ISAIAH 55:5 - "The Tree Of Grace"

"Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee," (Isaiah 55:5a) I remember working on yesterdays post Sunday, and when I asked the Lord to give me an opening verse, He lead me to Matthew 13:31; 'The Parable of the Mustard Seed'. I really did not know why, which is one reason that I did not share that post on Monday, but instead did it yesterday. Even when I started the posting yesterday, I still did not have the meaning of that connection; that was the reason for the question marks. Again, this morning, while praying, the Lord has shown me something even more spectacular about this little seed, and the parable Jesus was speaking; God is so amazing! Do you know what a tree produces? Besides becoming a place where birds can hang out; it makes seeds! Have you ever wondered how a plant or tree gets started in your yard? You wake up one morning and go outside, and here is this tree starting; there may not be another one like it, anywhere around, but here it is in your yard. It is the birds! The birds bring the seeds from one place to another. Maybe they might have accidentally dropped the seed while flying over; or maybe they landed, and then spit the seed out, because they found something better. Maybe, just maybe, they actually planted the seed in the ground, so that it would provide for them later, because their nest is nearby; I'm just saying... You have to be able to see the magnitude of what is happening here in John chapter 4. After the woman leaves her waterpot to go tell all the people of her city about Jesus; they all come to see the Christ. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of men walking through the valley below and then up the hillside, coming from the city to see the Christ; and on their heads were white turbans; hundreds and thousands of little white covered heads approaching the hill where Jesus was at the well. This was the typical head wear for the men of Samaria; the common man wore a plan white covering; while those in leadership wore stripped or solid colored coverings, which specified who they were. But here were all these white covered heads making their way through the valley and then up the mountainside, to meet Jesus. When Jesus said to the woman back in verse 22: "Ye worship ye know not what", He meant it to apply for that moment in time only; because she now understood who she worshipped; and she worshipped Jesus. This was more than just a little seed planted; this was the Harvest. Instantly there was a growth from the form of a seed, to a mighty harvest; which is why Jesus started verse 35 like this: "Say not ye, There are four months, and then cometh the harvest?". This would be the typical way things would work; you plant a seed, the seed gets watered, the seed grows into a plant, and then when the time is right, you harvest; but that was not the case here. In this instance, the seed was not even able to hit then ground; it was taken instantly into the city, and then, walla, the harvest. Then as Jesus stood by the well, speaking to His disciples about things that they really did not understand, they could all see the men of Samaria coming towards them. Jesus continues in verse 35: "Behold, I say to you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."

ISAIAH 55:4 - "Leading The WAY"

"Another parable put He forth unto them saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." (Matthew 13:31 & 32) The Parable of the Mustard Seed??? If you wanted to know how to lead someone into the Kingdom of God, it would be best to take a lesson from a Real Leader. In John 4:25, the woman said to Jesus: "I know the Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things". This she said after Jesus had spoken to her about God being a Spirit, and those that worship Him, must worship in Spirit and in Truth. The first thing we must be prepared for in our life, is Divine appointments; these are encounters that have been established by God. This is something God will make a way for; but we must be willing to step out in faith, and make the contact. As Jesus sat here at the well, it says in verse 6, that He was weary from the journey; but if you remember back in verse 4, that this journey was a must; in other words, He was called to go this way. As He sat there, along comes 'The Divine Appointment'; and Jesus makes the contact. He starts the conversation with a request: "Give me to drink"; in other words, He makes her aware that she has something to offer Him that He needs. This sets up a initial relationship in their conversation where she is attentive, because she has something to offer Him; she will naturally feel drawn towards evaluating in her heart what if anything she should do, or is obligated to do. Which leads her to consider why He is even talking to her, because Jews do not have any dealings with Samaritans. Then He takes the conversation directly into the Spiritual things: "If you knew the Gift of God, and who it was that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and He would have given thee Living Water." Now, she is really curious how He can give her, when it was she that was to give to him; which made here consider the relationship between this well, the task of drawing the water, their father Jacob, and God. So Jesus deepens the description of the Living Water, by telling her that she will never thirst again if He gives her the water He has to offer, and that she will also have everlasting life. Now she is really curious what He is talking about, and asked Him to give her this water. I really think she was asking in a sarcastic way, because she really did not realize yet her need for the Living Water. Which was soon to be taken care of, when Jesus then causes her to evaluate her spiritual relationship with God. He does this by saying: "Go, call thy husband, and come hither". Remember, that this caused her to see the sin in her life, and her need for forgiveness; which then leads her to see that Jesus really might have something to give her after all; and she declares: "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet". She also tries to make it known that she knows a little bit about God, and what worshipping God is all about; and she reminds Jesus that her people are viewed by the Jews as not being able to truly worship God. To which Jesus gives her the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth; which leads us to where we started today: "I know the Messiah cometh, which is called Christ". She is brought to a point where she is hungry for the Truth, and proclaims that she is looking for the Messiah to come; because He is the Christ, and when the Christ will come, He will teach her all things. This Christ that she was looking for to come, was the Redeemer; this is what those in her land were waiting for, THE REDEEMER. The Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come and establish His kingdom, and to again establish the kingdom of Israel; the Samaritans were waiting for their Redeemer to come and to establish them. For the Samaritan people, the kingdom of Israel being established again would just mean more oppression to them; they were looking for the Christ to come and to Save The World, which included them!!! When Jesus then proclaimed in verse 26: "I that speak unto thee am HE."; she was converted in that instant. I remember the day I accepted the Lord in my heart; it was just like that. First the preacher had gotten my attention as to what my heart wanted to really know about the Truth; and then he sprung the Light on, and declared that Jesus was the Truth; WOW, did my life change. And so did this women at the well; she immediately left her water pot and ran into her city, to tell all those there that she has just meet the Christ. In verse 28-30; "The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that I ever did: Is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto Him." 'A Little Seed Can Go A Long Way In The Kingdom Of God!!!'

ISAIAH 55:4 - "The Commander Arriving"

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." (Matthew 13:44) Are you sold out for Jesus? You do know that He is coming back; right? There is something wrong with many in the church today; they are not sold out for God. In the Letter to the Church of Sardis, which is found in Revelation 3:1-6; Jesus is declaring a very strong warning to the church, and their deadness. He starts out by declaring who He is: "These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars;". This declaration is to show that this particular word, that although it is being given to the Church of Sardis, it can actually apply to all the churches; because the root cause of each and every "Nevertheless", "You Must Be", "Few Things Against", and To Him That Overcometh", is all based upon this one principle; Are You Really Sold Out For God! He continues in verse 1: "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead". Okay; I make no claims to be an authority on anything within the church, and I am not a Pastor of any church; so what I am going to say, even though it is a very touchy subject, I feel lead to share it; but I have witnessed firsthand that it is divisive. What Jesus is saying in this first verse is very, very important to understand; to "have a name that thou livest", means that you are a Believer in Christ. It means that at one time or another in your life, you accepted Christ into your heart, and became a Child of God; that you were alive in Him. It was by believing in the Name of Jesus that you were given Eternal Life; however, thou "art dead". This is hard for some to accept, but it is true; some of us will not make it. I know that those of us that believe in "Not being able to loss our salvation", do not accept this line of teaching; but it is not my line, that is being taught; it is His. In verse 2, He declares what is causing the death: "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God". See, here is the catch phase: "Thy Works"; because we know that "It is by Grace that we are saved, not of works", so the whole idea that works should matter, does not even take root in the hearts of some. These are not works that brought us to salvation, but these are works that salvation has brought to us. It really is only natural to have a hunger to serve God, and to be sold out for Him; after all, there is nothing left in this present life, that could ever begin to compare to what is ahead. In the parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13, Jesus explains some of the things which can cause those that hear the Word, receive it in there hearts, and then fall away. The first example He gives does not apply to the Believer; that is the seed that feel by the wayside; in verse 19, He says that they never understood what was sown in there hearts, and anything that was sown in there the enemy came and snatched it away. This would be a person who would accept Jesus in their heart for the wrong reason; like to have joy, or peace, or to feel God's love; He gives those things to us, but that is not the reason that Jesus died on the cross. The second example is very similar in nature, because this one hears the Word, receives it, but never really fully gives their heart over to Him; but for a moment they were filled with joy, because of the salvation they received, and then as soon as life got hard, or there friends and family turned their backs on them, they fell away; over a period of time, they are even found being offended by the cross. The third example is the most common within the church today; this is the person who hears the Word, receives it, and believes that they are Born Again Christians; however, over a period of time, they become unwatchful, and they let the things of this world creep into their lives and choke off the things of God: 'They Becometh Unfruitful'; this is not a good place to be!!! The right seed, is the one that fell on good ground; this is a heart that is willing to receive it. This is the person that is actually letting the Word of God enter into the 'Ears of their mind, so that it can be seen by the Eyes of their heart'; and He says in verse 23, "He that heareth the Word, and understaneth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty." Back to Rev 3:3; Jesus declares: "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." This is very critical for us as Christians in this world toady; we have to be very watchful of all that is going on around us, in us, and through us. If we allow ourselves to be surround by anything that is not of God, it can grab hold of our lives when we least expect it. If we allow ourselves to get out of fellowship with God, or with other believers, we can find ourselves retreating into a life of darkness, and becoming a bad testimony of Jesus. If we fail to let God work through our lives, we will not really experience what power and might He has given us by His Spirit, to overcome sin, tribulation, or anything else that this world can throw at us; we will not be able to share Jesus with others, if we are not willing to share Jesus with others. Then in Rev 3:4, Jesus declares: "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy." This defiled their garments thing is pretty deep, and I will not touch on it much today, (soon), but the point Jesus is making here, is that they have not been washed fully by His Blood; why? Because there is unconfessed sin in their lives which has not been dealt with. Sin that is left undealt with can cause us to be defiled, and the 'White Garments which are Washed in the Blood' are no longer spotless. We must confess our sin to God, as soon as He makes it clear to us that it is there, and that it is causing us to be pulled away from Him. Remember this: God is Holy and can not fellowship with sin; and the Holy Spirit within us, He is God; so if you are holding onto sin, guess Who is not holding onto you... Please try to listen what Jesus is saying in verse 5: "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels." Enough said!!! "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

