spend time alone with Him. The only sure thing in this life is Jesus. He is the Rock on which we must stand. How thankful we can be during this season where we celebrate Jesus and His birth. God sent His son Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to save us. 

Life. It seems to deals us circumstances that we surely do not like - cancer, lost jobs, sickness, temptations, etc. Life isn’t always easy. In a world where morality is becoming dependent upon personal feelings instead of God’s Word we can expect society to only get worse. Life continues to shift and change. Nevertheless, Jesus is constant and is literally the answer for everything. 

For example, sickness and disease is all able to be healed by Jesus. In the Bible every single time someone came to Jesus for healing He healed them. He healed them all! That says something right there. Believe and do not doubt. Mark 11:23 says “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.” (NASB1995). We can complicate this or take it as it’s written. As you read past the gospels into the book of Acts we see this trend of healing by the apostles all in the Name of Jesus continue as the local church became solidified. Healing is for today. Believe and do not doubt. 

Another example is with money. Many problems in this life are related to money. However, God already gives us the answer in His Word. Malachi 3:10 says “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” (NASB1995) On a personal level as well as through countless testimonies today, this Scripture is true. You give God what is His and He will bless you. Your relationship with Jesus will lead you to tithe because it’s a command in the Word of God. If you are struggling financially and you do not tithe, the answer and command per the Bible would be to tithe a tenth of all your income and to do so off the gross (first fruits). This goes for all Christians whether you are doing well financially or not. When we tithe it’s a guarantee that God will come through for our financial needs but you must follow through and do it! God is faithful to His Word always. You’ll start to see your financial situation change and God supply for all your needs. Every single time. You see, a relationship with Jesus spending time in the Word of God and at His feet will lead you to do such things. It all starts with our time with the Lord! 

The list can go on and on of the difficult things life deals us and how Jesus is the answer to all of them. Jesus will bless your time if you give Him time and make Him first. Sometimes we get so busy we forget about spending time with Him. If we would spend time with Jesus we would find that we somehow have the time to do all the things we needed to do and oftentimes we have time left over because God is good like that! Another example is that we may not have the best relationships with people and struggle with anger and pride but as we pour into a relationship with Jesus those things tend to fade more and more as God refines us. From this comes healthier relationships with others. As mentioned, the list can go on and on but the answer remains the same - Jesus. 

We encourage you today to love the Lord your God with everything in you. To spend time at Jesus feet daily. Deuteronomy 6:5 says “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (NASB1995).  Also, we can learn greatly from Mary in Luke 10 where she was at Jesus feet taking the necessary time to spend with Him. We encourage you to take this season to think upon the birth of Jesus. He is our King, the only Way to Heaven and the solid Rock we can depend on. How blessed we are as humans that God sent His one and only Son to die for our sins and give us eternal life if we would submit to Him for salvation and live for Him. Remember, Jesus is the answer to all of your problems. Go to Him- The Rock!! 

We love you and we hope this brings you closer to Jesus! 

May His Name be Praised! 

The Power of the Holy Spirit

Read Acts Chapters 1-2 & Acts 18-19:7

Acts 1:8 says “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.” (KJV). 

There is power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. In the past before Jesus the Spirit of the Lord would come upon certain people at certain times. It was temporary as compared to the New Testament believer after Jesus died and rose again and ascended to Heaven. Now, because of the blood that was shed on the Cross we have the Holy Spirit indwelling in us. However, not all are “filled” (have the baptism of the Holy Spirit). With the power of the Holy Spirit upon us, dwelling in us and having received the baptism of the Holy Spirit we can go on to do great and mighty things for the Lord. 

In Acts 18 Apollos was described as “mighty in the Scriptures.” He was “instructed in the Lord” and “fervent in spirit”. He taught “diligently the things of the Lord.” Clearly Apollos was well versed and educated but he missed the fact of Jesus baptism which is that of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is when the Spirit of God in-fills us, overtakes us as we begin to speak in other tongues and receive our own prayer language to the Lord. One of the major things that is missing from the American church is THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. This is not to say there aren’t churches operating in the fullness of the Spirit because there is but it seems to be fewer in number as we get so caught up in the technical and functional aspects of church rather than the spiritual. 

Apollos had all the tools to the common eye but he was missing something. He believed in John’s baptism rather than the baptism of Jesus. John’s baptism was that of repentance to believe in the One (Jesus) who is coming after (Ref. Matthew 3:11). John baptized with water for repentance but mentions that later Jesus would baptize them (and us) with the Holy Spirit and fire (Ref. Matthew 3:11). The baptism of Jesus is that of the Holy Spirit evidenced by the gifts of the Spirit. Thankfully Aquila and Priscilla pulled Apollos aside to show him “the way of God more perfectly”. Apollos wasn’t a bad person because he believed in John’s baptism rather than the baptism of Jesus which was of the Holy Spirit and fire. He just needed to be shown the way more perfectly. He spoke the Scriptures boldly but God had more for him just like He has MORE for us. Now there is nowhere in Scripture where it specifically says that Apollos was filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, as mentioned, we do at the very least see that he was shown the way more perfectly (which was the baptism of the Holy Spirit as evidenced by the gifts of the Spirit) from Aquila and Priscilla. This certainly must have affected his ministry for the better because now Apollos would be able to preach and teach regarding the baptism of Jesus (which was of the Holy Spirit and fire evidenced by the gifts) rather than John the Baptist and his baptism of water for repentance.

Later, we see another example regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul comes in the picture in Acts 19 at Ephesus and straight up asks some invasive yet necessary questions about the Ephesian disciples beliefs. Paul was concerned whether they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. These disciples began to tell him they never heard of the Holy Spirit and they believed in John’s baptism. It is interesting to read because Paul appears to be on a mission. He then lays hands on these disciples and they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and prophecy. Power has now entered them from on High. This is just one of multiple examples in the Bible of people being being baptized in the Holy Spirit receiving the gifts of the Spirit.

