GoodNewsWorthReporting

Edition #35 - The Danger of Ism's

2008-08-25T18:32:00Z

You may be thinking, “What in the world are ism,s?” or "What is he talking about?". Let me explain. Ism’s are the suffixes used to denote a doctrine or belief system like Communism. There are many ism’s in this country that affect the way people think and most of them are harmful to us because they hinder truth. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines ism this way: a practice or process; a doctrine, theory; adherence to a system.

The first ism I want to deal with is intellectualism. A very intelligent person will often elevate his mind and intelligence above the Word of God when dealing with an issue. For example, I once had a heated discussion with a very intelligent Christian friend about abortion and it focused upon the question of when life begins. When I pointed out that Psalm 139 clearly shows that life begins with conception, his response was, “But who wrote that psalm?”, implying that it was only man’s thoughts. My reply was, “The Holy Spirit” and I quoted II Tim. 3:16 - “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (or teaching).

Here is Psalm 139 from the Amplified Bible: VS 13 - For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. VS 14 - I will praise you . . . For the awful wonder of my birth . . . ; VS 15 - My frame (bones) was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret . . .VS 16 - Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.

My friend then said he was against abortion but believed in a woman’s “right to choose”. He contended that the choice to give birth or abort was up to the woman and her physician; thus ignoring God‘s opinion in Ps.139. What about the baby’s “right to choose”? Even our God given Declaration of Independence says “We hold these truths to be self-evident , that all men (does this include unborn babies?) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, (Right to Life?) Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

In the case of a “born alive” baby in a botched abortion, he said that the physician should determine if the baby was “viable” before deciding to give it medical attention. These words, “choice” and “viable” are overused clichés that cloud the truth and Intellectualism can blind you to the truth.

Now we are going to have to rely on Webster again for the definition of the word, Viable: 1)Born Alive with such form and development of organs as to be normally capable of living 2)Capable of growing and developing (such as seeds and eggs) [Could you also say sperm and eggs here?] What ever happened to the Hippocratic oath, “Do no harm”?

I insisted that no baby is “viable” outside the mother’s womb without someone nurturing it and feeding it. Note: I hate the use of the word, “it” in reference to a baby but without disclosure of the sex of a baby I will use it out of convenience.

There is another ism I would like to discuss and its “relativism”. That is the description of what takes place when you use your own opinion instead of obeying the Word of God because you think it depends upon the situation. God believes in absolute truth not relativism. The serpent used relativism on Eve in the Garden of Eden when he said, “Hath God said, you shall not eat of that tree?”.

Following are some other ism’s that can become contrary to the Word of God: (Note: some are definitely contrary to God while others are not, in and of themselves contrary. Any ism can become so when its doctrines are relied upon more than the Word itself). I’ll just name a few: Socialism, Atheism, Capitalism, Presbyterianism, Christianism vs. Christianity, Catholicism, Mormonism, Marxism, Muslimism, and, the one practiced most in this country, Liberalism. When the doctrines of the ism’s are trusted more than the Word of God they become idols and Idolatry is a serious sin.

The result of following some of these ism’s is the killing of 40 million babies in their mothers’ wombs since Roe V Wade in 1973. Is it any wonder that the 60’s crowd is now worried that there won’t be enough money to fund their Social Security benefits when they retire? Duh! They killed 40 million Americans whose potential incomes could have easily funded their Social Security. Besides the tragic ending of 40 million lives, the economics of it is just plain stupid. God help us!

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell - halmitch@cox.net

Edition #34 - What Price Stew!

2008-07-19T19:31:00Z

If you were very hungry what price would you pay for a very rich meaty stew? Would you give up the most valuable thing you owned? Now I’m not talking about hunger to the point of starving to death. I’m just talking about severe, head pounding, low blood sugar type hunger pains. You’re probably wondering by now, “what’s the point? Nobody gets that hungry”.

Well, in the book of Genesis somebody did get that hungry. His name was Esau and he sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob, for one bowl of red meaty stew. Well, maybe he got seconds for the price he paid. The story is found in Gen. 5:30-34. Esau, who was a hunter, came in from the field and was really hungry. Then he saw his brother, Jacob, making his favorite red venison stew. It must have smelled mouth-watering good because Esau said, VS 30 - “feed me some of that same red pottage (stew) for I am faint” (I figure that Esau must have been hypoglycemic and was having a blood sugar low) and Jacob said, VS 31 - “Sell me this day thy birthright”. Then Esau said, VS 32 - “Look, I’m at the point of dying; and what profit shall this birthright be to me?”. Bad deal! Caveat: never let your flesh overrule your mind.

To go on with the story in VS 33, it says “And Jacob said, ‘Swear to me this day’ and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob”. VS 34 - Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way: thus, Esau despised his birthright.

What was the “birthright” that Esau despised and that Jacob coveted so much. The birthright was the Blessing that God gave to Isaac’s father, Abraham. It was full of God’s promises: Gen. 12:2,3 - I will make of thee a great nation and make thy name great, and I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed”. Gen. 12:7 - And to thy seed will I give this land (Canaan, which is the land, most of which, Israel occupies today). Gen. 13:2 - And Abram (His name had not been changed to Abraham yet) was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

So the blessing was, and is, very powerful. It contained good health, longevity, peace and prosperity. Guess what! You and I have that same blessing available to us today. Gal. 3:7 - Know ye therefore that they which are of faith (in Jesus), the same are the children of Abraham. VS 9 - So then, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. VS 29 - And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the PROMISE!

All we need to do in order to get in on this tremendous BLESSING is to give our lives to Christ and BELIEVE that all the promises God made to Abraham are ours as well. We can expedite these BLESSINGS by not only believing them but by SPEAKING them because Christ is the High Priest of our Profession (confession - Hebrews 3:1) The duty of a High Priest is to intercede for and see to it that the prayers and confessions that line up with the Word of God are performed. How can you lose?

Glory to God,

Be Blessed,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #33 - Who is Jesus?

2008-06-30T20:28:00Z

According to Prophecy News Watch a new survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 57% of evangelical church attenders said that they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching. According to the same survey, as a whole, 70% of Americans with a religious affiliation, shared that same view.

That is astonishing information because Americans say they are very religious. The operative word here is RELIGIOUS. Jesus found the same attitudes when He walked the earth. People then and now are RELIGIOUS but do not have a personal relationship with God. Let’s examine some scriptures to verify this.

The book of Matthew, chapter 16 tells us that when Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea, Philippi, he asked his disciples, (vs. 13) Whom do men say that I am? And they replied (vs. 14) Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. You see, how confused the people were. Even though his arrival had been prophesied by the writers of the Old Testament many times over they still didn’t get it.

Jesus wasn’t satisfied with their answers, nor will he be with yours, if that is your answer, so he asked: (vs. 15) But whom say ye that I am? You see how he always gets to the heart of the matter? I love Peter’s reply: (vs. 16) Thou art the Christ (or the Anointed One), the Son of the living God. Oh, there’s a lot here. Anointed One: Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power . . . And the Son of the living God. There were many Gods then as today. They just have different names, but none of them are living gods.

