"FOOL!"

Luke 12:16-21                         (ESV)
"16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully,
17 and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'
18 And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."'
20 But GOD said to him, '"FOOL!" This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'
21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward GOD."




Imagine, if you will, a person winning a $250,000,000 lottery, only to die in their sleep that night before getting to spend one dime of the bounty?  There is a lot to be said about planning for the future, but "this world" seems to want us to limit our plans to how we can further our earthly rewards.  GOD, on the other hand, desires for us to be used of HIM to fulfill HIS Plan for our lives.

JESUS spoke in parables quite often as HE was trying to open eyes to SEE the TRUTHS that eluded most.  The rich man had land that produced "plentifully", but he was mainly concerned with storing up his wealth, not on what GOD would have him accomplish with his blessings.  The man made plans to build bigger barns so he could increase his "holdings"!  But in his plans he neglected to consider GOD's Plans and it would wind up costing him his life!

Don't receive a blessing from GOD thinking that you deserve it, for GOD may have to say to you "FOOL", this night your soul is required of you!  We are only here to glorify GOD, and when we start glorifying ourselves we run the risk of being called a "FOOL" by our Creator.  Maybe "this world" thinks one should operate on their principles, but GOD says thou "FOOL" if we follow their lead.

FATHER IN HEAVEN, cause me to continually seek YOUR will in everything I do.  YOU are the reason I exist and YOU deserve all praise and glory!!!

"BE QUIET!"

Nehemiah 8:9-12                      (ESV)
"9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your GOD; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is Holy to our LORD. And do not be grieved, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH."
11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, ""BE QUIET", for this day is Holy; do not be grieved."
12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them."



Many times the pressures of "this world" can be magnified to cause us to believe that everything is crashing in on us.   The enemy wants us to believe that we are the ones in control and that we have our destiny within the limits of our abilities.  Many think that hard work and clean living will suffice to assure financial success.  But there are plenty of hard working, righteous people who don't experience financial gains that most consider being successful in today's greedy climate.  True JOY can only come through living for the LORD.

But today's scripture passage reminds "THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH", and we don't need to try finding JOY anywhere else!  With all of the busyness "this world" tries to bring into our lives, we are continually reminded that the only was to experience JOY is to "BE QUIET" before the LORD.  It is difficult, to say the least, to operate at the pace "this world" requires and still have the JOY only CHRIST can bring.

We should celebrate each day the LORD allows us to be a lighthouse for HIM, "for this day is Holy to our LORD"!  Deadlines, budgets, rules and regulations can be enforced by many entities, but when we remember to "BE QUIET" before the LORD we can rest in HIS promises, and HIS peace!  There is no substitute for resting in HIM and "BEING QUIET" before HIM.  You can be busy beyond your capabilities, but until you "BE QUIET", you will find it difficult to experience true JOY!

"I HAVE NO IDEA!"

From a book I am currently reading;

"My Lord God, "I HAVE NO IDEA" where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone."

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude



There are times when I just am inclined to submit myself to HIS guidance and direction for my life and TRUST that HE will force me to travel the journey HE has for me, no matter how badly my selfish desires try to lead me astray!

LORD GOD, cause me to continually seek YOUR ways for my life!

"HE was in the beginning with GOD"!!

John 1:1-4                        (ESV)
"1 In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD.
2 "HE was in the beginning with GOD".
3 All things were made through HIM, and without HIM was not any thing made that was made.
4 In HIM was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."




A little over 2,000 years ago JESUS came to mankind as a human.  HE came for the express purpose of paying the sin debt that only a Holy GOD could pay.

When I hear people say that we celebrate the birthday of JESUS we act as though HE only came into existence when HIS earthly ministry did, when In fact, according to scripture JESUS has been here since the beginning!  HE forever has been, and forever will be!

The caption over the scriptures above clearly says "The WORD became flesh", not the WORD was born as flesh!  JESUS was made manifest to "this world", but HE has always been, for HE is part of the Triune GOD.  John 1:2 states "HE was in the beginning with GOD" and so HE has been forever!  Although the physical BEING was born of a virgin, HE forever has been, and forever will be!

Don't let the enemy blind you into believing that GOD is continually adjusting HIS Plan to counteract the evil perpetuated by satan!  GOD is Sovereign and HE loves us so much that HE sent a part of HIMSELF to ransom "this world" from darkness known as itself.  

Merry Christmas to you and yours.  May we forever glorify HIM, not only on this day, but everyday throughout eternity!!!

"IF THE LORD WILLS!"

James 4:13-15                       (ESV)
"13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15 Instead you ought to say, ""IF THE LORD WILLS", we will live and do this or that.""



Our plans can be so meticulous, but GOD's Plan trumps everything we have ever planned.  If we live by FAITH, we should walk day by day doing what the LORD leads us to do, where the LORD leads us to go, and when the LORD directs us to act!  As for me, I don't have the intelligence to avoid even the slightest of pitfalls in my life, so why should I think I can guide me through the mine fields the enemy can bring?

The hospitals, morgues, and prisons are full of people who had other plans for their lives.   We need to live by "IF THE LORD WILLS" and follow HIS Plan for our lives!  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM, and HE will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6).  HIS Plan works!!!

"GIVE THANKS!"

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22                   (ESV)
"16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 "GIVE THANKS" IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES; for this is the will of GOD in CHRIST JESUS for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not despise prophecies,
21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil."



We are told rather plainly in the passage above something that most prefer to not focus on when studying scripture.   1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "GIVE THANKS" IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, for this is the will of GOD in CHRIST JESUS for you"!  To my dismay, it doesn't say "GIVE THANKS" when things are going the way we planned it to go!  It would seem almost sadistic to "GIVE THANKS" following a tragedy, such as the 9-11 terrorist attacks, or one of the Tsunamis that have occurred, but scripture instructs us to "GIVE THANKS" IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!!!

GOD doesn't need for me to understand everything, nor does HE gain glory from my understanding!  But HE does receive glory from me acknowledging that HE is worthy of me "GIVING THANKS", especially when I can't understand!!!

Maybe in time, as I become more Spiritually mature, I will understand more about the things that GOD directs and orchestrates in my life.  The biggest challenge for me is to understand that HIS timing is for my own good (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14), and that HIS Plan WILL be fulfilled, no matter how much we want to influence the outcome.  The stress and turmoil of trying to reach a goal (usually my plan) does not compare to GOD's Plan for the entire world!

When I finally understand that HIS Plan is far better than my plan, it becomes a lot easier to "GIVE THANKS" in all circumstances.  GOD loves us far too much to hurt us and is far too wise to make a mistake, so why can't I just relax and trust HIS Plans?  When we accept that HE is WHO HE says HE is, and is able to do more than we ever imagined, only then we we be able to properly "GIVE THANKS!"

"SERVANT OF CHRIST!"

Galatians 1:8-10                              (ESV)
"8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of GOD? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a "SERVANT OF CHRIST"."



Has the modern church become so popularity driven that the TRUE GOSPEL has been compromised?  Are we seeking the approval of man instead of the TRUTHS of GOD?  Why do we water down what JESUS gave HIS LIFE on Calvary for?  Since we are a "SERVANT OF CHRIST", shouldn't we be more consumed with pleasing HIM rather than man?

Just a few questions to ponder as we prepare to worship this weekend.  Will you be pleasing men?  Or will you be a "SERVANT OF CHRIST"?

"WALK BY FAITH!"

2 Corinthians 5:6-7              (ESV)
"6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,
7 for we WALK BY FAITH, not by sight."



Walking by faith is not like walking down the street, it means to proceed through life in a manner that exemplifies TRUSTING GOD!!!


HE has the answers!  We don't!!!

"HE SEEMS TO BE!"

Acts 17:16-18                    (ESV)
"16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic PHILOSOPHERS also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "HE SEEMS TO BE" a preacher of foreign divinities"-because he was preaching JESUS and the resurrection."



The Apostle Paul was brought up and educated as Saul, a devout JEW (Acts 22), and was committed to eliminating people of "the Way"!  The people of "the Way" were people who believed that JESUS was the Son of GOD and came to earth to pay a ransom for the sins of all mankind.  However, there are many who cannot SEE TRUTH for many reasons, but mainly because it hasn't been revealed to them.  A lot of them are too educated to have FAITH, as they think they need to have PROOF that something is as it appears to be?  The Apostle Paul had his eyes opened to the TRUTH, and now shared with others and prayed that GOD would reveal HIS TRUTH to them.

When Paul was "reasoning" in the synagogue with "the Jews and devout persons", it wasn't as if these were illiterates of their day.  These were people esteemed by most as people who were wiser than their peers.  But "most" are of "this world" and cannot SEE Spiritual things!  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."  THE Apostle Paul knew these men were unable to SEE, so he had to speak to them accordingly.  The thing is, the "educated illiterates" could only SEE things that their eyes were opened to by the SPIRIT of GOD!

