James Lindquist's writing

JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Fourteen

2012-01-21T00:04:00.000-08:00

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Wedding Chamber (Nissu’in)

Once they were back at the father’s house, the couple would enter what they called the Huppah. This was the second ceremony and required by the Talmud (Jewish oral law). The Huppah was originally a four-posted structure with an enclosed cloth covering. It very well could have been any structure or room that had been designated as the Huppah and belonging to the groom.

Here the wedding ceremony would take place and then the taking (consummation) of the bride (Nissu’in). Nissu’in literally means, "Taking." The covering was sometimes a talit, which is a Jewish prayer shawl. At the ceremony, the groom and the bride wore crowns and they dressed extravagantly.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom entered the huppah for seven days and there they would consummate the marriage. Only until recently was it even required that a Rabbi officiate at a wedding ceremony.

During the seven days of Huppah, the marriage festivities would be in full force. After the seventh day, the bride would emerge unveiled and the groom's friend would show the blood stained bedding to prove that the bride was, in fact, a virgin and that the groom had taken her. It proved that they had consummated the marriage.

Parallels to the Church. . .

Once Christ abducts us (raptured/caught up), He will adorn us with the crown of life [1] and our garments will be the clothes of righteousness [2]. Christ will also wear a crown [3].

The steps of the betrothal have ended and we now stand in the huppah as the Bride of Christ and we will be His Bride forever and ever.

v15 Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He Who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them [4].

Another Jewish name for the “Wedding day of the Messiah,” is “The Feast of Trumpets.” Revelation 19:7-9 tells us of the Wedding of the Lamb.

v7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
v8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
v9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God [5].

It is my contention that the seven days that Christ and His Bride will stay hidden in the huppah, will actually be the seven remaining years of history before Jesus comes with His Saints [6], (which is His Bride). All will see who the true Bride of Christ is [7] because she will not be wearing her veil.

This presupposes that there will be a pre-tribulation rapture of the church [8]. Although this is what the Bible teaches, many think otherwise. The Bible also teaches a three and a half year tribulation [9] and not seven, but once we see the beginning construction of the temple, we will know that there are seven years left of human government. These are minor points but believers will be debating them until Christ comes. This is just a point of interest.

Do you remember the groom showing the guests the blood stained sheets of the marriage bed? Could the blood stained clothes of Christ at the Cross, be the bloodied clothes shown to the world [10]? As believers, we are the Christ’s body and because of His death on the Cross, we are all righteous, holy, true, and pure.

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[1] 1 Peter 5:4; James 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:8
[2] Revelation 19:8
[3] Revelation 14:14
[4] Revelation 7:15 NIV
[5] Revelation 19:7
[6] 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Jude 1:14
[7] Colossians 3:4
[8] Main Scripture is Revelation 3:10. To learn of 16 more proofs, http://www.thepropheticyears.com/reasons/rapture.htm
[9] Daniel 7:25, 12:7; Revelation 12:6, 13:5. Time = one year, times = two years, and half a time = half a year. Forty-two months = 3 1/2 years. 1260 days = 3 1/2 years.
[10] Matthew 27:35

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Thirteen

2012-01-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

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Abduction of the Bride

The bridegroom's father was the only one who knew when the bridegroom would return for his bride. If the father left it up to the bridegroom he would hurry in his construction efforts in order to go get his bride.

Usually the groom would arrive in the middle of the night to abduct his bride. The bride considered this to be very romantic. Because of this romanticism, the bride would always be ready to go. She would always have her veil, her lamp, and plenty of oil placed by her bed in case her groom came to steal her away that night.

Parallels to the Church. . .

Neither will we nor Christ know the day or the hour of his return. Only the Father in heaven [1] knows when He will send Jesus to abduct His Bride. There should be great anticipation for His return, which is part of the Bride’s preparation. We have been in that stage of preparation for 2000 years and will remain in that stage until the return of Jesus Christ for us. His return should be our biggest and main focus.

The abduction of the Bride pertains to the rapture of the church and we will forever be with the Lord as His Bride. The word rapture is not in the Bible but the phrase, “. . .shall be caught up. . .” means the same thing.

v16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first;
v17 then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord [2].

v34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
v35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
v36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left [3].

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1 Mark 13:32
2 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 RSV
3 Luke 17:34-36

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BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

2012-01-10T12:41:00.001-08:00

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For the last couple weeks I have been feeling very tired and listless. I was talking to sis about my lethargy and how I should probably seek out a doctor for a checkup. She said that there seems to be a lot of that going around, how several of her friends felt the same way.

I told her that I really didn’t feel sleepy but I was tired all the time. I said, “I don’t know what I was so tired about because I really hadn’t done much to feel that way. While I’m sitting in my chair at my apartment, I can see things that need to be done, but I just don’t have the energy to get up and do them.”

I knew I wasn’t depressed because I’d been there and done that. Depression cost me my marriage, so I knew that I wasn’t depressed.

Sis and I finished our little talk and I went home to my apartment, plopped in my chair, and spent some time with the Lord. Many things came to my remembrance as I prayed.

While I sat in my chair all but about dozing off to la-la land, an image of my dad came to me just as I remember him, sitting in his wheel chair with his chin resting on his chest. This was pretty much what he did all day, every day for the last few days of his life. It bothered me because I knew his body was beginning to shut down.

Afterward, the Hospice nurse confirmed this to me. She said that during this withdrawal, he was going through a transitional period from the natural realm into the spiritual. He was reconciling everything in his mind.

Well, all truth is parallel. I believe that the Lord was trying to tell me that the body of Christ is going through a period of spiritual transition, not unto physical death, but unto a period of change and direction. The world is changing fast and the body is seeking reconciliation of things and at the same time looking for guidance. It was like the Lord was saying, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth [1].”

There is going to be a great awakening, a soon coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit and what the body is going through now is just a transitional period. God is about to hit His people with Himself and we have to be ready. We are in the early stages of that awakening now.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee [2].

This is a time NOT to be fearful, fretful, impatient, restless, and seemingly unaffected by the judgments of God. We should be concerned about what is going on in the world but only in the context of using this time as a time of harvesting the fields as they are white unto harvest [3].

Psalms 46:10 says to be quiet and easy, and resign ourselves to the will of God. Do not worry because the troubles of today have not caught God off guard. He is still in control. Psalms 37:12-13 says, “The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.”

The body needs to remain still and seek His face and humble themselves and pray [4].We should live in an assured expectation of the appearance of Jesus Christ and that His will shall be done. The Lord is saying, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

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[1] Psalm 46:10
[2] Isaiah 60:2
[3] John 4:35
[4] 2 Chronicles 7:14

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Twelve

2012-01-02T01:45:00.000-08:00

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Shofar

When the father felt that the house was satisfactory, he would tell his son, to go get his bride. The groom would then take his rams horn and head down the road after his bride. Although it was a romantic gesture to abduct the bride at night, it was not romantic to break into her house to do so. Therefore the bridegroom would use the shofar [1] to warn his bride when he got within shouting distance from her house, which he did.

Parallels to the Church. . .

No one knew the day or the hour of the groom's return but the father. Now where have I heard that before?

v42 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
v43 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
v44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him [2].

When Jesus comes for His bride, He will blow the shofar [3] and we will be taken up in a twinkling of an eye [4].

v6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him [5].

These are the times that we should be listening for that trumpet sound from heaven. We want to be sure, however, that we are ready for His return. It would be a very dangerous thing for Christ to find us not prepared and without any oil for our lamps [6]. Oil always symbolizes the Holy Spirit.

We are living in the last chapter of Acts and we should be preparing ourselves, anticipating the sound of the shofar and the shout from above. This will signal the return of Jesus Christ, our betrothed when we (the entire body), will be whisked away to the huppah, there to be completed in marriage to Jesus Christ who is our Lord, master, savior, redeemer, and husband.

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[1] Hollowed out rams horn
[2] Matthew 24:36, 42-44
[3] The shofar was a ram’s horn and used for trumpeting.
[4] 1 Corinthians 15:22
[5] Matthew 25:6
[6] They had to replenish the oil in the lamps every fifteen minutes, so they had to be sure that there was plenty of oil for the trip to the groom’s house. Matthew 25:1-13

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Eleven

2011-12-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

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Preparation of the Groom

During the betrothal the bridegroom would spend his time in preparation building an extension onto his father's house for them to live. Since customs forbade premarital sexual relations before the nuptials, they would spend a year apart while the bridegroom built their house. This mandatory time apart would prove the purity of the bride and that no sexual relations had taken place, because if they had she took a chance on becoming pregnant.

Once the bride accepted the groom’s proposal, the groom would make the journey back to his father's house to start construction on their new home. As stated earlier, this was usually an extension of the father's house.

Parallels to the Church. . .

We accept the proposal of Christ through the communion. At Christ’s death, He journeyed back to heaven from whence He came, to prepare a place for us [1]. It is my contention that as Christians, we are the temple of God [2] making us the many mansions that Christ spoke of in John 14:2. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ is spiritually preparing our temple for His return.

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[1] John 14:3
[2] 1 Corinthians 3:16

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Ten

2011-12-18T22:58:00.000-08:00

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The Veil

The woman, upon her betrothal would henceforth cover her face with a veil whenever she went into the public arena. When the woman veiled her face in public, it meant that she was unavailable and that she was setting herself aside for the one who had just bought her for a price. It meant that she’s chosen and consecrated unto her bridegroom.

Parallels to the Church. . .

The veil is symbolic of separation or setting oneself apart [1] for Christ. Before the Cross, it was separation from God. After the Cross, it is the separation from the world, which has to do with our consecration to God.

v19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you [2].

When we veil our faces, we are saying to the world that we are unavailable and are staying true to Jesus and not committing spiritual adultery. Christians are the lights of the world [3] and we need to stop our unholy alliances.

v15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them [4].

During the time of our betrothal to Christ and wearing our symbolic veil, we are not to be distracted by false teachers [5], or worldly things [6]. We are in the world, but we are not of the world [7].

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[1] 2 Corinthians 11:2; 1 Peter 15:1
[2] John 15:19
[3] Matthew 5:14
[4] 1 John 2:15 NIV
[5] 2 John 7-11
[6] 1 John 2:15
[7] John 17:14

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Nine

2011-12-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

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Preparation of the Bride

The preparation for the bride was a time of separation, purification, anticipation, and preparation for the groom's return. The bride would take what they called a mikvah, which is a bath of purification. Even today, Jewish brides need to obtain a certificate to show that they have acquired the ceremonial mikvah.

Parallels to the Church. . .

The mikvah is the washing of the Word. We are to remain pure to Jesus and not fornicate ourselves to other god's and committing spiritual adultery. Spiritual adultery would not only be adultery with other gods, but is the act of loving and even spending more time with anything or anyone more than we do with God. Chapter five of Ephesians tells us about the parallel of mikvah to the church.

v25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her
v26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word,
v27 and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless [1].
v11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God [2].

The mikvah is also the baptism of water either through immersion or by sprinkling. There is a baptism of the Holy Spirit as well.

v19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [3]
v16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost [4].

The parable of the ten virgins [5] tells us always to be ready with our flasks of oil continually full and prepared for the trip. The oil is always representative of the Holy Spirit of God. So be sure that we replenish daily with the infilling of the Holy Spirit [6].

Do not be like the five unwise virgins whose flasks were empty, but to always be ready for His return, for we know not the hour of His return [7]. We should make certain that our light shines [8] before the world and that we are always ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us [9].

Our focus should be on Jesus Christ and His return, not the world’s plan. God changes not and what Christ wrote will stand and will happen. So let the world worry about the last days and we can prepare ourselves for the return of our husband.

As the bride of Christ, how can we prepare ourselves for His coming? The baptism of water is the act of separating ourselves from the world and setting ourselves apart. Being in our prayer closet, every day is prudent. Reading His Word daily and going to church regularly is a good way to prepare for His return.

We can use our spiritual gifts for the edification of the body and for our own growth. Fulfilling the great commission given to us by our Lord [10] is the last thing God told us to do, so we should continue to do so.

It is all about relationship. Ministering to the Lord Jesus Christ and praying for His return is among the things that we could be doing. Our focus should be on Him, especially at this hour [11]. First Thessalonians 5:12-22 gives us some things to do to prepare ourselves for His return.

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[1] Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV
[2] 1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV
[3] Matthew 28:19
[4] Acts 11:16
[5] Matthew 25:1-13
[6] Luke 11:13
[7] Matthew 24:42
[8] Matthew 5:16
[9] 1 Peter 3:15
[10] Mark 16:15
[11] Colossians 3:1-3

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Eight

2011-12-04T23:08:00.000-08:00

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Bride Price (Mohar)

According to Jewish marriage customs, it was mandatory, by law, that the groom negotiated and paid a price to the father of the bride. The price (Mohar) was normally in the form of currency and was compulsory. The bride price was high so as to compensate the parents for the raising of that female child and as an indication of the value that the groom placed on her.

Sometimes the bride price was sheep or it could very well have been anything that they agreed upon [1] and I mean anything, as 1 Samuel 18:25 declares. David doubled that and gave Saul 200 [2]. I am guessing it was an “in your face type of thing,” because the price was to render David dead.

Parallels to the Church. . .
As stated above, it was legally binding and mandatory that the groom negotiated and paid a price (Mohar), to the father of the bride. I bet that everyone caught this one. (You guys are catching on.) Jesus has bought us for a price [3], as required by law [4], and the currency with which He paid, was His own life [5] and the Blood of the Covenant. He has paid for us in full [6]. We are not our own [7]. Jesus must place a high value on His bride [8] that He would pay for her with His own life [9].

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:20

Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 1 Corinthians 7:23

From here Christ traveled back home to his Father's house to prepare a home for us, his new Bride.
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[1] Genesis 24:53; 29; 34:12; 1 Samuel 17:25; 18:25; Hosea:3:3
[2] 1 Samuel 18:27
[3] 1 Corinthians 6:20
[4] Romans 8:3, 4
[5] John 3:16; Mark 14:36
[6] 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18
[7] 1 Corinthians 6:19
[8] John 3:1
[9] Ephesians 5:25

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Seven

2011-11-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

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Cup of Acceptance

The groom then traveled from his house to the house of the prospective bride [1]. Once all the negotiations had taken place, the bride price given, and everything was settled, the groom would offer a cup of wine to the prospective bride. If she drank of the cup, it would signify that she accepted his proposal of marriage [2]. Once they drank from the cup of acceptance, Jewish law [3] considered the marriage ceremony legally sealed.

Parallels to the Church…

When Jesus offered the cup at the Last Supper He was proposing to all of the saints. When we take communion and drink of that cup, we are saying, "Yes Lord, I accept your proposal and wish to become your bride. I accept everything that you are to me and I put my trust in you. I believe in you Lord. Your death my husband, will not be in vain because I recognize and covet everything that you have done for me and everything that you are to me."

Once we accept that cup of communion, we are betrothed and have accepted His proposal of marriage. Our marriage to Christ is sealed.

v29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom [4].

Matthew 26:29 tells us of the second cup, which we will drink at the marriage ceremony with Christ. We will cover this in a moment.

[1] http://www.betemunah.org/wedding.html
[2] http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/jewish_marriage_customs.htm
[3] Halaka
[4] Matthew 26:29

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Six

2011-11-21T00:32:00.000-08:00

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GIFTS FOR THE BRIDE (Mattan)

The bridegroom gave gifts to the bride. However, the Mattan (love gifts) were not mandatory or prescribed by law. It was only customary and was a gesture to show the
love that the bridegroom had for the bride.

Parallels to the Church. . .

Jesus gave His bride the gifts (Mattan) of eternal life [1], peace [2], and anything else that she might ask Him for in His name [3]. Christ gave us so much more, too numerous to list.

THE FATHERS' DOWERY (Shiluhim)

The father of the bride also gave a dowry (Shiluhim) to the daughter to take with her into the marriage as a part of her inheritance to help equip her in her new life.

The idea behind the Shiluhim (dowry) was a settlement in lieu of the daughter's inheritance because Jewish customs dictated that the sons would succeed their fathers.

Parallels to the Church. . .

The Father’s dowry to us is the giving of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the spirit, a pledge of the spirit in our hearts, a measure of faith, grace, five-fold ministry, and the ability to speak and minster through the manifold grace of God. The Father has given us so much more as well.

We can find and study the dowry gifts (Shiluhim) in some of the following scriptures: John 14:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 12-14; 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22; Romans 12:1-8; Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Peter 4:8-11.

I highly recommend that all believers take a spiritual gift class, no matter how old we are in the Lord. It might even be interesting to take the test periodically to see how the Lord is working in our lives and in what direction He is leading us. I would guess that there are many "on fire" Christians out there who have become unmotivated because they are not serving in an area of gifting or passion. Plus:

v29 . . .the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [4].

v21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
v22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts [5].

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[1] John 10:27, 28
[2] John 14:27
[3] John 14:13
[4] Romans 11:29
[5] 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Five

2011-11-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

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The Marriage Contract (Ketubah)

The Ketubah is a written contract between the bride and the bridegroom and was the groom’s responsibility to draft. It contained the bride price, the promises of the groom, and the rights of the bride. The covenant's purpose was to lay down the terms of the union. The Ketubah is the Old Testament scriptures.

Parallels to the Church…

The New Testament Ketubah is the New Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-33, revealed in Matthew 26:28 and fulfilled when Jesus hung on the Cross in Matthew 27:45-50. The New Covenant is the atoning Blood of Jesus Christ that He paid for His bride when He died on the Cross. The new covenant gave us access to the Holy of Holies and the presence of God.

It is important that we list Jeremiah 31:31-33 because it is a promise from God to us toward the coming of the Lord and a new covenant.

v31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

v32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

v33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people [1].

You might say, wait a minute; didn’t God already make a marriage covenant with His bride through Abraham? Yes He did. However, one of the reasons that Jesus could make a new covenant with Israel is that He had divorced her from the old covenant. Israel had broken the covenant a number of times and the Lord put her away [2].

This is one of the main scriptures that have split the Jewish people from Christianity. They argue that when entering into a marriage contract, if there are any changes, it takes the signature of both parties to make it legal. Since Abraham was dead when Christ fulfilled the New Covenant, they postulated that the new covenant was “null and void.”

However, without going into a complete Greek word study, suffice it to say that the term “will make” means “to complete that which already is,” and the word "new" means "to make better in quality," not to “make better in time.” The new covenant was not changed. Christ made it better.

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[1] Jeremiah 31:31-33
[2] Jeremiah 3:8

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Four

2011-11-07T00:21:00.000-08:00

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Betrothal (Kiddushin)

Jewish marriages hinged upon two ceremonies: the betrothal (Kiddushin) and the marriage ceremony (Nissu’in). The betrothal [1], is less than a marriage but more than an engagement. The Kiddushin means sanctification or set apart.

When a Jewish couple entered into a betrothal, they considered the marriage to be legal and binding. In fact, when they entered into a betrothal, it was so strong and binding that if the bridegroom died, they considered the woman to be a widow.

The bridegroom brought three things to the house of the prospective bride: a marriage contract (Ketubah), gifts for the bride (Mattan), and the bride price (Mohar).

The father of the bride also gave his daughter a dowry (Shiluhim). When they agreed upon the terms, the groom offered the bride the cup. If she drank from it, this meant that she accepted his proposal. They called this the cup of acceptance. This sealed their marriage.

The groom would then leave and prepare a place for them to live and the bride would prepare herself by taking a ceremonial Mikvah, veil herself until his return, and anticipate his return with fervor. His return is now her only focus.

Parallels to the Church…

Just like the groom left his father's house and traveled to the bride's house for the purpose of betrothal, so did Christ travel from heaven to the earth for the purpose of betrothal and marriage to His prospective bride. The reason behind Christ’s coming was forgiveness from Adam’s sin [2] and to establish a marriage covenant with His bride, the church [3],

The next eight steps happen during the betrothal period: marriage contract, gifts for the Bride, the Father’s dowry, the cup of acceptance, the Bride price, the veil, the preparation of the Bride, and the preparation of the Groom.

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[1] Jeremiah 2:2; Hosea 2:19, 20
[2] 1 John 1:9
[3] Ephesians 1:9-14

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Three

2011-11-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

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Bloodlines

Bloodlines were (are) very important to the Jewish people. It was highly discouraged, and in many cases, forbidden to marry outside the Jewish faith [1]. Bloodlines, traditions, customs, and faith remained uncorrupted and pure when covenanted marriages took place within the tribe. Israel was worried about the absorption of other faiths, because there were tribes that did not serve the God of Abraham, but instead, served Baal and other gods.

Parallels to the Church…

Jesus holds an importance to bloodlines as well. His Word exhorts us not to unequally yoke with unbelievers.

v14 Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness [2]?
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[1] Numbers 36:6; Nehemiah 13:27; John Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible, Jeremiah 29:6 commentary
[2] 2 Corinthians 6:14

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part two

2011-10-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

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THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

The first thing that we notice is that the Old Testament referred to [Israel] as the Bride of the [Lord]. The next thing that comes to mind is the fact that the New Testament frequently characterizes the [church] as the Bride of [Christ] [1]. However, many Jewish people did not understand this dynamic of their betrothal to Jesus Christ, because many did not believe Him to be the Messiah. They understood the marriage customs but not Christ being their husband [2]. It's hard for men to grasp this concept.

Once the groom found and chose a bride, he had to arrange a marriage between them. We will cover the coming of Christ, and end in His departure back to heaven as He prepares for His return. But first, the match.

The Match (Shiddukhin)

According to Jewish marriage customs, the fathers of the groom arranged most the marriages [3]. There were many avenues in which the Jewish people could use to negotiate and make their matches for marriage. The mother sometimes had a hand in choosing a bride [4] but the father could act alone [5]. However, more times than not, an interested man would just ask his father to seek out a particular woman for her hand in marriage [6]. (The choosing of the bride by the groom did not happen much.) If there were an interest all the way around, negotiations would start.

Friends from either party, or a matchmaker could also negotiate a match [7]. These matchmakers had to be of strong character, high integrity, and had to be highly trusted. It was not necessary for the bride to give her consent, but most generally, they asked her [8].

Parallels to the Church. . .

Jesus chose us [9] but did not act on His own initiative [10]. The Holy Spirit is the matchmaker today and the agent of the Father who negotiates for the bride of Christ [11]. It is the Holy Spirit that draws all men/women to Jesus Christ [12]. All who are born again are born through the power of the Holy Spirit [13]. Once that someone becomes a believer, that person becomes part of the Bride of Christ.

Fathers in the Old Testament did not discount the personal feelings of the bride or groom with regards to choice, neither is our feelings discounted when it comes to that same free will choice. Our Father in heaven gave us free will to choose with whom we will follow and serve [14]. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord [15].

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[1] Here are a few examples for study: Matthew 9:15; John 3:29; Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Ephesians 5:23-33; Revelation 19:7-9; Revelation 21:2
[2] Galatians 3:28
[3] Genesis 34:3-6; 38:6; Jeremiah 29:6
[4] Genesis 21:21; 27:24
[5] Genesis 38:6
[6] Judges 14:1-10
[7] Genesis 24:2-4
[8] Genesis 24:5, 58
[9] John 15:16
[10] John 5:30
[11] 1 Corinthians 2:10; Galatians 4:6; 1 Peter 1:12; Romans 8:16
[12] John 6:44
[13] Luke 1:35
[14] Deuteronomy 30:19, 20
[15] Joshua 24:15; 1 Peter 1:8

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JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part 1

2011-10-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

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The following is the first of 16 installments covering the Jewish Marriage Customs. I pray that it blesses you all. God bless each and every one of you.

Ever since God banished Adam and Eve away from the Tree of Life, mankind has been in a fallen state. However, for man to become the Bride of Christ, he had to be in a sinless state. The Bible says what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness [1]? Because of man’s fallen nature, becoming the Bride of Christ was impossible. Therefore, God’s plan required that mankind needed forgiveness before he could become the glorious Bride of Christ [2].

Four-thousand years later…destiny called, and we find Christ and His disciples in the upper room taking communion at the Last Supper. This moment in history was predestined and Jesus knew He was about to die and had been warning the disciples of His impending death. This upset the disciples, greatly.

To comfort His remaining disciples [3], Jesus gave them a promise analogous to Jewish marriage customs of the day. This promise was to touch and encourage the souls of the entire world and encourage all those who were yet to come. Jesus told His disciples,

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also [4].

Christ was telling them that he had to leave in order for Him to build a place for them to live, but that He’d return for them so they could be together. The reason why Jesus came to earth was for the forgiveness of man and for a bride. God created mankind to acquire a bride, and all of scripture points to this truth. Israel and the disciples did not have the ears to hear this during Christ's physical stay on earth.

From Eden to Golgotha, Genesis to Revelation, nothing speaks to this fact like the Jewish Marriage Customs. The Bible is replete with references to them. God’s Word is a love affair between Christ and His Bride. This love affair culminates in the Book of the Revelation at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb [5].

While on Earth, Christ used marriage metaphors to teach His disciples about His Kingdom, all of which came from the early scrolls that we call the Old Testament Scriptures [6]. When we put these marriage metaphors beside the Christian Church, we see a parallel that we cannot deny.

To grasp the meaning of Christ’s promise to the world, as written in John 14:1-3, then it would be prudent for us to study the steps of the Jewish Marriage Customs. This will keep His discourse in context, because context is everything. Not only will this help us understand Christ’s promise, but it will help us understand the entire Bible.

Once we get the idea of Jewish Marriage Customs, the Scripture will jump right off of the pages. What was difficult for us to understand before about God’s Word will be academic to us when we grasp the steps of the wedding customs? Before the foundation of the world, while God formulated His plan, Christ desired a bride. He was just hours away from paying the bride price for her.

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[1] 2 Corinthians 6:14
[2] 1 Peter 1:16
[3] Judas had left to betray Jesus.
[4] John 14:1-3
[5] Revelation 19:9
[6] Christ taught from the Scrolls of the Old Testament era.

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I FORGOT?

2011-06-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

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Last night while in bed, I had just turned out the lights, pulled up the covers, and gotten comfortable, when the Lord gave me something. I thought He had perfect timing? LOL. What a sense of humor He has. I was so tired I didn't turn on the light and write it down, but I spoke it out loud there in the dark. I knew that faith comes by hearing and the hearing of the Word so I spoke it a couple of times, rolled over, and went to sleep.

When I awoke this morning, I couldn't remember what He gave me. I went to the computer and got ready to write. I thought maybe that would help me to remember. It didn't. I apologized to the Lord for not writing it down and asked His forgiveness. I was a little upset. Not at the Lord, but at me for not writing it down. Habakkuk 2:2 tells us to write the vision and I disobeyed. I was remorseful.

I tried to shake it off and began typing. I had typed about a page, when all of a sudden, there it was. What I had spoke in the darkness of night into the atmosphere last night, was now on the screen. At the same time, I could feel God's forgiveness. I could feel Him smiling and chuckling at me. It dawned on me that I wasn't ready to receive what I had forgotten yet. God [does] have perfect timing. He brought that thing to my remembrance and onto the computer. What an awesome God.

I have found the same thing with unanswered prayers. Sometimes we can get discouraged at God because the thing we asked for didn't transpire. Maybe we weren't ready to receive what we prayed for yet. Just a reminder, God [does] have perfect timing.

Any similar stories?

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SEEDS OF ARMEGEDDON

2011-06-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

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The whole world seems to be against Israel today and argues that they don't even have a right for existence. Israel is the key to Bible prophecy. Do you want to know what is going to happen next? Watch Israel.

