"Be Prepared"

It really does not matter if we are talking about a several hours or decades, the bottom line is, are you ready to go? Right now, today, if the Lord called you home, are you ready to go? Is your house in order? We do not all get warning that it is our time, so we must be prepared to be with the Lord, at all times! I am believing more and more that the best way to be prepared is to be there already. I know, some of you might be wondering what that actually means; and then again, some know what I am talking about. Much like the thief on the cross, who did not really have a choice as to whether or not he would go back to his old ways, we must also eliminate that choice; and one way to do that, is by our hearts already being set in Heaven. Do you see yourself there? Can you picture yourself standing before the Throne and worshiping the God who made you? Yes, No, maybe so? What I believe Paul was meaning to say in Colossians 3:1-4, is that we must set our minds on the things of Heaven to such a degree that it becomes a passion to be there; where our affection is set on those things that are waiting for us there. Really, let me ask you a very serious question: How can you long for something that you can not imagine? If you are not thinking of it, and dwelling upon it, then how do you long for it? If you have ever been separated from a love one, or from home, then you would know that the easiest way to help relieve the longing for that person or home is to not think about them or it. The longer you do not think about what you are longing for, the easier it is to forget about those things and to get comfortable in the place where you are at. I am more than certain that the thief on the cross had nothing else on his mind but being with the Lord in Paradise; and dwelling on that fact, helped him to be relieved of the suffering he must have felt on the cross. Just like it is for us, as we dwell upon the place that we will be, our suffering here is made less tangible and real; in other words, the more real we make Heaven, the less of an impact this world will have on us! "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in Glory." (Colossians 3:4)

"Remember Your Goal"

In a strange kind of way, we should be living our lives as if we are that thief on the cross. Okay, maybe I need to clarify that thought a little. First off, we are to consider ourselves 'crucified with Christ'; which can have several different meanings: to be crucified alone side of Christ; to be crucified on the same cross as Christ; or to consider that Christ was crucified in your place, and that you must assume your life of sin was consumed in His death. I would prefer the later, to the others; mostly because I was not yet alive when Jesus was crucified, and find it hard to picture myself on the cross with Him, or beside Him. However, the thief on the cross did something which we can do now, even if we can not be there with him; which was to realize the fact that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, yet He hung and died there for mine. And then after accepting this fact, we must ask Him to save us; which the thief did by saying, "Lord, remember me when you enter your kingdom". Then, and this is the difficult thing to do, we must live our lives as if we are dead; which means, that there is nothing left of this world which can hold us here. Think about this for just a moment; as the thief on the cross hung there, and watched Jesus die, he had to remember the words that Jesus spoke to him, "Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise", and long for the end of that agonizing day. For the things of the world, were no longer of any use to him, nor could he even imagine them to be so; yet, what he did long for was to be with his Lord in paradise; and all he needed to do was make it to the end. Don't you think he was focused on that goal? "Only a few more hours, and then I'll be there", must have been his victory song. He was held there to that cross by his captors; yet, we must be held to our cross by our Captor, Jesus Christ; and we must consider ourselves dead to the old things, and alive to the new. I know it's a stretch, but, when you really think about it, we really have something in common with that thief on the cross! "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on the things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3)

"Liberty is Being One With God"

"That they all may be One; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they may be One in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. (John 17:21) I can now see what is meant by being One with God. It goes a little further than just me or you; it's all of us in Him, and He in us all! Again, I must stress this one very important truth: we are not in this alone! In other words; your life and the testimony of Christ in you, is not for you, but for those that are lost, and those that need to be strengthened, and those that have lost hope. "That the world may believe", was said many times by our Lord and Saviour, and it was something important to Him. I know that hoping for unity in the church is a lost hope, but we must pray for unity within our fellowships, and the church that we attend. Unfortunately; when we make what is done in our churches 'all about me', then we take away from the only real hope of unity, which is 'others first'. I want you to think about something: If the reason you were here, after accepting Jesus into your heart, was to grow in grace; do you feel you are growing? Be really honest, and ask yourself this simple question: Why am I still here? The thief on the cross had it pretty easy, because he only needed to press forward for a very short while; and yet, nothing much about his life mattered; just that he asked forgiveness, and was forgiven! It was that forgiveness which he received that was the reason for his life from then on out. For the balance of his life here on this earth, as short as it was, he was still to be a testimony of the forgiveness he received; and as they broke his legs, don't you think that people took notice? Do you think there might have been people there to watch him die? His family or friends, which witnessed the exchange between him and Jesus; and then watched the change in the life of a man, as short lived as it was. You are here to be a testimony of God's Love; which requires sacrifice, and putting others before yourself. I am guilty of not doing this as much as I should, and I have a tendency of looking for flaws in others, so I will feel better about myself. When I catch myself doing this, I have to ask God to forgive me, because, this is the opposite of what I should be doing. We must look for the good in others; looking for the qualities of Jesus in our brothers and sisters. And in doing so, we will discover something really spectacular: We will have a real peace about ourselves! Why? Because we are One in Christ; and being One in Christ, as we think good about our fellow believers, we are also thinking good about ourselves in the process. However, when we think bad about those that are One with us, we might think we are doing it to make ourselves feel better about who we are; but in reality, we are thinking bad about ourselves: And where is the Peace in that??? "And the Glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be One, even as We are One:" (John 17:22)

