Sep 3, 2016
Jul 1, 2016
Assemblies of God Paster Sees Walkout after LGBT Rebuke
http://www.trunews.com/assemblies-god-pastor-walkout-after-lgbt-rebuke/
Jun 4, 2016
Flat Earth Leads To The Next "Biggest Lie Ever" - Flat Earth And The Boo...
This must be a very thorough and detailed presentation at just under 6 hours long, anyone interested in this topic would find this presentation fascinating. Most people still balk at the idea we live on flat plane, but more and more people are being shown the truth and its literally right in front of our eyes. Well worth your time to be educated on this topic with extra biblical support of the non canonized work of The Book of Enoch, referenced in our current "bible".
May 21, 2016
May 19, 2016
Apr 20, 2016
"I Shall Not Want" - Audrey Assad
Thank you Meaghan for sharing this with me.
Colossians 1:16 -18
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.…
"I Shall Not Want"
From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of worldly passions
Deliver me O God
From the need to be understood
From the need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God
And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
From the fear of serving others
From the fear of death or trial
From the fear of humility
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God
And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
No, I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
Colossians 1:16 -18
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.…
"I Shall Not Want"
From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of worldly passions
Deliver me O God
From the need to be understood
From the need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God
And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
From the fear of serving others
From the fear of death or trial
From the fear of humility
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God
And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
No, I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
Apr 19, 2016
Apr 14, 2016
Apr 9, 2016
Tiny House - Bigger Space for Him
What a wonderful journey life is when we shift our focus on God the pursuit of righteousness and holiness, intimacy with Yahweh.
At 45 (I think thats right) I have - at least in my mind, experienced a great deal of good, bad and ugly. The good far outweighs the bad any day! God has a way, a wonderful way of bringing us to His Truth, of revealing Himself to us - when we are searching for Him. He isn't always so obvious and I think thats on purpose - He is a treasure to behold, more precious than gold or silver, more valuable than anything any human can ever acquire. He is Life!
We can never appreciate the day if we don't have the night, nor health if we are never sick. Surely we can compare our lives to another and only have a textbook understanding of something but when we experience something for ourselves there is a truth that is obtained through that experience that can come no other way. God is no different. You can read all about Him, sing about Him, talk about Him, even ask Him for this or that, but if you don't have an intimate relationship with Him directly you will never know the unspeakable peace and joy that He brings. You will never experience His great love and mercy, grace and compassion first hand. I have said it for years now - we do not have a relationship with our parents through our siblings. We do not have a relationship with God through our friends, family members, pastors and teachers. No! He is real, alive and longing to spend time alone with you. There are no words to describe the overwhelming joy and peace, the renewal and restoration that comes simply by being in His presence.
As it is with life, I have come to the realization that I need more of Him less of me, this certainly is always the case, but we can all benefit from spending more time alone, totally alone with God. However, as with the majority of those living on this planet, we have a million or more things that keep us distracted from doing just that, from Him.
I travel extensively for work and it is difficult at best most days for me to keep up with things. I am single and do not have someone at home to check the mail, to pay the bills, to provide information to the CPA, to file this or that, to run errands to get the car serviced, and the list goes on. With my recent health issues I have found it even more difficult and I tend to forget things more these days, which has only compounded my stress, my debt and a never ending cycle of always being one step behind, one day to late, etc. There are emails, text messages and phone calls to say I have a prescription to be filled or refilled or to be picked up, there are doctor's appointments I forget to put on the calendar and ultimately miss, there are bills that need to be paid, that get overlooked, there are things I need to pick up, flights that need to be booked, cars to be reserved, hotels, expense reports, taxes and toilet paper that simply get overlooked - but what about God? He sometimes gets so far down on the list of "To dos" that He in fact becomes a part of that list. What way is that to live? It isn't life, it ultimately is death because He is the source of all things and without Him, then I am the walking dead, no?
