How Far/ Lengths 106

One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.  Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.  When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 
Luke 5:17-20 

 In this passage it is clear that these men's belief systems combined so powerfully with their trust in the Lord Jesus that they will go to any lengths to get to Him with their paralytic friend.
Every normal entrance way was blocked, but they did not just walk away with a shrug of their  shoulders, saying, "Hey man, we tried, but it wasn't possible to get to Jesus."
The Scriptures tell us that these believers would not be dissuaded by any obstacles,
climbing to the roof with great effort, they broke through the outer roof and ceiling, working furiously with debris flying off as they worked, lowering their sick friend into the immediate proximity of Jesus. Often times we are in a place where we have a roof over us,
where we feel our prayers are "bouncing off the ceiling" and we are not being heard by God,
but this is not true beloved!
We can have what has already been afforded us: when belief, faith and trust combine together-
and we are enabled to tear through the ceiling and we are face to face with Jesus, our healer when we are sick, provider for all our needs, protector from every threat, lover of our souls, shelter when storms are all around us, and so much more.
How far will you go, beloved, what lengths are you willing to go to-to be in His Presence?

Compliance v. Defiance 196

"Now the serpent was  more cunning than any beast of the field which the  Lord  God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the  fruit of the trees of the garden;  but of the fruit of the tree which  is  in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you  touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 
Genesis 3:1-5

I once saw a bumper sticker that read, "GOD SAID IT, I BELIEVE IT, THAT SETTLES IT."
What a different world we would be living in if Eve-and Adam-would've trusted the Father and had been compliant, instead of defiant! In speaking to His Chosen People Israel,  God said repeatedly: "I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME."
What is it about human nature, about me, that is so innately defiant?
Why is it that the only way for most of us to learn compliance is by God allowing us to exhaust ourselves, exhaust our flawed human strivings, until we are broken and shattered?
I had to learn this the hard way, and am still learning compliance and obedience,
as defiance is worked out of, and broken off of, me.
I am a work in progress, basking in my Father's love, as His Holy Spirit whispers to me:
"Keep going, fix your eyes on Me, do not listen to those other voices, 
forge straight ahead as you focus on Me. 
As you do I promise to make all things possible."

Seeking 141

On most news stands and at check out counters at retail stores everywhere there are publications prominently displaying filth and gossip, championing self-worship,  while exploiting and exposing the dysfunction of so many pitiful celebrities, and every other vile worldly thing,  while a small discount rack off in a corner of the stores sits God's Holy Word  on a dusty shelf, or the bottom rack of some unlikely place.
 It is often not easily located , but in it is found the greatest of treasures. 

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem  and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. "
Matthew 2:1, 2, 10, 11 

The Magi went to great lengths and great expenses to find the King of Kings. 
They didn't listen to the voice or bidding of  the evil King Herod, 
the predominant voice of the natural world, whom they recognized as worthless and vile. These "wise men" were looking for the One foretold of,  whose coming advent had been revealed to their hearts and minds, but not to the high priests of Israel, 
Caiphas and Ananias, nor the Pharisees, whose hearts had become cold and hard.
God doesn't do things off in a corner, but the world we are passing through will try to obscure the Light of the World. 
Counterfeits and shiny things abound everywhere, but nothing can satisfy us, answer our longings for wisdom, meaning, and purpose except for Jesus, 
His Holy Spirit, and the power found in God's living and active Word.
In this season remember: Wise men still seek Him.

Prosperity 201

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health,
 just as your soul prospers."
III John 1:2

There is a direct correlation between the condition of the soul and the condition of the other facets of our existence. I have read this scripture many times,  as many of us have, and I have a confession to make: there have been many times in my Christian life whereas I have shuddered deep inside upon reading these words-because of the poor and reprobate condition of the core of my being, my very soul. These words are a double edged sword; a soul that is well fed and familiar with the Holy Spirit is the guiding force of a life centered on our magnificent Obsession, Jesus,
but a soul that is broken down, and guided by a seared conscience and hardened heart is in desperate straits, and when in this place we cannot deny it.
Prosperity of soul can only come when we seek the sovereign LORD with all our heart-trust, 
it doesn't necessarily mean material wealth, but a type of prosperity where the knowledge of God's Word and His promises is in perfect synchronicity with our trusting Him, even when the world we live in is turned upside down and tremendous shakings are tearing the natural world asunder, and our every need is met.
So I pray for you, beloved, for the prospering of your soul, as you experience real life and abundance   found only in Jesus.

Overboard 200

"I  would    have    lost    heart,  unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the  Lord
 in the land of the living."
Psalms 27:13

The Christmas season is meant to be celebrated with great joy, but this is also the season where more people suffer from depression than any other season. At times when I've grown depressed, cold, suffered from illness, or simply not am not feeling the Holy Presence of The Lord
I feel like Jonah-thrown overboard in stormy seas.
Sinking fast and reaching out for something, anything, but sinking anyways...
but then as my soul faints within me, I remember the LORD
and from the depths of my brokenness my prayers break forth,
going upwards towards the LORD and into His holy temple.
The LORD brings me up, bringing me back to life from the miry pit of depression,
loneliness, and darkness...
"e en though You cast me out of your sight, yet I will look again towards Your holy temple."
Beloved, Salvation is of the LORD,
Sacrifice to Him today with your voice and heart of thanksgiving.

