IF YOU GO INTO MINISTRY expecting to make a great amount of wealth, then you do not understand what ministry is. Ministry is about reaching out to the hopeless, speaking for those who have no voice, and reaching the lost and dying by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ so they may inherit eternal life. Ministry is about winning souls for Jesus Christ. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,” Luke 19:10.
IF YOU GO INTO MINISTRY expecting to make a great amount of wealth, then you have lost the purpose of what ministry is about. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,” Mark 10:45, Matthew 20:28. We lay down ourselves, our ego, our desires, our will in exchange for picking up our cross, dying to selfishness, and following His Will, giving our lives in service to Him, and going forth to tell others about Jesus Christ and who He is. “He must increase; I must decrease,” John 3:30. “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me,” Luke 9:23. Note the words “Let Him Deny Himself.”
THE WORD “MINISTER” on its own means “servant.” MINISTERING TO (SERVING) OTHERS is a calling.
IF YOU GO INTO MINISTRY JUST SO YOU CAN GET WEALTHY AND MILK PEOPLE DRY, then your ministry is built on the foundation of self and on things that will collapse when the storms come. IF YOUR MINISTRY IS BUILT ON SELF, THE LOVE OF MONEY, EGO, GREED, AND BUILT WITHOUT CHRIST BEING THE FOUNDATION, your ministry will eventually collapse.
“Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head,” Luke 9:58. There isn’t a bible verse that says Jesus lived in mansions while He on earth, and there’s isn’t a bible verse that shows Him demanding payment before or after He ministered to people. There isn’t even a verse that shows Jesus demanding money for His ministry. You will find Jesus preaching repentance and bringing hope to the hopeless, healing the sick, teaching crowds of people, delivering those who were possessed. He is Savior and Lord, and we see Him in the Scriptures as ministering to those who cried out to Him, those who recognized their need for salvation. In those same Scriptures, we see Jesus overturning the table of the money changers for taking advantage of those who were purchasing animals they needed to make sacrifices, “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers,'” Matthew 21:12-13.
I will end this post with these words from the book of Jude Verses 10 and 11 and 2 Peter 2:11-13, “These men, however, slander what they do not understand, and like irrational animals, they will be destroyed by the things they do instinctively. Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion,” and “Yet not even angels, though greater in strength and power, dare to bring such slanderous charges against them before the Lord. These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed. The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you.”
Linda A. Knowles
…Always.
Remembering the death of Christ is not just for one day.
As children of the Most High God, we remember daily the death AND the resurrection of Christ. His death, burial, and resurrection are essential to the Christian faith. Through the shedding of Christ’s blood, we have have forgiveness of sin. He was wounded for our transgressions and He was bruised for our iniquities. Because of His death, we are healed, saved, and delivered. “Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed,” (Isaiah 53:4-5BSB).
Praise the Lord that we have been redeemed. He is our Risen Lord and Savior, and we have been made victorious.
PRAYER: Thank You, Jesus, for the cross. Thank You for dying on the cross and shedding Your blood for me. Thank You for delivering me from death, hell, and the grave. Through Your blood, I have been saved and redeemed. Lord, there is none like You for You are my Kinsman Redeemer. Through Your blood I am made more than a conqueror. Because You have overcome death and are my Risen Lord and King, I am made victorious. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and making me clean that I can come into Your presence to worship You. You alone, O God, are worthy of all praise. To You be all the glory and the power and the honor forever. Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
Heavenly Father, You are God and You are Lord of All. There is no one and there is nothing that compares to You for You alone are the Almighty Everlasting Father. Above You, there is no other. The new year, O Lord, is just around the corner. Help me to end this year strong and to remain steadfast in the new year 2019. Thank You for guiding me and leading me in Your way. Father, I ask You to continue to guide me in all my ways and to direct my steps as I put my trust in You and acknowledge You in all my ways. Apart from You, O Lord, I can do nothing. In You, I can do all things because You are the One who gives me strength. You are my Hope and You are my Refuge. I cling to You, O God, for You are my Deliverer and Your words sustain me. Father, I delight in You, and because I delight in You, I know You will grant me my heart’s desire. Father, draw close to me as I draw close to You. Help me to remember there is freedom in submitting to You and walking in obedience to Your will and to Your ways. Be the Light which illumines the path I am to walk. Show me the Ancient Path, the good way, that I may walk along the Ancient Path and find rest for my soul. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Remember in your celebration and contemplation of the New Year to come to keep Christ first in all things. The cross cannot be separated from Christ, and Christ cannot be separated from the cross. On that cross, Christ paid the price. He has saved us, healed us, delivered us, and has set us free. Daily we are being made holy as we die to self.