He has put it on my heart more than ever to "come away with Him" and I posted about that some time back, but He hasn't stopped saying that to me. But Lord I say, I have entrapped myself with all this stuff, with all these things and I am not sure how I can break free from this.." I have obligations i.e. I have debt - which He says not to have... What is my biggest burden, my biggest expense, my biggest source of stress and time consumer - my house. A nice 3 bedroom 2.5 bath two story home that I purchased some years ago for just over $161k. A house that stores my stuff that I never really use that collects dust, a house that provides shelter for two cats, 3 aquariums, furniture, books, paper, linens, dishes and out of date food in the pantry. A house that runs 24/7 whether I am there or not that costs me at least $200 or more a month in electricity, over $1200 a year in taxes, I can't recall the insurance, and the list goes on and on and on. The mortgage is just over $1k a month.
I am burdened by it all. While the idea of having a nice house with nice things feels good to my mind, my heart tells me its wrong, its a burden it serves no good purpose, its in vain and ultimately a complete waste of my resources, of His resources.
Its a modest house in the bigger picture, but a mansion to those who have no shelter at all. How can I continue with a clear conscious living this way? I can't. I simply can't. Not only is it a waste of His resources, its a tremendous burden on me.
It appeals to my pride, it steals my time that should be spent with Him, it steals my financial resources that could be spent getting out of debt, helping another, spending quality time with friends and family. What it takes from me is far greater than the shelter and warmth it provides. The return on investment from day to day is a deficit.
So what to do? I have decided to pursue living tiny. That means I will completely rid myself of all the material things that currently occupy this space. It means I will pursue finding a piece of land and building or buying an already built tiny home, definitely less than 1000 sq feet, if not less than 500. It feels right, it will be liberating, it will greatly free up resources in the long run, especially time. The stress will diminish and I will be free(er) in so many ways - to seek Him, to study, to worship, to pray, to live more as He intended me to live. It will give me the freedom to be more generous, to help, to travel, to spend time with family and friends, there will be fewer obligations or the necessity to fix this or that. I will become more available to Him, to others, to myself.
This will be radical. What I own will become next to nothing. I will have a simple life. Someone else will immediately benefit - some things will be given away, others will be sold at a reduced price, I won't have stuff to clean to repair, to think about. My mind will become free from the rambling that goes on in my head when I try to remember what needs to be done or has been overlooked. I will bring my life into submission in many wonderful ways!
Maybe I will start a new blog to document this journey as so many others are taking. I think its important, especially for those who wish to pursue God, to pursue holiness and righteousness. To me its much more than leaving a smaller carbon footprint, being efficient, living modestly. To me it all points back to a more intimate, growing and rich relationship with the One who gives and sustains my life, Yahweh, Yahweh!
I am excited and can hardly wait to see what transpires! Thank you Lord for your loving kindness, for your mercy, your patience, for teaching me wisdom and directing my path. Forgive me of my sin, forgive me of these self imposed burdens that have caused me to stray at times. Forgive me. I can hear Him saying, "we are in this together"... surely You are for me and not against me, surely your mercy and grace follow me all the days of my life! Thank you!
At 45 (I think thats right) I have - at least in my mind, experienced a great deal of good, bad and ugly. The good far outweighs the bad any day! God has a way, a wonderful way of bringing us to His Truth, of revealing Himself to us - when we are searching for Him. He isn't always so obvious and I think thats on purpose - He is a treasure to behold, more precious than gold or silver, more valuable than anything any human can ever acquire. He is Life!
We can never appreciate the day if we don't have the night, nor health if we are never sick. Surely we can compare our lives to another and only have a textbook understanding of something but when we experience something for ourselves there is a truth that is obtained through that experience that can come no other way. God is no different. You can read all about Him, sing about Him, talk about Him, even ask Him for this or that, but if you don't have an intimate relationship with Him directly you will never know the unspeakable peace and joy that He brings. You will never experience His great love and mercy, grace and compassion first hand. I have said it for years now - we do not have a relationship with our parents through our siblings. We do not have a relationship with God through our friends, family members, pastors and teachers. No! He is real, alive and longing to spend time alone with you. There are no words to describe the overwhelming joy and peace, the renewal and restoration that comes simply by being in His presence.
As it is with life, I have come to the realization that I need more of Him less of me, this certainly is always the case, but we can all benefit from spending more time alone, totally alone with God. However, as with the majority of those living on this planet, we have a million or more things that keep us distracted from doing just that, from Him.
