"Pray Always"

"My sons, be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that ye should minister unto Him, and burn incense." (2 Chronicles 29:11) Hezekiah's charge to the Levites; when he began his reign in Jerusalem; when he was twenty five years of age. I thought this charge best fit the description of what Jesus meant by 'pray always' in Luke 21:36, because there is an obligation that we have, kind of like watchmen, to not only be prepared ourselves, but to serve God in the process. To best understand what it is that I am talking about, we should realize what the word 'pray' means that Jesus is using within the context of His statement. The word used is 'Deomai', which means to be reduced to want; to lack for oneself, to need; to make a request, ask as an inferior of a superior. Coupled together with the word 'always', which is the word 'kairos', meaning season, or opportune time; fit time, proper season; or time appointed. In the Bible that I use, there is a caption right above Luke 21:34 that says, Be Watchful; this is important to us that are living in these last days. Primarily because we are His chosen people, we have an obligation to watch for His return; it is not just out of necessity for ourselves to be ready, but also for the purpose of serving Him; which makes our position as those that stand before God all that more important. If you understand that these are the last days, and you have knowledge of the kind of events which must come to pass, then you must realize that this is the appointed time for prayer; not just a prayer, but prayer that is lifted to God as the incense burnt within the temple: constant, as in ongoing; so that there is always the smell of that incense in the air. Praying every time that there is a mention of one of these events which must come to pass may not be enough; how about praying at every hint of those things which are distractions, and that cause people to take their gaze off of God? This is where Hezekiah had found himself being appointed king: "For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. Also they have shut the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel." (2 Chronicles 29:6 & 7)

"Caught Unaware"

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36) Pre; Mid; or Post; what is your flavor? For me, it's to be taken before that great tribulation; however, I do believe that there will be some us here that will go through that terrible ordeal; not willingly, but because that they were caught unaware. We really do not have an excuse to not be ready, except to just not be caring at the time of His coming. That is pretty much what it comes down to: not caring because you are so distracted by the things of this life here on earth. I know this to be so, so you must believe me when I say that this life is a snare to grip your very soul, and we must gather our senses, get on our knees, and pray that we are not distracted; because any one of us, no matter how strong you might think that you are, can become distracted by the things of this world. I know, you are thinking, Not me, I am totally prepared and will not be moved! Well, good for you! Maybe you should be named Peter, if that is already not your name; we can all call you Peter, because you are a rock of a Christian; after all, he was such a great example of saying what he meant and doing what he said; right? I would caution anyone who might think that they are bulletproof, and that they are beyond the point of being caught off guard: do not think that way, because that is right where the enemy wants you to be: self-reliant; not needing God's help to withstand the grip of the enemy. Do you know how a slip-knot works? much the same as a noose. My mom would always say, If you give someone enough rope, they will hang them self. That is pretty much the meaning of the word 'snare' that Jesus uses in the passage above; we can find ourselves being strung along by the cares of this world, not really knowing just how far we have drifted away from being fully reliant upon God for His protection. All the while, we have thought that we are still attached to Him by this rope we have fastened between us and Him; until, all of the sudden, snap! That rope which we have fastened has become a noose around our necks; working like a slip-knot that uses the force of our own weight to tighten more around our neck. And there is only one way to escape that kind of entanglement; which is to cry out for God to lift you up and to remove the rope. However; that will not be the case at the time of His coming; there will be no time for asking God to intervene in the removal of your snare that you have gotten yourself into. Only a stool shall be placed below your feet, that another may kick it out during the tribulation...

"Global Warning"

