Maintain a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ Part 2

The second part focus on Fasting as taken from Isaiah 58:5,6.
1. Preparation 1 John 1:9
2. Fasting is a spiritual tool for strengthening and transforming grace in our lives.
3. Abstinence or reduction from some or all food, drink, for a period of time.
4. An absolute fast, Acts 9:9, Ezra 10:6 which means nothing.
5. Water fast (Luke 4:1,2).
In order to have a successfully time of consecration there must be preparation. Set objectives, make commitment, how long, the type of fast God wants, what physcial or social activities tyou will be restricted to. Prepare yourslef spiritually, physically, confess sins, seek forgiveness  and make resitution. Prayer and fasting enable us to humble ourselves before God, so that we will become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Reading the Word of God- 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." This should be the first thing that we should know. we cannot pray and fast if we have no knowledge of what the Word of God say. We must read the Bible aloud daily, so that our inner man can be feed. then, meditate on the Word of God. Remember the Lord cannot bring anything back to your remembrance if you have not put  anything in. Evangelist Mother Eskridge, DMin areskridge6840@att.net

put anything in.

Maintain a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ Part 1

We live in a culture that increasingly leans toward materialism and secularism. It is not always easy to stay focuses on spiritual noursishment without God's help. The things that Women could do in the Bible was limted. Prayer, fasting and reading the Word of God was not limited to anyone. Many go through life as a failure because they have not learn how to avoid the pitfalls of satanic influences. There is a way for all who know the Word of God to apply it correctly. One thing for sure God's people should have a committed prayer life, time of consecration and time of studying the Word of God.

Prayer- is a way of communicating with God. the most perfect prayer is praying in the Holy Spirit because no one is able to stop it or intercept it. 1 Cor 14:15 tells us to pray in the understanding as well. Types of prayers: 1) Prayer of Agreement(Matt 18:19),2) Prayer of Faith (James 5:15;Mark 11:24),3) Prayer of Consecration and Dedication (Luke 22:41-42), 4) Prayer of Praise and Worship(Luke 2:20,Luke 18:43),5) Prayer of Intercession Ephesians 1:15-18,Phil 1:3-4),6) Prayer of Binding and Loosing Matt 18:18-19.

God has provided each type of prayer for a specific purpose. You must be clear about which type you are praying. Always pray the Word of God. These are only a few but there are many other in the Bible.   Mother Dr. Annie Eskridge, areskridge6840@att.net
Parts of prayer; adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.

Thanks be to God.

Thanks be to God!!!

The year of 2018 has been a year for me to reflect on and to give God all of the thanks for being God. When I look back and see how many surgeries I had and the code blues that I experienced. Thanks be to God that I am still among the Saints. It was God grace and mercy that I am able to say thank you.  Lord, you have truly brought me from a mighty long way.

I can truthfully say that, there were days when I was in the hospital I did not do anything but sleep. Several times I was taken back to intensive care unit, but God!! He has keep me and I am truly grateful. It pays to serve the True and Living God without wavering.

I have shared with many that you should study the Word of God daily.

We should do our best to present ourselves to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness (2 Tim 2:15-16). So, if we do not study God’s word we will not be able to rightly divide it.

The only way to become acquaint, we must know it. To become acquainted with God is by studying and seeking the things that God loves and wants for our lives. My prayer is Lord create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit. I pray and ask Him, not to take His Holy Spirit from me. I want to know Him and to know what He would do in all situations, this is why studying is so important. Then, prayer time, praise and worship to God in my quiet time.

Then, please do not forget those positive confession daily that comes from the Word of God. I am a child of God, I have been redeemed from the hand of the enemy, forgiven, saved by grace through faith, justified, sanctified, a new creature in Him, partaker of His Divine Nature, redeemed from all curses, Delivered from the power of darkness. Thank you Jesus, then I am led by the Spirit of God, a Son of God, kept in safety wherever I go, getting all of my needs met by Jesus, casting all of my cares on Jesus, strong in the Lord and the power of His Might, doing all things through Christ who strengthens me, an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus, Heir to the blessing of Abraham and my list goes on and on.

Praise God when I was in the hospital for 45 days, I was able to make my confession without having the list in front of me, because I had already put it in my spirit. We all should constantly put the Word of God in our spirit. It is good to pray in tongues daily as we praise God for all of His goodness and mercy. Praise God for another day. Be blessed. Mother Evangelist Annie R. Eskridge, DMin. Areskridge6840@att.net

Love

What is love? Do we really know or not? Webster says...as  a noun...deep affection and warm feeling for another. Strong sexual desire for another.

The Holy Bible says ,"love never fails, it suffer long and is kind; charity, love does not envy; love does not parade  itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things"(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NKJV).

