I have never thought of myself as the smartest man in the room, I don’t have that mindset because I do know my limitations. To a point. I have learned, more through trial and error, what it means to make mistakes, and continually making mistakes, sometimes the same one over and over again. I am fallible. I am weak. In and of myself, I can’t stop the sin which wells up within me on a continuous basis. I battle the urge to not sin, my flesh wants to sin, because that is what the flesh does, it sins and it rebels against the precepts of God and His Holy Word. What I want to say is that I am broken in my desire to fulfill the will of God through my own accord. I can’t accomplish anything that God has set forth before me, because the flesh has no desire to seek the will of the Lord.
I know I am not alone in this. I am not alone as the enemy will assault my mind with the, “What could have been.” I lose my ability to reason, because there is no reasoning in the flesh. The flesh is filled with it’s own desires, it’s own plans and scenarios. Trying to reason with the flesh is like trying to reason with the wind to change direction, it’s impossible. Impossible, unless there is a power above the wind. A force that controls the wind. A Father who has spoken the wind into existences with a small exhale of His nostrils. In the flesh, we are lost in a cave with no light.
This page was a vision I had to bring the word of God to life in some form or fashion. To see the living word of God manifest in reality for those that read it’s articles. I heard today that the church has lost it’s way in seeking the true prophetic word of God. I as the church have lost my desire to hear the real truth of God. Why? Because the prophetic word as we know it today has been prostituted for gain of wealth, fame, and notoriety. Accountability of the prophetic has been lost. What once was, has grown dark. Matthew 5:47 to me, sums it up.
Matthew 5:47Amplified Bible
47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that?
Don’t get me wrong. I do believe that God still speaks to His church. I do believe that the same Spirit that is in Jesus, is the same Spirit that resides in those who call Him Savior and Lord. We prophesy to those we know, because it’s comfortable to us. The enemy knows this, and exploits a weakness in us. It’s call insecurity of worth. If our only desire is to speak to the same 5-10 people over and over again, because we know they will agree with us, then we/I have lost my way into true intimacy with the Lord. I can only gain intimacy with the Lord by spending time with Him and in His presence. Getting to know who He is, and why He chose to save a poor sinner like me. Listen, the reason why Jesus saved me is just as important as the next question. What now?
What is the next step to understanding and walking in true and mature relationship with Jesus? Hopefully in the next several weeks, you and I can help one another understand the true nature of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and how the Holy Spirit works in and through us. I don’t have any answers. I have a lot of questions. I have been following the Lord 20+ years and I am still asking questions. Is the prophetic still true and alive in our day, or have been duped by the charlatans who have tarnished it because of insecurity of worth? Help me with this journey and join me on this adventure.
Every day we allow and even encourage people to dump garbage into our minds and into our lives. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t just consume nutrients from food through your mouth. You also consume through your eyes and through your ears. Have you ever wondered why you’re feeling negative or angry? It’s because your input determines your output. You reap what you sow. The garbage that you listen to and watch on the radio or television, the ridiculous words that you hear from people you hang out with, it rubs off on you. Soon, before you know it, you have become just like them. Everybody talks about “GMO’s” ,”stay away from GMO’s”.
Well stay away from human GMO’s.
The greedy
The miserable
The obnoxious
Those who constantly blame others
The ones who run in a victim mentality
These people are toxic. They drain you. They complain. They remind you of your mistakes. They tear you down, they gossip. They aren’t there for you when you need them, and some of these people may even be in your family.
But these aren’t necessarily evil people, they are just trapped in a vicious cycle. You can pray for them. You can ask the Lord what is driving them to be who they are so you can properly pray for them, but you can’t fix them. We have to allow the Lord to work on the wounding in our lives so we can become an example for them. So politely just give yourself some space from them. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to heal your wounds, to stop the bleeding of the emotional, spiritual, and yes sometimes physical wounds of your past. Boundaries are not only welcome, they are needed. If people don’t know what your boundaries are, don’t blame them when they are crossed. Establish your boundaries. Let the Lord heal you and strengthen you. If we take an honest look in the mirror, who do we see? Do we see them or do you see the person God has created you to be?
