"Count Your Many Blessings"

"Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." (Psalms 32:2) Let me tell you something that happen after I first got saved, I sinned! Yep; there I was, it happened to be my day for dormitory cleanup, and wouldn't you know it, someone left their filthy magazine out on the top of their bunk. I know I should have shoved it under their pillow, or refused to clean that area, or something; but no, I had to practice that which I had been doing since I was at least eleven years old, and pretend I was some sort of sexual deviant. Although it was the same, it was almost like the first time, and as a matter of fact, I felt as though I had just lost my virginity after I had finished the ordeal. Many means more that lots of something, it also means continually, as in, the stuff that keeps happening, just because; because you are still weak, or because you are ignorant, or just because you still, "like a dog, turn to your own vomit"! I can not tell you the amount of times I had gone forward for alter calls those first few years of my new Christian life; but I can only say, I was always hoping to get it right!!! As with the verses I closed with yesterday, there is something to be said for a legacy that is bestowed upon us, by which we have no way on God's green earth to earn, nor do we deserve to be included in the list of saints, apostles, prophets, and citizens of heaven; but God, who knows are frail and weak capacity for holiness, has bestowed this legacy upon us through His Son, whom He has provided as the righteousness that we lack! I like that David uses that word "spirit", as in, "and in whose spirit is no guile"; because it includes a whole variety of applications, such as, moral character, temper, anger, impatience, desire, mental acts, uncontrollable impulse, and pretty much any other thing that can be attached to the spirit of a man. Talk about being blessed!!! We are blessed beyond recognition; so much so, that God does not recognize our sins, because He sees the blood of His Son, as if He is wearing special glasses as He gazes upon us, and can only see the holiness and the righteousness that was supplied by Jesus Christ; because it is only the blood of Jesus that can wash away our sins, and it is only the righteousness of Jesus that is visible to the Father! Oh yea, I almost forgot something; it seemed to me, that the harder I resolved to get things right, the easier it became to stumble; what kind of whacked out mess am I???
"Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock? What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail? And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." (Jeremiah 13:20-23)

"Count Your Blessings"

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." (Psalms 32:1) So, here's the thing that was on my mind this morning as I rolled out of bed, and it's a question that many have asked over many of years, which is, Can a leopard change his spots? The question is actually asked originally in Jeremiah 13:23 by God to His people, as He spoke of their continued refusal to hear His words, saying, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." So, by God's own assessment, it would appear that the answer is no, a leopard can not change his spots. Fortunately for us, the whole point to the first public miracle that Jesus did, was that change must happen on the inside; for the water pots were still as they were, water pots; but what was inside, was changed into wine worthy to serve to the chiefest of the wedding guest! It's quite extraordinary, wouldn't you say? those things we count as blessings, may not be actual blessings at all, but only things we count, as one would count his winnings. Blessings are things for the most part that we attribute to gains or fortunes, such as, God has blessed me with a nice home, a good job, or a multitude of sheep and cattle; any such thing that would add to my appearance or stature, and would give evidence that I have been blessed by God. But do we actually ever think about our sins being forgiven as the real blessings we should be counting? Honestly; when asked how God has blessed you, is the fact that your sins are no more at the top of your list? Think hard; for with most of us, we tend to take the forgiveness of sin thing for granted, while we look for blessings to be more a form of tangible trinkets in one form or another; forgetting that the most important blessing of all is the forgiveness of our sins! And you really want to know the strangest thing of all; something beyond extraordinary, because it is deeper than the color of skin, or the spots of a leopard; but it is something we tend to overlook, nonetheless: God does not look upon the outward appearance of the man, but He sees the inward appearance of the heart; that which has been changed from water into wine by non other than Jesus Christ our Lord... "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22)

"Prepare Thine Heart"

Psalms Thirty Two [A Psalm of David, Maschil.] If you have come here today considering giving your heart to the Lord, then today must be your day! That is what I was awoken to this morning, as it flashed within my mind; over and over it played out loud, as if I was behind the pulpit beginning to give a message, but opening with the announcement  concerning New Life. As I believe I mentioned yesterday, this Psalm is a psalm of instruction by David; meaning that it is meant for us to consider what is being said, and then apply what is being said to our lives; just as you would follow the directions on any medication you might be trying to take, and want good results in taking them, you must follow the instructions on the label. The interesting word at the end of this introduction is a word that occurs 13 times in the Hebrew concordance, beginning with this Psalm and ending with Psalms 142, it appears only within the introductions, and it has a very powerful meaning, that is if it's meaning is fulfilled. The general meaning that it puts forth is that of 'contemplation'; and in the context of this Psalm, contemplation is the result of accepting Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Saviour! It is not the same word as considering; do not confuse the two; because one is leading up to the decision to go forward, while the other is the product of the result; because contemplation is the ability to see God, or to have an understanding of God, and no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again! (John 3:3) Therefore, if it is God that you are wanting to see, then that requires surrendering your life to Jesus Christ and asking Him to come into heart! Admitting that you are a sinner, that you believe that He died for your sins, and then asking for forgiveness of your sins! And then experience the New Life in Christ! As your eyes are opened to the things of God, you have been set free from the bondage of sin and death, and have been given eternal life in Jesus Christ; now you can seriously enjoy 'contemplation', and you can contemplate God; understanding who He is, and fully appreciating all that He has done for you! With rational thought one uses logic to understand as they contemplate physical concepts; but God defies logic, in that because you were in darkness, there was no contemplation of God, because God is Light; and it is only the Light of God that can bring you to an understanding of who God is; after which, you will clearly see and be able to contemplate His glorious truth for yourself. There is an unrelated Greek word that comes close to defining how this 'contemplation' works, and it is the word 'synerchomai ', which means "to come together", as in, to become one; which is precisely what happens when you ask Jesus to come into your heart: you go from being separated from God, to being reunited with God; which means, then you become One with God; seeing the kingdom of God is now possible for you, because you are now part of that kingdom; and now we can proceed with instruction that will actually mean something..."This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us." (1 John 1:5-10)

"Confession and Forgiveness"