"Made Perfect in One"

Maybe the easiest way to make a bad situation better is to have a plan to make it all good; at least that is how it is with me. If I know that things are going to work out just fine, and I am working a plan which I know is going to work, then, the bad things that happen seem to just roll off and are taken in stride as I press forward. This, of course, is a very rare situation for anyone to experience, because we do not know what tomorrow brings; nor can we have the perfect plan for much of anything. But God (I Love That!); 'But God', has a Perfect Plan, and His plan, which was set in motion since the foundation of the world, is based upon His eternal knowledge; which means that it can not fail. Given that He knows what He knows, and the fact that we have been chosen, don't you think that we have a reason to rejoice? I mean really; things will work out in the end; which is why we are to 'Count It All Joy', and press forward; waiting and longing for that Glorious Day when we will all be in the presence of the Lord. As you read what Jesus was praying the night He was arrested, in John 17, you can see that He was reflecting upon the Oneness He has always had in the Father; and that He could also see the Oneness we would be able to share with Him. It was this knowledge of being made perfect in One that drove His passion for the cross, because Jesus shared in the eternal perspective of the Father. And what the Father knew, was that His greatest creation, man, had a special quality, which was also his flaw, and that was man's free will. So, in the perfect plan that God established, man's free will is what is used for his own redemption. In other words; we must make a choice to accept His 'Free Gift' of eternal life; and in making that choice, we too can share in His eternal perspective! "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My Glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation on the world." (John 17:24)

"ONE"

Strange title, isn't it? But as I was praying this morning, I had the strangest thought come into my mind: "You don't really know what you have until it's gone". This brought me back to the days in the hospital with my wife, as I would just sit there day after day wishing for the days of the past. And then last night, I had the strangest dream, that me and my wife were setting out on a beautiful bike ride together. Then I started to ponder the relationship between the dream of last night and the thought of this morning, and what these could even begin to have to common with 'The Love Of God'; thus the reason for the title: 'ONE'. This is what the Lord was showing me this morning, that all that really matters to Him is that we are all made One in Him. Which for Him to make happen required a major transformation to occur, because He is Holy, and because He is Holy, He can not associate Himself with evil; therefore, as to not lower His standards (which He could not do anyways), He made a way for fallen man to be transformed into His Image, which is the Image of His Son, which is Holy. I know that you are wondering why I would say this has anything to do with the thought of this morning, but you must know something pretty spectacular about God; He knows 'all', and because He does know all, He can see into eternity; which means, that He could see the separation of man from Himself because of sin. However, He made a way to redeem man back to Himself, even before man had a chance to fall; which, in doing so, He made His creation complete! "I in them, and them in Me, that they may be made perfect in One; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me." (John 17:23)

"The Love of The Father"

I must just take a moment, or this special time, to reflect on something that really needs to be said: Our Father in Heaven Loves us So Much!!! I know that we hear 'God Loves You' from all sorts of different people or venues, some may be worldly, and some may not use the exact words that I quoted; but we must Live It to really know the true meaning of the words 'God Loves Me'. This is the easiest, yet the hardest thing to understand and get settled into our hearts. Okay, I know, you are saying, "That Does not make any sense!" And you might be right. But what I am trying to say, is that our spirit knows right away that God Loves it, and the Spirit magnifies that knowledge within our hearts. However, there is the matter of you; that sinner that does not deserve to be loved by anything; this is the part that makes it hard to accept that such a Holy God could Love you so much. But, you see, this is the whole reason that He sent His Son! He knows our frame; He knows that we are weak; He knows that we struggle with sin. We were lost and without hope, but not as far as He was concerned; because He knows His Son, and His Son died for our sin, our struggles, and our weakness; through Him we have been made whole!!! Now is the time to worship The Father's Love...'JESUS'!!!