Then Jesus said to Peter: (vs. 17) Blessed (fortunate, well off, happy) are you, Simon Bar-Jona: (or son of Jona) for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, (who Jesus is takes revelation knowledge not head knowledge. Head knowledge is by flesh and blood and smacks of religion but revelation knowledge is relational), but my Father which is in heaven.

And then in verse 18, Jesus says, “And I say unto you that thou art Peter, and upon this rock (not upon Peter, but upon his confession that Jesus is the Son of the living God), I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. Petros is the Greek word for Peter which means: stone. The word, rock, is the Greek word Petra, which means large rock, and it is upon this rock of confession that Jesus said he would build his church. Then there is Ist Cor. 12:3b - “no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost”. That’s revelation knowledge.

Peter often gets a bad rap for his big mouth and for cutting off the Roman soldier’s ear when he was swinging for his head, but in the above exchange between Jesus and his disciples, there were 11 others who had no clue. Peter, on the other hand, nailed it because he was open to the revelation of God. Yea Peter!

Following is a noteworthy scripture to refute the 57% of evangelicals and the 70% of the others with "religious" afiliations in America who think that there are other religions that can lead to eternal life. That scripture is: John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am (notice how often Jesus uses the term, I am? Those are the same words God used when Moses asked, “who shall I say sent me?” and God said, “Tell them I AM sent you”. In English “I am” is a form of the verb “to be” and means: I exist.) I am the way, the truth, and the life (Jesus says so much with so few words) and no man comes to the Father, but by me”. What else is there to say?

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #32 - A Special Creation

2008-06-24T20:34:00Z

Man is a marvelous curiosity …he thinks he is the Creator’s pet …he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him; sits up nights to admire him; yes and watches over him and keeps him out of trouble. He prays to him and thinks He listens. Isn’t it a quaint idea.

The above quote, which is loaded with sarcasm, is from one of Samuel L. Clemens’ (pen name: Mark Twain) books, “Letters From Earth”, written in 1909 but only published in 1962. These are, supposedly, Satan’s letters who has visited Earth and is writing to the Angels Michael and Gabriel to tell them what man is like. Even though the letters are from Satan, what they really are expressing is Samuel Clemens’ thoughts because it was a devout Atheist.

When you examine closely these statements you see what a terrible misconception of God Samuel Clemens had. The sad thing is that these ideas about God are very common to many people today. They just don’t have the courage nor the writing ability to express them the way Clemens did.

Let’s examine this statement from Mr. Clemens’ book line by line. First: Man thinks that he is the Creator’s pet. If by pet, one means favorite, then man is God’s “pet”. God is so enamored with man that He made him in His own image. (see Gen. 1:26 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion . . .) .

Just in passing, have you ever wondered why God used “us and our” in the above passage when the Bible says that God is One? God is One, but he has three distinct parts of His personality and they are: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Man is truly made in His image because he also has three distinct parts: Spirit, Soul, and Body. Kenneth Copeland once said that at the creation of man if you could have stood God and Adam up side by side and face to face, you couldn’t tell them apart. That’s like identical twins.

The second part of Mr. Clemens sarcastic statement says, “he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him . . ”. Well, I don’t have enough space to print all the scriptures that says that God loves us, but here are a few: Jeremiah 31.3 - I have loved thee with and everlasting love. 1^st. John 4:10 - Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Then, of course is the oft quoted John 3:16 - For God so loved the world (meaning, man, His creation in the world) that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Then, thirdly, he states that man even thinks that God “sits up nights to admire him”. Well God doesn’t have to “sit up nights” because there is no night or day with God and besides God “never slumbers nor sleeps”. As for God admiring man, try Gen. Chapter two again. After the creation of all the plants and animals the Bible says, “God saw that it was good”. (Gen.1:25). Then, after adding man to His creation, the Bible says, “God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good”. When God says something is very good you can call that admiration. One could today, however, say that man is not very admirable but that’s not to say that God still is not proud of His original creation.

Then the fourth sarcastic thing Clemens says is that man believes that God “watches over him and keeps him out of trouble”. Clemens obviously did not believe in Psalm 91:15 - He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. Obviously, man does get himself into trouble, but having God “with you in trouble” is better than not and besides, you might learn something while you are “in trouble”.

Finally, Clemens says, that man prays to God and thinks God listens. This is the height of sarcasm and you can refute the notion that God doesn’t listen by referring to Psalm 91:15 again, ie. “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:”. As a matter of fact you could refute all of Clemens’s statements with a thorough reading of Psalm 91. Like the commercial says, “Try it. You’ll like it”.

Clemens’ concluding and most sarcastic remark was, “Isn’t it a quaint idea”. The word, “quaint”, in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary is defined as: unusual or old fashioned. Having a relationship and dialogue with God may have been quaint for Samuel L. Clemens and, I’m sure, for many people today, but it pays great dividends and, as I said before, “Try it. You’ll like it”.

Glory To God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #31- Righteousness

2008-06-20T18:20:00Z

Have you ever wondered if you were righteous or even what the meaning of the word was? Maybe you thought that the Pope or Billy Graham or some other well known spiritual leader was righteous but surely not me. You may even thought that it must take a lot of good deeds or a lot of time in fasting and prayer or maybe making a pilgrimage to some holy sight in order to become “righteous”.

Well here are a couple of definitions of the word, righteous : Acting according to divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin. (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary) Being in right standing with God (Amplified Bible).

For a greater insight to the word let’s go to the book of Romans. Rom.4:13 - For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Then God, speaking to Abraham about producing an heir at the age of 100, said according to Rom. 4:20-22 - (20) He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (21) And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (22) And therefore it was imputed (credited) to him as righteousness. So, you see, it is not by works or good deeds but by simply believing what God says that produces righteousness.

Then Rom. 10:6-8 says, (6) But the righteousness which is of faith [there are two kinds of righteousness; 1) Self-righteousness, which is of arrogance and pride, and 2) Righteousness which is of faith] speaketh on this wise (or this way): Say not in thine heart, “who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring Christ down from above): (7) Or who shall descend into hell? (that is to bring Christ up from the dead) [Meaning: we don’t have that power nor should we try to second guess the Lord as to who is going to go to heaven or to hell]. (8) But what sayeth it? (or what does the righteousness which is of faith say?) The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the WORD OF FAITH, which we preach.

If you really want to be righteous or as Jesus said, “born again”, do as it requires in Rom. 10:9-10 (9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness (which is by faith); and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Greek word, Sozo: delivered, made whole, healed, prosperous, protection).

So, now you know. If you have not believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus, this would be a great time. It’s yours for the asking. What a deal!

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #30 - How Big is God?

2008-06-17T18:50:00Z

Last night I was sitting on my patio looking at the full moon and thinking how marvelous God is and what a terrific Creator He is to make the moon and all creation. Then I thought how big He must be and how he also made me and yet He condescends to think about me all the time, as a loving Father.

Later on, in the middle of the night, I awoke and started thinking about those who have no concept of my God and how many have worshiped the celestial creations. Some may have said, “my god is so big that he even made the moon” and so they worshiped the moon-god. (little g) Others may have said, “my god is so big that he made the sun”, and so they worshiped the sun-god. Yet others could have gone on with their “one-ups-manship” game and talked about other planets etc. that they worshiped.