ISAIAH 55:4 - "The Commander Departing"

"But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) When I was in the Navy, (long, long ago), I remember that the Quarter Master would always announce over the loud speakers, whenever the Captain was departing, or arriving. There was good reason for this, because anytime the Captain was on board, you had to be ready to meet him somewhere on the ship. Anytime he would come into a room, you would hear, "Attention on deck", and you knew that he was in your presence. Whenever the Captain was away, he would always place someone in charge; someone that had seniority, and would represent him while he was away. In Acts 1:6-11, we see Jesus giving His last instructions, just before He ascended up into Heaven. This was not just a farewell wish for us to do, but it was a command; and it was His Final Command. He too would be putting someone else in charge until His return; the Holy Ghost is running the ship while He is away. In verse 6 of Acts chapter 1, the Lord was asked a question: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel?". It seems a little surprising to me that Jesus did not answer the question about Israel being restored; but instead gave an answer about times and seasons. The reason that He was asked that question, was because the Messiah was to restore the Kingdom of Israel. Remember God's promise to David; well so did everyone else that cared. But this was not the time for that yet; because there will be a day when Israel will be restored in a whole new way; it's called The New Jerusalem, and it will be spectacular. In the meantime, we are to be busy being His witnesses to all the earth. I like how He points out Samaria in the list of places to witness; Jesus had a heart for the Samaritans. He liked to use parables about them, and He loved to minister to them. In John 4:20, the woman at the well asked Jesus in a statement: "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and you say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus replied, with boldness: "Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship you know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews." This was established way back when God called Abram, (also known as Abraham); Genesis 12:1-3: "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. " Remember something about these people of Samaria: They were half-breeds, they were Jews, but they were not considered to be worthy of being called a Jew. Back in verse 12, the woman had asked Jesus if He was greater than their father Jacob. There was something that Jacob loved to do, and that was dig wells; He was good at it, and always knew where to find the water. Unfortunately, he had a lot wells stolen from him; so he would just go and dig another one. Some people would built alters, Jacob would dig wells; it really matters what you are making available to future generations to do; because after Jesus did what He did on the cross, the alters would not be worth anything; but the wells; well they would keep on serving. Take comfort in this: Once you accepted Christ into your heart, you became a Jew; you might be a half-breed, but you are still a Jew!!! Acts 1:9-11 says: "And when He spoke these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight"; and as they stood there gazing up, two Angels stood by and said: "You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manor as you have seen Him go into heaven." In other words: "Get Busy!!!"

ISAIAH 55:4 - "The Living Witness"

"I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." (Rev 1:18) There is no greater witness of who Jesus is, than that He is Alive; He has conquered sin, and He conquered death. After He rose from that tomb, He made it known to all that He was who He said He was; period. In the letter to the Church of Smyrna, (Rev 2:8-11), He gives another witness to match the one given in chapter 1:17 &18: "These things saith the First and the Last, which was dead, and is alive." In this letter, He encourages the church to endure persecution and tribulation; to believe in the power that He has to get them through what ever comes upon them, even death. In verse 10, He instructs the church to fear nothing which we will suffer. It has always intrigued me that many of the saints that were killed and tortured over the ages, seemed to not suffer in their death; it was like something was given to them to numb the pain. Maybe it was the Holy Spirit; maybe they just were not really there, in their flesh, but instead were so focused on Heaven, that this fleshly vessel really did not matter anymore. As Jesus says in verse 10: "The devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days". These words tried and tribulation are words that should not be taken lightly. To be tried, in this text, speaks more about just going to court; it speaks about being tested. In other words, to see if you are really what you say you are; to try and break you, and cause you to deny your faith in Jesus. To see if the faith that you confess can really, really make you endure punishment and torture; even to the point of death. Imagine if you can, what it would be like to be tortured for ten days straight. They thrash you to the point that you are almost dead, over and over, for ten days. Could you endure? I don't know if I could; but I do know that if I was going to, I would surely have to be out of body, at least in my spirit. The word tribulation in the text here, is a little more than just your average suffering; this word means to be crushed; like a grape is crushed to squeeze out wine; ouch! I really hope that there is some kind of revival before the church has to go through anything like this type of persecution; because to endure this kind of punishment, you really have to be able to give up your flesh; and this modern day church is so wimpy when it comes to that. Really, when you think about it, there are a lot of brothers and sisters that could not make it through this kind of ordeal; not without some real outpouring of God's Spirit into their life. If you are weak enough to take your brother to court, or divorce your wife for no reason; what makes you think that you can take a ten day trail like this one Jesus is talking about. Maybe the church just needs to be pushed over the line, and then it will wake up and get serious about Heaven. Jesus continues in verse 10: "Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." This word faithful, means 'to be found worthy to be believed'; in other words, your testimony through this testing will show those that are testing you, that you are what you say you are; and more importantly, that Jesus is who He says He is. And the reward, oh yea; this Crown of Life, this is the highest form of life; the word is 'ZOE', and refers to the principle of life in the spirit and soul; expressing all of the highest and best which Christ is and which He gives to the saints: "The highest blessedness of the creature". This is really what needs to be the focus in our hearts and minds; that we will ultimately be given this Crown of Life, and that no matter what this world puts upon us, nothing even can begin to compare with that!!! "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." (Rev 2:11)

ISAIAH 55:4 - "The True Witness"

