Jim Bakker Show

Every day of your life you will make decisions that affect your destiny. There was a time years ago that I made a very bad decision in my personal life and it cost me dearly. My destiny was altered from what it could have been because I decided to commit sin. While God is full of mercy and grace to forgive and restore us, the decisions we make to sin will cause natural consequences.

Every decision you make is a step either toward or away from your destiny, or better said, your destination in life. Your choices will create the causes-and-effects that shape your life. How can you know if you’re moving in the right direction? Do your decisions line up with the Word of God? Don’t ignore the prompting of the Spirit. Your destiny is waiting on the other side of your right actions.

Everything in life is determined by how you think! Right thinking positions you for a life of joy and peace in the Spirit. The Bible says “as a man thinks, so is he”. It’s true – that’s why the Bible also says to renew your mind: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

1 Your thoughts create your emotions .

2. Your emotions prompt your decisions.

3. Your decisions determine your actions.

4. Your actions, repeated over time, become habits.

5. Your habits develop and demonstrate your character.

6. Your character produces your destiny.

While bad decisions will take you further than you ever wanted to go, keep you longer than you ever thought you would stay, and cost you more than you ever thought you would pay; when you make good decisions, they will lead you into your destiny.

Matthew 24:10 (NKJ)
And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

Many things have been written about bitterness and unforgiveness which are good and true. But this writing focuses on the times we live in and the need for complete humility of heart, unconditional surrender to the purifying fires of God, and uncompromised obedience to the Lord who taught forgiveness in the most profound way possible – as he was dying upon the Cross.

In Matthew 24: 3-13, Jesus is speaking of the signs to look for just before his return. Right in among the warnings of wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes, we have this picture in verse 10 (above) of how people will conduct themselves who are not surrendered in obedience to the leading and an example of our Lord.

People who were very close to Jesus betrayed, abandoned, denied and cursed Him; and those were his friends and disciples. Others accused, slandered, vilified and finally killed Him. Yet, his prayer was “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” God desires that we should follow his Son’s example.

Though we cannot compare ourselves to our Lord in what he suffered and sacrificed, He is our exemplar model of how we are to live and die.

“Yet he opened not his mouth” to defend himself…. (Isaiah 53:7)

We must die to our need for earthly justification in the eyes of men. When we wait for our Defender to vindicate us, we will see His justice in due time. Persecution will come, we are assured of it and it is for our perfection. We may be slandered, betrayed and abandoned by those whom we love and who profess love for us, but deny it with their words and actions. They do not have God’s heart for us, and their actions and words often challenge our very identity in him. Don’t let your offenses cause you to enter into the same camp as your offenders. If we surrender to the fiery processes of God which are clearly outlined in his Word, we will be resurrected in due time and we will live with him forever and ever in the beauty of his holiness.

In our own humanity, we struggle when we are hurt (offended). Our first reaction is to defend ourselves. Many times the path we take because of the offense is one of ultimate destruction and condemnation for us. It is said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die. If we are honest about it, when we defend ourselves against false accusation, we often turn that accusation against the offender and develop a hatred that wants to murder the other person with our tongues (words).

The very nature of a defense coming from an offended heart is injurious to ourselves and others. If we do not cleanse ourselves of this poison, we will ultimately destroy our own spiritual connectedness with our Lord and hinder our ability to commune with him. He taught us by supreme example, and He will recognize us by our likeness to Him.

We wonder if those who accuse us are of God….

Judge not for with whatsoever measure you use, so will it be meted unto you. We should treat those who have slandered, accused and betrayed us with all the grace that we ourselves desire when we meet our Lord at the judgment seat of Christ. For we will all be judged according to His Righteous Judgment – not our own sense of justice that is tainted by our offenses while we lived in this world.

When King Saul attacked David unjustly, David would not sin but instead cried out to the Lord:

1 Samuel 24:12
Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.

In my own personal life, some offenses were too heavy for me to bear in my own strength. I failed miserably to deal with that offense in the way that God would lead. My failures led to my estrangement from Him in a way that brought leanness to my soul and I ultimately fell on my face in repentance and cried out to him for mercy – and here is a key – I cried out for mercy for the offender as well. There is no offense that is worth even a cursory estrangement from our Lord.

Even when your offender is dead wrong, never allow your own sense of entitlement to justice to cause you to sin against God by retaliating.

The Ultimate Test

The ultimate test is one of pride and humility. Pride led to satan being cast out of heaven. Pride leads to unforgiveness and ultimately, alienation from Him. And pride always leads to a fall and destruction (Proverbs 16:18). We are more than conquerors because He, in His grace will enable us. While our offenses may be great and indeed sometimes horrific, and while those who have caused them are worthy of judgment, we are not charged with administering that judgment. We are charged with obedience to the teachings of Christ Who taught us to forgive, leave the judgment to Him, and walk in humility and submission.

The Lord said in that day (of judgment), many will say unto Him:
Matthew 7:21-25 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.”

Knew in the scripture above means to have an intimate relationship with.

That’s why we are warned by the Lord himself that wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through that gate. But small is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Enduring until the end….