With all this in mind let me tell you how big my God is. He is so big that he not only made the moon, the sun and all the stars and planets and especially the Earth he also made Himself to be the Son (not just the sun) and his name is JESUS! That’s how big my God is. Then he had certain men, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who is part of His very being, to write an anointed book called the Bible to tell us, His favorite creation, about Himself.

All the false gods were inventions of un-regenerate man and had the characteristics of man which are lust, greed, and an uncertain and hateful nature. However, my God (the only one true God) does not have the nature of man but had His only infinite nature which is love. God is love (1^st. John 4:16 - …God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him) and “He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). You need to really stretch your mind in order to contemplate a God so magnificent as that.

If you have not experienced the loving God about which I write you would do well to go to Romans 10:9 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. In the New Testament (or New Covenant) the Greek word for saved is “sozo” which means to deliver, protect, heal, preserve, save , do well, be or make whole.

If you have confessed with your mouth and received the Lord Jesus you will be assured of going to heaven one day and will be in line to receive all of the some 30,000 promises of God in the Bible and the angels will be doing high-fives in heaven just because you have accepted the Lord.

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #29 - Covenants With God

2008-06-15T00:39:00Z

Covenant: 1.A formal, solemn, and binding agreement: compact 2. A written agreement or promise under seal between two or more parties for the performance of some action. (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary)

The above is a definition of the word, “covenant” which is probably the least understood and one of the most violated words in the English language. Most people have little understanding of the importance or the power of this word.

If society and especially Christians could just grasp the significance of covenants and honor their provisions, their lives would be so much more stable and free from stress. “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”. The word, “covenant”, is so important to God that all His approximately 30,000 promises in the Bible are based upon His faithful fulfillment of His part of His covenants.

The first reference to a covenant in the Bible is in Genesis 9:11-13 - (11) And I will establish my COVENANT with you; (Noah) neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. (12) And God said, This is a token of the COVENANT which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: (13) I do set my bow (Rainbow) in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a COVENANT between me and the earth. So every time you see a rainbow you can be reminded of God’s covenant with the whole earth to not flood it again like He did in Noah’s day.

The ancients all relied heavily upon covenants to stabilize their lives. Let’s examine some other references to the word, covenant, from the scriptures. David, who knew he had a covenant with God, killed Goliath who did not have a covenant when he said “Who is this uncircumcised (without covenant with God) Philistine who defies the Armies of the living God?”. (I Sam. 17:26) Circumcision was a sign to the ancient Hebrews of God’s covenant with Abraham. Because David knew he had a covenant with God and Goliath didn’t, he was confident that he could kill him and save the Army of Israel and his brothers as well.

Then there are the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach , and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel chapter three. Because they knew they had a covenant with God they confidently said, in Dan. 3:17,18: (17) If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. (18) But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. That’s covenant talk.

The Word of God is full of examples where God’s people had great faith and did exploits because of their confidence and reliance upon their covenant with God. The New Testament means New Covenant and is based upon God’s promise to and His covenant with Abraham. In Gen. 22:18 God says to Abraham, “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice”.

God’s covenant with Abraham was fulfilled in Matthew 1:20b,21 when the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph, who was engaged to Mary, and said, (20b) Fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS; (Jesus is a contraction for Jehovah Sus or God the Savior) for he shall save His people from their sins.

If you have commited your life to Jesus you have a blood bought covenant with God and you can rely on it to save you from your sins and to fulfill every promise (approx. 30,000) God made to man. Hallelujah! If you have not, now would be a good time.

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #28 - Is Your Salvation Secure?

2008-06-07T20:00:00Z

Have you ever heard the expression, “Once saved always saved”? I’m sure if you did you also heard a vigorous discussion of the pros and cons of that position. The cons being, “You can lose your salvation if you sin deliberately. So, be on your toes so you don’t slip”. Both sides of the argument are quick to give their favorite scripture or what they thought was scripture to support their beliefs. You may not be sure what to think.

The answer to the above dilemma lies not in what you think but in what the word of God says. Knowing the truth about the subject is not found by using your intellect but by relying on wisdom and revelation. We will need to ask God to reveal the truth to us from the Bible as we read it.

The book of James tells us how to get the wisdom we need. Jas. 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraided not (without criticism); and it shall be given him”.

Then, in Ephesians 1:17, it says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him”.

So, with these empowering words from God let us go to the scripture that many use to tell us that we can lose our salvation. It is found in the book of Hebrews, chapter 6, verses 4 through 6. Vs. 4) For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, vs. 5)And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, vs.6) If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

The above passage does not teach that one can lose his salvation through disbelief or apostasy (renunciation). Here, the author, the Apostle Paul, is not saying that one can lose his salvation nor that his readers had, but uses a hypothetical situation to stress what would happen to a saved person if he could fall away. He is trying to demonstrate the folly that some had in thinking they could turn back to Judaism without suffering loss. “If you shall fall away” is better translated to “If you could fall away”. The conclusion then is that it would be impossible to restore you again to repentance. This should provide some relief to those who are in bondage to a legalistic approach to salvation.

There are many other supporting scriptures for eternal salvation. One of the most prominent is a quote from Jesus, personally, and found in John 10. Jesus is talking to the unbelieving Jews about his sheep whom he said “know my voice”. John 10:28-30. Vs. 28 - “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand“. Vs. 29 - “My Father, which gave them (to) me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand”. Vs.30 - “I and my Father are one”.

One final scripture is found in Philippians 1:6 - “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. Your eternal security is guaranteed by the person and work of God. You only need to receive it by faith.

Let not your heart be troubled. . . ,

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition # 27 - Blood Red Moon

2008-06-03T16:44:00Z

An interesting phenomenon happened on February 20, this year (2008). There was an eclipse of the moon and it turned blood red. Now that is not unusual because during an eclipse of the moon (which can only happen during a full moon) the moon turns gradually from a partial to a full eclipse where the shading of the moon turns from a smoky to an orange color to a blood red. This is always visible to the naked eye except when there are clouds or when there is dust or volcanic ash and/or smoke interfering with it.

Now, to get down to the heart of this story, the Word of God says in the book of Acts, chapter 2, verse 20, “The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood (or blood red), before that great and notable day of the Lord comes”. The “interesting phenomenon” that I mentioned in my opening statement is that the blood red eclipse happened on 2/20/08 and the scripture referring to the moon turning blood red is found in Acts 2:20.

All this is a coincidence, you say. Maybe, however there are no coincidences with God. He never wastes words and is always speaking to us about what is dear to His heart which is our salvation. As evidence of this, Acts 2:21 says, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”. If you are a “whosoever”, then God is speaking directly to you. If you are terrified by the calamities of today’s world, and they will get worse, just call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

Another thing, God always confirms His own word in the Bible. As proof, go to Revelations 6:12 - (Amplified Bible) “When He [the Lamb] broke open the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun grew black as sackcloth of hair, [the full disc of] the moon became like blood”. Then go to Joel 2:31 - “The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes”. Verse 32 - “And whoever (are you a whoever) will call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered and saved”.

But, you say, you already told me that the moon always turns a blood red color during an eclipse. So how is Rev. 6:12 any different than natural eclipses? Well, first of all, the Amplfied Bible says that the "full disc of" the moon became like blood. In a natural eclipse the "full disc" or total area of the moon does not turn red at the same time. It gradually turns from shades of orange to red so that only part of the moon is red at one time.

