BOOK OF LUKE: PART 9

Woe to us for we live in very dangerous times.  We are told that the whole world will unite under a single government with the world divided up into ten regions.  Each region will be governed by a single governor.  If you have been paying attention to what is being propagated by the Left, you will understand that time is very close.  Maybe not in your lifetime, but a hundred years is still short compared to 6,000 years of earth’s history.  In the 1840’s we were told Christ was coming “soon”.  And yes, He was and is.  But 180 years since then is still “soon”.  The problem isn’t how “soon” but how are you living?  Are you living the perfect, sinless and commandment keeping life?  Otherwise, you had better be praying it isn’t “soon” in order to develop that righteous life “soon” or you will be lost.

We are told that the Catholic Church will be the only religious power allowed to rule the worlds religions.  Therefore, it doesn’t matter what denomination or religion you belong to, all will have to be approved by the Catholic Church in order to function.  Since the 1870’s we have been looking for a government to arise to sanction the Catholic Church as the one and only religion.  Understand, this will be done in the name of “unity”.  Have you been hearing a lot about “unity” and equity over the last year?  Just as the one-world-government will be achieved through the “need” for “unity, peace and safety”, so with religion.

 

However, I’m beginning to think we have been looking in the wrong direction.  Remember, for over twelve hundred years the Catholic Church ruled the world.  Not one government could be formed or survive unless it was sanctioned by the Catholic Church.  It had total domination over every government and state in the world.

 

Fast forward to March of 2021 when I took a look around.  Most of the seats in both houses of Congress of the United States are filled with those adhering to the Catholic religion.  Most of the seats of the United States Supreme Court are filled with those adhering to the Catholic religion.  The President of the United States is Catholic.  99% of secular teachers, professors and educators are either practicing Catholics or have been taught by Catholics.  Every minister, pastor, teacher or leader in every church and denomination has been taught by Catholics.  That includes those going to church on Saturday.  Those pastors, ministers and teachers who have a degree have been taught by a Jesuit who has indoctrinated them in Catholic dogma.  In other words, the Catholic Church has not been sitting idle since it lost its world power in the 1600’s.  It has been stealthfully rebuilding its power by taking control of all educational systems in the world.  Through those educational systems, every leader of every government, religion and educational entity is now under the sway of the Catholic Church.  It is the mastermind behind the “One World Order” of which it will be the controlling entity.  It will not give up its claim to be the ruler of the world.  How can it?  It claims to be God’s church for the world.

 

Are we to be alarmed, scared or filled with worry over this?  No!  Jesus has simply warned us so we would understand the times.  If we understand the times correctly, we will understand our need to develop our characters to be ready for the government of Heaven: perfect, sinless and Commandment keeping.

 

“The apostle presents before the believers the ladder of Christian progress, every step of which represents advancement in the knowledge of God, and in the climbing of which there is to be no standstill. Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity are the rounds of the ladder. We are saved by climbing round after round, mounting step after step, to the height of Christ’s ideal for us. Thus He is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”  AA 530.

 

The “screws” are tightening.  You will have to make up your mind whom you will serve.  The decision you will have to make starts with the small ones now.  Working on Sabbath?  Working a few hours over the Sabbath?  Are you working close up to the Sabbath hours on Friday so you are not mentally and spiritually prepared for the Sabbath?  It all comes down to discipline.  Are you disciplined enough to live as Jesus commands?

 

Jesus has given us “woes” in order to prepare us.  He has given us prophecies in order to prepare us.  He has provided everything we need in order to prepare us for what is now taking place.  But unless we are taking advantage of what He has provided, we will not be strong enough to withstand the pressure that will be exerted upon us to make us sin.  That is why we must resist all sin and the temptations that come at us.

 

To be sure, we are not to be setting dates for the coming of Christ.  Anyone who is setting dates or times is not of God.  We have been instructed not to concern ourselves with dates, times or years.  Instead of dates and times, God has given us events to watch for.  Those events are outlined in “Change Your Life Biblically” and other material on our web site.  God has been doing a great job of controlling the world’s governments, weather systems and mother nature for His purposes for over six thousand years.  He doesn’t need our worry or help.  What we must do is prepare our characters for Heaven.  God will not allow one sinner to step foot in Heaven.  Only “saints” are going to Heaven.  Are you ready to join the society of saints?

