"YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL!"

Matthew 10:17-23                   (ESV)
"17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,
18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.
20 For it is not you who speak, but the SPIRIT of your FATHER speaking through you.
21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,
22 and "YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL" for MY name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the SON of MAN comes."



The "end times" are certainly upon us.  Predicting exactly when the return of JESUS will be is not something I am qualified to do, for JESUS HIMSELF said in Matthew 24:36 ""But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the SON, but the FATHER only".  But JESUS told us what to look for in Matthew 10, and yesterday alone my day was FILLED with "this world" showing intolerance for "those of the faith" of JESUS CHRIST!

A United States Senator could not get one other Senator to stand with him to defund an organization that murders unborn babies in the womb.  When I saw this I immediately thought of "YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL"!  No one else would fight for the least of humans.  When Judgement Day comes I would not relish being in the shoes of those silent Senators!  Ecclesiastes 12:14 says "For GOD will bring EVERY DEED into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil".  

Later on in the day, a friend of mine from my youth and a fellow business owner, had a client take their business elsewhere over the stance he has taken.  He is rather vocal about his biblical beliefs and this client had been a faithful client for a number of years.  The thing that "stings" is this client was a Church!  Had this friend refused to serve an ungodly lifestyle in his business, there would have no doubt been an outcry from some claiming intolerance!  Now a Church is moving their business because of his stance!

We should not be shocked, nor surprised by these actions as JESUS alerted us to this nearly 2,000 years ago.  The HOLY BIBLE is not just a book filled with "fables" and "riddles" to try and figure out on afternoons when we don't have anything better to do!  There is a reason it is called "GOD'S WORD" and has withstood mankind trying to eliminate it for thousands of years!  GOD, THE CREATOR OF ALL, wrote down HIS Plan for everyone to read.  When HIS SON said "YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL", HE wasn't trying to scare anyone, for in JESUS there is no fear (1 John 4:18)!  Since the Spirit of JESUS lives in us (John 17; 1 John 4:13), and "this world" desired to crucify JESUS, the "natural" response would be for "this world" to HATE anything relating to JESUS!  When this viewpoint is considered, it is with honor that I wear the badge "YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL"!!!

"FOR MY NAME'S SAKE!"

Isaiah 48:9-11                    (ESV)
"9 "FOR MY NAME'S SAKE" I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another."  .



Yesterdays writings were from Isaiah 48:10-15.  When I opened up my Bible App it was still on Isaiah 49 and I was drawn to verse 9.  "FOR MY NAME'S SAKE" I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it (my anger) for you, that I may not cut you off"!  To understand how long-suffering and gracious GOD is, one has to realize HE deferred HIS anger so I can praise HIM!

HE refined me in the furnace of affliction FOR HIS OWN SAKE, FOR HIS OWN SAKE!!  If I received what I deserved I would be judged guilty a long time ago.  GOD deferred HIS anger and sent HIS SON to earth to live a sinless, perfect life just so HE could sacrifice JESUS as propitiation for my sins.  And not because I was deemed worthy of another chance, GOD did it because HE IS LOVE, it is in HIS character to LOVE!

GOD must love a challenge, for HE took someone who was selfish, egotistical, and full of sin to spread HIS love in and through.  One might have made an argument that GOD might have been better off just throwing me away and starting anew with a new creation......in fact, HE did!  In 2 Corinthian 5:17 it is written "Therefore, if ANYONE is in CHRIST, he is a NEW CREATION. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."  GOD is in the business of recycling (Titus 3:5) by HIS HOLY SPIRIT!

When GOD's Word says "FOR MY NAME'S SAKE" it is not because GOD is trying to "save face" by displaying HIS mercy and grace.   GOD SO LOVED the world that HE freely gave HIS only SON for a wretch such as I, not because HE thought I might be a good investment in the end.  1 John 4:8 says "Whoever does not love does not know GOD, because GOD IS LOVE".  HE created "this world", and then HE sent HIS SON to redeem "this world", because HE LOVED THIS WORLD!

"HE SHALL PERFORM HIS PURPOSE!"

Isaiah 48:10-15                     (ESV)
"10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For MY own sake, for MY own sake, I do it, for how should MY NAME BE PROFANED? MY GLORY I WILL NOT GIVE TO ANOTHER.
12 "Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am HE; I am the first, and I am the last.
13 MY hand laid the foundation of the earth, and MY right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.
14 "Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; "HE SHALL PERFORM HIS PURPOSE" on Babylon, and HIS arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken and called him; I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way."



While recently writing about Exodus 14 it occurred to me that King Pharaoh probably didn't want to die at the bottom of the Red Sea!  He actually THOUGHT he was going to recapture the Israelites the carry them back into slavery.  The New American Standard Bible records in Hebrews 10:31 "It is a TERRIFYING thing to fall into the hands of the living GOD".  We aren't just talking about some earthly ruler!  We are referring to the same GOD who "SPOKE" the universes into existence!  There are those who have educated themselves to where THEY DO NOT BELIEVE that "this world" was Created, but that debate is for a different study.

Just as Pharaoh of Exodus THOUGHT he would recapture the Israelites and carry them back into captivity, we sometimes have the impression that GOD will perform whatever our hearts desire to make our lives easier, or more comfortable!  GOD is not some "cosmic bellhop" at our "beck and call" to serve our selfish desires.  GOD didn't Create the heavens and earth so we humans could live in comfort and luxury!  To actually THINK that we are in control of ANYTHING is a misconception that one has to have been where I have been to fully grasp.  Humans cannot even control our breathing without divine intervention!  Only GOD gives life, and without HIM there is NO LIFE (1 Samuel 2; John 6:61-64)!

We tend to live as though we are deserving of GOD's favor, to actually THINK we are more than we are!  GOD doesn't need us to glorify HIMSELF.  JESUS says the rocks can do that (Luke 19:40)!  The main thing we need to understand is that "HE SHALL PERFORM HIS PURPOSE"!  We are blessed just to be part of HIS Plan.  We shouldn't expect great wealth, comfort, nor accolades, we are just here to glorify HIS NAME and be used to make JESUS famous!