The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Zechariah 12:1-3 KJV

When the Bible talks about "That Day," it is talking about Armageddon. It sounds as though the seeds of Armageddon are being planted as we speak. Look up because our redemption draweth nigh.

President Obama has brought a curse onto this nation by shunning Israel and by asking for the retreat of the pre 1967 borders. The curse is not on the people (unless they are against Israel) but against the nation of America. He had better recant or be prepared for the wrath of God. What say you?

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:3 KJV

The “Thee” that the Bible talks about in Genesis 12:3 KJV is Israel.

Sha alu shlom Yerushalayim
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

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IS GOD DANCING ON YOUR POTATO CHIPS?

2011-05-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

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NOTE: Every once in a while you run across something that is worth sharing. I have found one that you might enjoy. It is a good pick-me-up. I did not write this but wanted to pass it on to you. Now to the story.

Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline and I had company arriving in a couple days. Wouldn’t you know it, the toilet clogged up. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner.

Deciding on Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B - leftover baked beans. I grabbed the Tupperware container from the fridge, popped the seal, looked, and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars.

Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I stood there holding the empty bag.

It was the final straw. I let out a blood-curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of, he took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. Then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process!

I stared. I fumed. Soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. Finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. Then I danced. Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. However, the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.

So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that plenty of times in my life I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and have cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way he did. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.

Do I trust Him even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Do I trust Him even when he's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping? Can I embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance he's dancing' with my needs in mind?

I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him, even when the chips are down.

-- Author Unknown

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KINGDOM LIVING

2011-04-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

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Isn't it strange that Christians seldom talk about what Jesus talked most about: The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of heaven (Same thing)? How desperately this message of the kingdom is needed today!

Kingdom living to me is living in God or like the Bible says, "In Christ." It is the building of Christ's character within us. Some emphasize manifestation while some emphasize teaching. I say that neither are right. The only thing that transforms us spiritually is the action of "following Christ."

However, in order to engage in the "following" of Christ, we need a clear understanding of the Kingdom of God/heaven; that you are accepted by the grace of God "In Christ." That lays the foundation for as much doctrine as you can manage and as much manifestation of the Spirit as you can stand.

The Kingdom of God/heaven is the main message of the New Testament, Christ, and the Apostles. Below are some (underline some), Scriptures that can help you in your study or confirm your own thoughts. There are a ton more.

Scripture
•John the Baptist announced the Kingdom in Matthew 3:1,2
•Jesus later came into Galilee proclaiming it in Mark 1:15
•Much of Christ's teaching dealt with the Kingdom of God in Matt 6:33; Matt 12:28; Matt 19:24; Luke 6:20; John 3:15; Rom 14:17; 1 Cor 4:20; Gal 5:21; Col 4:11 -- the list goes on and on and on and on. Luke is loaded as is Matt and Mark.
•Most all of Jesus' parables pictured it in Mark 4:30-33;
•The message of the Kingdom of God was still the message after Christ's resurrection Acts 1:3
•It was the message of the early Apostles in Acts 8:12; 19:8
•In Matthew 24:14 Jesus makes plain that the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to the whole world at the end of the age.

We live in a time when millions of people are overcome and ruled by wicked spirits and by the earthly things around them. Unfortunately, it seems that many of these are Christians.

God’s plan is that man through Christ should exercise rule and authority over the earth and everything in it (Gen. 1:26, 28). Proverbs 25:28 tells us: "Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls" (NKJV).

How do you define Kingdom Living?
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BACK TO BASICS

2011-04-21T00:44:00.000-07:00

This one is special for my brother Jeff who is a Sherlock Holmes buff.

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There are probably only a few people on the planet who have not heard this exchange:

“I say Holmes, you’ve done it again.”

“Elementary my dear Watson, elementary.”

The greatest detective that ever graced the pages of a mystery novel, Sherlock Holmes, was telling his sidekick, Dr. John H. Watson, that the solution to the problem was very simple, easy, and basic my good man.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s a basic mistake that foils the criminal. However, ninety-nine percent of the time it is a basic solution that thwarts the wiles of the enemy.

“Elementary my dear Christian, elementary.”

Myself, I find it helpful to visit the basics from time to time because they are foundational to the policing of our faith. The deep things of God are rooted in the basics.

An infant needs the nourishment of milk because it is all that their body can handle until they grow and graduate to solid food. The body has a learning curve in which to learn how to eat and digest solid foods. Peter talks about this in 1 Peter 2:2: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow. . .

Later on in her life, my mom developed Osteoporosis because she hated milk and wouldn’t drink it. She did not get enough calcium to maintain her bone strength and she ended up bed-ridden with a fragile spine. If she fell or even turned over the wrong way in bed, it could have broken her back.

Basics are the calcium to the health and strength of our bodies or should I say, “the body.” The body of Christ will end up bed-ridden with fragile bones if we do not get our calcium of basics. It is the bones that give the body support, without which we would crumble to the floor.

A case could be made that all of God’s Word is basics and not just a few. The reasoning is simple, the complete Bible is foundational to our lives and how could we live without its entirety? However, what most believers consider basics are:

* Prayer [1]
* The Cross [2]
* Not forsaking the assembling of one another [3]
* Reading God’s Word [4]
* Loving the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves [5]
* Submit to God [6] and obey Him [7]
* Forgiveness [8]
* Spread the Gospel [9]

Given the case we made earlier, you may have different ones than I do and you’d be right as well. Maybe your basics list is less or more than mine by which you live. That’s okay. The foregoing are my nine. Maybe you can share yours.

God bless you all and thanks for stopping by.

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[1] 1 Thessalonians 5:17
[2] Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 12:2
[3] Hebrews 10:25
[4] 2 Timothy 3:16
[5] Mark 12:30, 31
[6] James 4:7
[7] Acts 5:29
[8] Mark 11:25
[9] Mark 16:15

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IT IS FINISHED

2011-03-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

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What powerful words those are, but do we actually comprehend the story behind them? The major missing link is truly receiving the unconditional love and acceptance of the Father. When we go to the Cross and still struggle with guilt and shame, it is a sign that we haven’t received God’s unconditional acceptance. If we had, the Cross would be as Jesus said, “It is finished.”

Until we understand this and receive the fact that God loves us enough to send His only begotten Son, accept His sacrificial death, and leave guilt and shame at the Cross, Christ will never be Lord to us. We have made our guilt, shame, and attitudes the lord of our lives. We want somehow to bear the guilt and shame ourselves. We punish ourselves to the point that we set ourselves up as our own atonement. We make ourselves out to be as God and in so doing we leave the Holy Spirit out of our lives as well.

God is not angry at us or keeping track of our sins. Every sin we have ever committed was already paid for by the finished work of the Cross. When we are sin-conscious, we are stepping back into the Law as if we had to cleanse ourselves. The Law made us aware of sin so much so that we feared every move we made and we developed a sin-consciousness.

First, God gave us the Law to maintain the Abrahamic blessings. This was the purpose of the Law. Israel then tried to secure God’s acceptance by earning it through keeping the Law. In the process they wanted to establish their own righteousness by works, which Galatians 2:16 tells us is impossible. This is the “Great Disconnect Theory.”

We are to look toward the New Covenant and not at the Law because Christ delivered us from the curse of the Law [1]. In other words, when Christ hung on the Cross, all the sin of the world was placed on Him. Christ drew all the judgment to Himself on the Cross and became our sin. Do you remember when Christ was on the Cross and He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do [2].” Even on the Cross dying, He was praying for us. Matthew 27:45 tells us that “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”

During this time, the sin of the world was placed on Christ. The Father is a holy and righteous God [3] and there is no sin in Him so He could not even look at His own Son and turned His face from Him. In verse 46, listen to what Jesus says now, “. . .Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” The Lord is not addressing His Father as Father, but as His God.

Romans 8:32 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Christ was and is “The Son of God” but addressed his Father as “His God” while separated from him in our place. Paul said, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid [4].”

We can therefore, because of the Cross, thank Jesus, not because of sin, but because of our righteousness through the Cross. Don’t get me wrong, we are immediately to ask forgiveness for our sin but we are to thank Jesus for covering our sin and leave the guilt and shame at the Cross. The Holy Spirit convicts us to righteousness not because of our sin [5]. Otherwise we’d feel condemned all the time. Christ came NOT to condemn the world but to save it [6]. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit [7].

The Father also separated Christ from Himself because the wages of sin is death [8] and the Father did not even spare His own Son because of His Word [9]. Although Christ did not sin, He became sin for us. Therefore, when we sin, God separates us from His presence as well. We are in good company. However, the Word says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [10].”

Is it any wonder that there is an identity crisis occurring in the body today? We have taken upon ourselves guilt and shame that doesn’t belong to us. We are under grace.

Can anyone out there relate to what it feels like when we can't feel the presence of God in our lives? It happened to me once. It was the blackest, darkest, ugliest, emptiest, most awful sick feeling I have ever had in my life. I felt like dying.

I had a spirit of unforgiveness on me once that God didn't like AT ALL. Forgiveness is the basis of our faith. I had that feeling for about a week until I finally came around. I NEVER want that feeling again.

Can you imagine then, what Christ went through on the Cross. He was physically a mess. He was beaten and marred beyond recognition and the full weight of His body hanging from spikes and ripping at His appendages. PLUS, the Father had separated from Him. I cannot EVEN come close to grasping what He felt.

Thank you Jesus and I thank you for dying for me in my place. Forgive me for all the guilt and shame that I have hung onto in the past. I thank you and worship you for your unconditional love for me.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword [11]? For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord [12].

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[1] Galatians 3:13
[2] Luke 23:34
[3] Psalms 99:5
[4] Romans 6:14, 15
[5] John 16:8-10
[6] John3:17
[7] Romans 8:1
[8] Romans 6:23
[9] Romans 8:32
[10] 1 John 1:9
[11] Romans 8:35
[12] Romans 8:38, 39

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RUNNING FROM GOD

2011-03-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

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Something happened yesterday that I am absolutely sick about.

To begin with, I am in the process of selling my house. My Realtor tells me that in order to show the house, it is best if there were no pets on the premise.

The second half of this equation is that my new residence does not accept pets, which means that “Bird” would have to go. Bird is what I named her. She gave me a lot of enjoyment and now I had to get rid of her.

I only had one requirement; it needed to be a good and responsible home and one where they would take care of her. I finally found a good home and they would be here momentarily to take possession. Along with Bird, came a large birdcage and five to six months worth of food. They came in a truck without a canopy, so we needed to put Bird in the cab.

We tilted the cage to squeeze it into the cab but unbeknownst to us, the cage door unsnapped and Bird flew out of the cage and into the cab of the truck. Before we could shut the truck door, Bird continued her flight out of the driver’s side window. All we could do was stand there and watch as the parakeet flew the length of the driveway, across the street, and out of sight.

There were many places to perch but it appeared that she couldn’t wait to leave and get to places unknown. She didn’t even look for a place to land. She just flew toward the horizon as fast as she could. What was up with that?

I never mistreated that bird. I fed her, watered her, and cleaned up after her. I covered her at night and uncovered her in the morning. I fellow-shipped with her during the day and particularly loved it when she, without warning, took flight for her two trips around the family room. She did that two or three times a day. And here she was, flapping her wings as fast as she could to get as far away from here as she could.

As sure as my name is Jim, I know that without my provision, Bird doesn’t stand a chance at survival. Escape meant death. Lost and afraid, she could freeze to death, starve to death, get scared to death, or some cat could make short order of her. This deeply saddens me. It is the closest I’ve been to tears since dad went to be with Jesus. I loved that bird--and now, she was gone.

Christ’s death on the Cross opened the door to the Father’s presence and I am sure that the Lord is also deeply saddened when we run away from Him and head for the horizon. Without God’s provision, we don’t stand a chance of survival. Our escape from His presence is death, and We are lost and afraid from out of His provision and love. If we remain in this condition for very long, the enemy will make short order of us as well.

Instead of flapping our wings and floundering before the serpent, we need to find our misplaced faith in the Cross and give guilt, shame, and fear the boot. Second Corinthians 10:5 says it best:

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. . .

Period!

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WHAT DID IT COST?

2011-02-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

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I'm sitting here with an idea that I've been thinking about for a while. The idea concerns a cost/value analysis that I was making about something that I wanted to buy. As God most often does, He reminded me that all truth was parallel that for every natural truth, there is an equal and corresponding spiritual truth. This is what got me to start thinking. I began searching my memory for things that I had purchased on which I placed a high value.

Bingo, bango, bongo, I remembered one. In 1980, I purchased a Geo GLC Sport. I loved that little car. It was fun to drive and could go 35 miles on one gallon of gas. If I remember right, I drove it off the lot for around $3500 and because that was a lot of money for me at the time, I gave it a high value. I washed that car every day and no one drove it but me. I religiously kept up the maintenance schedule and made no rabbit starts or hard stops. Maybe I should have gotten a birth certificate for that car instead of a title.

I could see where the Lord was going with this when it hit me. It would appear that people place a high value on something in terms of how much it cost them. The more it costs, the more they value the item. If it didn’t cost much, they are more inclined to treat it more carelessly. If the item breaks or is lost, no biggy, they’ll just go out and buy another one.

Just when I think I have God figured out, He surprises me. I heard in my spirit, until man can realize what it cost God to send His Son into the world to redeem and save mankind, he will never understand the value that He places on him by sending His Son to the Cross.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [1]

In biblical times the Law mandated that the father of the groom pay the Mohar, price [2] for the bride [3]. Actually, besides the Mohar there were two other prices paid for the bride. The groom paid the Mattan price [4] for his beloved. The Mattan was not mandatory but was an expression of his love for her. The father of the bride paid the Shiluhim to equip her for her new life and was a part of her inheritance [5]. It was her dowry.

Because the Father placed such a high value on Christ’s Bride, He sent His Son for her payment (Mohar). The higher the value, the higher the cost. Christ also placed a high value on His Bride for He willingly [6] went to the Cross and gave the ultimate price for her; His life (Mattan). How much more could He have given? Remember that the Mattan was not mandatory; it was an expression of love. Christ must love us very much to willingly lay down His life for us. As stated in John 3:16, the value placed on His bride was very high -- as was the cost. It cost God the Father His Son (Mohar) and it cost Christ His life (Mattan).

Have any of us really sat down and thought about what it cost God to give up the perfection that He had with us, to allow the fall and allow for everything else to happen, and to bring us into being a redeemed people, to be able to love God of our own volition.

Again, until man can realize what it cost God to purchase us with the life of His only Son, we will never know or understand the value that God places on us. If we do not seek God with love, obedience, and repentance, the judgment meted to us in the Garden of Eden will forever plague [7] us.

[1] John 3:16 KJV
[2] John 3:16; l Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18
[3] Romans 8:3, 4
[4] Eternal life, John 10:22-28; Ask for anything, John 14:13-14; Peace, John 14:27
[5] The Holy Spirit, John 14:16, 17; Spiritual Gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
[6] Romans 8:32; John 6:51; John 10:17, 18
[7] If Christ delivered us on the Cross, why does the judgment still plague us with sin and chaotic out of order living? Christ redeemed and saved us but if we don’t realize what it cost God and do not seek Him with obedience and forgiveness, the judgment will continue to plague us.

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A SPOON FULL OF SUGAR

2011-01-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

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I had my gun loaded, so I headed out for the bank. I'd spent the last two days getting my ammunition ready. Today was the day. I was sick and tired, frustrated, and angry.

I walked into the bank with my shoulders back and my neck as erect as I could manage. I wrinkled my forehead, pursed my lips, and gnashed my teeth. Now I am 6'2" and 250lbs. To most people, I probably presented myself as a pretty menacing figure. As I walked through the foyer, I could have sworn I heard some chuckling.

I looked around with my squinting eyes and noticed that the few people, who were there, did not even look my way. No one had a smile or was laughing. I stopped dead in my tracks when seven words subdued me. It wasn't a guard standing in front of me brandishing a nine millimeter or was it another man who was 6'4" and 265lbs with 15% body fat that stood in my way. It was the seven words that stopped me.

"Recompense to no man evil for evil."

The words caused every muscle in my upper body to go placid. I determined that it was the Lord who couldn't hold back the chuckle. I must have been a sight to Him as I walked into the bank looking like the Terminator. I had to laugh at myself.

Those seven words came from Romans 12:17 of the Holy Bible. The world has a similar thought, "A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down." Psalms 15:1 offers another avenue to take, "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." A soft answer indeed, can take the wind out of someone’s sails. It is up to us as believers to set the tone for civil communication.

The Lord blessed me with a calm spirit so I could resolve the issue that I had with the bank. It was a three-month ordeal that was very stressful for me. I had let the enemy control my attitude. I am not proud of that fact, but if it helps somebody, then I’m okay. The issue is resolved though and they have seen the error of their ways. (Yes, they were at fault.)

I will try harder in the future to keep my gun of communication and my ammunition of words under close scrutiny. (What do you think I meant? LOL) As long as the Lord keeps chuckling with (or at) me, I’ll be okay. Does anybody else suffer with my affliction?

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WHAT ABOUT MY CHILDREN?

2011-01-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

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I have been thinking a lot about where man is today. It’s one thing to be in church and hear prophecies about the end of the age and raising hands to God praising Him because He is in control, while I learned about things to come. It was quite another to live through those prophecies. The words spoken from the pulpit wasn’t just words anymore, this time, they were real. It attacked my faith and made me feel uncomfortable.

This country has been my home for all of my 66 years and in my lifetime, I have seen many changes, changes that have hurt us but made us stronger as a nation and a people with a lot of determination and resilience. I have lived through the Second World War, the Korean War, the removal of prayer in school, the assassination of a President, Vietnam, the Gulf war, 9-11, and numerous other events. Now socialism was knocking on the door through corrupt leadership. I wasn’t just hearing about Matthew 24, I was living through it.

I felt torn and began to somewhat question my faith [James 1:3]. Was God really in control? Satan was aligning his forces for a final assault on the Kingdom of God and He appeared to be winning [Psalms 37:12-17].

Should I fight what’s happening in the world today? If I did, would I be fighting against the sovereign will of God. I just knew that I loved the Lord but I also love and have pride in my country and the heritage the Founders gave me. I wondered, is this what the Bible meant when it said that pride cometh before the fall [Proverbs 16:18]. I only knew that there was no doubt that the world today was in a mess and that man was totally depraved.

I said, “Lord, what about my children? What’s to become of them? Look what the world is doing to them with all the indoctrination, stealing their future, and stealing their freedom.” Have you ever said something and as soon as you said it, realized the folly of it? I heard in my spirit, “Look what they did to My Son.”

Am I alone in my thoughts?

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MANY TEARS

2010-10-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

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Part Three

I am sitting outside here at StarBucks trying to get started on this third and final segment of Many Tears. The sky is overcast and it’s raining. Sorry Lord, it’s sort of a dismal day. Yes, I hear you God, it is a day that you have made; rejoice and be glad in it. I do rejoice Lord, but if I had my druthers. . .

As the Lord and I exchanged thoughts, He spoke to my hidden disappointment, “Not every day is filled with sunshine.” He continued to elaborate. I have filled my Word with sunshine, but I have also put in some rainy days as well. You have to take the bad with the good. I have held back nothing from my children, and neither did my servant Paul. It is all for your edification, encouragement, and instruction.

When the Lord said that He held back nothing, it all came into perspective, what He was trying to communicate to me on this rainy, dark, and cloudy day. It was as if He made it rain just for me to teach me something. So, for all you fellow sunshine lovers, I guess the rain is my fault.

Anyway, I am studying Acts 20:17-27 and verse 20 came to the forefront as I sit here reflecting on the text. Like Paul, when we share the Gospel, we should hold back nothing. However, as did Paul, we should share it over time [1] and not all at once by beating them up with the Amplified Bible. My next blog will be Rules of Engagement.

HOLD BACK NOTHING

In verse 20, Paul held back nothing. It has been my experience that some will accept it. . .and some won’t. However, it is not up to me to argue God’s truth, but only to give it, straight from God’s Word, and leave the convicting to the Holy Spirit. We only need to remember three words in the process: Love, nurture, and encouragement.

Paul told the Ephesians everything on God’s mind and heart, whether they hated him for it or not. What he told them may sometimes have been a little rain in their life but it was still profitable for their instruction and straight from the throne room of God. It was not Paul’s responsibility, nor is it mine, to decide for the people and/or the possible convert.

I learned something else from Acts 20:20 and that is, Paul did not let anything or anyone silence him with respect to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and neither should I. Paul held nothing back in this regard and he died for that mindset.

For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. [2]

Although Paul was addressing the pastors in Acts 20, just remember our position. We are also an ordained royal priesthood to the glory of God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord and by the power of the Holy Spirit. God has called all of us to go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel [3].

SHOW AND TELL

Paul’s life changed dramatically on the road to Damascus. His conversion was the ultimate “show me.” The Lord came in a great light and voice. After that experience, Paul lived an exemplary life. He went from the great persecutor of Christians to writing two-thirds of the New Testament and bringing thousands into the Kingdom of God.

Paul led by example and didn’t just teach the people but showed them how to live a righteous life. Paul went from house to house showing them by actions and by showing (teaching) them through Scripture and the meaning of same [4].

We might be the only Bible that someone might see, so before I try and teach others how to live, I’d better show them first. They will be able to see what a transformed life looks like. I need to show and do before I can teach others. Otherwise, I am a hypocrite in my faith. This is why Paul taught Acts 20:20b with the words “showed and taught” in the proper order. People might not always believe what you say, but they’ll always believe what you do.

Acts 20:21 presents the Gospel in a nutshell,

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, hold back nothing and don’t let a little rain in your day ruin it. God works out all things together for those who love Him [5]. Let's get busy and take as many with us as we can into the Kingdom. Now we know how.

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[1] Acts 20:18
[2] Ephesians 20:27
[3] Mark 16:15
[4] In Paul’s day, many houses were churches
[5] Romans 8:28

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MANY TEARS

2010-09-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

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Part two

Fifty-seven years ago, I was dying in my sins, until a little Baptist pastor sat me down and led me to Jesus Christ. I loved going to church and to Sunday school. I even went to Wednesday night crafts. I was 10 years old at the time. Everybody thought I was going to be a pastor when I grew up.

Four years later I started high school. Well I grew up in high school alright, and let peer pressure talk me out of sharing the Gospel. It was not their fault but mine, for not sticking with my guns. There is a saying that says, “Get out of the way and let God.” Well, I got out of the way all right but I forgot about the let God part. I have to take responsibility for much blood because of my lack of evangelism in my life. I refer you to the first Scripture of this three part series, Mark 16:15:

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Remember also John 15:16

". . .but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. . ."

I’d misplaced the ordination of Christ. When I did try and lead someone to Christ, I did it the wrong way. I ended up beating them up with the Bible. Oh, my heart was in the right place but my approach was a little Levitical in nature. I wish I would have taken Paul’s advice in Acts 20:19-21 instead of following John’s in your face approach. God anointed John to be that way. God anointed most of us to be like Paul, compassionate, understanding, full of love, forthright, and serving the Lord in everything.

SERVING GOD

Last week we got a glimpse of serving God. We need to know who God is to us and know why we serve HIM. That is number one and of the utmost importance. It was the first thing that Paul mentioned. When approaching others about the Gospel, remember that Christ wants to shine and work through us. This is where the serving comes in handy, not just being a friend of HIS. I want to be a bond slave (sold out) to Jesus Christ.

I serve Jesus, yes I do.
I serve Jesus, how about you-u-u?

HUMILITY OF MIND

Paul says to lift up the Lord for we are HIS body. Spiritually, the Lord literally sits on our shoulders. When I approach someone with the intent of sharing the Gospel, do people see me or the Lord? How am I acting? What is my countenance? Am I soft and compassionate? Am I forthright but mellow? The head guides, teaches, and tells us what to do and how to act. By using the words humility of mind, Paul is saying to esteem others and not self. Esteeming self is prideful.

We might be the only Bible someone might see. I do not want to beat them up with it anymore. When I approach anyone I just listen a lot and then tell my testimony. If I can tell them what God has done for me instead of telling them how God feels about a certain sin (one that they may have or confess), then they are more receptive. Now, I let God convict their heart. Christ called me to bring them to HIM, nothing more, and nothing less. I refer to Mark 16:15.

MANY TEARS

Paul’s emotions were very high when he spoke about Christ and preaching the Gospel. He had many tears toward the lost condition of mankind. He had a broken and contrite heart. Paul never laughed at any sin but developed tears over the people because he knew that they were dying in those sins.

Paul’s point, many tears, prompted the title and motivation of this three part blog series. Unless we develop tears over the lost and dying condition of mankind, it will be a sad commentary for history’s reflection and for our souls. Genesis 6:3 says that God will not always strive with man.

TEMPTATIONS, WHICH BEFELL ME

The Jewish people laid in wait to trap Paul constantly. He had to be on the guard at all times but he obeyed and followed the Lord everywhere HE told him to go. Paul never gave up no matter what the temptation was to not go or worry about what lay in store for him. He stayed the course and ran his race. It didn’t matter what the people thought as long as he was serving the Lord. Paul knew who and why he was serving God. It's what motivated him. We can never go wrong by serving and following the Lord.

A pastor once told me a very profound story about his dog. He was trying to teach his dog “Charlie” to be obedient and the meaning of the word “No.” He would lay down the dog’s favorite toy or piece of food and when the dog was tempted and went for it, the pastor would say “No.” Eventually, after a few lessons, reprimands, and a well placed "No," Charlie would come to a halt and look at his master and didn't take his eyes off of him. The pastor said that the dog was smarter than most humans in that the dog continued to look at him until he got the okay to go get what he wanted.

We all would probably do well to emulate Charlie’s behavior. When the enemy tempts us, coming to a halt would be a prudent plan of action. Immediately look to our master and not take our eyes off of HIM until the temptation abates. Wait until HE either gives the okay or still says “No.” Instead of a fifth grader, we too can be smarter than a dog.

Next week, I’ll discuss the final three points of Paul’s encouragement: [1] Keep back nothing, [2] Showed you, and [3] Taught you publicly. Paul was a tremendous man of God. Oh, but to have known him personally. At least we have his story, exploits, and teaching via the Holy Spirit. See you next week. God bless.

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MANY TEARS

2010-09-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

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Part One: Serving the Lord

There is a time coming when God will wipe away all the tears, all things will be reconciled, and the lamb will lay down with the lion. Human government will be over and the reign of Jesus Christ will begin. The fields are white unto salvation.

Before Jesus ascended, HE gave us only one thing to do, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature [1]." What an awesome responsibility. Man does not first have to ordain us to preach the Gospel because Christ said in John 15:16, "but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. . ."

Christ Himself has ordained us in the affairs of the Kingdom and HIS thoughts were that the fruit of our ordination would remain for many generations to come.

Luke’s second volume of Acts shows us how the early church coped with the pagans, Jewish thought, the Roman Government, and a Hellenistic society. The book of Acts still holds true today as a guide to Christian defenses, history, and for the purpose of conversion.

We can learn a great lesson from Paul about conversion as he speaks to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20:19-21 [2].

Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul sought to bypass Ephesus because he wanted to get to Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. So. . .from Miletus he sent word to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church (v17).

When they came unto Paul, he reminded them of the manner in which he preached to them in all seasons past (v18), and gave them seven attributes for not only their benefit and use, but for the furtherance of the Gospel for then and for the times to come [3].