 

Luke 10:1 to Luke 11:13

 

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.  He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.  Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.  Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

 

Interesting thought: Jesus appointed seventy-two.  When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord instructed Moses to appoint seventy elders, or judges, as representatives of Moses to manage the civil laws of the camp.  (Numbers 11:16).  This counsel was called the Sanhedrin.  Now He is appointing seventy-two to continue the work that the original Sanhedrin had failed to do.  This was a “new order” since the old church order failed in its duties.

 

I think that the Lord is now appointing others who are going “ahead of Him to every town and place” to prepare people for the coming “end of time”.  He is truly “sending us out like lambs among wolves”.  Look at what is going on in the world today.  If those on the “left” do not like what you say or think, they cancel you.  If they do that for political reasons, it will be far worse for religious reasons.  If the “left” is calling for reeducation camps for supporters of the “right”, it will be worse for those who live by the Ten Commandments.  You will only be able to survive if you are standing up now for the truth no matter what the cost.

 

If I am not mistaken, in March 2021, I think I saw where the Democratically controlled House passed the “Covid-19” bill that would take “God” out of all Federal Documents.  The Democratic Left hates God.  They do not want anyone telling them what is right or wrong.  They want to live by their evolutionary, “scientific” and animalistic natures.  Just in case you don’t remember your history, when the French took God out of their government, the nation was hurled into a reign of terror where hundreds of thousands were slaughtered.  When godless Communism took over Russia, millions were slaughtered.  When godless Communism took over China, millions were slaughtered.  When any country rejects the God of the Bible, millions die and  Terror reigns.  Have you seen “terror”, riots and death in the USA lately?

 

“Do not greet anyone on the road”.  I’m beginning to think Jesus was expressing the concept of not to get sidetracked: people starting out on a mission, but ending up partying, getting involved in the world, work and business.  We find an example of this in the Old Testament.  “Elisha said to Gehazi, ‘Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. Don’t greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.’”  We are to keep our focus on the mission God has given us.  In today’s world the devil is filling the airwaves with enough entertainment to keep us busy with nonsense while he is tightening his noose around our necks.  Few recognize the times we live in.  Most are so caught up in the world they are not spending the time necessary to know Jesus by listening to Him.  It is all about laughter, joking, drinking, smoking, drugging, movies, pills, who you know, what you wear and how much money you make and going to church.  Not much on character development.

 

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’  If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.  Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

 

Again, applying this to our lives today, don’t enter the lives of anyone who does not promote peace.  Stay close to friends who promote peace.  Do not move around from party to party, friend to friend, church to church looking for what you can get.  Stay with those who are true friends and who build you up in righteousness.  Settle down in quietness with the peaceful and the righteous.

 

“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.

 

That is a hard one.  I have gone to people’s homes who ate meat.  I had to be up-front with them and let them know that I appreciated what they prepared for me, but I get physically sick when I eat meat.  On the other hand, I don’t think that is what Jesus was talking about.  I think He was talking about worrying whether or not the food had been properly prepared by church requirements.  Was it clean or unclean?  Had it been offered to idols?  That is what Jesus was talking about.  Those were the issues of that day.

 

Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 

 

He didn’t tell them to ask for their credentials of whether or not they belonged to the church.  Anyone who accepted them they were to heal AND tell them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”  We hear and see on TV and the internet a lot of “healing”, but not much about the Kingdom of God coming near to them.  Most have no idea what the “Kingdom of God” is or how to tell if it has “come near to you”.  Would you know?  Through these newsletters and the book, “Change Your Life Biblically”, God is bringing the Kingdom of God near to people, but most are not aware of that fact.  They just ignore it and go on with their lives.

 

But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,  ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’  I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

 

Because of the “false prophets” who have been running around claiming to be of God, people have become immune.  The devil loves it.  He is sending around plenty of fakers in order to confuse and irritate people.  Whole churches and denominations have become “false prophets”.  Especially among those who claim to keep the Sabbath.  Irritated people don’t listen.  However, those who are studying, paying attention and doing everything in their power to live as God commands, God will let them know how to separate the fake from the true.  For the rest, we wipe our feet.  We don’t argue.  We don’t fight.  We don’t condemn.  We don’t debate.  We just wipe the dust from our feet and move on.

 

“Woe to you, Chorazin!

 

According to the Greek Lexicon, based on Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible dictionary and Strong’s Concordance, Chorazin in Greek means, “a furnace of smoke”.  Good name for a place that sits on volcanic black basalt.

