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

Bucking Protocol

Sometimes in life situations may arise when doing the right thing, the courageous thing may buck the standards of what is considered status quo, bucking against established protocol, like salmon leaping persistently upstream. Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, found herself in just such a situation. The name "Esther" means "hidden", just as Esther's Jewish identity was hidden from her Persian king/husband, Xerxes (aka Ahasuerus). When confronted with information of the impending planned extermination of her people by a wicked conniving enemy, Haman, she had a difficult and dangerous decision to make. It would require her bucking the protocol of the court of the king, approaching without being previously expected or invited. If her actions, violating the rules of protocol were not accepted she could be executed, but if she followed established protocol her people would perish:

 "When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai,  he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:  “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”(Megillat) Esther 4:12-16

In this day the ancestors of ancient Persia once again threaten not only the Jewish people, but the "Sunday" people, followers of Yeshua, as well as the rest of the free world. The descendants of Haman rattle their swords and rush towards creating their own nuclear arms and the desire to fulfill their apocalyptic plans. Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to buck convention and US presidential protocol, having been invited by the US congress, but without presidential admission. He brings a critical, but for many, an unpopular message, with too many willing to ignore the message because of transgressions against protocol to the risk of their own ruin, just as when Winston Churchill courageously and relentlessly, often bucking protocol, warned against the deceit of Hitler and his coming Nazi war machine.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times.
But that is not for them to decide.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
-JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

Beloved, although you may or may not be standing on an international platform-but you have a specific station and sphere of influence, You, too, have been born for such a time as this! There are no mistakes in the Lord, the maker of Heaven and earth, and He has you right where you are, right now, for a God-given purpose.  While it is not for us to decide the time we've been predestined to live in,  it is for us to decide what to do with the time Almighty God has given to us.

Revelation

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the knowledge and wisdom of God!
How unsearchable His judgments, His paths are beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?
Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things,
To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Romans 11:33-36

Repeat these verses, known as the Doxology, as couple times and think on them.
Do you feel some insight, a window that is cracked open into God’s glory?
As Paul penned the last of Romans 11:32…”so that He may have mercy of them all…”
I believe he was overtaken with yet another revelation from and about God, causing him to pen the next and last four verses.
I had read Romans 11 many times, but recently I took up the challenge extended by the leaders of Caleb Company (calebcompany.org) to memorize the entire the 36 verses.
As I memorized these verses that they were becoming embedded into the fabric of my identity.
I could feel a taste of what Paul felt.
What glory, what magnificence!
The depths of His riches of wisdom and knowledge are limitless;
We can’t even begin to know all that He is, beloved, but as we seek Him with all our hearts
He is faithful to give us a glimpse of His majesty.

Love

"We love because he first loved us." 1John 4:19
"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:13

What do you really know about Valentines Day?
Valentine's Day is celebrated today as a romantic observance, the busiest day of the year for florists and indeed the most expensive day if you're in the market for roses!
 Few know the true story of St. Valentine and there are various acounts of his life and martyrdom. There were in fact more than one "Valentine".  One such account is that Valentine was martyred for performing marriage ceremonies for Roman soldiers who had been forbidden to marry. The emperor at the time thought soldiers who were married with families would not be so willing to put themselves in harm's way in the line of duty. Valentine believed in the sanctity of marriage, and so defied the anti-marriage edict. He was eventually caught, convicted and sentenced to a brutal death.  Before he died he sent a note to a young woman, Julia, who had been healed from blindness when Valentine prayed over her; it was signed: "from your Valentine." Valentine had counted the costs of being a follower of Jesus, his greatest love, and layed down his life.

Beloved, below are a few scriptures about real love - how God loves us-from the greatest book of love stories and love letters ever written: the Bible. May they bless you richly!

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." 1Corinthianians 13:4-6

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”  

John 14:21

Failure and Success

"Many of life's failures are by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." -Thomas Edison


"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." -Philippians 4:13

By his own admission Thomas Edison, the "wizard of Menlo Park" had over 10,000 failures in his quest to invent various devices. In his lifetime he was credited with 1,093 inventions including the carbon telephone transmitter, motion picture machine, electric power station, and the flouroscope. He was credited with inventing the first light bulb, which he did not, however he did invent the first commercially practical incandescent light. 