As we back track to Apollos in Acts 18, we can see that he took Aquila and Pricilla’s advice when they showed him the way more perfectly. As we moved further into the New Testament we see Paul mention Apollos in writing to the church at Corinth and when writing to Titus. Apollos was seemingly well respected by Paul for his ministry and what he was doing for the Lord. Apollos was a good man. He could have been offended when Aquila and Priscilla showed him the way more perfectly but instead he received what they said in humility. The same goes for the Ephesian disciples as they also believed in John’s baptism. Instead of ignoring Paul, they received what he said of the baptism of Jesus and experienced the filling/baptism of the Holy Spirit with the gifts of tongues and prophecy.

There is an important lesson to be learned here. The power of the Holy Spirit is necessary and needed (and so is humility). The American church (speaking generally) has made it seem as though we all have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. To this point they would be right as long as we have salvation in Jesus! However, we don’t all have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This needs to be preached as something necessary for believers and to be sought after. We all have not been filled with the evidence of speaking in tongues, prophesy, etc. People almost put it down anymore. They say those who have the baptism of the Holy Spirit make those who don’t feel like second class Christians. This is not the case. Yes you can be a Christian without the filling/baptism of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, there is a more excellent way which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Wouldn’t you want all that’s offered to you?

God honors those who preach Jesus, those who live for Him and those who love their neighbor and others. But we encourage you today, to not miss all of which God has for you. If you do not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we encourage you to seek God for this. Receive it in faith and don’t try to understand how it happens and how to make it happen. Just simply ask God to fill you with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We believe when you ask in faith that God will do the work at the right time! Don’t try and force it either and listen to others who may try to convince you that you can manufacture this gifting. Allow God to bring it about. At the same time pray for discernment that you would know the fake from the real as unfortunately there are people who try to manufacture the moving of the Holy Spirit and it’s not of God. Pray that you would know the difference. God honors those prayers and it will benefit you to have this discernment in your walk with the Lord in this life. Don’t hold back anything in your life from God and pursue time with Him more and more! 

The power of the Holy Spirit is valuable. Look at Paul and the miracles that occurred. He was on fire for God. The filling of the Holy Spirit enables a believer to go on to do great and mighty things for God. Without the baptism of the Holy Spirit we miss all that God has for us. You want the power of the Holy Spirit? Ask God and pursue His presence. Stay longer than 45 minutes at church and press in more. Give God time and show God you want it. The American church as a whole has missed it tremendously. We are more concerned with the comfortable  then alter calls and we are more concerned with pre service coffee than pre service prayers. We have lost the way. One of the reasons we aren’t seeing these miracles like those in Bible times is because we have lost the way and simply don’t want it. The power of the Holy Spirit is being choked out by shortened services so that people aren’t inconvenienced being at church too long. We need to be a church seeking God personally and corporately. We need to be a church operating in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Most importantly, we need to be a church preaching the blood of Jesus Christ! 

We encourage you today to not fit the mold of the world. America is a wonderful nation to live in there is no doubt but sometimes because of our comfortable culture we loose out on what God has for us because we never want to go deeper or get uncomfortable at church or in our personal lives. We encourage you today, if you haven’t been baptized with the Holy Spirit to ask God for this. In His time, we believe if asked in faith, you will receive it and power will come upon you just like it says in Acts! 

May His Name Be Praised! 

Faith in God

Read Hebrews 11 - Hebrews 12:2 

Do you trust God? Do you have faith in Him? We hear it all the time- “trust God”, “you just have to trust the Lord”, “put your trust in Him”, “have faith in the Lord”, etc. It’s mentioned throughout Scripture over and over and certainly worth repeating again today. So our question to you is, do you trust God and have faith in Him?

It’s easy to say that you have faith in God, but challenging to live out. Trusting God requires faith in Him to come through in every and any situation. It requires relinquishing of self and depending on the Lord. When we walk with the Lord step by step with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can never go wrong. 

Maybe you think God can’t bless you because well, after all, who is God to bless me? Will God grant the desires of my heart? Well, a good question to ask yourself is as follows: “are my desires unbiblical or Biblical?” For example, do you desire marriage, a better financial situation for your family, healing, salvation for loved ones, growth in your church, or a dependable vehicle you can afford? These are just a few examples, but these things listed are very common and are needs and not unbiblical things to trust God for. You can never go wrong trusting the Lord. Many times we can get tripped up thinking well, this desire of my heart may not line up with the Lord, does the Bible really say I need this specifically? Do I really need this? You start to question everything you desire and thus condemn yourself. When in doubt, here is a principle that seems to always work itself out- seek the Lord first and your desires will begin to line up with His desires. If you are doing this already, continue in it!  Therefore, as you put the Lord first in your life, you will notice your desires lining up with the Lord and His Word. Follow the peace given by the Lord which comes from fellowship with Him. Additionally, God may actually birth other desires in you that you never thought you would long for.  Mathew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (NKJV)

Faith in God isn’t easy but faith is the conduit by which we obtain promises from the Lord. Maybe your situation is such that God has spoken to you through the Holy Spirit. This could be a Word from God directly to yourself. It could also be through prophecy and a Word from the Lord from someone else for you(which may at times also serve as a confirmation of what the Lord had shown you directly in the first place). 

If God has shown YOU something, hold onto it with a vice grip because faith is the means by which you obtain those promises from the Lord. We even see promises directly in the Word of God to us, His people. Hold onto those promises! Don’t let go. Faith pleases God! The Word says in Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (NKJV)

In short, it’s simple in thought, yet challenging to carry out- to have faith in God and trust Him. We encourage you, seek the Lord first in your life and put Him above everything and you will see the Hand of God move. It’s your choice. You can try to control the situations in your life or let go, allow God to lead you by the Holy Spirit, and see how God’s way is much better than your own. Trust God and have faith in Him! Nothing is too difficult for our God!

May His Name Be Praised!

