"The Great Question"

"What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise Thee? shall it declare Thy truth?" (Psalms 30:9) So which one is it, do we largely live by the power of God, or do we to become small and walk in meekness? Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-8, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." It is therefore my humble opinion, that both character's are to be present, at all times! Not actually an easy thing to do, but a needful thing to practice, because on the one hand we are to be alive unto God, while at the same time, we are to be crucified daily. Now, about David's questions, which have three parts within this verse, but really only one question is being asked, and it has to do with profitability and thanksgiving; two things that pretty much go hand in hand together, and pretty much both end at the time of death. Oh, we will be praising God in heaven, that is for sure; and there will be rewards in heaven for the work accomplished in us; but right now, while we are to be thankful for all that we have been given, now is the time to praise Him and to live out the thankfulness that is within our hearts! To put this into a little better perspective, the "blood" that is being spoken of is our blood; easy enough concept to understand, because it actually means the life force that keeps this mortal body moving from day to day. That being said, and as I said before, we all have a specific job to do, something special that God has appointed for our lives to live out, while we are to be walking within this mortal body; once this body is done, so also is our ability to work out God's special plan for our lives. So, if you really want to know what the great question is in all of the chatter, it has at it's root the heart that is full of thanksgiving, and has the heart of a servant; which earnestly is asking: What can I do for You today Jesus? "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and contueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:22-25)

"Becoming Small"

"I cried to Thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication." (Psalms 30:8) Do you understand the concept of "pride cometh before the fall"? If we understand the concept of needing God desperately to have victory in our lives, then where does pride fit into that equation? Prayerlessness!!! Don't you see the pride in not needing God's guidance, protection, intervention, mercy, and His Holy Spirit to fill you in everything that you do, and every day of your life? If you really do want to have victory over your flesh, then cry out to God for the victory! You are not going to stand up to the devil on your own, I don't care how strong you think that you are, he is stronger; however, He that is in us is mighty, and the devil has no chance against Him! Okay, here's an interesting concept to consider about that unthankful and unforgiving servant from Matthew 18:21-35, and what it was that motivated him to not forgive his fellow servant; was it the money that he insisted on that caused him to act that way, or was it pride? Pride might seem like the wrong motivator; that is until you consider how pride can make us feel as though we no longer have need for mercy! The parable that Jesus gave was in answer to Peter's question about how many times he should forgive his brother. In the interest of time, let's just pretend that we understand the question Peter was asking, and move onto the answer that Jesus illustrated, which pretty much was the question back to Peter, How many times do you want to be forgiven? In the parable, the king forgave the servants debt entirely; meaning that the servant really had no further need to be forgiven of the debt, because the debt had been removed. And then enters the pride; because pride lifts us up above others, it makes us to feel superior, and it takes away our need to seek mercy; and if we are not seeking mercy, we do not give out mercy! If we are not earnestly praying to God for His help, then what does that say about our security and confidence in ourselves to get through our day? You see the concept now! Pride does come before the fall, because pride makes us feel as though we can take on the world... "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:19-21)

"And Largely Living" -2

"LORD, by Thy favour Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled." (Psalms 30:7) And here we go! This is the thing that I was trying to get across, but seemed to be stumbled by in the process: there are two ways that we can walk in this world; we can either walk from victory to victory, or we can walk from defeat to defeat; both of which will involve God's favour being upon us, but the difference is the carnage that is left in our pathway, because there are repercussions to our defeats! If we continue to keep walking in the Spirit, then we will be walking from victory to victory, with God continually blowing our minds with the power that He has given us, and we may even bring many many others into the fold beside us as we go; however, if we give into temptation and the desires of our flesh, then we will establish a defeat; and although God may bring us out of our defeat victorious, we can begin to measure our success by the defeats that we are delivered from, and we really never make that much of a difference towards the kingdom of God. Oh, God can still use us, and does; but the impact that we should have had upon those that He has placed within our lives, is not what it could have been, if we would just remain walking in the Spirit! This touches extremely close to the critical areas in my life, so I do not speak as one who is unfamiliar with what I am talking about! The point that I wish to make, is that God would have us to be victorious; and more than that, He has provided all that we need to walk victoriously; but it really comes down to our desire to have the victory!!! Thus, the reason for the silly title of this posting, because we really do have the ability to 'largely living', meaning that we can press ahead on the basis that God has made our mountain to stand strong, we just need to stand upon it! And know this: the higher the mountain, the stronger the wind becomes at the top, so you had better stand strong in the power of His Holy Spirit; remembering that we can either lean upon the habits of our defeats, or we can yield to the power of His victories... "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tested, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:12-15)

"And Largely Living"

"LORD, by Thy favour Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled." (Psalms 30:7) Does God shine upon you? That might seem a little strange to start off with a question like that, but it makes a perfect way to start a conversation; better yet, how about asking, Do you know when God shines upon you? I guess that depends upon what shine means, right? Well, it is much like the instance when Jesus was transfigured, then Moses and Elisha appeared with Him, and God spoke, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him". (Matthew 17:1-5) Only, what I am talking about is a little less Holy; but the general point is that God makes you aware that He is blessing your life, and so much so, that others can see His blessings being poured out upon you also. On certain occasions, and in a certain way, our attitude of knowing that God is smiling down upon us is based in the way that we are thankful towards Him in our hearts; it's much the same as you would place your confidence in the sun's ability to warm your face, because you see the sun is shining; if you have ever experienced that for yourself, or can picture what I am talking about. Now, regarding God hiding His face; I can think of more than one occasion in my own life, when I actually was hoping that God was hiding His face; more like, hiding His eyes from what I was doing! But in all seriousness, what David is speaking of, is when that shinning sensation you get from God shinning down upon your life seems to be gone, much like when a cloud passes between you and the sun; you don't even need to be looking at the sun, yet you can still tell when it happens. After which David uses a word call "troubled", as in, "and I was troubled". I want to take this opportunity to go back to something I said the other day about, What is your night? Because there are two very different reactions that we can have to the night appearing upon our lives: we can retreat into our little cave, like a child hiding under the blankets, or, we can know that it is time to get things done! This word "troubled" that David is using here takes on both of those reactions, but puts the greater effort into making hast, as in trying to get to the bottom of what is wrong with this picture... "Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." (James 1:16-18)

"Living Large"

"And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved." (Psalms 30:6) I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I had actually lived this faithfully over the last thirty plus years, because I will tell you with all honesty, that I have fallen short more than once. Oh, I as David, may have said that it would never happen, but saying it and living it out are two entirely different things! However; thanksgiving is to be a constant way that we live, which means that it must be a part of every area of our life, including those times when we seem to not have a care in the world! That is what this word "prosperity" means; it is the word 'shelev', and it is only occurs one time in the Hebrew writings, and it is in the verse we are looking at today. It actually means to be at ease; to have total tranquility and security in your life, not having a care in the world. Now I know that it is something that we should strive for, to be fearful of nothing that man can do to us, and to be totally at peace in whatever comes our way, but this is something all together different, and is more about having security in your present surroundings and standings; much as would be the case if you have more than enough to live on, and there was no threat of anyone tampering with your lifestyle or your home; home meaning more than just a house that you live in, but all that you have established for yourself and your family. And, therein lies the key to my problem! I; me; el' stupido! What have I ever established!!! "Look at all that I have made for myself" is not something that you what written on your tombstone! And it surely is not something that you want written on your heart! I break things! I ruin more things than I could ever make perfect; and I can't think of a single thing I have ever established, except for something I flushed down the toilet. But as sure as the sun will come out tomorrow, even though we say we shall never be moved, and we say it with all honesty and sincerity, just let prosperity dig in to your manner of living, and see if you never move; because your odds are not very good, considering neither David, and especially his son Solomon, could not stay footed upon that promise. Don't get me wrong, they did a pretty good job of making God the primary reason for being where they where and having all that they had; but there were times when the "I" took over, and starting looking for gratitude in all that they had been given. Do not think that what I am talking about is not a big deal, because it is; as a matter of fact, it brings down very large men of God all the time!!! It's kind of like seeking for clarity in all your livelihood and in the decisions you make for your home; when it is more than likely that clarity is what the Lord wants you to let go of, because He wants you to walk by faith and by trusting in Him, not in those things that you think that you have  under control... "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: but the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways." (James 1:9-11)

