"Play it Again Sam" -Again

"Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies." (Psalms 69:18) I know, I need to explain. The greatest Gift of the Spirit is love; all the Gifts are good also, such as joy, peace, speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, teaching, etc, etc; but the greatest Gift that God can empower us with is love. Nobody can love like God can love, and if we ever going to come close, it's going to be God loving others through us. But you see, although love is the greatest Gift, it does not work alone, as strange as that might sound. Love is something that requires action, reaction, and patience; all of which are also things that require us to be yielded to the Spirit. I know it might seem difficult to comprehend, but that is because it is something that requires movement! We are the vessel in which God works, but that does not mean that we get to control how He works in us. And yet, how often do we hold back for fear of what others might think? How often do we gauge how much we are doing is enough, or too much? We are not our own! If we are going to be sold-out for Jesus, and if Jesus is Lord of our life, then we no longer can make the choice as to how much is enough or too much; it is God working through us, not us working through God's power! It started with a comment from someone at one of the Men's Meetings, but it was reinforced within my own heart, and probably with a little help from the devil. I had only been out for a month or two, and was really trying to get active in the church; going to at least one Service on Sunday, Wednesday night, Thursday Men's Group, Friday Night movies, I even joined the softball team; what ever I could, I wanted as much fellowship as I could possibly get. One day after the Men's Meeting, as I was bouncing around and talking with the guys after the meeting, a somewhat caring brother placed his hand on my shoulder, asking, "You must be a new Christian?" I exclaimed that I was, and even started to share some of what God had done, but he cut me short, and just said, "Don't worry, you will adjust." A group of guys kind of chuckled, and a couple of them even added a few additional comments, like "Amen", and "Settle Down, is more like it", or whatever. It really did not matter, because at the moment I really did not care, all that I knew was that I never felt like I was doing anything wrong, but it all felt totally right; almost natural, as if it was part of who I now was. But it stuck with me, and sooner or later, I began to 'tally up the books'; determining what was too much and what was enough, I began to control what was otherwise not mine to control. So what if there was more than I needed, it wasn't mine to begin with, it all belonged to God. I did not throw it away, and I surely did not spend it; no, I just stuck it in an envelope and placed it in my pocket. But that is not right, nor will God honor us for doing that. Sooner or later, we will find ourselves no longer letting God work through us, but we will be trying to do God's work in our own strength. Unfortunately, it does not give the same result; and sooner or later, we are going to realize what we have done, or give up all together. The Holy Spirit will not force us to do anything, but He will help us to do all things...
"Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly; like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:8-13) NLT

"Play it Again Sam"

"Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies." (Psalms 69:18) So, how many times did you give your life to the Lord? I think I gave my life to Jesus at least two or three times more, and that was before I was released from jail; that's was a period of three months, so it was like a monthly ritual. After my release, it became more like every six months, or once a year, depending upon how things were going at home; many times, my wife and I would go forward together; it was like we were looking for it to take hold, or expecting there to be a result that would stop us from sinning or arguing, or better yet, cause us to love the way we wanted to love each other. After several years, and countless times of giving my life to Jesus, it finally came to my attention that there is no magical thing that stops me from sinning, because I still have free will. We are going to sin, it's just not possible to stop sinning altogether; and if you think that it is, then you are sadly going to be disappointed with your relationship with Christ; mostly because you are going to keep doubting if there really is one. I think what changed for me was a retreat that focused on the Book of 1 John; the whole Book, not just a chapter or two; because if you don't study the whole letter with the entire message, then you are not going to get the complete message. I remember there was one part of the retreat where things got really strange for me; mostly because I an answer to a question that was totally different than anyone else. We were split up into groups of about six men per table, and each table was to decide what a letter meant, and choose a spokesman to share what they came up with. My table chose me to represent them because my interpretation seemed good. There was about twenty tables in the room, so we had more time to discuss the question than we did to explain our answer. The letter went something like this: 'There was a certain accountant that was doing the books for a wealthy merchant; and as he was figuring the totals, he discovered that there was more there than otherwise listed; so he took the excess money and put it in an envelope for himself. He never really spent it, he just held onto it, and kept it in his pocket. Long story short; one day while teaching Sunday School, he discovered that he had difficulty reaching the children, and had lost something that had once made it easy to share the Gospel to the kids. So he determined that it was that envelope he had in his pocket.' The question was about what the envelope represented. Every other table in the room said that it was sin that had not been confessed; but my answer was totally different; I said that it represented the Gifts of the Spirit. You can imagine the looks I got from the other tables; it was like I had just totally stepped off the planet. Unfortunately, the other men at my table no longer wanted to stay with my explanation; although they had once agreed, because of the opposition, they changed their minds. Funny how that works, don't you think...
 "If I speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:1-7) NLT

"Game On!" -2

"And hide not Thy face from Thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily." (Psalms 69:17) It might not seem like it's all going to work out sometimes, but God has the winning hand. That's the glory of the Gospel Message! "Loss it, and you get to keep it; keep it, and you will lose it." Does that sound like any game that you know of? It's not, because the only thing that makes this a game is our "little faith", and the fact that we really don't know how to believe like we should. Interesting enough, the "promised land" that Israel took over after wondering around in the wilderness does not represent Heaven, as many might want to make it out to represent. We do not need to destroy the enemies of God to get into Heaven; that job was completed on the cross of Christ. No, the "promised land" on the other side of the Jordan represents a life in Christ that lives by faith; it has no resemblance of Heaven, because Heaven is a place where there is no more war or killing, or anything else that is evil or sinful. But, in this life, this land, we need to fight off the temptations to settle in with the enemies of God; we need to purge the land, if you will, of the pagan lifestyles that will do nothing but make us stumble and eventually bring us into a compromise with our commitment to the Lord. I know that might sound like it does not line up with some of what we might have assumed it was meant to look like, but it has never really looked like God intended it to look like. God intended His people to listen and obey His word, and then He would make them a light for the whole world to look upon for an example of what it looks like to be "Governed By God." But that never really happened, instead they became a sore spot in the eyes of everyone else; as they still are today. Does that not seem familiar? It should, because if you are really going to be different, then that's what you become to the world; you become something that the world wants to get rid of, and something of a thorn in their side. If you really think about it, walking by faith is total dependence upon God, something that was only displayed by one person, Jesus Christ. Everyone else, throughout the Bible, lacked the faith to make that claim; sometime in their life, or many times in their life, they all fell short of being there. But what did they all have in common? That's right, they all had a sinful nature; a sinful nature that causes doubt in us to be accepted by a Holy God. Add to that, the devil's way of manipulation and trying to convince us that we are unworthy of God's love, and you have the perfect challenge to walking by faith. But God, the God that loves us unconditionally, He has things under control...
"Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shinning in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, and not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:1-7) NLT

"Game On!"

