A Prophet's Voice in Our Time

Today's Devotion Friday, January 31, 2020

A Prophet's Voice in Our Time

Today's Text And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28

In His Word, God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience.... Yet the fact that God has revealed His will to men through His Word, has not rendered needless the continued presence and guiding of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Spirit was promised by our Saviour, to open the Word to his servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings. And since it was the Spirit of God that inspired the Bible, it isimpossible that the teaching of the Spirit should ever be contrary to that of the word. During the ages while the Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament were being given, the Holy Spirit did not cease to communicate light to individual minds, apart from the revelations to be embodied in the Sacred Canon.... And mention is made of prophets in different ages, of whose utterances nothing is recorded. In like manner, after the close of the canon of Scripture, the Holy Spirit was still to continue its work, to enlighten, warn, and comfort the children of God. The Great Controversy, vii, viii. God has ... promised to give visions in the “last days”; not for a new rule of faith, but for the comfort of His people, and to correct those who err from Bible truth. Early Writings, 78. As the Spirit of God has opened to my mind the great truths of His Word, and the scenes of the past and the future, I have been bidden to make known to others that which has thus been revealed. The Great Controversy, xi. There are those who will be glad to lull you to sleep in your carnal security, but I have a different work. My message is to alarm you, to bid you reform your lives and cease your rebellion against the God of the universe. Take the Word of God, and see if you are in harmony with it. Is your character such as will bear the search of the heavenly investigation? The Review and Herald, June 22, 1911. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, the Scriptures were given that we may have a standard of truth that we may come unto a knowledge of God. The words convey the truth about God and His love for mankind. But the words themselves do not constitute righteousness; righteousness comes by the Spirit of God living within us through His Son. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11). In the times before the coming of Christ, God spoke to us through prophets, but today He speaks to us through His Son. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,” (Hebrews 1:1, 2). As the Spirit of God lives in us by His Son we are brought into a closer understanding of the Scriptures for it is now Christ that leads us unto all truth, for He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). The Spirit of truth is the Spirit of Christ living within us. For most Christians they have been taught that the Holy Spirit is a separate being from the Father and the Son, but in reality, it is the Spirit of God Himself given to us through His Son. This Comforter that was to be given was a parable to illustrate the indwelling of Christ in our hearts. This the disciples did not understand at the time and as such Jesus presented to them the parable of the Comforter. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18). In verse 18 He says plainly that it is He that will come unto them, not the spirit of another. When Christ was walking among them the Spirit could not be given. He must physically go away that the Spirit may be given, but that Spirit was not a different being but was Himself to come to them in a different form. After presenting Himself to His Father, the Father could now answer His prayer when He prayed saying “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (John 17:5). The glory that He had before He came as a man was that He could be omnipresent. Now glorified of God He could once again be in all places. Though He is physically in heaven ministering in the heavenly sanctuary, He could now be with everyone that believes in Him. He could now fulfill His promise to the disciples “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:18). He could now minister to us in the sanctuary of our hearts. My friend, we have been deceived into believing that the Holy Spirit is a separate being from the Father and the Son, and as such separating us from the power of God. It is time to look away from the false god of the trinity unto the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ. It is time to allow the Spirit of Christ to live within us that He may lead us to all truth and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Seal & The Mark - Nadar Mosour The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast. What are the deeper issues and principles in this battle of worship? Nader Mansour explores this question in this challenging study. Warning: It might alter your thinking on the subject! RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org Recommended YouTube Channels (New) The Advent Bible Fellowship YouTube channel Open Face Fellowship Revelation 14:12 Pro-life Andrew Smyrna Gospel Ministry Line of Truth Ministries

Monday: "Fear Thou Not ... I Am With Thee,"

The Gifts of the Spirit

Today's Devotion Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Gifts of the Spirit

Today's Text Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.... The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 1 Corinthians 12:1, 7

