Who can bear the weight of the world in these present days? Only the Lord God Almighty–to Him belongs all praise.
Praying in the Spirit daily, as often as we can, is surely one of the best things to do, in this end-time span.
But being bold to stand for what’s right against any evil oppression is important, too–the world needs to hear our Christian faith confession.
There’s a wealth of opportunities now that God is bringing about… for men to find the truth in Him, forsaking their unbelief or doubt.
Through every available voice, God’s Word is being preached until the time that He declares the entire world has been reached.
The Bible says that God will pour out His Spirit upon all of mankind. Life through His Son, Jesus Christ, is the gift He wants everyone to find.
God chose to lay upon Him, at the cross, the iniquity of us all… We pray for multitudes to hear the gospel and respond to its gracious call.
P. A. Oltrogge
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 KJV
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” …spoken by Jesus in John 10:10
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” …spoken by Jesus in John 17:3
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” …spoken by Jesus in John 16:33
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Hebrews 1:1-4
The God’s Word translation reads “He holds everything together by His powerful words….”
Does something in your life need to be upheld or held together? Keep trusting in God, who holds all things together….
Scriptures NKJV except as noted
And Matthew 9:38; Luke 10:2; John 17:17; Acts 2:16-18
In walking with the Lord, I remember a winter night in particular,
when I left a Bible study gathering of friends, by myself, to drive home.
Snow had started to fall that evening, and the moon was out…
The Lord’s presence surrounded, as if to tell of His peace in a poem.
We’d focused on His love in our study of the scriptures that night,
and how we would never really be going about our lives alone.
The glow of the moon reminded me of His Word as a lamp and Light,
which pushed away any worries to which I might have felt prone.
I carried my marked-up Bible with me–it was my valued friend;
and I had the Holy Spirit and the angels, on whom I could always depend.
P. A. Oltrogge
“…If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” words of Jesus from John 8:31-32 NASB
“My son, attend to my words, incline thy ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.” Proverbs 4:20-24 KJV
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV
“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17 NKJV
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.” John 16:13 NLT
“Turn all your anxiety over to God because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 GW
“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11 NKJV
“Fear not, for I AM with you, be not dismayed, for I AM your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 RSV
Nothing but the blood of Jesus, shed for us by grace… will make us stand in righteousness before His Father’s face.
Without it, claims of righteousness are as filthy rags before God’s eyes. Be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and by the living Word, become wise.
P. A. Oltrogge
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6 KJV
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 NKJV
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple…” Psalm 19:7 NKJV
“The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me. And I did not recognize Him, but in order that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.’ And John bore witness saying, ‘I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.’” John 1:29-34
“And when He (Jesus) had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:27-28, also Mark 14:24; and Luke 22:20
“The Jews therefore began to argue with one another, saying, ‘How can this man give us His flesh to eat?’ Jesus therefore said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate, and died; he who eats this bread shall live forever.’ These things He said in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum.” John 6:52-59
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28
“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness because in the forbearance of God, He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26
“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” Romans 5:9
“Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 10:16
“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; and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
“For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” Colossians 1:19-21 NLT
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ” Hebrews 4:12 NKJV
Scriptures NASB or as noted.
The Blood-bought Church (song, N. Harmon)
They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for joy They shall cry aloud and be free They shall glorify the name of the Lord It’s the blood-bought, the church, the redeemed
[Verse 2] Oh pick up your hearts, O Zion of the Lord Let the earth spring forth with its praise For the children rejoice from the islands of the sea It’s the blood-bought, the church, the redeemed
[Chorus] And we are in that army of the Lord We’ve been washed in the blood and we are going forth There is nothing that can stop this mighty moving force With a shout of praise, a two-edged sword
[Verse 3] Ev’ry stronghold of bondage must fall beneath our feet Ev’ry prisoner held captive must be free For our deliverance has come through the power of the Son It’s the blood-bought, the church, the redeemed
[Verse 4] Let the earth be silent, the winds cease to blow Every created being fold your wings For there’s a new song being sung with a new melody It’s the blood-bought, the church, the redeemed
“Oh, Lord, take your super glue and glue my bone together.” This was one of my first prayers after fracturing a bone in my foot. At the time, I did think it was sort of a silly prayer until I read the paperwork from my emergency room visit. It stated, “When a bone heals, the body puts a CALLUS together across the piece that is broken. This callus is made of new bone material and will eventually melt or glue the two broken pieces together.” What a sweet reassurance that the Lord was indeed with me in my pain, even in the formulation of my seemingly strange prayer.
