DOES JESUS WANT YOU TO BE POOR?

Jesus said to a rich man: “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me.” Mark 10:21 NLT

In other words, Jesus was basically telling this young man, ‘become poor and then come and follow Me, be completely dependent on Me and you will experience how I will take care of all your needs!’

That is why Jesus taught: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 NLT

And the apostle Paul wrote this: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Jesus did not want any of His disciples to be self-sufficient, but for them to trust Him for their daily provision, as Jesus taught them to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11 NKJV

ARE WE OBLIGATED TO PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM?

There are many well-meaning Christians who say that we as believers are obligated to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They use the Old Testament book of Psalms to justify this, where it says: “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.” Psalm 122:6 NLT

But, is this really so?

For decades, Christians have been praying for the peace of Jerusalem, and yet, there is still no peace today in Jerusalem. Far from it! Instead, great civil unrest exists in Jerusalem among Jews, Christians, Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians.

The Bible though speaks about a day that is coming when there will be peace in Jerusalem. This will be orchestrated by the Antichrist, the false Messiah. He will bring a false peace treaty to Israel and the Middle East. You can read this in the book of Daniel and 1. Thessalonians where it speaks about the Antichrist bringing peace.

And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. Daniel 11:21 NKJV

Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you.  For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.  When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NLT

Jesus Christ will return! He is not coming to establish Israel’s earthly kingdom. Jesus is forming the Church, His Body, to influence the heavenly places:

“God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was His eternal plan, which He carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Ephesians 3:10-11 NLT

Never once did Jesus, nor the apostle Paul or the other disciples in the New Testament, instruct us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Why? Because that is not what God, through the Holy Spirit is doing today!

As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul urge us to pray for all people and ask God to help them, to intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them! He also says to pray this way for kings and all who are in authority, so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity, because this is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth! (See 1 Timothy 2:1-4)

To make it clear what the Bible says what will happen in last days, is that the Antichrist, the false messiah, will come first, followed by the true Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will reign over the holy city, the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven, the city of peace where righteousness lives for eternity with those who belong to Him! (See Revelation 21+22)

CAN CHRISTIANS BE POSSESSED BY DEMONIC SPIRITS?

No Christian who is a chosen born-again child of God can have both a demonic spirit and the Holy Spirit living in him or her. Why is that?

That’s because God’s children receive the Holy Spirit and they do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son, Jesus Christ holds them securely, and the evil one, the Devil, who is the author of sin, cannot touch them! (See 1. John 2:27, 1. John 5:18)

However, Christians can have a demonic spirit influencing them in their body and mind.

That is why Christians are being told through the scriptures to humble themselves and resist the Devil so he will flee from them, by using God’s mighty weapons to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments, bringing every rebellious thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ! (See James 4:7, 2. Corinthians 10:3-5)

This means to stay alert, stand on the Word of God in faith, and pray in the Spirit at all times! (See Ephesians 6:10-18)   

HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS AND ANSWERS! By Edwin Christiaan

When you are a chosen child of God, He is working in you through His Holy Spirit, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him! (See Philippians 2:13)

It is the Holy Spirit that helps you in your weakness. For example, you don’t know what God wants you to pray for, but the Father, who knows all hearts, knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for you in harmony with God’s own will, causing you to pray and only ask for things that He desires for you! (See Romans 8:26-27)

That’s why it says that we can be confident that God hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him!  And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for!  (See 1. John 5:14-15)

Now we also understand, what Jesus meant when He said: “ You didn’t choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name!”