You can’t minister to those you are becoming yourself.
We know the story of Moses in Exodus where he was given the assignment to set God’s people free. He was well aware of his shortcomings and bravely stated them to God, as if God didn’t already know. Moses was given an assignment that was so big, that it would have to take the supernatural to fulfill it. Time after time, God showed Himself greater than any acts the magicians of Pharaoh could perform. He allowed calamity and even death upon the Egyptian’s first born, yet all the while keeping His people safe. He even caused the Egyptians to give them gold, silver and clothing as they exited that place of slavery. All was looking good to the Israelites. After over 400 years, they were finally being set free from slavery.
We read that Moses and his people set out from Egypt and came to the place where they knew they had to cross. All they saw was an obstacle in front of them…the Red Sea. I would say that is quite the obstacle. Then they heard the hoof beats of the Egyptian army horses coming up behind them! Six hundred of the finest warriors were now coming in from behind. Once again, the Israelites forgot the bigness of their God.
Exodus 14:21 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,”
That body of water was holding them back from crossing over into what God had promised them. But God dried up what was holding them back. The Israelites had to make a decision to cross over as Moses held his staff over the sea. God made a way where there was absolutely no way, but it took faith for them to make the step.
Another place we read of water being an obstacle is in 1 Kings 17. Ahab was the most evil of the kings of the land. Elijah was told by God to flee after he pronounced a drought in Israel until the Lord instructed him to decree the drought be lifted. He was instructed to go and remain by the Brook Cherith. At this place the ravens would feed him and he was to drink water from the brook. But after a while, the brook dried up.
God told Elijah to camp there. The ravens were feeding him, but the brook dried up. Elijah had not been disobedient. But God had a purpose in drying up the brook. He had another assignment for him. Elijah was told to go to the home of a widow in Zarephath. There the widow had food. Elijah had a roof over his head.
Some of you may have recently experienced that which was going well in your life or ministry just dry up. You were obeying God and kept your heart pure. It could very well be that God is drying up that which is holding you back. There may be something even better that before you, a Zarephath, but you have to release that which was and step out into that which will be.
All of us will face obstacles before us as the Israelite’s and Elijah. But as we put our faith in the One who knows our destiny, we will be given a way to cross over and enter in, regardless of what we are facing. The Father knows how to dry up that which is holding you bank and He knows when to dry up that which has been your sustenance so you will go on to your next place of assignment
Life is filled with so many twists and turns. Even those who love to plan believe things will go on as they are if they remain diligent in our efforts. But things happen we never imagine happening…the job ending, a spouse wanting a divorce after many years of marriage, family moving, unexpected illness, Covid. Each of us can all fill in the ____ of life events you did not expect.
None of us know how many “new beginnings” we will have in our lives. We can reason, pray, plan or be stubborn and try to hold onto what was. Although, if we do this, we may very well miss the next step in this journey called life.
One thing I have found in life, the only thing that is consistent is God. His love for us never changes no matter what we do. There is nothing you can do that would make Him love you any less. His Word is always true. When people failed me, when jobs transitioned out, when a health crisis in our family lingered on, when my child and my father passed within twenty-two months, when I didn’t know how I could make it…through every one, He was faithful. That is who He is, faithful.
When you have relationship with Him, you know He will be there for you, even when others are not. He will make a way when there seems to be none. If we choose to yield our lives to Him, He will orchestrate all things to the counsel of His will. Which is always better (even though it may not look like at the time). There is not one thing, not one thing that has happened or will happen that He is now aware of and has a way for you to come out on the other side. Things may not look the same as they did, but you will see a stronger, more resilient you facing your next “new beginning”.
Isaiah 40:2-3 “When you pass through the deep, stormy sea, you can count on me to be there with you.When you pass through raging rivers,You will not drown. When you walk through persecution like fiery flames, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you, for I am your Savior, Yahweh, your mighty God, the Holy One of Israel!”
