GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT BUSY-BODIES

GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT BUSY-BODIES
Fools are. Pr 20:3. Avoiding a quarrel is honorable. After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight.
The idle are. 2 Th 3:11 We hear that some of you are not living disciplined lives. You’re not working, so you go around interfering in other people’s lives. We order and encourage such people by the Lord Jesus Christ to pay attention to their own work so they can support themselves.
1 Ti 5:13 At the same time, they learn to go around from house to house since they have nothing else to do. Not only this, but they also gossip and get involved in other people’s business, saying things they shouldn’t say.
Christians must not be. 1 Pe 4:15. If you suffer, you shouldn’t suffer for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or troublemaker.
THERE ARE TOO MANY BUSY-BODIES IN THE WORLD, DON’T BE ONE OF THEM.
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM

WHO IS IN CONTROL? PART 1

WHO IS IN CONTROL? PART 1
I once read an interview with a woman whose home had been reduced to splinters by a tornado. Surveying the carnage, she told the reporter, “God wasn’t in this. God didn’t want this to happen.” Is that true? Is God swept along in the flow of catastrophes such as tornadoes, unable to intervene? Are the tragic events of our lives—disasters, disease, and death—out of God’s control? Those are important questions to answer biblically when you’re caught up in the whirling winds of a calamity.
Many Christians believe that Satan is in control of calamity. In their view, Satan is almost equal to God in power—certainly he excels God in trickery. As you go through life, you always have to be looking over your shoulder, never sure when God might have his back turned, allowing Satan to run you down with some disaster God didn’t anticipate.
Other people believe that you are in control of calamity, making yourself sick or causing a bad month for your business by speaking or thinking negative thoughts. In their view, if you think positively enough and have faith enough, nothing bad will happen to you.
Who is in control: Satan, you, or God? The first two chapters of Job provide a definitive, reassuring, biblical answer. When a tornado flattens your home, a disease your health, or a death your family—when everything seems out of control—God is in control.
Meet Job
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.
(Job 1:1)
Job was a real man who lived in Uz (an area of northern Arabia) during the patriarchal era—the time after the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, but before God gave the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Job was the epitome of what God wanted an Old Testament man to be. He was “blameless,” morally complete—there were no stains, spots, or blemishes on the garment of his holiness. He was “upright”—straight as an arrow in all his ways. He was a fearer of God; he approached life with a humble, awed devotion to God. And Job habitually turned away from evil. Trying to get Job to do evil was like trying to push together the negative poles of two magnets—when it came to evil, Job always swerved away to the right or to the left. In short, Job was a bright trophy on God’s mantelpiece of grace.
Besides his impeccable character, Job had also been blessed by God in other ways. With ten children, including seven sons to carry on the family name, and a livestock portfolio second to none, it’s small wonder that the Bible calls Job the greatest man in all the East (1:2–5).
Satan, the Accuser
There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
(1:6)
Among the angelic beings reporting to God was one called Hasatan, literally “the Adversary” or “the Accuser” in Hebrew. Later texts, such as Revelation 12:9, identify this being as the leader of the fallen angels, the devil, Satan, the same fallen angel who deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Job 1, that lying, murderous Accuser had come for his regularly scheduled report to God.
The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”
(1:8–11)
When God lionized Job, the Accuser immediately went on the attack. “Sure, I know all about Job. Why shouldn’t he serve you? You give him everything he wants. But let me tell you a secret about Job that you don’t know, God. Job is only in it for the blessings. Job doesn’t love you; he loves what you give him. Take away his toys, and you’ll see the real Job. Job likes sugar and bubbles, but when you stop giving him what he wants, he’ll toss you aside like an empty soda can.”
Satan was angry because God had thwarted his evil schemes by making “a hedge about [Job]” (v. 10). It was a hedge too high for Satan to climb over, too thick for him to cut his way through. In fact, Satan acknowledged that only one hand could cause calamity in Job’s life: “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face” (1:11, emphasis added).
Who is in control of calamity? By his own admission, Satan isn’t. Without God’s permission, Satan couldn’t even make Job stub his toe. In verse 12, God gave permission to Satan to attack Job, but he also set strict limitations on Satan’s assault:
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.”
Some Christians believe that God is taken by surprise or is helpless to intervene when Satan is working his evil schemes. However, they don’t get that view from the Bible. Job 1 presents God as completely in charge of Job’s calamity. First, God was the one who pointed Job out to Satan, initiating the whole affair. Second, Satan could not lay a finger on Job’s possessions until he had God’s permission to act. Third, God strictly limited Satan, forbidding him to attack Job’s health at this point. Initiation, permission, and limitation—Satan was completely under God’s control.
Further Evidence
Not just the book of Job, but the whole of Scripture proclaims the fact that God rather than Satan is in control of calamity. For example, Satan is not the source of physical handicaps, birth defects, or congenital diseases. God made that clear when Moses stubbornly resisted God’s commission to lead his people because of his “heavy tongue.”
The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
(Exodus 4:11)
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
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WHO IS IN CONTROL: PART 2

