"Just In Case" -Too

"A father to the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation." (Psalms 68:5) Almost nothing can compare to the difference between being led by someone who is a man of God and being led by someone who is not. If you wanted a good example, then the simple principle behind this verse is good enough to make the case of how important is the leading of God. It's something called humility and compassion, in case you did not get that point; something that has been missing in our leadership for quite some time; mostly because everyone is lifetime politicians, and lifetime politicians only care are about one thing, making the government stronger. The principle put forth in this verse, although it shows God's high position, it also shows His compassion upon the lowly. I am sorry, but there is none more lowly than those that have no way to protect themselves; and I am speaking about unborn children that are killed in their mother's womb. Don't think that this senseless slaughter does not make a difference upon our culture, because it does. We currently have this small movement afoot, "Black Lives Matter", which I agree with, because all lives matter; but who is sticking up for the helpless unborn children? I am sorry for getting a little cynical, but there is way too much focus being taken off the things that really matter, and way too much being put on the secondary things; things like the economy and the military only really matter if our country is moral, otherwise we are distended for destruction from within... "O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me." Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall." (Hosea 14:8-9) NLT

"Just in Case"

"A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation." (Psalms 68:5) I know, it makes me wonder too, but they did refer to Jesus as "a bastard child"; yet, we that believe the Bible to be totally accurate, know the truth. The absolute truth, if you are really seeking, is that Jesus was not only a son of a father, He was Thee Son of The Father; The One and Only Son of The One and Only True God! So you can go tell it on the mountain, because there are some today that still refer to Jesus in the same manner that they did in the day. I don't want to get political, but I have got to say something about those who want to pretend they know anything about God, yet they deny the fact that He is. Say for instance, someone who might have a bit of a "God complex"; which by definition, is someone that feels they are incapable of making mistakes, and if they do, then it was someone else who is at fault. It is a person who is extremely arrogant, thinking they are above everyone else, and that they are the captain of their own ship. I actually witnessed someone representing Christians in this land, try to stand up for someone described above, and he tried to make the case that that kind of a man was the answer. We pretty much have come to a cross-road in this country; one which has taken us to a place where the true believers are looked down upon, and those that exalt the will of the masses above the will of God are lifted up. I say it is a cross-road, not because I believe this country has a chance to make the right choice, but because it's time for true believers to pick up their cross and follow Jesus... "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God's word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest. No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them." (Luke 8:11-18) NLT 

"Oh How Wonderful"

"Sing unto God, sing praises to His name: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His name JAH, and rejoice before Him." (Psalms 68:4) When it comes to all that God has to offer us, there really is no end to the treasures that He has made available to those that are His children. Really that is what it's all about, being one of His children. I mean really, you can try and explain it any way that you want to, but when it comes right down to it, we are either one of His children, or were are not; and if we are one of His children, then we will be as one of His children; plain and simple. For those of us that are one of His there is freedom, not rules and commands, but real freedom to live and worship the God that loves us, and that wants us to rejoice in the fullness of His marvelous love. I can't say it enough, but our ability to rejoice is not really based upon our position in this world, but is based upon our position in heaven. It's like a quote from that old movie, The Gumball Rally, "1st rule in Italian driving: Whats'a behind me is not important!" Very similar to Paul's version in Philippians 3:13 "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (NLT) The name used for God, "JAH", is just the shortened name for Jehovah; but it is primarily representing the name LORD, which actually means, "The One True God"; which, in case you are in need of further justification, is more wonderful then you could ever imagine. Basically, what that means, is that rejoicing is not an option...
"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. God's purpose was that we Jews who were first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him." (Ephesians 1:9-14) NLT

"The Worthy!"

"But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice." (Psalms 68:3) It really just comes down to faith, as much as we would like to make it about all of our efforts, it's not. That is what is so amazing about God's redemption; because no matter how hard we try, we could never get to that place where we are holy enough to be in His presence, never on our own. Once we can understand that, it takes a whole lot of pressure off us, and it gives us so much to rejoice over. But, does that mean we do not try? No way! We need to try and live up to the redemptive work that God has already completed for us! We technically are not that person that we once were any longer; we are now a child of the KING, so we need to live as one! Does that mean we can be perfect? There is only one perfect, and that is Christ Jesus; but He has made us perfect before the Father; therefore, technically, we are perfect, even though we might not actually always live perfectly. Hence, the "Good News!" And what should we do when we receive good news? You've got it! So you can see the big difference between the "wicked" and the "righteous"; whereas, the wicked want nothing to do with God and all of His rules, while the righteous; well, let's just say that the righteous can't seem to get enough of what God has to offer... "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:3-8) NLT

"The Unworthy" -2

"As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God." (Psalms 68:2) Any time I see smoke and fire mentioned in Scripture, I automatically go for the reason being that of a test. That said, I see two very distinct scenarios playing out when it comes to God's Holy Fire; there is the burning away of all that is unworthy within us, and then there is the burning away of all that is unworthy of God. One is the result of the right choice, while the other is the result of the wrong choice; one is the result of allowing God to work in us, while the other is the result of refusing God to be Lord. And when I say that we must work at getting this right, I don't mean that we must depend upon our works; but we do need to put forth the effort to love God with all of heart, mind, soul and strength; it's more about caring than it is about work, because when you really care to love with all you've got, then you don't really concern yourself with your efforts to get it done, you just do it. Obviously we don't always do what is good and right; but that does not mean that we should not try. It does seem though, that the harder I try, the easier it is for me to fail. It's like I am saying, "I will not do this, I will not do this; God please help me not to do this!" And then, "Oh darn, I just did that again! What the heck is wrong with me!" It is not as effortless as you might think it should be, but like my Mom always said, "Where there's a will, there's a way." In the life of a Believer in Jesus Christ, the will is all about, Will you let Him live in you...
 "Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:1-10) NLT