Jesus Paid It All

Read Matthew 27 & 28

Have you need of something more in this life? Are you dealing with pains and burdens that you can no longer carry? Bring it to the Cross today. Lay it down. Jesus paid it all. Two thousand years ago, Jesus died for all of our sins and took it upon Himself. Every time we mess up in this life and sin against the Lord, Christ died for that very purpose so that we may be forgiven. This does not mean that we should continue in our sin, but rather that we should live for Jesus and pursue holiness. However, when we do make mistakes we have Jesus as our Advocate before God (Ref. 1 John 2:1). When Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two (Ref. Matthew 27:51). This signifies that we are no longer separated from God. Because of Jesus, we have access to God. We no longer need to make atonement for our sins through sacrifices as mentioned in the Old Testament. Instead, Christ is the atonement for sin once and for all. Hebrews 10:8-10 says “Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them ‘ (which are offered according to the law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (NKJV‬‬)

If you don’t know Jesus at all or have never made Him Savior of your life, we plead with you today to come to Jesus and make Him Savior and Lord of your life. There is no hope without Jesus. If Jesus is rejected, then hell is a guarantee after death. This is not a place you want to be. The Bible notes that in hell there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Ref. Matthew 8:12).  Instead, with Jesus we have access to eternal life in Heaven. Streets of gold (Ref. Revelation 21:21), rejoicing in the Lord forever. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (NKJV‬‬). In addition to this, life with Jesus is so much more fulfilling and better than without Him. Come to Jesus today and receive salvation. He can take away all emptiness, fill you up, and satisfy your soul. Repent of your sins, acknowledge Jesus as your Savior and Lord, and believe on Him that He died for your sins on the Cross and rose from the dead in victory. Romans 10:9 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”(NKJV‬‬) If this is you today, and you have decided to come to Jesus and make Him Savior of your life, we encourage you to get to know Him. You can do this by reading the Bible, praying and talking to God, listening to worship music, and spending time with the Lord quietly and alone. We encourage you to do all these things on a daily basis. We also encourage you to ask God to lead you to a church that preaches the full Bible and to go there regularly. If you have questions regarding next steps after receiving salvation, please feel free to email us at wearethegatheringofficial@gmail.com. We would love to speak to you. 

For those of us that already have Christ as our Savior, we need to make sure to live repentant lives. Be quick to forgive and be quick to acknowledge your mistakes and correct them. Thanks be to Jesus that we are forgiven because of His Blood. Tell others about Jesus and do not be ashamed of the gospel because Jesus is our salvation (Ref. Romans 1:16). 

We love you all. Christ is Risen tomorrow and nothing is too difficult for our God!! 

May His Name Be Praised! 

“Do not delay, O my God”

Read Psalm 40, 70, 71 

We are living in unprecedented times right now and it seems that everyone is waiting on something. Waiting seems to be more or less the theme of our devotionals recently but it seems that so many people are dealing with waiting right now. People have lost so much from the current pandemic and situation in our nation and world. We see godlessness running rampant in certain high places in our country, the pandemic has left people jobless, people are committing suicide because there is no hope (it seems), people are waiting for things to go back to “normal”, amongst many other things! There is a popular saying that goes like this- “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” However, this saying simply misses the point. Rather, when the going gets tough, the tough need to fall at Jesus feet. Humility is very important. We need Jesus constantly! 

Are you waiting on a miracle right now? Are you waiting for God to come through on a promise He gave you or a desire of your heart? Whatever it may be, if the Lord has willed it, it shall come to pass. Remember this, nothing can stop God’s Hand for those that seek Him first and serve Him. Furthermore to that point, nothing can stop the Hand of the Lord when He speaks specifically over your life and situation. Trust His promises. No covid or pandemic, government official that seems to deal unfair regulation after unfair regulation, nor any demonic power on earth or below, can ever stop the Hand of the Lord. Trust Him. Pour it out to Him in your time alone with Him. Seek Him first. 

The Word says in Isaiah 49:23 at the end of the verse “..For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”  Wait for the Lord and trust Him with your life. God will vindicate you! You will not be ashamed. Seek Him first as indicated in Matthew 6 and all these things will be added in due time. It’s good to wait because in the waiting we grow. We become closer to Jesus, our faith grows, and we become molded more into His image. In the Bible we see David who constantly poured himself out to the Lord and waited on Him. David trusted in the Lord. He drew close to God.

Are you ready? Are you ready for God to bless you and come through for you? Remember, if the Lord wills it, nothing can stop it. The world may say one thing right now, because of the circumstances in our nation and world, BUT GOD says another. He isn’t controlled by anything. He is King and He reigns and there is no other that can take His place. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is all powerful. He sent His Son Jesus to pave the way for eternal life and that at the mention of His Name every knee will bow. There is nothing too difficult for the Lord! Seek Him first! Do not delay, O my God! 

May His Name Be Praised! 

Hold On

Read: Romans 8:28, Psalm 27, Psalm 37:4, Matthew 6:25-34

Are you believing God for something and waiting on Him? Maybe, it’s for a spouse, a job, a restored relationship, family members to come to salvation, a promise fulfilled by the Lord, etc. Maybe you are waiting on God for Him to bless your new business venture that He laid on your heart to do. Maybe you are believing God for that promotion at your job so you can have extra income to support your family. We want to encourage you to simply “hold on” during this season if you are in a position of waiting. God knows what He is doing. Delay is not always denial. As we seek the Lord and spend time at the feet of Jesus, our desires begin to line up with His will. When our desires line up with His will, then we can expect that He will give us the desires of our heart. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”(NASB1995) Therefore, continue to seek Him first and your desires will start lining up with the Lord’s will. 

Waiting is hard. We tend to jump at things as humans and get impatient. It’s normal. Many times we think what is right in front of us is what God wants or what we need,  while behind the scenes God is working something so much better. We encourage you to hold on for God’s best. 

