"Better Things!" - Two

 "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12:24 KJV)

  "All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's path to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave. But it was the LORD'S good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD'S good plan will prosper in his hands." (Isaiah 53:6-10 NLT)

 There are several things that don't make sense in this illustration of that which was to come; as it is, on the day that all of this happened, most everyone there who witnessed His crucifixion, had no clue what it was all about or what was about to take place. The Jewish Leaders mocked Him; only John was at the foot of the cross, all of His other disciples were far away; and when the time had come for Him to die, the Roman soldiers that were there, acknowledged who He really was: "The Son of God!" 

 Having been following the Lord for all these years, I have witnessed several things that didn't make any sense; yet God's way of doing things are never our ways! The real purpose in just about every single person's complex situation, is for God to make all things new; which is what He does! Even if it might not seem to be happening, there is always way, if that is, we have the ability to surrender...

"Jesus replied, "Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me."" (John 12:23-26 NLT) 

"Better Things!"

 "And to Jesus the mediator on the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Able." (Hebrews 12:24 KJV)

  "Don't worry about anything: instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

 There are some things that might not make any sense, even though we might have to do them anyways, it is just the way God works; mostly because, if we can do it ourselves, then He won't! Hopefully you can understand what I am talking about, because when we feal as though God wants us to do something, that might not make any sense, we will be sure to have a lot of people that will say, 'Don't!' 

 Paul is a good example of that, as he was told that he needed to go to Jerusalem, even though there were several people that wanted to kill him; he felt that God's way was the best, no matter what. As things where, it was God's plan to have him go to Rome, which was the hub of wheel, if you will; as the saying goes, "All roads lead to Rome." 

 Another thing that makes perfect sense, is that God's way is the only way; even if it looks like it does not work, it still works! If there was something that might make someone say, "That doesn't make sense," that might be the thing that makes people wonder, "How can that be?" 

 Looking at some of things Jesus did, the greatest was His death on the cross; as those who watched His death seemed overwhelmed, all of His followers were scared and totally heart broken. You can only imagine what they were going through and how they felt that it didn't make any sense! 

 Tonight I will be reading Isaiah 53 to my wife, which is the chapter that Isaiah describes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 52 was last night, which actually opens up to some of the details of what would happen in the last three verses...

"See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about." (Isaiah 52:13-15 NLT)      

"Written in Heaven!" - Too

 "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," (Hebrews 12:23 KJV)

  "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change or decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see." (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT

 On another note, hope is always something that we must keep alive in our hearts; it is not just a thing that we think about, as if it might happen, hopping it will be true: it is the truth, therefore it is not a matter of if, but it is the matter of when! When will this happen and give me the strength to endure!

 As most of you should know, I started this blog sharing about God's will, verses His perfect will; as if there was something that was a maybe involved in the things that might happen. Having said that, we really must understand something that is really hard to wrap our heads around: things might be maybes for us, as we don't really have a clue what God will or will not do; but God has no maybes in His plans and purposes! 

 With that, I will rest my case, saying that we must have faith and believe that we have been chosen, that He has chosen us to be with Him, and this is real, every bit of it, both the good and the bad; which will all one day be no more! We really must remember that this is not our true home anymore, that we are just pilgrim's waiting to go home...

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory." (Colossians 3:1-4 NLT)  

"Written in Heaven!"

 "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," (Hebrews 12:23 KJV)

  "The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam - that is Christ - is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man." (1 Corinthians 15:45-49 NLT)

 If you had a chance to read my post yesterday morning, early enough, then you might have witnessed a very strange paragraph that somehow has weird words with symbols and characters that made no sense, whatsoever. There was something going on that I can't explain, but I deleted that paragraph and upgraded the post. Every once in a while, I have strange things that happen while I am typing; which could just be my fault, so I won't make much more talk about it.