It is difficult to remember that I was formerly an "educated illiterate" before GOD called me "out of darkness into HIS marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9)!  Although I have no college education, I always tried learning from the situations I found myself in.  Sadly, I had to go through a tremendous amount of "darkness" to find "HIS marvelous light" sometimes!   Displaying what "HE SEEMS TO BE" sometimes was only what I wanted people to think about me, not what I actually was.   When you are trying to be something you really aren't, the frustration can make you so unsettled and disgruntled that you appear angry even when you're not!  Trying to be what "HE SEEMS TO BE" instead of what you truly are is masquerading, an emulation of the great deceiver, when you boil it all down.  

When we back up and observe who we really are versus who we want to be, it makes it easier to flee from what "HE SEEMS TO BE"!  We are just sojourners traveling through "this world", not permanent fixtures.  We shouldn't concern ourselves with what others SEE from our lives.  We need to realize that GOD SEES from our lives is what really matters!  Only GOD knows if what "HE SEEMS TO BE" is what HE designed us to be!  We need to be about pleasing HIM and let "this world" deal with their own!

"WAIT FOR ME!"

Isaiah 49:23                                 (NASB)
"Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet; And you will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for ME will not be put to shame."



Over the past few days I have been fighting a cold, with coughing and sinus drainage and headaches in an abundant supply!  Being sick is really a downer for me as I tend to lose sight of WHOM I worship, and instead focus on getting my physical health back to normal.  Although I am still not back to my old self, I am FAR from where I was before!  Feeling pretty bad a few days ago, I decided to go to scripture and look for an answer to the funk I was in, and I googled "bible.....how long must I wait"?   One of the top responses was Isaiah 49:23!

The first part of the verse about Kings being my guardians and princesses being my nurses didn't catch my eye, but the part that DID stand out to me was "Those who HOPEFULLY wait for ME will NOT be it to shame."  When feel you have been given a direction from GOD and you are made to wait for HIS Plan to come to fruition, the wait can be painful as our nature is to live in a microwave mentality.   We want everything when we (mainly I) want it and we usually try making things work out the way we think they should.  Learning to "WAIT FOR ME" is one of the most difficult lessons I have ever had to learn.

The sentence just prior to "Those who HOPEFULLY wait for ME will NOT be it to shame" is one that should remove all tension from our lives.   "And you will know that I am the LORD" isn't just a catchy phrase that is placed in scripture as a filler phrase, it means to accentuate that GOD is GOD, and HE has HIS own way, HIS own Plan that we are not aware of and we should "WAIT FOR ME" to see.  As bad as I sometimes want to think that I am righteous enough to know what is best for my life (and those around me), scripture reminds me that my thoughts are not HIS thoughts and my ways are not HIS ways (Isaiah 55:8-9)!

For me, learning to "WAIT FOR ME" is me agreeing "that I AM the LORD" is the ONE WHO is in control and I am not!  FATHER in Heaven, my prayer is that I will mature into a vessel whose nature is to "HOPEFULLY wait for ME" and I will "NOT be it to shame"!

"FRET NOT!"

Psalms 37:1-3                  (ESV)
"1 "FRET NOT" yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness."



Sometimes it is difficult to sit idly by as evildoers continue doing evil while their coffers continue to swell.  But if GOD is in control of everything (and HE is) and HE cares for us (and HE does) why should we be concerned with our future?  

The scriptures above tell us to "FRET NOT" over the seeming successes of those who are less than honorable, but to "trust in the LORD, and do good" and to "befriend faithfulness"! While I have no "formal education", I trust that the LORD will provide everything I need to accomplish that which HE has Planned for my life!  The rich may get richer, but there won't be a rich man/woman trying to get into Heaven, we will all have no earthly wealth at the Judgement Seat!!!  The rich will one day "fade like the grass and wither like the green herb", and then what will they do?

If we "FRET NOT" over the size of our bank account, then GOD can use us for HIS glory, to accomplish HIS Plan for our lives!  HEAVENLY FATHER, cause me to be more attentive to what I accomplish for YOUR Kingdom than the wealth I accumulate in this world.

"I WILL RESTORE!"

Jeremiah 33:6-9              (ESV)
"6 Behold, I will bring to it (Judah and Israel) health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.
7 "I WILL RESTORE" the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first.
8 I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against ME, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against ME.
9 And this city shall be to ME a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it."




There is no one worthy of GOD's grace and mercy, even the children of Judah and Israel listed above.   People have asked me if these children hadn't ignored GOD's law and principles enough to warrant punishment for what they had done?  Immediately my mind goes to my SIN and terrible choices and I have to reply with a HUGE, HUMBLE NO!  GOD's mercy and grace are abundant, whether we acknowledge HIM or not.  "I WILL RESTORE" was not because HIS children were worthy, rather because of HIS love for them!

Just in the few verses above GOD says HE would bring health and healing, heal them, reveal to them, restore fortunes, rebuild them, cleanse them, and finally forgive them!  Then in verse nine GOD says "all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them.   They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it" (Judah and Israel)!  It was because GOD has MATCHLESS indescribable LOVE that HE chose to display it so freely time and again on HIS children, not because they deserved it!

One day last week I was extremely busy at  work and didn't look at my cellphone until almost time to go home.  When I did there was a message from one of my sons.  I opened the message and then started crying, almost uncontrollably.  He was saying he was thinking about the good example I had been as a father and he thanked me for being there for him.  Being overcome by emotions is something I have always had problems with, and this time was no different.  My son didn't tell me how many times I had failed him as a father, nor  failed his mom as a husband, rather his message of encouragement was building me up like few times in my life.  And then I started thinking about how GOD sees me and I was once again humbled to no end.  GOD doesn't see my sinfulness. GOD sees HIS SON JESUS CHRIST when HE looks at me.

Just like Judah and Israel, I have failed GOD so many times.  And yes, I continue to live a life that I am ashamed of, but only at times.  GOD is always there showing me grace and mercy and saying "I WILL RESTORE" to me.  Not because I am worthy, but because JESUS was a propitiation for my sin (1 John 2:2)!  I don't understand mercy and grace, but I'm sure glad GOD has said "I WILL RESTORE" to me!!!

"I SHALL KNOW FULLY!"

1 Corinthians 13:11-12               (ESV)
"11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then "I SHALL KNOW FULLY", even as I have been fully known."



Recently I saw a comment from a friend saying "the kids are growing up so fast"!  Remembering when my children were born, and now seeing them with children of their own, it seems to be eerily true that everything is moving faster and faster as I age.  It SEEMS as though the older I get, the more rapidly things happen.  The years between when I was four and fourteen seemed to take twenty years to pass, but the past 10 years SEEMS like have flown by!

But wait, ten years is ten years, and everyday is 24 hours!  We don't get to hurry through the rough times, and REALLY slow down and enjoy the good times.  Maybe as we age, our perspective changes as we are better able to comprehend life and the happenings around us?  Maybe I am more able to understanding that I am a sojourner passing through this world on a journey to another place where "I SHALL KNOW FULLY"?

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see in a mirror dimly".  We tend to act (and react) as though the place we currently are in life is where we are going to always be.  But the latter portion of that verse plainly states "I SHALL KNOW FULLY", a reminder that we are on a journey, not in a destination!  Our witness is determined by how we act/react to the place we are in that journey!

While recovering from the brain hemorrhage I experienced in 2007, I seemed to be of the mindset that every day was a new day all I needed to be concerned about was what was happening THAT day.  Isn't that walking by faith?  Why then do I attempt to plan my future out based off of what "I see"?  Walking by faith got me through the darkest times of my life, why would I try to do anything more today???

"I SHALL KNOW FULLY" is like a Promissory Note from Someone WHO is able to deliver "far more abundantly" (Ephesians 3:20) for us!  For now, we only operate as "seeing in a mirror dimly", but one day soon I will see face to face the ONE WHO "I SHALL KNOW FULLY"!!!

"IF YOU RECEIVE MY WORDS!"

Proverbs 2:1-5                       (ESV)
"1 MY son, "IF YOU RECEIVE MY WORDS" and treasure up MY commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of GOD."



King Solomon is known as the wisest man to have ever lived (1 Kings 4:30-31).  But wisdom like he possessed comes only from GOD ALMIGHTY, as indicated in Proverbs 2:6a where scripture says "For the LORD gives wisdom;".  Institutions of so-called "higher learning" are rampant in our society, yet we don't teach our children the value of "IF YOU RECEIVE MY WORDS"!

Remembering my own faults is something that my nature try's to avoid most of the time, as being reminded of your failures is never pleasant.  Scripture says, though, in Isaiah 55:8-9 that our thoughts are far inferior to GOD's thoughts and ways.  We can only rely on GOD to lead and direct us in the path we should go and learn from our mistakes.