Edison was not discouraged by failure; to him an unsuccessful test was considered a step towards discovery and ultimate success.  
God's Word contains the same message for us; we are encouraged repeatedly not to become "discouraged or dismayed", as we keep our eyes fixed on Yeshua and take that next step.
Beloved, if you find yourself tired,discouraged, and feel like throwing in the towel, look up and remember that "if God is for us, then who can be against us"!

One Step At A Time

Don Finto, a much revered man of God in my community, was once asked how he was able to sustain his walk with God decade after decade and not fall away. His response was simple, yet truly profound: "I keep my gaze fixed on Jesus and take one step at a time."

"And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying,“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt? -Matt.14:25-31

Peter responded to his Savior's call and did just fine as he kept his eyes on the LORD and moved forward, step by step. When his focused changed--the scriptures read that "he saw the wind" and the white-capped waves; his natural man's experiences and the circumstances of the moment told him that what he was doing was impossible. Immediately he sank (fell away) from walking with Jesus, until the Master came to his rescue and took hold of him. Yeshua's very first words to Peter were,"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
When Yeshua beckons us to come to Him, beloved, we can step forward with assurance and the faith of a child, our gaze fixed on Him. He promises never to leave or forsake us as we sojourn with intentionality and perseverance. Step by step, moment by moment, day after day as the years go by we run, our eyes constantly on Him  as we weather tribulations and trials until we finally hear the words, "Welcome home."

Childlike

"Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
-John 3:3 NIV

"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

-Mark 10:15 NIV

Moving through childhood, the teenage years and into adulthood is not the same thing as becoming mature. There are many positive experiences and teachable moments a person goes through that may help shape them, but there are also many experiences that wound and scar, bringing doubt, cynicism, fear, and mistrust. These experiences are the basis for the paradigm (an emotional operating system) that we come to process life through. This was the darkened lens that I saw life through; I trusted almost no one and "faith" was an unknown word to me. Cynicism and doubt were the signposts on the path I travelled on.

But when I finally saw the emptiness of atheism and my previous way of life, when I was "born-again", I truly became like a little child. As I feasted on the Word of God, faith sprung up in me. As I read my red letter bible (the words of Jesus) I knew in my heart, in my spirit, that these were the most important of life's truths. Maturity happens over time as we trust our heavenly Father, hearing and  obeying His voice. Trusting and obeying God doesn't always mean that I understand His purposes at that time. But I trust-I know- that  if He's watching over the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields, beloved, then He is holding us in the same palms of His hands on which our names are engraved.

The Discipline of Patience

"The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. 

Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran."

Gen.12:1-4
When the LORD  spoke to Abraham I wonder if Abraham realized how long he'd be waiting.

There are no objections, doubts, or questions from Abraham recorded in this passage.
God promised to make him a great nation-which meant that he and Sarah would be having children,and Abraham believed Him...ah, but patience. God never specified at this time when these things would happen; the wait would seem to stretch on endlessly. They seem to have persevered well for the first 12 years, but then Sarah buckled. Sometimes I wonder if Abraham's patience would've held out if Sarah hadn't doubted God's promise, instead proposing the not-so-bright idea of handing over Hagar to Abraham. This classic example of doubting God, giving into disobedience and impulsive hair-brained schemes is manifested today across the earth. To me it ranks as the worst sin against God right behind the Fall.  The outcome of this choice brought forth Ishmael. As Hagar was told by the Angel: "Ishmael and his descendants will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against his brothers forever." 

Sarah's patience ran out 12 years after God made His promise to Abraham, but it was 25 years before they saw the fruition of the promise with the birth of Isaac. 

Consider how long they waited. Would I even have been able to wait as long as Sarah did before doubting God, becoming discouraged and improvising a plan of my own making to "help" God? Honestly I doubt it; I have difficulty waiting on God for the answers. 

Patience is one of the most difficult disciplines to embrace, especially in this "instant" everything world we live in, and yet as believers it ranks among the most valuable and important. 

We must learn to be still and wait for his sometimes still-small-voice before we launch out in perhaps a totally wrong direction with possibly devastating consequences.

Beloved, if you are faced with difficult decisions, resist impulsive knee-jerk choices; 

be still, nix all distractions and listen. 