Here is how I see it: Al and Harold are both wrong! Jesus said we would not know the day nor the hour of His coming; that pretty much sums up the possibilities of being able to predict the day, let alone the hour also. And as far as all this 'Global Warming' stuff that our children are being fed in school, I believe it is a distraction straight from the pit of hell, to take them and us off our guard; to put the focus of what is causing these natural disasters onto something other than the 'End Times'. Because, Jesus also said we would be able to tell the Season of His coming, and if you haven't noticed, lately it is hard to tell when a season starts and ends; which makes predicting the day Winter ends and Spring begins pretty difficult, because here in Shasta Lake, I think we missed Spring this year. Therefore, we still cannot predict the day Jesus will be returning, even after knowing it is the Season of His coming, but we can be assured that His coming is soon. Thinking about this all night and this morning, I could not help but imagine the reason why the earth will react to His coming the way that it does; after all He created the heavens and the earth, why shouldn't they tremble at His coming? This will be no small event, because Jesus also said that if someone tells you He has come, or He is here or over there, don't listen to them, because as the lightning flashing across the sky, so will be the sign of His coming; which basically means that no one will be able to miss it when they are looking for it. However, I do believe that not everyone will see it, because they will not be looking for it; thus the main reason for the devils distraction, to place man's concern on logical answers to the reason for these great changes in our earth's condition. Personally, I think it is the earth's reaction to the soon return of it's Creator; He who commands it's rotation and it's balance. Co2 gases, nor any other thing that man can design will not be able to alter God's plan for the earth; but those that do not believe in God are not looking for the sign of His plan, nor do they believe that there is a plan. How sad is it to think that you are alone on a dying planet? I really feel for our kids in these public schools; between catastrophic disaster and gender identity, they really are getting dragged to hell...

"Keeping It Real" - In Him

In verse 13 of 1 John chapter 2, John uses the word 'Known' for the fathers knowing Him that is from the beginning, and for the little children knowing the Father. What we are talking about here is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! It is all about Relationship!!! The parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25, when Jesus spoke about the unprepared virgins, "I know you not", He was saying that I do not recognize you intuitively. The unprepared virgins were not rejected because they did not have oil in their lamps, but because they were not related to Jesus Christ! Them having the oil for their lamps was just a requirement that they should have prepared for in advance, because they should have known what their Lord required; and they would have known, had they had a relationship established with Him. Thus, these unprepared virgins were referred to by the Lord as 'foolish', which means a person that is morally worthless; much the same as salt that has lost its flavor becomes tasteless. This 'Known' which John uses here is the same word which Jesus used to explain to Peter "What I do (the washing of his feet) you do not know (intuitively because you are not what you will one day be in order to understand the deeper significance of My actions) now, but thou shalt know hereafter (it will be shown to you, it will be explained to you and then you will understand)". This is an acquired knowledge which is more than intuitive, because it has been established through relationship with something; where that from which it has been taught from, has been experienced. Therefore; had the foolish five virgins understood the importance of being prepared for the Bride Groom, then they would have been more careful to keep oil in their lamps; however, they were not in fellowship with Him at the time of His coming, therefore they were caught unaware...

"Keeping It Real" -too

"I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have Known Him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have Known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have Known Him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2:12-14) Can you see a kind of pattern here? First off, God does not change, we do! So, when we are talking about keeping it real, what are we talking about? Well, it's not God, that's for sure! We are the ones that change, from one day to another; sometimes, several times a day; but He never changes. To put it in a little different light, let's just say that our lives here on this earth are less real than the life we have in Christ. Der, what? Okay; for example, everything that you know here on this earth, including your friends and families, everything changes; it gets old; worn out; rotten; dies or is consumed by death or fire; but God does not change, and neither does His Word. The thing which we must come to realize is that the changes which take place in us are not Him changing in us, but Him changing us in Him. Therefore, if anything is not real that has changed in us, it is not of Him, but is rather something that we might have mistaken for Him, which is most likely from the wicked one; meaning that it is not only not real, but it is also not true, because he is the master of deception. However; we that are in the Know, should be able to determine what is real and what is fake; because within us dwells God's Spirit and His Word; which are more real than even the master of deception. Therefore what we must keep real is ourselves...

"Keeping It Real"

"And hereby we do know that we Know Him, if we keep His commandments." (1 John 2:3) Yes, I know, 'Keeping It Real', really, does that try to compare really abiding in Christ to keeping His commandments? Well, let me see...; yes, I do believe that it does! As I said the other day, when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, He represents Jesus Christ here on this earth; and because He does represent Jesus Christ, we then Know Jesus. And, not only do we know Jesus Christ, but we also have the Holy Spirit within us pleading the cause of Christ to us, constantly. Constantly; really? Well, again, let me see...; yes, He will never leave us or forsake us, so I guess that never might compare to constant! The problem is that the Holy Spirit will not force us to do anything, contrary to what some may think; so it is up to us to continue to yield our mortal bodies to the eternal light that dwells within them; otherwise we can find ourselves not abiding in Christ. That in of itself is a subject that has many different levels of concern, because we are not forsaken, yet we can forsake His voice; which means that we refuse to obey or keep His commandments. That is when we are finding ourselves on ground that sifts below our feet, which is the opposite of Solid Ground; which actually means that the path on which we are on is not the path on which we should remain, because it is faulty and unreal. What the heck are you saying Rich? are we on the path and then not on path? Well, let me see... "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in Him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him." (1 John 2:4 & 5)