When my oldest son was in high school, I went to a teacher conference while he was practicing soccer for the high school.  He was always the intelligent one, who had an occasional absent mindedness that I was determined to help him overcome.  When the teacher told me that he had a deficient grade due to not turning in some homework, I went to the soccer field and pulled him off the field and sent him home to get his homework completed.  Later that evening, his mother found his COMPLETED HOMEWORK in his backpack GRADED by the teacher!  The teacher had erred in her record keeping, just as I had done by trusting that she was correct in her report.  By placing my trust in a flawed report, I had been proven to be incorrect!

There are times when the enemy can get us so busy with hearing what he wants us to hear (maybe a flawed report!) that we can't hear from GOD!  When we don't listen to TRUTH, we wind up hearing and LISTENING TO ERROR!  King Solomon was the wisest (1 Kings 4:30) man alive and he wrote "IF YOU RECEIVE MY WORDS", then you will understand the fear of the LORD!  We can know HIS WORDS, but unless we RECEIVE HIS WORDS we cannot accomplish what HE has planned for our lives!

FATHER IN HEAVEN, cause me to willingly receive YOUR Plan for my life as I live for YOU, and to see that "IF YOU RECEIVE MY WORDS" I will be on the path YOU desire for me.

"A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL!"

Acts 7:54-60                     (ESV)
"54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.
55 But he, full of the HOLY SPIRIT, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of GOD, and JESUS standing at the right hand of GOD.
56 And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the SON of MAN standing at the right hand of GOD."
57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of "A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL".
59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "LORD JESUS, receive my spirit."
60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "LORD, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep."



It has been said the only solace of living in this world is knowing where we are going when this life is over.   In the story of Stephen above, he was ready to surrender his life on earth for his eternal reward in Heaven.  His life on earth didn't have as much significance as this world tries to place on it.  He understood that his new home would be where he wanted to spend eternity, and that was where he desired to be.

The stoning of Stephen is one of the most overlooked stories in the Bible.   Not only did a servant of GOD get rejected by this world (Acts 7:54;57), but a future slave for GOD (Romans 6:22) was there witnessing the terrible happenings.  Saul, later known as Paul, had the garments of the people stoning Stephen laid at his feet while they performed the deathly act.  He could say that he had nothing to do with the death of Stephen, but his silence certainly was no deterrence for the crowd!

Not being a part of a tragedy doesn't mean we are absolved from the consequences.   If we are led to speak up and we are silent, we can be just as guilty as the people throwing stones.  Why do you think GOD's WORD puts the verse in here that "the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of "A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL"?  Do you think GOD may have had a purpose for Saul being present at the stoning?  Do you think GOD works in circumstances?

Is it any wonder that Saul was blinded by the LIGHT in Acts 9:3?  Indeed, GOD has a Plan and we don't have to understand the intricacies of HIS Plan.  We are called to live by faith and follow GOD's Plan for our lives.  Stephen was called to follow all the way to his physical death.   "A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL" was called to observe!  Just because we have a plan doesn't mean that GOD's Plan has to surrender to our plan, as "A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL" soon found out!

"THE GOD OF ALL FLESH!"

Jeremiah 32:26-29                     (ESV)
"26 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
27 "Behold, I am the LORD, "THE GOD OF ALL FLESH". Is anything too hard for ME?
28 Therefore, thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (modern day Iraq), and he shall capture it.
29 The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger."




Nebuchadnezzar was the leader of a nation controlled by the enemy, satan himself.  Today we know these people as Iraqis.  ALMIGHTY GOD, the CREATOR and sustainer of LIFE, creates ALL life, even King Nebuchadnezzar.  All people are created by GOD ALMIGHTY, even those who choose to believe in the great deceiver.   GOD is calling many people who have been blinded by the enemy into HIS marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9), even the followers of the faith the same people who Nebuchadnezzar served!

There are those who choose to serve YAHWEH, the great I AM, as HE is the ONE WHO created LIFE, no matter which Spirit they choose to follow in life.  GOD ALMIGHTY is all powerful and isn't limited by humans to perform any tasks for HIS might to be displayed.  However, HE has chosen to use us to spread the good news of JESUS CHRIST to a lost and dying world, whose only hope of seeing the TRUTH is to have HIS TRUTH shared as the WORD.  We may not be great orators with great communication skills, but we are HIS CHOSEN and we are called to be tools in HIS service for a reason.  We need to make sure we are fulfilling our calling to the MASTER!

Since GOD is in control of everything, even the followers who are "an individual of a people that do not acknowledge the GOD of the Bible", or heathens!  Remember Pharaoh of Egypt, his anger with the children of Israel in Exodus 14:4 drove him into the depths of the Red Sea, all because he was being led by the spirit of the enemy.  The followers of Pharaoh weren't created by the enemy, but by GOD ALMIGHTY, and they chose to follow the enemy who has no alternative but to bring death and destruction wherever he goes.  His nature can bring nothing else!

All GOD's children are capable of serving YAHWEH or serving the enemy as HE is "THE GOD OF ALL FLESH".  If we choose to follow HIM, we find LIFE.  If we choose to follow the enemy, we find death!  Just as Joshua chose to follow YAHWEH, we too can choose to follow HIM.  The "GOD OF ALL FLESH" is calling all of HIS Creation to the TRUTH (John 14:6), but we must SEE the TRUTH first!

FATHER IN HEAVEN, my prayer is that YOU will allow the scales be removed from the eyes of those who have been blinded by the enemy and they can SEE YOUR glorious light and that YOUR NAME be glorified forever!!!

"AMONG THE HEATHEN!"

Psalms 46:10                      (KJV)
"Be still, and know that I am GOD: I will be exalted "AMONG TGE HEATHEN", I will be exalted in the earth."



From reading the Bible studies I have shared over the past few years, one can see that when it comes to Psalms 46:10 that I mostly focus on BE STILL.  Of course, GOD spoke to me through this verse following the Brain Hemorrhage I experienced on 2007.  Being placed in a coma for 17 days is something I learn lessons from even today.  My recollection of the events leading up to being placed in the coma is limited to the morning of July 9 for the most part.  The drug that was used to induce the coma basically erased my memory from July 9, 2007 until about August 09, 2007 with the exception of a few times.  Although I was living, I was unable to function normally.

This morning the word "heathen" in The latter portion of Psalms 46:10 spoke to me.  The King James Version of the Bible is what I grew up with, but I typically I use the English Standard Version because I have found it to be closer to the original text than any other version.  The ESV uses the word translated "heathen" to say "nations".   However, when I look at the word "heathen" in the dictionary I find "an individual of a people that do not acknowledge the GOD of the Bible;".

There are many people today that are in a similar position I was in from July 09, 2007 to August 09, 2007.  They are alive, but they cannot function because they have never been "called out of darkness into HIS marvelous light"!  (1 Peter 2:9).  Many don't "acknowledge the GOD of the Bible;" because their eyes haven't been opened to SEE the TRUTH!  Although they are alive, they cannot function properly because they don't SEE TRUTH when it is right in front of their faces.

Don't let the enemy cause you to look upon these people with anything other than love.   They don't SEE what has yet to be revealed to them, and the only way the TRUTH can be revealed to them is through hearing of the WORD!  (Romans 10:17).  We are called to pray for those who need to hear the WORD.  But we are also called to share HIS WORD with a lost and dying world.  GOD will be exalted "AMONG THE HEATHEN", and HE will be exalted among the earth!  Will you be exalting HIM before the Judgement?  Don't be "an individual of a people that do not acknowledge the GOD of the Bible"!

"THANKSGIVING DAY??"

Not to be a stick in the mud, but Thanksgiving is not just another Holiday.  Seeing so many speak of "Turkey Day", I decided to show just what "Thanksgiving" was all about!!!!  One online information website says the following:::


Observed by United States
Type National
Celebrations Giving thanks, prayer, feasting, and spending time with family.
Date Fourth Thursday in November
Frequency Annual


Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November[1] in the United States. It originated as a harvest festival. Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789, after a proclamation by George Washington.[2] It has been celebrated as a federal holiday every year since 1863, when, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens," to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.[3] Together with Christmas and the New Year, Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season.

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621.[4] This feast lasted three days, and—as accounted by attendee Edward Winslow[5]—it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.[6] The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.[7]


Regardless of what most Americans (including me in days past) think nowadays, this Holiday was set aside as "days of prayer thanking God for blessings"!  Don't let "this world" confuse this with "Turkey Day", or "Black Friday", or some sporting events!  Let us remember "days of prayer thanking God for blessings"!!!

"THANK MY GOD!"

Romans 1:8                      (ESV)
"First, I "THANK MY GOD" through JESUS CHRIST for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world."



A dear friend of mine celebrated his birthday yesterday and this morning was thanking his friends for all of the warm wishes he received yesterday.  He said he "very much appreciate your friendship" in his message on social media.  Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States of America and I am of the belief that our nation as a whole appreciates the holiday, but I'm not sure we demonstrate an appreciation of our friendship with the LORD?