"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, 'Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the Truth. Every one that is of the Truth heareth My voice. (John 18:37) What is Truth? That was Pilate's answer to what Jesus answered to him; but when you think about it, the real problem with the world today, is not knowing the truth. Even in our churches, there is a real lack of understanding of the Truth of God; the truth about who God really is, why He calls us to be separate from this world, and what is waiting for us after we are done here. I really believe that the focus of our walk must be on the place that we have waiting for us, and on Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father, waiting for us to be with Him in Glory. This is the witness of Jesus Christ; as Jesus walked among us, His focus was on doing the will of the Father, so that He could bring that Truth to pass; that He would be glorified, and we would join Him in Glory. As Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, in John chapter 4; He revealed truth to her about her own life. He witnessed to her heart about the sin in her life; as she wanted to know about everlasting life, and the water He had to offer her; He wanted her to explore her own heart. In verse 16, Jesus answers the woman after she had asked Him for the water that would cause her to never thirst again: "Go, call thy husband, and come hither". Jesus knew when He asked her that question, that she did not have a husband; but she needed to confess that in herself; which she did and told Him: "I have no husband". This is what needs to happen in our hearts; that when we hear God speak to the sin in our lives, we would be able in see the contrast between what He is and what we are. The real Holiness of God, that needs to be revealed to us, is revealed through His Word; as God speaks to us through His word, our hearts must be receptive to what He is saying. Just like this woman at the well immediately realized that the words Jesus spoke were contrary to her life: 'Go get your husband'; but wait a minute, she says: 'I don't have a husband, right now'. There was a realization in her heart that something was not true, that something was wrong in her life. Jesus says: "Thou hast well said, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly." Now the truth had been revealed to her, about her; which she really already had known, but that she had not really realized. In other words; Jesus speaking the truth about her life, made it clear to her heart that it was wrong, and that she was in need of being forgiven. She begins to see the need in her heart to get right with God, as she begins to talk to Jesus about who He is, and where worship must take place. This is what needs to happen in our hearts to be able to hear the Truth; we need to be willing to apply it to our lives. In the statement above that Jesus made to Pilate, He said: "Every one that is of the Truth heareth my voice"; this is key, 'Of The Truth'; because when we received Christ into our hearts, at that moment we became, 'Of The Truth'; the problem is, and always will be until Glory, 'We Only Hear What We Want To Hear'. It really comes down to a heart thing; our hearts must want to hear; we must earnestly want to hear from God on all matters; not just what we want, but what He wants. Just like this woman at the well; she wanted to hear about this water that she could have from Him; He wanted her to hear about the Truth. This is how our lives can be changed, really changed; for God to be able to use us like never before. We must be willing to accept His Truth into our hearts; no matter how much it might hurt, or make us uncomfortable; it is necessary that we apply everything God's Word speaks to us, towards what He wants to complete in us. We have a tendency in our hearts, that when we hear God speak His Truth, we immediately think of someone else we know that what He has revealed to us will apply to. No; this Word is for you; it's for me; it's for all of us. If you hear a Word that you think doesn't apply: Thank Him , and pray that it never will; but never think that this or that could never happen to you; because it can..."If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and Just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us." (1 John 1:8-10)

ISAIAH 55:4 - "David's Song"

"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil 4:12 & 13) When we read David's Song, which is found in 2 Samuel 22, we may wonder if David is forgetting some things about his life; or maybe he is looking at his life from God's point of view. In verses 21 & 22, we see the following statement: "The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompenced me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God." As we read this, we might wonder about the sin David had committed against God with Bathsheba, and how David could say that he had not wickedly departed from his God, or how he kept the ways of the Lord; but you must realize that this is a song of God's greatness, and God's provisions to meet all of David's needs; and all of our needs also. This is also a song about the Messiah, because it is more than a final farewell, but it is like the final blessing of Jacob in Gen. 49. Just like these next two verses in Isaiah 55 are also more about the Messiah than anything else, but they can partly be attributed to the life of David. If you remember that Jesus was referred to several times as the 'Son of David'; this was based on the promise given to David that from his seed would come the Messiah. If we look at verse 4 which says: "Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and a commander to the people."; this is a verse that can definitely be spoken of David's life. If ever we needed a good witness of how God can have mercy, forgive of sin, and consider someone to be a saint; even though there was sin in there life; it is through David's life. There are some things that just have to be experience to really understand; but I pray that I never have to experience the need to ask forgiveness for sins like David committed. There is really a point to an old saying: "The bigger they are; the harder they fall"; because for David, this was more than a reality. Power can corrupt, and ultimate power corrupts ultimately; for the sin David committed, he really could not have been able to do without the power that God had placed him in. Oh, he could have sinned against God by committing the act of adultery, but commanding that Uriah be placed in the front lines of the battle, and then that those behind him retreat so that he and others would be killed; that took power. In 2 Samuel 24, we see another example of yielding power, and the cost of not yielding to God's Perfect Will. It is hard to determine why David took the census in Israel and Judah, because in verse one it says: "And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah"; but I am under the belief that he was motivated by pride. Maybe not at first, but he definitely was by the time he was done, because in verse 10 it says: "And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech Thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly". There was a very big price to pay for what David did, and God gave him the choice of three forms of punishment; one involved seven years of famine, another was to be flee three months from his enemies, and the third was three days of pestilence; David choose the three days of pestilence, because he said: "Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for His mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man". Seventy thousand men died in a three day period; God stayed the hand of the angel that destroyed the people, as soon as it came upon Jerusalem. And as David saw the angel getting ready to smite at the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite, he cried out to God: "Lo, I have sinned, and have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? Let Thine hand, I pray Thee, be against me, and against my father's house". David was told by the prophet Gad, to put up an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah; which David did after purchasing the property from him. This was also the place where Solomon built the Temple, and became the most holy place in all of Israel. Here is the bottom line to all of this: God is in control!!! You have to realize that He will bring about His will; it really matters how we want to be used in the way He brings it to pass. Do we want to do it His way, or do we want to do it our way? Either way, He makes it into His way; but one of the ways will beat us up pretty bad along the way. Even when God is punishing us, we know He has our best interest in mind, and we can trust Him.

ISAIAH 55:3 - "The Sure Mercies Of...GOD"

"Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." As we went through those few samples of David's heart, and how much he loved and trusted God, did you notice what was consistent within his heart? For David, this was not the end, but just the beginning! The thing that consistently carried him through each and every battle or trial throughout his life, was his desire to be with God; his earnest quest to wade through this swamp and make it to the other side. His heart was not fixed on this place, because he knew this to be temporary; but his heart was fixed on God, and on the house that God had established for him; the real home that God had waiting for him, to rest and live within, forever and ever. What God had shown David when he was just a child, in the field tending sheep, was confirmed over and over, throughout his life: 'This is not home; Home is where God dwells!' He knew that God would be sending a Saviour to take away the sins of the world; and that in this Saviour would be the gift of Everlasting Life; and that this Life would be in Christ. When David realized that this Christ would be of his seed, he was amazed, Why? Because David saw the heart of God!!! He understood that within God's heart was a filter, that only allows God to consider those things that are noble, pure and holy, about him; and about us. When God looks upon us, He sees us through the blood of His Son; all the sin and the ugliness of our lives are not visible to Him; they are filtered out by the Blood of the Lamb; He only sees us as righteous, justified and holy; as His perfect children. As David pondered this fact, and how God was going to use him to bring about the Saviour of the world, he was overwhelmed by God's mercy. What is the Sure Mercies of David? What is the Seed of David? Who is the Son of David? Who is the Son of God? Oh, You know that one; it is Jesus Christ!!! God's ultimate Grace that is poured out for us! His grace that we in no way deserve, but that He delights in providing for us; Why? Because of His Love for us! This is the heart of God, and His heart was revealed in David; but more than that, His heart was revealed in Jesus Christ!!! "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, To the praise of the glory of His Grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved: In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace;" (Ephesians 1:3-7) (For those that live in Shasta Lake: that means we have been JUSTIFIED!)

ISAIAH 55:3 - "God's Word Is Bigger Than The Sin"

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest." (Psalms 51:1-4) After David sinned with Bathsheba, had her husband killed, and then married her, Nathan confronts David for the sin he had committed; 2 Samuel 12. Nathan said to David: "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thy out of the hand of Saul; and gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things." Here God is reminding David of the Blessing that He had promised him, that He said would not be removed; ever. This is what God has established for David, and his seed; regardless of what David did against God; once God has made a promise, He means it. You have to realize something pretty obvious about God: He knows all things; present, past and future. In other words; He had pretty much known that David would fall the way he did; but God, and His will for David, Israel, and ultimately the world, are much bigger than the sin that David committed against God. David would have to suffer some consequences for the sin he committed; there are consequences for sin; and the list of his were pretty intense: "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised Me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of the sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun." (2 Samuel 12:10-12) David knew after hearing this word from God, that his sin was grievous, and that he was really worthy of death; this is what he felt within his heart for what he had done. He then said to Nathan: "I have sinned against the Lord". I believe that the way this comes across in the text, it really does not justify the manner in which David expressed this confession; because he had realized in that moment, the reality of what he had done. The God that he loved so much, and that loved him more than he could imagine; the God that has established a house for him, for ever, and ever; this sin that he had committed was against that God; and it broke David's heart. But Nathan answers David's plea: "The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die." David fasted and prayed for the child to live, even though God had said that the child would die; for seven days he fasted, prayed and laid on the ground, praying to God for the child to be spared. Then after the child had died, David got up, washed himself, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the temple and worshipped, and then went home and eat. His servants were amazed at his behavior, and asked him in verse 21: "What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was still alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread." Now listen to David's reply; because even though he has just lost a child, he knows in his heart that this child will be with the Lord; and that he too will be there also!; he says: "While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." This is the heart of 'The Man After God's Own Heart"; because for David, God's Word was bigger than any sin which he could have committed. This is what is meant by: "The Sure Mercies Of David". God's Word is bigger than any sin which we commit, because He has established it that way!!! When Jesus died on the cross, His death was for all sin; every sin that you have committed, are committing, or will commit in the future; God's Grace is sufficient, because His Grace is beyond measure! Now look what happens next in verse 24: "And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him". God's Word is way bigger than the sin!

