The Priests' polluted offerings are documented during the Old Covenant dispensation revealing the unrighteousness of the ministers of that day. "You offer defiled bread upon My altar. And you say, 'In what way do we defile You?' In your saying, 'The table of the LORD is contemptible.' And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer it now to your governor. Will he be pleased with you, or accept your person?" says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 1:7-8). No one wants to accept spoiled goods as an offering, unless totally destitute.

The ministers (priests) of the Old Covenant were taking the best for themselves and putting inferior offerings both for the widow and homeless as well as offerings on the altar as a gift to God. "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me. But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings! You are cursed with a curse; for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation." (Malachi 3:8-9). Many ministers will use this verse today to milk congregations for all they can get for their own personal profit.

Read Malachi 3:13-18 and the dire warning about the great day of the LORD in Malachi 4:1-6 concluding with: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with utter destruction."

John the Baptist was sent: "As it is written in the prophets: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths." ' John came baptizing in the wilderness, and preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." (Mark 1:2-4).

"This is he concerning whom it is written, 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You.' For I tell you, among those who have been born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (Luke 7:27-28).

Jesus' disciples knew the prophecy stating that Elijah must come. "Then His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Elijah shall indeed come first and restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him; but they did to him whatever they desired. In like manner also, the Son of man is about to suffer from them.' Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist." (Matthew 17:10-13).

(Mark 1:14-15). "Now after the imprisonment of John, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, 'The time has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.' " Which time has been fulfilled? Remember a couple of thousand years is like a day to God. Read 2 Peter 3:8 as well as 2 Peter 3:1-13.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic (Mark 2:1-12). Verse 5. "Now when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paraplegic, 'Child, your sins have been forgiven you.' "

Notice, their faith involved works! "In the same way also, faith, if it does not have works, is dead, by itself." (James 2:17).

We have a warning in (James 2:10). "For if anyone keeps the whole law, but sins in one aspect, he becomes guilty of all."

"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man prevails much." (James 5:16).

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:3).

"…Jesus was made the Guarantor of a superior covenant. Therefore, He has the power throughout all time to save those who come to God through Him because He is ever living to intercede for them." (Hebrews 7:22 & 25).

Do you value "…the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." (Ephesians 6:17).

By your actions will you? "…Put on the whole armor of God…" (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Are you always resisting the Holy Spirit or grieving the Holy Spirit of God, or possibly quenching the Holy Spirit? (Acts 7:51; Ephesians 4:30; and 1 Thessalonians 5:19).

It is the will of God that we walk in daily dependence upon the Holy Spirit. It is God's desire that we seek Him for the fullness of the Spirit's work in and through our lives. Three wrong responses that undermine the will of God are resisting, grieving, and quenching the Spirit of the Lord.

When Stephen was on trial before the religious leaders of Israel, he preached a powerful sermon declaring the faithfulness of God toward His consistently unfaithful nation. He concluded his message with a pointed, radical, accurate evaluation. "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so also do you." (Acts 7:51). Here we are given the kind of attitudes that oppose the work of the Spirit. These people were "stiffnecked." They were stubborn and self-willed. They wanted their will, not the will of God. They also were "uncircumcised in heart and ears." They did not allow God to cut away the carnality of their inner being. They would not allow God to speak to them through His messengers. They were self-righteous and self-sufficient. When we conduct ourselves in this same manner, we also are "resisting the Holy Spirit."

Those who resist the Holy Spirit will receive God's wrath on the unrighteous. Read Romans 1:18-25. "Indeed, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest among them, for God has manifested it to them; For the invisible things of Him are perceived from the creation of the world, being understood by the things that were made—both His eternal power and Godhead— so that they are without excuse; Because when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but they became vain in their own reasonings (philosophy), and their foolish hearts were darkened. While professing themselves to be the wise ones, they became fools. And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed creatures, and creeping things. For this cause, God also abandoned them to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts, to disgrace their own bodies between themselves, Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie; and they worshiped and served the created thing more than the One Who is Creator, Who is blessed into the ages. Amen."

When Paul was writing to the church at Ephesus, he commanded them: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by which you are sealed for the day of redemption." In the next verse he indicated the dispositions that bring grief to the Spirit of God. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice" (Ephesians 4:30-31). Yes, the Holy Spirit is not a mere power or influence. It can be saddened by our behavior. When we, God's people, harbor bitterness in our hearts and malicious words in our mouths, then we are "grieving the Holy Spirit of God."

Steer far away from any of these works of the devil! "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strifes, jealousies, indignations, contentions, divisions, sects, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such things as these; concerning which I am telling you beforehand, even as I have also said in the past, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21).

(Galatians 5:22-26) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, Meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. But those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live by the Spirit, we should also be walking by the Spirit. We should not become vain-glorious, provoking one another and envying one another."

When Paul wrote to the saints at Thessalonica, he instructed them: "Do not quench the Spirit." (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Just as a fire can be quenched, the promptings of the Holy Spirit can be stifled. As we read the word of God, the Spirit can be stirring a spiritual fire of conviction within us. Will we respond to that heavenly influence, or will we suppress it? When the Lord is igniting a vision of service unto Him, will we yield or will we extinguish it? When the Lord is calling us to intercessory prayer, will we cry out to Him or will we suppress that desire He is kindling? Will we allow the Holy Spirit to blaze within our hearts; or will we "quench the Spirit"?

"But Jesus said to him, 'No one who sets his hand to the plow, and looks back at the things behind, is fit for the kingdom of God.' " (Luke 9:62).

"Here is the patience of the saints; here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Revelation 14:12).

DEAR LORD,

We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open our sleepy eyes and think, "What a horrible dream. How could this have happened?"

We are sad, Father. And so we come to you. We don't ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don't request; we implore. We know what you can do. We've read the accounts. We've pondered the stories, and now we plead, "Do it again, Lord. Do it again."

Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord.

Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children too, Lord. Do it again.

And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do. it again, Lord, for we need counselors today. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again dear, Lord. Amen.

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