Tag: aftercare

CONQUERERS

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CONQUERERS

By Rick Mathes

Romans 8:37 (NASB77) 37  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

C.H. Spurgeon: Jesus is the representative man for His people. The head has triumphed and the members share in the victory. While a man’s head is above the water you cannot drown his body.

All the hope of ministry lies in the

Spirit of God operating on the spirits of men.

Jess disciples in His absence. The Holy Spirit then is all the Christ we need until His return. We pay so little attention to the Spirit of God that maybe now, in this devotional, we can give credit where credit is due.

Can you even imagine they removed the head of a trained monkey and attached it to a headless body of another monkey and it retained all its knowledge and training! A surgeon removed the heart from a patient and put it into a pan and then returned and put the silent heart into the man again and it began to throb with life. Where is life if all our body parts can be replaced? In Christ!

This inner vitality from Him makes us “able not to sin.” We have put out the flames of hell and have been resurrected from the dead. There was a time we walked around looking for a place to be buried but we were cowards to take our life. Now we cherish the Lord because His is the way, the truth and the life. We can defeat the most evil demons of hell and not even fear Lucifer himself because we win!

Sin cannot have dominance over us any more than darkness can put out light. All of hell, all sin, all demons and Lucifer himself is nothing more than an itch on God’s nose! So why are you surrendering to the losers?

Finally, we have a Commander-in-Chief that leads us to certain victory. We join Him as family, His family and full heirs to His estate. It is this eternal Glory in His Kingdom that we pledge our life, liberty and fortunes.

It all begins at the beginning: we are more than conquerors because we put on the full armor of God and fight our battles on our knees in prayer. Imagine that! We have His ear, His full attention anytime we need Him. What more assurance do we need that the battle is ours?

 

CONFESS AND REPENT

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 CONFESS REPENT

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 3:2 ” Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Many will confess but very few truly repent and it is very important that you do so. Every time you wantonly sin Satan writes that sin on the caulk-board in heaven and every time you repent, the Holy Spirit erases the sin out of sight. Sanctification’s objective is to keep the blackboard clean but just confession won’t do it.

  • Confession sin is worrying about the punishment that is the consequence of sin.
  • Repentance is worrying about the sin whose consequence is punishment.
  • Conversion is a change of action after you have had a true change of mind.
  1. The first sermon John the Baptist preached was “Repent!”
  2. The first sermon Jesus preached was “Repent!”
  3. The first sermon Peter preached was “Repent!”
  4. The first sermon Paul preached was “Repent!”

Are you getting the message?

Repentance is simply a turning toward Jesus. I never quit drinking. It quit me. When you are looking upon Him, the devil has no entry level. I love Jesus more than the sin and you should too.

When you turn to God you have put your back to Father Lucifer. The devil does not like your disrespect of the “Angel of light.” You have declared war on hell and I can guarantee all of his fallen angels are going to break loose on you like a swarm of angry hornets. You can expect violence and deceit unimagined from the most unlikely people!

Reverend Lucifer is too slick to make him obvious. He would rather turn your heart back to him from the pulpit of your favorite churches. If your minister doesn’t preach repent, submit and obey you have been sitting under the evil one. You have become a Satanist because you won’t turn from the sin the Holy Spirit has been convicting you of.

You refuse to turn from sin to the Savior and cause the very angels of heaven weep for you as the Good Shepherd laments one lost lamb.

The fruit of true salvation is good works. You were created in the image and likeness of Jesus and all he did while he was on planet earth and served those who were His. Repent and do likewise so that all will know that you have had a conversion experience and are now walking you talk!

COMMUNION

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COMMUNION

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

Sharing the bread and wine in remembrance of Him is the privilege of the believer. Non-believers or those seeped in willful and unrepentant sin are not welcome at the table. No, we aren’t actually eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Ask the Apostles who were there if they did. No, it’s just a symbol on the outside of what has happened on the inside. We become one with Him when we are born again. It is at this point of communion that we reaffirm that we are not ours anymore. We surrender all as we remember Him and His sacrifice for us: a very special commemoration.