He said: “In my distress I called to the  Lord , and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas,  and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers  swept over me.
 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight;
yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.  To the roots of the mountains
I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you brought my life up from the pit,  O  Lord  my God.
“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you,  Lord ,
and my prayer rose to you,  to your holy temple.
 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.
 What I have vowed I will make good.  Salvation comes from the  Lord .”
Jonah 2:2-9 

Illumination 203

Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. "
John 8:12

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;  on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. "
Isaiah 9:2

Yeshua is The Light.
Chanukah begins  tonight, and we will kindle the Chanukiah
( the special Chanukah menorah) lights.
The eight candles are lit off of one special candle,
the Shamash or servant,  that is positioned higher than the others:
"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted."
Isaiah 52:13
The metaphor is clear: the shamash is Yeshua, the One who is the illuminator of our lives,
both to bring us out of the darkness of sin, and to light the paths of our hearts, minds,
and souls, and the Holy Spirit is the oil that keeps that light burning brightly.
 Without Him our "candles" would never be ignited, we would be doomed to darkness,
both in this life and the eternity that awaits us all.
Walk in His light beloved...

Sure Foundations

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.
It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.
If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."
1 Corinthians 3:11-15

My daughter is 19 and not quite sure what she plans on for a profession, and I'm fine with that.
What she is doing at International House of Prayer University is building a firm foundation with Jesus as the chief cornerstone of her life.
Parents often are solely concerned with what their children will become vocationally, which is often a source of pride to the parents. The most important concern we should have as parents is that the real inheritance being passed to the children is eternal life only found by being born again, surrendered and sold out to Jesus our Messiah, and the revelation of the knowledge of God which only the Holy Spirit can give.

One of the founders of Harvard had said that "the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which all other knowledge is built.". Indeed Harvard was created to spread the Gospel. In the world we live in most people decide what they want to do for a living, without actually having any relationship with the Father whatsoever, and this vocation becomes their identity, when the truth is that the only identity we really have is we are either children of God and co-heirs with Jesus-or we are not.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 

Fixed 230

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. "
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Recently we had the opportunity to visit dear friends.
In the course of conversation and asking about others
that we knew in common we were told that, sadly, many of them had walked away from the faith.
They had fixed their eyes on men, and were not prepared for the fact that our lives, our walk with Jesus, will bring trials and difficulties.
There will be heartaches and a great deal of shaking and breaking,
and none will escape it.
Somehow many never understand that God can't use us
until all the garbage and rubbish is removed from us,
that at some point(s) we will be sifted and shaken like rag dolls in the mouths of wolves,
and we must go through the furnaces of affliction to burn off the dross of self .
Unless our eyes are fixated on Christ alone we will be offended, hurt and injured.
Instead of pressing into He who is our Hiding Place
we will revert to attempting to find peace, solace, and contentment in the world,
but it will bring only emptiness, darkness,  and pain.
Beloved,  if you find yourself far away, in such a place it's time to come home.
God, who is both your Father and Bridegroom,  awaits you!

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” "
John 8:12 

Telling Me So 1

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so..."
A famous theologian, towards the end of his life, was asked by students, what the most important  thing he had learned in his Christian walk was.
His simple and profound answer is what was stated above:
JESUS LOVES ME.
Of all the wisdom and knowledge imparted, throughout the seasons, and the weathering of life's storms, this one thing remains, and is the core paradigm that all of my thoughts about God, who is my Father and Bridegroom, my Cornerstone, my beginning and my end, and everything in between.
Jesus loves me, and I can love because He loved me first, and the realization/ revelation of this changes everything, how I think, feel, act, He is the greatest love of my life, of our lives, beloved.
Today embrace this one thing, cling to it, and never release your hold on it.
JESUS LOVES US.

Give Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.    
Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”  
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.    
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.    
The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  
 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.    
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;  
 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.    
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.    
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.    
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1, 4, 8, 9, 14, 17, 22-24, 26, 29 NIV84)

On our Thanksgiving holiday we can easily get wrapped up in the process.
There is food to prepare, and people coming and going; football games,
Black Friday sales, the reason we gather can be lost.
We have a God who delights in us, whose mind is always on us.
He desires, more than anything, for us to love Him as furiously as He loves us,
and to fear Him as a child fears a good father.
His goodness surrounds us, and we may be aware of so many things to thank our Abba for, and  barely scratch the surface, never knowing the depth, height, width, or length of  His love.
Beloved, make everyday, every moment of each day, Thanksgiving.
He is more than Worthy.

Reminders/ No Separation

"What, then, shall we say in response to this?
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–
how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
 It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”   No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. "
Romans 8:31-39

Life can, at times, bring us down when our flesh gets the better of us.
Anxiety and depression are at all-time highs, with mental health care professionals counseling record numbers of people, with record numbers of anti-depressants being prescribed.
People seek peace, comfort, counsel, and joy in things other than the only source- God Almighty, the One and only, but there is none! Nothing can separate us from His love-nothing! Remember that we are always on His mind, beloved, and how He loves us! He is for us, not against us,  He didn't spare His one and only Son -for us!  Jesus is at the right hand of our Father, interceding for us!
Today, remember that we are more than conquerors, and what our inheritance is- because of the work He finished on the cross. 

Words 290

"If a man makes a vow to the  Lord , or  swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall  do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. "
Numbers 30:2

"But  whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected  in him. By this we know that we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him  ought himself also to walk just as He walked. "
I John 2:5, 6

If it's not in writing, it's not..."

Ever heard this before? One of the most basic principles taught in law schools, is this very concept, the ideology that the spoken word, (hearsay) "doesn't count". In this post-post-modern culture we live in, many believe that lies don't count. They say:"it's negotiation", or "everybody does it".
But this is not how the Lord wants us to operate; we are to let or "yes" be yes, and our "no" be no, and promises made verbally are meant to bind! Such things are recorded in the heavenlies and forces moving in our lives are affected by how we respond to the things we say, and promises made or even implied with the intent to make another person believe we were promising something.
My father who was not a believer taught me that when you shake hands and commit yourself verbally- technically what lawyers call hearsay- that you have committed yourself .
Beloved, as believers, let us not be part of this world, operating duplicitously,
Let your word be your bond.