Moving on, we go from the roller coaster ride of Psalms 31, to what I would like to refer to as, a walk in the park. There were many verses of Psalms 31 which spoke of Jesus and His experiences faced before a people that rejected Him, but for the sake of what I believe God was speaking into my heart, I pretty much stuck to the message of our commitment to God; however, if you want to see what real commitment looks like, as I said before, you have to look no further than Jesus Christ, who suffered rejection, humiliation, beatings beyond that which the normal man could endure, death upon the cross, and the hardest thing of all, He was separated from the Father as He took the sins of the world upon Himself. Psalms 32 is all about us; it's a Psalm which has within it instruction for what every man, women and child needs, which is to be forgiven of their sins; unfortunately, not everyone realizes that before there can be a realized forgiveness, there most first be confession; the two go hand in hand together! Now then; the reason I would like to refer to this Psalm as a walk in the park, is because of the simpleness involved with 'Confession and Forgiveness'; and yes, 'Confession and Forgiveness' is the title above Psalms 32 in my Bible, in case you were wondering. Besides for the fact of simplicity, there is another reason for the walk in the park analogy, and it has to do with one of my favorite verses of the Old Testament, which is found in Isaiah 1:18, and it says, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though the be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." It's hard to imagine doing this, but the general idea of what this walk in the park involves, is to be strolling through the park with our Heavenly Father, and reasoning together with Him over the whole idea of 'Confession and Forgiveness'; all the while, He brings up the reasons that we need forgiveness, while we confess the sins that we need forgiveness for. It is really not that hard to understand; forgiveness is there, and it is waiting for us to claim as our's; but, it requires an act upon our part in order to receive it; it requires us asking for God's forgiveness by confessing the sin we need to be forgiven of, as many sins as those might be... "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"UNMOVABLE" -2

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." (Psalms 31:24) Let's see what it was that ride had to offer, because I know I was stretched; and as with most of the Psalms, this last verse is the grand finally of the ride; or as such, it is the end of that ride, that assures you have made it through safely. The whole thing about our commitment to God is based more upon God's commitment to us than anything else; God has demonstrated His commitment to us in more ways than one, but the most important way for us to grab hold of is the gift of His Son; who not only provided us with atonement for our sins, but He is the righteousness that we need to stand in the presence of our Holy Father. The whole point of which, is that we cannot do this on our own; whether that be loving as He loves, or becoming holy, as He is Holy, we are lost without God's help to get us through; and it is knowing that, that we resolve within ourselves to commit everything unto God, knowing that as crazy and as frightening the ride might become, He is the track upon which this car is fastened, and He is not letting go of us! So, hold on and enjoy the ride; but be ye warned, it is not for the faint of heart; but, "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD"...

"UNMOVABLE"

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." (Psalms 31:24) You might have seen this picture, it should belong in every Christian's home, as a reminder that God is our protector, and no matter how disastrous things might appear, have no fear; it's a picture of a Lighthouse that is being swallowed up by the waves of the sea, and as you look closer, you will see a man standing in the midst of where the waves will meet, smiling as though he is standing there having his morning coffee, and knowing it shall be a glorious day. People who look at that picture for the first time, instantly say within themselves, and some times out loud, That guy is toast! But that is not apparent in his face, because he is one who places his trust in the Lord. That doesn't mean you should go and find a lighthouse with the same waves surrounding it, and test the Lord's deliverance out for yourself, because that might not work out so well for you; but what it does mean, is that, in whatever circumstance that you might find yourself in, to put your trust in God, and He will strengthen your heart, causing you to stand just as that man in the picture stands; unafraid and prepared for whatever God would have in store for him. And that doesn't mean that God brings the waves crashing down upon us, because He is not out to destroy us, nor does He bring death upon us; but He will allow what will happen to happen, if that is His will for our life! I can't stand the saying some people project after someone they love has been killed, as they proclaim, How could God take them from me? As if God is causing death to come to people, or has some sick way of tormenting those that are left behind. God is love, and His love is the same for each and every one of us, because He is not a unjust God, neither does He hold any one's life above that of another. Some might even think of God as the waves, crashing down upon them, as in judgement, but He does not judge in such a way; a life is taken by the death and destruction of this fallen world, and not by His hand. For those that hope in the Lord, the hope that they have is bigger than life itself, and death is not an option; but rather, it is just the end of a struggle for pure holiness... "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:55-58)  

"Majestic Peaks"

"O love the LORD, all ye His saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer." (Psalms 31:23) What kind of title is this, you may be wondering; Majestic Peaks, sounds like the tops of mountains, or tall trees, or some other form of power displayed by it's height or majesty; right? Yes indeed; there is a form of pride which is good to have, and it closely resembles that of the majestic mountain tops, or the glorious redwoods; which is not at all a boastful of arrogance, but rather, it boasts in that of which it has been made! The "proud doer" which David is speaking of here, in this spectacular final turn of the roller coaster ride, is that of proudly doing what you know that you have been made to do; as if you can say boldly and confidently: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me". (Philippians 4:13) As simply put as that statement might appear, it is not something which is realized over night, and it usually involves several trials and tribulations to work the patience part of understanding into the confident hope we have in Christ; especially when it comes to our ability to do all things! But then again, that's what it means to be "faithful"; it's not just that ability to have faith, but the ability to confirm the faith that we have, and to establish it; to verify that it is so, and to walk accordingly! God has made us for His purposes, and we must walk in that; for it is in that by which we gain the confidence to walk further, because we know that whatever might happen along the way, it is His purpose for our life by which go through whatever it is. This is where our commitment to the Lord is tested; not that God will test us, because He has no need for that; but that we are tested for our own benefit of the experience of living the test, by which we gain understanding in not only what God can do, but in how sure we can be that He will do it; by which we can walk in the pride of knowing Who's hand we are in... "Hearken unto Me, My people; and give ear unto Me, O My nation: for a law shall proceed from Me, and I will make My judgement to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but My salvation shall be for ever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished." (Isaiah 51:4-6)

"By God's Commitment!"

"For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before Thine eyes: nevertheless Thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto Thee." (Psalms 31:22) The strangest thing of all, is really not all that strange to begin with, because it involves God's commitment to us as His children! You need to understand how important you are to Him, and how very very much He loves you; more than you will ever really know! I can say without a doubt that God's commitment to us far exceeds any form of commitment that we might have towards Him; therefore, why can't we just fully commit to Him, seeing how committed He is to us? The really funny thing is, He knows what is wrong with us, and He loves us anyways! My goodness, do you really get that? To think of all the stupid things that I have done, not realizing how much it breaks His heart for me, because He has so much better for me, and can't wait to bestow those things into my life; it's as if He is rooting for me to do the right thing, saying, You can do this, I know that you can! And just as a loving Father that He is, He picks me up when I fall, and He continues to encourage me on my way; knowing full well that I will fall again, but nonetheless, He encourages me anyways by His great love for me, and by pouring out His Spirit into my life. I know it's hard to understand, but there are many of us out there, who as His children, act as if they are in some sort of foster care and not sure if they really will ever have a home. Feeling less than adequate to be called a child of God, they punish themselves needlessly over things that they do not believe God should forgive them for; and yet, He knows what you have done, what was in your heart as you did it, and He is more than willing to forgive you, if you would only cry out for His forgiveness! And that brings me to something else we must understand: He has forgiven you before you even ask, He just needs for you to participate in His forgiveness in order to forgive yourself..."Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sara that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For the LORD shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." (Isaiah 51:1-3)