Paul declares that the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit were set in the church ... “till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13. The Great Controversy, viii, ix. All men do not receive the same gifts, but to every servant of the Master some gift of the Spirit is promised. Christ's Object Lessons, 327. The Lord has need of all kinds of skillful workmen. “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11, 12. Testimonies for the Church 6:291. In immediate connection with the scenes of the great day of God, the Lord by the prophet Joel has promised a special manifestation of His Spirit. Joel 2:28. This prophecy received a partial fulfillment in the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost; but it will reach its full accomplishment in the manifestation of divine grace which will attend the closing work of the gospel.... At this time the special endowment of divine grace and power is not less needful to the church than in apostolic days. The Great Controversy, ix, x. God will today endow men and women with power from above, as He endowed those who on the day of Pentecost heard the word of salvation. At this very hour His Spirit and His grace are for all who need them and will take Him at His word. Testimonies for the Church 8:20. The gifts are already ours in Christ, but their actual possession depends upon our reception of the Spirit of God.... If they are connected with Christ, if the gifts of the Spirit are theirs, the poorest and most ignorant of His disciples will have a power that will tell upon hearts. God makes them the channel for the outworking of the highest influence in the universe. Christ's Object Lessons, 327, 328. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, the gifts of the Spirit of God are given to us through the indwelling of Christ within our hearts, for the Spirit of God dwells within His Son. "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." (John 17:21). The most misunderstood aspect of the Bible is the Spirit of God. The vast majority of Christians believe that the Spirit of God is a separate being from the Father and the Son when in reality it is simply God's omnipresent spirit. The Spirit of God lives within His Son because He came forth from the Father and is why He is the only begotten Son of God. Begotten means born of, notice how the Scriptures declare the birth of the Son of God. “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:” (Proverbs 8:22-25).  We are truly connected with God through the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ living within us. How is this so, because the Spirit of God dwells within His Son. Notice what Jesus prayed in John 17:23. "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;”. The belief that the Holy Spirit is another being separate from the Father and the Son is a lie of Satan that separates us from God and robs us of the true gifts of the Spirit.  The Comforter that was to come after Jesus ascended to heaven is not a separate being but is simply the Spirit of Christ that lives within us. Christ took upon Himself humanity that He could join the human race to God, and in doing son laid aside the attributes of divinity, that He may live a perfect life and sacrifice it for us. After His death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father, He is now glorified with the glory that He had with the Father before He came to the world. Notice His prayer in John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” This prayer was answered on the day of Pentecost when the omnipresent Spirit of Christ was given to the church. The divine life of God joined together with humanity is given to us through the indwelling of Christ within our hearts. My friend, our salvation is based upon receiving the life of God given to us through His Son. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:11, 12). The trinity is a counterfeit of the Father and the Son. If we are worshiping God as a trinity we cannot receive the life of God given to us through His Son. It is time for us to look away from the false god of the trinity and receive the life of God given to us through His only begotten Son. God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Seal & The Mark - Nadar Mosour The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast. What are the deeper issues and principles in this battle of worship? Nader Mansour explores this question in this challenging study. Warning: It might alter your thinking on the subject! RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org Recommended YouTube Channels (New) The Advent Bible Fellowship YouTube channel Open Face Fellowship Revelation 14:12 Pro-life Andrew Smyrna Gospel Ministry Line of Truth Ministries

Friday: A Prophet's Voice in Our Time

A Sabbath Keeping Church

Today's Devotion Wednesday, January 29, 2020

A Sabbath Keeping Church

Today's Text And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17

In the twelfth chapter of Revelation is represented the great conflict between the obedient and the disobedient. SDA Bible Commentary 7:974. The sign of obedience is the observance of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. SDA Bible Commentary 7:981. The Sabbath is a test to this generation. In obeying the fourth commandment in spirit and truth, men will obey all the precepts of the Decalogue. To fulfill this commandment one must love God supremely, and exercise love toward all the creatures that He has made. The Signs of the Times, February 13, 1896. The time is coming when God's people will feel the hand of persecution because they keep holy the seventh day.... The man of sin, who thought to change times and laws, and who has always oppressed the people of God, will cause laws to be made enforcing the observance of the first day of the week. But God's people are to stand firm for Him. SDA Bible Commentary 7:975. Let no one yield to temptation and become less fervent in his attachment to God's law because of the contempt placed upon it; for that is the very thing that should make us pray with all our heart, and soul, and voice, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.” Psalm 119:126. Therefore, because of the universal contempt, I will not turn traitor when God will be most glorified and most honored by my loyalty.... Shall Seventh-day Adventists relax their devotedness when all their capabilities and powers should be placed on the Lord's side; when an unflinching testimony, noble and uplifting, should come from their lips? “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” Psalm 119:127. When the law of God is most derided and brought into the most contempt, then it is time for every true follower of Christ ... to stand unflinchingly for the faith once delivered to the saints. SDA Bible Commentary 7:981, 982. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, the 7th day Sabbath was given to us that we may spend time with God and worship Him. In the last days the Sabbath will be a sign of allegiance to the true and living God. Today the vast majority of those in the Seventh-day Adventist Church look to the Sabbath as the seal of God, and in doing so they have elevated the Sabbath to a position which God has not ordained. In the book of Ezekiel the promise of God says "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them." (Ezekiel 20:12). This has been used as a proof text on the Sabbath as the seal of God, but what does this text really say? The Sabbath is only a sign of ones allegiance, but it is the Lord that sanctifies. In order for us to keep the Sabbath holy we must ourselves be holy. This only comes from the indwelling of Jesus within the heart. In the last days the great test will be upon who you worship more than upon which day you worship. The church today holds that it is the true church of God because of the day that they worship, but in reality they have forsaken the true and living God for the false god of the trinity. This is evident from the condition of the Church of Laodicea. Jesus, the Faithful and True Witness of God says "... and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" (Revelation 3:17). The church is in this condition because they have forsaken the One true God. They are naked because they do not have the righteousness of Christ. They are blind because the trinity has the outward appearance of God but in reality is not. Since they do not have the righteousness of Christ they look to the righteousness of the law to supply their lack, as such they look to their Sabbath keeping to sanctify them in the last days, while they forsake the One true God who alone can sanctify them. My friend, where does your righteousness come from? Does it come from your Sabbath keeping or does it come from the indwelling of the Christ within your heart? If you are worshiping God as a trinity you cannot receive the sanctification needed in the last days. It is time to heed the warning of Jesus in zealous repentance and opening the doors of your heart that He may come in and sanctify you. God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Seal & The Mark - Nadar Mosour The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast. What are the deeper issues and principles in this battle of worship? Nader Mansour explores this question in this challenging study. Warning: It might alter your thinking on the subject! RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org Recommended YouTube Channels (New) The Advent Bible Fellowship YouTube channel Open Face Fellowship Revelation 14:12 Pro-life Andrew Smyrna Gospel Ministry Line of Truth Ministries

Thursday: The Gifts of the Spirit