Divine Protection

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him,
for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” "
Psalm 91:11, 14-16

On November 12, I was traveling during a dreary and stormy morning with my wife and one of my daughters on a Tennessee highway. It is our habit to always pray for the Lord's traveling mercies and His protection all around us. The traffic was fairly heavy in both directions, when all of a sudden  a car going the other way hydroplaned, doing a "NASCAR" spin, and left the road, crossing the median - headed right towards our car! As that spinning car careened towards us, Lisa shouted "JESUS JESUS JESUS!" and suddenly the out of control car collided with a wire cabled fence. Pieces of that car and other debris were flying towards us and a few small pieces glanced off our vehicle, but we had been spared! Praise Him!
There are so many forces operating, both in the natural-and the supernatural. Jesus tells us that whatever we bind on earth is bound or loosed  in the heavenlies- the supernatural, and vice versa . Matt.18:18
We each have been afforded so many situations where our Abba has extended His divine protection,  more than we can count or realize...today beloved, call on Him who is our divine Protector !

On Fire

“I baptize with  water those who repent of their sins and turn to God.
But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Matthew 3:11

You have a beautiful custom home that is just perfect: 4000 square feet, media room, granite counters, professional chef's kitchen, beautiful master suite and bath ... there's just one problem-it is engulfed in flames and you have just 60 seconds to grab what you value most-what would you take?

Now apply this to your entire existence: not just your house and all it's stuff, but your life; your entire paradigm. In contemplating this scripture :" He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire",  Abba is clearing speaking to us: I am igniting you and now, right now, choose rightly the things that are most valuable.
Fire has many purposes: Illumination, refinement, purification, and as His holy fire burns in each of us, it accomplishes all this and more.
When we surrender, He comes..."But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap."
Malachi 3:2

Pearls/Garage Sales 209

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. "

Matthew 13:45, 46

"The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. 

The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass." 

Revelation 21:21

I have been thinking lately, meditating on the true value of knowing Jesus, and all that entails.
The metaphor of the merchant- those who are seekers of things of value, the Pearl-Jesus himself, and finally the realization that His real true worth outweighs the value of everything else.
The rich young man in Matthew 19 could not recognize that he was face to face with that Pearl, so tightly was he clinging to his stuff. I am sure that he recognized, perhaps too late, that all the things he valued that held sway over him were worthless in the end. Many of us live in a materialistic consumer oriented, western society of relatively rich men and women who are clinging so tightly to their stuff, that many would not be willing- let me restate that-are not willing- to get rid of them in exchange for the Pearl.
Paul found it, counting everything else as loss, he recognized that it wasn't an even trade!
The life he walked away from, and the things his contemporaries treasured was really just garbage.
His prayer for the Ephesians and for us?

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength" 

Ephesians 1:17-19

Jesus is our all-in-all.
The twelve actual gates of the New Jerusalem are each one enormous pearl, a metaphor for Jesus as the Gate. Without receiving Him, without selling off every other part of the idolatrous paradigm  to invest in the Pearl of great price we cannot enter in, cannot begin to know the incomparable depth and riches of the revelation of the knowledge of Jesus.
Beloved, is it time for your garage sale? 

Stirred and Shaken 153

He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give... I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” "
Matthew 28:18-20

I am having my tables turned over-again, and I will try to explain here what I'm feeling.
Two weeks ago I was given a book entitled Radical, by Pastor David Platt, which I highly recommend.
I must confess that I feel both encouraged - and indicted.
  The premise is that we are commanded to make disciples, that we are not here to accumulate material wealth, the American dream- that God's purposes for us are clear. I was unprepared for the depth of the challenges that are put forth, which are right out of the Word....that all believers are to be missionaries,whatever their harvest field is.  We are not here to fulfill an empty American dream that has linked the Gospel to amassing stuff while the world is full of those who have not heard the Gospel, who are sick and hungry, and dying without ever having a chance to know Jesus as Messiah.
I am sold out, love sick for Jesus, don't care about excess accumulation, and we have always been givers, share the Good News often, but I still have children still to raise, and a responsibility to  support my family, and dealing with recovering from a long hospitalization ...my struggles are dealing with the feeling  that I could do more...that I need to do more to share the Gospel, to make disciples, to be more and more radical. So I ask God as I continue to be stirred and shaken: Lead and guide me, empower me with your Holy Spirit, help me not to fear the unknown or be tied to stuff that may be holding me back.
I don't know if you have had any of these questions, but I am confident that as we move forward seeking Him that he will direct our steps towards radical biblical Christianity

Not By Might 269

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. 
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. 
The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. 
But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 
Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. 
Because I live, you also will live. 
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 
“All this I have spoken while still with you. 
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, 
will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
John 14:15-20, 25, 26

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. 
Zechariah 4:6 

"It's the real thing" - Coca-Cola slogan

I can't do anything in my own strength.
By myself, operating on my own, I'm just floundering about,
just barely treading water enough to keep my head above water.
In myself all I can think about is-myself.
Without Jesus, without being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit who is my Comforter, Teacher, Director, Reminder, there's only the daily grind as motivated by the concept of "self": what will I eat, drink, wear, sleep, earn, buy, sell, live- my strength and power is as nothing.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is the only way we can fulfill our purposes and find meaningful abundant life in Jesus the Messiah- without Him we can't even remember what Jesus told us (Jn 14:26). So why are so many Christians wary and fearful of allowing themselves to be filled with the Spirit?  Yes, it will be different, and even unpredictable at times because we hand over the "helm" of our lives to the Holy Spirit. We learn to hear the voice of the Lord through the Spirit:
"This is my way, walk in it.", not the voice of the accuser who wants to keep us captives.
We learn to move from the comfort zone, and we are enabled to love those who we may have despised, judged, or hated, as we realize how we are furiously we are loved, even when we despised ourselves.
Beloved, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit praise the One who fills you, and pray for the filling of those who are not. To those who are not yet filled, fear not, release the false sense of control you have  to God who is sovereign and desires to fill you up with the good stuff, the real thing, His Holy Spirit.