"Taken In"

"Blessed be the LORD: for He hath shewed me His marvelous kindness in a strong city." (Psalms 31:21) Oh, what needless things we suffer! Yes, I truly think we have a tendency to try and work through some things on our own, only because we do not quite understand how dependent we truly are on the Lord's protection in some things, in things we think are our own devices; and so what if they are, He is there, willing to take it all out of way! The "strong city" that David is speaking of is more than just a city in which people dwell within, as hard as that is to understand; it is of a domain that is guarded, whether that be from watchmen, or by waking; waking being that of to awaken out of your sleep. I can't tell you how many times I have woken up out of a dream, and wondered, Where the heck did that come from? But only to know for sure that it wasn't from God! Letting my guard down, is the closest answer I could come up with; but it was most likely by invitation, or maybe something I eat the night before. If you are shaking your head, not understanding what it is that I am talking about, then more power to you; but for those of us that understand, may I say, we do have a choice; just as we do with all things holy and unholy! It really does come down to our will, and in this case, it's our will to commit all things unto the Lord; even those things which we might otherwise think are our own, including those things which take place within our minds, especially our dreams! And then again, can we really control those things that we dream at night? Seriously; do we have the capacity within our own minds to do that? I think not! It takes the power of a certain Sword to have victory in that domain, and that power is from God, and it only comes from us asking Him for His help; but help requires us to call out to Him, which in and of itself is a form of surrender... "For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust of the LORD, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of Mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow." (Isaiah 50:7-11)

"Protection In Jesus, Too"

"Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of man: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." (Psalms 31:20) Now, just in case you had second thoughts about my agenda, as to where I was headed, you need to understand that their is a spiritual battle that takes place within our subconscious mind; whether you might believe that or not, is really not the issue; but I can tell you from my own personal experiences, that it is real. As a matter of fact, I have seen far more evidence of the spiritual world in my dreams than in my awake times, because in my sleep I can travel further than I can when I am awake; or at least it appears to be so; and it can go in either direction: both towards God, and away from God, depending on that direction which I pursue. Maybe it's just me, but I seriously doubt that: because I believe that we all have similar tendencies in one way or another; whether or not we admit to them, that is another subject in and of itself. However, the point I wish to make is about the protection that we have in Jesus over those things that we do not usually believe that we do, such as our dreams; and it is only really a matter of us surrendering our dreams over to Him also, just as we would any other part of our life! The question you might be asking, is, Is it really important that we do so? To which I will respond, without any hesitation, Yes! If you are truly seeking after righteousness, and if you are truly committing yourself unto God, then yes, it is as important as any other area of your life! Remember this; we are talking about a spiritual battle, and the spiritual realm is much bigger than the visual one in which we move about in our flesh; and without trying to define what that is, let's just say that what we see with our eyes is nothing compared to what is happening all around us in the spiritual aspect of things; if you can begin to imagine what that might look like! It just so happens, and I believe this is so, that the spiritual realm is far more powerful than the physical realm; besides it being bigger, it has a stronger impact upon our life; both our physical life and our spiritual life, including that of our mind; a mind of which we can never really come to understand! Which is just another reason for us to be mightily dependent upon the Lord for His protection, even in our dreams; like that sweet little prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep", there is quite a lot that can happen when we sleep..."Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge My might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites, Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing of evil; he shall dwell of high; his place of defense shall be the munitions of rock: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." (Isaiah 33:13-16)

"Protection In Jesus"

"Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of man: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." (Psalms 31:20) I know this might seem a little odd, but can you remember a time in your life when you had a secret hiding place somewhere which was only for you, and where nothing could get to you, but almost anything could happen? I can remember mine, and it primarily became the place where I would dream of great explorations into worlds beyond my imagination; however, it became overshadowed by the reality of life, and became something of a place where I dare not venture into anymore, because it has become perverted and unsafe over the years. That is what the world has done over the years, but it does not need to remain that way, nor does it, if that place too is surrendered over Jesus Christ! Of course, what I am talking about is the fantasies that we have in our minds; some involve dreaming, while some, they are just forced projections of whatever seems to excite our forbidden journeys. Now I really don't want to alarm anyone that might not know this, but those fantasy lives, they do count as areas of our life, even though they are made up in our minds. Yes, it is undoubtedly true; and the really sad thing is, for some of us, those forbidden journeys are more protected than our own true lives! Regardless of what you might think of the impact of our dreams, they are quite influential to the way we conduct portions of our lives; it just hard to see how that really plays out, because those secret places are so protected. When it comes to surrendering our lives completely to Jesus, we really can not have complete surrender, if we are still holding onto our imaginary worlds also! The really unfortunate thing is, many people do not realize how strong those unreal places are upon their real life, and how they impact the way you might view others that are in your real life, by the characters that are in your imaginary life. The word for "pride", as in "the pride of man", is a word that speaks of snares, plots, or even conspiracy; and taken at face value, it would seem that it involves an attack from outside sources, such as plots upon our person by those that are out to get us; which it very well could be, but if it were not for "man", a word that denotes something unusual, and that is only used as a way to show something to be acquired, which comes from habit or inheritance. As I said upon opening this conversation up, this might seem a little odd; however, as odd as it might seem, I believe that it is the topic of the day, and is what God would have me talk about... "Stay yourselves, and wonder: cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath He covered: and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men: therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" (Isaiah 29:9-15)

"Perfection In Jesus" -2

"Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men." (Psalms 31:19) Marvel is the only word that comes to mind, because it touches upon how amazed I become thinking about how good God is towards me; even in my stupid moments, He is like a Father that never doubts I will always return, and never gives up waiting! If you have been following my blog for any length of time, then you must have realized by now how scattered I can sometimes be; some days I just can't seem to make the dots connect; and then again, there are some dots that are too large to be connected to anything but perfection, and this is one of those dots! As with that strange verse from Isaiah that I closed with yesterday; taken at first glance, it appears to be one of judgement or of casting down; but looked at from the point of need, it becomes a verse of hope in something that is far more powerful than even your darkest moments; even moments where your understanding has been darkened, there is still hope, if you just surrender everything to Jesus; because in Christ there is victory, even in our defeat; and dare I say, especially in our defeat!!! That was Paul's point he was trying to make, and one that is just so hard for us to grasp, because it involves so much greatness, more than we can even begin to fully comprehend. But, the beginning of understanding involves death; death to the old man which was born in the bondage of sin, and a raised up new life that is far above that of the old, because it has it's life in Christ Jesus, which is now seated at the right hand of the Father, and is making intersection for those stupid moments! It becomes something of a travesty when we fail to understand how simple God has made it for us, because we spend our days not able to figure it out; when He actually never intended for us to try and figure out how He makes it happen, but to just trust in Him to get it done: and getting it done He has, in a fashion that is beyond belief... "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:20-23)