I travel extensively for work and it is difficult at best most days for me to keep up with things. I am single and do not have someone at home to check the mail, to pay the bills, to provide information to the CPA, to file this or that, to run errands to get the car serviced, and the list goes on. With my recent health issues I have found it even more difficult and I tend to forget things more these days, which has only compounded my stress, my debt and a never ending cycle of always being one step behind, one day to late, etc. There are emails, text messages and phone calls to say I have a prescription to be filled or refilled or to be picked up, there are doctor's appointments I forget to put on the calendar and ultimately miss, there are bills that need to be paid, that get overlooked, there are things I need to pick up, flights that need to be booked, cars to be reserved, hotels, expense reports, taxes and toilet paper that simply get overlooked - but what about God? He sometimes gets so far down on the list of "To dos" that He in fact becomes a part of that list. What way is that to live? It isn't life, it ultimately is death because He is the source of all things and without Him, then I am the walking dead, no?
He has put it on my heart more than ever to "come away with Him" and I posted about that some time back, but He hasn't stopped saying that to me. But Lord I say, I have entrapped myself with all this stuff, with all these things and I am not sure how I can break free from this.." I have obligations i.e. I have debt - which He says not to have... What is my biggest burden, my biggest expense, my biggest source of stress and time consumer - my house. A nice 3 bedroom 2.5 bath two story home that I purchased some years ago for just over $161k. A house that stores my stuff that I never really use that collects dust, a house that provides shelter for two cats, 3 aquariums, furniture, books, paper, linens, dishes and out of date food in the pantry. A house that runs 24/7 whether I am there or not that costs me at least $200 or more a month in electricity, over $1200 a year in taxes, I can't recall the insurance, and the list goes on and on and on. The mortgage is just over $1k a month.
I am burdened by it all. While the idea of having a nice house with nice things feels good to my mind, my heart tells me its wrong, its a burden it serves no good purpose, its in vain and ultimately a complete waste of my resources, of His resources.
Its a modest house in the bigger picture, but a mansion to those who have no shelter at all. How can I continue with a clear conscious living this way? I can't. I simply can't. Not only is it a waste of His resources, its a tremendous burden on me.
It appeals to my pride, it steals my time that should be spent with Him, it steals my financial resources that could be spent getting out of debt, helping another, spending quality time with friends and family. What it takes from me is far greater than the shelter and warmth it provides. The return on investment from day to day is a deficit.
So what to do? I have decided to pursue living tiny. That means I will completely rid myself of all the material things that currently occupy this space. It means I will pursue finding a piece of land and building or buying an already built tiny home, definitely less than 1000 sq feet, if not less than 500. It feels right, it will be liberating, it will greatly free up resources in the long run, especially time. The stress will diminish and I will be free(er) in so many ways - to seek Him, to study, to worship, to pray, to live more as He intended me to live. It will give me the freedom to be more generous, to help, to travel, to spend time with family and friends, there will be fewer obligations or the necessity to fix this or that. I will become more available to Him, to others, to myself.
This will be radical. What I own will become next to nothing. I will have a simple life. Someone else will immediately benefit - some things will be given away, others will be sold at a reduced price, I won't have stuff to clean to repair, to think about. My mind will become free from the rambling that goes on in my head when I try to remember what needs to be done or has been overlooked. I will bring my life into submission in many wonderful ways!
Maybe I will start a new blog to document this journey as so many others are taking. I think its important, especially for those who wish to pursue God, to pursue holiness and righteousness. To me its much more than leaving a smaller carbon footprint, being efficient, living modestly. To me it all points back to a more intimate, growing and rich relationship with the One who gives and sustains my life, Yahweh, Yahweh!
I am excited and can hardly wait to see what transpires! Thank you Lord for your loving kindness, for your mercy, your patience, for teaching me wisdom and directing my path. Forgive me of my sin, forgive me of these self imposed burdens that have caused me to stray at times. Forgive me. I can hear Him saying, "we are in this together"... surely You are for me and not against me, surely your mercy and grace follow me all the days of my life! Thank you!
Mar 18, 2016
You Are Perfect in All Your Ways
I am sitting in the airport in Baton Rouge waiting... the drive here from Natchez, MS (as with most drives) always causes me to think of Him. In light of every sin, every bad decision, every breaking of His command - He loves me.
I am overwhelmed by His presence at times, my heart melts even to just hear His name, to think upon His great mercy, His undeniable grace and passionate love for me. I cannot comprehend it try as I might.
