Jan 12, 2020 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

Are You Riding Your Donkey?

I like animals; I’m so glad God uses animals to accomplish His will. The donkey is central to Old Testament ministries and the ministry of Jesus Christ, and the donkey is an animal of burden—a pack animal, that has no significant place in mother nature other than carrying freight.

But if your own a donkey you know that donkey can be used to protect other animals that cannot defend themselves, like sheep or goats. It can drive off and even kill mountain lions or coyotes. A donkey seems docile but there is a part of its nature that confronts that which is potentially harmful or dangerous.

In the Old Testament’s judges and prophets rode donkeys and in the New Testament; it was the donkey that brought Jesus to Bethlehem to be born and at the end of His ministry into Jerusalem to be crucified. The donkey is God’s sign and symbol of His judgement. Show me a donkey and I will show you God’s Hand of Judgment. Jesus stated this at the beginning of His ministry: Luke 4:18-19 says: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Jesus quotes this scripture which come from Isaiah 61:1-2, but He leaves out the final phrase “and the day of vengeance of our God”. Why? He leaves His judgment for what follows after His Crucifixion. Christ leaves His judgment to the Church—what is prophesied by Isaiah to what will happen after His resurrection. Christ does not ignore His judgment but leaves it for us and the working of the Holy Spirit in the years up to His Second Coming.

Why is this important? He leaves what He is to do to us, to fulfil His purposes and will. Jesus states and cries over Jerusalem that destruction will come because Israel has rejected His message and crucified Him. (Destruction came to Israel by the armies of the Roman Empire in 70 A.D.)

There are always consequences for rejecting Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit. It is inevitable. Jesus came to proclaim peace but rejecting His peace means only judgment. Christ’s judgment comes through His Church. We are to place all things under the feet of Christ. All things must be in subjection to Him. We are to exercise God’s Judgement upon the powers of darkness. We are called to battle against Satan and all that he does.

This is your calling—to ride a donkey. We are to usher in the judgment of God. Christ came riding upon a donkey and left this world riding a donkey—this was His sign to all of us to fulfill God’s judgment— “and the day of vengeance of our God.”

We are called to battle darkness.

We are called to destroy the works of the devil.

We are called to dress ourselves with the armor of God.

We are called to be light in darkness—Christ’s light in us dispels darkness.

We are called to ride our donkey, just as Christ gave us the example to ride.

If judgment and the warnings of judgement is not part of your message of Jesus Christ, you are failing what God, Jesus, told us to do. Billy Graham often spoke of God’s judgement when preaching salvation. Every minister of the Grace of Christ speaks to the Judgment of Christ.

The offer of mercy requires the consequences of judgment if mercy is rejected. So, let’s ride our donkeys and speak of judgment while destroying the powers of darkness in this world. This is our calling—this is what Jesus would want us to do.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

America’s Battle of the Books

Alonna D. Wentland, Business Manager/Owner

(661) 248-1009

www.battleofthebooks.org

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Jan 9, 2020 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

Mark Chapter 16: your new year’s resolution

I am asking all who follow my blog/writings to memorize this chapter during the month of January 2020. Start by working on only one verse a day and then adding a new verse each day thereafter as you work your way through this chapter. It will be the best New Year’s resolution you have ever made.

There are so many important truths in this chapter that are not in the other Gospels. God will open your eyes to the truth in this chapter, and I am sure the Holy Spirit will call you to repentance and righteousness as you read, memorize, and ponder these 20 simple verses. You do not have to use the KJV; use a Bible version that you are comfortable with, but remember as Jesus’ disciples struggled with His resurrection so do we.

God wants to take us from the Cross of Christ’s death through His resurrection and life to performing the works Jesus confirming your testimony of Christ with signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit.

“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.

3 And they said among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?

4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

5 And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

6 And he saith unto them, be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

8 And they went out quickly and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they anything to any man; for they were afraid.