"Perfection In Jesus"

"Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!" (Psalms 31:19) You know, if you really want to know what commitment to God looks like, well, let's just say it's pretty darn obvious! It's obvious because those around you will see proof of it in your life! Moreover, the mere fact that you are dependent upon God's provision of righteousness to be righteous, gives more boldness to the demonstration of your trust and commitment to God! It's rather interesting how that works; again, it has a lot to do with whether or not we are ashamed in any way; whether that is within ourselves, our relationship with the Lord, or, dare I speak of it, our inability to crucify the flesh and walk in new life! Fear of God is pretty much an important factor in the manner in which we move, and in our ability to yield our lives in the proper direction; as in this verse above, the instruction is pretty simple: "(Oh) how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee", is not just a recipe for success in our ability to choose the right direction, it is the yeast in the dough that makes us rise to deciding which way we should go! It is really pretty simple to understand, and does not take a whole lot of practice in our ability to get it right, just that we yield our lives in the right direction, and quit not fearing what should happen if we don't!!! The application process of what I just said can be found a little further down in Romans 6:15, where Paul is asking something of a obviously stupid question, as he says, "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid". To which he answers the question with another question concerning life or death, which is where fear steps in: "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" So let me get this straight; fear is connected with life or death, which one most demonstrates fear???
"Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come upon us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgement also will lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it." (Isaiah 28:15-18)

"Practice Makes Perfect"

"Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous." (Psalms 31:18) When it comes to walking in righteousness, the main things that we must always remember, is that, we are not, yet He is; and it is His indwelling in me that makes me righteous; besides the fact that He has washed away all of my sins, I have actually been placed upon a path of righteousness! This is grace my friend; that which gives me abundantly more than I could have ever earned on my own, and more than I surely deserve! Precisely when do you want to quit fighting a dead man, and start embracing Life? As Paul continues admonishing the dead man in Romans chapter five, he embraces upon something that those who are trapped in the bondage of addiction seem to overlook, which he states in verse nineteen, as he says, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners (speaking of Adam), so by the obedience of one (speaking of Jesus) shall many be made righteous." The real bondage that you are facing is not your drug, drink, or habit, but it is sin; sin that was defeated at the cross of Jesus Christ; yet, for some reason it's still present, and it has way too much power in your life! Defeat is something of a foot, as in feet upon which you walk; you step in one direction, or you step in another, but it is your feet that get you where you headed; thus, defeat is a step in the wrong direction! Does that mean we are to practice being righteous? Without a doubt, that is precisely what we are to be doing! As a matter of fact, we are to question the unrighteousness that is still within us, and we are to seek deliverance from what ever comes to light. Continuing on, Paul says, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound"; in other words, the sin was made stronger by the law which defined it, and showed how unholy our offences were before a righteous God. However, Paul completes that statement by saying, "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord"; making the point of our deliverance being the grace by which we stand; grace which far exceeds any offence which we could have committed! However; onward we go into chapter six, at which point Paul then asked a question, and then answers his question with another question, as he says, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" As if to embrace sin as a catalyst for grace, and to forgo the righteousness that we have been given, by continuing to step outside of grace; which he explains in the following manner, by saying, "God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?" It's as if the corpse is not only wrapped around you, but it still is calling the shots and telling you which way you should step...
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; for our weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

"Refining Hope" -2

"Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon Thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave." (Psalms 31:17) I don't mean to offend anyone who might be hooked on a recovery program; and don't get me wrong, there are some good programs that are out there, and those are the ones that stress the need to surrender your life over to Christ, not to keep living a life of bondage to your sin, but to be in bondage to the LORD! Anywho; this word 'ashamed' is a word that can sneak up on you, if you are not careful; and as hard as I might try not to, I will no doubt step on some toes as I try and explain what I am talking about. Think of it as if you were to be the victim of a bad marriage; you know, the kind where you thought the one you married was someone else, and then they turned out to be a monster. It's the type of a voyage where you are constantly looking for the exit door, and wondering how to jump off the merry-go-round that does not seem very merry. What I am talking about is something called 'disappointment'; a condition that is usually caused by wrongful anticipations of what you expected to happen, or who you expected a person to be. We all have something that troubles us, in one form or another; and we all have some sort of sin that keeps tearing at our quest for righteousness; which is precisely why we need Jesus so badly to take control of our lives! We can't do this! Don't you see that! God does, and that is what His grace is all about! The trouble is inside of you; not that Christ has let you down, because He has done everything possible to lift you up; it's your own foolish heart that has let you down, by thinking you could keep your life and give it away at the same time; like having your cake, and eating it too! Continually, we must cry out to Jesus! And when we are not crying out to Him, it is usually when we are not trying to do what we are to be doing, or doing something we are not suppose to do! Otherwise, we should constantly be reaching out for Jesus to guide us, to teach us, and to strengthen us in this new life we have been given in Him!
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations (to increase the misery of my imprisonment by causing me anxiety) also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet preadventure for a good man some would die. But God commanded His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son; much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Romans 5:1-11)  

"Refining Hope"

"Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon Thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave." (Psalms 31:17) Not your average expression of non mediocrity, but one that makes a lasting impression! The word I am looking for that expresses a life in Christ, is "RADICAL"; meaning that you are transformed in such a way that change has overcome and is extreme. This radical change can't be bought or taught, and it definitely can not be found in any 'Twelve Step Programs'; but it is only found in Jesus Christ: the Way, the Truth, and the Life! When we are talking about what it takes to be saved, then there is really only one definition of what that means, and only one way to get into the category: it's not a process, or a learning, or anything else that comes from any kind of works or practices; it can only happen from "Being Born Again"! Plain and Simple!!! If you have not yet been born again, then you really don't know what the heck I am talking about; neither can you see the radical change that can occur inside of your heart!!! You cannot get there by learning Scripture, although the Word of God is surely the answer; you cannot get there by attending church, although it is the Body of Christ that you will need; and you really won't get there by a process of teaching techniques that come from any kind of a program, although teaching will take place after your "RADICAL" change! Personally, I think that most of the programs that are out there hinder people from surrendering their lives completely over to Jesus Christ; it's as if the program becomes the means of recovery, not the only One that can really make it happen! I don't care what your problem is, or how long that you have been in the condition you are in, Jesus can radically change your life!!! "Wilt thou be made whole?" How long have you been here on your stupid bed; waiting for what!!! When all that time it just requires asking Jesus into your heart! That doesn't ever require you to make a step towards that stupid pool, but to just surrender your life, right there on your bed!
"Ho, every one that thisteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." (Isaiah 55:1-3)  