"And hide not Thy face from Thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily." (Psalms 69:17) Of course it's not a game, to God, nor should it be to anyone who knows where they have been placed by God; but it is seemingly a game to the devil. The devil loves to manipulate us in our weakness, taunt us by our weakness, and turn that weakness against us and God's plan for our lives. Notice how the devil tempted Eve and not Adam. Genesis 3:1 describes the "serpent" that tempted Eve as "more subtle than any beast of the field that God had made." The word "subtle" is a word that means that he was crafty or shrewd, and the word "most", simply means that he was better than any other beast of the field; which just means that he was good at getting done what he wanted to do. He could have just tried to go after Adam, but why mess up a good strategy; Adam would have most likely warned his wife to stay away from him, and made his game more difficult. No, he needed to go after the weakest link to break the chain. It is really just that simple. Although he might have broken through to Adam, there was a pretty good chance that Adam would have spoken to God first, before accepting something contrary to what God had said. I heard something interesting from Pastor Jon the other day, because it made me think of the way I felt when I was witnessing to people about Jesus; he said something like this: "God gives us more of His Spirit when we use the Spirit." In other words, if you want more of the Holy Spirit to empower your life, then you need to actually use the "Fruits of the Spirit", especially when it comes to witnessing to other people. That is really what it's all about! If we are not witnessing to others, then what are we good for? Witnessing for the Lord does not mean that you need to go from house to house spreading the Gospel; but it does mean that your life needs to show the compassion and love God wants us to show to others. But, like Pastor Jon was saying, the devil loves to make us doubt our ability to make a difference; which is really easy for him to do, that is, if we are looking towards our ability to do anything. We cannot do this on our own, we need the power of God in our lives to be strong. If we try to find any strength within ourselves, we are going to suffer some really harsh battles. There is just no other way to say this, but we need to stand upon the Word of God; making no allowance for anything to be added or taken away from what God has said; and we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If we are securely fastened to the Truth, and if we are filled with the Spirit, then guess what we are considered to be by the devil: we are a force to be reckoned with... "If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:13-18) NLT

"God's Great Goodness"

"Hear me, O LORD; for Thy loving-kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies." (Psalms 69:16) I am sorry for speaking about the past; I seriously try not to dwell in the past, but every once in awhile it's good to remember where you came from. We should always remember where we have been, that way we don't end you there again. Besides that, I believe God allows us to veer off the path now and again so we don't get too far ahead of ourselves; meaning, so we don't think that we are something that we are not. We are those that have been saved from the grip of something that we had no control over. If God had not softened my heart when He did, and had there actually been a church on that compound, I am not sure I would have went. Before we were caught, we visited a local church because we thought we needed a little God in our lives; but as soon as we stepped in the door, they wanted to make us Members, and gave us a form to fill out pledging how much money we would give monthly. Needless to say, we didn't go back, and my disdain for organized religion was reinforced. I was a free spirit, and felt I had my own way of worshiping God; little did I realize at the time, but the god I was worshiping was not the right one. I was worshiping a god that I had created, otherwise known as an idol. As much as I would like to think that I had something to do with my conversion or change of heart, left to my own choices, I would still be lost and going straight to hell. Eventually, I ended up going back to that other compound, the one with the little white church; and I was there almost every single day. I learned how to study the Bible, and how important it is that we don't just skip around from church to church, but that we get rooted and grounded into a church that teaches God's Word. By the time I was released, my mind had been made up on the church we would be attending, which was Calvary Chapel of Downey. My wife had already been there several times, and she filled me in on all the important things; things like teaching from the Bible in a structured chapter by chapter way, and having a Men's Fellowship Group. Besides that, everything else they offered was just icing on the cake; those were the two things that mattered most to me. God has so much patience with us, and He knows just what it takes to change our heart. That's the thing that blows my mind! We serve a personal God! Sure, my God is not my own, but He knows me just like He knew Adam, or David, or anyone else; He knows me more than I even know myself; and He loves me, still! That continually crushes my heart... "Where is another God like You, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under Your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us Your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago." (Micah 7:18-20) NLT

"God's Mighty Hand"

"Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me." (Psalms 69:15) Now that you know, you should probably know that I was previously on a three year probation for 'possession with intent to sale'; but because I was in the Navy I caught a break. This boss of mine was an answer to a lot of problems; besides getting me a really good Lawyer, he also held my job for the six months that I would eventually end up spending in jail; not only that, but he also let my family live in one of his 50 rental houses, and what they could not pay, he put on the books for me to pay him back once I was released. Jail was the best thing that ever happen; that along with my wife and son, a boss that had faith in my ability to be an asset to his company, and the fact that Jesus became my Lord and Savior; if it had not been for jail, then who knows. Things are just better when you are locked up if you know that there is something waiting for you when you get out. Add to that, the fact that you have just met Jesus, and you have fellowship with so many believers, every day, things were good no matter where God had me. I know that might sound a little wrong, but while I was in there, I was doing things for the Lord. My expensive Lawyer had promised that I would be out after one weekend; I got sentenced to a year in the County Jail and was arrested for dealing large quantities of drugs, I really was not surprised that Monday morning came and went, and no one had called me for roll-up. I had reported to the jail on or about June 15th 1981, and there I remained until six months later. The first three months I was 'stuck on stupid' and had no clue who Jesus really was. I read my little Bible every day, almost all day long; but I wanted nothing to do with church; even though they had a Little White Church on the compound, I never wanted to set foot in it. As a matter of fact, one night I remember sitting within view of the church, while seeing the men inside raising their hands and praising the Lord, I actually thought that I started crying because I felt sorry for them; so you can see what kind of condition I was in. But in September, around the middle of the month, I heard the call! It was a a different facility, one that did not have an actual church building; and as I laid there in my bunk, through the mouth of a eighty-something year old Chaplain, God called me into His Kingdom. It was an invitation for me that was being called out over the loudspeaker, and I just had to go! I don't even think I gave it a second thought; it was for me that I felt the call went out; prior to that, I can't say I ever remember hearing that voice before that Sunday morning. Then again, I was pretty new to that compound, so it could have been standard procedure; but that does not change the fact that I was there, I heard the call, and I went, and I got saved...
"So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. As God's partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God's kindness and then ignore it. For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2) NLT
If you are reading this, and you feel that God is speaking into your heart, "Come Home!", please do not put it off another day! This could be your last call, and you do not want to hesitate any longer! God loves you so very much, that He sent His Only Son to die for your sins, so that you could live forevermore; just believe it, and accept Him into your heart; and He will come into your heart and change you forever!