While it is true that others will try to draw glory to themselves or THEIR ministries, they are only serving to prove the Word of GOD true!  Paul wrote to Timothy that "In the last days" men would become selfish, lovers of money and fame, and among other things, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of GOD, in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.  Pharaoh didn't see his impending fate, even though GOD said in Exodus 14:4 "I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts"!  GOD will not share HIS glory with another! "HE SHALL PERFORM HIS PURPOSE", and I desire to NOT be against HIS Plan!

"NOT BY MIGHT!"

Zechariah 4:4-7                             (ESV)
"4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
6 Then HE said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: "NOT BY MIGHT", nor by power, but by MY SPIRIT, says the LORD of hosts.
7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'"



Zerubbabel was the civic leader of Jerusalem, and had the responsibility to finish the work of rebuilding the temple. The work had stalled, and Zerubbabel NEEDED ENCOURAGEMENT to carry on the work.

GOD didn't need a MIGHTY army to accomplish HIS Plan!  GOD chose the nation of Israel because they were HIS chosen and HE loved them.  Deuteronomy 7:7-9 says "It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set HIS love on you and chose you, for you were "the fewest" of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that HE swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and REDEEMED you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  Know therefore that the LORD your GOD is GOD, the faithful GOD who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love HIM and keep HIS commandments, to a thousand generations"!

GOD needs HIS army to celebrate and magnify HIS Name among all men that ALL may  know and recognize that there is no other!  But we are so in tune with our "physical man", our former beings, that all we want to do is see how big our churches can be, how much money we can spend with our budgets, and GOD forbid how comfortable our sanctuaries have become, instead of celebrating HIS might and majesty!  GOD needs to be worshipped and honored for HIS omnipotence and omniscience instead of HIS working through us as vessels of HIS blessings!

Whether it is Zerubbabel rebuilding the temple, Moses crossing the Red Sea, David standing before Goliath, or any other place where GOD reveals HIS unmistakable presence, GOD is the ONE that needs to be glorified by not only our words, but our actions as well!  The angel of the LORD told Zerrubbabel "NOT BY MIGHT", nor by power, but by "MY SPIRIT" will I be glorified!  We must come to the realization that even the desire to worship HIM is placed in us by HIS SPIRIT!  It is "NOT BY MIGHT" of our own selves, but by the Grace of GOD!

"YOUR WORD!"

Psalms 119:11; 105-107
"11 I have stored up "YOUR WORD" in my heart, that I might not sin against YOU......
........105 "YOUR WORD" is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep YOUR righteous rules.
107 I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to "YOUR WORD!"


Recently I wrote about "letting my WORDS be few", for I tend to say TOO much at times.  My apparent affinity to hear myself speaking is becoming somewhat baffling, as I do not consider myself wise, smart, nor funny!  The most conflicting thing about hearing yourself speaking is, it is difficult to hear someone else speaking when you are speaking.  Most importantly, hearing from GOD when my mouth is engaged is proving to be too difficult for me to accomplish!

My WORDS cannot compare to "YOUR WORD"!  Joshua 1:8 says "This Book of the Law (YOUR WORD) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success".  David wrote "I have stored up "YOUR WORD" in my heart, that I might not sin against YOU!  President Ronald Reagan said "Within the covers of the BIBLE are the answers for all the problems men face"!  "YOUR WORD" is something that we need to show more respect and reverence for, yet most of us don't even take time to read it at all, let alone DAILY!

Sharing "YOUR WORD" is something that I sometimes feel "not sure enough of myself" to do with those who I feel led to share "YOUR WORD" with.  What I need to understand is that JESUS said in Luke 12:8-12 that HE would give us the WORDS to say to glorify HIS Name.  The brain hemorrhage left me with very few deficits (disabilities), but WORD RECALL is one of those disabilities that I continue to struggle with.  But GOD is showing me that my lack of WORD RECALL is not so much a disability, rather an opportunity to magnify HIS Name for healing me the way HE has!   HE doesn't do things haphazardly, and HE could have restored my ability to speak fluently and rapidly IF HE would have received more glory from that.  But HIS Plan and Purpose was that I would be left with, not only a desire to find any word to complete a sentence, but I would SLOW DOWN and seek "YOUR WORD" so YOU could be glorified!

Psalms 119:107 says "I AM SEVERELY AFFLICTED; give me life, O LORD, according to "YOUR WORD"!  For about 3 weeks in July 2007 my doctors were not convinced I would survive, much less recover as completely as I have.  GOD has truly "given me life" when I was SEVERELY AFFLICTED!  But the most satisfying work HE has accomplished in my life has been slowing me down to hear from HIM.  Hearing "YOUR WORD" is far more important than hearing my WORDS!

"WORDS!"

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2;
"1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of GOD. To draw near to LISTEN is BETTER than to offer the SACRIFICE OF FOOLS, for they do not know they are doing evil.
2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before GOD, for GOD is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your "WORDS" be few.......

....6 LET NOT YOUR MOUTH LEAD YOU INTO SIN, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should GOD be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?"


From my youth I have been taught "You can't learn with your mouth wide open", and the main thing I have learned with my mouth is open is that my mouth is usually open too much!  As I have matured, I have come to understand that you can't impart knowledge, no matter how well-intentioned, unless a person is willing to receive that knowledge in a way that is helpful to themselves.  The most effective teachers I have observed have used their "WORDS" effectively and wisely (not in mass) to get their point across!

The "WORDS" we use generally determine what people think of us, more bluntly, what we are known by.  Many times I have used "WORDS" that were not exactly what I felt and those "WORDS" came back to haunt me!  King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5:1 "to draw near to LISTEN is BETTER than to offer the SACRIFICE OF FOOLS, for they do not know they are doing evil"!  King Solomon said it is better to LISTEN than to attempt to offer "WORDS" that are accepted as a SACRIFICE OF FOOLS!  This person (from experience) may not even "know they are doing evil"!!