Being forced to reduce my activities gave me time to reflect on the word, “broken,” and the pain involved. I realized my foot would eventually heal and the pain would then be just a memory, or maybe even forgotten. However, there are many people living with various degrees of brokenness–a broken relationship, broken health, or even being brokenhearted–all of which can be covered by God’s supernatural ability to heal.
My natural belief is that a bone progressively heals. My belief, as a Christian, is that God adds His “super” to the natural, and things that are impossible or difficult have a greater ability to heal when faith is released.
In the Bible narrative of the beggar man, who was lame from his mother’s womb, he was told, “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” The story relates that immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength, and he began to walk and leap. This is the “super” element added to that poor man’s body. He was carried along and set down daily at the gate of the temple, so this man required assistance to even get there. His muscles hadn’t been exercised. This was not a progressive healing–it was a miracle. And it was brought about by two of Jesus’ disciples who were bold enough to believe that God could raise the man up. How many of us have seen this today? How many of us even believe it could happen?
I couldn’t help but compare the word, “callus,” (used for good–to bring healing to my bone) with the word, “callous,” which means hardened in mind, or unfeeling. My journey toward healing included much soul searching as to what I expected from my faith. It’s easy not to have very high expectations. Then there is no disappointment in God. However, the struggle to boost my faith to believe in God’s supernatural ability came with a sinister, mocking voice, “Has God really said?”
A few months before fracturing the bone in my foot, I had been running across the street with my schnauzer on his leash at night and tripped over the curb and landed flat on my face. It was a miracle I didn’t break much more, but I did find out I had broken a bone in my wrist. However, before I knew it was broken, I believed for healing; and by the time it was x-rayed, the family doctor said it looked like an old break. Then suddenly the pain went away, and I never followed up with the orthopedic doctor. So later, as I struggled with the pain in my foot, how easy it was to forget this previous incident of my God’s goodness and power.
Perhaps, it is like the disciples. Having seen the miracle of Jesus breaking the five loaves of bread to feed 5,000 people, they were still upset because they had forgotten to take bread and only had one loaf with them. Jesus spoke some heartbreaking words to them. He said, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? And do you not remember?” We can end up with a calloused heart when we stop believing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can be fresh from a miracle and still not perceive that our God can do it again!
After Jesus had come down from the mountain, He was followed by crowds–a great throng.
Wanting to hear the Lord’s teaching and be healed, a leper, at a certain point, had also come along.
He fell down before Christ and worshiped Him, asking for cleansing, if Jesus would be willing.
He had faith that his request could be one of those, that day, which the Lord would be fulfilling.
Jesus stretched out His hand and touched the afflicted man, thereby blessing…
He destroyed what the devil had worked, which, to the leper, had been so distressing.
“I am willing,” Jesus said–what a compassionate touch for the man’s body and soul!
Jesus told him to tell no one, but to go to the priest to reveal that he’d been made whole.
There, bringing a gift in accordance with Moses’ command, the state of his health would be reviewed.
And then, he would be given right of passage to return to society–his life renewed.
Jesus’ loving touch is going forth to those who worship and call on Him still today.
There’s no one who can’t be touched by the Master, who is always willing to heal whenever we pray.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15
“Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:12-14
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them.” Mark 11:24
For encouragement on healing: http://www.rhema.org offers the book, “Bodily Healing and the Atonement,” by Dr. T. J. McCrossan, reedited and reprinted by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin and Dr. Roy Hicks. Also offered there are many other books and materials that support both spiritual and physical well-being. And see ministry websites previously mentioned on the blog.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
“And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” Luke 5:17
I thank God today for His power being present to heal…as well as His peace over any discouragement and for faith to persevere in trusting Him in all matters.