Rev. 6:12 also says that the Sun grew black as "sackcloth" which is a course cloth usually made from goat or camel hair and is worn as a sign of mourning. Only God can make the Sun that dark. Then Rev. 6:13 says that the stars of heaven fell onto the earth. Also notice that this all started by a "great" earthquake. Similar events ocurred at Jesus' crucification. (See Matthew 27:45 & 51)

If you need more proof of the calamities of the “end times”, which we are in, just read the book of Matthew chapter, 24 where Jesus talks about the sun refusing to shine and the moon being darkened. Well, that is a subject worthy of it’s own edition of Good News Worth Reporting.

This message is not written to cause fear but to bring the truth of God’s word to you for your edification and comfort. So be edified and comforted.

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Editon #26 - Heal Our Land

2008-05-22T21:34:00Z

Have you ever wondered why we are having all these excessive weather patterns like tornados, hurricanes, droughts, fires and then floods? Have you thought about the reasons why there is so much killing and crime in our country or why our Social Security funds are running out and every other government agency is “running in the red”. Are you concerned about our nation being overrun by illegal aliens (or more politically correct; border crossers), causing chaos and a financial drains on hospitals, welfare agencies, schools, Border Patrol and law enforcement agencies? Does it concern you that gasoline prices are careening out of sight and home foreclosures and bankruptcies are on the rise? Are you also concerned about the aids epidemic and other communicable diseases on the rise? I could go on. If you are normal you must be getting stressed over all these catastrophes and asking, “why doesn’t somebody do something?”.

Well, somebody can do something and that somebody is we Christians. Have you ever read 2^nd Chronicles 7:14 - “If my people which are called by my name (Christians) will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and heal their land”. Also check out verse 13 - “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people”.

Then there is God speaking to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 - “And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed”. Then, again God, speaking about the end times, (which we are in) says in Joel 3:2 - “I will also gather all nations, and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead (or enter into judgment) with them there for my people and for my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted (divided up) my land”.

“Houston, we have a problem here”, as they say to NASA from the space ship or as the old political cartoon, Pogo, used to say, “We have met the enemy and the enemy is us”.

Not many preachers or teachers are talking about this problem. It, nonetheless is as real as God is real. The problem is, basically, two-fold:

Number One: We Christians, as a whole, are not being “salt and light”. We aren’t much distinguishable from non-Christians in many areas of our lives. The same was true with God’s people in the Old Testament and is addressed in II Chronicles 7:14. If we really want our land to be healed we, as Christians, need to 1) Humble ourselves and pray, 2) Seek God’s face, and 3)Turn from our wicked ways, then we can expect God to do His part which is to 1) Hear from Heaven 2) Forgive our sin and 3) Heal our land. It's that simple and it’s called REPENTANCE!

Number Two: We need to personally and publicly bless and not curse Israel. (Please note: At the time of this writing we are just 7 days past the 60th. anniversary of Israel's becoming a state - May 15, 1948) We can personally bless Israel by giving to legitimate charities that send money and/or goods to Israel. Some legitimate organizations are Christian Broadcasting Network’s (CBN) Operation Blessing, a relief organization, and Christians United for Israel. You can also join these organizations and give monthly financial support. Christians United for Israel (CUFI) not only financially supports Israel, but also puts pressure on the President and Congress to do things that help Israel defend herself.

Every time we pressure Israel to give away more land (see Joel 3:2, “and they divided my land”) to the Palestinians something bad happens to us. For example, as part of President Bush's "Roadmap to Peace" plan, in early 2005 the United States pressured Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel to give away land to the Palestinians on the Gaza Strip that belonged to Israel by the mandate of God in the Bible. Then on August 15, 2005 Mr. Sharon forced Israeli residents out of the Gaza Strip by tearing down their houses and businesses to satisfy that plan. Just 14 days later on August 29, 2005 hurricane Katrina made landfall on the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi causing the most devastating damage ever by hurricane in the US. Then in March 2006, Mr. Sharon suffered a massive stroke and had to step down as Prime Minister of Israel.

You may think that I am getting political with these statements of fact but I am just stating God’s position and His word as given in the Bible. It only becomes political when politicians get involved in the things of God, especially as it pertains to Israel.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee. Psalm 122:6

Glory to God

Hal Mitchell - Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #25 - Are you Barren or Fertile?

2008-05-05T23:56:00Z

Sarah, the wife of the Patriarch Abraham, was barren all of her life until she was made fertile at the age of 90 by a miraculous Word of God spoken to Abraham. The Old Testament often refers to barreness as the womb being closed so, obviously, conception can't take place. That was devestating to the ancient Hebrews.

According to the current day evangelist and writer, Charles Capps, in his book, "Faith and Confession", there is also a "womb of the Spirit" where conception of the Word of God tkes place and it functions like the womb of a woman. However, like Sarah, that "womb" can be barren and for today's Christian a barren spirit can be equally devestating. Hence the question, "Are you barren or fertile?".

Natural ideas are conceived in the mind but the words of God are conceived in your spirit, if your spirit is fertile. Your mind is made fertile by intellectual activity and creativity. However, your spirit is made fertile by faith and the great thing about it is that you don’t have to wait for a 28 day cycle for conception to take place.

If your spirit is born again and fed regularly by the Word of God, it is fertile 24/7 - 365 days a year, so that when the "seed of the Word" is sown into your spirit, conception takes place just like conception of a baby in the natural. However, just like in the natural, that seed will abort unless it is fed in the same manner that an embryo is fed through the umbilical cord until the time of delivery as a fully developed baby. The big difference here is that while the embryo is fed natural food, the conceived "seed of the Word" is fed supernatural food, which is more faith words from God.

Delivery equates to the manifestation of something you can see and touch. Before delivery, the baby is hidden but it is still there and growing because it is being fed. At first you can’t tell it is there but, in about 3 months, when the mother’s belly enlarges, you can see that she has conceived. Delivery in the spirit realm also equates to something you can see and touch but the only way you can tell if something is growing in the spirit is by the words you constantly speak.

Now just what is the "seed of the Word"? In the natural, the seed is the sperm of a man and it grows just like a natural seed of corn in the ground. The Word of God works the same way as the seed of a man planted into the womb of a woman or a seed of corn planted in the ground. However, it is conceived in the spirit when it is met with faith which is "the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen"(Heb. 11:1). When it is fed by faith filled words and spoken by your mouth it grows until it is birthed or manifested into that thing you hoped for. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God"(Rom. 10:17).

In review, after you plant the "seed of the Word" in the "womb of your spirit" you need to continually feed that seed with more faith filled words to prevent an abortion of the "thing hope for". It will require diligence on your part to keep saying those things you hope for and not say things like, "it's not working" or "that faith stuff doesn't work".

There are forces that try to work against the delivery of the fully developed "seed of the Word" just like the forces of doubt, fear and lies of the enemy that come against a young woman until she decides to have and abortion. Then death takes place in the natural and so will death take place in the spirit.

Remember, the devil comes only to kill steal and to destroy, but Jesus comes to give you life, and that more abundantly, to the full, till it overflows. (John 10:10) So, let life come into your spirit by feeding the "seed of the Word" that is planted by your hearing, believing, and saying the Word of God concerning His promises to you, until it is delivered as a full blown visible thing that you can see and touch. Amen!