The Power of Weakness 291

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

2 Cor. 12:9

A tremendous storm, the result of a combining of 2 storm systems, was bearing down on the eastern seaboard of the US. We had family there, my daughter and her family, as well as brothers and sisters  in Jesus. This storm was being billed as the "storm of a lifetime", and had the potential to cause great damage and loss of life, these predictions based on natural meteorological assumptions, and discount what the God of the universe is capable of. 

When a furious storm arose on the  Sea of Galilee, his disciples who were so afraid and not understanding yet of the sovereign power of Jesus, the Son of God on whom the Father had bestowed all His authority, cried out for deliverance because they ran out of options!
I am sure they tried rowing, changed  the sails,  but finally in their weakness they called on the anme of the LORD.

There are so many situations in our lives, natural and supernatural, where we cry out to the Lord in our weaknesses when His power is perfected in our manifold weaknesses-grace.  
I am reminded by the words of the Messiah: “I am the vine; you are the branches. 
If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. "

John 15:5. 

Beloved, let our first response, not our last, be to call on Jesus in every situation, not relying on our own resources or strengths. He calms every storm, brings us through tumultuous trials;
He is the solid ground, the Rock, we must be built upon.

Haunted By Failure #168

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Luke 22:31-34

But he denied it. “Woman, I don't know him,” he said.
 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”
 Peter replied, “Man, I don't know what you're talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:57-62

Have you ever been haunted by past failures? I have, in fact, just today I was.
Faced with some decisions and looming tasks I have been charged with completing, I found myself besieged by the accuser. I found myself listening to that voice, reminding me of so many things I have fallen short in, the "would'ves, could'ves, should'ves", personally, professionally, academically, spiritually...reminding me of my weaknesses, how a lack of  college degrees and accreditation make me worthless in the professional world. He whispered to me as I sat home convalescing and on leave from my job that I am a lousy provider, a lousy father, a poor excuse of a husband, that I will never be able to fulfill prophetic words spoken into my life....
In the middle of the devil's diatribe against me, though, the Holy Spirit broke through, reminding me of Peter's life-yet again:

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2:14, 41

I identify with Peter because  he was a weak, fumbling, double-minded clod (BHS-Before Holy Spirit) who failed miserably at the moment of truth.
Is Jesus enough?
Is He worth it all, even when our very lives may be at stake?
He was able to do nothing on his own,  denying Jesus and finding himself eye to eye to the Son, whose expression didn't say - "see I told you you couldn't ", but instead a reassuarance that said',"You can do all things as you abide in Me". I thought about Peter being cut to the heart after hearing the rooster's crowing, his running away, and going back to his fishing career, for a few days, but the haunting, his failures, satan's sifting, never escaped his thoughts. Somehow though, he finds himself in that upper room in Acts 2, and we read about a Peter transformed, and the Comforter patches the cracks in the broken vessel Peter was, and forgetting what's behind him, he and the other disciples and many others move forward and turn the world upside down.
Beloved, I am not, and you are not a failure because if Jesus Christ, the hope of glory, dwells in you, we have His promises, and are enabled by the Holy Spirit- if He dwells in us. It's not by strength or might, but by His Spirit...We need to make sure there is room in our hearts for the Spirit of God to abide there though, and that means everything else has to go.
Unconditional surrender are the only terms the Holy Spirit will accept;
cast off  lies and accusations of the past and fulfill the only Plan that matters:
GOD'S.

Ordinary to Extraordinary

 "Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee.
He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. "
John 2:4 -11

The first recorded miracle that Jesus performed was the well known transformation of water into wine at the Cana wedding banquet. As I read through this in John 2 today it occurred to me that at this first event the Lord used this as a sign post as Jesus moved forward fulfilling God's mission, and the point is that the Lord takes ordinary things such as water and transforms them into wine. The banquet master declared this wine to be extraordinary! This is His business though, is it not?  It sounds preposterous to  natural minds that He would use spit and dirt mixed into mud to heal deafness and blindness, ridiculous that 5000 men plus women and children could be fed with a handful of fish and loaves, that 12 riffraff street guys could be used to turn the world upside down, and yet this is exactly how He operates.
Beloved, if we know this is how Jesus works, then we need to know how He sees us, that we are each extraordinary to Him! We are each works in progress, as He transforms us and refines us, esteemed  by the Lover of our souls as worthy vessels for the Holy Spirit to dwell in.

Keys to Emancipation 208

"This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into captivity.” 
Jeremiah 29:10-14

The 11th verse  of Jeremiah 29 is well known, much more so than the verses before and after. The prophecy deals with restoration from slavery as we seek-and find-Him, bought from the physical captives in Babylon, and the spiritual captives we can often become.
We often step right up to the shackles, so willingly allowing those manacles to  bind us to a variety of prisons and captivities. But freedom is the place we dwell when God, whom we seek with all our hearts, brings us back from self imposed imprisonment. I realize that I must constantly seek after my Magnificent Obsession, because otherwise I stand in the doorway of a prison cell.
The spiritual implication to me here is that the place we dwell, where we stand, without seeking and finding our Father constantly  is the place of captivity. We are either walking in freedom or locked away in some form of prison. The Holy Spirit, not the things of this world, nor worldly wisdom, nor vain imaginations, brings truth and freedom, to be filled with the Spirit brings deliverance, and in His presence is fullness of joy. With the joy of the Lord is our strength, so I finds all of these principles to be connected: in His presence is freedom-restoration- redemption- deliverance-joy- strength- forgiveness ,and above all-love.

