"Together as One"

"Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity." (Psalms 98:8-9)
Yes, what a difference this makes, if only for the fact that we have been justified in Christ! Oh, we all still have a part, even if you don't do anything, God will still use you in one way or another. Actually, I don't think we know the half of what goes on around us and through us. Being stuck on this canvas, we only get to see the horizontal aspects of life as we know it, and it's limited at that; there is a whole other world that is happening around us, and it is much larger than we might realize. We were being taught out of 1 Samuel 7 yesterday morning, and there was something that Pastor Bryan said that struck me, it was about everyone needing to have a home church; a place where they can go to be feed, to be ministered to, and to worship together with our brothers and sisters. But I think it goes beyond just those practical things that we need, I think it is also about there needing to be variety and diversity, where we come together as one, the weak and the strong, all contributing to the needs of each other. If you are familiar with the text, there was some pretty powerful things that took place between Samuel, the people, and God; all of which involved everyone just being honest and sincere before the LORD. That's pretty much what it's all about. God already knows everything there is to know about us, He just wants us to admit our mistakes and ask Him to forgive us; He is more than willing to forgive us, if we would just be serious about asking Him for His help. Yes, I said help! We absolutely need God's help! We do not stand a chance without God's help, because the enemy does not give up; just when you think you have strength enough or just when you have made a commitment to do what's right, the enemy will knock you down or cause you to change your mind. That just the way that it happens; but God is always on our side, we just need to stay on His side! I think it is interesting how the children of Israel so easily forgot the great victory they had, because in the very next chapter, they are asking Samuel for a king...
"But the LORD of Heaven's Armies will be exalted by his justice. The holiness of God will be displayed by his righteousness. In that day lambs will find good pastures, and fattened sheep and young goats will feed among the ruins. What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!" (Isaiah 5:16-18) NLT

"Bend or Break"

"before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity." (Psalms 98:9)
Before I get into this, let me clarify something about that previous post, the one about walking away from God. First of all, that is no me, just in case anyone might have been thinking it was; I could not continue a single day without holding tightly to the One who holds me. Secondly, if that's you, you don't need to suffer any longer; God is not mad at you, nor does He want to punish you. If there is any consequence to your sin, it's not God's doing; but know this, there is no safer place to be than holding tightly on to the only One that can keep you and give you the strength to endure anything and everything this world might be able to dish out. Why would anyone want to walk away from that? If it's because you might think God is going to punish you, stop that nonsense right now from entering your mind; God does nothing to you that can not bring you into a closer relationship with Him, even if it might seem like punishment at the time, it's not. There are always consequences for our sins, that's just the way it works; but where would you rather be during the fallout? My choice is to be as close to God as I possibly can! Now, as for the point I was making about doing our part; that is not something we can ignore or pretend we have not been called to anything. We all have a calling and a purpose, and we all have been given a word to point us in the way that we should go. Most of that calling involves being called out of a certain place; the place represents more than an actual living area, it represents a way of life. By the way, did you know that it is not a crime to not save a life? There have been several instances over the last few weeks where I have seen this reported on the news, where people have videoed someone dying or being killed, but have not tried to save them; and there is no penalty for not doing anything to help; at least not in this life! What does love look like? Seriously, we have been called into a life of love, a place where love is not only the answer, but it is the reason to ask the question, Why am I here? Somehow or another it has got to be made real, because nothing this world can do is real punishment, not in the long run...
"But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil -for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good -for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism." (Romans 2:5-11) NLT

"Doing My Part"

"Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together" (Psalms 98:8)
As much as I would like to, I cannot claim any part of the glory; actually, if anything, I create messes and have a way of turning everything I touch into sand, the kind of sand that just pours through your fingers. But God, the Ruler and Creator of every particle and grain of sand, He can make something great from any mess that I might create; after all, I do not have ownership of anything, everything belongs to the Lord! The point to all of this madness, beyond the simple fact that we all are sinners and stuck swimming around in the same fishbowl, is that God, being the one in control, gives us the right to turn our madness into gladness. No matter how hard the storm might get, no matter how high the waves might appear, there is no comparison to the power and majesty of God in any of that, none whatsoever! Every single one of us has a purpose and a calling; a task, if you will, towards or for the purposes of God. Some are very little, and some are very large; but all together, they are all part of the great grand tapestry the God has created. There is no way for us to see what that looks like, not from the canvas; but one day we will, and our minds are going to be blown. Being in the business that I am, I can appreciate this better than most, because God has created some wonderful insects that are amazing at what they were created to do. As little as they are, they are vital and important to the cycle of life; there are so many ways to compare what many of them do to the roles many of us have; and all that we need to do is show up and do what we do, and let God do the rest. That's pretty much all there is to it, to be available to be used by God. God is not asking anyone to prepare themselves or wait until they feel ready; He wants us just as we are, dirt and all! There are very few characters in the Bible that were spotless, but God sure did some powerful things through those who made it their calling to be available for God to use, in any way that He wanted; homeless or a king, none of that mattered, just as long as it was for the Kingdom of God...
"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength. You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy. You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so. You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy. The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy!" (Psalms 65:5-13) NLT

"Pardon Me" -Too

"Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." (Psalms 98:7)
It's not that we don't get it, because I totally believe that we do; it's more about believing it counts for us, there is where we have issues. Your God has not forgotten you; He has not abandoned you, that is not in His nature to do such a thing. I truly believe that we need faith enough to trust in God, and if that is what we have, then the rest will all work out in the long run. But we are more about needing to see the evidence of what we believe; we, like Doubting Thomas, we need to see the holes, those marks that don't go away, but remain to remind us that it is real and it counts towards us, personally. Actually, I think that's what did it for Thomas, not just that he saw the holes, not even that he was able to poke into them; but that the Lord asked him to do it. If Jesus would have just shown him the marks, it might have been well enough; but Jesus answered his request, making it personal and exactly what he needed to know. It's like Elijah, when he fled to Mount Horeb; God spoke, and then Elijah looked for a sign, something that would cause his faith to be grounded and sure. There was the strong wind, the great earthquake, and a fire; none of them were giving him the sign that he needed. But then there was the still small voice, saying, "Why do you still doubt Me?" Actually, God said,
"What doest thou here, Elijah?" But it was the second time God asked him that same question, so God was pretty much saying, "Why are you still here?" I might have said, 'I don't know, you tell me; because I can't quite figure it out!' Sometimes our faith can turn off and on as easy as flipping a light switch on and off; but God is not the one who has changed, one little bit, it's us; we are the ones who move, we are the ones who forget how much God really loves us, how much He is for us, and how much He has done to ensure our salvation. Not only are we a part of God's wonderful work of saving the world, we are the reason! We are the priests that get to blow the trumpets! And when we do, God remembers! It's recorded in heaven and secured for eternity in God's remembrance; and believe it or not, it counts for more than you know...
""Soon your descendants will come back, and all who are trying to destroy you will go away. Look around and see, for all your children will come back to you. As surely as I live," says the LORD, "they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display. "Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land will soon be crowded with your people. Your enemies who enslaved you will be far away. The generations born in exile will return and say, 'We need more room! It's crowded here!' Then you will think to yourself, 'Who has given me all these descendants? For most of my children were killed, and the rest were carried away into exile. I was left here alone. Where did all these people come from? Who bore these children? Who raised them for me?'" This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I will give a signal to the godless nations. They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms; they will bring your daughters on their shoulders. Kings and queens will serve you and care for all your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame."" (Isaiah 49:17-23) NLT