"The Unworthy"

"As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God." (Psalms 68:2) You actually need to put forth an effort to serve God, which basically means that you actually need to work at being the person that God has made you to be. You would think that you would have discovered that by now; in case you haven't noticed, doing nothing gets you nowhere! But, there is something very important to the way that we get things done, in case you haven't noticed, we have got to want to do it; otherwise, it's just not pleasant. Don't think for a moment that what you do being pleasant does not matter, because it does. In 1 John 5:3, it says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." That word "grievous" means heavy or burdensome; much like it might be to do something that you really don't want to do, it becomes harder to do it, just because you really don't want to do it in the first place. But what if you don't? What if you really don't want to do those things which God commands us to do, but just want to do you own thing? You have got to want to do them! It is not an option! They are not suggestions for us to think about; they are called commands, because God is commanding us to do them; God is saying, "Do them, or else!" Or else what? Have you ever wondered what "else" actually meant when your parents would say that? Did you ever think, "Maybe I'll just take the else; it can't be any worse than doing what I don't want to do." With God, the "else" is simply "not being worthy", as in, you really do not stand the test! Not that God is constantly testing us or anything like that, because love itself is a test... "Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, "Abba, Father." For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are God's children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering." (Romans 8:12-17) NLT

"Let God Arise"

"Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Him flee before Him." (Psalms 68:1) I know that it might be hard to understand, but the God that we serve is love; those that are His enemies, are His enemies because they have chosen to hate Him. I, for the life of me, can not understand why, but God has demonstrated how much He loves us in such a drastic way, that it is almost unbelievable. And yet, those who choose to hate Him, no matter how hard you try to explain it to them, they just hate Him more; the more convincing that you are, the more hateful they become. Jesus gave a pretty good explanation for this, as He was explaining the fact that men love darkness rather than light (John 3:19). Darkness has to flee from light, it just has no other choice; but when men want to hold onto the darkness, it is really the darkness that holds on to them. That is the whole point of being a slave to sin, in that it holds us captive, and we have no other choice but to serve it. But, as Paul describes in Romans 6, God has set us free from the bondage of sin, and we no longer have to serve it. But, in so doing, we must serve God instead! Whether you agree with it or not, you are going to serve someone or something no matter what. I know some people think that they don't serve anyone, like maybe people who have everything they need, and they do not serve anyone, but are served by others. But God will not be mocked! The simple truth is that those that who do not serve God, are actually serving someone else, and that someone else actually is God's enemy, the devil. Please try to understand something (I am talking to myself), if we are not serving God, whether that be by profession, or just by the manner in which we live out our lives, then we are serving ourselves; and those that serve themselves are taking after the devil, who revolted against serving God, but instead wanted to be like God. The choice is clearly in our court. God has made His move, and now it's up to you to choose who you will serve... "So fear the LORD and serve Him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone. But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15) NLT

"The True God"

PSALMS 68 [To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David.] Just what is needed, a little light to shine in the darkness. And just in case you missed it, you only know the real power through obedience; if you do not obey the Spirit, then you will not experience how real God is in your own life. It's just a simple fact, you can only know God for real by following the Truth; and who do you think the Truth is, it is Jesus! You know, He did not just come here to die for our sins, He also came to show us the Father! We must never doubt the power of God's word, ever! "Sharper than a two edged sword", the word of God can cut through even the hardest of hearts; and if anyone doubts that the word of God can change a man's heart, then they have not seen "The True God" at work. Before we get into this Psalm, there is something that needs to be made abundantly clear: No man or woman alive is the enemy of God! I don't care what anyone has done, or even what they continue to do, God loves each and everyone us, and He is not willing that any should perish, but that every single man or woman alive on this earth would turn and run to Him. That is God's heart for the wicked, not that they would be destroyed, but that they would run to Him for the salvation that they need. Those that are more wicked than others, they just need it more; and He has an endless supply of mercy and grace! These are very important times that we are living in, and we need to get serious about who it is that we are going to serve, because Jesus is coming very soon. If we doubt that it is so, then we will put off being ready; and you do not want to be found unprepared at His coming! The way I see it, there are two very important things that we need to do in order to be prepared: we must hear His voice, and we must obey it. I know that is something that seems rather odd, given the fact that we are saved by grace and not by works; but the Holy Spirit needs to be used in our lives, and He is only used through obedience. If you want to assure that your "Lamp" is full of "Oil", then you need the "Fullness" of God in your life... "By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins." (2 Peter 1:3-9) NLT

"Making It Real"

"God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him." (Psalms 67:7) Can you handle the Truth? Yes you can! It might not make sense at first, but knowing the Truth is more real than you might think; literally, your mind cannot comprehend the faith that is within you; that faith which comes from knowing the True and Living God! As a matter of fact, our mind will distract us from the truth if we let it, as we try to figure out what it is gives us the confidence in a God that we cannot see. Our confidence come from knowing, not necessarily with our mind, but with our heart; our heart being the center of our eternal soul. As with almost every Psalm, the last verse typically sums up the massage being sung; in this case, this verse more than sums it up, this pretty much stamps it with a seal, as in, a seal of approval. It is almost the equivalence of saying, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!" To be perfectly honest, I don't think that I can even try to not believe, even if I wanted to. It is what I am, which is a child of the King; and no one, not even myself can take that away, because it was made possible by God! He, and He alone can undo what He has done; but He won't, because He says that He won't; so there! You want to kick the devil in the face, then that's how you do it: you hold onto the Truth and you don't let go! So, can you handle the Truth? If it is real enough, then yes you can! Now the next question you might have, is how do we make it real enough? That answer is really really easy! Follow the Spirit of the Truth... "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would by fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature, but instead follow the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4) NLT

