"DOWN TIME!"

Isaiah 44:18                             (ESV)

"They know not, nor do they discern, for HE has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand."

There is so much "noise" cluttering the minds of the people of "this world" that many of them can't carry on an intelligent conversation because they don't have any TRUTH in their Spiritual arsenal.  It is with great sadness that I witness almost daily comments from seemingly educated people who have absolutely no balance in their Spiritual bank account.   When you attempt to explain the most basic principles to them, they can't SEE the forest for the trees!  

In the scripture above, Isaiah is speaking about people who have their own gods, people who are so busy worshipping gods of comfort and ease that they don't have time to humble themselves before a SPIRIT named YAHWEH!  The enemy manifests himself through our friends, yet we choose not to identify him.  JESUS readily recognized satan when he was hiding behind Peter (Matthew 16:23; Luke 4:8) and told him "Get the behind me satan"!  Yet I am so blinded by enemy that I allow him to masquerade as others and push his actions as theirs!

There comes a time when we all need to withdraw and evaluate ourselves.  Are we just filling the time of each day we have been granted by our CREATOR, or do we have a purpose to fulfill?  Am I doing anything to advance the Kingdom of GOD?  Or am I so caught up with the things of "this world" that I am "too busy" to let Spiritual matters play a part in my life??

With these things on my mind, I will be signing off of social media for awhile, until I get clearance from the HOLY SPIRIT to return.  It might be a few days, or it might be a few weeks, but one thing is for certain, I desperately need to have my SPIRIT renewed daily from ABOVE!  Please pray for me that GOD ALMIGHTY will do a work in my life that will honor and glorify only HIM!  

If you need me, email me at bigray1978@gmail.com or ray@4-states.com.   

"BLESSING!"

Proverbs 11:25                         (ESV)

"Whoever brings "BLESSING" will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”

Growing up I was exposed to many lessons that I didn't realize until I became older.  My grandfather wasn't blessed with a tremendous amount of book knowledge, yet he was one of the best gardeners I've ever been exposed to.  He would water some of his plants really well, and the surrounding plants would reap the benefits of the watering, not necessarily because they needed watering, but just because they were around where the watering was going on!

Being around the one who is receiving a "BLESSING"  is a "BLESSING" in and of itself.  But just as plants benefit from water being used to nourish neighboring plants, you can experience growth from the water that others are getting.  The "BLESSING" comes from the LORD, but sometimes we just have to be where HIS "BLESSING" is being dispensed! 

In my younger days I was diligently searching for the WAY that I needed to be going.   Finances were extremely tight and I was needing direction on which way l needed to move.  After going to a quiet place one day, I came home was given an envelope that came in the mail that day.  Inside the envelope was $100 cash!  My wife asked who I thought sent it and I replied, "I'm not sure who HE used, but I know WHO sent it"!!!  

There is nothing like being where GOD can send a "BLESSING" your way, UNLESS you are the one used to send the "BLESSING"!  Don't try putting limits on what GOD is capable of doing with your life.   HE can do ALL THINGS that draw honor and glory to HIS NAME!!  BE A "BLESSING"!!!

"OF THE FLESH!"

1 Corinthians 3:1-3                        (ESV)

"1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in CHRIST.

2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,

3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not "OF THE FLESH" and behaving only in a human way?"

Ten years ago, while I was in the Rehabilitation Hospital recovering from the Brain Hemorrhage, I had extensive help in redeveloping my "word-recall".  Since the Brain Hemorrhage was the the portion of my brain that controls the words a person uses to make sentences, I had to re-educate myself on how to select correct wording to express myself.  Ten years later, I still am working on that!  

The Apostle Paul had to deal with possibly an even more frustrating phenomenon.  Although I was a 47 year old man who had lost his capabilities of forming sentences correctly, Paul was dealing with Believers who had never developed the knowledge, nor maturity, to understand a mature Spiritual conversation.   They were, in fact, SPIRITUAL INFANTS!  While the Apostle Paul could SEE that some people were too immature to understand in depth Spiritual matters, he understood that some people had to be fed "milk", so "milk" was the only thing on their diet.  