"To Be Loved" -3

"For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalms 30:5) This is it, I believe; but that's not really up to me! What is your night? For most of the people who live by night and day schedules, night is the time when you prepare for bed; but for those that work odd hours, night is when you get things done. But here's the thing with God's schedule: He does not have a night and day routine, nor is He dependent upon our schedule to operate His plan into our meager little lives! What the heck am I trying to say! (I say that to get your attention.) How do you know whether or not that trial you are going through is not God's mercy at work in your life??? It might seem like God is judging you, or taking you through something because of something that you have done, or something you have not done, but that is not God's general plan, nor is it His heart for you; He does not allow us to face trials in order to punish us, His heart is to get our attention, and to make us more dependant upon Him! We toil through life, sometimes not giving much thought to our spiritual living, and whether or not we are putting much of an effort into the friendship we have with the Lord; that is until we are facing something that is beyond our control; then we snap out of our slump and cry out to God for His mercy. It is in those times that His mercy means more to us than ever before; again and again, His mercy endures; again and again, His mercy makes us wait on Him, and it gives us mornings! Mornings are the bright day at the end of a very dark night... "And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise Thee: though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He is also become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." (Isaiah 12:1-6)

"To Be Loved" -2

"For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Psalms 30:5) Giving thanks and being thankful are not just words, it is a life style of living out thankfulness to the God that loves us; that is what "Song" represents, and to "Sing unto the LORD" is a true natural reaction to being thankful for Him loving us, even though we surely do not deserve it most of the time! His love is not conditioned upon our actions, but knowing His love is! I really don't think many of His children completely understand that; and if they do, they are surely not living it out in their actions. I have got to say something about small churches, they are filled with life; and when I say life, I mean the living and breathing life that is lived out every day in each and every one of us. I started out in big churches, and as a new believer, it was good to have lots of options and things to get involved in, like the church softball team, or teaching Sunday School; so many programs and possibilities to stay busy and in fellowship with other believers. Unfortunately, the bigger the church, the easier it is to get lost in a crowd and the more easy it is to be lost in the crowd; that is unless that big church has small group fellowships, then you will at least stand a chance of really knowing what fellowship is meant to be. The smaller the church, the better; that's the way I feel today, because it's not about numbers, it's about loving God, rejoicing in the Lord, and being thankful for all that He has done to save us! The most important message with the Scripture above is the part about, "in His favour is life", because it sums up the whole reason that we are thankful, we should be thankful, and that we must be thankful; that basically means that we have no excuse to be unthankful, seeing that God loves us so very very much. The word "favour" is a word that might cause you to stop and think about how you treat the love that you have been so freely given, because it goes way beyond God's favorable acceptance of us, it goes to the heart of our acceptance of His love and what we are to do with that acceptance. In other words, the "life" that is the result of His favour is not our eternal life, but it is living life, as in something that is alive, breathing, and growing day by day; it's life that has sustenance and requires maintenance to keep it going! Okay, maybe you need me to give an example of what I mean, yes? Then let me use the a word called friendship, which is a word that has both sustenance and requires maintenance; we don't say, What a friend I had in Jesus; now do we? No we don't! It is "What a friend I have in Jesus!" Which means that it is an ongoing relationship that requires maintenance, because it is not a fairytale, it has real sustenance... "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13:5 & 6)

"To Be Loved"

"For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping my endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Psalms 30:5) Not everyone will get what I am about to say, but to love, is to be loved! It's one thing to be loved, and to know that God loves you, that we all can easily understand; but putting that love to life, that is where we know love! I believe that we all have a very special purpose to be alive on this earth; in our own special way, we all make some kind of difference in someone's life; some are good, and some, not so good, but some how or another, we all do effect the life of someone else in one way or another. It is my hope and prayer that I effect people's lives to the good, not giving out signs of being discouraged, or making my trials out to be something that abandons the hope of eternity. I think that we sometimes forget that people our watching us, especially when we are going through something; they are looking for real hope to be demonstrated in the life of those that say have hope. I am not talking about 'hope and change', I am talking about change, and then there is hope! I guess it all comes down to how you see the gift you have been given, and how that gift was given. Take the 'unthankful and unforgiving servant' from Matthew 18:22-35, who did not truly understand the great gift that he was given, and therefore did not put into practice that which he had been given. That servant was called into account by his king for a debt that he owed, one which he could never repay, and when he begged for mercy, he received it; that was the gift he received, it was mercy; the grace part of that story was him being totally released from the debt! The king did not try and work something out, or make some kind of compromise on getting payments; he totally released him from the debt! The whole point of the parable, is that we must forgive others if we are truly thankful for the forgiveness that we have received, because if we are truly thankful for the forgiveness, then we have been changed into a person that knows what true forgiveness is all about. It is the same with love, in that we are so very thankful for the love that God shows to us, that we have to show love, because we know what true love is all about; and every time we do show forth His love, it reminds us that we are loved... "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for God is a consuming fire. Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." (Hebrews 12:28-13:3)

"Step One and Done!" -2

"Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." (Psalms 30:4) To tell you the truth, I never have been to much of a twelve step fan, although I am sure it works well for those that need it; most of the time I subscribe to more of the three step plan, which is "Rise, Take up thy bed, And walk"; and when things are really critical, there is always the one step plan, which is, "Come Forth!" But we really are not talking about salvation here, we are talking about giving thanks to the God that has saved us and given us eternal life! Notice that it says, "O ye saints of His", because we are chosen to be His saints, which puts another meaning of the word "holiness" into account. The word that David uses, and that has been translated to "holiness" is the word 'qodesh', which is also a word that means 'My Holy Name', holy garments, Thy Holy Spirit, and holy gems, an image of the nobles of the people, with an allusion to the breast-plate of the high priest. The general idea is that all those things that are spoken of are the things which belong to God and that He has established; these are the things which have been made Holy and are to be considered Holy, because He has made it so. Now then; if you are indeed one of His saints, then guess what that means! You guessed it; you have been made Holy!!! The problem is, that for many of us that walk in this world of sin and death, even though we have been counted as 'His Holy Ones', we still don't get the part about being holy; it's just too easy to see the evilness, and way too hard to see the holiness; but the holiness is there, it's just a matter of where we are looking! Look to Jesus... "Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is before us, LOOKING UNTO JESUS the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1 & 2)

"Step One and Done!"

"Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." (Psalms 30:4) You might have thought I was going into some kind of a twelve step teaching or something like that; but it really comes down to remembering what a mighty work that God has done, and thanking Him for it with a true heart of thanksgiving. As with the meaning of 'Song' that I spoke of during the introduction to this Psalm, the word "Sing" that David is speaking of is a kind of 'let go and dance' kind of a word; where you cut off all your surroundings, focus upon the Lord, and let go into praising Him! I can remember when I was in jail, we would gather together in a circle, all of about twenty of us that were inmates, and we would all sing the "Father Abraham" song; you know, the one where you spin around, stomp your feet, swing your arms, and bob your head up and down; it just seemed so natural, as we were celebrating being grafted into the Israel of God. Twenty grown men, some of whom were considered to be Lifers; all of many different races and backgrounds, but all brothers in Christ; just letting go and praising Jesus! I really did enjoy my time spent with those brothers back then, even though we were imprisoned together, it really did not feel as though we were confined, because we were set free in our spirits. The word for "saints" that is used is a word that depicts someone who worships Jehovah, or the saints of Jehovah; yet, it also means holy one, faithful, kind, or godly. Coupled together with "holiness", as in "give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness", and you are speaking of entering into the heart of the temple of God! That most holy place in the sanctuary of all that God has done for us; where all that matters is what He has done for us, that we might be called His saints! Maybe it was so easy to worship the Lord from behind bars because we all were looking to be in another place anyways; but then again, aren't we all to be looking towards that better place... "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on this earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3)

"Step One, Two, Three!"

"O LORD, Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit." (Psalms 30:3) As crazy as this might sound, but I am not afraid of death; I might be concerned about how it is that I will die, but death is only a whole new beginning as far as I am concerned. This ability to have the attitude which says, I am not afraid to die, is based upon the faith that I have in what my Lord has done; not only has He removed all sin from condemning me, and given me eternal life with Him, but He has also taken away the fear of death by having conquered death Himself! In Galatians 1:3-5, Paul makes a short statement that sums up what I am talking about when I say that He has taken away my fear, when he says, "Grace be to you, and peace, from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of the Father: to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." That thing called 'peace' that Paul mentions, it takes away all fear of death and what might await us, because it replaces that fear with a knowledge of God's goodness towards us, and His desire to deliver us from the curse of 'this present evil world'. You really need to believe this is true for that peace to be confirmed in your life; and when I say confirmed, I mean that your peace remains when it is called upon! I can not begin to tell you the number of people I have known who fall apart at the thought of death, and who, when they should embrace death as a new beginning, instead, they act as if it is the end. This is what I meant the other day, when I said that those things were based upon what we believe; because we must believe that it is so, in order to experience that real peace that is given us by the Lord; because our faith is based upon what we do not see, but what we know in our hearts to be true; and in believing it is so, we can embrace death as the new beginning of our eternity with our Lord. Do you have that peace in the light of death? If not, you should; and if you don't, you should be asking why you don't; and if you don't believe it is possible to have it, then start thanking God for your eternal life, and see if it shows up... "For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden." (Galatians 6:3-5)

"Step One, Two"

"O LORD my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me." (Psalms 30:2) Forever is a very long time, don't you know? Not only have we been lifted up to a position of immortality, but the joke is on death and the many different ways that death can happen; that includes all death by illness and decay of this mortal shell; which is nothing more than a tent to house my spirit, a temporary tent at that! So, now that we have been given this new spiritual understanding about the true meaning of what we see and what we do not see, how should our conversation be? Are we really to be that concerned with what is happening here, or do we need to focus more on that which is to come? I say this because it is only going to get worse, and the disease of sin is only going to spread more and more rampantly; making that which is wrong right, and that which is meant to be right wrong in the eyes of this world. Notice that I said the disease of sin; because that is exactly how it infects our society and our world; taking down long standing statutes of law and order, by replacing them with make-believe ordinances that do nothing but take the focus off of God and place it upon man. We must continually teach ourselves in the conversations of our heart; reminding ourselves of the fact that we have been saved from not only the sin of our own lives, but also from the sin of this world; and no matter how bad things might become here, there is nothing that the sin of this world can do against us, or can take away from our eternal existence; for we have been healed from that! Knowing that we have been, we must be thankfully and prayerfully going about our daily lives, taking each and every day as another opportunity to make some kind of difference in the world around us, and understanding what it is that we are here for... "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2)

"Step One"

"I will extol Thee, O LORD; for Thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me." (Psalms 30:1) The first step in becoming thankful is to realize the position that we have been given in Christ Jesus our Lord, who having raised up from the grave and ascended up into heaven, will also raise us up also, that we should be with Him in heaven for ever. Yes, that's a future event we look forward to, but it is also a current life in which we live, because that eternal life began the moment we first believed; in that moment, all the burdens of sin and death were removed, and we became a new creature that was raised up above mortality and taking the sting of death out of the picture, for good! Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:1, "We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." The "then" is much the same as a "therefore", where we need to take a look back and see what it is there for; which is back to the following chapter in verse 17, which says, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: and old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Which also begins with a "therefore", and must be considered the result of something previously spoken, which actually begins to be spoken of in verse 5:1-3, that says, "For we know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked." And, the "for we know that" is the result of our faith, which is spoken of in the previous verse, 4:18, which says, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." Based upon all these things, which are conditioned upon our faith and what we believe, we are thankful to our God for having changed us, and for having made us a new creation in Christ. Now then; if we are truly thankful for what God has done, then our thankfulness will be apparent in our lives, because the gift of eternal life that we have been given means more to us than all that is in this world, seeing how this world and all that is in it shall pass away..."For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;" (2 Corinthians 4:16 & 17)

"Becoming Thankful"

"For the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it." (Deuteronomy 20:4 & 5) Above Psalms Thirty, in my Bible, is the title "A Prayer of Thanksgiving", and below that I have written in blue ink, * Deut. 20:5; I mention the blue ink because that would tell me that I wrote that in there at least twenty years ago; maybe after purchasing a new home, or maybe during a sermon at church. The introduction of Psalms Thirty says, "A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David"; which, for several different reasons has it listed as both a Psalm and a Song, which have different meanings, although they both do mean songs. If I had to try and explain the difference between these two words, a quick and easy way to put this might be, that Psalms are songs written in the Old Testament, and are prayer and praises that were written by several different writers, and the word is only found associated with those writings; whereas Song, although also meaning song, is more about bursting forth in song, as in singing unto God because you are so thankful for what He has done. As we dive into this writing and song, we should understand something about the meaning of a house, in that, it means more than just a place where you lay your head at night, or a place where you raise a family; it also means 'within', as in within your heart. The title of my blog today might seem a little odd to some, but thankfulness is a lot like forgiveness, it is something that must be expressed from your heart; which means, that you cannot just say it, it must be demonstrated by your actions and in your life. In other words, you cannot say to someone that you forgive them for something, and then still hold that thing against them, because that is not true forgiveness; just as you cannot say to someone that you are thankful for something that they have given you, and then just discard that item as if it means nothing..."Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." (Matthew 13:44)

"Intermission"

I can't begin to tell you how hard I wept yesterday morning; as soon as I hit the last key in the closing line of my blog, I was instantly shaken to my very core. I don't know if it was a collective result of everything that I said, or just those final seven words, but whatever it was, God flashed His great love before my heart in an instant, and it was all that I could do to just hit the 'Publish' key and get off my computer right away. Suddenly, my life flashed before me in an instant, and I quickly saw all those times when I desperately cried out to God in the midst of a storm; I even picture a perfect image of my wife, as she laid there in bed in the other room; all instantly flashing before me in an instant; all things relevant to my need to God's great and mighty deliverance. God does definitely speak through the storms in our lives; more so than we often realize!
It is in those times when we cling closer to our Father's heart, because we are desperate to be held by His loving arms. I pray that you never have to suffer anything of great lose in order to get there, but I also pray that you experience the closeness that it can bring you to the Father's heart if you get to. That is what knowing Jesus is all about!!! That is what Paul was referring to in Galatians 6, and how important the message of the cross is for those of us that believe: the perfect storm! It was the storm of our Lord Jesus Christ, who cried out for deliverance so hard, that His body had blood sweating forth from His pores; when was the last time that you cried out that hard? It is a sign of not only great deliverance, but of great conquest rising up from a fierce and devastating storm; a storm that was so devastating, that the entire earth was shaken, the skies were darkened, and graves were opened up to release their captives. I don't think I can remember ever participating in any storm such as that; not even in my must devastating storm, was my storm passed into all the earth; it primarily just involved me, and was quickly swept away, just as the parting of the clouds. As we prepare to enter into this next Psalm, we need to prepare our hearts as one would prepare his house to be moved into; knowing that our home is built upon a Sure Foundation, we can take great comfort in knowing that even though our home might get destroyed from fire, rain, or any other form of devastation, that our Sure Foundation will always remain...

