The Offer

"See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken–that is, created things–so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”" Hebrews 12:25-29 There is an ancient Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." Interesting times are upon us. Wars, rumors of wars, mass murders, signs in the heavens and on the earth, fire storms, hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes, droughts, ancient subterranean aquifers, rivers, resevoirs and lakes drying up, rulers and kingdoms are falling, political and economic upheaval is upon the earth. What hope is there for those who do not believe? The Word says that "men's hearts will fail them", and "men will faint, even die, from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, (Luke 21:26a). The greatest shakings in the history of the world are about to take place, all to awaken the slumbering, while there is time... There are those who are not spiritually attuned who may say, " Oh, please! These things has always been going on, it's just life on Planet Earth, business as usual, but these are days that are different. I am reminded of the Misty Edward's song People Get Ready: "there are people walking round with their fingers in their ears saying da-da-da-da I don't want to hear the sound...of the coming King... The Bridegroom is looking for and preparing a lovesick and obsessed-with-the-Bridegroom Bride. He is searching the earth, looking at the hearts of men, invitations to the Wedding Feast are being sent, but somehow some are confusing the Invitation with "junk mail", and placing other things as a higher priority... "See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks..." This is a "time-sensitive offer"; do not delay and do not fail to respond! The stakes couldn't be higher or the prize greater: An unshakeable kingdom and mansions designed peronall by the Bridegroom King, Jesus, Himself. What occupies your time, beloved? Do you mourn for, long for the return of Jesus? Are you obsessed with Him, know Him intimately, or is He just a name, an acquaintance? There has never been a better time than right this moment to take Him up on the offer...you may not have another opportunity.

July 19 217

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: 
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, 
upon them the light has shined. 
For You have broken the yoke of his burden, 
and the staff of his shoulder, 
the rod of his oppressor, 
as in the day of Midian." 
Isaiah 9:2, 4 

There are dates in each of our lives that are significant and special.
We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries;
there also are dates of remembrance that stand out for a variety of reasons.
July 19 is just such a date for me.
It was a day when the Lord shattered the chains that bound me,
a day when I was awakened from a spiritual coma.
It was a day that came so suddenly, delivering me from slavery and darkness,
without expectation, with such power that even years later I find it difficult to illucidate.
Isn't that just like our God?
Never early, never late, His timing is perfection, 11:59 is always the right time.
I feel a great responsibility to treat others the same way my Father treated me even in a degenerate prodigal state...that He never stopped loving me, even at my worst.
He saw Kingdom promises in me, calling things that were not as they would become in a renewed state.
We have all been forgiven huge debts and loved unconditionally by my Father and ultimately my Bridegroom?
Much is required, beloved, of those whom much has been forgiven-US.

Paradigm Shifts

"I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. ...the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."
Luke 15:19, 20, 22-24

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

"God is love."

 Many people see God as a cruel taskmaster, overbearing, watching and waiting for them to trip up, to punish them. They believe incorrectly that God is impersonal and exacting, following their every move with a magnifying glass, rule book, and a whip, and their behaviors are managed by fear and shame, not by the beautiful, majestic reality of who He really is, and many spend their entire lives deeply longing for fulfillment. In the deepest places of our souls Jesus asks us, "Who do you say that I am?" He desires that each of us receive the revelation of Him not only as a loving, proactive Father, but our Bridegroom, one who is so close, embracing us tightly, eye to eye and able to feel the rhythm of one another's heartbeat. He desires that His love for us would be realized and fulfilled, not left unrequited. His desire is for a deep-calling-unto-deepest, to be touched and to touch His heart, involved in the most intimate relationship possible...we are able to love Him like this because He loved us first. This is contentment and satisfaction.

Battle Plans

"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."
Jeremiah 29:11

"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. 
Isaiah 54:17

 There are no coincidences.
 God's timing is perfect and everything that was intended by the enemy to harm, discourage, thwart, steal, and destroy is refuted and turned around by the Lord in His perfect timing. Yesterday we were driving in our van to a service in Kansas City and traffic had come to a near standstill, and then suddenly we were slammed from behind by another car! As we pulled off the roadway I walked behind the van and looked at the vehicle that hit us. The front was smashed, radiator was ruptured, windshield was broken and the airbags had deployed...the young man driving had only recently arrived to attend an internship at IHOP. As I asked him about his condition I could see he was shaking, but seemed physically okay and after asking him his name, the Lord spoke to me directing me to lay hands on him, pray over him, and minister to him. I saw in this young man great things as he pursues the things over the Lord... and the devil and demonic realm recognized them, too, and sought to wreck these plans using a traffic accident, and other devices. But the Lord used them to introduce us, starting another divine Kingdom connection. I know that God turned this "accident" into another divine appointment. I have met another brother, and as an older more mature brother in the Lord, I have an opportunity to pour into his life, even bringing prophetic encouragement to him. Today beloved, thank the Lord in all things, especially when seemingly bad situations happen to you, and wait with certain expectation as the Master turns it around for His good purposes!