"Liberty is Being a Child of The Promise"

"Now we, Brethren, as Isaac was, are the Children of Promise." (Galatians 4:28) Maybe, just maybe, the real problem might be that those that jump ship don't really understand who they are in Jesus Christ. Maybe, and I mean that sincerely, they have not accepted the fact that they are a Child of the Living God! We, as children, sometimes will be disobedient; that is what children do; and if any of you have, or have had children you would know this; so, what do you do when you have sinned against the Father? Do you run and hide? Absolutely not! If you have not done it yet, then you should memorize 1 John 1:9, and keep it ready to use against anything that would try to persuade you against your calling. We will sin; which is why that we "through the Spirit wait for the Hope of Righteousness by Faith". Faith in what? The Ship!!! This Ship is set to get us to 'the other side'; which means that we are going to make it to the other side, as long as we stay in this Ship; and what is on the other side? Our inheritance in Christ Jesus, which is what we shall receive as a Child of the Promise; which comes with Royalty and Righteousness in the presence of the Father. This is not as simple as it may appear, because we have a tendency to rest assure that all is well until the waves come, and then, that is when our metal is tested. That is when we are tested on our faith in the Ship, and whether or not we trust in Him to get us to the other side, as He promised! If you think you are not going to make it, or if you have lost hope in the mighty hull of the Ship, then it is alright to cry out, ask Him for forgiveness; maybe even cry out, "Master, we perish!", so that He can calm the seas and the wind; but never, ever, even think about jumping ship. In fact, we need to get more secure in the Ship; actually tie ourselves to something, which is the proper thing to do; and we have been given a rope to do just that, which is the Holy Spirit! So then, what is it that we must remember? The most important thing is that we must Trust in the strength of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; it is by His righteousness that we are made a Child of the Living God, not by ours. This is not an option, but is the only thing which allows us to be in the Ship to begin with; which is our acceptance of who Jesus is, and what He has done for us. Believe it!!! "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, Brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (Galatians 4:29-31)

"Liberty is Abiding in Jesus Christ"

"Ye did run well: who did hinder you that ye should not obey the Truth?" (Galatians 5:7) I think we can begin to understand how it is that some brothers and sisters fall away from Grace; it is not really a matter of falling, but more like 'jumping ship'. Okay, here's the deal: Jesus is the Ship that we must Abide in, no matter how hard the oceans toss or the winds may blow, we must stay in the Ship. But, what I believe happens to some (I could be wrong), is that because sin still is present in their lives, even after giving their lives to Jesus Christ, they abandon ship; not even knowing it, in some cases. How do I mean? Think of it as the ocean being the world, and any other form or manner of staying afloat in that ocean is outside of Jesus Christ (The Ship); even a lifeboat that you may think is from the Ship. Now, we are in the Ship safely and surely, and there is nothing that can take us out of the Ship, nor harm us as long as we are in the Ship. So then, what would cause us to what to get out, and take our chances in the ocean? You think maybe, it might have something to do with loosing confidence in the Ship? Yes, No? And, what pray tell, would possibly cause us to loose confidence in the Ship? Think about it for a moment. There is confidence in the Ship when the Ship seems mightier than the strength of the waves; but as soon as there is an appearance that the waves are mightier than the Ship, then comes the desire to find another way to survive. Now, what could possibly make the Ship seem weaker than it really is? Anybody??? Could it possibly be the sin that still might be present in your life? This is where we must come to make hard choices; because there is salvation in one place and one place only, and that is the Ship (Jesus Christ). And if there is still sin present in our lives, it is not because He is weak, but because we are weak; but remember this: When we are weak He is Strong!!! Maybe if you are scared, you should go deeper into the belly of the Ship! But, what happens when we jump ship? We begin to count upon our own strength to survive; which means, that we are now counting on works, or the law, for our justification; even if we are in a lifeboat from the Ship; anything outside of the Ship is outside the Ship; period! What do I mean by lifeboat from the Ship? Well, Love would be a good example of that lifeboat. If we think that if we can just Love more, and then we could have the power to overcome sin, then we have left the Ship; because we have began to place the power to overcome sin upon our own doing, and not His. So, what happens to those that jump ship? They have fallen from Grace! There is only one place where Grace is found: In the Ship!!! "For we through the Spirit wait for the 'Hope Of Righteousness' by Faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but Faith which worketh by Love. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the Truth? This persuasion cometh not of Him that 'calleth' you." (Galatians 5:5-8)

"Liberty is Knowing God's Love"