9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

11 And they, when they heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.

13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.

14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” KJV

Start today and you will be done by the end of this month!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Jan 7, 2020 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

The Good, the Bad, and the Unity: 2020 and Beyond

The Good: There has been so many positive words or prophecies regarding the Church’s future. God is proclaiming He is on the move and looking for His bride to respond. I believe that 2020 and beyond will contain years of blessings, but we need to be wise and prudent when it comes to responding to what God will be doing.

As I have stated frequently, it is crucial that believers get out of debt. We have about 5 years to make sure all debt is paid off, and also to have reserved funds for the uncertainties that will be coming in about 6 to 7 years. The next years will bring spiritual and financial blessings, but they are intended to get us ready for years of turmoil and struggle.

It is no accident that our economy is prospering. God wants His Church to prosper in so many ways and to prepare itself for years of monetary depression. So, let’s claim His promises and live within the prosperity of God’s blessings and truths.

The Bad: As good abounds so will darkness. Satan knows God’s plans to bless us and Satan will try at every turn to steal the blessings God gives us. Satan’s job is to steal, kill, and destroy all that God does regarding His children. We must live under God’s protection. We must prepare for battle. This is what God called His church to—to destroy the works of the devil.

All to often, we like God’s blessings, but we avoid the battle. As we see the world in constant conflict and fighting so it is with God’s church. “The Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force” Matthew 11:12. If we do not fight against darkness then darkness will take away everything God has given us.

If you want to keep what God has promised and given to you, then prepare yourself for the battles of the Kingdom of God. You and I must be watchmen and warriors within the Body of Christ. We need to accept that God has called us to His battle against darkness. We need the Armor of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit. So, learn to fight, not against other human beings but against ‘principalities and powers of darkness’ in this world.

The Unity: We cannot receive the will of God without unity. It is the unity that is found in the Holy Spirit that allows us to receive and accomplish God’s plans and win in our struggle against darkness. You want revival L.A. then get unity. You want the next great awakening America then find unity in the Spirit. You want to live within the prosperity of God’s blessings it is the unity of the saints that will make this happen. You want to destroy all the works of the devil and place the devil under the feet of Christ then you will have to have unity of the Spirit within the Body of Christ. It is only in unity that we will find the final fulfillment of God’s will. As Jesus prayed, “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” John 17:21.

So, let’s fulfill Jesus’s prayer. Almost all examples of God’s plans spoken about in the Bible required unity in some manner and purpose. We must be in agreement even though we are not the same. It is only the unity in the Holy Spirit that will bring about the total accomplishment and finality of God’s plans. It is time to pray for unity and strive for the unity of the Spirit. This is what Jesus would want us to do.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Jan 5, 2020 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

How Many Times?

I allow the Holy Spirit to convict me of sin. I want Him to clean up my life and make things right. It is God’s righteousness that I want in my life. I know righteousness cannot come without God cleaning house—my house.

So, I covet repentance and ask for God’s forgiveness. I also know that only God can bring forgiveness—I cannot create it on my own. The Holy Spirit has to draw me. At times He pushes me to repentance. To get clean and find wholeness is such a wonderful feeling and a wonderful experience each and every time it happens.

The Holy Spirit finds sin that I could never find on my own and even sin I had forgotten about years ago. I am in total agreement with Scripture as the Apostle John states in I John 1:5-10: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But 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[^{a] sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (NIV)}

Once in a while I find a minister who claims he or she does commit sin or has no more sin in their lives; may God grant that person forgiveness. The Holy Spirit will always find sin in our lives. We are saved by Grace (God’s activity and nature in our lives) not by thinking we do not have sin. The Bible says, “God’s mercies are new every day” and it is His mercy that I depend on each day in order to do His will.

Needless to say, I am driven to repent; to live in forgiveness. “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:3. As you already know, “poor in Spirit” means contrite, broken, to be in a constant state of repentance. Jesus commanded us to be in a constant state of forgiveness—our personal forgiveness and our forgiveness to others. It is only then that we can find the Kingdom of Heaven either on earth or in heaven.