ISAIAH 55:3 - "The Confirmation"

"For Thou hast confirmed to Thyself Thy people Israel to be a people unto Thee for ever: and Thou, Lord, art become their God. And now, O Lord, the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as Thou hast said." (2 Samuel 7:24 & 25) 'God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!; that was the heart of David, as he prayed before God. In chapter 7 of 2 Samuel, we see David resting on the throne and reflecting on how great God is. Then he realizes that he dwells in a house of cedar, while the Ark is kept in a tent. So he decides that he wants to build a house for the Lord; Nathan agrees, and says, in verse 3, "Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee". But that night the Lord gave Nathan a different word for David; and that word is found in verses 5-16. God tells David that He would be building a house for him, for all eternity. In verses 12-16, God is basically telling David that from his throne will be established the throne of Jesus Christ, for ever; "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever". Then verse 18 starts the prayer of David. It says that David went and sat before the Lord; I would take this to mean, that David actually went into the tent that the Ark was placed in, and sat before the Ark, praying to God. The first thing he begins to pray, is a reflection before God about how God has taken him from tending sheep, to where he was; and praising God for how He has promised to establish his house for ever. He also confirms before the Lord, that God knows him, inside and out; and that even knowing all He knows about David's weakness's and his sin, that God for His very Words sake, does all He does; because it is according to God's heart that they are done. God's heart does not change, and what He has established to be, will be; this David is confirming in his heart. He is also says, that it is for the people of Israel that God is doing what He does, and David praises God that he can just be a part of God's perfect plan for His people, as he says in verses 26 & 27, "And let Thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before Thee. For Thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto Thee". David was a man that loved God, trusted God, believed God, and had a heart for God; he could receive what God said, in his heart as true; he established it in his heart. "And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and Thy words be true, and Thou hast promised this goodness unto Thy servant: Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee: For Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed for ever." (verses 28 & 29) David realized that God, the God of Israel, was his God, and what God meant for His people, He meant for David. This is very important to remember as we try and consider what "The Sure Mercies Of David" mean in Isaiah 55:3; because God's ultimate plans for us, are bigger than us; they are as big as Him!!! "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The Lord shall send the Rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: Thou hast the dew of Thy youth. The Lord hast sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." (Psalms 110:1-4)

ISAIAH 55:3 - "The Breach Of Uzzah"

"My flesh trembleth for fear of Thee; and I am afraid of Thy judgements." (Psalms 119:120) In 2 Samuel chapter 6, we see the story of when David brought the Ark of God into Zion, (The City of David, or Jerusalem). To fully understand what happen to David's heart through this ordeal, we need to understand David's heart. He was a man in Love with God; and because he was so in Love with God, much of what David did, he wanted to do for God. In other words, he wanted God's Perfect Will for his life and for God's people. So he sought to be lead by God in all that he did; most of the time that is. In the case of moving the Ark to Zion, he was doing God's Perfect Will, he just did not do it perfectly; at least not at first. When he first set out to move the Ark, he tried to move it as if it was a piece of furniture. His heart was in the right place, it was his brain that was a little off; for he really did not think this all the way through. The first mistake he made was to not consult God's Law, regarding the moving of the Ark. In God's word, He says specifically that the Ark is to be carried by hand, not on a cart; and that it is to be carried using the staves, so no one will touch it. When Uzzah touched the Ark and died instantly, (verses 6 & 7), he died because he breached God's command. God had established this rule for a reason; for the Ark was to be looked upon as a symbol of God's Holiness, His Mighty Deliverance, His Promises to His people, His Provisions, and His Love. It's contents were the tablets on which the Law was written, a jar of Manna, and Arron's staff that budded. When David saw Uzzah had died for just touching the Ark to stable it, verse 8 says' "And David's heart was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perez-uzzah to this day"; perez means 'to break, or breach'. In actuality, the breach was against God and His statutes, not God's breach against Uzzah. In verse 9, we see that David was afraid of God, and really did not want anything else to do with the Ark. In his heart, he felt that he really had not heard from God in the first place, regarding bringing the Ark to Zion; and his heart was very displease that God would have had Uzzah die while just trying to serve God; all because he had not really heard from God. In verses 11-15, we see David's heart change from not wanting anything to do with the Ark, to wanting to do God's perfect will again. When he was told in verse 12, how Obed-edom and all his household was blessed by God because they had possession of the Ark, he immediately wanted to go get it and bring it into 'The City of David'; not because it would bring with it God's blessing upon the city, but because it was God's will; he realized that he had previously actually heard rightly from God, he had just moved out wrongly. This time he would do it right! This time he would not treat the Ark like a piece of furniture, but instead would treat it as Holy, the way God intended it to be treated. It says in verse 14, that David danced before the Lord with all his might; he didn't just dance, he danced hard; why?; because he so excited to be doing God's Perfect Will. This was not just a moving party anymore; this was now a ceremony of God's Awesome Power, Might and Holiness. This was a celebration of God's Love!!! And David was so in love with God! When his wife Michal saw him through the window as he entered the city, (verse 16), to says that the saw him leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart; why?; because she saw just how much David loved God and she was jealous. In verse 20, she came out and meet David, and being motivated by jealousy, says: "How glorious was the King of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself !" To which David replied: "It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and for the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor." ...A Man After God's Own Heart...

ISAIAH 55:3 - "The Journey To The Throne"

"Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously." (Psalms 96:10) After David had slain Goliath, he was established as a 'Man of War'. In 1 Samuel 18:5, we see the Saul has set David over men of war, and had sent him out to do battle; and it says: "and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants". In verses 6 & 7, we see that David was now getting lifted above King Saul as the mightiest of the two: "Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands"; this was proclaimed in song by the women of Israel as David would return from battle. Which caused the heart of Saul to begin to change towards David; from this point forward Saul would fear David, and David would know to be careful around Saul. It says in verse 14, that David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him; this caused Saul to fear David all the more, because he could see that David was now taking on the character of a king. In verse 16, it says all Israel and Judah loved David. Then in verse 25, we see that Saul tries to get David killed by sending him out to get one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, for the hand of his daughter Michal. Then what does David do?; he brings back two hundred foreskins of the Philistines; and Saul feared him even more; why? David had established himself as a man of integrity, and a man of God. Saul could see that there was in David a heart that sought to do what was right, and was even willing to go above that which he was asked to do; which meant that David was not content with just normal, but was driven in his heart to be exceptional. In verse 29, it says: "And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually". From that day forward Saul had tried to kill David, and David was pretty much on the run from Saul; but all the while, God was preparing his heart for leading the people as their King. He would continue his journey day by day, always seeking what the Lord would have him to do; sometimes doubting that he was even meant to be king, but always trusting that God would provide, deliver, and speak to him. The bottom line is that David never stopped believing that God was in control of everything, and that all he needed to do was wait upon the Lord. Seven years would pass from the time David had killed Goliath, until the time that he would be established as King in Judah; and eight years later he would be established as King in all Israel. For over seven years, there was war between Israel and Judah; because Abner, Saul's captain, took Saul's son Ishbosheth, and made him king over Israel; while David was made King over Judah, after Saul's death. In 2 Samuel 5:4 & 5, it gives a summary of the rein of David: "David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah. "And David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him." (2 Samuel 5:10)

ISAIAH 55:3 - "David Removes A Stronghold"