"Christ is become no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law: ye are fallen from grace." (Galatians 5:4) Is there anything that can keep us from Knowing the Love of God? You bet there is! And Paul is trying so desperately to spell it out! In the verse above, the word 'law' (nomo) has no definite article which comes before it; therefore, it has a more broad meaning than just the Law of Moses, but can also mean any law. Your presumed justification depends, Paul says, on keeping a particular law or set of rules, and you are justified by and before that law. But this does not mean that you are justified before God, because His justification requires the standard set by Him in and through Jesus Christ. There is no room for God's Grace in our hearts if we are justified by any set of rules, or laws; the two are not compatible! The second part of this verse that speaks of "fallen from grace", does not speak about loosing our grace, or even falling from grace, as if we had grace and then lost it; but it speaks more to the falling off the path of Grace. In other words, because you have chosen the path of being justified by law instead of by Grace, you have taken the wrong path. The two steps, justification in and through the law and justification in and through Grace, are two parallel lines that never meet; it is one or the other; and to be justified by both the law and Grace are impossible. Grace has a law entitled to it, but the law has no grace; so, what Paul is saying, is that you could not be justified by grace since you sought your justification in or through the law or set of rules. Now, what we should ask ourselves at this point, is: What about the 'commands' that Jesus speaks of keeping? Maybe we should ask ourselves another question, while we are pondering the first; and that is whether or not 'Love' is a law? Because the way I see it, Love is an expression; which is what God has expressed to us in and through His Son Jesus Christ; which is also what is expressed in us that Know Jesus Christ and God's Love; and is also expressed back to God through us, not as a law which must be followed, but rather as a law unto it's self; much like the law of gravity... Stay on the right path!!! "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." (Galatians 5:5)

"Liberty is Real Peace"

"And of His fullness have we received, and grace for grace. For the Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:16 & 17) Do you see now what brings us 'Real Peace'? It is freedom from the Law! Why is this so? Because, we truly have no worry of being disobedient to God! This is kind of hard to swallow; but, for those of us that 'Believe in His Name', this is Grace and Truth! I truly believe that God made the Garden the way He did for a reason; in other words, that Tree of Knowledge was put there for a really Big Reason; and it had to do with the destruction of evil. If you really think about it, God is All Knowing; and because He is what He is, then it is easy to see that He knew what He knew; and what He knew, was that the man He created with a free will, was in need of 'Real Peace'. The 'Fall' of man was a setup from the start up, because God knew what man would do, and He knew what He would do for man. So, if God did have this plan, what does that say for 'free will'; really, if you think about it, and really believe that He is God, then you must realize that He is ultimately in control. Remember the illustration of Jesus calming the ocean; because, man may be tossed around by the waters and the wind, but God controls the oceans and the weather; and as Jesus said, "Let us go to the other side"; and He meant what He said. There is 'the other side' of this journey, and when we get there, we will come to fully understand; in the meantime, we must rest in the boat, and try to enjoy the ride! But remember this: You must stay in the boat!!! "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)

"Life, Light and Liberty" - 100%

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16 & 17) Here is the thing; was there liberty for Adam in the garden? God did say, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat", did He not? But; and that is where liberty stopped: And the tree was planted in the middle of the garden to boot. Try and follow me for a moment: You have been placed in a beautiful garden, full of lush fruits, and living creatures are everywhere; and smack dab in the middle of all this beauty is this 'one tree'. I am beginning to think that Adam told Eve, "Don't touch it!"; why? Because, I think that is what he had told himself; in fact, I would bet money, that Adam avoided the middle of the garden all together. Do you think there was liberty in the Garden? I guess it depends; and in the words of a previous President, "It depends what the word 'is' means"; but in all honesty, it really depends what the word 'Liberty' means; because, what Jesus did on the cross, was not only destroy the power of sin; but He plucked it out, roots and all. In other words; He destroyed sin!!! Okay, maybe you don't quite get that picture yet: In the Garden, there was not total liberty; and there would not have been, ever! Why??? Because, no matter how hard they tried, there would always be 'that tree'; and right in the middle of their lives; 24/7. What that would mean for their daily lives, is not really that much different than living under the Law; it was just 'One Law' that they had to follow: "Don't eat of that tree". So, just like Adam had to instruct Eve, they also would have had to instruct their children; and then, you have the next level of anxiety, and that would have been concern for the children. Eventually, there might have been a fence built around that tree, so that all would stay away; but, fortunately it did not get that far, because that test was short lived. The 'Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil' was not evil, which is what many believe it to have been; it was the desire to disobey God's command that was evil; disobedience! But; we are no longer under a curse of such restriction; instead, we have been given a Spirit of Love, and with this Spirit of Love comes a new command: Love; Love God, and Love others: Period... Upon this New Command are all the other laws, rules and regulations fulfilled. (I hope you saw that we have been given the ability to Love?) "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." (Galatians 4:5-7)

"Life, Light and Liberty" - Oh ya!

