Mission Venture Ministries

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” – Joel 2:25

Many of us wasted many years before we repented and surrendered it all to Jesus. At times, we might look back and be sad to realize that there were many years in the past that were eaten up by the locust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar and the palmerworm of sin and rebellion. Joel described perfectly what life was like before we repented, there was pain and suffering.

The good news is that God has promised to restore us from all the troubles of our past, the heartaches from broken relationships, the struggles from defeat, and the frustrations of our lives. All the times that we have felt broken beyond repair, God has promised to restore. We cannot change the past. We cannot go back and do things over again. But from this moment forward we can give over to God our anxieties about the past and trust Him to restore what has been lost. We can learn from sin in our past and resolve to live fully for Christ from this day forward. The Lord promised Israel through Joel that after a time of famine and blight, he would heal their land. God told King Solomon, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is His promise to us as well.

Through repentance everything that had been lost by sin, is restored. In itself deadly sin is an irreparable evil. It deprives the soul of grace, of its hope of glory; it forfeits heaven, it merits hell. God, through Christ, restores the sinner, blots out sin, and does away with its eternal consequences. He restores the sinner where he was before he fell. God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel; “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him” – Ezekiel 18:21-22.

As God restores our wasted years, He brings forth in us supernatural joy, revelation, peace and victory, far beyond our human abilities! He can accomplish more in us, for us and through us now than we ever thought possible. There is such power in repentance. It brings back to us all that the cankerworm destroyed.

The enemy will always be ready to intimidate and harass us but we need to do what Paul says, “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”- Philippians 3:13-14.  In other words, we should forget our past and press on in Jesus! We need to take those old wounds, the worries and heart-naggings about our wasted years, and let God restore to us the very years that were lost. Then press on toward the prize of your high calling in Him!

The fact is, the closer we get to Jesus, the more we fall in love with Christ and when we turn our lives to Him, Christ blots out our transgressions, for His own sake, and remembers our sins no more – (Isaiah 43:25). He tells us to: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” – Isaiah 43:18-19.

Praise God that once we admit that we are sinners and cannot attain eternal life by ourselves. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23. Believe in Jesus Christ as God’s only Son who was crucified for our sins. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” – Romans 5:8. And confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of our life and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved – Romans 10:9.

Thank you Jesus for taking our sins upon Yourself on the cross and for Your gift of salvation by Your shed blood.

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“But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8

The Bible says that God is the Potter and we are the clay. When we are open to God’s will in our lives, He molds, transforms, and sanctifies us as we walk with Him.

When we come to the Potter, we need to surrender all to Him, all our imperfections and let Him be our Master. We need to let Him mold us and make us the vessel of honor that He wants us to be.

For this to be accomplished, we need to have the knowledge of God’s Word before He can start the process of molding us. As the potter places a piece of clay on a wheel he needs water in order to make it pliable and soft enough for him to be able to use it. Jesus is our Living Water and the Bible tells us “… that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” – Ephesians 5:26-27

Consequently, the very first step we have to take, if we really want God to mold and shape us into the kind of person He wants us to become, is to spend time in the Word so that we will become pliable and shapeable.

The next step is that the piece of clay needs to be properly centered on the wheel. The reason for this is if a lump of clay is not properly centered on the wheel, it will eventually tear apart before the potter can finish the process. In the same way we have to be properly centered in Jesus Christ before God can start to mold and shape us.

Being centered in Jesus is to have our life fully surrendered to Him where He is in full control. Jesus has to become both Lord and Savior in our life.

Just like the potter cannot mold the piece of clay into the piece of pottery that he is trying to make unless it is perfectly centered on the wheel, in the same way the Lord cannot begin to properly work with us unless we are perfectly centered in Him in full surrender.

If we try to live our lives without Jesus leading and guiding the way, our lives will eventually fall apart and we will never reach and fulfill the divine destiny to which God has called us. This is why Jesus tells us in His Word that without Him we can do absolutely nothing: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” – John 15:5. God also tells us that if we try to build our own houses without His direct guidance, that we will end up laboring “in vain” if we try to do it all through our own efforts. “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” –  Psalm 127:1

Once the lump of clay has enough water and is centered on the wheel, then the actual molding process begins. The wheel starts spinning and the potter’s hand presses down on the top of the clay to create and opening and moves his hands deep inside the middle of the clay. He continues by constantly shaping it and molding it to result in the vessel he desires it to be.

In the same way, God’s own hand literally goes down deep into our soul and spirit where the sanctification work is actually done, molding and transforming us into the saints He wants us to be.

Just as the piece of clay needs to fully trust the potter, in the same way we need to fully trust the Lord to mold, shape, and transform our lives. The clay is totally under His control. It has to be one hundred percent yielded to Him. The clay must yield to the potter’s hand if it is to become something useful. For this reason, we need to yield to God by surrendering ourselves completely.

When we are in the Potter’s hands, feeling His pressures, feeling the molding of His fingers, we can relax and trust Him, for we know that this Potter has suffered with us and knows how we feel, but is determined to make us into a vessel useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work: “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”  – 2 Timothy 2:20-21

If we allow God to use His skill and His power to mold us into the people, and into the character that He wants us to be, we should all say along with Isaiah, “O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.”