"Just Believe"

"Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness...The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace." (Psalms 29:1, 2 & 11) It truly does not need to make sense, and most people will believe a lie over the truth because the lie will make more sense than the truth; but when we get to heaven, we will have no questions, just pure amazement of the greatness of our God! When I first got saved I had a sticker in the back window of my truck that said Jesus Is Lord, and it had a rainbow above it; now you don't see those stickers much, because the rainbow has been hijacked for another cause. God did judge the entire world with the Flood, and then He promised never to do it again with the sign of the rainbow when clouds appear in the sky; yet Noah was not a perfect man, but he was a man that listened to the voice of God, and just believed! The entire message from Genesis 1:1 through to the end of Revelation is a message of hope and love, from a God that cannot stand sin; yet, because He knows how broken we are, and unable we are to be righteous, He designed a way to take sin out of the way and to make us holy as He is, that He might have fellowship with us, and we can have fellowship with Him. You can not take anything away from God's word, because His word has all been given for specific meaning and for the complete picture of who He is, what He is, and where He is; making us realize who we are, what we are, and where we need to be! Just when you think you have something all figured out, God peals back another layer of His truth, and your theories are destroyed by pure holiness! Sure, you can attribute Psalms 29 to David writing while watching a thunder storm; but God does speak through the storms...

"Marked"

"The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace." (Psalms 29:11) Do you really want to know the best thing about believing the entire Word of God, and not taking anything away from all that He has spelled out for us to know about Him? Well, I am not going to tell you if you do, because that is something you need to find out for yourself. However, I will say this, that once you have really seen the Gift you can't turn back! I find it a little interesting that the Antichrist will establish a mark for everyone to get on their forehead or hand; a mark that represents the number of his name (Revelation 13:16-18). Counterfeit ruler, that's what the devil is; he creates an order of spiritual smoke and mirrors, and a kingdom that is destined to pass away; yet he continues to get people to buy into his great deceptions. There will be many that will gladly take the mark, wearing it as a badge of honor to the "image of the beast" (Revelation 13:14-15); which will most likely be those that get one on their foreheads, so they can proudly display the mark for everyone to know how much they worship the beast and his image. The "marks" that Paul was speaking of in Galatians 6:17, are the sufferings and trials that he had endured for Christ, and how those sufferings and trials marked him as faithful and approved soldier and servant of the Lord. Those were marks upon his flesh, that flesh which is crucified with Christ, and is destined to pass away. But spiritually, Paul was marked by God; given great peace and strength to get through each and every trial that came upon him. That's the "mark" of God which we proudly display as believers in the One True God; because we know He will never ever forsake us, and His kingdom will remain for ever and ever..."Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen" (Galatians 6:18)  

"The Deluge"

"The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever." (Psalms 29:10) I could have went on with that last verse for several more days, but I decided I needed to move on, since this Psalm might just be about a lightning storm after all. And then again, what we have before us today is something very very interesting, which is a punch in the face of all those that like the theory of evolution. Many people that like to believe in the theory of evolution and that also believe in the Bible, (as if that makes any sense), will try and explain away 'The Flood' as something that just happened in one region of the world, and that it was not a worldwide flood; this they do as to continue to accept the ever-changing longevity of the process needed for life to evolve, while at the same time accept that all certain forms of life were whipped out by 'The Flood'. Now, according to my Bible, Noah's flood submerged the entire earth with water for about an entire year; and even if it might have taken place within a certain region, how possible is it that water could get as high as needed to put the ark on the mountains of Ararat, and yet not flood the entire earth? Genesis 7:19-24 gives a pretty exclusive account of not only how high the waters were, but that "All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, and all that was in the dry land died"(verse 22); last I checked, All pretty much means "ALL". And just in case you might overlook that point, God clarifies His statement written through Moses, by saying, "And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and the fowls of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark"(verse 23). So then, what do you say to that! There really needs to be some consistency in what you believe! Either you believe the Bible or you don't; but you cannot take out portions here and there to make the Bible adjustable to what you believe or how you want to believe. Yet, there will always be those that will try and determine which Scriptures are relevant to be taken literally, which are an allegory, and which are not to be taken literally; but be careful that you do not fall into their trap, because God's Word does not change, neither does in adjust to our beliefs; God's Word is for ever. The test is in the word "sitteth", which is speaking of several different things, but all of which are consistent to God's order and His judgement: GOD REMAINS!!! "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." (Galatians 6:17) 

"Undiscoverable" -2

"The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in His temple doth every one speak of His glory." (Psalms 29:9) It's really not for us to know; but ours is to listen and obey! Do we get that yet? What keeps a man from entering into eternal life? There is only one thing that will prevent any one from entering into the kingdom of God, and that is for them to refuse to receive Jesus Christ as LORD! Don't you know, that there are some who think that they have eternal life within them, but sadly, they do not; and why do you think that might be? Okay, let's get one thing perfectly understood: God is JUST; He is not a God that does not have mercy; as a matter of fact, He goes beyond having mercy on us, by pouring out His grace upon us! That said; because God is a Just God, He offers forgiveness to everyone freely, yet not all receive His generous offer, and some that do receive it, receive it based upon current needs only, and not upon entering into eternal life; they have not even considered the eternal part of their lives, because they are too focused on this present life. Eternal life for the true believer in Jesus Christ starts the day that they make Jesus LORD of their life; that is when Real New Life begins, and the old life ends! Now, as far as knowing anything, it's that part of God being Just that many really do not understand; because God is Just, He will hold us accountable for that which we know: the more you know, the more accountable you are to your understanding of God and what He requires of you. With that very scary thought being said; the more you know about God and what He requires, the more you count upon God for His mercy and His grace!!! We really cannot predict what takes place in the heart of man, or who will take part in the Great Banquet; but this is for sure: that those who have been offered to enter in and refuse, shall surely not be there; and those that do enter in, will have nothing to say but, THANK YOU JESUS!!! "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." (Galatians 6:14-16)

"Undiscoverable"

"The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in His temple doth every one speak of His glory." (Psalms 29:9) Having given this verse much thought, and then wondering how it is that God has established those that are His and those that are not, I have determined that there are just some things that we are not meant to know! Unlike the Calvinists, who think they have figured something out, and those that are going to get saved will be saved, and those that won't, well there's no sense in sharing the gospel to them; God really does not work that way! We are all given the chance to accept God's free gift of salvation, in one way or another; it's not His will that anyone should perish, and He is holding out for as many to come to Him as can come to Him. Besides that, if you really study what John Calvin had written, then you would discover he wasn't at all about shutting the door to those that are going to perish anyway; his message was more about God's perfect plan being played out regardless of man's will; which takes on several multiple levels of configurations of circumstance and endeavors, far more than anyone can figure out, who does not have infinite knowledge; and there is only One that has infinite knowledge, and that would be God! Our job is to continue to spread the gospel message to everyone, not trying to determine who is worthy of the message, but to believe that all can receive it, and that all can come to the life saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If you take all the prophecies of Jesus Christ, and try to figure how they were brought about, the complexity of bringing everything into it's perfect order and perfect existence is mind boggling; and the chances of all 700 plus things all happening out of chance are indescribably impossible. But God, does not have impossible within His vocabulary!!! With God, anything is possible, and everyone can be saved who will be saved..."And when one of them that sat at meat with Him heard these things, he said unto Him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said He unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So the servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto his servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of My supper." (Luke 14:15-24)

