MURPHY’S LAW V. GOD’S PLANS

Murphy’s Law: Version 1-If anything can go wrong it will, at the worst possible timing.
Version 2:If there are two or more ways to do something , and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it.

Murphy’s Law is a universally recognized phenomenon in this world.
As John Steinbeck said in his 1937 novella, The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men,“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
In our own strength, using our own planning we seek to control situations, account for contigencies…and then something unimagineably unforeseen happens.
Then comes the numbing realization that ultimately we are not in control.
But there is One by whom no circumstance is either unforeseen nor uncontrollable.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28The Bible is full of accounts of how “bad things” happened-as our own testimonies may be-
but the Lord turned them around for the good of those who love Him.His ultimate purposes which cannot be thwarted.
Satan is neither omniscient nor omnipresent and even while he seeks steal, kill and destroy,
God always has the final say, His eyes and ears are always inclined to those who seek after Him with all their hearts.

So remember, beloved, to keep your eyes fixed on Him.
No matter how things might look at this moment.
God doesn’t just have a good plan, He has the best plan.
He doesnt have to disclose the entirety up front, He lights the path for us one step at a time-as we seek Him.
All we need to do is trust in Him with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding
(which is usually absent when we are in the middle of a trial anyways).
It is later, when we come out of the other side,
after the trial and fires of afflication that we will begin to understand.
God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us.
Trust God’s plan!

TRUE IDENTITY

When you are asked the question:  Who are you? – how would you respond?
We live in a world where people’s identities-our own identities are often malformed, skewed.
People often take their professions and avocations as who they are, when these things are actually just what they do.
If identity is related to profession, finances, what is left when there are shakings and these things are stripped away?
The apostle Paul was of high birth and status, had a great job as a Gamaliel-schooled rabbi/Torah giant, and was highly respected …he clearly had been one who identified himself through these things, and but read here what he wrote when he “got it”:
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8 NIV).

True identity is passed down by the spirit of adoption and sonship-given by God our Father.I have written this post not as an indictment against anyone,
but rather because I am traveling down this road myself  and even now have not gotten to the end of it.
Our identities are meant to be wrapped up in knowing, really knowing Yeshua.
In Him alone can we find Light and Life, and ultimately our true identity.
My goal is singular: To be apprehended by Jesus, to remain focused on knowing Him alone.
I am focusing on the great truth that His worth surpasses everything else, but it’s not always that easy.
Nonetheless, my hope, my peace, my joy and content-my everything-can only be found in Him alone.
The demolition of the old “man” and the transformation that life as followers of Jesus brings will continue until last moment on earth.
Ruth Bell Graham’s gravestone reads:”End of construction…thank you for your patience!”“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12, 13 NIV)

ANGER

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

and do not give the devil a foothold.” – Ephesians 4:26-27

Perhaps your life hasn’t worked out the way you had planned…behind you may be the wreckage of broken dreams and dashed hopes. Expectations may have been crushed, perhaps you are dealing with financial troubles; perhaps there have been betrayals from family members or best friends that have left you reeling, even from those you trusted the most and esteemed highly. Perhaps even your own body has let you down, where you are battling severe illness or disease.

Maybe you are in the throes of dealing with the death of a parent, a child, a spouse, your grief so severe that it takes every ounce of strength just to take the next breath…
It is human nature to point our finger, to want to make a target-to blame something or someone and sometimes when that target is difficult to zero in on we focus our anger on that special Someone – God Himself, especially when it becomes really apparent that we have absolutely no control.

God.

The supreme and magnificent ruler of the universe.

Our Father, whose very Name is hallowed.

The One who sent His own Son to rescue us from death and eternal damnation.

And yet we may find ourselves struggling with a secret anger, a rage that seeks to, seemingly cannot help but to blame.

So we ask questions like:

“Where were you, God?”

“If you really loved me how could you allow something like this to happen to me?”

“I have dedicated my life to you, and yet I can barely pay my basic bills, while the evil flourish and prosper…why?”

“How much longer will I have to endure these hardships?”

“Why me, God?”

We may think that we have the right to ask these questions, some of us may think that the Creator owes us,

His creations, an answer.

He does not.

Instead we must work hard to dispell anger, otherwise the enemy will get a foothold and the result is always  terrible. I believe that this is where the spiritual disease known as “hardening of the heart” begins.

Anger grieves the Holy Spirit of God, and since He is a gentleman He will not, cannot dwell in an angry vessel.

 So beloved, if this is you- if anger is hiding deep inside, let’s resolve to get rid of it- all bitterness, rage and anger, which are breeding grounds for every form of malice. (Eph.4:31)

Then what should we do?