How many times have you sinned? How many times did you fail in doing what God wanted? What about those times of kindness, those little moments you did not respond too? You have no idea until the Holy Spirit convicts you of all the times you did not recognize the will of the Father or the words of Jesus trying to penetrate your hearing. Yes, we fail so often in so many ways. We have failed ourselves, our family, our friends and yes, even God, when we do not respond to His voice, His urging, His correction, His love.

We make our mistakes so quickly and easily. It is only because of Christ’s great love for us that we find grace to serve God each and every day. How Many times have I failed God? I do not want to know! I only want the Holy Spirit to move me to repentance and to find forgiveness. I will never be good enough to not sin in some way or to some degree. (Just as the Apostle Paul said that even though he chose to do what is right he fails to do the right thing.)

So, I do not want to remember all my sins—I would never stop crying. I only want to remember the times I repented. I want to always be at the foot of the cross; beholding Christ bleeding on the cross for me. It is the face of Jesus I want to see!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Jan 4, 2020 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

Get Ready to Lose

It is important to God that we become unimportant to ourselves but important to Him. Too often we take the world’s advice and make everything about ourselves. The world says, “We are important, we are significant, we must be respected; it is who we are and how others see us that makes us important.” Yet, God says just the opposite.

Jesus said, “If you lose your life, you will find it” Matthew 10:39. I like the English Standard Version, “Whoever, finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” It is only in losing that we become a winner.

Adam and Eve had everything going for them. Life was indeed perfect; no sin, no trouble, no needs, no worries—nothing could not get any better! But Satan came along and all that perfectness, their perfect life was taken away from them. They destroyed their perfect lifestyle themselves.

Now we find ourselves on the other side of the fence—nothing is perfect in our world, yet we are always trying to make things perfect. This is an exercise in fertility. You and I cannot make ourselves or things around us perfect—it is time to accept becoming a loser.

After so many years trying to become someone, branding myself, working to make things better that I finally realize that I am unable. Sure, God asks me to make a difference and do acts of kindness, but it is not I but Christ within me that produces works that will withstand God scrutiny and evaluation.

Now I want to become a loser, a nobody, a second fiddle in the band, a follower—not a leader. It is and should only be Jesus in me, in front of me and in His footsteps that I walk in this life. As long I make anything about me then Satan will always win in this battle of life.

I am persuaded that this year, 2020, will be a year about Jesus not about me, you, or us. I have said this before that when I die, I do not want a tombstone/headstone that marks my name but simply says, “Jesus made this man a home in heaven.”

Do not remember me but let’s remember Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let’s not talk about how to make ourselves important, but who Jesus is and what the Holy Spirit does in our lives.

We need to pray this prayer, “Jesus make me a nobody so I can find who I was always meant to be in You. Jesus help me put you first in everything and me second. May my wants become what You want, and what I want to be a forgotten memory. Jesus, I just want to ‘want You’; it is just that simple!”

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Dec 24, 2019 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

The Daily Reset—a Christmas Resolution

I get up before the sun rises each day, no matter if it is summer or winter. One has too if you have a ranch with animals. It is good for us to ‘beat the sun’ and to ‘let our own light shine’ before the sun shines on us.

Two days ago, just as I was rising from sleep, the Lord spoke to me and said these simple, yet important, words for my life, “Reset your life each day.” Once again, I knew exactly what the Lord wanted me to do, “Resetting one’s life” is reconnecting with God after all what went on the previous day.

Let me explain, many times we end our day in a flair of activity and sometimes without agreement with the Holy Spirit interacting in our decisions and actions, we just end our day because we are tired and weary of what we have been going through. Often, we have not had time to allow the Holy Spirit to reflect on what has taken place and His willingness to intervene for us in our activities. We end our day without God’s input.