"Prospecting Too"

"The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh." (Psalms 29:8) Then again, free will is free will; and although He desires us to be precious stones, and even helps us in the process, it is still something that we must also have a choice in: God does not force us into loving Him, although, He will allow us to come to a place where we absolutely need to cry out to Him, and He may even participate in process of us getting to that point; but He never will force us to love Him! Precious stones do not make themselves, they must be mined and refined; but a flawless gem is one that allows for all that is not part of the quality of flawlessness to be chipped away; otherwise, the refining of that gem is hindered, and the cuts are not perfectly produced. In other words, we must want God to change us!!! He will find us, pull us up out of the pit of the earth, and reveal Himself to us, by showing us how much we need Him and how much He loves us; but, it is still up to us to allow Him to freely refine our lives. Yes LORD, take that out of my life also! Make me love others more and more! Help me to forgive others, as you have forgiven me! May I be like you Jesus!!! What it is that I am trying to say, is that we are participants in the prospecting process! By allowing God to conform us into His image, we become more and more like He is, and we love Him more and more in the process! The more we love God, the less flawed we are, and the more we shine and sparkle! "Kadesh" is something interesting to speak of, because it represents several different things all at once. It represents 'Holy' for one, as in the potential to be holy; but more than that, it represents a place to the extreme south of Judah. As I said before, not everything needs to make sense; however, God will never leave us in the dark! But what He will do, is to show us just enough of Himself, that we will have a desire to know more of Him, and to hear His voice more... "All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware  unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest  keep His commandments, or no. And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live." (Deuteronomy 8:1-3)  

"Prospecting"

"The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh." (Psalms 29:8) Some might think this odd, but God already knows who are His people and what their potentials are; therefore, the manner of prospecting is not for exploration, but rather for expectations. What are your expectations of God? Not everyone knows what they are expected to do by God, but we all have our own ministry that we are expected to fulfill; something that God has specifically intended for your life, and that is planted deep within your DNA. I know that might sound strange and kind of like psycho-babble, but your code is made by God, and God has made you for a specific purpose and for His specific pleasure! The thing that is unfortunate, is that most of us never reach our full potential, and many of us never even get revealed for what that potential might be; like diamonds in the rough waiting to be mined and refined, and laying in wait for something to unearth them, but never quite getting discovered. This is not God's fault; He is not the one who has buried us beneath all the earthen sand or stone; but rather, it's all the earthly stuff that we have placed around ourselves; that's what has hidden the jewel that is within each and every one of us. Another thing which should be considered, is that we are all born in sin, and included in the curse handed down by our fathers, is the fact that we are born separated from God; although we are all born this way, it is God's intention that we be turned and brought back into a relationship with Him. It's pretty interesting how that works; but it is way too mysterious to try and figure out: how we are all made from God, by God, and for God, yet we are separated from God because of sin; and it is God's will that we be reunited with His Spirit, yet He has still provided for our free will to have a choice. Regardless of that free choice, God will still be persistent, and He will prospect us up from beneath the earth..."And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land." (Zechariah 9:16)  

"Sparking A Change" -2

"The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire." (Psalms 29:7) Okay, so I snuck one in on some of you! Well, believe it or not, but yesterday morning as I was starting my drive to Knott's Berry Farm, I tuned the radio to CSN, and two brothers were talking about what I had just written that morning. That goes back to what I was sharing about verse three, and how "The voice of the LORD is upon the waters"; speaking of how He put forth the same message in several different areas. Now regarding these "flames of fire"; you just need a moment of time away from your splendor, that splendor of worldliness and feeling good about yourself, for God to be able to "divide the flames of fire"; just long enough for you to see your true state, and your total need for God's mercy and grace. Yes, you can associate that with lightning, that fits nicely with how God zaps you in your mid-stride, and awakens you out of your coma of nothingness; but I tend to prefer the whole dead heart being brought to life idea, or the stony heart being made alive, just long enough to detect a need for something that really is life. I was more than serious when I said that we do not have the capability to spark a change within ourselves; and left on our own, we would have no desire for knowing the One True God, but would establish our own gods to satisfy the desires of our hearts. Without the Lord coming to us, individually and personally, and literally snapping us out of our state of unconsciousness, we will not be changed, nor would we even have the opportunity to be changed! You did not get here on your own!!! I can recall my own desire to know God, and how I had practiced religion in many different forms; some considerably orthodox, and some were just flat out wacko; but it was not until I saw the truth that I could completely understand my need for Jesus and why He needed to die for my sins. Before that, it was all about me, and about what I needed to do to express my gratitude or obedience onto a God that I really did not even know! This is why the message of the cross is foolishness to those that perish; why would a God, the God of the universe, the Creator of heaven and earth, step down upon this earth, and let Himself be nailed to a cross; it's hard to imagine that kind of love, yet, He loves us that much..."Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that We do know, and testify that We have seen; and ye receive not Our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:9-15)

"Sparking A Change"

"The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire." (Psalms 29:7) Not everything needs to make sense; as a matter of fact, there are so many things that we just do not understand, some of which we will never actually get to understand until we are with the Lord in heaven, then we will see clearly how everything works! In the meantime, we just keep guessing and throwing out theories, some good, and some are so ridiculous that they somehow end up being accepted as facts. The Bible says, "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Corinthians 3:19), and God will allow man to get lost in his own foolishness, even to the point where a man will be hard set against God (Proverbs 19:3). And in 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul declares, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God". Now, if you can begin to understand how this works, that man can accept something that is utterly ridiculous as the beginning of wisdom, yet cast away the truth as something which is total foolishness, then you can begin to understand how God moves upon the face of this earth. Until God puts knowledge into a man's heart and mind, that man is not going to know the truth; it's really all about who you know, as to where real wisdom comes from; because if you know the Lord, then you have the real beginning of knowledge! There is something very important that we can never forget: God picked you! So, as you ponder your head of knowledge, remember that it was not until He softened your heart to receive Him in, that you could have ever come to the knowledge of Him! Whether or not David is writing about lightning flashing through the sky, and splitting in all different directions, that's beside the point; because the point is, that God is the one that sparks a change in man, we do not get there on our own; nor do we even have the capability to do so! The word that is used for "fire" in the verse above, is a word that can also mean splendor or brightness; while the word for "flames" is also that of glittering steal, as in the head of a spear, or a naked sword. My point is, the further we get wrapped up in our own foolishness, the brighter that foolishness becomes; and it is only when God comes alone and divides the brightness of our foolishness, that we can actually see the darkness that was surrounding us, and can see His True Light..."Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)  

"Making Them Dance"