 

Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

If the place marked as “Chorazin” on the map truly is the city mentioned, then it would be easy to see why the “woe” was given to it along with Capernaum and Bethsaida.  Many of Christ’s miracles were preformed in and around them at the lake.  People traveling in the area would have spread this knowledge far and wide.  Jesus spent most of His ministry around the lake area.  His character and acts of mercy would have been very well known.  Woe to them!

“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

This warning is not limited to the seventy-two.  It applies to all time.  Every single person who has been called by God to go preach the Gospel, the Kingdom of God, is standing as God’s representative.  Of course, being called by God is not the same as simply wanting to work for a church by becoming a pastor or minister for your own sake.  You may chose to do so, but that doesn’t mean you have been “called” by God to preach “The Kingdom of God”.  Most preachers, pastors and teachers have no idea what it means to preach “The Kingdom of God”.  Most teach the “kingdom of church”.

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

And so it will be for all who work under Jesus, teaching His truth to stop sinning, be perfect and to keep the Ten Commandments to get their eternal life.  In other words: teaching the Kingdom of God.  You will have joy and demons will submit to you.

He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 

Please keep in mind, even though Satan had been kicked out of heaven with his angelic followers before the creation of the world, he was still allowed access as the representative of Earth.  Adam, who was created to be Earth’s representative, surrendered that office to Lucifer when he sinned.  We find Lucifer representing this earth in Job.  “One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.  The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’  Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.’  Job 1:6, 7.  But Jesus is looking forward to the cross.  The moment Jesus would die, Lucifer would never be allowed back into Heaven.  Jesus would then have earned back the right to be Earth’s Representative.

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

There are deceived individuals running around handling snakes and scorpions attempting to “prove”, and rejoice that they are of God.  The concept Jesus is attempting to get across was simple: If we work for Jesus, teaching what He has commanded us to teach, nothing can overcome us spiritually.  Remember, Lucifer is represented as a “snake” in the Bible.  You can trample on Lucifer and overcome all the snakes and scorpions of sin in your life if you live in obedience to Jesus.  Those handling snakes and scorpions are missing the point.  Their names are not written in Heaven.

In a broader sense, we don’t have to worry about taking this vaccine or that vaccine, taking this medicine or that medicine.  When we work for Jesus “nothing will harm you” as long as it is God’s will.  So why worry?  On the other hand, working for Jesus is not going to church or claiming the name, it is living the perfect, sinless and Commandment keeping life.

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

I thank God I am stupid, dumb and ignorant.  All my life I have been a “nobody”.  God called me to this ministry for that reason.  Through this insignificant person the power of God would be revealed.  Then, all glory, praise and honor will go to the Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  I praise God for that.  It takes the humble to see the power of God in the little things.  Have you noticed, it is the children who find the little things to be amazed over?  The adults are too busy arguing over theology, which church to belong to, what food to eat, what clothes to wear and the latest conspiracy theories.

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Only the Father knows the Son.  How true that is.  Even in our own lives, none can know a son like a father in a close relationship with his son.  It doesn’t matter how close the son is to the father’s wife, she will never know him like the father does.  And if the wife gets close to the father, he may reveal more of the son to the wife.  Fathers and sons have the ability to hold a special bond.  The Son wants to reveal His Father to us.  But to receive that “reveal” of the Father, we must draw very close to Jesus.

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.  For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

From Adam to Abraham, Moses to David, Isaiah to John the Baptist, all the righteous have longed to see what the disciples were privileged to see, touch and hear.  They searched, studied and prayed for the privilege to see the Messiah.  But it wasn’t their time.  They had their work to do leading up to the Messiah.  We all have our jobs to do, let us do them without complaining.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Interesting, don’t you think, that an “expert in the law” would ask what he needed to do to inherit eternal life?  Most who claim to be “expert in the law” have no idea how to “inherit eternal life”.  All they know is church, organization, religion and catch phrases.  Their pride, ego and desire for greatness stand in the way of knowing how to “inherit eternal life”.  Since so few know how to “inherit eternal life”, they simply throw around catchy phrases like “Saved by Grace”.  Sounds so good!  Makes them sound like they are “expert in the law”, when in fact, they are lost.

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

Why is it that those who claim to be “expert in the law” know nothing of the law?  They have gone to school, earned expensive degrees, and have come out more ignorant of truth than when they went in.  They are full of man-made jargon, but they know nothing of the words of God.  Because man has been nullifying the words of God for so long, people don’t even believe Jesus when He speaks.  They must have it “explained” to them by their pastor, church or denomination.  So sad.  How Catholic.