God knows what He is doing. He sees well beyond your vantage point. He sees it all taking place years down the road. We encourage you to push past the feelings and simply know the truth of God’s Word in Romans 8:28 which says “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NASB1995)  We may tend to think, “Well, God will work it all out either way.” Be very careful because the enemy likes to twist Scripture. If we are not careful, we can justify our actions in jumping too quickly at something that we knew deep down wasn’t God’s best for us. Just wait. Yes, God is working it all out for your good and is always faithful. However, when we jump and try to do it ourselves, we deal with consequences and sometimes suffering because of it. It is better to wait on God first and foremost. Nevertheless, we all make mistakes. Not that this is an excuse to jump at things and go ahead of God’s timetable, but the Word says we all have fallen short (Ref. Romans 3:23). We as humans are in constant need of Jesus. Our encouragement to you is to stay faithful. Continue reading your Bible daily, praying, worshipping, witnessing to others, making disciples for Jesus, and building others up. Keep going. Serve in your local church. Keep it up. 

It is very easy to write these words of encouragement, but it is very hard to act them out. We understand that waiting is very hard, even heart wrenching at times. They say character is proven when no one is watching (although God is always watching). So I guess the better saying is character is proven when it’s just you and the Lord. How will you pour it out to God and for God? Your life is a vapor, so make it count. Do what’s in front of you every day. Stay faithful in your job. Stay faithful to your family, friends, and your church. God sees it all. Be faithful in the quiet time alone with God to seek His face. Soon enough, those knockoff brand items that look like the real thing will be clear for you to see that it was the enemy in disguise the whole time. Remember, the enemy will use anything and everything to get you off track. We must always be on guard. Seek the Lord, and stay faithful in your relationship with Him and your responsibilities in life. Honor God with all of your being and watch God’s best show up at the perfect time. God is never late. Hold on!! 

Psalm 27:13-14: “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” (NASB1995)

May His Name Be Praised!

But Now, O God, Strengthen My Hands

Read Nehemiah 6

God, the creator of all things, is capable to accomplish everything apart from us, yet in His love, He chooses to bring us into His mission. As we walk in step with the Lord, He enables us to know His heartbeat, to hear His voice, and to be His hands and feet in a broken world. Serving the Lord not only helps us to grow closer to our Heavenly Father, but it also helps others.

Nehemiah was a man who loved the Lord. His people returned to Jerusalem to find the protective walls and gates of their land were destroyed. The walls protected Jerusalem from enemies, maintained a physical and spiritual boundary for the people, and helped them to maintain their God-given identity as the people of God. After enduring exile and living under an enemies’ rule, Nehemiah’s heart was grieved to hear that his people were in trouble and disgrace upon their return. When Nehemiah heard the news of destruction, he mourned, fasted, and prayed before God. Despite the possible risk of death or punishment from King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah prayed to God and then boldly asked the him if he could go and rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. God was faithful to Nehemiah as the king granted his request. The king also guaranteed him safety while traveling, as well as materials to the build the wall. Nehemiah gave God all the credit. The Lord’s hand was upon Nehemiah as he found favor with the King Artaxerxes.

Regardless of the ease of gaining his request, Nehemiah’s task was far from easy! As others heard what Nehemiah was doing, they plotted to harm him and stop his plans. These enemies went to great lengths to thwart what God was trying to accomplish through Nehemiah. They tried to trick Nehemiah to meet them in an outside village on multiple occasions. When those plans did not work, they tried to scare him with rumors, saying that it was reported that the Jews were plotting a revolt and that Nehemiah was trying to be king. This would have been treason. Right after this attempt to stop the building of the wall, Nehemiah prayed, “But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah’s source was the Lord. He had a difficult task before him that was riddled with opposition, fear, confusion, and distrust. Even after praying this prayer, the enemies yet again tried to trick him. They paid a false prophet to try to persuade Nehemiah to hide for safety in an area of the temple where he was not permitted to go. The Bible says in Nehemiah 6:12, “Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.” (NASB1995)  Nehemiah’s prayer for strength and his communion with God enabled him to see through the evil plans that attempted to stop the work. It is easy to see all the opposition in this chapter, but I want to focus you on one phrase within Nehemiah 6:9: “But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” (NASB1995)  Nehemiah was not successful by his own strength. When opposition came, it drew him nearer to the Lord. He looked to God to give him the strength, discernment, guidance, and motivation that he needed to keep him going with such a difficult task.

I think oftentimes as Christians when we see opposition, we doubt our involvement in the task, or we hide. We say to ourselves, maybe God does not want this and that is why it is difficult. Nehemiah could have easily been discouraged. He could have questioned why God made it so easy to get the permission to build the wall, yet it was so difficult to build. The Jewish men building the wall had building tools in one hand and weapons in the other because their lives were threatened daily. It would have been easy to quit. Building was too big of a risk and was causing too much division with the neighboring areas. I want to encourage you that when we face opposition, that does not always mean that we are doing something wrong. Satan uses opposition to discourage us, to make us feel like we stepped out of God’s will, or to make us feel like we are too weak to accomplish the things to which God has called us. May you have a heart like Nehemiah. When we genuinely seek to do the will of the Lord, God will give us what we ask. Our will lines up with His will as we stay close to Him.

It may seem like Nehemiah did not pray for much. Sometimes we say those “little prayers” and we do not think much of them. Sometimes we believe God can do huge and amazing miracles, but we forget to ask Him for help in our day to day. We must remember that Nehemiah asking for his hands to be strengthened may have given him the hope, energy, wisdom, and endurance to build the wall so quickly. God gave him the strength to see through evil and press on to accomplish the mission that He laid on Nehemiah’s heart. Through Nehemiah’s faithfulness, the land was restored, and people’s hearts were pointed back to the Lord. Later in the book of Nehemiah, the people returned to the land and the law was read. In Nehemiah 8:6, it says, “Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” (NASB1995)  Nehemiah’s heart to see the wall rebuilt corralled a lost people together to hear the Word of the Lord. Their hearts were moved, and they came back to the Father. They confessed their sins and began to live for God. The Lord did not use Nehemiah to slay giants, defeat massive armies, or part seas. However, what God did through Nehemiah was not any less significant. Nehemiah understood his dependence on the Lord for all things. God used Nehemiah to bring His people back to Him (God). There are no small things in the eyes of the Lord. God is able to use all things to accomplish His purpose. May we have a heart that depends on God like Nehemiah. May we seek God’s wisdom even when the world seems to be trying to stop what God wants to do. May we pray continually for strength, so that God can bring us alongside His plan to save His people. Do not neglect your daily dependence on the Lord. You may not see all the ways that God is using those “small prayers” as you ask for strength, but I pray that when you look back on your life, you can see all the ways that God was moving through you and accomplishing His purpose. Look to God daily and He will help you through opposition. 