Great care should be taken before we let our mouths lead us into sin!  Our "WORDS" may be revealing what we will be known by.  Proverbs 17:28 says "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent".  If, in fact, we are known by the "WORDS" we use, and a fool is considered wise even when he is silent, perhaps my "WORDS" should be FEW???

"DARKNESS FOR LIGHT!"

Isaiah 5:18-23                              (ESV)
"18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes,
19 who say: "Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!"
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put "DARKNESS FOR LIGHT" and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!"



When I was growing up, the word  "WOE" was something you said to a horse to get it to STOP moving.  When Isaiah uses the word "WOE", his meaning is to get people to STOP what they were doing, to acknowledge that there is a GOD who will judge us one day, and SOON!  We seem to have a picture in our minds of GOD being an "ALMIGHTY TEDDY BEAR" who might slap us on the wrist for our "shortcomings", when the TRUTH is, GOD is a RIGHTEOUS judge who CANNOT abide sin (Habakkuk 1:13).

We seem to have this mentality that we are TOO WISE to ever make a mistake, that if we choose sin, that GOD must have made us that way?  But Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (wicked!); who can understand it?"  Isaiah lived about 3,000 years ago, yet he saw plenty of deceit and evilness in his time.  The six verses above say more about the great deceiver's plan to replace GOD's Perfect Plan with his camouflaged actions that many are implementing unknowingly.

The enemy (great deceiver) will cause MANY to be blinded to the truth according to 2 Corinthians 4:4, which says "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of CHRIST, who is the image of GOD!"  One of his most effective tools is getting us so caught up with moving at the pace of "this world" that we don't allow time to hear from the GOD of Creation about how we need to live our lives.   Psalms 46:10 not only says to "BE STILL", it also says "AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD"!!!  Most of us won't take the time to read our Bible's on a daily basis or even commune with the Creator of the Universes (prayer time) for even 15 minutes a day!  The only thing necessary for total darkness to occur is to remove all light!

Remembering my childhood, we were taught a song called "This Little Light of Mine".  The second verse goes something like this, "Hide it (my light) under a bushel, NO!, I'm gonna let it shine!"  It is becoming more and more acceptable, and maybe even preferred, to consent to "DARKNESS FOR LIGHT"!  Either we don't want to offend, or we are ill-equipped to go to battle with the forces of evil?  While "this world" continues to devolve into the "end-times", I , for one, will do everything I can to not allow "DARKNESS FOR LIGHT" to occur on my watch!  I will not allow my light to be kept under a bushel!!

"THEY PREACH, BUT DO NOT PRACTICE!"

Matthew 23:1-7; 12;                                     (ESV)
"1 Then JESUS said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,
3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For "THEY PREACH, BUT DO NOT PRACTICE".
4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.......

12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted........"



JESUS came as GOD IN THE FLESH to demonstrate humility for ALL to observe.  The Creator of the Universes wrapped HIMSELF in flesh to pay for my salvation.  HE didn't come as a Hollywood movie star with a handsome appearance and wealth to accommodate HIS earthly desires.  Isaiah 53:2b says "HE had no form or majesty that we should look at HIM, and no beauty that we should desire HIM".  The household HE was born into was owned by a carpenter, not a royal family.  HE presented no earthly characteristics that would have given indication HE was THE SON OF GOD!

One would think that the main people JESUS "preached at" would have been the cheats and swindlers of their time.  But the ones we mostly read about in scripture are the ones in the hierarchy of the temple, the scribes and the Pharisees!  They wanted to give the facade of being better than others because of their ancestry, rather than their actions.  Their human position meant more to them than their Spiritual condition.  The way JESUS worded it was "THEY PREACH, BUT DO NOT PRACTICE"!!

When I hear these words, I must evaluate my own Spiritual condition.  It becomes rather easy to sit back and criticize others for their sinful behavior.  But self- observation, with GOD doing the comparison, shows me the wretch that I am.  I can't get past the GRACE that JESUS provides for ALL WHO BELIEVE on HIS NAME (John 1:12-13)!

My desire is NOT to be recognized by man as someone who is part of a hierarchy, or "goody-two-shoes", in the church house!  Those would have been the "scribes and Pharisees" that JESUS spoke of so often.  To serve as CHRIST served should be our ambition and goal.  Don't let me become one of the "THEY PREACH, BUT DO NOT PRACTICE" crowd!

"GOD GRANTED DANIEL FAVOR!"

Daniel 1:8-9                                     (NASB)
"But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.  Now "GOD GRANTED DANIEL FAVOR"  and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials."



There is no greater honor and privilege, I would offer, than being granted favor AND compassion by the GOD who Created the universes.  Can you fathom having the ONE who said "Let there be light" not only helping us in our lives, but literally guiding our steps (Proverbs 16:9)!  In Daniel 1:9 scripture indicates that "GOD GRANTED DANIEL FAVOR" and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.

Why do you think "GOD GRANTED DANIEL FAVOR" before the Babylonians?  The answer lies in the previous verse where it says "Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food".  King Nebuchadnezzar had given an edict that certain sons of Israel would follow his rules instead what GOD had directed Daniel to eat.  Daniel set his mind on serving the LORD rather than serving a human king.

Mankind can make laws and believers are to follow those laws (Romans 13).  However, when the laws of man call for us to openly defy the laws of GOD, a choice has to be made!  Will man's law trump the Laws of GOD?  Can GOD be GOD if a man can over rule HIM?  Are we saying that GOD's Law isn't that important, that man's law should supersede it?