"Good Produce" -2

"Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us." (Psalms 67:6) That's what I was looking for! This little Psalm is tucked in between a Psalm about "More Praise and Thanksgiving" and the next Psalm, which is about "The True God". When you look at what Paul was saying in his opening to his letter to the church in Rome, he was painting a picture of our natural tendency to ignore God's goodness as our Creator, and focus upon the desires of our own hearts; thereby caring for the things God created more than the Creator himself. Here is what I think is important about this communication between us and our Creator: we need to be blown away by His love and His goodness! The real "increase" that the earth shall yield is fruit in the knowledge of God; everything that God made demonstrates His eternal power and His awesome wisdom; and He made everything by His Word! And guess what, my dear brothers and sisters, He has created a whole new creature in you, also by His Word! Now I know that might not be news to many of you, but it's all about communication with our Creator, as His creation; not just because He has made us and therefore I am, but because He loves me, despite who I am! It has got to be personal and it has got to be real! We are not just worshiping a big God somewhere up in heaven; we are worshiping the God that came here to take our place upon that cross; each and every one of us were on His mind as He hung there, and we have got to make this communication with Him personal and meaningful, because this is no game; that was no game, it was serious love being poured out for you and for me, so take Him at His Word... "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." (John 1:1-5) NLT

"Good Produce"

"Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us." (Psalms 67:6) This might be a small Psalm, but it seems to open up some really good lines of communication between us and God; at least that's how I see it. It is sad to see the way some people view God's word, as to how direct and personal His word is meant to be in our lives. It is also quite a disappointment to see how some very powerful men of God are evolving into something outside of God's word, just because they might think that it is popular with the masses. The most interesting part of this verse is the part that says, "even our own God", as if there might be more than one, but there is no other God; except that which we ourselves produce in our own mind and heart, and then it becomes an idol meant to filter out some of God's light, just so we can have a little darkness. That is not the way it works! That might be the way some people might want it, but God does not change just because we want Him to, or try and filter out some of His holiness. Our God is a Holy God that does not change; and the only way we are going to receive His blessing, is if we are pursuing to be holy, as He is Holy. We know that we can't actually achieve holiness; but the great news is, that God knows it too! But that does not mean we can ignore the fact that He calls us to be holy, as He is Holy; besides, He has made a way for us to be considered Holy! That's what it means to be justified: "Just as if I had never sinned!" Now that's what "even our own God" actually means, because He is my God! He has made me Holy; something that I could never do on my own, He has done that for me! Now consider what that means when it comes to the Light of God, the Light that dwells in us. What light are we filtering? We are surely not changing God; God does not change... "But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen." (Romans 1:18-25) NLT  

"Interpretation" -2

"Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee." (Psalms 67:5) Besides prayer, we are called to be salt and light; salt to help stop the decay, and light to shine the truth. There usually is a reason when verses are repeated so closely together; I tend to think that prayer has much to do with that reason. If there is one thing that I have learned about prayer, it's that we must not stop asking, especially when it comes to intercessory prayer for people that we care about. In addition to us needing to see who Jesus is prior to reaching out to Him, we must see our need to be saved prior to receiving salvation; if we don't see that we are in need of a Savior, then what we see in Christ is not what He has to offer. Given that these are the last days, and I believe that they are, the Bible says, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 4:3-4) "Sound doctrine" is something that is lacking in many churches today, because they do not teach the truth; they might take some truth and then add whatever they want to it, to give their listeners what they want to hear; avoiding the truth, they please men instead of pleasing God. I know it's not popular, but it must be made perfectly clear: Jesus is the only way you are getting into heaven, and without making Him Lord of your life, your going to hell! Going back to the "Rich Young Ruler", Jesus said, "One thing thou lackest" (Mark 10:21); how many of us can claim that we only lack one thing when it comes to being perfect? Is it any wonder that the disciples wondered, "Who then can be saved?" (Mark 10:26) When it comes to getting right with God, the most important part of getting right is to see how wrong we are; we must see that we are broken, and our need for God to fix us; otherwise, He cannot save us, because we don't really want to be saved...
"After the LORD your God has done this for you, don't say in your hearts, 'The LORD has given us this land because we are such good people!' No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that He is pushing them out of your way. It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy the land. The LORD your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath He swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You must recognize that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not - you are a stubborn people." (Deuteronomy 9:4-6) NLT

"Interpretation"

"Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee." (Psalms 67:5) As I was saying, it really makes a difference to someone that is lost and dying, if the person that is trying to hand them a way up, does not appear to be lost and dying them self. It makes a difference that we have something tangible to offer them, something that they can grab hold of, as in examine that it is real. You know, there is one sure thing about the Word of God, it is tested! All the other books that have been written do not stand up against the Word of God, because God's Word is alive; God's Word is life-giving, and it is 100% truth. The chances are, if someone does not feel like praising God, it is because they do not know the truth of His Word; if they did, then they would absolutely be praising Him! I once had a discussion with a brother about whether you can know who Jesus is before you except Him into your heart, or whether He is revealed after. It was a pretty intense discussion, because we both made a pretty good arguments on either side. I had the side of knowing before, and he had the side of knowing after. His side of the argument was predicated on the John 3:3, where Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." My side of the argument was based upon Paul's transformation on the road to Damascus, as well as my own experience when I came to accept Him into my own heart; both of which were based upon the fact that Jesus revealed who He was; that He was God, our Creator, and also our Redeemer. My argument was based upon the fact that you cannot actually reach out to the one who will save you, until you actually know in your heart that He can save you. While my brother suggested that our reaching out is an act of faith, by which we really don't know for sure if He will, until we actually take that step of faith. Maybe as a small child I had accepted Christ into my heart, and when I saw who He was, I was just coming home; but all that I know, is that He was real, He was so real, that it broke me to look upon His outstretched arms, as I pictured my Creator nailed upon that cross. Just as it broke Paul's heart to realize that it was the one he helped crucify, who was actually the God that he had studied about from his youth. So who was right? Can a person actually reach out to something that he does not know is actually there, or is He revealed to us first, that we might grab hold of Him? My interpretation of the Gospel, is that Christ must be revealed, and He has made Himself known. The real question that needs to be asked, What are you going to do with what has been revealed? PRAY...
"Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10) NLT  