"Recovering Hope" -2

"Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant: save me for Thy mercies' sake." (Psalms 31:16) Just in case you did not understand that closing portion of Scripture yesterday, it's okay, because some things we just don't; but when we see how that it is really all about what God has done, then we actually realize how far above our pay-grade God's understanding is! Much like this verse we have before us; as short as it might seem, it packs a powerful punch in the direction of our pride and self-righteousness. I used the example of Peter in several discussions I had yesterday regarding the difference between the 'cans' and the 'wills'; a strong man at heart, but when it came to certain things, his heart was not strong enough to pass the test; a test he had even been forewarned about, and could have guarded his heart just a little bit; but no, he was so far into default mode, that he even had to curse at those who persisted to associate him with his Lord. Yes, it might look good to be a 'will', at least until you won't out of shear 'stubbornness'; and I use that word religiously, because it is a fact, when I said I would not bark at my wife, I meant it when I said it, but once the fight started; did I need to bark so loud??? Actually, I would love a nice little spat right now; I would love it, if just as I was about to go to sleep, Marianne would say something like, Hey, I am feeling as though you don't love me anymore! Anything would be well received with gladness; even something as alarming as that statement, and I would jump with joy beyond belief! Yet, almost ten years now, and not a single argument; not even once have I had to use my barking voice to defend my stubbornness and my stupid pride. Oh, what I wouldn't give to do some things over again! If you ever have gone out into the morning sun, and as the sun was shinning upon your face, and you felt it's energy as though it was giving you some of that, then you might understand what it is that I am trying to get across. I 'can' do all things through Christ, who strengthens me! There is hope for me after all!!!!!!!!! God's people will be victorious!
"O LORD, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. For Thou hast made of a city a heap; of a defensed city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. Therefore shall the strong people glorify Thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear Thee. For Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as a heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things; a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And He will destroy in this mountain the face of covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall be taken away from all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it! And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His Salvation!" (Isaiah 25:1-9)

"Recovering Hope"

"Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant: save me for Thy mercies' sake." (Psalms 31:16) I could have spent a few more days on those last few verses, but I am really looking forward to getting to the next Psalm; besides, sometimes I have a tendency to say a little too much, when I should just shut up and let God speak! But here we have a tragic mistaken identity problem that so many of us forget, especially when we are in the midst of something that is overwhelming us; it's a little thing called ownership, and it involves that fact that we are God's property; therefore, we really do not own our own life, so why in the heck don't we chill out and enjoy our Master's accommodations? That might seem a little strong, but after some of the things I felt God tugging on my heart over yesterday, I can see that so many times I place way too much attention on my own efforts, and not enough focus on God's provisions which are all ready at my disposal. After a brief study of what happens in the case of young eagles that learn to fly, I came to a quandary in analyzing my own life experiences, and whether I was one of those that left the nest through enticement, or if I was one that was literally kicked out of the nest by force. The success rate is rather high for those that leave on their own, through being enticed with prey from the parent eagle; however, with those that refuse to leave on their own, and must be pushed out, only 40% of them survive and learn to fly on their own. And as with most times when I get excited about something that God has shown me, I can tend to get a little carried away in my own thoughts, and can end up spinning in circles within my own head; until I get to a point where I throw my hands up, and say, Lord help! Anyhow, I began to see this difference within these two mentalities of eagles as those that think 'can' and those that think 'will'. On the surface, it might appear that the 'wills' are the strong ones, because they make a stand and imagine themselves strong enough to be that good at something; without realizing that sometimes 'will' is not there to make it happen! On the other hand, we have the 'cans', who, although they seem less confident in their ability to achieve at something they must do, they are less attentive in their own 'will' to make it happen, and more focused on the provisions that have been given them. Here is my example of what I just said: I still have breath, and therefore, I 'can' still praise Him... "For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he seeth his children, the work of Mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine." (Isaiah 29:20-24)

"No; Really, He Does!"

"My times are in Thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me." (Psalms 31:15) Not that I need to prove anything at all, but just in case you were wondering how God takes the simple things and overwhelms the complex things in our lives, just look at the example given with the "walls of Jericho"; something that took only faith to trust in God, and to do what He said, no matter how strange it might have sounded, and then watch Him work! It really, just so happens, that God does command our trust! That is, if you truly want to see Him perform a miracle in your life, then you are going to have to trust Him!!! If you think I am wrong, then what result would have taken place if they stopped marching around those walls after the sixth time? If you truly think about it, it really comes down to trusting Him, and nothing else; not your abilities, nor even your inabilities, just His awesome power to overcome any thing that overwhelms us; no matter how big and powerful in might appear to be, it's no match for God! God is God, therefore He commands our trust because He has said that we must trust Him, and never lean upon our own understanding, because we just don't see things the same way that He does, nor can we even be expected to, so don't even let that be a concern; just trust in Him, blindly, and with no idea of what He is actually going to do, but knowing that He is God and that He loves you! Oh ya, you might have thought I was going to leave that out of the reasons that we must trust Him; but it is the foundation of our trust in Him, because it is His love for us that assures us He will always be there when we need Him; no matter how difficult and tragic our situation might appear, we are always in God's hand, and so is our time here on this earth; which means, as long as God wants you to be here, your going to be sticking around, whether you like it or not, your not going anywhere until God says so..."And He discovered the coverings of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest. Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago. And in that day did the LORD GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: and behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the LORD GOD of hosts." (Isaiah 22:8-14)

"God Commands Our Trust!"