Serving the Lord

The first thing that Paul said was that he always came to them serving the Lord. Those three words made me stop and think, What does it mean to serve the Lord? Who is it that I serve, and why do I serve HIM?

I would imagine that each of you out there is thinking that it is irrelevant why I serve the Lord. So, the question then becomes, who is the Lord to you and why do you serve HIM? We have to ask ourselves these and many other questions concerning whom God is to us and why we serve HIM.

In my quest to answer for myself I learned that the Greek word for "serving" is douleuo (doo-loo’- o), which means to be a slave or to be in bondage either literally or figuratively. The Bible uses the same form of the Greek word when saying "servant" in Romans 1:1.

In biblical times, it was customary for the owner of a slave, after seven-years, to release them from bondage. They were free to go. However, many slaves continued to serve their masters because of his kindness and fairness. The slaves stayed because of their love for their masters. Therefore, I am a bond slave to Jesus Christ.

So. . .who is the Lord to us? Why do we serve HIM?

The answers to these all-important questions will dictate our attitude toward those with whom we approach with the Gospel. Who and why we serve God should be very apparent. Like Paul, if the authorities arrested us for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict us.

Next week I’ll discuss the remaining six attributes of Paul’s manner with which he presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ and HIM crucified wherever he preached.

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[1] The word creature refers to man. John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible has it as meaning "men" in accordance with many Jewish writings (i.e. gentiles and/or offspring’s of Adam etc).
[2] Luke probably wrote the Book of Acts while Paul was in prison and told of his many exploits.
[3] 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

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SIGNS OF A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

2010-09-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

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I have a passion for writing and sharing God’s Word with everyone. I love His Word. God has opened a few doors for me in my writing by placing a number of professional writing mentors in my path and they have helped me tremendously in my writing growth. Thank you Jesus.

It is very hard to keep silent when one can discern things when reading God’s Word. I don’t mean to imply that I see everything or profess to hold the office of the prophet, because I don’t. However, I have such a desire in my heart to reach out to the body that I feel compelled to teach and share what I have learned over my lifetime. I have been a student of the Bible, off and on, for over 50 years.

There are many people, let alone Christians, who are hurting and bound in any number of ways. Some are fresh converts and do not know the Bible that well. According to many Christians, Christ is still up on the Cross or we have put Him up there again by our actions or beliefs. I know that I have and continue to do so daily. Forgive me Lord. Help my unbelief. My heart goes out to these hurting people especially in these days.

In the process, my writing reflects what we need to do to be victorious “in Christ.” However, when I use statements like, we should, we have to, or we need to, I end up talking down to the reader. Without meaning to, it elevates my status above them. Sometimes my heart gets ahead of my pen. I want to give my readers their brains back and stop thinking for them. So, I am trying hard to eliminate the “superior writing” style.

The second sign of a religious spirit is: When leadership style is bossy, overbearing, and intolerant of the weakness or failure of others. By using should, have, and need to statements, I believe that my writing becomes a little like each of these traits, maybe not in the strongest sense of the word in which it infers but nonetheless, it does.

When we disseminate our writing, we are setting ourselves up in a leadership position, whether that is the intent or not. It is a huge responsibility. Therefore, we had better be as right as we can and then let the reader think for themselves. God will hold us accountable for their blood.

It would appear that I suffered from another religious spirit. God was teaching me more about myself in my writing, than I was while trying to teach others through my writing. God has a good sense of humor.

Again, my manual called this style “superior writing,” and here is an example from my second book of what they meant by this term. The first example is the original paragraph.

. . .

It is another thing to speak to identities “in Christ.” Our identities, destinies, and our perceived significance to God, are very important aspects of our personal and spiritual make-up. The body needs to get back to the basics. If we are ever to become a world in order, we need to understand these three aspects of our psyche. So. . .what is the definition of identity?

I edited this paragraph to read:

. . .

It is another thing to speak to who we are “in Christ.” Our identities, destinies, and our perceived significance to God, are very important aspects of our personal and spiritual make-up. Every time I revisit basics, they teach me something new and I remember something that the Holy Spirit is trying to impress on me at the time, to which I say, thank you Lord. Basics are foundational and our foundation is Christ Himself. If we are ever to become a world in order, it is crucial to understand these three aspects of our psyche. Therefore. . what is the definition of identity?

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. (James 3:17,18)

When we write, peace, gentleness, mercy, impartiality, and humility are good objectives to adopt, for . . .the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. I have endeavored to remove most statements containing the words “we should, we need,” and “we have to.” There will be an occasion to use these words but we’ll know when that time will be. I pray that this has helped you in your writing presentation.

As a good writing friend of mine once said, ". . .the challenge to good writing is the writer's ability to get out of the way and let God's Spirit move the reader to a conclusion." To this I would add, that every peace should espouse hope, encouragement, and that they can make it.

Instead of telling the reader what to do, I try to tell them about the benefits of what I am asking them to do. In other words, instead of saying something like, "We need to get back to basics." I say something like, "Basics are foundational to our faith, and Christ is our foundation." Or something like, "Basics can benefit us all." Or, "Every time I revisit basics, I learn something new or remember something that the Holy Spirit is trying to impress on me at the time, to which I say, thank you Lord."

God bless you all in your writing and in your walk with the Lord. Again, you can find a list of religious spirits and a test at my Website: http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/free.htm

I heard a message the other day in a new church I tried out last Sunday. I love the pastor and his presentation. I may have found a new church home. It was a great message. He said that we should pass it around and preach it ourselves. So. . .next week, we’ll look into the Book of Acts. It is a pertinent message for this day and concerns the tools needed for the furtherance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

SIGNS OF A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

2010-09-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

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Recently, I graduated from a journeyman’s level writing class at CWG (Christian Writers Guild) out of Colorado. They taught me more than this old brain could remember all at once. Although I did well, I will still be visiting my manuals frequently for the next several months [1].

In retrospect, I consistently had trouble in a couple areas. It wasn’t intentional but I just couldn’t seem to break out of the habit. The manual called it “superior writing,” and that does not mean that I write better than anybody else. Not even close. I would eventually learn that I had a little more than a writing problem.

During the year that I attended my journeyman’s classes, I had my mentor critique an article of mine. I'll paraphrase our comments from memory. When I received the article back, one of the things she wrote to me was: “You do not have any references from other sources. You used many Scriptural references, and that’s a good thing, but you have no other references.”

I replied to her, “Why would I use man’s references to give credibility to God’s Word? He is the ultimate, definitive, and final word to all things.” I was unprepared for the answer. She wrote, “You are absolutely correct, God is the final word on everything but when you don’t use other references, it makes you sound like you and God are the only ones with the answer.” Ouch! She was right.

The first sign of a religious spirit is: a philosophy that will not listen to man, but will “only listen to God.” [2]

After reading her reply and once I got off of the floor from cringing, I started seeking a solution to my problem. I had a religious spirit. I still struggle somewhat trying to correct it but I am getting better and incorporating other references from man.

Since God usually speaks through man, this philosophy is an obvious delusion, and reveals spiritual pride. This creates an elitism if you will, and makes us live separately from the body [3]. Boy did I blow it. My heart was in the right place, however. The enemy is real subtle and is very sneaky.

Also, God does nothing lest he first reveals it to His prophets [4]. This Scripture also talks about those who fear Him and serve Him, as well as the prophets [5]. I do not hold the office of the prophet but we all prophesy in part [6]. So the body that jointly fits together can receive from the head, which is Jesus Christ.

By using other references in my writing, my readers see that I am not shoving God’s Word down their throat or using God’s Word to justify my own interpretations, biases, or ideas. I am using the body to be jointly fit together with Christ as the head. Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus.

We are all subject to religious spirits to some degree. Those who are completely free of religious spirits should have already been like Enoch - translated.

Religious spirits are the most destructive spirits in Satan’s arsenal. There are about 20-25 signs of having a religious spirit. Other stages and traits also exist, among which are pride, fear, and legalism, but I surmise that the aforementioned will keep us busy for quite some time. However, you may even know of more.

We all have probably battled most of them at one time or the other. The idea is to be cognizant of the problem and adjust ourselves accordingly.

I am taking one more sign from the list and sharing it with you next week. I had another problem in my writing. I am also enclosing a link to my Website for a free download for the others. This same link will contain a religious spirit test.

I wish you well in your battle, but know that I will be battling right alongside of you in the spirit. (In the spirit that God created, not the one the enemy created.)

God bless you all and I’ll see you next week when we discuss the second sign of a religious spirit.

<> <> <>

Signs of a Religious Spirit A link to my Website for this and many other freebies.

[1] If you are a writer and are serious about the same, I highly recommend CWG to you. They have a tremendous teaching and critiquing staff. I received the best critique I have ever had through their critiquing service. Bar none.
[2] The list of “Signs of a religious spirit” came from Rick Joyner and also Morningstar Teaching notes.
[3] Ephesians 4:1-16
[4] Amos 3:7
[5] John Gills exposition of the entire Bible
[6] 1 Corinthians 13:9

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END OF THE AGE TIMELINE

2010-08-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

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I hope that these two series of blogs have sparked you into looking deeper at the end times and the soon coming Lord Jesus Christ. He is coming soon for a spirit-filled and prepared Bride [1]. Everything points to that moment when He touches down on the Mount of Olives. A Bride for Christ is the reason for which He created us [2].

These two series have just been an overview of the end of the age. However, many Scriptures prophesy about this time in history. Remember though, God says that we will not know the day or the hour of His coming [3] but we will know at the door. As I write this, that doorknob is slowly turning.

Sixth Trumpet War

Although Christ’s return is right around the corner, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that have to happen yet. It is my opinion that one of two things will happen next: either the sixth trumpet war [4] or the peace treaty with Israel [5]. However, I believe that it will be very hard to create and implement a peace treaty with Israel and then start a war that the Bible says will kill one-third of mankind.

The “Great War” (WWI) killed 8.2 million people. In 6000 years of world history, there has never been a war that killed one million people. In WWII, a staggering 52 million people died. When God releases the four angels from the Euphrates River [6], their army will kill (are you sitting down?) 2.2 Billion people (one-third of mankind). That’s billion with a “B.”

This war will be nuclear. How can it not be and have that many people die? Only three nations could produce a two-hundred thousand thousand (200 Million) man army: China, India, and the Muslim nations.

No one knows the trigger that will start the sixth trumpet war (WWIII). However, many believe that we are already in that war. President George W. Bush said that, “. . .the revolt of the passengers of Flight 93 was the first counter attack of WWIII.” You can find the six trumpet war in Revelation nine.

The Rapture

The rapture (Greek word harpazo meaning caught up or taken away suddenly) will depend on if we have a pre, mid, or post rapture. This will dictate whether we (believers) will even have to go through the tribulation or not. So, it may be academic. I believe in a pre-tribulation event, both in my heart and scripturally.

In my heart, I cannot believe that Christ would say to us, “You have followed my commandments and obeyed my precepts to the best of your ability. You have loved me with all your heart and have won many souls to me and the Kingdom. For your reward, I am going to make you go through the most horrifying time in world history.” [7]

Peace treaty

Providing that the sixth-trumpet war happens first, the next event will be the seven-year peace treaty with Israel. The Bible calls it the confirmation of the covenant. When they sign this treaty, it will be the beginning of the final seven years of human government. The first three and a half years after the signing will be a time that will build up to the tribulation.

The Great Tribulation

During the first three and a half years, after the signing of the peace treaty, Israel will rebuild the Temple and will, once again, begin animal sacrifices. At the end of that three and a half year period, the Antichrist will reveal himself by standing in the Temple and order that the oblations stop, no doubt due to the pressure from the animal-rights activists.

The Antichrist then breaks the covenant. The Bible calls this the abomination of desolation and you can find it in Revelation 10. The Antichrist will implement the mark of the beast during this three and one half year period. (Revelation 11.)

When the Antichrist stands in the Temple and declares himself the ultimate authority, it will mark the beginning of the great tribulation, which will be for another three and a half years. For those who believe in a seven-year tribulation, I wouldn’t even try and talk you out of it. However, the Bible teaches a three and a half year tribulation [8].

Armageddon and the 1000 Year Reign of Christ

The last trump will be when Jesus returns, Revelation 11:15.

Following the tribulation, the world will war with Israel [9]. This is the battle of Armageddon. Christ will then burst through the clouds with the called, the chosen, and the faithful [10]. If you are not with Him, you have missed the rapture.

Then the world will war with Christ, which will be an exercise in futility [11]. It will be no contest and Christ will throw the Antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire [12].

Then the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ [13] and we will live with Him forever. Hallelujah!

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Epilogue

Remember what Christ said in the Olivet Discourse, verse 34, "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." The first obvious question would be, "How long is a generation?" The Bible gives us three answers. Numbers 32:13 says that a generation is 40 years, while Psalms 90:10 declares it to be 70 years. However, Genesis 6:3 teaches that a generation is 120 years. So which one is it? I have no idea and neither does anybody else and so the Scripture Matthew 25:13.

All we know is that the reference point is when Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. So, according to the Bible, it could happen as early as 1988, (which is already passed), and as late as 2068. If it is 70 years then it will all take place before 2018. I am a 70 year believer. Things are happening too fast for it not to be. However,

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only.

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[1] Matthew 25:1-11. Parable of the ten virgins. Oil always represents the Holy Spirit. The lamp is symbolic of our physical temple (body). [2] Ephesians 1:9-11 [3] Matthew 24:42 [4] Revelation 9:14 [5] Daniel 9:27 [6] Revelation 9:14 [7] God wouldn’t destroy the people by flood until Noah and his family was on board the Ark. God said in Genesis 19:22, “Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.” God spoke this to Lot before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Revelation 3:10 says, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." The “word of My patience” is the Word of God and “from the hour of temptation” is the tribulation period. This three and a half year period, referred to in the Old Testament, is The Time of Jacob's Trouble of Jeremiah 30:7-11. There are more Scriptures but you get the drift. [8] 1. Daniel 7:25, Time equals one year; times equals two years, and half a time equals six months. Total equals three and a half years. 2. Revelation 13:5, 42 months equals three and a half years. 3. Revelation 12:6. 1260 days equals three and a half years. 4. Matthew 24:15, 21, Jesus even said in the last discourse of Matthew that when you see the abomination of desolation, then will tribulation come as never before. 5. Daniel 12:1, 2, 6, 7, V7 says time, times, and half a time once again (three and a half years). Then the tribulation will be finished. [9] Zechariah 14:2 [10] Revelation 17:14 [11] Zechariah 14:3 [12] Revelation 19:20 [13] Revelation 20:6

If there is something you’d like to read about scripturally or maybe about the end times, please feel free to ask through a comment and I’ll write about it. I don’t have all the answers, but I will do my best to research the question. At the very least, you will have food for thought and appetizers for further study.

There are many things in these series’ that I haven’t had the room to write about, I.E. trumpets, seals, Antichrist, false prophet, Abomination of Desolation, oblations, Armageddon, 1000 year reign of Christ (the millenium), and much much more. Have fun studying the end of the age and the best part - the return of Jesus Christ for His Bride - us.

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NOTHING BUT LEAVES

2010-07-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

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When I look out over the yard and see all the leaves that I need to rake, it saddens me, but probably not for the same reason you may be thinking. A little work never hurt anybody, the least of which myself, with such a big middle.

God continually shows me that all truth is parallel. Most always, He shows me this through nature, which He created in the first place. So every time I see a leaf on the ground, I think of a lost soul; a leaf that had budded on the branch but ended up on the ground anyway.

Did that branch shake to the point that the leaf fell off or did it just wither, die, and then brake off in the wind. Nonetheless, there it lies. I immediately thought of Israel when they missed their time of first visitation by Jesus.

THE FIG TREE

Now that we have the nations identified that will be in existence when Christ comes, it begs the question, are we, in fact, in the end times. . .or not? These nations are over two and three hundred years old. Well, Jesus has the answer. (Are you surprised?) All end time prophecy depends on one Scripture, which we can find in the Olivet Discourse, a part of which is Matthew 24:32.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. . .

Most Christians know that when Jesus [1] talks about the fig tree, He is talking about Israel. The subject of this blog is a lot deeper than we have room for here but a short recap of the fig tree is in order to be able to understand the prophecy.

The fig tree produces not only one but two harvests. The first crop, known as the breba crop, grows on the branch of the previous season. The second harvest is the main crop. The first crop produced by the branch is symbolic of the harvest of the church. Since Israel missed the first visitation, Jesus turned to the gentiles as Simeon says in Acts 15:14. Israel produces the righteous Branch alright, but the first crop of good figs [2] has been cultivated from the nations of the rest of the world (gentiles).

Jeremiah prophesied that Israel would be fruitless at the time of their first visitation and would lose their land [3].

Returning to the fig tree of Matthew 24:32, we find that God promised to restore a kingdom to the good figs (Israel) and He sent forth His Branch (Jesus) and while still tender, this Branch would be cut off (killed).

However, the Branch would sprout leaves (the church, a grafting to the Branch). The fig tree (Israel) would then re-bud (Putting forth leaves) and the second crop of good figs would be harvested (Israel’s salvation). Right now there is nothing but leaves. However, there IS coming - the main and second crop. . .hallelujah!

TIMELINE

The Old Testament prophet, Hosea, prophesied the very length of Israel’s seasonal re-budding in chapter six and verses one and two.

Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Remember now that this is talking about God’s timing, which we find in 2 Peter 3:8,

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

It has been two-thousand years since the Cross and the dispersion of Israel [4]. Remember that Israel came home though, and became a nation on May 14, 1948. Israel has not been a nation since hundreds of years before Christ. Yet listen to Matthew 24:33, 34:

So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Of course, all this things that verse 34 talks about is the preceding verses of pestilence, famine, earthquakes, wars, and rumors of wars. Read Matthew 24, the Olivet Discourse.

Now, maybe the teaching on Daniel two and seven and other end time prophecies will come into play. We all need to keep our eyes on Israel. Israel is the key to everything. Always has been, always will be. Jesus’ very death and resurrection served as a paradigm for the re-budding of the fig tree, which is Israel [5].

Come Lord Jesus, come [6].

* * *

What do we know now? We know that 2000 years after the Cross, Christ will return at the second harvest of the fig tree (when Israel comes back home from their second dispersion, and begins to bud). We know that Israel became a nation in 1948 and Christ Himself says that this generation will see the return of Jesus Christ, given the Olivet Discourse parameters. How do we know this? Because of the nations that will be in existence during that time. Everything is coming together folks. Let me ask again, "Are we in the last days?" I do not see how we can answer "No."

Next week we will look at a possible time line of events that need to happen before the 1000 year reign of Christ. There is a lot to happen yet before that time.

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1. And the Word, because Jesus is the Word
2. Read Jeremiah 24:5-7
3. Jeremiah 8:13. Also read Mark 11:12-14.
4. Diaspora
5. God’s elect and chosen people. Deuteronomy 7:6
6. Revelation 22:20

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BEAST NUMBER FOUR OF DANIEL SEVEN

2010-07-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

Part Four

The fourth and final beast of Daniel Seven was unlike anything he had ever seen. These visions really bothered Daniel greatly [1] and I can only imagine what the poor guy must have thought and what went through his mind when he witnessed beast number four.

Lions, bears, and leopards are bad enough but a ten-horned beast with iron teeth? WOE! This reminds me of another dream that Dorothy had a few years ago; “Lions and tigers and bears. . .oh my.” Anyway, back to Daniel seven.

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns [2].

Ten Horned Beast

As we can see, the beast's dominate feature was 10 horns. So. . .what do the 10 horns represent and who is beast number four? Remember though, that beasts always represent nations or kingdoms and the rulers of those nations. They must also be in existence at the time of the second-coming of Jesus Christ.

Again, we do not have to guess because the Bible explains to us what they are. This beast represents one kingdom but with 10 kings, a confederation or alliance if you will.

And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings [3].

The Antichrist

The fourth beast is the dictator of the last days and 10 kings will subjugate themselves to the power of that dictator, which is the Antichrist. The little horn will arise from the 10 and subdue three kings. We can learn more about this in Revelation 17:12.

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast [4].

The hour spoken of in verse 12 is not 60 minutes but a figure of speech meaning, a very short time. This confederation will serve the Antichrist until Jesus touches down on the Mount of Olives at which time they will make war with the Lamb of God. We know this because of Revelation 17:13, 14.

These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful [5].

Armageddon

This will be the Battle of Armageddon and the end of the age. Now this will not be the end of time like some are afraid of, but will be the end of human government and the beginning of the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ.

This is very important! Quite frankly, everybody wants to take note of the last part of Revelation 17:14 when it says. . . and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. If you are not with Him that means that you have missed the rapture. Now everybody is called because the Bible says that time and chance happens to all. But when Christ calls, you must choose to follow Him and make Him the Lord of your life. The word faithful here, means even unto death.

The Holy Roman Empire

One more thing about the end times scheme of things. Let’s go back to Daniel, only this time to chapter two and verse 44, which says:

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

This is at the end of the image prophecy, which is the head of gold; arms and chest of silver; belly and thighs of brass; legs of iron, and the feet and toes of iron mingled with clay. The legs of iron represent the Roman Empire but the feet and toes represent the Holy Roman Empire of around 800 AD.

The prophecy of Daniel two is the exact same prophecy of Daniel seven only with different symbols, toes vs horns. Since the European Union will exist in the last days before Christ’s return, we know that this will be the revival of the Holy Roman Empire spoken of in Daniel chapter two.

The Great Tribulation

The Holy Roman Empire is being built right now as we speak. Out of those 10 nations, the Antichrist and the false prophet will emerge. The Antichrist will uproot (subdue) three kings. This will give us a hint as to who he is. However, he will be revealed when he stands on the Temple Mount and causes the oblations to cease [6] and declares that he is the highest authority and the one in charge and in control. The Bible tells us the Antichrist declares that he is God.

Starting at that time will be great tribulation as the world has never seen or will ever see again [7]. The tribulation will last for three and one-half years and then Christ comes [8].

Daniel 7:21, 22 speaks of the great tribulation and Daniel 7:23 speaks of the one world government or world governance. We can learn more about that in Revelation 13. I have covered this somewhat in the three previous blogs before this series. If you haven’t read them, I invite you to do so. I not only give the problem, but I have some solutions for that time ahead of us.

That was the bad news.

You can find the good news in Daniel 7:27 [9].

The Second-Coming of Christ

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

How will this happen? Again, the Bible tells us.

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city [10].

All nations will come against Israel and when it seems totally hopeless for them, Christ will burst through the clouds with a shout, with the trump of God, and with all the saints. It will be over for the Antichrist and the false prophet who will end up in the Lake of Fire. Human government will end and the thousand year reign of Christ and His saints will begin.

Come Lord Jesus, come.

HALLELUJAH!!!

* * *

There are different interpretations of the symbols of Daniel seven and some you can immediately discount. However, you can judge them all (including this interpretation) by the criteria with which we have learned in these four blogs [11] and that is, 1) beasts always represent nations or kingdoms and the kings or rulers of those nations or kingdoms and 2) by context, they all must exist at the time of Christ’s return.

Point of interest though: since the nations of all these viable interpretations (again, including this one), have been in existence for over two to three hundred years or so, how do we justify or equate this fact in terms of being in the end times and the second-coming of Jesus Christ? Are we in the end time. . .or not!?

NOTE: All endtime prophecy hinges on one Scripture, and we will discuss that Scripture next week.

Thanks for stopping by.
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[1] Daniel 7:15, 28
[2] Daniel 7:7
[3] Daniel 7:24
[4] Revelation 17:12
[5] Revelation 17:13, 14
[6] Animal sacrifices
[7] Matthew 24:21
[8] The peace treaty with Israel marks the beginning of the last seven years of human government.
[9] Many other places as well, but we are studying Daniel seven right now.
[10] Zechariah 14:2
[11] I have taken these blogs and paraphrased them from my notes of a video of Irvin Baxter’s Endtime Prophecy ministry. I believe he has nailed the times in which we live, spot on. But. . .time will tell.

IS JESUS COMING SOON? Part Three

2010-07-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

BEASTS TWO AND THREE OF DANIEL SEVEN

The remaining beasts of Daniel seven are the bear, the leopard, and the ten-horn beast. We will briefly go over the bear and leopard this time and then next week we will look at the ten-horn beast.

Remember, however, that beasts always represent kings, kingdoms, or nations and they must be in existence at the return of Jesus Christ. We know this by the context of Daniel’s seventh chapter prophecy.

Twenty-five hundred years ago through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Daniel saw that Great Britain and the United States of America would be two of those nations in existence at the time of the second-coming of Jesus Christ. Let’s look at two of the other beasts now and see if they make sense to you.

BEAST NUMBER TWO: The Bear
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

Since Daniel 8:20, 21 says that the ram is Media-Persia and the he-goat is Greece, then the interpreters of Daniel chapter seven must be mistaken. Again, God picked symbols that the people living in the end-times could understand.

So. . .is there a nation today whose symbol is the bear? In fact, the bear is the official symbol of Russia and has been since the 17th century. So far, so good. We have identified two beasts, the lion and the bear, who are in existence today. We’re half way there.

BEAST NUMBER THREE: The Leopard
The third beast is the leopard. WOW! What’s with the four heads? The lion – one head, the eagle – one head, the bear – one head, but the leopard – four heads? What’s up with that?

After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

Before we look at the multiple heads, let’s see if there first is a nation whose symbol is the leopard. Then we can try and figure out what the four heads are all about. It may be academic if we can’t find one. However, it just so happens that the national symbol of Germany is the leopard.

FOUR HEADS?
Okay. . .so what about the four heads? Remember now that a beast represents a king, kingdom, or nation. A beast with multiple heads means the amount of times that that nation has risen and fallen. As it turns out, Germany has had the First Reich, the Second Reich, Hitler’s famous Third Reich, and the Fourth Reich [1], which is now growing very fast.

THE WINGS OF A FOWL
The eagle’s wings on the lion had significance so the wings of the fowl on the leopard must have some importance as well. Is there a nation who has the symbol of a fowl? You are way ahead of me on this one. The national symbol of France is the rooster. However, how does this help us in determining any significance to Germany or not, especially in terms of the end times?

DOMINION
Shortly after WWII, France and Germany worked together to rebuild Europe. Chancellor Adenauer and Charles deGaulle signed the Franco-German Alliance and together built the E.U. (European Union.) I don’t know about you, but that’s enough for me.

The last part of verse six says. . .and dominion was given to it. What does that mean? Let’s look at history.

Franco-German War 1870
WWI 1914-1918
WWII 1939-1945

What do these three wars have in common? Well, Germany plotted, planned, and started all three of them. In a Newsweek article, The German Malady, dated April 9, 1984, it said this:

Since the time of Charlemagne [2], the area that is now Germany has been the pivot of European history. In the past 120 years, the Germans have dominated Europe intellectually, industriously, and militarily.

Check out the word “dominated.” . . .and dominion was given to it.

Next time, we will look at the ten-horn beast.

Footnotes
[1] There is a book authored by an American called, The Fourth and Richest Reich: How the Germans Conquered the Postwar World by Edwin Hartrich.
[2] Charlemagne: founder of the Holy Roman Empire.

IS JESUS COMING SOON? Part Two

2010-07-08T01:09:00.000-07:00

THE FIRST BEAST OF DANIEL SEVEN

This week is exciting in that we will learn something different about the first beast of Daniel seven.