"And the Light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:5) I think this verse goes very well with Isaiah 9:2, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a Great Light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the Light shined." You see, there was something which took place in the Garden way back at the fall of man, and it had to do with 'light': a word that cuts both ways, and has more meaning than just to be an illumination. 'Phos' (photos) in the Greek means Light. Of light in itself, generally; a light, metonymically; and enlightenment, figuratively. There was another tree which was in the Garden, besides the Tree of Life, and it was called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; which was designed as a test of obedience. Oddly enough, man failed the test! What is very interesting to me, is that God knew all along that man would fail; which is precisely why that particular tree was right in the middle of the Garden. Now, the thing which we need to understand about 'Light' and 'Knowledge', is that they are parallel to each other in God's world; in other words, they are 'one in the same'; Light and Knowledge travel together, if you will. The reason that this is quite interesting, is what God said of man, before kicking him out of the Garden: "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live for ever:" (Genesis 3:22) Do you know why there is no Tree of Knowledge in Heaven? Besides the fact that there is no longer a need to test man's obedience; but, because of the presence of God's radiant Light; which is so radiant, that there will be no need for the sun, or the moon, or any other form of light; because He will be the Light! When we look at the word 'comprehended', which is in the opening verse, it means to apprehend, lay hold of, seize with eagerness, suddenness; in other words: the darkness cannot apprehend the Light; nor can it admit or receive the Light. Which really means that the darkness is so thick, that the light could not penetrate it. Quite interesting! Because this seems to cut both ways: on the one hand, there is a Light which lays hold of the darkness; yet on the other hand, there is a darkness which does not understand the light. I guess it really matters which light you are looking at; doesn't it??? "But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the Image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:3 & 4)

"Life, Light and Liberty"

"In Him was Life; and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:4 & 5) We need to know something about the 'Life' that was in Jesus, and what kind of power we are talking about as we talk about the Light of men. As Jesus walked among us, He was every bit God, and yet, He also was every bit man. This was established by the seed of God being placed in the egg within Mary's womb; which meant that the process of His birth was no different from you and me; it just had a 'Godly beginning'; in other words, 'it just was'. So also is the 'New Life' that we have in Him; there is a 'Godly beginning' that takes place within us, which is referred to as 'New Birth'; and this supernatural new birth that happens, is very much like that seed and egg merger which took place in Mary, only on a much larger scale. Okay; now, this Life that Jesus brought into the world, as He came in the flesh, was the same Life that is established when we are Born Again; in other words, the New Life that we have in Christ is based upon the Life that He establishes within us. Now, I really don't know where I am going with this, but I feel that God is trying to show me something which relates with that 'floating axehead' which I shared on before. There is a very definite connection between the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, the Cross on which Jesus was crucified, and the Tree of Life which is seen in Heaven; I really believe that the Life which was in Christ Jesus, has a very significant relation to both these Trees of Life, and the tree on which He died for our sins. There is something about the 'Cross' on which our Lord and Saviour was crucified, which because He was placed upon it, gave life to the dead wood which made up the members of that 'Tree'. I don't quite know what it is yet, but God is faithful, and I believe that He will reveal it to me in due time. In the mean time, I believe that we must first settle our hearts upon the Life which is manifested within us from our 'New Birth', and know that it is not our life that is going to make a difference, but His; because we are kind of like dead wood, I guess? Anyways? "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 (all of us). From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen" (Galatians 6:14-18)

"The Expressed Word Of God"

I know that those of us who have been walking in the Lord for quite a while, know and have known that Jesus is God; at least I would hope that this fact is settled in our hearts; but, you would be surprised by the amount of 'Bible Believing Christians' that do not express this knowledge with confidence. It is as if they have a little hiccup in their confession of who Jesus was, and is, and always will be. He is God! But, you see, the problem that most people have with saying this boldly, is that 'God' means that He was not made; and then there is the whole 'baby in the manger' picture that everyone puts into their belief of how Jesus originated. Well, I like the 'baby in the manger' picture; because He covered all the bases when He came and dwelt among us. I for one, do not buy into the notion that Gabriel came and planted God's seed in Mary, or that God the Father showed up at Mary's door late one night; nor do I even think that the Holy Spirit showed up and did the deed; no, no, and no. What I believe, and have come to understand, is that All Three of the Godhead were present at the conception of our Lord. When you read the account of the who, and the how, you can see that there was a proclamation given by Gabriel as to the how and the who. In Luke 1:34, Mary asked: "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" And in verse 35, Gabriel tells of the details: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God". Where was the Third? The seed that was planted in her womb was the Word of God; Him being the Third one present. If you really think about it, the Word of God never even changed from before conception, till after conception, though the birthing process, in the manger, or all the way to the cross; there was never a period of time, since the beginning of time, that Jesus had ever been separated from the Father; until the moment He took on the sins of the world on the cross. You know what is really sad, is that there are many so called Christians today, that not only find it hard to believe that Jesus is God, but also do not believe in the 'Virgin Birth' of our Lord and Saviour. Look it up, and see for yourself the percentage of those that call themselves Christians, and yet say that they cannot receive that simple truth, because it just can not be; it's impossible, they say. Well, I say that Gabriel had a 'Word' for those that believe that: "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

