Why is our hearts so bent toward a rebellious nature? According to the Word of God, the beginning of rebellion started with Lucifer (the Devil) in Isaiah 14:12-14. It is then manifested in mankind in Genesis 3, as the Devil challenges Adam and his wife to eat of the forbidden fruit. The reality is that true rebellion grows out of a desire to have or do something that is forbidden. That rebellious nature has been passed down from Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22) to all of humanity, and as a result we struggle. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” It is as we recognize the deceitfulness of our hearts that the beginning of victory is passed to us, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. God manifests His Word in our hearts, and as a result we are able to combat the rebellious nature that is innate within us because of the principle of sin that dwells in us. May we learn to submit to the authority of God’s Word and turn from our rebellious nature.… READ MORE

In 1 Samuel 15 we read the account of Saul being rejected as King. He is commissioned to be God’s agent of judgment upon the Amalekites and while he does go to war with the Amalekites, He does not carry out the directives of God. As a result Saul is rejected as the King of Israel. Samuel in confronting Saul says, “Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft” (v23) . Rebellion divides, and destroys, and yet we see this manifested not only in America but globally. Rebellion is not just manifested in total rebellion, but is seen in the partial obedience of Saul. We must understand that partial obedience is still disobedience! Saul’s sin of rebellion not only affected his status before the Lord, but it changed the role of his son, Jonathan, and created disunity in Israel. We must understand that the battle with rebellion is not an ancient battle that we do not face, but is a temptation that we battle every day. The key to overcoming is learning to be obedient to the Word of God.… READ MORE

Because we do not talk much of Jesus’ ascension we have for the most part ignored the significance of that event. We understand that because Jesus was crucified, our sin is paid for, if we repent of our sin. Because Jesus rose from the dead, He can grant us eternal life, because of his victory over death’s power in our lives. But the Ascension is proof that the work of Salvation is complete because Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father to be our High Priest. Hebrews 1:3 says, “Who being in 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 on the right Hand of the Majesty on High.” The picture of Christ sitting demonstrates that the Work of Christ is finished in the ascension and applied at Pentecost. Knowing that the Lord makes intercession on our behalf as His children, should give us the comfort and power to live the Christian life in victory. May we choose today to live in that victory.

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