 The title of this post today involves something that I truly believe, with all my heart. It is something that I have understood almost less than a month after I was saved, back in 1981. I might have shared this before, but it is something that I believe is truth, so I will share it again. 

 On that day that I was born again, two very important things took place in my life: the first of which, was that I became a new creature! What that means, is that I was no longer the same, I had been changed in a moment; almost as if I felt like a massive weight had been taken off of me. Even though I was living in a Correctional Facility, I felt totally free! 

 I began to fellowship with other believers; having Bible Studies and praying with one another; going to church services whenever they might have taken place; I tried hard not to miss a single one. This was something I never quit, because I was filled with joy and had a peace I just couldn't explain. 

 Not more than couple weeks after my salvation, I had the duty of cleaning up the dorm; which was just a draw, not something I did all the time. As I was cleaning, I found this magazine behind one of the bunks, and I started looking at the pictures. That's all I will say about that; but I felt as though I had lost something and suddenly felt totally ashamed. 

 Then I found something out, that I have never forgotten! We all are vulnerable to sin, even though we have been changed, we still have to fight the beast and depend upon the Holy Spirit to help us! But when we do mess up, if we confess our sins, He is always faithful to forgive us! 

 Secondly, and most importantly! Our names are already written in Heaven! This is by far the most important thing we need to remember, no matter how hard things get, or how far you fall, your address in Heaven never changes! I heard this message from a dear saint, who has passed, that the Prodigal Son that Jesus spoke about in a parable, never lost his address; even though he lost his way, he was always able to go home...

"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." (1 John 1:8-10 NLT)  

"Deep Respect!" - To

"But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels," (Hebrews 12:22 KJV)

  "Then he asked them, "But who do you say I am?"" (Matthew 16:15 NLT) 

 Most of us know this question that Jesus asked His disciples, and what brought it on, as He asked the question regarding Himself, using the name that He made for Himself: "The Son of Man". When we read the Book of Ezekiel, this is what the LORD kept calling Ezekiel, many times He would ask or tell him things, showing him the heart of His people, and His great power to know everything! 

 When Jesus had crossed the lake, after having answered the demand from the Pharisees, "Show us a sign!", He gave them a sign that they needed to figure out on their own, saying, "Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah."" 

 Having been raised as a child in the religion that didn't believe that Jesus was God, most of the times there were comments from people that said He was God, really didn't make much difference, as the Bible that I had said He "was a god". Which pretty much meant, a lesser god; meaning He lacked all authority! 

 Anywho, when they had crossed the lake, the disciples discovered that they had forgotten to bring bread; and Jesus said, "Watch out!" Jesus warned them. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then the disciples argued with each other because they didn't bring bread; but He knew what they were thinking. 

 This is not really about bread; and it isn't really about a miraculous sign; this is about GOD! When we really begin to understand that God is, Father, Son, and Spirit, then we can truly understand why Jesus came and hung on the cross to pay the price for our sins! Only a perfect sacrifice could do that; and only God is perfect! 

 Besides that, God is eternal, meaning that He cannot die! To those that cannot figure it out, the only way that God could die, (if that is what was needed, and it was,) was for God to be born on the earth as a man. Thus, Jesus called Himself, the Son of Man; not because He had an earthly father, because He did not; but the woman was made from man...

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together." (Colossians 1:15-17 NLT) 

"Deep Respect!"

 "But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels," (Hebrews 12:22 KJV)

  "Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God's mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God's mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!" (Romans 11:28-33 NLT)

 Now, about that thing about fear of God; it is not that we are afraid of Him, because we know how much He loves us; and because He loves us, we know that He is for us; meaning that He wants us to make it through this journey, so that we will be united with Him, once all of this is over! There are some things that are hard to understand, mostly because His ways are sometimes too complex, they just cannot be figured out; and if we try, we will only be more confused, by the time we think we know the answer! 

 This thing about fear, is not something dreadful or a bad thing, but something that gives us reverence, awe, and respect, for the One who Created us...