"He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn." (Psalms 29:6) I tell you what, some mornings, I just don't know what the Lord is wanting me to share; but I start typing anyway, in hopes that He speaks while I am banging away at these keys. It's kind of like that! That's what the Lord is showing me through this verse; like the sporadic things that God will cause a man to do, just by speaking a word that hits a nerve, or challenges a man's footing. If you have ever witnessed a calf being sporadic, they will be walking along in line with the other cows, then all of the sudden start bucking and spinning around like they are being attacked, and then start walking back in line, as if nothing ever happened. That's what I am talking about with regard to "making them dance"; whether it's a happy dance, or one that just causes them to get out of line for a moment, it's something that challenges their footings; to which, they either dig in deeper, or they get uprooted from where they are at. Just as trees which are grown up with winds forcing against them, they naturally grow deeper roots, so as to withstand being pushed over when they become larger. It actually works both ways, whether you are a Christian or a nonbeliever, the winds that push against you will either cause you to dig in deeper, or be toppled over. For the believer, it's really a matter of holding firmer to what you believe, and adjusting to what you have just went through; whether it was a trial, or just a leaning experience that brought you closer to God. Sometimes, even being toppled over is a good thing, if your roots were beginning to dig in where they do not belong; because, if you are God's child, then He will pick you up and plant you somewhere else. But as a nonbeliever, things don't always work out so well for them; because when their footings get challenged, they don't always end up in a good place; as a matter of fact, when they dig their roots deeper, they are sealing their own doom, hardening their hearts even more against the voice of the Lord..."Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laloured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can a man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as fair as light excelleth darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. Then I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, That this also is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 2:11-15)

"Bringing Them Down"

"The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon." (Psalms 29:5) Notwithstanding, there is no one too big that God cannot take down and make low; that said, there are those that He allows to go to their grave buried in their treasures; although, they seldom actually get to be buried with it, if their family does not take it all away, then the government will. The cedars of Lebanon where known for their deep roots, which are not usually found in the pines, and they were uncommonly tall, without many knots, and not liable to decay. Yes, it's also true that lightning can strike trees and break them; so you could make the point about David writing this during a thunder storm; although, God speaks through the simple minded things also, even something as simple as lightning striking a tall tree! You see, some of the biggest and most powerful men alive, do not believe that they need God, nor do they desire to know that God even exist; as a matter of fact, they go out of their way to find reasons to deny His existence, even at the expense of a large percentage of their wealth. I know the Bible says, "There is nothing new under the sun", (Ecclesiastes 1:9), but really now, we have come quite far over these last hundred years; so far, that they are beginning to grow internal body parts in laboratories, to be used for transplants; now that is something new, don't you think? Never mind all the insane technology that people have within their lives; stuff that twenty years ago was just a dream in the mind of someone waiting to produce it; some of which, was not even thought of, until the previous device was created, like apps for your phones that can detect and register earthquakes, or monitor your heart and blood pressure. These are things that are extremely new, but they are  also things that can quickly be dissolved or taken away; just as snowflakes, which are not only unique in their shapes and patterns, but they are extraordinarily complex in their composure..."The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after." (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11)

"More Than Words" -2

"The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty." (Psalms 29:4) Beside all of that, we should not be so overly concerned about where or what we originated, but we should care more about where it is that we are going to end up! That said; we need to know in our heart of hearts that it was God who created us, and that it is God who gives us life; anyone who does not have this fact settled within his or her own heart, is not fit for the kingdom of God! Seriously, how can someone say that they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, yet doubt in their heart that it was God who created them? Would you believe that there are some among us that do? I have spoken to some, who while confessing Jesus as their Lord, yet when venturing into a conversation about Creation, they automatically take the side of Evolution; as if the world could not have been created in manner spoken of in the Bible, but was formed and evolved over billions of years. Blame it on the public school system if you want to, but I tend to blame it on the devil; who, being the father of lies, he has blanketed this earth with deceptive teachings that take man's attention off of God. Now, I don't know what kind of church you are attending, but if the church you are going to does not believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and that the whole Bible is to be considered as His instruction for our lives, and the infallible, unchangeable love letter from our God to us, then I would be looking for somewhere else to find fellowship. In these last days, it is very important that you know and follow the truth, because we each are responsible for our own salvation, and none of us will be able to blame our ignorance upon someone else, or some church that we where mislead by; in other words, you had better know the truth, which is the result of having the truth within you! If you are truly His child, then you will hear His voice, and a voice that is not His, you will not listen to; however, if do out of a desire to comfort your own disobedience, accept something other than the truth, then you are accepting a lie, and you are refusing to listen to the Lord's voice, but choosing rather to listen to the voice of the devil. These are not doctrinal differences that I am talking about; this is about whether or not you believe the Bible is the Word of God, and that it is to be treated as such! Which means, just as God does not change, neither does His Word; His Word does not conform to this world; neither does it change with the times! It is more than just His Word, it is His voice, and His voice is His proclamation of Who He Is..."Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build for Me? and where is the place of My rest? For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word." (Isaiah 66:1 & 2)

"More Than Words"

"The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty." (Psalms 29:4) By now, you should have figured out where I am going with this Psalm; and you should know by now, it's pretty much about how God can do anything that God wants to do; even if that involves creating something from nothing, He can do that, if He so chooses! I think we have been subject to the laws of man so long, that we have become accustom to defining everything by it's origin; in other words, if it's something that regenerates rather quickly, then it's a natural process, but if it's been around for ever, then it had some type of cosmic origin, such as a 'Big Bang'. Typically, the hardest thing that man has to try and explain it's origin, is man himself; not just because man is so creative and full of imagination, but because of man's individuality, and how it is that not one person is exactly like another; each and every man and woman has a special code within them that is different than anyone else. Now to some, that might not seem like such a big deal; after all, snowflakes are also unique from one another; however, snowflakes are actually produced by a 'Big Bang', but mankind, we have more of a natural process, where we begin as a seed, and then grow into something full of potential. Personally, I do not prescribe to the "Big Bang Theory", because as far I can interpret how things work, if it was created with a big bang, then it probably is not going to last for very long. Two things are presented in this verse today: that God's voice is powerful, and that His voice is full of majesty; both of which proclaim how His voice is more than mere words; but do we actually realize how much more? When I was a small child, I would read the opening verses of Genesis, and I would with great awe, imagine God speaking things into existence; picturing in my mind how God would speak out with a thundering voice, "Let there be light", and wallah, out of the darkness appeared a glorious light. Then we start trying to figure out the other stuff, like the earth, plants, animals, humans; the light, that is one thing easy enough to understand, because we go around all day flipping on and off light switches, so why shouldn't God be able to flip on a light with His word? Yes, God can do whatever He wants to do, but light means more than just illumination, it also means order, life, and prosperity; in other words, God's light that was produced by His word was His Light..."In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness, He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." (Genesis 1:1-5)  

"When God Speaks"

"The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters." (Psalms 29:3) It is believed by some that David penned this Psalm during a thunder storm, which could be absolutely true; however, God uses the common things of nature to express the way that He operates, and the ways that He reaches us. When God speaks, His voice demands some type of action; in other words, when His word goes out, it does not return void (Isaiah 55:11). Water is an interesting analogy to use for the way that His word goes forth, because water runs in many different directions and takes on many different forms, like ice, snow, mist, steam; even ragging and calm can be ascribed to water's form. As with Isaiah 55:10, where God uses water to describe the way that His word goes forth, it is not just limited to what that water falls upon, because what it falls upon will in effect change, and then that change will continue to give out and provide change in others. In the case of the thunders, as far as I can see, there is an audible property that is transferred from the thunder into the water; just as if the drops of rain captured the voice of the thunder as they passed through the reach of it's sound; causing multitudes of rain drops to drop down to earth, with the same vibrating message of His command. Which is pretty much how God speaks; because many people all over the earth will receive the same message at the same time; confirming, that it is God that is doing the speaking, and watering the earth with His message. Some people may not actually share the message that they receive from the Lord, which is why He sends it out to many people; but they know He has spoken, especially when they hear someone else declare the same message they had received. The other point, and one that is in line with my thoughts from yesterday, is that when it rains, it rains on both the good and the bad at the same time; in other words, God's word is not just intended for the good, but for all the people; some receive it, and some don't; and some, hold unto it and use it for another day..."So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall proper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

"And Pay Attention!"

"Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His Name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." (Psalms 29:2) Sometimes we need a gentle reminder of what we are and how we were chosen to be His children; and then again, sometimes we need to be put in our place! It's really easy to judge people that do not know the Truth, because we remember how it was with ourselves, when we refused to answer God's call upon our life; but, we should not measure what people are based upon what we were, because each and every one of us are different in one way or another. Oh, we might share several things in common, but ultimately, we all have a different story, but the same ending is in store for those that are His children. One thing that remains the same is Jesus; the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, He is what we must be looking to, especially when it comes to judging others! Instead, we typically look for the faults and the sin in others, letting that be the basis for our approval to invest our love into their lives. Well, first of all, it's not really our love that we should be considering to invest, it's the love of Jesus that they need; which means that we need to let Jesus love them through us, placing ourselves on the sideline and letting Jesus shine through to touch their hearts. I know what your thinking: What does any of this have to do with the verse above? Yes, I can get off track sometimes, and I have been known to spend several days entertaining my thoughts and feelings; but not today! Today I feel that this is something the Lord has given me to share, because so many of His children are being wounded by the ones who are to be mending their wounds, not rubbing salt into them! You might consider the question, "Who is my brother?" and then treat everyone as if they are, and if they currently aren't , then they surely might become one! Notice the wording of the second part of this verse, and see how it says, "in the beauty of holiness", not, "in the beauty of His holiness"; because, as far as we are concerned, every person on this planet is a potential child of God, because God does not determine their inheritance based upon what they currently are, but upon whether or not they accept His Son into their hearts. We were once there where they are; maybe not trapped in the same sin as they are, but we were trapped in sin, all the same. And it was not until we accepted Jesus into our hearts that we could even see the Truth, let alone know what is Truth..."Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abound, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:18-21)

"Listen Up!"

[A Psalm of David]"Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength." (Psalms 29:1) This is very interesting, and a little hard to elaborate in just a few words, but the word "mighty" above in the verse is the word 'El', which means God, or god like; which is easy enough to understand, until you place "O ye" before it in the context of this verse; then we are talking about something extremely out of the ordinary. What that does is put another word before 'El', which is the word 'ben'; which just so happens to be the name of my 'Christian-childhood' hero, Ben Born Again, the comic tract character, and the character in the New Believer's Growth Book available through Harvest Ministries. 'Ben' is a word the means son, grandson, child, member of a group, order or class; lifeless things, such as sparks, stars, and arrows; together in a grouping, they represent the mystery of our Born Again existence, and how it is that we can take no glory in that existence, whatsoever! As a matter of fact, whatever is the opposite of glory, then consider that to be our position on the matter of our Born Again existence!!! The point being, that our existence as a son or a daughter of God is not based upon anything that we have done, it is just the opposite that pertains to our existence; as a matter of fact, it was our preexisting condition that nailed Jesus to the cross, so we have no bragging rights whatsoever! In a manner of speaking, you could say that God spoke you into your Born Again existence by His Word..."In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:1-3)

"He Has Answered!" -2

"Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever." (Psalms 28:9) I did not want anyone to get the wrong idea, and to think that I was saying that we do not have to be 'salt' and 'light', because we most definitely do; it's just that there is nothing more for us to work for, or for us to try and gain an inheritance that is already been given. God has established everything through Jesus Christ, so that there is nothing left for us to do but rejoice and love one another; knowing that has made us justified by the blood of His Son, we no longer have need to offer up sacrifice or any other action of penitence to have our sins forgiven, for He has paid that price in total; but we must know the costly price that was paid for our sins, and we must walk accordingly. After all is said and done, when it comes to praying for help, He has already done everything that we need, and we really have no need for anything else but Jesus! I really don't know why so many people do not understand that and continue to think that there is still something they need to do to complete the process of being reconciled to God, because there is nothing more to be done towards gaining our inheritance, nor do we need to earn our salvation. Maybe it's the premise of, If it doesn't cost me something, then it must not be worth having; or maybe some people just can't believe it can be that easy to receive forgiveness! As we are going into this next Psalm, which is the Twenty Ninth Psalm, we must come to the understanding that God has answered us, even before we asked, He has answered! The title above this next Psalm in my Bible reads, "The Voice of the Lord", and it makes perfect sense, that if God speaks, it is because He is making things happen. For over four hundred years God did not speak to His people; for over four hundred years, God was silent and did not declare anything after saying these words: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5 & 6) And then after over four hundred years of silence, God spoke; and His voice was in the sound of a Baby...

"He Has Answered!"

"Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever." (Psalms 28:9) As with that closing portion of Scripture from Galatians, we must come to the realization of the finished work of Jesus Christ; in that, what He did for us was all that needed to be done for our salvation and our completeness! In other words, we are made complete in Christ!!! If, for some strange reason, you are fighting a fight that you keep finding yourself on the losing end of, it's because you are lacking the power of Christ in your life, which is the result of holding onto something that needs to be surrendered! That does not necessarily have to be sin, although it usually involves sin in one way or another, but it could just be a matter of letting go of self; which means, thinking that there is still something that I must do to complete the process of my redemption. If Jesus Christ has set you free, then you are free indeed!!! You don't need to find another way to climb up out of the pit; what you need to do, is to quit going down into the pit in the first place!!! He has answered every need that you have for help; there is nothing that He has left undone and that we are responsible for completing. But there are many people who cannot receive or accept the fact that Jesus Christ has made them totally complete; they see Jesus as having made the sculpture ready, but handed them the tools to chisel away at making the image visible. Do you know what I see when I envision this person with tools in his hands? I see a picture of a man standing in the arms of the Lord, with a hammer and a nail in his hands; because those are the tools that we have used for our transformation, in that, we are the ones that nailed Him to that cross! "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the WORD of  reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

"HEY YOU!"

"The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed." (Psalms 28:8) Don't you know it's time to praise the Lord! The Lord has said, "I have chosen you; you did not choose me". So guess what? He's got your back!!! Sometimes we need to be reminded Who it is that we serve; He is not just the One who has saved us, He's also the One who has called us out from among the dead; the One Who choose you as His child, and said, "Come forth!" It really takes a certain amount of strength to pull yourself up out of the grave, but that's not what we have done; it was Jesus who has done this; it was Him who opened the prison door and set the captives free! Why me Lord? Is that what you find yourself asking from time to time? Well, if so, and if you really must know, it's because He loves you! Plain and Simple; God Loves You!!! I am one of these that believes God calls everyone at one time or another in their life; some He calls more times than others, and some He calls with a louder voice; but everyone is called in one way or another. The problem that exist in the hearts of those that do not answer the call, is that they either do not believe it is His voice, or if they do, they do not want to answer because they love their sin. There is a certain amount of power in sin; it's talons get a grip around our hearts, and it becomes a fortress in and of it's self. But that is one of the things that Jesus died for! He did not just die so that we could be forgive of our sins; He died so that we might be set free from sin also; that sin and death would no longer have us bound within this mortal shell, and that by His Spirit, we could, and we should, be set free! Now guess what else! If you are not set free, then it's because you have chosen not to be..."But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons, and because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4:4-9)