God never and has not forgotten what went on yesterday, and His willingness to help us has not diminished. God is a ‘God Days’ and the Holy Spirit’s job is to interact in what we do and how we respond to what has taken place. The Holy Spirit is our helper!

Did you know that there are over 1000 verses in the Bible that describe the ‘job description of the Holy Spirit’? The Holy Spirit has an important job to do in the lives of Christians. We think, no, we believe that we alone can get the Lord’s work done and often do not allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives. We think if we are doing ‘Christian work’ then the Holy Spirit is working in us and through us. But it’s not that easy nor is this spiritually correct.

What can you do without the Holy Spirit? Nothing! Yes, nothing that is important, and which builds God’s Kingdom. It is God, the Holy Spirit, that builds the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. You cannot repent, you cannot attain to righteousness, or produce the judgment of God on earth (destroying the works of the devil) without the Holy Spirit. These are the three critical duties of the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus’ day, the day ended at 6 pm and began at 6 am. Today it is 12 o’clock. It is no wonder that the Scriptures have Jesus going up into the mountains after 6 pm to pray. Jesus was taking an inventory of the day’s events and preparing Himself for tomorrow. Jesus wanted to know what God wanted Him to do tomorrow and pray with thankfulness for what God did through him during the previous day.

We must be grateful and learn to give God thanks for what He has done—each and every day. We also need to know what is on the horizon—God wants to show us His will for tomorrow. This is why we must “Reset” ourselves at the end & beginning of each day. To “reset oneself” should be our ‘Christmas Resolution’—our gift to God. Let’s begin to see Jesus before us each day and allowing the Holy Spirit to equip us each day. This is God’s will for us and the Church. It is in the resetting of the will of God in our lives that will unite us in Christ and empower us to accomplish His will. As Jesus lived His life on earth so must we—this is what Jesus would want me to do!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Dec 23, 2019 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

Don’t You Just Love CA

I get a kick out of the Semiologists predicting the next big quake in California. It is like a ‘geology Christmas present’ each year. Our local scientists are predicting an 8.0 quake-event, they do not know the time, but they know how large it will be.

This is what makes it fun to live here. I have lived through some good ‘shakers and movers’ over the years but yet to experience ‘the big one’. I know it is coming, not because of what the scientists say, but because what the Spirit has said to the Church.

As I have written in prior articles, a season of earthquakes is coming to our state. They will not stop with a big one or with many little ones. They will be coming in numbers so large; they will drive people to leave the state. We are seeing this in the area of Ridgecrest already and will soon take place all over the state.

California is in trouble, not because of its geography but because of its sin. California has promoted its sin and made it so enticing and popular that much of America has followed in its footsteps. California uses its money, political power, and media connections to promote sin—it makes a lot of money off of promoting lifestyles that destroy people’s lives.

Anyhow, it is coming, that is, the ‘big one’. Do not be surprised when it comes, and one need not be surprised if we “watch and pray” as Jesus has told us often through the Gospels and through the Holy Spirit. It is God’s will—there are indeed consequences for sin. (I should mention to you that soon it will be said that to call a person a sinner will be considered a ‘hate crime’.)

So, I am calling all of us to take on a spirit of repentance and forgiveness this new year. In 2020 we need to ask for forgiveness not only for us not doing the will of God in so many ways, but to intercede for others that are living with sin in their lives. 2020 should be a year of great repentance and a changing of our ways. We should be heard crying out to God for grace, mercy, and for peace, that will calm our lives in times of great tragedy.

2020 will be a great year for Christians—for the Christians that seek God’s will through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Christians that seek forgiveness and a change in the hearts and souls, it will be a year of New Wineskins and Christ “making all things new”. We must have souls that are free to seek and worship the Father, to worship the Father in Truth and the Holy Spirit. This is God’s will for 2020—this will be the beginning of the activity of the Holy Spirit that the church has not experienced for many years.

