Top three traps to deceive you out of God's Kingdom!

  

Please click this link for the video version of today's blog :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QruV56Q0AKQ

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

      2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

     Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile. 

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.          **Sing a song to praise the Lord

      

     Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method) 

      https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sins to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

**Please click this link to read how God used John Stott to change my life:https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Today's Time with Abba:  Psalm 2:7-12; Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Proverbs 1:10-19

Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

Key passages:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”                                Matthew 3:1- 2 

Jesus said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."            Matthew 4: 17

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[c] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[d]”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[e]”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[f]”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[g]”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.           Matthew 4: 1- 11

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passages we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to Him.

The topic I received today from Jesus is:  Top three traps to deceive you out of God's Kingdom!

Jesus showed me today the top three traps for Satan to pull us out of God's Kingdom. To reverse yesterday's "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near" process of John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ. Please see what Satan has been doing in your life:

1. Desire: Desire of lots of things but not desiring God's living Word (vv. 3-4)

2. Power: Pursue power and misuse power (vv. 5- 7)

3. Money: Worship and bow down to money but not worship and bow down to God (vv. 8-10)

All these traps are targeting to every Christian trying to pull us out from God's Kingdom. If we fall into any or all of these traps, what we need to do is to repent so that we can get back to God's Kingdom. 

Today's theme "Top three traps to deceive you out of God's Kingdom!" leads us to link up the other three passages of today's TWA readings: 

Psalm 2:7-12 tells us even kings and rulers came against God and His son, the Messiah, but Jesus has the total power and will crush every kind of wicked power. Those who take refuge not in desire, power and money but in Jesus are being blessed. 

Genesis 5:1-7:24 tells us about God has a bottom line. In Noah’s story we see how God wiped out every living creature except Noah’s family of eight and those animals in the ark. We really need to come back to God’s home and not being deceived by Satan to pursue desire, power and money. If not, we might be wiped out because of our foolishness and rebelliousness.

Proverbs 1:10-19 gives a big warning to us not to give way to desire, power and money. For those who do not listen and insist on falling into those tempting traps, they will lose their lives.

Do not let the Deceiver to reverse the saving act of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ and fall into the three traps of desire, power and money, to pull you away from God's Kingdom!

Jesus is Lord, worship Him and Him only!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Open our eyes to see those traps and help us not to fall into those traps so that we can enjoy your protection and anointing in your Kingdom daily. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:    

1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?

     2.  What is your next step to be more closer to Jesus, to be holy - that is to do what Jesus wants you to do and not to do what Jesus wants you not to do?

    

    Family Corner:

     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

      

       

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Psalm 2 blog:

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/01/day-2-2021-blessed-are-all-who-take.html

     

      Please click this link to today's Old Testament Genesis 5-7 blog and video: 

  https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningenglish.blogspot.com/2025/01/walk-faithfully-with-god-or-being-wiped.html

  

      

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Proverbs 1 blog:  

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/07/day-151-2021-listen-and-obey-to-god.html

      

     Please click this link to worship with us - Open The Eyes of My Heart 

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wutmEjdbedE&feature=related     

    You are welcome to join our Monday to Friday 7am-7:30am(Pacific time (Vancouver)) Worship, Devotion, Prayer

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3962567042?pwd=4qqbcGJ2zQl3tlTUvus4Qv6g7byZKy.1&omn=88167363288

Meeting ID: 396 256 7042

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    Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible four passages: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

   For the Chinese version of this daily blog and video, please click this link (中文版請按此連結):

    https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningchinese.blogspot.com

     

     To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link:http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

       My first blog "Devotion on Fire"  was written in English only  (July 17, 2009年7月17日至November 22, 2012年11月22日). Each day one chapter of Bible, from New Testament and then Old Testament. Completed in four months and three years:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/blessings-from-rev-dr-john-stott.html

My second blog "Discipler 123"  was written in both Chinese and English (March 6,2011to December 31, 2016 ):

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-1-choose-light-away-from-darkness.html

and "Time with Abba" blog and video (January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2024): 

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2017/01/1-2017.html

 

 

Connecting Workshop 2025(Session 2)

Bishop Silas Ng on Three Streams

 https://youtu.be/xiSOSFF9Iw0?si=puDWFD9Cx01ADm-o