"But I trusted in Thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God." (Psalms 31:14) It's pretty much a given, seeing that God is, was, and always will be, we really do not have much of a choice, because sooner or later every knee will bow at His feet and confess Him as LORD! I prefer to do it now and enjoy the benefits of knowing He is in control of my life! When I say that God commands our trust, I do not mean that He makes it a commandment, as in, Thou shalt trust Me; although, He obviously could, and He could righteously do it! But I am talking about the fact that He is God, just in and of itself, is plenty enough for us to make it a must; after all, where else are you going to turn for help? God only needs to wink His eye in our direction, and all is well or done; which ever the case, He does so without any effort at all; and yet, how many times have we looked upon our situations as impossible to overcome? Although it might not be rocket science, I would gather to say, it is God science; which is the systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations based upon who God has said that He is; which is pretty much that old saying that says, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!" Our biggest problem in keeping this type of focus and making every form of test a building experience, is that we sometimes put way too much focus of our temporary tent; giving something that is temporary a more important position than it is meant to have, we begin expressing way to much trust in those things needed to sustain it, and far too little trust in the One who gives it life! I know, that might sound pretty much like it makes too much sense, but the result of doing so is a little thing they call, WORRY; and just in case you did not know this, worry does nothing to help your situation; and in more times than not, worry results in sickness and even death. So then, why worry in the first place? Why do we even waste our energy that it takes to worry, when we can use that same energy to praise God, and then feel better in the process??? I mean really; isn't that what you really are wanting to feel, better..."Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Is it not a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the Book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 29:15-19)

"That, It Just So Happens!"

"For I heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life." (Psalms 31:13) (It's like a mirror, don't you know!) Anyhow; some things that I remember about being very young, like four or so, was that my mom had so many monsters that lurked around the house; there were the Dust Bunnies under the bed, the Boggy Man in the closet, the biting Bed Bugs that would bite you at night; so many reasons to trust in mom for her protection, as she would sweep under the bed, make sure the closet was clean, and regularly change my sheets. Now I am not saying that God has the same intention, as we are these new vessels which just so happen to be trapped in this old broken vessel, but there is something to be said for continuous mortal decay. I have made my position on this very clear before, and I am here for my wife; other than that, I would much rather be home with the Lord; but I still have other people that I care about and wouldn't mind sticking around to see them grow up. In the meantime, I live from day to day watching as death continues to consume those around me, knowing that eventually, it will consume this flesh also. Pretend with me for a moment that David is not speaking of people as he declares these that "took counsel" and devised to take away his life; after all, how can you go from saying, "I trust in the Lord", to, "fear was on every side", without there being something else which is being considered besides just enemies? First of all, this word "slander" is a word that also means whispering or unfavorable sayings; like those things don't happen in our heads, right? Oh, whats that new pain in the pit of my stomach? I hope it's not some form of cancer or something like that! "Fear was on every side" is putting it mildly, because in everyday life there is a chance to die around every corner and in every form of sickness. Heck, you can die getting a tooth pulled at the dentist! or getting your colon check, might be your ticket! It really does not matter how it happens, your temporary tent is just that, it's temporary and on it's way to the grave; some just get there sooner than others, but the laws of natural decay have taken counsel together against each and every one of us! We get to a certain point, I we must admit, "they devised to take away my life"... "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else besides Me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none besides Me. Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." (Isaiah 45:20-22)

"It Could Happen!" -2

"I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel." (Psalms 31:12) Restoration, although a product of what God does in the lives of those that put their trust in Him, it is not what God has intended to take place in us! When you are speaking about restoring a life, usually it involves a life that has been broken due to excessive drug or alcohol abuse; but in fact, we all are in need of restoration unto God, because we were born in sin; separated from our Creator as a result of being born into a fallen world, we need to be restored to the One who Created us! However, as far as this vessel is concerned, it's not necessarily the vessel that God intends to restore, because His intention is to create a new vessel; something that is completely different from that which was previously broken! Jesus describes Himself as "the way, the truth, and the life"; and yes, I said "describes", because He makes this known in us that abide in Him; but He does so, because the three things we lacked as broken vessels were the way, the truth, and life: we were lost, as sheep without a shepherd; we had no knowledge of the truth, and walked in darkness; and we were dead unto God, in need of the eternal life that comes from being restored into Him. All three of these radical transformations require the act of something becoming new; not the act of restoration of a lost, unknowing, dead soul, that has no hope in God; but a new creature that is born of God; having within it all hope, because it is not lost, it knows the truth, and it already has eternal life!!! So then; as far as the broken vessel goes, it really does not exist any longer, and has been replaced by a new vessel of a whole different kind; one that does not resemble what was before, because it is no longer lost, in darkness, and dead. Just as with the portion of Scripture from Isaiah that I closed with yesterday, the transformation that must take place is so radical, that you know without a doubt that you have been transformed! Now, as we consider what that transformation required, and what it is that sustains this new vessel which has been created, do we see the full need we have to be committed to God? Talk about kite strings tangled in trees: there is no getting out of this!!! "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briars; yea, upon all houses of joy in the joyous city: because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted a forest. Then judgement shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of the righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever." (Isaiah 32:13-17)

"It Could Happen!"

"I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel." (Psalms 31:12) There are many of these verses that could be attributed to Jesus and how He was treated by many, especially His own; but here is one in particular that has grabbed my heart. As I shared something earlier in the week about a broken vessel, I made reference to the fact that broken vessels that have been restored are fragile; although that is case, it's not the end result. And unlike most vessels that are repaired, holding any sort of liquid they do not do; but God, He does not necessarily adhere to the laws of nature or physics, nor to the theories which are designed by science; God can do whatever God wants to do! If you really want to know what it looks like to be committed to God, you need to look no further than Jesus Christ! Spoken of by many of His own as someone who was beside himself, and ridiculed as someone who was of the devil, Jesus did not waver or hesitate when it came to commitment to what He was sent to do. Some people might still scoff at Him, and try to place Him in a category of just some other famous teacher or prophet; not realizing how important His visitation was to the condition of their very soul. Heck, I was that way for at least a decade of my life, and I actually believed in God; what must be going on in the hearts of those that do not think there is a God? We look at this verse and instantly we place a negative content to the meaning of these words; however, when it comes to the way God works, sometimes broken is the beginning of fixed!!! God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, just as He uses the broken things of this world to build strong vessels of great ability and honor. That is what makes commitment something that goes beyond circumstance or situations that might occur in our lives; because it is God who is in charge, not us! How often I forget this! I make my plans, and see the road ahead of me; thinking that I know what God has planned for me, I move out as though I know what it is that He is doing; only to find out that I was wrong, and God just changed the whole shape of everything that I thought He was building. Yet; what if God has taken all those broken pieces of all those different vessels, and has made a great and glorious vessel all along??? "Behold a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgement. And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. The vile person shall no more be called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. For the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry; and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand." (Isaiah 32:1-8)

"Upside Down and Turned Around"