"In Like Flynn"

"Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep water." (Psalms 69:14) Believe it or not, I was once really bad; so bad, that I needed a Bail Bondsman to help me get out of jail. My bail was only $100,000, but that was also back in 1980; so you can imagine how deep I was in "the mire." Because of my connections, I was able to obtain a pretty aggressive guy to help get me out; the $10,000 was not the problem, it was the other 90% that needed a little work; my wife and I had nothing but cash and drugs on had, and they only added up to about a fourth of that. So here is this guy named Moses, and his company is accurately named, "Deep Water Bail Bonds"; which I thought was a really great name, considering his name was Moses. He also had a pretty interesting slogan, which said, "Don't go to bed with a price on your head." Anyway, my wife and Moses went to my grandmother and he convinced her to put up her house as security, and I was out within three days. It was a pretty good thing, because as it ended up, we were in court for about a year before I was actually sentenced. I really needed to get out, because we were getting kicked out of our apartment, since that's were the arrest took place. I was just very fortunate that my wife did not get arrested also; the officers were very considerate, and since she was not in the room when the deal was going down, they left her out of the arrest. Now I am not saying that God was leading my life back then, because I do not believe that He was; but that does not mean that He did not have some control over my situations, because I totally believe that He did. I never thought once about skipping out on my trial; as a matter of fact, I was trying to defend myself; and believe it or not, I was going to use religion as my defense. Because of the arrest, we stopped dealing, so there really was no way for us to afford a good Lawyer; and I had no confidence in Public Defenders, so I was making a case for defending myself. Long story short; we ended up renting a house from my soon to be boss; I did not know him at the time, but God knew him, and God put us together. Some people might call that luck, but luck has nothing to do with any of God's children; even those that have not yet made that choice! Do you know why that is? Anybody get what I am saying? Reminds me of something I heard Pastor Jack say; something about the gate entering Heaven: On the front it says "Whosoever", but the backside says, "The Chosen"; go figure...
"You didn't choose Me, I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using My name. This is My commandment: Love each other. If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than his master.' Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to Me, they would listen to you." (John 15:16-20) NLT

"Keys to the Kingdom"

"But as for me, my prayer is unto Thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of Thy mercy hear me, in the truth of Thy salvation." (Psalms 69:13) If you are looking for there to be another way, you're looking in the wrong direction. There is no other way than Jesus Christ! We apparently do not have all the answers to every situation in life; but that's okay, because God does. So what answer we need to be concerned with most, is the One that points upward; everything else is not really important. You get that One answer right, and you are in and there is nothing more that really needs to be done to secure your place in Heaven. Is that what you believe? Because if not, then you need to truthfully consider your options; because Jesus is the only way, and it is only by believing that He paid the 'full' price for your sins that you are getting in! He did not pay 99.9% of the price; He paid 100% of the price for all of our sins. Not a single person that has ever lived has not been paid for. So what seems to be the problem, and why are so many people lost in their sins? Believe it or not, there are a lot of people that just do not want to be saved; at least not without doing something, anything, as long as they don't have to feel 100% committed. You see, there is something to God's plan of salvation that involves you, but it's not your efforts or your righteousness. It is about you knowing that He has paid your dealt in full; a dealt that you could have never paid on your own, has been paid for you, and now you are obligated to serve your New Master, all the way to the very end. That is really not such a bad deal, if you really stop to think about it. You have no more worries about where you will end up, because that has been already determined by the Master. You have no need to gain favor with God, because you have been given the keys to the kingdom; you are already in... "Then He asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because My Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatsoever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven." (Matthew 16:15-19) NLT

"How Dry I Am"

"They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards." (Psalms 69:12) Let's just say that childhood memories are sometimes hard to figure out; mostly because they are like soundbites, little two or three second clips of something you remember happening. My grandmother had a bar in her house, which is where everyone hung out at her house; mostly because that's where she planted herself. She had this little decoration on the bar, it was a windup clown of a hobo, who was holding himself up by a lamppost, and as he bobbed his head around, the tune would play, "How dry I am" from the base he was standing on. It was not a toy, but while I was there visiting grandma, it was my toy. There could be stranger things to think about, but when it came to the gatherings at grandma's house, that was one of the simpler ones to try and figure out. This is a very interesting verse, to say the least; but it speaks into my heart about something I closed with earlier from Ephesians 5:10-20, and how we need to "carefully determine what pleases the Lord." It is not based upon anything that others might be doing, but Paul is talking about something that is between you and the Lord. It's like, something that might be questionable, but something that you question, not what others might question for you. In other words, it's something that God is speaking into your heart that He might not want to do; even though others might be doing it, and it might be okay, God has spoken to you and said, "Please don't do that!" You know it was God who said it, but you continue doing what you know God said to stop. These things mentioned in the verse above may not pertain to what I am talking about, but that does not stop you from thinking that they are; because when you do not do what God might ask you to do, things just don't seem normal; people seem to be talking about you, and 'Country Songs' are all about you. It is just a little thing called a guilty conscience. Now, as for that silly windup doll: I would always wonder why that tune was what it was, when the doll obviously appeared to be plastered; but with a drunkard, it's not just a buzz that they are after, the drunk is not satisfied with that; and because it was obviously a hobo, he must not have had enough money to finish what he was after...
"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes - these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him. Don't participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true." (Ephesians 5:1-9) NLT

"Making a Choice"

"I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them." (Psalms 69:11) Crazy is not just a way to be wrong, it could also be the way to be right. Who's to say what makes you seem crazy in a world that has become utterly mad? A world where what's right is wrong, and wrong is right. One thing is for certain, if you believe in Jesus Christ, and you believe the Bible is the truth of God, then most likely you are going to be listed in the crazy column. The word "proverb" is one that is about comparisons, this or that; almost like Jesus using parables to express things that had hidden meanings, mostly because most people would not understand what He was trying to say anyway, so He gave them something else to dwell upon. Our lives are a lot like that, not that we are parables, or that we live a life filled with hidden meanings; but we live a life filled with choices. That's really what the Bible is all about! God has written us a road map to help us make the right choices! He did that right out the gate with Adam, saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." It was only one choice that Adam needed to be concerned with, but even that one choice was more than he could handle. But God! Yes, I know, it seems to always come back to the one choice that matters more than all the rest. But God, who loves us beyond our ability to comprehend, has made the perfect way to correct our wrong choices! And here's the thing that we don't often get, mostly because it seems so utterly crazy, we just need to choose Him! All the roads in the road map lead to Him... "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know Me, just as My Father knows Me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to My voice, and there will be one flock with one Shepherd. The Father loves Me because I sacrifice My life so I may take it back again. No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what My Father has commanded." When He said these things, the people were divided in their opinions about Him. Some said, "He's demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?" Other said, "This doesn't sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" (John 10:14-21) NLT