Aliens

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” John 18:36 "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:13-16 Disciples of the Lord Jesus, of which I count myself one, are truly strangers, aliens, in a strange land, made for another age. We live and move and have our being, our identity, purposes, and the Hope of our calling, wrapped up in the revelation of who Jesus is - Lord, Master, Bridegroom, Fountainhead of streams of living water, the Living Stone, Advocate, Shepherd, Lamb of God who takes away our filth, warrior King and much more in a world that is lost, and daily we called to be ambassadors to a dying world. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Answer, the Solution, to every problem, and we can know that when we pray in His Name with His Holy Spirit directing our thoughts, our heart, that He hears us. We are strengthened and enabled, and Jesus is our power source and as we hunger and thirst for righteousness in meekness (meaning we harbor no spirit of offense that flows from selfish fleshly desires)... Today beloved, remember that you are a living stone...do not be diluted or polluted, you are the salt and light..bring Jesus' message of love, mercy, and salvation to those in your world. There are divine appointments awaiting each of us today.

The Transformer ( From Filthy Rags to Finest Linens)

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6 Secular humanism has become the equivalent of a false religion where those who hate religion tout the triumph of humanity, declaring man's innate goodness, ingenuity, and abilities...but the word of God tells us the "the heart of man is deceitful", and if we are honest with ourselves we know that in our "natural man" we are drawn to darkness and sin. Without Jesus laundering us, transforming us, salvaging us from the wreckage of our own humanity, we would be without hope...we cannot save ourselves from ourselves. But God has made the way for us. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14 God, in His lovingkindness, has taken us who were like filthy, torn, tattered, and soiled rags, and transformed us like the finest, whitest of linens, making us clean, bright and shining, inside and out, He has given us the rights to the Kingdom.

Toppling 183

"Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." 
Deuteronomy 6:14, 15 

After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. 
1 Samuel 5:1-4 NIV84


  In 2005 I began to think about buying a motorcycle, a BMW K1200LT. It was sleek, powerful, advanced, sexy, and expensive. We were planning a move, and although I had owned motorcycles in my youth, I had not ridden one in decades, but I had begun to desire this thing.
I owed it to myself, I deserved it, I told myself.
I thought about it often, had the image as a screen saver on my computer,
the brochure placed prominently on my office desk, and not so coincidentally, this consuming preoccupation came at a time when my affections towards the Lover of my soul had been waning.
 I was less than lukewarm, no, I had grown cold, had taken my eyes off the Perfecter of my faith. I was dissatisfied and in the winter of my discontentment.
 I was sure this bike would fix all of that, and so I pursued acquiring it.
 Within the year we had sold our home and relocated, and within the week of settling into our new home I bought this thing that I thought would be the answer.
But unknown to me at the time I had made this bike an idol; the Lord's jealousy and burning anger was about to be demonstrated. Although I had previously owned five motorcycles, and had never dropped a single one, not even one single time, the very first time I got on the BMW I made it to the end of the driveway, and as I came to a stop before entering the roadway my foot inexplicably slipped in some loose gravel. There in the presence of my wife, daughters, and a jealous God it leaned over just a little bit too far.  Suddenly and shockingly I realized that I could not prevent it from toppling over!
It cost $600 to fix the damage, my pride, and a back injury that still plagues me.
That motorcycle never bought me a moment of real satisfaction.
 I sold it a year later, taking a huge loss in depreciation as well.
 It took me years to see the spiritual implications, but it was clearly an event that contributed to my repentance and true awakening as God graciously revealed Himself to a broken and humbled man.
God detests every idol, every one.
Small or large, whatever the thing is, if it supplants affections that are intended for and deserved by our Master/Father/ Bridegroom, they will be toppled.
Sometimes it happens sooner, sometimes later, but it will come down, just as the idol of Dagon was toppled and destroyed in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant.
Do you have any idols in your life beloved?
What is hiding in the corners of your heart?
 We cannot walk in our intended fullness until they are toppled.
So trash every idol, every one!
 Don't try to hide any, nothing is hidden from the eye of the Almighty.
 He wants 100% of our hearts, not just 99%;
He will search out and pursue us until that last 1% belongs to Him.

