How do we know what God wants from us, if we are not reading His Word (the Bible)? We also must and I say we MUST think critically when we read the Scriptures! This is essential for us to understand what the Scriptures are actually saying! (Introduction slides to explain what I mean about this… thinking critically! 40% Torah Commands Priesthood)
The major purpose of the Torah, generally speaking, is the Lord God Almighty calling His people to come out of the World, to not be influenced by the wickedness, immorality, and the ungodliness of this generation, and this present age that we live in! When we think critically about this, we are reminded about what God has done – how from the beginning, God chose people to be His special people!
Deuteronomy 4:34
“Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?”
Note that this continues to happen today though the power of faith and men turning from their sins, miracles of healing (my wife), and seeking the God of Israel and Jesus His Messiah! From the sense of what the scriptures say here, historically God delivered Israel powerfully in the Exodus. Today He delivers us powerfully every day as people from all nations who believe in Jesus as the Messiah of God! Note in Revelation John saw people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, which confirms this!
Deuteronomy 7:6
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”
Did you know that this describes us too? We are grafted into Israel through the Tribe of Judah because our faith in Jesus! We are adopted children of God!
Pastor Bruce has been studying the epistle of 1 John. (Biblical Theology: It’s the idea that you must consider the entire counsel of Scripture when interpreting Scripture. Scripture is seen as God’s revelation to humanity from beginning to end. Though there are different eras they are not separate from each other, but flow together showing a continuity in who God and how mankind is to be saved!) So, I want to look at this today alongside of a select number of verses from the Torah. I want to read through 1 John chapter 1 and part of chapter 2, then look at God’s commands (Leviticus 18), and try to think critically about the text in relation to what does God expect from us as His people? Remember, we need to think critically here, to actually use our brains, our ability to reason and understand what the Scriptures actually teach us! So, let’s begin!
1 John 1
1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 1:2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 1:3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1:4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (NASB)
When we begin thinking critically about this, we have to ask ourselves “what does it mean to walk in the light?” Or put another way, what does it mean to walk a godly life? (1 Timothy 2:2, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 Timothy 4:7–8, 1 Timothy 6:3, 1 Timothy 6:6, 1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 3:5, Titus 1:1, 2 Peter 1:3, 2 Peter 1:6–7) Light throughout the bible and the NT text, is paralleled to “righteousness.” What we note about these verses in 1 John 1 is the importance of understanding what sin is, and the need for repentance and seeking forgiveness from the Lord God in heaven. Note something here, according to John, we are still accountable to sin, and we are accountable for repenting and seeking our Father in heaven for forgiveness in the Name of Jesus Christ believing and trusting in the finished work of Christ! However, believing and trusting in the work of Christ does not mean we can go out and sin without a second thought about it! God calls us to holiness.
1 John 2:1-5
2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 2:3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 2:4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 2:5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:
Notice something here about what John is saying. He says in verse 5 whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. This calls to memory what Jesus said back in Matthew 22:34–40, Mark 12:28–34, Luke 10:25–28 about the greatest command. What is the greatest command? To love the Lord your God (referencing Deuteronomy 6). Notice that John says in 1 John 2:4-5, the one who keeps God’s commands, God’s word, in him is the love of God perfected. Notice how John provides us with the understanding that loving God, and that love being perfected is accomplished when one keeps the commands of God! Notice how John provides further context and explanation as we go in in 1 John 2:6-13.
1 John 2:6-10
2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 2:7 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 2:9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 2:10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
We note here that John says he is not writing a new command but an old one. And what example does he provide? The example of hating your brother (which Jesus said was analogous to committing murder in one’s heart, Matthew 5:22) Notice how in the Torah it does not say you are not allowed to hate your brother. It does say you are to love your neighbor like yourself. (Leviticus 19:18) Note that murder is not a new command, but the new command is connected to this of which Jesus elevated to a higher standard, we are not to even think about murder in our hearts, in other words, hating your brother.
1 John 2:11-17
2:11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 2:12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. 2:13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 2:14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 2:17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
The text of 1 John 2 goes on to speak about the Anti-Christ and such, but we will stop here at verse seventeen… Notice how John expresses light and darkness as righteousness and unrighteousness, respectively.
To me it is obvious what John is saying here. The things he is speaking about is the call for God’s people to come out of the World, to not be influenced by the wickedness, immorality, and the ungodliness of this generation, and this present age. The major point is that we must read the bible to understand these truths. Note something about the importance of knowing God’s Word and having it hidden in our hearts. If we choose to search the internet for answers to our bible questions, it is important to know that google does not have the Holy Spirit! The same way with Ai (artificial intelligence), Ai does not have the Holy Spirit! Google and Ai are going to return results that can lead to serious confusion! The reason being these technologies do not have the Spirit of God in them. If we know what the scriptures say, the Holy Spirit of God will help us to discern the truth! The indwelling of God’s presence in us by His Holy Spirit, is an absolute necessity for understanding truth about the bible. And note the context of having inspiration from God to know the truth based on what John wrote in 1 John 1-2!