"Pardon Me"

"Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell thereof." (Psalms 98:7)
As much as I would like to take credit for some of things God does, I know that He would not like me to do that; I have read what happened to a certain king who proclaimed he had done this and that, he ended up eating grass and loosing his mind for a little while. I had to take a moment and enjoy thinking on this, because this is really no small deal; as a matter of fact, this is almost something beyond anything we could ever begin to imagine or dream about. First of all, how is it that God needs to be reminded of anything? I have heard Pastor Mike say it time and again, "God does not learn," as if it were something new or something that He did not know already; so then, why is it that God needs to be reminded? Once upon a time I did not have a heart; up until about the age of twenty or so, I would have not given it a second thought to take an animal's life, whether it was a game animal or just something in my way, if I felt like killing it, then it was as good as dead. Now I swerve to avoid little tiny squirrels on the highway, even at the risk of causing myself to be in danger. Why does God need a rainbow to remind Him of His promise regarding the flood? Maybe it might be the fact that God has a heart. After all, He has given us a heart, and we are made in His image; so maybe it is God's heart that needs reminding. God knows all things, so it cannot be that He cannot remember; but just a prick of the heart is more powerful than a ton of memories or knowledge. I remember when I was doing a teaching on the Flood, and how I was taken by how many times God repeated saying, "And all that had breath perished," because it was really a pretty big deal to God that He had to kill everyone and everything that breathed air. It was a pretty big deal; so much so, that God said that He had regretted making man; so you know it really had to hurt His heart. Now, imagine how much God wants to save us; I mean really, imagine what it might be like if you were Him, and if you had the power to save, not only a life, but the whole world. Why would anyone not want to be a part of that? Yes, I thought so...
"This is what the LORD says: "At just the right time, I will respond to you. On that day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again. I will say to the prisoners, 'Come out in freedom,' and to those in darkness, 'Come into the light.' They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the LORD in his mercy will lead them; he will lead them beside the cool waters. And I will make my mountains into level paths for them. The highways will be raised above the valleys. See, my people will return from far away, from the lands to the north and west, and from as far south as Egypt. Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Yet Jerusalem says, "The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us." "Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if it were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in ruins."" (Isaiah 49:8-16) NLT

"Real and Joyful" -2

"With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King." (Psalms 98:6)
Now I know that everyone does not believe what I said is so, but it does not concern me in the least; there are more reasons to accept that God's will is greater than that of our own, than there are to think otherwise. Besides, I am looking forward to seeing a few people in heaven that I miss, my son being one of them. I know his heart, that he loved the Lord, he just hated himself and the way that he was living. We can all get lost in our own little failures and mistakes; and believe me when I say little, because there are so many worse things we could have done than what most of us do. I heard something yesterday that might make you feel a little better, that over half of the Bible was written by murderers. Yes, that is what I said, men who committed murder were responsible for writing over half of the Bible. Moses murdered an Egyptian and then buried him in the sand; David had one of his most faithful warriors murdered, just to cover up an affair; and Paul, the one who was Saul, well he wrote over half of the New Testament. I am certain that God has a way of working all things out towards the good, we just might have a few scrapes and bumps alone the way. What say you? Do you like odd? If so, then here is something odd for you; "trumpets" are plural, meaning that they are more than one. I don't know about you, but I can't imagine anyone blowing more than one trumpet at a time, especially if they are playing a "sound of cornet." Looking that up, it's still considered as a trumpet, except it is clear and sharp; what that might be referring to is the fact that we are all one in the Lord. There are many trumpets sounding, each and everyone is different and unique, but they all play together as one, clear and sharp. It is kind of like that illustration of baking a cake, how there are some of the ingredients that taste terrible all by themselves, but put all together they make a pretty tasty cake...
""Only the priests, Aaron's descendants, are allowed to blow the trumpets. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. When you arrive in your own land and go to war against your enemies who attack you, sound the alarm with the trumpets. Then the LORD your God will remember you and rescue you from your enemies. Blow the trumpets in times of gladness, too, sounding them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month. And blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. The trumpets will remind the LORD your God of his covenant with you. I am the LORD your God."" (Numbers 10:8-10) NLT

"Real and Joyful"

"With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King." (Psalms 98:6)
I was originally going to put this verse and the last one together as one, because I could not see the separation of the two; what was I thinking, there has got to be a celebration behind our reason for preparation. I still have not addressed the elephant in the room; maybe because it is too touchy of a topic; maybe, just maybe, it's too much of a mystery as to the degree of separation the God will allow, as in, how far can we walk away from God and still be within His grasp. I heard a message the other day that really made me think about this; it was actually the message delivered that Sunday before last, which was more about feeling good about ourselves than anything else. But this certain statement was made, which might have removed some of that feel good moment, when he said, "The father did not go after the son, but watched, waiting for him to come home." That might not give many people the hope and security that they would be looking for, especially if they are someone who has walked away from the Lord; but the father was looking for a reason, because he knew that his son would return. There is another issue that demonstrates this power that God has, it is the way that God knows in advance who His children really are. Besides that, the son never stopped being the son, no matter where he might have ended up, no matter had he even had came back at all; the father would have looked for his son to return home all the way up to the time of his passing, even with his dying breath, he would have longed for his son. I think we sometimes underestimate the love that God has for us, and how far He is willing to go in order to have real fellowship with us. When God said, "Let us make man in Our image," it was more about fellowship than anything else; it was the God-Head, Three-In-One, saying, 'Let's make something that can become one with Us.' What happens here is nothing compared to the eternity that we have waiting in heaven; so what makes anyone think that we can ever take away from what God has established, even from before the foundations of the earth. We might destroy this flesh; we might even make a pig of ourselves, bringing some serious dishonor to the Father in the process; but we can never ever do enough to destroy our inheritance that we have been given in Christ Jesus! If you walk away from the Lord, you are giving up on some wonderful blessings and a whole lot of peace and joy; but you not going to stop being a son or daughter on the King, not that easily...
"Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet. He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance, the proud possession of Jacob's descendants, whom he loves. Interlude
"God has ascended with a mighty shout. The LORD has ascended with trumpets blaring. Sing praises to God, sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm. God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere." (Psalms 47) NLT