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;" (2 Cor 10:4) In 1 Samuel 17, we see the famous story of "David and Goliath"; for the most part we are all pretty much familiar with the basic storyline, and how David slew this giant; but today I wanted to concentrate on 'why'. Why did David feel so determined to go against this Philistine Giant? There had most likely been a couple years time pass, since David was Saul's Musician; in verse 15, it says that David had returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep; and then in verse 56, we see Saul ask whose son David was. So this would tell us that some time had passed, and that David had matured some; but he was still a youth, compared to the others that were at war; and especially compared to Saul and Goliath. David had been sent by his father to inquire about the welfare of his three eldest brothers. His father was getting quite old, and it may have been some time since he last saw them. As David was speaking to his brothers amongst the ranks of the Armies of Israel, he hears the words of Goliath from the valley below. Goliath had been taunting Israel for over 4o days, demanding to know why they had come out against the armies of the Philistines; that they would send out their champion to fight him; and that whom ever won, would be the other lands servants. Basically, what Goliath was doing, was challenging Israel to abandon their God; to send out someone to take him on, knowing that there was not much of a chance for a man to defeat him, and that their defeat would mean that they were to serve the Philistines. This was not the way things were meant to be for the children of Israel; God had sent them into the Promise Land, and they were to have defeated those that dwelt in the land, not become the servants of them. It says in verse 11: "When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid". David heard this ranting from the Philistine Giant, and instantly took notice; he actually stopped talking. I picture David stepping away from the conversation and walking out to get a real good look at this man that would even think about challenging the God of Israel. Then as David is gazing upon Goliath, those around him say: "Have you seen this man that is come up? Surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel". And David said, "What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the Living God? You have to understand something here; David was already thinking in his heart about taking Goliath on. He had made that determination as soon as he heard the rantings of Goliath; when David left from talking with his brothers, and stepped out to see the man who would dare say the things he was saying; at that point he had wanted to take him up on the challenge. When the others had started telling him about what King Saul would give to the man who would kill Goliath, it was like, "Bonus", and then David just had to convince the others that he could do it, especially King Saul. It really never entered into David's heart that he should not go against the giant; because as far as David was concerned, he would not be the one to defeat the giant, but that God would be doing the battle. As far as David was concerned, he was just a instrument for God to use; to destroy this stronghold that had caused the Armies of the Living God to tremble and fear about becoming servants of the Philistines. You can see this in his answer to his oldest brother, Eliab, as he scolded David for just wanting to come and watch the battle. David said: "What have I now done? Is there not a cause?". In other words: What is wrong with wanting to care about this matter? Shouldn't we all be concerned about what is going on here? Can't you see that this uncircumcised giant is challenging the Living God; who is the God that we serve; and is the same God that can, and will win the battle? This is the heart of a Warrior for God! He is constantly destroying any thought that comes out against what he knows is right, and of God... "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Cor 10:5 & 6)

ISAIAH 55:3 - "The Shepherd Anointed King"

"He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill; that He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people." (Psalms 113:7 & 8) In 1 Samuel 16, we see the story of how Samuel anoints David as king. When God told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse, He told him, "For I have PROVIDED ME a king among his sons". This word PROVIDED, means that God knew David's heart; it also means that David had a understanding of who God was, and that he had a relationship with God. Because David was the youngest of many brothers, he was given the task to tend the sheep, which was considered to be a lowly task, and not one that was much desired; that is unless you had a relationship with God. For David, this was the best job; he loved it for the opportunity it allowed for him to get alone with God. To worship God with his harp; to pray to God, and praise Him for all His Glory, as he would just sit out under the stars by night, and rise up early before the sunrise, in order to continue the praise of the night before. For David, being a shepherd was a task that was not a burden, but was a blessing. As Samuel started to consider which of Jesse's sons would be fit for king, he looked first upon Eliab, (v.6); and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him". But the Lord said to Samuel, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart". This continued until Samuel had looked at all of Jesse's son that were there; and for each and everyone, God said, "No, not this one". Then finally Samuel said to Jesse; "Are here all thy children?"; to which Jesse answered; "There remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep". So, Samuel sent them to go fetch David from the field, while they waited for him to arrive before doing a sacrifice to God. Samuel had to pretend that his reason for being there was to do a sacrifice, because King Saul was bound to hear about Samuel coming into the area of Bethlehem, and would have wanted to know for what reason. In verse 12, we see the definition of David's appearance as he comes before Samuel; "Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to". He was ruddy, (which means red); Do you recall anyone else that was described that way?; How about Esau?; interesting, (I'm just saying). But notice if you will at David's countenance; he was a man that knew God, and he had a peace and a beauty about him that was of God. Immediately, God declares; "Arise, anoint him: for this is he". Then after Samuel took the oil and anointed David, it says in verse 13; "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward". I have an interesting footnote in my Bible for this verse: [This picture of the selection of David, the former shepherd boy, to be king over Israel is important for our understanding of the coming of Jesus. In the New Testament times, it was recognized by the Jews that the Christ would come from the seed of David (John 7:42). Jesus was designated as the Christ which means "anointed", as David was here the anointed one of God (see 1 Sam 2:10). A title repeatedly applied to Jesus was "the Son of David". A comparison could also be made in the fact that Jesus came as a Shepherd (John 10:11), just as David had been a shepherd. Just as David ascended to the throne of Israel, Jesus left His work of shepherding on earth to ascend to the throne in heaven (Acts 2:30-34), which is seen as an extension of the throne of David.] When the Spirit of the Lord came upon David, I believe that at this point in his life, he was now given an inner strength. Now not only was he a man in love with God, and with a good heart towards God; but now he also had a brave heart; the kind of man you would want on your team, if you were choosing sides for a football game. He now had a "Brave Good Heart"; what a powerful combination. He soon became known in the land as more than just a Shepherd Boy; because he would now acquire a new part time job. As Saul was being removed from power, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and he became depressed; so he asked his servants for the following in verse 17; "Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me". Now listen to the description of David by one of Saul's servants; "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him". Wow; This is so interesting that David would be called "A Man of War", considering he had never fought in a war, but had only been a shepherd up to this point. And what a contrast from the description given to Samuel of David from David's own father Jesse in verse 11. So David is called from tending sheep, to become Saul's Musician, and his armorbearer; which pretty much meant that he had 'one foot on the throne'. "O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth! Who hast set thy Glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." (Psalms 8:1 & 2) Jesus: the Son of David; Jesus: the Lord of David...

ISAIAH 55:3 - "The Sure Mercies of David"

"Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He commended, and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass." (Psalms 148:5 & 6) Before we can really understand "The Sure Mercies of David", we must really know the man. To totally understand what these few words which have been written in God's Holy Word are actually saying, and the absolute power that is behind them, we must be able to understand the relationship that David had with God. The bottom line is, that David trusted God; but when I say that, I can not give what it means justice in just so little words. There is something that we must also remember when we look into the life of David: David was a Believer; he, like we, had believed that Jesus died on the cross to redeem us back to God. But for David and all those that were before the cross, they looked towards Jesus coming and paying the price for sin; we on the other hand look back at the cross, and the price that was paid. So, if you really think about it, those that that were before Jesus' coming, had the stronger faith in the cross, and the price that would be paid by Jesus. As we look into the life, heart and mind of David, there are things I feel the Lord is speaking into my heart; they have to do with a relationship with God. The most important thing to God, and what He wants most from us, is relationship; He created us for His pleasure, and His pleasure is to bless us beyond measure. If we could only see this as fact, I mean really as if it was as clear as the nose on our faces; God wants us to be blessed beyond measure, (that means you can not measure it, no way, no how). It is hard to grasp the magnitude of all God wants to provide for us; it is even hard to grasp the magnitude of all that He has already provided for us, but as we draw closer and closer towards Him, we can begin to see more and more. This is one thing that David was known for, "A Man After God's Own Heart"; because David loved to search out the Heart of God. David knew this about God; that the closer he drew towards God, the closer God drew towards him; the more that David sought to be in God's presence, the more of God's presence was revealed to him. We must also understand this about David the man, everything he wrote, he wrote from his heart; he wrote everything, believing that they applied to his life, and that God was speaking Truth into him, and through him. Knowing this, can help us understand the writings that he did, and why they are more than just words, phrases, songs, or even prophecies; they were David's heart; the heart of a man that was in love with his God. Let me give you a little sample of what I mean with a verse that I shared a few days ago: "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalms 16:11) If we look at the meaning of this verse in and of it's self, we see that it says much about God showing David the right way to experience the joy and pleasures of everlasting life. But in the verse just prior to this, we see something rather interesting: "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." This has some very powerful significance to what I am talking about; because for David, this is what he believed would apply to his life: That he would die, be waiting in hell, that Jesus would come, die on the cross, come down into hell and deliver him from there, and that Jesus' body would not be corrupted by death, because he would rise in three days. That pretty much is the verse in a nutshell. You might be able to see what I am saying, and how what David wrote applied to his life; after all, being delivered from hell is a pretty important thing to believe. "I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I will 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 rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.".....LORD; Thy Will; Not Mine!!!