The Catalyst

"We love because He first loved us."
1 John 4:19


Tonight I came home to my girls watching a documentary on 20/20 about the existence of God, Heaven, and Hell. Barbara Walters was interviewing people of different faiths, cults, denominations, scientists, and atheists.
The thing that stood out to me most was two-fold: just how many people are dead men and women walking, and the realization that we are surrounded by lost people, and secondly, the primary reason that there are so many walking dead: a twisted and false view of the very nature of God, and all that entails. The Psalmist wrote twice: "The fool says in his heart: there is no God". 
I felt such sadness to hear some of the interviewed.
I was one of them. Until April 21, 1987, I was an atheist. 
The existence of Heaven, Hell, and my heavenly Father, were no less real, but I was blind, deaf, and dumb to the supernatural spiritual until I was slammed with God's perfect love for ME, demonstrated by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus choosing to bear my punishment and death. It wasn't fear, condemnation, a sense of wrong doing, or anything else that led me to Him, other than me finally being impacted by the furious love of the Father for me demonstrated by Him paying the tremendous price of making a way for my salvation-Yeshua's very life.
Jesus said, " In my Father's house there are many rooms (mansions) ...I go to prepare a place for you...if it were not so I would've told you.."
John 14:2


Jesus' words, and the words of the Lord in the Scriptures are trustworthy and true. His furious love for me-for us-burns with a lover's  jealousy, burning with a white hot intensity like phosphorus... the single use Hebrew term "Shalhevet Yah" comes to mind..it cannot be extinguished.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord...

Passing The Baton/Finding Us Faithful

On this 236th birthday of the United States of America, a country that was founded by a devout people in search of freedom of faith and religion, not freedom from religion, I ponder the question:

Will those who come behind us find us faithful?
^"32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were put to death by stoning;^[a] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Heb. 11:32-12:2

This great country is now in a period that I liken to the days of the Judges in ancient Israel.
Ruled by godless people pleasers who pay more attention to polls and people rather than God Almighty, idolatry and immotrality abounds, the blood of the innocents who are being slaughtered daily  by the thousands cries out from the ground...
I wonder and ask the Lord , "How long can you allow this?"
We are the remnant, there is a generation arising behind us, and we must be found faithful. There is no room for pragmatism, no gray areas. There is no more time for shrinking back, shirking our duties as disciples, no more than Esther could at that defining moment in her life.
We are responsible to those behind us, we must be found faithful. There is a cost, the right choices and decisions, large and small, must be made, there is no room for staying in a complacent comfort zone...the younger and less mature are watching us, words and deeds making a mark one way or another.
I don't know what lies ahead, only our Father does, but this I know; He is looking for the faithful, who will raise up more faithful behind them.
Beloved, let us choose wisely, and be found faithful...it is our sacred charge.

Breakthrough

Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker.
³² Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. 
³³ Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 


What does  "breakthrough" mean to you? 
To me "breakthrough" meaning tearing through the thing that is holding me back, slicing through the curtain that separates me from the place I need to get to, the place I belong.

That place has only one entry point, and there is a barrier, sometimes many barriers, and just like the angels with flashing swords barred Adam and Eve from Eden, my thoughts, and deeds tainted by worldliness, or lack of focus can put on on the wrong side of the veil
Just like Adam caused his own separation , the barrier preventing my breakthrough is most often myself- my selfishness, my discontent, my fleshly thought and desires...

 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 
Matthew 27:50b-51a

Jesus is the breakthrough to abundant life, for all those who earnestly and hungrily seek after Him...the revelation of the true knowledge of all that He is shatters prison walls, tears apart veils, opens blind eyes and deaf ears, He tears down every vain and empty thought we battle with, heals our wounds, and much more than can be written...
Beloved, seek after Him, advance forcefully, a breakthrough awaits!