"Sure as His Word"

"O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for Thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah." (Psalms 67:4) I hope you know it's going to get worse. You can pray for the leaders and the way things are going all you want to, but Jesus said it would be this way, so you had better focus upon your house and your own choices. Hey, "This is a test; in the event of an actual emergency, you would not get any warning!" That's the way I see it. The NLT has "govern" as "guide"; which I find very interesting, especially if you prescribe to the belief that God is actually on the throne, and He only lets certain things happen; therefore, it makes perfect sense that we can "be glad and sing for joy", even when this ship is going down! On that note, our duty or obligation as a follower of Jesus Christ is to preach the Gospel to a dying world. The ship might be sinking, faster and faster as we go, but we have a life saving message for those that are going to perish. Unfortunately, the world is giving out false messages that give no assistance at all; if anything, they just add weight to their lost souls, by buying lie after lie, and totally refusing the actual truth. Yesterday I heard several bits and pieces of messages that spoke of end times and Revelations; but the one thing that stands out the most, was from Dr. Chuck. Speaking about Revelations, he said something about the fact that it mentions over and over about "Wow, to those that dwell upon the earth"; but he went on to say, "we are not earth dwellers, we are pilgrims here, awaiting our true home." Very interesting concept! If you really want to give someone that is in a sinking ship something to hold onto, then being outside of that ship will sure make a difference...
"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 it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! 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. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 11:32-12:2) NLT  

"Redirection"

"Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee." (Psalms 67:3) How about a changed heart? Let that be the miracle you expect God to work in you! But, you say, "I had my heart changed back in the 80's; I'm good." You really don't get it. God has called us to be a people that are set apart; He has given us hearts that are pure and set apart for Him; and what do we do, we go and defile them with strange gods and sinful desires. I really don't care how holy you think you are, or how long you have walked with God, if your life is not completely yielded to the Holy Spirit, then you're missing the point; point meaning the direction in which you are headed! It is a little thing called compromise. And usually that is all it takes; just a little bit! Nothing too spectacular, just a little pleasure for myself; no one will know, and it really will not hurt anybody. Ya, I know; what the heck does this have to do with anything? Everything! Do you honestly think for just a moment that all the people praise God? They should, but they don't. How about you? Do you praise Him in everything that you do? or have you let some certain people set the bar of purity in your heart? I am not talking about really bad people, I'm talking about compromised Christians; those by whom you have witnessed doing this or that, and you have let it become you're excuse for compromise in your own life. On the other hand, we don't even need to look at the church; we can adjust our own standard by just looking at the world, and making that the balance between right and wrong, or good and bad, holiness and wickedness. The only problem with that, is that there really is some good in the world; there really are some people out there that will lay down their life for others; there are unsaved people that have compassion for the poor; so where do we point to for real direction? How about Jesus? Forget about all the rest, and set your mind on Him! The way I see it, all people means every sort and every persuasion; in everything you do, praise Him; which actually means, you are confessing that He is your God... "Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, "Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all the people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!" (Isaiah 40:3-5) NLT  

"Light Inspection"

"That Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations." (Psalms 67:2) There really needs to be a point in your life where God stretches your faith beyond your reach, beyond anything that you are capable of doing on your own. Sure, I get that He has already done that; we could never have saved ourselves, and Jesus has already delivered us from the fires of hell; but I am talking about something we are able to walk out of knowing, what just happen, that was not anything I could have done, that was all God's doing. Then again, maybe our salvation is the perfect example of what we need to examine; it might also be the only example that some of us actually get to experience; at least knowing about it happening. But I seriously doubt that God does not use each and everyone of us for some kind of work, in some way or another. The thing that we all need to realize is that we are all vessels that are made to be used for His purposes, and we are all unique; each and every one of us are all the same, but at the same time, we are all together different; each with his or her own individual contribution to God's perfect plan; whether you might realize it or not, you really do matter. Even the thief on the cross, as short as his ministry on earth was, had a powerful impact on this world, and on those that might doubt that God can't use their life, even if that life might only last a few more hours. Maybe the most powerful influence you can be to those around you, is to just hang there and smile; to just let it be known that you're not afraid, and that this is not the end, but just the beginning. I think the parting of the Red Sea is by far the best example of what that looks like. The children of Israel were pretty much trapped, death was approaching, the sea opened up, they went through it, and death was swallowed up, as they escaped in victory... "Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed God, so I spoke." We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us up with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:11-18) NLT

"Light Reflection" -2

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us. Selah." (Psalms 67:1) It might not appear to be a blessing, but God has a way of turning things from bad to good, and from death to life; that is His specialty, and in case you have forgotten, Jesus suffered willingly, and of His own free will. It really makes quite a difference when you know the outcome of your circumstance; even though it might hurt a bit, it will all be over, sooner than you might think. So, here is the thing that makes the difference: Do you let His light shine in the midst of your suffering, or do you reflect the darkness of this world? Obviously we want to let His light shine; at least that might be our desire overall. But if we act as if we are upset with the way that we are being treated, then we are actually giving the devil what he wants, and taking the glory away from God. If you study the Book of Job, you discover that Job was not a perfect man, but he did believe in and trust in God; not only for himself, but he trusted in God for his children also. This is a very important quality to have when it comes to suffering through anything, because you are considering how you can intercede for others; and it is the quality that Job stopped holding to, as he sat in the street covered in ashes. It was the devils intent to get Job to curse God; and Job might not have literally cursed God, but he surely did not give Him the glory that He was due. Job's wife expressed what he was putting forth, as she said, "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die?" (Job 2:9) That was all Job had yet to do, because he had already surrendered God's integrity by giving into the destruction of the devil. We have got to come to terms with who God is, and what He is able to do, if not for us, then through us! If you want to see a really good movie that illustrates what I am trying to say, then you should watch "Brother's Keeper". There is a moment in the movie where one man says to the other, "Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus; how do you know whether or not you are your brother's Andrew?" The portion of this verse that says, "and cause His face to shine upon us", is one thing to this person, but is totally something else to another... "Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants, for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we can know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shinning in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, and not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We are knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." (2 Corinthians 4:1-10) NLT

