Monday, December 7, 2015

You Must be Born Again

Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 AMP).

Vision of a Crying Man

Given to Jaydeen on December 5, 2015

“I saw a vision of a man crying and begging to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but He was denied entry. He begged, ‘Please let me in, let me in’ while crying bitterly with tears running. I then heard the Lord say, “You may not enter because only those who are born again are welcome here.” This was the end of the vision.

Brief interpretation

The man in the vision is known to us. This young man is doing some good charitable work in the community and he also attends some church services and prayer meetings. This has led him to believe that he will be accepted because of what he is doing. He is committed to the work he is doing, but not to the Lord. Our work must issue from a love for the Lord and this feat is possible only when we are born again. Therefore, the Lord’s message to the gentleman and to ‘Christians’ who reject the born-again message is clear: only the born again may enter His fellowship and not those who rely on self-effort (John 3:5-6).

Some Christian’s Rejection of the Born Again Message

I was recently introduced to a pastor by a friend who worked on our vehicle. Soon after our introduction, the pastor and I had a discussion, bearing in mind that Scripturally, we are expected to encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13). The Lord knows that I always avoid entering into quarrels regarding the Scriptures, but when people ask if some doubt or confusion exist, I am accommodating. However, my pastor friend challenged me to a ‘theological debate’, which I reluctantly accepted. In a nutshell, he outrightly rejected the born-again experience as unreal. I in return challenged him on his faith and acceptance of Scriptural testimony of which he could not provide adequate justification. He subsequently requested that we drop the discussion and left in a hurry without offering an excuse. In this case, simply ignoring Scriptural facts to uphold a position of belief has some serious eternal consequences. We have not been called to follow a church’s creed, but to obey and follow the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 5:29; John 10:27). Countless people are being led astray because they don’t spend time reading the Scriptures for themselves, and so they become followers of men rather than of Jesus Christ the Lord.

The world at large and some sections of the Christian communities grossly neglect and simply ignore the Lord’s command that we must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. In my observation, those who ignore this teaching come largely from the historically traditional churches. Some have offered similar reasoning like Nicodemus asking, ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ (John 3:4). Others, due to ignorance of the Scriptures, are unaware that they should be born again. Yet others have dangerously rejected this teaching to their own detriment. The principle of faith is best presented by our Lord Jesus Christ when He said, “I assure you that whoever tells this hill to get up and throw itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him” (Mark 11:23 GNT). Herein, the Lord clearly highlights that our faith will yield God’s approval and grant our request (Hebrews 11:6). The point is “… according to your faith will it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29). Therefore, if we lack faith and decide to simply ignore this command of the Lord of being born again, our choice would not be automatically converted by the Lord, because God’s rewards are tied to our faith and obedience to Him (Jeremiah 17:10).

There is no automatic superimposition of God’s will upon a believer's life; the order of God’s gifts, punishment and blessings rest entirely on our faith (Romans 2:6; Revelation 22:12). As it is, believers in traditional churches lean more on the teachings of socially acceptable behaviour and with faith in God attached to a church doctrine. These teachings disregard the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit and express a position of faith with the absence of expressing the truly born-again experience, which is the energetic expression of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 6:3-6).

Christian Attitude Towards Bible Teachings

Therefore, and in the light of this, it is utterly hypocritical of any person who calls himself a Christian to ignore clear and unambiguous Scriptural instructions. An equally disturbing tendency is that some Christian sects twist the actual meaning of certain Scriptures to lend more credence to a certain doctrinal position, while rendering the proper Scriptural context in a biased way. We have heard people saying that they believe they were born again when they were baptized or christened (committed as Christian) while babies. Children already belong to the Lord (Matthew 19:14) and being baptized by water is good and commendable; the Lord Himself was baptized saying, “…it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”(Matthew 3:16). However, the Bible is clear that being born again is not something a parent, husband, or any other human being can plan or decide for us; but those who repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour are the ones who become born of God (Romans 10:9-10; John 1:13; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 5:1). The Lord promised in this new covenant (Ezekiel 36:24-29), that He would give His children a new heart (Acts 15:9) and a new spirit; His Spirit (1 John 4:13) to “move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). And as we shared in the article, Duties of a True Born Again Christian, after we become born again (saved), we become a new creation and are told to "take off the old man corrupted by evil desires" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22-25).The ‘old man’ is corrupted by worldliness and the desires our carnal natures feed onto (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:17-26). The “old self” does not care about keeping God’s law, but in Christ “..our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). We become slaves to righteousness and learn to walk in love and obedience while repenting of all our sins (Romans 6:17-18; 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:18).

Life in the Spirit

A systematic approach to the Scriptures gives us a justified position of accepting the truth of how we ought to live and believe. The Scriptures clearly declare the transition from the Old Testament way of life (Romans 2:12; Hebrews 8:6-13) to the new life in the New Testament dispensation - life in the Spirit (Acts 15:8-11; Romans 8:2-11). The apostles, who were eye witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who first experienced the powerful effect of the Holy Spirit in their own lives (Acts 2:2-4) urged us to build ourselves up in this new life (Jude 1:20; 1 John 4:13; 1 Peter 4:14; Galatians 5:16). How can we deny such a Scripturally well-defined and presented teaching such as being born again? Are we not denying the spirituality of our experience while we try to derive meaning from a carnal explanation which does not rely on faith but physical evidence (2 Corinthians 5:7). Therefore, this is uncompromisingly true that the believer upon accepting Christ as Lord by way of confessing faithfulness to Him receives by faith God’s Holy Spirit as an adoption to sonship (Romans 8:15). This experience happens in God’s realm and it is faith-based and simply beyond human reason or comprehension. On the outside, the external or more visible evidence being the fruit of our association with the Lord (John 15:4-5; Matthew 3:8).

As a direct result of our union with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17), the born again experience of being gentle, kind, Joyful, loving, faithful, forgiving, humble or being truthful gives an expression to our Christian faith and way of life (Galatians 5:22-23). Additionally, in being a Christian we are not pretending when we serve you with humility and kindness, but we do so in obedience to the Lord and we are being enabled by His Spirit who is at work in us for your good (John 14:26; Philippians 2:13). Evidently, the Lord ascribes a Christians’ good character as issuing from a loving heart for Him, and it is an undeniable fact in life. Love unites and gives assurance even to the most hardened and unkind person (John 13:35; 1 Peter 3:15-16). In the Scriptures, we learned thatChrist came to offer us a new way of life and all those of us who accepted Him as Lord are being enabled by His constant corrections and convictions through the work of the Holy Spirit in us (John 16:7-8). The Scriptural verdict is clear “…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 KJV).

If you are not yet born again and would like to put away your old self with its sinful desires and become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22-25), the Lord Jesus Christ is willing and able to do this and save you (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10). As a born again believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will overcome the world (1 John 5:4-5)! To begin a relationship with the Him, please start by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed regards,
Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Deception and Confusing Times Ahead

“Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Timothy 4:1 HCSB).

“But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 HCSB).

Brethren, we will be very brief in this week’s article as we are sharing a warning from the Lord about confusing times ahead. Therefore, messages with prophetic overtones do not need human input in terms of interpretation, except that we are just commanded to convey God’s message. In my experience, the Lord would give me the interpretation of a message in a vision by what I sense or discern is being impressed on me. The Bible reminds us: “First of all, you should know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (1 Peter 1:21 HCSB).

Short Vision of Confusing Times

On Friday, October 30, 2015, I (Brother Glenn) was shown in a vision by the Lord four sentences, of which I was only allowed to read and understand the meaning of only the first sentence and the last one.

The first sentence read as follows: “People must not be taught about Heaven anymore because it does not exist.”

The last sentence read: “We must not teach the people about the Lord Jesus Christ anymore, but about Lord … christ”. The three dots replaces the name that was written there but I was not permitted to remember it.

As an interpretation, what I was meant to understand after reading, was that the enemy, Satan, was working to spread a false message among people in an attempt to discredit the Bible and the actual existence of Heaven. Also, new teachings about another “Lord” will be welcomed as a “Christ” would be introduced to the world. In the vision, I could feel how real this message seemed and how confused I was as to what the truth really was. I could also discern that many people believed and followed this ‘new’ teaching.

I also understood this ‘Lord’ was a reference to the Antichrist. While still stunned by this message, I heard the Lord say: You know the truth about Me, Lord Jesus Christ(John 14:6). It was after the Lord said this that I came out of that confusing state. In support of this vision, we cited the Scriptures above and the apostle Paul also briefly mentioned the power and influence that the lawless man would have (2 Thessalonians 2:4-10). People should not marvel at this vision because there are false churches like the Mormons, Jehovah witnesses and others which have a large and faithful following (We hope and plan to write a brief summary on the characteristics of false Churches in the next few weeks). Biblically, this spirit has been around since even during the times of the apostles (1 John 4:1-3).

In conclusion to this vision, I cannot say whether this was before or after the rapture. I only share what I saw, heard and felt in the vision. Personally, I am not comfortable speaking or writing about a message if I don’t understand it, and that is why I choose to only share what the Lord gives. In many prayers I asked the Lord never to send me with a message that I don’t understand or can identify with.

The Mistaken Approach to Bible Prophecy Interpretation

As Christians, most of us have fallen into the temptation of giving a narrow-minded interpretation to some end-time related prophetic utterances in the Bible. As a result, we find that there are countless books written on the subject with various interpretations. There are also very many failed predictions that some people have made over the years regarding the doctrine of eschatology, especially in relation to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Undoubtedly, the message of the end times is a great message of hope and every discerning Christian is eagerly waiting for this event to happen. However, throughout the Bible, we witness how God gave His servants (the prophets) messages and awesome, but highly symbolic, prophetic visions of future things and yet none of them lived to see them fulfilled (Daniel 12:1-13). These men, and in their fear for God, did not make an attempt to give their own interpretations to God’s hidden messages, unlike the trend today where almost everyone claims prophetic authority. While it is commendable to desire the higher gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:31), we are cautioned that these prophetic utterances are to be as the Spirit determines (1 Corinthians 12:11).

In conclusion, the enemy is multiplying widely accepted lies in these last days (John 8:44; Isaiah 5:20) even regarding what Jesus Christ looks like as we pointed out in the Being Respectful article. However, the Lord will keep us in perfect peace as we keep trusting Him and keep focusing on Him (Isaiah 26:3). God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV). He "is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy"(Jude 1:24). Let us therefore trust in the Lord to give proper prophecy interpretation and also set all our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Watch and pray that you may not fall into Satan's temptation (Mark 14:38, Matthew 26:41 ESV) and may we remain in God's word that we may discern His voice as His sheep and follow Him to the end (John 10:27).

If you would like to repent of your sins, begin a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and prepare for His soon return, please begin by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed Grace in Christ,

Brother Glenn.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Regretting After Giving

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29 NKJV)

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 5:1-2 NKJV).