One common word for love in the Greek language was eros, which suggested physical sexual desire and not much else. Another word philos suggestd the esteem and affection found in a casual friendships. Paul chose these words and he chose a relatively rare Greek word for his definitive passage on love. This word agape, describes a love that is based on thea deliberate choice of the one who loves rather than worthiness of the one who is loved. This kind of love goes against natural human inclination. It is a giving and it is not selfless, expect- nothing in returns kind of love.  It is unconditional. Notes from Dr. Wayne House, New Testament Editor). Evangelist Dr. Annie R. Eskridge, DMin. areskridge6840@att.net.

The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God

Scriptures: Old Testament Psalm 34:12-16-17, New Testament 1 Peter 3:10-12

A good study Bible will give you the history of David and the Books. Each book concludes a doxology, and affirmation of praise to God found int he last verse of two of the concluding Psalm. the Psalms lead us through the valleys, and peaks of human experience, but in the end they guids us to praise our loving Creator.

We must make wisely decisions. Have you ever felt as if you really needed help? People who live by the Word of God can attest that they have not lacked for anything. David gives some wise steps to consider as you face crisis and decision.  Whenever you have problems, you feel presssured, compulsion to perform, or compare you with others, just turn it over to Jesus,

Time after time you have been able to share with others how God has met your needs over and over. Here, David took on the role of a teacher of wisdom addressing the young people who are in charge.(Proverbs 3:1-12)Depart from evil, the same as found in Psalm 37:27 depart from evil, and do good: And dwell forevermore.

The righteous knows that when they fall, they can recover, whereas the unrighteous can not recover.They only way they can recover is by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Scriptures: Psalm 34:14, Eccl 12;13, St.John 14:23

Rightly Dividing the Word of God

Rightly Dividing the Word

        This passage of Scripture is when Paul writes to Timothy-

“Study to show thyself approved of God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

The student is referred to as a workman. A workman cannot intelligently do his work without a plan.  He must have drawings and specifications.

Rightly dividing literally means “cutting straight.” Teachers of the Bible should make every effort to handle His truth accurately. Failure to do so will lead to divine judgment. James 3:1 “my brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. James does not give the warning of judgment to others without applying it to himself. Teachers will stand before the Judgment seat of Christ and be judged more strictly than others. Their greater influence translated into a greater responsibility. Judgment here most likely does not refer to eternal separation from God, rather it suggest a thorough judgment of teachers before Christ (Matt 5:19, Romans 14:10-12). Leadership imposes responsibility.

As we study the Word of God, we must apply both spiritual and literal principles of interpretation. The spiritual principles should include prayer from Psalm 119:18.

1.    Cleansing 1 John 1:9

2.    Illumination by the HOLY Spirit 1 Corinthians 2:12-16

3.    The principles of literally understanding Scriptures is to interpret it according to:

a.     Who is doing the talking?

b.    Who is he talking too?

c.     The mind of the author

d.    The context of the passage

e.     The basic rules of grammar

f.      How does it apply to me?

g.    How does it apply to the church

While the “Word of Truth” is written for all classes of people, and for our learning, it is not addressed to all people in general, but part of it is addressed to the Jews, part to the Gentiles, and part to the Church. These three classes constitute the class that humanity is divided. 1 Cor 10:31. The whole Bible was written for the instructions to the Church, it is not all written about the Church. The Church is not mentioned in the Old Testament. It was hid from the Old Testament prophets as some believe and was a mystery first revealed to Paul, as disclosed by him in Ephesians 3:1-10. The Old Testament is mostly taken up with history of one nation, that of Israel. In the first five chapters of Genesis we are given history of one nation, that of Israel. In the first five chapters of Genesis we are given the history of Creation, and 1700 years of human history. In the next four chapter we are given the account of the Flood. The tenth and eleventh chapters give the account of 400 more years of human history, and then God singles out one man, Abraham (Gen 12:1-3),  and the Old Testament centers around the Jewish Race. When we take the Old Testament promises and apply them to the Church we rob the Jew of that which is exclusively theirs. For illustration, the prophecy of Isaiah is largely applied to the Church, whereas the very first verse declares that it is consenting Judah and Jerusalem. Isa 1:1.

In the New Testament the Epistles of Hebrew and James are Jewish. The Epistle of James is addressed, not to the Church, but to the twelve tribes scattered abroad James 1:1. Therefore the Prayer of Faith (James 5:13-16) for the sick is not primarily a promise to the Church but to Israel, though doubtless it will be answered for all who comply with the conditions. In the Epistle to the Hebrews many Christians stumble at the words fall away (Heb 6:4-6), and if we sin wilfully. Hebrew 10:26. But these words do not apply to Christians. They were spoken to apostate Jewish professors of Christianity who had never been born again, and who, if they did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, practically crucified Him again, and were as bad as their brethren who did crucify Him

No one would apply Romans 8^th to the Jews, or Roman 11^th to the Church, for in it Paul speaks not only to Israel but also to the Gentiles. Romans 11:11-13, All Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correct, for instruction, (2Tim 3:16) and what happened to Israel was written for our example, 1 Cor 10:11, but we must not apply to the Church what does not belong to it. We see then that to misapply Scripture is to not Rightly Divide the Word and tends to cause confusion and error.