As a reminder from last week, remember that beasts are symbolic of nations or kingdoms and their kings. When Jesus touches down on the Mount of Olives these nations of Daniel seven, by context, must be in existence at that time.

The commonly accepted explanation of Daniel's prophecy is that the lion is Babylon, the bear is Media-Persia, the leopard is Greece, and the ten-horn beast is Rome. I used to think that way myself until I came to Daniel chapter eight, which tells of another vision where Daniel sees a Ram and a he-goat fighting. In verses 20 and 21, the Bible declares that the ram is Media-Persia and the he-goat is Greece.

I had to stop and think for a minute. Did God change His mind somewhere between chapter seven and chapter eight? The interpreters just said in chapter seven that the bear was Media-Persia and the leopard was Greece.

According to Daniels prophecy in chapter seven, all kingdoms have to be in existence at the time of Jesus Christ's return. Do Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome exist today? Well, half of them do and half of them do not. I had to be missing something. Let’s look at the beasts again and see what we can find.

Is there anybody out there that does not believe that we are in the last days and close to the second coming of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ? Can we tell by Scripture if these nations exist now? Do we, in fact, live in the end of the age? Is Jesus Christ about to come again?

BEAST NUMBER ONE: The Lion

Our text will continue in Daniel seven starting at verse four with beast number one.

The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

Is there a nation today whose symbol is the lion? In fact, there is. The lion is the official symbol of Great Britain. Daniel would not have understood the words, Great Britain, and I suspect that this is the reason that God closed and sealed Daniel’s writings and sent him on his way.

God wanted the people living IN the time of the end to know that they were the chosen generation that would see the second coming of Jesus Christ. God also wanted them to know that one of the nations existing at the time of His coming would be Great Britain. In order to do this, God had to use symbols that the end time population would understand.

This is all fine and good but you might ask, "This isn’t Daniel’s complete vision of the first beast. What is the significance of the eagle’s wings?"

Well, that’s a good question.

Can you imagine what Daniel must have thought that after beholding the vision for a while he seen the eagles wings pluck themselves off of the lion’s back and turn into a man standing on its feet? Wow!

Daniel didn’t comprehend, at all, what he was seeing and it is why he prayed for understanding in chapter 12. So. . .why were the wings on the back of the lion and what is their significance? Is there a nation whose symbol is an eagle? You’re way ahead of me on this one.

EAGLES WINGS

There is a nation whose symbol is the eagle and it belongs to America. However, this isn’t the best part. We know that Great Britain is the USA’s mother country and approximately 2300 years ago Daniel saw the breaking away of America from Great Britain when the wings plucked themselves from the lion. That’s amazing to me. The Bible is so awesome.

In order to escape the tyranny and religious persecution of her mother country, 102 pilgrims and 25 crew members boarded the Mayflower and set sail across the Atlantic Ocean 380 years ago and formed what is now referred to as the most powerful, productive, prosperous, giving, and freest nation in the world. However, like the commercial says, "But wait, there’s more." The last part of verse four of Daniel seven says. . .and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

GIVEN A MAN'S HEART

America has a second symbol and that symbol is Uncle Sam. God gave America a heart: the heart of a free man spoken of in the Declaration of Independence.

To keep the length of this blog down, next week we will look at beast number two and three. In two weeks, we will look at beast number four; the one with ten horns.

God bless you all.

If you would like to see the original and full text of the Declaration of Independence, follow this link. At this site, the document is in the original spelling and words. This is an interesting site. There is much history to find there. You can also get the text of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution as well. Every patriot should all have one.

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IS JESUS COMING SOON? Part One

2010-07-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

OVERVIEW OF DANIEL SEVEN

Part one

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the Disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 NIV)

Like the Disciples, many of us have probably asked the same question, “What will be the sign of Christ’s coming and when will be the end of the age?” Are we living in the time of the end? The Bible tells us that of the day and hour, we know not but we will know even at the door. There are prophecies that explain when something is going to happen and yet others that tell what will happen and to whom and why.

DANIEL PRAYS FOR UNDERSTANDING
In Daniel 12:8, Daniel asks God for the understanding of a dream he’d just had. In verse nine, God answers Daniel.

. . .Go your way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

THE BEASTS
In Daniel seven, the first eight verses chronicle his dream, telling us of four beasts one diverse from the other: the lion, a bear, a leopard, and a beast unlike any other.

The first question is, what do these beasts symbolize? I should mention that God writes prophecy in symbols and almost without exception, interprets for the readers what those symbols mean. We don’t have to guess. We only need to read a little further. (Sometimes the Bible explains the symbols beforehand.)

Reading further, notice what the Bible says in verse 17:

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

However, that is not all it says. Read further down to verse 23.

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

Verse 23 tells us that the beasts represent kingdoms. These two verses allow us to conclude that the beasts of Daniel seven not only represent kings but kingdoms as well. We know that these kingdoms will be on the Earth at some time.

Since God gave this prophecy to Daniel 2500 years ago, maybe it has already come to pass, making it irrelevant to you and me. We also know that according to the Bible there will be another 1000 years of human occupation coming, so maybe it will come to pass 500 years from now. However, we have to consider the possibility that Daniel's prophecy was meant for today.

TRANSITION
Then, in verse nine the Bible says:

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

Verse nine tells us about the transition from human government into the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ, when He casts down the rule of the kings in the kingdoms. The 1000 year reign is called the kingdom of God.

EXPLANATION
Daniel gives this account, in verse number 11:I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

Remember now, by reading further, the Bible will define the symbols given previously. Scrolling down to verse 24, we find out that the horns are kings:

And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

One will come out of the ten kingdoms and will uproot three of them to become the Antichrist. This will be a clue as to his identity. (Many will not know the significance but believers will know.) Therefore, the horn of verse 11 is the Antichrist. We will learn later who are the ten kingdoms.

The Bible calls the Antichrist many other names in Scripture, one of which is just that, the Antichrist. He is also the man of sin, the son of perdition, the wicked one, and the little horn. Mostly, the Bible calls him the beast.

When Christ returns, He will throw the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire. You can also read of this in Revelation 19:20.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

ARE THE END TIMES - NOW
The next verse of Daniel is very important.

As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. (Daniel 7:12 KJV)

What this tells us is that Jesus Christ will return to Earth during the lifetime of these kingdoms. If we can prove who these nations are, we can check to see if they exist today. If they do, then that puts us smack dab into the time of the end and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Could it be that we are the chosen generation for His return. How exciting is that?

Verses 13 and 14 of Daniel, records Jesus' second coming when He takes dominion with the saints (His Bride).

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

At the end of the three and a half year tribulation Christ will come and the armies of the world will go against Christ and Israel in the battle of Armageddon.

Jerusalem will be a heavy stone burdening the world. And though all nations of the Earth unite in an attempt to move her, they will all be crushed.

For my plan is to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:3, 9 TLB)

I would not want to be on the receiving end of God's wrath.

Next week, we will learn of an interpretation of the identities of the four beasts. You will be surprised on at least one of them. I certainly was.

DO NOT FEAR

2010-05-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

Part Three of Three

Nothing that is happening today has caught God off guard or by surprise. He is not perplexed or in a quandary as to what He should do next. The prophetic message of the hour is that. . .God is in control.

Before the foundation of the world, God’s original plan was a bride for Christ and children for Himself. Christ is coming soon for His Bride, and it is why things have to end like they are. A new heaven and a new Earth are coming. Gen 6:3 says that His Spirit will not always strive with man.

The Bible also says that we will not know the day or the hour of His return, but we will know at the door. We need to discern the lateness of the hour. The shofar is about to blow.

Four things must happen before the new world order can come to fruition:

1. The destruction of the monetary system
Do the words stimulus, bailouts, and the nationalizing of the auto industry, banks, mortgage companies, and student loans ring a bell? Then there is Obama care and etcetera. These create an astounding debt and high unemployment and destroys the dollar because of the lack of it.

2. The death of patriotism
Why do we think that the establishment is trying to discredit the Tea Party movement? What about the three young men the school sent home for wearing “T” shirts depicting the American flag. And the poor 14 year-old girl that the teacher castigated in front of the classroom for drawing a picture of an American flag with “God bless America” written across the top of it.

3. The destruction of the evangelical faith
Just the other day, a judge ruled that the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional. The schools have removed prayer and God from the classroom. Then there’s the separation of church and state fallacy. Unity, at the expense of the truth, is the gospel of the new world order.

4. The destruction of the traditional family
The courts have allowed children to sue their parents. Young ladies receive abortions without the consent of their parents. The objective of the state is to remove and transfer the authority from the parents to the state. Then there is the push for homosexual marriages. The family is falling apart.

So far I have given you a taste of the enemy’s plan and a picture of the new world order. I hope that these three blogs have helped you in understanding the times that we are in. It is a lot deeper than this but this gives you an idea for your own research.

The Bible is very clear as to what we are to do and not do in these last days. I see three things:

Number One: (Matthew 24:6)
Jesus told us that in these last days that “. . .ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass. . .” The message here is: Do not fear! While the world is worried about the things that are coming upon them, we have the blessed hope of Christ’s return. So. . .do not fear!

Number Two: (2 Peter 3:10-13)
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

We are to get our eyes off of this world. God has not called us to restore or save the world. Our concerns should be for the lost in these last days as we discern the lateness of the hour. Colossians 3:2 says to Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Number Three: (Luke 21:28)
Set your eyes on the skies. And when these things (signs of the times) begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. The good news is that Jesus Christ is coming soon for His Bride. He has waited 6000 years for her.

The whole world is birthing right now and they see the same signs of the times as we do. However, they have rejected the only hope. They’ve determined to forget and reject God and build a man-made New Age of Peace and Prosperity here on Earth. So:

Do not fear
Get our eyes off of the world
and
Set our eyes toward the skies

Because our redemption draweth nigh.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

2010-05-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

Part Two of Three

Unlike Christians, the world is not looking for the savior to lead them to heaven, they’re determined to forget God and build a man-made New Age of Peace and prosperity right here on Earth. They are not looking for a God-built new heaven and new Earth like Christians are.

It will be a pseudo-utopia, for people are different and diverse. The only way to get everyone to think the same way is through force and liquidation (or like in the series Nikita, “canceled”). People persuaded against their will, is of the same opinion still. As long as the elites get rid of those pesky Christians and their “only way to heaven” stuff, they’ll feel better.

Christ died on the Cross two-thousand years ago and the world is still rejecting and fighting Him. Everything that is happening today including the ‘one world government’ is solely for eradicating Christ’s memory from any vestige of human remembrance (and their darkness). That is power my friends. Even in death, Christ rules and controls the world.

Because Christ is the only way to heaven, we are a threat to the world system that they want to set up. Furthermore, we fly smack dab into the face of their unity of truth according to other religions and their new age of peace and prosperity movement here on Earth.

Hey. . .peace on Earth, how can anyone be against that? [Because we are a moral people, they try and use the moral argument against us (however twisted it is).] The question, peace on Earth sounds awful lofty, doesn’t it? DON’T BE DECEIVED [and the Bible says that many will be (Mark 13:22)], and here’s why.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES: Luke 21:25-27 KJV

v25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

v26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

These two verses are talking about the last days just before the second coming of Christ, which verse 27 states:

v27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

The world sees the same signs of the times as Christians do and that we could be approaching the end of this world and Armageddon. However, the world understands those times differently than we, as Christians, understand them. Verse 26 says that men’s hearts will fail them because of their fear of the calamitous times to which we are fast approaching.

Christians. . .do not let your hearts be troubled because the Lord has overcome the world (John 16:33) and we have that blessed hope (Titus 2:13), which is in Christ. Hallelujah!

What forms the basis of the New Age Movement is the rejection of the hope in Jesus Christ while we face the ever-increasing world crisis and the world’s determination to solve them without God. We must realize that as the true “prophets of God” tell us of a 'new heaven and a new Earth' that the false “prophets of peace” are telling us of a new age of peace and prosperity here on Earth.

The unfortunate aspect is that all who reject the prophetic hope of the church, whether they are a Christian or not, and who are proclaiming “Hope on this Earth,” have become an accomplice with the spirit of Antichrist in the world today.

We are in Revelation 13 as we speak. The world’s rejection of Jesus Christ and the fact that they want to build a heaven right here on Earth, is the very system that the Antichrist will rule over in the last days.

• World government: Rev 13:7; Dan 7:23
• World economy: Rev 13:16, 17
• World religion: Rev 13:3, 4, 8

There are those who are crying a false hope, “. . .peace, peace, when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14). There are also those who cry “. . .Peace and safety. . .” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). But they will have their reward as the remainder of verse three declares.

. . .then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Those who cry out are not only New Agers or global politicians but Christian leaders. This is sad. Just remember the message of Jesus Christ:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. . . (John 14:27).

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. . . (Titus 2:13)

We must cry out with the true prophet of God:

. . .I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war (Jeremiah 4:19).

The world is crying out for leadership, for “prophets of peace” to lead them to this new age of peace and prosperity. So, understand the times. We will have to choose to believe the “prophetic Word of God” or the “prophets of peace.”

Next week we will look at the Christian's response to the "signs of the times."

CHRISTIANITY: The biggest threat to world peace?

2010-05-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Part One of Three

The Bible records that when Christ hung on the Cross 2000 years ago people hurled insults up at Him and reviled Him. Out of His love for us He suffered a horrendous death while they abused Him:

“. . .He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the Chosen of God.”

“. . .If you be the King of the Jews, save yourself.”

“. . .He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the Cross that we may see and believe.”

Christ is about to come again and I believe that those same sentiments will ring out once again just before His appearance. Although the people will still reject Jesus and while the world falls apart, they will hurl most of the insults at us, His disciples. Are we better than our Master?

“Where’s your Jesus at? Why doesn’t He come down and save you?”

“Has Jesus given up on you? You told us that He’d never leave you or forsake you. HA!”

“It’s just a little chip with info on it so you can buy things. My goodness.”

“You surely can’t be against identifying illegals in the land with an embedded chip, can you?”

The world is changing exponentially: management by crisis, economic collapse, nationalization of services, while government corruption abounds. I think there is one thing on which we can all agree: we live in some perilous times. So what is happening? I can tell you in two words: Revelation 13. (We are just about to the end of The Book. Fasten your safety belts.)

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS
Recently, the Pentagon dis-invited Franklin Graham from a speaking engagement on the National day of Prayer because of his comments. During a Newsmax interview, Rev. Graham criticized President Obama’s praise for Islam. The Reverend warned of a coming repression against Christians, not just a persecution but a true Christian repression. (Italics added)

He also said that the President had “slapped” all evangelical Christians in the face by banning him from the Pentagon prayer service. He said the White House had approved the action. Newsmax Interview

I personally applaud Reverend Graham for taking a stand against the co-mingling of other religions. Christianity is diametrically opposed to other religions. Having said that, we can surely see the direction in which the world is going. What we need now is the Issachar’s to lead us in the understanding of the times (1 Chronicles 12:32). So why is it headed that way?

WORLD VIEW
Mortimer Alder once wrote that 1) world peace is impossible without world government. 2) World government is impossible without world community and 3) world community is impossible without unity of truth. Alder stated that unless there is a unity of truth in ALL areas of culture, there can be no world peace.

Therefore, Christianity which will not stop, will not compromise, and will not stop preaching a new heaven and a new Earth WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Remember that (to the world); Christianity stands in the way of the unity of the truth, which is necessary for world community, which is necessary for world government, which is necessary for world peace.

Are you starting to get the picture from where they are coming? The world thinks that Christianity is the biggest threat to peace. They are determined to build their New Age of Peace and Prosperity here on on Earth.

THE DAYS OF JOB
As Christians, we have had 2000 years to bring the world to Christ, and we have failed. I believe that we are now in the days of Job when God will allow the enemy to put forth his hand and all that we have is in Satan's power; only God will not allow Satan to put forth his hand against us. God will spare us and prepare us for the rapture. We are His. (That is, unless we take the mark.)

With this power, Satan is going to run amuck and many awful things are going to happen and in fact, have already started to happen. Then God’s elect will be deceived, hearts will fail, the abomination of desolation when the Antichrist will declare himself to be god, and the mark of the beast where no one can buy or sell, just to name a few. Revelation 19:19 even says that the kings of the Earth will war against Christ Himself.

GOD’S PLAN
From before the foundation of the world, God has had a plan: a Bride for Christ and children for the Father. It tickles me when the world thinks that it is in control. God is in complete control and things have to end the way they do because of that plan. According to Jewish marriage customs, Christ came the first time to purchase His Bride, and very soon, He will come again to abduct her in compliance with the same Jewish customs.

Christ gave His life for her and soon we will have to give our life for Him when they aim the chip at our hand.

NOTE: This week we looked at part of the Enemy's plan. Next week, we will look at the why.

Serving God

2010-04-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

After listening to the pastor preach, the choir singing, the ushers ushering, and the helpers helping, I thought to myself, Hey, I love God just as much as they do. What can I do for God? When will the Lord give me something to do? I had those thoughts for quite a spell before I learned a good lesson.

After we accept the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are so on fire for Him that our first instinct is to do something for Him. The natural progression of things causes our focus to shift to serving Him instead of spending time at His feet. We are so excited about what God has done for us that we want to do something for Him in return.

Serving God is a sincere gesture in the beginning but it eventually leads into ministry as a main focus. As I look back at that mindset, I realize its futility. How could I possibly do anything for a God who has, by His spoken words only , created a universe? I am not saying that service is wrong or not needed, but sometimes we can get caught up in the works of Martha.

The good part of Mary is His love and grace for us, and our love, adoration, and worship for Him - at His feet. Besides obedience, this is all that God needs from us anyway. I have learned that it isn’t so much the doing things for God but doing things with God that is important.

God's Plan for Man in One Page

2010-03-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

•God is love and wanted a Bride for Christ to share and give that love.
•God created the spirit of man in the image of Christ, which is righteousness and holiness.
•For the Bride to love Him with her own volition, she needed to have choice.
•God gave her the capacity for choice by giving her a physical body and a soul.
•Then God planted the serpent in the Garden of Eden to give her choices.
•The serpent beguiles Eve and Adam sins by also taking a bite out of apple.
•God cursed Adam and Eve and banned them from the Garden. He had to because He is holy and it was necessary for them to grow into being the Bride. Now man could accept or reject God. Without choice, you render love meaningless.
•The entire Word of God teaches man and woman the affects of sin, what that sin does to you, and also gives steps on how to get back to Christ along with the original intent of God in the Garden of Eden, which is a Bride for Christ and children for Him.
•Christ came to purchase His Bride through His death on the Cross.
•To enter into the Kingdom of God and to be part of the body of Christ, man had to be born again – in Spirit, just like God had first created him – as spirit. Only now, man had choice. The Bride could love Christ on her own volition.
•There is a time of preparation as man’s spirit grows “in Christ” and becomes mature.
•It will take hundreds of thousands, if not millions of spirits, to be strong enough to be the Bride of Christ each being a part of His body.
•Because Christ gave His life for His Bride, His Bride will have to give her life for Him when the mark of the beast comes upon the world. We will see who really believes when the man comes with the stamp for the back of the hand.
•We will then reign in heaven with Christ, as His Bride, forever.
•It will have come full circle and Christ has His spiritual Bride who loves Him of her own volition.

The Enemy's Strategy

2010-01-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

I did not write this but thought it very worthy of passing on. It’s funny how we can read something and say, "Wow, that was powerful, true, and right on the money," and then go about our business as usual. It's only a page and a quarter long. Enjoy.

Do you know how satan deceives the children of God? Here are just some of his schemes that he uses for the Christian community. You can see how clever satan is and Christians must be aware of satan's schemes and cleverness. Be aware of it. You might already be a victim of satan's scheme. Be on guard always! Learn his schemes so that you are aware of his strategies.

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.

"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.

"This is what I want you to do," said the devil: “Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. Keep the TV, VCR, CD’s and their PC’s going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.

"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day.

"Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes…

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly!

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death. Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted.

"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy!

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!"

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there, having little time for their God or their families, and having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.

I guess the question is. . .has the devil been successful in his schemes?

You be the judge!!!!!

Does "BUSY" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

MY SNAPSHOT

2010-01-12T01:56:00.000-08:00

Fifteen-hundred attendees and I stood in front of our seats at the Vineyard Church’s Prophetic Conference in Albany, Oregon on Friday morning the eighth of January 2010. We’d just finished worshiping God and the prophet was summarizing yesterday’s message. Among many other things, the word of the Lord was this, that 2010 was a year of deliverance and vindication.

The prophet, Chuck Pierce, prophesied that many believers would get quick snapshots, lasting just a matter of seconds, of previous issues from the last season. Supernatural deliverance is coming. Jesus is going to take the grief, the addictions, the hang-ups, and deliver us from them.

We then entered into prayer.

As the prophet prayed, a vision came to me as I stood there with my eyes closed. I saw my mom and dad standing together and holding hands. They were smiling from ear to ear and looking down at me. This, in and of itself, is not unique until you learn that they are both with Jesus; mom in January 2004 and dad in September 2007.

In the last year to two years of their lives, they were both in wheel chairs, but there they were, standing before me with erect backs, holding hands, and looking down on me at the conference.

As I looked into their faces, their expressions said that they were still proud parents and that they didn’t have a care in the world. I couldn’t hold back the tears. They streamed down my face. No longer could I say that I was sorry; no longer could I say, I love you; no longer could I feel their embraces and hear their encouraging words.

My snapshot only lasted about five to 10 seconds and when it faded away, God immediately delivered me of all the guilt that I had concerning them, just as God had promised through His prophet.

I felt guilty about all the times that I could have visited my mom before her death but her passing came upon us quickly. I missed the next to her last birthday but at least called her. I read about it in a journal that I found amongst her effects. Tough to read.

In my entire life, I had never once yelled at my dad. I didn't dare for one, but I respected him enough not to. However, a few months before he passed, he said something that set me off and I could not hold it back. I unloaded on him. It just about killed him. I loved those two people with every fiber of my being. They were tremendous people and they were my parents but I felt terribly guilty about what I had done and didn't do.

I have not told another living soul this until now. My Guilt was so bad and overwhelming that I had suicide thoughts and dreams. However, the Lord allowed me a supernatural encounter with my deceased parents to show me that they were okay and that they couldn’t be happier. They smiled and watched me as I prayed and attended church and I know this pleased them. The big thing though, was that they were finally together.

The engraved plaque on my dad’s tomb reads, “Together” and the plaque on my mom’s tomb reads, “Forever.”

Because of a snapshot given to me from Jesus through His prophet, I am free from any guilt and I know for certainty that my mom and dad are happy, free of disease, and communing with God. As a parent myself, I feel that they never gave those things a second thought. Now they have their own mansion in heaven.

This is the year of vindication and deliverance and your snapshot is coming, that is, unless you've already had it as I have. May the Lord richly bless each and every one of you in this year and new season, 5770-2010.

WALKING WITH GOD

2009-12-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

I heard a quote a while back and thought it to be profound. Speaking of Jesus, it said, “He must be everything to you or He is nothing to you." That prompted me to begin thinking about my own life. I know God loves me with all of His heart and I thought I loved Him with all of mine. To my chagrin, I was mistaken; not about God’s love for me, but of my own love for Him. Let me explain.

I have always wanted to do something for God to further His kingdom. Therefore, when He gave me a writing mandate, I was elated. Given that mandate, I wanted to do the best I could for Him, so I dove into that job with everything I had. The trouble was I put everything into the ministry.

I did, however, consult with God about the job He gave me and I sought Him in prayer, loved Him, thanked Him, and, and, and, but most of the time, it was concerning my writing ministry. I wasn't putting EVERYTHING into just loving Him. Although my heart was in the right place, my focus was all wrong. I wasn’t walking with God; I was running after Him trying to catch up and pick His brain for my next anecdote or Scripture!

In the Valley
When we are in trouble, we should praise God [1], lift Him up [2], worship Him [3], pray without ceasing [4], and stand in the knowledge of His protection from the enemy. We literally can hide in the Lord [5]. God can and does protect us from the wiles of the Devil [6] and He inhabits the praises of His people [7].

This is okay and we should recognize these things but until we can get to the place where we can just praise and worship Him for who He is and disregard the enemy, we will not get to the mountaintop. However, we will be safe and under His wings [8] in the valley [9]. . .but we’ll still be in the valley.

Good News
The Bible says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me [10].” While you are in the valley, hang onto that. Do not be afraid of what the enemy can do to us. Satan has no power over us; only the power that we give him. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ [11].

Help My Unbelief
In Matthew 17:17 we hear Christ telling His disciples, “How long must I stay with you? How long must I suffer you?” The one thing that stops the flow of all blessing is our unbelief [12], the unbelief that we harbor in our hearts that nobody else sees. Sometimes we do not even see it ourselves. In other words, I can make all the positive declarations that I want but my declarations will only postpone what I believe. God will protect us in the interim but…

Whatever I believe in my heart to be true—is true to me. God says in His Word that He looks on the heart [13] but He says further on that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks [14]. In other words, we can hide what we believe fairly well with our declarations but eventually what we believe, will come out, normally during a time of stress or when we are in that proverbial valley.

Understand, however, that it is okay to make those positive declarations in the faith because faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen [15]. We need Christ to interpose on our behalf but if we offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name [16], we won’t have to worry about what the enemy is doing, we’ll be walking with God.

Christ Won the Victory
Christ distinguished and removed Satan’s power on the Cross. Granted, we must fight the good fight but why not make the good fight the one with praise. Forget about the enemy. . .period. Just enter into God’s gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise [17].

When we journey to the Holy of Holies [18] to see God, let’s all go there for a visit, not just to run away from the enemy. We are safe in God’s presence, but let’s not worry about whether the enemy is nipping at our heels [19].

God tore the veil when Christ died on the Cross [20] and gave us access to God in the throne room. We can even be in His presence outside [21] the compound. Because of the Cross, we have the capacity to live our lives just like Satan doesn’t exist. Remember, Satan is not a threat, he’s just an annoyance.

We can stand on God’s truth all day but until we can stand in God’s presence, for no other reason than we love Him and not His protection, we’ll take another lap around the mountain. His truth is wisdom, His truth is great and all knowing, and His truth is all-powerful and will not return to Him void [22].

However, His truth will only hold and protect us until we can walk with Him seeking His face instead of His hands. At the risk of speaking from a healing, to walk with God, to seek His face, and have total disregard for the enemy, is a journey; a tough journey sometimes. It’s all about intimacy with God.

Walking With God
Healing is a process and it takes time to walk through the valley of the shadow of death [23]. However, the quicker we get to the mountaintop, the quicker we can take in the view because it’s peaceful and beautiful up there. With the right focus, we can all attain the mountaintop.

In the valley is where we see the footprints in the sand, for it is where Christ carries us. However, as Christians, we long for the day that we not only see one set of footprints but two sets of footprints, as we walk along side of Christ instead of Him carrying us [24]. This is victory and walking with God.
_________________________________________________________

[1] Psalms 150:6
[2] Psalms 7:17
[3] Exodus 34:14
[4] 1 Thessalonians 5:17
[5] Psalms 18:2; 28:7; 91:2, 9; and more
[6] Ephesians 6:11
[7] Psalms 22:3
[8] Isaiah 40:31
[9] Psalms 23:4
[10] Psalms 23:4
[11] 2 Corinthians 10:5
[12] Mark 9:24
[13] 1 Samuel 16:7
[14] Luke 6:45
[15] Hebrews 11:1
[16] Hebrew 13:15
[17] Psalms 100:4
[18] Talking here about praying through the Tabernacle
[19] 1 Peter 5:8
[20] Matthew 27:51
[21] Psalms 139:7-13
[22] Isaiah 55:11
[23] Psalms 23:4
[24] Luke 9:23

SEEKING GOD

2009-11-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

PART 7 OF 8
Seeking God Through Daily Prayer

In chapter four I shared with you an encounter I had in my front room with the Lord while praying. I was recently divorced and felt that God knew that I needed some validation, comfort, and love. However, I believe that there was a second reason why He allowed the experience.

