Lovers of

Luke 16:13-15 No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” 14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.”

The Bible says the Pharisees were lovers of money. How do we know we can be lovers of money? How can we know if we may have a Pharisee spirit judging the work of the Lord? 

Jesus was speaking about money as HE gave the parable in Luke 16 about the shrewd manager who had squandered his master's money. When the Lord was teaching this parable, the Pharisees scoffed at Him. They scoffed at Him because they were lovers of money. In other translations, it states the Pharisees were ridiculing and sneering at His teaching. 

In the church, when pastors preach about money in regards to the kingdom of God, there are many Christians who will scoff, judge, or ridicule authority for preaching about money. They will start to scoff and sneer saying that the pastors or preacher wants their money. They will judge the pastors on why they are preaching about money. They will judge on how they think the pastors are spending "their" money. All tithes belong to God. It was never "their" money.

A prideful spirit that loves money will sneer and judge. A humble spirit is always willing to learn and leave the judgment to God knowing that is His business. A prideful spirit will assume the authority of God to place judgment and ridicule. A prideful spirit that loves money will become offended. A humble spirit will listen to the core message rather than trying to discern the motive of the preacher for giving the message. 

Pastor Steve

Can a woman teach?

1 Tim 2:11-15 "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."

What does the "woman" in the bible represent? The woman can represent the church. The Bible references the "woman" as the church. The church consisting of lay believers, lamb (baby Christians), and those who do not yet have spiritual authority. They are considered the "woman" in these verses. Baby Christians and those who have no authority are to learn in quietness and in full submission and they are not allowed to teach or assume authority over a man. 

What does the "man" represent? The "man" represent higher authority. The man or husband is our Lord Jesus who is the higher authority. We are to be led by the Holy Spirit under the authority of Jesus Christ. Those who are appointed to lead God's people are His delegated authority and represent the proxy "man or husband." We are to be in full submission to HIM. In many cases, the baby Christians who can be represented as lay believers or general church members attempt to assume a role of authority and attempt to correct, teach, and even rebuke higher authority. 

Adam being formed first means he has the authority over Eve. The woman was deceived first. Why was the woman deceived? Even today, much of the church is deceived? Why? Because the church or representing lay believers, lambs, and/or baby Christians are assuming a role of authority when they should be first be learning in quietness and submission. The woman needs to be broken first before given authority. Eve should have stayed quiet when a higher authority, Adam, was next to her. Eve should have allowed Adam to speak on her behalf but she replied to the serpent when she should have remained quiet. There is a lesson here for the church in general. 

Much of the church is making the same mistake as Eve. The church filled with lay believers in which most have not even read the whole bible, who are not consistently praying, who are still very carnal minded, are not fully committed to God, and for many who are still living a life of SIN are attempting to assume authority as Eve when they should first learn quietly and learn to submit to authority. 

"But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."

The woman or church must endure suffering as she goes through trails, tests, and tribulation continuing in faith, love, and hope. 

“Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and [telling them] that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Acts 14:22 AMPC

Pastor Steve

Baptism to Wilderness

https://youtu.be/m5undOQO5DQ

Spiritual dialysis ( a function of the wilderness ) by Deacon Jeremiah Hopes

One aspect of the wilderness is that it is a place of cleansing and preparation . ...But how ? 

In the natural a person who over a period of time continues to eat bad and unhealthy food can will develop kidney problems . With enough time and abuse of kidneys through unhealthy eating habits the kidneys can fail causing a person die . In the natural to treat this a person will be put on dialysis . Which a machine that externally cleans the blood . 

This person must do treatments everyday for several hours a day and change there eating habits . If this person does not do the treatments which clean waste from the blood and change eating habits to eat more healthy they will die . 

The dialysis is not a permanent fix its temporary . Until the person can get a new kidney by receiving a kidney transplant . The catch is new kidneys are limited and are only given to those who have the best chance of survival . 

Our wilderness is very similar . This is where we learn to stop eating the unhealthy things if the world and begin to eat healthy spiritual food ( the word of God ) While at the same time begin treatments of spending time in prayer repenting so we get cleansed from all the sin already in our hearts . 

The goals is to receive a new heart and a new spirit which is gods promise . But if we do not complete this process we will not be good candidates to receive the new spiritual organs  just like in the natural . 

If we receive a new heart with out completing this process well ruin the new organ like we did the old and be held accountable for squandering what God has given us . Like Saul who the bible says received a new heart and was changed into another man . He prophesied with the prophets but could not maintain this spiritual level because he was not trained to stay clean and separate  from the world . So he became deluded and disobeyed God and was judged for his sin . He never repented . 

6 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

1 Samuel 10 7 and 9 

7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.

9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass 

When we are clean the lord will say to us like he did his deciples you are already clean . My word has made you clean . You only need wash your feet . 

John 13:10

Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

As for us who are still being made clean we need to continue in our wilderness  to completion On dialysis until we receive our new hearts as we understand more the function of the wilderness we should all embrace the wilderness . 

Our perspective must change . Life is not in the abundance of our possessions nor in having many experiences or much education or knowing many people . 

A person who thinks this way still loves the world and the things of the world therefor the love of the father is not in him . 

But true life is received only from intimacy with Christ and sustained through full obedience and total surrender . 

May God receive all the glory for his revaluation and May we all be like David . Men and women after Gods  own heart .. amen 

Deacon Jeremiah Hopes Sr

Fire of God Church

"My Food" by Deacon Jeremiah Hope Sr.

