“I WILL BE EXALTED!”

Psalms 46:10                                                     (ESV)

“"BE STILL, and KNOW that I AM God. “I WILL BE EXALTED” among the nations, “I WILL BE EXALTED” in the earth!"”

Today is Thanksgiving 2019.  In less than one month we will celebrate Christmas.  What should this do to the inside of our hearts???  Should we just be content with seeing our families and friends and offering brief acknowledgement that JESUS was born on a day similar to this?  Our CREATOR took on human form to provide me a way of salvation and I want to celebrate by giving gifts to other people???  

We need to understand that our very existence and beings are dependent upon GOD allowing us to have breath (Isaiah 42:5).  So why are we blinded to setting aside one day to be THANKFUL, then a few hours later battling other humans to grab the latest gadgets and worldly devices that prevent us from spending our time studying to be more like HIM in the WORD OF GOD?  

ALMIGHTY GOD granted the knowledge and ingenuity so mankind could make inventions that make our lives easier and more enjoyable.  Although some devices are used to enhance the study of THE WORD, we tend to find more enjoyment in “games” (sports, video games, whatever thrills us) than discovering what GOD would have us do with our lives?  Silly games versus hearing from our CREATOR??   

And I am just as guilty as the next person, allowing myself to be caught up in the things of this world when I could be listening to things of GOD?  How many times will GOD have to remind me to “"BE STILL, and KNOW  that I AM GOD. “I WILL BE EXALTED” among the nations, “I WILL BE EXALTED” in the earth!"”?   HE IS GOING TO BE EXALTED IN THE EARTH, whether it is of our own free will, or we have to be MADE to exalt HIM!  “I WILL BE EXALTED”!!!

“HE SENT AND HAD JOHN BEHEADED IN THE PRISON!”

Matthew 14:3-11                                                           (ESV)

“3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,

4 because John had been saying to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.

6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod,

7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

8 Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."

9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given.

10 “HE SENT AND HAD JOHN BEHEADED IN THE PRISON”,

11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.”

Having our EYES opened to SEE that living according to GOD’S WORD WILL cost us, WITHOUT A DOUBT!  John’s mother Elizabeth and Mary, the the mother of JESUS, were cousins according to Luke 1:36 (KJV).  Surely since JESUS IS GOD and HIS relative was imprisoned on HIS behalf JESUS would intervene and prevent harm from coming to him???

Scripture is very clear that WE ARE NOT GOD!  Isaiah 55:8-9 states “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.”  We don’t have the capability of making Godly decisions ON OUR OWN!  Herod the tetrarch (subordinate ruler) certainly didn’t have WISDOM abiding in him, so he allowed his mouth to overload his heart and it cost John his head.  

It WILL cost us to live for JESUS, WHO declared in Luke 14:33  “So therefore, any one of you WHO DOES NOT RENOUNCE ALL THAT HE HAS cannot be MY disciple.”  People will simply avoid seeing you, or they will cause so much turmoil in your midst that their company is difficult to handle.  When we SEE that our enemy is our real foe (Ephesians 6:12) and he is driving their actions, only then can we handle the rejection for what it truly is, SPIRITUAL WARFARE!

“HE SENT AND HAD JOHN BEHEADED IN THE PRISON” wasn’t anything about John doing anything wrong!  John hadn’t done anything to warrant his death.  He simply declared THE WORD OF GOD and Herod was caught by TRUTH!  Be careful planning your future, for we are NOT GOD and we have no idea when we will have to stand up and be counted for HIM.  “HE SENT AND HAD JOHN BEHEADED IN THE PRISON” can happen again.  My prayer is that I am ready if I am called to die for JESUS!!!

“MASTER!”

Matthew 10:24-25                                  (ESV)

“24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his “MASTER”.

25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his “MASTER”. If they have called the “MASTER” of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.”

According to one Bible Dictionary, these are a couple of definitions about the word MASTER:

master

M`ASTER, n. L. magister, compounded of the root of magis, major, greater.

  1. One who rules, governs or directs either men or business. A man who owns slaves is their master; he who has servants is their master; he who has apprentices is their master, as he has the government and direction of them. The man who superintends and directs any business, is master, or master workman.