In the same passage in Matthew 24 which warns us of offense and the other things which will occur right before his coming, we also see a verse that describes the overcomer:

Matthew 24:13
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Endure is defined in the Greek below:

G5278 hoop-om-en’-o – To stay under (behind), that is, remain; figuratively to undergo, that is, bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere: – abide, endure, (take) patient (-ly), suffer, tarry behind.

Jesus humbled himself even unto death on the Cross. He endured the ultimate humiliation and injustice of man. He is our supreme example and our light by which we are able to find our way.

In the days we live in which are the last of the last, we must understand that He is coming for a bride without spot or wrinkle whose lamps are full of oil (Matthew 25); one who has prepared herself for His return. His bride will shine brightly and the oil in her lamps will illuminate the way to Him. He will know (have an intimate relationship with) her, and she will know Him. Just as oil is extracted from the olive by crushing, I believe that precious oil which lights our lamps and lead us to Him comes from the crushing processes of life which, when we submit to them in obedience to God, show us the way to life everlasting.

Those things which He taught us by His supreme example are the things He will recognize within us at His coming. He will know us (have an intimate relationship with us) and we will know Him.

God loves you, He really does!

Have you ever considered the full evidence of being a “born –again” Christian? So many believe that we can say a little prayer and be baptized and that’s it! Do you know that part of the evidence of being truly born-again is that you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? If you say you are born-again and yet you hate this group or that, or you just can’t bring yourself to forgive sister so-and-so for what she did back in ’84 – it is definitely time to read your Bible! Here’s what it says:

1 John 3:14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
Before Paul was born-again, he had no mercy for Christians. He brought them bound to the authorities to be judged by the law. He stood and witnessed Steven being stoned and he had no mercy! Before Paul’s heart was changed, his attitude was “I’m going to report you”, “I’m going to punish you”, and “I’m going to take you before the courts!” No grace. No mercy.

After Paul’s conversion, his humbled heart shared with the other Christians that he did what he didn’t want to do, and didn’t do what he should. He also called himself the “least of all saints”. His heart was changed. He now loved what God loved – and first and foremost, that is the other brothers and sisters in Christ. He knew too, that love covers and doesn’t accuse!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Knowing how much God loved the world – enough to give His ONLY begotten Son that they could have life everlasting – if we know God, we will love who He loves!

How committed are you to God, to His church, to the people sitting around you in your local congregation? If everyone treated the church the way you do, would the church be a caring, comforting, safe place, or would it be an indifferent, unconcerned, dangerous environment? If everyone was investing in the Christian community what you are investing, would it be a place where spiritual maturity is promoted, spiritual safety is procured, and spiritually motivated care is provided?

If everyone treated the church and functioned in the body with the same commitment level that you do, would it be prospering?

Some may say, “Well, I’ve given up on the church.” Have you?

God hasn’t.

And we shouldn’t either!

When I awoke this morning, I heard in my spirit “Now is the time!”

Matthew 24:44 “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

The headlines are screaming the signs of the times in Biblical prophecy – are we listening? Now is the time, Church, to listen with spiritual ears and to see with spiritual eyes and to understand our times.

Every day in the news we hear about more and more things happening in this world that are straight out of the Bible! We can read about wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, etc. and it seems our senses are dulled into believing it doesn’t have any special significance. Wake up Church!

Are we so accustomed to hearing about these things that we have begun to be dull of hearing? Do we have spiritual eyes and ears?

Now is the time to prepare!

Read again the scriptures and then compare them to the headlines:

Matthew 24:7 “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

Rev 6:5-6: “I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

Now here are the headlines of recent days:

Spectacular Perseid Meteor Shower Due Wednesday

Solar storms to erupt soon. What will be the impact on Earth?

Nasa Warns Of Super Solar Storm 2012

Hurricane Season Promises a Rough Ride, Weather Agency Says

Scientist Says Hundreds May Die as Smog Blankets Moscow

6.9-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Ecuador

Villagers Missing, Injured as Volcano Erupts in Indonesia

DOW drowns in sea of double-dip fears!

Analysis: Stumbling America, Debt-Strapped Europe, Booming China

U.S. jobless claims jump shows labor market ailing

Bank repossessions drive up US foreclosures

Matthew 24:32-34 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened…”.

If you really believe and understand the times, what are you doing to get ready? Be ready – have your heart ready – have your home ready! Don’t be dull – sharpen your spiritual senses!

I am called as a watchman, but sometimes I feel like John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness! I can only pray that somebody somewhere is listening and taking it to heart.

Matthew 24:37-42 “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Troublemakers Need Not Apply

We need to learn to love the things God loves and hate the things He hates. It seems that much of the preaching in churches in the last few years focuses on the love of money! Jesus didn’t have one good thing to say about money. He did have a lot to say about loving one another. In fact, He commanded us to love one another, not money! (John 13:34) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

And then the Lord said in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep my commandments!”

Trouble isn’t always bad. There were a few good troublemakers in the Bible. Paul and Silas made trouble for one slave owner when they cast the demons out of his best performing fortune teller. Elijah made a heap of trouble for Jezebel when he challenged the prophets of Baal.