I said earlier that knowing what the Scriptures says is absolutely essential for knowing what God wants for us! And I am trying to connect this to what John said, and to this concept of the danger of demonic ideologies and what God’s commands are saying to us. So, let’s turn to Leviticus 18 and look at the first five verses. Leviticus 18:1-5, says the following:
Leviticus 18:1-5
18:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18:2 ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. 18:3 ‘You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. 18:4 ‘You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God. 18:5 ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord. (NASB)
Note what Paul says in Romans 10 concerning that last verse (Leviticus 18:5), he quotes from the Torah. Notice what the Lord God is saying here. He is telling Moses to tell the people specifically, “You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes.” This idea of not walking in their statutes is an everlasting command that is just as relevant for us today as it was in the day that Moses wrote this down! The reason God gave this command was to explain to us that we are to come out of the world and live our lives for the Lord God of Israel because we are the children of God! We note that sin is disobedience to God’s commands! What are God’s commands? This is God’s law! If we do not follow what God says in the bible as his people, we are sinning before God.
We also note what Jesus did for us, he died for us, and we are sanctified in heaven by His blood! The point of our being made clean in heaven in the blood of the Messiah is that now we are called as His people to walk in that sanctification. So, we should be asking ourselves now how do I walk/live in that sanctification? We do so according to what is written in all of Scripture! Note how this actually parallels following / walking in the footsteps of Jesus. (Matthew 16:24, 1 Peter 2:21) It is unfortunate today however to observe how many Christians have adopted a secular human worldview that also finds its way into modern theologies, that we can live our lives in a way that parallels the way of the world because we are forgiven in Jesus. Note that God said you are not to walk in their statutes! He is speaking to His people! Do you consider yourself a member of God’s people?
Let’s read some of these statutes of God are that Moses wrote about in Leviticus 18:6-30. Note the topics that are covered in these verses are sexual sin, idolatry, and human sacrifice.
Vayikra / Leviticus 18:6-30
18:6 ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord. 18:7 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness. 18:8 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 18:9 ‘The nakedness of your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover. 18:10 ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for their nakedness is yours. 18:11 ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 18:12 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s blood relative. 18:13 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s blood relative. 18:14 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your aunt. 18:15 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 18:16 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 18:17 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives. It is lewdness. 18:18 ‘You shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness. 18:19 ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity. 18:20 ‘You shall not have intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her. 18:21 ‘You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. 18:22 ‘You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. 18:23 ‘Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. 18:24 ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 18:25 ‘For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 18:26 ‘But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you 18:27 (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); 18:28 so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. 18:29 ‘For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. 18:30 ‘Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the Lord your God.’‘ (NASB)
All of these things are what the world does today, and this is most prevalent on television and the internet! Notice how the text in Leviticus 18 is written, these categories are grouped together, sexual sin, idolatry, and sacrificing to demons such as Molech. Notice what Paul writes in one of his epistles… Paul also connects these things together: sexual sin, sacrificing-worshiping and serving demons in 1 Corinthians 6:15–20 and 10:19–21 (Note also how in 1 Corinthians 10:20 and note also how Paul was drawing on the Torah in Deuteronomy 32:17, which says: “They sacrificed to demons, which are not God—gods they had not known…”) How are these things manifested in today’s world? Well note how the world promotes embracing LGBTQ lifestyles, homosexuality, immorality, liberal ideologies, and the “woke” gospel instead of the Gospel that is given us according to the Scriptures. Note this is what John spoke about in 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. (NASB) John is talking about what we are reading in Leviticus 18! When one pursues these things or accepts them … it becomes a god to them. I take examples such as how people literally worship celebrities, sports, politicians, or longing for material wealth, sexual sin, lifestyles such as LGBTQ, etc. Note if your heart longs for material things, or these other things listed here, as opposed for the presence of God, this may be an indicator of having adopted the custom of the world which is against what God had commanded (…you shall not walk in their statutes). The idolatry of material things and what we had just mentioned will lead to not having the power of God in our lives. (Think from the perspective of not having our prayers answered and note Psalms 66:18) Note also how these things cause one to seek comfort in fleeting pleasure over suffering and courage, the two things that are absolutely a part of the unapologetic and authentic life of faith. The time for lukewarm faith is over. We who are saved are able to see what is coming in this world based upon the Scriptures, and so we need to raise up and proclaim the word of the Lord and the name of Jesus the Messiah as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We have to be deterministic in our establishing the family and raising our children to know and love the Lord and reading our bible every day!