ISAIAH 55:3 - "The Everlasting Covenant"

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Once God has made a covenant with us, He does not break His word. We may go back on our word, but He will never, ever go back on His; Why? Because He is Faithful and True! He is faithful to what He has established, and He is true to His word. Let's take a look for a moment at this little illustration found in Luke 8:22-25; which by the way is also in Matthew and Mark also; I am using Luke because it is more direct and to the point. Here we see Jesus getting into a boat with His disciples, and He says: "Let us go over unto the other side of the lake."; so they launch out, heading for the other side. As they sailed out to go across, Jesus goes to sleep, being tired from ministering to many, and then comes a storm of wind on the lake and the boat was filling with water. The disciples panic, for they fear that their lives are in jeopardy; Jesus on the other hand, continued to sleep. So they come to Him, waking Him up, and say: "Master, Master, we perish."; so He rose up and rebuked the storm. The wind and the waves ceased, and there was a calm; and then He asked them this: "Where is your faith?". Why did Jesus not care about the storm and continued to sleep through it? Because, He said, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake"; not let's try to go over; or if the Father wills, we will get to the other side. No, He said, "We are going over to the other side"; for Him the storm was just a lullaby to help Him sleep; to the disciples the storm was a disaster. This is the difference between two different worlds; one world is of the Spirit, while the other world is of the flesh. In one world the promises of God matter, they stand for Truth, and they are taken literally as meaning what they say. In the other world, they are surrounded by maybe, and doubt; if only I can make it through this storm; or that His word does not apply to us, or in our situation. This is the type of Living that I am talking about. The type that believes God's Word is True and Faithful; that believes when He says, "I am going to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you shall be also.", He means it. It is that old saying, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!"; what ever happen to that saying?; it really does not seem to be used as much as it once was. I am beginning to think that many of us have bought into the notion of: 'Could, Should, Would'; instead of : 'Can, Shalt, Will'. Where we put more merit into the things we see happening to us and around us, then into the promises of God. I think it may have something to do with how we see God; how we view Him in the relationship to this that we see. It also has a lot to do with how we view ourselves, and in the relationship we are in with Him. When Jesus said, "I will never leave you, or forsake you"; He meant it! When He said, "Come unto me you who are weary, and I will give you rest"; He meant it! When He said, "I go to prepare a place for you"; He meant that too! So, if we know that these things are true, then why would we let a little storm cause us to feel devastated. I know people who actually pay good money to ride in boats that get tossed and turned in the water. If we know where we will end up, why can't we just try and enjoy the ride? I think the reason that we do not feel comfort in times of trouble, is because we are so focused on ourselves; on our needs, our wants, and our worldly comforts; but this stuff is sinking fast, and if we focus on these, we are in for disaster. We must be focused on Jesus, His promises, and where it is that He said we are going; knowing that no matter what, "He said it, I believe it, and that settles it!!!". "Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. If that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us, even eternal life." (1 John 2:24 & 25)

ISAIAH 55:3 - "Real Living"

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; " (Ephesians 5:1-3) I need to be serious for a moment; Why? Because this is serious stuff we are dealing with. What we need to be about living, is for Jesus; this is our reasonable service. We need to quit living for ourselves, and start living for Him. In Jesus we have eternal life! What is the Grace of God that has been poured out for us? It is Jesus!!! Right about now, you might be thinking, "How can this be?". In Jesus is the Godhead fully. In Him was everything created; and nothing that was, or will be, was not made by Him; the Father has established it that way. We need to be living for Him and begin walking in the authority that He has given us. Yes, I said authority! When our souls are living for and long to be in His presence, and when we are filled with the Holy Spirit; then there are now two against one; and guess who the one is that get defeated; it is the flesh. You may have noticed that I have been sharing a lot about God's Perfect Will, and about making the right choices; it is really quite simple: We must choose Life; real life; and that life is in Christ. Why are so many Christians falling away? Why is the divorce rate among Christians the same as the world? Why are our children so confused about the Truth? Could it be that so many of us are not really living for Christ? Could it be that the reason we are not living completely for Him, is that we are trapped in living for ourselves? All things have been established in Jesus Christ, and to begin to experience Real Living, we must establish our hearts in Him. He is standing at the door, knocking, waiting for us to open the door and actually let Him in; not to just open the door and fellowship; but to actually let Him in and take up residence; and then let Him clean house. We really can not experience what Real Living in the Kingdom of God is until we do that! What is the Living Water that flows from God's throne, into us, and through us? It is Jesus!!! He must flow through us, like the blood within our veins; because in Him is Life, just like our blood is life to our flesh; He is Life to our souls. Now, let me talk about something a little harder than 'unforgiveness'. It is called: 'Making provision for the flesh'; and it is a more deadly cancer to our walk than unforgiveness; period. What does it mean to make provision for the flesh? Well, let me ask this: What does it mean to make provision for your family? It is not to be providing for their current needs; but rather to stock up for them in the event something were to happen to you. Do you see the ramification of what I am saying? When we make provision for the flesh, we are putting something away, that we may use it when we need it. In other words; there is something which causes us to sin, which we know we must avoid; but yet, we have hidden it away somewhere just in case we want it later. Remember what I said before: 'We always want to hold onto something'; it is only natural; but we must choose to become supernatural. Jesus wants us to give it all away; all means all. Satan is called the accuser of the brethern, and he is called that for a reason. Not only does he accuse us before God, but he accuses us to ourselves. If we still have things hidden away, for that rainy day; he will bring it out and use it against us. He will actually be able to hinder our walk; How? Because even though he is a liar, when he accuses us in these things, he is not; and we will know it. Therefore, when we put those things out of our lives for good, we can stand boldly before our accuser, and say: "You are a liar; be gone!". When the apostle Paul said, "Let it not once be named among you"; he meant that it should not be named by anyone, anything, or even of ourselves. "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."

ISAIAH 55:3 - "TRUE FORGIVENESS"

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live;" Like Nacho would say, "Let's get down to the nitty-gritty". What is true forgiveness? It is Love! We really can not know the heart of God, unless we experience His Mighty Love! You can try to hear all you want, and you can try and see all you can; but unless you open up your heart and receive His Love, it is all for nothing,(that means noughta for you; you know where you are). We really can not see how much He loves us, without opening the eyes of our hearts. Jesus did not just go to the cross to die for our sins; He went to the cross to give us life; life everlasting, with Him. This is the Love of God! He did not just forgive us of our sins, but He pours out to us Love beyond measure, (that means you can not measure it; you know who you are). I can write this blog on and on, everyday till I am 'Avitared', but until His Love is revealed in our hearts, it is really all for nothing; just words and postings; things that sound interesting and maybe cause us to think. Because if we really loved God, I mean really loved Him, then we would not hate our brother. Say What? What are you talking about? I don't hate my brother!!! Really? Let me ask you this: Do you ever think ill of your brother? Do you ever wish for them to stumble? Do you ever take solace when they fall? We need to check our hearts; because our heart is desperately wicked, and will want to feel better about itself, even at the expense of others. When we feel this way towards another, we need to repent and ask for forgiveness; and if we have spoken out anything in murmurings or gossip, then we must also ask forgiveness of our brother. We can not really understand the Love of God unless we live it; and we can not live it unless we have received it. Maybe, just maybe you never really received it? What! Are you saying I am not saved? No; that is between you and God. What I am saying is that you thought you did; but really you just received His offer of forgiveness and then went out about doing your life. Let me ask you this: Do you love your brother? Would you lay down your life for your brother? We can claim that we have received God's forgiveness and think that we know what His love is all about; but if it hasn't cause a change in us, then we need to check our heart; our life depends on it. Wow, that wasn't so hard was it? I am glad I choose to look at unforgiveness instead of a real heavy one like 'uncleanness', (that means dirty, oh never mind). If you said that the Living Water is God's Love, you are partially right... "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that He sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." (1 John 4:9)

ISAIAH 55:3 - "Incline Your Ear"