1. One who has possession, and the power of controlling or using at pleasure.  

When we yield to JESUS as LORD over our lives, we in essence acknowledge HIM as the commander of the direction for our lives.  In January 1978 I could SEE that I wasn’t capable of directing my “ship”, but there are times when I don’t realize that I am STILL IN CONTROL of decisions about where I am headed.  Why do I continually think that I am able to keep my “ship” on course when I make such terrible choices???

JESUS was teaching HIS disciples to be aware of their surroundings, but also to yield to HIS leadership in their lives.  In Matthew 10:16 HE told them “"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be WISE AS SERPENTS and INNOCENT AS DOVES.”  We are to learn how to avoid traps that are in our path, but we are also allow HIM to direct us through certain storms, WITH CONFIDENCE that HE is IN CONTROL!  

JESUS is the true “MASTER”, AND I AM NOT!  Years ago, when I was very young in my walk with CHRIST, I used the analogy of being the captain of a ship and piloting the ship directly into a storm, only to yield to JESUS when it became more than I could handle.  JESUS wants to guide my “ship” on the smooth seas to keep me out of the storms that I don’t have to go through, not simply to bail me out of trouble.  

But my natural man hasn’t developed a TRUST in HIM to allow HIS SPIRIT to be the “MASTER” of my ship at times.  My Spiritual man has yielded to HIM, and I am maturing daily to eliminate the natural man.  A lot of the time I operate in the FLESH, doing what “I think” is the best thing to do, when HE is trying to get me to do what HIS SPIRIT is leading me to do.  When the LORD guides me into ANY situation, I am better off than trying to navigate on my own, even on smooth water.  Allowing the “MASTER” to pilot my life is the only way for me to go!!!

“NOT SONS!”

Hebrews 12:3-9                                       (ESV)

“3 Consider HIM who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 

6 For the LORD disciplines the one HE loves, and chastises every son whom HE receives." 

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. GOD is treating you as SONS. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN and “NOT SONS”.

9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the FATHER of spirits and live?”

One can stomach just so much birthday cake before it begins to nauseate simply by thinking about it!  So it is with the “prosperity gospel”, a lie straight from the great deceiver.   Observing a video recently from Joel Osteen where he said that if he brought his children to church in tattered clothing that we might not think too highly about him.  

Which brought back my childhood years in my memory banks.  We didn’t have running water in our house when we first moved to the house in the mid-1960’s.  For about six months we had carry water from the well and heat our bath water on the cook stove.  To say the least, our clothing was not the most fashionable.  However, it was the best my mother could provide, and miraculously, all three children survived!  

Hebrews 12:6 gets directly to the point that Scripture is making, “For the LORD disciplines the one HE loves, and chastises every son whom HE receives”!  If you aren’t being disciplined or chastised, you might not be one who receives HIM?  If you have an easy road with no hardships, would you ever search for help?  Would you be searching for TRUTH when everything was falling into place?  

Although I never experienced the love from my earthly father that I so desperately wanted, I was constantly told and shown by my mom unconditional love in great measures. The best thing she did for her children was to make sure we were exposed to the WORD OF GOD.  Knowing I was a son of a lady with a heart for her children gave me worth.  Not having everything that most children had, despite her working every shift available, gave me an appreciation for what I WAS blessed to have.  

Knowing that I am CHOSEN by our CREATOR to be one of HIS own is a Blessing beyond description.  Being one who is “NOT SONS” of GOD is something that I cannot imagine.  My EYES have been opened and I can SEE lies from the enemy.  My prayer is that if your EYES haven’t been opened that you will be drawn to HIM and be separated from the “NOT SONS” crowd!!!

“THE PATH!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
“5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 
6 In all your ways acknowledge HIM, and HE will make straight YOUR PATHS.”

Psalms 119:105 (ESV)
“YOUR WORD is a lamp to my feet and a light to MY PATH.”

Psalms 16:11 (ESV)
“YOU make known to me “THE PATH” of life; in YOUR presence there is fullness of joy; at YOUR right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

When I am faced with a “crossroad” in my life, making the incorrect choice can lead me into a “wilderness” not having any direction! For most of my life, I have been running just as fast as I could, trusting that GOD would supernaturally prevent any major accidents. While it is true that GOD directs our paths, in my recent PATH slowing down and listening for HIS instruction has become more of a priority to me.  

The three passages of Scripture above are a brief sampling of verses that are given to us as guides. As smart as humans believe we are, GOD is so INFINITELY WISER! Slowing down to seek HIS direction is not something of which we should be ashamed. Leaning on our own understanding has gotten me into more difficulties than I have the ability to write about. Allowing ALMIGHTY GOD to make “MY PATH” straight is what a prudent, more wise person should do.  

“THE PATH” before us is never promised to be smooth and free from adversity. We are NOT living our best lives now! We are on a journey through “this world” being used by GOD to Glorify HIS Name, not to make a name for ourselves or accumulate wealth that will one day burn (Revelation 18). Walking in “THE PATH” laid out for me by my CREATOR is the best place I can be, because HE IS THERE WITH ME!!

GREAT GOD IN HEAVEN, I beg of YOU guide me in “THE PATH” where I can Glorify YOUR NAME and edify YOUR Kingdom. Please allow me to wait for YOU to speak to me about which direction YOU have for me to take. “YOUR PATH” is where I long to be, whatever that may bring! Keep me searching for “THE PATH” that YOU have laid out for my life and to follow YOU all my days!!!

“HIS GOOD PLEASURE!”

Philippians 2:12-18                                             (ESV)
“12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is GOD WHO works in you, both to will and to work for “HIS GOOD PLEASURE”.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of GOD without blemish in the midst of a CROOKED and TWISTED generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of CHRIST I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.”

A thought came across my mind this morning as I was contemplating a meme that was shared last night, GOD NEVER GIVES YOU A DREAM THAT MATCHES YOUR BUDGET!  GOD ISN’T CHECKING YOUR FINANCES, HE’S CHECKING YOUR FAITH!!!  The thought was “GOD is required to accomplish things outside of our abilities, but inside of our FAITH”!  My mind was caused to think this way because of a passage of Scripture I heard last week from Matthew 8:13 saying “And to the centurion JESUS said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.”  According to Matthew 8:13, the centurion told JESUS “LORD, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly."  The centurion must have cherished his servant, because he came to JESUS in Capernaum to inform HIM of his predicament.   Of course,JESUS told the centurion “Go; LET IT BE DONE for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.”

Whenever we are placed in a position of not being able to accomplish our hearts desires, we need to make certain our hearts are lining up with GOD’S Plan!  Our hearts desires are met when we “delight yourself in the LORD” (Psalms 37:4), and for me that usually means that I have to adjust my life to HIS Plan.  Getting what I want is great when that happens, but it is only if it is in “HIS GOOD PLEASURE”!  GOD is FAR wiser than we are and HE has our best interests in HIS Plan.  We should TRUST HIM to perform “HIS GOOD PLEASURE” in our lives and acknowledge that we don’t know what is best.

“For it is GOD WHO works in you, both to will and to work for “HIS GOOD PLEASURE” says that GOD is working in and through our lives to accomplish HIS Plan FOR HIS GLORY!  Trusting that HE is accomplishing HIS Plan in our lives is what FAITH is all about.  It might be in getting what we want, and it might be changing our wants!  But HE will accomplish “HIS GOOD PLEASURE”!!!  Wait for it!!!

“HIS OFFSPRING!”

Galatians 3:12-18                                                (ESV)
“12 But THE LAW is not of FAITH, rather "The one who does them shall live by them."
13 CHRIST REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE of THE LAW by becoming a curse for us-for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"-
14 so that in CHRIST JESUS the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised SPIRIT through FAITH.
15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.
16 Now THE PROMISES were made to Abraham and to “HIS OFFSPRING”. It does not say, "And to OFFSPRINGS”, referring to many, but referring to one, "And to YOUR OFFSPRING”, WHO IS CHRIST.
17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by GOD, so as to make the promise void.
18 For if the inheritance comes by THE LAW, it no longer comes by promise; but GOD gave it to Abraham BY A PROMISE.”

In my former years until only five years ago, or so, we subscribed to the local newspaper to keep up with the happenings in our community.  It was the first thing I would read after waking from sleep!  Only when my EYES were opened to how much my mind was being manipulated by the reporting of THEIR VIEW of things was I able to shake the habit developed over years of self-abuse!  That is correct, I was allowing the enemy to gain control of my thoughts without knowing what I was doing.

Since I began immersing my heart and mind in THE WORD, my thought patterns have taken a radically different path.  That doesn’t indicate that I “have arrived” and that I am where I need (or want!) to be, but I am definitely striving to follow HIS example in my remaining time in this world.

Living by THE LAW given to Moses was given to show us that we CANNOT measure up to what is required of us.  CHRIST REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE of THE LAW, so Believing in HIM is my only HOPE!  Hebrews 11:6 says “And WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to please HIM, for whoever would draw near to GOD must believe that HE exists and that HE rewards those who seek HIM.”  It is IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM outside of CHRIST!

Allowing social media, news media, children, GRANDCHILDREN, spouses, job, finances, or ANY OTHER BEING or things to dominate our time and life is violating the first commandment, “"You shall have no other gods before ME.” (Exodus 20:3).  Until we recognize this and elevate JESUS CHRIST where HE needs to be, we cannot become one of “HIS OFFSPRING”!  IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!

“UNKNOWN GOD???”

Acts 17:21-28                                                           (ESV)
“21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'To the “UNKNOWN GOD”.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
24 The GOD WHO made the world and everything in it, being LORD of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25 nor is HE served by human hands, as though HE needed anything, since HE himself gives to ALL MANKIND LIFE and BREATH and EVERYTHING.
26 And HE made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
27 that they should seek GOD, and perhaps feel their way toward HIM and find HIM. Yet HE is actually not far from each one of us,
28 for "'In HIM we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed HIS offspring.'”

The eloquent words spoken by the Apostle Paul in the text above was delivered to the “Greeks”, who considered themselves to be some of the most philosophical of all people.  They pondered matters deeply and tried to get to the best solution that mankind could achieve.  But their altar admitted that they did not know WHO created them, for they named HIM the “UNKNOWN GOD”!

In Romans 1:22-23 Paul writes “Claiming to be wise, THEY BECAME FOOLS, and exchanged the glory of the IMMORTAL GOD for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”  Mankind’s knowledge can never figure out the things of GOD.  We do not have that capability.  Hebrews 11:6 says “And without FAITH it is impossible to please HIM, for whoever would draw near to GOD must believe that HE exists and that HE rewards those who seek HIM.  To have FAITH in an “UNKNOWN GOD”, we would have to ADMIT that we are subordinate to HIM.   The enemy wants us to believe that our eyes will be opened to be like GOD, but his lie leads only to DEATH, just like it always has!

We can dress our sin in our Sunday best clothing, but then we will do our best to hide from GOD when HE comes looking for us (Genesis 3:8)!  Paul was trying to be all things to all people to make the Message where they could understand.  We MUST exhibit FAITH in order to please GOD.   Our sin requires that we do nothing less.  Until we replace our “UNKNOWN GOD” with FAITH in OUR CREATOR we will continue believing the lie hatched by the enemy.  We are CALLED to KNOW HIM!!!

“The FACE of FAITH is CHRIST!”

Matthew 8:5-13                                                  (ESV)
“5 When HE had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to HIM, appealing to HIM,
6 "LORD, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly."
7 And HE said to him, "I will come and heal him."
8 But the centurion replied, "LORD, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I too am a man UNDER authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
10 When JESUS heard this, HE marveled and said to those who followed HIM, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found SUCH FAITH.
11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 And to the centurion JESUS said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.”

Hearing older, wiser, people talking about people of FAITH since I was a child, I just always presumed that the object of the FAITH they were speaking of was FAITH IN GOD?  In a conference last week, a talk was delivered about “The FACE of FAITH is CHRIST!”  Now we all have faith that the chair we sit in will hold us from crashing onto the floor, or we probably wouldn’t sit in the chair?!?  But true FAITH is that JESUS CHRIST is GOD, and that HE is our ONLY HOPE for eternal life!  Eternal life not only is everlasting, but it begins when we are CALLED out of the darkness and into HIS marvelous LIGHT!

And before we get too caught up in what we Believe, JESUS says in John 15:16a “You did not choose ME, but I chose you and appointed you...”!  In Acts 9:15-16, JESUS instructs Ananias "Go, for he 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."  Once converted, Saul/Paul became a great man of FAITH, but he had to STUDY, even though he was a proven Pharisee!  He had to allow THE WORD to mold his life.

Our FAITH, or lack of it, will determine what manifestation of JESUS we see.  In Matthew 9:29 JESUS tells two blind men “According to your FAITH be it done to you.", and they were healed.  They were healed because they BELIEVED!  Not because they believed, but because of WHO they Believed in!!!  “The FACE of FAITH is CHRIST” should be the the fire that causes us to LIVE.  Paul says to the Greeks in Acts 17:28 “IN HIM we live and move and have our being”, so why do I act according to my own wishes so often?  If my FAITH is IN HIM, why don’t I live that FAITH???

Although I fail HIM daily, my desire is to live for CHRIST just ONE DAY totally sold out to JESUS!  HE chose me, NOT to make me healthy, wealthy, and wise, but to reflect HIS Glory to a lost a dying world.  For me to exhibit just 24 consecutive hours that “The FACE of FAITH is CHRIST” would be a great place to start!!!

“WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM!”

1 John 3:1-3                                               (ESV)

“1 See what kind of love the FATHER has given to us, that we should be called children of GOD; and so we are. The reason why THE WORLD DOES NOT KNOW US is that IT DID NOT KNOW HIM.

2 Beloved, we are GOD’S children now, and WHAT WE WILL BE has NOT YET APPEARED; but we know that when HE appears “WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM”, because we shall see HIM as HE is.

3 And everyone who thus hopes in HIM purifies himself as HE is pure.”

There are times when I need to let the Scriptures speak for themselves.  “WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM” doesn’t need a lot of discernment to HEAR what GOD is saying to us. One day, when we we are WHAT WE WILL BE, we will ALL be like JESUS.  

BUT, that ALL does not mean everyone who reads what is written, it includes we who are GOD’S children.  Don’t let “the enemy”, the master of deception, convince you otherwise.  The only ones who will experience eternal life are we who are BORN AGAIN, we who bear fruit for JESUS!

Everyone of us who therefore hopes in JESUS will work on purifying himself, because JESUS IS PURE!  That doesn’t mean that I will ever be PURE until I arrive in Heaven.  But when I get there, “WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM” and that is the greatest miracle of all!!!

“CEASE STRIVING!”

Psalms 46:10-11                         (NASB)

“10 "CEASE STRIVING” and know that I am GOD; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD of hosts is with us; The GOD of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.”

In our lives we have become so BUSY that we seemingly constantly are in need of things to save time, make tasks easier, or simply perform the job for us.   However, one of the most ignored things that we do is allow the SPIRIT OF GOD to use HIS WORD to mold us and make us into the person HE has called us to be.   

Recently as I was in my quiet time, my mind was caused to reflect on a vision that GOD has given me, and how I will accomplish the vision, and when GOD will allow me to perform HIS Work?!?  Learning to WAIT on the LORD (Psalms 27:14) is part of KNOWING THAT HE IS GOD!  HE wouldn’t be much of a GOD if HE allowed us to beg and whine HIM into submission, would HE?  

That is when I remembered the NASB version of Psalms 46:10.  In my mind, “CEASE STRIVING” says that we need to stop trying to be in charge, to make things happen for our CREATOR!  HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT is the thing that I have to be reminded of, and CONSTANTLY!  “GOD, however, never invited me to be a co-GOD with HIM” is a statement made by J.D. Greear in the book JESUS CONTINUED that is ringing very loudly in n my memory bank today!!!

Speaking solely for me, maybe I need to “CEASE STRIVING” to be co-GOD and start celebrating that HE IS GOD more?  The LORD OF HOSTS is with me and I should forever be celebrating that!  Maybe I will have more time to do that when I “CEASE STRIVING”???

“BE SEPARATE!”

2 Corinthians 7:16-18                                      (ESV)

“16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the LIVING GOD; as GOD said, "I will make MY dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their GOD, and they shall be MY people. 

17 Therefore GO OUT FROM THEIR MIDST, and “BE SEPARATE” FROM THEM, says the LORD, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 

18 and I will be a FATHER to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to ME, says the LORD ALMIGHTY.””

The word “disengage” has been on my heart for quite sometime as I have my quiet time after my daily Bible Study.  When I looked for the meaning of “disengage”, I found the definition this definition: “separate or release (someone or something) from something to which they are attached.

To “BE SEPARATE” from this world can be rather painful and difficult.  It seems we all have a desire to fit in and to be accepted.  Being seen as successful by the standards of modern society would probably not involve “wasting time” on Bible Study or praying to an invisible GOD?  But the standards of “this world” should not interfere with how GOD has instructed HIS Children to act.  

JESUS says in John 8:23 “You are from below; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am NOT of this world” in speaking to the Jews, HIS “chosen people”!  We are chosen because the FATHER gave us FAITH in HIM, not because of what our ancestry believed!  Our relationship with GOD is solely individual, dependent upon HIM calling us to “BE SEPARATE”!

After we are BORN OF THE SPIRIT, we are left in this world to reflect HIM to those who HE might be still drawing to HIMSELF.  Trying to be like them will not make us, nor our Message, more appealing to them.  Only those who are DRAWN by the FATHER will “hear” or “feel” HIS pulling them.  To “BE SEPARATE” from this world is to be isolated from the things that most hold dear.  But we must DISENGAGE from this world to be used to Glorify GOD......and IT IS WORTH IT!!!!

“BE RENEWED!”

 Ephesians 4:17-24                     (ESV)

“17 Now this I say and testify in the LORD, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of GOD because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that is not the way you learned CHRIST!-

21 assuming that you have heard about HIM and were taught in HIM, as the TRUTH is in JESUS,

22 to PUT OFF your OLD SELF, which belongs to your former manner of life and is CORRUPT through DECEITFUL DESIRES,

23 and to “BE RENEWED” in the SPIRIT of your minds,

24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of GOD in true righteousness and holiness.”

How is your sight?  How do you SEE what is right before your eyes?  There are people that have EYES that aren’t able to definitively make out exactly what they are looking at, and are technically considered “legally blind”.  Being able to see well enough to get us through “this world” should not be enough for us.  I’ve heard some declare that once they experienced cataract surgery on their eyes, it was as if their eyes had been “RENEWED”!  Their vision was restored! 

Until we experience failing eyesight, we cannot know how much we need our vision corrected.  When we PUT OFF our OLD SELF, it is similar to what I understand that cataract surgery is for my friends.  Some report not even needing glasses any longer.  Some people weren’t even aware there was an eyesight problem until they visited a physician who discovered the issue with their eyes.  

Our SPIRITUAL PHYSICIAN IS JESUS.  HE can diagnose our problems, but we have to admit that HE KNOWS BEST, as HE CREATED us.  We “must no longer walk in...the futility of their minds”, but yield to HIS WILL for our lives.  Trying our best will send us into damnation quicker than anything.  We MUST admit that JESUS is our ONLY HOPE!

Until we admit that we must “BE RENEWED” by the ONLY ONE capable of our redemption, we will continue to flounder in our worthless self-righteousness.  Our CORRUPT and DECEITFUL DESIRES don’t have the capability of saving our souls.  We have to “BE RENEWED” by our CREATOR!!!

“HE DOES NOT!”

Isaiah 40:28                                        (ESV)

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting GOD, the CREATOR of the ends of the earth. “HE DOES NOT” faint or grow weary; HIS understanding is unsearchable.”

Recently I wrote about being “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”.  The very next day I see this on a social media site, and it made my weakened stomach feel queasy!  

“I often hear, “We need to update the Bible for the modern person.”

No.

We need to take the modern person back to the context of the Bible. Whatever the Bible meant in its original context, it means now. Whatever the Bible said to its original audience, it says to us now.”

ALMIGHTY GOD does not become faint or grow weary with me when I am weak.  The patience and long suffering are far beyond what we can imagine.  But we must be careful NOT to place our wishes before HIS Plan, and our position before HIS Throne!  

There has NEVER been a creature that was CREATED who is in the same stratosphere as our CREATOR!  HIS WORD (The Holy BIBLE) is a gift that HE has given us to reveal HIS TRUTH to us.  Just because some people don’t like what it says doesn’t mean that they are wise enough to do so.  Romans 1:21b-23 says “...but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

We are to be TRANSFORMED to be more like HIM, not try to have HIM change to our progressively worse behavior!  “HE DOES NOT” accommodate sin. “HE DOES NOT” play games! 

“TRANSFORMED!”

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.”

TRANSFORMED!  

One definition is “to change in condition, nature, or character; convert.”  CONFORMED, on the other hand,  means “to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.”  The change in condition is not something that occurs overnight, rather continually until we have finished the race (1 Timothy 4:7)!  

Believers see a “convert” and expect them to demonstrate what most of us have taken many years of TESTING to develop.  The first time we see the “convert” fail a test, we sometimes are quick to discount their salvation as a ploy to get attention.  They may be simply Spiritually immature and doing what babies do most, finding their limits???

When talking about people GOD uses as an 

Overseer, Scripture is very plain that a “novice” should not be considered?  Why?  Because “...he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” (1 Timothy 3:6). We shouldn’t expect a “novice” Believer to be “tested” enough to be placed in a leadership position at church, regardless of the temptation to capitalize on their zeal.  We cannot expect them to respond with Spiritual maturity when they are still an infant.  

Probably one of the most devout Believers was the Apostle Paul.  Yet in 1 Timothy 1:15 he writes “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that CHRIST JESUS came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”  He was continually being “TRANSFORMED” into a vessel to honor and glorify GOD, which was displayed by continuous TESTING!  The TESTING “TRANSFORMED” him !  Only JESUS can “TRANSFORM” a person.   

“IMPOSSIBLE!”

Matthew 19:23-26                                  (ESV)

“23 And JESUS said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.

24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of GOD."

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"

26 But JESUS looked at them and said, "With man this is “IMPOSSIBLE”, but with GOD all things are possible."”

Will GOD give you more you can handle?  Hearing this phrase repeated to me since I was a child, it was just accepted by me as being true.  But the unmitigated TRUTH is “GOD will not give you more than HE can handle”!  This sentence was shared recently with me and my mind went to Matthew 19:26, “With man this is “IMPOSSIBLE”, but with GOD all things are possible."  

JESUS was speaking about “only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven”.  If that feat is “IMPOSSIBLE”, then why didn’t JESUS just tell us ALL to give away all of our wealth when we are called into the KINGDOM?  

To begin with, money cannot buy your way into Heaven.  JESUS says in John 6:44a “NO ONE can come to me unless the FATHER WHO sent ME draws him”.  So making more (or the most) money will do you NO GOOD on Judgement Day.  

When Adam and Eve sinned against GOD in the Garden of Eden, a sacrifice for sin was required.  The ONLY sacrifice that would satisfy a HOLY GOD would have to come from GOD, because man is by our very “nature” flawed.  The “natural” man (as opposed by the SPIRITUAL) is undone, incomplete!  JESUS, GOD IN THE FLESH, came to earth as TRUTH (John 14:6) to supply the sacrifice required by GOD to “restore” mankind’s relationship with the Heavenly FATHER.  

So will GOD ever give you more than you ALONE can handle?  Most definitely, YES!  HE has proven since Creation (Romans 1:20) that we cannot live without HIM.  There are those who cannot SEE the need for us to need GOD.  Scripture states that they are BLIND, and cannot see (2 Peter 1:9).  If you are able to SEE, you need to be thankful that GOD has been merciful to you and that HE did the “IMPOSSIBLE” for you and me!!!

“EVERYONE WHO HAS HEARD AND LEARNED!”

John 6:41-46                                       (ESV)

“41 So THE JEWS GRUMBLED about HIM, because HE said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

42 They said, "Is not this JESUS, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

43 JESUS answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.

44 No one can come to ME UNLESS THE FATHER WHO SENT ME DRAWS HIM. And I will raise him up on the last day.

45 It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by GOD.' “EVERYONE WHO HAS HEARD AND LEARNED” from the FATHER comes to ME-

46 not that anyone has seen the FATHER except HE WHO is from GOD; HE has seen the FATHER.”

This passage of Scripture begins with what most modern day theologians might entitle this devotional, THE JEWS GRUMBLED!  It’s not as if the JEWISH people are known for GRUMBLING, rather church people nowadays!  Everyone seems to be convinced that they are right and that their ideas are the best.  To be honest, even writing a devotional for me is taken over by the HOLY SPIRIT and HE directs me down a completely different road where I began!

The verse that I have always focused on is the part that says UNLESS THE FATHER WHO SENT ME DRAWS HIM.  JESUS, our Redeemer, is telling me that unless ALMIGHTY GOD DRAWS me to HIM, I cannot be saved from my sin.  Therefore, it is GOD that initiates my relationship with HIMSELF, not me.  JESUS told HIS disciples in John 15:16 “You did not choose ME, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the FATHER in MY NAME, HE may give it to you.”

 But the portion that I want to focus right now is “And they will all be taught by GOD.' “EVERYONE WHO HAS HEARD AND LEARNED” from the FATHER comes to ME-“.  Now this isn’t saying that everyone alive will taught by GOD, rather those whom HE draws to HIMSELF!  “EVERYONE WHO HAS HEARD AND LEARNED” from the FATHER is totally convinced that 

“RECALL IT TO MIND!”

Isaiah 46:8-10                                            (ESV)

“8 "Remember this and stand firm, “RECALL IT TO MIND”, you transgressors, 

9 remember the former things of old; for I am GOD, and there is no other; I am GOD, and there is none like ME, 

10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'MY counsel shall stand, and I WILL ACCOMPLISH ALL MY PURPOSE,'”

In my early years I attended Vacation Bible School and was taught to memorize Psalms 119:11 (KJV), “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against THEE”.  Well, that verse did not keep me from sinning against THE LORD, but they were hidden in my heart and I have recalled it many times.  

It seems that as I age my mind is not the safest place to be!  Aging carries benefits of limited wisdom, but for me it also has brought a definite amount of forgetfulness, sometimes of what I walked into a room to do!  I can remember certain things in my childhood remarkably well, but can’t recall certain words when needed to complete a conversation.   

GOD tells us through Isaiah in verse eight above that we should “RECALL IT TO MIND”, YOU TRANSGRESSORS!  That is right, I AM A TRANSGRESSOR.  Sure, I want to think of myself as a person who lives for my LORD, but I am chosen by GOD in spite of my faults, not because of my goodness.  “For I am GOD, and there is no other; I am GOD, and there is none like ME” doesn’t mean that I am holier than anyone else, it says that GOD is in charge and “ I WILL ACCOMPLISH ALL MY PURPOSE”!  

Just because we might forget what we read in Scripture doesn’t mean that GOD has.  “RECALL IT TO MIND” should bring a HOLY fear to our minds, for GOD WILL ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE, in spite of our weaknesses.  Just like Psalms 119:11 is still in my memory bank, may I “RECALL IT TO MIND” other Scriptures and be used to ACCOMPLISH ALL HIS PURPOSE in my life!!!

“IT IS WRITTEN!”

Luke 4:5-8                                      (ESV)

“5 And the devil took HIM up and showed HIM all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,

6 and said to HIM, "To YOU I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.

7 If YOU, then, will worship me, IT WILL ALL BE YOURS.”

8 And JESUS answered him, "IT IS WRITTEN”, "'You shall worship the LORD your GOD, and HIM only shall you serve.'"

Observing comments recently made by one man to another man caused me to wonder why we have devolved into a society that seems to have such a small vision of just WHO it is that we worship?  Our GOD should receive all honor and glory from everything we do, for HE gives us the very air that we breathe!  The one person was announcing his intentions to nominate another person for a leadership role inside a denominational hierarchy, when ALMIGHTY GOD removed the barrier between GOD and man on Crucifixion day (Luke 23:45).  

Don’t get me wrong, GOD uses vessels that HE chooses to perform tasks assigned to them, but some of those have been not been the person man would have selected.   When GOD IN THE FLESH was tempted by satan after HE had spent 40 days in the wilderness ALONE WITH GOD, JESUS was hungry (Luke 4:2b)!  Yet HE responded to satan’s temptation with Scripture, “IT IS WRITTEN”!  

So many times we want to have an answer to an issue that is before us IMMEDIATELY, and we won’t WAIT ON THE LORD and HIS guidance.  GOD could be teaching us to SLOW DOWN and wait on HIM?  Just because “this world” places it’s deadlines and parameters on us doesn’t mean that GOD has to abide by them.  HEAVENLY FATHER operates on a different level than mankind and HIS results do not depend on what man sees is the best solution.  

David was the youngest son of Jesse tending sheep when Samuel anointed him as King (1 Samuel 16:12)!  Moses was a stuttering murderer when GOD spoke to him in the burning bush (Exodus 3)!  Of the twelve disciples, until GOD CHOSE them, had little notoriety.  Yet GOD used these people to change the world.  ALMIGHTY GOD is the ONE we need to look to to guide and direct our future.  HE ALONE is worthy to be adhered to.  Man can make his plans, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand (Proverbs 19:21)!  “IT IS WRITTEN”!!!