"Think Bigger - Still"

Prepare to be surprised! "And The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, ) full of Grace and Truth.) (John 1:14) 'Ho Logos'; meaning 'The Word', the Second Person of the Godhead who is the eternal expression of the Divine Intelligence and the disclosure of the Divine Essence. This self-revealing characteristic of God was directed toward, and utterly achieved for mankind in the incarnation. Our natural tendency is to picture Jesus Christ as the man that dwelt among us; to see Him on the cross, or performing miracles. It is not our 'natural man's' tendency to picture Jesus Christ as 'ho Logos', 'The Word' of God; why? Because the 'natural man' cannot see Him as such. However, the 'eternal expression of Divine Intelligence' is exactly was it is; and as man delves deeper into His creation, he discovers more and more how His Intelligence is Divine. With such awestruck attention to detail, God has created the smallest, and even short lived thing; yet, there are those that cannot see Him in His creation; why? Because they choose not to acknowledge Him as God. If God were to place such detail in even the smallest of His creation, would there be any reason that He would not care for us? This was the reason Jesus is the 'disclosure of the Divine Essence' of God; that every detail of man's redemption would be fulfilled, and that there would be no excuse for denial of who God is, or how much He loves us. As we gaze into the heavens, or dive into the depths of the sea, one can only wonder what kind of 'Divine Intelligence' could create such spectacular life; and yet, the deeper we probe into our own existence, the more baffled we are by that Intelligence. There is a difference in believing in God and in believing in His 'Expressed Word'; for in Him that was Expressed is Life; All Life! "No man has seen God at any time; the Only Begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." (John 1:18)

"Think Bigger"

How Big is your God? Really, I am serious; How Big is the God that you believe in? Is He Big enough to deal with the little thing that you might be going through? Scientist are constantly looking for life on other planets; searching for something else to justify the vastness of the universe, because they can not fathom that it is all for this little blue planet. Well, I think they are right! It is not for this little blue planet; it is for our God; He created them for His pleasure, and for His Glory. We are the ones who get to partake of His pleasure, and are graced by the wonder of His majesty. It really is not just about us; although, at times we may think it is; but it is about a God that is Holy, and wants all of His creation to be as He is. And then, as Big and as Holy as He is, He still cares for you and for me! He hears our cries for help, and comforts us to get us through another day; and each new day in Him, brings us that much closer to Holiness! Will those that are searching ever find what they are looking for? Oh, yes, they surely will; but they may not like it when they do; for those that have gazed upon the glory of His creation, and have yet denied His existence, are in for a really Big surprise. We, on the other hand, that have received His Son Jesus Christ, have a new way to see, and to understand why there is no end to the stars above; because we know that there is no end to His Love!!! How Big is your God? He is One Big God!!! "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 any thing made that was made. In Him was Life; and the Life was the Light of men. The Light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:1-5)

"The Right Perspective"

Just so you do not think that I am making some new way of thinking up, or that I have some kind of new revelation, I do not; but rather, what I have been saying is really old school stuff, that for the most part has been forgotten. Did I say that the Holy Spirit does not give us power over sin? No, I did not; because He does give us power over sin, when we are walking in the Spirit! That is the key element to the Power of the Holy Spirit: we must be walking in the Spirit for the Holy Spirit to be effective to us for the deliverance from the power of sin. When we are walking in the Spirit, the sin that surrounds us has no chance of penetrating the Light within us; however, it is when we are walking in the flesh, that we find ourselves overcome by sin. What I am saying, is that the flesh is only defeated by the Word of God, because it has been defeated already by the Word of God; therefore, it is the Word of God that holds it down in the grave where it belongs. This is no new concept, or doctrine, or precept; but rather the most common thing which was held in common by all that believed in the Saving Grace of God, both before Jesus came, and after He ascended up into Heaven: His Word sets us free from the flesh, the things of the flesh, and the desires of the flesh. Jesus died once, and one time only; and in that one death on the cross was all sin defeated, once and for all. Now it is our responsibility to accept His death on the cross as the final nail in the coffin of the death to our flesh; which is what we fail to do when we are walking in the flesh and satisfying the desires of thereof. Am I saying that reading and pressing His Word into us will push the old man out? No, I am not. What I said, and will say again: is that we must surrender 'ALL' to Him; there must be a fresh cleansing, if you will, that is where we give Him our all. Then, and only then, can we begin to have victory over sin; but we cannot hold anything back from Him: Any Thing!!! This is where we seem to get into trouble, because there is always some little thing that we think is no big deal; however, we forget one very important thing: that little thing is still connected to the flesh! Then, once we have this fresh beginning (again and again if need be) we press forward by walking in the Spirit and by being saturated in His Word; especially the Word that helps us to be reminded of the victory we have in Him. And we must continue to fill our minds with the Word of God; not allowing room for those things of the old man to be brought back in!!! But, what do I know; I am just some Nut posting stuff on a blog everyday; besides, you should not take my word for nothing; only His Words count! "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a Name Written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and His Name is called The Word of God." (Revelation 19:11-13)