"Making it Real" -2

"Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm." (Psalms 98:5)
Maybe there should be something that needs to be said for those that actually do walk away, because I don't think I really covered those very well; or should I even go there at all? And what if anything does any of that have to do with this verse? Well, if you really want to get real about this thing we call the "Good News," and whether or not you can loose something that you never purchased to begin with, then it might just be reason enough to sing, and maybe even break out a harp in the process. We see these illustrations of angels strumming harps in the clouds; we maybe not so much anymore, but they were really popular in the old cartoons that depicted a character being killed and going to heaven. There is really nothing special about this instrument, other than it is something used for making music to sing by. The biggest point to having it mentioned, twice at that, is that it is something which you need to have in order to play upon. In other words, you have come prepared to worship! It's really nothing much more than that, that you have prepared your heart to worship because you know what you are singing about and why you must sing it; it's a proclamation, which means that you are proclaiming something which you believe to be true. The harp just represents an instrument that you have in hand to make the music or melody you will be singing by; which means that you have prepared yourself to sing a song. This is pretty much the opposite of just bursting into song or praise out of the blue; something which might have taken place while in prayer or while you were thinking of all the good things God has done in your life. No, this is about the attempt to make yourself ready to worship; something that requires you know up front what you will be singing about and why you are singing it in the first place. Does that make any sense at all? Maybe not; and then again, I still don't get why God loves me like He does, or why He puts up with my stubbornness...
"Now, dear brothers and sisters -you who are familiar with the law -don't you know that the law applies only while a person is living? For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who has raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to it's power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit." (Romans 7:1-6) NLT

"Making it Real"

"Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm." (Psalms 98:5)
Besides just thinking about what is ahead, we need to believe it with all of our heart. I sometimes wonder about certain things, but then I catch myself and pray for God to strengthen my faith. It's okay to doubt now and again; but you had better know how and where to find your strength, because the enemy will use every bit of doubt that you have to cause you to give up and to turn the other way. Is that even possible? I believe it is possible for a child of God to walk away from his calling and to be drawn back into the world; I have seen it happen time and time again. Does that mean that they have lost their salvation? Nope! They know where it is, they have never lost it, they walked away from it and have chosen a different path than the one they were placed upon. Does that mean that they will no longer be in heaven? No, I don't believe that will be the case, not if they were truly saved in the first place; God does not unsave anyone, that's not even a word, let alone something that can actually happen. I heard Dr. Jeffress speaking about this the other day, and I felt the Holy Spirit confirming what he said within my spirit. There are more than one degrees of heaven, just as their are more than one degrees of saints; there are saints that sell out totally for the Lord, and there are saints that don't. You are either a saint, or you ain't! Did you come to a life changing experience when you gave your heart to the Lord? Did you receive the Holy Spirit and did the Word of God come alive in you? Then you were saved and given eternal life; and if that was the case, God does not throw you back into the fire! You were snatched up from the fires of hell the moment you accepted Christ into your heart; but God was not done with you yet, and your new life had just begun. Some people have no problem moving straight into ministry and making everything they do revolve around church and doing the Lord's work; while others, not so much. Some of us plan to incorporate serving the Lord into our career or our business, making due with supplemental ministries that only take up a small portion of our time. Others, they might do nothing at all, just get feed and try to stay out of trouble. But whatever category you are in, whether full on serving or just sitting there getting feed, you are still a saint if you have received God's free offer of salvation...
"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, and your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre. You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. O LORD, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts. Only a simpleton would not know, and only a fool would not understand this: Though the wicked sprout like weeds and evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever. But you, O LORD, will be exalted forever." (Psalms 92:1-8) NLT

"More Than Memories" -Too

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise." (Psalms 98:4)
Not that it matters, but this life sure can suck the joy out of us sometimes. If I wanted to, I could have so many things to complain about; but if I do, I do not feel one little bit better when I do; and can I ever. If it's one of those days, you really do not want to be around me. Can you feel what I am trying to say? No pun intended, but feelings are the reasons for so many of our issues. I feel like doing something else; I feel like I want to be another person; I don't feel loved. You get the point? We just can not base how we live our life based upon feelings, ever! I feel like I want to escape and go live on a mountain somewhere else; but I cannot, so I had better find another way to feel, or just quit feeling all together. I really don't know how long God is going to keep this up, but it is totally up to Him, and I am okay with whatever He wants to do. I know what I must do, so I need to focus upon that and stop thinking about the things that I don't have, and I need to praise Him for all that I have. Love is not a feeling and neither is our praise to the LORD. Although people might want to make it so, our praise is all about doing something that needs to be done, whether we feel like it or not. If we don't, then we need to move past the way that we feel and move into the heart of worship; that's where it's not about us anymore, but it's all about God. We are no longer our own, so way do we keep thinking that we are, and why do we keep trying to make all of our own plans? Somewhere between where I am and where I want to be, there has got to be something that I can settle upon; but every time I think that I have found it, it seems to slip away. Not following me? That is okay, sometimes I don't even follow myself. But really, what is it that I have that I can hold onto? Don't you just love how God works? "I once complained that I had no shoes, until I meet a man who had no feet." Jesus is my Rock! Can we ever even come close to His pain and suffering at the cross? I seriously doubt we ever could; but for the joy that waited on the other side of that suffering, He endured all of that pain and all of the suffering and all of the humility. So what do you have to complain about? Just as I thought. Now let's focus upon what is ahead...
"I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: 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." (Philippians 3:7-14) NLT

"More Than Memories"

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise." (Psalms 98:4)
I guess you can say that I am not very liberal when it comes social issues; then again, I am mostly not very liberal when it comes economic issues either. Once upon a time I probably was, back in the days when I was on drugs, and before I meet Jesus. I do not follow anything that does not believe everyone is responsible to care for their own; and I do not believe in governmental rule over the hearts of the people. That said, I do believe that our leaders can influence our way of life and how we treat certain issues, such as caring for each other and building our families. I did hear something earlier in the year about this younger upcoming generation wanting to have the mother stay at home while the father goes to work; that is how I believe things were meant to be, and I am glad to see that there are some signs that this next generation feels the same. Here is the thing I believe God wants, that we do not pretend to believe that He rules the world, but that we live in such a way that we know it to be so. If we were in the right frame of mind, then we would not concern ourselves so much with what the outcome is going to be, but we would focus more on the way that God would have us to be. I don't think we can change anything that is going on in this world; it is what it is, and it's only going to get worse. But what we can change is the way that we make God get the glory for everything that He has done! Forget about what might be falling apart and focus on what is falling into place! There is where we find hope, in the fact that God's plan is more and more evident, each and every day. Did Jesus not tell us that the last days would be bad? Did He not tell us that the church would not follow His teachings or any of His commands? So why do we seem so surprised when it is happening? More and more people go to church to be entertained or to be made to feel better about themselves; if they even go to church at all. Church is meant to be a place where we gather together to celebrate what God has done, and where we get taught truth and sound doctrine. God's word is alive and it is meant for today. That's the biggest issue in our society today, the Bible is mostly looked upon as something for a time gone bye; but it is more real today than ever before...
"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever." (Revelation 5:8-14) KJV

"Making Memories"