Brief Encouragement

As an encouragement to us and for the work on this website, the Lord revealed to us that He has blessed us with a great company of very simple-hearted, truly humble, truth-loving and faithful brothers and sisters. These are those who receive the Lord’s message we share here by faith. Truthfully, the Lord says that these brethren love Him, but they must be faithful in service to Him. We give glory to the Lord in sincerity of heart for being part of such a loving and truly God-fearing family of faith. The Lord is pleased with a child-like attitude and the fruit of His Spirit is evident in our humble state (Matthew 20:26).

Vision of Regretful Giving

On the September 29, 2015, the Lord gave Charis a short vision, and the message conveyed in this vision is our topic for this week. As you may have noticed, this is also one of the ways on how the Lord gives us subjects to write about.

Vision Given to Charis on September 29, 2015

“I had a vision this morning after our early morning prayers. I saw a minister of the gospel sitting on a chair, looking disappointed. I heard him say, “I honestly thought it was the Lord who blessed us with that gift, because Brother Sam is asking back the gift he gave us”. Then the Lord said, “My son [John] (not real name) is sad because I commanded My son [Sam] (not real name) to bless them with something they needed to do My work. My son Sam is now regretting doing good in My name and he has since taken back that gift in his heart. Whoever gives someone something in My name, and regrets his decision for helping My needy children, I tell you that person has forfeited his Heavenly reward for that act of kindness”. End of vision.

Rapture Vision of Consuming Fire in the Heavens

Briefly, brethren as you may have noticed we are sharing quite a few short visions on this website and we do so only as the Lord reveals. We are not exaggerating or inventing these warnings from the Lord. We have been equally warned by the Lord through the 'Lying in Jesus' Name' article never to lie in the Lord's name. This is what we share for your edification.

"I (Brother Glenn) had a beautiful rapture vision around 2:30 a.m. or earlier this morning (October 5, 2015). I saw the Heavens opened and a massive cloud of fire appearing in the sky. I knew the LORD was in that glorious glowing CLOUD but I did not see Him. I heard no voice, and as I looked on I saw myself enveloped in fire but I was not consumed, and I saw myself ascending up into the Heavens towards the fire cloud while someone who was with me and whom I cannot remember was left behind". END!

Remember the prophet Elijah was raptured into Heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). I saw no chariot but a massive cloud in blazing full strength fire (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7; 2 Peter 3:12; Luke 21:26-27; Matthew 24:30; Exodus 24:17). 

Choosing God and Truth Above Unrighteous Living

Brethren, many of us overlook our giving habits. The Bible says we must give cheerfully and not grudgingly (2 Corinthians 9:7). In the above vision, the Lord showed us the condition of a brother’s heart who, after identifying the need of his fellow brethren, was moved with pity and prayed. After prayer, the Lord spoke to him. Since he was in a position to help, he obeyed and did so. We personally know this brother and the Lord acknowledged the good things he was doing in a message to him through this ministry (Acts 10:4; Proverbs 19:17). This message is not to shame or expose; the Lord allows us to share these experiences as examples, with the aim of helping those of us who struggle with such things.

Have you ever given something to someone and regretted your decision because along the way you had a disagreement with the person, or he just did not live up to your expectations? We are often tempted to initiate our own justice when others performed below our expectations and we end up regretting our giving. This is taking back not only the gift, but we also lose our blessing from the Lord. It is worth noting that when we give to others, the Lord does not expect us to demand accountability because this results in giving on condition.

From our experience, we have learnt that the Lord attaches very little significance to worldly things (John 6:27). He knows love and human relations are being compromised as a result of material things. He will demand an account from us as stewards of His assembly (1 Peter 4:10; Romans 14:12) and being a good shepherd, the purpose of His giving is to serve others (John 10:11; 15). Many of us are familiar with the fact that when we were children, we probably had the unpleasant experience of receiving something from a friend but later asked to give it back. Such giving is done grudgingly and is aimed at compensating for loyalty. Does this not remind you about certain people who give in return for future favours? A few years ago, we were blessed with some material things by some brethren. However, the Lord tested us and some of them as He issued some sharp rebukes to them. This resulted in some of these brethren questioning our motives. Little did these precious brethren know that the Lord was testing us to see if we would be faithful to His Word, or loyal to the brethren for giving to our ministry! Would we sacrifice telling the brethren things the Lord dislikes in their lives for their salvation for the sake of material things, or would we rather risk losing our own credibility when entrusted with truth? In our response, we chose truth and risked enduring ridicule and slander. We must never be afraid to risk losing friends when we are presented with the opportunity to minister truth to them in the name of the Lord for their good (Leviticus 19:17; Jude 1:23). Like the Lord, not everyone will welcome us, but only those He sends us to (John 10:27).

Keep Your Promises to God

In our Scripture reference at the beginning of this message, Ananias and Sapphira’s intentions were noble after seeing the genuine spirit by which the others were giving (Acts 4:33-37). They were encouraged and without being forced, decided to give too. However, after selling their property, they regretted their decision, and this resulted in their loss (Acts 5:1-10). Brethren, let us not be mistaken! Many of us think that entering into a covenant with the Lord is arbitrary and we can walk back any time. This is not so! We must honor our vows to Him, and that involves coming through with what we intended to do (Deuteronomy 23:21-22; Numbers 30:2; Psalm 76:11). The punishment the Lord meted out to the children of Israel was largely due to them dishonouring the Lord Almighty by not keeping their promises (Jeremiah 42:18-21; Deuteronomy 31:16-18; Ecclesiastes 5:4). We can remember how Joshua and the elders of Israel kept their promise to the Lord after giving their word to the Gibeonites after being deceived by them. They kept the covenant promise despite the false premise under which it was made (Joshua 9:9-19). It was a regrettable decision, but everything done in the name of the Almighty God must be irrevocable. Joshua feared God and upheld this covenant. Hundreds of years later, King Saul and his sons violated this covenant and killed some of the Gibeonites .Tragic consequences followed – there was a three-year famine in the land, and only after seven of Saul’s sons were hanged by the Gibeonites as retribution was peace restored to the land (2 Samuel 21:1-9).

In the Bible, marriage was also meant to be a covenant, a promise made unconditionally before God and not to be broken (Matthew 19:1-8; Mark 10:9). Many couples today, including Christians, enter into marriage without understanding the seriousness of their vows; they regard marriage as a revocable “contract”, as opposed to a covenant that is not meant to be broken. Even though many Christians and preachers justify their decisions to divorce, God’s Word on the subject has not changed (Malachi 2:16). For more on marriage and divorce, you may read The Sin of Adultery and Keeping Secrets articles. We are also aware that there are certain TV preachers who ask their listeners to be “covenant partners” or make “pledges” to support their ministry financially. Still there are other preachers who encourage followers or congregants to write and make “vows” to Jesus. Brothers and sisters, unless you are willing to follow through with your promise, at whatever cost, you are better off not making the promise in the first place (Deuteronomy 23:22)! The Bible sternly warns us against making vows to God and failing to honor them (James 5:12):

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 NIV).

In conclusion, have you been giving or helping others and afterwards complaining and regretting? Please repent, brothers and sisters. Remember, Our Heavenly Father was pleased to reconcile us to Himself through Jesus’ suffering and blood on the cross (John 3:16; Colossians 1:19-23; Isaiah 53:10-11 NKJV). Therefore, let us also learn to be pleased in our giving (Romans 15:26-27) and may the Lord help us to be faithful and obedient in fulfilling our promises. If you would like to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, please begin by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed in your giving,

Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Holding Grudges and Hateful Feelings

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18 NKJV).

Warning from the Lord Against Harboring Grudges and Hatred

On September 5, 2015, I received a vision from the Lord relating to state of things after the rapture occurs. As we mentioned in last week’s article, we intend sharing this vision with you in our book, which will be published in late October/November time frame. This vision pertains to things to come, and this past week, on September 16, the Lord again showed Charis the opening part of the same vision, and we are allowed to share this here with you. Charis and I were shown the same person, but different scenes.

In my vision, I was shown a Christian sister and the person whom she held hateful feelings and grudges against. I was made to feel the intense hatred that emanated from her heart, and why she felt that way. She found it very hard to forgive the other sister who had committed a wrong against her, even after she had asked for forgiveness. I heard the Lord say that this sister was left behind because she held grudges and could not forgive others, and neither did she heed correction to repent from this sin.

Charis’ was shown the same vision about this sister. The sister was shown pointing her index finger at a young lady who had wronged her, and she did not apologize. Likewise, Charis felt very uncomfortable when she saw the expression of hatred in this sister’s face; she felt the intense feelings of grudges and unforgiveness. The Lord said that we should forgive others even if they do not apologize to us for wrong-doing, and that we should pray for them. Additionally, our love for them must be unconditional and not given grudgingly.

Our Attitudes and God’s Judgements

Brethren, this is a very serious message from the Lord! Having experienced and learned first-hand through the rebukes He issued to many of us in this ministry, this message should not be disregarded or taken lightly. Like we shared in previous articles, the Lord revealed the true condition of the hearts for many of our ministry members as well as other people who made requests. The Bible warns that there are certain things that could render us ashamed and disqualify us from entering Heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The Bible also teaches that the Lord Judges the intentions of the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 16:2; Jeremiah 17:10).

I have identified at least seven judgments the Lord issued against members of this ministry. From our experiences with Him, He judged our motives with power, saying that these are very serious sins that must not be allowed in us. In messages to each one of us in this ministry, and to some other brethren around the world, we were rebuked and challenged by the Lord on all of the points considered below. In humble submission and obedience to the Lord, we share with you as a warning from Him.
  • We were rebuked against using our tongue and words to intentionally inflict emotional harm or hurt on others (Proverbs 18:21; Matthew 12:33-36; James 3:5b-8; Ephesians 4:29).
  • We were warned against holding evil thoughts and lustful feelings in our hearts and minds (Psalm 19:14; Jeremiah 4:14; Matthew 5:28).
  • Similarly, the Lord weighed the motives of our hearts whether we meant to do things with good intentions, or whether we meant to show off (Proverbs 21:2; Matthew 6:5)
  • The Lord was especially displeased when we deliberately engaged in sinful acts like fighting, stealing, lying or any other sins that resulted from our actions (Revelation 22:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
  • We were rebuked for following and defending false teachers (Proverbs 19:9; 2 Peter 2:1-3). We should not idolize people or things, but faithfully serve God (Exodus 34:14).
Being the Righteous Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25), the Lord Judges relationships between people, punishing the guilty and vindicating the innocent (2 Chronicles 6:23). He will also Judge the work we are meant to do for Him daily and the attitude with which we execute our tasks (Deuteronomy 15:10; Matthew 25:14-30). Being a loving God who has initiated a relationship with humanity through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20), He extends an invitation to us to fellowship with Him (Joshua 1:8; Daniel 6:10).