"A New Way Of Thinking" - 4

Have you ever came to a crossroads, and made the wrong turn? The further you go down that wrong turn, the further you get from where you are really meant to be. When we are walking in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will help to direct our lives; He will not however make us do anything. As a matter of fact, He will yield to our wrong decisions, and will stop helping altogether the more we go down the path of not yielding to Him. And why do you think we do not yield to the Spirit? I know that you know this: 'The Flesh'! That stinking flesh that keeps rising up like some kind of zombie and wanting to be satisfied. What I am saying is that the Holy Spirit is our helper, our comforter, our counselor; the manifestation of Jesus Christ in our lives; but He will not fight the battle for us; and do you know why? Hello, is anyone out there? Do you Know why? Because, the battle has already been won by Jesus Christ!!!!!!!! As I have said before, God has given us everything that we need to be successful in 'His Ways', and when we are not, it is because we have chosen not to be; not because we lack the resources, or the tools required, nor even the wherewithal; but because we lack the will (which means willingness, for those of us in Shasta Lake). What that means, is that we do not have victory over a particular area in our life, because we are not willing to let that area be taken away; it is as simple as that. What we must do, is to make the hard choices, and to say, Lord I give you ALL! To count it as lost, gone, done, and nailed to the cross; and then we will be whole at that moment, in that moment, and for that moment. Now: "Behold, thou art made whole: Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee", comes into play, and it is at this point in which we are on the path; staying on the path will require two things: The Holy Spirit and The Word of God; both of which we have; so what's the problem? God's Word must be 'pressed' into our hearts and minds; which requires an effort on our part to make it so; in other words, we must do our part to keep the old man down. Okay, let me try this: we are to be in a spiritual battle, which means that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but is against the powers of the air, and so on; but the devil has dominion over the flesh, because he has dominion over the things that are perishing, the flesh included. Now what he wants is to have dominion over our souls; which is what he can't have if we have been Born Again. So then, any time that we give life to the flesh, guess who's playground we are in? Or, rather: who's side of the battle are we on? The flesh is perishing and will not be with us in Heaven, for we will all be transformed from corruptible to incorruptible; therefore, the arena that we are to be battling in is the spiritual arena, because that is what matters; the arena of the flesh is temporal and done. So there are actually two battlefields: the spiritual battlefield and the battlefield of the flesh; now what we must know, is that the fleshly battle was defeated by the Word of God, because it had been established as so by the Father since the beginning. Therefore, it is the Word of God that has defeated the power of sin, because Jesus is the Word! So, this is why we must also be filled with the Word of God as well as with the Holy Spirit; because the Holy Spirit will enable us to win the spiritual battle, and the Word of God will keep the old man down, where he belongs! One more thing on this point: 'The Law of the Lord' as described in Psalm 1:2, which is what our "delight is in": this word 'Law' is taken from the Hebrew word 'Torah', which, besides meaning the 'Law of Moses', it also means instruction, doctrine, a regulation, direction, a precept, a statute; the law of sacrifice. Sounds almost as though there is similarity between God's Law and His Ways and the Knowledge of Him; interesting, isn't it? Guess where that takes us back to? "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you through The Knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as His Divine Power hath given unto us 'all things' that pertain into life and godliness, through the 'Knowledge of Him' that hath called us to Glory and Virtue." (2 Peter 1:1-3)

