OMBS7/ Not of this World

PRAYER - "Bamah" Israel chose high hills, built altars to idols, made sweet savors, poured drink offerings, passed their children through the fire, and polluted themselves with abominations. God said, "What do you call this place?" They said, "Bamah" - the same high place where Balak worshipped Baal, and took Balaam (Numbers 22:41). They grossly offended the only God who could really hear them. Ezekiel 20:31-33 - "Shall I be enquired of by you? ...As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you. ...with a mighty hand, ...and with fury poured out, will I rule over you." PRINCIPALS - "Sisters: Jerusalem, Samaria, Sodom" God called Samaria "thine elder sister," and Sodom "thy younger sister." The sins of Sodom were pride, fullness of bread, idleness, neglecting the poor and needy, haughtiness. Moreover, they "committed abominations," (gross immoralities). But Jerusalem "wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. ...neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins." God said that Samaria and Sodom would someday be restored, and Jerusalem would be ashamed that she was worse than they, and renew her covenant with God.  Ezekiel 16:61 - "Thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger." PRINCIPLES - "The Soul That Sinneth, It Shall Die" Israel had a proverb which said, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." God hated the proverb. They said, "Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father?" God said, "No." "All souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." Nobody goes to hell for somebody else's sins. Ezekiel 18:5,9 - "If a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, ...he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD."  PROPHECIES - "God Judged Jerusalem For Her Whoredoms" God cursed Jerusalem for committing spiritual adultery with other nations and other gods. "Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians, ...Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, ...multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; ...thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers." God demands His people to be separate from the rest of the world. Ezekiel 16:37-42 - "I will gather all thy lovers, ...with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, ...and execute judgments upon thee, ...So will I make my fury toward thee to rest." Not of This World

Whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith. - 1 John 5:4, The Amplified Bible

Years ago the devil started a rumor. He told a few Christians that as long as they lived in the world, they had to suffer as the world did. He told them they had to share the diseases and the defeat, the poverty and the failure of those around them. It was a crafty lie—and it worked. Believers accepted it and began to spread it among themselves. You may have even heard it yourself. If so, I want to help you put that rumor to rest today. I want to help you get the facts straight once and for all. You see, despite what you may have heard, health, prosperity and victorious living aren’t concepts some comfort-hungry believer selfishly dreamed up. They are God’s ideas. You may say, “That sounds good, Gloria, but we’ve got to be realistic. We live in a world that’s full of problems. And as long as we live in this world, it seems to me we’re going to have our share.” Yes, that’s true. Even Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration.” But notice, He didn’t stop there! He went on to say, “But be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you]” (John 16:33, The Amplified Bible). Most believers don’t have any trouble believing the first part of that verse. They know all too well how many tribulations, trials, distresses and frustrations surround them. But they’re less certain about the last part. They haven’t yet experienced for themselves exactly what Jesus meant when He said He had deprived those things of power to harm them. Why not? Because they’re still living as though they’re part of the world. But, listen. Jesus said you and I are to be “sanctified,” or separated from the evils of this world. How? Through the Word of God (John 17:17)! The Word of God will separate you from the world. His Word will set His dream for victory into motion in your life. If you’ll receive it and believe it, speak it and act on it, that Word will set you apart from those around you. It will take you from trouble to triumph again and again.

Plan of Salvation read acts 2:38