Friday, July 26, 2013

who ya gonna fear?

It seems for some reason that I know several folks that would be labeled conspiracy theorists. While there may be some truth to some of what they say, I find that they live in constant fear. Fear of the unknown or hidden secrets. Sometimes they produce more propaganda than the goofed up media system they always seem to be at odds with. But what I see is they both use the same tactics, they both use fear to invoke emotional responses from their audience. Don't get me wrong I think we should be informed of what's going on around us, but we need to be careful of where we get our info. When I watch the news it is usually to check the weather and catch up on sports. I try to find other sources for the "news". But we need to be careful that we watch for the spin that is used to support opinion. I have found the best spin filter is the Holy Spirit yep I'm serious He is the source of Truth and discerner of hearts.  So why would you not rely on Him?  When it comes down to it when we fully trust in God fear of the things of the world has no place in our lives. We need to be different and bring a balance that is based on Abba's heart and not emotion driven fear.

Isaiah 8:11-13 "The LORD has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble."

Thursday, July 18, 2013

transformed

Many would read these verses and immediately correlate it to our great nation, others would try to convince you its not so bad. Honestly I feel we are somewhere in the middle heading towards this demise. But there are things I know to be true about God in all this that brings hope.  You see there are many in the church today that would stand and call the fire of heaven down to burn up and destroy the iniquity that we have allowed to creep in and dominate areas of our society, kind of how the John and some of the apostles did in the new testament. At that time they didn't have a full understanding of the Father's heart but remembered the stories of a harsher time in the world and their history. I would also say that anyone today that would call down fire from heaven to destroy the people that are propagating the mess do not know the heart of the Father.  You see even buried in this Old Testament chunk of scripture is verse 9 that in my paraphrase says that because there is a remnant of believers the others will be spared. Oh and another thing that is called out is the ineffectiveness of those in the church that bring meaningless offerings to make themselves look good, to give an appearance of being connected to the Father but in fact are just going through the motions.  You see I fully believe that Abba wants to send fire from heaven to devour the unrighteous, but not like what happened in Sodom. He wants to send His holy fire through His Holy Spirit. He wants His remnant to be so full of His love, fire and passion to be so connected to Him that they live and breath His heart, His breath, His desire that all be saved. There is still hope for our country and our world but the hope comes from Him not in protests and standing on street corners corners shouting judgment at folks, but by first cleansing ourselves, then going out and building relationships and making disciples, true followers of Jesus that a full comprehension of Abba's heart that when asked why they are doing what the are doing respond with "I only do what I see the Father doing". We need to make a transformation like John did, he went from calling down fire from heaven to fully understanding the heart of Abba and taught the importance of love and worship to gain victory. We need to be transformed.

Isaiah 1:2-13 "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: I have nourished and brought up sons and have made them great and exalted, but they have rebelled against Me and broken away from Me. The ox [instinctively] knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib, but Israel does not know or recognize Me [as Lord], My people do not consider or understand. Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, offspring of  evildoers, sons who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised  and shown contempt and provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger, they have become utterly estranged  (alienated). Why should you be stricken and punished any more [since it brings no correction]? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint (feeble, sick, and nauseated). From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no  soundness or health in [the nation’s body]--but wounds and bruises and fresh and bleeding stripes; they have not been pressed out and closed up or bound up or softened with oil. [No one has troubled to seek a remedy.] [Because of your detestable disobedience] your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; your land--strangers devour it in your very presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by aliens. And the Daughter of Zion [Jerusalem] is left like a [deserted] booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city [spared, but in the midst of desolation]. Except the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant [of  survivors], we should have been like Sodom, and we should have been like Gomorrah. Hear [O Jerusalem] the word of the Lord, you rulers or judges of [another] Sodom! Give ear to the law and the teaching of our God, you people of [another] Gomorrah! To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me [unless they are the offering of the heart]? says the Lord. I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts [without obedience]; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of he-goats [without  righteousness]. When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you that your [unholy feet] trample My courts? Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity,  vainglory, and futility); [your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to Me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure--[it is] iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting."

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

who's in control

This is one of those mornings where I was reading "the scripture of the day", which for ne never ends up just being the one or two verses they give you, I like to read around the given verses to see what else is going on to provoke this to be written. As I was reading around the provided verse there was one in the middle that reached out and said "hello you need to look at me because I'm important". You see both verse 105 and 114 in this selection from psalm 119 are well known by most Christians, however tucked in between is verse 109 which says: "My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your law." notice he didn't say my life is in Your hand, but it is mine. Earlier I reposted a quote on Facebook that said that no where in the Bible does it say God is in control, this verse says that I am in control of myself. This does not mean that I do not fully rely on God for every aspect of my life or that He is not my source. What is saying is that I have a choice to make on daily even hourly basis on how I am going to live my life, will it be for Him or for what the world says I should do.  Paul tells us that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self control, when we allow ourselves to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit we are taking positive control of our lives...  So who is in control? It's your choice.