"True Light" -3

"He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked." (1 John 2:6) Let me tell you, I really wish I had given this more thought about eight or nine years ago, because I really feel convicted in several areas of my life. One area in particular is my marriage; which I had considered to be one that was strong and Christ centered. However, looking back to some of the fights I would allow to take place between us, I can see now just how outside of Christ they were. Although I do kind of miss the old confrontations, which resulted in a different kind of heartache; unlike the heartache which I now experience, that has no hope in my resolving the matter. Nonetheless, Jesus Christ was not the center of those old confrontations, and He was not because I had not wanted Him to be the center during those moments. So did Jesus step away from our marriage during those times of darkness? No; He has promised to never leave us or forsake us; therefore, it is not He which was not present, but I who had step out of the light and into the darkness; why? Well, why do we do the things we do? Pride, and our desire to protect it. You see, the sickness of pride is not that it can not be quenched, it is that it does not want to be. And as many of us know from experience, arguments between us usually begin small and then escalate to wild proportions; only to be settled once heartache overcomes the pride; but does it ever really get dealt with? Not unless we specifically deal with our pride, will that issue be taken away; not unless we confess that sin, asking God to deal with that darkness within us, can it truly be vanquished from our hearts. Here is the thing about the True Light that shines within us, it is based upon Truth; which means that it is based upon confession and openness to God, which must include our willingness to allow Him to vanquish all the darkness that might lurk within us; even the things that we think we are allowed to keep...

"True Light" -2

"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now." (1 John 2:9) No simpler way to put it, really, because if God is all light, then how can we think that we are in fellowship with God while holding onto darkness? There must be a purposed desire in us to let God's light shine through us, and the only thing that brings that desire is the removal of darkness. Going back a few verses to the beginning of chapter 2, we can see what creates this removal of the darkness in our lives, and it's the desire to walk as Jesus walked. John starts out in verse one by saying, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The thought he is getting across here has to do with the desire to sin not; that there is no desire to sin; however, if we do stumble into sin, we have a substitutionary Advocate who pleads our cause with the Father. It should also be dully noted that if we have the Holy Spirit within us, then He will also plead God's cause with us, which is where the desire not to sin originates. Having said that, I think the reason we can find ourselves sinning against our brother, is because we do not listen to the Holy Spirit who pleads God's cause with us, but instead let pride dictate our actions; which, in case you did not know, is sin. And sin that we commit in ignorance and in a moment of passion is sin that we so rarely completely deal with, because the root of that sin stems from pride we have within us that must be dealt with completely; otherwise we will just do it again to someone else, or to that same brother, but twofold...

"True Light"

"Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the True Light now shineth." (1 John 2:8) As I was pondering the idea that love in us must be unfiltered, it came to me that God's love for us is not, because He filters out all of our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. We on the other hand are not capable of doing that, because we do not have that capacity within us; therefore, our only hope in being able to achieve unconditional love towards one another is to let God's light vanquish the darkness that comes between us. There is a real difference between light that is reflected and light that is true; because light which is reflected does not actually come from within, but is superficial, deceitful and false. Okay, I think you are wondering what I am talking about; yes? Maybe I need a whiteboard like Karl Rove so I can draw out the difference? but that would not work, because the only way to really see and understand is for the darkness to be removed, then the true light becomes apparent. In other words; we can not say the we are in the light if we have hate in our hearts towards our brothers and sisters; and if we are assuming that we are in the light, we are just receiving reflected light from association with the church, but not from fellowship with God. Which is why the light which we might have is not from within us, but has it's origin from without, and is not really a light which we possess. As we look closely to what John is saying in this amazing Book, we can see a certain pattern of thought which he is trying to express; one that is rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and can only be acknowledged by those whom share in that fellowship. That might sound a little limited, right? However, John tries to expand that limitation repeatedly by giving the reader an opportunity to accept God's offer of forgiveness, and to be vanquished of the darkness, so that they might possess the True Light...