I had committed to pray with Him for one hour each morning and had forgotten about what Jesus said to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when He caught them sleeping and asked them, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour [1]?” He was about to die for them and they couldn’t even watch and pray with Him for one hour [2].

Access to God
When Christ died on the Cross [3], the Father tore the veil of the Tabernacle leading to the Holy of Holies, in two [4]. This gave us unfettered access to God. However, up until that point the only person allowed into the Holy of Holies was the high priest, and then only once a year. They tied a rope and bell on him in case he was not clean enough, either physically or spiritually, to go in. If he wasn’t, he died on the spot. If they did not hear the bell ring, they’d have to drag him out.

Christ’s death not only delivered us from the curse but God now had an open door policy; or should I say, He had an open veil policy to His throne room? It still takes the high priest to gain access but we have just such an advocate with the Father [5]. He takes us by the hand and leads us in. His name is Jesus.

Christ calls each and every one of us into deep intimacy and relationship with Him [6]. We are one with Him “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely [7].”

Communicating With God
God communicates with each of us in many ways: through prayer, the Bible, our circumstances, other people, and even His audible voice. Christ has said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me [8]. If I was to hear what God was saying, I would have to get closer to Him by moving to the other side of the gully as in my earlier story. In other words, back then, the reason I did not know the will of God for my life and whether the voice I heard was Gods or not, was because I was not relationally close enough to Him.

When we talk with God, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a formal prayer each and every time as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 might suggest when it says, Pray without ceasing. We can chat with God anywhere, anytime, no matter what the reason, whether we are in our house, car, church, sidewalk, field, or lake; it’s possible too casually talk with him all day long by involving Him in everything that we do, just like you would with any friend who was visiting. He is always there [9] to listen. This way, pray without ceasing becomes valid and true. (God is right again. . .Go figure.)

Prayer is a dialogue with God not a monologue to Him. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to interject something. Many times, I have left God standing there stuttering, “But. . .but I wanted to give you an answer and tell you that I love you. Oh well, I still love you Jim [10].”

I am wondering how many edifying and blessed moments I have lost because I prayed to God, said amen, and then went about my business. I did not give the Holy Spirit a chance at reciprocity. I am also wondering how many times I have neglected to thank Him for answered prayer and for what I had already received before asking Him for something else. Please forgive me Father.

Types of prayers
God gives us many opportunities to communicate with Him. There are prayers of salvation, petition, and supplication. There are personal prayers, conversational prayers, and prayers of fasting and worship. There are devotional prayers, formula prayers, and intercessory prayers. When we get into intercession, there will be prayers of birthing and travail as well. We do not lack any situation where we can’t converse with God and build that relationship.

Expounding on each and every type of prayer is beyond the scope of this book and is not a how-to writing but just an overview on prayer. It is my desire to share with you a couple types that may benefit your relationship with God. Daily prayer is an individual and subjective process, but mostly, it’s a heart process [11].

Formula Prayers
There is nothing wrong with prayer formulas but after a while, if we let them, they can become mechanical, meaningless, and just repetitive words. Like the Pharisees, they had their rewards [12]. Formula prayers are good for teaching aids for new converts just learning to pray. The Lord’s Prayer [13] is just such a prayer. Each stanza of the prayer is a topic for the believer to pray through.

In Luke 11:1 the disciples asked Jesus, “. . .Lord, teach us to pray. . .” Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer completely in Matthew 6:9-13. This prayer was just a guideline and not supposed to be a regimen of mechanical prayer by itself. It is edifying to self but there is no power in it.

Before Jesus came to Earth, the Israelites learned how to fellowship with God through the Tabernacle. Each of the tools, doors, altars, instruments, and the gate, had significance and were symbolic of the Lord. Even the colors, ropes, and poles were symbolic.

Fasting
In chapter one, an assailant pointed a gun at our victim and the man cried out to God. When we fast, our physiological body cries out to God in the same way. We are desperate for nourishment and our body aches but the Lord says “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst [14].”

The idea behind fasting is to get closer to God by shedding all earthly needs so that all we rely and focus on is God and for Him to sustain us. When I go to Him in prayer and fasting, the pain disappears and He refreshes me. After I connect with God, I am renewed and He magnifies His presence. I no longer need physical sustenance and I bask in the sustaining power of His love. From this position, things happen: healing, power, deliverance, revelation, and much more.

Word of God
The most effectual prayer we can pray is when we do so according to God’s will, as I intimated in chapter two. The best way to know of God’s will is to read His Word. The Bible is replete with verses on prayer with copious ways to pray them. We just need to emulate those who are doing the praying.

A reassuring verse regarding the power of His spoken Word is Isaiah 55 verse 11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. That sounds adamant enough for me.

The catch is, we not only need to pray the word of God, but we also have to take into consideration His will. Knowing God’s Word is tantamount to effectual prayer. An ever-present help to the Scriptures is a topical Bible. This will give you many topics with which to pray for any given subject covered in the Bible.

If you want to learn how to pray, get around someone with a prayer spirit but when you offer up your daily prayer to the Father, get by yourself [15] . . .and then give Him your heart [16]. God says there is no wrong way to pray [17]. Man on the other hand. . . [18]
_________________________________________________

[1] Matthew 26:40 - Verse
[2] Matthew 26:41
[3] Matthew 27:50
[4] Matthew 27:51
[5] 1 John 2:1
[6] John 17:10; John 17:21-23; John 4:23
[7] Revelation 22:17
[8] John 10:27
[9] Psalms 139:7-10
[10] I was just projecting a perception of how I felt God might have felt when I didn’t allow Him to respond back to me.
[11] 1 Samuel 16:7
[12] Matthew 6:2, 5, 16
[13] Matthew 6:9-13 The Lord’s complete teaching on prayer is contained in this verse. He gives a partial in Luke 11:2-4.
[14] John 6:35
[15] Matthew 6:5, 6
[16] 1 Samuel 16:7
[17] 1 Samuel 16:7
[18] And I refer to chapter eight’s anecdote and my own perceived inability.

SEEKING GOD

2009-11-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

PART 2 of 8
SEEKING GOD’S WILL: Hearing God

When I first sat down to write Seeking God’s Will, before I had even committed one word to paper, God gave me a vision. I was on this side of a large gully and a man was standing on the other side. I could faintly hear his mumbling echo, but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

I thought, Lord, what is this? What does this mean? I heard in my spirit, “If you want to hear what he is saying, you need to get closer to hear him. I had an a-ha moment. Since all truth is parallel [1], it’s the same in the spirit world. If I wanted to hear what God was saying, I needed to get closer to Him as well.

When we develop a close relationship with God, we will close that gap between us. I have heard many believers ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” If we will just seek God and endeavor to get close to Him through an intimate relationship, we will hear what He is saying and will understand what His will is for our lives. This is the intent of this series.

GOD'S SOVEREIGN WILL
“What is God’s will for my life?” This question seems to be straight forward and simple enough when we first ask, but it goes just a little deeper than that. First, we must distinguish the different aspects of God’s will, which most agree that there are three: sovereign [2], revealed [3], and perfect [4] will.

The sovereign will of God says that nothing happens outside of God’s purview. In other words, God’s sovereign will is the ultimate will of God and He ordains everything that has and will come to pass [5].

God has decided to hide much of His sovereign will from us until that thing comes to pass. Therefore, we need not speculate on God’s hidden and sovereign will [6] for it is a futile quest and journey. God does call us, however, to seek and obey the revealed will of God as it pertains to the Scriptures.

GOD'S REVEALED WILL
Scriptures abound that tell us what we should and shouldn’t do to live righteous lives and to be holy because God is holy. In fact, you can define the revealed will of God as just that, what we should and shouldn’t do.

God’s Word says not to lie [7], steal [8], or covet [9]. It also says to repent of our sins, to love our enemies, and to be holy because He is holy. God says that we should live in His grace [10], be obedient [11], to give graciously [12], pray unceasingly [13], make continual progress [14], and much, much more [15].

The Bible is replete with God’s revealed will for our lives. God gave us the Law in Exodus 20:3-17 and should be the backbone of our behavior. In Deuteronomy 30:19 He says, “. . .I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” The Bible says to trust in Him [16], acknowledge Him [17], seek Him [18], believe in Him [19], and many more assurances of His revealed will for our lives.

We could spend a lifetime learning and applying God’s Word as it pertains to His revealed will for our lives. That works for me and I am sure that it works for God. (However, please forgive me Lord, because I fail daily in this endeavor.)

GOD'S PERFECT WILL
Romans 12:2, the ideal explanation of what is the perfect will of God.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Everything that pleases God is His perfect will. God’s Word teaches us how to live righteous lives according to His will and to be holy because He is holy [20] but what it doesn’t teach (directly) is what the will of God is specifically for each one of us.

GOD'S WILL FOR INDIVIDUAL LIVES
It is my contention that you can find your God given purpose through your passions. With God as understood, whatever you are passionate or excited about, above all else, should be the will of God for your life. This is providing that you are living in the perfect will of God.

Psalms 37:4 tells us that God gave us those passions in the first place, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Therefore, answer yourself this question, “I am passionate about insert passion here?” Again, with God as understood, does this passion get you up in the morning just thinking about it? Is this what you are excited about? If you couldn’t do this one thing, would it make you curl up and die inside?

TYPES OF PASSIONS
Does your passion involve any number of talents or skills? Could you use them to help the church, conduct services, or minister to people? Are you a musician, thespian, or have construction knowledge? Are you an author like me or maybe you’re an artist, nanny, driver, accountant, or have some other talent or skill that you could administer and serve the church or body. The church needs many and all services and skills that the body can provide from within.

Does your passion lay within one of the 18 spiritual gifts designations [21]? Or maybe you feel that God has sent you out on a special mission or given you revelatory words and you feel compelled to tell others? Do the souls of men burn inside of you or maybe you have a desire to shepherd or lead other people? When you learn something, is the first thing you want to do is teach or tell somebody else? Well, maybe God has called you to the five-fold ministry as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher.

I would exhort you to take a spiritual gifts class, to see in which area you are gifted. Every six months or so, as a follow up, you could take another class to see how you have grown in the Lord or to see in what area God is now leading you.

EDUCATION
Once you discover your passions, where they lie, and a direction in which you really want to serve God, another question you might want to ask yourself is, “Do I need training or do I need teaching in this area?” I know, for myself, I wanted to go to school to learn how to write right.

Writing is my passion and I write from the time I get up in the morning until the time I go to bed at night. I needed some teaching to perfect my craft or at least have the capacity to do my best and feel good about myself, that I was doing the best I could for God. Education is something that you might want to check into. Education is never wasted.

STILL SEEKING THE WILL OF GOD
We can seek His will by learning from His Word, how to live righteous lives, and by being a good example for others as we carry our own cross down the Via Dolorosa [22]. This is why it is so important to know the Word of God, to know the difference between pizza and what God is saying to us.

In everything we are to give thanks to the Lord [23]. When doing things for others we should do them like we are doing them for Christ [24]. Our sanctification is the will of God, which is the act of setting ourselves apart as being holy unto God and not prostitute ourselves with other gods/idols, which is anything that we put above God [25]. Much is common sense because God has written the moral Law on the hearts of men [26].

Seeking God’s perfect will for our lives should be our number one quest. Anything we can do to close the gap between us, as in my vision, the better off our walk with Him will be. It is a door to a higher level of knowing Him. Let’s go through that door now by Seeking God’s Hands.

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[1] For every natural truth, there is an equal and corresponding spiritual truth.
[2] Hebrews 1:3; Lamentations 3:37; 1 Samuel 2:6; Amos: 3:6-13; Matthew 5:45; Psalms 115:3
[3] Exodus 20:3-17; Mark 3:35; Romans 8:27, 28, 14:23; Ephesians 5:3, 6:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:15, 16, 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:15, 16
[4] John 6:40; Romans 12:2; 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Peter 1:15, 16
[5] Ephesians 1:11, John 1:3
[6] I speak especially as it pertains to eschatology in these end days. We should know the sign of the times but only as God reveals them to us through the Holy Spirit..
[7] Exodus 20:16; Romans 3:4; 1 John 1:6
[8] Exodus 20:15
[9] Exodus 20:17
[10] Ephesians 5:1-20
[11] Ephesians 6:5-8
[12] 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
[13] 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18
[14] 1 Peter 2:15
[15] Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21
[16] Proverbs 3:5
[17] Proverbs 3:6
[18] Matthew 6:33
[19] John 3:16
[20] 1 Peter 1:15, 16
[21] Words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of the spirits, tongues, and interpretations of tongues, administration, giving, leadership, mercy, service/helps, hospitality, exhortation, intercession, and missions
[22] We must bear our own Cross, Luke 14:27. The Via Dolorosa is the road in which Christ carried His Cross to Golgotha, or the hill where He they crucified Him.
[23] 1 Thessalonians 5:18
[24] Colossians 3:23
[25] 1 Thessalonians 4:3
[26] Acts 4:27, 28. Also, men is a generic term for mankind, meaning men AND women.

SEEKING GOD

2009-10-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

PART 1 of 8
SEEKING GOD: Calling out to God

The footsteps behind him were unrelenting but he was running as fast as he could. His lungs felt like they would explode at any moment, yet the swish of footsteps in the grass that followed him, didn’t lose a beat. In fact, they seemed to be closing the gap. Mere exhaustion would soon force him to stop and face his stalker no matter what the outcome. His heart raced and threatened to give up on him.

How much longer he could keep up this pace he didn’t know. His legs were getting tired and sore and he could feel his shoulders beginning to sag and lean forward. He looked from side to side hoping to see someone to help and to know which way he could run. To his dismay, nobody was around that could help or intervene. Just when he felt that his heart would burst through his chest, his body conceded and he collapsed.

First his lungs, then his heart, and now the tremendous pressure of anxiety filled what was left of his body as he looked up at the man and down the barrel of a 45 cal handgun. A triumphant smirk adorned the attackers face.

With no help, there wasn’t any way he could fend for himself against his attacker in this position or condition especially against a guy with a gun. He watched as the attacker raised the weapon and aimed it at his head as his eyes enlarged and the smirk turned into a full-fledged smile.

As if his arms and hands would stop a bullet, he raised them and cried out, “Oh God, no. . . God. . . help me! Don’t!”

Why do we Seek God

Deep within the soul of every man lies the knowledge that there is a God in heaven, whether they want to admit that fact or not. Many a person has cried out to God in any number of situations, even as our unsaved man did in the above story of desperation and fear. If anything, the desperate act of crying out to God is a condition reflex stemming from a hidden inherent knowledge that all men have embedded in them. God placed that knowledge in man when He first created him in the Garden of Eden.

Because of predestination [1], God calls us first and for one reason, He loves us [2]. However, because of free will [3], we seek god first and for many reasons and it usually takes a while to build our love and trust in Him.

Man seeks God for many reasons, not the least of which is peace, comfort, healing, deliverance, financial help, or any number of benefits derived from knowing Christ. Maybe He even saved us from someone who pointed a loaded gun at us.

More times than not the reason we seek God is because we have watched somebody else and witnessed how their life has changed after accepting Christ. Maybe that person even led us to Christ. In any event, this prompted us to want the same life, no matter what it was about them that we coveted.

Seeking God: The Beginning

When God gave this series to me, I received seven words from Him: seek, will, hands, face, heart, purpose, and prayer. At the time I was reading 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says,

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

It has always been important for man to seek and know God, but in this day and age [4], it is imperative because His Word also says that God will not always strive with man [5]. This says that salvation will not always be available. That is a scary thought, or it should be, to those who are unsaved.

With the emanate rapture of the church [6] getting closer, remember that life is but a vapor [7] and eternity is. . .well. . .forever. We get one chance at salvation and then the judgment [8]. After the judgment, man will die in his sin and spend eternity in hell with no possibility of escape. The way world events are shaping up nowadays, the judgment and eternity seem to be looming on the horizon.

God is love

First John 4:8b tells us that, “. . .God is love.” Can you imagine what it would be like to be Love and not have anyone to love - or love you back? We can only speculate as to how God felt before He created the heavens, the earth, and then man. We have to assume that since He created us, He needed somebody on which to lavish that love.

Christ also needed a Bride with which to lavish His love. This, however, presented two problems: Number 1, Jesus was Spirit and therefore needed a spirit for a bride. Since God [9] was the only entity in the universe at the time, He would have to create a spirit. Number 2, He needed the spirit to love Him with its own volition because without choice, you render love meaningless. The new spirit needed choice.

Whether it is a natural or spiritual relationship, love drives us to seek out the other person and to know what they are about. It is a constant quest to learn what we can about them. You call that relationship. . . bonding. . .love.

You might say, “It's impossible to know God, just because of that, ‘He is God.’”

Knowing God?

Since God’s ways and thoughts are far above man’s ways and thoughts [10], some will have a hard time understanding the concept of knowing God. I understand this thinking but we have to remember that God is Spirit and He created us in His image, which makes us spirit beings as well [11].

In the natural it is incomprehensible to understand God, for after all. . .He is God, the creator of the universe. Actually, in the natural, we can never really know God to His fullest because He is infinite. Since God is Spirit though, we must seek Him in spirit and in truth [12]. In addition, the Bible says that the Spirit will lead us to all truth [13]; not to some truth, but to all truth.

However, if one side of a relationship contributes more than the other side, is that a prerequisite to whether we can love and aspire to know that person, or whether both sides couldn’t benefit from the relationship, either in the natural or in the spiritual? I wouldn't think so.

Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with God and if we do not seek to know God, to that man [14], it is just religion.

What follows are the six remaining words that God gave to me that day and what I perceived them to have meant. There will be two levels of prayer bringing the total to eight complete levels. This will not be an all-inclusive study on seeking God but prayerfully we can learn together what we can somewhat expect at each level. God bless you all as you read.

Ever wonder what the will of God was for your life? Seeking God's Will may give us an answer.

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[1] Romans 8:29, 30
[2] 1 John 4:19
[3] Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15, Proverbs 3:31, Acts 13:48, James 4:17
[4] Emanate rapture
[5] Genesis 6:3
[6] 1 Thessalonians 4:17
[7] James 4:14
[8] Hebrews 9:27
[9] Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
[10] Isaiah 55:8
[11] Since God created us in His image, we are a triune being as well. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and we are Spirit, soul, and Body.
[12] John 4:24
[13] John 16:13
[14] Generic term for mankind, meaning man or woman.

.

SEEKING GOD

2009-10-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

PART 6 of 8
SEEKING GOD’S PURPOSE: Treasure Hunters

The sky was a little overcast as he walked down the road, a road that was more like a small path winding itself through the countryside. At least he had a heavy tunic that shielded him from the evening air. As long as he made it to Jericho before the Sabbath [1], he’d be alright, for this wasn’t the safest stretch of road in the land.

From out of nowhere, three men pounced on him hitting his face and chest with their fists and cutting him with their knives. They kicked him while he was down, stripped him of his cloths, and left him on the side of the road to die. It all happened very quickly and was over in seconds.

He laid there naked, dazed, cold, and could barely move as he tried to stand but fell back to the ground slamming his face on a bed of rocks. Still struggling to breathe, he gasped for air trying to suck in the life saving oxygen. From where, he did not know, but he found the strength to mutter, “Hhhhel-p. . .me?” He coughed, spraying blood on the rocks.

He could no longer talk and was on the verge of losing consciousness. Everything around him was becoming blurry and the bleeding from his side was not stopping. Not only was the pain excruciating but he began to worry whether each subsequent breath would be his last. His whole body started to go numb.

If it was at all possible, his heart began to fill with even more anxiety, as a stranger approached. The hazy figure was hard to make out through all the blood. Did his attackers return to finish him off or did God send some help his way.

He tried to lift his arm as far as he could to signal for help, but it was difficult at best. He opened his mouth to ask for help but he gurgled on his own blood. He finally managed to moan, “Pleeeaze, hhhelp me.”

The approaching man moved to the opposite side of the road and disappeared out of his peripheral vision. The half-dead man dropped his arm and gasped. His body went limp. It hurt, even to think. It is God’s will, I am going to die. He lost consciousness.

The Good Samaritan

All of us have either read or know about this parable and know how it ends [2]. The Good Samaritan, stopped, went above and beyond the call of duty, and saved the injured man but only after a priest and a Levite had gone by and not helped.

Many preachers have told the story of the Good Samaritan countless times, as well that they should have because it was a great act of kindness, mercy, compassion, and unselfish behavior. That Samaritan deserved a place in God’s Word and like Jesus, his story is one, after which, we should all model our own existence.

The Israelite Traveler

However, throughout history and the teaching of this parable, we seemed to have forgotten about the poor Israelite traveler who was beaten, robbed, stripped of his clothes, and left for dead on the side of the road. God never forgot about him and neither should we.

There is another lesson to learn from the Good Samaritan parable: how many people are lying on the side of the road reaching out to us gurgling in their sin and despair crying out for help and, as in the case of our traveler, crying out to God? Will we pass them by?

God’s Number One Purpose

The number one purpose and desire of God’s heart is that we know Him and make Him known.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

“And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” [3]

Christ could not have been any clearer than that.

In verse 31, God has called us all to be Good Samaritans. Are we going to be like the priest and the Levite and walk around the dying and hurting people or are we going to be like the Good Samaritan and help our fellow man?

When Christ’s heart births in us we will not only find opportunities to take Christ's heart to others but we will look for them. There is a buried treasure of beauty in every person. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be treasure hunters and find the good in all people? What we look for, we will find.

People are dying all around us and the fields are white unto salvation [4]. They all need the saving knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. It is amazing what God can do for others through us. God birthed His heart in the Good Samaritan.

That they may be one

Christ is not only coming for His Bride, but He is coming for a Bride without spot, blemish, or wrinkle [5]. It is why God created man in the first place.

In 1993 I flew down to the Morris Cerullo’s Twenty-Third World Conference in San Diego, California. Believers from all over the world attended and although there have been bigger Christian gatherings, close to seven thousand believers showed up to worship God and hear from Him.

Unless you have been in a big crowd like this it will be hard to fathom the atmosphere that hovered over the auditorium while 7000 Christians worshiped, prayed, and sang to God. The spirit was so thick; it was hard even to stand. I will never forget the feeling and awesome time that I had that year with the Lord.

Now, can you further imagine the heavenly sound as millions of Christians raise their voice to God in song; millions of Christian spirits filled with the Holy Ghost and raising their praises to Him? This must be a beautiful sound to God, especially for Jesus, because we are His Bride.

Christ prayed to His Father that we’d all be one as He and the Father are one [6]. We are all many parts of the body but we are all baptized into one spirit [7], with Christ as the head. With the spirit that filled the atmosphere at that Conference with only 7000 Christians, I can see why God is not willing that one person should perish [8]. When millions of spirit-filled Christians become one spirit, we will become the Bride of Christ.

Each person is a facet of God’s love and beauty for God created us in His own image [9]. A part of God is in every individual that He longs to express Himself through, to show the different personalities and heart of God. He wanted people to love one another and to show mercy as He’s shown mercy. When the focus is on self, Christ-centeredness goes out the window. The goal is singleness of heart, where He’s the number one priority. This is the heart and the purpose of God.

Let’s go a little further and not only seek God, but talk to Him. When Christ died on the Cross, His death rent the veil in twain [10], which allowed us access to the throne room of God and His presence.

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[1] The Jewish day starts at 6:00PM (1800 hrs)
[2] Luke 10:30-37
[3] Mark 12:30, 31 KJV
[4] John 4:35
[5] Ephesians 5:27
[6] John 17:21, 22
[7] 1 Corinthians 12:13
[8] 2 Peter 3:9
[9] Genesis 1:27
[10] Matthew 27:51 This means that the veil that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies in the Tent of the Meeting (Tabernacle), God ripped it in two upon Christ’s death.

Fighting Off Invaders

2009-10-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

In today's world amongst the N1H1 flu and health care reform and misdirection of politicians, I submit to you an attempt to keep us all on track in our daily lives. God is still in control!

Praise God in all things [1]. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. . .Yes, even when we’re sick and down, give praise unto Jesus.

Praise God when we're sick? You bet. Being physically sick is good. Temperature is the body’s way of fighting off the invaders of our body. Thank you Jesus because you have fearfully and wonderfully made us [2]. Our bodies work exactly like you have programmed them to work.

Since all truth is parallel, it is the same thing spiritually for when we are tempted, tried, and exposed to suffering; it is still Christ fighting off the invaders of our soul. Things go wrong naturally so we can fight the bad things in our spiritual system through Christ [3]. As long as we keep Jesus in focus and in charge, Christ will fight off the invaders of our spirit.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. [4]

Therefore, the next time we are physically sick, rejoice and praise God because we know that Christ is fighting on our behalf on the inside of us. When we are spiritually sick and down, rejoice and praise God, because we know that there are battles going on inside of us. We can and should pray, but the battle needs to rage on inside of us until Christ expels those invaders.

When we are physically sick, we go to the pharmacist and get an aspirin pill, and then rest in bed. When we are spiritually sick, we go to the Great Physician, take the Gos-pill, and then rest in Jesus.

Hallelujah!
-------------------------------------

[1] Eph 5:20 KJV
[2] Psalms 139:14
[3] (Hebrews 4:14-16)
[4] 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10 KJV

SEEKING GOD

2009-09-28T00:42:00.000-07:00

PART 5 of 8
SEEKING GOD’S HEART: The Courtship of God

The evening was a typically beautiful and peaceful night. A small breeze was blowing and seemed to be chasing a previous gust that had already passed through. David sat leaning against a tree trunk playing his harp and singing psalms to God and to his father’s sleeping sheep. His eyelids were getting a little heavy in the tranquility of the moment and he could probably drift off himself if not for the fact that the sheep were in his charge.

As David sang and played, he kept a vigorous lookout toward the surrounding area. Besides his playing and the sounds of the night, the only other thing he could hear was an occasional bleating from either side of the flock by a few sheep that struggled to sleep but nonetheless were quietly confirming the contentment of their status.

Minutes passed, when amid song, a lone lamb raised its head and began checking his periphery. David stopped playing. He could no longer hear the sounds of the night and it was like someone had turned off the switch to his hearing.

Something was wrong.

He put down his harp and looked about him. There was a rustling in the nearby brush. David stood and reached for his sling.

By this time, all the sheep were standing and huddling together waiting for someone to lead them to safety. The bleating was deafening. David prepared himself for any eventuality.

Then David saw him: a lion crouching low and stalking the perimeter. Should I do anything? he thought. The lion would only take one animal. Should I risk my own life for one lamb?

The Holy Spirit brought David to his spiritual senses and told him that David’s father was not willing that one of his sheep should perish[1] and that He would deliver the lamb out of the lion’s mouth. Hearing that and without a second thought, David loaded a good size rock into the leather pouch and prepared for an open and clear shot.

