Be Thankful and Bless God's Name

Read Psalm 100 
"1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

 When I was a young girl, I memorized this Bible passage.  I loved how happy it made me feel.  I rejoiced over how God is good, merciful, truthful, our creator, and our shepherd.  I am thankful and joyful for the benefit of knowing Him.

Take some time to be thankful today for the Lord.  He provides a pasture for you.  Dwell there with Him and SHOUT with joy and thanksgiving.

"What if you wake up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for yesterday." ~unknown

~Page Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Spiritually Receptive

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 13:15-17

Focus Verse:  Mark 4:9  "Then Jesus said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

You must be receptive to grow closer to Jesus.  Jesus knew His listeners had to be receptive before they could understand and follow His teachings.  This is the attitude of a growing disciple of Christ.  Have you ever grown weary working for the Lord?  Yes, we all have at one time or another, but it's a patient and grateful attitude that hears Christ clearly.  God's Word lives in us, and with time will bear fruit.  God's Word is not important to just a few elite Christians.  No, God Word is important in the life of every Christian that seeks to know Christ in an intimate way.

Spiritually receptive means that our eyes and ears are open to God.  We submit to the Holy Spirit's prompting in our lives even if it means to wait.  This shows that we give Him control of our lives.  This is the best way to live, because when we take control of our own lives, we will make a mess every time.

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Sin In This World

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 3: 13-17

Focus Verse: 1 Peter 5:9 "Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.  Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

There is sin in this world.  We can expect that evil people and false teachers in this world will increase.  They will work hard to deceive others and won't even realized that they, themselves are deceived.  If you are in sin today, and giving excuses, you are deceiving yourself.  How do you keep from being swayed from the truth?  We have God's Word to keep us on track.  It is inspired by God and trustworthy.  So we should apply it to our lives.  We don't study the Bible just to gain knowledge, but to guide our lives to live more like Christ. 

We can live a different kind of life from the world.  1 John 3:8 says, "When people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning.  But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil."  Jesus can not only forgive your sin, but He can help you turn away from your sin as you walk with Him. 

We live in this world of sin, but we don't have to participate in the sin of this world. 

~Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Preaching & Teaching Scripture

Bible reading: Nehemiah 8:1-12
Focus verse: "So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them."  Nehemiah 8:12

The people understood the Scriptures as Ezra read them.  God opened their ears and eyes to understanding.

Jesus wants us to know the scriptures.  He rebuked ministers for not knowing the scriptures in Matthew 12:3-5, 19:4, 21:42 and 22:31, where He says, "Have you not read?" and "Did you not read in the scriptures"  When teaching the Word of God, it is important that you understand it's meaning.  There are scriptures, that when taken out of context, can have a different meaning.  As you read God's Word, it is important to understand the meaning of the scriptures in the entire book, before deciding what one verse means.  It is a common mistake.

As a preacher and teacher, you must be sure of what you say before you say it.  We are judged more than those who do not teach God's Word.  Go to God in all humility and ask Him to allow the Holy Spirit to give understanding as you read the Bible.  We do not teach merely our own ideas, but teach the truth of God's Word.

It is better to say, "I don't know" to a follower of Christ than to give an answer that is not correct.

~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Influence of Impure Spirits

Influence of Impure Spirits

"Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek." Mark 1:23-26

There are impure spirits inside some people. Some even possess individuals in our places of worship. It is scary to see those who have Satan as their master and who are set on disrupting the work of God. They may say they believe in God, because ‘even the demons believe and tremble,’ but their heart is far from Him. Impure spirits try to blend in with true believers, but they are exposed as fakes to those with spiritual discernment. Christ’s presence drives them out.

Jesus encountered evil in the synagogue and cast out the impure spirit from the man. Demons are not comfortable where Christ is taught and where the Spirit of God has a powerful presence. Unfortunately, some impotent churches have people who go through the motions with zombie like spiritual energy. The enemy’s influence has embedded their minds. Evil induces individuals to smile and be satisfied to live for themselves. Impure spirits lead people to live impure lives.

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." James 2:19

Therefore, make sure not to make light of the influence of impure spirits. If you embrace activities and entertainment that has evil, you expose yourself and your family to the influence of impure spirits. Even events done in fun and jest can open the door to the unintentional consequences of accepting the abnormal as normal. Your children can dress up and have fun without imitating witches, warlocks, spiritists and the occult. Why dance with the enemy and risk defilement by his influence?

Furthermore, pray against impure spirits in the pure name of Jesus Christ. They cannot stand it when we stand up to them in the mighty name of Jesus. Everyone will bow to our Lord Jesus, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11”  Impure spirits cannot remain in the presence of Purity, the Lord Jesus.

Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:31

by Boyd Bailey