Some scholars think the context of Leviticus 18:3 which says, “… After the doings of the land of Egypt … shall you not do,” is a reference to the practice of sacrificing to the demons mentioned in Leviticus 17:7 and is being connected to the doings of the land of Canaan. (Note abortion today and the church of Satan what they said in court about abortion!) These things are connected to the forbidden sexual relationships, in which the Canaanites did. Let’s read Leviticus 17:6-9 states,
Leviticus 17:6–9
17:6 “The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting and offer up the fat in smoke as a soothing aroma to the LORD. 17:7 “They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations.” ’ 17:8 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 17:9 and does not bring it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man also shall be cut off from his people. (NASB95)
Note we see there the house of Israel and the ger, the non-Jew! Notice also how both the Jew and non-Jew were to bring sacrifices to the tent of meeting (Tabernacle and Temple). Notice how this parallels the gentiles being grafted in! Note also what this is saying. It is essentially the same thing here in Leviticus 17 as Leviticus 18, we must go to God and seek His ways, not the way of the nations! Another significant point is how there is a connection of demonic activity to sexual sin! Sexual sin is a modern-day litmus test (indicator) of demonic activity! This is how and why we are being warned to not commit idolatry. Remember, in the NT this is how Paul sees these things too:
Colossians 3:4–6
3:4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 3:6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, (NASB)
Note that if we do not know the word of God, we cannot make these connections! Do you see why I implore everyone here to read your bible daily and read through it annually! Can you see the significance and importance of this?
Notice, what Paul is saying here is exactly what is going on today with those involved in LGBTQ and pornography have idolized sexual sin! Notice how the way these texts are written helps us to understand how the Egyptians were enslaved to carnality in all forms of forbidden relations, with men-men, and women-women, with mothers, fathers, siblings, even with cattle (animals). This is obvious from the statement “there were also sodomites in the land which were there from the beginning until now.” (1 Kings 14:24) These things testify to the ways of the world as described in the Egyptian and Canaanite communities and what happens if these practices remain in the midst of the communities. We know today people accept or tolerate these things in their respective communities, even Christians do! These things are what God commands to not have any part in, but yet today thousands of believers are embracing these things and bringing them into their homes through television and the internet! These things are what is known as the abomination of the nations that God hates and calls His people out from according to both the Torah and the NT text!
Now you see if we do not read the bible, if we do not study all of Scripture, and if we believe that the Law has passed away, we will never come to understand what God wants for us as His people! We can never truly understand what John is writing to us in his epistle! These commands such as what we read in Leviticus 18:1-30 obviously still apply to us today! There is no way to reason around this!
After reading the text (Leviticus 18) and understanding what exactly the nations have done, is it surprising the Lord is driving them out of the Land? (i.e. human sacrifice and immorality) In fact, God said that if we do these things the land itself will drive us out if we do not walk in God’s ways! Moses continues saying at the end of chapter 18,
Leviticus 18:24-30
18:24 ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 18:25 ‘For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 18:26 ‘But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you 18:27 (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); 18:28 so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. 18:29 ‘For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. 18:30 ‘Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the Lord your God.’‘ (NASB)
We note how God tells us “Do not sin in all of these things” because we will become defiled by these things. What happens to a gallon of water if we put a tablespoon of toxic waste into it? It becomes unusable, and it cannot even be poured out on the ground! What the Lord is warning us about is the kind of bondage that one can fall into if we embrace the way of the nations. (Leviticus 18:28 if you defile your house it will be destroyed, and if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the nations that were before you.) Note again how the Lord God commands saying, “But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you.” This speaks about living among those who promote these kinds of lifestyles. You see, what happens when these things are always playing on our television, the internet, and in our communities? We become desensitized to them and eventually accept what God calls “the abomination of the nations” into our hearts. And then we wonder where the power of God is in our lives. The warning is that if we live among them, we will become like them. This is the very definition of what it means “to come out from this world” and “to not walk in the ways of the world,” etc. Again, God says that we become defiled by these things when walking in the abominations of the nations.
Notice also how these nations were singled out: Egypt and Canaan. Canaan consisted of an agglomeration of nations. It was a melting pot like the USA today, a composition of many people from various nations! The question is: Were these nations more corrupt than those of the other nations? Remember that both Egypt and Canaan where guilty of the religious practice of human sacrifice.