Glory to God,
Hal Mitchell
halmitch@cox.net

Edition #24 - Knowing Christ

2008-05-01T18:57:00Z

To know, know, know him

Is to love, love, love him

Just to see him smile

Makes my life worthwhile

To know, know, know him

Is to love, love, love him

And I do.

This is the first stanza of a 1958 Pop song which was written by Phil Spector at age 17. He was inspired to write it after viewing a photo of the grave stone of his father who had committed suicide 9 years earlier. The stone read, “To have known him was to have loved him”. This song launched his career after his newly formed R & B group, The Teddy Bears, sang it on American Bandstand in December, 1958. Even though these inspiring words were in reference to his father he transposed them into a song regarding a teenage girl singing about her sweetheart.

There is, however, a much older and more profound use of this particular phraseology, “to know him is to love him”, and it comes from the Bible where the Apostle Paul is writing to the Philippians. In chapter 3, verse 10, it says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”.

I know this is quite a transition from Pop music to the writings of Paul, but bear with me and I will attempt to make some interesting observations. Let’s start with the word “know”. In Strong’s Bible Concordance the word “know” in Phil. 3:10 is the Greek word, “ginosko” which means: to know absolutely or intimately. It is the same Greek word used in Luke 1:34 where Mary is talking to the angel of the Lord about becoming the mother of Jesus when she says, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man”, or “I am a virgin”. I believe that the main point Paul is making in Phil.3:10 is that he wants to know Jesus so personally that it borders on the most intimate relationship a man can have with his wife.

The next word we will tackle is “power” which, as used here, is the Greek word “dunamis”, meaning: force, ability, mighty, or miraculous power. Paul wants to have the same power to perform the miracles that Jesus did. When we read all the other books of the Bible that involved Paul we will see that he, indeed, did have this same power.

The translation from The Amplfied Bible for Phil. 3:10 sheds further light on what Paul is saying. It reads: For my determined purpose is that I may know Him; that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection, which it exerts over believers, and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed, in the spirit, into His likeness, even to His death.

The above statement from Paul is so extreme when compared to today’s lukewarm Christianity. Could it be that our creature comforts have made us into a church that may know about Jesus but which is not intimate with Him? Are we just holding our relationship with Christ at “arms length”? But, you may say, “that was the Apostle Paul. I’m just little old me”. You may also think, “What did it get Paul, but persecution?”. Yes, it did but look at what he accomplished for God and remember: he wrote over 60% of the New Testament.

It may look bleak in America today, but there is hope, because there are dedicated Christians praying fervently for our nation which brings God’s forces to bear on our society. Just yesterday I heard Lou Engle, organizer of the youth intercessory group, The Call, say on the 700 Club, “I believe that God is going to pour out on the people of this nation a desire for him that is stronger than the lusts of this culture”.

Also while watching the 700 Club, I heard Wellington Boone, a black minister, who wrote a new book called, “Black Genocide”, say, “We Christians should be directing our culture rather than the culture directing us”, and “I believe that there are some Joseph’s and David’s out there that are hidden from the public now. They have not written their books yet but they are spending a lot of time with the Lord in secret. They will come forth and influence this nation back to God”.

In conclusion, I will quote King David from Psalms 42:1, (all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit) “As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God”. The picture here as described by one of my mentors, Dr. John Casteel, is that in the dry season in Israel when the water is very scarce the deer race through the forests panting and desperately searching for the hidden water brooks. The prime thought here is one of desperation and urgency. If we would have that kind of attitude toward God the benefits that would accrue to us would be: 1) Great peace with God and ourselves, 2) Knowledge about things that are uncertain to us now, 3) Hearing his “still small voice” and 4) An anointing to accomplish great things for God. So be it!

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #23 - This is My Beloved

2008-04-24T23:19:00Z

Dawn’s promising skies

Petals on a pool, drifting.

Imagine these in one pair of eyes,

And this is my beloved.

Strange spice from the south

Honey through the comb, sifting.

Imagine these in one eager mouth,

And this is my beloved.

These are the first two stanzas of the song, “And This Is My Beloved“, from the Broadway hit musical play of 1953, “Kismet”. It was written by Robert Wright and George Forrest and became so popular that it was sung by most of the then current ballad singers, including: Sammy Davis Jr., Eddy Fisher, Robert Goulet, Howard Keel, Mario Lanza, et al.

What many people of the day did not realize, including yours truly, at the time, was that the basis of this song comes from the Bible. The words, “My Beloved” appear no less than 19 times in the book, “Song of Solomon”. Some call the book, “Song of Songs” or “Canticle of Canticles”. This book of the Bible was written, of course, by King Solomon, King David’s son by Bathsheba.

This Holy Spirit inspired book of the Bible is an allegory of God’s love for His bride, the church, and contains the most beautifully constructed lyrical expressions of love every written. The story of the Song of Solomon is a series of extremely passionate statements of love; first expressed by the Shulamite woman to Solomon and then by Solomon himself to his bride the Shulamite woman. In my opinion, these expressions of love exceed all other styles of rhyme and meter in any literature ever written by man.

Here are a few examples of the Song of Solomon from the King James version of the Bible, which is itself very poetic: Chap. 1, verse 2 - “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine”. Ch. 2, v. 8 - “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills”. Ch. 2, v. 9 - “My Beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice”. Ch. 2 v. 16 - “My Beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies”. Ch.4 v. 1 - “Behold, thou art fair, my love, behold, thou art fair, thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead”. Ch.5 v. 2 - “I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, open unto me . . .”. Ch. 5 v. 10 - “My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. vs. 11, His head is as the most fine gold; his locks are bushy and black as a raven: vs. 12, His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set:, vs. 16, His mouth is most sweet: yea he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem”. Ch. 6, v. 3 - “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies” Ch.7, v. 10 - “I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me”.

You would do well to read the Song of Solomon because this is just a sampling of the book which has just 8 chapters. The main purpose of this beautiful book is to use the passion of Godly physical and natural sensuality between the man, Solomon, and his bride to show the intensity of supernatural feelings of God for His bride, the church. If we could just grasp the spirit of this strong desire (the word, lust, is defined as strong desire) that God has for us, we would surely generate a correspondingly strong desire for God as well. Let it be so!

Glory to God!

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #22 - Friends of God

2008-04-12T18:34:00Z

There are hermit souls that live withdrawn

In the place of their self-content:

There are souls like stars, that dwell apart.

In a fellowless firmament;

There are pioneer souls that blaze the paths

Where highways never ran-

But let me live in house by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

This is the first stanza of a wonderfully penned poem by Samual Walter Foss, written in 1899. As a lover of poetry, I have great admiration for this beautiful poem and the smooth cadence of its rhythmic lines. (If you want to read the full poem you can google “House by the Side of the Road” and bring it up).

However, (I’m sure that you were just waiting for my “however”) there is one important point that this poem misses; and it is that, although it is really good to “Be a friend to man”, it is far better to be a “friend” of God. These positions are not mutually exclusive and Mr. Foss may assume this, but unless you are a friend of God you cannot be a true friend of man. Let’s examine this in light of the Word of God.