"He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." (Psalms 98:3)
If you are into checking facts, then you should look into the fact that God always keeps His promises; He never goes back on His word, ever! That's something we should be able to rejoice about, provided we are one of His children and resting in His salvation. However, if we are one who has rejected His free offer of salvation, then His word is not something we are looking for to be true, and His promises are not really what we are looking forward to happen. It has been said that Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven; I can even remember my mother telling me that when I was just a small child; however, I have never actually checked out the differences in the two and counted the number of times on my own. What I do know, is that hell is no longer something that is any of my concern, so it's no longer something that draws me into wasting my time or to even bother checking it out; it's heaven that I am drawn towards, so it's heaven I want to focus upon, not hell. The verse we have before us is one of special meaning and importance; it speaks about how God has taken special care of Israel, even though they have turned their backs on Him over and over again, He has never stopped loving them or keeping His promise made to Abraham, Jacob, or king David. We can argue the differences in what we think His care should actually look like, but when it comes right down to it, God's promises have never been removed or altered. God has always told His people what would happen to them if they did not listen, but that does not mean they stopped being His people. Much the same as when we tell our children what would happen when they disobey us; our promise to punish them is not us saying that they are no longer our children; although they might act as if we don't care, we actually do. Imagine how much more it is the case for our Heavenly Father, who is righteous and true. No, Israel is the proof of God's unconditional love towards those He has chosen. Through thick or thin, God will deliver them, not because they deserve it, but because He said that He would...
""Yes," says the LORD, "I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt." All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the LORD will do for you. They will be embarrassed at their feeble power. They will cover their mouths in silent awe, deaf to everything around them. Like snakes crawling from their holes, they will come out to meet the LORD our God. They will fear him greatly, trembling in terror at his presence. Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago." (Micah 7:15-20) NLT

"As Bright as Day" -2

"The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shown in the sight of the heathen." (Psalms 98:2)
I heard an interesting statement yesterday, one that I think I will look into a little further; it was one that was said about those who feel that God is done with Israel being those that usually also believe in a post-tribulation rapture. I have never heard that before, so I think it deserves a little checking out. But I can see how it might make some sense; seeing how the view of God's hand of protection and security of His people are closely related to both. The second part of this verse is the one that should make most Gentiles take notice of God's protection of His people; especially in light of the fact that Jesus was a Jew! I don't really understand how people can forget that simple fact, unless they have somehow overlooked the entire message of the Abrahamic Covenant! If memory serves me right, God has never taken His promise back! God's salvation is not based upon man's performance or his righteousness, it's is based upon God's righteousness and His performance; it is what God does that brings us into a right relationship with Him, we can do nothing to provide for ourselves a right standing with God. To make a little better sense of what and how this might look, we could consider the "narrow road" that Jesus spoke about as being a country road, and the "wide road" as being a highway, like a major highway that is used for getting to different destinations quicker and are not usually roads less traveled. In that regard, God would say, It is My way or the highway! God's way might not make sense to everyone, but it does not matter what we think, we just need to accept His way or nothing; there is no second choice to salvation, so we need to quit looking for another way to get to heaven. The devil is very good at what he does, when it comes to making people ignore what God says in His word. If you think that you can ignore any portion of the Scriptures just because it does not agree with your way of thinking, then you need to think again. Every Scripture has been ordained for instruction and intended to be for us to grow into a deeper relationship with God. If was cast of anything as unworthy, then we make ourselves much the same; not a place that you want to find yourself, if you catch my drift...
"Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law." (Romans 3:27-31) NLT

"As Bright as Day"

"The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shown in the sight of the heathen." (Psalms 98:2)
If it's proof that you need, there is really nothing more that needs to be shown then what has already been delivered to us. I know, there are always those that want to be entertained and made to feel as though they have been enlightened; but that is really not what this is meant to be about, because it's all about love and forgiveness. If there was one thing that mattered out of all the teaching from this last Sunday, it was that we must experience forgiveness. It has got to be real enough to change our lives; to truly know that our sins have been forgiven, and in such a way that it causes us to want to forgive those who have done something to us. Whether we actually do so, that's another story all by it's self, because true forgiveness can only happen by us giving up our rights; something that takes giving up all that we think that we are owed, even that which we think that we deserve. By the time we get ready to forgive someone, there is always something that makes us feel as though we need to make it subject to some sort of condition, as in their reaction or their response. It's really not about any of that, it's about us being free to grow in our relationship with the God who has forgiven us. If we have not forgiven others, then we really don't get to experience what forgiveness is all about. The same thing works for love; if we cannot love unconditionally, then we cannot know the love of God. We might think that we love, but if our love is based upon conditions, then it's not true love. God will not force us to love Him, but there is nothing else He needs to show us in order for Him to be loved by us; He has already done all that He could to prove His love to us, now it's our turn to love Him back. And in the process of loving Him back, we must love one another; just as in the process of receiving His forgiveness, we must forgive others as He has forgiven us...
"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who they are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Jesus Christ when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26) NLT

"Victory Song"

"O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory." (Psalms 98:1)
I guess what matters the most in all of this is our eternal soul; after all, this earthen vessels are pretty much done by the time they are conceived, in light of eternity. In case you were unaware, the Book that was unable to be opened by any man on earth or elsewhere, was the Title Deed to earth; which is something that Adam had relinquished when he sinned in the garden. I can get moved by many different things; but there is nothing that moves me more than the thought of evil getting stomped out and God's children getting the victory. In this day we find ourselves, there are all kinds of false or fake victory fronts; which are victories that appear to be for good, but they end up becoming the work of the devil. We could look at that as something that needs to be fought against, as if it's the fault of the church that these things are allowed to take place. I am sorry to disappoint anyone who might think they are your mission or that it's your job to turn things around, but it's only going to get worse before it gets any better. Besides, the main victory has already been won! What Jesus did on the cross was more than just die for our sins; Jesus died on that cross to redeem the entire world back to Himself. If that does not do something for you, then I don't know what will, because it's a pretty big deal in heaven. As I sat through a teaching yesterday in church, I was reminded how important it is to stick to basic teaching when we study the Scriptures; it is so easy to make any portion of God's word become something else, other than what it is meant to represent. The basic point that caught my attention was that the teaching started based upon Jesus declaring that He was the fulfillment of the message from Isaiah, which He had read before the congregation. (Luke 4:21) I should not need to tell you what took place before this had happened, because it is plainly recorded in the Scriptures; but Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, and the devil used the Scriptures to tempt Him with. If you think about that, it becomes pretty clear that the devil uses Scripture to make evil appear good; that's pretty much how it's been from the very first sin in the garden. So why are we surprised if it happens today? What makes us think this is something that we are obligated to change? Besides, it already been handled; if we what to feel as though we need to do something, save your own house...
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10) KJV

"God Rules the World"