"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37 & 38) "Incline your ear, and come unto Me": 'To listen with attention to detail'. We must allow God's Word to go deep into our souls; that it may root out all that is not of Him. There may be something that I have forgotten to clarify or to address directly, (no time like the present); and that is the hurt. When we sin against God or one another, or if someone sins against us; there is hurt. This is natural for us to have, at least it was, as a natural man; but we are now Supernatural, and in this new creation in Christ Jesus, there is no hurt either. Why? Because Jesus has taken our pains away, (that means hurts for you in Rio Linda). Remember what I said before: 'We naturally always want to hold onto something'; but He wants us to give it all to Him; even the hurt. Let's look again at our old friend, the one forgiven much. Do you think that after the king forgave him of his debt, that the king then turned to his scribe and said: "Make a note of this, in case he is ever before me again."; No, that is not what forgiveness is all about. When God forgives us of our sins, He forgets the sin also. He does not hold the sin against us! Likewise, when we forgive others, we are not to hold what they did to us against them; but that is what hurt does. Because when we still hold the hurt in our hearts, then we are still being hurt by that which was done; this is not true forgiveness. Imagine for a moment, that our friend had found his fellow servant that owed him little, and had said, "I forgive you of the debt that you owe me"; and then turned right around and said in his heart, "I wish I hadn't done that"; he would have forgotten him outwardly, but inwardly he did not. True forgiveness takes place in the heart! Now every time he would see, or think about that fellow servant, he would remember the debt he wishes he had not forgiven him of. If by chance, we feel that there is still hurt in our hearts towards another, or even ourselves, we must release that hurt to God; it does not belong in there. We must choose to believe that Jesus died for the hurt also; ask Him to give in us a heart of compassion, and then walk in the Spirit. For in the Fruit of the Spirit, there is no hurt. In God's economy, this is how things work. Remember that check in the mail I mentioned before, that is what that check represents. Because when we truly forgive, then God will pour into us more of His Spirit; the more we give away of ourselves, the more we are able to receive of Him. This is how the Living Water works!!! Okay, maybe you are not still convinced. Please listen carefully to what I am about to say, or "Incline your ear". Jesus died for your hurts also!!! How do I know this? One reason I know this is because of the shortest verse in the Bible, which is found in John 11:35; "JESUS WEPT"; this is how I know. What did Jesus weep for? Was it for Lazarus? No; He knew that in a matter of minutes Lazarus would be set free from his death. Was it because Mary had said; "Lord if thou had only been here, my brother had not died"? No; He pretty much set that up; that He would be there after Lazarus was dead for four days. Did He weep because the others around were weeping? Yes; but for far more than that; He was weeping for the hurt. He was weeping for the hurt that sin has caused. For the hurt that sin has caused the Father; for the hurt that sin has caused in us; for the hurt that sin has caused in death; for the hurt that sin has caused in disease; for the hurt that sin has caused in sickness; for the hurt that sin has caused in separation from God; and for the hurt that He would suffer on the cross. Do you actually think that He would go through all He did, and not deal with the hurt? This is how I know that Jesus died on that cross to also cure the hurt. So, the next time you feel you must hold onto the hurt, remember the last words that Jesus said on the cross: "It Is Finished", (that means Done, for those in Rio Linda). The other reason I know we should not be holding onto the hurt; the word hurt is not in the following list: "But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance"; (Galatians 5:22 & 23) And by the way; if you said the Living Water is the Holy Spirit; you are partially right...

ISAIAH 55:2 - "Let Your Soul Delight in Fatness"

"How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the River of Thy pleasures. For with Thee is the Fountain Of Life: In Thy Light shall we see Light." (Psalms 36:7-9) What is the fatness that our souls should delight in? Is it not the Abundant Grace of God? When God pours out His Grace for us, He has not held back; it is mightily abundant; beyond our imagination. Not only does He want us to have enough to experience Him, but He wants us to experience Him to the fullest. Before we move forward in this chapter of Isaiah, there are a few things we must establish in our hearts. First, we must understand that not only has God set us free from sin, but He has set us free from the sin nature; and not only has He set us free from the sin nature, but He has given in us the ability to start living towards the Glory we will have in Him. Again, lets look at our friend that was forgiven much; but this time, lets consider the what if. What if he had forgiven his fellow servant, as he was created to do. In so doing, he would have actually given life to the freedom that he had received. This is what the Living Water is all about. When we forgive others, we are actually reinforcing the forgiveness that we have been given. Had our friend, when he had found his fellow servant, actually forgiven him of the debt he was owed, he would have: One, been a testimony of the forgiveness that he had been given; Two, experienced the gift of giving forgiveness; Three, blessed the king by living out the forgiveness the king had given him; and the chain of events could go on and on. For example: the fellow servant could have felt the need to forgive someone; or maybe even, as I said before, the king could have rewarded him for his kindness towards his fellow servant, and sent him a check. This again is how the Living Water works; it flows into us and then through us. As it is flowing through us, it refreshes us, more and more. How much of God do you want to experience? I will bet you, right here and now, that it is not as much as He wants you to have! If you begin to look at the great lengths that He has gone through to prepare a perfect place for us, you could barely begin to understand how much He loves us, and how He wants the very, very best for us; for all eternity. One last thing we must establish in our hearts, if you haven't already; What is the Perfect Will of God? It is His Amazing Grace! What is His Amazing Grace? It is the Living Water! What is the Living Water? It is that which we live out in our lives! What do we live out in our lives? I think you know...

ISAIAH 55:2 - "Spring Up O' Well"

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)
"Hearken Diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." Today, I want to look at this new creature in Christ from the point of Grace. Again, using our friend that could not forgive little, after being forgiven so much: When the king forgave him of the debt, this was the act of mercy; and being released from the bondage of the debt, this was the act of grace; which was the part of the forgiveness that he did not receive. Let me explain; When Jesus would heal someone, sometimes He would say, "Your sins are forgiven; Go and sin no more." Your sins are forgiven, this is the Mercy; Go and sin no more, this is the Grace. It is by God's Grace that we are able to walk in this newness that enables us to sin no more. I'm I saying that we will not sin anymore, No; But what I am saying is that the old sin nature has been replaced with a New Nature, that does not sin. You might be saying right about now, "That sounds contrary to each other?"; That is the whole point, they are contrary to one another. The new creature does not sin, because it is Born of God; but when sin does occur to is because the old creature has been able to come alive again and cause the sin. We must constantly be on guard against the old creature wanting to do this; that is the warfare of the flesh against the Spirit; and it will continue until we are with the Lord in Heaven. What we must do, and do it diligently, is to walk in the Newness, without focusing on the old; because when we focus on the old creature, that is when we give it life again. Okay, maybe we should look at our friend again: When he was forgiven of his debt, he walked out from the presence of the king forgiven of the debt; but when he ran into his fellow servant that owed him money, he entered back into the bondage of debtedness; demanding that the debt he was owed to be paid; Why? Because, even though he had been forgiven the debt, he was still naturally bound to the debt that he had been forgiven of, (Did that make any sense at all?). Maybe I should shut up and see if Paul can explain it better: "Knowing this, that the old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is free from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: But in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:6-11) The old creature will constantly remind us that it is still here; wanting to tell us that it still matters; but we must make the New Creature matter the most. The old man is dead in Christ; while the New Man has been made alive in Christ, and has a journey that has just begun; the old man's journey has ended. The old man's quests, desires and passions lead to death; the new man's quests, desires and passions press forward unto everlasting life... "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalms 16:11) 'Thy Will, not my will!'

ISAIAH 55:2 - "Hearken Diligently"