In James 2:23, it says, “. . . Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the “Friend of God”. The point here it that when you believe God, not only is it imputed or accounted to you as righteousness, but you are also called a friend of God.

Now let’s go to the Gospel of John, chapter 15 and verses 13 to 15. Verse 13) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his FRIENDS. 14) Ye are my FRIENDS, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15) Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you FRIENDS; for all things that I have heard of my father I have made known unto you.

What wonderful benefits there are to being a FRIEND of God: 1) He counts it as righteousness, 2) Jesus lays down His life for us 3) All things that Jesus has heard from God the Father, He makes known to us.

You may wonder, “What is the requirement for us to be a friend of God?”. The answer is found in verse 14 above; “Ye are my FRIENDS if ye do whatsoever I command you”. Do whatever I command you; this seems like such a simple thing, yet we often fail to do whatever Jesus commands us to do.

And just what does He command (not suggest) us to do? Well, there are many commandments we must do, but one was called the greatest commandment? All the others are summed up in this one commandment. It is recorded in Matthew 22:37-40. Verse 37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind. 38) This is the first and great commandment. 39) And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

So, in conclusion, I have two thoughts: 1) In order to be a FRIEND of God we need to LOVE God with all our hearts, souls, and minds and our neighbors as ourselves and 2) Loving our neighbors as ourselves is truly being a friend of man. When we do these two things we will fulfill all the other commandents and all the benefits of God will accrue to us. Is this a good deal or what?

Glory to God,
Hal Mitchell
halmitch@cox.net

Edition #21 - Word of Faith

2008-03-20T19:22:00Z

Are you a Word of Faith person? Then you must be living in victory all the time, right? You’re not? Then, why not? Oh, you say, “because that’s just not possible. I have the victory sometimes but then sometimes I don’t.”

Let me put a few questions to you:
1) Do you really want to be an overcomer?
2) Are you tired of living a defeated life?
3) Do you wonder why you work and tithe and work and tithe and still your finances stay the same? Oh, you don’t tithe? Then we need to talk.
4) Are you discouraged with a lack of healing when you need it and with continued battles of sickness and disease?
5) Do your healings only come when a Pastor prays for you in a miracle service and then maybe you have a relapse?
7) Wouldn’t you really like to live in victory every day- 24/7 - 365 days a year?

Well, I have good news for you;(GoodNewsWorthReporting.com). You can live in victory 24/7 - 365 days a year except this year, which will be 366 days. You might be thinking, “Big talker. How does he know so much?” and “I wonder how victorious his life is.”

Well, I don’t have all the answers to these questions but I know where to find them. They are, of course, found in the Word of God. So, let’s get to the Word.

The first and foremost Word in this message is from 1^st John 3:2,3 - vs. 2)Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. vs. 3)and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Oh, you may think, “I’ve caught you taking scripture out of context, and you know the saying, a text out of context is a pretext”. Yes, the context of these verses is about Jesus’ return to the earth. However, there usually is more than one meaning to a verse and this is the point; we really need to see Jesus as he is. If we could do that we would start becoming more like him.

Well, how is He or what is He really like? Let’s look at 1^st John 4:16,17 for the answer. Vs. 16, “And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him.”. vs. 17, “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” So we are urged to be like him and He is love.

Have you ever noticed how people who are around one another all the time, especially husbands and wives, start talking and acting like one another? They will often use the same expressions and mannerisms. That’s how it should be, and will be, when we spend time with God and His Word.

In a prophecy quite a few years ago, Kenneth E. Hagin said, that we would walk and talk and act like Jesus. This really is what the Lord intended. In 2 Cor. 3:18 - it says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”.

In Gen. 1:26, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness : and let them have dominion . . .”, and then in verse 27 it says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God create he him . . .”.

In Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, Image is defined as an exact likeness and refers to Gen. 1:27 as an example. Kenneth Copeland once said that at creation if you could have stood God and Adam side by side and face to face, you couldn’t tell them apart.

That’s what is meant when man was created in God’s image. It meant in every aspect of his being; the way he acts, the way he talks and the way he takes dominion over everything on the earth; everything, except another man or woman,. That we are never to do for that gets into the area of Witchcraft, which is the spirit behind a domineering person. I didn’t say assertive person but a domineering person. That’s another subject for another time.

The whole idea of this message is for us to become so familiar with God and His Word that we will become more like Him every day; yes, even walking and talking and acting like Jesus. Did you ever notice how a small child starts not only talking but also walking like his father? That’s because he spends a lot of time observing and admiring his dad until he subconsciously becomes like him.

I know, all that we’ve covered so far sounds a bit far reaching and the big question may seem to be: How do we get there from here? Again, the answer is in the Word and the Word says that it’s by FAITH.

1) Heb. 10:38 - “The just shall live by FAITH: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him”.

2) 1^st Jn. 5:4 - “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our FAITH”.

3) Heb. 11:1 - “Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.

We will be only as victorious in the world as we are diligent in the Word of God. Jesus said continually, “Your FAITH has made you whole”. Notice, he didn’t say, “My faith or my faith filled prayers or my miraculous power, but YOUR FAITH has made you whole. That’s not to say that he didn’t have great power or great faith etc, because, of course, he did. His point was that we need to believe what he says and that translates into FAITH.

Faith, however is not found everywhere and here is an example: In his hometown of Nazareth, Jesus could not do many miracles because of a lack of faith in who He was. Mt. 13:58 - “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." The problem was that they did not believe him because they did not “see him as he is”. They only saw him as Joseph, the carpenter’s son. How do you see him?

If you don’t see Jesus “as he is”, you need to get better acquainted with him. If you want to know what anybody is like you don’t just rely on hearsay but you go to that person and sit and sup with him and find out just what makes him tick. Then will you be able to make a first hand evaluation of what that person is like. It is the same with our Lord; spend time with Him and you will know Him.

The next best way to find out what a person is like is to find out what he has been saying; not what he is alleged to have said, but his exact words. When you study the Bible thoroughly you will find that God has a lot to say about every issue of life. Yes, God is still talking today. We just need to be listening -- and believing.

Once we find out what God says about a particular subject, we need to first believe it, and then also start saying what he says. We need to say it consistently, in order to have the victory. The Lord said to Gloria Copeland one time, “In consistency lies the power”. If we are to be like Jesus will also be consistent.

If you don’t believe that “saying” is important (I said, “saying”, not thinking scripture) just go to Mark 11:23,24 - Jesus talking, (vs. 22) Have faith in God (or God’s kind of faith). Vs. 23) For verily (or truthfully) I SAY unto you, that whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, (what’s your mountain?), be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which SAITH shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he SAITH. vs. 24) Therefore I SAY unto you, what things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”. [Kenneth E. Hagin’s favorite verses]

We will need to get our Concordance out and look up our areas of concern and get God’s word about that subject into our hearts and minds and speak it out; areas like: 1) Salvation 2) Authority 3)Provision 4) Healing or 5) Finances.

Rom. 10:17 says, “FAITH comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”. We hear the Word, we believe the Word and then we speak the Word. This is called exercising our FAITH. Maybe some would say “Exorcising” our faith. It does not work just by reading a few scriptures and then quickly spouting them out or even thinking the Word. We need to SPEAK the Word and hear our own voice saying it! Again, IN CONSISTENCY LIES THE POWER! That’s the way Jesus is; consistent, "the same yesterday, today and forever".

