Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

17 October 2025

Reading From I Thessalonians 5

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

—I Thessalonians 5:16-22

     I believe that ever since the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit is continually being poured out on all flesh and that the sons and daughters of God are prophesying, speaking forth His Word with spiritual power and authority.  The movement and influence of the Spirit looks differently in various contexts and situations, so what we need to have is an openness to however the Lord chooses to work within us, among us and through us.  Revival will not look exactly the same in every congregation. 

     Jesus wants to bring us along in our experience and understanding of Himself, His Word and His ways.  The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  It is my hope and prayer for myself and for all my brothers and sisters in the Lord that we come to a place in our lives where we surrender to His perfect will and simply want whatever He has for us.  That we allow the Holy Spirit to move and inspire and motivate and work wonders in our lives however He chooses. 

     As we receive communication through prophets and prophetesses, we must welcome the message, hold it up to the light of the Scriptures, determine whether or not the message is from God, and either accept it or reject it.  Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Keep the good and disregard what is not from the Lord, but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. We must do as the Berean Jews did.  “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”[1]  Pray for discernment and then exercise it.

God spoke through the Apostle Paul and the majority of the New Testament came through him, but everything even he said was not taken at face value.  Every true message from God will be in alignment with the written record of what God has already revealed, because He is not a man that He should lie.[2]  He will never contradict Himself.  He loves you and He is still speaking to all of His children in His eternal family today.

“Heavenly Father, I pray that You would open our ears to hear Your voice.  Bless us with knowledge and wisdom so that we can recognize the messages You send to us.  Give us Your guidance as to how to put Your Word into practice in our lives.  May we obey You out of love.  Make us more aware of Your Presence in our everyday lives.  In the Name of the Lord Jesus I pray these things.  Amen.”

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

—Hebrews 13:8

Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
and while the wave-notes fall on my ear,
ev’rything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
ready, my God, Thy will to see;
open my ears, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

–Open My Eyes That I May See, Clara H. Scott, 1895

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

—Acts 2:17-18

---

[1] Acts 17:11

[2] Numbers 23:19