The Radical

"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves."
Matthew 21:12

If I asked you the question: "Who would you say is the most radical person you can think of?", would you say Jesus of Nazareth?
After all, we live in a so-called Christian America, and in many parts of this great country there are more churches than gas stations. This is the age of the mega-churches, where feel-good messages are preached by silver tongued preachers, who can't wait to get the ushers' reports of hopefully increased attendance.
But did Jesus count the attendance metrics, or anything else, to gauge His success?
Many of our churches are no different in spirit than the courts of the money changers.
"These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me..."
Jesus is not an icon, but an iconoclast, the ultimate radical.
He came to do the will of His Father, hating the religious spirit that has always been prevalent.
He did not care about the opinions of contemporaries, no;
He came to overturn conventional thought and customs.
We are called to follow, to imitate Him, not to try and squeeze him to conform to a twisted American Dream where we aren't worshipping Him at all, but ourselves. We are called to be radicals, like Jesus, only greater, and because we can drink from the same chalice He drank from we are called to pick up our own crosses daily, to crucify the lies of materialism.
Our "normal" Christian lives aren't meant to be normal at all by worldly standards.
Beloved, are you ready to have your tables overturned?

Transparency 213

"The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."
Genesis 2:25

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Genesis 3:7, 10

Adam and Eve were transparent before the Lord before the Fall,
their physical nakedness is also a metaphor for a great truth:
there is nothing in any of us that is unseen by our Creator.
Fig leaves, clothing, lies, or other facades cannot hide anything about us,
our true condition, from a Holy God. We often try to cover things up, throwing up a smoke screen that fools some, maybe even most people, but the One who made us knows the condition of our hearts that drives every thought and action, and we remain naked before Him.
We can run, but there is no hiding, and yet so many keep trying to obscure what He knows-
and what way down deep down inside each of us  knows:
we desperately need Him and whatever the problem is He is the only answer.
It is only when  we stop running and hiding,
and admit we are laid bare before the Uncreated Creator,
confessing everything He already knows, can real life begin.

No Casual Snacking/ Diving Deeply

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever‑increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. "

2 Corinthians 3:15-18 

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.":
I pose a question to you:
If you were on the way to a banquet would  you first stop at a fast food restaurant and gorge on junk food, when the greatest pleasures are awaiting?  
 I see a connection between the scripture in 2 Cor. 3 , turning to God, hungry and thirsty, as the veil begins to be parted by the Lord, our Father and Bridegroom, who so desires to impart revelation and relationship to us. He does not desire us to casually "snack" on tidbits from Him, no, He desires that we move from glory to glory, fueled by that hunger, going deeper and deeper, not skimming around on the surface, not even in the same place in Him that we were in yesterday. 
Are you hungry beloved? There is a banquets that has been set for you ! Skip that "junk food" that surrounds us in the world and dive in.

"Blessed are the hungry, blessed are the thirsty

You said it, I believe it; I believe it, I believe it

Hunger is the escort into the deeper things of You

Deep is calling out to deep is calling out to deep

Yesterday’s depth is feeling really shallow

I’ve gotta go deeper, deeper, deeper still

And all Your waves and all Your billows crash over me

Pulling me deep, deep, deeper

From glory to glory, from strength to strength

From depth to depth, I want to fellowship with You"

You’re not so far away, it’s not too mysterious

You’re living on the inside of me, Your Spirit on the inside of me

Spring up, O well; spring up, O well; spring up, O well, within me

- lyrics from Misty Edwards, Soul Cry

The Secret To Rest 214

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Stress and anxiety are two of the biggest contributors to poor health,
I dare say even killers in this world we live in.
Without a real understanding of Jesus, and what He nailed to the cross, the promises we have as children of God can be lost in translation, hopelessness, and unbelief.
The key of this passage is our need to come to him ...when we are exhausted from our struggles of trying to make it on our own, so burdened down with sin, unforgiveness, anger, jealousy , stuck in the quick sands of life, He alone gives us- He alone can give us the rest, the shalom, the joy that we need.
When we find this holy rest, casting off our burdens for His easy yoke, we come into a new place where we can learn from the greatest rabbi/teachers ever: Jesus and the Holy Spirit. To know Jesus is to know God our Abba Father, and these revelation does not come until we take on  Jesus' yoke, and daily pick up our own crosses.
Today beloved, jettison your burdens, and learn from Jesus: He is the secret of rest.

On Our Own/Perspectives 210

“Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it?
Or an image that teaches lies?
For he who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.
Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;
there is no breath in it.
 But the Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.”
Habakkuk 2:18-20

There is no denying that mankind has a propensity to make idols.
We live in a culture swimming in idols, where  those who have gone from "rags to riches" so-called called "self made men or women", where there is often tremendous toil, blood, sweat, sacrifices made to climb the rungs of the ladder of "success", to reach the pinnacle or acquire the focus of their idol, and realize the emptiness, the "Is that all there is?" 
Everything possible is often worshipped, except the only One who is more than worthy.
We idolize our idolatrous culture, and even pastors, priests, rabbis, and politicians can become idols, worship and praise being directed at them instead of God.
Let us remember there is only One who is worthy.
We are commanded, for our own benefit,  to love Him alone with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, recognizing everything else is just a thing, a blessing if your perspectives are right, but let us be vigilant not to desire anything above an intimate relationship with The Lord, who is our all-in-all.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
Habakkuk 3:19

Real Armor 211

"I have a mustard seed and I'm not afraid to use it!"
- anonymous

"Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 
Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
1 Samuel 17:38-40, 45,47

In reading this classic well known Old Testament battle yet again, my eyes were drawn to the verse where Saul attempts to dress the shepherd boy David in his armor.  David, even as the youth he was, realized that Saul's armor, was actually a hindrance, he realized, trusted,  that only the Lord would cover and protect him. Everyone present thought that Goliath, who was huge, frighteningly powerful, and downright scary, would make quick work of David- everyone except David and the Lord Almighty that is. David had seen the power of the Lord at work too many times to ever doubt; bears and lions had been slaughtered with the bare hands of this faithful shepherd boy.