“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart…” Luke 18:1 NASB
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 RSV
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills– From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
Lord, you are the source of my help on any given day. You made the heavens and the earth–On you, my hope will stay.
I will look even to the hills–On their horizon, I’ll always see, through the eye of faith, my Savior, heading down with help for me.
P. A. Oltrogge
“He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.” Psalm 121:3-8 NKJV
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” words of Jesus in John 14:27 NKJV
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 NKJV
As followers of Jesus and friends of this blog, I know that you believe and give; so this little poem is just one person’s story, of God leading her to a new place to live.
So a woman named Danita, of the United States, was only a young girl of eleven, when her Dad sparked her interest in working for Christ and for the Kingdom of heaven.
They travelled to the nation of Haiti, joining in on a church mission trip there. Then, later, Jesus led her to Haiti again, for the needy to come under her care
Not sensing God’s plan right away, she asked Him for what purpose she’d come. He led her to take in orphans, so that to poverty, even death, they’d not succumb.
Now her ministry has grown to be a trusted shelter for many people of that land. Thank God for this and other ministries, which have taken to heart His great “love command.”
“Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9 NKJV
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples several times–for instance, once at the Sea of Galilee. In the group were Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, two other disciples, and the sons of Zebedee.
Peter announced he was going to go out to fish; and they all decided they would join him, too, on the boat. They fished all night but caught nothing; and in the morning they saw Jesus on the shore as they were afloat.
They didn’t realize this was the Master when He called to them as “friends,” asking if they had fish aboard. “No,” they said–but then took His advice, that a shift of the net to the right side shouldn’t be ignored.
When they did as He said, they came into such an abundance of fish that they weren’t able to haul in the net, which caused them to remember a previous miraculous catch–an incident they could never forget.
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, spoke up first, saying, “It is the Lord!” They all were overwhelmed and excited. Peter, in his eagerness, threw on his tunic, and jumped into the sea for the shore–so unable to wait to be reunited.
The others followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, with which Jesus had just blessed–such a great haul. A fire of burning coals with fish and also bread was ready on shore, where the Lord wanted to dine with them all.
Jesus said that they should bring some of the fish just caught–153 large fish in all, and yet the net wasn’t torn. “Come and have breakfast,” was His warm greeting to His disciples there on that joyful and, to them, miraculous morn.
Have you fished all night, are you not expecting to see the Lord show up, do you think miracles are few and far between? Well, He’s the resurrected Lord, and is “ALIVE forevermore!” We can expect to see miracles yet like none we’ve ever seen!
P. A. Oltrogge
(from John 21:1-14 and reference to Luke 5:1-11)
“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.’” Revelation 1:17-19
The various versions of the Bible have Jesus calling out to His disciples in this account in different terms. “Children” is written in the King James Version–which they were, beloved children of God.
In the Gospel of John, we read of John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Of course, all of His disciples were the recipients of His love, as we also are today!
“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” To be a friend or receive from one is good; but if man’s help seems to end…
and you feel you’re at a point where every hope has been erased, then look for the Lord Himself to strengthen and uphold you by His grace!
P. A. Oltrogge
“Fear not, for I AM with you, be not dismayed, for I AM your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 4110 RSV
“Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, ‘I AM.'”
John 8:58 (Scripture quote in the poem: Proverbs 27:17)
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah….
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah”
Psalm 46:1-3 and 10-11
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4
“By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” 1 John 4:13
“The wages of sin is death,” but God, our Father, be praised… for “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ,” who from death to life was raised!
Without having been “born again,” we are subject to sin, death, and strife; but upon receiving Him, our hearts are changed, to want to walk in newness of life!
P. A. Oltrogge
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:1-10
In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be born again, and He said:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
The Porch of the Lord 