How to Guard Against Ill Feelings

As we are daily expecting the coming of our Lord and Savior, we should heed His call to guard and pray consistently (Mark 13:33; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 26:41). In this life on Earth, it is impossible to ignore the existence of sin and what it does to us; the moral decadence that we are witnessing is only the beginning, and a time for reaping is coming (Isaiah 24:6; Romans 5:12; Galatians 6:7). Unfortunately, no one can claim that they are totally innocent and guilt free (Genesis 6:5; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8, 10). As humans we are confronted daily by the challenges of sin and the answer to conquer sin is through our choices (Genesis 4:7). The phrases ‘if you do’ or ‘if you do not do’ in this verse signifies a choice followed by an action that reveals our motive and in this case it is either to obey or disobey. Choosing to confess and repent should therefore be the first step (Ezekiel 14:6; 18:23, 32; 33:11; 1 John 1:9).

Similarly, the Bible says, “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2 HCSB). Often, we slowly allow bad things to influence our hearts. Like the Lord said, we are motivated by the things (good or bad) that we have stored in our hearts (Matthew 15:18; Luke 6:45). The absence of correction and conviction from the Holy Spirit in a person’s heart renders such a person totally wicked and useless to inherit the Kingdom of God (Romans 8:5). Therefore, the purpose of the teachings from the Word of God is to help us fight and fend off sinful corruption that seeks to establish a stronghold in us. Even though the teachings from the Word of God via this medium or from your church are helpful, please do not neglect the DAILY reading from the Word of God. Reading God’s Word daily and praying consistently leads to growth and renewal of our attitude, and serves as a guard against the penetrating sinful thoughts that result in corrupt actions (Hebrews 4:12).

In our article on “Bad Company Corrupts Good Character”, we mentioned that Social Media can corrupt the heart because of the many wicked things that are perpetuated over the Internet, such as gossip, slander, lust, envy, pride, etc. (James 4:11; 2 Corinthians 12:20). As a testimony, we have been ministering to a young lady for over two years and she shared with me how pornography and computer/mobile games led her astray from the Lord, resulting in very bad thoughts, corrupt actions, and endless feelings of worthlessness. While she tried daily to read the word of God, her mind was controlled by the images of the wrongs she engaged in, and she found it difficult to resist those forces, leading her deeper into sin (Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26). The Lord, in a teaching to us on how demons influence mankind, showed us how people operate under the influence of demonic forces to commit sinful acts (1 John 3:8-10). Truthfully, as in the case of the young lady above, these demons come as a result of our exposure to wrong or ungodly things (however innocent or common they may seem – for example Television, worldly music, books, etc.), which leads us to habitual actions and struggle with sin (James 1:14). Brethren, we do not need science to explain Biblical truth that exposure to wrong things results in corrupt actions, which leads feelings of shame and more wickedness (1 Corinthians 15:33).

We should also point out that harboring grudges and hate can lead to being vengeful, which is a clear violation of God’s command – vengeance belongs to the Lord alone! (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). We should therefore seek to forgive others as the Lord God forgives us (Matthew 6:12, 14), settle differences quickly (Matthew 5:24-25) and love others as ourselves (Leviticus 19:17-18; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31).

In conclusion, Brothers and Sisters, we encourage you to spend most of your time in God’s presence through prayer, Bible reading, and engaging in godly activities. This will serve as a safeguard against the ever-demanding appetite of sin to control us (Genesis 4:7). There is no better way out! Daily, in our first morning prayers to the Lord, we should set ourselves ready to guard our hearts against any sin or temptation that may come at us. We ought to acknowledge before the Lord the challenges we will face, and since our weaker nature may succumb to its habits, we should ask the Lord to help us survive the day through making godly choices, thus proving our obedience to Him.

The Lord bless you, Brothers and Sisters, as you seek to have pure motives for obedience, making godly choices and submitting to His will. Please make every effort to live peacefully with everyone and to be holy, for without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please begin by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Grace and peace to you,

Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Respecting Your Elders

“Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:32).

Brief Encouragement About September 2015 Predictions

We have recently been asked by some brethren about the reports of things looking gloomy and grim for the world economy, and that some brethren have bravely predicted or “prophesied” of an economic collapse to occur this month (September, 2015), particularly affecting the USA and possibly impacting the rest of the world. Admittedly, there have been some turbulence in the world markets recently, so the prediction of this doom is gaining further interest. This week, we asked the Lord on the validity of some of these claims. In response, the Lord encouraged us to pray and not to be anxious or worry about events that we have no control over (Matthew 6:34; Philippians 4:6-7; Luke 21:36). Like the brethren who have boldly predicted about the Lord’s soon coming, we also do believe the Lord will be coming soon, but He warned us saying “…It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority” (Acts 1:7 NIV). Therefore, we do not endorse the dates that some of these brethren have set! The Lord Jesus clearly warned us that “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). So, while this ministry shares the excitement with the brethren of the Lord’s coming, the Lord says there is no truth in the things presented by these date-setters, and He has NOT sent people to set dates for His coming, whether linked to certain cultural practices, experiences, or otherwise. His coming will be a surprise to all! (Luke 17:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:3). Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not be troubled! Just keep praying, studying your Bibles, and keep witnessing and doing the Lord’s work. God will call us home when it is HIS TIME and no human anxiety can move Him; He acts by His own authority.

Who Are Our Elders?

This is a very important subject and it should not be undermined. I got this message from the Lord in a short vision on the morning of September 5, 2015. In this vision, I saw myself being confronted by two elderly men who asked me to do something for them. I declined their request, and I found myself arguing with them. This led them to remark how disrespectful the young people of today are. After their rebuke, I agreed and offered to cooperate with them. As simple as this might sound, there is reward in submitting to the elderly, and that is grace for longer life (1 Peter 5:5; Ephesians 6:1). With the advancement and wide availability of knowledge today, many of us assume that there is nothing to learn from the elderly. Well, that might be true in some respects, but we can learn from some of their manners and add to our days.

In the interest of order, our elders are those adults who could be our parents in terms of their age (1 Timothy 5:1-2), and we should accord them all due respect. Likewise, we should treat people slightly older than us as our brothers and sisters with proper respect, soundness of speech and integrity as is proper and fitting for children of God (Titus 2:6-8).

Teach the Youth Respect

It is sickening to even think of how dastardly wicked our youth have become today. Some even kill and abuse their parents. Others rob, rape, defraud, and disrespect the elderly, and this seems to be a daily norm that has received acceptance in society. Unfortunately, some people think that one’s higher level of formal education and higher socio-economic status trumps or usurps respect for the elderly, and gives one an air of superiority over others. While it is proper and respectful to honor those in leadership (Hebrews 13:17), it is godly to humble oneself before the elderly (1 Kings 2:19). We should not use the status of our professions to dishonour God; His word sets the standard of order in our society. This teaching might not be accepted by everyone or apply to all, but to those who fear the Lord it does, and it applies across the cultural divide.

What the Lord Taught Us

Some people raise their children solely based on their cultural system, and often this system conflicts with the word of God. I will share a few teachings we received from the Lord regarding child rearing. I have seen how powerless some parents are under the cultural system. They just allow their children to adopt the things they learn from others, without intervening and teaching them the way of the Lord. We have witnessed Christian parents lose complete control of their children’s rebellious behaviour. On one occasion, a six-year old child threw temper tantrums while yelling insults and attempting to blackmail her parents. Her parents were humiliated and embarrassed in our company, and when the parents had the first opportunity to receive a message from the Lord Jesus, He told them to discipline and teach their children obedience (Proverbs 13:24; 22:15; 22:6). Additionally, the Lord reminded them not to allow their children to speak to them disrespectfully as if they were children themselves (Ephesians  6:1-3).

As parents, we also had to deal with rebellion from our children. By the Lord’s authority, we have two weapons to use to encourage obedience and proper conduct: these are the teachings from the Bible, and the rod of discipline (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 23:13). A few months ago, one of our daughters grew increasingly impatient with me and my wife. In her frustration to our godly correction, our daughter Norah (name withheld) was in the habit of rudely answering back or even ignoring to answer when she was being called. This was very displeasing to the Lord, and in His love, He appeared to her in a vision and rebuked her while pointing her to the Scripture that reads, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). With the Lord’s help, coupled with our daily prayers and encouragement to our children, we now enjoy an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect that has become the envy of many around us.

In addition, many young people are in the habit of rudely interrupting conversations or talking over elders to get their point across instead of patiently waiting like Elihu. In the book of Job, we see Elihu being very respectful and godly in his approach to Job and his friends (Job 32:1-4). God's order for human society is based on a model of respect and submission. Furthermore, a brother who delivered an offensive remark to an elderly man (who in terms of age could have been his father), was rebuked by the Lord for this bad character of disrespecting people older than him. As the Bible says, we are to be meek, gentle, and respectful in answering others; and we must not invite trouble and malicious talk to our sincerity and faith (1 Peter 3:15-16).  Therefore, if you have been disrespectful of others, including your parents or other elders, repent, fear God and obey all His word (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please begin by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Grace and Peace to You,

Brother Glenn.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Blaming God When Bad Things Happen – Part II

But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” (Romans 9:20 NKJV)

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7 NKJV).

From the onset, I would like to state that this article is not an attempt to answer life's difficult questions, such as "why do the wicked or worldly people seem to do well?" (Job 21:7; Jeremiah 12:1), nor do we say we sit on God’s seat to answer on His behalf (Isaiah 1:18). We merely write from our own convictions and experiences, as well as the understanding that God imparts in us through the Holy Spirit. In our first article dealing with this subject of "Blaming God When Bad Things Happen", we identified Satan as the prime source of all human problems. In this week’s article, however, we will show from Scripture how people consciously choose to go against God’s counsel and reap the consequences of their choices.

Herein, we will show you that God since creation and the curse (Genesis 3:17) has allowed creation to continue in it's course of direction, and only with His intervention for the good of humanity does it change course (Joshua 10:13; Exodus 14:21). Therefore, life as we know does not promise a smooth path (John 16:33). This we know from Scripture came about after man was ejected out of Eden; the garden of God Almighty and the place of exceeding abundance. The world of suffering was the price of disobedience. The Garden of Eden is located in God's realm, for it is nowhere to be found in this earth, for there are spiritual beings guarding it (Genesis 3:23-24). This is where the tree of life is in the New Jerusalem, in God's new creation where there will be no curse (Revelation 22:3). Therefore, this order of life in this earth has been ordained to run its course until the dispensation of a new order or creation (Revelation 21:5). This will be the renewal that the Lord spoke about in a vision to me recently (see Vision of the Coming Renewal). Our ignorance into the order of events as God ordained it has caused much confusion and faith shipwreck of countless Christians. The Lord delivered this message to me after many hours of prayer and I trust this will help us grow in our faith and confidence in our Lord's truth, grace and love. Remember, if God allowed His Son our Lord Jesus Christ to suffer so much for us to be re-united with Him, then this is serious love for He intends to save us from the curse! 

God’s Care for Man

Brethren, out of His love for humanity, God has always acted in the best interest of people (Genesis 9:3; 1 Timothy 6:17). The evidence of His great love for the human race has been well demonstrated in the Creation account in that after He created everything, He gave it all to humanity to eat, enjoy and rule over all the work of His hands (Genesis 1:26). Even after the first people disobeyed God (Genesis 3:6-8) and faced His judgment, He still showed care for their well-being (Genesis 3:21).  As a result of man's sin, "...the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs..." (Romans 8:22). So, when people ask, "why is there increase in natural disasters these days?", we know this "groaning" is because the Lord’s coming is near. The Bible forewarns that there will be increased distress, signs from heaven, and fearful events including bad weather (Daniel 12:1; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11) and natural disasters. Nature, as we know it today, has been in rebellion against humanity with various seasons and operating against human will and wishes. In other words, that perfect balance between man and nature was changed when God cursed the ground (Genesis 3:18; 8:22).