When the day winds down, when the phone stops ringing and the laptop is shut down and the chaos calms... He is there, He always was and always is.. I need to be in that place of calm, to get away with Him as He bids us "come away with me"... He had me thinking about closing the door to get alone with Him and how we can do that so easily when we commit ourselves to the same, I could hear Him say "it's time, to come away with me".. (oh gosh I am about to tear right up here in this airport...no no no.. hehe).
We can easily close the door to our prayer closet or that sacred place we go to be alone with Him, but it's much more of a challenge to close the doors to unhealthy relationships, circumstances, conditions and connections, doctrines and ideals.
Do not go to the left or the right, let not your mind wander nor your eyes, yet have a single eye toward Him.
"You are perfect in all your ways"... just to hear that and know it... melts my heart. What I know of You, I adore, what I have experienced with You is beyond words... take me away with You, still my heart, clear my mind and help me to love you as you love me, help me to be transformed by your goodness, your faithfulness, your conviction and your commitment. You are indeed perfect in all your ways!
As I was reading some posts, He also reminded me of a time when He would ask me often, will you die for me? Of course I would and He would have me think of various scenarios where I might be asked to renounce Him...and the reality of those scenarios certainly shook me a bit, but my answer was always "Yes" I would die for You, for my faith in You". But today... He showed me that to die for Him is easy, it's the living that is hard. If we die for Him and haven't also lived for Him, it's all in vain. So many are quick to say, even me as I noted, that they would die for Him and they speak the Truth, they would die for Him... He doesn't want our death, He wants our life, He wants us to live for Him! Especially now. Surely we must die to self, deny ourselves and be born again... but for the purpose of living, of living for Him! How can we say we will sacrifice this flesh, when we choose not to sacrifice ourselves, our minds, our spirits to submit to Him, His will, His commands? How can we?
"Come away with me... come away with me... ". What a great honor, privilege to hear those words. Just to be near Him, just to be near... I have never been married and can't comprehend many things because I haven't experienced them, but I tell you... He is calling me to get alone with Him to just share His presence with me, it melts my heart..
I think He is making that call to many now... to "come away with me"... to be still and let His presence, just His presence.. purge from us the cares of this world, that we might find clarity in our hearing, in our seeing, in our feeling... and our focus would be totally on Him, our eyes and ears fixed upon Him and only Him.
Just sharing, He always "gets me" when I travel.
Feb 13, 2016
Rebecca Sterling - Brief discussion held in Ecuador Feb 2016
Recently Rebecca held a luncheon in Ecuador (where she now lives) to discuss in part her vision from 1999 and plans to buy land to create a community. Her vision is extremely interesting in there is a book as well as a movie in the process of being written/made.
Jan 1, 2016
Pray for Your Enemies!
Something happened between yesterday and today. I have prayed for radical faith, for growth, for a greater desire to learn, to know to seek Him, to be intimate with Him.
This morning as like most mornings, I signed into facebook reviewed some posts here and there and found the image and message below.
Its not the first time. I have seen it numerous times posted by many people, people who are Christians and who are not. I want to clarify here, I don't like the word Christian any more, as I am sure most non-christians don't. The people who profess to be one, are the very ones who give it all a bad bad name. Christianity today is far from what God and Jesus intended. It does not represent Christ or His teachings. In fact the word Christian almost is revolting and repulsive to me and I prefer not to be associated with. If anything I am attempting to be a follow of Christ. If you want to call that Christian so be it, but it looks nothing like "Christianity" today.
What if Christ thought the time He spent with sinners was a waste because they meant Him no good. Who do you think He went to Calvary for? Who do you think He died for? Everytime we sin against Him, every time we reject someone, ridicule someone, make fun of someone, we do it to Him. I am not sure Oprah endorses this picture or if she even said, but the fact she is associated with this message is no surprise. This is the equivalent of the enemy's whisper in our ear. "Look at her or him, they are nothing, they are less than you or me"....or "they don't deserve my prayers, they don't deserve this or that"... none of us deserve the very next breath in our body! This subtle influence of the enemy through repeated postings or worse yet, our own mouths is the very thing the enemy uses to promote his own doctrine and theology. If you really stop and think about it, and take the time to educate yourself on the scriptures and the very life of Jesus, then you will quickly realize this message is straight from hell although shared thousands of times on facebook by self proclaiming christians. Certainly not followers of Christ, a HUGE difference as I have already pointed out.