John 4:34 my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work 

This was Jesus reply to the disciples who returned expecting him to be hungry . But he had been ministering and doing Gods work . When they returned he had been fed spiritually. This spiritual food is eternal food . In heaven we will not need to eat or sleep to live . We will be totally sustained by the energy of God . This energy is available now as we fully obey and tap into this power source that is flowing down from Jesus through pastor Kim and through pastor Steve and pastor Yoogin . 

All of our physical bodies get energy through the physical food they eat but the problem is that this energy for the physical body will only sustain you so long, if you have not learned to tap into Gods energy source or spiritual food . You will get sick and die when the body ( the flesh ) dies  

This is the reason Joshua and kaleeb the two obedient servants out lived the rest of the children of Israel who died in the wilderness  this is why kaleeb testified that he was strong as a thirty year old when he was 80 . This is the reason Moses could live 80 days with no food no water on mount Sinai . I believe This is why pastor Kim can live on two hours sleep There are more examples of this but I'll shorten for the sake of time . The basic idea is that the citizens of Gods kingdom should not grow weak and sick as they get old . The bible never says that children of the kingdom died but that they slept . Death is working in the citizens of this world and manifest in sickness and death but in us this should not be . 

The wilderness process is about more then just letting go of idols . It is also about unplugging from the world system . Which  is spiritually feeding  people . And plugging into the kingdom of God . The ways of the world and how it functions and the ways of the kingdom and how it functions are different . We try to relate certain things so that we can understand but in many things it doesn't relate . The children of Israel were born into an idolatrous false world system . Just as we are . We are fed by this system  all our lives . The deception is bigger then we realize . 

In the wilderness they ate manna spiritual food but Christ told us that he is the true manna that came down from  heaven and those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will never die . Even though they ate the manna they where still full of the world so they didn't believe which led to disobedience . 

Do not love the world not the things of the world . If any man loves the world the love of the father is not in him . The love of the father is perfect love which cast out fear . They didn't have his love that's why they were to afraid to obey Gods command to Enter the promise land . The same will be true for us if we still love the world . We will not be able to enter the spiritual realm for fear and even if we do we'll be easily deceived  

When we die to our selves and unplug from this world system . What we believe will become more real then what we think we see . And all the lies we have been taught will begin to become obvious . I experience some of this, this week and I spent several days in shock . 

When we fast our bodies switch from getting energy from glycogen which is basically sugar to using stored energy or fat . The Second energy source ( fat ) actually has more energy then the first as fat has 9 cal per gram vs carbs or sugar which has only 4 Calories per gram . 

Spiritually same thing when we fast from the world we will switch over to a different energy source that will be more powerful. The problem is that to fast the stomach my be empty for a period of time . It may not be comfortable at first.but it gets easier as we adapt . most people are not use to the feeling of there stomach being empty . They perceive that something is wrong and immediately seek to find something to fill the stomach . We will Not die if the stomach is empty for a period of time . 

Spiritually same thing when we fast from the world by Turning off tv radio Internet ect. for a period of time . We don't realize our hearts are constantly being fed by the world . It is uncomfortable for our hearts to be empty as we switch over to this different energy source From Gods kingdom . 

If we do not die and unplug from the world ( the matrix ) satan will still have some level of control over us . One scary thing is there is church in the matrix or the world system . Many spend there whole lives in a church that has a form of godliness but has no power . 

We must chose either to be full of the world or full of Jesus but we cannot be full of both. 

If you try be full of Jesus and the world there won't be room for Jesus because you are already full of the world . Then he will say foxes have holes and birds have nest but the son of man has no where to lay his head 

As always it come down to our choices . Let us choose God. Deny our selves and fully obey . We will experience victory in the promise land or spiritual realm only in proportion to how much we have died to ourselves and emptied ourselves of the world it's idols and anything else that is not of God   

Deacon Jeremiah Hope Sr.

Fire of God Church

Taking our spiritual Sandals off by Alex Matos

Exodus 3:4-5 NLT

4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.

Joshua 5:15 NLT

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.

The sandals/footwear protect our feet, when we have our footwear or shoes most of the time we don't pay attention where we walk or stand, but if we don't have any footwear on, our reaction will be to walk with caution, attentive and watching every step we take. When we don't have any footwear we are force to be meticulous in the path we choose and watch every step we take. On the other hand when we have our footwear or shoes we don't care about the consequences or what path we walk in, we just walk.

I believe the Lord has been impressing and warning me to take my SPIRITUAL  SANDALS off, this means to be more careful and attentive in my walk with Him, because the place I'm standing in is Holy, and this represents our church and every place I walk in, for we are called to be carriers of His presence. If I don't pay attention in my walk with the Lord I'm going to be experiencing consequences.

The Lord was warning Moses and Joshua to take of they're sandals before getting closer to Him, this can represent warning them to be careful and attentive in they're walk, at this level even small things can cost us our salvation. This past month the Lord has been warning the church trough Pastor Steve that we are about to enter a higher level of His anointing and presence.

I believe God is also warning the Church to take of our spiritual sandals, not only at church but every place we go, and to be careful and attentive in our walk with Him, and let His word guide us closer to Him.

Psalm 119:105 NLT

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet

    and a light for my path.

Glory to God!!!

Brother Alex Matos

Fire of God Church

No alcoholic beverages allowed in the Temple

“You and your descendants must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink before going into the Tabernacle. If you do, you will die. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation.”

Leviticus 10:9 NLT

The Tabernacle was the temporary and portable dwelling place for God's glory/presence. Today, our bodies are God's temple and we are to be a holy people. The permanent law still stands and continues from generation to generation. We are to be a kingdom of priests. A Holy Nation. We are to be set apart. We are not to drink any alcoholic wine or drinks whatsoever.