"And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and hid myself." (Gen 3:9 & 10)
Hearken Diligently: To hear intelligently (with attention or obedience); To give undivided listening attention. Our natural tendency is to want to hide our sin; from God, from others, and even from ourselves. This is what Adam did in the garden after he had sinned and discovered that he was naked. Not only was he hiding from God, but he had made a covering for his body out of fig leaves, that his nakedness would be covered. Then when he heard the voice of God, he tried to hid from God; why? Because he had just become a natural sinner. In other words, his natural man had just been transformed from that of Holiness, to that of sinfulness. Let's try and see how this is relevant to our lives, as we look again at unforgiveness. Again, I will say; this is really quite simple, if we choose to see it; but basically what we must do is surrender; Surrender how? We must give everything over to God; give it all. But our natural tendency is to hold onto something; and when God revels to us that there is something we need to surrender, then we must listen. Unfortunately, we also have a tendency to only hear what we want to hear. Okay, let me try another direction: What caused the sin? Let me ask this: Was eating the fruit the sin, or was it the desire to eat the fruit? The original sin was the desire to eat the fruit; eating the fruit was just the fruit of the sin, (no pun intended). Okay; Let's look back at our friend from yesterday; the one who could not forgive little, even after being forgiven much. I am thinking that the reason for his lack of ability to forgive, is because he did not understand the magnitude of the forgiveness he had been given. When the king forgave him of his debt, he not only forgave his debt, but the king forgave his service towards that debt; in other words, he no longer had to be in bondage to the debtfulness. Not getting it yet? Okay, let me try another angle; Jesus said that if we hate our brother, we have committed murder. The sin of murder has already occurred in our heart; so what that means, is that the sin is a condition of the heart. Eve really eat the apple as soon as she saw that it was good; because God had said it was bad. God said, "In the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die."; that sounds pretty bad to me. But the moment Eve saw that it was good, sin occurred; Why did she see it was good?; Because of a lie, "Thou shalt not surely die". And then all of the sudden, "Eeeuuuwww"; it became desirable to eat; that is when the sin occurred, eating the apple just fulfilled that desire. Now please try and follow what I am saying; "Hearken Diligently". What Jesus died for on the cross was that sin nature; that desire in our hearts to do the sin. Before His death on the cross, all the blood sacrifices that were offered only dealt with the fruit of the sin; they were just a covering for sin. But the Blood of Jesus has dealt with the fallen nature of man; the heart of man. There was a new creation that has taken place, and that desire to sin against God has been dealt with. Okay; maybe you still do not see? Let me try again; That unforgiveness that you have in your heart is not really there! Say What? What kind of hockus-pockus are you talking about? you might be saying. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus; the old things have passed away, and all things are new. In this newness that we are to occupy, there is no unforgiveness; and if we are experiencing any unforgiveness, it is because we are dwelling in the old. (Yes, No, Maybe So) "Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat that which is good, and let you soul delight itself in fatness."

ISAIAH 55:2 - 'Unforgiveness'

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36) I'm sorry; did I give you the impression that I was done with this topic? I said it was one of the easiest things to look at; I did not say that it would be easy. Unforgiveness is like a cancer of the heart; if left alone it can destroy our very souls; at the very least, it will definitely destroy our walk, and our testimony of God's forgiveness which was meant for us. I think the root of unforgiveness starts with ourselves; yes, I said ourselves. Yesterday morning after posting the blog, I began thinking about today's post and how I would continue on this subject. Originally I thought I would share about how important it is to forgive others, and then finish off with: "And we must also forgive ourselves". By the end of the day, I had felt God was showing me something else; something quite extraordinary. I believe God was showing me how much we really love ourselves, and we prove that by the way we are always putting ourselves above others. This made me ponder on something else; we are also really complex and crafty when it comes to the things of the heart; especially, when it comes to protecting our own hearts. So, when it comes to the things of the heart, I thought the best place to start, would be right here at home. Maybe, just maybe, the reason that we choose not to forgive someone else, is because we have not forgiven ourselves. And because we do not want to even try and consider the task involved in forgiving ourselves, we would rather to not forgive someone else, in a hope that in doing so, we would mask the unforgiveness that we have for ourselves. (Did you leave?) Okay; if you are still there, then try and consider this: Maybe the reason that we do not consider forgiving ourselves, is actually because we are still holding onto something that has caused us to sin in the first place. Which really would mean that we have gladly received forgiveness for the sin, but have not yet relinquished the sin in our hearts; interesting isn't it. Would you maybe call this 'An unrepentant heart'? Jesus gave a parable, or a story, about forgiving others, and it is found in Matthew 18:23-35. There was a certain king, who while taking account of his servants, one was brought before him that owed a large sum of money. This servant had no ability to pay, so the king made a command that he be sold, along with his whole family and all that he had, so payment could be made. So the servant begged for mercy, asked the king to have patience, and promised to repay him, (somehow). Then the king had mercy, loosed him and forgave him of his debt. Then this same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants that only owed him a very small amount; he took him by the throat and said: "Pay me what you owe me!". His fellow servant begged for mercy because he could not pay him; and he asked him to have patience with him and promised to repay him. But he would not forgive him; but instead had him thrown into prison until his debt would be paid. Why, oh why would he not forgive his fellow servant of this little debt, considering such a large debt that he had been forgiven of? Could it be, that really in his own heart he believed that he would become indebted again? In other words; even though he had been forgiven of the debt, he still held unto the life of a debtor; which in turn made him to not have pity on his fellow servant for the debt that he was owed...I'm just saying. But really, when it comes to us forgiving others, what is easier to do; forgive, or not forgive, (that is the question). What is the easiest on us to do? Okay; maybe we should look at our friend again who was forgiven much, but could not forgive little. What would have been the easiest thing for him to do? To have forgiven his fellow servant by saying: "Hey, I was just forgiven so much by the king, therefore I am going to forgive you"; Or to not forgive, get angry at his fellow servant and then have him thrown into prison? Did he get satisfied doing the thing that he did? Did he really have to put forth more energy by doing what was wrong, verses if he had done what was right? Look at where he ended up: After doing what he did, his fellow servants saw it and went and told the king. The king then called him into his presents and said: "O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all thy debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?" And the king had the man delivered to the tormentors until his debt was fully paid. Look where he ended up; unforgiveness will take us from being set free, to again being held in bondage. I bet, that had this man forgiven his fellow servant, and word would have gotten back to the king; that he would have found a check in his mailbox...I'm just saying. "Wherefore do you labour for that which satisfies not?"

ISAIAH 55:2 - "Thou Art The Man"

"Therefore speak I in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." (Matthew 13:13) Again: Could it be that we have chosen not to walk in the fullness of God's Grace? YES; I think that could be the main reason for our misguided walk in Him. We may not think it is; nor may we have planned for it to be that way; but that is what it has come to. The children of Israel did not plan to be worshipping idols when they wanted to have an earthly king instead of the King of Kings, but that is what they ended up doing. Hezekiah did not plan to become a man obsessed with the things of this world when he begged God to let him live longer, but that is what he ended up with in his heart. A man may not have set out to commit adultery when he puts away the wife of his youth because he does not love her anymore, but that is what he would end up doing. Just like we, who are putting anything else before God, or before His perfect will for our lives, did not plan to hinder God's grace from being poured out into our lives, but that is what has happen. We have chosen to let it happen; and we have done so by the choices we have made. Let's start evaluating this question a little bit, say with something that does not hurt too much; something like unforgiveness; that seems like one of the easiest things to look at. If we have made a choice in our hearts not to forgive someone for the wrong they may have committed towards us, then we have in essence, made a choice not to walk in God's Perfect Will for our life; which means, we will not experience the fullness of His Grace, no matter how hard we may try otherwise. The reason for this occurrence is really pretty simple; but it is not easy to see, or to understand; that is unless we have chosen to see it. Therein is the root of the problem; we fail to see that it is so; thus the reason for Jesus to speak in parables, and also for His declaration at the end of each letter to the seven churches: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches". This goes back to that 'ear of the mind' & 'eye of the heart' thing I shared about before; the reason God had Adam name all the animals, and which part of the brain is utilized in doing such a thing. Let me give you an example of what I am talking about; you may be familiar with the story; it is found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 & 12. David had sinned against God by taking another man's wife and then having that man murdered to try and cover his transgression. Then God sends Nathan to confront David about what he has done; and Nathan pours out a scenario before David. Because David was raised as a Sheppard, and knew a few things about sheep, what Nathan spoke was able to take root in his heart; David was actually able to see with the 'eyes of his heart', as he began to hear with the 'ears of his mind'. Here is a summary of what Nathan said: "There were two men in one city; one was rich, and the other was poor. The rich man had flocks and herds, more than he knew what to do with; while the poor man just had one little ewe lamb, which he had brought up in his house as one of the family, and was actually to him as a little daughter. And then the rich man had a guest travel to his home, and instead of taking from his own abundant herds or flocks, took the poor man's little lamb, killed it, cooked it, and feed it to his guest". David was furious and wanted to know who this man was so that he could kill him; he exclaimed: "As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." To which Nathan answered; "Thou art the man". David was convicted, and his heart was changed in an instant; because the eyes of his heart were made to see by the opening of the ears of his mind. Let me repeat that first definition that I gave for the word "Ho": 'Listen up and prepare to apply what I am going to say to your very life'. This is so vital for us to do as Believers. We must approach God's word as if it is food for our very lives; as if He is going to be speaking directly into us, about us, and for our benefit. Otherwise we are just reading stories and illustrations about others, or into other peoples life, but failing to apply His word to our own. When we do this, we are actually wasting our time; or better put: "Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread?"