"Daniel  made up his mind" that he would follow GOD's Law and "GOD GRANTED DANIEL FAVOR" for defying the king's orders.  Would I have the courage and integrity to trust GOD rather than do what an evil man-made law?  I am certain that IF we grasped how powerful and majestic GOD really is, we would consider it an honor and privilege to follow HIS laws rather than the laws of men.  "GOD GRANTED DANIEL FAVOR" and HE will do the same for you and me!!

"GOD IS SPIRIT!"

John 4:22-26                           (ESV)
"22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the FATHER in spirit and truth, for the FATHER is 'seeking' such people to worship HIM.
24 "GOD IS SPIRIT", and those who worship HIM must worship in spirit and truth."
25 The woman said to HIM, "I know that MESSIAH is coming (he who is called CHRIST). When HE comes, HE will tell us all things."
26 JESUS said to her, "I who speak to you am HE."


JESUS was only in "this world" for 33+ years.  HIS words were never haphazard or wasted.  What HE says in John 4:24 is enough to keep my studying for the remainder of my lifetime!  "GOD IS SPIRIT" and those who worship HIM "MUST" worship in spirit and truth!  This is not a suggestion, nor a statement intended for guidance.  We "MUST" is a bold pronouncement that GOD is different than our human bodies.  If we desire to be like HIM, we "MUST" stop focusing on the natural, and start focusing on the Spiritual!!!

"THEIR MINDS WERE HARDENED!"

2 Corinthians 3:14                    (ESV)

"But "THEIR MINDS WERE HARDENED". For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because ONLY THROUGH CHRIST is it taken away."

1 Corinthians 2:9-16                  (ESV)

9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM"- 

10 these things GOD has revealed to us through the SPIRIT. For the SPIRIT searches everything, even the depths of GOD.

11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of GOD except the SPIRIT of GOD.

12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the SPIRIT  who is from GOD, that we might understand the things freely given us by GOD.

13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the SPIRIT, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the SPIRIT of GOD, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

16 "For who has understood the mind of the LORD so as to instruct HIM?" But we have the mind of CHRIST."

It seems the number of people who "have their heads in the sand" is growing more rapidly than wild onions in the spring!  We see things WE THINK surely most can see, but they act as though we are ludicrous in our thinking.  1 Corinthians 2:14 says "The natural person does not accept the things of the SPIRIT of GOD, for THEY ARE "FOLLY" TO HIM, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned".  So we don't need to ASSUME some are evil with their intentions (although some may be!) because of their actions, they may just not be able to Spiritually see the THINGS OF THE SPIRIT, because "THEIR MINDS WERE HARDENED"!

You have, no doubt, seen me comment many times about how GOD's Plan WILL BE fulfilled.  No matter how independent and selfish people think they are, GOD can HARDEN THEIR HEARTS so they cannot see the TRUTH, even when it is right before their eyes!   

One of the enemy's most effective tools is making us think we are TOO BUSY to "wait on THE LORD"!  Psalms 27:14 says "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!"  Sometimes the reason we can't see THE TRUTH is because we are caught up in the frenzied pace of "this world"!  The enemy uses any tool of deceit he can muster to drag us into an eternity of death and separation with him.  

We need to humble ourselves before a HOLY GOD, "because ONLY THROUGH CHRIST" can we see the things of the SPIRIT!  It is certainly not because we are more worthy than others, rather because of GOD's matchless grace that we are drawn to HIM!  

FATHER IN HEAVEN, I pray that my heart and mind will be renewed by YOUR SPIRIT daily and I will never forget that it is only because of YOUR  grace that I am a child of YOURS!  Remind me that I could be one who will one day admit that "THEIR MINDS WERE HARDENED!'

"THE NUMBERS!!"

Exodus 14:5-9                      (ESV)

"5 When the king of Egypt was told that the (Israeli) people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"

6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him,

7 and took SIX HUNDRED CHOSEN chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.

8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.

9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon."

Pharaoh (of Exodus 14) was the most powerful man on the face of the earth during his time.  He led his army to go after the Children of Israel AFTER he had released them only a short time earlier.  GOD's Plan was fulfilled explicitly as HE said in Exodus 14:4 "I WILL GET GLORY OVER PHARAOH AND ALL HIS HOSTS"!  Pharaoh had "the numbers" to capture the Children of Israel once again with no problem, but "the numbers" didn't add up in GOD's Plan!

The recorded history in THE HOLY BIBLE says that the most feared army in history went after GOD (dressed as the Children of Israel) and caught up with them at the Red Sea in Exodus 14:9!  Just when they had them trapped, GOD intervened!  And when GOD intervenes, there is NO DOUBT who is the loser!

Today, a certain world leader may think the office he holds grants him the authority to lead the "Egyptian Army" of today (Iranian Nuclear Deal) after GOD (dressed once again as the children of Israel and The Great Satan, the USA) with his nuclear deal, but GOD has never been defeated.   "The numbers" may be in favor of this bad deal, but GOD's Plan will NOT be derailed.  Not by Pharaoh and the Egyptian Army and not by any world leader and his "supposed" knowledge!  Once again, GOD WILL BE GLORIFIED, no matter who is in charge!  

Concluding for today, just as I'm sure there are many who didn't agree with Pharaoh's decision to pursue after the Children of Israel, the current Iranian Nuclear Deal has its STAUNCH opposition.  There are many biblical scholars who don't see the USA in end-time prophecy.  Nobody can say "they know" EXACTLY what GOD's Plan is for "the end of the age", but JESUS said in Matthew 24:9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be HATED BY ALL NATIONS for MY name's sake".  Don't be alarmed when "this world" comes after me, for I am one of HIS!!!  They tried to put HIM to death, I should expect the same!!!   

"STILL WATERS!"

Psalms 23:1-2                              (ESV)

"1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

2 HE makes me lie down in green pastures. HE LEADS ME BESIDE "STILL WATERS"."

Recently I was meditating and pondering the 23rd Psalms.  When I got to verse 2 I literally had to stop and re-evaluate what I had been reading over too quickly for many years!  David was reportedly born in 1040 BC.  GOD hasn't changed, nor has HIS Word changed, in the past 3,000 years!  My "Spiritual Ears" will continue to change, however, until I am I HIS presence.  