"God is Light"

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5) God does not hurt us; God does not cause us pain; God is not out to pay us back for our mistakes. Do you get the picture? God is Light, and in Him there is nothing which is associated with unhappiness or ruin; as Light is not only the emblem of happiness but is also itself beneficial, darkness in like manner works unhappiness and death. So it is safe to say that the darkness John is referring to is not just a figurative term for sin, but also for the consequences of sin. Which means that it is not God who caused the hurt, but sin, and all that sin has ruined. Therefore, if we want to hold something accountable for the hurt in our life, then that which we must hold accountable is sin! But God, He is all Light, and He deserves our love, full on, and with no restrictions; which means that we do not doubt Him. Am I saying that love is associated with trust? I believe I am; yes indeed I am! We can not love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength without first trusting Him 100% with all that we are. Okay, so what about loving our brothers and sisters? Does the same apply to the love we have for them? Yes and no; because we are fallible, but God is not. However, the love which we have for our brothers and sisters is based upon the love which we have for God; meaning that all of our trust is placed in God, including the trust that is required towards them. In other words, we have all of our faith vested in God's ability to protect and keep us safe, even from those which might in ignorance mean to hurt us; therefore we are free to love them unconditionally because we trust God will provide for our protection, and we will not be vulnerable for abuse or have our love taken advantage of. So, the unconditional love that we have towards those that we might not otherwise trust completely, is based upon the complete trust that we have in God, because God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all...

"Slightly Will Not Work"

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) Spoken by the True Prince of Peace! Peace which comes from the absence of hurt and a satisfied condition; unharmed by the temporary mortal conflicts of this life. Never mind about the sin which we might feel justified in holding onto, there is another plateau that must be considered, and it has to do with trust. Do I fully trust God in all areas of my life? This my dear brothers and sisters is where real peace is developed! And in case you may not understand what the word developed means, it means to grow; advance; render an image visible; to show step by step; disclose gradually or in detail. We can not fully trust in God if our heart is afraid or troubled, because there will be a hesitation in our spirit; and when I say spirit, I do not mean the Holy Spirit, but our rational spirit; that which we have developed into from years of experience of living. That might sound all mystical and kind of out there, but we tend to rely on our past experiences more than we should. When Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled", He is speaking about doubt, which is brought about by questioning God. Do you question God? I think we all do at one time or another. But when it becomes dangerous for our walk, is when we do not accept His answer, or trust that He knows what is the very best for our eternal soul. Besides, what have we been talking about, or have you forgotten? I have that Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, down in my heart; down in my heart; down in my heart! Down in my heart TODAY!!!

"Digging Deep"

"For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 6:13-15) Okay, this might hurt a little, but sometimes the hurt which we might harbor in our hearts is towards God. No way! How can we have hurt in our hearts towards God? Unanswered prayers, loved ones taken from us, trials that seem overwhelming, all of these and more could cause us to hurt in our hearts because we did not feel well treated. The problem that can come from that might not seem so critical at first, but given time, it can become detrimental to our relationship with God. Why do you think that is? or could it even really happen? Well (another deep subject), let me tell you what I have discovered by looking deep within myself: by my holding hurt in my heart which I feel is rightly mine to have due to the pain which I have had to endure, I can have the illusion of being owed something for that hurt. Can you see where this might lead us? In order to love God with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength, I must first be able to relinquish all, and I mean ALL the hurt which I might harbor in my heart. Is He God? Doesn't He love me? Isn't everything that He allows me to go through for the GOOD??? Then from where does the hurt come? Maybe the problem could be rooted in thinking we know best what is good and what is bad; you think?

"True Confession" -3

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:10) We know that God's rights have been trespassed when we sin, because it is by His very word that He has established all boundaries of what is right and wrong. And yet, people go on each and every day setting their own boundaries as to what is lawful and what is not. Where we get into trouble is when the boundaries we set cross over into those of others, especially those that are set by God. Okay, so what about when others cross our boundaries? Then what are we to do, push back? I know; we are within our rights to rip them up one side and another, until they repent for trespassing against us; right? Is that what you want God to do to you when you sin against Him? If we look at 'The Lord's Prayer', we can see that Jesus was showing an example of this type of forgiveness when He said, "Forgive us of our debts, as we forgive our debtors". Does that mean we are to roll over and let someone take advantage of us? Well (that's a deep subject), but I think we need to look to the Master for His demonstration and His instructions in this matter; or does what He did and say matter at all? Here is the thing that I am saying, which we must take into account while we are asking God to forgive us of our sins, and that is the new law which we are under, which is the law of Love. Now that we have been placed under this new law, we no longer are under the old law which dictates all those things that unlawful for us; but we are now under a new law that is grounded and rooted in Love. Love which has no boundaries; nor does it have conditions which must be met in order that it will be given! Unconditional love is love that is freely given, without expecting or requiring anything in return! So, as we ask forgiveness, hoping to be cleansed from all unrighteousness, we must truly consider Who's rights that we have violated; because this new law that we are under is all about His Love...