Impulse and Consequence

"Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright." Genesis 25:29-34 Esau was the firstborn, he had his father's favor, and all the rights and blessings that went along with such a position. This was not to be taken lightly, or treated casually, but in a moment of weakness he succumbed to his fleshly desires and impulsively traded away his most significant assets. Surely he knew better, surely his heart and mind, the spirit the Lord placed inside him screamed out: "Don't do it!", but he did... One of the ways God is called is "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob"... Jacob, and not Esau...his small moment of weakness had eternal consequences on him, and his descendants. "Make wise choices" is a phrase we say to children parents can identify with, and the rest of us have heard something like it from our own parents. It means to consider carefully as the outcome and consequences reach far beyond the moment, each choice adjusting and redefining our direction in life, moving forward on the narrow path Jesus calls us to follow Him on, or finding ourselves off course. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 As we go about life today, beloved, ask the Lord for wisdom and counsel, seek His purposes first not your own, do not succumb to impulsive rash decisions, don't be short sighted...make wise choices.

Margins and Balances

"Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:8a I've been working long days lately. The requirements of my vocation bring with it tremendous pressure to "hit the numbers", and 12-14 hours away from home are not unusual. I find myself longing for the Lord's presence, missing my time with Him, and I find myself asking for His forgiveness, and saying in the spirit to the Lord: "How long Lord, will you tarry? Where can I go right now to meet with you?" There is a tightrope we walk, the struggle for balance in life. We have various responsibilities, but there must be an order, priorities... I find that I must make Him first, keep Him first, draw near to Him... it is not God who drifts away, no, it is me; because He never changes. Life without His nearness, His presence, and His voice speaking to me is like food without spices on it- bland, tasteless, pointless-it has been said that "life without God is like an unsharpened pencil...there is no point to it." So today, in spite of the rigors of life, and outside demands, I will call on His name, call to Him as deep calls unto deep, and petition His Holy Spirit to rise up on the inside of me, that the Well would spring up, that I would never lose being lovesick for Jesus, my First and Greatest Love. Only He can satisfy.

Mountains and Molehills

"The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth." Psalm 97:5 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 "For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 Perhaps today you are facing a situation, or multiples situations, obstacles and problems that loom mountainous before us. In our own minds we may find ourselves thinking that there is no way out, no deliverance...in our own small minds we see impossibilities. Read Psalm 97:5 again..."the mountains melt like wax before the Lord"...nothing is impossible for God, beloved. Seek Him earnestly, knowing, believing, and trusting in Him, stand still and watch as these mountains dissolve, impossibilities being overturned, as His glory shines through!

Insight

"But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
    the Lord has forgotten me.”

¹⁵ “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!
¹⁶ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are ever before me."

Is.49:14-16

Lately I have a sense that so many of us are weary, beaten up, beaten down, dealing with issues both real and contrived...one day runs into the next as we deal with messes, tests, and trials....that desert experience. 

Awakening each day, unless we pause, reflect, and focus on the Author and Perfector, we can forget that His mercies, amazing grace, and incomprehensible joys are new every morning.

 I recently saw a poster online that read:" Only God can turn a MESS into a message, a TEST onto a testimony, a TRIAL into a triumph, and a VICTIM into a victory."

Amen, our plights are not unseen or forgotten.

Yeshua sent  us a helper, the Holy Spirit who is like our armor-bearer, energizer, enabler.

We serve a mighty God, who bears the name "ADONAI TZEVA'OT -Lord of the ARMIES- all around us are unseen armies of angelic armies, and our Father commands and dispatches them as He inclines His ear towards those who seek Him.

We are called overcomers, victors, more than conquerors and as we run towards the finish line there will be hurdles and more hurdles.

Stay the course, beloved, let's fix our eyes on Jesus and the finish line, let's keep on moving and as we do we realize just how light and momentary our trials and sufferings are.

Binding The Strongman

In high school, I was acquainted with an extremely strong wrestler whose nickname was "Manpower". He won every match, by his sheer strength. I recall asking him the secret of his success, and he replied, "I grab my opponent by the head, and the rest of the body follows." As we stand on the brink of revival and spiritual advances, a wind of offense blows through our ranks. "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8 Our greatest battlefield in our struggles has always been the mind. "So as a man thinks, he becomes..." That strongman, the accuser of the brethren, that we must bind, seeks to take control of our "heads" and take us captive, because we are truly as good as chained if empty and vain thoughts rule over us, and our lives will be governed by whoever rules our minds and thought lives. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Freedom from the strongman, the purveyor of lies, offenses, unforgiveness, anger, fomented misunderstandings, jealousy, can only happen as we abide in the true Vine, governed by the mind of Christ dwelling in us. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 Today beloved, choose the Captivator of the heart. He stoops down to conquer, He is a great and benevolent King, and in Jesus alone dwells freedom.