Gosh, there are so many areas in my own life that is calling out for repentance, things I am not even aware of... and surely its so easy to see it in the lives of others. I have been guilty of everything there is to be guilty of..
But I have such a longing in my spirit to see the True Church rise up and operate in the power and authority God intends. It starts with me, with each of us who share this longing! I know without any doubt whatsoever that God is separating the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats. The clarity this will bring both to believers and non-believers alike will be so stark. The world needs this and the need will grow exponentially in the weeks and months to come.
It is so unfortunate, that so many people who profess to be christians are so deeply deceived and influenced by the world, by the enemy. We need and must speak truth into the lives of everyone around us. This includes those who profess to be christians, even moreso than those who don't. The deception among this group is far greater than those who are unchurched or have any frame of reference to religion. These are the people who will do the most damage, these are the ones if they continue to reject God and His truth by being complacent and the ones who depend on someone else for their so-called relationship with God, these will be the ones who will persecute, who will turn against us, and attempt to destroy us. They have become the very tools of the enemy.
I have been guilty of this. The road is getting so narrow, for me personally. The time of being complacent will no longer keep us in the middle of the road, the middle is quickly disappearing and people must commit their lives to the pursuit of God, His righteousness, His holiness. We must seek the Kingdom of God in our own lives. We must have a relationship with Him that no one else enters into. Not our friends, our family, our jobs, our own ideas and intellect. He must be number one! Above all things, all people, all circumstances! It is through this relationship with Him alone, that all other relationships will prosper and grow. It is through our relationship with Him alone, that all others will be renewed, restored, re-energized.
We must seek unity and not the kind of unity that is currently being perpetuated on the world's stage by the Pope and every mainstream religion that exists. We need unity of spirit, God's Holy Spirit, unity of purpose, His purposes. We cannot continue to get caught up on what each other doesn't understand or know about this passage or that, we must pursue God. He will reveal His Truth to us, each individually and collectively. We cannot continue to sow discord among ourselves. We stand on shaky ground if we do.
I can't tell you how many times I have seen the message above and many like it, flood the internet, its sad really. If we can't forgive someone for something and therefore make them irrelevant (not loving your enemies) then it wouldn't surprise me if we become irrelevant to God. Something to think about. All these lies from the enemy pisses me off!
When we have God who is for us then who can be against us and who really cares if they are? It has no value in God's eyes, except that we do as He commanded toward them. These kinds of messages appeal to the sinful nature, the carnal nature, the nature that opposes God and what He stands for.
Romans 12:18-20 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. 20"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."Matthew 5:43-45 43 You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 44"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. What Christ here commands and advises to, he himself did; for as he hung upon the cross, he prayed for his crucifiers, who were then using him in the most despiteful, as well as cruel manner; saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do": and in this he has left us an example, that we should tread in his steps; and here in he was quickly followed by his holy martyr Stephen; who, whilst he was being stoned, prayed for his persecutors and murderers, saying, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". This breathes out the true spirit of Christianity. Luke 6:28, Proverbs 19:11, Proverbs 25:21, John 13:34, Romans 12:14, Romans 12:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:15
We must repent of these things, we must! If we cannot pray for our enemies how in the world do we expect to enlarge His territory, His kingdom? We cannot pray for our enemies, those that hate us and persecute us, if we have NOT the love of the Father, and we have not that love because we don't know Him, we don't spend time in prayer with Him, we don't fast, we don't seek His face. If He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly, then ought we do the same? Should we not humble ourselves and allow God to circumcise our hearts, that we would be good stewards of His mercy and grace toward all who would accept it? Surely we should!
I am learning to have the true favor of God, there must be persecution, ridicule, rejection, trials and tribulations - anything less might just make me comfortable, complacent and self-reliant, in a word, deceived. I can't think for a minute that true favor is what the world's gospel wants us to believe, a bigger better job, more money, a better or bigger home, even better health. I think of the favor Jesus had and as painful as it must have been, the greatest favor His Father gave to Him was the opportunity to die, to be the sacrifice, making the way for us all to have true life through Him. He had nothing, wanted nothing and sought nothing except to do the will of His Father and as result He had everything! The things of this world have no value - no amount of money, no position or power, no status or prestige, accolades or affirmation equate to the favor of God, only the favor of men. God strengthen your voice and your Spirit within me, that I would die and be hidden. Humble me that I would walk in your ways, delight in your precepts, statutes and commands! Move me into a deeper more intimate relationship with you in this coming year!