Sure, we go to church most Sundays and give a tithe/offering, but what else do we do to "celebrate" our love for HIM?  JESUS said in Matthew 25:40 "'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"  The "least of these" JESUS spoke of was the hungry, thirsty, and imprisoned, not the rich, upstanding members of society.  It seems the church today wants to have a lot of meetings in our ornate structures but we elect to send a token offering while we live in homes that would make people think that "this world" is our home?

Just like the early Pilgrims, perhaps we should "THANK MY GOD" for our friends and share our Thanksgiving meal with them?  We need to remember that "this world" is not our home, we are just passing through!  Until we get to our true home, will we "THANK MY GOD" for our bounty AND OUR FRIENDS?  Or will we remain in our castles and send a "penance to the beggars"?  Only GOD ALMIGHTY knows our hearts, and that should frighten us beyond measure!

"AS HE WILLS!"

1 Corinthians 12:7-11                                (ESV)
"7 To each is given the manifestation of the SPIRIT for the common good.
8 For to one is given through the SPIRIT the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same SPIRIT,
9 to another faith by the same SPIRIT, to another gifts of healing by the one SPIRIT,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are empowered by ONE and the same SPIRIT, WHO apportions to each one individually "AS HE WILLS"."



Have you ever listened to a sermon and really be moved in a certain way by the words you have heard, only to hear another's testimony of the same sermon, and it be totally different than what you heard?  You may wonder if they were listening to the same sermon?  Were they on a different Spiritual level than you that they were able to discern more than you were?  If so, how can GOD use the same words a man speaks to be interpreted so differently from several different people, for several different purposes?  HOW???

The SPIRIT of GOD ALMIGHTY cannot be limited by the "finiteness" of the human mind.  Are you able to recognize the spirit of the enemy trying to get you to proclaim that GOD can't do that?   JESUS said in Matthew 19:26 "With man this is impossible, but with GOD ALL THINGS are possible."  Don't allow the enemy to tell you what GOD can't do, for JESUS says ALL THINGS are possible.  Whether GOD chooses to roll back the Red Sea, or set a bush on fire without consuming it, or cause a donkey to speak, or choose a despicable person like me to serve HIM, anything is possible when GOD is involved!  And like GOD always does, HE uses us to glorify HIM!!

The scriptures above show many gifts or talents that are used to draw GOD glory.  GOD has the ability to speak to every person "AS HE WILLS", when HE chooses to be glorified.  It's not about the Holiness of the person HE chooses, nor does it mean that person deserves GOD's favor.  As the Apostle Paul stated that "CHRIST JESUS came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief!"  (1 Timothy 1:15 KJV).  GOD chooses "AS HE WILLS" to perform tasks that HE knows that person is gifted to do, for HE created us and understands what we are capable of?  We don't know what we are capable of, but HE does know!!

FATHER IN HEAVEN, cause me to submit to YOUR will for my life as YOU see fit!  Sometimes "AS HE WILLS" may not seem possible in man's eyes, but ALL THINGS are possible with YOU.  Don't allow the enemy to infect my FAITH with his doubts.  May YOUR HOLY SPIRIT move through me to glorify YOUR name in everything I say and do!   May "All these are empowered by ONE and the same SPIRIT, WHO apportions to each one individually "AS HE WILLS"."

"SLAVE TO GOD!"

Romans 6:20-23                       (ESV)
"20 For when YOU WERE SLAVES OF SIN, you were FREE in regard to righteousness.
21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become "SLAVES OF GOD", the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of GOD is eternal life in CHRIST JESUS our LORD."




Being a SLAVE of someone or something is a terrible experience.  CHOOSING to be a SLAVE of someone or something could be considered insanity!  In essence, isn't that what we do when we succumb to the temptation to CHOOSE to do what we think is best, rather than what the HOLY SPIRIT is leading us to do?  And what do we think the end game will be of our CHOICES?  In Romans 6:21b scripture says "For the end of those things is death!"

We all have, at one time or another, CHOSEN to be our own boss instead of doing what GOD's Plan for our lives called for.  It's the Adamic nature that we all inherited, a family trait that we can not escape!  Why in this world didn't my parents prevent me from this awful trait?  Being subjected to sin is a CHOICE we all willingly participate in as we ALL believe we will only do that which is right.  Scripture states in Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."  Ultimately, we CHOOSE death over life in CHRIST............ individually!

Why do we then knowingly resort to being SLAVES TO SIN when we have been called out of darkness into HIS marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)?  "What fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?"  If the end result of "those things" is death, why do we indulge ourselves ?  Paul writes in the very next chapter of Romans, verse 18 "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I HAVE THE DESIRE to do what is right, BUT NOT THE ABILITY to carry it out."

Now that we have documented that NONE OF US can live a life worthy of a glimpse of Holiness, can we agree that rather than being a SLAVE TO SIN, we prefer being a "SLAVE TO GOD"?  Being a "SLAVE TO GOD" inherently brings freedom from the bondage of sin.   The righteousness of JESUS CHRIST was, and is, "imparted" to all who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21) so we are FREE, once and for all!  If you are FREE, don't live in bondage!  Be a "SLAVE TO GOD!"

"BLINDED MINDS!"

2 Corinthians 4:1-4                     (ESV)
"1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of GOD, we do not lose heart.
2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with GOD's Word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of GOD.
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is VEILED TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING.  4 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."



Seeing a dog on a social media site that was blind being led by another dog who could see was a touching display of one of GOD's creations looking out for another creation that could not see.  There is no better way of expressing GOD's benevolence than to share what we have been blessed with amongst those who have less than we do.  Man is Created in the image of GOD (Genesis 1:27), unlike any other of GOD's Creations.  For us to fail to see a dog that is blind could be considered heartless.  But in reality, some treat our fellow man who are Spiritually blind a lot worse than a blind dog!

The scripture passage above is very plain that the "unbelievers" suffer from "BLINDED MINDS", in other words, they can't see the things of the Spirit World happening right before their eyes!  The thing is, unlike the dog I saw on my computer, the "unbelievers" don't realize they are blind and continue in life acting as though they are totally in control of what is happening around them.  Even Believers can't fully grasp the TRUE and COMPLETE Spiritual happenings surrounding us. In 1 Corinthians 13:12 the Apostle Paul writes that "For NOW we SEE in a mirror DIMLY, but THEN FACE to FACE. NOW I know in PART; THEN I shall know FULLY, even as I have been fully known."

When my 'THEN' time comes, will my eyes be opened to SEE all of the opportunities that maybe I should have seen in my life on this world?  Is my existence on this world so hectic and hurried that I am unable to SEE opportunities to shine for JESUS in front of those who have yet to SEE HIM?  Do I busy myself trying to get "things" instead of being a mirror reflecting HIS love?

Seeing a blind dog being led by a seeing dog is a wonderful sight.  Observing unbelievers being despised and ridiculed by we who are supposed to reflect GOD's love is truly unconscionable.  Sure, they are different than we are, but we are only different because GOD called us "...out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9b).  We need to be more aware that we are BLESSED beyond measure, and that we are not still affected by "BLINDED MINDS!"  

"SET YOUR MINDS!"

Obedience to the Spirit of GOD----Only by choosing NOT TO BE SLAVES to our own reasonings and emotions (and energy levels or poor health) can we win the battle for our minds and begin hearing the voice of GOD within us. (Using our FAITH hearing..Matthew 13:43)


Romans 14:23 "But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. FOR WHATEVER DOES NOT PROCEED FROM FAITH IS SIN.

The two paragraphs above are the top of my prayer list.  Most days I have what some would call an extensive Bible Study lasting between an hour to sometimes two hours.  As I continue to mature Spiritually, I find that I can never spend enough time with the LORD!  It is becoming easier to identify the enemy as well, for he is extremely deceptive.

Let's just say that some human earthly figure (no names as it will facilitate removal of the spirit behind the actions) is rewarding strife and discontent with cash.  And the news media is complicit, plastering the egregious acts all across the airwaves giving the discontents notoriety for the lawless acts they commit.  Why would we watch something knowing it was just the devil's handiwork?  The one who is really behind it though is the enemy, serving to drag as many souls into Hell as companions as he possibly can!

As I was beginning to talk about in the opening paragraph, Genesis 3:1 says the the enemy is as crafty, deceiving and manipulative as anything GOD ever created.  If he can use his deceit to get my dander up watching so called "news accounts" of the so-called protestors, don't you know he will exploit that as much as possible?  GOD IS IN CONTROL and HE wants us to trust in HIM!  Many say the are Believers, but then act as though this world is spinning out of control!  But we just said GOD IS IN CONTROL!!