We do what He commanded us to- to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, (Deut.6:5, Matt. 22:37, Luke 10:27) and trust in Him with all our heart (Prov.3:5-6), and keep on thanking Him, (1Thess 5:16-18) even when –especially when- we have no earthly idea why…

He really does work everything out for our good!  (Romans 8:28)

NARROW

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
– John 14:6 NIV

When I first heard this  in 1985 I was up late, drunk, watching a tele-evangelist on TBN.
How exclusionary! I muttered to myself,,,I was enraged, my thoughts were somewhere along the lines of “what a bigoted narrow-minded statement that guy is making”! How dare this man say that everyone who doesn’t believe in this Jesus, doesn’t get to Heaven/God…if in fact there is a Heaven and a God.”
I took my anger out on the man on the TV but he was only quoting Holy Scripture the words of Jesus Himself,
who in turn was not even speaking or acting on just His authority (which is more than enough)-
but on the authority of God-Adonai-Himself:
“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—
what to say and what to speak.” – Jesus the Messiah, John 12:49
In this post-modern world it is politically correct to embrace all diversity. If you are seeking a job position it doesn’t matter what race or sex, etc. you are, what belief system you embrace.   Spiritual movements are flush with universalists and others who simply can’t grasp the idea- the reality – that there is only one way:
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.” Matthew 7:13
Without having the “mind of Messiah” a worldly mind simply can’t grasp this truth, no matter how many diplomas they might have hanging on their wall:
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1Cor.2:14 NASB

If you are irritated by this post then examine your heart and the Bible. The Lord God, King of the Universe, did not send Yeshua (whose very name means salvation) to be a doorman or a bouncer to keep people out; rather He sent His only Son to draw us- all of us- through this narrow gate-meaning only one way in- while there is still time.
One day this Opportunity, the Doorway to receive the greatest gift ever offered mankind will close forever.
Don’t miss it.
“…everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” – Acts 2:21

All Things

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  – Romans 8:28

There is probably no more recognizable image of the horrors of Hitler’s meticulous plan to exterminate the Jewish people- my people, dubbed the “Final Solution”, than the gates of Auschwitz- Birkenau. In this one massive hell-on-earth camp alone more than one million (1,000,000+) men, women, and children were gassed, shot, strangled, starved, tortured, experimented on, or worked to death. There were many other camps, as many as 15,000 in total: Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Chelmno, Dachau, Majdanek to name a few …more than 6,000,000 innocent Jewish people, and millions of other “undesirables”- gypsies, mentally retarded and disabled, homosexuals, Jehovah witnesses, communists suffered horrific deaths.  There have been countless other attempts throughout history at killing off God’s chosen people, not quite as shocking as what was revealed when Germany finally surrendered. European Jewry had been almost totally decimated, more than 5,000 Jewish communities were obliterated without a trace; homes, businesses, wealth, and other possessions confiscated. After being liberated the survivors were gathered in displaced persons (DP) camps, some making their way back to where they had previously lived, some for generations.
On the face of these circumstances the plight of the Jewish people seemed hopeless, yet against all odds and with the active opposition of Britain aiding and supplying  the Arab League nations, the modern state of Israel rose from the literal ashes of the worst genocide in the history.

“Who has ever heard of such things?
    Who has ever seen things like this?
Can a country be born in a day
    or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
    than she gives birth to her children.”Isaiah 66:8

I do not know of a more profound example of God working together all things.
God’s gifts and callings – starting with the house of Israel- are irrevocable.
You may not agree with me, but I believe that- not in spite of, but rather because of-
The state of Israel was forged out of the fires of adversity and had it not been for the horrors of haShoah
I personally doubt whether the nation of Israel would exist today.
God’s ultimate plans cannot be thwarted, beloved.
The Lord cannot be either surprised or ambushed.
He knows both the beginning and end.
I have read the end of the Book.
Adonai never promised us things would be easy,
but He does promise that as we seek Him He will be found
and He never leave us nor forsake us.
Perhaps this is why Rav Shaul aka the Apostle Paul encourages us to “rejoice in the Lord always!”