As it is, this move brought about limitations and sufferings (Genesis 3:18). Although God had lived and walked with men (Genesis 3:8-10), humanity’s problems were further increased when God withdrew from sinful man (Genesis 6:3) as wickedness increased (Genesis 6:5-7). The Bible says there is fullness of Joy in the Presence of the Lord (Psalm 16:11), but after the curse and God’s withdrawal from humanity, this fullness and joy was replaced with pain, suffering and a rebellious nature. In other words, the curse is in perpetual obedience to the command of God who alone has power to reverse it (Romans 8:20; Genesis 3:14-19). However, God in His infinite wisdom elects to intervene upon request to avert a potentially destructive situation in our favour (Jonah 1:11-15; Matthew 8:23-27). This is what we are experiencing today. Grace is by God’s choice (Romans 9:15) and He intervenes in testing situations (Acts 12:11) and grants requests to save and deliver all who ask and believe in Him (John 6:37; Psalm 91:15).

It is noteworthy for us not to see God as working against us. In the fall of humanity and creation, He is teaching us to appreciate Him and to show us that those who put their trust in Him have Him as security (Isaiah 46:4; 43:2; Deuteronomy 31:6). There are many enemies of truth and this includes Christians who blame God for all bad things. If we have faith in a Just and Loving God, then it is unthinkable to accuse Him of perpetuating trouble, when He promises to help us when we call on Him (Psalm 50:15; Job 34:10).

Therefore, God’s counsel to the human race after the dispensation of the curse required man to fight and overcome the sinful and rebellious nature (Genesis 4:7). Humanity was left weak when God withdrew His Spirit, leaving man to fight against sin, which sets man’s conscience a light with guilt, and where guilt is there is an absence of peace. As we know, it is with God alone that we enjoy enduring peace (Isaiah 26:3; Exodus 33:14), so an absence of God results in hardships and emotional distress (1 Samuel 16:14). The good news is that even though we may face suffering even until death (Revelation 2:10), God has already fulfilled His promise to give us victory over Satan (Genesis 3:15), by sending His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to save us and "crush" Satan (John 3:16; Romans 16:20). The reality of our choice should be to obey the Lord because we know that despite of all the challenges we face, only He has Sovereign power over everything, thus showing creations dependence on Him for existence (Romans 8:20-22).

What Does God Expect from Us?

One day while I was out witnessing and handing out Gospel tracts, an elderly man I witnessed to asked me what God really wants from us (the human race). I told him that God is calling upon all men everywhere to repent, meaning forsaking sin and preparing for His Kingdom in anticipation of the final judgment (Acts 17:30-31). The man nodded at me in acknowledgment and went away thanking me.

Brethren, kindly allow me to clarify that God does not hold people to ransom so that He changes the course of things only when we turn to Him, i.e. the Lord does not "force" us to do his will. Instead, He gives us choices and consequences (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19; Joshua 24:15) - for example the people of Nineveh chose to repent from their sins and the Lord forgave them and relented from the punishment planned for them . Additionally, from our experience, when we have asked the Lord to come to our rescue, He often allows us to go through that situation and just changes the outcome in our favour (Daniel 3:24-27; 6:21-23). For example, a family might go through the painful experience of having their property repossessed or foreclosed by the bank, but God may use this situation as a means to get them out of financial debt (Proverbs 22:7). The point we are making is that NO ONE (and that included our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ) is exempt from facing various troubles (James 1:2; 1 Peter 1:6). However, in today’s society many people, including Christians, are made to believe that they do not have to go through the pain of creation's curse and that Christ took all pains for us. Yes He did, in terms of God’s judgement, but not in terms of what I call ‘earthly tax’ which is the cup of suffering (Job 14:1). Contrary to popular teachings that Christians should have bliss and ease in this world (prosperity, wealth and health, etc.), the Bible categorically warns us that, as followers of Christ, in this world we will face hardships, sufferings, tribulations, trials, etc., but we should endure and persevere to the very end (John 16:33; Romans 5:3-5; 8:18; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:10; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 4:8-10; Revelation 21:4).

Furthermore, like I alluded above, we cannot escape facing stressful challenges, but we can rejoice and experience peace when we allow God in our lives to go with us through our troubles which makes it so enjoyable and rewarding (Exodus 14:21-31; Psalm 23:4). In other words, God is saying there is a cup of trouble stirred up for each one of us in life, but we will see and experience His love and care for us when we go with Him like the bold and fearless Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3:16-18; Ecclesiastes 9:12; Psalm 55:22; Isaiah 43:2).

Disobedience Reverses God’s Plan for Us

To those of us who are covenanted to God through the born-again experience, He punishes or chastens us in an act of love to draw us back to Him (Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6-7). We must draw a distinction between the punishment of God and the consequences of sin fueled by Satan’s deceptions. In life, we all suffer the consequences of the sinful choices we made and God is willing to forgive us and help us heal through the bad choices we made. Now blaming Him when we rebelliously or ignorantly made a bad decision after ample warning is outright unjust, selfish and foolish. The Lord never works against us (the human race). If He initiated the plan of salvation, giving us the weapons and tools to secure a victorious experience, how is it justifiable to charge Him with wrong doing (Genesis 18:25-36)? We may say He allowed things to happen to us, but blaming Him as the cause of our situation is blasphemous and unappreciative of life’s experience. Like Shadrach and his friends, together with David, Daniel and others, He allows painful experiences to give us the benefit of His love, joy and ever present care. Would we know and appreciate it when there was nothing to prove His love and existence?

Scripturally, we learn that God does not lie or change His counsels, purposes, and decrees (Numbers 23:19) nor does He change His plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). It is us, in our defiance or disobedience to His will, who alter our course of direction (1 Kings 11:37-38; 1 Kings 14:7-11). In this account, King Jeroboam was given a promise by God that he and his sons would have a lasting dynasty to the kingship of Israel if he would obey the Lord. He sinned and lost the promise, which resulted in judgment against him. We read that King Saul could not maintain a faithful relationship with God, and he lost out on God’s promises and blessings too! (1 Samuel 15:10-26). Similarly, when the Israelites failed to obey God’s commands, He allowed the other nations to inflict hardship on them and to prevail against them (Psalm 78:59; Judges 3:7-11).

In conclusion, have you been blaming God regarding your dire situation? Why not call on Him instead? Put your trust in Him and allow the joy of His concern for you to bring you through the trap of uncertainty in life (Ecclesiastes 7:14). The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 145:8). So:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon  (Isaiah 55:7).
If you are not born again yet and would like receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed Grace in Enduring Peace,

Brother Glenn and Preparing for The Kingdom Ministry Team.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Be Watchful and Pray

"Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Vision: Rapture Warning to Those Who Will be Left Behind

This vision is a warning to the lukewarm and worldly Christians, beware Christ is coming soon! The Lord Jesus Christ has personally warned us as a family to be always READY and WATCHFUL and that we would not be receiving a ‘special’ warning. His coming must be a surprise to His children who are expecting Him and it must be like a thief at night. Let us therefore be WATCHFUL!

“I, Charis, had a vision from the Lord this morning (June 28, 2015) soon after our morning prayers, I saw myself and our ministry people in our home church service with many other people I didn’t know. While I was looking around, I suddenly saw many of the people disappear with only a few remaining, among whom were two members of our ministry. I heard these two members screaming that they were left behind while hurling abusive and hurtful insults at one another. They were kind of blaming each other for being left behind. I also saw many young children and other wicked people in our street who were left behind carrying on as if nothing had happened. While these two people were arguing, I saw myself not being left behind, but in a new body of shining light momentarily left to comfort and encourage these two people and the others who were left behind (1 Corinthians 15:51-52;49; 58). I spoke up and said to them, 'don't worry or lose hope because the Lord will be coming again, but your entry into Heaven would be much, much harder than the first time' (Meaning the present time; Also, these words were uttered by me but the Lord put them in my mouth) (Revelation 7:14). After speaking a thought occurred to me in the vision that the devil will cause many Christians to be mutilated, but they must allow it than to deny the Lord and lose their salvation and entry into Heaven” (Revelation 20:4; Luke 17:33). This was the end of the vision.

On October 13, 2014 I (Brother Glenn) received a vision from the Lord that there would be two raptures, one before the great tribulation and another during or after the great tribulation. In this vision above to Charis, the Lord confirms a second rapture and the severe hardship disobedient Christians who would be left behind would face before entering Heaven if they overcame. Regardless of your beliefs on this subject (whether pre-trib., during, or post-trib. rapture), the key point we are emphasizing is that you should be prepared for the Lord’s soon coming.

Stay Alert and Pray

In this brief work, the Lord commanded me to warn both Christians and unbelievers to be watchful and work out their salvation, and to live expecting His coming at any given moment (Revelation 22:12). Because the message concerning the Lord’s coming has been preached since the time of the apostles, many people disregard today’s warning about the Lord’s coming. We should "be sober (self-controlled) and vigilant (alert) [because] your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:8-9).

The Bible also warns that we ... must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”" (2 Peter 3:3-4). In truth, the Lord has been confirming His soon coming to many faithful and sincere brethren around the world, to comfort, encourage and cause us to focus on Him unswervingly.

In numerous Scriptures, we are warned that the Lord’s coming would occur suddenly and unexpectedly, like a thief at night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 16:15). People will be going about doing their business – eating, drinking, being entertained, marrying and divorcing, etc., oblivious to the calamity that awaits, just like the days of Noah before the flood and the days of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 24:37-41; Luke 17:28-35).

For those who are discerning, the coming of the Lord is closer in our time than the time of past generations. As evidence, there are many confirmations from the Lord Himself through countless visions to many people, both saved and unsaved. On this website alone we have shared warnings of the Lord’s coming almost ten times (refer to this page for a list of visions). Additionally, we have been seeing escalation in the fulfillment of prophetic events, for example (and this is only a very small fraction):
  • Laws and judicial pronouncements are increasingly being passed legalizing sin (Romans 1:26-27; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Isaiah 5:20).
  • Several treaties and "peace" agreements are in the works (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
  • Increase in false teachers and false prophets, many claiming strange gifts and focusing on materialism (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 1 John 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1).
  • Increasing persecution of Christians who stand for Biblical truth (2 Timothy 3:12; John 15:19; Revelation 2:10; Mark 13:13).
  • Signs in the sky (Joel 2:30-31).
  • Globalization and the massive increase in knowledge (Daniel 12:4).
Be Prepared

Once again, brothers and sisters, we wish to reiterate that it is not our intention to stir up controversy or waste time arguing or creating quarrels about the Lord’s coming and other Biblical subjects (2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9). The bottom line is this: the time to be ready is NOW, because tomorrow is not promised and one’s death can come any day (Proverbs 27:1; James 4:13-14). Truly, the path to everlasting life is narrow and difficult. People in the world and world leaders may seem to have it easy on the wide road for they are already readying themselves to embrace a new world order with false hope; however, we know that only the narrow road leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14). Like the ten virgins, we may all grow weary and sleep, but please don't be like the five foolish ones who were not prepared! We should be like the five wise virgins, having our lamps filled with oil by being Spirit-filled and maintaining a lifestyle of praying and studying God's Word always, being grateful, worshiping, witnessing, and being obedient to God, so that when the Master suddenly comes, we are ready and prepared to enter the Marriage Supper (Matthew 25:1-13).