Without any warning, the lion sprung and as quickly as he had leapt, he had a lamb in his mouth and was confidently trotting toward the thickets. David would only have one try and he’d have to be quick and accurate, otherwise, a lamb would die, either from the jaws of death or by a misplaced stone. He began to twirl and at the precise moment, known only to him, he released the rock. It found its mark and the lion dropped to the ground. David removed the terrified lamb from the jaws of certain death and released it back to the flock.

Shaken and recomposed, the lion arose to recapture his dinner and perhaps an extra tid-bit for dessert by killing David. However, the Lord delivered David out of the paw of the lion and allowed him to grab the lion by the beard and slay him[2].

Like David, when we are in the center of God’s will and His presence, we too can slay the lions in our lives.

David Slays Goliath

Not only did David slay the lion and the bear but he slew Goliath as well[3]. Although God delivered him from Goliath and the Philistines, David only acted after he heard from the Lord[4]. (This is very important.)

It seems a little foolhardy that David would so quickly step up to fight the 9ft tall giant laden down with impenetrable armor and he with none[5], until we read 1 Samuel 17:36. This passage tells us that for David to boast as he did (in the natural), would not have been prudent. It is evident that the Lord had already told him what he should do. The will of God had sanctioned this battle and guaranteed David’s victory[6]. David immediately acted upon it and ran toward Goliath. Yes. . .ran. This was the proper response.

At one time or the other, waiting on the Lord is where most of us fall short because we all deal from presumption instead of hearing directly from the Lord before any of our battles, prayers, and supplications. We try and get ahead of God by speaking His Word and then expecting Him to jump and honor it. This is backward.

The Word of God is logos to us ‘all,' but the rhema word is to us ‘individually’ according to the will of God. As soon as we learn this truth, the easier, and the more victorious our lives will be. Although His Word will not return to Him void[7], God is not called to do our will but we are called to do His.

David, a man after god’s own heart

The secret to David’s[8] longevity and success was because he was in the center of God’s will. He had an intimate relationship with the Lord and he did nothing without the leading of the Holy Spirit. He knew that it could possibly mean his death if he did otherwise, as witnessed by the previous stories. David was, indeed, a man after God’s own heart[9], which begs the question, “How was he ‘a man after God’s own heart?’”

One only has to read the Psalms to know the answer to that question. David did not only love the Lord and depend upon Him solely but in every way he was agreeable to the will of God. He paid strict attention to, and never tried to change, any part of the Law. As David led Israel in the public arena, he acted according to God’s righteous mind, and fulfilled the will of God.

When David slew the lion, the bear, and Goliath, he was more than confident in his immediate actions because he had the leading of the Holy Spirit. He acted out of a condition response and there was no hesitation when the Lord told him to. . .go, that He would deliver him.

Today, when I look back on David’s harrowing exploits, I shudder. I shudder because I know the lineage from where Jesus came. What if the lion, the bear, or Goliath had killed David? There would be no Jesus. This may have been the last ditch effort by Satan to stop the lineage of Christ.

Therefore, as long as we have the faith and Spirit of God in us, and be men and women after His heart, nothing will be impossible[10] for us to accomplish. We too will act without hesitation. . .as long as we wait on the Spirit of God[11] and not act presumptuously.

Peter acted presumptuously when, just before Christ’s Crucifixion, he told Jesus that He would surely not die[12]. I am wondering how many of us would have probably told Jesus the same thing. I fear that I would have said something similar. However, as the Bible indicates, the Lord’s physical survival was not in God’s plan[13]. Christ came to pay for His Bride with His own Blood.

This is why it is so important to be in the center of God’s will and to know His Word, so we don’t get ahead of the Holy Spirit. In the natural, I can understand why Peter said what he did but knowing what we know today aren’t we glad that Jesus saw through Satan’s charade.

Courtship of God’s Heart

When we seek the heart of God, we are in a “courtship” phase of relationship. Our wooing leads to romance and that creates a relationship. In turn, this produces intimacy and puts us right in the center of God’s will.

When we are in the center of God’s will and desires, we are looking to fulfill the desires of God’s heart, not ours.

During our courtship, we reciprocate God’s love by giving Him our devotion, our obedience, our worship, and our love. Just the simple act alone of giving to God and others benefit us because those acts themselves automatically bounce blessing back to us and builds our character. We (should) do this with a personal decision and without any prompting of the Holy Spirit. Then God blesses us again because we unselfishly gave unsolicited help to Him and to others.

Seeking God’s Heart

When we seek the heart of God, it is going to Him and asking, “What can I do for you today Lord? What’s on your heart today? You know where I am going and who I am going to run across today Lord, so is there something that you want to do in my life today to touch and reach those who will cross my path? Is there something that you’d like to say Lord? What would you like Father, or do you just want me to sit with you today God?”

Approaching God like this we become a man[14] after God’s own heart and depending on our relationship with Him, we will go into His presence. Getting into the center of God’s will and in His presence provides revelation, healing, deliverance, sanctification, victory, and supernatural power. Going into His presence with any pretense and the pretense will find you out.

Seeking God’s heart is when we live for God’s purpose and is where we exchange all of our plans, our hopes, and our dreams for the dreams, the heart, and the longing of God. He so saturates us that we will become the heart of God. His heart will so birth in us that we will literally cry when traveling down the street wondering how many of these people do not have the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

If people called by His name will not only seek His face[15] but seek His heart, our hearts will come together and beat as one. This will be the heart of the Bride and it will be beating loudly for all to hear.

The Bride’s heart will beat so loudly that our relationship with God will emanate from out of us and begin to change the atmosphere one heart at a time. People around us will sense and feel our commingled heart and the power of the Holy Spirit and will say, “I want some of that.”

In essence and in the final analysis, seeking God’s heart is the simple act of literally giving Him ours!

The number one purpose and desire of God’s heart is that we know Him and make Him known to others. It is what He longs for us to do. Let’s go a little deeper still by Seeking God’s Purpose.

___________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Matthew 18:14 Obviously, I took some license here with this Scripture but is not God the same yesterday, today, and forever. It is just my interpretation of the event.
[2] 1 Samuel 17:37; David, the lion, and bear story 1 Samuel 17:34-37
[3] 1 Samuel 17:49, 50
[4] 1 Samuel 17:36; 1Samuel 17:45
[5] David removed the armor that Saul gave him because he knew that the battle was the Lords and that Saul’s armor (unbelief) would not defeat the giant. David had the armor of the God of Israel, which were His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. David didn’t need any armor protection because the Lord had told him that He would deliver him from Goliath and the Philistines. If all David had in his pouch was 5 olives, he still would have gone mano a mano with Goliath and God would have still delivered him. David was so sure of the outcome that he ran toward Goliath and the Philistines.
[6] 1 Samuel 17:37
[7] Isaiah 55:11
[8] Other than Jesus, the longest biography in the Bible is that of King David. 1 Samuel 16:13b all the way through 1 Kings 2:10. 1 Chronicles 12-29. David even wrote at least eighty-five of the one hundred and fifty songs in the Psalms.
[9] 1 Samuel 13:14
[10] Luke 1:37
[11] Psalms 27:14; Psalms 37:34; Proverb 3:5, 6
[12] Matthew 16:22
[13] Mark 15:25
[14] Man is a generic term for mankind and means man AND woman.
[15] 2Chronicles 7:14

SEEKING GOD

2009-09-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

PART 4 of 8
SEEKING GOD'S FACE: The Characteristics of God

My divorce was an extremely hard time in my life and if I ever needed God, it was then. At that time I was living in a one-bedroom apartment and I’d just made a new commitment to pray with God for one hour each day. Therefore, at 4:00 AM, I crawled out of bed, got dressed, and went to the front room to fellowship with the Lord.

I was praying the Lord’s Prayer and had just hallowed His name. I stood there waiting on His response. When in the distance, a small speck materialized in my mind’s eye. It was like looking at a movie scene filled with theatrical smoke, only in suspended animation.

Suddenly, in one fluid motion, the whole scene seemed to come at me until I could finally distinguish what it was. Although it was still fuzzy in appearance, it continued to grow until there was no question as to its identity, it was the Cross.

The next thing I could see was the face of Christ. He was looking toward heaven. His face was not in the distance, but up close and personal. He was all I could see. Then something happened that I will never forget. It changed my life.

In slow motion, Jesus turned and pivoted His head until He was looking me straight in the eyes. He said, “I love you, Jim.” The presence of God was vibrating in me as I stood there with my eyes closed and looking straight into the eyes of Jesus Christ. Jesus was touching my spirit and His voice reverberated in my soul as I stood there basking in His presence.

As quickly as He’d come, His image began to fade. Then. . .He disappeared. I do not know how long I stood there; I only know that Cecil B. DeMille could not have made this scene any more real than the one that I had just witnessed. How could a face so covered with blood and pain, shine with so much love and compassion? You call it love, love as only God can give.

When we seek God’s face, we are at a “personal” level of relationship. To seek God’s face is not so much to seek what He can do for us but to look at His character and attributes to know who He is on the inside. We are beginning to go into a deeper relationship with Him

After my divorce, I felt lost, alone, and unloved. I knew of only one place where I could get unconditional love: I needed to seek God’s face and tap into His essence; I did not need any provision. All I needed was some understanding and compassion, and maybe a little validation, to know that I was okay and that I was worth loving.

I needed the love of God to cover me, manifest in me, and engulf my being. That morning in my front room, Christ had revealed His face to me big time by telling me something that I really needed to hear amidst my situation – “I love you Jim.”

Although God is understanding, compassionate, and validating, when we seek His face, we really begin to see who God is. When you start seeking the essence of somebody, this is where the relationship really begins to grow. Seeking the essence of God is no different. In retrospect, it is okay to seek God's hands because when we aspire to seek God’s face, we realize that much of who God is. . .IS what He wants to do for us. However, He is so much more.

Not only is God understanding and all those things, but He is our righteousness, our sanctification, and our peace. He is our healer, our provider, our banner, our shepherd, and one who is always there. He is the creator of Earth and the universe; He is the all mighty and powerful God, and the all-sufficient one. Yet, this is still not all of who God is.

He is our resurrection, our savior, our advocate, and the Alpha and Omega. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the Door for the sheep. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is a Father of mercies and God of all comfort, the Prince of Peace, The Bright Morning Star, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is our Lord and our God, He is our life, He is faithful and true, our Maker, and our heavenly Father. He is our hope of glory, our redemption, our foundation, and our Bridegroom. This is still not the full essence of almighty God.

However, in essence, God is Love. Can you imagine not only being a God of love, but actually to be Love? Now, imagine further that you have nobody to love. This is the reason why God created man in the first place, so that Christ could have a bride and the Godhead could have someone on which to lavish their love. You could write a book about who God is. Oops, thirty-nine people already did that. It’s called the Bible.

God’s Word says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

When God comes to heal our land, He does not necessarily mean geographically, although it could mean just that. More times than not it means anywhere you happen to be at that moment, either spiritually, emotionally, physically, or socially. So, when you make yourself available to God’s will (humble yourselves), and pray, He will come and heal you no matter what your status or location, albeit, according to His will.

Remember that God appearing to you in a vision is not necessarily a prerequisite to seeking or knowing who God is. God just blessed me with that experience during a hard time in my life. However, and who knows, if you seek that blessing, He may bless you in the same way. God is no respecter of persons.

If we don’t seek His face and tap into whom God is and not just His provision, then we will lose out on the fullness of God and everything that He has to offer us. Therefore, now that we not only know that God can provide for us and that we can also minister to Him through our works, but we also know part of who God is. Let’s go deeper into our relationship with Him by seeking His heart. This is where true intimacy with God begins.

SEEKING GOD

2009-09-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

PART 3 of 8
SEEKING GOD'S HANDS: God's Provision

Not long ago, I went to the beach for some much-needed R&R. I checked into The Proposal Rock Inn at Neskowin, Oregon, unpacked, and immediately headed for the wet hard sand.

I stood there in awe and overlooked the ocean as the tide slowly but surely encroached on the land, devouring it inch by inch only to recede leaving the shoreline looking as though there was never an invasion of water.

For centuries, the sea has drawn many men to her bosom, beckoning them to “Come...come to me.” How many dreamers have stood on her shores and asked, “What lies beyond the horizon?” Only the brave have dared to venture out leaving the comfort and safety of land behind to see what lay ahead and out of the grasp of civilization.

I had come here spiritually to rest. I wanted to be alone with God and write; no housework, no TV, no stereo, and no computer...just God.

I didn’t have a place at home in which I could write that was conducive to the creativity bottled up inside of me. The ocean provides that environment and atmosphere for me.

I’d never dedicated four days just to be with Him. I said, “Father, it’s just you and me for the next four days. I want my writing to make a difference, so I need the words to be from you Lord, whatever you have for me, I’ll receive.

Although the cool evening breeze continued to blow in from the ocean, I felt warmth in my Spirit. The Lord had just confirmed His presence. My sandals scooped up the sand with one-step and deposited it with the next as I walked and waited on the Lord to speak.

After about ten paces, I stopped and closed my eyes, trying to shut out every semblance of the world. I wanted to be totally alone with God. I must have stood there motionless and quiet for what seemed like twenty minutes--but was probably only a minute or so--waiting on a response from the Lord.

Then it hit me. Even though I’d made this trip to be with Him for fellowship, the first thing I did was to seek His provision. Was my trip a pretense? I didn’t think so because my trip had a two-fold agenda. Is this why God wasn't answering me right away? Did He want me to figure that out by myself. Or was it even a problem.

I said, “I’m sorry Father. I’ve come to fellowship with you and get closer and the first thing I do is ask you for something. Please forgive me. I love you Father but I want to do right by you with the mandate that you have given me.” What I had just said sounded like an excuse, but without thinking, I spoke it from my heart and mind.

Deep from within my spirit I heard, “I know you love Me son for I look on the heart. It's okay to ask Me for things, for it is My good pleasure to give you the desires of your heart.”

I slowly opened my eyes and looked out over the water. I couldn’t help but thinking how the ocean was a perfect representation of God: the vastness, the greatness, the power, the deepness--all perfect examples of the awesomeness of God--and He’d just called me son!

Like the wayfarer answers the call of the sea and sets sail toward the horizon, so do we answer the call of the Spirit and set sail on the boat of faith to begin and develop a relationship with God.

As we embark on that relationship, we learn that He is no respecter of persons. What He does for one person, He’ll do for someone else. If we have the faith to believe that, we will please Him, for it is impossible to please God without faith.

In the early stages of developing a relationship with God, probably ninety percent of our prayers involve soliciting His provision for our lives or to put it more direct, we need something from Him. However, like the Father personally told me earlier, “...It’s okay to ask Me for things...” His Word says, “...ye have not, because ye ask not (James 4:2),” and to Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

When I first asked Christ into my heart, I knew that I needed a savior. As a new believer and coming from a messed up past, I was a needy person with a new found caretaker for my life, and I quickly learned that He loved me. In fact, He died for me, and nothing is impossible with Him.

Mark 11:24 declares, “. . .what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” So as I grew, I prayed for guidance, protection, deliverance, healing, financial matters, and a host of other needs. Here I was, treating God like my own personal butler instead of treating Him like my personal Savior. I sounded like an opera star warming up: mememememe.

When we seek God’s hands, we are at an ‘I need’ level of relationship. When we pray for His provision, we are praying for what He and His hands can do for us. What we need is to become like a little child and wean ourselves from milk to meat.

I came to the realization that all I was doing was just ‘taking’ of His provision. God gave me the desires of my heart but I was not giving Him the desires of His heart. Although I tried doing things for Him through the church and for people, I was like Martha with her many works. I did not seek the good part. There is a give and take in any relationship or marriage, without which, it cannot last long. God understands this but He does expect us to grow. Relationship is a process.

Is God’s provision all that there is in a relationship with God? To have a relationship with another person, in the natural, it is prudent to find out who that person is and who they are representing themselves to be. Seeking a relationship with God is no different because natural relationships release insights into our spiritual relationship with Christ. It goes full circle because Christ is the one who teaches us how to have a relationship with others in the first place.

Seeking God’s hands can be a one-sided relationship if that is all we seek of Him. However, by seeking God’s hands, we learn that what He wants to do for us is much of who He is. It pleases God when we ask for His provision instead of seeking the world's provision for our lives. . .but the goal here is to go deeper.

Let's go to a deeper level of relationship and find out who God is by Seeking God's Face.

The Antioch and Alexandria Bibles

2009-08-18T02:17:00.000-07:00

The poetic prose of the King James Bible, although a little hard to understand sometimes, has always felt comfortable to me in that I was hearing from God when I read its pages. If ever we needed to hear from God, it is now.

This is not, nor will it be, a crusade I just want to report what I have learned. The only way you can persuade yourself that you are really reading the Word of God is to do the research for yourself. You be the judge. I have already made my decision. I will also give you some sites to use as references. You could write a book on the differences - so, I will barely scratch the surface with this information.

Recently on social Christian network, I started a discussion based on a movie I’d seen many years ago (Planet of the Apes). Although I really didn’t believe in the concept I presented (and said as much)[1], I just thought it might be fun. I had some very interesting comments put forth and I enjoyed reading them tremendously. I even learned a few things in the process.

The concept came from Genesis 1:28 and the word “replenish.” Someone made the comment that the KJV was the only version that used that word. Now I knew of some of the existing alleged discrepancies in other modern day translations but the comments prompted me to do some personal research. Although I have talked to many other people about this, I wanted God to lead me to my answer and conclusion – not man. I think that’s prudent.

Don’t take my word for it, however, do the research yourself. The only trouble is, you’ll need a copy of the AVKJV to make the comparison. I have learned that the KJV is the standard by which we judge all others. It is the original Bible and version.

I love the Word of God and love researching it, so I thank those who participated in my discussion and prompted me to study this. I had a ball with the discussion and the research. There is not enough room to do this topic justice and will only be a few examples out of hundreds of examples that I could present. This will only be a comparison. You decide.

However, what I learned solidified my belief. So, out of love for my brothers and sisters in the Lord, please allow me to exhort you to, minimum, do the research for yourself. I did, and here is what I have learned.

Formal/Dynamic Equivalency

Translators use two basic approaches to creating a Bible translation: formal equivalency and dynamic equivalency. Bibles translated by formal equivalency will take careful reading. At times, you will have to study history to learn the cultural background before you can fully understand the text.

The translator is simply rendering the text in your language...nothing more. . .nothing less. Nevertheless, you will have the confidence of knowing that you do not have to trust another man's understanding, or theology, but can make up your own mind as to what God has said. In the English language, the King James Bible is the only available translation using this approach.

On the other hand, Bibles translated by dynamic equivalency will read as easily as a novel. When a story seems difficult to understand without a little history, the author may even change it to a form he believes you will better understand! You will never know for sure what God said, but must trust the translator's theology to lead you into truth. The translator here is acting as a teacher, not just telling you what God said, but he is adding his understanding of what God meant! All present day versions use this approach.

Antioch and Alexandria Bibles

We hear much talk these days about "older" and "more authoritative" manuscripts, but we aren't hearing much about the origin of these manuscripts. It is an established fact that there are only two lines of Bibles: one coming from Antioch, Syria (known as the Syrian or Byzantine type text), and one coming from Alexandria, Egypt (known as the Egyptian or Hesycnian type text).

The Syrian text from Antioch is the Majority text from which our King James 1611 Bible comes, and the Egyptian text is the minority text from which the new translations come. (As a side note), in the Bible, notice how the Holy Spirit casts Egypt and Alexandria in a negative light, while His comments on Antioch tend to be very positive.

Deleted Verses

You might be shocked to know that the NIV deletes over forty verses from the Bible. Here are just a couple: Mathew 18:11. What are the NIV readers missing? "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." (KJV) Sort of important, don’t you think? How about this one: 1 John 5:7. What are the NIV readers missing? "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (KJV)

1 John 5:7 is one of the greatest verses in THE Bible that testifies to the trinity. This is why the Jehovah’s Witnesses leave it out of their bible. They don't believe in the Trinity. So. . .why does the NIV leave it out? If we believe in the Trinity, then this deletion should greatly offend us. I know I am tremendously offended. The NIV removes these two major verses.

How about a couple more?

The NIV completely removes Mark 11:26. What are the NIV readers missing? "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." (KJV) How about Acts 8:37, which the NIV completely removes, "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (KJV) Its deletion makes one think that people do not need baptism or saved to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. This goes against our faith, in that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and The Life and is the only way to the Father. Rather important Scripture I think.

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? [3]” (KJV)

Contradiction

One of the most famous and recognizable verses in the Bible is John 3:16. The KJV says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son. . .” Here is the NIV: “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son. . .” This change causes a contradiction in the word of God because God has more than one son according to both the King James (Genesis 6:2, Job 1:6, John 1:12) and the NIV (Genesis 6:2). The NIV even contradicts itself. If there is one contradiction, then the rest loses credibility and needs rejecting.

Deleted Words

The NIV removes 64,576 words from their bible. In other words, don’t look for the word “mercyseat,” its gone; don’t look for the word “Jehovah,” it is gone, and don’t look for the word “Godhead,” it is gone. The word “sodomy” is also gone. (The deletion of the word sodomy sounds suspiciously PC to me.) Are you sitting down? Sixty-four and a half thousand words are like removing thirty books from the Bible. THIRTY!!! The NIV removes words like, remission, regeneration, impute, propitiation, New Testament and many, many others. All this despite the Bible’s warning about “taking away” from His words (Prov 30:5, 6; Rev 22:19).

Jesus is Lucifer?

For me, here is the capper: the NIV bible calls Jesus, Lucifer. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself. We first have to look at Isaiah 14:12. This is what THE Bible (KJV) says: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations." Here is the NIV: “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations.” This Isaiah passage is all about Lucifer. . .remember that. Also remember now, while continuing to read, who is the Morning Star.

Is there anywhere else in the NIV that mentions the Morning Star? Check out Revelation 22:16, which says, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” What about 2 Peter 1:19? “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” The NIV has Jesus and Lucifer as the same person by its own words. This is in black and white and irrefutable. This is highly offensive to me. Lord Jesus, please have mercy on us.

I offer this series only because I love the body of Christ and want to help and warn you in your walk. Time for us is running out. I don’t want to keep silent on a truth that I have learned. This would be a lie of omission[2].

As a comparison, what if I was consistently prone to not telling the truth, how much credibility would I have with you? Would you come back to me to seek the truth? I doubt it. You would consider me a poor and unsuitable character reference with zero credibility. We seek the Bible for truth so if one verse is wrong or missing, that bible has zero credibility.

The Holy Spirit convicts us but He also convicts us through the Word of God. His Word is where we reference our convictions and learn from them. If the Bible we are reading has mistakes, lies of omissions, and deletions, then how can we be sure that any of the passages are correct and with which we can base our convictions?

God has given us all free will and we now have a choice. I want to make sure that I am hearing from God because of the times that are ahead of us and not from man’s interpretation of what he thinks God may have said. I don’t have any titles next to my name for I am just His humble servant. However, I do, as we all do, have the Holy Spirit to guide us.

First and foremost, you should test everything that you read on these four pages, as well as elsewhere, against THE Word of God. He is the definitive answer. Therefore, I leave you in His hands and offer these few pages for your testing.

I pray that this information is useful in your walk.

GBY all

Much information taken from:

Jesus-is-Lord
Bible Study Resource
The King James Bible Page
Bible versions F.A.Q
Lie of Omission

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WHY DID JESUS FOLD HIS BURIAL NAPKIN?

2009-08-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

NOTE: I did not write this but knew of the custom. To understand the Bible, It would be prudent to study Jewish customs and traditions of the day. It would be advantageous to study Jewish marriage customs especially in these last days. I plan to post a blog covering this in a series of blogs starting next week.

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely!

Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.

The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'. But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table,

because..........

The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'

HALLELUJAH!!!

The Little Brown Cardboard Box

2009-07-28T04:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, I settled back into my recliner with TV dinner and milk in hand, to watch a movie on the tube. The blurb for The Skeleton Key was innocent enough so I clicked on the appropriate channel, squirming to get comfortable and dive into my meal.

The storyline was about a young woman who, disenfranchised by a common apathy toward patients at a hospice ward, leaves to take a position as a caretaker at a private residence in the Louisiana Bayou.

The movie opens with the lead, Kate Hudson, a nurse, sitting at the bedside of a male patient reading a book to him. One minute his eyes are open. The next minute, they shut. She closes the book, puts it on the chair, then reaches down, and checks the man’s vitals. Another nurse stops at the open door.

“He’s gone,” Kate says, shaking her head.

Later, Kate leaves the building with a little brown cardboard box in her arms, a label identifying the box as belonging to the man who passed away. Near the back door sits a large top-loaded trash container. Kate lifts the lid and prepares to throw away the box, but first she looks inside the bin and notices half a dozen other boxes with a label on each one identifying its owner. Following that scene, I don’t remember anything that happened.

I sat there in my recliner thinking about the old man’s box. The sum total of this man’s life was able to fit inside of a small box. There were no family members at his side when he passed, just a nurse who cared enough to perform a simple act of kindness by reading to him as he slipped away.

I couldn’t help wondering about what keepsakes were in the box. Perhaps some pictures or a few personal letters, a cross at the end of a chain, or maybe a woman’s wedding band. Now they sat in a trash bin in an alley.

FIRE HAZARDS

Just like the trash container consumed the man’s box, so will the refiner’s fire consume all hay, grass, and straw on that Day of Judgment. Everything that is not pure will burn in that fire just as the dross rises to the top and discarded when refining Gold.

That little brown cardboard box is a metaphor for our lives and as such is a gift from God. The contents of our life, or what we do with our lives, are a gift back to Him. What will Christ find in our little brown cardboard box before He throws it into the refiner’s fire? What in our lives is pure enough that will survive the fire?

A FIRE RESISTANT STRUCTURE

1 Corinthians 3:11-16 says that Christ is the foundation. It also says that some men will build on that foundation with a pure Christian life, which is gold, silver, and costly stones, while others will build on it with hay, grass, and straw and is symbolic of a weak and impure life.

In that Day, the Bible says, “If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames[1].”

That scene at the trash bin had a huge impact on my spiritual life. I thought to myself, Lord, what will be the sum total of my spiritual life when you come to collect my spirit? Will there be anything in my little brown cardboard box after the fire?

BLUEPRINTS FOR A FIRE RESISTANT STRUCTURE

I asked the Lord, “How do you define gold, silver, and costly stones? With what do I fill up my little brown cardboard box?”

The Lord said to me, Son, “These are things that are likened unto gold, silver, and costly stones: ‘. . .Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself[2].’”

God put many verses on my heart that day as He defined those things likened unto gold, silver, and costly stones. I learned that Luke 10:27 was, and still is, the most important to Him. (For your own personal study, you can find the rest of the Scriptures that the Lord gave to me, in the endnotes[3].)

MOVING IN

Then the Holy Spirit put everything into perspective for me, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory[4].”

When I read, “When Christ, who is (y)our life. . .” that hit me. How many times have I read that passage and just skimmed over it? We are His body and Christ is the head of that body[5]. He is the foundation of the temple and we are the temple of God[6]. Hallelujah!

The Lord was telling me that we should constantly be aware that we are an extension of Him and because the body connects to the head, it can only do what the head tells it. When people interact with us. . .will they see Christ in us? What will be in our little brown cardboard boxes when Christ requires our Spirits? Will we just squeak into heaven like the thief on the Cross?

By filling our little brown cardboard boxes with a pure Christian life, by encouraging others, and by representing Christ here on Earth we will garner our rewards for a job well done, thou good and faithful servants[7], and will appear with Him in glory[8].

