21 Fasting Prayer - Day 8

Getting Ready for the coming of the Lord.

Luke 17:20

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, [f]‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is [g]within you.”

Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God would come?

1 Timothy 3:1-5
3 But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 


lovers of themselves
lovers of money
lovers of pleasure
All above 3 have form of godliness


lovers of God
True form of godliness.




The Lord says in v26.

26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 
29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.


In the days of Noah:
the people ate, drank, married wives, given in marriage.

In the days of Lot:
the people ate, drank, bought, sold, planted, built.

So  eat, drink, marriage, buy, sell, plant, build.

This verse does not talk about sins like murder, adultery, homosexuality etc.
But it talks about eat, drink etc.
So the basic question is what is the problem about eating,drinking.
Because not only in the days of Noah, right from the beginning till now people are eating and drinking.
So whats special in the days of Noah.

In the days of Noah, this was what was happening and in the days of Son of Man, this is what will be.


So what is the problem with eat, drink,marriage, buy,sell, plat, building.

The Bible says in Genesis 6:5

5 Then [c]the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent[d] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil [e]continually.

wickedness was great, every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
So when man cannot think other than daily work, eat and drink, then the wickedness becomes great, intent of the thoughts of his heart will be evil.

For example: Genesis 7:1
7 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep [a]the species alive on the face of all the earth.

Here God commanded Noah to bring a male and female into the ark.
That is how Gods design is.
Every clean animal ( Male and female)
unclean ( male and female)
birds ( male and female)
Noah and his wife ( male and female)
Noah sons and their wifes ( male and female)

Whatever God has designed purpose is perfect.
Today in America we have plenty of food. The life we have here is eating and drinking.

And that has brought in so much of wickedness.
SO in NY , when the kids have to submit applications for their schools ( they give Parent1 and Parent2 ). this is not to offend LGBT.

Similarly, now even in schools , there are restrooms created as Unisex to accomodate transgender students.
There is confusion in schools.  Because people are confused , which bathrooms transgenders will use, they created unisex restrooms.

But when God commanded Noah to come into the ark, He is very clear.
Male and Female. there is no place for transgender and lgbt inside the ark.

But when Mans lifestyle is only of eating and drinking , all confusion arises.


When the LORD said The days of NOah like eating and drinking, it talks about lifestyle.

This talks about a lifestyle of the people.

A Life Style of the people whose life is all about eat, drink.

Many of us are food lovers.
We had so many grand weddings, many people buy and sell.
But when life becomes only eat , drink ,  that there is problem.
We see many workaholics, they work,work and no other life.
We see many people only on social media. thats what their life is.Apart from social media they wont have life.

For some everyday, some new variety of food , otherwise they dont want to eat.

Life revolves around eat, drink.


Even Noah and his family were also eating and drinking before the flood.

But there is a difference between others and Noah's family.
Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

The world don't care about what is going to come.
Noah - Reverence - Godly fear.
But Noah and his family cares:

Noah cares about what is going to come.

Noah being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear. prepared an ark for the saving of his household.

So while Others were only eating and drinking,  Noah and familys main task was building the ark. Their thoughts were filled with building the ark. their lives were invested in building the ark. they counted their cost in building the ark.
For Noah and family, eating and drinking is just to have energy to work for building the ark.  Eating and  drinking did not become the life style of Noah, but Building the ark was the lifestyle of Noah.

What is our lifestyle today? 
Do we just go to work, look for delicious food , eat ,drink and sleep.

or our lifestyle is about building the ark.
The ark is for future.
If our eyes are not set on the future days to come then we are not ready.
But Noahs focus was firmly set for the dangerous times to come.
And when the dangerous times came, everyone else would have surprised, but not Noah. Because was preparing for this day.




Genesis 7:17_23
17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on [c]the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath [d]of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 


While the waters prevailed, the ark was rising high above the earth, while water prevailed exceedingly, the ark was going higher and higher.
While the everyone else was being destroyed., the one who is in the ark was safe and secure.

The days of the Son of Man will be same as the days of Noah.
Are you building your ark? Is your lifestyle ,the lifestyle of Noah to build for future or is it just the life style of eat, drink.


LOT

Luke 17:28

28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

Similarly in the days of Lot, people were eating and drinking.
They bought, sold, planted, built.

Because the people of Sodom were bound by the lifestyle of eating and drinking, everything that comes from that lifestyle was wickedness.

That lifestyle manifests in different ways.
Gensis 19:14
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

When Lot asked his sons-in-law to come out of the Sodom. it seemed as a joke to them.

We all love jokes, we crack jokes, everyone of us like to have fun playing and cracking jokes.
most of the people enjoy when there is a joke.
But for some, Joking itself becomes a lifestyle. ( In every statement, in every ocassion they need a joke). They cannot differentiate between a situation that requires attention and a situation of a laughter.

But their life becomes joke.
For the sons-in-law of Lot, the call to come out to a safety place sounded like a joke, because of the eating and drinking life style.


But Lot was also eating, but for all others when eating became a lifestyle, but for Lot, he was tormented.

2 peter  2:7,8

7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—


When Lot heard about lawless deeds of Sodom, His Righteous Soul was tormented.

Whenever you hear about a lawless deed is happening in the world, How your soul reacts will reveal your righteousness.

If you don't care about something wrong in the society, then it shows there is no righteousness.

Ezekiel 9:4
4 and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

Whenever there is an abomination that goes around, do you have a sigh, do you have cry over the abomination.
People who cry and sigh over the abominations, there is mark on them.