When we RIGHTLY Dividing the Word of Truth, we must also distinguish the work of Christ. We are told in the Scriptures that He is a Prophet, Priest and King. But He does not hold those offices conjointly but successively. From the fall in Eden to the Cross, He was a Prophet. He is now a High Priest and He comes again He will be a King. From Eden to the Cross there was an Altar from the Cross to the Crown there is a Table (the Lord’s Table), and from the Crown to Christ surrender of the Kingdom there is a Throne.

In Heb 1:1, we read-God hath spoken at Sundry Times, as well as in Divers Manners, and if we are to understand what He has spoken, we must not only distinguish between the class of people. He has spoken to, as the Jews, Gentiles or the Church, but we must also note the Sundry times at which He spoke, and the Divers Manner.We must also distinguish between the Time Past when He spoke by the Prophets, and these Last Days in which He hath spoken to us by His Son in Heb 1:1-2. We must not separate what God has joined, as the Word of God and the Spirit of God, Christ and Salvation, Faith and Works. Neither must we join what God has separate , as Heaven and Hell, Baptism and Regeneration, Natural and Spiritual, Standing and State, the Church and Kingdom.

We must also distinguish between the Times and Seasons of the Scriptures. Daniel said of God “He changed the Times and the Season”,(Daniel 2:12), and Jesus said to His Disciples. ‘It is not for you to know the Times or the Seasons. Acts 1:7. Job testified that the Times are not hidden from the Almighty. Job 24:1. And the Children of Issachar it was said that they had an understanding of theTimes (1 Chron 12:32.) By the Seasons we are to understand the climate changes of the earth due to the movements and changing characteristics of the Sun, Moon and Stars, which God ordained to regulate the Seasons Gen 1:14. As to the TIMES we have them designated as the TIMES OF IGNORACE, Acts 17:30; the TIMES OF THE GENTILES, (Luke 21:24); the TIMES OF REFRESHING (ACTS 3:19); the TIMES OF RESTITUTION (ACTS 3:21); and the dispensation of the FULNESS OF TIMES (EPHESIANS 1:10).

When the Gentiles are in power the Jews are not. And as the Times of the Gentiles is still running, the Church cannot be in this Dispensation a governming or Kingdom power.

THE SABBATH

If God instituted the Sabbath before the Fall of Man, it seems strange that the fact is not recorded in Genesis, and that Adam was not told to observe it. Nowhere in the Book of Genesis do we read of Adam, or any of his descendant, or Noah, or Abraham observing the Sabbath. The only hint we have of a seven-fold division of days is found in Gen 7:4,10, when seven days of grace were granted before the Flood came, and in Gen 8:8-12, where a seven day period elapsed between the sending forth of the dove. The first place we read of the Sabbath is in Exodus 16:23-26, in connection with the gathering of the manna-Six days ye shall gather it; but on the Seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. Here we have the Seventh day designated as THE SABBATH. That the Seventh Day of the Creative Week was a type of the SABBATH is clear from Exodus 20:11. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh Day; wherefore the Lord blessed the SABBATH day, and hallowed it. But we have no evidence that the Sabbath was commanded to be observed until after Exodus, and the reason is clear. God’s REST DAY was broken by the Fall of Man, and there could be no rest until redemption was brought in, and this was typically brought in by the redemption of the Children of Israel from Egypt through the offering of the Passover Lamb, a type of Christ. The purpose of their deliverance was that they might find rest in Canaan from the weary toil and slavery of their deliverance was that they might find rest in Canaan from the weary toil and slavery of Egypt Deu 5:15.

The command to observe the Sabbath was given to Israel Exclusively. It was not given to the Gentiles. It was given to Israel as the SIGN of the Mosaic Covenant. (Ex 31:13; Ezek 20:12, 19-21).

Nowhere in the Bible do you find God finding fault with any nation or people, except the Jewish nation, for not observing the Sabbath. As a Jewish ordinance it has never been abrogated, changed or transferred to any other day of the week, or to any other people.

After the Resurrection, Christ and His Disciples never met on the Sabbath, but on the First Day of the week. John 20:1, 19, Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:2. It is true that they went into the Jewish Synagogues on the Sabbath, but not to worship, but that they might have opportunity to preach the Gospel. The First Day of the Week is the day to be observed to rest and worship by the Christian Church.

 Source of References:

 Books on Rightly Dividing the Truth:

Christine Walker

Ira Milligan

Clarence Larkins

The Origin of the Bible by Bruce, Packer, Comfort and Henry.

Notes from Evangelist Dr. Annie R. Eskridge, DMin.

 Ps. Saints we need to know how to rightly divide correctly.