Perhaps our focus should be more about trying to live a more HOLY life for HIM and not being as upset with the tactics of the enemy?  JESUS paid a tremendous price when HE defeated the devil.  We don't need to try to add to the work already completed by HIM!  Colossians 3:1-4 states "If then you have been raised with CHRIST, seek the things that are above, where CHRIST is, seated at the right hand of GOD.  "SET YOUR MINDS" ON THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS THAT ARE ON EARTH.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with CHRIST in GOD.  When CHRIST WHO is your life appears, then you also will appear with HIM in glory."

DON'T let the enemy (the great deceiver) get your focus on the problems of "this world"!  One commentary seems to indicate we should intentionally focus on the things of Heaven!  When we "SET YOUR MINDS" on things above, we are refusing to settle for the poison the enemy is wanting us to foster.  We need to intentionally focus on the things of Heaven and "SET YOUR MINDS" to reject the enemy at every turn!!!

"THE MAN AND HIS WIFE!"

Genesis 3:6-8                  (ESV)
"6 So when the woman (Eve) saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband (Adam) who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both (Adam and Eve) were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the LORD GOD walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and "THE MAN AND HIS WIFE" hid themselves from the presence of the LORD GOD among the trees of the garden."



There are many speculations about the "forbidden fruit" partaken of by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Whatever the act, GOD had instructed them NOT to partake of it, but they were convinced by the enemy that GOD not being "fair" and that they would be able to satisfy their needs and desires more completely than GOD was!  To this day man seems to believe that they are better equipped to satisfy their needs and desires than GOD ALMIGHTY!

The Spiritual eyesight of Adam and Eve were opened only after they made a choice to disobey GOD.  Sometimes we are better off not knowing what the possible ramifications in our lives regarding a situation we have to deal with.  If we trust, by faith, that GOD will supply ALL of our needs, then HE is the ONE WHO must provide for us.  The first thing Adam and Eve did after violating GOD's commandment was to sew fig leaves together in an attempt to cover up their sin.  Not only did they KNOW they had violated GOD's command, they realized they were naked and they began trying to furnish their own needs and desires.  Too many times in my life I want to handle the choices in my life, until I get in a difficult situation, and then I start crying to GOD to get me out of the problem I have gotten myself into!  My ability to provide my needs is nothing, although the enemy will try to convince me otherwise!!

When GOD came to see them in the cool of the day, HE already knew that fellowship between HIMSELF and man was broken.  And yet Adam and Eve didn't want to accept responsibility for their disobedience.  Sometimes we are no better than Adam and Eve.  GOD already knows what we have done, and we want to act as though we didn't know that what we were doing was wrong!  GOD told them to not partake of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, lest they DIE (Genesis 2:16)!  They did not DIE physically, but GOD IS SPIRIT (John 4:24), and they did DIE Spiritually!

As previously stated, the relationship between GOD and man was broken when they decided to act as a provider for themselves instead of relying on GOD for their sustenance.   When will we grasp that we are far better off trusting in GOD to supply our needs and desires than we ever will be?  Ephesians 3:20 states "Now to him who is able to do FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us"!  GOD told "THE MAN AND HIS WIFE" not to eat of a certain tree.  "THE MAN AND HIS WIFE" chose not to listen.  GOD is telling us that HE can provide FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY than all we ask or think!  WILL WE LISTEN???

"THROUGH ME!"

John 14:6                        (ESV)
"JESUS said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the FATHER except "THROUGH ME!"



Yesterday there was a post on one of the social media sites entitled "Don't give Trump too much credit, America!"   The article was well written and basically said Americans don't need to expect too much from anyone affiliated with the government, for GOD is the only ONE who truly can satisfy a need.  President-Elect Donald Trump is being hailed by some as the cure for every ailment since, and including, the common cold.  Those expectations will probably lead to unrealistic expectations from a mere human being.  Mr. Trump has to put his britches on every day just like all of us and he can do nothing without the Hand of ALMIGHTY GOD allowing it.

According to Proverbs 21:1 GOD can turn a kings heart wherever HE chooses, like a stream of water!  The LORD can bless the United States of America if HE chooses to.   Everyone has heard 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If MY people, which are called by MY name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek MY face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  I believe GOD wants to bless America, but not because Donald Trump has been elected President!  Maybe in spite of Mr. Trump, but not because of him!   GOD may bless our country again, but only because of the mercy of GOD ALMIGHTY!

Folks, it's not about what Donald Trump, nor any other candidate, will be able to do for anyone when they become President.   JESUS CHRIST is the only ONE who can do anything about our eternal beings and HE completed that task over two thousand years ago.  Doing things about what race you are will have no bearing at the Judgement Seat.  As a matter of fact, JESUS said several times in Scripture that in this world we WILL HAVE TROUBLE!  Keep your eyes on the Spiritual things of your future and your present troubles will become insignificant.  John 4:24 says ""GOD IS SPIRIT""!!  There's no white Spirit, no black Spirit, no red, yellow, green or whatever color Spirit!

Some may say that it's too late, that GOD is through waiting on America to repent?  I'm glad I'm not the one who determines when it's time for GOD's mercy to run out!  Mr. Trump cannot bring Blessings or Judgment on America, but GOD can!  If we look to Mr. Trump to be a Savior then we set him, AND America, up for failure.  Carman Licciardello sings a song that says "The only hope for America is JESUS.  The only hope for our country is HIM.  If "we" repent of our ways, stand firm and say, WE NEED GOD IN AMERICA AGAIN"!!!

I share Dr. Charles Stanley often, but this one......!

Enduring Satanic Attacks

Ephesians 6:10-14

Every believer faces temptation. Take a moment to recall a particularly enticing situation involving something that would displease God. Did you realize you were involved in a satanic battle?

The Devil is real. Scripture reveals that he leads an army of fallen angels and is prideful enough to think he can gain victory over God. By definition, a satanic attack is a deliberate assault upon an individual, which is designed to cause spiritual, physical, material, or emotional harm. Satan desires to thwart the Lord's purpose in believers' lives, to rob them of joy and peace, and ultimately to deny God the worship He receives through yielded followers.

As in any war, knowing the enemy's plan helps us prepare for the attack. First, be aware that the battlefield takes place in our minds. To walk in a godly manner with Christ, we must first be sure that our thoughts are in submission to His Spirit. This takes daily surrender and time in God's Word. Second, Satan tempts us during vulnerable moments. Be cautious when you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (This is often known as the H.A.L.T.  warning). Third, he is deceptive; we won't recognize the trap as an evil scheme. Instead, it will seem good, and we'll likely wrestle with some sort of doubt.

As Christians, we should walk closely with Jesus. Satan desires to lure us into destructive actions that rob us of God's plan for a good, full life. Stay connected to the Savior: read the Word, pray, and fellowship with other believers. These are weapons we use against the Devil in spiritual war.

"GOD IS LOVE!"

1 John 4:8                    (ESV)
"Anyone WHO DOES NOT LOVE does not know GOD, because "GOD IS LOVE."


Whenever I see division and strife, I automatically begin looking for the enemy, as that is his modus operandi.  His character cannot be hidden, as a bad seed cannot produce a good crop.  He cannot produce LOVE, for "GOD IS LOVE"!  Do NOT allow your focus to be shifted from the true problem.  When there is hate, the enemy is around!!!

Today is Veterans Day and any veteran will tell you one of the first things you have to learn in combat training is to identify your enemy!  Folks, until we start recognizing that the enemy is making himself out to be anything but GOD and LOVE, we will continue having unresolved disagreements.  The enemy loves to create discord and rebellion.  I know because he used to use me as one of his most effective tools!!  And the most regretful thing for me is I didn't even recognize that I was being a pawn for him.

Please don't allow yourself to be drug into an argument all because you want to prove yourself correct.  How many souls will spend eternity in hell that I could have been a better witness to?  And all because I thought I had to win an argument!  Please remember "GOD IS LOVE" and since the Spirit of GOD lives in me, I need to reflect HIS LOVE in everything I do!  FATHER IN HEAVEN, I beseech YOU to reveal YOURSELF in my life and show this world that "GOD IS LOVE" in all I do!!!

"RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND!"

Romans 12:1-2                    (ESV)
"1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of GOD, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to GOD, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the "RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND", that by testing you may discern what is the will of GOD, what is good and acceptable and perfect."



With the election in our hindsight, I have noticed a tremendous amount of vitriol and gloating about who won, or didn't win, political races from the Presidency to a city council position.  It can be difficult to keep a proper perspective when your team wins, and seeing things for what they truly are when your team loses!  We seem to have the mindset that elections are the results of those running for election convincing voters to elect them based on what they are told.  But there are some Scriptures that say that GOD changes hearts and minds for HIS glory, not so a political team can win or lose.  It would seem that if people desired to be on GOD's side they would accept that only HE can change hearts and minds.