Alright, let me be the first one to say that I have not always been one who enjoys fellowship. In fact, I could say, besides being around my wife, children, and grandchildren, I was pretty much a loner. Sure, I had people I was acquainted with and sometimes hung out with, but really other than that, I was a lone wolf. Now I am sure some of you are quoting this scripture out loud or in your head, Hebrews 10:24-25;
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Let’s look at verse 24 for a moment. I love “And let us STIR up one another to LOVE and good works.” One of the reasons we are to come together is not just for church on Sunday morning, but also because we need to be stirred up during the week. We need our fellow brothers and sisters to STIR us so that we know what the love and heart of Jesus is. He shows us through His bride, and His bride is US! Some of you who may read this have that lone-wolf mentality. You may really believe that you can only accomplish the works of God on your own. No one else understands you, right? Only God really gets you, am I right? I am going to say this as nicely as I can, and with as much love as I can put into words..ready? You are allowing yourself to be deceived by the enemy and allowing yourself to succumb to his lies if you believe for one minute that anyone is a one-man army. You cannot, and will not, accomplish your true destiny in the Lord unless you come alongside other believers to accomplish the will of the Father. Those of us who do this have an Old Testament mentality, while prostituting New Testament grace. What does that mean?
In the Old Testament God would use individual men and women to accomplish whatever mission He had. The people were scattered and prone to the worship of idols on their own. God was distant from them because of the sin in their lives, and because of that sin God could not see them, it was only by His divine and Holy Spirit could He see man in the Old Testament. There were times when God would, through the power of the Holy Spirit, meet face to face with man, i.e. Moses. Or God would communicate through His angelic messengers much like He did with Daniel. God would choose men and women whose hearts were turned towards His, and their desires were His desires, even from their birth. Joseph, Samuel, and Daniel are a few examples. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention David, who had a heart after God’s own. That isn’t to say that they were “prepared” when called, for God knows the heart of men, and sees the wickedness it could achieve. So God has to teach us and fill us with His wisdom, so that when we turn, much like King Saul, we have a new heart.
1 Sam 13:14 “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Now though we have the gift of salvation and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It is only because of that shed blood, that now, the Father can look upon His people, and gather them to Himself. It’s the only way God can see us, is by the very blood that Jesus shed upon the cross. Without the blood of Jesus, we are far from God because God cannot look upon sin. It is because we are covered in the blood of He who is without sin, that the Father can now look upon us. Acceptance of Jesus as our Savior is more than just entering into the kingdom of Heaven, it’s also about being in a relationship with our heavenly Father and acknowledging that Jesus is Lord over all. See though here is the kicker in all this, Jesus came and is now, preparing His bride for His coming, the bride being the body of believers who have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. Romans 10:8-9
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
We are all joined by the blood, therefore we are joined together as the bride. We cannot possibly function effectively apart from the rest of the bride, since we are joined in the spirit by the blood of Jesus. We are not to be alone in this fight, we are not be subject to the trials of this world as individuals, but as joint heirs, Romans 8:17 speaks specifically on this,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
The enemy wants you to believe that you can do this on your own. You can’t. The enemy wants you to isolate yourself from the body, you should not. The enemy wants you to be ineffective in your calling, I beg you not to listen. Trust me from one who knows, has been there, and has bought the t-shirt. Being alone in the body of Christ is a surefire way of allowing the enemy a foothold in your life. You have no accountability, you have no support system and you have no one to encourage you. Yes, you can say Jesus can do all that, and He can. He does it through His bride; when you separate yourself from the bride, you separate yourself from Him. We are not to walk this earthly world alone, I am learning this anew every day.
This is the conclusion of Barbara’s article “Anchors in the Storm of life. If you haven’t a chance to read part 1, you can find it here, Anchors in the Storm of Life (Part 1)
Anchor 5: The deepest darkness cannot overwhelm the Presence, peace, or the love of God.
Verse 5 of Psalm 23:
“You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows.”
John the Baptist said to those gathered to hear his message of repentance, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the HolySpirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16) Jesus is not only our Savior, but the Baptizer of power that the enemy cannot withstand.