"Anchored By Love"

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him." (Psalms 28:7) There are a lot of things that move me and cause me to spend time on things of this world; things like snowboarding, golf, movies, and spending time with family; but there is one thing that keeps me anchored to God, and that is His amazing love for me! If you have ever been out to sea, it is so vast of an area, you can truly loose your way; and as with any large body of water, if you do not anchor your vessel when trying to set in one place, you are not going to remain in that place. If you are securely anchored, you might move around in circles, and you will find yourself facing all kinds of different directions, but you will remain within the length of your anchor. Does that make any sense in relation to this verse? I hope you see the connection, because it's really not that hard to understand. If you do not deploy your anchor, your not going to stop from drifting into who knows what, or where, and you could find yourself a little lost or damaged. It is God's love for us that is our anchor, and when we are trusting in God, because we know that He loves us, and that we are secure in Him, then it really does not matter which way we are turned or the direction we are facing, because we are always remaining in that same secure place. But it all comes down to believing in His love, and trusting, that because He loves me, He will always keep me and will never let me go! That is all that God wants from us; for us to believe in His great love for us, and to experience that great love; a love that captures our hearts and minds; making us love Him back, in sheer appreciation of how much He loves us. And here is His Love: that He would step down to earth, and that He would take our place upon a cross, to not only prove His love and win our hearts, but to give us eternal life with Him..."He will swallow up death in victory; and the LORD GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." (Isaiah 25:8 & 9)

"Echoes of Love"

"Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplication." (Psalms 28:6) I know, it's not the best title I could come up with, but it is the one that rattled off inside of my head as I was thinking of how to describe what David might have been thinking. Our greatest bit of knowledge to hold onto is how much our Father in heaven loves us; it's not just to know that He loves us, but it's vitally important to know that He loves us with such a special kind of love, that there is no way to measure it's worth or it's distance. His love for us is the works and the operation of His hands; as a matter of fact, I am certain that He has designed everything to be for our pleasure, and for our fellowship with Him; that He and us could become one for all eternity: the Holy and the Holiest; we that have been made Holy, and He that is the Holiest of Holy! Quite simply, the harder you think about how much He loves you, the more you realize how much He loves you, and how incredibly easy we have access to His love! It was not easy for Him to provide that access for us; it was not something that did not require great sacrifice and hurt upon His heart; but it was something that He did for us, because it was the only way that He could get us back into fellowship with Him. That is what "the operation of His hands" is all about, and everyone that does not regard the magnitude of what He has done for them, they will be destroyed; not because He will have chosen them to be destroyed, because His desire is that all the world would come unto Him and receive His Love; but those that choose not to, and those that do not regard the magnitude of His great love, they have sealed their own fate by not having chosen to accept His love, which was given so freely and without restraint. This is what it's like, as we meditate upon His Love: we come to the great understanding of how incredibly easy that God has made His love available to us, and how He has answered our cries way before we have ever even thought to ask them... "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:11-17)

"What is Your Passion?"

"Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them, and not build them up." (Psalms 28:5) You really do not want to be found in this category of people; but sad to say, there are many who are, and they probably cannot see their position! What is it that makes you tick? That excites you, and gives you motivation to press forward each day? What is it that you are passionate about? Is it Jesus? Is it the amazing love that God has for you, no matter how bad you might be? You have got to understand that our God is a jealous God; He is jealous for you and me, and He loves us so much, that His love demands to be loved back; it's not a question of "Thou Shalt", it's a matter of "Why Don't You?" It's easy to see why those that are in darkness do not love God, because they love their darkness; but what is it that hinders His children from loving Him with all of their might? It's that 'mustard seed' kind of thing that is missing in their lives!!! As small and pathetic as our faith is, when we place it in Jesus, it becomes a living, growing and vibrant faith that has no limits to what it can expect of God; neither does it get bored with God, because it continues to thrive on His love and grace. Are you missing the passion for God in your life? Then get back to God by putting Jesus back in your life!!! But He's in my life, you might say. Really? Is He the Lord of your life, or is He the one standing outside at the door, who you ask to come in once in awhile? If it's the latter, then you have had something happen to your 'mustard seed of faith'; either it has been choked off by the cares of this world, or it has been plucked up by the enemy; or maybe, it never really took root, because it fell on stony ground; that seems to be the most popular way that it happens. We come to Christ with wrong appreciation or anticipation of what it is that we coming to Him for, and therefore, we are not very deeply planted into the Love of God; because, if we are planted into His Love, there is nothing that can root us up out of THAT..."Behold, what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew not Him. Beloved, now are we sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)

"Our Determination"

"Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert." (Psalms 28:4) You know, if you are really really determined to get it right, then one of the best ways to assure your successful is to eliminate your options. It takes a really determined heart to ask God for deliverance at any cost: No matter what it takes Lord, please change my heart! If we can understand what Jesus was talking about when He said, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: And if they right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body should be cast into hell" (Matthew 5:29 & 30); then we can begin to make serious choices about those things that matter the most to our eternal destination. Stop right there! Are you saying that we could lose our salvation and be cast into hell? Touchy subject, I know; but the more important question I would ask yourself, is, Have I ever really had eternal security in Jesus Christ? It is not a question of if you can loose your salvation, because I am one that believes that we cannot loose a free gift from God, because it is freely given to us, and is not based upon our own merit or our own righteousness; however, if I have received my eternal security in the Lord, then where is the proof of my dwelling in Jesus Christ? Only those that abide in Christ are saved, all others are burned as worthless branches or tares among the wheat; it's not a question of whether or not you will be plucked up or cut off, but whether or not you have been planted by God? or if there is really new life in our branch at all? If so, then prove it!!! Where is the Love of God in your life? Or are you one of those that believe in getting serious for Jesus after He returns, or upon your death bed? It's not something that we can play games with; nor should we leave it to chance, as in saying, I think that I am saved, because I did ask Jesus into my heart, and therefore according to what I've been told, I am saved. But were you transformed into a New Creation in Christ? If not, Then What Are You Waiting For??? Be determined to get it right, no matter what it might cost you; because there is no greater treasure, at all, or in anything that this world has to offer... "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal: For where your treasure is, there your heart is also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

"Our Direction" -2

"Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts." (Psalms 28:3) No honestly born again believer in Jesus Christ intentionally sets out to walk away from the direction that they are meant to be going; it's just that you will ultimately become whatever it is that you worship, and if you begin to worship those things of the world, then sooner or later, you are going to find yourself living a worldly life! As with the closing passage of Scripture yesterday, Jerusalem did not set out to be so wicked, even more wicked than their neighboring heathen nations, they grew into that over many generations of compromises and neglect of following after God. What we need to happen, and what God is more than willing to do, is for Him to turn us around when we are headed in the wrong direction; sometimes that might require for God to do something drastic in our lives in order to gain our attention. Our best remedy to a bad situation is to repent and to turn towards God, and making it the most important matter of our lives to do so; which means, all other things, including our professions, are but objects between us and our God. Our desire must be towards God, and when we find ourselves in the midst of living a life that is moving in the opposite direction, then we need to take drastic measures; meaning, that we need to call out to God for help!!! He is our Rock! He never changes! And although we might drift away, and we might become tangled up in the things of this world, our God is faithful to draw us out of any situation! The question we must ask ourselves, and that we seldom take the time to consider, is, Do we want to turn to God willingly, or do we want Him to turn us against our will? If you are honestly His child, you are going to be turned, one way or another..."Thus saith the LORD GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and I will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one King shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: neither shall they defile themselves any more with idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be My people, and I will be their God." (Ezekiel 37:21-23)