To start preparing, please start by praying this Prayer of Repentance. For any questions about this ministry or this week’s message, feel free to contact us .

Grace in Watchfulness,

Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Prayer is the Key to Solving All Problems – Part II

“Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

In a vision the Lord gave to Charis on Friday, June 19, 2015, the Lord led me to reiterate the importance of persistent prayer. In Part I of this message, we highlighted the importance of prayer in order to receive results. In this second part, however, we will look at prayer as a spiritual ministry—a service to God and man (Acts 6:4). We serve God in prayer when we acknowledge His grace and power to deliver, protect and provide for us. We serve man in prayer when we acknowledge our sins and the consequences of sin-problems, and seek to love and forgive one another. Prayer is a ministry to God on behalf of the Body of Christ, the world and for our own well-being (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Vision of Persistent Problems

In this vision, the Lord showed Charis that she and our other children were trapped inside our house by the enemy. In the vision, she was led to understand that my wife and I, along with our three-year-old daughter managed to escape but left the older children to find their way out by themselves. When the older children realized that they were all alone, they too tried to escape using all the available exits. Because of the persistent charging of the enemy, who had secured all the escape routes with determined demonic guards and snakes, the children were left totally paralyzed with fear and at the mercy of the enemy. When Charis finally managed to briefly get away from the enemy, she was shown that some of the children were captured and hanged. She had desperately tried to encourage them not to give up their faith in the Lord, but to fight in order to secure their salvation. Soon after the vision ended, the Lord spoke and said, Pray, pray, pray always. Pray no matter what!

In interpreting this message, the Lord says that everyone will have to escape the attacks and snares of Satan using his own faith (Ezekiel 18:20; Jeremiah 31:30). He also said that instead of panicking and trying to run from our problems, we should turn to Him in prayer and ask for help. If we run, the problems will only multiply, resulting in not being able to escape from Satan’s traps and failing totally in our faith, ultimately suffering eternal consequences.

Prayer Activates Faith

As is commonly known, prayer releases our faith in God’s ability to show us mercy and to help us in our troubles and times of need (Luke 18:1-8). In prayer, we put our trust (faith) and lay our burden on God. In His assurance to us, the Lord gives us His peace to comfort us while we are waiting for His timely solution (Matthew 11:29-30; John 14:27). In other words, His peace is an expression of His care for us (1 Peter 5:7). Brethren, we must realize that when we doubt God, panic will overwhelm us and suffocate our faith. As a result, we will not embrace or enjoy His peace, neither can we expect an answer from Him (James 1:6-7; Mark 11:24).

There are many reasons why the Lord does not answer prayers. Some of the stumbling blocks include: doubt (James 1:6-7), sinful living and unfaithfulness in our service to God (John 9:31; 1 Peter 3:7), grudges or unforgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24), and not being persistent in prayer (Luke 18:1-8; Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2-6). From the Scriptures, we see the following specific examples:
  • When some of the Israelites doubted God’s promises, He denied them entry into the Promised Land (Numbers 14:20-30).
  • God rejected Saul’s prayers due to His disobedience (1 Samuel 28:6).
  • King David was not driven by malice, grudges or unforgiveness towards Saul who persecuted Him, but his willingness to forgive King Saul and leave him in the hands of the Lord brought honor to God who is the Supreme Judge (1 Samuel 26:9-11). This noble act secured the Lord’s promise of giving the throne of Israel to David (1 Samuel 15:28).
  • King Hezekiah’s persistence in prayer resulted in God answering his prayer by delivering him and his army from the arrogant Assyrian forces (Isaiah 38:5-6).
In a remarkable way, God releases His promises first to support our faith to trust in Him, and as we obey while trusting in Him, He fulfills the promises (Genesis 12:2). As it is, these promises are only fulfilled after an experience of faith, hardship and test (Genesis 22:1; Hebrews 6:15). From the above Scriptures, it becomes apparent that God uses our faith, patience and our obedience in fulfilling His promises.

God’s Timing in Answering Prayer

In a desperate tone, someone once wrote me an email saying that he did not receive any answers to his prayers because God does not care about him. In response, the Lord revealed that this person lived in disobedience and that he was being worldly and impatient. On the subject of lacking patience, I also had to endure a rebuke from the Lord about five years ago for being impatient and lacking faith. My habit was constantly asking the Lord through Charis when I would receive a promise. Instead, He encouraged me to continue praying and reassured me that He had not forgotten about His promises and my requests (2 Peter 3:9). Persistent prayer is, therefore, an expression of faith, humility and patience, and at the appointed time God will answer, just like He remembered Joseph (Genesis 41:14).

With so much deception swirling around and people being so desperate for fame and fortune, we must be very careful as there are some preachers who go about demanding money from people, claiming that they have some special anointing to help solve our problems as if they have a special relationship with God. You should depend on your own faith and prayers; we already have learned how the prayer of agreement works. Don’t act desperately and run to people to seek God on your behalf when you have problems. Instead, you should trust the Lord and use that situation to express your faith in the Him. Humble yourself and wait on the Lord, He will hear your heart and provide. God is no respecter of any person (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). In this walk of faith, we are all called to endure individually and be tested and readied by God for ministry service and Kingdom approval (1 Peter 1:6-8).

While it is true that no one can say exactly when God will answer a prayer request, it is also true that He will answer us if we prove faithful to him in persistent prayer. We should always expect Him to answer us no matter how long we wait (Matthew 21:22). If we pray aimlessly, that is without adding faith to our prayer and a sense of desperation for the answer to our request, we may not have our prayer answered. I once trusted the Lord to bless me with a job promotion because this would have saved me from transport problems and having to work awkward shifts. However, I did not receive the answer that I expected due to not being persistent in prayer, and my heart was also on another job. I was divided having a double interest: the prospect of a new job and the promise of a promotion. In my indecisiveness, I was interested in either opportunity, and this led to me losing out on both. Brethren, when we are divided in what we want, God will not choose for us; we must make a firm decision and be undivided in our request. We cannot simply act like children who want this and later decide that we need something else. No! With the Lord, we must be resolute in our choice as this shows faith and destiny (2 Kings 20:1-6).

As an emphasis, an answer to our prayers is dependent on how desperately we want that something and this will determine how patient we will be until God comes through for us. As to how long the Lord will take to grant our request, He does so when it is needed and when we have pleased Him in our diligence and obedience (Daniel 10:11-13). The preceding Scripture declares that Daniel’s prayer was immediately heard and answered, unbeknown to him. As an expression of his desperation, Daniel fasted for 21 days to show his faith and his need for God’s answer. Satan, who always manages to delay and detain our answers from God, was overcome by Daniel’s faith and persistence (Daniel 10:2), and after 21 days his answer was released. How many of us set a date for God to answer our prayers, and if He does not answer us by that date we give up?

The greater the problem we face, the more faith and determination or interest we must show to have our request granted (Matthew 15:21-28; Luke 8:43-48). During the length of time God takes to answer our prayers, He is using that amount of time for us to work out strongly our faith, patience, obedience, and the distinguishing marks of the cross: the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:3). Let us therefore not give up praying, for only therein can we access God’s mercy, deliverance, and provisions. With a humble heart and a sincere faith, God will not neglect to answer our prayers (Isaiah 65:24), but if we give ourselves to complaining, He will not bring to birth the plans He has for each one of us (Numbers 14:20-23; Jeremiah 29:11). His precious promises serve as an incentive for us to grow in our faith, and after we are proved faithful and obedient, God in His wisdom releases these promises for us. However, the faithless He excludes from His promises (Hebrews 4:3). Therefore, rest in the Lord’s faithfulness and always pray, NO MATTER WHAT! However compelling the circumstances, still PRAY!!! Prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock God’s blessings and give you victory.

To jump start your prayer life, please sincerely pray this Prayer of Repentance, and feel free to contact us for any questions about this ministry or this week’s message.

Blessed love in Christ,

Brother Glenn.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Are You Too Discouraged to Continue in Christ?

It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them (2 Peter 2:21).

Over the course of the years that we have been operating this ministry (both home and online ministry), we have witnessed with sadness how Christians who were previously zealous in their faith have abandoned the Lord and returned to the world. Some might have left the Lord through discouragement or had no root in their faith (Luke 8:13), while others abandoned their faith and returned to embracing worldly desires and pleasures (Luke 8:14). Our message today is for both groups of people.

The Challenges of Life

Facing discouragement and trouble is common in life, and people, Christians included, will always face challenges which are aimed at hindering us from having a smooth journey in life (Acts 14:22; John 16:33). However, we still have to choose between “life and death, blessings and curses” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Like the above Scripture suggest, God purposely designed life that way after the fall of man (Genesis 3:17-19). This might sound remote and removed from reality, but I tell you in truth we all experience setbacks and disappointments, even currently. As it is, many people argue and ignorantly blame God for allowing such hardships on man, while the real perpetrator continue to wreak havoc (John 10:10). As we mentioned in the article on Blaming God When Bad Things Happen, blaming God when we face hardships or when people sin against us is wicked and shows faithlessness towards God. Instead of blaming God or others, we are called to trust the Lord for deliverance, in all situations, while bearing and growing in the fruit of perseverance and longsuffering (2 Timothy 3:10-11).

We might not have all the answers, but we do learn from Scriptures that God made an agreement with man in the beginning, giving man the choice and explaining the consequences if the agreement was disobeyed (Genesis 2:15-17). This agreement was accepted but man later failed to honour it (Genesis 3:6-7). For those who don’t appreciate the values of history, the truth is that in life all rules or laws either designed by man or God are binding to all humanity who enter into this world. In the Bible Scripture referenced above, Eve was not yet brought into the world when God gave the commandment to Adam (Genesis 2:18). However, she was told by Adam, showing acceptance of God’s commandment of abstaining from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:2-3). In our Christian life we should also appreciate that all Bible teachings and admonitions are given for our own well-being (1 Timothy 4:15-16).

The governing authorities, including the government and local authorities, do often enact rules for social cohesion that are designed for our well-being (Romans 13:1-5). However, we must remember that God’s Word and commands are superior to human rules, and our obedience must first be to God (Acts 5:29).