In 1 Samuel 10:9 GOD spoke through Samuel to King Saul these words.  "When he (Saul) turned his back to leave Samuel, GOD GAVE HIM ANOTHER HEART. And all these signs came to pass that day."  Saul was the newly appointed King of Israel and GOD GAVE HIM ANOTHER HEART!  When GOD has a task that HE wants performed, and HE desires a certain person to accomplish that task, GOD WILL EQUIP that person to accomplish HIS Plan.  GOD can and will change hearts and minds of electors to accomplish HIS Plan.

Romans 12:2 instructs us to "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the "RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND"!  THIS WORLD is only temporary and the enemy will blind us with things that do nothing to satisfy, only leave us hungering for more.  Only by TESTING can we "discern what is the will of GOD, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  Knowing that GOD is in control and HE can change heart and minds comforts me for GOD may be needing to perform a "RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND"!  Or HE may be needing to perform a "RENEWAL OF MY MIND"!  

"REST A WHILE!"

Mark 6:30-32                                            (ESV)
"30 The apostles returned to JESUS and told HIM all that they had done and taught.
31 And HE said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and "REST A WHILE". For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves."



Many times in my life I have become so busy that my life becomes increasingly stressful and there appeared to be no time for Heavenly things.  The disciples had begun experiencing just a glimpse of success and were explaining to JESUS "all they had done and taught"!  JESUS may have seen that they were getting caught up in the vortex of "this world" and HE instructed them to "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and "REST A WHILE".

Was it out of concern for their physical well being that JESUS encouraged the disciples to "REST A WHILE"?  Or maybe it was to allow them to calm down from the Spiritual and emotional high of teaching the masses that their focus wasn't where it needed to be?  Keep in mind, they wanted to tell GOD in the flesh "all that THEY HAD done and taught"!  It might be the disciples focus had begun drifting away from THE MESSAGE?  It might be as they were getting tired and hungry they began to see things from an earthly perspective and about what THEY HAD DONE??

Romans 12:2 says "Do not be conformed to THIS WORLD, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of GOD, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  THIS WORLD has a corrosive effect on our minds.  Unless we remain sharp in THE WORD and allow HIM to remove the corrosive materials from our minds, we may be asking for THIS WORLD to begin eating away at our relationship with HIM and the Work HE is doing in our lives?

Could it be JESUS saw this as being a potential problem for the disciples?  Is there a possibility that JESUS helped them avoid the corrosive effects of selfish desires by having them "REST A WHILE"?  Recently while reading a devotional these words were written "We must be intentional about making time to rest in JESUS. Let the phone ring, the chores can wait, and social media could use a break. Those things are not eternal. JESUS is eternal. Let us make the effort to sit at HIS feet and enjoy HIM rather than miss HIM like Martha did because she was fussing over the dishes in Luke 10:38-42.  Isaiah 55:6 says, "Seek the LORD while HE may be found; call upon HIM while he is near."  We may need to "REST A WHILE" and get our lives refocused??

"REST A WHILE!"

Mark 6:30-32                                            (ESV)
"30 The apostles returned to JESUS and told HIM all that they had done and taught.
31 And HE said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and "REST A WHILE". For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves."



Many times in my life I have become so busy that my life becomes increasingly stressful and there appeared to be no time for Heavenly things.  The disciples had begun experiencing just a glimpse of success and were explaining to JESUS "all they had done and taught"!  JESUS may have seen that they were getting caught up in the vortex of "this world" and HE instructed them to "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and "REST A WHILE".

Was it out of concern for their physical well being that JESUS encouraged the disciples to "REST A WHILE"?  Or maybe it was to allow them to calm down from the Spiritual and emotional high of teaching the masses that their focus wasn't where it needed to be?  Keep in mind, they wanted to tell GOD in the flesh "all that THEY HAD done and taught"!  It might be the disciples focus had begun drifting away from THE MESSAGE?  It might be as they were getting tired and hungry they began to see things from an earthly perspective and about what THEY HAD DONE??

Romans 12:2 says "Do not be conformed to THIS WORLD, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of GOD, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  THIS WORLD has a corrosive effect on our minds.  Unless we remain sharp in THE WORD and allow HIM to remove the corrosive materials from our minds, we may be asking for THIS WORLD to begin eating away at our relationship with HIM and the Work HE is doing in our lives?

Could it be JESUS saw this as being a potential problem for the disciples?  Is there a possibility that JESUS helped them avoid the corrosive effects of selfish desires by having them "REST A WHILE"?  Recently while reading a devotional these words were written "We must be intentional about making time to rest in JESUS. Let the phone ring, the chores can wait, and social media could use a break. Those things are not eternal. JESUS is eternal. Let us make the effort to sit at HIS feet and enjoy HIM rather than miss HIM like Martha did because she was fussing over the dishes in Luke 10:38-42.  Isaiah 55:6 says, "Seek the LORD while HE may be found; call upon HIM while he is near."  We may need to "REST A WHILE" and get our lives refocused??

"NOW I KNOW!"

Genesis 22:10-12                 (ESV)
"10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him (Abraham) from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
12 HE (GOD) said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for "NOW I KNOW" that you fear GOD, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from ME."



Sunday mornings can sometimes become ritualistic as my family generally pretty much follows the same timelines for everything we do. From driving to the fellowship my family attends, to going to Sunday School, to standing outside of the sanctuary as long as I can to avoid the coolness of the building, to three or four songs then a sermon, and then we go to lunch!  This Sunday things were totally out of rhythm as my granddaughter was here with us AND it was time-change weekend, and our plans were to drive to meet her mom and dad after church for lunch!  So the normalcy of everything was upset from the get-go and I decided just to roll with it!

Getting to church was not very different.  But when we went to Sunday School I could tell things appeared to be more "Spiritual"!  When I arrived at the sanctuary I felt led by the Spirit to write the following sentence.  "If America's spiritual condition depended upon YOUR relationship with GOD ALMIGHTY, what condition would we be in?"   I followed that with "All you can control is YOUR relationship with HIM.  Make sure your slate is clean and leave others sins to GOD to deal with."   I really had no idea why GOD was leading me to write these words.  But then our Pastor informed us we would be having a share time Sunday evening and we would be able to speak IF GOD had placed something on our hearts!  My words were already written down, all I had to do was read what GOD had instructed me to write!

The verse above, Genesis 22:12, was highlighted in my Holy Bible around 1985 when our Pastor preached on it one Sunday.   In that verse GOD tells Abraham, who was about to offer Isaac as a sacrifice on the altar, to NOT lay a hand on the boy, that "NOW I KNOW" that you fear GOD.  Now since GOD is all knowing, HE had to have known that Abraham would be faithful and carry through with GOD's command.  However, not only did GOD now know that Abraham was obedient, but Abraham knew that GOD would provide his needs!  Knowing GOD intimately enough to rely on HIM to provide our needs is something that a lot of people never experience.  Trusting in HIM would be a scary thing, IF we didn't know that HE Created ALL THINGS (Colossians 1:16) and will give us what we need to accomplish HIS Plan for our lives.

How many times have I been brought to an altar of sacrifice, only to have a substitute provided by GOD ALMIGHTY?  The list would be too lengthy to attempt to write them down in a single day.  GOD is so much more than what we try to imagine, in words and deeds.  There are times we try to understand why we have been instructed to act a certain way, or do a certain thing, but GOD is only interested in our obedience and TRUST in HIM!  Learning to discern between our selfish reasonings and desires and GOD's Divine instructions can be one of the most challenging things we will ever do.  GOD already knows what we will do for HIM, but when we mature enough to where we can say "NOW I KNOW", then we are still growing in HIM.

HEAVENLY FATHER, cause me to trust and obey YOUR guidance in my life to where I see things through YOUR eyes, for YOUR glory!!

"CALL to ME!"

Jeremiah 33:1-3                (ESV)
"1 The Word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard:
2 "Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it-the LORD is HIS name:
3 Call to ME and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."

It seems that many people are so busy in today's fast-paced society that they don't have time to listen to direction from the LORD.  As a matter of fact, I'm not sure that many of us would recognize the voice of the LORD without some Divine intervention.  Jeremiah knew the voice of the LORD, but still GOD placed him "shut up in the court of the guard" to limit interference from "this world"!  Isn't it amazing how GOD can place us specifically in a circumstance where we are able to hear from nobody else but HIM?

There is a tremendous amount of noise from "this world" that competes for our attention.  Television is one of the most commonly used.  Not long ago we ceased subscribing to the local newspaper as it had become a bastion of what "this world" desired for us to hear.  Rest assured that unless someone is OF GOD, they won't be espousing Kingdom things.

Jeremiah 33:3 says "CALL to ME" and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known".  GOD promises Jeremiah to answer him, but Jeremiah had to "CALL to ME" first!  Number one, our lives are so busy that most of the time we don't take time to "CALL to ME!", and when we do take time to "CALL to ME" we can't hear GOD because we don't separate ourselves from "this world" enough to hear HIS directives.   We try to listen to GOD over the noise from "this world", and that noise can be deafening at times.