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

That wasn’t too difficult, was it?  People just don’t get it.  Why?  Well, they don’t want to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, strength and mind.  They want to keep most of that for the world.  Therefore, they want some “expert” to explain it in such a way that it will be watered down and made useless in their lives.

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Galling, isn’t it?  He just didn’t want to believe what he knew to be correct.  That wasn’t the “educated” way to do it.  The “educated” never believe truth, it first has to be “explained” to them.  But Jesus was pricking his balloon with a very sharp pin, the pin of truth and conviction.  He didn’t want to “do this” to live.  He wanted to do it his way and live.  Sounds like a whole lot of churches, preachers, ministers, teachers and denominations I know.

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

All you have to do is turn on a radio, TV, internet page or go to church to find people trying to “justify” themselves.  They don’t want to put forth the energy to obey Jesus and His truth, but they sure can put forth energy in justifying themselves.  “Who is my neighbor”?  Wow!  So profound for this “expert in the law”!  I mean, how difficult is it to know who your neighbor is.  Just lift your eyes off of yourself and look around.

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

Ah yes, he is late for his class.  He has to teach his students how to be “experts in the law”.  Must not be late for that!

So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

Sorry chap, but I’ve got important church business to attend to.  Can’t be late.  They might throw me off the committee.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.

“It’s a good thing I bought this oil and wine at the last town.  Praise God I found this man to use them on.  What a blessing for me.”

Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Nice that I have been coming to this inn for years.  The inn keeper and I are friends and I know he will trust me to reimburse him.  It pays to know and be good to people.  I’ll keep it up.  Who knows when I can help another person in need?”

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

I can just see the “expert in the law” scratching his head.  This was very hard for him.  In all his studies he had never heard truth.  “A Samaritan could never be a neighbor of mine, could he?”  How about sex offenders, drug dealers, murderers, spouse abusers, etc?

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

“Nope!  Won’t catch me helping a Samaritan.  I’ll just go to church.  Much better neighbors there and they don’t need my help.”

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 

Notice, she didn’t go to church to find Jesus.  She “opened her home to Him”.  Are you opening your home to Jesus?  Do you spend hours reading your Bible from Genesis to Revelation?  Do you spend time in prayer, deep sincere prayer, in close communion with Jesus?

She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 

Again, we read these stories, but we pass right over what the authors of the Bible are trying to reveal to us.  Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening”.  Are you?  In my life, the greatest miracles and answers to prayer were done from sitting “at the Lord’s feet listening”.  Hours!  Not going to church.

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

You say you are too “distracted by all” of your life’s duties and responsibilities, along with all those church activities?  Are you jealous of those sitting at the feet of Jesus?  Do you wish they would get off their butt and help you in your church work?  Do you feel like you have been left “to do the work by myself”?

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Slow down!  Get rid of everything in your life that is worrying you, upsetting you and taking your time from being hours on your knees with Jesus.  You don’t need them.  Life can be so simple when you live without “wants”.  For over 18 years I have lived in a hallway.  I prayed for the day we could build out so we could be big enough to bring in people to teach.  I thank all of you for helping towards that goal.  We might be “finished” by February.  Thank you.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Do you see the progression.  Mary was “sitting at the feet of Jesus” and learning from Him.  Jesus is now sitting at the feet of His Father and learning from Him.  As He learned from His father, He disseminated to all around who would listen.  We are to do the same.

He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, . . .

Do you hallow the name of the Father?  Do you truly reverence Him?  Is every moment of your life lived in awe of the power, glory and justice of God in your life?  Or are you complaining that life is not fair?  With the proper perspective of the Father, it will change your life.  It will lead to absolute obedience to what He commands of us.

. . . your kingdom come.

Have you truly invited the Kingdom of God to come into your life?  Are you living in obedience to the Kingdom of God?  We must let the Kingdom come into our lives now or we will never make it into the Kingdom of God when it does come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Worrying about tomorrow is a waste of time.  Planning is one thing, but getting all excited about what you think, will do or accomplish, fantasizing or dreaming is a waste of time.  God wants us to be satisfied with “our daily bread”.  To be content with what we have.  Just do our duties each day as it comes and leave tomorrow in God’s hands.  He can take care of tomorrow.