Egypt
In Egypt human sacrifice was practiced in ancient Egyptian religion. The most notable form was what was called a retainer sacrifice, where servants or officials were killed to accompany a deceased pharaoh into the afterlife. This practice was primarily observed during the First Dynasty (c. 3100–2900 BC). In addition, some early Egyptian burials, such as those from the Naqada II period (c. 3500–3200 BC), show signs of ritual killings, including decapitated bodies. There is also evidence that criminals or prisoners of war were sacrificed in religious ceremonies to reinforce the king’s divine authority because we note that the Pharaoh considered himself a son of the gods.
Canaan
Molech (Leviticus 18:21) was a deity associated with child sacrifice. The worship of Molech involved burning children in fire, a practice condemned by God according to Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Scholars traditionally link Molech to the Canaanites, though some suggest it was also practiced by Phoenicians and Carthaginians. We also note Archaeological findings in Carthage reveal burial sites containing remains of infants, possibly sacrificed to Ba’al and Tanit, which some scholars connect to Molech worship.
Egypt and Canaan were singled out specifically because having been delivered from Egypt, they know what the Egyptians are capable of, and they are coming into the land of Canaan, which God says is guilty of the same sins. We also note that it is not just the sins of the nations that is a danger, but their customs are also dangerous so as to draw us away from truth and life in God’s Word as Moses wrote saying in Leviticus 18, “So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.” Also, remember the NT parallel to this Torah command when Paul wrote when he said in Romans 10:5.
Romans 10:5
10:5 For Moses writes of the righteousness that is based on the Law, that the person who performs them will live by them. (NASB)
This describes the way a man will live if he orders his life according to God’s Word, or the way a man will live if he orders his life according to the world. The one who adopts or accepts the worlds ideologies the Scriptures reveal to us: “he will live by them.”
Note also how the issue of the customs of the nations is the connection to their religious service. This idea of tolerance leads to compromising the Word of God in our lives. This is an extremely important concept in light of what is happening in today’s world! The customs of the nations (the demonic ideologies) are filled with selfish desires, individualism, lust, greed, ungodliness, and lies about the history of the world. Through television, the internet, movies, the newspaper, and elsewhere, the enemy is trying to condition us to be lukewarm in our approach to the Scriptures and our relationship with God. This is where we must be determined to order our lives according to God’s Word! We also cannot do that if we are not daily reading the bible! We must also be determined to raise our children with a biblical world view, or the Enemy will capture them under its demonic secular humanism world view. We must live out our faith before our children so they will know what it is like to live a godly life in this world. Living our lives for the Lord is what it means to be called out from the nations! We are the children of the Almighty God! This is why John exhorts us in his epistle to turn from the world, to repent, turn from sin, and walk in God’s ways of holiness, justice, and truth! This is the foundation stone that is being taught throughout the Scriptures! Jesus also taught us these things in his ministry while he was here on earth! In addition to this, by faith in Jesus, we literally receive the presence of God via the Holy Spirit who will help us to overcome sin and walk in God’s holy ways! Yes, we struggle with sin daily! And John told us according to 1 John 2:1 “…if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;” God is powerful to deliver us from sin!
I believe we as God’s people are responsible to obey God’s commands because we are not supposed to sin, as 1 John speaks about, but also because we are God’s people through faith in Jesus Christ. When we stand before the judgment throne on that last day, what I envision in the heavenly court, is the adversary will be there to accuse us, making all kinds of accusations. There may even be a list of our sins read off. But the final judgement will be because this man lived a repentant life and believed in Jesus and what Jesus had done to make atonement for sin; his sins are forgiven! This is why Paul wrote that the goal/end of the Torah is the Messiah! Because our sins lead us to the need to seek forgiveness of sins in the Messiah of God! This is the hope and the promise of the Messiah that was given to us from the very beginning! (Genesis 3:15) Our God is merciful to forgive us our sins! And He is gracious to give us eternal life because of what Jesus did on our behalf! This is the God we serve! Halleluiah! Remember, if we do not know our bible, we cannot understand these things the way God wants us to understand them!
Heavenly Father,
Forgive us for our sins… have mercy on us and help us to be overcomers! We thank you Lord for sending your son Jesus to die us! We believe what the Scriptures say about Jesus and what He has done for us! We also believe in the power of Your presence in our lives! Please send your Holy Spirit to dwell in our lives and enable us to bring glory to Your Name by walking in Your Holy and Righteous ways! We believe that Jesus is our guide, and that he showed us how to do these things! Set the person who is in bondage today free from their sin! And help us all to wholeheartedly seek you Father and put your word first in our lives! In Jesus’ name we pray! Amen!