Perhaps GOD needs to "shut up in the court of the guard" sometime?  GOD is more than capable of slowing us down than most of us care to admit.  And when GOD says slow down, HE doesn't play!!!  When GOD says "CALL to ME", HE might have a Word that will change your life.  But we will never hear the "great and hidden things that you have not known" unless we "CALL to ME"!!

"GOD CREATED!"

Genesis 1:1                                     (ESV)
"In the beginning, "GOD CREATED" the heavens and the earth."



When we look up the word "CREATED" in the dictionary, the first definition found is "to cause to come into being".  And when we insert the word "GOD" in front of it we remove all of our human suppositions or limitations on what we imagine or expect to be able to see?  After all, GOD says in Isaiah 55:8-9 "For MY thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways MY ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways and MY thoughts than your thoughts."  So why do we attempt to figure out what GOD is going to do next?

It GOD was intelligent enough to "CREATE" this world, don't you think HE might have a Plan for how to get us through whatever lies before us?  There are many videos of just how massive our Universe is.  The EARTH is but a small, seemingly insignificant part of HIS Plan.  One video shows that the EARTH is less than a pinhead size compared to the galaxy we live in.  Yet we all want to act as though WE are the only thing that matters?  What WE selfishly desire won't make a bit of difference when GOD gets ready to judge this world.

The fact that GOD sent HIS SON to LIGHT this world (John 8:12) should let us know of HIS LOVE, but some of us cannot SEE "THE TRUTH" even though HE is all around us.  When JESUS was explaining to the Jews WHO HE was, they couldn't even SEE HIM, because "HIS hour had not yet come" (John 8:20)!  Unless GOD reveals things to us, we will not be able to SEE them.  When "GOD CREATED" the heavens and the earth, I'm amazed that HE was able to chart history without any human input, some committee or judicial body!  No, "GOD CREATED" everything for HIS Glory with no guidance or direction from mankind, and  HE doesn't need any help today!

"THESE" and "THOSE"!

Acts 17:10-11                    (ESV)
"10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 Now "THESE" Jews were more noble than "THOSE" in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures DAILY to see if these things were so."




This passage of scripture has always intrigued me, as a brother in CHRIST, who has since gone on to glory, pointed out to me that "THESE" Believers in Berea 'examined' the scriptures every day to see what was being preached to them lined up with GOD's Word.  "THOSE" Jews in Thessalonica were not believers and had not assisted in furthering the Gospel at all.  Finding the words "THESE" and "THOSE" being used to identify people is more than interesting to me, it makes me realize that our physical characteristics cannot be used to classify us, for all were Jews.   However, our Spiritual characteristics will speak volumes to those who have discernment, not only about who we are, but also about how Spiritually mature we might be.

There are times when people who are physically and Spiritually older than others, yet they don't exhibit maturity that might be expected by an "elder"?  Reading, memorizing, even quoting scripture is definitely a good thing to achieve, but unless we are changed by the WORD we ingest, we are not allowing it to do its full work on us.  While the WORD is able to change every life who hears it, only those who are CALLED are able to SEE the TRUTH from scripture.  "THESE" Jews in Berea were hungry for the WORD, while "THOSE" in Thessalonica were too busy following their lists of rules and regulations to be concerned about what the WORD said!

It could be easy to mock and ridicule "THOSE" Jews in Thessalonica for following traditions and what they had been taught by their elders?  Why would "THESE" Believers in Berea be "chosen" and not "THOSE" in Thessalonica?  GOD chooses who HE elects to choose (Romans 9:1-24) and HE hardens who HE chooses.  We are not more deserving, "But you are a CHOSEN race, a ROYAL priesthood, a holy nation, a people for HIS own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of HIM who called you out of darkness into HIS marvelous light".  (1 Peter 2:9).  Although being one of "THESE" means I WILL experience trials and tribulations, I wouldn't want to be one of "THOSE" on Judgement Day!

"SHEEP IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES!"

Matthew 10:16-18                        (ESV)
"16 "Behold, I am sending you out as "SHEEP IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES", so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
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."




Living with the fact that we are "chosen" by GOD (John 15:16) could be a tremendously exciting experience.   However, to be "chosen" by our Creator also brings with it some "promises" that are overlooked by some people, especially so called ministers who are focused on the things of "this world".   When JESUS spoke to Ananias in Acts 9:15-16 HE said "Go, for he (Saul/Paul) is a chosen instrument of MINE to carry MY name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.  FOR I WILL SHOW HIM HOW MUCH HE MUST SUFFER FOR THE SAKE OF MY NAME!" Or how about John 16:33 where JESUS says "I have said these things to you, that in ME you may have peace. In the world YOU WILL have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."   And of course, in James 1:2-4, scripture records "Count it all joy, my brothers, WHEN (not if!) you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

JESUS tries to prepare us for what will lie ahead for us in dealing with "this world".  But we tend to skim over the "trials and tribulations" scriptures sometimes and focus on the deliverance verses.  GOD's Word will not return void and these verses proclaim that we are "SHEEP IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES"!  All kinds of atrocities ARE going to be performed against us, and we must be a witness for HIM as the world acts.

Most of us want to question GOD that if we are going to church once a week then why we have to go through what we do, when JESUS said in John 9:1-5 that we are here to be used to bring glory to the FATHER.  It's not about us being elevated or promoted above our peers, but about giving honor and glory to our HEAVENLY FATHER!

Yes, it's true, we are but "SHEEP IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES", but our Shepherd is there to guard and protect us.  We should never forget that "this world" doesn't revolve around us (even though the history of my life isn't a great example of this) and that it is all about giving GOD glory!  The more times we are "SHEEP IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES", the more we have to depend on HIS guidance to deliver us from where we are.

"RECONCILED!"

2 Corinthians 5:17-19                                  (ESV)
"17 Therefore, if anyone is in CHRIST, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
18 All this is from GOD, WHO through CHRIST "RECONCILED" us to HIMSELF and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 that is, in CHRIST GOD was reconciling the world to HIMSELF, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation."



It is extremely interesting, when one takes the time to contemplate LIFE in CHRIST, how GOD reveals HIMSELF to some, and to others HE is a non-existent entity WHO is seldom, if ever, acknowledged or called upon?  Yet, they live on the earth that was created by GOD and rotates and orbits in such a precise manner that the most elaborate computer would have no chance of being in control of it?  But GOD doesn't just keep earth in orbit, HE is in control of all of us humans that have ever existed.

While it's easy to accept most of us zealots are wacky enough to go down a path of obedience, sometimes it's hard to believe that GOD even controls unbelievers.  In Exodus 14:4 GOD "hardens" Pharaoh's heart to pursue the children of Israel.  In Genesis 11:9 GOD's Word says "Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth".  Did you ever wonder where the term "babel" came from?   GOD caused the languages of all the earth to be confounded , and our only hope of being set free from this "bondage" is through JESUS CHRIST.

When we become "RECONCILED" to CHRIST we are a new creation, meaning that the "old person" has been replaced with a "new person".  These old bones and flesh are still the same, but the Spirit living inside of our bodies is regenerated.  How many times have we seen someone "turn over a new leaf", only to find that unless JESUS replaces our old spirit with HIS SPIRIT, the old person (and its desires) soon takes back over this dwelling we call a body?  Only by being "RECONCILED" to JESUS can the old person be overcome with a new creation for HIS Glory!

The same GOD WHO created the heavens and the earth also "RECONCILED" me through HIS SON, JESUS.  The thing that most don't understand is how JESUS did EVERYTHING needed for our salvation, we didn't even choose HIM!  In John 15:16a, JESUS says "You did not choose ME, but I chose you and appointed you.....".   We are CHOSEN to be "RECONCILED".

FATHER IN HEAVEN, please don't all me to ever think I did anything worthy of YOUR Mercy and Grace!  There is nothing I can offer, other than my sincere thankfulness for being "RECONCILED" to YOUR SON!!!

"WHEREFORE HENCEFORTH!"

2 Corinthians 5:16                        (KJV)
""WHEREFORE HENCEFORTH" know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known CHRIST after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we HIM no more."




There are some verses in the BIBLE that mankind treats as though they don't exist, like maybe GOD didn't know how bad things were going to get and that HIS WORD would be obsolete when it comes to current day affairs?   GOD's WORD cannot be dissected to apply what we can currently SEE and simply leave the remainder for the more Spiritual folk to observe.   The verse above may be one those verses?

GOD inspired Apostle Paul to write these words (and others) to mold and make us into tools HE can use for HIS Glory!  Hebrews 4:12 states "For the WORD of GOD is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  We need to digest what scripture states with the mindset that it WILL change OUR OWN lives, for all of us NEED to be changed and be made more like HIM, not with an intention to change others lives.  It is sometimes convenient to find fault with the actions of others, but GOD is wanting to change our hearts FOR HIS GLORY!