All people have to be fed a diet that they can digest. Some people have a desire to know the more weighty Spiritual matters, but we cannot digest that which our systems can't process.  There are a LOT of things that I have to say that I'm just not ready to process and trust that I will grow to the point that GOD can reveal it to me.  The Apostle Paul had a gift for SEEING Spiritual immaturity and being able to feed milk as well as solid food.  I might not be as gifted as I need to be to minister to all who need to HEAR.  

Being "OF THE FLESH" is something we all have to mature from.  No adult got to where they are without growing pains.  Helping others get out "OF THE FLESH" can be a blessing from GOD, both to the helper and the person receiving the help.  HEAVENLY FATHER, cause me to SEE the need, and the person in need, and YOUR SOLUTION to move them to a Biblical understanding of getting out "OF THE FLESH"!!!

"PROPHETIC WORD!"

2 Peter 1:16-21                                       (ESV)

"16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, but we were eyewitnesses of HIS majesty.

17 For when HE received honor and glory from GOD the FATHER, and the voice was borne to HIM by the Majestic Glory, "This is MY beloved SON, with WHOM I AM well pleased,"

18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with HIM on the holy mountain.

19 And we have the "PROPHETIC WORD" more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.

21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from GOD as they were carried along by the HOLY SPIRIT."

To fully understand that a truly "PROPHETIC WORD" comes ALMIGHTY GOD, yet is delivered to AND from imperfect people who GOD uses for HIS Glory, was one of the most difficult things that I have ever tried to wrap my mind around.  GOD sometimes uses imperfect humans to deliver HIS messages to other imperfect humans to Glorify to HIMSELF!  There has only been ONE Holy person ever, and HE sacrificed HIS life so we could experience eternal life through FAITH in HIM!

Just because someone claims to have a "PROPHETIC WORD" doesn't mean that they actually have a "PROPHETIC WORD".  A "PROPHETIC WORD" was NEVER "produced by the will of man", rather it came "from GOD the FATHER" WHO allows HIS servants to disseminate the TRUTH of HIS WORD!  The "PROPHETIC WORD" above says we "will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place"!  

There are modern day people who are moving to quickly to listen for a "PROPHETIC WORD".  Psalms 46:10, "BE STILL, and know that I AM GOD", is not a suggestion on how to live a more peaceful life.  It is a requirement to get on the same wavelength as GOD THE FATHER and download HIS wisdom and mercy.  

One article I was reading this morning said this:

We may not actually "hear" the voice of God, but He speaks to us in many ways. Here are some of them:

• God speaks through His Word
• God speaks through our thoughts
• God speaks through conversations with others
• God speaks through circumstances

I need to realize that ALMIGHTY GOD can speak to me through even a donkey (Numbers 22:21-39), IF I AM PREPARED TO LISTEN TO HIM.  

HEAVENLY FATHER. cause me to be in tune with YOUR HOLY SPIRIT and ever be listening for YOUR "PROPHETIC WORD"!  

"WHAT YOU WILL!"

Mark 14:35-36                                      (ESV)

"35 And going a little farther, HE fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from HIM.

36 And he said, "Abba, FATHER, all things are possible for YOU. Remove this cup from me. Yet NOT WHAT I WILL, but "WHAT YOU WILL"."

Hearing from GOD is one of the greatest blessings a Believer will experience in this life.      When GOD speaks, there is no mistaking whether it was HIS voice!  There was a sermon preached one day where the preacher said "I'm sure that when GOD spoke "this world" into existence, in itself if was "BIG BANG", seemingly confirming the "BIG BANG" theory.   However, far too often we only want to HEAR from GOD when HE is saying what we desire to hear from HIM.  

In listening to Dr. Charles Stanley recently, one of his sermons contained the words "LORD, just speak to my Heart"!  How many times do I begin my "quiet time" with a flurry of begging for "what I want", instead of praying for GOD's Will to be performed in my life?  JESUS, the SON OF GOD, prayed for HIS cup to be removed from HIM.  Surely GOD loves HIS SON enough to grant HIS request to prevent HIM from suffering because I had sin in my life?  But JESUS didn't get HIS request.  Instead HE suffered punishment too gruesome to be written about culminating with separation from THE FATHER, something HE had never experienced, EVER!!!