May His Name Be Praised!

Give Thanks

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, Job 1-2, Job 42: 12-16

The Word of God says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NKJV) Thanksgiving is finally here. This has certainly been a very challenging year for many around the globe. With the onset of a global pandemic, riots, and businesses closing, it wouldn’t be the easiest thing to always “give thanks” unto the Lord with these situations present. However, if we remember in the Bible, Job lost so much.  Nevertheless, his response was amazing. It says in Job 1:21 “And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (NKJV)

If you know the story of Job, he was labeled as “the greatest of all the people of the East” (Ref. Job 1:3). Job was blessed. Then all of a sudden Job lost so much all at once, such as his sons and daughters and his son’s home, his servants, and his oxen, donkeys, sheep, and camels (Ref. Job 1:13-19).  Additionally, his health was dramatically affected (Ref. Job 1:7-8). Simply put, Job lost a tremendous amount. However, he still blessed the Lord in those circumstances. The story of Job is encouraging because in the end, Job received total restoration of his losses. God gave him twice as much as he had before (Ref. Job 42:10).  God gave him children, and his daughters were labeled as the most beautiful in the land.  God gave him double the oxen, donkeys, sheep, and camels. Job was able to live to see his children and grandchildren for four generations. It’s pretty easy to see that God is not limited by any circumstance. He truly restores what the locust has stolen (Ref. Joel 2:25). 

Remember, even though 2020 has been an extremely difficult year and a year not like any we have really seen before, we can still give thanks. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Our God is fighting for His children and He is able to restore those things that seem lost and hopeless. Cry out to God and seek His face! What the enemy intends for evil God intends for our good. (Ref. Genesis 50:20) Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (NKJV) Give thanks! Nothing is wasted with the Lord! 

May His Name Be Praised

Face to Face

Read 1 Samuel 30: 1-11 & 17-19, Psalms 6, James 4:8, Matthew 6:6, Psalm 34:8

Spending time with the Lord is something that looks so simple but yet can be such a challenge in our culture.  Our culture is busy as there is constantly something going on. It may seem hard to find time for the Lord. However, our encouragement to you is if you would give the Lord the time He rightly deserves and desires with you, then you will have more than enough time for everything else.

It is absolutely vital to be face to face with the Lord daily. This would mean spending time with Him alone by yourself.  While small groups, prayer meetings with others and gatherings at Church are all necessary and good, the base of what you need in your life will be built upon your personal relationship with Jesus one on one. As Christians we need to be in the Word of God, praying and spending time with Him in His Presence on a daily basis. Additionally, we need to worship the Lord in our alone time. This is important. Look at David at Ziklag.  When he came back to Ziklag, the Amalekites had already made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire (Ref. 1 Samuel 30:1). David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him because they were angry. The Amalekites took captive all the women and all who were in it (Ref. 1 Samuel 30:2). David knew what to do when faced with such opposition, he went to the Lord one on one. He strengthened himself in the Lord and the Lord directed him to pursue the Amalekites. Sure enough, David was victorious. The Bible has many examples of this- when people spent time with the Lord and strengthened themselves in His Presence. Also, spending time with the Lord can only benefit you as it can never be negative for your life. 

The Word says in James 4:8 - “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (NASB) As the days get more and more evil in this world we need to be in even more communion with the Lord. This will keep us on track, help us discern God’s will for our lives and benefit our lives us greatly.

All great victories are birthed out of the private where no one can see. This is where we resolve to never give up, to continue to press in and to work hard towards the goal. This is exactly how our Christian life should be. Your time with the Lord in private will pour out into your public life. The Word says in Matthew 6:6 “But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (NASB)

We can firmly say, that a Christian must be communion with the Lord. It is your spiritual food and drink. For some reason though, our flesh fights it.  Maybe it feels hard to read the Word of God. Don’t feel condemned by that. It’s okay if it is a discipline at times. You still need to do it. We don’t always feel like reading the Bible, worshipping, or praying but we do it anyways. We push forward with the things of God regardless. When people start working out, they may not like how sore they get or how tiring it is but over time they start to look forward to working out as they see the results. This is the same way with our walk with the Lord. At times and maybe at first it isn’t so easy, but as you see the results in your life such as the fruits of the Spirit you will be blessed (Fruits of the Spirit -Ref. Galatians 5:22-23-love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control). The more you put into your personal time with Jesus, the more you will act like Him. It is the private secret place where your soul is truly sustained. Jesus wants you, He desires you and He wants to be alone in the secret place with each individual person. We encourage you, take time in the Word, pray, worship and be in His presence. We encourage you not to just make it a checkmark for the day but make it a lasting desire to come and meet with Jesus. The more you do it the more you will desire do it. Psalm 34:8 - “Taste ad see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” (NASB)