Foundations

"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 As my wife and I prepare to send off our 18 year old daughter to start a new phase of life and learning on her own, I am reminded of this scripture! It is the promise of the Lord that our children will return, again and again, to the the foundations that have been laid inside them. Thy Word, Lord, is a lamp and a light, and the Lord is our Light and our Salvation. So even if she bumps into the "guard rail" a few times, and learns to walk on the narrow path, we know she is never alone, that Jesus is always with her, that the Holy Spirit is pursuing and guiding her. My prayer is for her to be attuned to that still small voice that whispers: "This is my way, walk in it." So we look forward to what the Lord is going to do. We know there will be scrapes and bruises, prunings, but triumphs, victories, as she picks up her own cross and carries it on the path her Father has laid out for her. His word is active, living, and powerful, and will accomplish what it was purpose for.

Chasing Wind

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6 We live in a culture where happiness and contentment are vainly pursued. All manner of activities are undertaken for the sake of happiness, the elusive acquisition of lasting contentment, but apart from abiding in Jesus, there is none! No place, no activity, no thing, will ever satisfy, yet such energy is expended with the same result that Solomon achieved- Chasing the wind. The greater the energy, the more frantic the search, the greater the hunger and thirst... but apart from relationship with our Father/Bridegroom, there is no last contentment and no real life, and from deep within the parched desert way down inside, the soul cries. "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done. And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun." Ecclesiastes 2:10, 11 Where are you today, beloved? Have you found your one true love, or have you returned to Him? Cast aside everything that is a stumbling block, every idol, anything that diverts your time or attention from Him. Only He can ever satisfy the deepest longings of your heart...it's time to come home.

All I Can Do 218

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6, 7

During the Battle of Britain, one of the fiercest air battles ever waged that raged for months during 1940 over the English Channel and Britain. The resources of the Royal Air Force were so depleted, that the Royal Air marshall and the leadership of England feared that they would be vanquished by Hitler's Luftwaffe, the German Air Forces.
At this same time 100 intercessors led by Rees Howells were on their faces, day and night.
At the crucial time of this struggle, the Luftwaffe planes just turned away...and never returned.
The Battle of Britain had ended, a decisive victory claimed in prayer... one of many!

In times of high anxiety, stress, and situations when we are powerless to changes things ourselves,
we find the only thing we can do is to pray!
There is something about human nature where we always try to fix things ourselves,
leaving the most effective and powerful thing we can do-pray- as the last resort.
The Holy Scriptures tell us, that we are to use prayer in every situation, big and small,
the prayers of righteous men and women avail much.
Beloved, God is inclining His ear towards us, and He's waiting for us to ask...seek...and knock.

He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.
Psalm 62.2

Searching

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:1, 2, 7-9, 11 We spend a great deal of our time searching. Inside of every one of us is the desire to find satisfaction and contentment, and so we misguidedly use entertainment and other activities that keep us busy, filling up and taking up the time of our lives. But In His presence is fullness of joy... there is no where else that we can go, nothing else we can do, though, that will ever satisfy the longing like being in the presence of the Lord, as we put everything aside, tune out every distraction, just Him and each of us. Created for relationship with our Father/Bridegroom, this is not optional if we are to find real joy we must spend time with Him. I would suggest that perhaps it is time to consider how our time is budgeted. We have 24 hours a day in our "time bank account", how is it spent? If the Lord God is our first love, does He get our first consideration, do you get into His presence first? I will also suggest that if we fail to do this, it simply won't happen, as we get swept away in the activities of our day....this is an observation from my own life, so today beloved, search for Him with all your heart... you will find Him. "In His Presence is fullness of joy."

Recharged

"He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak."
Is. 40:29

"As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God."
Ps. 42:1

As I go through my life, moment by moment, day by day,
I am reminded by my own weaknesses and inabilities...
that I am desperate for Jesus, thirsty for His Holy Spirit, and starved for my Father's love.
It is more important even than the air I breathe. 
I deserve nothing, but on this broken and flawed vessel 
He lavishes His mercy, grace, unmerited favor, and extravagant love.
Moments of pride, idolatry and unfaithfulness leave me stumbling parched, over the desert dunes,
but even as I croak out a cry for His mercy,
it comes-suddenly- waves of refreshment, 
His joy falls, cascading and washing my spirit...
His love billows over me, deep calls unto deep,
and I am renewed, recharged

 ¹⁵ For this is what the high and exalted One says—
    he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
    but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Is. 57:15