Are we afraid to say "WHAT YOU WILL" be done with my life because we FEAR THE UNKNOWN and what GOD will require of us?  Scripture says repeatedly for us to HAVE FAITH IN GOD, but how many times do we fully and completely TRUST IN HIM?  If we TRUST IN HIM, shouldn't we willingly pray "WHAT YOU WILL" instead of telling our CREATOR what we want?  HEAVENLY FATHER, cause me to surrender to YOUR WILL and to forever be submissive to "WHAT YOU WILL" for my life!!!

"IN THE LAST DAYS!"

2 Timothy 3:1-5                    (ESV)

"1 But understand this, that IN THE LAST DAYS there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be LOVERS OF SELF, LOVERS OF MONEY, PROUD, ARROGANT, ABUSIVE, DISOBEDIENT TO THEIR PARENTS, UNGRATEFUL, UNHOLY,

3 HEARTLESS, UNAPPEASABLE, SLANDEROUS, WITHOUT SELF CONTROL, BRUTAL, NOT LOVING GOOD,

4 TREACHEROUS, RECKLESS, SWOLLEN WITH CONCEIT, LOVERS OF PLEASURE RATHER THAN LOVERS OF GOD ,

5 HAVING THE APPEARANCE OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING ITS POWER. 

AVOID SUCH PEOPLE!!!!!!"

It seems everyone, including the Pastors of many churches, has an opinion about the discontent and turmoil currently going on in "this world"!  I am currently studying (for about 4 months now) "identifying and recognizing" the enemy, and I'm thinking THIS is a perfect opportunity!!

President Ronald Reagan once said "Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face."   But I hardly see ANY references to scripture on what the solution is.  We need to realize that the closer we get to the Second Coming, scripture indicates the more wicked the behavior of mankind will become. 

Don't be surprised by the actions of modern mankind.  They are only doing what GOD has said they would do.   HE even said to the Pharisees that "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of GOD!"  The Pharisees were regarded BY SOME to be authorities on Scriptures!  JESUS was the WORD and HE knew they didn't know it! 

"IN THE LAST DAYS" people will act like the fives verses above say they will!   The WORD OF GOD IS TRUTH!  Know it!  Live it!  A WHOLE LOT of people are going to be shocked when the trumpet sounds very soon!  But we who KNOW the WORD are looking and watching with GREAT EXPECTATIONS!!!  

"I AM GOD!"

Isaiah 45:22                              (ESV)

""Turn to ME and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For "I AM GOD", and there is no other."

From time to time I get "distracted" by events of life that, in the end, will make no difference at all.  The enemy is able to cause my attention to be placed on something other than the LORD and I get caught up arguing a fruitless argument with no eternal benefit for the Kingdom.  There is an alternative and that is to "Turn to ME and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For "I AM GOD", and there is no other!"

In the NASB version of the BIBLE, Genesis 3:1 says that the serpent was "more crafty" than any other beast of the field which the LORD GOD had made.  In other words, he was able to "snooker" Adam and Eve into listening to him instead of worshipping ALMIGHTY GOD!  When they should have had their eyes on GOD, the enemy tried to convince them that he was smarter than GOD and his way was better than GOD's way!  It didn't matter that he was wrong, just that he got them to listen to and believe his version of truth and they would follow him.  

Satan's objective is still to get our minds off the things of GOD, and on worldly things.  As long as he has our focus on whatever the headlines are today, he knows that our minds can't be set on what GOD prefers them to be on.   We must remember that "I AM GOD" will not be shared with any other god we try elevating to HIS level.  When we are focused on "I AM GOD", then we can "turn to ME and be saved"!  

Being successful in "this world " usually demands us to be moving at a pace that precludes listening to THE FATHER.   The enemy is being successful if he keeps our attention on anything besides what GOD has for us!  We have to decide whether we will listen to "I AM GOD", or will we listen to the lies offered by the devil.  One offers eternal life, the other offers nothing!   As for me and my house, we will listen to "I AM GOD"!!!