WHO IS IN CONTROL: PART 2
Political corruption and violent crime are two calamities that many fear in the United States where I live. When Jesus was unjustly arrested in the middle of the night and was legally murdered the next day, who was in control?
This man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
(Acts 2:23)
Reflecting on the apparently out-of-control events of Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion, Peter knew who had been in control. The indifferent, corrupt Roman authorities? The jealous, vengeful religious leaders? The ignorant execution squad? No. God and his predetermined plan.
Human words—positive or negative confession—also do not magically control good and bad. Jeremiah wrote,
Who is there who speaks, and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?
(Lamentations 3:37–38)
Solomon said it this way in Ecclesiastes 7:14:
In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider—God has made the one as well as the other.
Neither Satan nor positive or negative confessions control calamity. God does. That is exactly what we find in Job. Until God gave his permission, Satan could touch neither Job nor his possessions. In fact, although we know Satan had a personal hand in Job’s calamities, Job was never encouraged to handle his situation by binding Satan, casting off curses, speaking positive confessions, or by employing any of the other occult-like techniques so popular in some parts of the church today. The book of Job ends with Job back on track. What was the secret? He focused on God; Satan and demons are not even mentioned.
A Day of Destruction
As we take up the narrative of Job 1 again, we find that in a day of frenzied destruction Satan engineered four separate disasters designed to ruin Job (1:13–19). All Job’s oxen and donkeys were stolen, and his servants slaughtered. All his sheep were destroyed by lightning and the shepherds incinerated. All his camels were kidnapped and their guardians massacred. But by far the most devastating calamity on that day of holocausts was the death of Job’s children, crushed by a cascade of bricks as a tornado leveled the eldest son’s house.
Job’s response to his ruin was a fear-of-the-Lord response:
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
(1:20)
Tearing the robe, shaving the head, and falling to the ground were common expressions of grief in Job’s culture. Worshiping was not. But Job was an uncommon man.
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.
(1:21–22)
Job acknowledged that all he had received in life had been God’s gift—none of it was deserved. And what God gave, God had the right to take away. The end of verse 22 literally reads, “Job did not ascribe folly to God.” In other words, Job did not accuse God of making a mistake when he took the life of his children and his employees and left Job in financial ruin.
If At First You Don’t Succeed …
Job had not folded under pressure as Satan had predicted. However, the Accuser was quick to find an explanation: God had not touched that which was most dear to Job, his own precious skin. “Strike his health, God,” squealed Satan, “and Job will turn on you faster than a striking cobra.”
Put forth Your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.
(2:5)
Notice again Satan’s acknowledgment that God was in control. He begged God, “Put forth Your hand …” Satan may do the actual deed, but he knows full well who is in charge.
So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”
(2:6)
Having sought and obtained permission (but again with a critical limitation), Satan launched his second attack, striking Job with boils. Job was covered from head to foot with agonizing, swollen, burning, oozing sores. And the treatment was no party either:
And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.
(2:8)
The “ashes” referred to the place where the household refuse was burned. Job’s hospital bed was a garbage heap.
His wife encouraged him to give up the battle and die, but Job refused to adopt an attitude of bitter resentment:
“Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
(2:10)
Who Is In Control of Calamity?
The opening two chapters of Job answer the question “Who is in control of calamity?” with unmistakable clarity. Job, Satan, and God all confirmed that God is in control. In short, God controlled the origin, timing, nature, and extent of Job’s calamities.
When life feels out of control like an airplane in a flat spin, it’s comforting to know that God’s hand is on the stick and that his feet are on the rudder pedals. To handle your calamity in a trusting, God-honoring way, you must be convinced that God is in control and that he knows how to land the plane.
But that leads to a second question. If God is in control, why did God allow Satan to pillage Job’s possessions, pulverize his family, and punch Job’s health in the nose? If God is in control, why does he allow bad things to happen at all? To answer that question, we need to consider the next section of Job.
WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? COMING SOON.
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM




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12Jane M Larkin, Emma Jones and 10 others

OUR GOD TEACHES US ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH

OUR GOD TEACHES US ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH
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Only in the Bible can any satisfying light be found on the mysterious and baffling subjects of life and death, Deut. 30:19. In the beginning God breathed life into the nostrils of the man He had created, Gen. 2:7. That breath was the spirit of man. “The body without the spirit is dead,” Jas. 2:26.
The normal life span is 70 years, Psa. 90:10. Those who keep God’s precepts ordinarily live longer than those who do not, Prov. 3:1, 2. Life is likened to a shadow, Psa. 144:4, and a vapor, Jas. 4:14. “A sound heart is the life of the flesh,” Prov. 14:30. “The life of the flesh is in the blood,” Lev. 17:11.
By one man came death through disobedience, Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12. Under the permissive will of God, Satan has the power of death, Job 2:6. The fear of it brings men into bondage, Heb. 2:14, 15. Death is an enemy which will finally be destroyed, 1 Cor 15:26. Christ has the keys to it, Rev. 1:18. It will be banished from God’s new order, Rev. 21:4. For believers, “to die is gain,” Phil. 1:21. For all others, after death there is judgment, Heb. 9:27.
Like Enoch and Elijah, believers who are living at the time of the translation of the church will never die, 1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:14–18. All unbelievers will ultimately experience the second death, Rev. 20:14, 15.
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM

WE CAN DEPEND ON GOD

WE CAN DEPEND ON GOD
Isaiah 41:13
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Psalm 121:1-2
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
DON’T PANIC, DON’T WORRY, OUR GOD IS WITH US. OUR GOD WILL PROTECT US AND PROVIDE FOR US. OUR GOD WILL MAKE A WAY FOR US. OUR HELP COMES FROM THE LORD.
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM




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17Erlie Javier Dela Cruz, Fedie Redd and 15 others

NO ONE HAVE ALL GOOD DAYS

Ecclesiastes 7:14 On a good day, enjoy yourself; On a bad day, examine your conscience. God arranges for both kinds of days So that we won’t take anything for granted.
Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Psalm 121:7 The LORD will keep you from all harm he will watch over your life.
Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Psalm 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
EVEN THOUGH GOD DESIGNED OUR LIFE IN A WAY THAT EVERY DAY WON’T BE A GOOD DAY, HE ALSO DESIGNED IT IN WAY THAT ALLOWS US TO KNOW HE WILL SUPPLY OUR EVERY NEED. GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF US.
Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM

Rules for Conduct

Rules for Conduct
Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
1. A personal faith in Christ to save from sin—Matt. 1:21.
2. An empowerment by the Holy Spirit to do the will of God—Acts 1:8; Eph. 3:16.
3. The blessedness of joy which comes from heart purity—Matt. 5:8.
4. Love, which shows itself in sympathy and help to others, and that love born of the love of God—1 John 3:16; 1 Cor. 13.
5. An obedience to Christ which shows itself in keeping His commandments—John 13:34, 35; 14:15.
6. Christ Himself producing His life over again in the lives of. those who are indwelt by Him—Gal. 2:20.
7. Doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do, or as grace teaches: “To live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12).
CHECK YOURSELF: HOW ARE YOU LIVING?
ARE YOU EVEN STRIVING TO LIVE ACCORDING TO THE RULES OF GOD?
ARE YOU A CHILD OF GOD?
DO YOU LOVE GOD?
‭‭John 14:15 GW‬‬
“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM

What does the Bible say about dating?