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[1] 1 Corinthians 3:14, 15
[2] Luke 10:27
[3] Deuteronomy 11:27; Exodus 20:2-17;Mark 11:25; Philippians 4:8; Galatians 5:22, 23; 1 Peter 1:16; Mark 16:15; Proverbs 6:17-19; Colossians 3:2-17
[4] Colossians 3:1-4
[5] Colossians 1:18
[6] 1 Corinthians 3:16
[7] Mathew 25:21
[8] Colossians 3:4

Who We Are In Christ

2009-07-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

Late one evening, when I was a young man, my sister and I were walking home from a dance late at night. We frequented this weekly event every Saturday night because sis loved to dance. At the time, I had just turned sixteen and Judy was only thirteen and in the eighth grade. She was very mature and beautiful for her age. We were (and still are) the best of friends, and she is still very beautiful.

Suddenly, from the shadows, a young man in uniform materialized, which startled us. Judging solely by his looks, I figured him to be about nineteen or twenty. His catcalls and childish demeanor brought that down to about eleven. However, because of the uniform, I knew this not to be true.

His whistles and remarks, most of which I can’t even remember, were innocent at first, like, "Hey babe. . .how about you and I go out. . ." Soon his comments began to escalate to a more confrontational demeanor. Remarks like, “Hey sweet thing, what are you doing with that dork? Let a real man walk you home.” He closed the distance between us. I finally asked the guy to back off. He didn’t. By the time we got to our front yard, the soldier and I were in full hand-to-hand combat.

Dad must have heard my sister screaming because he ran outside, grabbed the soldier with one hand and me with the other, and held us both out at arm’s length. It was all over.

I thought to myself, I can take this guy dad. I was winning the battle but maybe dad was a little uncertain as to whether I could have won the war especially with a trained soldier. (He didn't feel trained in my head lock.) Nonetheless, dad loved me enough to jump into the middle of things thinking I was in danger no matter the consequences to his own safety. I am proud to have called him Dad and to be a part of his family.

BORN INTO GOD'S FAMILY
Through faith in Christ we are all brothers and sisters in God’s family [1]. Every person saved in the past, present, and future will be in Christ by what He did on the Cross. Christ loved us enough to come down out of His home, not worrying about His safety, and jumped into the middle of our troubles to die for us.

When I was just a kid and one of my siblings or I had a tough challenge ahead, I’d always ask them, “What’s your last name?” I was proud of my last name and wanted to pass it on to my sons in as good as shape as when I received it. If Dad taught me one thing, he taught me perseverance and that I could do anything if I put my mind to it. He’d always say, “What’s your last name, boy?”

When we are in Christ, what is there that we cannot do through Christ? His Word says that we can do all things through Him that strengthens us [2]. So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir [3]. This proclaims that all of the privileges that belong to Christ now belong to us, as well. God is our Abba Father or as a term of endearment, our daddy [4].

Who are we in Christ? We are sons and daughters of God and heirs to His Kingdom. The same Spirit that is in Jesus is in us. Therefore, I ask you, "What's your last name?" In whose family do you belong?

LIVING IN GOD'S FAMILY
My dad not only taught me to be a man but he also taught me to be a father. My family did everything together while growing up. We went camping, fishing, to the beach together and even played games at home like, 500 Rummy, Monopoly, and picture puzzles. We always had food on the table, a roof over our head, and much love and affection to go around. We wanted for nothing.

It is God the Father’s good pleasure to give us everything. As a point of fact, God's Word says that it is the Father's good pleasure to give us His Kingdom [5]. If we give our kids good gifts, how much more will God in heaven give better gifts to us [6]. However, there is one catch: we need to have faith “In Christ.” We need to belong to His family.

I remember when I first asked Christ into my heart. I was in a little Baptist Church two blocks from our house. I can close my eyes and still see the pastor leading me in the prayer of salvation. I was now in Christ and redeemed. That was 54 years ago.

We can see people healed and even rise from the dead, but the biggest miracle and gift of all is salvation. We are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus [7]. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law when He hung on the Cross.

ETERNAL REWARDS IN GOD'S FAMILY
Although both my parents are with Jesus now, I am still proud to be in their family and to have their last name. So, what are the benefits of being in God's family?

In Christ, we have redemption [8], sanctification [9], wisdom, and righteousness [10]. In Christ, we are wise, strong, and honorable [11]. In Christ, we have eternal life [12] and can always be triumphant [13]. There is an anointing [14] in Christ and we are all a new creature [15]. In Christ, we have liberty [16] and have justification through faith [17]. We are children of the living God [18] in Christ. We have hope [19], grace [20], and salvation [21] in Christ. In Christ, we have reconciliation [22] and are partakers of the promise [23].

Dad is reaping those benefits first hand now with the Lord in glory. Even in Dad’s last days, he was still protecting us kids with his prayers. His physical body gave out and he could no longer pick up two men at arm’s length but his prayers protected us all just the same.

To acquire the grace of God [24], His love for us [25], and all the privileges of “In Christ”[26] here on earth, we first need to come to faith in Christ [27]. Once we join God’s family through the prayer of salvation, then faith in Christ is nothing more than trusting in God’s Word [28] and not wavering, as James warns us in chapter 1:2-8. I am proud to be in God's family.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. [29]

In Christ footnotes
[1] Galatians 3:24 [2] Philippians 4:13 [3] Galatians 4:7
[4] Galatians 4:6 [5] Luke 12:32 [6] Matthew 7:11
[7] Romans 3:24 [8] Romans 3:24 [9 ] 1 Corinthians 1:2
[10] 1 Corinthians 1:20 [11] 1 Corinthians 4:10
[12] 1 Corinthians 15:22 [13] 2 Corinthians 2:14
[14] 2 Corinthians 1:21 [15] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[16] Galatians 2:4 [17] Romans 5:1 [18 ] Galatians 3:26
[19] 1 Corinthians 15:19 [20] 2 Timothy 2:1 [21] 2 Timothy 2:10
[22] 2 Corinthians 5:19 [23] Ephesians 3:6
[24] Titus 2:11; 1 Peter 4:10 [25] Romans 8:35-39
[26] Galatians 4:7 [27] Galatians 2:16, 20; Galatians 3:26;
Ephesians 3:17; Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:9
[28] Proverbs 3:5, 6 [29] 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Next week: We the Jury. The Spirit of Guilt is one of the most devastating spirits in the arsenal of Satan. It can bring us down quicker than anything. Satan has spiritually indicted and prosecuted everybody that has ever lived, but the verdict is in. . .“Not guilty – on all counts.”

God bless you all and we’ll see you next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host: James Warren
Christian Author: James Lindquist
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check my first blog “Welcome” for explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

Christian - Twelve Step Program

2009-07-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

There is probably a 99% chance that your spouse has verbally attacked you at some point in your relationship. As you stand there looking at them in their rage, the veins popping out of their neck, their face as red as a beet, you can know in your spirit what the driving force is behind them.

Knowing from where the outburst is coming permits you to have compassion on them and keeps you from acting in an un-scriptural manner because we know that we do not wrestle with flesh and blood but with principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places.

How many times have you reacted with a defensive posture and retaliated, quip for quip? I confess to you that I have retaliated many times in just such a fashion. The enemy influenced my thought process and I fell for it. The sooner that we can stop reacting to them, but instead, respond, the quicker and better things will be in our marriage and all other relationships.

Satan uses our values, our needs, and our expectations to create emotions during heated marital (and relational) discussions. When we do not get our own way, he uses those emotions to create dissension among us. If this trend continues and we do not remedy the situation, Satan will have succeeded in, minimum, putting another relationship at odds and quite possibly on the rocks. His ultimate goal, however, is separation and divorce. Are we going to let Satan manipulate us? It is imperative that we know who the enemy is.

However, during those discussions, there are rules of engagement. Here are some rules that you can use but are not all necessarily inclusive.

1. Discuss and define the problem, but work on the solution. Before starting the discussion wait for the heat of the moment to pass.
2. Do not at any time; attack your spouse’s character or integrity. Do not personalize the attack. Instead, attack the problem.
3. Unless you have a good memory, you might take some notes when it is your turn to speak. An old counselor's trick is to use an inanimate object (it matters not what it is) for your discussions and whom ever is holding it is the only one allowed to talk.
4. Watch your pronouns. The quickest way to build an immediate wall is to use “you” statements. When you use “you” statements people’s receiving mechanism will shut down. It is a wall that you can physically see manifest right before your eyes. They will go into a defensive mode and any constructive conversation, for all intent and purposes, will be over.
5. Try not to spend more than twenty minutes discussing a hot button issue. Agree to disagree and go have a sundae. . .together.
6. Lastly, but by no means lesser in value, if you are angry, don’t sin by nursing a grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry – get over it quickly; for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the enemy.

Again, don’t go to bed angry at each other. Men, this is where we need to step up to the plate. As the spiritual leader of the home sometimes we just need to bite the bullet and acquiesce. God calls us to peace. The bottom line is. . .know who the enemy is.

If there are problems in your marriage, I can guarantee you that the Lord was not at the center of that relationship or at least during those times of unrest and trouble. Therefore, with all due respect, before we start playing the blame game with God or with each other for our problems, we need to ask ourselves some very important questions. I wonder how many Christian’s homes are in trouble today because they have answered “no” to any of the following questions:

1. Are you praying for each other daily?
2. Are you praying together, daily?
3. Do you go to a local church and worship God, together?
4. Do you read God’s Word together, daily?
5. Have you made it a daily practice to participate in a devotional reading, together?
6. Is the day started and finished with Jesus Christ alone, and when possible, together. Because of jobs, this is the hard one.

The operative word in this list is “together.” There is something very edifying about hearing someone you love, lifting your name up to the Lord. Remember that a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ec 4:12).

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Next week: In Christ. No less than 64 times does the New Testament mention the phrase, “In Christ.” What does it mean to be “In Christ?” I’ll touch on this subject next week. The limited space on this blog hinders me from a thorough and complete study of what it means to be, "In Christ." This posting is not an all inclusive study. However, I'll give you plenty of Scriptures to start you out and take off on the study of "In Christ" yourself. Have fun and be blessed by God and His Word.

God bless you all and we’ll see you next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host: James Warren
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check my archive or my Web page for explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

It Takes More Than Love

2009-06-22T02:45:00.000-07:00

Nineteen years ago, the wife and I sat in a pastor’s office enumerating our woes as wounded partners in an injured marriage of twenty-three years. As we poured out our hearts to him, he patiently sat there listening to every word. I told him that I loved my wife but I was beginning to doubt her love for me and that we were beginning to drift apart.

After I’d finished, he reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. He opened it up, thumbed through a couple denominations, and finally withdrew a twenty-dollar bill. He turned to us and said, “Let me tell you a story about a twenty-dollar bill.”

He laid the twenty on his desk and said, “Just for a moment, imagine that this twenty-dollar bill represents the love that you and your wife have for each other.” He reached across the table, picked up a small stack of papers, and continued, “. . .and let’s further suppose that this stack of papers depicts the differences, the arguments, and all the garbage that you’ve gone through in your married life.”

He methodically began placing the papers, one at a time, on top of the twenty-dollar bill naming each one: “Here’s a little dissension. . .here’s some jealousy; how about some anger; there’s some impatience; oops, there’s some unkindness.” He continued stacking them, “. . .lack of self-control. . .disharmony. . .stonewalling. . .bad attitude. . .oo-o-o and here’s a bad tongue and some nit-pick.” He wasn’t done yet. “Here’s some control. . .lording. . .lack of gentleness and sensitivity.” The man was a prophet.

By the time he was done he had close to two-dozen papers on top of that bill. “This seems like a lot,” he said, “. . .and. . .it is. . .but over time you can see how all the garbage tends to stockpile and cover love up, one sheet at a time until. . .” he held out his opened hand toward the invisible twenty-dollar bill, “. . .until you wonder, where is the love at? This is where you’re at right now,” he said, “As you affirmed at the beginning of the session when you said that you still loved one another but doubted the others reciprocity.”

In subsequent sessions we learned how to work through the “stuff” that covered our love. Our starting assignment before the next session was to do something nice for the other. We were to share this in the next session along with how it made us feel.

After three days, I knew what I was going to do. I went to a retail store and bought the prettiest silver picture frame I could find and placed a twenty-dollar bill in the center of the glass, wrapped it, and presented it to her over a dinner at Sharis, our favorite restaurant. She loved it. . .and I loved giving it. Hopefully, we were on our way to recovery because the love. . .“was still there.”

It is amazing what a simple act of kindness will do to the complexion and perpetuation of a relationship. . .or marriage. There is hope for us all but things get quite a bit more complicated when we leave God out of the equation. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says:

And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Christ should be the backbone of the relationship and marriage. Otherwise, we give a foothold to the enemy and his minions. Many times it takes more than love.

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Next week: Christian Twelve-Step Program If there are problems in a marriage, I can guarantee you that the Lord was not at the center of that relationship. Therefore, before we start pointing fingers at each other, we need to ask ourselves six important questions. However, when we do talk, there are definitely some rules of engagement. I give six of them. This blog will be short, sweet, and to the point.

God bless you all and we’ll see you next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host: James Warren
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March archive or my Web page for explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

A Lily of the Valley

2009-06-16T02:27:00.000-07:00

The Song of Songs 2:1 says something that I have read a hundred times but did not grab the meaning of, until the Lord showed me. Men, we need to pay close attention here. Listen as the bride speaks, “I am the rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." Can you feel the confidence in her attitude about herself? Can you discern the condition of her self-esteem and her self-worth at that moment? She had total faith and trust in Solomon and his love for her.

Her attitude about herself was due entirely to Solomon and his love for her. She was very secure in his love. Solomon put her so high on a pedestal that she could not help but feel like a rose. Look at how many times throughout the Song of Songs that Solomon reaffirms his beloved of her beauty and his love for her.

Solomon caught that significance when he, in chapter four verse four, said, "Thy neck is like the tower of David. . .” and again in chapter seven verse four, “Thy neck is as a tower of ivory.” In other words, it was an erect, proud, and confident stance as she thought in terms of her relationship with Solomon.

I am wondering how many of our wives have the same, secure, confident feeling of who they are in our love. How is their self-worth because of our love toward them? There is an old saying that says, “If you are called a dirt clod all the days of your life and you look into a mirror, all you will see is a big brown spot.”

Men, is your love a demonstrative love or is it an "I love you" spoken token, said in passing? When your wife stands in front of her mirror, what does she see, a brown spot, or a rose?

As the bride of Christ, I wonder how many Christians today do not have those same feelings of security and confidence of who they are in Jesus Christ because of His love toward us. How many of us have learned to discern the Lord's body, because we are the fullness of Christ in us?

Is there a sense of knowing in our know'er that Jesus Christ gave His life for His bride? Do we feel like a lily among the thorns? Can we stand tall and erect like the Tower of David and with confidence say, "I am the Rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys, a lily among the thorns."

This is my translation: "I am a Christian, a true believer in my Lord, Savior, master, and husband, Jesus Christ. I know the depth of my Lord's love for me. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of my God, which is in Christ Jesus my Lord and soon coming husband. I am more than a conqueror(s) through Him that loves me. I feel secure and confident in that love, and I am as the lily among thorns. No weapons formed against me shall prosper and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it, because I have the revelation of who I am. . .‘in Christ.’ I am an important person to Him. I am the 'Rose of Sharon' His bride."

Christ has done it all for us on the Cross. All we need to do is receive it and not doubt. Therein lays the problem: it is not Christ’s fault. He is a perfect husband. We are not a perfect bride. . .yet. Too many of us are living in doubt and defeat. So like I said, "Just receive who we are. . .'in Christ.'"

Jesus Christ is coming back for a whole bride to present Himself to her. He is coming back for a Bride not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish, with no brown spots in the mirror.

The body not only needs to be in a passionate loving relationship with Christ but she needs to be in unity and harmony with one another, especially in marital relationships. Our horizontal relationships release insights into our vertical relationships with Christ. We need to know the significance that Jesus has for His Bride. We are the Rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley.

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NOTE: I was traveling this last week and was unable to get to a computer to upload this Monday’s blog. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Next week: It takes more than Love. I tell the story of a twenty-dollar bill as told to me by a pastor many years ago. At the time, I was still married and she and I were trying to work through some problems. If we don’t keep God in the picture, things can still go awry.

God bless you all and we’ll see you next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host: James Warren
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March archive or my Web page for explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

What's Important?

2009-06-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago I watched a 1998 movie, Deep Impact, with Robert Duvall and Tea Leoni. The movie was about an asteroid, the size of New York, that was heading for Earth in true “Armageddon style.”

America decided to send up a spaceship to destroy the monstrous asteroid but they failed. However, they finally succeeded, at least, in busting up the asteroid into two pieces: one smaller piece, and another larger piece, but both of them were still heading for Earth.

They all knew that their destruction was eminent so they devised a plan to save one-million people, two-hundred thousand of which were doctors, scientists, and the like. They ran a lottery for the remaining eight-hundred thousand.

The asteroid’s smallest piece eventually crashed into the Atlantic Ocean just offshore and the subsequent tidal wave destroyed the Eastern Seaboard to deep within the interior, I think, as far as Ohio. The water, however, eventually and fully receded to the original shoreline. The crew, sealing their deaths, flew the spaceship into the heart of the larger piece, destroying it, thereby saving the world.

Tah-Dah – The End.

Although Deep Impact was a predictable movie, it was fun and a break from reality. However, one spot toward the end had a ‘deep impact’ on me. Let me digress.

During the roundup process of those who won the lottery, people talked about what they should take? Personally, the subliminal sub-text was what’s important? The people knew that the prospect of certain and eminent death puts things into perspective r-r-real quick.

They would be safe where they were going until the Earth healed from the affects of the asteroid but when they returned, man would have to start all over again. So. . .what should they take? What was important?

If today presented us with the same scenario, what would you save for posterity? Would you take the works of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Dickens, and Mark Twain? What about saving the works of the great composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Puccini, Stravinsky, or Shubert? Do you think medical books might be of some use to the future of man? How about taking a computer, for where would we all be today without one? Many of man’s modern advances would surely benefit a brand new world. There was so little time left and so much from which to choose?

No one is getting out of this world alive, I understand that. However, I wonder how many of us, including me, would live our lives differently knowing that we didn’t have much longer to live. I would imagine that it would be hard to know we only had a year left or maybe a month, a week, or even a day, but the eminent proximity of that exact moment would certainly exacerbate our stress levels, to say the least. Would our lives and perspective change, if we knew this? What would be important to you?

For a day or two after the movie, I still contemplated the thought, “Death and what’s important?” I had a hard time getting those people and families out of my mind especially for those left behind. I didn’t think of what to save in the above movie terms, but I thought in terms of the rapture and the end of the age. As Christians, we are looking at that moment square in the face. It is certain and eminent.

Then I look at the world and see millions of people who need to hear about Jesus, some for the first time. I see strife, broken friendships, busted marriages, greed, a run amuck government, and schisms in the body. All the bickering amongst the brethren saddens me - eternal security, no eternal security; baptism by dunking, baptism by sprinkling; pre trib, mid trib, post trib – my goodness. Some even criticize the way others worship God. May God help us all.

It finally dawned on me that as Christians, our metaphorical asteroid is about to hit Earth. I have to ask myself, with the eminent rapture of the church at hand and the end of the age close by, what’s important.

I personally concluded that as long as we believe that Christ hung on the Cross, died for us, arose on the third day, and many seen Him, then we are brothers and sisters in the Lord. In 'that day,' at that moment, nothing else matters. . .nothing! Christ left us with just one job, “. . .Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

Praise God however, that when our asteroid hits, God also has a plan to take us away and keep us safe. Only there’s room for everybody, not just a million people. . .and hallelujah, there will be no lottery needed. Christ is coming for all of us who believe and in the twinkling of an eye we will all. . .

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Next week: Lily of the Valley. While writing my second nonfiction book, the Lord gave me some insights during my studies of the Song of Songs. I would like to share one of them with you. Prayerfully, this will help you avert any horizontal and/or vertical relationship problems.

God bless you all and we’ll see you next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host: James Warren
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March archive or my Web page for explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

Can a Christian Remarry?

2009-06-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

I am a sixty-six year old Christian man and have just about run my course. I’ve worked life’s process for over forty years supporting and protecting my family. I’ve done most things that life has required of me. I may not have been the best at it. . .but I’m proud of what I’ve done.

Now should be the time for me to settle back into my recliner and share the journey with my spouse. Instead, I sit here in a one-bedroom apartment by myself listening to the infernal tick-tok. . .tick-tok. . .tick-tok of my wall clock as it records each and every passing and agonizing moment for posterity.

Every second reminds me of the empty chair at the kitchen table, the missing knick-knacks on the shelf, the smell of freshly baked bread, and the yell from the dining room, “It’s time to eat.”

The quietness was deafening and the loneliness almost unbearable. I didn’t want to be alone for the rest of my life but I was nowhere near ready for a relationship; friends, maybe. When the time came, could I find love again or did I even have the right to try, especially when God’s Word tells me in Matthew 19:8 that I’d commit adultery if I remarried. This did not sound promising. It looked as though I’d be alone for the rest of my life.

Perhaps this was your initial reaction, too. If so, I understand, but you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Have you ever wondered how this could be so? I know I have. I thought this couldn’t be true. Wasn’t God the God of second chances?

When the rest of my life was at stake, I knew I’d have to make a study from the original text to see what God actually meant. Hebrew and Greek word studies accomplish two things: they help us to understand what God was trying to communicate to us through the Bible and what He actually meant when He said it. Knowing what He meant thereby helps us to keep things in the proper context. Context is all-important.

With the Old Testament written in Hebrew and the New Testament written in Greek I knew I needed to make a Greek word study of Matthew 19:3-12. I found in verse eight, that the Greek word for “Put away” is Apoluo. This is a general word and does not have a legal context. It means to separate, depart, go away, or, as used in Matthew 14:15 to send.

The context of this passage is separation, in that the Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus and justify their practice of separating from a spouse (without a written divorcement) and remarrying somebody else. This was a common practice of the day.

Through the original Greek word study, and in context, we learn that this passage isn’t speaking of divorce, it is speaking of separation. Otherwise, Paul (God) would have used the word, Apostacion.

Addressing each and every scenario I.E., believer marrying non-believer, separation, divorce, death, and etcetera, is beyond the scope of this simple blog. However, I would like to draw your attention to one more Scripture that prayerfully will help us nail things down. I refer to 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28a, which says:

v27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
v28a But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. . .

Notice how the virgin and the divorced person are in the same category. Neither one have sinned if they marry. When Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, in verse twenty-seven, “. . .Art thou loosed from a wife?” the Greek word he uses for “loosed,” is Luo. This word means dissolved or divorced. It actually has to, otherwise, God, through Paul, would contradict Himself in verse twenty-eight because it is a sin to remarry or have sexual relations with another person if only separated.

God’s Word also says that, it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). The Word says further that, it’s better to marry than to burn with passion (1 Corinthians 7:8, 9).

In any event, let’s set the context and word studies on the shelf temporarily and just look at our Savior, Jesus Christ. Christ took care of everything on the Cross and while He was on that Cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them. . .” (Luke 23:34). When we read that passage we notice that He did not say, “Father, forgive them. . .except for divorced people. . .”

Although remarriage is not a sin, but even if it was, 1 John 1:9 would still cover us, once and for all, especially if we’d done everything in our power to stay married.

So, for those who want to remarry, I say, be not condemned but be ye loved of the Lord and go with peace, for it is the will of God (1 Corinthians 7:15; Luke 2:14; Luke 24:36; John 14:27; John 16:33, and many more).

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NOTE: If you are still married or are considering remarriage you might locate one or all three of these books as a preventative to divorce or as an important help in a new marriage so that you might stay away from divorce court.

Becoming One by Joe Beam
His Needs Her Needs by Willard Harley Jr.
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

I learned more about a woman (and people in general) than I have ever learned in my life from Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages. It was too late for me but prayerfully, one or all of these books will help you. God bless you all. When and if I remarry these will help me to stay that way. . .this time.

Next week: What’s Important? While playing the part of a film critic, I found a nugget that made me stop and think. I pray that it makes us all stop and think.

God bless you all and we’ll see you next Monday. Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host: James Warren
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March blog archive or my Web page for an explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

Fear, the Enemy of Faith

2009-05-26T01:01:00.001-07:00

When I was a child, I was deathly afraid of spiders. In retrospect, how could I have been so scared of such a small thing that I could have crushed with one well-placed step? I do not base my fear on any ordinary spider though -- but rather, a tarantula. My fear, in part, was due to the 1955 movie Tarantula where a tarantula grew to the size of a building and terrorized a city until they put it to death.

That fear of spiders hung with me for many years after that and as I think back to those days, it reminds me of another insect story in Numbers chapter 13 when the Lord gave Moses the command of sending men to “search out the land of Canaan, which I gave to them.” After searching out the land of Canaan, they returned and reported, “. . .and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. . .” Remember the conversation the Lord had with Moses afterward, “. . .How long will this people provoke me. . .?"

Why were the people scared and fearful? Numbers 13:31 tells us of the report given by the ten men of the twelve that God sent out to spy the land, “But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” Doubt, unbelief, and fear always points to self and says, “We cannot.”

However, in verse 30 Caleb stilled the people after the initial report and told Israel, “. . .Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Faith always looks toward God and says, “We can.”

Evidently Israel had forgotten about God delivering them from Egypt and four-hundred years of captivity. They’d forgotten the stories of how God fed their predecessors with manna from heaven, gave them water from rocks, and allowed the drowning of the entirety of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea. Yet they still didn’t believe in the power of Almighty God. No wonder God was provoked.

So, why are we, even today, as grasshoppers in our own sight? Are our fears causing us to wander in the wilderness today? Are our fears bigger than God? Each of us has to answer that question ourselves because for as many who ask the question, "Why am I afraid?" there will be as many different answers. (I gave you mine. I'm not afraid of them anymore but they still creep me out.)

Although fear is the enemy of faith it can still be a good thing in that it is a warning when something is wrong. God can use our fear as a trigger for faith.

Numbers 14:8, 9 tells us that Caleb and Joshua spoke to Israel saying, “If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.” Sounds strangely familiar to Romans 8:31, which says, “. . .If God be for us, who can be against us?” I personally love the part about “. . .for they are bread for us. . .”

First Peter 5:8 also says to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Can Satan devour us? You bet. May he devour us? Not on your life. Jesus won that victory on the Cross. Satan only has the power that we give him.

Judy from Oregon asked the Lord one day for enough faith to handle a rough time that she was going through, to which the Lord replied, "You have faith. . .use it." Leave it to the Lord to be short, sweet, and to the point. The Lord gave us everything so all we have to do is. . .use it. Sometimes the hardest thing about victory, is. . .receiving it.

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Next week: Can a Christian Remarry? If I am divorced, can I remarry without feeling like I’ve let God down? Is remarriage a sin? Will I be guilty of adultery if I do remarry? What does God’s Word say about this? In this space-limited venue, I will try and give a few insights as to what I have learned over time.

God bless you all and we’ll see you next Monday. Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host: James Warren
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March archive or my Web page for explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

A Big Thank You to Our Troops

2009-05-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

I honor our troops and each of us owes them our lives. How many of us take our freedoms for granted while they sleep in mud holes with no heat or running water. I do believe, however, that the people of America are finally coming to their senses.