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

“For we also”.  We forget that part.  We all pray, “Forgive us our sins”, but how seldom we forgive those who sins against us.  Forgiveness isn’t ignoring.  True forgiveness is truly opening up your heart and life to those who have sinned against you.  HOWEVER, there is a caveat here.  As we go to Jesus asking for forgiveness, implied is that we give up the sins for which we are asking forgiveness.  In our hearts we may forgive others who have sinned against us and are willing to open our hearts to them, but if they have not changed their lives and stopped the sins that have separated the two of you, you can’t let them back into your heart.  Jesus forgave the world when on the cross, but that forgiveness was not a pardon and will not let one sinner into Heaven.  Only those who have accepted that forgiveness and have changed their lives will be allowed into Heaven.  “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”  2 Timothy 2:19.

And lead us not into temptation.’”

“For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”  James 1:13.  God does not lead us into temptation, but is doing everything in His power to keep us out of the path of being tempted.  God does test and prove us.  That is for our good and growth in character development.  But the concept of “lead us not into temptation” is a plea to help us to stay out of the way of temptation.  Most people place themselves in the way of temptation and then blame God when things go bad in their lives.  Most of us would be far better off if we stayed away from every known avenue that would put us in the way of the devil’s temptations.  Paul said, “Bad company corrupts good character.”

We think we are safe when we go to forbidden ground.  What is forbidden ground?  Simple things like “wanting something my way”.  We are never to be selfish and want.  We are to accept the plan of God for our lives and walk in the way of truth for our lives.  Hanging out with people who do not desire to live the perfect, sinless and Commandment keeping life is forbidden.  Listening to music, TV gossip shows, videos and internet pages that are not bringing us closer to Jesus is forbidden.  We are never to use our feelings as our judge of what is right and wrong.  Only the sure Word of God is to be our measure of what is right and what is wrong.

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 

This ministry continues to ask for “loaves of bread” so we can feed the hungry who are asking for the Food of Life.  I thank each of you who are so determined and committed in providing the “bread” that we may satisfy all who request our help.

And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’   I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

Every day I kneel before the Lord in “shameless audacity” asking that He will send His Spirit to each of you to encourage you and bless you for your kindness in providing for the needs of this ministry.  The prayers we are to offer are not for ourselves, but for the “friend” who has come to us from his long journey in sin.  We plead with the Lord to provide the funds to feed our “friend”.  If you dedicate everything you have for His glory, He will provide you everything you need.  But just because you don’t get it immediately, don’t give up.  Keep pleading and wait on the Lord to provide just when it is needed.  It has taken 24 years for some of my prayers to be answered.  Little by little God has provided as I was able to handle it.  Let us always rejoice and thank the Lord.

 

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Yes it will.  Over and over again in my life I have experienced the truth of those words.  When we are asking, not for selfish reasons, but for the good of others, God answers prayers.  But keep in mind, we must also recognize that Jesus knows when it is best to answer our prayers.  That doesn’t mean we give up, it means we pray and wait patiently for His will be done.  Keep in mind, prayer is for us, not God.  It keeps us humble.  It keeps us recognizing who God is in our lives.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?

Of course not.  The father may say, “Get your fishing line.”  It is the prerogative of the father to decide how he will give him the fish.  Requiring the son to fish for it is no different than giving it to him.  Go fish!

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

Same with the egg.  Jesus may require you to get a chicken.  But how ever He may “give” you the egg, you will get it if it is for the glory of God.  The more you ask to share and give to others, the more you will receive.  There are inmates who have paroled and found that the more they give to this ministry, the more God provides for them.  Amazing!

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

The greatest gift God can give us, outside of His Son, is His Spirit.  I treasure His Spirit.  I do not want to drive it away.  Easy it is to walk away from His Spirit.  Hard it is to find the way back.

As the Father wants to give us of His Spirit, so we are to follow His example and give to our children our spirit.  That is why it is so important to exhibit at all times the Spirit of God in our lives.  We want our children to experience the Spirit of God working in our lives so they will know how to let the Spirit of God work in their lives.

Jesus stated that it was His words that were Spirit.  In other words, the Spirit of God moved upon Jesus to speak the words He spoke.  Therefore, they were the words of the Spirit.  That is why when we pray for the Spirit, God cannot give you something you refuse to accept.  Therefore, when the Spirit of God tells us to stop sinning, be perfect and keep the Ten Commandments to get our eternal life, only if we are living in obedience to His words will the Father be able to send us more of His Spirit.