TRADITIONS

March 27, 2015  by hnemets  No Comment  Christian encouragement

One day a man watched his wife prepare a roast for dinner, and as he observed her, she cut the ends off the roast, even though there was plenty of room in the roasting pan.
“Why do you cut the ends off the roast?”, he queried.
With a shrug of her shoulders, she responded,” Hmmm, that’s a good question!
This is the way my mom makes it…”
Having had their curiosity aroused, they decided to ask her mom the same question, to which she responded,
“Hmmm that is a great question…that’s the way my mother makes it, so let’s ask her!”
So off to visit the living matriarch of the family they went, and so they asked the burning question:
“Nana, so why do you cut the ends of the roast when you are preparing it?”
She answered: “Well, simple…it wouldn’t fit in my pan!”

“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…”
Mark 7:5-9a

I was talking to my bride this morning, and since Pesach (aka Passover)  and Resurrection Day (usually referred to as “Easter”) are around the corner the topic regarding the false traditions of major Christian holidays, specifically Easter - came up as it always does. Information and truth abound, most Christians clearly know that those cute little easter bunnies and the easter eggs are glaringly pagan, as is the term- “EASTER”- yet they continue to walk in these pagan observances, bringing theses false traditions of men into their families, into the lives of their children and grandchildren.
If this is you, I ask you, without any condemnation, but with love:
WHY ARE YOU OBSERVING PAGAN RITUALS?
If your answer is because it “fun” or “cute” is not really a valid answer here.
We are talking about the act of remembrance of the Messiah’s resurrection after paying for all the sins of “the sons of Adam” with His life, conquering death once and for all…The idea that it is cute, fun and harmless is incongruous with what the Messiah Yeshua tells the people, and what the Lord Himself warned the children of Israel against. He warned them not to marry themselves to foreign cultures, religions, and their pagan traditions, but the “Church” has suffered the same fate…their holidays, the calendar, even the names of the days of the week-all pagan.
Beloved, pagan symbols are contact points to demonic entities and realms…trash these idols and slam those doors of false traditions, replace them with God-filled observances and traditions instead.

PEER PRESSURE

“Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 
Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.
See, the Lord your God has given you the land. 
Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. 
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
”Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us
and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”
The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe.
Deut.1:19-23

Moses was faithful about obeying the Lord-usually.
But there were a couple of moments, situations where he caved to peer pressure,
or at least the pressure from the clamoring of the Israelites, whom God said repeatedly were a “stiff-necked and rebellious people. In Deuteronomy 1 is Moses recounting to the people the major events of those 40 years in the desert.
As my family read this chapter last night I noticed for the first time that it was not God’s plan for 12 spies to be sent to into the land which God had already promised to give them. However because of the clamoring and pressure of the people Moses gave in to their idea, an idea that resulted in a bad report, riddled with exaggerations and unbelief. Only Caleb and Joshua had the faith to trust God and it served them well, and Joshua led Israel after the death of Moses, who only saw the Promised Land, but was barred from entering. Here Moses tells the people the price he would have to pay because he listened to his peers instead of completely do things the way Adonai commanded:
 “Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either. But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it.” Deut. 1: 37-38

Beloved, when situations arise where you are feeling pressure from those around you who may be giving you “advice” that is contrary to what the Lord through through Holy Spirit has already made clear to you, my suggestion (and Moses’ too if he were around) would be to ALWAYS heed the Lord’s clear direction.

Interesting Facts About Acacia Trees

Recently I had the privilege of hearing an great word from a great teacher and woman of God, AJ Jones,
about the use of acacia wood in the Bible.
Here are some interesting facts about acacia I gleaned from her teaching, and some other observations thrown in for good measure.
In the Old Covenant God commands Moses and the children of Israel to make basically everything for the Tabernancle and the Ark of the Covenant from acacia wood. Some items were overlayed with pure gold but everything except the golden lampstand had acacia wood at the core. So why acacia ?
Acacia (atzei shittim in Hebrew) was the only tree that grew in the desert in abundance
and was more bush-like than tree-like.
Acacia wood is dense, thorny,the grain of the wood is gnarly and changes direction.
It is resistant to decay, and happens to be unpalatable to insects making an ideal material for  building items that would need to be durable and lasting, such as a Tabernacle that would be mobile, constantly being constructed,taken down and transported as the Israelites sojourned in the desert.
The construction process was tricky as the wood could shatter if the tools used by the craftsmen were not kept sharp.

My notes fom AJ's teaching included these impressions:
"We can be like acacia wood-gnarly, our "grain" changing direction, thorny, not easy to work with.
But God loves to take gnarly things and cover them with gold.
The Lord God is not going to keep us in the desert if we seek after Him;
He is looking for a "YES GOD!"- obedience from us.
We are God's dwelling places!- if the Lord was so concerned,
caring so much about His first dwelling place then we should not be surprised about how much He cares for us!"