When I think about when I have been faced with various "Goliaths", the difference in outcome has been a matter of faith. God is more than able to redeem, save, restore, and deliver, and there is a direct correlation between our faith and the outcome of our situations. Our protection is not man- made but God ordained. Salvation is from the Lord.

Less Is More

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34, 35

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
John 15:10-14

Hebrew is a very economical language. It has been estimated that a 100 page English language document would be about 1/3 of the text when translated into Hebrew.
As Jesus poured into His disciples on this  Passover, He had much to say. What was the most important message, most important instructions that He had for them? Twice He tells them...elaborating in John 15: "Love each other as I have loved you". Is there any room for gossip, lying,  coveting, anger, unforgiveness, selfishness, etc., when real love and all its manifestations rules our hearts, minds, and spirits?
I am reminded of these verses constantly, especially in the course of human relational dynamics. I have to confess that walking out Jesus' most important commandments isn't always easy. We suffer hurts, agitation, aggravation, disagreements, just like Yeshua did. He tells us..."anyone who has faith in me, will do what I have been doing" (John 14:12), and "greater things than these shall we do"...
Remember that Jesus said : on these two commandments hinges the Law and the Prophets, and He used his time economically, expressing the sum of the scriptures in all it's power and majesty as written in the verses above...
Less is more...simply love the Lord your God, and one another, furiously, and let this paradigm frame everything else. 

Joyful Tears 212

"His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me."
Song of Solomon 2:6

My prayer for each of us in the body of Yeshua is that you still weep in the presence of the Bridegroom,
Just as a new bride and bridegroom do, staring into each other's eyes as they declare their love and their vows, baptized in tears of joy as they are united in holy matrimony...

How can we not weep in the presence of the Bridegroom?
What is it that we allow to steal the joy of our first love, and all that entails?
Is it familiarity, indifference, a hardened heart, or busy-ness that causes us to take the joy of being in His presence so casually?
Beloved, return to your First Love- Jesus.

Mortar and Stone 139

"As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him– you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 2:4, 5

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

"Did you learn to love? That’s what You will ask of me

Did you learn to love? Not about my ministry

Did you learn to love? Not about my money

Did you learn to love? Did you learn to love? "

- lyrics from Measure of A Man

Misty Edwards & David Brymer, 2011

What ties these three phrases together? The Word of God describes us as "living stones being built up into a spiritual house", but what holds the stones together?  It is love that is the mortar, and without it,  nothing  lasts or means anything. No ministry, no church, no teaching, no gift, no endeavor, no matter how noble your heart, means anything in the grand scope of things...if you haven't learned to love, and put it into action ( a picture is worth 1,000 words). What does love look like then? The Bible tells us that " God is love", The Father , Son, and Holy Spirit are the embodiment of love, and we are called and enabled to imitate Jesus. Jesus said : "Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength", and "love your neighbor as yourself". Brothers and sisters, love one another, shepherds, love others before yourself, visit the sick, care for the single moms, widows, orphans , mentor and encourage somebody...

Jesus said "I am the Alpha and the Omega"-let us remember that our existence and identity  as children of God and co-heirs with Jesus, begins and ends with love

20/20

"Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her."
John 20:18

The disciples who lived with Jesus for three plus years had scattered after His crucifixion and were hiding fearing persecution from the corrupt Sanhedrin;  they had forgotten all that Jesus had told and taught them...but then here came Mary pounding on the door of their hideout, " open up, let me in...I have seen The Lord!"

As a young believer in The Lord, I  recall hearing a song by Ken & Jeanne Veltz called, " Lamb of God", and (some of ) lyrics that were rhema words to my spirit years later were: "they looked at Him...but they never really saw Him. This simple but profound line impacted me so hard...in my spirit I was making a familiar drive in a wealthy part of town where there are gigantic churches, one after the other, with edifices and properties in the tens of millions of dollars and the words played on the strings of my heart again: "they looked at Him, but they never really saw Him...
Jesus' greatest desire is that we would really see Him, and know Him fully, as we have been fully known,(1 Cor. 13:12) free of encumbrances, idols, and distractions...He furiously desires to be first, not any other place in our lives except that preeminent place. Unless He is first, our vision will be obstructed , blocked  partially or maybe totally, we will not be able to fix our eyes, locking our vision on all that He is - The embodiment of Love, Grace, Mercy, and Majesty...so much more
Today focus on Him without distractions, strive for 20/20  Jesus vision.

Presumptions

"So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, 
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 
Isaiah 55:11 


I have been writing this devotional for almost two years,  the genesis and origin is quite simple: The Lord told me to. I responded initially by saying, "But Lord, I'm not a writer! In fact I don't know what I am, or what my calling is!"  The Lord responded by telling me: " Just write what I tell you to write, do what I tell you to do, say what I want you to say."
I was obedient, but over this time I have struggled with occasional bouts of pride, (like I have anything to do with this work) which the Lord promptly has dealt with, but my real struggle has been  with the issue of presumption. I have wondered, "Does anyone really read this blog? Is it impacting anyone? Why should I even bother posting it, or sending this post to this person, or that person?" I must confess that sometimes I have not been obedient and have second guessed -presumptuously and incorrectly if anyone is out there, is anyone impacted? It is a matter of trust; when divinely instructed, we must trust the Lord with all our hearts, persevere and do what we are supposed to be doing and do not listen to the whispers of the enemy who wants to discourage, kill, steal, and destroy.
I say these things as both a confession and an encouragement ;  do not shrink back or make presumptions. We sometimes just don't have any idea just how much our efforts are impacting others, or who they are impacting, so keep your "hands on the plow, and don't look back" (Luke 9:62 paraphrase).