May His Name Be Praised

With Everything

Read Deuteronomy 6:4-5,  Matthew 22: 34- 40 , Luke 10:25-28

The Scripture tells us to love the Lord God with all of your heart, soul, and mind. Our Heavenly Father needs to be Lord over every area of our lives, not just isolated areas. It is very good to examine our lives from time to time. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (ESV)   In life, we know many of us are so thankful for the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when we fail and mess up.  On a daily basis, we could question whether or not we are really giving God everything. Our minds may even tell us “you can always do more”, or maybe the enemy may whisper that in our ears to make us feel guilty perhaps? Just a thought. Nonetheless, we need to act within our conscience and our convictions on this matter of “With Everything”. With Everything- two words that carry extreme weight when paired together speaking in regard to our walk with Jesus!  We all fall short, and we get it wrong at times. But there is something about everything, giving God all of you, and going after it for the Lord. When doing so, let’s consider a few areas (this is not an exhaustive list) of ways we can examine ourselves today:

• Reading Of The Word/Prayer- Are we taking time out to read God’s Word and pray daily/consistently? Daily reading of God’s Word and prayer is vital to the Christian walk. It is food and water to the soul. You absolutely need it. We encourage you not to neglect this and starve your spiritual man. Also, are we taking the time out to get into the presence of the Lord? Maybe this could be sitting alone in the quiet, praising Him in song, sitting quietly while worship music is playing, reading the Word while having worship music on in the background, etc. However you get into the presence of the Lord, it’s vital to your relationship with Him. The Bible says to “draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8A).

• Our Speech- Are we building one another up or tearing one another down? To act in love doesn’t mean compromising our fire for the Lord. However, it doesn’t mean we act with ulterior motives that are not right before God and don’t line up with the Bible.

• Television/Media- What does our TV schedule or social media/phone habits look like? These greatly influence our lives whether we believe it or not. The abundance of things you hear and look at eventually influence you. Obviously we cannot avoid everything in this life. Use discernment and make decisions based on personal conviction (see below). However, you may just be feeding the wrong thing into your mind. For example, are you feeding yourself with television shows with sexual scenes, cheating on one another, cursing (sometimes non-stop), and much more sinful activity? Are we scrolling on social media profiles that promote sex, alcohol, drugs, materialism, etc? Maybe we are following so many accounts that it makes us feel less because of all they have compared to what we have. Are we googling topics that aren’t edifying our soul? Are we leading ourselves into temptation and issues with such things? Something worth thinking about and bringing to the Lord.

• Acting Out On Our Convictions- This is something that is very important. Do you ever recognize that Voice that tells you something isn’t right? You don’t feel right in your spirit about something. It feels wrong. As a Christian, this is usually the Holy Spirit convicting you. We must act on those convictions and be obedient to them. For example, one person may be convicted over something that is a disputable matter in this life. Disputable matters would be things that are gray areas and the Scripture does not specifically give us clear cut guidelines about them. We truly believe that discernment is key and following the leading of the Holy Spirit is essential. If you feel convicted about something, are you acting on that and being obedient to the Lord? While one person may feel comfortable on a certain topic, the other may not. If you are convicted, are you acting out on that? Being obedient means with everything. Be obedient to those convictions as it will bode well for your life. At the end of the day God is our Master and He will judge us accordingly (Ref. Romans 14:4). Therefore, don’t worry about what others say, be obedient to your convictions. Remember, partial obedience is in fact disobedience. With everything…

• Helping Others- The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Ref. Matthew 22: 39). Obviously one person cannot supply for the entire world. However, there are needs everywhere and many people to help. Where is God leading YOU to help? Love one another, bear each other’s burdens, pray for one another, give to the poor, help those who are in need. Seek the Lord, stay close to Him and be obedient when He shows you to do something. For example, He May lay on your heart to give to a ministry above your tithes- as an offering. Maybe this is for missions work for example. Maybe you give some money to sponsor a child in need, or give your time at a local soup kitchen, etc. We are His hands and feet. Also, it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean we just neglect needs unless God specifically shows us in some major way (however, there is nothing wrong with praying on something to be sure). Nevertheless, some things in this life are just obvious. As we seek the Lord in our lives He will show us more and more and we will be more sensitive to needs around us! Sometimes it’s simply just a smile or an encouraging Word to someone else.

In conclusion, this list is by no means exhaustive. Let’s be honest, we all fail at times at these items listed above. We need Jesus. We need His grace to help us along the way. As the time passes God will continually refine you as long as you are seeking Him and spending time with Him. God is looking for hearts that are fully committed to Him so that He can support and strengthen you (Ref. 2 Chronicles 16:9). Additionally, we encourage you to test everything, even the words in this devotional as well as all of them that our ministry does.  Test our “use” of Scripture as it relates to a topic (as we know Scripture in and of itself is fully pure) and test our words and devotionals as a whole.  We believe there is nothing wrong with that and that it is a good thing to do. With this being said, we say this- give God everything- everyday, every hour. You will see how God moves in your life and how your relationship with the Lord reaches new heights. With everything Lord, WITH EVERYTHING. 

May His Name Be Praised

Wait for the Lord

Scripture Reading:  We encourage you to take time to read the Scriptures referenced throughout.  We also encourage you to read Psalm 27.

Waiting is not a term anyone in the flesh likes.  It’s one of the hardest things to do because it requires patience and allowing God to do what He does.  It’s common that we as humans try to “manipulate” the waiting periods we are going through. Have you ever heard the phrase “God helps those who help themselves?” This is an unbiblical saying and should be disregarded. The truth of God’s Word is that God helps those who cry out to Him. God helps His children because He loves us. The Word says in Psalm 121:1-2- “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (ESV). There are many examples in Scripture that show that “helping” (or manipulating the situation) ourselves in the midst of needing God’s help while waiting on Him didn’t work out so well. Look at Abraham (formerly known as Abram). God promised to make of him a “great nation” (ref. Genesis 12:2). He promised him a son to be his heir (ref. Geneses 15:4) Later on, his wife told him to go lay with Hagar and he listened to her, since after all, they hadn’t had a child yet.  From this, Ishmael, the “wild donkey” of a man was born (ref. Genesis 16:12). God’s covenant was with Isaac and it was through Isaac that God would make Abraham a great nation, not Ishmael.  However, God made a great nation of Ishmael as he heard Abraham’s plea (ref. Genesis 17:18-20 & 21:13).  Consequently, the tension between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac remains to this day.  Simply put, waiting on God requires our surrender to His will, His way, and His timing. 