Vision of Two Roads

In a brief vision to me on June 2, 2015, the Lord showed me two roads that people travel on in their lives’ journey. In this this vision, I was shown the road that I was travelling on. To me the road seemed to be rough, muddy and full of pretty high humps. As I walked on this road, I invited people to join me but they just stared at me. While travelling on this road, I saw a woman (whom I know) crying as she appeared on another road. As I went further down, her boyfriend appeared to my right. We hugged and while hugging him, a feeling of intense compassion, love and forgiveness came over me as I deeply cried over him. As we strolled after hugging, the man took me to another road which was all smooth and neatly decorated, almost shiny in appearance. I made a remark on the beauty of the road and he replied: “You should try out this road. We cannot travel on this road if we don’t smoke and do wrong things.” He continued: “This road is very smooth, fast and slippery, and it makes sparks which inflict some pain as we travel on it. No one can travel on this road unless they do wrong things, because that slows the pace of the road.” After he said this, I turned away from him and left that road, and the vision ended. This vision refers to the two broad and narrow roads that the Lord spoke about (Matthew 7:13-14).

Brethren, the Lord is telling us in this vision that the broad, seemingly beautiful road is walked by those who do wrong things, and that sin serves as an encouragement to those who travels on this road. The road looks beautiful and attractive on the outside to lure people, but when being travelled on it hurts those who walk on it – hence the consequences of sin. And while those who walk on the crooked road face many obstacles, and even as they endure the road becomes rougher, the Lord is right there to give them relief and comfort (Genesis 15:1; Hebrews 13:5).

God’s Calling on Servants

Being called by God takes faith, courage and commitment. In many Scriptures throughout the Bible, we witness how people who have the Holy Spirit invite trouble and hardship from the devil who rules the world (1 Peter 4:14; Matthew 4:1). When we are bent on doing the will of God in our lives, even members of our own family may attempt to discourage us through insults or other means (1 John 3:13). From our experience, people who continuously hurl abuse and insults at others operate from a hateful spirit (1 Samuel 18:8-9).

Similarly, when a person has been called and anointed by God to do ministry work, his work is approved by God through unique supernatural experiences and encouragement (John 10:38; Acts 23:11); those experiences bring glory to God. In encouragement to you, if you have received a calling and a vision from God to do ministry work, please go out there in faith and do God’s work. In our experience, discussing your calling with your leader will inevitably result in discouragement and even your faith being “shipwrecked”, because some leaders might make you think they have all the experience to steer you on the right road. It is true that our ill-experience leads us to our leaders for advice; however it’s better to take God’s advice first, as Samuel did and he was not influenced by the priest Eli (1 Samuel 3:19), and so did Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10).

When God called us into ministry, we went to seek our pastor’s approval. Instead of encouraging us, our pastor had his ministry’s interest at heart, and his advice was for us to remain and use the gift for the benefit of his ministry. When we asked the Lord, He said that His calling for us is to create a ministry that will minister further away in order to reach souls beyond the scope of the other ministry. Therefore, in essence, the Lord directs ministry activity for the benefit of the whole body.

Faith Heroes who Conquered Discouragement

The Bible highlights some examples of people who overcame discouragement:
  • When David’s men were discouraged and distressed because they lost their children, wives and possessions, they were on the verge of stoning David. But being a man who was no stranger to hardships and sufferings. David knew His God and took courage in Him instead of lamenting and wailing (1 Samuel 30:6). David summoned his faith in God and his courage gave strength to his men who went to recover their belongings. This is as a powerful encouragement to us when we feel discouraged.
  • We also see Caleb and Joshua conquering discouragement through their faith in God’s ability, and they made their confession in relation to their convictions. As result, they were rewarded by entering the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30).
  • Additionally, being in a dire situation, Esther and Mordecai saved their nation from annihilation through prayer and fasting. They did not allow discouragement to overcome them, and instead of just sitting on their faith, they used it and called upon God’s help. The Lord answered and redeemed them while rewarding them as well (Esther 4:12-16; 6:7-11). Hallelujah!
  • Furthermore, Job in his discouragement about the fate that had befallen him, did not faithlessly walk away from God, but rallied his hope in the redemption of God (Job 2:9-10).
How many of us when faced by hardships start yelling at God and blaming Him for our condition? I received some messages from Christian brethren who vent their frustrations on God, and sadly some have gone back to their former ways.

On the other hand, we have a brother in Christ and the Lord bless his heart! This is the same person we asked for help for in our appeal in the “The Eternal Benefit of Godly Correction” article which was ignored by many Christians. This brother has all the odds stacked against him but in humble obedience he continues in Christ while trusting in the Lord to provide for his daily bread. If he had settled for discouragement, he would have ended up destroying his faith and increasing his suffering. In the Lord however, he has comfort, care and hope.

In conclusion, let us not be babies in our faith and allow discouragement and people’s insulting opinions to dictate our faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). Instead, let us hold fast to Christ and shun evil while holding on to the promised hope of Christ’s return. Our faith in Christ comforts and encourage us, and when we are faced with challenges that could easily make one doubt God’s deliverance, we take to prayer and the Lord honours our faith by answering and providing. So I encourage you in love: Don’t give up on Christ! Keep walking on strong in Him.

If you feel discouraged in your faith, please choose to trust God. He is faithful to help you continue serving him that you may be counted among His treasured possession (Malachi 3:16-18; Psalm 46:1). If you are not born again, we welcome you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ – please pray this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Yours in Christ’s service,
Brother Glenn.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Christian Parenting: Bringing up Children in the Fear of the Lord

Original: March 14, 2012 Updated: May 11, 2015

Vision of Coming RENEWAL

On May 9, 2015, I (Glenn) received a short vision from the Lord Jesus. In this vision, I was in a room with just enough light for me to see. I saw a butterfly flying or floating on one place with a messenger of God or an Angel in the form of a man to my right speaking. While I looked at the butterfly he said, “Just like a butterfly goes through a renewal and some Jews celebrating a renewal festival (the vision changed showing me a Jewish woman dancing at a renewal festival). As sure as this is, there is a renewal coming, there is a renewal of all things coming”. End! (Revelation 21:5).

Brief explanation, my family and I prayed and fasted a few weeks ago asking the Lord for an end time message or revelation. This was all we received for now as we will continue in prayer. However, at first I was reluctant to share this vision as I did not fully understand it, but the Lord said I should share it to remind people that there is a renewal coming!

Brief note: This is a must read for every God fearing parent. With rise of social media, teenage rebellion and various addictions, Satan will stop at nothing to destroy the next generation. We need God in our children. I declare in Jesus name, the greatest gift a mother and father can give to their children is Christ. I gave my children to the Lord and today I have no regrets but co- workers in this ministry. Now brethren, we have completely reworked this article with the Lord’s permission since we had to add a few more teachings and testimonies. We acknowledge that this is not a blueprint to child rearing in Godliness, but a good start in Godliness as you may read what we experienced. We should therefore not neglect witnessing to children as some of their parents are not saved to lead and correct them in the will of the Lord. Our work as parents will never be complete; the work of prayer and encouragement should be ongoing until our children are formed in Christ (Galatians 4:19). This article will be revised as we continue to learn from the Lord.

As parents, we have a direct command from the Lord to bring up our children in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). There is actually a Biblical promise and reward if we obey this command; the result is “...and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6b). The current state we mostly see today in children, including rampant disobedience towards God and parents and moral degeneration, is as a direct result of our own disobedience and failure to follow and apply this Scriptural Truth. Because of focusing our time and effort on pursuing personal ambitions, we have ‘estranged’ our children from God. Additionally, the demands of our modern lifestyles push our children further and further away from God. Sadly, some children spend very little time with their parents and are instead left to watch TV, be taken care of by the nanny or daycare facility, and play on cell phone and games to keep them busy. Because some of these activities keep the children at home, we falsely believe that our children are obedient. We have all been tricked to believe that the games they play are educational, and to some extent this may be true, but little do we know that overall they encourage a spirit of laziness and addiction, which the Lord abhors (1 Corinthians 6:12; Proverbs 6:6). The Word of God is completely ‘packed’ with every human experience and God’s solution to our problems; we only need faith and obedience to inherit its promises and gain mastery over our sinful desires.

Furthermore, while it is right to make children aware about God’s love and care for them, they also need to be made aware that they will be held responsible for their actions (Ecclesiastes 11:9). God has appointed a Judge to rule over all humanity: our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31). He calls all children everywhere saying: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). Children are called to a relationship with the Lord. He wants them to love and fear Him in submissive obedience and to be dependent on Him and not just on their parents. When children have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, He takes complete care of them: He gives them good them health, and provides them with spiritual care by protecting them against demonic possession and deception. In many instances, He uses the parents to act as a channel for His blessings and provisions. Quite often, we parents bring our children up in our own ways and our fears mixed partially with God’s Word. I mean our ways and fears because we often use our own experiences and traditions to influence their behaviour and decisions; this in turn undoubtedly runs in conflict with Biblical teachings. Let me hasten to add that children do not have a separate Bible from that of adults. I have read many children Bible story books, some of them are well written and intended for good. Sadly though, some of the Bible story books are inaccurate, changing actual events with inferences and twisting the truth in some cases. This creates confusion and at best it denies children the whole truth; those authors are guilty of adding or taking from Scripture (Proverbs 30:6; Revelations 22:18). Admittedly, some of the Bible story books and DVDs are good in the illustrative part; however, they must be faithful to Scriptural truth.

In addition, we must stress what the Lord told us that when children are able to distinguish between right and wrong, they are considered witnesses and believers. God is expecting them to live by the Word and to obey as the parents do, for on the day of Judgement there will be “...great and small...” (Revelation 20:12). When the Lord showed Charis the vision of the world’s entire population with their shoes fitted on wrongly (See Putting on Shoes the Wrong Way), she saw children, including some of those who read the Bible with her daily. However, she saw no infants, babies or little children. The Lord will use the same Bible we are all reading to Judge all of us, both great and small, of our actions.

How Did Our Lord Jesus Christ Start Speaking to Charis?

I have been asked by a few mothers regarding my daughter Charis’ experiences with our Lord Jesus Christ, and for the record and to encourage parents to bring up their children in the fear of the Lord, I will briefly explain below how she got to hear from the Lord. By sharing this I’m not implying that God grants the same spiritual gifts to all children; in His grace, God gives different gifts and as He wills (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:11).

Like any other born-again believing parents, we took Charis to church with us; and when she was about six (6) years old, she was dedicated to the Lord during a church service. Back then, she had no actual relationship with the Lord except just being content of going to church with us and praying the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father...”).

As time progressed, I felt deeply convicted to share the Gospel with my own family. I discussed with my wife during mid-2008 that we should start a home-church, and we should meet at least once a week as a family to pray, read the Scriptures and to worship the Lord together. After praying and laying out our plans, we decided that each one of us should get an opportunity to read and share from the Scriptures and that we should pray with one opening in prayer and closing with each one of us getting an opportunity to read and pray.

However, one evening after supper when Charis was about nine and a half (9.5) years old, we decided to read from the Bible and pray together before going off to bed. Due to her constant insistence that we pray and read from the Bible, it became our nightly routine. After about one week into our new commitment, I decided to explain to her the importance of being born again and to have a relationship with the Lord and through a simple salvation prayer she accepted Christ as Lord. Brethren, I can truthfully testify to you that consistent service and commitment to the Lord is very pleasing to Him and He would always bless and show His approval of the good a person is doing.