"Deflections"

"When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach." (Psalms 69:10) I know this might seem a little off, but how hard is it to live on the streets today? I can't help it, but we have a lot of homeless people here, and I can't help but wonder what it is like to live that way. You almost need to make yourself a little crazy to tolerate the conditions and to adjust to being wild. Any who; the word "reproach" is a word that speaks of shame or rebuke; it is a lot like Job sitting in the dirt, scraping his boils, and then his wife saying, "Curse God and die." The point being, a reproach is not necessarily what we are, but it is more how we are looked upon as by others. It is like all these homeless people on the streets; many of whom had some really bad luck, and wound up that way; while some, they have chosen to live that way; but no matter how they got there, they are all pretty much looked at the same. There is nothing wrong with weeping and fasting because you feel like doing it; but as soon as others know what you are doing, they place you in a certain category, mostly that of being covered in shame or remorse. Not that there is anything wrong with that, because we all should feel remorse and shame in the light of what Jesus suffered on the cross. He took the punishment that we deserved; He suffered and died for our sins, not for anything that He had done; and He did it willingly! That's almost too much it bare when you consider how willingly we sometimes sin! Talk about someone making themselves crazy; what sort of crazy do we need to make ourselves when we sin the way that we do? We know the price He paid for our sin, yet we sin anyway; that's crazy...
"To what can I compare the people of this generation? Jesus asked. "How can I describe them? They are like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, 'We played wedding songs, and you didn't dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn't weep.' For John the Baptist didn't spend his time eating bread and drinking wine, and you say, 'He's possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, 'He's a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!' But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it." (Luke 7:31-35) NLT

"The Right Light"

"For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me." (Psalms 69:9) Before you start casting judgment upon anyone, you should know that my sin has already been judged and dealt with; and so has yours, if you are washed in the blood of Christ. We are all broken in one way or another; and there is not a single one of us that do not need God's mercy and grace to get us through this life whole. But isn't that the whole point of the Gospel Message? We can't do it on our own, no way, no how! I think the point made with Peter denying Jesus best illustrates our total weakness against the devil; we really do not stand against him without the help of Jesus; and as soon as we think that we have any kind of strength on our own, we are going to get 'sifted like wheat'. Peter was so zealous to stand with Jesus, all the way to the very end. He thought he had it in him, and that he was even willing to give up his life for the Lord; but just as he was proclaiming his ambition, Jesus was showing him his failure to achieve what was in his heart. But not just that, Jesus was also showing him his adversary; making it clear to Peter that he was in for something that he would have no control over. But Jesus also gave him assurance, by not saying 'if', but saying "when", "When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." (Luke 22:32) Blessed assurance is real! Any one that puts their faith in Jesus Christ will be saved! You are in the "boat", and Jesus has sealed the "door", and there is no way that He is letting you sink! I have a red star beside this verse in my Bible, which means that this verse is a picture of Jesus Christ taking on our sins. Jesus was zealous for us; His Father gave Him the zeal for us based upon a love that could not be quenched; but that love was not based upon the righteous, it was based upon the lost, sick, dying, and sinful people that had no hope. Those that think that they are righteous have no need of a Savior. Those that think they have it all under control are really lost and without real hope; because without Jesus, there is no hope...
"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died - from the time of Adam to the time of Moses - even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:12-19) NLT

"Alienated"

"I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children." (Psalms 69:8) Being honest about yourself can sometimes make you seem out of place; but isn't that what we are anyways? In the world, but not of the world; pilgrims in a land that is not our own. We have been here before; and no matter how many times we get here, it never gets any easier; there is no easy way to follow the Lord, no matter what the experts might try to tell you. So I heard something interesting the other day, but I really don't know how to prove that it was accurate or not; but the point was, that Paul had to have once been married because he was from the order of the Sanhedrin, which to be of that order one had to be married; but as he mentioned in 1 Corinthians 7:8, he was not married. Does this mean that he was divorced? or maybe a widower? Maybe his wife left him when he gave his life to the Lord and stepped down from being a Jewish leader. It is really not that easy to follow Jesus, because you really do need to make hard choices; and I am sure that for most people that might have been in Paul's place, giving up a position that you have worked for your whole life, was a choice that many would not have made so easily. But, Paul was not like many people; Paul was like one in a hundred, or maybe more like one in a thousand, or ten thousand or more. Not every one can do what Paul did; not everyone can just leave it all behind and surrender all for the sake of the cross of Christ. Just because someone is in ministry, does not mean that they have forsaken all else for Christ; there are many people who are in ministry as a job, and nothing else; it is just the way that they make a living, not a way that they live their life. That said, all those that are in ministry need to be prayed for, especially those that are in leadership and those that are pastors. Sometimes there is no one that feels more alienated in his own church than the Senior Pastor. We must pray for our pastors and continually left them up in prayer; because for those that are in it for the ministry of the Gospel, it is hard! It is hard to present the truth, because most people do not want to hear the truth; and most pastors, nowadays, do not want to speak the truth for fear of alienating people in their body...
"Don't trust anyone - not your best friend or even your wife! For the son despises his father. The daughter defies her mother. The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law. Your enemies are right in your own household! As for me, I look to the LORD for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. I will be patient as the LORD punishes me, for I have sinned against Him. But after that, He will take up my case and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies. The LORD will bring me into the light, and I will see His righteousness." (Micah 7:5-9) NLT  

"Exposed"