All those who did not care about abominations, they were slain, but those who cry and sigh they were marked and said 

5 To the others He said in my [e]hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill;[f] do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. 6 Utterly[g] slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the [h]temple. 7 Then He said to them, “Defile the [i]temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.


The Cry represents your prayer life. and your prayer life when you sigh and cry over abomination, then you are marked for safety, you are marked to escape the coming judgement.
Is your Soul tormented because of abomination that goes around?
Lot's righteous soul was tormented.

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When others were eating, drinking etc, 
the people of God were Building the ark.
Lot was sighing, tormented.

21days fasting prayer - Remember

Gods wonderful creation of mankind has this beautiful aspect called
Memory - is part of human nature (mind).

This memory is the area where we store information and retrieve it.
Sometimes you drive and you know the route you dont need GPS.
You can drive to work, drive to Church without any GPS. because it is stored in your directions.

You ask about Moses - all information you have about Moses, like red sea parting, ten commandments.etc you can tell it.

You ask about prophet Huldah, it did not get into your memory

God has a great purpose in giving this beautiful thing called memory.

Yes it is definitely useful for day today activities, to remember phone numbers, remember family members birthdays, remember routes.

But as I was meditating, God was revealing many things that i will share with you

1) Memory of God
Isaiah 43 : 25,26
25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
26 Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be [a]acquitted

Many people struggle with whether their sins are forgiven or not.
but look carefully at this verse.
God is saying I will not remember your sins.
He is asking, come let us argue with each other.
You remember me and I will not remember your sins.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins [b]and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

When the person on the other cross, asked the Lord, Remember Me when you come into Your kingdom, the remembered His covenant and said you will be with Me in paradise.

Luke 23:42,43

42 Then he said [k]to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Gods Memory about the righteous
Genesis 8:1
Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

God remembered Noah. When the world goes through the storm, turmoil, pluge, pestilinece, during that time God remembers the remnant, the righteous people.

When the Lord was about to destroy Sodom, Abraham asks Lord if there were fifty righteous, 40, etc.
when a a Nation, or a city is going through a situation or famine, or turmoil, it is the presence of the Righteous that brings the breakthrough.
That is why as  a Church, our prayer should be let us be a people who will reveal your righteousness in the place where we live.

Gods always remember his covenant
Psalms 105:8
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations

God always remembers His people based on His Word, His Promise, His Covenant.

The reason God brought the people of Israel from egypt is because of His Word, His Promise, His Convenat with Abraham.
Even when people sinned and gone astray it was because of His covenant, He remembered and delivered them.



2) Do not forget God.

We remember all your family names, most of the church members you continously interact with, and you current coworkers.

But if I ask you whats your coworkers names in your previous workplace, and your high school students names, it is not easy to recollect because eventhough it was stored in memory at that time,
Forgetfulness is also part of human nature.

Man always remembers current things, current affairs,

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and V12

4 “Hear, O Israel: [b]The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

 12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage

The Word says Teach your children, Shall talk, sit down, walk , lie  , rise up.

The Word of God should be your current affairs.

The current hot topic is corona. everybody knows it. 

The culture of the believers should be of the Word.

There should be a culture where believers should talk to one another about the Word. The Word of God should be your most recent update., should be your most recent notification.

Otherwise v12 says Lets you forget the LORD who saved you.

Culture of the Word 

Malachi 3:16 says

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who [e]meditate on His name.

There is a saying that goes-

Repetition is the mother of memory.

The more you talk about it, and you hear about it, that installs faith in a persons life.

1 Corinthians 11:24-25

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, [d]“Take, eat; this is My body which is [e]broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Every time we come together to break the bread and take part of the cup is in remembrance of Lord Jesus.
in our praises we remember him, in our prayers we remember him,
but remembering the Lord in the table is a unique blessing for a believer.
It is no more we have to strive , but He paid it all.
To remember that He has done it on the cross.
That Body was punished for you and me.
His Blood was shed for you and me.

That remembrance brings blessings, but a person who casually takes part in the table without that remembrance has problem.


Remember the examples

Luke 17:32
31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his [i]goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife.

The Lord  here is asking to rememeber Lot's wife.
So what is the problem with Lot's wife? Why should we remember Lots wife.

Once you are in the field, do not turn back.

This  remembrance in particular is to prepare for the Day of the Lord.

Genesis 19:v17
17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that [b]he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be [c]destroyed.”

V26:
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Lots wife wanted to go back, even before she crossed the city.

When Lots wife looked back, it is not her eyes, but it is her memory of things ( about good old days of Sodom).
Too often we think about good old days of our past life.
We try to live in our past life.
But the calling of the angels of the Lord is greater, to leave Sodom .
But her heart is too attached to things of old.
When the Lord says Remember Lots wife, He is saying Remember how Lots wife instead of looking at the calling ahead of her, she was remembering her past.

Philippians 3:2-6
Bu on the other hand
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship [a]God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

This is all his past.
Paul also brings of all of his accolades and says rubbish.

Philippians 3:13,14
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have [d]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.


Do you have correct understanding of Gods memory.

God says come let us argue, remember Me, I will not remember your sins.
He remembers because of His covenant.
The Lord remembers the righteous.


What is your memory looking like.

Do you meditate on the Word of God day and night?
Do you remember The Lords sacrifice during communion?

Remember the examples? Lots wife remembered her past instead of her calling.
But Paul pressed onto his Calling.