If you want to improve your health you don’t just take a few vitamins one day and expect to be healthy. You take them every day, consistently. Neither do you get unhealthy just by eating the wrong food once in a while nor do you get fat just by eating one brownie. You get unhealthy and/or fat by having a lifestyle of inactivity or eating too much high calorie food. It’s the same way with the Word. You need to feed on it every day and I guarantee that is low calorie food.

That’s the way Jesus was, in this world. He spent a lot of time with His Father in prayer and then He said what the Father said. In other words he fed on the Word of His Father. Remember the Samaritan woman who gave him water at the well? He led her to salvation and when his disciples came back and offered him food he said in John 4:32, “I have food that you know not of”. That’s the way He was and is.

So, let’s SEE HIM AS HE IS and then we will be like Him!

Glory to God,
Hal Mitchell
halmitch@cox.net

Edition # 20 - Cutting Down Satan

2008-01-31T17:51:00Z

Have you ever wondered why the devil has so much power and control over things in the earth and maybe in your life as well? Do you wish that it were not so and that you could have control over his activities instead of the other way around? Do you feel helpless against all his "power"? If so, I have "good news worth reporting" for you. Listen up, as they say in New Yaawk. Your answer lies in the following scriptures.

Isaiah 14:12-17 - (12) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13)For thou hast said in thine heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north (farthest sides): (14)I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (15)Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (lowest depths) (16)They that see thee, shall narrowly look (gaze at) upon thee, and consider thee, saying, “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, and did shake kingdoms; (17)That made the world as a wilderness; (Heavy Revvie: is this the explanation of the void of the earth in GE. 1:12?) and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?”.

When we exam these scriptures we will get a glimpse of how Satan has been weakened by God and we then will know that he has no power over us but, in fact, we have power over him. For example: Luke 10:19 - "Behold, I give unto you power (authority) to tread on serpents (devils) and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Satan): and nothing by any means shall hurt you". This statement by Jesus was not meant just to empower the original 12 disciples, now called Apostles, but to every born again believer who receives this word. Note: Disciple means disciplined learner and Apostle means sent one. We qualify for both of these descriptive titles if we are born again and are disciplined in studying His Word.

We have been deceived by Satan to believe that he has all this power when, in fact, he has been brought low and we “are made to sit (place of authority) together in the heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6). That is why we will say, when we get a true picture of our authority vs. Satan’s brought low condition, “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble and did shake the nations?" We will also wonder, "How could we have been so deceived into believing this lie?”. Answer: He is the great deceiver and we are often “ye of little faith”, as our Lord puts it so often, even to his disciples.

Now that we have this great truth we should never again allow Satan to dominate us! Instead of blaming the devil for our failures and sicknesses we should take the responsibility for kicking him out of our lives and stop waiting for God to do something. The only real power the devil has over us is his deception and his lies. After all he is the “father of lies and the truth is not in him”, John 8:44. Only when the church realizes this great truth (you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free - John 8:32) will she really be a church “without spot or wrinkle”; a church ready for the Lord to come and make her His bride.

Cut him down,
Glory to God,
Hal Mitchell
halmitch@cox.net

Edition #19 - The Greatest Sin

2008-01-16T23:40:00Z

The Greatest Sin

Have you ever pondered this question; What is the greatest sin? I’m sure you have heard of the greatest commandment which was asked of Jesus by the Pharisees, (Mat. 22:26) but what about the greatest sin? This sin is so great that as long as you continue in it you cannot go to Heaven and that sin is UNBELIEF.

The scriptural proof of the above statement is found in the book of John, chapter 3, verse 18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. You see, by definition and the very nature of the condition of unbelief you cannot enter into God’s Kingdom as long as you are in unbelief. You cannot because you do not believe it.

There is a sin mentioned by Jesus in Mat. 12:31 that is unforgivable and it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy is defined in Webster’s New Collegiate dictionary as speaking irreverently against or reviling or insulting. In this scripture Jesus is talking to the Pharisees about their attributing his casting out devils to the power of Satan when in fact it was by the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s blasphemy, according to Jesus and he said it will not be forgiven. Do not fear that you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit if you feel guilty about something because that is the Holy Spirit still convicting you so you will repent. King David was called a man after God’s own heart because when he sinned and was convicted by the Holy Spirit he was quick to repent and that’s they way we should be.

There is a lot more to this scripture in John 3:18 than just vague unbelief. Let’s explore it for more meaning because God does not waste words. After all He is The Word. So, here goes. This verse says that those who don’t believe are condemned already because they have not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Jesus) When you refuse to believe on the name of Jesus (by the way, “Jesus” is a contraction for Jehovah Sus or Savior), you are excluded from all of God’s promises and there are over 30,000 in the Bible.

The power of God is tied to the name of Jesus and, in addition to salvation, it includes healing of sickness and disease, provision for everything you need, and power over the devil and much much more, as the commercials say today. When we speak in the name of Jesus we are speaking in his authority like a policeman saying, "Stop! In the name of the law".

Some references for using the name of Jesus are as follows: 1) John 14:14 - If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. 2) John 14:26 - But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. 3) Acts 4:7 - …They (the Pharisees) asked, by what power or by what name, have you done this. 4) Acts 4:10 - …that by the name Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 5) Acts 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 6) Phil 2:10 - That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. vs. 11 - And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen!

So don't be an unbeliever. Confess your sins and repent and believe on the name of Jesus and then access all His 30,000 promises by using His name as your authority.

To The Glory of God

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #18 - Hearing God's Voice

2007-10-01T22:29:00Z

Have you ever really wanted to hear God’s voice? Maybe you don’t think that God talks to His children anymore, at least not the way He did in the Old and New Testaments. You might say, “sure, He talked to the prophets and Moses and a few others but that’s about it”. You may have even have wondered, “Even if He did speak to us today, what is required on my behalf in order for me to hear Him?”.

In regard to the above questions, first of all, God is always speaking to us. It's really a problem of, can I hear him or recognize His voice. However, let’s look into God’s word and see what He actually says about speaking to us and what is required. Let’s start by going to Hebrews 3:7,8 (Amplified Bible) “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as [happened] in the rebellion [of Israel] and their provocation and embitterment [of me] in the day of testing in the wilderness”.

The background for the above scripture is that the Israelites had been delivered from bondage in Egypt by God through Moses and after about 3 months in the wilderness they then came to Mount Sinai where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. After three days God was to come down to the top of Mount Sinai and speak to the people, after they had been sanctified by Moses. Well, when God spoke, the mountain shook and there was “thunderings and lightnings” and the people were afraid when Moses brought them to the foot of the mountain. (Exodus 19:17) It further says that the people fell back and stood afar off from the mountain. Then in Ex. 20:19 it says, “And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die”. Now, why would they say that? Well, it’s because they knew enough about God to know that He did not tolerate sin in His presence and they were unrepentant and did not want to get zapped.