"Because for Thy sake I have borne reproach: shame hath covered my face." (Psalms 69:7) Sin has a way of making us feel dirty, especially when we are in the Light. I don't know if I had mentioned this before, but I had visited a porn shop about twenty or so years ago, and it was not a very comfortable experience. Don't ask me why I did it, because it really wasn't on my list of stops; it was just there and it looked inviting. But let me tell you, the looks that I received from the people inside, it was as if I had some sort of badge on that said, "Christian Alert" or something to that effect. Needless to say, I did not last long in there at all. I knew right then and there that I was wrong for even stepping inside of the establishment, and for the life of me, I can't even remember why I thought it was alright. We can do such stupid things some times; and I would love to say that we do them without thinking about them, but it's not always true; in fact, it is seldom true. Sin is usually something that we make preparation for in our heart and in our mind. Before I could have ever been tempted by that store, I would have had to had some kind of a desire to sin. We only sin when we yield to our flesh; but when we yield to the Spirit we never sin, ever! After sin is death. Maybe not physical death, or death that you can instantly detect, but there is death in one way or another. It might just be death of a dream or a goal, or maybe the death of a relationship; but we should always be aware that sin will result in some sort of a consequence for our actions. I don't really like bars, except if it's a Sushi Bar, so you most likely will not see me hanging out in one; but that does not mean that I do not like to drink. I don't like to get drunk, I don't even like to be around people that are drunk; I had too much of that as a kid. But, I must not let my liberty to do something become a stumbling block to others; even if I think it is okay, it is not okay if I offend a brother or sister; or even worse, if I cause a non-believer to not believe...  "Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light." So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:10-20) NLT

"Bigger Than Life" -Too

"Let not them that wait on Thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek Thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel." (Psalms 69:6) If you really stop and think about it, it is God's grace that makes all the difference in the world; not to discount His mercy, because I need more and more of His mercy every day; but it is His grace that gives us what we do not deserve! His mercy is wonderful, it's like taking off all the burdens and the chains of sin and being set free; but His grace, His grace gives us hope for what is to come, what He has in store for us, as His precious children. That my dear brothers and sisters is far more important than anything else on this little blue dot! So, we all know how much David messed up some things in his life; and we can see by the rebellion of those around him, including some of his children, that he did not have his life totally together; but God's overall plan and promise for David was not altered based upon David's performance. In other words, God's will was still completed regardless of the man's stupid mistakes! I don't think we get that message the way that we should. Some might take it the wrong way, by thinking that there is nothing they can do wrong; which is what might have happened to Solomon. And then some, well let's just say that some give up trying, thinking that God is done with them because of what they have done. God's grace is so much bigger than that! I heard about three different messages yesterday that had Abraham in them, and they were all speaking about Abraham's lies to protect his life because of Sara's beauty. Now that I think of it, it could have been four or five different pastors that made some mention of that somewhere in their message. It is important for us to remember that Abraham was not perfect, but he was a man of faith; and not just any faith, but he had faith in God; not just any god, but the God of creation: the One and Only God! It was because Abraham put his faith in God, that God accounted Abraham to be righteous; not that Abraham was a righteous man, because he had some flaws; but God, the one whom Abraham followed, He alone is the Righteous One; and as my mother use to say, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"...
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, Iwill give a signal to the godless nations. They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms; they will bring your daughters on their shoulders. Kings and queens will serve you and care for all your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Those who trust in Me will never be put to sha9me."" (Isaiah 49:22-23)NLT

"Bigger Than Life"

"Let not them that wait on Thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek Thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel." (Psalms 69:6) You can bet your bottom dollar that God can undue anything that we mess up. It does not matter how bad we destroy something, whether that be raising a child, our marriage, or even our own life, God can fix anything that we destroy; if He can make something from nothing, then He can make something from anything. I think that is the best picture taken from the first miracle that Jesus performed publicly. I say publicly, because He may have done something before, we just don't know about it; besides that, He was a miracle Himself, having been born of a virgin. But I am talking about the wine that He made from water; because it was not just wine, it was aged wine! I don't know much about wine, except that it does not become wine in a moments time; it takes months, even years for it to become good wine. Which reminds me of something very important to remember whenever we are talking to someone about the age of this earth: Who is to say that God did not create the earth fully formed and mature! I mean, come on! If God can create anything from nothing, can't He make it the way He wants to? They show those sectioned view of the earth's core, and make it appear that the earth had to grow in layers, or that it was once a piece of something else; as if God cannot make something so complex and so involved that it appears to have taken billions of years to be formed. I think sometimes we seriously underestimate the power and might of our God! The main point of this verse is that of keeping our eyes on God! God is so much bigger than this life; and He is especially bigger than any of our lives! We cannot judge God based upon anyone else; nor can we judge God based upon anything that He has created. God is so much bigger than all of this that we see, even the stars in the sky can't compare to the size of our God...  "The LORD made the earth by His power, and He preserves it by His wisdom. With His own understanding He stretched out the heavens. When He speaks in the thunder, the heavens are filled with water. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lighting with the rain and releases the wind from His storehouses. The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including His people, His own special possession. The LORD of Heaven's Armies is His name!" (Jeremiah 51:15-19) NLT

"How Bad I Am"

"O God, Thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from Thee." (Psalms 69:5) You get the point? I hope so, because it makes such a big difference where we stand with God when we know where we stand without Him. I am a sinner that has been saved by grace! That's all there is to it; I know that, and God knows it even more than I do. You see, there is the biggest asset and liability that have, in that God knows everything there is to know about us. It is an asset, because there is no way that He does not know exactly what we need; He knows what will break me, and He knows what will build me up; He knows how I am wired, and He knows how to change my heart. It is a liability, because there is nothing hidden from His sight! I cannot pretend that God did not see that thing I did last night, because I know in my heart that He did; so this morning I am asking Him to forgive me for my foolishness and my evil thoughts. And yes, I said thoughts. I do not need to physically do something for it to be a sin, and neither do you. There is another misnomer about what sin actually means, because there are some that think it is only a sin when our evil desires or thoughts are acted upon. Jesus put that theory to bed several different times; because it's all about the intentions of our heart; it's what we have going on in our heart that matters most to God. Based upon my heart, I can kill dozens of people a day, and I can committed adultery around almost every corner; so you can see how bad I really am! I can spend all day asking God for forgiveness! It's mostly when I am behind the wheel that I get so dangerous; I just can't stand stupid drivers. And as far as committing adultery, I always try not to look twice, but sometimes once is all it takes when you have photographic vision. Actually, sometimes the second look turns out to be not as good as the first, because the flaws will appear upon further examination. I have learned that it helps to pray for people that you hate or lust after, besides just praying for yourself; that way you gain a little different perspective about the other person. My point to this crazy post, is that it matters what we think, not just what we do. Compared with others, I am pretty good, if I am looking at my actions and my physical qualities; but that is not how God sees me, He sees my heart and every little thought that comes into my foolish mind. This is also an asset, if you are looking for a God that is all knowing and all powerful; a God in whom you can trust... "This is what the LORD says: "Cursed are those that put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will life in barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along the riverbank. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."" (Jeremiah 17:5-10) NLT