"Light Reflection"

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us. Selah." (Psalms 67:1) The more I think about it, the more I realize how God uses those that are His to minister to those that are not. If you are one of His children, then He is merciful unto you, and you know it; there is absolutely no doubt in your mind that God's mercy has been poured out upon you, day in and day out; you know it because you are in fellowship with Him still, even though you have messed things up, over and over, He has not cut you off. Do you know why that is? I hope that you do, because there is only one reason that you are a child of God, and it's not because of your performance as a kid of the Kingdom; it's because of Jesus Christ, the King of the Kingdom! John gives us this testimony in his opening remarks of his Gospel Message, saying, "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John 1:10-12) Now as far as being blessed, there really is no easy way to describe it, besides just to know that you are; but what ever you do, don't measure your being blessed by what you have, as in worldly possessions, because those are only temporary things, here today and gone tomorrow. The word "bless" shown above has the primary meaning of, "to bend the knees, TO KNEEL DOWN"; and then it goes on to say, "The primary notion lies in breaking, breaking down." The general idea, as I see it, is that we are blessed beyond compare; so much so, that if everything should be stripped away, we would still be blessed, because there is no comparison between what we have been freely given and what we might have in this world. I really think that is key to our understanding of the Gospel Message; because we cannot loose something that we did not earn; and truth be told, if everything we had were to be taken away, the last thing standing would be all that we ever needed in the first place. That is pretty much the notion in "breaking down", because when you break it all down, the blessing that we have been blessed is not shown in blessings, it is shown in suffering...
"So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. John testified about Him when he shouted to the crowds, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for He existed long before me.'" From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us." (John 1:14-18) NLT

"Let All Nations Praise God!"

PSALMS 67 [To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song.] Just Praise God! It really does not matter what it is that you are going through, if you know that you are saved, then you are safe and secure for all eternity! Do you get that? People who doubt it, are the ones who give up when the going gets tough; they do not plan on giving up, no one does, but if your overall concern is to be blessed in this world by worldly things or comfort, then you are concerned over the wrong blessings. Do I feel blessed? Most days, yes. But truth be told, there are some days when I feel totally and ashamedly cursed. Yesterday started out as one of those days; but it ended with me knowing how blessed I really am. There is nothing that this world has to offer us, beyond what we have been given in Christ; consequently, if something gets taken away, then it was something that we did not need, because Christ is all we need! If your health is being taken, even to the point of death, you have a far greater life waiting on the other side of this life; so let it be known! There is nothing more convincing to those that doubt, then to see someone who is confident in the truth have the joy and peace of their assurance. It's almost ironic, but we pray fervently for God to make something happen, and then when He does, we don't see His answer through the circumstance or the opportunity that He has given us to participate in giving Him the glory. Don't look for it to make sense, because if it is God doing something, then it most likely won't make sense; how else would we trust Him, or even need to, if we knew everything that He was doing, and how He was going to get it done. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the title above this Psalm is the title above. It's even more ironic seeing how God uses the other nations of this world to demonstrate His love and dedication to His people, because everyone get's to participate in the process, even those that are lost...
"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: 'May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you His favor and give you His peace.' "Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them." (Numbers 6:22-27) NLT  

"Beyond This"

"Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me." (Psalms 66:20) I don't know about you, but the God that I serve does not run out of mercy for me; and He surely listens to me when I call upon His name. You have got to see the importance of knowing that He loves you, no matter what circumstance you are going through, or how difficult your trial might appear, He is there for you, and He is seeing you through to the other side of this life. Don't misunderstand what I am saying, because there are some things I really love about this life; but there is nothing here that compares to what is ahead, no way, no how! Sure, it's a challenge for us to keep pressing on; but just like the "manna" that God gave in the wilderness, He gives us what we need for today, faithfully! Today is August 12, and twelve years age today was the day my life was turned upside down! Twelve years ago today, my wife went into the hospital for a minimal-invasive surgery, that turned out to be not so minimal, and not so invasive. It breaks my heart to see her living out the rest of her life in this condition, but there is no way I am going to give up on God; and I am never going to do anything but love and care for my wife, as long as it takes! Besides that, I have the pleasure of dealing with those around me who shake their heads and say, "What's the point in that!" It's okay to think that, because there are days when the same thought comes into my heart; but there is a point to believing that God is in control; no matter what things might look like, or how things might appear, there is nothing too difficult for God to use for His glory! All that I ask is that He allows me to stay here until she goes; I cannot imagine leaving her here in the condition that she is in, so helpless, and so dependent upon others for her care. It is my responsibility to care for her, all the way to the very end; it is my duty and obligation as her husband, because that was the vow I made to her in the presence of the God that loves me; the God that has promised that He would care for me, all the way to the very end... "How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way. You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O LORD, became their God." (2 Samuel 7:22-24) NLT  

"Big But!"