"For who can know the LORD'S thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever. Amen." (Romans 11:34-36 NLT) 

"Inspiring Fear" - 2

 "And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)" (Hebrews 12:21 KJV)

  "It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a holy throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two wings covered their feet, and with two wings they flew. They were calling out to each other; "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven's Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!" Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. Then I said, "It's all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven's Armies."" (Isaiah 6:1-5 NLT)

 Just to be clear, the whole thing about Cyrus was the LORD showing us that He can make things go the way that He chooses; even with those that don't even know who He is, He will make Himself known, one way or another! I truly believe that when I make it into Heaven, there will be many people that I didn't expect to be there, and some that I thought I would see, but they were not! 

 If you have been following this blog for a while, about 10 or so years ago, I was reading this portion of Isaiah 6; when I suddenly saw a vision in my mind about "The Train of His Robe," that filled the Temple. As I focused on the fabric of the robe, it wasn't a robe at all, but more like a wedding dress, which had a long train that filled the Temple. I discovered that there were patterns in the fabric, and I began focusing on the patterns; when I started to see people inside the woven fabric. As I looked closer, I could actually see a face, and the face was mine! 

 Talk about fear! I really didn't know what to think, whether it was good or bad! But after much trying to gather my thoughts, I determined that it was better to be there than anywhere else! The greatest thing we have to fear, is that of not making it into Heaven. I know that some people might doubt that Heaven is real, but it's mostly because they don't fully and completely believe that the Bible is real! 

 I believe that God has given us the Bible as a guide to know Him and truly believe that He is real! That every prophecy that was written, is not just to show us how He does things, but to prove that He knows what is going to happen, years and years before they even happen. 

 Besides that, I know He lives in me! He talks to me and walks with me; He knows everything about me! Just knowing that is enough to inspire fear; the kind of fear that makes me know He loves me...

"God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan." (Ephesians 1:9-11 NLT) 

"Inspiring Fear"

 "And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)" (Hebrews 12:21 KJV)

  "On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lighting, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice reared like a vast multitude of people. Only I, Danial, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground." (Daniel 10:4-9 NLT)

 I really don't know what happened yesterday, except the verse I was using to share wasn't there! As I opened up the site this morning, it just wasn't there, yet I truly do remember typing it out; but regardless, I got it posted again; so there! 

 The first thing I wanted to share about this verse, was the point about Moses putting something over his face to hide the glory of the LORD'S light that shined on him, when he would come down from the mountain, after spending many days with the LORD. This is something people think was a thing Moses did so people wouldn't be amazed or astounded by the way he looked. Which may or may not be the reason that he did it. Truth be told, he covered his face, not so much because he didn't want anyone to see his face shine; but because he knew it would soon wear off...

"This is what the LORD says - your Redeemer and Creator. "I am the LORD, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. Who was with me when I made the earth? I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! By them I say to Jerusalem, 'People will live here again,' and to the towns of Judah, 'You will be rebuilt; I will restore all your ruins!' When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Dry up!' they will be dry. When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say. He will command, 'Rebuild Jerusalem'; he will say, 'Restore the Temple.' "" (Isaiah 44:24-28 NLT)   

"To Much To Bear" - Two

"For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:" (Hebrews 12:20 KJV) 

"But suppose we seek to be made right with God though faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law - I stopped trying to meet all its requirements - so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." (Galatians 2:17-21 NLT)

 Maybe this might help, if anyone might feel as though this doesn't make any sense. As the Bible has clearly shown us, there is nobody that is without sin! We all sin; some more than others! But God, who made everything, with the intension to make us holy, even though could never be holy on our own; has made the way for us to be perfectly holy: as white as snow! 

 This is really not something that we easily believe; most of us still feel guilt and shame for the things we have done; which is constantly something we think about, even though we believe that God has forgiven us. The hardest part in our journey, is to be able to forgive ourselves! Much like Paul, we are most likely always going to remember some of those things we have done; but that does not make us unable to believe that we have been forgiven; as a matter of fact, it keeps reminding us of God's great and powerful love and grace...