To stimulate her interested in the Word of God, I would read and explain to her from the Old Testament’s historical accounts. Being selective on the topics we started with the creation account, Joseph’s account, the Ten Commandments, The Egyptian Exodus, Samson, David and his defeat of Goliath, Daniel and his friends and many other short Biblical accounts that portray God’s Power and Supremacy over all His Creation. To me this was a great way of presenting the Creator to her. My aim was to show her to the work of God in His creation.

After about three months, we urged her to read from the Scriptures and explain to us (my wife and I) what she read. At first she was reluctant to read though, but through many pronunciation difficulties she obeyed. At times, she would cry thinking that we would let her off the hook, however we were persistent in encouraging her. In the same breath, we would like to thank the Lord Jesus for giving us the patience and through His grace, He answered our prayers and worked in her heart; this helped her find a renewed interest in our evening Bible reading and prayer.

Teaching a Child How to Pray

As a custom and church tradition, we were all taught to pray the ‘Our Father’ prayer. Therefore, during this time, she was confined to praying the Lord’s Prayer only; we made her pray it morning and evening before bed time. We noticed that she prayed the Lord’s Prayer in haste and it became more like a recitation to her. Remember, if prayer becomes repeated and monotonous we show no interest and energy in what we are asking for. It would be that we are just uttering and offering faithless and vain words, about this the Lord has a warning (Matthew 6:7). In my experience, the Lord answers faith-based prayers and this includes the “Our Father” prayer if it is prayed by faith with a focused concentration.

Moreover, after a few months into her new faith, we decided to “wean” her from the Lord’s Prayer and encourage her to pray using her own words. If we pray using our own words, the Bible says, we pray from our understanding which comes from the heart (1 Corinthians 14:15). I must emphasize, there is nothing wrong with the ‘Our Father’ prayer, as long as we don’t abuse it by praying it thoughtlessly or reciting it because we are lazy to pray from the heart.Because my daughter was unable to pray using her own words, I wrote for her three prayers as a model or guide to help her develop a ‘prayer vocabulary’ one prayer for the morning, one prayer for the afternoon and one evening prayer (Psalm 55:17). Beloved, from this you may see that I showed a keen interest in my daughter’s prayer life and as is common in children, they learn through practical examples and this requires patience. As it is, these she prayed for about a few weeks and as often as I noticed she has lost interest in her prayers by racing through the prayers I would slightly amend the prayers to encourage interest. It was not longer than about three months thereafter that we encouraged her again to start praying in her own words. This was our final hurdle to have Charis serve the Lord with her own faith and commitment. In addition, the Lord told to us in a message some time ago that patience is a mark of a truly faithful Christian.

Combined, this entire experience of reading the Bible and praying with Charis went on for well over a year. As a reward for our efforts, on Sunday January 24, 2010, our then pastor announced a general seven (7) day fast for our local congregation. My wife and I joined our church in fasting for that week. I was particularly motivated because I needed deliverance from some ungodly habits and I also need a job. As is my custom, I wrote down my prayer request and lay it before the Lord during each time I prayed. We were two days into the fast when Charis told me that she had seen the Lord and that He said: I AM your Lord Jesus Christ. I will show you visions and you must tell your father, and I love My children.

Child Discipline and Punishment

The Bible declares: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him” (Proverbs 13:24). I will share below some experiences Charis received from the Lord to parents who are members and co-workers in our ministry. I can vouch in truth about the faithfulness and commitment of these brethren to the Lord; these precious members endured every kind of test and rebuke from the Lord, including punishments for sinful behaviors. In the Lord’s rebuke of us on child rearing, the Lord upheld Scriptural teachings on child discipline. As parents, we always allow our children to get away without correcting them of unacceptable behavior (1 Kings 1:5-6). This usually stems from them manipulating our feelings to enforce their demands (2 Samuel 13:2-7). Some of these manipulations may be constant crying without reason, and excuses to hide laziness. The Lord through gentle rebukes exposed our children’s hidden motives as selfish and manipulative.

In a teaching we received from the Lord, on an occasion, there was a young girl aged eight (8) who knowingly or unknowingly was in the habit of showing off when she sees her mother; when seeing her mother she was in the habit of fighting other children and pushing them knowing that her mother would side with her if they (the other children) retaliate. This mother, and being aware of her daughter’s ill behavior, would just ignore what her daughter was doing without correcting her being afraid to hurt her own feelings. No doubt many parents can agree to that this is often the case where most of us as parents are just too over protective of our children not knowing that this leads our children astray with non-corrective behavior. After having noticed this habitual oversight by this particular mother, this development displeased the Lord and He commanded this girls’ mother to correct her daughter and not just overlook her mistakes and that she should discipline (spank) her if she repeats this behavior as a means of deterring her. Being as young as she was then, the Lord revealed the sins we may consider as innocent in this girl. In a powerful message to Charis, He exposed her lies, stealing habits, fighting, cheating in prayers by just sitting there and not praying, her secret swearing of others in her mind, jealousy, laziness and even gossiping. This might sound exaggerated for an eight (8) year old but we must remember that the Bible says humans are defiled “…I know that from the time they are young their thoughts are evil…” (Genesis 8:21 NIV).

Through many subsequent messages to the girl’s mother, the Lord brought to light what was hidden in children eight years old and more. Through these revelations, we may clearly understand that we should not overlook children’s mistakes and even side with them when they have done something wrong. Children in this age range including five year olds know if they have done wrong. We have observed that when we asked them why they did that, they would lie to hide the mistakes they did. By showing children their wrongs we allow them to grow and not to repeat these wrongs. If we do so in a gentle spirit, we obey and apply Scripture (Proverbs 22:6). Furthermore, if we overlook their little mistakes and turn a blind eye to their swearing, fighting or stealing we agree with the wrong they do and the psychological damage it is causing to them becomes a habit.

Punishment from the Lord

Furthermore, in one of the Lord’s own discipline to this eight (8) year old, He commanded that she get up at 01:00 A.M and pray for an hour until 02:00 A.M and sleep for an hour and then wake up again at 04:00 A.M and pray for another hour until 05:00 A.M. The Lord made her read the Bible for about three hours a day. After having to endure getting up early for one week, the Lord ended her discipline. During this time of discipline, we witnessed her struggles and crying and we knew that we should not interfere but to encourage her to obey the Lord. In a serious message to her back in 2010, the Lord warned this girl that she would go to Hell and that eight (8) year olds can also go to Hell if they do wrong things and disobey His Word.

This came as a shock to us and her mother and this led her mother to pray persistently very earnestly for her daughter’s salvation and deliverance from disobedience. With her mother’s consent, we obeyed the Lord by taking care of this girl. Through years of prayer, correction and reasonable discipline and in answer to our prayers, the Lord delivered this girl.

Today being more than four (4) years later, our patience, discipline, correction and teachings in the way of the Lord bore fruit in the life of this girl. Her spontaneous obedience and submission to us and the Word of the Lord led her to being used by the Lord. Brethren, the girl we are talking about is Jaydeen whose visions from the Lord you might have read in the Visions section.

Punishment or Discipline

Brethren, we need to stress from the onset, this ministry is not encouraging abuse of children and nor are we saying the Lord encourages us to just spank children for no reason or for any wrong behavior. In our understanding, reasonable discipline should be meted out after a few corrections three or four at most for repeated offenses. We would also like to acknowledge that the Lord said we should not discipline children out of anger as this may lead to abuse.

In another correction from the Lord on child rearing, a mother was warned not to just punish her daughter when she has done wrong; instead she should discipline (spank) her. In this situation, the girl’s mother and father were totally against using the rod of discipline. In their understanding, they believed it was not what the Bible teaches and hence in disciplining their daughter, they never employed the rod; they would rather use some other kind of sanction as a form of punishment. When this sister shared the Lord’s command of issuing discipline or spanking to the girl with her father, he questioned the context of discipline as explained in the Bible and the Lord’s command to his wife.

I know this comes as a great disappointment to many Christian parents who have adopted the worldly way of teaching and disciplining their children.

Brethren, as you know the worldly view of child rearing differs fundamentally with the Bible and as Christians we should decide whom do we follow the Biblical way of child rearing or the worldly way (Matthew 16:24)? This teaching is not intended to dictate to you but to share actual experiences and our failures.

Moreover, a few months ago, a good pastor and friend of this family and ministry shared this teaching on a social media platform, with many parents being blessed by this testimony and teaching; but a certain woman strongly opposed this message. In her anger, she hurled abusive insults against us and being a Christian mother, she extensively quoted from some secular sources to justify her beliefs that God does not mean we should spank children and that we are making up the things we said the Lord revealed to us. In truth, our testimony is not false and in addition to this sister’s insults there are several Bible verse to the contrary (Proverbs 23:13-14; Proverbs 29:15). Therefore to us, the same God of the Bible spoke to us reinforcing His teaching on child rearing and we only share our testimony looking to Scriptural support.

In the Bible we read,Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15). While we have the honour to discipline our children and teach them the Word of God, the Lord has also cautioned us not to be abusive to our children. I was once cautioned by the Lord for unreasonably disciplining two of my children.

In another incident, a then 14 year old boy was secretly watching pornographic movies and magazines material at a friend’s house when their parents were not home. Through feedback we received, these adult movies greatly influenced this boy and led him to make wicked advances at girls younger than him. After we learned about his behaviour, we informed his mother who joined us in prayer as we asked the Lord to reveal to us if what we heard was true and how we should help the boy.

Vision of Evil Entering Children as They Watch Secular Movies

In a vision to Charis, the Lord showed her on a flat television screen all the things this boy had been watching. While he and his friends were watching some X-rated adult movies and violent magic cartoon programs, she witnessed how evil spirits entered them as they were watching these programs. In the vision, Charis saw a demonic ghost coming out of him from his chest, a big red eyed demonic wolf, including the evidence of the things he watched and viewed two adult X-rated movies together with all the Ben 10 characters and a few adult X-rated magazines. Charis says as she saw some of these magazine pages coming out of him suddenly one naked woman seemed to become alive and laughed at her scornfully. This we know is the demonic spirit which operates in all the people involved in the production of porno movies and magazines. The message the Lord gave us through this vision was that these things were now possessing and controlling the boy.

By his own admission, this young boy was hooked to Cartoon Network (CN). This boy was also possessed by a spirit of lust and this led him to act out these evils the world calls fantasies. He made some lustful advances at some girls who reported to us. For his trouble, the Lord commanded us to discipline (spank) him for his wickedness.