PSALMS 98 [A Psalm.]
 I doubt that we take the time it consider this, by why does God allow what He allows? If you ask any pastor, they will mostly say, "I don't really know, but we just need to trust that He is in control." It's a pretty good answer for the most of us; but there are some who will never be satisfied with that kind of an answer, myself included. Having been raised with the teaching of the devil being the one who rules this world, I have made that part of the question, as in, Why does God allow the devil to do what he does? I mean, it's pretty clear by the word that God is ultimately in control, so why does the devil get to what he does, and why are God's saints treated so harshly? Besides leading us into a childlike way of thinking, there are several of these last few psalms that have been declaring the King, King Jesus, our Lord and Savior. When you read Revelation Chapter Five, there is something which takes place in heaven that involves a particular Book; a book which John sees in the right hand of Him who sits on the Throne, "written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals." Having studied the Bible for all these years, I get the sense that there are more things we do not know than there are the things we know; I keep leaning new things almost every day, so I know there is much more about God than what could be written within a book; no matter how much we study or dig into His word, we will not find all of the answers. But what if I just wanted an answer to one question, just one? Is there such an answer to the question I seek? Anyone who might have witnessed the brutality of what Jesus went through in His final hours, what it might have looked like, and how it made those who cared for Him feel; those who saw it first hand, up close and personal, they would no longer be asking, "Why does God allow what He allows," because the question no longer matters...
"And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. I and wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." (Revelation 5:2-8) KJV 

"Within All of This"

"Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." (Psalms 97:12)
I guess that maybe before we can really appreciate the great love that God has for us, it needs to be made personal and direct. I mean to say, we can praise Him and worship Him all day and night, but until it becomes personal enough that we are close enough to feel His touch upon our life, we really cannot experience the true greatness of His love. Never mind power, we have established that God is All-Powerful in more ways then we need to know; but does He personally love me, that's the real question everyone is asking; at least it is the one that keeps creeping into my mind every so often. Not withstanding, there were several very important saints of old who had the very same question. But in the long run, they all pretty much could not deny that it was true. Yes, not only do we get to rejoice in all of this, but we can really rest in God's goodness; knowing without a doubt that He has everything under control. I see that as being the thing people struggle with the most, as if what they might be going through, God is not a part of, or God cannot fix. Which one is it that make you doubt His love is meant for you? I mean, you know God can fix anything, that's not the question; but is He interested enough in you to do anything; and if He is, why doesn't He do something? Before you get concerned, don't; God is great in every situation and every circumstance of our lives, even in the parts that seem overwhelming and as though He could have had nothing to do with, His hand is firmly upon each and every one of us that are His. Have I felt His hand upon my life? More than I can remember! Surely more than I appreciate and give thanks for, most of the time. But there are times when I feel so safe and secure, that nothing but knowing that He loves me matters more, nothing. When you look at this verse, there is one major point that needs to be pointed out: "His Holiness!" Our God is Holy, He does not lie, He does no go back on His word, and He loves us; not just with a general love, but individually and personally. If He knows the number of hairs upon your head, He can surely know everything that you are going through; you can rest in that...
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again -rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:4-8) NLT

"Beyond All of This"

"Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." (Psalms 97:11)
Whether you realize it or not, we cannot obtain perfection here, at least not in this condition; but we have perfection in heaven already; and that my friends, is what it's all about! We have already been perfected in Christ, and there is really nothing more needed to be done in order to make us perfect before the Father, because the blood of Jesus has already washed us as white as snow. Does that mean that we get to do whatever we want? No, we could, we are at liberty to do many things, but what we do needs to reflect the love of God in our lives. So, it comes down to the testimony of God's power in and over our lives; if our testimony does not match the story, then the story isn't being told in our lives, plain and simple. Our lives should match up with those who have gone before us. That sure does leave a whole lot of wiggle-room, depending on the characters you are following after; but the main character we need to be focused upon is Christ. I heard Pastor Jon speak about something the other day, it was about those who might wonder if they would have been better off without the Lord in their lives; those who might wonder if this or that would have happened differently had they not been a Christian. Stuff happens to people all the time; both the believer and the nonbeliever go through the same sicknesses, poverty, and disappointments of just living in this fallen world, But the big difference between the two, is that those who believe get to cry out to their Father, and hope for something better than what this world has to offer; and they get to rejoice! We do not have to settle for the disappointments, because there is something waiting for us, beyond all of this...
""I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don't obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don't speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say."" (John 12:46-50) NLT 

"He is Mightiest" -2

"Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked." (Psalms 97:10)
I cannot begin to tell you what a funky day yesterday was, pretty much the whole day; but despite the funkiness and the haze that seemed to lurk all around me, it did not take my peace away. Amazing how we can still feel such peace in the midst of lurking hazy funkiness, isn't it? And, if that post did not bring me to tears enough, after my post I did what I do most mornings after closing my blog, I went to the Drudge Report; and what did I see as the headline, but the back of President Trump being prayed over with hands covering his back. I think we can probably withstand almost anything, but let something come upon one of the kids, your son, then it can make you to start to feel a little defeated. There is more to this going on than meets the eye, because there is nothing but pure wickedness at work in the whole resist movement. I saw it at the concert I went to in Sacramento, and I knew right then and there that it was not going to be defeated easily. But that's the thing which is so great in the midst of all of this evil all around us, it's already been defeated! The devil is just buying time and trying to destroy as much and as many as he can before his goose is cooked. If you were to look up the word "evil," you would notice that it contains some elements that go beyond just wickedness or badness; it speaks of misery and distress also. Isn't that the reason Jesus wept at the tomb where Lazarus would soon step out; because He surely was not weeping for Lazarus. If the Father could ever really hate, then what is produced by sin and death would be that which He hates. He hated it so much that He sent His Son to destroy it, once and for all! But, as much as He hates sin and death, He loves us more, so much more than He could ever hate anything. That is why love is so powerful and uncontainable; and our God has the greatest love of all! I just want to get lost in it and never find my way out...
"Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those that weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think that you know it all!" (Romans 12:9-16) NLT

"He is Mightiest"

"Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked." (Psalms 97:10)
There are some days which seem harder to deal with than others, this is one of those days, and I don't really know if I know why. If you were going to tell me 36 years ago that it would be like this, then I might have opted out and said no, choosing to remain free to make my own choices. As far as we can see, the days we are given here should count for something far greater than anything we could have planned for or imagined; and as far as we know, they probably do, we just don't know it. God does not usually forewarn us about the difficulties that are going to take place in our lives, not at lease in the ways we would expect. Jesus does say that there will be trials and persecutions; so as far as that goes, I guess we can assume it's all not a bed of roses. But He did not warn us about wanting to give up; at least not about the part of feeling this heartache and despair. Then again, maybe He did. There were two certain times when it says that the Lord wept, one of which was the time He was going to raise Lazarus, the other was the night before He would lay down His own life. The first time, I believe His tears were the tears of His Father; not that He was the Father, but that He, being the Son, sent by the Father, was experiencing the reason that He was sent. The second time it was personal; He was feeling 33 years of anticipation and wait catching up to Him, all in a single moment; and it actually hurt! Maybe you can't feel it, but it really does hurt; heartache is not just an expression, it's real and it can really take you off of your game. But isn't this why we do what we do...
"And we know that God causes all everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one -for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one -for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow -not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below -indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:28-39) NLT

"He is Higher"