"Bad Lands"

"They that hate me without cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away." (Psalms 69:4) It might not be politically correct, but it is the truth, unrighteousness rules the earth! No matter how you slice it, this place is full of death and sin rules the day; and the more we cry out against it, the more we will be persecuted for nothing more than making people aware of the truth. No one really wants to know the truth of where they stand with God, not even those that might think they are on God's side; sometimes those that are religious are the ones that get upset the most when told they are not right. It was the religious ones of the day that put Jesus on trial; it was the religious ones that mocked Him as He hung on the cross, making jokes about how God should save Him, or how He should save Himself. But the joke was on them, because it was them who He was saving! The first religious action in the Bible was when Adam and Eve covered their naked bodies with fig leaves; that was man's first attempt of trying to cover their own sins. Any time we try to remove our sins, we just make things worse, primarily because we think we have done something good, or that we have accomplished something, anything; as long as we do something, we think that we are doing something. There is only one way that sin is dealt with, and that is by the covering of the blood of Jesus Christ; yet countless attempts are made by those who are religious to cover sin another way, just as long as it involves man's efforts, they feel justified and righteous in doing something. Those 'five foolish virgins' were not worthy, not because they were not washed, but because they did not feel they required a continual washing; in other words, they were good enough in their own eyes; they had become religious! It is not about being religious, it is about having and keeping a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! Man's relationship with God was broken in the garden when Adam sinned; man's relationship with God was restored when Jesus died on the cross for the sins of man. We were cleansed by the blood of Christ, and we will remain clean by the blood of Christ; and only the blood of Christ gives us a right relationship with God...
 "And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)NLT

"Breaking the Ice" -2

"I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God." (Psalms 69:3) I could not just leave it at that, not without properly stating my mind; because in all honesty, I am not really sure how it will all play out in the end. Except to say, that I believe that there is a great connection between those 'five foolish virgins' and the church of Laodicea from Revelation 3:14-22. There is just so many things that they both have in common; like for one, the church of Laodicea did not think that they had need of anything, which is the wrong attitude to have when we are oh so needful of God's grace. Secondly, those foolish virgins were knocking outside the door to be let in, but Jesus was knocking outside the door of the church. It is quite simple really: we either open the door of our heart now and let Him come in and totally change us, or we will be knocking outside the door to be let into the Bridegroom chambers. And then (as if I know anything about Heaven,) to those that overcome, Jesus said that they would "sit with Me in my throne"; so that does not actually mean that they would not make it into Heaven if they did not overcome. There is some things that just have to be waited for in order to find out what will happen. But all I know is this: the blood of Jesus washes away all of our sins, both past, present and future, and there is nothing that we can do in and of ourselves to undo what Christ has done in us. Now, whether that means we end of outside or inside the Throne, I do not know; but God is just, so I believe that those who have been washed in the blood, will remain washed in the blood, no matter what attitude they develop, or how lukewam they become. But you can decide for yourself if you will take that chance, because ultimately it's up to the Lord; but you only get one chance to get it right, so you had better make sure that you are right; get right, or get left...
"And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight. And remember, our Lord's patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him - speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to Him, both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:14-18) NLT  

"Breaking the Ice"

"I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: my eyes fail while I wait for my God." (Psalms 69:3) I think the end of the Bible best sums up the way I feel, more and more, the older I get, Let it be, "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Revelation 22:20-21) I know it seems hard sometimes to hold on, but it is all worth the wait; just you wait and see! Over and over I keep hearing the Lord say, "Do you trust me; then let go." He is not asking me a question, He is giving me instruction as to how I learn to trust Him. We really can't have it both ways, you either trust Him or you don't; you can't pick the things that you are going to trust Him in, as if it is up to you where you draw the lines of trust. If you really want to understand what it means to trust God, then you are going to have to let Him take you there, where ever that might be. Usually, it is just outside the end of yourself; if it is easy enough for you to figure out, then it's not inside the 'trust God zone.' Now, as to Peter's prediction of last day scoffers, it makes perfect sense that there would be such an outcry against the belief that He is coming soon, seeing that it's been over two thousand years since He left. But the world is more primed for His return today then it has ever been; and it will be even more primed tomorrow! That is one of the most important things that we need to trust Him in, and it is one of the first things that we doubt Him in; besides our salvation, His return ranks way up at the top of the list; it must! Those 'five foolish virgins' were saints that were not prepared for His return! In case you do not know what that means, it means that they were saved, washed in the blood, Believers in Jesus Christ, but they were not prepared to be with the Bridegroom...
 "But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpected as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, He will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness." (2 Peter 3:8-13) NLT

"Over My Head" -2

"I sink in the deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into the deep waters, where the floods overflow me." (Psalms 69:2) The point to the closing Scripture was about being kept in the blessings of God, even though it might appear to everyone else, and many times to ourselves, that we are not being blessed. Jesus starts and ends His list of "Blessed are" with what is really important, and that is "The Kingdom of Heaven." Though everything be stripped away, and though life itself might be taken from me, I am blessed by God beyond compare! Nothing that is on this earth can compare to the eternal life that is waiting for us in heaven; not all the wealth in this world, not all the fame, and surely not all the sexual pleasures. By the way, have you noticed how many churches are caving into the whole gay marriage thing? I don't get to listen to the radio much on the weekends, but yesterday I had a chance to listen to a little of "Olive Tree Ministries" "Understanding the Times", and was it ever interesting. It is so important that we find a church that teaching through the Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter; because in these last days it is many from the church that will not endure sound doctrne, not the world. The world could care less if the teachings from the Bible are accurate or not, if they even have a chance to listen. We must be alert to the deception of the devil, because he is really stepping things up the closer we ģet to end...
"Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created." They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of His command, and He brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then He used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed." (2 Peter 3:3-7) NLT

"Over My Head"