"I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me." (Psalms 31:11) Here is something to ponder; although it's something that seems to always get out of control, especially within a life that is filled with ambitions and a desire to be successful at whatever they passionately go after: always make sure that you have your priorities stacked in the right direction and that those things that matter most are set in front of you, never behind you! I have, at certain periods of my life been called a workaholic; although I never really saw the pattern of destruction that was created in that, because I had placed such a strong focus on making something from nothing. To those of you that have never started a business from scratch, and in a town that you were new in, six hundred miles from where you had previously been successful doing the same thing; you may not understand much of what I am talking about; but then again, there is always something else to which you can make a connection. The model for most of my life in the process of blending my time into spending time with God, my family, and my work, was always the cone or triangle example of setting priorities; where God was at the top, then family, and lastly there was work. If you study that example thoroughly, there is something peculiar about that illustration, in that the place at the bottom has the most space attributed to it; that is of unless you have placed your cone in the upside down position! Sadly, many of us learn after many serious mistakes, that our priorities were actually upside down; but what about being turned around? Not with me on that yet? Yes, no, maybe so? I picture this with the illustration of a sailboat, where the wind that powers the sails have many different directions, and based upon the direction of your wind, and the position of your sails, your direction of travel will be headed in the right direction. If the wind that is powering our sails is our work or our professions, then we might feel as though we are going somewhere, but we are going in the wrong direction; and if the wind that is powering our sails is our family, then we are going to be in for a whole lot of prevailing winds, which are winds that based upon where you are at, at any given time, that is direction your wind will be blowing; the bigger the family, the more direction the wind will push against your sails, and the more adjustments you will be making to your sails positions. Personally, I found that work was the easiest to navigate, because I was the boss, and if things weren't going my way, then I had the power to correct them. That might not be the case when it comes to families, because you can't fire your family; and you can hardly determine the direction that wind will be blowing at any given moment. But God!!! His wind is strong enough to draw you into the direction that He wants you to go, which just so happens to be towards Him; and then, you will find yourself at the back of the boat, holding the rudder just to keep the boat steady, while everything else that is dear to you is in the boat and in front of you... "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth? Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands command ye Me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build My city, and shall let go My captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 45:9-13)

"How Low Do I Go?"

"For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed." (Psalms 31:10) Now I know that this does not happen to anyone else but me, but there are sometimes when I remember something I did or said, and I literally groan in my spirit; as if to say, How could I? Actually, I am pretty sure any of us that have some any kind of a heart do the same thing; but isn't odd how something you never really thought much about doing or saying, gets triggered by something else, and is brought to the forefront of you mind, making you see your foolishness in another light. You can only pray that everyone else saw your actions as you first might have, and really did not pay them much attention; but in all honesty, it is God that you must really be concerned about! Again, I have James on my mind, and how often he must have had these little remembrances of growing up with a brother that was actually his Lord. Jude also was in the household, but for some reason, he was more focused on any false doctrines about Jesus, and not so interested in the actions of our foolishness towards others. When it comes to how much God loves us, and how much He has given of Himself for our foolishness that we live out in our daily lives, how low do I go sometimes, as I escape from His presence, and play in the world? Oh, you have never done that? Well, good for you; and I really mean, Good Fore You! Because you are obviously far more equipped as a saint then I am; because I get bored easily, and when I get bored, I look for ways to entertain myself. However, the thing that I often forget to realize, is that I am never out of His presence!!! Oh, you did not know that? I'm sorry; I thought everyone knew that God knows all and He sees all; and there is nothing that is hidden from His All-Seeing-Eyes!!! Having realized that little forgotten fact, there is truly a lot of stuff to sigh about; maybe even a little groaning in our spirit; so much so, that our bones actually begin to feel weak and strained. It is truly important that we keep the proper perspective of our position in relationship with God, because we are a broken vessel that has been restored, and there are more weak spots in this vessel then I often realize... "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5)

"Going Low"

"Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly." (Psalms 31:9) I know you were probably wondering if I was having flashbacks or something; but I was pretty much setting things up for the downward spiral that is about to take place! It happens to the best of us, and we seldom ever see it coming; but you wake up one morning, and you just feel broken all over again! It's as if someone had beat your soul up in the middle of the night, and now you feel as if your miles away from God; talk about a roller coaster, how about a ride that takes place in darkness, and then ends up some place that it did not begin? However; this is something that can take place in any relationship, even in our marriages, and especially in our relationship with God. It's not that anything or anyone has changed in the slightest bit, but it's your own perspective that has changed, and you have somehow adjusted your love meter! For those that don't remember what that is, it's an old arcade machine that you would put a quarter into, and then squeeze the brass handle, and see how high up the red lights would go; the higher up they went, the more love you had within you. But there is something to that, it's just that it might not be what you think it is; it's kind of like "Happy Gilmore" going to his happy place; where it's what is going on inside of you that matters most to your performance. Love is not based upon our feelings, because some days we just don't feel loved; but love is a commitment, which says, I will continue to love you, even when it hurts me to love you!!! Unfortunately, in this day and age, marriage is not as sacred as it once was; it's taken decades for it to get to where it's at, but the ratio of divorced people has reached become such, that they now need to be accepted as normal and natural, as if it's really not such a big deal, after all, everyone else they know has also been divorced. God hates divorce!!! Divorce is giving up on love, and love is something that never ever should be given up on! Especially when it comes our relationship with God and His love for us! For His love never changes; never does His love change, but it's us; we are the ones who are so out of sorts when it comes to real love... "But we are as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee: for Thou hast hid Thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou art the potter; and we are the work of Thy hand." (Isaiah 64:6-8)

"Touched By The Face of God"

"I will be glad and rejoice in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my trouble; Thou hast known my soul in adversities; and hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: Thou hast set my feet in a large room." (Psalms 31:7 & 8) Since 'weird' was the description for yesterday's post, I decided to change the perspective enough to make sense to anyone who might have been offended by something that is hard to express without an intimate relationship being presented; just be happy I did not express my point with "also our bed is green", from The Song Of Songs 1:15, because then we are talking about passions that are always new and exciting; something that those who might not miss the experience do not understand. Instead, I will use instead the picture of a blind person that wishes to discover what some one's face might look like, as they feel every feature to get a mental image of what that person might look like; because in reality that is closer to how we experience the face of God; at least until that day that we get to see Him face to face! But this time, let's imagine something extremely weird (as if I could get any weirder), and imagine the face of God pressing into soul, much like a mold of jello, or thousands of needles pressed against His features, and the surface of that mold is your soul. As odd as that might sound, it is the best way I can express in words what I have placed upon my heart. We who have Jesus in our hearts, have this face of God pressed into our souls; although we might not actually see His face, we know His features, and we can make out certain parts by the sharpness of His definitions. Now then that you might have this mental image, let's look at what David is trying to get across; or at least see what I think he is saying, and why commitment to God is not only vital to our soul's existence, but once that mold has been pressed, it has become permanent; much like a marriage, in which the two are one, and tearing them apart is not possible without there being damage! Everything that David is mentioning within these two verses is expressing what God has demonstrated to us within His act of mercy towards our lost and hopeless condition that we were born into this world experiencing; much of which we did not even know how to explain what we were feeling, or why we felt so alone and lost at times, even though we had not really gone anywhere at all. Really, what does it mean to be born into sin? I know that it means we are born into this fallen world, therefore we are born fallen creatures; but what does it mean to our condition as a living soul, to have been born into sin? Separated from God; from the One who gave us life, and from the One in whom our life has been formed from the beginning; trapped in a world that is full of sickness and decay, and knowing there is somewhere else you would rather be; feeling lost and hopeless because your missing something vital to your existence, and you don't know what it is, or where to find it. These are things that make up the beginning of every soul's life upon this earth, and He knows that we face these things; and He has touched us with His face so as to give us a new perspective, and that new perspective is strong and is meant to be permanent... "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!" (Isaiah 31:1)

