"CHANGE Unaware!"

Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) "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." Looking back recently over the past blogs I have written, I hardly remember all of the posts I have written. I remember them enough to know I wrote them, but the main thing is I can see the changes in my life that have occurred. GOD's word does that to a person who desires to follow HIM. Scripture can change your life without you even recognizing the change in your life happening. A couple of years ago my wife and I visited The Grand Canyon. The majesty of GOD's handy work was breathtaking. The changes in the canyon, the depth and width, must have taken more than a year or two! GOD changes our lives in similar fashion. Once we are regenerated, HE begins a process of washing away impurities and sediment, replacing those with solid rock and pure water. It is my desire to continue to let my life be "purified" (Ephesians 5:26) by HIS word.

"THE LORD IS WITH ME"

1 Samuel 26:14-23 (KJV) "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and WAS WELL, and the EVIL SPIRIT DEPARTED from him." EVIL is all around us. Like a Master Chef, GOD can use "evil" ingredients to complete the recipe, to accomplish HIS plan. But, you say, GOD is love! HE would never do _________, would HE? In 1 Samuel 15, GOD instructed King Saul to annihilate the Amalekites. All they WERE AND ALL THEY HAD was to be destroyed! Yet, King Saul, used his own thoughts and developed his own plan. When I abandon GOD's will for my life, the consequences are usually not good! GOD can use "evil" to bring about "good" in the end. GOD can use "good" to bring about "good" in the end. I will not attempt to elevate myself above GOD by assuming that the evil in this world is from the enemy. The enemy has been defeated on Calvary, we need to keep that in mind. When my spirit is troubled, I start looking for answers, much like King Saul did. The king's servants had observed David and KNEW "the LORD is with him". Like David, I may need to "take a harp" and play for my KING and turn the evil spirits away! I need to live my life so that others KNOW that "the LORD is with" me!

"THE MIND OF CHRIST!"

1 Corinthians 2:14-16   (KJV)

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

I get so frustrated, at times, with people who can't "SEE" things as they really are.   Why don't they know and understand things the same way I do?   Some people say that I am crazy, or I am a lunatic.  That used to bother me.  

But, the scripture above is saying that "spiritual" things are "foolishness" to the natural man.  The natural man sees things through a different lens than the Child of GOD.  The natural man, try as he may, is unable to "know them, because they are spiritually discerned".   So it is understandable that a "natural" man would think that a "spiritual" man is unstable.  

It would also be "crazy" of me not to point out what scripture says in verse 16.   "But we have the mind of CHRIST."  I did not write this, so don't get angry with me!  The "mind of CHRIST" will, undoubtedly, cause us to be "hated" by the world.  Having the "mind of CHRIST" got JESUS hung on a cross.  Yet, HE loved us so much, HE sacrificed HIS earthly, temporary life so we could experience the Spiritual, eternal life with HIM. 

 In my estimation, that is worth being crazy!!!

"CALL THE POOR!"

Luke 14:12-14   (KJV)

"Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.  But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:  And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."

Does " WEALTH" indicate GOD's favor in your life?  I continually hear a lot of television preachers claiming GOD will bless you if you send money to their ministry.  Our society tends to "give ear" to a wealthy man before ever considering what the man with little cash reserves has to offer.  Why do we place emphasis on the temporal?  Why not focus more on the ETERNAL?

JESUS exhibited a life that was/is focused on service rather than status.  HIS goal was to meet a spiritual need!  But, HE met physical needs in an effort to get people to "SEE" their spiritual needs.  HE exhibited that the spirit man was the part of man that needed to be nurtured, yet few follow HIS example.  We feel we have to have the biggest house, drive the nicest cars, eat at the finest restaurants, wear the newest clothes, and on and on, displaying how much GOD has blessed us.   

We live our lives at such a fast pace, we sometimes don't see the needs that are right before our eyes.  I am not talking about the people who "choose" to live in the despair and turmoil of poverty.   People can be unlearned and uneducated, yet still be successful.  My grandfather graduated from the fifth grade and could only write his name and little else.  Yet, he remains one of the wisest people I have been privileged to know.  He amassed considerable wealth, but always lived humbly.....within the means provided him.  