"I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me." (Psalms 69:2) I might have stolen something, and if so, I am sorry. No, I am not really sorry; I think it might be alright, as long as I don't claim it as mine. The title for today's post was going to be "Mark Twain", if you can believe that, but I did not really know if anyone would get that. So, as I was driving from one appointment to the next, Pastor Matt was on, and he was talking about being "Over is head", as in drowning in deep water, and that it was alright! Which just so happens to be what I was going to share on this morning; I was just going to use "Mark Twain" to somehow illustrate what I was going to say. Without going into all the details, mark twain is just the marks on a stick that represent the water is a safe depth of 12 feet, which was safe enough to take the river boat into. The general idea is that of being safe, not because you are in control of your life, but because you are not in control, God is the one who is in control. Not only that, but when God is in control, not only is it safe, but there is excitement and adventure that you would have never experienced had you been the one in control of you life. So, it's good to be over your head in life; it's good to be dependent upon God; my life is perfect when I am sinking, because I have a Lifeguard who will never let me go! Which reminds of the point about letting go when you are being saved, because it makes saving you harder when you are trying to save yourself... "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those that are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." (Matthew 5:3-10) NLT

"Rent in Twain"

"Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul." (Psalms 69:1) In a quest for some sort of ability to stay true to my calling, I have measured my portion and noticed that there is something that I am lacking; mostly holiness, I am sad to say, is what I lack, mostly holiness is what has gone missing! I would have thought by now that I would have things better under control, or at least be able to better manage these things that I choose to hold onto; but that's not how things work in God's economy of justification: we are justified when we do what God has asked us to do, not by doing what we want to do. My mom always said, "It's either my way or the highway!" To be perfectly honest, she never really meant that she would kick me out of the house; it was more about having difficulty enjoying the ride, then it was about hitting the road. It is pretty much that way with our Heavenly Father; He is not going to kick us to the curb, but He will kick us in the butt, if that is what it takes to get us to listen; and it's kind of hard to enjoy the ride when your butt is sore. (Sorry if I offended anyone, but.) I was listening to Pastor Matt yesterday, and I really wish I could have seen his expression while he was straining to make apples. He was using an illustration about what it is like to walk through a apple orchard, and how there is one thing that you don't hear as you are walking there: you don't hear the apple trees straining to produce apples! Point being, that we should not have to strain to produce the fruit of the Spirit, because it is not our ability that produces the fruit, it is God's doing that makes the fruit appear; just as it is God's doing that the apple trees produce apples (Genesis 1:11-13). If we are finding it hard to show forth the fruit in our lives, then it most likely is due to the fact that we are trying to make it happen in our own power. It is the same with holiness, and whether or not we have it; because if we are looking to ourselves, we are dead in the water. Our holiness is in Christ, and not in ourselves! Look to yourself, not holy; look to Jesus, holy; that's how God makes it happen... "And then He told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in My name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hand on the sick, and they will be healed." When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs." (Mark 16:15-20) NLT

"A Distress Call"

Psalms 69 [To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, A Psalm of David.] This is beyond just coincidence, but this word 'Shoshannim' was also in the introduction of Psalms 45; which I was talking about where God was, here or heaven, just prior to the beginning of that Psalm also. If you remember the meaning of this word, it is a work or ornament resembling lilies, or the trumpet. There are three Psalms which have this word used in them, Psalms 45, 69 & 80, and each of those Psalms speak about work being done that only Jesus Christ is capable of doing, and they speak of urgency and power. Let's get this straight, Jesus came down from heaven, and when He was done doing what He did, He went back up into heaven. Heaven is not here, or anywhere close to here; it's not even within view of our telescopes, no matter how far they might be able to view. Everything that we see is all connected to a space-time continuum, something which cannot contain God, because God is everywhere and He is eternal. So, where ever heaven is, it's not here! Now with that in mind, think about what might be the connection of this title, "A Distress Call", and why this might have any connection to the previous Psalm which spoke about "The True God." Most people would probably not even try to make the connection between the two, and maybe I should not either; but I am under the opinion that this Book, The Holy Bible, has been written by God! He used men to write it, but these are His words to us, His children, and He has placed them in specific order, also performed by men, to instruct us, to encourage us, and to show us how much He loves us. So excuse me if I try to make some sort of a connection, because there is a very profound connection when it comes to calling out to God, you had better know the God you are calling out to... "When He came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD'S favor has come." He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at Him intently. Then He began to speak to them. "The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day!"" (Luke 4:16-21) NLT

"Our God is There!"

"O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God." (Psalms 68:35) Sooooo, are you saying this place is not a little bit of heaven? There is no comparison between this life and heaven; no way, no how! Typically, the last verse is meant to be the verse that sums up everything, or at least places a period at the end of that Psalm; but this verse is one of those that sets you up for what is ahead. "The True God" is more than just a title, it's a fact that we can bet our life on! The most important thing that we can do as a Believer is to hold to the word of God as God's undeniable truth. In other words, we must take God at His word, and we let His word be the final say in each and every area of our life. No matter what anyone else might say, not even your pastor, or your priest, or a prophet, or even an angel that might appear dressed in shinny white robes; if it does not line up with Scripture, then it is not worth listening to, no way, no how! We have got to be on guard in these last days, because there are more and more people that will be trying to move away from the basic teachings of the Bible, and they will be twisting the Scriptures to blend into the worldly view on everything from life after death, to life, as in what is life and where does it come from. Our life comes from God; and when we are done here, our life will return to God; God controls our very existence! This body is ours, for what it's worth; it's temporary, and it is dying daily; but it is given to us by God for the time we are here as nothing more than a tent for us to move around in on this earth. But this earth is not our home! No matter what they might try to tell you, this is not our final resting place, and God is not in your bowl of Cheerios. People just don't realize who they are messing with if they think that they can mess with God, because God will not be messed with. Yes, heaven is real, but heaven is for those that have eternal life in Christ Jesus; if you're not in Christ, then your not going to go to heaven; soooooo, you had better learn to read your Bible... "And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. And what value was there in fighting wild beasts - those people of Ephesus - if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, "Let's feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!" Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for "bad company corrupts good character." Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don't know God at all." (1 Corinthians 15:30-34) NLT  

"Relentless" -Too

"Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds." (Psalms 68:34) We might not understand everything, but that is okay also. God knows everything that we need, way before we even have a chance to consider thinking about it. When you think about the time of creation, God first made man, then he caused him to realize that he needed a woman. He could have just made man with his matching counterpart, like He made all the other animals that He made Adam give names to; but that would not have given Adam the chance to see what he was missing. In the Bible, God speaks of man being male and female, then He makes Adam to start out without a mate. Don't you think that God had a reason for that to happen? Don't think for a moment that God all of sudden said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18) God knows everything that He is doing or going to do; He just wanted man to want and appreciate the wife that He was going to give him. Now about that closing Scripture from 1 Peter, it is one of those portions of the Bible that can make the average Christian wonder about where they stand with God; "Be ye holy, for I am holy" is not really something that is easy to do; but then again, keeping all ten of the Ten Commandments is not all that easy either! Yes, there is no doubt that God is relentless for His children; but what He wants from us, is that we might be a little relentless for Him also! That was the point made in Hebrews 12:1 which shows the reason that we cannot give up! We are all flawed and broken; we are all less than perfect in this world. But in the sight of God, well, let's just say that God wears rose colored glasses... "So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babes, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, "I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, "The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone." And, "He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they do not obey God's word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. "Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy."" (1 Peter 2:1-10) NLT