Most know that sheep are one of the most "needy" of GOD's creation.  Is that why King David wrote that "The LORD is my Shepherd" in Psalms 23:1.  There are some sheep who have no shepherd, who wander aimlessly through life with no direction, nor purpose other than to make the most money (temporal possession) they can, and then they die and someone else owns their possessions! 

If GOD ALMIGHTY is your Shepherd, you being a sheep have to trust HE is not going to lead you into anything HE will not gain glory from.  Keep in mind, we are not here to receive glory.  We are here to glorify and magnify the FATHER!  In Exodus 14, the Children of Israel surely thought GOD had led them to certain peril on the banks if the Red Sea.  In Exodus 14:4 is a verse that is GREATLY overlooked where GOD tells us "I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts"!  GOD shepherded HIS Children, HIS chosen, across the Red Sea "on dry ground" (v.22).  The story wasn't that the Children of Israel were saved that day.  The story was that GOD is Supreme and HE GOT GLORY over Pharaoh and all his hosts!

Since GOD is my Shepherd and HE herds (or leads) me in the path HE will get glory from, why do I fret when things don't turn out the way "I think" they should go?  GOD may be leading me to Red Sea so "HE will get glory" over the enemy and so I trust in HIM more?  Our faith grows the most when we have "no way out" but GOD!  HE may lead me beside "STILL WATERS" where I can relax in HIM and know that HE IS GOD,  It is difficult to trust in HIM when you are in the midst of a raging river, but that is when I have no other choice than to trust in HIM!  If we trust in HIM during the "STILL WATERS", it will be easier to allow HIM to deliver us at the Red Sea!

Joshua 1:8 instructs us "This Book of the Law shall NOT depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it DAY and NIGHT, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."  GOD wants to be with us DAY and NIGHT, but we have to TRUST in HIM in the "STILL WATERS" so HE can get glory at the Red Sea!!

"THE BIRDS OF THE AIR!"

Matthew 6:25-27                        (ESV)

"25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at "THE BIRDS OF THE AIR": they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly FATHER feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"

My wife and I vacationed at a condominium on the Gulf of Mexico recently.  It was during the "off-peak" season, so the condominium wasn't as full of guest as it might usually have been.  One morning, while sitting in my chair on the beach, I was listening to the birds of some sort chirp.  There were a limited amount of people on the beach and I was left to wonder who the birds were chirping at?  

Then it hit me like a wet towel, they were singing and praising their Creator in Heaven!  They didn't have to have a church building, an ornate facility filled with starched clothes and hard hearts.  They were just birds of the air, under attack from no one or no thing, singing to GOD above, simply because HE is GOD!

Shouldn't we be doing the same?  Our Creator made us to praise and worship HIS name!  While it is true, we are under constant attack by the enemy, he was defeated at Calvary by GOD/MAN JESUS, so we have NO reason for "anxiety"!  

Could it be that WE WANT to have a say in how our lives "turn out"?  In doing so, we scrimp and save our monies to buy a bigger house, a newer automobile, or more fashionable clothing?  We buy foods WE WANT to eat, not that will sustain us.  It seems our focus is on how we can make "this world" more comfortable for a few short years, then we develop some disease that gobbles up our savings trying to make us healthy again.  WE WANT to be healthy, wealthy, and wise instead of glorifying the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS!!!

"THE BIRDS OF THE AIR" usually live outside in what GOD provides them!  Most of then aren't sick and diseased, as they don't put man made toxins in their bodies like some humans do.  "THE BIRDS OF THE AIR" don't have cares or worries.  They simply offer praise to their Creator......because HE Created them!  Forgive me, dear FATHER, for watching my checking account balance more than YOUR blessings!  If YOU feed and care for "THE BIRDS OF THE AIR", surely YOU have a Plan for my life!!!

"OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US!"

Nehemiah 4:1;11;14;20                            (ESV)

"1. Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.........

11. And our enemies said, "They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.".........

14. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the LORD, who is GREAT and AWESOME, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."..........

20. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. "OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US"!!!

 

The entire chapter 4 of Nehemiah (23 verses) needs to be considered when grasping the magnitude of what GOD is saying to us.  These four verses though, give a pretty clear synopsis of what is transpiring.  In "Sanballat's mind" the Jews were foolish, weak people with little intelligence.  Sanballat held some place of authority in Samaria when Nehemiah went up to Jerusalem to rebuild its ruined walls. He vainly attempted to hinder this work ( Nehemiah 2:10  Nehemiah 2:19 ;  4:1-12 ;  6 ).  Sanballat's daughter became the wife of one of the sons of Joiada, a son of the high priest, much to the grief of ( Nehemiah 13:28 ).  Even though the Jews were not a people to be feared, they served a GOD who reigns supreme!

Sanballat got his dander up when he HEARD the Jews were building a Wall.  It wasn't because the Wall was so tall or majestic, rather the Wall represented the GOD of Israel was mighty!  Sanballat "jeered" at the Jews, for he thought they were being foolish!  Who could imagine such a weak, unlearned, futile people doing anything against a brutal, strong, seemingly invincible foe?  

There are many interesting angles in Nehemiah 4, but the I feel the most AWESOME and GREAT is "OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US"!   The enemy always gives the appearance of being so mighty and fearful!  Whether at the Red Sea when the children of Israel were leaving Egypt, or when David killed Goliath, or when JESUS defeated the enemy at Calvary, the enemy always wants to instill fear that he can overcome our GOD!  But that is just an charade, a mirage if you will!  The enemy ALREADY HAS been defeated, and we need to remember this, as we remind him of this!  