"But verily God hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer." (Psalms 66:19) I honestly hate that song, but I love that God cares for me; He cares for me more than I care for myself! We really need to get something through these think skulls of ours; more importantly, we need to let God transform our way of thinking, because we seem to constantly go in the same directional pattern, it's all about me, myself and I. God loves you! You should really know that by now, if you truly are His child; and if you are, then you have got to know that He loves you regardless of what you have done yesterday, or today, or even what you will do tomorrow; He knows your heart, He has you all figured out, and He loves you just the same! Don't you think that it's possible that your idol might be none other than you? That might sound a little strange, but if you really think about it, we make idols to suit our pleasures and the things that we care about most. If God has called us to die to ourselves, then what is in the way of dong what God is asking us to do? We live in a culture that is constantly instructing us to do the opposite of humility and servitude, while God's word tells us that we need to put others first. More and more so called churches are also seeming to bend towards the ways of the world; you can see it in the way they raise money, or in the way they attract people into their fellowships; it's all about becoming a better you, doing this or that for you, or giving so that you gain the increase. It's not about you! I am sorry to inform you of that, but it's about Jesus Christ and what God has done to set us free from the bondage of sin and the slavery of this fallen world. I actually heard a little slip of the tongue this last Sunday, but I let it slide because it did not seem to be in context with the lesson; but it was said, "We are not God's slaves." Based upon the teaching in Romans 6:15-23, we are God's slaves, and we have been purchased with the blood of Jesus! We were slaves to sin, but we have a New Master, and we are no longer under the control of that old master anymore; the old master might think he still has control, and sometimes we tend to agree; but it's not true, and we need to come face to face with that reality... "We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts." (1 John 5:18-21) NLT

"Get It Out!" -2

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" (Psalms 66:18) Talk about a tale of two brothers, Cain had no desire whatsoever to love his brother; he had pretty much made up his mind that he had a right to express what he felt in his heart. That is exactly the point! He felt bitterness in his heart and he needed to get it out; obviously, he chose the wrong way to get it out! Now let me try to understand: Cain regarded iniquity in his heart, yet he talked with God; not only that, but he talked with God regarding the iniquity that he held within his heart; interesting concept, don't you think? You see, I am under the understanding that we must bring our issues before the Lord, and then it is God who draws them out of us; it is God who can change our hearts, if we so desire to be changed. Cain, on the other hand, did not desire to be changed; he was offended, and he wanted revenge for the offense that he felt he had been dealt. The point I was trying to make about "regard", is that it pretty much means you're holding onto something that you should be getting out of your heart; not dissecting it, looking after it, or even considering it; it needs to be gotten rid of, and there is only one way that we are getting rid of iniquity in our heart, and that is by giving it to God!!! Do you want to be changed? That is the real question! The question is not "How?", because it's pretty much a miracle when it happens; but it is just a matter of turning it over to God, saying, "God, please remove this bitterness from my heart; I want to love, as you love me." This is why I said this verse has two parts, as in, separated from God's fellowship is a choice that we make by not letting God separate us from iniquity...
"If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion - how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything. Dear friends, if we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him. And this is the commandment: We must believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. Those that obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with Him, and He with them. And we know He lives in us because the Spirit He gave us lives in us." (1 John 3:17-24) NLT

"Get It Out!"

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" (Psalms 66:18) There actually was an easier way to express what I was trying to say, because God expects us to be glad and to rejoice in what He has done; otherwise, we are acting just like those that did not make it into the promised land; those who did not appreciate being delivered from the bondage of Egypt. This verse, although not complete without the next, is probably one of the verses that have stood out among the top ten to me from the Old Testament; mostly because it challenges us to get right with God if we expect Him to listen when we cry out to Him. I don't know about you, but any time I need to be heard from God, the first thing I do is ask Him for forgiveness and get my feet washed. That being said, this might be one of those mornings when I actually get to learn something; not that most mornings aren't, but this might be something I can use every day, in every way. That word "regard" is a very complex word, and it can mean a whole verity of things; from simply looking at something, to actually finding out or discerning something. In the context of this verse, and following after the last, I believe it has to do more with giving attention to something that is wicked, false, or vain; maybe even an idol; or better yet, something that causes us to be sorrowful when we should be rejoicing. It not just about getting clean from recent sins, it's about how we regard ourselves compared to others, or how we think about others, or how we forgive others that have wronged us. I am beginning to think that our ability to rejoice has much to do with our ability to love. If we can't love, then we can't experience real joy! It's a little more complicated than that, but I get the general meaning; I just need to work on making it a reality in my life. All things are easy to convert to some things in our hearts, we just might not realize when we are doing it; but if it puts ourselves above the consideration of others, then it needs to be stopped. Whether it involves the forgiveness of others, or if it involves thinking unjust thoughts of others, either way, they are wicked and go against all that God represents; they do not represent the love of God, and if we do not represent God, then how can we expect Him to represent us, as our God, the one who answers our prayers... "This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." (1 John 3:11-16) NLT

"Make It Known"

"I cried unto Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue." (Psalms 66:17) If you know what you are, then how should that make you feel? After I have spent some time with the Lord, I almost always feel as though I need more; almost as if I don't really want to go back out and face the world, but would rather just stay right here in His presence. I know I have said this before, over and over, in so many ways I can't count them; but we are required to rejoice! It really is not an option for us, it is required as the result of what we have been made in Christ; because we have been given the keys of the Kingdom, and there is absolutely nothing that can come against us; so we need to rejoice in that! You can look at this verse in a couple of different ways. One way might be to cry out in desperation, as if you are wanting something from God, and lifting Him up for consideration of His ability to provide. That's not what I see happening here at all. I see something very different, in the form of a language, if you will; almost as if the cry is not really I cry at all, at least not one that means what you might think; but more like the cry of a wolf or a beast, in the way that you know what it is that you are hearing in the night; you here their cry, and you say, "That's a wolf!" It really gets better than that, because the "extolled with my tongue" is something you have got to accept for yourself, as in, this is what I am because of what He has done for me! You don't see it? Okay, let me put it another way. The "tongue" simply means languages, or more specifically, the manor in which we communicate something that we wish to say; but more than that, it is the language we have been given, based upon the position we have been given in Christ. This language does not just exalt God, in that it is the result of His doing, but it exalts us also, because we are the ones who are the recipients of what He has done. Therefore, the expression we make in our cry, is one that expresses the language of what we are in Christ; and it is undeniable as to where it is from, because it does not suit the conditions in which it is spoken. Then again, maybe it's just crying out for help, and then praising Him at the same time for having answered... 