"Relentless"

"Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds." (Psalms 68:34) By the way, you do know that it is okay to be broken, right? The whole point of Paul's exhortation in Romans 7 is about our need for God's healing touch. We would not need a Healer if it were not for the fact that we are sick beyond our ability to make ourselves well. The way I see it, Israel is a large scale model of the normal Christian, showing us how God is so relentless in the salvation of His chosen people. He delivers them over and over, even though they keep going astray. I can't help but think of Hebrews 12:1 when meditating on this verse, which says, "Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." I love guest speakers, they just always bring something unexpected. At the church I attended yesterday they had a guest speaker; the Pastor and most of the men were at a Men's Retreat, so the regular message was interrupted. The speaker actually used the words "The True God" in his message; so you can imagine my sense of confirmation in the choice of where to attend church. Any time I am out of town on a Sunday, I try to visit a local Calvary Chapel; I hardly ever go away disappointed in the message; and I never go away without knowing more than before I went. That is one of the great things about God's word, is that His word is always fresh; even though you might have read the same Scripture a thousand times, it can still reveal something new to your heart; it can still minister to your current location, even though it is the same address that you have visited, time and time again...
 "So think clearly and exercise selfcontrol. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy." And remember that the Heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as "foreigners in the land." For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold and silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:13-25) NLT

"Word of God, Speak" -2

"To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice." (Psalms 68:33) There might be something to be said for recovery programs, in that they help to deal with the lingering desires of addiction, what ever that substance might be. If Christ has delivered you from your sins, that does not mean that you are free to keep on sinning; although, believe it or not, there are people that will try and tell you that you are. Seriously, it's true; there are certain churches that try and teach that sinning does not matter any more, because those sins have been dealt with. I know it sounds crazy, but you can find a church for whatever suits your needs. The problem is, that it is not our needs that we should be trying to satisfy, it is the needs of our Master, the Lord Christ Jesus, that we should be trying to obey! Forget about doing anything for yourself, do it for Jesus! Every time we start doing something for 'me' we get ourselves in trouble; 'me' does not care about what is right, only what feels good for 'me'. God does speak! But if 'me' is living for itself, 'me' will not listen even when He does speak; even when 'me' knows that it is His voice that 'me' is hearing, 'me' will still ignore Him, 'me' will still keep on doing what 'me' is doing. That is the thing we must understand about "The True God", is that He is gentle and patient in the way that He deals with His children. Yes, He does discipline us, but it is not to destroy us, as some might teach; it is to break our spirit of rebellion, and to make us more like His Son. Save yourself some unnecessary anguish, and start listening to that "still small voice!" I am talking to myself today... "Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God's good commands for it's own evil purposes. So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I really don't understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life - that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin." (Romans 7:11-25) NLT

"Word of God, Speak"

"To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice." (Psalms 68:33) I really can understand why so many people don't want to listen, it's mostly because they do not want to change; they really just don't want to get fixed, because getting fixed would mean that you have to stop doing certain things. As if we all don't have certain things that we want to hold onto; and don't pretend that you don't, because there are just some things that we tend to put off, over and over again. The most we can do is to keep on listening to what God says, even if it is something that we don't think pertains to us; if God is speaking it, then we need to listen! I think that is my biggest problem, in that I hear God say something to me, and I think that it is for someone else. Almost automatically, especially if it is something that I have heard before, I think, "This is something that I have already dealt with, so I am good; now who is it that I know that this is for?" Think layers! That is what I feel God speaking to me through this verse; layers of guilt, layers of unforgiving, layers upon layers of unfaithfulness. Just because we have dealt with something before, does not mean that it has been dealt with. It might just mean that we have opened up a certain chapter, and that God has just begun to work on that area of our life... "When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, "You must not covet." But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law's commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead." (Romans 7:5-10) NLT

"And Give Up!"

"Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord. Selah." (Psalms 68:32) You know that your life is not a vacuum, right? We can't just give in and let it go at that; we must also give up! And when I say give up, I don't mean that as giving up on this or that; I mean that we give God the glory!!! And don't you know that He deserves every bit of it! We have nothing to boast about, because God has done it all; even the fact that you finally said yes, is not your own doing; because without the prompting of the Holy Spirit upon your heart, you would still be lost in your sin. It was God that provided the way for us to be reconciled unto Him, and it was also God that caused us to be reconciled by showing us the way home! Now it is time to give God the glory and to fill ourselves up with the glory of God. In Romans 6, Paul gives us the illustration of what this means to be transformed from a sinful vessel to a glorious righteous vessel; and it is based upon grace, not the law! We have been set free from the law, because we have been set free from the bondage of sin; but that does not mean that we no longer have a master, because we do, and our new master is Jesus Christ! Just let go and let God, is not just a catch-phrase for finding peace and joy, it is the way that we make this all work for His glory... "So you should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to your sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace. Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don't you realize that you become a slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." (Romans 6:11-16) NLT    

"Just Give In..."

"Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God." (Psalms 68:31) There really is no way to win a war against God, so you had better just give in, and let God have His way in your life! Not that it really matters, but you really did not start this war; it is something that you have been born into, just as if your citizenship in a nation fighting another makes you their enemy. We all have been born under the curse; a curse handed down to us by Adam and his wrong choice, has become what we are without having a choice. But we do have a choice to be delivered! But it is going to be on God's terms, not terms that we establish. There is something about God's way of making a covenant with us, one that we do not get the opportunity to establish or help to create: it is all His way! He makes it so easy because our side of the agreement is to respond to what He says and to just trust Him; we have nothing else to offer but obedience to what He says; we have no plan, no wealth, no hope of doing anything on our own; it's all about what God says, and about our willful obedience. That is probably the most important part of being obedient to God, is that you have got to want to be obedient! Our natural tendency is to want to be disobedient and rebel against anything that tries to control what we desire, or make us do something that we do not want to do. But God has given us His Spirit to make us want what He wants; it just requires us giving in to the will of the Spirit and not keep giving into our own... "If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and raised for them. So we stop evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone: a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him." (2 Corinthians 5:13-18) NLT