In sharing the elements as fellow Christians in good standing, we confess our sins and our allegiance to the King. When the Body of Christ comes together in corporate worship we declare to the world our unity regardless of denominations. Our doctrinal differences or distinctives melt into thin air as the Holy Spirit blesses all that confess Jesus as Lord equally.

Our being in one accord is clearly communicated to all who will look. The talk is real when the walk confirms it and that is certainly the case as we all remember Him for who He is and who we should be in Him. Our actions speak louder than words. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel and use words when necessary.”

As we commune as one in Him, the Holy Spirit seals us until Jesus returns and breaks the seal. He, only He, the Lamb of God is qualified to break the seal so that the Groom may be united with the Bride (The Church).

This amounts then, in its totality as a consecration of us for Him. Roman Catholic priests have their thumb and two fingers consecrated, declared without sin, so as to touch the host (Body of Christ) they believe is truly His flesh. I suggest that a true biblical communion results in the Holy Spirit consecrating not just our fingers but our whole being so that we will be pure and holy in His sight.

COMMANDS

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COMMANDS

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 7:19 (NASB77) 19   Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

God so loved the world that He didn’t send a committee! He sent His only beloved Son, and when Jesus speaks, we listen and respond, “Yes Sir!” Our Lord isn’t into arm-wrestling with us over His will in our lives. We are to simply believe and obey Him. Even a slight hint a what will please our King is an imperative command, more than that, a demand we must hasten to obey.

What is lacking is both the church and the state is fear of God. If you are an unbeliever, fear of eternal dying in the flames of hell should deter you from ignoring His every wish. And fear of offending Him or hurting your feelings shold be a constant reminder to us to fear His displeasure. There is no need for a believer to fear God’s wrath: praise the Lord! But if you deny Him He will forsake you and Satan will have His way with you forever.

When the faith is set out before you and His biblical commands are clear, you walk in all His ways not yours. Once experienced however, His way becomes your preferred way because it is paved in peace, happiness, and the security that His will in heaven is being effected through you on earth. As His golden vessel or clay potty, you have obeyed Him.

What else can follow then but your love for Him, heart and soul? Bless the Lord, Oh my soul with all that is within me! Feelings and facts fall into place as He would have them because you believe and obey His wishes to the last drop of blood He shared for you. Really, all is in harmony when heaven and earth are tuned to the same key and you orchestrate as called and chosen.

Nothing is held back as you advance in rank and responsibility. The war is on and the evil one’s days are shortened as the time grows near so nothing less than complete obedience will do.

It’s so simple but keeping His commandments is the hardest thing you will ever be asked by the Lord to do. It’s impossible to obey His commandments to the letter of the law but it was accomplished in Him and it’s His righteousness that is placed on us and that’s why we can’t help but shout from the roof-tops, “My Daddy is the Commander-in-Chief of the universe!”

Believe and obey, there’s no other way…..

 

COME OUT

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COME OUT

By Rick Mathes

John 11:40 (NASB77) 40 Jesus •said to her, ” Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

He said, “I AM the resurrection. Do you believe this?” It’s an important question to ask your-self and answer honestly. Your faith and future depend on what you really, down deep believe. You can’t fake or con your way past the devil. Both Satan and Jesus know the true answer.

So you need to take an honest appraisal of yourself if you want to step away from death and move toward life everlasting, so ask yourself:

Are you a questioning believer? It is good to be the “devil’s advocate” that is, to challenge the Word of God to see what the truth really is. I went into the Bible to prove to my wife once and for all that Jesus did not raise form the dead anymore that Lazarus did at His word. Well He did and I believe but learning that truth has not stopped me 30 years later from questioning the Word and mining it for proofs.

Are you an anxious seeker? Anxiety is manufactured fear. Ninety percent of what you fear isn’t going to happen and the other ten percent is unavoidable It is good to fear the Lord, that is to fear offending Him but if you are a believer, you never need to fear His wrath.

Are you a suffering believer? He took the cross for you. What can man do to you to separate you from the love of God? Nothing! How deep is your love? You don’t really appreciate His mercy when you are on top of the world. Did you ever notice that you are closest to Christ when your knees are closest to the ground in prayer?

Step out of your grave of death and don’t be a discouraged worker for the Lord. We are only under assault by the demons for a season. All the Lord asks of us is to keep the faith, fight the good fight and finish the race. Don’t give up, maybe for the first time.