Paul said to the Corinthian Church that the Holy Spirit in us is to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. (2 Corinthians 2:15)
Isaiah speaks for the Lord: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’(Isaiah 41:10)
Anchor 6: He anoints and empowers me, and surrounds me with His comforting, strengthening, and overwhelming Presence.
Verse 6 of Psalm 23
“So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life.
Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!”
Isaiah prophesies to us:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1-3)
Psalm 136 is a psalm of thanksgiving to God for His enduring mercy. It begins with:
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
The Apostle John tells us of God’s unfathomable love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Anchor 7: My future is safe and secure in His goodness and love – and I will be with Him forever!
In summary, as we embrace these ANCHORS of FAITH we will find stability through the storms of life:
1- Our God is a God of Safety and ABUNDANCE! – With Jesus as my friend and shepherd I will always be safe in his arms and have what I need; even more than enough!
2 – God offers me a quiet place of peace and rest in Him at all times, for His Presence restores and revives my life. Do I go there often to commune with Him?
3 – God’s pathways bring pleasure and joy, and His Word lights my path with revelation. He leads me on a path of righteousness so I can bring Him praise and honor
4 – I am empowered by God to endure and prosper in every temptation and trial of life, and to navigate through the deepest darkness.
5 – The deepest darkness cannot overwhelm the Presence, peace, or the love of God.
6 – He anoints and empowers me, and surrounds me with His comforting, strengthening, and overwhelming Presence.
7 – My future is safe and secure in His goodness and love – and I will be with Him forever!
“Thy Kingdom come… on earth as it is in Heaven.” We pray it – but are we doing it? Is our focus in life merely trying to “be a good Christian” or to reveal the Kingdom?
Paul identified a group of people that all of creation is waiting to see:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. – Romans 8:18-19
Jesus said some amazing things in John 14, beginning at verse 12:
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. …23 “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
We are called to be awesome!: We are called to do the works that Jesus did; and even greater works! — We are called to pray with the expectation of answers! — We are the habitation of the Most High God!
For several years I have been on a journey of discovery about who we are and what we have in Christ, and how to reveal the Kingdom as a “son of God” according to Romans 8:19. Positioning is the key here. Ephesians 2:6 tells us that we are raised up together with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places. The reality is that all we have in Christ in the heavenly places can be manifested on earth – now. Jesus didn’t die just to win our salvation, but to give us The Kingdom. He said, “I am the Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) We enter by the Door of salvation and then we go to and fro in the Kingdom! Salvation is just the first step into a whole new life! We need to pursue life in the fullness of what Christ died to give us. Luke 12:30-32 tells us:
Your Heavenly Father knows your every need and will take care of you. Every day He will supply your needs as you seek His Kingdom passionately above all else! So don’t be afraid, dear friends, Your loving Father joyously gives you His Kingdom-realm with all its promises! (The Passion Bible)
Let me give you a little Kingdom analogy to put this in perspective. My husband and I love to hike. When you are hiking in mountain country sometimes there is a long hike just to get to the foot of the mountain. This hike along the trail to the mountain affords you a beautiful, yet limited, view. And then as you are making the ascent, you are so focused on where to place your foot that you only see what is directly ahead of you. When you finally reach the summit and turn around to see from whence you have come, it takes your breath away. A whole new vista is opened up to you that was there all the time, but which you could not see from your earthbound vantage point . This is life in the spirit that reveals the Kingdom! I feel like most of my Christian life I have been hiking along the valley and now I am climbing the mountain. I am not talking about having a “mountain-top” experience in the traditional sense. I am talking about gaining a Kingdom perspective that lifts you out of the natural and into the supernatural, out of time and into eternity, out of limitation and into “nothing is impossible.”
This is how Jesus lived on earth. As He was the Kingdom personified – so should we be!
Paul tells us in Colossians 3:1-5 (The Passion Bible)
Christ’s resurrection from the dead is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power; honor; and authority! Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm. Your crucifixion with Christ has severed the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God as you live within the Anointed One…. And every time Christ Himself is seen for Who He really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with Him in His glory!