Believers don't need to forget "OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US"!  HE doesn't require us to assist HIM, only be faithful and TRUST in HIM (Exodus 14:14)!  We need to trust in HIS power, HIS Plan, and HIS timing to gain the most glory for HIMSELF!  For me to walk around in fear and awe of the enemy is to tell GOD that I am not quite sure HE is able to pull HIS Plan off?  GOD typically uses what "this world" sees as "foolish, weak people with little intelligence" to accomplish GREAT and MIGHTY things for HIM!  GOD wouldn't be much of a GOD if HE used great military strength and power to defeat lesser foes.  Watch out when you are not on the side of  "OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US"!  HE has never (and will ever) lost one yet!!! 

"WE WERE DEAD!"

Ephesians 2:1-8                   (ESV)

"1 And you were DEAD in the trespasses and sins

2 in which you once walked, following the course of THIS WORLD, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-

3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

4 But GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which HE loved us,

5 even when "WE WERE DEAD" in our trespasses, MADE US ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST-by grace you have been saved-

6 and raised us up with HIM and seated us with HIM in the heavenly places in CHRIST JESUS,

7 so that in the coming ages HE might show the immeasurable riches of HIS grace in kindness toward us in CHRIST JESUS."

How many people reading this today are "ALIVE"???  Most would indicate that they are living, breathing, functioning members of society able to self-sustain themselves. We arise from our sleep each day to perform the tasks assigned with very little thought about whether the air we breathe, or the clean water we need to survive, will being sufficient for the day. 

In the passage above the Apostle Paul spoke of "things of the Spirit" when he wrote in Ephesians 2, not in "things of the flesh"!  He started in verse 1 saying we were DEAD in trespasses and sins, and repeats in verse 5 "WE WERE DEAD" in our trespasses.  If we are DEAD how do we function?  How does a DEAD person contribute to society?  The item "this world" (John 12:31 "Now is the judgment of THIS WORLD; now will the ruler of THIS WORLD be cast out.") is constantly trying to get us to FOCUS on really not what we SHOULD be focusing on!  

A quote from C.S. Lewis says "You don't have a Soul.  You are a Soul!  You have a body!" I leave that quote on my iPad as a constant reminder that "this world" is only temporary.  Our "EVERLASTING" beings, what is REAL, is our Spirits and that is what I need to nourish and take care of!  

There SEEMS to be an unquenchable desire live THIS LIFE as healthy, and long, as we can. Exercise programs, certain diets, medical advances......there appears to be no limit to what we will do to remain physically ALIVE.  But if Paul writes that "WE WERE DEAD" why do we put so much emphasis (and expense) on something that is temporary?  Why don't we FOCUS on an exercise program and advances in our Spiritual health!  Our eternal beings, our SOULS, are what JESUS came to rescue.  JESUS did not come so that we would never "physically" die.  HE came that we would not SPIRITUALLY die!

The enemy wants us to focus on "this world" and never get a "glimpse" of our eternal destination.  Maybe that is because "his" eternal destination has already been determined!  When we are BORN AGAIN, when we are CHOSEN by GOD to be a part of HIS family, we become one who can proclaim "WE WERE DEAD"!!  That is what "this world" doesn't want us focusing on, for "this world" will pass away (1 John 2:17), and mainly that "WE WERE DEAD"!!

"FEAR NOT!"

Isaiah 43:1-2                           (ESV)

"1 But now thus says the LORD, HE who created you, O Jacob, HE who formed you, O Israel: "FEAR NOT", for I HAVE redeemed you; I HAVE called you by name, you are MINE. 

2 WHEN you pass through the waters, I WILL BE with you; and through the rivers, THEY SHALL NOT overwhelm you; WHEN you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame SHALL NOT consume you."

At the peril of alienating certain "prosperity gospel" enthusiasts, the language above is pretty clear.  To begin with, "HE who created you" tells us to "FEAR NOT"!  Why should we not fret and worry when we can't see our future and KNOW what is ahead of us!  Because the very ONE who Created us has redeemed us, and called us by our names, we are HIS!  To know this gives new meaning to the phrase "GOD's got this"!  

In verse 2 above scripture uses the word "WHEN" we experience difficulty!  It doesn't read "IF" we experience difficulties or setbacks.  Job 14:1 says ""Man who is born of a woman is few of days and FULL OF TROUBLE"!!  GOD wants us to trust in HIM and to develop a dependence upon HIM.  If we think we are self-sufficient then why would we need to trust in a HIGHER BEING?  If I trust in my job for my sustenance, why do I need GOD for Providence?  

GOD even provides the air we breathe (Isaiah 42:6; Job 33:4), so why should we be concerned about following HIS Plan for our lives?  "FEAR NOT" should be the oasis for believers in JESUS CHRIST.  We should trust in GOD, our Creator and Sustainer, to provide our needs.  LORD, if I trust in YOU it should be easy to "FEAR NOT"!!

"IF YOU FAITHFULLY OBEY!"

Deuteronomy 28:1-2                         (ESV)

"1 "And "IF YOU FAITHFULLY OBEY" the voice of the LORD your GOD, being careful to do all HIS commandments that I command you today, the LORD your GOD will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your GOD."

Fourteen years ago seems like such a long time ago.  But I remember seeing the planes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the Pennsylvania field like it was LAST WEEK! Most want to blame the terrorists, the government, some even blame a conspiracy of both!  But if you boil it down to "brass tacks", the Word of GOD is pretty clear who is to blame!  And no one ever wants to admit it, but the fault lies right at my doorstep!!!

On September 11, 2001 at 6:30AM my life was busy beyond belief!  In 1999 I had started my own insurance agency, gotten elected to the local school board, continued coaching my sons in youth baseball, umpired other youth games not being played in by my sons, continued teaching Sunday School at the church where I served as a Deacon, and tried to be a husband and father!  At 11:30AM on September 11, 2001 the United States of America "knew" we were under attack by enemy forces and EVERYTHING in my life was shut down!  