"A New Way Of Thinking" - 3

In case you did not get it, I will repeat what I said about our warfare; we should not be on the defensive! Yes, we must defend ourselves from the accusations of the enemy, and be prepared for a surprise attack; but we must constantly be on the offensive line in the battlefield. We must remember that this is a spiritual battle, and that Jesus Christ has already defeated what it was that had kept us from fellowship with the Father; now what we must do, is to continue in that victory, by walking in the Spirit; because the Spirit is victorious, ALWAYS! Now, however, when it comes to the flesh, I do not believe the Spirit deals with the flesh; in other words, He is not going to force us to make the right choices; which is why we must also be filled with the Word of God. There is only one thing that can deal with our flesh, and that is the Word; why is that? Well in case you might have asked that question; it is because "The Word became flesh"! This was God's plan for redemption from the very beginning; John 1:1 (one of my favorite Scriptures), says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." If you want to have power over the flesh (which you have raised up from the dead), then you must use the 'Word of God'. Simply put; He has already defeated the sin, the flesh, and death; this was completed on the cross on which He was crucified and died. Then on the third day, He rose from the dead, giving Life to that Victory that was won, and establishing the fact that we can have victory also! The Word of God is Powerful, and sharper than 'Any' two edge sword; and it is also able to 'totally' correct the wrong in our lives, and our wanderings. This word 'wander' is a very interesting word; the Hebrew word is 'Shaghah', which means to waver; to wander, to go astray, to err, transgress; to cause to wander, lead astray, misdirect (the blind), seduce; to sin through ignorance, transgress through inadvertence; to reel (as if intoxicated by wine). The primary meaning is an unintentional, ignorant breaking of the Law. Like grazing sheep, we can gradually stray away from God's commands; and what can cause such a thing to happen? Evil habits, immorality, and spiritual weakness, to name a few; but something else which is easily forgotten about is servitude. What that means, is who you are serving and living for, is who will have control over the direction of your life. Jesus said, in John 6:27, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that Meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath the Father sealed." We are not to live for things, but for the Word of God; yet, when we have set aside those things, that we may hold onto them, we have established a path to them; which means that we have a misdirected path waiting to lead us astray. Now then; when you have been lead astray, that is when you will find yourself on the defensive side of the battlefield; WHY? Because You Are In The Enemies Camp!!! GET OUT!!! "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord; and in His Law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalm 1:1-3)

"A New Way Of Thinking" - 2

"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word. With my 'whole' heart have I sought Thee: O let me not 'wander' from Thy commandments Thy Word have I 'hid' in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." (Psalm 119:9-11) This is no new thing that I am talking about here, but it has been known and practiced for quite some time. The 'new way of thinking' is what must take place in us; where we stop the habits of our minds, in which dwell on things contrary to godliness; and, instead dwell on God's Word. I know that you know this already, I know, and have known it also; yet we can find ourselves wandering away, and getting to a place where we are no longer doing those things which we ought to be doing. I truly believe that we must go beyond just meditating on God's Word, and that we should memorize it; in other words, we should 'store' His Word into our minds. I know that for myself, I have years and years of vile and wicked things which have been burned into my memories; these things must not come forth! So, in an effort to stop them from doing so, I must smother them with the Word of God; which means that I must place God's Word into my mind, and the only way that I know for that to happen, is by memorizing it; verse by verse; word by word. Again; how desperate are you to be whole? Two things must happen for us to be able to "Sin no More": we must be filled with the Holy Spirit and with the Word of God. Don't get me wrong, I know that the Holy Spirit will bring God's Word to the forefront of our minds; I have known this since the first day that I believed. But what I am talking about, is to take God's Word in, as not only nourishment for our heart, mind and soul, but to take it in as a replacement for everything that is not of Him. Think of it like a blood transfusion, where the things that are contrary to God and holiness are being drained out, and the Word of God is being transferred in. But you might wonder why, if the old man is dead, would we have to do something like this? We have to die to Christ daily; which means 'Every Day' we must do what is necessary to put our flesh down, and to lift up the Name of Jesus. He must be exalted in our lives, and must be the most important thing for us to live for; as Paul would say, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain". So again; How Desperate Are You To Be Whole??? When you look at the pleadings of David, he knew what he must do, yet he agonized that he had not done them 'always'. Do you have something that you are weak in? Something which seems to keep knocking you around, and causing you to be thrown off the path? This might sound simple and old fashioned; but find a Scripture that battles that sin, and memorize it; make it your sword to swipe that thing out of your way as you continue on the path of righteousness. That might sound simple enough, right? Well, it is not; because, before you can do that, you must give that thing over to the Lord!!! In other words; you have to be made whole first, and then you can sin no more; you can not do it in you own strength. But you might say, So why if I am made whole, do I need to memorize some Scriptures? What ever!!! "Blessed be Thou, O Lord: teach me Thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgements of Thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the 'way' of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways. I will delight myself in Thy statutes: I will not forget Thy Word. " (Psalm 119:12-16)