As we are one with Christ, all that flowed out of His life should flow out of ours… Jesus commanded the elements, walked on water, exercised authority over demons and sickness, made Himself invisible and walked through crowds, saw inside of people’s hearts, accelerated time, turned water into wine, multiplied bread and fish, and raised the dead!
Our instructions are to PRAY: “Thy Kingdom come … on earth as it is in Heaven…” (Matthew 6:10) and to DO: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do.” (John 14:12)
Only a supernaturally living people can accurately reflect the image of a supernatural God. — Those who transcend earthly constraints to access the heavenly realm to bring the reality of the life of His eternal Kingdom here on earth – now – as it is in Heaven.
“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.”
We are living in a time that we have not seen or experienced before…. Within the span of only a few weeks the whole world was thrust into a Pandemic of disease, fear, and economic chaos. Prophetic words have suggested an unsettling scenario: re calibration – reset- upheaval – never the same again!
What should be our response to these things?
I would like to suggest 7 anchors of peace and hope to hold on to, gleaned from the 23rd Psalm in The Passion Bible.
The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd I always have more than enough. 2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss. 3 That’s where he restores and revives my life. He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name. 4 Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace] The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near. 5 You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows. 6 So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!
Verse 1: “The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd…”
This brings to mind the old hymn:
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
Indeed, Jesus is our friend, and He invites us to share our every thought, fear and need with Him.
Psalm 95 says:
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
The best friend a sheep has is the SHEPHERD. Jesus identifies Himself twice in the gospel of John as the Good Shepherd who “gives His life for the sheep.” And Jesus taught in the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:12-13:
“If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
Our Good Shepherd is very intentional about guiding us and keeping us from getting lost and falling into the pit falls of life.
“…. I always have more than enough.”
In John 10:10, Jesus said He came to give us ABUNDANT LIFE:
“I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!” (The Passion Bible)
In Philippians 4:19, Paul exhorts us:
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Anchor 1: Our God is a God of Safety and ABUNDANCE! – With Jesus as my friend and shepherd I will always be safe in his arms and have what I need; even more than enough!
Verse 2 in Psalm 23:
“He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life.”
This is reminiscent of the words of Jesus in John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Then Jesus assured us with these words in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
One of the Names of Jesus is Jehovah Shalom – Jesus IS PEACE! And Jesus lives inside of us and fills us with His Peace! And He invites us to come and abide in Him, the Prince of Peace… (John 15:4-7; Isaiah 9:6)
Anchor 2: God offers me a quiet place of peace and rest in Him at all times, for His Presence restores and revives my life. Do I go there often to commune with Him?
Verse 3 of Psalm 23:
“He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name.”
David spoke of pathways in Psalm 16:11: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand arepleasures forevermore.”
The Psalmist in Psalm 119:105 described the Word of God as a lamp that shines to lighten our path: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
And Psalm 118:19 speaks of pathways leading to righteousness:
Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, AndI will praise the Lord.
Anchor 3: God’s pathways bring pleasure and joy, and His Word lights my path with revelation. He leads me on a path of righteousness so I can bring Him praise and honor.
Verse 4a of Psalm 23:
“Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have!”
Paul admonished Timothy that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ( 2 Timothy 1:7) Fear is not a part of who we are in Christ. Instead, Paul said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” There is nothing I will face that will be too difficult for me – for if God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31)
In fact, we must see testings and trials as gifts to help us learn to overcome…James said, “My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things.” (James 1:2-3, The Passion Bible)
Anchor 4: I am empowered by God to endure and prosper in every temptation and trial of life, and to navigate through the deepest darkness.
Verse 4b of Psalm 23:
“You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.”