Here are some of my thoughts and input from other readings:

“Israel settled in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moav . They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and prostrated themselves to their gods.”( Numbers 25:1-2)

The area known as "Shittim"(pronounced "Shee-TEEM") was so named because of the abundance of acacia (a plus), but the problem was that it was a place of idol worship and low morality, which dragged the children of Israel down.
The Midrash Rabba even says that the spring of Shittim watered Sodom."
So why these specific  trees from this specific seemingly unholy location used to create the ark and the tabernacle?The Jewish sages teach  that God always “prepares the remedy before the illness.”  The use of the Atzei Shittim-acacia-was in fact the cure for the moral failures of the people in Shittim.We, like the children of Israel, have a tendency to lose our way when we begin to feel unworthy and impure. The ark of the covenant and the tabernacle being fashioned from acacia, in spite of the their place of origin was a constant reminder of God's habitation in their midst.
The ark being built of these same trees was meant to reinforce the understanding that moral failure was not a function of trees, or springs of water but a matter of choice.
God's plan to use of the same wood would be a spiritual healing (tikkun) of the sins of the people at Shittim.

-Thanks to AJ Jones, and Shorashim 

Battlegrounds

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
2 Cor.10:5

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 
Phil.4:8

So as a person thinks he becomes.It has been said that our minds are the battlegrounds where victories are gained--or lost.
We have all been there, like a battleground our thought lives are never static;
we are either gaining ground for the Kingdom of Heaven or we are losing ground to a dark relentless enemy.
We are either taking every thought captive for the Master or else the wrong kinds of thoughts
-speculations, pride, condemnation, anger, doubt, lust, among others- will make captives and slaves of us.
There is a difference between resting our minds from striving and a type of spiritual sloth
where an unattentive, unguarded mind/heart, like an untended lamp that runs out of oil,
whereas darkness creeps in as the flame diminishes and flickers dimly-eventually going out.
We are to be vigilant, beloved, so set your mind on things that are pure, lovely, excellent,
praiseworthy, things that will fan your flames and thus enable you to to walk in obedience
as you claim your battleground victoriously  for Yeshua.

Then There Was Morning

"...And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day."
-Genesis 1:3 NIV

"Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning."
- Psalm 30:5b

Did you know that nighttime actually preceeds the day?
I was at a gathering recently where a group of friends came together to celebrate the life of a friend, husband, brother in Messiah who had passed into eternity unexpectedly, and in the unanimous mindsets of us all way too soon. During the course of the evening we cried, hugged, laughed, prayed, comforted one another and listened to some of the music of this gifted young man. As I sat and listened to the lyrics of one of his songs, When The Morning Comes, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me: "Weeping may come for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
Night is synonymous with darkness, weeping and mourning; but then morning comes... and there is nothing that the darkness can do to hold back the brilliant rays of a glorious sunrise. The song was truly a prophetic word, a love note from Abba Father reminding me-as I now remind you- that morning is coming, with it the joy of the Lord, the true source of our inner strength.
Beloved, no matter what you may be going through take heart and wait on the Lord...be assured that morning is coming!

Ultimate Trust

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways submit to Him,
and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5,6

Trust: an easy concept to grasp when life is good.
The wind is to your back, the sun is shining, health is robust, finances are abundant.
Success seems to be coming at every turn,
and we gladly and happily declare that we love God, and we trust Him.
But what happens when a "curve ball" is thrown your way?
When the "sails of your ship" hang slack as you sit stagnant and still in the doldrums, an unexpected pink slip comes, finances are scarce, serious illness strikes you or a loved one, even the sudden death of a loved one leaves you feeling like you just got sucker punched-and so you wonder;
"God where are you?
How could this happen?
Why me, why them?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why?

We search and strive for answers and understanding, but there aren't any.

Back to Proverbs 3:5- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding. 

Sometimes people mistakenly think that God, the creator King of the universe, owes us an explanation, which He doesn't.

Instead He whispers to our tear-streaked faces:
"My ways are not your ways, nor are My thoughts your thoughts. 
I ransomed you from hell with the life of My only Son. 
Trust Me."

Real trust requires that regardless of any situation or circumstance we give up the right to understand.
Let the Lord of the Universe, who even numbers the hairs on our heads do what He does best.
Just know beyond the shadow of any doubt that God is for us.
Beloved, as we submit our ways to the Master, He promises that even when adversity knocks us off the path momentarily He will pull us back onto the course He has lovingly mapped out for us.

Dedicated to Abrielle Hintz Miller and the blessed memory of her beloved husband and my friend, Garrett Miller