""For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."" (John 3:16-21 NLT)  

"Too Much To Bear"

"(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:" (Hebrews 12:20 KJV)

  "Obviously, the law applies to those to whom is was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." (Romans 3:19-20 NLT)

 It is pretty strange that some people can't actually believe that God has made this His plan all alone; some of the most misunderstood reasons that some believer's quit believing, is because they cannot except God allowed something to happen; which ends up causing them to give up. 

 This world has been in a fallen state ever since Adam ate of that forbidden fruit; and this was not God's fault! He knew that it would happen, only because He knows all things! There is nothing that He does that is a mistake or a something that He regrets doing; even though some might think He regrets making man! Genesis 6:6 gives many people that idea; but God's love for us is greater than we could ever understand; it broke His heart to do what He had to do, when He flooded the earth...

""How are these things possible?" Nicodemus asked. Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony. But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life." (John 3:9-15 NLT)   

"Real Supplication"

 "And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:" (Hebrews 12:19 KJV)

  "Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the beginning. This old commandment - to love one another - is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, the true light is already shining." (1 John 2:7-8 NLT)

 Something to see, if you are still not convinced! There is a very special reason that God's had a plan for man to fail; it was not that He wanted man to fail; but because He already knew that it would happen. So, He prepared for mankind's redemption and eternal salvation. The Bible clearly shows us that the plan for Christ to pay the price for our sins, was planned for, even before the very beginning of creation. Therefore, we must also assume that God knew in advance that man would fail, making a way for real supplication! 

 If you don't know what that means, it is the action of asking or begging for something earnestly and humbly! With that, it was not the way things seemed during the fall, meaning once the sin of eating the fruit had happened. Adam and Eve were ashamed, as the Bible says, and they felt ashamed of their nakedness, because their sin caused death to something they had with God, something very special!

 The story does not reveal everything that went on after the fall, but there was real supplication from Adam and Eve; even though they refused to take the blame in the beginning. As I said before, Eve ate the fruit because she was deceived; but Adam ate the fruit knowing full well what he was doing. When he saw that Eve didn't die, he fulfilled his desire and ate the fruit with her; and everything changed! 

 The Bible says that they hid from God; supposably because they were naked; but truth be told, they lost something more important, which was fellowship and the Spirit of God...

"There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life; but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' "" (John 3:1-7 NLT)  

"More Than a Feeling" - Too

 "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest," (Hebrews 12:18 KJV)

  "This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7 NLT)

 Keeping up with the message from yesterday, it doesn't really matter how we feel, whether it is some kind of tingling sensation, burning of the bosom, or as some might call it, 'a check in my spirit'; feelings come and go, like the wind, they are caused by passion, desire, fear and rejection; among many other things that might change the heart. There really is a reason that the heart is so critical and hard to understand; the heart is pretty much the main character of the soul! 

 If there is anything I have discovered over this last couple of decades, it is that the heart is stronger than the brain; you can stay alive with a heart that still works, even though your brain doesn't work; but if the heart stops working, your dead! Trust me, I know what that looks like!

 Anywho, the thing about Adam and Eve, and the situation that caused the fall. We must know that there were real feelings involved in everything that went wrong in that garden; starting with Adam, even before God made Eve; who, by the way, was God's final creation; that is, until Jesus was born! 

 I have shared on this before, and it is something some don't agree with, but it is still something I believe was part of God's plan. Two things that took place before Eve was created: the first being was God telling Adam not to eat of a certain tree, the second was to name all the animals. Seems pretty simple; don't do this, and then, do this; something that causes want, which means, a passion or desire for something that he did not have.

 In other words, Adam saw something in all those animals he was naming, that he did not have, a female mate; something all of those animals had, a mate! Adam had to have thought, "Where is the mate for me?" If you don't understand what I am saying, don't worry about it, because many have not been able to get what I am trying to say. Want is something that we learn, based upon something that we do not have; and we don't know that we even need it, unless we discover that it's there. 