"True Confession" -2

I know that there are some questioning my direction in this matter of Jesus and Stephen asking for others to be forgiven, and why this has anything to do with 'True Confession'; am I right? Let me ask you something simple, who's rights are we talking about when we have sinned? Not to be over attached to this example that I have started on, but who's rights have been violated have a lot to do with sin. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:12, "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any". The first thing we must know about the word 'lawful' is that it means that whatever we are doing or partaking in is permitted and right, and when Paul is referring to "all things" he is not speaking about those things which we know to be sin, but those things which are considered to be acceptable and do not trespass against God's Laws. Secondly, the word 'expedient' is referring to things which are profitable or advantageous; in other words, does this bring me closer to God? or does it hinder my relationship with God, or with my brothers and sisters? Paul goes on to use the example of laying with a harlot, not to associate things that are lawful with that example, but to show how ridiculous it is to even consider, knowing that our bodies are members of Christ. So, the point which I am making with the hurt being given over to God, has to do with ownership, and who's we are. For Stephen, he realized who's he was as he gazed up into heaven and saw the glory of God, with Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Call it love if you will, but one thing is for sure, Stephen felt no hate towards those that were killing him as he asked God to not lay what they were doing against them. Likewise, Jesus was not hating those that had just pounded nails into His hands and feet, and had just planted the cross on which He was nailed into the ground, as He asked the Father to forgive them, for they know not what they do. Finally, and then I will get off this subject, because it's making my head spin; hate is a sin, and it is one which trespasses God's Laws. If we hate someone, we have in our hearts committed murder, which is one of the Ten Commandments: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Not to associate the act of killing with hurt, but I do find it interesting that there is a common thread which weaves through both, and it is called vengeance. I know what you are thinking: Rich your getting way over the top on this one. Maybe your right, and that is why my head is spinning; but, when you really think about it, the reason that we sin against each other so easily, is because we feel that our rights have been trespassed by someone else, and that we must protect our area. But, to Whom do we belong!!!

"True Confession"

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) In order to truly confess our sins to God we must know what our trespass is. This is nothing new, because the 'young rich ruler' which came to Jesus asking how to inherit eternal life, did not know what he lacked until Jesus showed him. Likewise, Isaiah did not see his 'unclean lips' until he was in the presence of a Holy God. To help understand the point that I am trying to make, we should look towards our example, Jesus Christ, and what His reaction was towards them which crucified Him on the cross. In Luke 23:34 we can find what Jesus said to the Father regarding those that had just nailed Him to the cross and planted Him there on Calvary between the two thieves, He said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do". This is not something that is easy to do, although there are many which claim that they have done it; but there is only one other example we find in the New Testament of this kind of charge, and it is involving the killing of Stephen. In Acts 7:54-60, we can find the account of what took place, and in verse 55, Stephen, being filled with the Holy Ghost, looks up into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Then in verse 59 as they begin stoning Stephen, he cries out, still looking at God's glory, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit". And then finally, in verse 60 he makes the same request that Jesus did on the cross: "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". This is an example of true forgiveness, which requires the one doing the forgiveness to first give up their rights, and to accept whatever is done to them as done in ignorance. In other words, it is to say, Lord, don't hold them accountable for what they have done, because they really don't know what they are doing. This is no little thing we are talking about here, and it requires the person who is performing this action to be in complete submission to God's authority. Think about this for a moment, and see if you get what I am saying; because our tendency in this matter, is to say that we forgive someone, and yet we continue to ask God to hold them accountable for their actions. Maybe not knowingly, but deep down inside, we wish for vengeance to be done on our behalf; why? because we hurt, that's why!