"For thou, LORD, art high above the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods." (Psalms 97:9)
There are three verses that I have highlighted in my Bible; actually, the first half of verses one and five, and then the whole verse of this one, verse nine. I have not carried a highlighter in my Bible for at least 15 years or so, so I cannot remember what teaching was given at the time of this marking. Having seen what God can do, in our circumstances and through every situation possible, I can only imagine that it had something to do with purification. I say that because of the first part of verse five, "The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD." If you really stop and think about what it is that needs to happen in our lives in order for us to become more like Jesus, there are way more distractions in many of our lives than we need; and far to many of those distractions are keeping us from giving everything over to the Lord. I'm just being honest, so don't feel judged or anything like that; it's just how I see the "hills" that are being pointed out, as little mountaintop experiences which take the place of the true worship we can have with God. When we look at the encounter between Jesus and 'the woman at the well,' her little mountain was actually the well; the well took the place of her having an intimate relationship with God. It was not because the well had any significant value, other than it was one of Jacob's wells; but it had enough value to her, that it caused her to settle for what that well provided, physical needs in the form of water. Pastor Jon had a very interesting teaching yesterday, it was about Simon the sorcerer from Acts 8:9-24. Jon's message was quite bold, in that he connected Simon's desire for the gifts of the Spirit to our everyday desires to be blessed by God. It is not that hard to be pulled into the commercial side of living, where once there, we feel as though we are owed a part of it by God; almost as if it is part of what it means to be blessed. There are plenty of big time churches that will accommodate that kind of belief; but buying into that will cause your heart to be discouraged when hard times come. As much as I like having all these things, a nice car, a nice home, a nice RV; you name it, whatever it is, it does nothing to bring us closer to the Lord; in fact, more than not, it causes us to be closer to the world, just because it is the world that is needed to maintain them. That was Simon's deal, in that he saw opportunity to enrich his living by having the ability to display the laying on of hands for people to receive the Holy Spirit. It's not that it's a fine line between displaying a gift and having one, it's more about the motivation or intention of the heart. Am I doing this for my own personal gain, or is it for the Lord? The real reason that the hills need to be melted, is so that the Real Foundation can be built upon...
"I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else -not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself." (Ephesians 1:19-23) NLT

"He Works it Out"

"Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD." (Psalms 97:8)
If there ever was a perfect illustration of God's desire for how we should react to His unconditional love, then this verse surely speaks to that. As with the meaning of "wrought" in the KJV of John 3:21, it speaks of doing business, or to make gains by trading; kind of like that song that says, "I'm trading my sorrows; I'm trading my shame." It's really like the opposite of being "confounded," as we put our confidence in God, who is All-Powerful, and who loves us more than we even love ourselves. As we started a new chapter this last Sunday, Pastor Rick gave us an introduction to the Book of 1 Samuel by showing us how God works everything out for those that trust in Him, regardless of the circumstance, the adversaries, or even in the barrenness! Basically, God works in all situations, whether we are looking for Him to do something particular or not, He gets things done! Our number one priority in the midst of any situation is to worship God; not for the situation, not for a desired outcome, not even for the way it might make us feel; we worship God for who He is and all that He has done, in Spirit and in Truth. Speaking about "The Power of God," the "judgments" spoken of in the verse above are not only speaking of a sentence or a decision, they speak of God's sentence or decision, as in, God has the final word! There is really nothing you or I can say to change God's judgment or to make Him decide to change His mind; He has made up His mind over us far before we were even born, as hard as that is to comprehend. It's all pretty mind-blowing, I know; but if we can just put our trust in Him, He really does know what is best for our eternity. This is why it is so important that we remain eternity-minded, because with all of the bumps in the road, it is easy to take our eyes off the prize every time we stub our toe. That is basically all it ever is, whether it's a big thing or a little thing, nothing that can happen to us here compares to our eternity in heaven, nothing! If God is for us, who or what can stand against us? If we are His child, then ABBA knows best; that is the theme Pastor Bryan has put behind our journey through 1 Samuel; and that is the desired response that God is looking for when it comes to our worship...
""Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, "Cheer up, Zion! Don't be afraid! For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."" (Zephaniah 3:14-17) NLT

"He Watches Over Me"

"Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods." (Psalms 97:7)
Not that we are switching gears or anything, it just so happens, God would like to point something out to those of us who might not think He is watching all that we say and do. First of which, idols can really do nothing of the sort; they do not watch over you, you watch over them! It was a little vision that God gave me last night as I prepared to go to sleep; it involved someone cleaning and dressing up an idol, and then watching over it, as if in doing so, it would watch over them. Yes, that's right, expecting something from something that has no power to make it happen, whatsoever! There is your definition of "confounded;" to be confused is really an understatement, it's more like being disturbed and disgraced, followed by a whole lot of disappointment and failure of hope and expectation. Besides, when it comes to the ability to give life, especially eternal life, there is really only One God who can do that; He is the One that all of the world will worship, whether they feel like it or not. For all of us who worship Him now, the True and Living God, He is watching over us; not only do we believe that it is so, but we put all of our expectation in the hope that He does, from the time we go to sleep until the time we go to sleep again! In other words, if you trust that God watches over you to protect you and to plan out a purpose for your life, then you had better keep that thought alive when you do what you do when you think He is not looking. Even if you are behind closed doors, you don't hide anything from God; God knows the very thoughts that come into our minds, even those dreams that we entertain ourselves with in the middle of the night. That's a little scary, I know; but there is more to that word "confounded," things like being ashamed, or put to shame, to the point of being made to blush; just the opposite of those who have no shame because everything they do is brought out in the Light. It really is a good thing that God sees everything we say and do, especially when we are asking Him to forgive us of all of our sins, even the ones which we fail to notice ourselves; because they all have been dealt with on the cross...
""For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."" (John 3:16-21) KJV 

"Made to be Seen"

"The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory." (Psalms 97:6)
As is the case with most of my very controversial postings, there is always a teaching on the radio to back up what was said; as it was yesterday with Pastor Jack's teaching from Deuteronomy 4. In the lead-up to the teaching, Pastor Jack mentioned the whole generation which perished in the wilderness as those which wasted their lives, or had wasted a life which they could have had. To sum up his teaching, he pretty much said, 'once we are saved, God is not going to undo the salvation He has given us; He would have to undo a whole lot of things in order to do that. But our salvation is really meant to be more than just fire insurance, it's meant to give us life, abundant life; a life that makes a difference, is filled with joy and is a testimony to the power of God in our lives.' That was not word for word, but it was pretty much what was said. So, as I was saying, although we may not loose our salvation, we surely can loose out on a life which brings us more pleasure and fulfillment than anything else we could ever know. God's will for us is that we obey and live! To live out His calling upon our lives, that our lives really make a difference, and that our lives can stand out as a life that was lived for the kingdom of God. We might not need to fear death and hell, but what a waste it is to just die off in the wilderness of sin! Not when we have so much more to offer, as in, our lives are an offering to the Lord! I think it is rather interesting that Paul starts out his letter to Corinth by putting them at ease over their calling and their security in Christ; especially since his letter was intended to call them out on some of their issues. We all have issues. Each and every one of us have our own set of issues, whether they be sins that are notably visible or sins that are hidden, we all sin in some way or another; but the point of our testimony to the power of God, is that we do not live a life of sin and that the sin we might commit is always forgiven. And since our sins are forgiven, we can walk in a way that is beyond reproach and blameless before God, knowing that He has given us abundant life! That is pretty much Paul's intention for the church in Corinth, that they would put away their sinful ways and petty disputes within the body, and that they would actually become the light that the world needs to witness. That is what God wants from us, His children, that we would let our light shine for all the world to see. What a difference it makes to live out abundant life...
""Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. "Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you wealth of many lands. Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense and will come worshipping the LORD. The flocks of Kedar will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. I will accept their offerings, and I will make my Temple glorious."" (Isaiah 60:1-7) NLT