As we see our freedoms going out the window we are realizing that we’d better stand up and be heard. Soldiers have been standing up for two-hundred and thirty-three years and over a million American soldiers have given their lives in the service of this great country.

With everything going on in the world today, I have to ask myself, what does the soldier think about while lying in those trenches? Does he think about the possibility that he might have to kill a man who is doing nothing more than fighting for his country as well? Is he thinking about the possibility that he may not return in one piece or worse yet. . .not at all. I have to wonder if he has the luxury of thinking about his wife, his children, his friends, or the way of life that he left behind. A split second of misdirected thought can get a soldier killed.

The troops sacrifice themselves so that you and I can watch our TV, worship at the church of our choice, and step into a private voting booth to vote for the person of our choice. Sad as it is, they lay in the trenches for our freedom of speech so that we can speak our mind on a street corner while protesting the war and ragging on the troops.

Nobody knows the actual number of people who have died defending this great nation from her detractors but most statisticians estimate that between 1776 and 2009 one-million ninety-four thousand nine-hundred and seventy-six soldiers have lost their lives in war and conflicts on the battlefield.

That’s one-million ninety-four thousand nine-hundred and seventy-six shattered hopes, dreams, and desires. Each one of those families continued without a father, or a brother, an uncle, or a friend. I am sickened, especially in light of the direction in which our leaders are taking this country.

After all the death and carnage that we have gone through as a nation, it is unconscionable that we would give up and acquiesce to anybody at all, let alone to socialism, period. We are, in fact, spitting in the faces of the soldiers, not only of today, but in the faces of those who have died before them. We are also spitting in the faces of the families who have lost loved ones in battle. In effect, we are minimizing their service, sacrifice, and death. As an American it sickens me and brings me to tears.

I, for one, appreciate those who are serving in the armed forces and who are offering themselves as a sacrifice for my freedom. It is one reason why we cannot allow the present direction of this country to continue, or they sacrifice in vain. May the Lord God richly bless each and every soldier and their continued service. May God protect them from harm and make the enemy as bread to them. In Jesus name.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Psalms 33:12 KJV.

God bless our troops fighting for our cause;
God bless those soldiers who have died for us;
God bless the families who have lost loved ones in the service of our country and
God bless America; may she reign in the hearts of men evermore.
Let freedom ring and may her flag proudly fly forever. It will on my front porch!

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I will post Fear, the Enemy of Faith tomorrow, the 26th of May, as promised.

God bless you all and we'll see you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host: James Warren
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March archive or my Web page for explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

This Side of the River

2009-05-18T01:07:00.000-07:00

After forty-two years. . .our marriage was over. We were so busy reacting from everything that was constantly attacking our marriage, we both became overwhelmed; I became deeply depressed. We’d unintentionally left God out of the picture, which sometimes happens when people go through a torrent of rough times.

I packed up and moved across the Willamette River to my dad’s house. My lack of self-esteem made me question myself as a person and every time I’d notice something I didn’t like about myself, I’d proclaim, “Maybe this is why I’m on this side of the river.”

It was later that I learned that God not only removes things from our lives but also allows the removal of people as well. Do you remember the story about Abram and Lot as they journeyed north out of Egypt? (Genesis 13)

Now Abram and Lot were very wealthy with much gold, silver, and cattle, and the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together. Remember how the herdsmen from both camps fought over the choicest parcel of land? Abram did not want to fight among the brethren.

In a Jewish culture, the oldest always had the right to make the choices for the family. However, Abram turned to Lot and relinquished that right to him. When Lot looked at the fertile plain of Jordan, the lust of his eyes overwhelmed him and he chose Sodom and Gomorrah. He then took his possessions and separated from Abram. History tells us that this was a bad decision.

We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Lot did not realize that the blessings of God flowed through Abram and that the appropriate answer should have been, “Whatever you desire Abram, is what I desire."

Then the Lord said to Abram, look to the north, south, east, and the west and all that you can see, I’ll give to you. When Abram and Lot (whose name means “veil,”) separated, Abram was able to see his purpose and blessing from God.

When the Lord has a purpose for our life and wants to bless us, He sometimes allows the removal of people who are a “veil” to that purpose. Does this mean that the Lord causes divorce? Absolutely not! We do that to ourselves.

God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) but because of the hardness of our hearts, He allows it (Matthew 19:8). God allowed our separation and divorce because of my ex’s strong desire to leave our marriage. She was bent on leaving. No one but God could have stopped her. I prayed for our marriage and tried to reconcile with her four or five times. Since God is no respecter of persons, I have to assume that I was a “veil” to His purpose for her life as well.

I pray if you are going through a rough time in your marriage, that you please seek the Lord. Don’t make the same mistake I did and leave God out of the picture. A threefold cord is not quickly broken [You, your spouse, and God (Ecclesiastes 4:12)]. Because we left God out of the picture, Satan was able to destroy our marriage. Like Lot's answer should have been, we can answer the Lord and say, "Whatever you desire Lord, is what I desire."

If it is too late for your marriage, I am terribly sorry. I understand; my divorce was not my idea but as the God ordained spiritual leader of my house, I had to take the responsibility for our demise. Although we were culpable, I allowed the strong man to spoil (destroy) my goods [marriage (Matthew 12:29)].

In any event, my advice is still the same, please seek the Lord. He and His Word will encourage you and comfort you just like He has for me, especially in these lonely and hard times. May the Lord bless all of you in your marriages. I pray reconciliation for you. May the Lord also bless those in their singleness. I pray for a peaceful spirit and a quick resolve in your time of need.

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Next week: Fear, the Enemy of Faith. Doubt, unbelief, and fear always point to self, but faith always points to God. Whereas, Christ is the author of faith, Satan is the author of doubt, unbelief, and fear. We have to make a conscious decision with our will, by faith, who we are going to serve.

God bless you all and we'll see you next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host
James Lindquist
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March blog archive or my Web page for an explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

The Good Ole Days

2009-05-04T01:20:00.000-07:00

The birth of my first great grandchild reminded me of how scary newborn infants can be. I’d forgotten how fragile they actually are. How can something be so soft, cuddly, and delicate and at the same time, be so scary?

Because of an infant’s fragility, they are totally dependent on their parents. The only thing they know how to do is. . .drink milk, pooh, and sleep. However, they eventually learn to sit-up, stand, talk, walk, run, and get into things.

Then something happens. They develop intelligence and minds of their own. With it come opinions, decisions, and rebellion. Then comes the influence of peer pressure, girlfriends, boyfriends, and rings in the nose, tattoos, and more rebellion, but hey, we still love them because they are our kids.

This person that was once totally dependent on us is now leaving home and striking out on his or her own. They know everything and have forgotten all about us. They don’t visit as often as we’d like and they are learning different things than what we taught them.

All of a sudden the house is empty. . .and quiet. . .very quiet.

The peace is great for about a week then we realize that their dependence on us effected us in another way. . .we needed them as much as they needed us. After all, we were dad, mom, friend, nurturer, provider, teacher, counselor, protector, and personal guidance coordinator.

We supplied their food, clothes, roof, toys, medical attention, and even consoled them when they were down. We supported them at school plays, games, teachers meetings, PTA, and now. . .they were gone.

The many different hats that we wore were lost that day. They did not depend on us anymore but that's the nature of the beast. Since the day they were born, their independence is what we groomed them for - daily. We wanted them to learn from their own mistakes and gave them the latitude to do so with free will in hopes that they would derive a better than average chance of survival in the world. We would not always be there to save them.

We got excited about their independence, especially when they'd make the right decisions and then grew from them, but I personally admit that I miss the good ole days when they just depended on me. It’s purely selfish, I know, but. . .

I wonder if God the Father thinks about His children the same way we think about ours, as being fragile, soft, delicate, and drinker’s of milk. We haven’t learned how to stand, walk, or talk the spiritual things of God yet and as infants we are totally dependent on Him.

To help us in our decision making and giving us the chance of survival, God also gave us the latitude of free will. As we grow, our worship and prayer time builds each day and we find ourselves more dependent on Him. He supplies all of our needs.

Then something happens. We develop intelligence and minds of our own. We venture out on our own with our own ministry, doctrines, opinions, decisions, beliefs, and get so caught up in the deeper things of God that in the process we forget about our Abba Father. We have developed our independence through free will and have grown up in the Lord.

We don’t visit Him as often as He’d probably like but we’re learning, working in our ministry, and doing the work of God. However, God still loves us because we are His children. He will never leave or forsake us (Heb 13:5).

As a parent, I taught my kids how to take care of themselves so they could, one day, grow up, and have their independence. However, I miss the validation of that dependence and needing me. I wonder if God feels the same way and doesn’t want to give His children their independence either because He just misses the good ole days, like I do. . .when they just depended on Him.

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Next week: Fear, the Enemy of Faith. Doubt, unbelief, and fear always point to self, but faith always points to God. Whereas, Christ is the author of faith, Satan is the author of doubt, unbelief, and fear. We have to make a conscious decision with our will, by faith, who we are going to serve.

God bless you all and we'll see you next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host
James Lindquist
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March blog archive or my Web page for an explanation of my names.
http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

Face to Face with God

2009-05-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

I was divorced and living in a one-bedroom apartment, feeling confused and alone. It was a hard time in my life but I had always loved the Lord and been very close to Him. I needed Him now more than ever.

On this particular morning the alarm had just zapped me with its wake-up call so I needed to get up and ready for work. I didn’t normally get up at 4:00AM but I had recently made a new commitment to pray with God for one hour each day. I crawled out of bed, got dressed, and went to the front room for fellowship with God.

I was praying the Lord’s Prayer and had just finished hallowing the Lord’s name. Because prayer is a dialogue and not a monologue, I stopped praying and stood there in the front room with my eyes closed, waiting on the Lord’s response. I could not hear anything in my spirit but continued to wait nonetheless. Then something started to become visible in my spirit.

It was like looking at a movie scene filled with theatrical smoke, only in suspended animation. In the distance, a small speck materialized. I thought to myself, what is going on? What is stopping me from seeing clearly? Why the smoke? The Lord hadn’t spoken to me yet, so I continued to wait on Him. What are you trying to show me Lord? Is there something in me that isn’t yet right with you Lord? Is it stopping me from seeing my vision or keeping me from going into your presence?

I have heard the audible voice of God before but never have I had a vision, so I didn’t know what to think, expect, or do, so I continued to wait.

While I subconsciously played twenty questions with God, the whole scene seemed to come at me all at once; the image grew in size until I could finally distinguish what it was. Although still fuzzy in appearance, it began to look like a plus sign. It continued to grow until there was no question as to its identity, it was the Cross.

In an instant zoom, the next thing I could see was the face of Christ. He was looking toward heaven. His face was not in the distance, but up close and personal. His face was all I could see. How could a face so covered with blood and pain, shine with so much love and compassion; love, as only God can give? I was numb with His presence and didn’t know whether I was shaking because of His presence or because of my awe at the experience; probably a little of both.

Then something happened that I will never forget.

In slow motion, Jesus turned and pivoted His head until He was looking me straight in the eyes. He said, “I love you, Jim.” The presence of God was vibrating in me as I stood there, eyes closed, and looking straight into the eyes of Jesus Christ. Jesus was touching my spirit with His eyes and His voice reverberated in my soul.

By this time I was completely numb from the waist up with the power of God. My knees were so weak that I could hardly stand. As I stood there basking in His presence, His image slowly started to fade. The veil became thicker and thicker until He finally disappeared. I do not know how long I stood there; I only know that Cecil B. DeMille could not have made this scene any more real than the one that I had just witnessed.

By virtue of the smoke that was in the foreground of my vision, I believe that the Holy Spirit brought me back to the Cross just so Jesus could personally tell me that He loved me. It was as though He was telling me that if I were the only person on earth, He would have still died for me.

His visitation that day told me that in those two-thousand years He still hadn’t left or forsaken me. His Word says as much in Hebrews 13:5, “. . .for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” He loved me then and He loves me now. In the loneliness and despair of divorce, those precious words “I love you, Jim,” helped me to go on. His presence refurbished my soul and changed my life.

Now, when I face difficult circumstances, I remember that voice who exclaimed His love for me that April morning in my front room, and somehow, no matter what, I get through the day and into the next, which is invariably better.

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Next week: “The Good Ole Days.” Babies are so small and fragile they sometimes scare me. I want to pick them up and hug them but I'm afraid of hurting them, squeezing too hard or worse yet, dropping them. They are totally dependent on us. . .Then they grow up.

God bless you all and we'll see you next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Your Host
James Lindquist
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

Check March blog archive or my Website for explanation of my names. http://www.jameslindquist.net/htmfiles/biograph.htm

The Power of Prayer

2009-04-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

For nine-months I’d waited for this moment. I was going to be a great grandpa. My granddaughter Shelsea, was in the delivery room waiting for little Matthew to decide when he was going to grace everybody with his appearance. Her boyfriend, grandma and her fiancé were there also. What an exciting time. Only God knew when little Matthew would be born, so we all settled down for the job at hand.

Finally, at eight o’clock, it was time for Matthew to make his world debut. The doctor broke Shelsea’s water and deployed a catheter to clear the pathway for Matthew’s removal. By then, she was ten centimeters. Twenty minutes later, she was assuming the position and the doctor was telling her to push.

Everything was going well as she followed the doctor’s directions, “Push. . .push. . .you’re doing great,” but something appeared to be wrong. The baby’s heart monitor indicated distress and the blood pressure was dropping rapidly.

“We need to do a C-section, now!” the doctor said. “Get her unplugged. . .stat!” At the same time, two people in scrubs burst into the room, and in seconds, had unhooked Shelsea from the monitor.

“What’s wrong?” Grandma asked. She was becoming frantic. Her chest felt like a lead ball had just crashed into her.

As they wheeled Shelsea out of the room, the doctor said, “The baby is in distress.” Her few words trailed off as they left.

My daughter remained in her chair emotionally and physically paralyzed, wondering what in the world was going on. She didn’t know whether to cry, scream, or faint. Only pure raw courage and the presence of mind kept her from the latter. She couldn’t move or speak.

The doctors had just taken her daughter away and now what used to be a room full of joy, was now a big empty spot where the bed used to be, the only evidence of which were the disconnected wires laying all over the floor. Her grandma-ship was apparently in jeopardy. This was the worst moment of her life.

My daughter’s fiancé ran to the waiting room to update us. I, along with the others, hurried to room four where the Grandma-to-be was still sitting and uncontrollably crying, and justifiably so. We all huddled to cry out to God. Great grandma looked up at me with tears in her eyes and asked for prayer. I had already started praying for my granddaughter and great grandson.

During a time of fear, worry, and doubt, we CAN count on God through trust and prayer. As I prayed, I knew in my spirit that God would not bring Shelsea and Matthew to this point just to let something happen to this baby. . .or her, and I prayed to that effect. God was letting me know in the Spirit that He had things under control and to keep praying the persistent prayer of Hannah.

When we are troubled, we need to seek the one who can relieve all of our anxieties. We need to believe God’s plan and that Jesus is our strength and Hightower. He is our source for everything. He is Jehovah-Jireh, our provider; He is Jehovah-Nissi, our banner; He is Jehovah-Rohi, our shepherd; He is Jehovah- Shalom, our peace; He is Jehovah-Shammah, who is always there, and He is Jehovah-Rophe, our healer to the glory of God the Father.

It only seemed like minutes later and we received word that little Matthew was doing just fine and so was his mother. The cord had wrapped around his neck, which happens one out of every three births, and it was causing all the distress in the delivery. I prayed to God there on the spot, “Thank you Jesus for protecting my granddaughter and thank you for saving my great grandson from certain death.”

Mark 11:34 says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” James 4:2 says that “. . .yet ye have not, because ye ask not,” and Philipians 4:6 tells us, “. . .with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

We first need to believe that what we ask for, God will, in fact, answer. After we settle it in the spirit, we need to petition God in prayer. Finally, we need to thank Him for his intervention in our behalf. Thanking God in advance is the best evidence of faith.

Matthew is not only alive and well today because of first, the grace, and mercy of Almighty God, but he is alive and well because of a knowledgeable, quick acting doctor with a great staff. However, and thank you Jesus, I am not going to discount the power of prayer, nor am I going to discount a mother’s courage and love for her child (and grandchild), who literally stood by her daughter’s side throughout the whole nine-months. Praise the Lord God Almighty. . .and for answered prayer! Hallelujah!

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NEXT WEEK: “Face to Face with God” I tell the story of an experience where I came face to face with the Lord.

See you next Monday and thanks for stopping by,

Your Host
James Lindquist
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net

What goes around, comes around

2009-04-20T01:05:00.000-07:00

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon and neither my wife nor I were very ambitious. We were both enjoying a much-needed day off. I was very warm and comfortable sitting in my recliner. My wife sat on the couch directly across from me trying to read a letter she had just received before nodding off. Spirits of love, peace, and contentment hovered in our home.

As I watched, her eyes would periodically close and she would slowly, but surely, open them again, and again, trying disparately to focus on the letter in hopes of finding the spot where she had left off.

I hate to admit it but it was rather entertaining watching her struggle to stay awake in order to read that letter. She was apparently oblivious to my presence and scrutiny. My mind started wandering through the past while visions of different moments in our marriage went before me.

As many pleasant thoughts went through my head, I felt a familiar unction in my spirit. The Lord must have been sitting on his recliner watching me at the same time. Obviously, I was also quite oblivious to His presence and scrutiny as I sat there observing my wife. I heard him say in my spirit, “You and I also have seasons in our relationship.”

I felt in my heart that the Lord was hurt because we, the church, have forgotten our first love. It reminded me of what Jesus wrote to the Ephesians in Revelation 2:4, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” Like the Ephesians, our zeal can sometimes out last our love. I feel that this saddens Him. We are so busy seeking his hands that we do not take the time to seek his face.

As I looked at her nodding-off on the couch, I was thinking about how much I loved her and thinking of the first time that I had seen her. I sensed that the Lord became jealous of my attention toward her because He interjected a question into my spirit, “When was the last time that you lingered with me and thought about the first or last time that we were together?” Ouch! I didn’t feel condemned but I did feel pricked in my spirit. I felt a warm tingling sensation because of His presence. He had my attention.

I have learned that as great as married life is, it would be an empty world were He not in it with me. Now I am glad that my wife loves me because of me and not because I pay the rent and buy the food. I am equally sure that she is glad that I love her because of her and not because she cooks my dinner and washes my clothes. We both appreciate what our hands do for each other but we love each other because we have sought each others faces.

God taught me a good lesson that day: although it’s alright to ask and thank Him for what He does, we need to seek His face and love Him for who He is, not for what He does. It's called relationship.

I learned that there are seasons in our life with God as well—a season of seeking, of acquaintance, friendship, courtship, and proposal; there are times of struggle and misunderstanding but there are also times of peace, contentment, and love. He is truly our bridegroom, and we are truly His bride. Let’s not forget Him and our first love.

So, the next time you are entertaining yourself at your spouse’s expense, remember that the Lord is also watching you. I guess what goes around, comes around.

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NOTE: This is a revised writing from when I was still married. I thought it might help somebody in their relationship with the Lord. In a few weeks I will have a follow up blog to report further the seasons of our relationship with Christ.

NEXT WEEK: “The Power of Prayer.” Grandma to be, admitted her daughter at the Neonatal Center at eleven o’clock in the morning and the waiting game began. What a great day, she was about to become a grandma. Grandma! It felt weird to her. Then it all took a turn for the worse.

See you next Monday and thanks for stopping by,

Your Host
James Lindquist
http://www.jameslindquist.net

God bless our troops

2009-04-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Three-thousand miles was a long distance to navigate through raging seas especially during this time of year. The Speedwell had already developed a leak on their first attempt and they had to put her to port for refit. However, the second vessel stood ready and waiting for the signal from the captain to weigh anchor and set sail.

She was a sound ship indeed; her shear line ran over a hundred feet. Six sails graced her three masts and she would need all of them to brave the cold and vicious Atlantic Ocean to make port in a timely fashion.

It was an early September morning, the sixth day of the month, and all one-hundred and two passengers, twenty-five crewmembers, and the captain were on board and anxious to sail. The hold supplied only enough room for the two-months of rations, gear, and belongings to accommodate the long journey. With the cargo and passengers loaded and the hatches battened, Captain Christopher Jones walked too amidships and hollered to his boatswain and conner, “Weigh anch'r an' cas' off. 'Ere's a lot o' sea a 'ead o' us mates.”

The windless cranked into action as the anchor slowly ascended to its place of rest. God willing, it wouldn’t drop again for at least another two months - or better.

“Aye aye captain,” the bosun shouted. He turned to his crew and yelled “Ye ‘eard 'e captain mates. Look lively. . .cast off 'e lines, an' unclew 'e sheets. . ." He paused and shouted, "Fill em up!”

The morning air came alive with chattering and commotion as the canvas began to unfurl and loud snapping sounds evidenced the opening of the sheets as they flapped, struggling to catch the right side of the wind. The masts creaked and strained under the stress of the sails as they bellowed in the wind. The ship lurched to the right but finally acquiesced to the wind’s power.

The conner screamed down instructions to the helmsman who was below deck manning the whipstaff, “We ‘ave canvas. . .easy as yer go. . .two points to starboard.”

As the sails tightened to fullness, the ship began to ease away from the dock. After all these months of preparation, they were finally moving! ‘Tween decks was full of indiscernible, but joyful, conversation as the passengers shook hands and hugged one another. “Praise Almighty God, for He has delivered us from the hands of our oppressors.” Smiles and tears of joy filled their faces and the shouts of praise continued to reach toward heaven.

The Mayflower left Plymouth, England on a rainy and chilly day September 6, 1620 and sailed west into the horizon. For sixty-six days, all the crew could see was water. . .and more water, until they safely dropped anchor at New Plymouth, Massachusetts on November 11, 1620.

Cooped up ‘tween decks for 66 days with no chair, no bed, and no accommodations whatsoever with nothing but a chamber pot for a toilet, the one-hundred and one remaining religious separatists looked forward to dropping anchor and going ashore. The fact that they hadn’t had a shower in over two months didn’t stop them from hugging each other as the smiles and joy returned to their faces.

In the excitement of success they forgot momentarily about their seasickness and about the injuries sustained when the wind-tossed vessel had thrown them against the insides of the hull. They forgot that the crew had rescued John Howland who went overboard when getting some air. They forgot about the storms, the mast cracking, and when things were ok, the boredom. For a moment, they even forgot the agony of losing two friends in route and the joy of bringing a baby into the world. Although they were now only one-hundred and one strong, they were indeed, ready to go ashore.

Fate, however, had not dealt them their last ordeal. Because of the winter weather and with no place as yet to dwell on land, they all had to stay aboard the Mayflower. Tragically, 48 more people died from a contagious disease, thought to be a mixture of scurvy, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. To their grief, only fifty-three Pilgrims and half of the crew survived.

However, history was about to be made.

I am in awe at the courageous undertaking of a handful of people trying to escape English tyranny and religious persecution; putting their courage where their mouth was and sailing across the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, eventually to found this great nation of ours.

The caliber of people that made that crossing typifies the selfless courage of the average American spirit. This country was built on the backs of fifty-three courageous men and women.

It was a shame that the journey that had brought all but two of them safely to the New World, had ended so terribly. They had no idea what they were about to start, but they didn’t care - THEY WERE FREE. They all knew too well that there is a cost for freedom.

For the next one-hundred and fifty-six years, Plymouth, Massachusetts would grow to 13 colonies and in 1776, July 4th; the Continental Congress authored, established, and ratified the Declaration of Independence. They signed it on August 2nd of that same year and America was born.

Two-hundred and thirty-three years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, many lives were lost defending this great country. In fact, since the ratification, America has defended her existence fifty-three times in wars and conflicts. Only through the undying loyalty, patriotism, and sacrifices of soldiers, and through the grace of Almighty God, has she managed to defeat every enemy that has come against her.

I proudly served my country in the Air Force but I served her in peacetime so I do not know what it’s like to storm a hill or beat the brush looking for an enemy. Thank God I’ve never had to kill a man or be shot at. I can only guess as to what a soldier thinks as he prepares for battle or what he thinks during battle. How does a man prepare himself possibly to die?

What does he think about while lying in the trenches? Does he think about the possibility that he might have to kill a man who is doing nothing more than fighting for his country as well? Is he thinking about the possibility that he may not return in one piece or worse yet. . .not at all. I have to wonder if he has the luxury of thinking about his wife, his children, his friends, or the way of life that he left behind. A split second of misdirected thought can get a soldier killed. However, the one thing that the entire human race has in common is survival.

Every soldier would give his life in the protection of his country and for another comrade in arms. To this, I give my thanks and total respect.

I thought of the many men and women who, for over two-hundred and thirty-three years, have died defending our country. However, I feel all of them turning over in their graves and I can hear all their voices in unison, “Socialism? What. . .are. . .you. . .thinking? This is what I died for? You mean to tell me that I sacrificed my life, my family, my hopes, my dreams, and my desires to offer my services to a country that I love; for a country that I’d die for – and did, so that people could live in a socialistic society? You have spit in my face.”

Nobody knows the actual number of people who have died defending this great nation from her detractors but most statisticians estimate that between 1776 and 2009 one-million ninety-four thousand nine-hundred and seventy-six soldiers have lost their lives in war and conflicts on the battlefield.

That’s one-million ninety-four thousand nine-hundred and seventy-six shattered hopes, dreams, and desires. Each one of those families continued without a father, or a brother, an uncle, or a friend. I am sickened, especially in light of the direction in which our leaders are taking this country. I have to ask, “Whose side are they on?”

After all the death and carnage that we have gone through as a nation, it is unconscionable that we would give up and acquiesce to anybody at all, let alone to socialism. We are, in fact, spitting in the faces of the soldiers, not only of today, but in the faces of those who have died before them. We are also spitting in the faces of the families who have lost loved ones in battle. In effect, we are minimizing their service, sacrifice, and death. As an American it sickens me and brings me to tears. Once freedom is lost, you cannot get it back.

Where are the leaders of today with the courage of that handful of people who would weather the storm of the Atlantic Ocean, the seasickness, the death, and disease, with nothing but a chamber pot for a toilet?

I honor our troops and each one of us owes them our lives. How many of us take our freedoms for granted while they sleep in mud holes with no heat, no running water, or not even a chamber pot. Where are the leaders?

The troops sacrifice themselves so that you and I can watch our TV, worship at the church of our choice, and step into a private voting booth to vote for the person of our choice. Sad as it is, they even lay in the trenches for our freedom of speech so that we can speak our mind on a street corner while protesting the war and ragging on the same troops that are defending their right to do so.

As much as I honor and respect our troops, I do have one question: what will they be thinking when their superiors order them to turn their weapons on us, or worse yet, what will they do?

Lord in heaven, please have mercy on us.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Psalms 33:12 KJV.

God bless our troops who are still fighting for our cause;
God bless those soldiers who have died for us;
God bless the families who have lost loved ones in the service of our country; and
God bless America; may she reign in the hearts of men evermore.
Let freedom ring and may her flag proudly fly forever. I guarantee you that it will on my front porch! AMEN.

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Next week: “What goes around, comes around" Sometimes we are so busy seeking his hands that we do not take the time to seek his face. Like the Ephesians, of Revelation 2:4, our zeal can sometimes out last our love. I feel that this saddens Jesus.

 See you next Monday and thanks for stopping by,

 Your Host
 James Lindquist
 http://www.jameslindquist.net