However, there are times where we do need to take action and do certain things. For example, you may be waiting on a job, but you still apply for jobs, rather than just doing nothing. However, nothing is set in stone. We must have a discerning spirit to distinguish what to do. You may feel led from the Lord to do absolutely nothing and just wait. This too is very possible! Nonetheless, as a whole, thinking God will help you when you help yourself is unbiblical. God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him (ref. Isaiah 64:4). God will direct your steps and show you what to do. That’s why in this ministry that God has given us, we stress highly to others the importance of a personal deep relationship with God. The more you get to know Him, the more you will be able to hear and distinguish His voice. 

Waiting can be extremely tiresome and hard. Look at David in the Bible. He went through so many battles along the way. He was anointed to be king of Israel at a young age and it was many years until he obtained the promise where at age thirty he was crowned king. Many scholars today believe it was around 15 years of waiting from the time David was anointed to be king by Samuel until he was crowned king at 30. The Bible doesn’t tell us specifically David’s age when he was anointed.  Nevertheless, he waited a very long time. When David became king, he reigned at Hebron over Judah seven years and six months and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Judah and Israel 33 years (ref. 2 Samuel 5: 1-5). For forty total years, he reigned after such a lengthy waiting period. God blessed David. His Word never comes back void. David hid in caves, ran for his life,  and dealt with much opposition. Nevertheless, God came through on the promise and the anointing He had on David’s life (ref. 1 Samuel 16: 1-13). 

At the end of the day, there is no formula to make God move faster. He changes situations when He says so. If He promised you something specific with a timetable, then you can be certain it will come to pass. If He promised you something according to His physical Word, then you can be sure it will come to pass. His timing is only perfect.  For example, if you desire marriage, and do not have the gift of singleness, you can fully trust God to provide for you a mate. Delight yourself in the Lord, put Him as number one, and all these things will be added (ref. Psalm 37: 4 & Matthew 6:33). Nonetheless, our attitude must always be of God’s will above our own, regardless of the outcome. His Ways are not our ways (ref. Isaiah 55:8) and our desires must align with His. Seek the Lord, and He will show you!

Finally, brothers and sisters, we encourage you to wait for the Lord. Continually serve Him during the waiting and be patient. It will come, and when it does, it will be the best it could have ever been. Remember, faith is the conduit by which we obtain promises of God (ref Hebrews 11).  Waiting for the Lord is certainly an act of faith because you believe God will come through. Yes, it’s very hard and very difficult, but God never fails. He is undefeated, never late, and always on time. Take heart. Be strong in the Lord. Wait for Him. 

May His Name Be Praised

Godlessness in the Last Days

Read 2 Timothy 3, 1 John 4:1-6, James 4:8, Ephesians 6:12

The Bible speaks on godlessness in the last days.  2 Timothy 3 seems to capture many of the things we are seeing today. Verse 5 notes that people will have “the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” In the day and age that we are living in, we must be in fellowship with the Lord on a consistent basis. As mentioned in earlier devotionals, we need to be face to face with the Lord and build our lives upon the Rock of Jesus Christ.  We need to be in the Word of God and seeking Him through prayer, worship, etc.  If we are not in fellowship with the Father we may be easily deceived by this world.  

Have you ever heard the saying “if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it must be a duck?” Unfortunately that isn’t always true.  We need to be careful of the new age doctrine that is infiltrating sermons, worship music, and ministries around the world.  Many things have the appearance of godliness, but deny its power.  This is why we must pray for discernment, wisdom, and knowledge to distinguish rightly between such things.  We need to guard our hearts.  Philippians 4:5-7 says “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)

Ultimately we cannot judge others’ motives and why they may do something. Nonetheless, this does not mean that we cannot distinguish between right and wrong. It is very beneficial to test things and the Word of God says to do so (ref 1 John 4: 1-6).  Also, there are things that sometimes appear to be good, but something may feel off.  The Holy Spirit guides us daily and as we spend more time with the Lord we will become more sensitive to His Spirit.  This correlates with the Word of God in James 4:8 which states “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (ESV).  

There are many things in the world today that may seem okay to one believer and not to another.  We need to be people that have the leading of the Holy Spirit.  If something is checking you in your spirit then we must follow that. At the end of the day each has to stand before the Lord and give account for himself or herself.  Also, remember, that the enemy knows the Word of God very well.  satan used it against Jesus when he came out of the wilderness. Jesus however, used scripture once more to put an end to satan’s games.  Stay close to Jesus and experience victory! The Word says in Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (ESV). 

I think we can all agree that we have failed numerous times in our lives and can relate to the verses in 2 Timothy 3. Whether we have been boastful at times, lovers of money, struggled with self-control, etc., we all struggle with things.  However, we must remember there is a distinction between struggling with sin and living in sin.  Generally, we know if we have zero intentions to live for God or not.  Also, God is not mocked, so He judges the intent of the heart. Generally we know our motives.  The good news is, when we repent before Jesus, we are forgiven and washed clean! 

We must never lose sight of Jesus. We must continue in the things we have learned (ref 2 Timothy 3:14-15), which all comes down to the Cross.  The answer is Jesus—a genuine relationship with Him.  It is not about the lights, the camera, the money, the status, and many other things we sometimes put in the place of the Lord.  It is simply about Jesus.  He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Do not be deceived by those that try to manufacture the presence of God or a move of the Holy Spirit.  Continue in what you know in Jesus.  Stay in fellowship with Him daily and ask for discernment. You will be able to distinguish between what is of God and what is not. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord. Jesus Christ paved the way for us all.  We encourage you to stay close to Him and walk with Him daily. It will bless your life abundantly. Also, if you do not know the Lord, we would ask you to pray this prayer with us:

Dear Lord, I come to You and ask You to come into my heart as my personal Savior and to forgive me for all my sins. I believe that You, Jesus, are the Son of God who died on the Cross for my sins.  Thank You Lord. I love You and believe in what You did on the Cross at Calvary and thank You for it.  I proclaim today that Jesus Christ, You Lord, are King of my life, and I live for You.  In Jesus Name, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer today genuinely unto the Lord, then you have walked into a new life with Jesus. He has saved you from the eternal fire and rather has given you eternity with Him as you have chosen to follow Him and serve Him only in your life.  If you would like guidance on further steps in your walk with the Lord feel free to email us at wearethegatheringofficial@gmail.com. We encourage you to find a local church to attend regularly and to get in the Bible daily.  We encourage you to get with other believers and a pastor(s) to discuss more about living for Jesus.  Also, we encourage you to pray and listen to Christian music. We love you all.  We hope that you draw closer to the Lord every day.  

