PRAYER - "Too Late for Repentance"
God sentenced every Israelite over the age of twenty (except Joshua and Caleb) to wander in the wilderness forty years because they doubted they could conquer the Promised Land. Everyone panicked and suddenly wanted to repent and go on to war. But it was too late. God's mind was made up. Be careful lest it happen to you.
Numbers 14:40 - "...And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies."
PRINCIPALS - "Childbirth"
Under the law, an issue of blood made one unclean. Therefore, childbirth rendered the mother unclean - seven days for a male child, two weeks for a female. Her purification process was 33 days for a male, 66 days for a female. After purification, she must bring a sacrificial offering for atonement to the tabernacle. After Jesus' blood made atonement at Calvary, these laws expired.
Leviticus 12:4 - "And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled."
PRINCIPLES - "Clean and Unclean Foods"
"Kosher" laws forbade eating "unclean" foods. The New Testament ended these laws. Paul said of various meats, "...for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse." (1 Corinthians 8:8). He countermanded teachings to "abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving." (1 Timothy 4:3).
Leviticus 11:46 - "This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, ...the unclean and the clean, ...the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten."
PROPHECIES - "Fire from the LORD"
God gloriously validated the new tabernacle with supernatural manifestations, including fire from Heaven to consume the sacrifices. God sent fire upon consecrated sacrifices numerous times in the Old Testament. Fire is a symbol of the Holy Ghost. 120 New Testament believers consecrated themselves in prayer in the Upper Room at Jerusalem. God sent His Spirit with tongues of fire falling on them all.
Leviticus 9:24 - "And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces."
Give God a Way In
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land.
– Malachi 3:11-12
God is vitally interested in your finances. He wants to multiply and protect them. But He won’t be able to—unless you open the door for Him to do it.
How? Through tithing.
When you tithe, you give God the legal right to intervene in your financial affairs, to bless you richly, and to defend you against the destruction the devil brings. When you tithe, you lay a foundation for success and abundance. You establish deposits with God you can draw on when you need them.
But don’t wait until your back is against the wall to start. Begin now. Start developing your faith when things are going well by meditating on the blessings God’s Word promises you as a tither. Learn to act on that Word now, and when Satan tries to put you in a financial corner, he’ll fail. His power over you financially will have already been broken. Because you’ve established yourself on the covenant of God, Satan will have no chance against you. God will rebuke him for your sake.
If you haven’t yet opened the door and given God a way in to your finances, don’t wait any longer. Do it today. Then, when the pressures of tomorrow come, you’ll be prepared and protected by the special privileges that are guaranteed to those who tithe.
Evidence of a Miracle
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
– Hebrews 11:1
Don’t ever short-circuit a miracle by trying to see it in progress! So many believers do that. They’ll lay hands on someone and pray for healing or deliverance and then, when they don’t see any immediate, outward change take place, they’ll withdraw their faith and assume nothing happened.
The Lord taught me an unforgettable lesson about that once when I was in Jamaica. I was preaching to a group of about 150 people in a church.
Suddenly I realized that I’d always depended on the facial expressions of the people I was preaching to to determine how my sermon was being received. Knowing what I did about faith, I knew that was dangerous. So I made a quality decision at that moment never to preach another sermon except by faith. I would not be swayed by the expressions of people.
Before that series of meetings was over, I saw just how important that decision could be. The Mishawaka, Indiana church who tend to show very little expression anyway, sat through every sermon without any outward reaction at all.
One lady’s daughter was completely healed during one of those meetings. She never let on that anything had taken place. She never said anything to me but recently my wife received a message from her saying her daughter was healed , “I was in a meeting with Brother Ashcraft and others over 30 years ago, my daughter was 3 years ago at the time had cerebral palsy, but was healed, Thank you.” That was all! A miracle had taken place, and by watching, you wouldn’t have been able to tell anything had happened at all.
Next time you’re tempted to evaluate what God is doing by the looks of things, don’t do it. Remember instead that it is faith, not appearances, that makes miracles happen. It’s the only real evidence that you need!
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