 There was something that Eve said to the serpent, while he was tempting her to eat that fruit, she said, "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat of it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'" (Genesis 3:3 NLT) It is not what God said, but something either Adam told Eve, or something that she added unto want God said; maybe because she saw Adam touching and admiring the forbidden fruit. 

 No matter what, it was Eve who was deceived, but Adam knew exactly what he was doing! It felt good to do, until it was done...

"When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he declared, "for I have betrayed an innocent man." "What do we care?" they retorted. "That's your problem." Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself." (Matthew 27:3-5 NLT)  

"More Than a Feeling"

 "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest," (Hebrews 12:18 KJV) 

  ""Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"" (1 Kings 19:11-13 NLT)

 Have you ever been ministered to by Morman Mistionary's? They have this certain thing that they do, as they share something with you, and then speak about the 'burning in the bosom,' as if that is a means of confirmation that what they are telling you is true. That might work for some, but those of us that know how God works, feelings are physical, meaning they are of the flesh, not of the Holy Spirit! 

 There is more to this than I can explain in a way that might make sense; but if we go back to the beginning, to Adam and Eve, and the fruit that they were told not eat, feelings were a big part of what caused them to do it anyway! You know that simple phrase: "If it feels good, do it!" This is more or less just something the devil uses to distract us from listening to God's voice...

"Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in the 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." (Romans 6:12-14 NLT) 

"Contrast of Sinai and Zion"

  "You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God's command: "If even an animal touches the mountain. it must be stoned to death." Moses himself was so frightened at the sight, he said, "I am terrified and trembling."

 "No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel." (Hebrews 12:18-24 NLT)

"Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped." (Isaiah 35:3-5 KJV) 

 So, last night I was reading to my wife about Hezikiah's sickness; which reminded me of the beginning of this blog, having used that to illustrate God will, verses, God's perfect will. Having discovered several different points of view on that subject, I had reached the determination that God's will is always perfect; He never makes mistakes, and He is always working out His perfect plan, whether or not we even know what it is that He is doing.

 The thing about Hezikiah's sickness, which was a question of whether or not God changed His mind: it has been made abundantly clear to me that He worked everything out as planned. If you know the whole story, the 15 years that He gave Hezikiah were meant for something totally different; as the children of Israel were not keeping the command that God gave them for resting the land.

 It was Hezikiah's actions after being healed that put everything in motion; as it was, he had some Ambassadors from Babylon visit him, and he was showing off all the treasure; which set up the reason that Babylon would one day take all the treasure and exile his sons.

 With that, I was reminded yesterday about a certain thing the mother of John and James asked Jesus, that her two sons could sit, one on His left and one on His right, in His Kingdom. She was one of the women that were at the foot of the cross, when Jesus was crucified between two other men. In that moment, she felt glad that Jesus didn't grant her wish...

"But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able." (Matthew 20:22 KJV) 

 

"The Narrow Door"

"For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." (Hebrews 12:17 KJV)

  "Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?" He replied, "Work hard to enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Lord, open the door for us!' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' Then you will say, 'But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' And he will reply, 'I tell you, I don't know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.'"" (Luke 13:22-27 NLT)

 There are some things that are hard to understand, when it comes to repentance and forgiveness; the most important thing we sometimes neglect, is the part where we must for forgive, or else we cannot receive the forgiveness we think that we have! If you know the story of Jacob and Esau's birthright and blessing, then you should know how Esau pled for the blessing that Jacob had taken; yet he also had in his heart the desire to kill his brother Jacob, as soon as his father had died.  

 That might not seem like it was the same thing, as most of us really aren't planning to kill; but the real important thing we must understand, is hate, is pretty much the same...

""You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment,' But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell."" (Matthew 5:21-22 NLT)