I need a few good people who can cause some trouble for the devil, not cause trouble in the Church! I need a few good people who know how to put first things first. I need some people who know how to pray. I need some people who know how to sow peace among the brethren, not discord!

When you gossip and backbite and slander each other, you are tearing down what Jesus is building! Stop it! Stop working against each other and learn how to cover each other with love. The Bible says love covers a multitude of sins – not exposes them! 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Your first mission is SUBmission.

Why don’t we hate what God hates? The more mature we are as Christians, the less likely we are to fight. When the apostle Paul lists “the acts of the sinful nature”, sins such as witchcraft, drunkenness and sexual immorality are overshadowed by sins found often in church: “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy” (Galatians 5:19-21).

We need a little more fruit! On the other hand, the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Fruit takes time to develop, but there are likely to be few conflicts in a church full of people who are loving, patient, kind and gentle.

Humble yourself! If you have offended or sinned against someone, go, confess and ask forgiveness quickly
(Matthew 5:23-26).

Seek reconciliation! If someone has offended you or sinned against you, go, talk to him or her and seek reconciliation (Matthew 18:15). Sometimes the other person is not even aware that he or she has offended.

Be willing to forgive! (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14-15)

Pray for unity, peace and love in the church! Jesus did. (John 17:20-23)

Be more concerned with looking for your own sin than with looking for the sins of others (Matthew 7:1-5). Examine yourself and your own motives.

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-45). Sometimes those in the church feel like enemies. Jesus told us to love our enemies.

Church, it’s time to put first things first. It’s time to love what Jesus loves and hate what He hates. It’s time to get ourselves aligned with the right priorities. Does anyone want to help me? I’m looking for a few good people who want to line up with the Word of God and agree to build the Kingdom of God, not tear it down! I’m looking for some people who will labor in the Word and prayer to destroy the things that are hindering God’s people!

So, please read this ad carefully. It’s not an easy job, but it has eternal rewards!

God loves you! He really does!

Grace Street is in a flurry of preparation for Maricela’s wedding here on Saturday. It is being transformed into the most beautiful satin and lace vision of white loveliness we can accomplish. Maricela and John are working right alongside everyone else to get everything ready for their special day. We are united, we are focused and we are joyful! We look forward to the celebration with those we love!

We are truly acting as the family of God when we love and support one another. That’s what families do – they love each other and they work together to get something accomplished. When we work together, the work is easier for everyone and there is great joy in the process.

We are doing all of the preparations ourselves, with the help of our church family here at Morningside. While the labor is very strenuous, there is great joy and fellowship while we work. The announcements have been made, the invitations sent and the menu decided. We have ordered the cake, had the pre-wedding parties, gathered the decorations and all of us are busy getting Grace Street ready for the blessed event!

Maricela has chosen a beautiful wedding gown and is preparing herself for her groom. She is wisely making sure that all things are handled in plenty of time so that she will be ready to meet her groom at the altar!

In Matthew 25, The Bible speaks in a parable about the kingdom of heaven and the return of Jesus. The disciples asked Jesus what would be the signs of his coming.

“Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus said that His return will be like a wedding. In ancient Israel, there was great anticipation and ceremony surrounding the groom coming for his bride. She would go to great lengths to prepare herself for him, that is, if she were wise.

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.”

In the parable about Jesus’ return, there were five foolish brides who were not prepared, and five wise brides who were prepared. The result: the foolish brides were left behind and the wise brides arrived at the wedding feast.

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut”.

While the message in this parable is referring to spiritual preparedness which is by far the most important thing, being prepared in the natural is also important. We learn in the previous chapter (Matthew 24), all of the signs of Jesus’ coming. We have been preaching and teaching those signs with a great urgency here at Morningside. Why? Because we want you to be ready so that you will not be forced to rely on the world’s systems or worse, the anti-christ, to sustain you during Times of Trouble.

As we prepare for this wedding, join with us as the family of God and prepare your family for the wedding feast of the Lamb!

God loves you! He really does!

Matthew chapter 24 outlines the signs of His coming. It says nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. You may brush this off because it has ‘always been that way’. But be assured that we are closer than you think!

This week in the news, North Korea says it is getting ready to use a nuclear bomb. They warned us that we better watch out! Other news this week talked about military action which is likely against Iran from Israel in a preemptive strike. There are war rattlings all over the world!

In Revelation chapter 6, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse was given power to take away peace and prosperity.

Kingdom against kingdom is bad enough, but our country is at war with itself – we are divided and polarized in this country. A nation divided will not stand.

When, not if, the economy collapses and entitlements are gone, there will be war (rioting) in our streets in this country. People will not just accept the fact that their income is suddenly dried up.

Even now, there are people killing each other every day, there are wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, plagues and disease, earthquakes around the globe, and weather that is extreme – we are breaking high and low records almost on a daily basis.

There are so many things pointing to His soon return!

Let’s not be desensitized to the signs of His coming!

Matt. 24:6-8 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.”

God loves you! He really does!