Parents, as a preacher of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and as a father, I admonish you in the love of the Lord, the enemy Satan is creating habits and appetites of evil in our children through some things they are exposed to on television and this becomes a possession (James 4:4). I would like to confess, some time ago I considered the warning of some Christian brethren on this topic as nonsense but how can I not be convinced after the Lord made this known to us? I tell you the truth that screaming and anger on the television can potentially destroy and possess a child’s soul (1 Corinthians 15:33). Not only that, in a message to Charis about a 3 year old girl, the Lord revealed that this precious girl was being subtly influenced by her mother’s anger.
Encouragement on Children’s Prayer and Reading Times

As I mentioned in our previous article on prayer, Charis, Jaydeen and two other children of our ministry were commanded by the Lord to pray three times daily in keeping with the Biblical model (Daniel 6:10; Psalm 55:17). As a matter of principle, it is the Lord who set their daily prayer and Bible reading times. No holidays or chores may interfere in their intimate prayer and Bible reading times. It is very pleasing to the Lord if we encourage our children to be prompt in time keeping, Daniel did that and this was very pleasing to the Father (Daniel 6:10; 10:11).

Also, in the Bible, God chose Abraham so that he would direct his children and household to obey the Lord so that the Lord would bring about for him what He had promised him (Genesis 18:19). God commanded that Children who do not know God's law must hear it and learn to fear the Lord all their lives (Deuteronomy 31:13; 32:46). His will was for the next generation to know His commands that they may teach their children so that they would trust God, remember His deeds, and keep His ways (Psalm 78:5-7; Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Are Born Again Children Permitted to Fast and Witness?

We must remember though that the Lord said His word applies equally to all people great and small alike (Revelations 20:12); the only exception in judging is that He considers people’s level of understanding. Therefore, in our experience, the Lord commanded our children to fast and witness to teach them faith and ministry service in the body. Like we said elsewhere, fasting is service to God and the body (Isaiah 58:6-9).

You would recall from Charis’ Hell visit, that the Lord commanded her to fast for four days (See Visit to Hell vision). In another witnessing and fasting experience which should be used by discerning parents as a model to encourage children their age, the Lord had the children fast for a full week. During this time of fasting, they had to witness for three (3) hours a day. This went on from Monday to Sunday every day; in addition to this they had to get up at 04:00 A.M and pray for an hour until 05:00. Like us, they were commanded to go house to house handing out tracts. I give solemn Praise and Glory to the Lord Almighty for His protection of them during that time of witnessing.
Being familiar myself with the area they were assigned to witness in, I can confirm that they were brave to witness in a drug infested, alcohol abuse and a gangster paradise. However by the Grace of God, our children conquered that area all by themselves. Being concerned for their safety, I intended accompanying them on their witnessing trips for the week but the Lord would not let me go with them, instead He said: No one must go with you. I will protect you”. With the Lord being a faithful God, they were protected against dogs, hostile children who made fun of them and against abusive adults.

In their report back to us, they said that some adults even mocked them when they said the Lord sent them to bless them with His Word, and that He loves them and that He was Coming Soon.

On another witnessing occasion, two of our girls were attacked by a security guard who took off his belt and spanked them just for witnessing to him. While this was a humiliating experience to them, this was a necessary test from the Lord to see if this would deter them from witnessing. In a message to them that evening, the Lord encouraged them to forgive the man who attacked them.

As a further testimony to you, witnessing is at the heart of the Gospel, and if the Lord would use eight (8), nine (9) year and eleven (11) year old girls to witness, how much more do you think God will hold the average church goers responsible for not witnessing (Mark 16:15)?

In my observation, the general consensus among Christians who don’t witness is that they have decided that it is the Pastor or church’s responsibility to witness and not theirs. My brother and sister you are walking in disobedience according to (Matthew 28:19), I encourage you, do some WITNESSING! Remember, it is good to give to mission work because these organizations take the gospel to nations around us, we however as individual members of the body of Christ have our neighbours to evangelise to. In the present situation, God is using children to carry forth His Word as an example to the individual Christian.

Prayer before Going Witnessing

As a rule from the Lord, He commanded that they pray for a few minutes before they depart for witnessing and pray and worship when they return from witnessing. As parents we were not allowed to police them.

Are We to Spoil our Children?

Before sitting to write on this subject, I have first read up on quite a few works on this subject of “spare the rod, spoil the child”, and I came across some radical interpretations to the Scriptures dealing with this, with other parents even suggesting that it was right to spoil your children.

In our experience, I will be referring to some of the Lord’s rebukes to parents in our ministry. A certain mother was in the habit of giving in to her children’s demands for unnecessary things. If her children see something they would cry and nag her for it until she gives in to their demands. This situation was very displeasing to the Lord and He rebuked the mother not to spoil her children. Prior to the Lord’s rebuke, this precious sister did not realise that she was spoiling her children, but understood when the Lord pointed her to the habit it develops in the children and the fact that this would lead the children to develop selfish and greedy conduct.

Similarly, another well-meaning mother was rebuked by the Lord for quieting her small children with treats when they cry. The Lord said this was spoiling and very wrong and not pleasing to Him. As we mentioned in the Gluttony article, this also encourages a spirit of gluttony. She has since learned to recognize those moments and discipline when necessary.

As a matter of truth, we are living in a permissive society where children are spoilt with luxury items to please them. In some instances, and because of their habit of getting what they want and not what they need, some children would hold grudges against their parents even refusing to talk or do certain chores until they receive what they want. In a sharp rebuke to a mother, the Lord told her not to allow her children to speak to her as if she was a child. Those precious daughters grew up with the habit of speaking to their parents as if they were friends. In such a situation, one cannot distinguish who is the parent and who is the child. The Lord however wants to see children honouring and respecting their parents as the Bible teaches (Ephesians 6:2).

Furthermore, in a separate rebuke to another mother, the Lord encouraged this particular sister not to treat her grown children like babies and being overly concern and acting on their every whim. This kind of spoiling leads to laziness, demands, disobedience to parents and disrespect. One such instances of spoiling in our community led a young man to kill his mother for refusing to give him money to feed his drug habit. The Lord says parents who spoil their children and fail to discipline them according to His Word will only blame themselves for disregarding the Lord’s Word. As a witness of the gospel, I can testify that parents who really work to teach their children on the will of the Lord do receive His mercy. As a gift to us, the Lord told us that He imparted a spirit of obedience in our then four year old daughter (Philippians 2:13).

As we all know, no one is born with obedience and as we grow up it becomes a choice if we want to obey or not. In our case the Lord made our work easy by imparting obedience in our daughter who is willing ready to do as we reasonably guide her.

As a God-fearing family, we provide our children with what is NEEDED and if we have it and not what they desire. Naturally, people always desire the things that others have (Exodus 20:17; Ecclesiastes 4:4). Therefore, humanity’s natural tendency is covetousness and it is Satan’s most powerful weapon to create bondage, greed and habits (Genesis 3:1-24). Also, pampering children with gifts is not a sin if those are needed but giving in the demands for something specific only to satisfy their desires is sinful and spoiling. If you give in to your children’s demands, you will have to do it again, but if you refuse after giving in the first time you stand to receive emotional blackmail and attitudes.

How is Your Parenting?

We live in a society where the number of single, part-time, or willfully absent parents is high. Even many Christian parents who are married and could easily be available to train up their children have instead chosen to pursue careers, business, higher education, or other selfish goals while leaving children to the daycare system, babysitter, or nanny. We are not saying it is wrong for both parents to work, however our responsibility to train children in the Lord’s will rests with us parents and not with those we pay to look after them. We suggest parents who find themselves in this situation should pray and seek the Lord’s guidance on this matter. Like we emphasized, the command to train up a child in the way he should go was mainly intended for parents (Proverbs 22:6).

We had a couple a few years ago who wanted to know how they were doing in their parenting. When we asked the Lord, He showed Charis a vision with three (3) pairs of hands. The first pair of hands held thumbs up, the second pair held thumbs sideways, and the third pair held thumbs down. Then a white finger of light appeared pointing to the thumbs sideways (medium). This is how the couple was raising their children. This couple was surprised but through prayer and studying the Word, they learned they were not properly training up their children up in the fear of the Lord. This also tells us that the Lord cares very much how we are raising our children.

We also have a father in this ministry whose wife desired to quit her career and take care of their children. For a while he would not allow her stating that they had many things to buy and needed the money. Soon after, the Lord rebuked him by saying he had ‘NO FAITH’. He humbly chose to repent, put His trust in the Lord, and allow his wife to quit her career to raise their children. As a result, the love between them and their children has grown and they are happy to be available to correct disobedience and doing their best to give their children a chance at heaven (Proverbs 27:23). The Lord also has showed Himself faithful in never failing to provide financially.

Unfortunately, many married Christians prefer to have a two-income household and have basically “outsourced” parenting while using the extra money to buy cars, couches, gadgets, and other wants. They say they want a good life, good things, and to save for good schools for their children. While we all want to enjoy a life without lack, this model promotes acquiring things in this life while neglecting the children’s souls and their need to obtain eternal life (Mark 8:36). What we have seen with this model is by the time children are teenagers to early twenties (20s), they bring their parents grief by being rebellious, promiscuous, in distressful circumstances, and displaying ungodly fruit which parents are unaware how and when it was planted (Proverbs 29:17). Dear parents, we admonish you to have faith and stop being selfish. The Lord Jesus promised to reward those who give up fields for His sake and for the gospel (Mark 10:29-30). The Bible calls it a good deed to bring up children (1 Timothy 5:10).

In conclusion, when children are young and tender we can easily influence them however, as they grow up to be teenagers, parents will often find it hard to influence them. In addition, peer pressure contributes to undue pressure on parents and most children or teenagers rebel against their parents and authority to please others. The point is, if we brought up our children in the Word we can easily influence them into corrective behaviour because of their fear for the Lord. Otherwise, the world will educate them and they will follow that lead.

Finally, as parents our fatal mistake is our failure to teach our children to have a relationship with the Lord earlier on in their lives. We give them knowledge about God, and our responsibility seems to ends there. The rest of the core teachings of the Word of God we leave to the preacher, or Sunday school teacher whom we task with the responsibility to teach our children about God. Parents: who told you it is someone else’s responsibility to bring up your child in the ways of the Lord? While we acknowledge the work of the church, parents are directly responsible to God for teaching their children in His ways (Ephesians 6:4).There are some parents in our ministry who never fully committed to bringing up their children in the fear of the Lord, and now they are sitting with tears of disappointment in some of their children’s poor and ungodly choices. So, dear father or mother, you might serve the Lord and have your salvation secure if you walk obediently. However, would you only want to realise in the hereafter that your sons or daughters did not make it to Heaven? The truth is that you will never see your child again; you simply failed in your responsibility as a parent to do as the Bible commands. Please take the time now to teach your children on the way of the Lord.

Therefore, don’t despise the Lord, obey His Word and give no rest to your soul until your child knows the Lord and actually serves Him. Paul says: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). One mother once asked me: “What if my children are already grown up?” Well, if you have repented, it is not too late to at least pray for your children and encourage them in the will of the Lord. They might not be as receptive and willing to listen, but we rely on the power of Scripture and the conviction of the Holy Spirit to break through their hearts of stone (Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 59:1).

For more on child rearing kindly refer to our articles on “Love Children Equally”, “Obedient and Disobedient Children”, and “The Youth”.

Blessed grace and love to you all,

Brother Glenn van Rooyen and Preparing for The Kingdom Ministry Team.