"Touching The Face of God, Too!"

"I will be glad and rejoice in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my trouble; Thou hast known my soul in adversities;" (Psalms 31:7) Just so happens this verse is the seventh verse in this Psalm, because it is the number of completion: and to really complete this circle of love, we must understand God's desire and love for us; although, we may not ever know the full measure of His love, we can know enough to satisfy any part that we need to know. We could attribute David's writing this Psalm as he was running away from Saul, or even when he went into the cave and the taunted Saul with his mercy he had on him; but for the sake of any one who wants to argue, let's just say that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16 & 17). In other words, God has inspired this word for more than just words to be read, but that our soul should be fed! With that said, let's consider David is speaking about another "trouble" besides that of Saul, and consider that he is speaking of our condition without God's great mercy; for it is only by God's act of mercy that our soul is made complete in Him! I get so sick and tired of hearing people say, I God is so loving, then why does He allow this or that to happen? The brutality of this world was taken out on His Son! Don't you think He does not know our pain, because He does! We are broken, this world is broken, and until the day that heaven and earth are made new, things will continue to be broken as they are, and there will be sin and death in this world. In the meantime, we must be glad and rejoice in His great mercy that He so lovingly has poured out upon us, for He has considered our condition, and He has not only provided the way for us to be transformed in a world that is broken, but He has given us His written Word, that we can not only see His face, but we can touch it also! Now I know what some might be thinking, and I don't expect to reach up into heaven and touch God's face; but this is as close as I can assimilate what our soul experiences in the spiritual sense, as it has communion with God in moments of intimacy. This might sound a little creepy, but it's a lot like a husband and wife feeling each other's face during love making, whereas they are deeply in love with the character of one another, as they explore one another's features..."I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (Song Of Songs 5:1)

"Touching The Face of God"

"I will be glad and rejoice in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my trouble; Thou hast known my soul in adversities;" (Psalms 31:7) Don't ask! I don't even know what this title means, except that it just appeared in my head as I was reading and meditating on this verse. Here's the thing about knowing the Truth: it's that you not only know it, but it's the fact that the Truth sets you free! How can we know the Truth is really the truth? Interesting enough, it is because we will feel free indeed; and there is only one way that we can have that feeling, and it's by the weight of sin being taken off of our lives! After which, there is something else that will happen within us; something that no one can explain or ever try and convince someone that it has happened; but our soul can literally touch the face of God! I know that might sound impossible, and way beyond the realm of natural belief; but God does have a face, and our soul knows His face, and our soul can touch His face, because it is part of who He is. Dribble, dabble; things that just don't make sense, right? Wrong! You might not realize this, but the day that you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, your soul found it's way home! All your life you felt a longing for a place where you felt safe and secure, wondering where that could possibly be, since peace was nowhere to be found; and then on that day, you found it; and not only did you find it, but you took up residence there for all eternity! Try all you can to explain it, because it's the language that only our soul's can communicate in, and involves spiritual dialog that is only able to be interpreted by our spirit and God's; but there is a face out there that our soul's are in contact with; and more importantly, that is in contact with our soul! God's love for us is not some far off distant love affair; He is not writing letters to us from some far of distant galaxy, as if He is guessing how we are doing down here on earth; God is here, He is Omnipresent always; which means that He is always everywhere! I would like to compare His presence with air, but are may not be everywhere; or maybe with space, as in the space between your ears, which just might work, seeing how the Twilight Zone used that analogy, "Beyond all space and time"; because God's existence does not have a specific place, nor a specific time. Do you know how that looks? Didn't think so... "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life; for the Life was manifested, and we have seen It, and bear witness, and show unto you that Eternal Life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:1-4)

"Sold Out on Truth"

"I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD." (Psalms 31:6) At the end of verse five, David declares God as, "O LORD God of Truth"; to anyone that has been led down the wrong path by some false teachings, the truth of the Gospel Message really means something special in our hearts, now that we have tasted the bitterness of a lie. As with the message from yesterday, we will commit our spirit into the hand of a God that has already committed His life for our spirit, because we know that He has only good intentions in store for us. I truly did not get that from following the J. W. cult that I was raised into; as a matter of fact, the result of God's mercy was based upon my conduct, and therefore, it was really not that set in stone what God's intentions for me would be, because my conduct was never enough to earn His mercy; and I surely could not start sacrificing animals from around the neighborhood, in order to earn some of His great mercy; so the next best thing was to go door to door, and hope to receive some kind of persecution, because being persecuted meant you were done for the week and had earned His forgiveness. Once we know what the truth is, we understand that it's not about our ability to earn anything, but rather, it's based upon our ability to ask Him for forgiveness! Do you want to be made whole? Then ask Jesus to make you whole! What's so hard about that? But you might say something like, Yes, I have asked Him already, but I am still not whole yet; to which I would respond, Do you really want to be made whole? Really??? Being whole may or may not be what you think it is; because if you think being whole means that you are no longer tempted by sin, then you really missed the whole point of the Gospel Message! After Jesus had healed the man at the pool of Bethesda, He ran into him again later, and said, "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." (John 5:14) Sin can still enter into our lives, it's just something that we are to try and avoid partaking in, sometimes desperately with all that is within us, including the Helper that Jesus has provided; understanding this, that when we do sin, it is because we have done so by giving into the desires of our flesh, and by rejecting the help of the Holy Spirit. And yet, we sin! Darn, darn, darn; sinned again!!! "Into Thine hand I commit my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of Truth!" (Psalms 31:5)