What if Christ thought the time He spent with sinners was a waste because they meant Him no good. Who do you think He went to Calvary for? Who do you think He died for? Everytime we sin against Him, every time we reject someone, ridicule someone, make fun of someone, we do it to Him. I am not sure Oprah endorses this picture or if she even said, but the fact she is associated with this message is no surprise. This is the equivalent of the enemy's whisper in our ear. "Look at her or him, they are nothing, they are less than you or me"....or "they don't deserve my prayers, they don't deserve this or that"... none of us deserve the very next breath in our body! This subtle influence of the enemy through repeated postings or worse yet, our own mouths is the very thing the enemy uses to promote his own doctrine and theology. If you really stop and think about it, and take the time to educate yourself on the scriptures and the very life of Jesus, then you will quickly realize this message is straight from hell although shared thousands of times on facebook by self proclaiming christians. Certainly not followers of Christ, a HUGE difference as I have already pointed out.
Gosh, there are so many areas in my own life that is calling out for repentance, things I am not even aware of... and surely its so easy to see it in the lives of others. I have been guilty of everything there is to be guilty of..
But I have such a longing in my spirit to see the True Church rise up and operate in the power and authority God intends. It starts with me, with each of us who share this longing! I know without any doubt whatsoever that God is separating the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats. The clarity this will bring both to believers and non-believers alike will be so stark. The world needs this and the need will grow exponentially in the weeks and months to come.
It is so unfortunate, that so many people who profess to be christians are so deeply deceived and influenced by the world, by the enemy. We need and must speak truth into the lives of everyone around us. This includes those who profess to be christians, even moreso than those who don't. The deception among this group is far greater than those who are unchurched or have any frame of reference to religion. These are the people who will do the most damage, these are the ones if they continue to reject God and His truth by being complacent and the ones who depend on someone else for their so-called relationship with God, these will be the ones who will persecute, who will turn against us, and attempt to destroy us. They have become the very tools of the enemy.
I have been guilty of this. The road is getting so narrow, for me personally. The time of being complacent will no longer keep us in the middle of the road, the middle is quickly disappearing and people must commit their lives to the pursuit of God, His righteousness, His holiness. We must seek the Kingdom of God in our own lives. We must have a relationship with Him that no one else enters into. Not our friends, our family, our jobs, our own ideas and intellect. He must be number one! Above all things, all people, all circumstances! It is through this relationship with Him alone, that all other relationships will prosper and grow. It is through our relationship with Him alone, that all others will be renewed, restored, re-energized.
We must seek unity and not the kind of unity that is currently being perpetuated on the world's stage by the Pope and every mainstream religion that exists. We need unity of spirit, God's Holy Spirit, unity of purpose, His purposes. We cannot continue to get caught up on what each other doesn't understand or know about this passage or that, we must pursue God. He will reveal His Truth to us, each individually and collectively. We cannot continue to sow discord among ourselves. We stand on shaky ground if we do.
I can't tell you how many times I have seen the message above and many like it, flood the internet, its sad really. If we can't forgive someone for something and therefore make them irrelevant (not loving your enemies) then it wouldn't surprise me if we become irrelevant to God. Something to think about. All these lies from the enemy pisses me off!
When we have God who is for us then who can be against us and who really cares if they are? It has no value in God's eyes, except that we do as He commanded toward them. These kinds of messages appeal to the sinful nature, the carnal nature, the nature that opposes God and what He stands for.