It took JESUS (fully GOD and fully MAN) coming in flesh to "reconcile" mankind to HIMSELF.  Man can attempt to even the score, to correct injustices, to do what is right, but we are basically fighting a losing battle.  When GOD scattered the people across the face of all the earth HE may have given more than just their different languages, HE may have caused a "need" that could only be fulfilled by DIVINITY?  The verse above makes tremendous sense when you observe it through a Spiritual viewpoint, for since we now know JESUS only through the Spirit, we should only know our brothers and sisters through that same Spirit?  Being hung up in the natural only causes strife and divisions.

Wherefore is defined as "the cause or reason".  Henceforth is defined as "from this point forward".  What point forward is it speaking of though?  The previous verse in 2 Corinthians 5:15 states "And that HE (JESUS) died for ALL, that they which live (we who have been Born Again) should NOT HENCEFORTH (from this point forward) live unto themselves, but unto HIM which died for them, and rose again"!  Now I'm no Bible Scholar, but I read this to say that we must live for CHRIST, since HE died for us?  And since HE looks only at the SPIRIT of a person, we too should look at the SPIRIT.  Most people want to proclaim 2 Corinthians 5:17, but it seems that 2 Corinthians 5:16 gets covered up, especially when it speaks of letting go of stereotypes and prejudices that the natural man desires to hang onto.  The way I read scripture, "WHEREFORE HENCEFORTH" requires us to let the "old ways" be crucified with CHRIST JESUS!

"A WHIP OF CORDS!"

John 2:13-17                      (ESV)
"13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and JESUS went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple HE found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 And making "A WHIP OF CORDS", HE drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And HE poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And HE told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my FATHER's house a house of trade."
17 HIS disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."



With all of the conversation going on about JESUS loved everyone, it is important to remember that HE also stood against that which was vile and violated the Holiness of GOD!  Not only did HE correct the money-changers and the people selling animals for sacrifices, HE made "A WHIP OF CORDS" and dispersed them as well!  There were no questions asked, HE drove them from the temple, GOD's house.  There is nothing written about any punishment for JESUS, but going against the grain of "the Jews" would ultimately carry a price that HE willingly paid for all humanity.  

The closer we walk with the LORD the more like HIM we become.  There is nothing we can do about it, it's just the way it is.  When JESUS said in Matthew 10:22 "and you will be hated by all for MY name's sake", HE didn't say to not alienate people because they are walking in sin.  What HE was saying was that when we walk the same walk HE did, "this world" will oppose us, for we are following what GOD has ordained for our lives!  GOD's Way and the ways of "this world" are diametrically opposed, "you cannot serve GOD and mammon" (Luke 16:13; Matthew 6:24)!

If we desire to "just get along" with "this world" we should remember, the Spirit of JESUS lives inside of our body (John 17:23) and "this world" did everything they could to eradicate HIM over 2,000 years ago!  Their disdain for HIM has gotten no weaker during that time.   It's time for us to choose.  Do we want to "get along just to get along", or do want to be like JESUS and drive them out of the temple with "A WHIP OF CORDS"?  Although I don't wish to alienate anyone, the Spirit WHO lives in me paid an unimaginable price for running ungodliness out of GOD's Temple back then.  Will I allow "this world" to creep into HIS house because I'm too weak????

"OUR ONLY HOPE!"

Matthew 3:11-12                                   (ESV)
"11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but HE WHO is coming after me is mightier than I, WHOSE sandals I am not worthy to carry. HE will baptize you with the HOLY SPIRIT and fire.
12 HIS winnowing fork is in HIS hand, and HE will clear HIS threshing floor and gather HIS wheat into the barn, but the chaff HE will burn with unquenchable fire."



Browsing a social media site recently, it is almost nauseating to observe all of the posts about different candidates for President and how they are "OUR ONLY HOPE"!  You get the impression that they are "blinded" to THE TRUTH and have no idea of what is REALLY happening right in front of their eyes?  And the "church" is as guilty as everyone saying where "OUR ONLY HOPE" lies?  Believers, even ministers, are saying unless we vote how they BELIEVE we should, we are going to be in a world of hurt!

John, the baptizer, "knew" THE TRUTH and  in John 1:29 it is written "The next day he (John) saw JESUS coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of GOD, who takes away the sin of the world!"  One might think, in hearing all of the rhetoric surrounding the current election, that JESUS was coming back as  President of the United States?  There is only ONE "OUR ONLY HOPE", and HE is not a Democrat, nor a Republican, nor any other politician!  HE is the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS!!!

But "this world" is so caught up with living in the day at hand that we can't SEE scripture being fulfilled right in front of our very eyes!  "HIS winnowing fork is in HIS hand, and HE will clear HIS threshing floor and gather HIS wheat into the barn, but the chaff HE will burn with unquenchable fire" aren't just filler words, they are prophetic words inspired by the Spirit of ALMIGHTY GOD!  Who will be left on the "threshing floor" like dried up remnants of wheat?  It may be those who fail to see what scripture says and prepare for HIS second coming??

"OUR ONLY HOPE" isn't listening to a politician's promises.  "OUR ONLY HOPE" remains in WHO it has always been with, JESUS CHRIST!  HE can change kings hearts (Proverbs 21:1), but HE desires to be praised ahead of people we might be claiming to be "OUR ONLY HOPE"!

"THE SOUND OF A LOW WHISPER!"

1 Kings 19:9-14                                    (ESV)
"9 There he (Elijah) came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and HE said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the GOD of Hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken YOUR covenant, thrown down YOUR altars, and killed YOUR prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."
11 And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire "THE SOUND OF A LOW WHISPER".
13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a VOICE to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the GOD of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."



Having written many times about BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD, it seems to be really easy to write about Elijah being alone, in a cave, with "the word of the LORD.  Elijah had just been sent a message from Jezebel that she was going to kill him, and he was taking it pretty seriously.  Being shaken by the imminent danger that had been threatened upon him, Elijah began running.   He went a ways outside of the city, and then the Angel of the LORD instructed to go to Horeb, the mount of GOD.  Elijah was told he needed to get alone with GOD, in a quiet place away from the worlds influence on him.

When Elijah got to the place GOD had directed him to go, GOD didn't speak to him in a loud, booming voice.  Scripture states GOD could have spoken in the wind or an earthquake, but GOD evidently GOD wanted Elijah to calm down and commune with HIM.  Therefore, GOD chose to speak to Elijah in "THE SOUND OF A LOW WHISPER".  Other Bible translations use the words "a still, small voice", or "a gentle blowing".  You might remember in Genesis 1:3 "And GOD said "Let there be Light"!  Some say that was great BIG BANG THEORY that is spoken about!  When GOD chooses to speak so that everyone can and will hear HIM, HE will NO DOUBT be heard! (Philippians 2:9-11).

Don't be shocked when GOD speaks to you in a quiet, almost desolate place.  Remembering when I was on the beach last year, there were some birds flying above my head singing and chirping to their hearts content.  My mind went to the scripture when JESUS said "If they keep quiet, even the rocks would cry out"! (Luke 19:40).  More often than not GOD needs me to be quiet for HIM to speak.

HEAVENLY FATHER, cause me to be listening for YOU in "THE SOUND OF A LOW WHISPER"!  Then cause me to be bold and certain when YOU direct me to deliver YOUR Message to others.

"VERY HUMBLE!"

Numbers 12:3                     (NASB)
"Now the man Moses was "VERY HUMBLE", more than any man who was on the face of the earth."



When you consider what type of man GOD chose to lead HIS children out of captivity in Egypt, you don't have to look much further than Numbers 12:3!  Imagine if GOD had to choose a modern day leader?  Maybe that person would go around talking about their wealth, or achievements, or even their popularity?  What GOD chose to have written about Moses was he was more HUMBLE than any other man who was on the face of the earth!  Yet he was selected to lead an estimated 3 million plus people out captivity from the most powerful nation known to man at the time.  And when they were leaving Egypt, the Egyptians gave them all kinds of bounty to carry with them (Exodus 32:33-36)!

Now I don't know the Bible as well as some people do, but my take on the Exodus story is that GOD chose Moses because HE wanted someone who wouldn't attempt to take credit for the miraculous events that would transpire over the next forty years.  GOD wasn't trying to build a dynasty on earth, rather HE was interested in drawing glory and honor to HIMSELF!

Would GOD be able to find a human today who would be willing to be used by the LORD to humbly lead HIS children?  Is there anyone with leadership skills that is "VERY HUMBLE"?  GOD hasn't lost HIS power to work miracles, such as at the Red Sea!  But in HIS timing, HE may be waiting until a "VERY HUMBLE" person is raised up to draw HIM glory???