Oh, how I love the manifestation of God’s will—Come Lord Jesus, come; Not my will but Your will be done!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Dec 19, 2019 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

Judgment at the Door

From Capitol Hill Prayer Partners

Judgment at the Door:

Congress Votes to Impeach the President of the United States

A Statement by the Board of Directors of Capitol Hill Prayer Partners

Last night marked a tragic moment in the history of our country when, despite the fact that our President has done nothing wrong, 229 members of the House of Representatives voted to accept two Articles of Impeachment against the President of the United States: Donald John Trump.

Despite the absence of any impeachable offense of "high crimes and misdemeanors," Congress will now bring these two articles to the United States Senate, who will next convene a trial of impeachment. The Senate will determine whether there are now grounds to remove Donald John Trump from office.

[As of this writing, Nancy Pelosi now says she will delay this
next step, which is required by the Constitution.]

This is a sad day in the history of our nation, for we have now crossed the line between living under a government ruled by truth and one that governs by lies. 229 members of Congress have now shaken their fist at the very foundations of our government: The Constitution, the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, and the Presidency itself.

Today, our Lord is speaking over this Congress Daniel 5:27. IT IS WRITTEN:

"You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting."

It is time to pray.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Capitol Hill Prayer Partners, we repent for this action by the United States Congress. Without prayer, the damage done to our nation cannot now be repaired, for we are a nation divided. In this desperate hour, we ask our God to show us His mercy. We ask that justice be done; and that the Senate will find no grounds to impeach our President.

> > > In the coming days, for the righteous (those who are found in right standing with Him), you will find yourselves strengthened by His Hand, and anchored in His love.

> > > But for those who have stood in defiant opposition to our God by supporting this coup d’etat, only God knows what will lie ahead for you . . .

We want to encourage all of our Prayer Partners to walk carefully now in the fear of the Lord, and to know for a surety that He IS with you. Indeed, He will never leave you nor forsake you, for "underneath are His everlasting arms."

We ask, too, that daily prayers now be offered on behalf of President Trump, to be granted supernatural strength in this time of affliction. May he behold only the Glory of the Lord as he walks through these days, serving our nation as the President of the United States.

This nation will survive.

This presidency will survive.

And God’s kingdom is not shaken.

Amen.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Dec 17, 2019 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

The Sin That Is Never Forgotten

Being a Christian for many years, I have heard and witness the church operating many times without love. A church that would rather proclaim gospel-lies of hate and unforgiveness; I knew it was wrong then, 60 years ago, just as it is still wrong today.

Of course, the Bible says to hate sin, but it is referencing ‘the sin in your life’. It is very difficult to hate the sin in another person’s life without judging that person. As Jesus stated, “Get rid of the sin in your life before you try to help others to get rid of the sin in their lives.” (We are such hypocrites, and if you read the gospels; it was Jesus who was always warning His disciples of the hypocrisy of religious people. Today’s New Testament church still has the problem of hypocrisy, and I am sure it will be with us until Christ’s return.)

Moreover, the church rarely addresses the most dangerous sin—the sin of all sins—the sin against the Holy Spirit. Jesus warned Israel of their rejection of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 11: 16-24 NIV:

16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 17 “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” 20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Sin against the Holy Spirit is not forgivable. Only if we sin in ignorance is there a way of escape. The Bible is very clear on this issue, and we ought to be careful what we say, what we do, and how we respect and honor the Holy Spirit. (Remember what happened to Ananias and Sapphira in the Book of Acts chapter 5, when God killed them for lying to the Holy Spirit.) Whenever we reject the activity of the Holy Spirit there are consequences for our actions. Jesus cries over Jerusalem when He realizes that the people have rejected the activity of the Holy Spirit in their city—He says that Jerusalem will be destroyed, and it was in 70 A.D. (Luke 19:41-44).

