Good day to you all. How are you all doing today? I hope that you are not hiding under the bed since today is Friday the 13th. After all, the bed might fall on you! LOL! Are you concerned because today is Friday the 13th? If you are, continue reading for some reassuring information.

Open your Bible if you have one to 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5. Today we are going to take a look at verses 19 through 24. I am reading from the Amplified Bible:

“19 Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit;
20 Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].
21 But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.
22 Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be.
23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
24 Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you].“
1 Thessalonians 5:19-24 (AMP)

The Apostle Paul in verse 19 is telling us to not squelch or restrict the Holy Spirit.  This simple instruction has wide ranging application. The Holy Spirit that dwells within us can give us insight, give us prophetic utterances, give us the ability to discern things in the spirit realm, etc. There can be many manifestations of the Holy Spirit and Paul is instructing the Church (His children) to not hold back. Since this is a topic that needs its own blog, I will leave it at that for now. Verse 19 mentions the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)  and utterances which can be in the native language or in tongues (Acts 2:4). This was probably one of the many things that the Apostle Paul was thinking about and referring to in the preceding verse.

In verse 20, in the original Greek language, the word spurn is exoutheneíte which means despicable, detestable, hateful, reprehensible, deplorable, unspeakable, disgraceful or shameful. That is a very strong statement by the Apostle Paul to not be hateful to the prophets when they move in a gift of the Spirit or speak a word of knowledge. The condemnation that we see today against Christian leaders of the Church was happening all the way back in even the Apostle Paul’s time of 51 A.D. (the time this letter to the Corinthians was written).

Moving on to verse 21, we find one of more favorite verses. The New English Translation (NET) Bible translates the original Greek as “But examine all things; hold fast to what is good.” I have often said that it is every person’s responsibility to fact-check what is coming forth from the pulpit. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself warned us against false prophets and false teachings (Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22 and Luke 21:8).

Now we come to verse 22. Quoting from The NET Bible again, it reads:

“Stay away from every form of evil.”
1 Thessalonians 5:22 (NET)

The original Greek word that was translated here to “evil” was “ponêroú” in the original language. This word literally means evil ways that can influence oneself. Thus the title of today’s blog, Friday the 13th. Many will go around today thinking bad things are going to happen on this day. The fear instilled by Friday the 13th is all man-made. Do a Google search and you will see several explanations as to it origin. But simply put, stay away from every form of evil and Friday the 13th is certainly evil due to its man-made roots. So folks, today is just another day that the Lord has made for us to rejoice and celebrate in it. That IS scriptural! (Psalms 118:24)

Finally, the last two verses instill a sense of peace and calm that we should be exhibiting today. I will use these verses as a special blessing over you all today.

“I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. The one who chose you can be trusted, and he will do this.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (CEV)

That will be a wrap for today. You all have been great. I especially appreciate the eMails from folks that either let me know how this ministry has helped them or sent me ideas on content that I could publish. With that, I leave you by speaking this blessing over you:

“I pray that the Lord
will bless and protect you,
and that he will show you mercy
and kindness.
May the Lord be good to you
and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (CEV)