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13

Christians should have a heart that forgives, such as Christ displayed upon the cross; Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34. We are also to: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13. When we do this, true repentance will flow quite easily. However, false repentance, like those having a form of godliness always seeking truth but never practicing it (2 Timothy 3), will lack these elements and spiritual depth.

A forgiving heart forgives, regardless if the other person asks for forgiveness or not. It means letting go and letting God, because your forgiveness should not be withheld pending the other person’s repentance. Forgiveness should show Christ’s love, mercy and compassion; “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” – Ephesians 4:32. We let God deal with the end result because God does not forgive where there is no repentance but God does shows grace and mercy as He invites sinners to Him through godly repentance. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

Consequently, when we commit a sin we are to, “confess your trespassesto one another, and pray for one another, that we may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16

When the Holy Spirit points out, or reminds us there is an offense between us and another, even while in the process of worshiping, we must stop and go be reconciled to that person first, then we can return to worship. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you; leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24

Jesus said: “If your brother sins against you go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

We need to remember that un-forgiveness is an act of pride, which equated to sin and therefore, our unity in Christ is severed by sin.

True forgiveness produces godly sorrow, which devotes itself to getting right with God and man. We are eager to be without blame. Godly sorrow leads to confession and repentance. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.” 2 Corinthians 7:9-11

Let us keep in mind that we are not to judge and we will not be judged. Do not condemn, and we will not be condemned. Forgive, and we will be forgiven – Luke 6:37

As Christians we are to be committed to the love that the Holy Scripture teaches us through the ministry of reconciliation, because “if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

Remember: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9-10

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

When the woman asked Jesus for physical water He offered her spiritual water. We understand that the human body can not survive without physical water, the same way the spiritual body can not survive without spiritual water. Jesus is the “Living Water” of life. He is our life source, our life sustenance and essentially our “very life.” When we draw close to Jesus daily in prayer and obedience, we have the blessing to drink from His presence. His presence is the gift of life. It is eternal life, the very life we were created for.

Jesus the Living Water well never runs out, because He said: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37-38). When we come to Him He will give us to drink and we will never thirst again. Therefore, accepting the fullness of the blessings Jesus offers, He will fully and permanently quench the profoundest thirst of the human soul. We will find peace and become a source of blessing to others, just as the woman at the well became a blessing to those where she lived.

Nothing satisfied the hunger or thirsts of our soul because the things of this world can only fill our physical thirst, but it will leave us empty in the end. Yet the Living Water of God will satisfy our longing and thirst to be totally fulfilled.

The woman at the well desired living water, she needed something the world was not giving her. She needed a gift of God’s grace. She needed a living relationship with the Living God. She needed to know Jesus Christ.

Jesus had made a special trip through Samaria for her to find the fountain of life. He waited to meet her at the well. All she had to do was drink. Jesus offered her new life. Jesus offered abundant life. He came to resolve all of those old issues that had been in her life. She understood and leaving her water pot she returned to the city and told the people that she had found the source of living water, the Messiah.

When we desire to partake of this living water and experience that divine well springing up within us to everlasting life, we should not be afraid. We need to believe with all our heart and develop an unshakable faith in the Son of God. We need to let our hearts reach out in earnest prayer and fill our mind with knowledge of Him, forsaking our sins. We must walk in holiness and harmony with the commandments of the Holy Scripture and drink deeply of the living waters of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the answer for our life. The woman at the well found what she needed and so can we. All we need to do is turn to Him. If we let Him, Jesus will transform our life forever.

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:31-32

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”  (1 John 4:1–3).

How can we try the spirits to distinguish between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error?  How can we discern between the doctrines of God and the doctrines of demons? Paul teaches Timothy that: “The Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1–2).

It is the command of God that we do not believe every spirit, but that we try the spirits whether they are of God.

Every Christian, and especially every pastor, has a responsibility to test the spirits of every religious fad or change that attempts to invade the church. This is not an option; it is a commandment. We need to be like the Bereans who “were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

The Apostle Paul wrote frequently of the churches being troubled by certain teachers who had followed after him, imitating his preaching and his gospel in many respects, but adding to it their own particular teachings. The result was often confusion in the churches, and even more, departure from the faith. The Apostle did not hesitate to expose these things as the works of the devil, the father of lies.

He warns us of false teachers with these words: “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” – 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.

Here are some key questions based upon the Word of God that we should ask to determine whether or not a person is a legitimate Christian. They are followed by just a few passages in Scripture that attest to the truth of the answer to each question.