And lastly, you might be a dying Christian. Well praise the Lord you are close to meeting your Maker! Take heart. What greater thrill could there be but to sing, “Nearer my God to Thee” and really mean it. Come out and confess you believe today, there may not be a tomorrow.

COIN OF VALUES

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COIN OF VALUES

By Rick Mathes

Romans 7:21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.

Where you stand is where you will fall. If it isn’t worth dying for, it isn’t worth living for and yet most don’t hedge their bets with any semblance of a higher power, humility or restraint of their carnal desires. The old adage, “He who dies with the most toys wins” is a bold-faced lie. UYu will never see a U-Hall trailer behind a hearse on its way to the cemetery.

Man’s values are weighed heavily on appearance and having an impressive resume. It is a bogus and manufactured front to impress others with “How great I am” or “Look at me the epitome of success.” “See what a winner I am!” Well, I suggest that I would rather see the sermon than hear it so if you look long enough, you will see through the façade. You’ll see there is no substance. “Where is the beef?” It’s not on a false front outside of you, it’s on the inside. I’ve often said, “Why should we get to know each other and ruin a perfectly good relationship?” There’s more truth to that than you think.

It’s not in wealth, brains nor talent. It is only Him.

Let’s look at the other side of the coin of values and see a glimpse of God’s integrity and character. Those two pillars are what the holiness of God rests on from which you will fall if you don’t keep your balance.

It’s all a matter of achieving His attitude of justice and mercy. The Good Shepherd has both the rod and the staff. The rod is to rebuke and correct and the staff is for recovery and God used both to shape our attitude and His mold.

He who has the gold makes the rules is so true. We are blessed by our Lord’s generosity. Thank God that he police don’t have the record on you that Jesus does. Earning $8 per hour making hamburgers is better that $12 per month mopping prison cells for the DOC. So rejoice and have an attitude of gratitude that God isn’t giving us what we deserve.

And lastly, note our Lord’s faithfulness. He promised that He would never leave nor forsake us. I believe Him because He has believed in me. I have the coin of values that He blessed me with and you can have it too.

COFFIN NAILS

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COFFIN NAILS

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 1:2 (NASB77) 2  to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

Paul’s companion Clement became the third bishop of the Church in Rome right behind Cletus and Linus. Fifty years afer the Church of Corinth was founded, Clement wrote to them after Paul had written the letter “3rd Corinthians” to sort out the internal dissention and abuse of the gifts. Clement had to rebuke them again because now the younger members were disrespecting their Elders and the whole mess was stirring up all over again. I might add that charismatic churches in your community have continued in this prideful destruction and here are some reasons that keep reappearing over the years:

  • Dissentions
  • Personality Cults
  • Cliquishness
  • Moral Compromise
  • Carnality
  • Sexual Perversion
  • Fornication
  • Incest
  • Adultery
  • Worldliness
  • Materialism
  • Suing Christians
  • Idolatry
  • Selfishness
  • Homosexuality

The sign gifts were being perverted to mimic the old rituals that included estate behavior and glossolalia. They became boastful of the gifts they claimed they had and they used them at times for personal gain as they do to this very day!

How awful must the Holy Spirit feel when so called “Spirit-filled full-gospel” churches do the same thing? It’s as if nothing has changed. This type of behavior is flat-out prostitution of the gifts and dangerously close to the unforgiveable sin of unbelief!

 

 

CHARISMATICS

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CHARISMATICS 1

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

Fifty years after Paul penned Second Corinthians, Clement continued this epistle because the next generation of the Church of Corinth was still abusing the sign gifts as they are today. I have a standing offer of $1,000 for anyone on this planet that can prove they have a sign gift.

Let me ask you Mr. Spirit Filled Christian, “Do you really have a closer walk with God than I do?” Is your walk with Him closer than Chrysostom, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon and a litany of other fellow believers who do not claim to have the sign gifts?”

I have personally witnessed Jim Baker’s staff provide rented wheel chairs to older people standing in line for the healing service to be later wheeled out on the stage and miraculously walking from the chair! This “show time” is the equivalent of Saturday Night Wrestling on TV.