Remembering back, it was real quiet where I was.  No airplanes, no railroad engines, commerce ceased, churches opened, and people in general looked to Heaven for protection!  Even in Washington D.C. our Senators and Representatives held hand on the steps of the Capital and sang "GOD BLESS AMERICA", with no protests from anyone!  We were singularly focused on being AMERICANS!  Everyone knew that the problem was bigger than any of us could handle.  Only GOD could handle this!  The words "IF YOU FAITHFULLY OBEY" were easy to say, for we were in such peril.

Scripture states in Deuteronomy 28 "IF YOU FAITHFULLY OBEY" the voice of the LORD your  GOD that HE will set you high above all the nations of the earth".  I would venture to say that within a couple of weeks everyone was back at work, funerals were mostly behind us, clean up was well under way, and everyone was focused on just WHO was responsible for the acts of war committed against our nation!  No one wanted to admit that the MAIN PROBLEM was that we had gotten away from "IF YOU FAITHFULLY OBEY" as a nation.  

My life gets so busy that I don't THINK I have time to listen for, and to, the LORD.  But GOD seldom says to hurry up and get ahead of the game, or to work harder, smarter, or be more efficient, and HE will bless your efforts.  There are, however, NUMEROUS scriptures that DO say to BE STILL, WAIT ON THE LORD, TRUST IN GOD, and "IF YOU FAITHFULLY OBEY" the LORD will hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land!  FATHER IN HEAVEN, I pray YOU will cause me to focus on "IF YOU FAITHFULLY OBEY" and trust in YOU for the results!!

"ABOUND IN HOPE!"

Romans 15:13                                (ESV)

"May the GOD of HOLE fill you with all JOY and PEACE in BELIEVING, so that by the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT you may "ABOUND IN HOPE"."

With all of the turmoil surrounding us in "this world", being caught up in fear and dismay seems to be the reaction of many.  The enemy, the great deceiver, has been defeated when JESUS paid the sin debt of ALL mankind at Calvary.  HE took the wrath of GOD for the sins of Adam and Eve throughout the history of the world until HE returns to claim HIS CHURCH, that is we who BELIEVE that HE IS GOD INCARNATE!  

In Hebrews 12:2 scripture records "LOOKING TO JESUS, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before HIM endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of GOD".  The enemy can offer only lies and deceit, as that IS his character!  JESUS said in John 8:44 that there was "no truth in him" and he was the "father of lies"!  Yet, the news media of "this world" gravitates toward anything negative as that is "what sells" and their ratings depend on.  Advancing the things of the Kingdom of GOD is not glamorous enough and is seldom promoted!

Psalms 16:8 says "I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken".  Those who do BELIEVE in JESUS CHRIST therefore "shall not be shaken" UNLESS the LORD has been removed from being "always before me"!  If JESUS is "always before me" and I keep looking to JESUS, then I WILL "ABOUND IN HOPE"!  Wherever we may be assigned; a stadium of thousands hearing the WORD espoused, or in a prison cell in Rome, or maybe in a COMA for weeks following a brain hemorrhage, as long as JESUS is before me, I will "ABOUND IN HOPE"!

Some mornings when I awake my countenance is not anything to brag about.  But getting into THE WORD, keeping the LORD before me, always changes my outlook and helps me to "ABOUND IN HOPE"!  The ability to identify the enemy is totally different than glorifying the enemy!  We must keep the LORD before us and allow HIM to cause us to "ABOUND IN HOPE"!!

"THE WORLD HATES YOU!"

John 15:18-19                (ESV)

"18 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated ME before it hated you.

19 IF YOU WERE OF THE WORLD, the world would LOVE YOU AS ITS OWN; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore "THE WORLD HATES YOU"."

"This world" has an innate ability to make you FEEL accepted, part of their family, one of "the in-crowd" until it has you right where they want you!  JESUS told HIS followers that "this world" (the natural) would "hate you", not to scare them, but to prepare them!  We tend to want everyone, this world included, to love us and to treat us like they love us.  Don't let the deceiver paint a false narrative, "THE WORLD HATES YOU"!  

JESUS said in John 15:16 "YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, but I CHOSE YOU and appointed you that you should GO and BEAR FRUIT and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the FATHER in MY name, HE MAY GIVE IT TO YOU."  "This world" is diametrically opposed to the Kingdom of GOD, which according to GOD's WORD has already won the ultimate battle in CHRIST JESUS!  

John 8:39-47 JESUS speaks to the religious elite, the scribes and Pharisees, whom the enemy had blinded so they COULD NOT SEE THE TRUTH.  The deceiver attempts to prevent us from seeing THE TRUTH by disguising himself as an imitation of the light, a counterfeit of THE TRUTH!  In Matthew 24:24 JESUS warns that if it were possible "even the elect" would be "deceived"!  JESUS is warning us to be on guard against the enemy!   The Greek word polus , translated “many,” means “many, much, great” ( Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words , 1985, “Many”). This DECEPTION is clearly massive and widespread.  

The great deceiver will make some feel as though they are non-offensive and able to get along with "this world"!  But THE TRUTH said "THE WORLD HATES YOU' and no matter how great "this world" makes you FEEL, their ultimate goal is to bring death and destruction to as many as possible.  

We are at war!  I must go into my WAR ROOM and prepare today's battle plan, for "THE WORLD HATES ME" and wants to destroy me!  Paul write in Ephesians 6:11 to put on the WHOLE armor of GOD so that we can stand against the "schemes" of the devil!  "THE WORLD HATES ME" but JESUS LOVES ME!  The battle has been won, I just have to live in VICTORY!!!

"KNOW NO MAN AFTER THE FLESH!"

While I see many people taking about some skin color lives matter, all of that talk is OF THE DEVIL!  2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (KJV) says "Wherefore henceforth KNOW WE NO MAN AFTER THE FLESH: yea, though we have known CHRIST after the flesh, yet now henceforth know WE KNOW HIM NO MORE.  Therefore if ANY MAN be IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE: old things are PASSED AWAY; behold, ALL THINGS are become NEW".  