So today, in order to get into God’s presence and hear from Him, is it a matter of repenting and getting right with Him or not repenting and getting zapped? Going back to Hebrews 3:7, it says “if you will (or want to) hear God’s voice do not harden your hearts . . . as in the day of testing in the wilderness”. The fear of getting “zapped”, so to speak, was in their own minds because Moses said to them, in Ex. 20:20 (you might call this 20/20 vision) “Fear not; for God has come to test you so that the reverential fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin”.

In summary then, the requirement to hear from God is to be in a repentant, reverential and submissive attitude toward Him and then come “boldly” to the throne of grace as it says in Hebrews 4:16. We can do this now because we have an advocate (or legal representative) before the Father in the person of Jesus Christ whose shed blood makes us righteous (if we indeed have been born again) and qualified to be in His presence and hear Him speak to us. If we will do this we will then hear His voice (that still small voice) and allow His peace to guide us. Don't you want that?

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #17 - Who Am I?

2007-09-23T20:29:00Z

Have you ever pondered these profound thoughts, “who am I” or “what is my purpose in life”? If so, you are not alone. Many people have had these same introspections but I suspect that only a few have come up with any spiritually meaningful answers. However, I believe I can bring some revelation to these questions.

First, let us examine what the Word of God has to say about "who am I", just to put things into perspective. In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asks his disciples, “whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?”. They replied that some thought he was Elijah, John the Baptist, or one of the prophets. But in verse 15 Jesus asks, “But whom say ye that I am?”. (notice the use of the words “I Am”, which is what God called Himself while talking to Moses in the book of Genesis.) Now, Jesus was getting down to the meat of the matter in wanting to know what the disciples thought rather than the general public. So, in verse 16, Simon Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, (The Messiah or Anointed One) the Son of the living God.” Then in verse 17, Jesus says, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona (or son of Jona): for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven”.

You see, people know who Jesus is by revelation of God or by the Holy Spirit, to be more exact, and that’s how you’re going to know who you are, as well. This revelation was so important that Jesus said, in verse 18, that he would build his church upon it and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. I think he was also saying that the gates of hell would not only, not prevail against the church, but also not prevail against this revelation. It is so important to you and me that our eternal destination rides upon this confession. So think about it if you have not had that revelation.

Now, back to who you are. First of all, you are a Spirit (or spirit being, Genesis chapter one, says that God breathed the breathe of life into Adam and, according to the original Hebrew lexicon, he became a speaking spirit- just like God). So, here’s the deal, you are a Spirit Being, you live in a body and you have a Soul (the soul consists of your mind, your will, and your emotions). Soul and spirit are not the same, as most of us think. However, the Bible says that the Word of God is like a two-edged sword, so sharp that it can sever or differentiate between soul and spirit. (see Heb. 4:12). Can you see that there is a difference?

When you get “born again” or saved, as the Baptists like to say, your Spirit, (the real you which will live eternally, saved or not saved; the only question being your destination) is made new. You are now a new Spirit Being or new creation that never existed before. The old spirit or old you which is already dead as far as its relation to Christ, starts to die or become less dominate as you become more like Jesus. That is why it is called being “born again”, as Jesus put it.

Let’s see if we can put this into focus now. You live in a body, designed just for you and the Bible says that body is now the Temple or dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. We, therefore, should take care of it as such. You will notice that we take very good care of our church building or temple and reverence it as if it were the dwelling place of God. That is just not fact. God dwells in you in the form of the Holy Spirit and the church building is just a place where we meet together to worship Him and hear His word, among other things.

As I said, we have a soul and it also has three parts, your mind, your will, and your emotions. When the word of God says, in Gal. 5:16, that if we walk in the spirit we will not fulfill the lust (or desires) of the flesh, it means that we should not allow our mind, will or emotions to lead us. If we do, we will not be walking in the spirit. Our reborn spirit (or the real you and me) should be allowed to lead us because our spirit is lead by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

In conclusion, (yes there is a conclusion), the answer to the question of who am I is found in who is allowed to be in charge of you. Is it going to be your soul or you spirit? Since God gave you a free will, you have the right, through your will, to choose who is going to be in charge of your daily life. To please God and benefit ourselves, we should be like Jesus, and say to God, “not my will but thy will be done”. Then we will begin to know who we are for the Bible says in, 2 Cor. 5:21, "we are made the righteousnes of God in Christ".

Glory to God,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net

Edition #16 - Seated in the Heavenlies

2007-08-13T19:19:00Z

Have you ever observed children arguing over a seat in a class or at a sports activity? Or, maybe you have observed adults scrambling for the best seat at a wedding or some other special occasion. Why do people do that? Is there something about having the right seat. I believe there is and that, subconsciously, we all know that there is not just honor in having a seat next to the leader of an organization but also an implied authority.

In case you were wondering, the Bible has a lot to say about seating and authority. In Proverbs 31:23 it says, “Her husband (speaking of the Proverbs woman who is a very diligent woman) is known in the gates when he sitteth among the elders (leaders) of the land. (Gates denotes a place of authority in the Bible)

Then Luke 22:69 says, “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. (Again, sit and power denotes authority) Jesus, of course, is the Son of man which is a name he called himself. Just before his ascension into heaven, Jesus said, in Matthew 28:18, “All power (authority) in heaven and earth has been given unto me”. Actually he had that power before he came to earth but he relinquished it for a season while he walked in the Abrahamic covenant as Jewish Rabbi when he was on the earth.

Ok, you say, how does that affect me now? Are you implying that we also have authority? Oh yeah! Just look at Ephesians 2:6, “And (God) hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. These are places of authority in the spirit world even while we are on the earth. Oh, you’re getting spooky now; talking about “spirits”, some would say. Oh, really? There are approximately 471 references to the word, “spirit”, in the Strong’s Concordance to the Bible. The Bible also says in Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you”. Hey, Harry Potter believes in spirits. Why shouldn’t we who have the truth.

In case you are still wondering about your authority while on the earth, check out these two scriptures: The first is, Luke 9:1, “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases”. But, you say, that was the twelve disciples. I’m not one of them. True, but you can be a disciplined learner, which is the definition of a disciple. Besides that, Jesus later called them “Apostles”, which is a Greek word for “sent ones”. We are also “sent ones”, if we are true believers, are we not? So you just can’t get away from having authority. Our main problem is in exercising it.

The second example is found in Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man (or mankind) in our image and likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”. See, man was even given authority over the “creeps”.

So, if we have all this authority what’s stopping us from exercising it? I believe I have been given some insight on that as well. If we want God’s authority we must submit to His authority. See, Matthew, chapter 8, where the Centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus says he will go heal him but the Centurion says that he isn’t worthy for Jesus to come under his roof, and that Jesus should just say the “Word” and his servant would be healed. Then in MT. 8:9, the Centurion says, “For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it”. Jesus replied that he had not seen this much faith in all Israel and he heals the Centurion’s servant just by speaking the word. So, if you want authority be under authority.

However, if we have a casual attitude toward God and do not spend time in His Word fellowshipping with Him we are not likely to feel that we have any authority and we will probably be right. In the book of Acts, Chapter 19, the 7 sons of Sceva were going to cast demons out of a man and the demons said, in Acts 19:15, “Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you”. The demonic man then beat up the 7 Scevas. So if you don’t know God and He doesn’t know you, don’t try this at home. However, be encouraged; you can know God this way.

Glory to God

Hal Mitchell

halmitch@cox.net