Even the famous Kansas City Prophets claim that they are only 70% successful with prophesies which is laughable. Faith healer Oral Roberts claimed that 4% of those patients in his ministry hospital (do you see the humor) were cured by prayer. Doctors of any hospital will tell you that 4% of their patients have psychosomatic illnesses (in their head). I could write a book on all the bogus claims I have seen and heard in my lifetime alone.

Their false prophets and faith healers with anointed prayer cloths are a complete charade. I stop just short of claiming that they are all from hell. Even Kenneth Hagen, Ken Copeland and Benny Hinn have led souls to an awakening of their salvation. My assessment before you and God is that this whole industry of merchandising Christ is pure spiritual humbug. Stay tuned for “Charismatics 2” to soon follow!

 

CHAINED

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CHAINED

By Rick Mathes

2 Timothy 2:9 )) for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

Prison ministry is a rewarding effort to lead souls from crime to Christ in which I have been a full-time minister in for over three decades. I have led thousands to the throne of grace and many more thousands have passed through our successful aftercare program. I have leaned that there is no difference in prisons for those outside the Department of Corrections and those inside that are convicts. One got caught and the other didn’t which includes me. I have never been convicted of a crime.

At the top of my list of those imprisoned in the “free world” are ministers. They are so beholding to the deacons and elders for their jobs that their knees shake in the pulpit at the thought of offending anyone. They have to have a grand-slam sermon every Sunday and grow the church or they will be selling hardware within 4 years.

I have often thought about how proud the donkey must have been that carried Jesus into Jerusalem. Out of all the donkeys in the world, Jesus chose him. Contrast that to the grumblers the minister asks to help him in the everyday chores of the church. Grunt work has a special reward in glory.

Some I have met who think they are free have concrete between their ears. It’s an understatement that they are unteacheable. Their mouth is going a hundred miles an hour and their ears are folded over and sown shut. Their minds are in bondage to relativity.

When I was growing up I lost all feelings from being abused mentally by a very dysfunctional family or lack thereof. My hero was Dr. Spock from Star Wars. He was without emotion, just stoic and logical. So I grew more hardened to my pain and the pain of others. I became introverted and obsessed with reading and acquiring knowledge: Maybe because I was treated like I was a useless dummy.

Here is the hypocrite with two mouths. The apostate that is enjoying his walk down the wide road to hell and the heretic that goes to church but lives for the devil. There is no fear of God in any of them. Satan’s battleground is your local church that for many is a prison with stained glass windows. Well let me tell you, you can park your hose in a garage but that doesn’t make it a car. The House of God has become the synagogue of Satan. Shame on us!

 

CAUTION!

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CAUTION!

By Rick Mathes

Galatians 5:25 (NASB77) 25  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

What would happen to street traffic if there weren’t traffic lights? Chaos! Can you imagine the highway road rage if there weren’t any rules? It’s the same thing with real life. We need to know the perameters and when we see a red, yellow or green light, the message needs  to be consistent for everyone. So I would morally be very aware of words beginning with “self.” Almost all of them are a flashing red light!

The mother of “self” words is self-gratification. This is when your gods are all things that make you feel good. Mega churches have prospered and been exploding in worldly success because they worship on the altar of “self.”

It’s almost a make right or passage to be self-sufficient. All virile, hairy-chested men want to brag that they did it their way. They glory in their self-opinionated religions and self-assertive clawing to the top of the corporate ranks. Do unto others before they do unto you. He who dies with the most toys wins, oh really?

Being aggressive and contemptible will help you fight your way to the top of the world but it will cost you your soul. If you love the word more than the Word, the love of the Father is not in you. I guarantee you that there won’t be a U-Hall trailer attached to the back of your hearse!

As a matter of fact, it is despicable to stand at the foot of the cross and give our Lord the finger! There is no other choice but to accept Him. If Jesus isn’t your Lord, Satan is. Think about it. That would make you a Satanist! There is no deception greater than being a carnal Christian and believeing you are going to heaven. There is no bigger lie from the father of lies than thinking you are so led and you arene’t.

Watch the flashing lights. Do you have a green light or should you proceen with caution or stop?