The people I am talking about "NEED" a hand UP, not a hand-out.  The government may try to do good, but the government cannot change a heart!  Programs can temporarily fill a need, but programs can't "FULFILL".  Programs can't give a sense of accomplishment you feel  when you are eating a meal YOU HAVE EARNED vs. eating a meal someone gave you.  

Everyone will have to answer for how they have used what GOD has blessed them with.  I pray when I stand before JESUS HIS response is "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matthew 25:21

"ONE PROUD PAPA!"

Proverbs 16:18-19   (KJV)

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

Yesterday was my youngest sons birthday.  My oldest son and daughter-in-law fixed lunch for the family.  As a game of Monopoly followed lunch, I sat in the next room admiring what my family has become.  I am one "PROUD PAPA"!

But wait, doesn't scripture indicate that PRIDE is a bad thing?  Is  it wrong to rejoice in the successes of others?  Is the "PRIDE" you have in others and their accomplishments a bad thing?  The focus of the PRIDE may be the difference.  

Earlier in Proverbs 16 verse 5, scripture records "Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished."  If someone is gloating in what they have accomplished, a problem exists.  GOD draws glory to HIMSELF, not ourselves.  

In James 4:6 we are reminded, "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."  And in James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."   

When we begin to consider our humanity more significantly than our spirit, we are losing sight of what we should be.  A garden rake is a tool.  A tool can do nothing on its own.  It has to be "USED" by the Gardner to produce results.  It is hard to be prideful when you realize that you are simply a tool being used by the Master Gardner!   

LORD, cause me to glory only in the things YOU have done for and through me.  

"WHOSE PACE ARE YOU ON?"

While I am extremely saddened and disgruntled with the lack of leadership displayed by the leadership of our country, I am not shocked or surprised.  GOD was not required to send us a Western Union telegram alerting us to HIS impending judgement on our nation.  We turned our backs on HIM many years ago, and have progressively gotten more carnal.  

Revelation 3:16-17 says "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked".  America lives with the mindset that we are the most powerful, most wealthy, nation ever to exist!  Scripture says GOD will spue us out of HIS mouth!  HE is sickened by our attitude!   

To paraphrase John MacArthur, "America has passed by any chance for repentance and us now headed into JUDGEMENT".  Folks, the sad thing is,  America was once known as a Godly nation.  Now, all references to GOD have been removed from our society.  Jeremiah 17:9 is running rampant like a cancerous growth.  "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"  

And we wonder why GOD has turned HIS back on us?  When we have been so subtly slipped into living at the enemy's pace that we don't have time for bible study or a meaningful prayer time.  Like sheep being led to slaughter, we just go about our lives at the breakneck pace demanded by society, until we wake up and we are in the "corral of captivity"!  

Scripture was not given because GOD was bored and had nothing to do.  2 Timothy 3:16 tells us scripture is given for correction and changing!  It may be too late for a wide-spread revival affecting whole continents,  but individuals can still be changed. 

Psalms 46:10 instructs us to "BE STILL, AND KNOW that I AM GOD"!  The enemy has a method behind the madness of the pace set by his agenda.  If we are so busy living at the worlds pace that we "don't have time" to spend with our CREATOR, then we are rejecting the peace and comfort of living with and in HIM!  I guess that is what we want???

"HIS GLORY ALONE"!

John 7:14-18     (KJV)

"Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but HIS THAT SENT ME.  If any man will do HIS will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of GOD, or whether I speak of myself.  He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh HIS glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him."

So many times on television or in print, so-called preachers of the gospel get caught up in their education or perceived knowledge.  It seems we get so enthralled with our credentials that we forget it is "GOD" who draws people to HIM! 

In John 6:44 JESUS said "NO man can come to me, except the FATHER WHICH HAS SENT ME DRAW HIM: and I will raise him up at the last day."   Our desire to love comes from The FATHER.  There is nothing good in our flesh (Romans 7).  The saving grace is that our Spirit has been transformed by the Living CHRIST.  We glory in HIM!

In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."!  Paul was saying that, as educated as he was, the only message he was wanting to bring was about CHRIST, and HIM crucified!  Nothing else matters!  

I pray I will do ONLY what CHRIST gets Glory for with my life.