DO YOU BELIEVE: 

• That Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven? (John 14:6)
• In the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ? (Isaiah 7:14)
• That Jesus is God Almighty? (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-3, 14; 10:33, 1st Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9; Revelation 1:8)
• That Jesus is the Son of God? (John 3:16)
• That Jesus died upon the cross? (John 19:23; Hebrews 12:2)
• That Jesus was buried, and rose again physically after three days? (1st Corinthians 15:1-4)
• That Jesus ascended bodily into heaven after His resurrection? (Acts 1:9)
• That it is Jesus’ blood which takes our sins away? (Colossians 1:14; 1st John 1:7; Revelation 7:14)
• In the Godhead (Trinity): God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? (Genesis 1:26, 3:22; 1 Corinthians 8:8; Philippians 2:11; Matthew 28:19-20)
• That Jesus is a member of the Godhead, equal in every capacity? (Colossians 2:9)
• That Jesus is perfect, never having sinned even once? (2nd Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15)
• That Jesus existed in preexistent form, before He came to the earth? (John 8:58; Revelation 1:8)
• In the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, Who died in our place? (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)
• That hell is a literal place that burns with fire, to punish all Christ-rejecters? (Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 10:28; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Revelation 20:11-15)
• In a literal Heaven, where the saved will go to? (1 Kings 8:30; John 14:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 3:20-21)
• That Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe? (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16)
• That Jesus Christ always existed? (Revelation 1:8; John 1:1; Hebrews 7:3)
• That Christ’s work of atonement is completely finished? (Hebrews 9:26)

The answer to every question above needs to be a confident “YES!” 

Unfortunately the majority of the world’s population DOES NOT pass the above tests. There is MUCH deception today, many false teachers namely antichrists and many liars. The only true way of knowing whether they are of God or not, is to scrutinize their teachings with the Light of God’s Word. 

Remember: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” – Galatians 6:7 and he reaps the consequences of his actions and of what he believes. 

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23)

There is nothing more satisfying to a believer than to be living in the will of God for his life. And it is good to know that God actually delights in leading us along that way which He is laying out for us.

There are numerous Bible verses to this effect. One of the most familiar is: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6).

That verse gives us a basic principle for knowing His way.We need to seek His leading in everything! Of course, it may not be an easy path. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Even if the path seems difficult at times, it is a good path, because it honors Him. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3). He is the good Shepherd, and if we lose the way for a time, if we humble ourselves He will bring us back. As the prophet said: “LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

To be sure that we are not drifting far off the path and to be certain we don’t disobey or question His written Word we should be asking the Lord daily to “direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me” (Psalm119:133).

The Word of God are the commandments that needs to be obeyed, the testimony that we need to share, the precept that we need to practice, the promise we should claim and the way we need to followed. The Scriptures are the gracious revelations of what God wants in order for believers to have fellowship with Him. It reveals who He is in all His holiness and justice.

The Lord promises that: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, «This is the way; walk in it»” (Isaiah 30:21).

Jesus promised that: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). We can always pray and ask as David did: “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4), and He is gracious to hear and answer our prayers because Jesus said: “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). And in John 15:7 He tells us: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.”

In the promises of Scripture we have “the unsearchable riches” (Ephesians 3:8); but because we fail to appropriate them, we live in relative spiritual poverty.  

What is a promise? A promise is a written or verbal declaration that binds the person who makes it to a specified act. The validity and dependability of a promise rest on the character and resources of the one who makes it. Therefore, the holy character and faithfulness of God make His promises credible. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” – Hebrews 10:23. God’s promises are thus connected with His character, and rest on four of His divine attributes: 

1. His truth,
2. His omniscience,
3. His power, and
4. He is unchangeable 

So when we come to God armed with one of His promises, we can do so with the utmost confidence. We can share Abraham’s unwavering trust. “With respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” – Romans 4:20-21. 

One of the astonishing features of the Bible is the wide range and variety of the promises it contains. Peter calls them “His precious and magnificent promises” – 2 Peter 1:4. God’s promises thus cover the whole range of human need. There will be no conceivable circumstances of life for which there is not an appropriate promise waiting to be claimed. 

When reading Scripture, we should be alert to discover what God has promised to do, and then we should lay hold of His promise. We will discover promises for adversity and prosperity; promises of peace, guidance, protection, strength, deliverance, joy, and a hundred other blessings. Are we however claiming our inheritance? God assures us that we are “heirs according to the promise” – Galatians 3:29.  

Think of the blessings guaranteed in some of the great prayer promises.  

• Anything is possible that is within the will of God. “All things are possible to him who believes” – Mark 9:23.
• Adequate grace is available for every need. “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:19.
• Immediate help is assured in time of need. “Before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear” – Isaiah 65:24.
• The limitless ability of God is at our disposal. “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” – Ephesians 3:20
• Tranquility flows from prayer. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all     comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:6-7. 

We have to remember that we need to pray according to God’s will. We should therefore make sure that our petitions come within the scope of what has been offered in the Scripture. James and John, in asking the Lord to grant them places of honor on either side of Him, were asking for something for which they had no warrant,
and their request was not granted. (Mark 10:35-40) 

Paul tells us in the letter to the Ephesians that: “God…has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” – Ephesians 1:3.  

Let us remember that when God makes a promise, that promise is His yes, and Jesus is the guarantee of its fulfillment. The yes is God’s. “Amen” is my response of faith, my expression of confidence that the promise will be fulfilled. “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us” – 2 Corinthians 1:20