He sees every situation and need, including all of yours. 
Have faith, beloved, and trust that He is God.

Above

Are you living under your circumstances or above them?

This sounds so cliché, I know. You might say, "That's easy for you to say! You have no idea what I'm going through." Perhaps I might not know exactly what your particular trials may be, but I've had (have) plenty of my own.
One of the most important things I've come to know is this:

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? 
If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

The "if" in this scripture is rhetorical; God is for us; because God is for us our mouths should be filled with continual thanksgiving and praise to Him. Grumbling and complaining is actually the same as speaking death instead of life. If our testimonies and the blood of the Lamb is the prescription for overcoming, then meditating on being under the circumstances and vocalizing such through grumbling and complaining are in fact anti-testimonies.
God is pleased when our faith is evident:

"May these words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Beloved, you are made for life above your circumstances, whatever they may be, so be encouraged and convinced!

"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 8:37-39

The Enigma of Prayer Life

"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray." James 5:13

"...pray continually." ! Thess.5:17

Over and over again in God's Word we are directed to pray.
More than 600 times we are encouraged and directed by the Prophets, Apostles, disciples, and by Jesus Himself, over and over again, 
about the need to pray, and the myriad reasons to pray. 

It is a direct line, a lifeline, to God Himself:
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

But here is the crazy thing about so many who love the Lord with all their hearts but  yet have difficulty praying:
“We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there's nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all." - Oswald Chambers

This debacle is one of my own personal challenges-my natural desire is to be a "Martha", busying myself with work. It is only through being intentional about prayer life that brings me to His feet like Mary, petitioning and listening for His voice, that I am able to overcome "Martha-itis"

Whatever the need-protection, provision, healing, salvation-every and any situation-prayer is the key. It does us no good as just a concept though-we must use it. 
So let us not make prayer the last resort, beloved, but rather the first order of business.

The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. James 5:16b

Filters

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."
John 1:1-4

And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3

These words in the Gospel of John were the first words I read as a brand new baby believer, a "child" of God.
After I received and believed Yeshua (Jesus) as my Messiah and Master,
I asked God for the wisdom to understand the entirety of the Word, and I did.
The Word took root and was watered by the Holy Spirit. Receiving my Messiah though ahd taken 29 years. I wasn't born an atheist but I over time I developed  bad"filters"- layers of them: cynicism, anger, unbelief, scientific "enlightenment", and so many other things that put scales on my eyes, hardened my heart, and made me deaf to the voice of the Shepherd- keeping me from believing in and  knowing the God of the Universe, who just happened to be my Father (in Heaven) as well. When I confessed Yeshua as my Savior all of those bad filters fell away. As an "unfiltered child" I was able to see the fullness of all  Yeshua is - the Word made flesh, the embodiment of light and the Life of all men. There are good filters and bad filters, some "filters" need to be developed, principally those associated with maturing in our faith. However, there are some filters we need to guard against, the ones that allow doubt and cynicism to sprout like weeds;  we need to remain like little children. 

Are the wrong "filters" robbing you from experiencing the fullness of what God has for you right now, beloved?
Repent and ask God to "reset" your filters, bringing refreshment and renewal.

Staying At It

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." - James 1:2

Just a few days ago, resolutions were made, vows taken,
but already some of us may have slipped off the track.
Time has "gotten away" from us,
life in this hectic culture we are journeying through can just zip by...
suddenly the day is passed and as we climb into the momentary comfort of our beds
we realize with frustration and disappointment that we failed to fulfill
the day's installment of the whole-hearted commitment we just made.
My word for you friends is STAY AT IT!
Don't be discouraged or dismayed.
If God repeatedly had to cheer on the heroes of our faith (which He did) then
we are in great company.
The perseverance message-the call to STAY AT IT-
is the message woven throughout Hebrews 11,
the recounting of some experiences of those in the "great cloud of witnesses".
Don't be derailed by fear, doubt, and discouragement...
these insidious dynamics are hell-sent and hell-bent.
They smell like smoke.
Faith in the Lord, courage (He promises that He is with us,
never leaving or foresaking us),
and supernatural strength that increases
in the face of natural weakness
are the engines that will drive perseverance
in each of us as we draw near to Jesus constantly, abiding in Him.
See you at the finish line!