THE TREE OF LIFE

Marcella Ward    November 16, 2022

GENESIS 2:8-9

⁸ Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  NIV

GENESIS 1:12

¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  NIV

 PSALM 1:3

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. NIV

PROVERBS 11:30

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.  NIV

MATTHEW 7:17-19

¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  NIV

ACTS 5:30

³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.  ESV

1 PETER 2:24

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.  ESV

Trees give off oxygen as a process of photosynthesis.  Some benefits we receive from trees are---clean the air, retain water, help prevent soil erosion, provide food, heal, provide shade, etc.  Trees truly give life. 

God planted a Garden and in the garden He planted many trees.  One of the trees He planted was “The Tree of Life.”  What did the Tree of Life represent? 

“The tree of life, first referenced in the book of Genesis, is a life-giving tree created to support the physical and spiritual life of mankind. The tree was established by God in the Garden of Eden: "And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:9). 

“After the fall of mankind through Adam and Eve, God sent them out of the Garden of Eve to exclude them from the tree of life there. This was to protect Adam and Eve and their offspring from the immortality given by the tree of life, which in their fallen state would've had eternally condemned them to suffer and separation from God. In God's mercy and love for mankind, after the fall He enabled us to die that we may be lifted up through His Son and rejoined with Him in heaven.”  (“What is the Tree of Life Bible Meaning and Importance” October 21, 2021)

REVELATION 22:1-3

Eden Restored

22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.  NIV

From the Garden of Eden, where God placed The Tree of Life; from the time of Noah, where he built the Ark out of gopher wood; from the tree that Jesus was crucified on, the tree has been the symbol of life. 

It has always been God’s plan to return to the Garden where there is eternal life, as exemplified by the Tree of Life.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  He took upon Himself all of our sins on the cross, on that tree, which symbolizes a full circle of the Tree of Life Who is Jesus Christ, our Savior and our King!  Yes the Tree of Life is life-giving!

Marcella Ward   November 16, 2022    Author of “Stolen Identity: Plan of the Evil One”

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                     HOPE

Marcella Ward     November 10, 2022

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  NIV

 

Romans 15:13

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  NIV

 

Isaiah 40:31

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. NIV

 

Deuteronomy 31:6

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."  NIV

 

Isaiah 41:10

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  NIV

 

A Prayer for Our Nation

Dear God, Thank you for your great power.  We praise you for your Truth.  We’re grateful that you have set us free from the clutching grasp of sin and death.

Would you be with your people, extending your grace, granting your freedom, providing your protection, and empowering with your strength.  We ask that you'd bring about an awakening of your presence to America as never seen before.  We ask that your Name be proclaimed, that all plans to silence the Name of Jesus would be thwarted and crushed.

We pray that many would come to know you as Lord and Savior, we pray that many would see your Light, that you would open blind eyes and release those still imprisoned.

We pray that you would unify your people for the glory of your Name, that all who call themselves Christians would rise up, believing your great Truth. 

Wake us up Lord! Remind us to live aware, to redeem the time, to listen to your words, to be willing to make a difference in this land.

We pray for all those in authority, that you would give them your wisdom and discernment as they lead. We ask that you would appoint strong, faithful men and women to serve this nation and our people.

We pray for your great healing on America. Shine your face on us dear God. We need you now, more than ever before. Our times are in your hands.

Thank you that you are rich in mercy and full of grace. Thank you that you are forgiving and merciful. Thank you that you are strong and mighty. Thank you that you are for us and that you fight for us still today. Bring honor to your Name, Oh Lord, for You alone are worthy.

In the Powerful Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.  (Debbie McDaniel  “Prayer for Our Nation: 25 Versus of Hope”  May 6, 2021)

Marcella Ward   November 10, 2021    Author of “Stolen Identity: Plan of the Evil One”

 

 

                                                                 THEY BELIEVED A LIE

Marcella Ward    November 2, 2022

THE GARDEN OF EDEN

Genesis 3:1-5

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  NIV

THE HOLOCAUST

“Europe’s extensive railway network of the 1930s and 1940s played a key role in the Holocaust. The deportation of millions of Jews to concentration camps such as Auschwitz in Poland was carried out mainly via rail.

Jews from all parts of German-occupied territories were bundled on to these trains. This process was often referred to as “resettlement to the east” by the Nazi regime.

The victims – including women and children – would be told that they were being hauled to labour camps. In reality, these were death camps where the largest known genocide in modern human history would unfold.”  (Times Now Digital Updated Jan 28, 2020)

MEDIA

I don’t know where to begin about the media’s lies!  Whether it be the “fake news” stations or social media i.e. twitter; Facebook, etc.  Another prime example are many politicians who lie just to get elected.   

WHAT IS TRUTH?

JOHN 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  ESV

JOHN 17:7

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ESV

JOHN 8:32

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ESV

It is of utmost importance for us to seek the truth.  Just because someone says something doesn’t mean that it is true. 

JOHN 8:44

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  NIV

THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS   2 Thessalonians 2

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹² and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Stand Firm

¹³ But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits^] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings^[c] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.  NIV

 We need to discern everything that we hear or see.  In this age of technology, where truth can so easily be manipulated, we need to seek sources of truth.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Adam and Eve believed a lie. Seek the truth and you will find it!

Marcella Ward   November 2, 2022    Author of “Stolen Identity: Plan of the Evil One”