"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy." And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of Him during your time as "foreigners in the land." For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but He has now revealed Him to you in these last days." (1 Peter 1:13-20) NLT  

"Gratitude"

"Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul." (Psalms 66:16) "Oh that it would be different", was the message of God's heart. (Deuteronomy 6:29) All that He wants for us, and we still have room for doubt in our hearts. Maybe not doubts about His being there, but doubts about His goodness that He has towards us; as if we suspect that there is some sort of motive other than Him wanting to protect us, like maybe He just wants to keep us from having fun, like the rest of the world. You know, it's not much different from what we thought of our parents, when they told us not to play in the street; they were just trying to stop us from having fun; especially if it was dark outside, and you just wanting to run around in the street like the rest of the kids in the neighborhood. These are "Life and Death" principles that we tend to overlook; meaning, that if we do them we live, but if we don't; well, let's just say, things can get really ugly if we don't. Yet, it really does not need to be this way, if we would just love Him with a grateful heart! One of the most famous verses in the Old Testament, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD", has attached to it a list of conditions that come with listening. The first and most important condition is that of obedience; your really not listening if you don't obey what is being said. Secondly, His words must be kept close to our hearts; the words of a Loving Father assisting and guiding us through a dangerous world. Thirdly, that we teach them to those that we love; reinforcing the meaning and direction of His words towards our lives. Fourthly, that we put constant reminders all around us, reminding us of the importance of listening to each and every word; never adding to, or taking away from anything that is written. And after we do, and continue to do all of this, when we get blessed because we our living well in this life, we must not forget how God has delivered us from "The Iron Furnace", and how everything in this world means nothing compared to having fellowship with Him. (Deuteronomy 6:4-15) I know what your thinking, that seems like a lot of conditions that make things conditional; but we have only one real condition, which is so very simple, but sometimes forgotten... "And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5) NLT

"Whatever It Takes"

"I will offer unto Thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams: I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah." (Psalms 66:15) Our God is all about forgiveness; He loves to forgive us of our sins, because He loves us and desires to have fellowship with us. Last night, Pastor Rick said something I had to write down with exclamation marks, he said, "It's not about the rules, it's about our response to the redemption." We were studying in Deuteronomy 4 & 5, which was Moses' farewell and instruction to God's people, and Rick kept repeating the fact that God delivered His people before He gave them the law. Prior to Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, forgiveness of sin was more of a covering up than a whipping away; the offerings which were giving did not remove the sins of God's people, but merely covered them, allowing God to 'wink' at their sins; Jesus' death upon the cross took all those sins away also, thereby whipping away every sin of the past also. Jesus died on that cross for "ALL THE SINS OF THE WORLD" (1 John 2:2), which even include the sins of Adam and Eve; everyone was included, everyone can enter in, and everyone has been called to repentance. The question is, "What are you going to do about it?" I had to say that, just because it was stuck in my head all night after watching some parts of "Do You Believe?", and remembering what the man with the cross said to that Pastor: "If you believe in the cross of Christ, then the next question is: What are you going to do about it?" God did whatever it took to save us from our sins; even to the point of coming down from heaven to be nailed upon a cross for us! The least we can do, is whatever it takes to please Him, and to show Him that we are thankful for what He has done... "What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well" - but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless." (James 2:14-17)

"I'm Forgiven!"

"I will go into Thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay Thee my vows, which my lips hath spoken, when I was in trouble." (Psalms 66:13-14) We might not have the capacity to forget the past, but that's not all that bad, as long as we remember where the past is, and we focus on the future. God on the other hand has whipped your past away; so if we are really talking about abundant life, I am pretty sure it requires our focus to be somewhere other than on the earth. As I was praying about this post, I felt God tugging on my heart about "when I was in trouble." Although it seems so long ago, it really is easy to recall "my vows" given from "my lips" that day. They were more than just words, because words could not come close to express the joy that was in my heart; it was like a huge weight had been lifted off of me, and for the very first time, joy was as easy to feel as taking a breath of air. I know I am not giving justice to the experience, but my vow to God was not really based upon my pledge to Him, but upon my acceptance of His pledge to me. There really is a very huge difference between pledges! Actually, if I was secure based upon anything that I might have pledged to God, then I am still lost in my sins, and I have no hope of eternity with Him, let alone have my sins taken away. But it's not! My vows involved that of acceptance! I accepted what God had done for me, and I received it with gladness; that was my vow, to rejoice and be thankful, forever more. Since that day, I have really never been in trouble; I may have had some ruff spots, or some wilderness times, but all my troubles have been removed! No matter what this world can do to me, or even what I might do to myself, I am secure in Christ! Just as secure as Noah was in the ark; the ark that God closed the door and sealed shut; the ark that God lifted up with the flood; and the ark that God carried through to a new beginning. God has made me His property, and I am no longer my own! Talk about a vow... "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God's grace, not from rules about food, which don't help those who follow them. We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make His people holy by means of His own blood. So let us go out to Him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace He bore. For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God." (Hebrews 13:8-16) NLT