"It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 
Therefore we do not lose heart. 
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:13, 16, 18 

Splitting Hairs

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ 
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. 
Malachi 3:8-12

In the Sept. 23, 2012 issue of the The Christian Post the front page article on the topic of giving stated that Christians are now giving less than ever : 2:43 %. The article further states that if it were 10% there would  be at least another $172B !
Here's the thing : according to this scripture, one of the reasons this nation is deluged with droughts, wild fires, one disaster after another, is directly related to  so many Christians have a wrong understanding of giving! Most people think the resources they have been entrusted with actually belong to them, which they don't- we are but stewards, and our hearts control the pursestrings and tell the whole story. I hate to be so blunt here but those who tithe little to none- throwing crumbs at the God of the Universe- shows where your heart is- you simply are not trusting God. The secret is that when we let go and trust Him for all things, becoming  extravagant givers from our hearts-giving out of need and not abundance, not necessarily to a church, but perhaps directly to someone they know is in need, without the benefit of a tax deduction or other personal benefits-that our alms are seen by the One who examines our hearts, and He will not be out givens, ever. Consider the boy whose few loaves and fish fed 5000 when handed over to the Messiah... The widow who Jesus observed putting all she had into the offering...the widow who heeded Elijah's request to use  what she had to feed him first, and then the promise of abundance, even when there was no natural remedy.
How do you treat the resources that God has entrusted to you, beloved?

Cleansing

"He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”"
John 13:6-8

It is much more than our feet that He washes...
He is a cleansing river, cascading over us,
His billows washing away filth and impurities, discouragement and brokenness,
healing our hearts, minds, and bodies...

The End and Beginning of The Age/Trumpets

The LORD said to Moses: “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.’ ” 

Leviticus 23:24, 25 

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. 

Let nothing move you. 

Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 58 

Rosh HaShana takes place on the first day of the seventh month, the end of the summer harvest season. The fall season is soon coming, the time to work, to harvest, will be over, and it is marked  by the plaintive and soul-stirring blast of the shofar. For most it is simply the Jewish New Year, a time to be happy, eat, and celebrate, just the first holiday of the High Holy Days, but this holy day in the Spirit marks and reminds those who understand, that the shofar blasts are also alarms,  promptings, that these days are drawing short, and that we all must do the work that we have been equipped for, while we can, while there is light. 

We are reminded to stand firm, and remain steadfast and not be moved. 

Be bold and be strong, beloved. Jesus is coming, and will soon come -like a thief in the night- so be aware and be found ready with our hands on the plow, our eyes focused on Jesus.

L'Shana Tova !

Close your eyes, be still and listen ... Can you hear the sound of the coming King?

Tents (Don't Consider Me Morbid)

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

2 Corinthians 5:1-6, 

Serious illness, physical disabilities, and aging can be curious things. How does one view themselves in regards to these conditions? So much depends on perspective and insight! I know many people who will not disclose their real age, when their birthdays arrive there is more mourning than celebrating! I recently was afflicted (blessed?), with a life threatening multiple-diagnosis illness, and I came very close to physical death, the veil separating this life and eternity was so thin...I was not afraid of "losing" this life, because Jesus had promised me that I will never die, that I would see Him in paradise...

Beloved, for those who have the blessed assurance, we belong to Him, and He to us, and He has paid the priceless entrance fare for us...we have an eternal house in heaven that Jesus has promised! He has prepared a place for us, for all who have believed and received Him as Lord and Savior, and with this reality in mind, every day that  passes is a day closer to being face-to-face with our Abba and our Bridegroom...and I find that so exhilarating!

John the Baptizer said, " I must decrease so that He may increase", revealing an important aspect of our existence. Our abundant life, here and in eternity, is found only as we abide in Jesus, exalting Him and  humbling ourselves.

So when you deal with anxiety, unhappiness, or discontentment as you age, or endure ailments and their consequences, consider the real process and outcome! 

Get ready, and make sure you are really "saved" (John 3:16-18), that don't just go to church or claim "Christian" because your parents were...whether we go to Him, or He comes for us, we will soon behold Him.

Wise Choices

Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

“What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor.
John 13:26-29

What was the motivation for Judas to betray Jesus the Messiah? What is for the 30 pieces of silver ? Was he jealous, what spirit of offense or greed had crept into him? Jesus called him initially and he followed...but yet he had determined in his heart to commit the ultimate betrayal, making mankinds memory of him bitter, and his name nearly unutterable.
Jesus already knew what would happen, and yet what seems strange to me is that Jesus, the Uncreated, the Savior of the World, did not try to change Judas' mind, but instead looked at him with those soul piercing eyes of fire and said the words: "What you are about to do, do quickly."

I find that sometimes in my life, if I take my eyes off His, perhaps noticing something that seems shiny or glittery ( like those 30 pieces of silver) in the corner of my vision field, I start to move down the "impulse path", and can make unwise choices! But my holy God, in all His omniscience and lovingkindness, with the power that hangs the stars in the heavens and more, will let me make my choices, which are not always wise! He sees my flawed impulsiveness, and says : "You have already made up your mind to to do this silly thing, so get it over with".
He alone knows what is in our hearts, and much of it is impurity, darkness, sin, self- motivated  impulsivity, and yet...His lovingkindness endures forever, He doesn't strike us down when we screw up, although consequences are part of our lives, but instead He draws us homewards towards the place where love, righteousness, and wisdom dwell.