"Made to Order"

"The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the LORD of the whole earth." (Psalms 97:5)
I might have had something more to say, but it is bound to come up sooner or later, it always does. If you are worried about loosing your salvation, then don't; because the way I see it, if it is a concern to you, then it is God's concern as well; but if you could care less, then the less He cares also. Not to get in anyone's face about something, but I just get a little upset when I hear people try and take away from the power of God when it comes to our eternal salvation. Pastor Matt said it right, once you are saved, your eternity is secure; you might destroy your fleshly life by falling into sin, but you are no longer condemned to hell with the wicked. Pastor Jon had something to add, something about there being two separate courts in heaven; the inner court and the outer court. Those who choose to serve the Lord were those who entered into the inner courts and those who served themselves ended up in the outer court; those of the inner court continued serving with the Lord, those in the outer court served others. That may or may not be the case, but it makes perfect sense; if you don't serve others now, then you will be made to serve others later; we serve the Lord by serving others! As far as our eternal salvation goes, I truly believe that once we are in the hands of God, we are never going to be taken out of His hand, ever. Do I have the power to pry myself out of His hand? I seriously doubt it. But then again, I don't want to be taken out of His hand, so there is probably something to that that makes me eternally secure. Besides the fact that God has chosen me to be in His kingdom, I have nowhere else I choose to be. One thing for sure, I do not worry about death and hell any more; those things are no longer any concern of mine; nor should they be any concern of anyone else who is in Christ Jesus! If those things are of any concern, then you might need to check your security...
"I am writing to God's church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. I always thank my God for you and for your gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way -with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:2-9) NLT

"Enlightenment"

"His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled." (Psalms 97:4)
As it was only a matter of time, and there are very few moments when our purpose and our circumstance are connected or lined up together as one. Don't ask, sometimes I just type without even thinking what it is that I am trying to say. If you are like me, you are always looking for the Gospel message to come out, even during the most strange or inopportune times. But isn't that how the Gospel is meant to work? I mean, if you really stop and think about it, our lowest points in life are the times when we are most likely the closest we ever get to God. It is the times when we feel that there is nothing left, that we actually experience what it feels like to need nothing more than God's touch upon our lives. If you have not yet had the opportunity to watch "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone," you might just give it a watch; it's a pretty good movie about what it's like to live in the moment of purpose and circumstance. But there is one point in the movie, during the actual performance, when Gavin, playing the part of Jesus, says to the 'Young Rich Ruler,' "Don't go; you will miss out on so much more than you know." It was enough, if but for a moment to cause the young man to turn back and consider what was being said; and had he not been performing his character, he might have really considered doing the thing that was being asked of him! Talk about being enlightened, there were several onlookers who had to stop and think what was being said, even though what was said was not in the script. But there was a hidden underlying message in the movie, which comes to light during the special interviews with Josh McDowell and his son; it was, "This is what we do." There are several different ways that we can take the meaning of that simple little phrase, but in the light of the Gospel, what we do is turn! The word "trembled," although it might have a little fear associated with it, it actually speaks of being made to bear, or to turn, as in, turn around, or to be turned. It is like when you take something harsh or uneasy, and you turn it into something pleasant or soothing. That is what we do when we come to the Good News; all the unpleasant and terrible things we could ever experience are suddenly transformed into light and brilliance. In those moments, even our darkest hours are the brightest we can ever know or experience, as we tremble before the God who loves us...
"Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus' resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, "This man truly was the Son of God!"" (Matthew 27:50-54) NLT

"Honesty Before God" -Too

"A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about." (Psalms 97:3)
Besides having to deal with regret and consequence, the only other thing standing between what we do and what God wants us to do, is pride and vanity. Some might think it is a little more than that, but that's because they really don't want to come to terms with the real issues. Solomon had is all figured out; he might not have performed very well on what he had figured out, but he knew what it was that he needed to do, and he knew why he wasn't able to do it. Some might also look at this verse and consider the "fire" and "burneth up" parts to be bad things; they are to those that do not want to be changed by God! But to those that love God, there is something about His 'fire' that wants us to want Him to consume us. Mostly because we are so unwilling to do what it takes on our own; we know that it's going to take God's Holy Fire to get it done. I'm sorry, just being honest; there are so many things I want to do better, but just keep putting things off for the day I really feel like getting it done. Don't tell me that pride and vanity are not part of that kind of choice or pattern, because they most surely are. Sometimes we need God to do whatever it takes to get our attention, because left to our own wicked ways, we would be stuck doing it all wrong, let alone figuring anything out. I heard Pastor Jack say something last week, that I have heard other pastors say also, that one of the reasons he decided to become a pastor, was so that he had to show up for church and he had to study God's word, otherwise he might not have consistently done either one. It's very true; and had I not decided to not miss a day with this blog, then there would have been many a day that I would not have posted a thing. There are some days where I don't have a clue what it is that God wants me to say; but I have found, it's mostly those days when it's because what God wants me to say, I don't really want to hear. That is why I like the Calvary Chapel way of teaching line by line and verse by verse; there are some verses you really don't want to get into to, but you don't have a choice, it's all part of God's instruction. More of You God, and less of me; that is what I pray! When it comes to really wanting the power of God in our lives, we must make sure that we allow the power of God to change us...
"His enemies, tangled like thornbushes and staggering like drunks, will be burned up like dry stubble in a field. Who is this wicked counselor of yours who plots evil against the LORD? This is what the LORD says: "Though the Assyrians have allies, they will be destroyed and disappear. O my people, I have punished you before, but I will not punish you again. Now I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck and tear off the chains of Assyrian oppression." And this is what the LORD says concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh: "You will have no more children to carry on your name. I will destroy all the idols in the temples of your gods. I am preparing a grave for you because you are despicable!" Look! A messenger is coming over the mountains with good news! He is bringing a message of peace. Celebrate your festivals, O people of Judah, and fulfill your vows, for your wicked enemies will never invade your land again. They will be completely destroyed!" (Nahum 1:10-15) NLT

"Honesty Before God"