Psalm 119:105-114 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn [an oath] and have confirmed it, that I will keep Your righteous ordinances [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]. I am sorely afflicted; renew and quicken me [give me life], O Lord, according to Your word! Accept, I beseech You, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your ordinances. My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I do not stray from Your precepts. Your testimonies have I taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever,  even to the end. I hate the thoughts of undecided [in religion], double-minded people, but Your law do I love. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word."

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

what are we dying to?

I came across something this morning that talked about "dying to self" and that it is a requirement in becoming a true believer of  Christ. One of the main scriptures that is used to support this is Romans 6:11-14. But I don't see anything about dying to self here, in fact when I read the Bible what I see is that Abba wants us to.discover our true identity that we have in Him. So our Christian walk becomes about discovering self, not about killing ourselves. This scripture talks more about dying to who we used to be, because when we are in Him we are new creations the old sinful nature is dead.  The identity that the world has given us is no longer valid, so in this we are. Not dying to self we are to the lie so that we can truly discover who we are and what we were created for. It's time to let the old dead us rest in peace, so that we can move forward into life.

Romans 6:11-14 "Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal  (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions. Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness. For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy]."

Saturday, July 6, 2013

gifted by design

There are two things that bug me when it comes to people and moving in the gifts that God created them to move in, and Paul does pretty good at calling them out in Romans 12. In verse 3 he says "I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance]," this is the first thing that bothers me those that are prideful and are trying to make a name for themselves or drawing attention to themselves and using anointing as a means of manipulation.  The other is also addressed it is those that have the whole "I'm unworthy" or "it wasn't me it was Jesus, I'm just surprised He's used because I am an awful sinner". To be totally honest there have been times I have had to exercise serious self-control in not slapping them upside the head (in love of course). This attitude so down plays the love and of what Jesus did for us in His crucifixion and ascension. Paul again tells.us "rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him."  He is saying be realistic about the gifts that Abba has given you and how He designed you to function. You need to know, understand and have confidence in your place in the body. When you try to elevate yourself to something your are not it adversely affects the body, when you promote self instead of the body you bring division which harms the body and when you think less if yourself or not confident in where you fit in the body then you bring weakness to the body.  Don't get me wrong part of our journey with Jesus is finding where we fit, and sometimes we need to make several attempts to figure that out.  That is where the 5-fold gifts to the church (Ephesians 4:11-12) come into play, it is their job to help identify, coach and mentor others to be able to move and function in their gifting, so that they can be fully functional in who they were created to be.

Romans 12:2-11 "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn  everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him. For as in one physical body we have many parts (organs, members) and all of these parts do not have the same function or use, So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependent on one another]. Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith; [He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to  serving; he who teaches, to his teaching; He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness. [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Never lag in zeal and in earnest  endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord."

Friday, July 5, 2013

wwjd... revisited

Remember a few years back when in the Christian world there was the big WWJD thing? Everyone had bracelets, t-shirts, hats and bumper stickers asking a simple question"what would Jesus do ?"  Many asked the question but I don't think many ever took the time to hear the answer. But the question is still valid, and there many situations in life that should cause us to ask this question. But we need to be willing to wait and hear the answer and then obediently act on it. Like Jesus did in John 4 we have to be willing to go where the religious and those that are afraid of the retaliation of the religious would go. We need to be willing to go into the places where people need to experience the love of the Father, to the places where self righteous, religious bubbles can't exist because the people need a real touch the need to experience the Light that penetrates the darkness, so they too can become disciples of Jesus.
John 4:4-5 "But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph."
When you are willing to be obedient and rely on Him, then WWJD, becomes a lifestyle not a catchy phrase?

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

love & obedience

In this scripture Jesus is telling us that if own and understand the things He has told us to to do (His commands) and that when we are obedient to these things it is proof that we love Him. There are two things that I ask myself here, "what is it that He commands?" and "who do we need to give proof too?"

Let's start with the commands Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and great commandment.   And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’; so the greatest thing for us to do is love.  Then Jesus says:"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” and then He says: "And He said to them,  “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

So to sum it up we are to love God, love others, make disciples, teach them how to love, and share the gospel which is about love. Are you catching the theme here?
Now for my second question "who do we need to give proof too?". Well my immediate head response is that God knows my heart why would I need to prove it to Him, but my heart response reflects on my daughters and grandsons and that thing I get deep inside when I hear them say " I love you daddy or Papa". Sometimes we forget that God is emotional and He loves to know that we love Him and to hear it and see it. There are others that need the proof too, those that have not experienced the heart of the Father and especially the ones that have been damaged by religious spirits.

So how about being obedient today and love some people and show them Abba's heart.

John 14:21-24 "The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.] Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world? Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him. Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me."