"Saturation" -2

"Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place." (Psalms 66:12) You see, obedience and persecution are closely connected: if you obey God, you will suffer persecution, in one form or another. What we need to be focused on is to be saturated in obedience; which seems to be the part that keeps me perplexed, because I can't seem to get that part of my walk right. But God!!! You know it! He not only brought us into the net, but He is going to bring us all the way through to the other side; talk about saturation, we are saturated by His love; beyond any kind of force or obstacle known to man, because nothing can undo what He has done! That word "wealthy" is more about abundance and satisfaction; the outline of Biblical Usage simply says, "Saturation", and that is all. It is likened to being extremely thirsty, with no way of quenching your own thirst; and yet, God provides water that not only quenches that thirst, but saturates you completely, taking away not only the thirst, but anything that can cause you to be thirsty again. I don't know about you, but I cannot get that kind of satisfaction from a bottle of water; when I am extremely thirsty, it's hard to feel satisfied. So what are we talking about? LIFE! More specifically, abundant life! What makes the life that we have abundant? Let me think. Could it be that it is Everlasting? That might be part of it, since eternity might contain an abundance of time to live. Could it be satisfaction? I see that there seems to be something going on in the area of being satisfied, because that tends to depend on where we are focused...  "Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display His glory, the splendor of our God. With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you." And when He comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds will flourish where desert jackals once lived. And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God's ways; fools will never walk there. Lions will not lurk along it's course, nor any other ferocious beasts. There will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will walk on it. Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness." (Isaiah 35) NLT

"Saturation"

"Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place." (Psalms 66:12) Simple does not mean easy; if it did, then God would not have had to do what He did to save us, and we could just listen and obey the way that we should. The second part of Proverbs 27:6 says, "but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." The devil does not use things we do not like to bring us down; he uses those things that we secretly desire, by making it look easy and safe to have them. If you think about it, where was Eve when the serpent tempted her? Where was David when he was tempted to have Bathsheba? God knows every weakness that you have; and for every weakness that you have, He has provided you a way of escape when you are tempted, (1 Corinthians 10:13). It is really unfortunate that we fall because we do not choose to utilize God's way of escape in the moment that we are tempted; instead we think, "Well, this is easy, it must be mine for the taking." Jesus was speaking of a "narrow path", not just because He is the only way, but also because "the way is wide that leads to destruction"; meaning that there are many choices to doing what is wrong, but very few that lead us to do what is right. When God provides us the way of escape, His way will close the door on that temptation; we tend to always try and find a way that leaves the door open! On the other hand, we can be brought through any and every situation by just putting our total trust in God; not just for His ability to get us through, but also for His comfort and strength in every situation. It really is very simple! There is a way, but it requires us to go in the direction of God; run towards Him if you need to, but just go in that direction by all means; and do not try and handle any temptation on your own! The "fire" and "water" are shown as things of destruction, not as the things that can increase our potential to overcome; but as believers, we have got to be saturated in both if we are going to be able to make the right choices; the "fire" representing the Holy Spirit, and the "water" representing the word of God...
"But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you be name; you are mine. When you go through the rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Other were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you." (Isaiah 43:1-4) NLT

"To and Through"

"Thou broughtest us into the net; Thou laidst affliction upon our loins." (Psalms 66:11) Proverbs 27:6 says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend"; and truth be told, we have no greater friend than Jesus! If you came to Jesus expecting your life to be filled with happiness and comfort, you were not given the proper directions to the path that has been laid before you; and if you are a little discouraged by the results, it's not God's fault, it is your own for wanting this life to be a bed of roses. A bed of roses is not what we have been called into; we have been called into the fight, the fight for the Armies of God, and to represent the King of Heaven. I guess one way you could look at this, is that of a draft, because in reality, you never really had a choice, even though a choice was given you. I guess that is what causes the so called 'Calvinist' to think that there is no need to evangelize people, because if you're meant to be in the Kingdom, then that's where you will end up. But in the reality of what is the difference between heaven and earth, the earth is catching up with heaven, not the other way around! As far as God is concerned, it's all been written and done; we are just here waiting on this earth to get to that final chapter, which by the way, is already waiting for us. Another way that you could look at this, is that God has chosen you to choose Him, but not until you choose Him will you realize that you have been chosen. We must also realize something else, in that, we don't bring ourselves "into the net", it is God that brings us into the net! Don't try to figure it out, just be happy that you have been caught, and know that there is no safer place to be, even if the journey becomes ruff and ugly, this net is already in heaven. The NLT version of this verse goes like this: "You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs." Which, if you stop to think about it, a Good Master is the safest place for a good slave to be....
"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:20-23) NLT

"Floating Dross"

"For Thou O God, has proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried." (Psalms 66:10) If you know what dross is, then you know that it's the impurities blown over the edge of the pot while the silver is being refined. I tend to believe that the real change in us will be witnessed in God's presence, but for now, this is how junk gets taken out. The law was given to help this refining process; not only was it given to show us our need for God's forgiveness, but it was also given to help remove the impurities in our lives. The process described above requires that they mix lead and silver together; the lead somehow gathers the impure minerals and then brings them to the surface, thereby allowing them to be blown off over the edge of the pot. The law was added to magnify our sins, thereby bringing them to the surface; one by one, the Refiners Fire continues to bring these impurities to the surface, and then He blows them over the edge. 1 John 1:9 says, "But If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." (NLT) It is this wickedness that must be brought to the surface, because it is what causes the silver to remain impure. Interesting enough, it is air that gathers the impure minerals and brings them to the surface, much like the Holy Spirit does in us, convicting us of our sins and softening our hearts to have the desire to be cleansed. There is a pretty good test for you, if you want one: Do you care about being made pure? Is it your desire to not sin against God, or can you take it or leave it? If the Holy Spirit is within you, you're going to want those impurities removed; it's not even possible to feel good having them remain in you...

"And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world." (1 John 4:13-17) NLT