“For even The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life a ransom in the place of the many.” -Mark 10:45 (Aramaic Bible In Plain English)
As we look forward to celebrating the New Year just around the corner, let us remember to continue living in wholehearted devotion to Him, never looking back, and pressing on into the future. Let us carry out the tasks He has placed before us and continue to grow in the love of Christ.
Linda A. Knowles
As children of God who are walking in obedience to His will and His ways, God does heal. We can be assured our God heals. God doesn’t go against His Word, and God is faithful to His promises.
The confidence that we have is this: If we ask anything according to the will of God, He hears us, and since we know He hears us, whatever we ask, we know we have the petitions we have asked of Him.
What are you believing God for today? Are you in need of healing? Are you in need of being saved from an impossible situation? God is able to deliver you. Do NOT give up because God has NOT given you the spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are the God who heals and delivers. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thank You for always being there for me. You, O God, have never let me down, and You have never left me alone. You have been my Guide, and You have been my Light. Father, be my Deliverer, as You always have been, in my circumstances. Show Yourself faithful as You always have for You are my Deliverance and my Song. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
YOU RESCUE ME
Written By Linda A. Knowles
I will praise You in the morning,
And I will praise You in the night,
even when it seems there is no hope in sight;
For You, O God, are my Deliverer,
And You are my Strength;
And You, O Lord, are the One Who Rescues Me
from the hands of my enemies.
“I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation, I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.” –(Psalm 34:1-7NLT)
That’s right: Let GOD fight your battles for you. Our GOD is THE GOD of JUSTICE, and it is difficult to let go of whatever is going on around us that we’re facing. However, letting go and letting GOD do what HE has to do is something we won’t regret. I learned many years ago, never to repay evil with evil because the WORD OF GOD states, “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,” (1 Peter 1:17 ESV). We conduct ourselves as GOD would have us to conduct ourselves. GOD has set the standards of morality and ethics. GOD has set the standard of holiness, and therefore, we need to conduct ourselves knowing GOD sees all we do and hears all we say. Eventually, we will have to give an account to HIM for every idle word spoken (Matthew 12:36) and everything we have done (2 Corinthians 5:10). “And he said, ‘Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.'” (2 Chronicles 20:15 ESV)
We simply need to take our position and stand our ground, fix our eyes on GOD, giving HIM glory and honor and obeying whatever command HE gives us.
DO NOT DEBATE your enemies and DO NOT ENGAGE your enemies. The WORD OF GOD states clearly, “Not defending yourselves, dearly beloved; but rather give place unto the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord,” (Jubilee Bible 2000). The wicked will perish, and GOD scoffs at the wicked (Proverbs 1:26); and “However, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life,” (Galatians 6:6-8 BSB)
ALWAYS REMEMBER: THE LORD is your SHIELD and your DEFENSE, and He is the GOD WHO UPHOLDS YOU. It is better to be a friend of GOD than to be HIS enemy (James 4:4), and GOD always takes care of HIS own children (Psalm 16:5).
“The LORD is my strength and my shield, In Him hath my heart trusted, And I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, And with my song will I praise Him,” (Psalm 28:7 JPS Tanakh 1917). “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust,” (Psalm 91:2 KJV).
Much Love To You All,
L.A. Knowles
And Wow, Yeah, 2017 has been an incredibly awesome year in experiencing the preservation and deliverance of God in my own life, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2018.
With the New Year around the corner, it was time for me to seek out verses as a reminder of what I should always seek God for, a command to always keep at the forefront of my mind, and one that gives me a focal point for praise and worship.
Here are my theme verses for 2018-
MY LIFE VERSE THEME FOR 2018:
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fulness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11
MY PRAYER LIFE THEME FOR 2018:
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls…'”
Jeremiah 6:16
MY LIFE OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP THEME FOR 2018
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.Selah
The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men!”
PSALM 9:1-20
May 2018 be a wonderful year for all my neighbors around the globe, and may all of you be abundantly blessed in the new year to come!
Much Love To You All,
L.A. Knowles
Stained Glass Confessions 