Synonyms of Salvation 215

"There is no other name on earth or in the heavens by which we can be saved!"

I felt led to search my thesaurus for synonyms of the most crucial reality of human existence:
the need of a savior/ salvation:

Deliverance      Emancipation     Escape
Exemption       Extrication          Keeping
Liberation        Lifeline               Pardon
Preservation     Redemption       Release
Reprieve          Restoration         Safekeeping
Sustenance

Consider the opposites of each word as you slowly read through this list, and you will either be describing the condition God  brought you out from under, or it describes the place you may still find yourself.

Beloved, only Jesus can give you salvation! No job, position, titles, wealth, possessions, or other stuff, no other man, woman, activities, nor anything else, will ever deliver  us, or fill us- only Jesus will ever satisfy our longings.

Life and Death

"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?

Recently I went through a serious illness, and hovered between life and death. I found that as I went closer to "the veil" that what I was concerned with was the majestic radiance of being near the throne room of God, and those I loved here...but I had no thoughts or regards for material possessions, assets or "stuff"...meaningless things that count for nothing.
People that are close to death don't think about their checkbooks or earthly possessions, they have become of no value.
The paradigm that centers on eternal values, storing up treasures in heaven, is in the forefront of my mind and spirit, that which has the highest value is Jesus my Messiah, praising and worshipping Him alone.
I chose not to enslave or indenture myself to things that will pass away, rust and decay, even as many churches recite a mantra of prosperity, surrounding themselves with shiny new cars, huge houses, and vacation homes,  and other worthless trinkets...
Jesus said, " Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven..."
Everyday as we live, move, and find our being/ purpose wrapped up in following Jesus, we should be learning these  invaluable truths.
Let us use the resources we are blessed with for the advancement of the Gospel and for Jesus , not for accumulating and hoarding for ourselves...let us "waste our lives" on the one thing that really matters...Jesus.

Hard Teachings

How often have we heard a word in church that was "good",  appealing to us, building us up or so we thought?
But the truth was that it was only scratching itching ears or feeding our selfish flesh?

"Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 
“Does this offend you? 
What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. 
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”
 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
John 6:53-68 



In this passage we read that there were those who Jesus spoke to directly who walked away from Him and did not believe! Imagine...they heard and saw Jesus but because his teaching was hard,and their ears were not tickled with nice things, they left! 
What happens to us when we get a whipping from the Master,  when He grabs us and shakes us up and we are not massaged  to be made to feel warm and fuzzy?
Are we willing, are we mature enough, church, to embrace the hard teachings, the Father's rebuke, when it comes or does a spirit of offense rise inside us? No legitimate child of the King will escape 
the hard things, the corrections that straighten our path, they are a necessary part of our walk.
So let us prepare our hearts, may the Holy Spirit enable us to receive without offense and our flesh getting in the way, all that the Father has for us.

Confidence

"I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. 
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart 
and wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27:13, 14

I have no confidence in myself , but in my God, the Great Physician ( Great Everything) I rest assured in Him! This morning upon hearing a negative report from one of my doctors, this passage instantly came to me in the  Holy Spirit..." I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
Things don't always go my way...in fact they frequently don't, and why not? Because I am not God, and my Father knows what is best for me. He requires my love, my trust, He has given me a resilient new heart  that is pliable and patient....so I will wait on His timing. I am unfettered by pride arrogance, I take confidence in the Uncreated One who made me, knows me, loves me, and makes a way for me through every desert.

Letting Go 216

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. 
My Father will honor the one who serves me."

John 12:24-26 

On August 6, 2012, after a week of serious heart trouble, I had open heart surgery, replacing a mitral valve destroyed by a staph  infection. Although there were warning signs of an impending heart problem I refused to acknowledge it, instead maintained by a sense of pride in my former physical health and strength. 

It was an illusion maintained by arrogance in my former physical abilities,
I was unwilling to recognize a change of seasons, struggling against  the Most Holy God who desires to take me to a new place, a place of strength that comes through my own weakness, a place of abundant life that comes only by dying to self, and really embracing what  following Jesus means.
Do not to hold on to things that will keep us limited and earthbound, while God himself calls  us to" come up".

Recognize that even now new seasons  are coming and have come, and the death or loss of certain things may be necessary for a new harvest. Holding onto things that are already dead or worthless is like a hot air balloon weighed down by excessive cargo which must be jettisoned for the balloon to soar to its full potential.

Follow, love, serve Jesus, beloved, with all of a new heart.
He promises that we will be with Him, caught up in all He is, and honored by the Father.
To be with Jesus, unencumbered, is to enter into a place a new revelation, close encounters of the heavenly kind that will exceed anything you had previously believed possible.

Baruch Haba/ Blessed Is He

The other day these scriptures rose in my spirit: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matthew 23:37-39 This word is for everyone, not just for those dwelling in Jerusalem in Jesus' day. He is everywhere, in the marketplace, the highways and byways, standing with His arms wide open, beckoning, calling, longing for all people to come to Him, be gathered to Him, but most are asleep and unaware of the urgency, the critical importance and what is at stake. There is only one secure place, for us both now and in the age to come, and that's wrapped in His loving arms, staying under His wings, drawing so near that we can feel His heartbeat...the alternative is desolation. I describe desolation as a lonely barren place, far away from the presence of the Lord, where there is no peace, only torment. I have heard sermons on v.39, where it was preached that Jesus will not return on the earth until there is unity in the Church and we all proclaim together: "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord", but before this can happen there must be an individual cry where we each proclaim this personally, and Jesus abides in us and we in Him. Today beloved, listen and call on Jesus alone. He is the antidote to desolation and emptiness, and the cure for our flawed humanity... BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.