May His Name Be Praised

"Manna" in the Waiting

Do you ever go through seasons of waiting? I think most of us can answer this with a resounding “YES”!  It probably isn’t very exciting to say though. I don’t think anyone in the flesh loves waiting. It’s not easy and can be very trying. However, do you ever notice the “manna” that God provides in the waiting? Yes, using the term “manna” from Exodus 16 which was the bread that the Lord provided to the Israelites for forty years until they came to a “habitable land” such as the border of the land of Canaan. (Ref Exodus 16:35). 

The Israelites were grumbling during the waiting period and were hungry. God provided for them while they were waiting to reach the promised land. God always provided along the journey. This is the same today as God is always providing for us along the way. Furthermore, He has already provided for us the best- His Son. The Word says in John 6:35 “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’ (NKJV). Jesus is the bread of life. The Israelites eating the manna didn’t give them eternal life. Neither does the manna the Lord provides for us in our waiting. Remember, and never lose sight of this- Jesus is the base of everything, He is the bread of life and the one whom through which we are saved from the penalty of sin and death. He is the cornerstone. That is why we pray “in Jesus Name”, because it holds power and authority. 

Whatever the need or promise, God can and will meet it. You may be in need of a better paying job to support your family and in the meantime God may provide for you financially through other means before that job comes to fruition. Maybe the Lord has promised something to you and it hasn’t come to pass yet. God is not a liar, He will come through. He will provide along the journey until the waiting meets the promise.  God is always providing. Sometimes we don’t even realize it if we are not in as desperate of a situation as the Israelites were. Nonetheless, God will sustain you along the journey and waiting period you are going through. Seek His face. The Lord will never leave you or forsake you (Ref Hebrews 13:5). Be content where you are and know that God is always providing for you and that He has already given you the bread of life in His Son. If you need God to move in your life then cry out to God (always cry out to Him in every situation). He is faithful and a Good Good Father! 

Remember, the Israelites had just enough manna for the day. They had to trust God again to provide the following day (except for the seventh day as they were provided for on the 6th day for two days worth because of the Sabbath). Many times it appears that God will do the same thing with us- He provides one thing and then we have to trust again. It is certainly a faith walk but if we trust the Lord fully we will be at peace.

Seek God today and see that He is always providing “manna” in the waiting. Remember that His Son is the bread of life and He is always there for you. Finally, Psalm 27: 13-14 says “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.  Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” (NASB). 

May God Be Praised

The Busyness of Life & The Still Small Voice

Read 1 Kings 19

Do you ever have a hard time hearing God’s voice? The Lord can certainly speak at anytime and anywhere, but do you think that the busyness of your life affects your ability to hear from the Lord? It’s possible. Very possible in fact. Busyness can be detrimental to our faith. Many times we get so busy that we simply “fit” God in or we forget about Him all together.  It’s natural, especially in a culture that is constantly running around busy with one million things to do. 

Look at Elijah, God spoke to this man up at the mount of God at Horeb after a long journey. 1 Kings 19:9 says “And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ (NKJV).

Furthermore, 1 Kings 19: 11-12 says “Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” (NKJV)

Then God spoke as we read further. God shows up. But not how we might expect Him. He shows up in the still small voice. God is great and mighty. However, this does not mean that He is always in the big thing such as the great and strong wind, the earthquake, or the fire as mentioned in verses 11-12. Sometimes He is in the big thing, because our God is the God of miracles and nothing is too difficult for Him. But here we see that God was in the still small voice. Elijah was in a position to hear from the Lord as he was alone, away from Jezebel and done fleeing. He was standing there and God spoke. God shows Elijah that he was to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, to anoint Jehu to be king over Israel, and to anoint Elisha in the place of himself as prophet. Wow, what a task! God gives specific instruction. God comes and meets Elijah in the still small voice where it’s just him and the Lord, no distractions. Many times in the Bible we see the Lord speaks in those alone times (as well as ministers to us greatly). Examples include Jesus withdrawing to spend time alone with the Father (ref. Luke 5:16 as well as other passages), Moses going up to the Mount Sinai forty days and forty nights and receiving the Ten Commandments, Elijah spoken to at the mount of God at Horeb, David in caves writing Psalms as he was alone crying out to God, etc. 

When we get alone with God apart from the busyness of this life, we put ourselves in a much better position to hear from the Lord. This is not to say we cannot hear from God at church amongst other believers, that we cannot hear from God even at the grocery store, because this is all very possible, very good, and does happen. However, we shouldn’t neglect the personal alone time in the quiet place. In the quiet place apart from everything is where God prepares our hearts to hear His voice, drawing us closer, and growing us deeper in our relationship with Himself. Furthermore, many other wonderful things occur in the one on one time with the Lord such as receiving direction (like Elijah), songs like David, etc.  It’s the total base of of the Christian walk- being at foot of the Cross, at Jesus feet.  One on one and face to face. 

Get alone with the Lord today. If you are busy, we urge you to make INTENTIONAL time with Him. Everyday we have choices we make with our time. Give Him room and opportunity to speak to you. You will be surprised that the still small voice is always there and will guide you daily.  Are you listening? 

May His Name be Praised,

God Bless you :)