"A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about." (Psalms 97:3)
There is really one place you do not want to be, and that is on the wrong side with God. It comes down to a few basic principles of understanding, maybe three very simple ones; number one is that God loves you, which He will expect you to respond to. The second one, although it is hard for some to come to terms with, it is simple enough to understand, and that is the fact that we need to be made right. To be perfectly honest, I think we misjudge the degree of right more often than we should. If we could see the degree of righteousness that God requires, and compare that to the degree of righteousness where we are at, we would probably change our way of thinking when it comes to taking any credit whatsoever for anything right that we have done. When the Bible says, "all our righteousness are as filthy rages," we can rest assured that we lack what it takes to measure up to the righteousness of God. Even on our best day, nothing can compare to God's righteousness! The third basic principle, although it is probably the hardest to understand, it is the simplest one for us to accept; provided we listen to no one else but God, not even our own hearts! It is really not that hard, but faith requires that we throw out every thing we have been told by this world, and we wholeheartedly accept what God says, no matter what. It comes down to accepting that God has you in His hand and He is not letting go! That is it! Pretty easy to come to terms with, Right? You would think so; but how we fall short sometimes in making it real in our daily lives. Everyone does, it's not hard to see it in the lives of just about every single hero in the Bible, with maybe the exception of Joseph; but even he was not perfect. We believe that God loves us, that we are totally dependent upon Him to get us through this, and that He will get us through because He loves us so much! That is the kind of power that God has to get it done! If ever there was a place where rest is found, it's in trusting that God will deliver you, because He is not letting go of you, no matter what! Perfect honesty before God, is saying, Thank You God, because if it wasn't for that, I would never make it...
"Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust him. But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into the darkness of night. Why are you scheming against the LORD? He will destroy you with one blow; he won't need to strike twice!" (Nahum 1:6-9) NLT

"The Habitation of His Throne" -2

"Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne." (Psalms 97:2)
It really does not matter where I am or what I have done, finding God's habitation is always just a prayer away from where I am at. This is the special relationship that we get to experience with God, because we need not wait for anything or anyone, we just need to cry out, Abba Father! When you look at the word "habitation," it connects the dwelling place with a fixed place, an established place, a foundation. Jesus is our Foundation; it is the blood of Jesus that gives us access into this dwelling place; it is the righteousness of Jesus that allows us to be able to enter in. Without getting overly spiritual or mystical, I can say without a doubt that there really is a place; it's not physically here or there, but it is spiritually right where you need it to be. I know, that sounds really weird; but the biggest factor in knowing where you are when you get there, is Truth. Yesterday Pastor Jerry was teaching on the Armor of God, and he pointed out the first and most important part of the Armor is Truth; it's the belt of the Armor that holds together the lower covering and the breastplate; without the belt, the warrior could not fight as well, because he would need to continually hold up his lower covering, least he be exposed. I know it paints a funny picture; but if you really stop and think about it, it's straight to the point. The second part of the Armor is the breastplate, which is the representation of righteousness; not only that, but the breastplate almost always was personalized to represent what you were or what you stood for. In our case, this righteousness displayed is not our own, but it is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is that truth which keeps us covered, if you will, but the Truth is connected to the breastplate and our lower covering. With that, the thing which had me scratching my head was the "darkness" mentioned above as being "round about him." When you look it up, it's pretty much just darkness, utter darkness, even gross darkness. Truth is a very certain place; as pointed as that might appear, it is the Truth...
"But to the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than anyone else." He also says to the Son, "In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever."" (Hebrews 1:8-12) NLT

"The Habitation of His Throne"

"Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne." (Psalms 97:2)
If there ever was a place where majesty could be acknowledged, then you are going to witness it one glorious day; of that you can be sure of. Until then, we can take comfort in knowing that God's love is enough to express all that we need to know for now; because in this present mortal body, we would not and could not survive in His presence. I can only try to imagine what it might be like; based upon the description of Revelation, we can give it our best shot to imagine it being bright and glorious; but in all of our imagining, I doubt we could ever come close to what it might really be like. Maybe that is what Jesus meant by saying, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Not that we can actually see where God inhabits, because that's far beyond our current reach; but to see a glimpse of who He is and what He has done, these are the things that cause our hearts to fall in love with our Creator. I truly believe that this Psalm is meant to follow after the previous one; they are in perfect harmony with one another, and they continue with the same theme of "God is the True King." Back to the "isles," and how they are inhabitable; they are more than just place to dwell upon, they are a refuge and a shelter from the world. I could not begin to even try and describe for you what I am talking about, because it is something you cannot experience until you have actually done so on your own. But the Holy Spirit gives us more than power to overcome, He gives us comfort to rest in God's love. There is a lot to take in here; more than I can possible explore in just one morning post. That said, when we totally surrender all that we are to the One who loves us, we are truly enthroned in His love. When I think about the reasons I have to be out of sorts, they can sometimes be more than overwhelming, to say the least. But God's love can be the place where all of that is lost. It's where I go to find peace; but more than that, it's where I go to find the solution and answer to all that I seek. That is what Jesus was talking about to Nicodemus, answers to what he did seek...
"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." (Romans 11:33-36) NLT

"The Power of God"

PSALMS 97
"The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof." (Verse One)
To make a better point, as if that was even possible, God continues to amaze us by the power of His Holy Spirit. This is no small ordeal, because the more we yield to the Spirit, the more empowered we are to the working of His power in our lives. It could be looked upon as the effect of an electrical outlet; the more we plug into the outlet, the more charged up we become; the more charged up we become, the more pure we become. We could also look at it as a light switch, but that does not do it as much justice; it's really too easy to flip off and on a switch, while plugging into a outlet requires that you find the plug and connect it to a outlet. In other words, there is an effort involved on our part to get this done! We are not talking about works, we are talking about doing all that it takes to make ourselves conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. This is what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us, to conform us to the image of Christ; so we must be diligent to allow Him to do so. He will never force us into submission, we must yield our lives over to His conformity of our lives. Yielding requires us to do whatever the Holy Spirit tells us to do, plain and simple! You know that saying, I say "jump", you say, "How high?" Well, don't even consider that to be part of your reaction! That is our biggest problem when it comes to being obedient to God, we want to question His power to do a work in our lives. We begin to measure our abilities against God's capabilities, as if God is only able to do what we can imagine ourselves being able to do. That is really not how this works; because we will never be able to imagine ourselves doing what God is capable of doing in us and through us. There is one thing that we need to get straight, we are seriously flawed and completely broken; there is no way we are going to do anything in our own strength, so we just need to yield completely to the power of God. Anything less, will only result in failure! To make my point, the "isles" that are mentioned above are 'a habitable spot' in a vast body of water; more like a desirable location to be, apposed to trying to stay afloat in the ocean. Well, in this case, not only do we rest upon that island, but we get to actually become the island oasis. That is what the Holy Spirit does in us, if we allow Him...
"Throughout the earth the story is the same -only a remnant is left, like the stray olives left on the tree or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest. But all who are left shout and sing for joy. Those in the west praise the LORD'S majesty. In eastern lands, give glory to the LORD. In lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth, songs that give glory to the Righteous One! But my heart is heavy with grief. Weep for me, for I whither away. Deceit still prevails, and treachery is everywhere." (Isaiah 24:13-16) NLT