What does the Bible say about dating?
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What kind of person should you date? It’s in the Bible, II Timothy 2:22, TLB. “Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts.”
It is unwise to date someone who doesn’t love God. It’s in the Bible, II Corinthians 6:14-15, TLB. “Don’t be teamed with those who do not love the Lord, for what do the people of God have in common with the people of sin? How can light live with darkness? And what harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a Christian be a partner with one who doesn’t believe?” Amos 3:3, NKJV says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
Don’t date someone who claims to be a Christian but doesn’t live it. It’s in the Bible, I Corinthians 5:11, TLB. “What I meant was that you are not to keep company with anyone who claims to be a brother Christian but indulges in sexual sins, or is greedy, or is a swindler, or worships idols, or is a drunkard, or abusive. Don’t even eat lunch with such a person.”
Avoid dating people who have a bad temper. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 22:24, TLB. “Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you learn to be like them and endanger your soul.”
Don’t date a lazy Christian. It’s in the Bible, II Thessalonians 3:6, TLB. “Now here is a command, dear brothers, given in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by his authority: Stay away from any Christian who spends his days in laziness and does not follow the ideal of hard work we set up for you.”
Inner beauty counts the most. It’s in the Bible, I Peter 3:4, TLB. “Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God.”
Date someone with a good attitude. It’s in the Bible, Romans 15:5-6, TLB. “May God who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each other—each with the attitude of Christ toward the other.”
Date someone who encourages you and is supportive. It’s in the Bible, Philippians 2:1-2, TLB. “Is there any such thing as Christians cheering each other up? Do you love me enough to want to help me? Does it mean anything to you that we are brothers in the Lord, sharing the same Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic at all? Then make me truly happy by loving each other, working together with one heart and mind and purpose.”
What to avoid on dates. It’s in the Bible, Romans 13:13, TLB. “Be decent and true in everything you do so that all can approve your behavior. Don’t spend your time in wild parties and getting drunk or in adultery and lust, or fighting, or jealousy.”
Dating should not include a sexual relationship. It’s in the Bible, I Corinthians 6:13,18, TLB. “But sexual sin is never right: our bodies were not made for that, but for the Lord…That is why I say to run from sex sin. No other sin affects the body as this one does. When you sin this sin it is against your own body.”
Keep yourself pure. It’s in the Bible, I John 3:3, TLB. “And everyone who really believes this will try to stay pure because Christ is pure.”
To keep from hurting ourselves, sexual desires and activities must be placed under Christ’s control. It’s in the Bible, I Thessalonians 4:3-5, TLB. “For God wants you to be holy and pure and to keep clear of all sexual sin so that each of you will marry in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion as the heathen do, in their ignorance of God and his ways.”
If you have already gone too far physically, what should you do?
First, acknowledge your sin. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 51:2-4, TLB. “Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. For I admit my shameful deed—it haunts me day and night.”
Second, ask forgiveness for your sin—God says you can start over again. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 51:7-12, TLB. “Sprinkle me with the cleansing blood and I shall be clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. And after You have punished me, give me back my joy again. Don’t keep looking at my sins—erase them from Your sight. Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Don’t toss me aside, banished forever from Your presence. Don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.”
Third, believe that God has indeed forgiven you and quit feeling guilty. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 32:1-6, TLB. “What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record. There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. All day and all night Your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess them to the Lord.’ And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. Judgment will not touch him if he does. You are my hiding place from every storm of life; You even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory.”
God has a mate for you. It’s in the Bible, Genesis 2:18, TLB. “And the Lord God said, ‘It isn’�t good for man to be alone; I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs.'”
Ask the Lord for a mate. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 19:14, TLB. “A father can give his sons homes and riches, but only the Lord can give them understanding wives.”
God will give you your heart’s desires. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 37:4 and Matthew 6:8, TLB. “Be delighted with the Lord. Then He will give you all your heart’s desires.” “Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need before you ask Him!”
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HEALING

HEALING
God has healed in the past by prescription, 2 Ki. 20:7; 1 Tim. 5:23; through physicians, Luke 5:31; Col. 4:14; by direct intervention, Mark 3:1–5; in answer to the faith of friends, Mark 2:5; in response to prayer, Jas. 5:15, 16; and in spite of unbelief, Mark 6:5.
It did not please God to heal Daniel, Dan. 8:27; Elisha, 2 Ki. 13:14; Timothy, 1 Tim. 5:23; Epaphroditus, Phil. 2:26; Trophimus, 2 Tim. 4:20; or Paul, 2 Cor. 12:7–10. God is able to heal anyone at any time, but the Bible reveals that it is not normally His purpose to do so. Evangelicals therefore believe in divine healing, but not in divine healers.
Sickness and infirmity are permitted for a number of revealed reasons: so that God’s works may be made manifest, John 9:3; for His own glory, John 11:4; for our profit, Psa. 119:67; Heb. 12:5–10; so that we may be able to comfort others, 2 Cor. 1:4; to make us more fruitful, John 15:2; Heb. 12:11; to prepare us for future glory, Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 4:17.
God always provides a way to escape, 1 Cor. 10:13. It comes through prayer, Matt. 6:13; Heb. 4:16. It may also come through self-judgment, in the light of the Word, 1 Cor. 11:31; 2 Chr. 7:14. If God does not heal, His grace is sufficient, 2 Cor. 12:9.
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM