Wednesday, January 29, 2020

“OPEN MY EYES!”

Psalms 119:17-24 (ESV)
“17 Deal bountifully with YOUR servant, that I may live and keep YOUR WORD. 
18 “OPEN MY EYES”, that I may behold wondrous things out of YOUR law. 
19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not YOUR commandments from me! 
20 My soul is consumed with longing for YOUR rules at all times. 
21 YOU rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from YOUR commandments. 
22 Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept YOUR testimonies. 
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, YOUR servant will meditate on YOUR statutes. 
24 YOUR testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.”

Having the yearning for ALMIGHTY GOD to “OPEN MY EYES” isn’t something that has been bestowed on me in an abrupt, overnight revelation. Formerly, doing what I WANTED was paramount for me, then doing I THOUGHT was best directed my thoughts, but lately I simply desire for GOD to “OPEN MY EYES” to what HE has planned for me!  

Yes, I still have a desire for THE LORD to “Deal bountifully with YOUR servant”, but now it is “that I may live and keep YOUR WORD”, not because I WANT more stuff! There is nothing that I can imagine that could be more gratifying than to fulfilling THE PLAN that HE has for me. And “Even though princes sit plotting against me, YOUR servant will meditate on YOUR statutes”, because when YOU “OPEN MY EYES” to Bless those who YOU desire to Bless, for no king or prince can will be able to STAND against YOU!

“My soul is consumed with longing for YOUR rules at all times”, not because I want to be seen as a goody-two-shoes, but because STRIFE and TURMOIL cannot abide in YOUR Presence! The words YOU and YOURs are used over ten times in the verses above, because David knew WHO was the MAIN THING! Even though the potents and magistrates may be BLIND to YOUR Sovereignty, cause me to always be mindful that YOU ARE GOD and we are not!!!

“OPEN MY EYES”, that I may behold wondrous things out of YOUR law”.  
“OPEN MY EYES”, that I may behold wondrous things out of YOUR law”.
“OPEN MY EYES”, that I may behold wondrous things out of YOUR law.”.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

“I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!”

John 9:1-7 (ESV)
“1 As HE passed by, HE saw a man blind from birth.
2 And HIS disciples asked HIM, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, THAT HE WAS BORN BLIND?"
3 JESUS answered, "IT WAS NOT THAT THIS MAN SINNED, OR HIS PARENTS, BUT THAT THE WORKS OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED IN HIM.
4 We must work the works of HIM WHO sent ME while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”."
6 Having said these things, HE spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then HE anointed the man's eyes with the mud
7 and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.”

This morning I am finding it difficult to “get in the groove”, to get the spark to start my day. There was a message from the past, a memory, where I wrote in 2012: “Why do we stand in front of a mirror before we leave the house? To see what everyone else is going to be looking at? If you STOP and think of it shouldn't we be reflecting JESUS? Last night I was watching a Louie Giglio video and he was preaching on Creation and the number of stars there are. Then I got to thinking.......stars don't shine! They reflect the light of the sun!!!!! We are to reflect the light of the SON in our lives! We should do NOTHING for notoriety or recognition. When people see good they should think JESUS.  

The disciples walking with JESUS in John 9 couldn’t SEE that the blind man was blind from birth? And honestly, we tend to think that ALMIGHTY GOD would NEVER allow us to suffer and fail in our endeavors just to Glorify HIS NAME! But in Acts 9:15-16 Ananias is being spoken to by JESUS WHO says “Go, for he (Saul) 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." 

It might take us a while to SEE, but just as stars have no ability to SHINE...only to REFLECT the light of the Sun, we have NOTHING worthy of being seen by “this world” OUTSIDE OF CHRIST! JESUS told HIS disciples “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”, not in a boastful voice. HE was REVEALING to them that HE was the only way for mankind to SEE that HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN! Acts 4:12 states “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN BY WHICH WE MUST BE SAVED”! NO OTHER NAME!!!

One other note that must be SEEN, every person that JESUS healed during HIS ministry eventually physically died! We must get passed our physicality and have our EYES opened to SEE our Spiritual needs and that “I AM (JESUS) THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”! Until we do, fame, wealth, health and fortune will be empty! We have to SEE that “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”!!!

Monday, January 27, 2020

“DO NOT SWERVE!”

Proverbs 4:20-27                                                   (ESV)
“20 My son, BE ATTENTIVE to my words; INCLINE YOUR EAR to my sayings.
21 LET THEM NOT ESCAPE from your sight; KEEP THEM WITHIN YOUR HEART.
22 FOR THEY ARE LIFE to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
23 KEEP YOUR HEART with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
24 PUT AWAY FROM YOU CROOKED SPEECH, AND PUT DEVIOUS TALK FAR FROM YOU.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze BE STRAIGHT before you.
26 PONDER THE PATH of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
27 “DO NOT SWERVE” to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”

Since Genesis 3:1 “the enemy” has been causing mankind to question GOD’S Authority and HIS punishment for disobedience.   Nowadays we have become so caught up in the fast-paced lifestyle that we are almost  on the proverbial “spinning-top” that was popular when I was a child, going so fast that our finite minds cannot properly process matters.  His deception is subtle and latent, sucking into the vortex of doing exactly what GOD FORBIDS, and then he uses the guilt that we are not good enough for a HOLY GOD!   That might be why GOD’S WORD first describes satan as “the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD GOD had made”???

The book of Proverbs may have been mostly written by King Solomon, but it was INSPIRED by ALMIGHTY GOD, to mold and change our lives to be valued tools in HIS Kingdom.  The biggest challenge I experience is to “DO NOT SWERVE” when “the enemy” sends detours my way.  About a year ago my wife and I were going to the place where we buy meat.  Typically we try to buy enough for a year, although we always have to go back for more during the nest twelve months!  Less than a mile from our house, still within the city limits of our hometown, a deer ran into our vehicle.  Not that I had time to avoid it, but it had been drilled into my mind to “DO NOT SWERVE” to avoid an animal, as you can repair damage done by the impact, but you cannot replace your life or the lives of your passengers.  The deer was immediately killed by the collision, but we were not injured.

This weekend has been extremely busy in “this world”!  My wife and I were blessed to get to have our oldest granddaughter stay with us.  That dominates my life when she is here.  But then there is everything else that “this world” deems important.  Political issues, sporting news, weather related “catastrophes”, and I’m almost certain that somewhere a deer had their life ended!  But the main thing for the two days that she was here was that our schedules were centered around her!

Why don’t I build my entire life around GOD and HIS Principles in similar fashion?  There needs to be a “DO NOT SWERVE” mentality of knowing where that since HE is leading me that the journey is HIS concern, not mine!  All of the distractions offered by “the enemy” and “this world” cannot fulfill our desires or answer any questions of life.  Although the earthly wisdom says to avoid the conflict, the LORD maybe saying “DO NOT SWERVE” and I WILL GET GLORY (Exodus 14)!!!

Friday, January 24, 2020

“GOSPEL IS VEILED!”

2 Corinthians 4:1-6                                            (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.
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but JESUS CHRIST as LORD, with ourselves as your servants for JESUS' sake.
6 For GOD, who said, "Let light shine OUT OF DARKNESS," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of JESUS CHRIST.”

Recently I wrote during my meditation time a few words that rang loudly in my EARS while reading the above Scripture!  “More than a few people who claim to be “Christians” expect GOD to never allow distress to come into their lives?  Read the book of Job.  Read Acts 9:16 “For I will show him (Paul) how much HE MUST SUFFER FOR THE SAKE OF MY NAME." - Acts 9:16”..

We should expect and plan for the enemy to assault, scheme, and manipulate us with all of his might as we serve the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS!  2 Corinthians 1:3-7 says “Blessed be the GOD and FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, the FATHER of mercies and GOD of all comfort, WHO COMFORTS US IN ALL OUR AFFLICTION, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as WE SHARE abundantly in CHRIST's SUFFERINGS, so through CHRIST we share abundantly in comfort too.  If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when YOU PATIENTLY ENDURE SAME SUFFERINGS THAT WE SUFFER .  Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you SHARE IN OUR SUFFERINGS, you will also share in our comfort.”

We need to understand that the enemy is constantly attacking us and the Church with LIES!  "Tell the masses a LIE often enough and for long enough, sooner or later they will all believe it” said Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister who died in 1945.  As soon as he was gone, someone else was enlisted to contradict TRUTH.  Would the message sent to Paul in Acts 9 ever be preached from modern pulpits nowadays?  It appears that it is “more comfortable” for preachers to preach that the “GOSPEL IS VEILED” instead of what the SPIRIT is instructing them to say?  But Scripture says that those who believe what is being taught, that the “GOSPEL IS VEILED”, will PERISH!

Hearing TRUTH, and allowing TRUTH to change your life, is not a comfortable experience, but GOD COMFORTS US IN ALL OUR AFFLICTION!  We need to stop whining about our seats being too hard, the temperatures being not what we want, the music being too loud, and begging HOLY SPIRIT to change our hearts and visit our brokenness and HEAL OUR LAND quit aiding and abetting those for whom the “GOSPEL IS VEILED”!!!!

Thursday, January 23, 2020

“FEAR NOT!”

Haggai 2:4-9 (ESV)
“4 Yet now BE STRONG, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. BE STRONG, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. BE STRONG, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. WORK, FOR I AM WITH YOU, declares the LORD OF HOSTS,
5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. MY SPIRIT remains in your midst. “FEAR NOT”.
6 For thus says the LORD OF HOSTS: Yet once more, IN A LITTLE WHILE, I WILL SHAKE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND THE DRY LAND.
7 And I WILL SHAKE ALL THE NATIONS, so that THE TREASURES OF ALL NATIONS SHALL COME IN, and I WILL FILL THIS HOUSE WITH GLORY, says the LORD OF HOSTS.
8 The SILVER IS MINE, and THE GOLD IS MINE, declares the LORD OF HOSTS.
9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD OF HOSTS.'" 

When ALMIGHTY GOD assigns you a task, the magnitude of said task might prove undaunting? It can be awfully easy to withdraw into seclusion, waiting for your path to be cleared and made simple?  But GOD never promises us that life in “this world” will be without challenges. Discovering that HE is truly IN TRULY CONTROL of every detail of our lives (not just the good things!) makes it easier to “FEAR NOT!”.  

A dear friend of mine was killed a few years back at his home. Discussing the details with his widow, my heart was breaking, yet at the same time I was strengthened, by the testimony he spoke to his wife the last time she spoke to him a few hours earlier. She reports that he said something to the effect of, “The same GOD that provides our blessings also provides our difficulties. We have to just TRUST in HIM for our everything”! Less than six hours later she was dealing with his death!  

It would have been very easy for her to withdraw into the arms of their children and grandchildren, but she remembered the testimony of her husband that GOD was in charge of EVERYTHING, even the seemingly BAD THINGS in life. Since ALMIGHTY GOD said MY SPIRIT remains in your midst, we need to WORK, and “FEAR NOT”, for HE is with us! When we show FEAR, we might be saying that we don’t know what is happening nor WHO is in control? We are SUPPOSED TO KNOW that GOD is in charge, and the enemy can not operate unless GOD permits.  “The SILVER IS MINE, and THE GOLD IS MINE, declares the LORD OF HOSTS” (Haggai 2:8). Isaiah 42:5 says HE gives us the very air that we breathe!  

As my EYES continue to be opened to SEE things that the “natural person” cannot see (1 Corinthians 2:14), amazement and awe flood my heart. SEEING that ALL THINGS (Romans 8:28) are working together FOR HIS GOOD comforts me, even if I cannot understand it now. “FEAR NOT”, for man is not in control, ALMIGHTY GOD is!!!

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

“OF GOD!”


John 8:42-47
“42 JESUS said to them (the scribes and the Pharisees...John8:3), "If GOD were your FATHER, you would love ME, for I came from GOD and I am here. I came not of MY own accord, but HE sent ME.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? IT IS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT BEAR TO HEAR MY WORD.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he lies, HE SPEAKS OUT OF HIS OWN CHARACTER, FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES.
45 BUT BECAUSE I TELL THE TRUTH, YOU DO NOT BELIEVE ME .
46 WHICH OF YOU CONVICTS ME OF SIN? If I tell the truth, WHY DO YOU NOT BELIEVE ME?
47 Whoever is “OF GOD” hears the words “OF GOD”.  The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not “OF GOD”."

Some people can HEAR THE TRUTH but cannot absorb THE TRUTH because they are NOT OF GOD!  I am not being judgemental, Scripture is doing that for me.  The scribes and the Pharisees (John 8:3) were in church regularly, but they were not OF GOD.  Just because someone is in a position where “this world” has elevated them DOESN’T MEAN that they are OF GOD.

WHEN THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM they may not be able to help themselves, it might be because they SPEAKS OUT OF HIS OWN CHARACTER, FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES”?  Regrettably, some people cannot SEE TRUTH staring them in the face because they are so caught up in the lies of “the enemy” that TRUTH can be right in front of them and it goes unnoticed.

Ephesians 6:12 says “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this PRESENT DARKNESS, against the SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.”  If our lives fail to line up with THE WORD OF GOD, we might better make certain that we identify with JESUS, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE???  FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES should NOT be what we portray.   We should be speaking TRUTH!

“"Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) is one of the most misinterpreted Scriptures in the Bible.  Allowing Scripture to judge is what we constantly need to be doing with our lives and IN LOVE those those around us.  When we fail to live up to what Scripture desires, we need change to be more “OF GOD” and less of what we think is right!!!

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

“I AM WITH YOU!”

Haggai 2:4-9                                        (ESV)
“4 Yet now BE STRONG, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. BE STRONG, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. BE STRONG, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for “I AM WITH YOU”, declares the LORD OF HOSTS,
5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt.  My SPIRIT remains in your midst. FEAR NOT.
6 For thus says the LORD OF HOSTS: Yet once more, IN A LITTLE WHILE, I WILL SHAKE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND THE DRY LAND.
7 And I WILL SHAKE ALL THE NATIONS, so that THE TREASURES OF ALL NATIONS SHALL COME IN, and I WILL FILL THIS HOUSE WITH GLORY, says the LORD OF HOSTS.
8 The SILVER IS MINE, and THE GOLD IS MINE, declares the LORD OF HOSTS.
9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD OF HOSTS.'"

Very seldom do I use the same passage of Scripture two days in a row, and to my knowledge I have NEVER used the same passage three days in succession.  But I can already see the message of FEAR NOT being used to channel my thoughts.  However the words “I AM WITH YOU” are ringing in my Spiritual ears today.

Isn’t it bothersome to have a ringing in your hearing, that constant interruption from the PEACE that we have come so accustomed to?  Having your Spiritual Hearing “in tune” with the Spirit of GOD is a wonderful experience.  When that fellowship (PEACE) is interfered with by the things of “this world”, it can cause unrest, even TURMOIL in our Spirits.  That TURMOIL is one of the best tools used by the enemy, because it causes me to begin looking for a solution to return the PEACE that I once enjoyed.

The enemy wants to keep us doing ANYTHING but trusting GOD for our EVERYTHING!  TURMOIL is basically not trusting GOD.  I realize that it is difficult to trust GOD whenever we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, but WHO IS IN CONTROL of our lives?  ALMIGHTY GOD, our CREATOR, the Giver and Sustainer of life, is telling us “I AM WITH YOU”!  If GOD is with us, what do we have to FEAR?

Knowing that “I AM WITH YOU” is one of the best blessings I can imagine.  So why is it so easy for me to allow “the enemy” to cause troubled waters to cause me concern?  The bottom line is, GOD is in charge of EVERYTHING and we should TRUST HIM, even if HE guides us through a ferocious storm!  The very ONE WHO said “Let there be.....” lives inside of me so I need to forever remember that “I AM WITH YOU” and TRUST HIM to deliver me!!!

Monday, January 20, 2020

“BE STRONG!”

Haggai 2:4-9                                        (ESV)
“4 Yet now “BE STRONG”, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. “BE STRONG”, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. “BE STRONG”, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I AM WITH YOU, declares the LORD OF HOSTS,
5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My SPIRIT remains in your midst. FEAR NOT.
6 For thus says the LORD OF HOSTS: Yet once more, IN A LITTLE WHILE, I WILL SHAKE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND THE DRY LAND.
7 And I WILL SHAKE ALL THE NATIONS, so that THE TREASURES OF ALL NATIONS SHALL COME IN, and I WILL FILL THIS HOUSE WITH GLORY, says the LORD OF HOSTS.
8 The SILVER IS MINE, and THE GOLD IS MINE, declares the LORD OF HOSTS.
9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD OF HOSTS.'"

Occasionally there are words on my heart that I have a strong impression to write down as I don’t want them to escape my increasingly limited memory.  At the end of the Bible Study class yesterday, the following words were on my heart:: “Don’t let “this world” confuse the issue.  If GOD gives you a task, it doesn’t matter WHAT this world puts in your path!”  I wrote the words on my iPad so that they would contain the message further reflection at the appropriate time.

ALMIGHTY GOD issued orders to Zerubbabel (governor of Judah) through the prophet Haggai.  The CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES was displeased that HIS HOUSE was not being taken care of, while the personal homes were lavishly decorated with up-to-date furnishings.

As I am blessed to continue serving my LORD in “this world”, I cannot help but wonder if I am like the tribe of Judah during the reign of Zerubbabel?  ALMIGHTY GOD has delivered me through several “valley of the shadow of death”, and yet I am mostly concerned with my personal desires, my “selfish” wants!

GOD has already done more for me than HE “owes” me!  Yet I still get caught up in what “this world” will see and not how obedient I am to HIM, being more concerned with HIS PROVISION than HIS PRESENCE!  When will I realize that one day in HIS PRESENCE is worth FAR MORE than SILVER and GOLD, for HE owns IT ALL (Haggai 2:8)!

What does ALMIGHTY GOD see when HE looks at me?  Does HE see someone who will “Don’t let “this world” confuse the issue.  If GOD gives you a task, it doesn’t matter WHAT this world puts in your path?”  Or does HE see someone wanting “this world” SEE a follower of JESUS “BE STRONG”?

Friday, January 17, 2020

“YOU DO NOT EXPECT!”

Luke 12:35-40 (ESV)
“35 "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,
36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.
38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into.
40 YOU ALSO MUST BE READY, for the SON of MAN is coming at AN HOUR “YOU DO NOT EXPECT”." 

For me, it is shameful that I sometimes operate my life in such a nonchalant manner when it comes to alerting people that JESUS is coming again, maybe today! There should be an urgency, an almost immediacy, to proclaim that JESUS is returning to “this world” that we share it like food, a necessity for LIFE!  

Yet I (or my flesh (Romans 7:15-20)) would prefer going to a meeting with other Believers, soaking up more and more Spiritual nourishment, than to “Go ye therefore” (Matthew 28:19-20) and proclaim the GOOD NEWS! Recently seeing numerous social media posts about a gathering of FAITH people in a city, my thoughts were caused to wonder, “Oh, for man to exhibit as much excitement about hearing from our CREATOR as they do about hearing from HIS CREATED!?!?! These are all knowledgeable and sound instruments (men), but BEING STILL and knowing HE IS GOD is still far greater than hearing from men!!!” Now I realize that we all need to have our tools sharpened (Proverbs 27:17), but HIS KINGDOM needs us to be SPIRIT FILLED a lot more than hearing from other broken vessels!

Conviction has been moving me lately to TRUST HIM more and rely less on the things of “this world”. A text just came to me saying “One wonders if GOD trusts us with as much as we trust HIM with? (1 Timothy 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:12)! We (mainly I) need to be relying on ALMIGHTY GOD to reveal HIMSELF to us and finding HIM where we “DO NOT EXPECT” to see HIM! The SPIRIT OF GOD must be present to change a heart. We can plan and orchestrate to our extreme, but ONLY GOD can bring revival to our land! 

WE ALSO MUST BE READY whenever we SEE a need to share JESUS, no matter how much we think we know, or more probably DON’T KNOW! JESUS may present an opportunity right when “YOU DO NOT EXPECT” it, for the HOLY SPIRIT is not limited to seminary taught and suit clad “ministers”! BE READY, for the HOLY SPIRIT may be ready when “YOU DO NOT EXPECT” HIM!!!

Friday, January 10, 2020

“GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU!”

“GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU!”

Deuteronomy 7:6-11                                                     (ESV)
“6 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your GOD. The LORD your “GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU” to be a people for HIS treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set HIS love on you and chose you, for YOU WERE THE FEWSET of all peoples,
8 but it is because the LORD LOVES YOU and is keeping the oath that HE swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and REDEEMED YOU from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Know therefore that the LORD your GOD is GOD, the FAITHFUL GOD WHO KEEPS COVENANT and steadfast love with THOSE WHO LOVE HIM and keep HIS commandments, to a thousand generations,
10 and repays to their face those who hate HIM, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates HIM. HE will repay him to HIS face.
11 YOU SHALL BE CAREFUL TO DO THE COMMANDMENT AND THE STATUTES AND THE RULES THAT I COMMAND YOU TODAY.”

When I begin to search for something specific in Scripture, and am determined to establish that my way of thinking is what I am needing to be focused on, ALMIGHTY GOD usually proves to my almost self-righteous person that Scripture is intended to CHANGE me to be more in HIS IMAGE!!!  Being convinced that we are correct is precisely where we don’t want to be, for growing in HIM should be where we begin every day we are allowed to breathe HIS air!

He thing that every person must acknowledge is that we are not better than the vilest of sinners, but that “GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU” to be a beacon for HIM.  We do not deserve anything except death and destruction.  Just because we go to church most Sunday mornings, give a few dollars to HIS Kingdom, and maybe used by HIM to fulfill a need of someone in need, doesn’t mean that we are better than the next person.  The fact that “GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU” however should excite us, even if we are CHOSEN to SUFFER for HIM!

The Children of Israel were THE FEWEST of all peoples, were certainly not wealthier than most, and had no traits to set them ABOVE others in
“this world”!  But when “GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU” your worth is beyond earthly calculations, for YAHWEH is above everything we can fathom!

We can’t SEE the magnitude of GOD’s power, the vastness of GOD’s love, we can’t grasp the patience with our unbelief, nor understand HIS mercy.  In Exodus 33:18 Moses says “Please show me YOUR glory."  GOD lovingly says in verses 20-23 “you cannot see MY face, for man shall not see me and live."  And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by ME where you shall stand on the rock, and while MY glory passes by I WILL PUT YOU IN A CLEFT OF THE ROCK, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away MY hand, and you shall see MY back, but MY face shall not be seen."  Even though Moses only saw the back of the GLORY OF GOD, he “shone” (glowed) for literally weeks!

We might have a desire to SEE GOD’S GLORY, but we cannot handle it with our earthly limitations.  Nevertheless, ALMIGHTY “GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU” to be a reflection of HIS GLORY to a lost and dying world.  Not because we a holier than others, but because “ GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU”!!!

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

“THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED!”


1 Corinthians 7:12-17                                         (ESV)
“12 To the rest I say (I, not the LORD) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.
13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO PEACE.
16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 ONLY LET EACH PERSON LEAD THE LIFE THAT “THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED” TO HIM, and to which GOD has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

Looking back on my life, I am able to SEE things that I am rather ashamed of, things that I am extremely embarrassed to have been a participant in.   But I can also SEE where ALMIGHTY GOD was guiding and directing me into THE LIFE THAT “THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED” TO me.  Probably the most glaring instance is meeting, and ultimately marrying, my wife.  I’m not sure what she did wrong to be ASSIGNED to me, but GOD will reveal all when we get to Heaven!

A person with the upbringing I had might be a little disheartened by the path “THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED” to me, a single parent household with extremely limited resources, but also might also be a bit jealous because of the love and nurturing that I was afforded?  Or the Brain Hemorrhage of 2007 might be something that people would want to avoid?  But the lessons learned from that have been most beneficial in THE LIFE THAT “THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED” TO me!

ALMIGHTY GOD can use whatever occurs in our lives to be instrumental in our development, AND FOR HIS GLORY!  “THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED” each of us to have a path unique to us, to be copied by no one.  Each of us will have to answer one day for the choices we have made on our sojourn through “this world”.  We think we lead a path of our own volition, but Proverbs 16:9 tells us “The heart of man plans his way, but THE LORD ESTABLISHES HIS STEPS.”

The path that “THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED” to you might involve a trial or two, but HE is still on HIS THRONE and cannot be removed!  Your trial may include an extended hospital stay, or an empty checking account, a sick child, or something unimaginable, bad or extremely good!  Just know that “THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED” this life to you and you are here to Glorify HIM, not to be made comfortable!!!

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

“THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND!”

Luke 2:49-51                                 (ESV)
“49 And HE said to them, "Why were you looking for ME? Did you not know that I must be in MY FATHER’S house?"
50 And “THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND” the saying that HE spoke to them.
51 And HE went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And HIS mother treasured up all these things IN HER HEART.”

Luke 2:19                                                       (ESV)
“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them IN HER HEART.”

December 24, 2019 my devotional included the verses above.  While reviewing past posts recently, the words “THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND” and IN HER HEART were continually ringing in my mind.

Have you ever been so caught up in what you were doing that when someone said something you couldn’t make sense of it and you summarily brushed it off without contemplating their message?   Although JESUS was given to Joseph and Mary for safekeeping while growing up, occasionally “THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND” HIS WORDS when HE spoke them unto them.  Joseph’s reaction wasn’t documented in Scripture, but Mary pondered the words IN HER HEART!

How many times have I heard THE WORD OF GOD and I DID NOT UNDERSTAND, or just didn’t care enough to have my life CHANGED?  Having your Spiritual EYES opened by GOD ALMIGHTY is the greatest fulfillment, especially when we let HIS WORD transform us into using us for HIS PURPOSE!  “This world” keeps us moving at such a pace that to fit in we don’t have time to UNDERSTAND, we cannot slow our lives down to hear from GOD!

Proverbs 23:4 (ESV) says “Do not toil to acquire wealth; BE DISCERNING ENOUGH TO DESIST.”  Another translation says “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be WISE ENOUGH to restrain yourself.”  Could it be that when I am so busy that “THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND” that GOD is keeping my eyes closed where I am prevented from SEEING HIS Purpose for the lesson I am being exposed to?  Mary treasured things IN HER HEART, learning from them when GOD saw fit to OPEN HER EYES!  Maybe I will SLOW DOWN long enough to where my “THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND” moments will be fewer as I mature for HIS GLORY?!?

Monday, January 6, 2020

“LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES!”

2 Corinthians 7:1                                          (ESV)
“Since we have these promises, beloved, “LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES” from every defilement of body and spirit, BRINGING HOLINESS to completion in the fear of GOD.”

A “memory” showed up recently on a social media site from last year.  It reminded me of a friend who had offered this wisdom to “this world”....”For any who may vacillate at reality, we'll keep it short and simple: it's Male or Female, Boy or Girl, Man or Woman, Husband or Wife, Father or Mother; of God or of the Devil, the Truth or a Lie, END OF STORY!!”

When mankind tries to manipulate, twist, or change to make things more palatable for humans, that is typically NOT acceptable to a HOLY GOD.   Anything that in our eyes is “good enough” is falling short of HOLINESS.  Now don’t confuse what I am proclaiming to be saying that we are NOT in need of GRACE!  2 Corinthians 6:1b tells us “...we appeal to you NOT to receive the grace of GOD in vain.”  We are unable to live up to the level of righteousness required to enter Heaven, so we must depend on HIM WHO was able to live up to that level, JESUS!  While we are to be thankful and grateful for GRACE, we are not to receive grace in vain!

When we realize that we MUST “LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES”, we have to understand that us being able to overcome a enemy stronghold in our lives is purely by GRACE!   Allowing JESUS CHRIST to live in me was, for the most part, an act of surrendering to HIS SPIRIT pursuit of me.  The desire to be HOLY is solely from GOD.  When I say “LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES”, it is begging HIM to remove desires to do what I want to do.

I’ve often heard it said “I’m not what I want to be, but thank GOD I’m not what I used to be”!  The closer HE draws me to HIS LIGHT, the more dirt I
am able to SEE.  “LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES” to be used by JESUS to magnify and glorify HIS NAME!!!

Saturday, January 4, 2020

“A FEW THOUGHTS!”

A few thoughts from my quiet time recently:

***We don’t have, and possibly are incapable of having, a vivid picture of how HOLY GOD really is.       

Researching thus thought further, I came across this snippet from a devotional:  Trust starts with a definitive, intentional decision to “step over the line” by turning from doing things our way, trusting in ourselves and our own understanding, to transfer our dependence to God. Here’s a word of wisdom concerning not relying on ourselves and our own understanding [read: manipulating]: “Trust is living without scheming.”

***Nor do we have a true sense of how wretched we are OUTSIDE OF CHRIST.

In Romans 7 the Apostle Paul writes that he, in my estimation one of the greatest Believers of CHRIST ever,  “thanks be to GOD through JESUS CHRIST our LORD!” is our only hope!  

***HIS MERCY and PATIENCE, LONG-SUFFERING, and simply overall LOVE are indescribable.

Words cannot adequately enunciate HIS goodness to mankind.  Many of us have tried, but HIS LOVE is beyond mans intellect.  


John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the White House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement:
"This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House, with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe ."      -- Thomas Jefferson

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!"  

THAT IS ALL FOR TODAY!!!

Friday, January 3, 2020

“EVERY PERSON!”

Romans 13:1-2                                                (ESV)
“1 Let “EVERY PERSON” be subject to the governing authorities. For there is NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD, and those that exist have been instituted by GOD.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what GOD has appointed, and THOSE WHO RESIST WILL INCUR JUDGMENT.”

Humans can become so caught up in the actions (or inactions!) of our “governing authorities” that we don’t acknowledge GOD’S Sovereignty over our world.  In looking at a chart of the kings over Israel, the “bad” kings far outnumbered the “good” kings.  Some “feared” GOD, but most did what was right in their own eyes.

When the Apostle Paul was placed in prison in Acts 16, they didn’t protest or write letters to fellow humans.  Instead, they were “praying and singing hymns to GOD” (Acts 16:25-26) and HE responded by setting them free via an earthquake!  GOD is NEVER limited by our circumstances, as a matter of fact, GOD delights in impossibilities!  When things seem the bleakest, they are just getting ripe for THE MASTER!

Having FAITH that GOD is in CONTROL, not earthly leaders, does not mean that everything will exactly the way we want.  Throughout history GOD uses difficulties in life to cause us to trust in HIM, and no other.  The Children of Israel were subjected to Egyptian captivity for 430 years.... all because they would not worship the LORD!  Then GOD used Moses to lead them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, and what did they do.....complain!!!  No water, bad food, no house to call home, it seemed like they couldn’t be satisfied!  It seems “EVERY PERSON” had a wish list of things that THEY wanted.

Once again in today’s world, it seems “EVERY PERSON” is looking out for how THEY THINK things need to be done.  ALMIGHTY GOD has a Plan.  It isn’t my place to whine and complain about how things might be going, rather to be “praying and singing hymns to GOD” for being used by HIM.......and to Glorify HIM!  “EVERY PERSON” begins with ME!!!

Thursday, January 2, 2020

“A DELIGHT TO THE EYES!”

“A DELIGHT TO THE EYES!”

Genesis 3:1-7                                              (ESV )
“1 Now the serpent was MORE CRAFTY than any other beast of the field that the LORD GOD had made. He said to the woman, "Did GOD actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but GOD said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 For GOD knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like GOD, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman 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 who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then THE EYES OF BOTH WERE OPENED, and THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE NAKED. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”

The word FAITH is has been “hijacked” by “the enemy” to mean doing anything we think is good, when in fact, FAITH should be KNOWING that GOD IS GOD and that HIS wrath is greatly hidden and skewed by “the great deceiver”!  Having our EYES OPENED to KNOW WE ARE NAKED before a HOLY GOD is a humbling and scary thing!  Until we SEE that our only HOPE is to accept the sacrificial gift that JESUS paid on our behalf on Calvary, we cannot fully understand HIS LOVE and MERCY.

Adam and Eve were unable to SEE what “the enemy” was hiding from them.  Spiritual death is far more fatal than losing our physical bodies.  For a great part of my life I have sought whatever was “A DELIGHT TO THE EYES”, or whatever satisfied my flesh with no thought of what GOD had planned for HIS GLORY!  FAITH is not Believing that everything will be “A DELIGHT TO THE EYES”, but that GOD is going to be Glorified in our lives!  Only after I began daily digging into Scripture has my life been transformed into what GOD has for me.  No longer am I fixated on what is “A DELIGHT TO THE EYES”, but what will Glorify HIM!

Becoming a person of true FAITH, and not what “this world” accepts as living right, is my desire.  SEEing the REAL picture of what is transpiring (2 Kings 6:15-22), and KNOWING that our battle is NOT with flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), makes my FAITH grow even stronger and deeper.  “A DELIGHT TO THE EYES” is no longer my goal, but serving the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES!

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

“OPEN THE EYES!”

“OPEN THE EYES!”

2 Kings 6:15-22                                            (ESV)
“15 When the servant of the man of GOD rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"
16 He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
17 Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please “OPEN HIS EYES that he may see." So the LORD OPENED THE EYES of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was FULL OF HORSES AND CHARIOTS OF FIRE ALL AROUND ELISHA.
18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria.
20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O LORD, “OPEN THE EYES” of these men, that they may see." So the LORD OPENED THEIR EYES and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?"
22 He answered, "YOU SHALL NOT strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master."

As a new year and decade is upon us, my prayer is that I will be a soldier whom has sought guidance and direction from THE LORD, whom GOD has “OPENED THE EYES” to be able to SEE that HIS ARMY far outnumbers the armies of the enemy and that HE has already been declared THE WINNER!  As a mere mortal, being able to see as a natural person limits our perception of what is REALLY going on around us.  But GOD created satan (Romans 1:25) just like HE created me.

The enemy isn’t even in the same stratosphere as ALMIGHTY GOD is, so why do humans ever doubt GOD’S ability to be victorious?  Elisha KNEW WHO GOD was, and he wanted those around him to SEE what he knew was going on in their surroundings.   IF WE COULD SEE, like those Elisha prayed for, the “mountain was FULL OF HORSES AND CHARIOTS OF FIRE ALL AROUND ELISHA”, we would have a TOTALLY different perspective in life.  We would KNOW that the enemy is a defeated foe, that GOD is in control of EVERYTHING, even the air we breathe (Isaiah 42:5)!

“OPEN THE EYES” of this servant LORD and cause me to live victoriously, being a testimony to YOUR GRACE for those who currently cannot see that YOU are GOD!