Romans 12:18-20 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. 20"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."Matthew 5:43-45 43 You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 44"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. What Christ here commands and advises to, he himself did; for as he hung upon the cross, he prayed for his crucifiers, who were then using him in the most despiteful, as well as cruel manner; saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do": and in this he has left us an example, that we should tread in his steps; and here in he was quickly followed by his holy martyr Stephen; who, whilst he was being stoned, prayed for his persecutors and murderers, saying, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". This breathes out the true spirit of Christianity. Luke 6:28, Proverbs 19:11, Proverbs 25:21, John 13:34, Romans 12:14, Romans 12:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:15
We must repent of these things, we must! If we cannot pray for our enemies how in the world do we expect to enlarge His territory, His kingdom? We cannot pray for our enemies, those that hate us and persecute us, if we have NOT the love of the Father, and we have not that love because we don't know Him, we don't spend time in prayer with Him, we don't fast, we don't seek His face. If He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly, then ought we do the same? Should we not humble ourselves and allow God to circumcise our hearts, that we would be good stewards of His mercy and grace toward all who would accept it? Surely we should!
I am learning to have the true favor of God, there must be persecution, ridicule, rejection, trials and tribulations - anything less might just make me comfortable, complacent and self-reliant, in a word, deceived. I can't think for a minute that true favor is what the world's gospel wants us to believe, a bigger better job, more money, a better or bigger home, even better health. I think of the favor Jesus had and as painful as it must have been, the greatest favor His Father gave to Him was the opportunity to die, to be the sacrifice, making the way for us all to have true life through Him. He had nothing, wanted nothing and sought nothing except to do the will of His Father and as result He had everything! The things of this world have no value - no amount of money, no position or power, no status or prestige, accolades or affirmation equate to the favor of God, only the favor of men. God strengthen your voice and your Spirit within me, that I would die and be hidden. Humble me that I would walk in your ways, delight in your precepts, statutes and commands! Move me into a deeper more intimate relationship with you in this coming year!
Dec 30, 2015
2016 A Year of Uncertainty?
The year is soon to be 2016 and so much has taken place during 2015 and right up to these very moments. For me personally I have gone through much change, triple bypass in January and subsequent recovery and a struggle (yes struggle) to renew, revive and reenergize my relationship with God. From a third person perspective I can see myself running this race, sometimes in circles constantly jumping track, back and forth. When I am on the right track or think I am, the enemy seems to be tagging right along, constantly pulling and tugging on all the ideals, thoughts and habits that are carnally, worldly and egotistically based.
I am growing weary and in my own intellect trip up, get distracted, my brain gets cloudy and my initiative diminishes. It is a struggle some days, many days to pursue the call of Christ, to pursue holiness and righteousness. I am constantly reminded how very blind I am and find myself helpless and weak.
God grant me a zeal and a purposeful persistence like I have never had before in the coming, days, weeks, months and year. Continue to purge all the unclean things in my life, my mind, seal my lips that I would only speak love and the truth of who You are! Reveal and remove all things that seek to exalt themselves above You and the knowledge of You. Make me holy Father! Make me clean! Circumcise my heart again and again, bring me to my knees and cause me to have the deepest and desperate desire to be in Your presence always. That I might find wisdom, clarity, peace and direction from Your Holy Spirit, that I would lend my ears, my eyes, my voice and my heart to everything you want to accomplish here on this earth, with my life. That I would be completely and totally submitted to you and that nothing else would matter.
This upcoming year I am convinced will bring many great changes among our land, among the nations and among the people of God. For a very long time I knew that a separation was going to take place and I have seen that on so many levels. Lord, count me worthy to be one of your sheep! Such a great purging of people, great division. What a tremendous time we live in!
The darkness will grow darker and as a result the light will become brighter. We need this during this time and all days and weeks ahead as so much is taking place on a global scale. So much persecution has taken place and continues on a daily basis all across the planet.
The Pope is advocating a uniting of all religions, Damascus was just destroyed Isaiah 17:1, the enemies of Israel have increased and I truly believe we are on the edge of WW III. So many things taking place, that many are not aware of or understand their significance.
Lord open our eyes, cause our hearts to turn toward you, to seek Your face!
I feel certain the increasing discord among nations, communities, religious sects and races will only increase. Economies are crashing and the impact of that will truly begin to be felt in 2016, such great and unbelievable change is about to take place, I can sense it all and our lives will be forever changed. God draw your people together for such a time as this, that we would have plenty of oil in our lamps, burning bright - a light to all that seek You and the peace, comfort and eternal life offered to us. That we would stand strong, equipping ourselves with the Truth of Your live giving and life changing Word. Draw us into an intimate and dynamic relationship with You!
May God Bless Us All!
Dec 28, 2015
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