"Fully Exposed"

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:6 & 7) I am not trying to say that people who do not pray for extended periods of time walk in darkness, that is not the point I wish to make; although, there may be something about that concept. What I am saying, is that when we spend enough time praying to the Father, all of our darkness gets fully exposed by His light. However, just so you know, the times that I personally will find myself not committing to my block of time to be in fellowship with the Father, are usually times that I am not really wanting to have something fully exposed. That might sound like someone who is holding onto sin, right? Yes, I think that anything we put between us and our relationship with God is sin; even the stuff we might not agree is sin, like hurt or unforgiveness. As I was saying before, and I will say it again: to be forgiven of all my sin, I must give Him all of it to forgive. If anyone thinks that he is without sin, then they really have not spent enough time in the Light; and if you spend enough time in His light you will find out that hurt is also something which must be given up. I know that I have spoken about this before, but not like this; because in order for me to fully love someone unconditionally, I must not associate that person with hurt. But you say, But I've been hurt, and the pain never goes away. Really? How bad were you hurt? Were you spat upon and beaten? Were you mocked and crucified? Probably not! It is not easy to do, but God can do it; because all things are possible through Him; even stopping the hurt, so that love can be given unfiltered...

"Making It Real"

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:4) I really don't know why we can't see how important it is to make time for prayer, after all, it is prayer that really changes things; but I think it might have something to do with light verses darkness. I am not really into vampire movies, but there is something there to relate to what I am saying, and it has to do with the light verses the darkness. If you are familiar with the concept, vampires are creatures of the night because they are destroyed by sunlight. They can withstand small amounts of sunlight, which might make them shriek, but will not do any serious harm; however, left in the light for a certain period of time, and they are done. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to insinuate that those who do not take time to pray dwell in darkness; I am trying to show what happens in the Light. You see; for the times which are given to get alone with God and to sit in His presence, these are times when we can bask in His marvelous Light; and the more we are exposed to His Light, the more our darkness is dealt with. Now then; when it comes to fellowship with God, who is Light, making it real requires some time for that Light to deal with the darkness. Am I saying that we have darkness that must be dealt with? That's an interesting concept!!! "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

"A Time to Pray"

'Hold me Lord, in Your arms...' You know the song I am thinking of? I heard someone say once, that it did not matter how we prayed to God, but that we just would speak to Him; even little short prayers throughout the day were adequate for fellowship, and would sustain a good relationship with God. That might be true; however, I am thinking that to really have an intimate relationship with the Father, we must make a time to pray; to really spend the time required to hear from Him. I have a really good example of this requirement in my current relationship with my wife, which I do believe that I have shared before, but maybe not like this. Because, if I come in and say hello to her every thirty minutes, kiss her on the check, and then dart back out of the room, the effect upon our relationship is not the same as when I sit or lay with her for hours at a time. Don't get me wrong, she will acknowledge me darting in and out and saying hello, but there is no intimacy established, only acknowledgement of my presence. Here we can see the small example of what it is like for God, as we dart in and out of His presence throughout our busy day, to say hello. God will acknowledge our presence, and He hears our voice, but there is no time required for us to know Him; to really feel the heartbeat of the Father, we must take the time to rest in Him. To really know Him requires us to fellowship with Him: and darting in and out of His presence does not constitute fellowship...

"Checking Myself for Errors"

I have to admit that I was a little upset this morning for this Blog Site being down; let alone that they also deleted my posting from yesterday. What makes it even more aggravating, is that I was trying to see how long I could go without missing a day. Now that I think about it, I was thinking just yesterday about how many days it has been, and when I might be satisfied with a number reached. Could that be compared with King David taking of a census? I might have to pray about this one...

"Fullness of Joy" -3

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life, (for the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:1-4) Having joy is something that requires peace to be present in our lives. We can be happy in the moment of doing something which we like to do, but without peace, that happiness will not last long. When John speaks about having fellowship with the Father and Jesus Christ, he is speaking about sharing in that Life which was manifested; eternal life which we have participation in, and which we have the pledge of communion with. When was the last time that you communed with God? When was the last time that you sat alone with Him for hours at a time, to actually fellowship with Him? Don't you know that real peace comes only from fellowship with the Father? It is because of Jesus Christ that we can have access to the Father; because of the fellowship we have with Jesus, we have access unto the Father, and it is only throw Jesus that we can have this relationship. Having communion with God gives us the peace that can conquer anything; which supplies the joy, deep down in our hearts, which can last through the toughest trial; but it all begins with fellowship with the Father! As a child, carefree, and surrendered to the love of the Father, we have the fullness of joy that comes from resting in His arms of love; but, resting in His arms of love requires that we actually take the time to rest in Them! Make it something that you do as a pledge of communion: that your joy may be full...