According to the verse above, we should know NO MAN AFTER THE FLESH!  If we have been BORN AGAIN and a NEW CREATURE's then  OLD THINGS are passed away (dead) and ALL THINGS are become NEW. All of this different color stuff was a wall overcame by JESUS CHRIST on the cross.  We must crucify that flesh and become NEW CREATURE's!  It is as if we are giving CPR to a corpse!  No matter how much the devil tries to breathe life into the OLD THINGS, all he can achieve is deceive, which is his specialty!  

I have been guilty in my past of trying to keep alive "dead flesh" by using language that is "of the devil"!  My vocabulary was not that of a NEW CREATURE, rather the "old things" I formerly said.  From now on (henceforth) I can KNOW NO MAN AFTER THE FLESH, no matter their skin color, social class, nor religion!  CHRIST broke down those walls and I will not be guilty of trying to assist the devil in building them back, no matter the pressure from those who do not have the revelation of 2 Corinthians 5:16-17!

"LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY!"

 Luke 11:1-4                  (ESV)

"1 Now JESUS was praying in a certain place, and when HE finished, one of HIS disciples said to HIM, "LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY"  as John taught his disciples."

2 And HE said to them, "When you pray, say: "FATHER, hallowed be YOUR name. YOUR kingdom come. 

3 Give us each day our daily bread, 

4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."

My Pastor has been sick and I want to help him so badly, but all I can do is pray?!?!  

I can't make his condition any better by "wishing" he was better.  If I had billions of dollars I couldn't add one healthy day to his life.  As a matter of fact, I had a friend who was only in his mid-50's and passed away, his net worth was over 1 billion dollars!  His wealth couldn't extend his life one more day!  Medical doctors, who we generally go to when we have physical ailments, have an average life expectancy of a little over 73 years old!  If they had the answers don't you think their average life expectancy would be in the 90's?

There are PLENTY of people I know who are in their mid-90's and going strong.  A lot of them are Christians who have a devout prayer life.  Some live to be over 90 and have never made a decision for Christ to inhabit their life.  How can we make a difference in their lives to have them consider living for JESUS?  Why don't we have any more confidence in our prayer life than to allow people we love to die without having a relationship with JESUS?

Why do we think PRAYING is such a weak response!  When JESUS CHRIST was crucified the veil of The Temple (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38) was torn in two FROM TOP TO BOTTOM!! No longer were we required to have a priest approach the Throne of GOD with our requests or concerns!  It took the death of JESUS to provide a direct link to THE FATHER !

Why do we say "all I can do is pray" when someone is in need?  Maybe if our prayer life was more "intense" we wouldn't think making our petitions known to our CREATOR is such a small deal?  Maybe if I were more "in tune" with THE FATHER I would cherish the privilege of approaching HIS throne more frequently?  We have the awesome privilege of conversing with THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES and I have a hard time spending 30 minutes before HIS THRONE?  WHAT is wrong with me???

This weekend I plan on seeing a movie entitled "WAR ROOM".  The trailers I have watched indicate the FAITH of a dear saint whose PRAYER LIFE is phenomenal!  It appears that there are some of us who need to say "LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY" and let HIM instruct us on how to communicate with THE FATHER.  We shouldn't be so proud to learn from HIS SPIRIT directing our lives.  "LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY" 

"YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL!"

John 8:39-47                (ESV)

"39 They answered HIM, "Abraham is our father." JESUS said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,

40 but now you seek to kill ME, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from GOD. This is not what Abraham did.

41 You are doing the works your father did." They said to HIM, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one FATHER-even GOD."

42 JESUS said to them, "If GOD were your FATHER, you would love ME, for I came from GOD and I am here. I came not of MY OWN ACCORD, but HE SENT ME.

43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear MY word.

44 You are of "YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL", and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe ME.

46 Which one of you convicts ME of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe ME?

47 Whoever is of GOD hears the words of GOD. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of GOD." 

The book of The Gospel of John undoubtedly is my favorite book of the New Testament, maybe in the entire Bible.  My recent posts were from the same passage of scripture, only was focused on a different verse.  My previous focus was on HE (GOD) SENT ME!  JESUS came ON PURPOSE to provide my salvation on Calvary.  HE even told "the Jews" HE didn't come by HIS own accord, but GOD SENT HIM!

But just as JESUS fulfilled HIS purpose, just as Pharaoh fulfilled his purpose, just as Abraham, King David, Isaiah, Peter, and Paul........they ALL fulfilled their purpose, and "the Jews" fulfilled their purpose!  Don't misunderstand, when scripture speaks of "the Jews" it is not identifying ALL Jews.  JESUS said in John 8:31 "So Jesus said to "the Jews" who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,". Then in John 8:34 "Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who PRACTICES SIN is a slave to sin."  Being one of "the Jews" was not a guarantee of an eternity with JESUS.  But some of "the Jews" sure thought it was?  JESUS made it clear that being "born again" (of the Spirit) is the most important thing!

Today there are many who think that since they are part of a big church, with a big choir, and a huge budget, that they are a part of kingdom work!  But JESUS says you are nothing but of "YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL"!  It doesn't do my heart good to call church members to account, but JESUS died for you and you need to hear that "the Jews" were the ones who had JESUS put on trial and crucified!  They were in the biggest sanctuary with the most ornate furnishings yet they could not even recognize GOD IN THE FLESH walking before their eyes.  JESUS HIMSELF told them "you are of YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL"!  

HEAVENLY FATHER, I pray that YOU humble my Spirit and cause me to seek to accomplish my purpose while I am in "this world", to glorify the FATHER.  Help me to recognize and identify that "YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL" will continue to attempt to inflict his evilness into YOUR PLAN.  But YOU are GOD and YOUR SON, JESUS, defeated "THEIR FATHER THE DEVIL" at Calvary!