This should move all of us to fear God and keep His commandments and this decision of our should lead us to what we forgive and how we judge sin. To often the church considers these sins to be the worst and many times do not offer forgiveness: divorce/adultery, being gay, murder, and abortion. Oh, how it is easy to judge others for sins we have committed ourselves. I do not know anyone who has not committed adultery and murder. In fact, Jesus made it very clear that anyone who hates another person in their heart or lusts after another person in their heart, did the actual sin as if they committer the physical act of illicit sex or murdering. We think we are innocent, but we are not! We think we can judge others because we have not committed similar sins, but we have! We need to forgive and receive forgiveness—we need to do it now—from this moment on!

Nevertheless, it is the sin of rejection of the Holy Spirit that is unforgivable not the sins of the Ten Commandments. We all have sinned against God and Jesus Christ, God (the Trinity) has chosen to forgive us of these sins. So, let’s be forgiving, loving one another, and instead warn each of us daily not to sin against the Holy Spirit.

Let us not be caught rejecting the Holy Spirit, not responding to the Holy Spirit, and speaking against the activity of the Holy Spirit for God is a God to be feared—He is a God of judgment; it is His judgment that is without mercy.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.

Dec 15, 2019 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

Your Wineskin Is Leaking

Your wineskin is leaking, and you probably do not even realize it. Jesus had this to say to all Christians: “New wine must be put into new bottles,” Mark 2: 22b KJV.

“He (Jesus) told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” Luke 5:36-39 NIV.

I was dreaming two nights ago—a very complicated dream. After I woke up God said these words to me, “The wineskins are leaking.” I knew exactly what God was saying when He spoke these words, but I had never considered what the Holy Spirit was saying to me before this time. I knew I had new wine in my life but never considered that whenever the Holy Spirit wants to pour Himself into me that I need to have a new wineskin—a new me.

As I began to think on these things and read through the Scriptural accounts of “the wineskins or bottles with new wine”, the words of Jesus began to come alive with meaning, and what God spoke to me came with conviction and urgency.

One can never have New Wine from heaven without becoming a new wineskin/a new bottle. It cannot happen! Sure, you say, “I am saved” or “I already have New Wine through the baptism of the Holy Spirit”, but the true meaning of the verses is whenever God wants to deposit New Wine in your life you must become “new again.” Lamentations 3:22-23: It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

As being born again is life-long process so is the receiving of New Wine. If the Holy Spirit has His way in your life, He is always wanting to pour New Wine into our lives.

Our lives so often become broken, damaged, and injured with sins, faults, inappropriate responses to what God would have us do. God always wants us to be made, New Again. This can only take place through conviction, forgiveness, repentance, the repairing of our lives—we must become new wineskins in order for New Wine to find its way into our lives.

Jesus warned us in Luke 5:39, we will not want new wine after drinking the old wine. I see this so plainly now. You cannot repair your life/your bottle/your wineskin—it must be made new. No matter how spiritual you are, how long you have been a Christian, or how many good works you have done, we all must become new all over again anytime God wants to pour new wine into our lives. It is this new wine that changes everything for every Christian in order for God to do His work through our lives. We must have the new wine Jesus is talking about every day!

You and I must stop our wineskins from leaking. We often do not even recognize that wine is leaking from our broken lives. We have nothing to give to others. We have no or little passion or power. We are not exercising the fullness of the Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit in a world that so desperately needs them.

Our wine is old—without flavor or impact, and now our lives have become worn out and broken. We must cry out for God’s forgiveness—we must become poor in spirit, contrite & broken, and in a constant state of repentance. Begin to tell God, “I am so sorry for my leaking wineskin and having old wine in my life.” Cry out for a new life—a new wineskin for God to pour His new wine from heaven into your life.

It is having “His mercies new each day” that makes me new each day and makes me ready for the Holy Spirit’s ‘new wine’ to be deposited into my life and producing the activity of God to a dying world.

“God make me a new bottle each day, so I am ready

for whenever you give me your new wine.”

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.