OUR NATION IS CORRUPT TO THE BONES

Amos is a shepherd and a fruit picker from the Judean village of Tekoa when God calls him, even though he lacks education or a priestly background. Amos’ mission is directed to his neighbor to the north, Israel. His messages of impending doom and captivity for the nation because of her sins are largely unpopular and unheeded, however, because not since the days of Solomon have times been so good in Israel. Amos’ ministry takes place while Jeroboam II reigns over Israel, and Uzziah reigns over Judah. Amos 2:4, “This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed.” Amos 3:7, “Surely the…

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Watchman: Daily Devotional, Every Challenge in Life Is a Test to Discover if We Will Face It With Faith or Skepticism. Falling Into the Lake Was the Last Thing Peter Wanted to Do, but the Distraction of the Physical Caused Him to Do Just That

Matthew 14:31-33 (NIV) 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” While Jesus walked up the mountain to pray, He dispatched the disciples ahead. They rowed against the wind, which prevented them from crossing the lake. During the last few hours before dawn, Jesus appeared to them, walking on the lake. The Jews called the lake’s depths the Abyss. They were terrified to see a figure walking on the water, but Jesus explained who He was and that they need not be afraid. (Job 9:8) Peter requested to meet Jesus on the lake. He was invited to come…

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THE ‘HOW TO’ AND ‘HOW NOT TO’ OF THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION!- 2Cor.5:19

By Edward O’Hara, Adam was only flesh when he was made. Even with the knowledge of good and evil he was still only flesh. This is why God wouldn’t allow him to continue to eat from the tree of life to live forever. Because…. “Flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God”. 1Cor.15:56 Adam was an earth suit. A living soul that was only equipped to live here on earth. Made of flesh alone and without spirit. But, because God ultimately wants man in heaven with Him. And heaven is a spiritual kingdom. This is why Adam was placed in circumstances where he was to most likely eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This would give to him free will and dominion, in a place surrounded by choices he was not yet fully…

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Watchman Daily Devotional:Sometimes It Appears Like the Lord Is Mercifully Sparing Us From the Repercussions of Our Unbelief. It Could Even Appear That Our Wickedness Is Helping Us. Be Warned Its Not

Genesis 12:13 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake. Abram (whose name will later become Abraham) had followed the voice of the divine, departed from his homeland and community, and journeyed into Canaan as directed. At that moment, God’s presence revealed itself to him and made a covenant to grant the land to his future generations. During a time of scarcity, Abram traveled to Egypt in search of food. He was aware of the Egyptians’ admiration for beauty and feared for his life and his wife’s safety. He devised a plan to protect himself from the danger by having his wife claim she was his sister. It was what some might consider a harmless untruth. She was, after all, his half-sister…

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Watchman Daily Devotional: God Has Shown Us Over and Over That He Is Faithful, One Little Test Comes Along and We Ask if He Is Really With Us or Not

King James Version And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? Once more, the people became upset due to the lack of water. Once more, Moses was held responsible. They had not absorbed the final teaching from the miracle of daily provision. The provider of our needs is the Lord. This time, a new element was added to the situation. They inquired about the presence of the God among them. They witnessed and encountered the remarkable events that occurred in Egypt – from crossing the sea to witnessing water changing, experiencing fear, and receiving bread in the wilderness. After witnessing the glory of the LORD in the guiding cloud, they now question whether God…

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WHY BELIEVING YOU MUST KEEP THE LAW MEANS YOU ARE SHUT UP FROM A SAVING FAITH- Gal.3:23-26

By Edward O’Hara , As I have said many times before. If you are defining sin by what the law says you are in the wrong covenant. The reason this is so very important for we who profess to believe in Jesus is that being in the wrong covenant keeps us from knowing Him and having the eternal life that is only made possible by knowing Him. This is why Paul said in Gal.3:23 while Israel was under the law they were “shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.” A faith that Paul says in Rom.10:17 “comes by hearing. And hearing by the word of God.” To show that faith for eternal life is only found in the New Covenant. And could not be found in the Old. Which is why we see that those in the…

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Watchman: If Only His People Would Listen–But First We Must Come to Him by Faith, Listen to His Voice, and Obey

By SRH, Just three days following the miraculous passage of the sea, the Israelites started griping about the scarcity of water. In the first well, the water tasted bitter. The water became drinkable once Moses tossed in a specific tree, as God had instructed. Is it possible that this is a representation of how Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made this world more bearable? God showed them another side of His character in the very following sentence. They would be delivered from the sicknesses they witnessed in Egypt, He promised, if they would just hear His voice, do what was right, listen to His commandments, and observe His regulations. “I am YHWH Rapha,” God declared. To put it another way, He is the divine healer. The Lord would heal their illnesses in the same way that He had healed the…

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Augustine of Hippo; pillar of the Christian Faith? Or Just another Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?- Heb.2:14

By Edward O’Hara, This man is credited, and rightly so, with the introduction for the Roman Catholic Church to her belief in the doctrine of original sin and sin nature. Also known as “necessity” in Augustine’s writings. Which is actually the introduction of Gnosticism into the that religion. And what was as many who recognized it as such at the time stated outright, a massive departure, a great falling away if you will, from the Biblical doctrine of salvation delivered to us through the apostles. But, and this is where our focus will be today, on top of this he was a man captive to the practice, or lifestyle, of fornicating with harlots. Which is what prompted him in the first place to look for an excuse for this seemingly uncontrollable bad behavior that he had come to believe was…

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EDWARD O’HARA: THE FAITH THAT COMES BY HEARING IS RIGHTEOUSNESS- ROM.10

aith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. What does this mean to you? When I hear these words it means that as we hear the message of the gospel and we are made aware of a choice we need to make. And when we make the free will choice to believe the gospel we are given the gift of faith. And now having this gift it gives us the ability to grow into the man or woman of God God wants us to be. If we will continue hearing God’s word. This growth happens when we go from saying yes to the gospel message when we first heard it. To continuing to hear God’s word. Because by this God builds into us a frame of reference by which we can understand more and more of His…

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Watchman Daily Devotional, Be Joyful; Pray Always; Give Thanks; Yield To the Spirit

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; The author of the New Testament letters lists numerous imperative, present-tense demands multiple times. The Greek verb tense indicates that we need to follow each of these directions immediately. We are to be happy now and forever. It is a spiritual fruit. Happiness is not the same as joy. How could you be happy and cry with others who cry? Joy is considerably more than just your current emotional condition. It is the feeling you get when you think your loving Father is in control of everything. Happiness in the face of adversity is a potent sign that your faith is genuine. The second directive is…

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