Romans 8:35-39 is perhaps the greatest passage on the power of God’s love to keep and to save. Paul’s beautiful words resonate across the millennia:
“What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The prophet Isaiah penned these words on the keeping power of God in Isaiah 26:3-:
“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”
I watched an interview with the rapper Snoop Dogg concerning the remake of the movie “Roots”, that really spoke to me about a mindset of how we view a past that we were never part of. And how that past can affect a culture that is hundreds of years removed. Snoop Dogg goes on to say;
“I’m sick of this. … How the heck they gonna put Roots on Memorial Day?” a subdued Snoop Dogg asks in the selfie video. “They just going to keep beating that stuff into our heads as to how they did us, huh?”
He goes on to say…
“I don’t understand America. They just want to keep showing the abuse that we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago. But guess what? We’re taking the same abuse,” he says. “Think about that part. When you all going to make a series about the success that black folks is having. The only success we have is Roots and 12 Years A Slave?”
Now don’t get me wrong, I in no way thinking that we should be oblivious to our past, in fact I know we can learn many things, both good and bad, from our past. I remember in Orlando Fla., we saw a very great tragedy. Anytime human life is lost, its a travesty against us as a nation. It wasn’t LGBT’s who were lost, it was people, lives, living, breathing, human beings who are now lost because of one man’s inability to see past his own hate, or should I say, his own self taught hate. Look I am not advocating a lifestyle here, I am advocating my belief as a Christian that Jesus views all life as sacred. Again I say, let’s remember what Jesus said in John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Somehow those words, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world” are lost. Jesus reprimanded the disciples for judging wrongly when they wanted to call down fire, Jesus said in Luke 9;
54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them,and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
Which to me means, we don’t really have the mind of God and what His purposes are in many area’s of our lives, I know I don’t. Chick-fil-a helped the victims of the Orlando shooting during a time when the light of Christ needed to pierce the darkness. If your conviction is to not associate with people differing from your belief system, and anything associated with them, then I guess your time at Chick-fil-a is done. Again, this isn’t agreeing with a lifestyle, if anything this is being in agreement with the word of God.
Let’s just remember who we are really fighting here. It’s not a people group, it’s not a person, it’s Satan. It’s the accuser of the brethren, it’s the hater of our souls and the who despises our love for God and the love God has for his children. Time to grow up people, we aren’t fighting a natural war here, we are fighting a carnal war, we are fighting a spiritual war, a war that is claiming lives everyday. Doesn’t God have a desire that ALL should be saved? How are you going to do that when condemnation is the first thing we speak when we wake, and the last thing we speak when we sleep?
I for one am not going to put up with it, you want to vomit your hate monger words across your Facebook page, feel free, it’s your page, I will kindly remove you from my feed. Seriously, let go of your hate, we aren’t called to hate, but to love. Stop using the Old Testament mindset to justify your abuse of God’s people. Stop prostituting God’s grace and embrace the cross for what it really means. It’s a sacrifice we can’t repay, an embracing of death that we don’t have to walk through. A gateway to God that we could not find, except through the blood of Christ.
What’s going to happen when the pagans, the witches, the satanist, the LGBT community, the lost in Christ, come banging on the doors of your church, wanting to be saved, wanting to know Jesus. When they are drawn to the power of His blood and are seeking redemption and healing? Will you turn them away? Will you tip your cap of pride and tell them to go away for they are “unclean?” Remember we are being watched as Christians. When you tell someone you are a Christian, or profess that you are a follower of Jesus, you are being watched and observed on how consistent you are to His word.
That big building you go to every Sunday is not a fortress to keep you safe from the world, it’s a place that is suppose to be a city of refuge to the lost and broken who want to find Jesus, and HIS BRIDE WITHIN. Stop holding on to the gift of salvation like it is yours to hold. It’s not. Remember what Peter said in Acts 3:6
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Be a light that those in the dark who want to come and see. Thank goodness that Jesus didn’t respond to the lepers, the harlots and the tax collectors like we do to people in today’s world. Who can be saved indeed.
Yesterday, I wrote about different types of crowds that keep us from God’s plan and destiny for our lives. Another type of crowd is the crowd of life. Even though we are in a time of being shut-in, we can still be busy. There is a crowd of false belief that pressures us to feel as if we are not valuable if we are not productive. There always seems to be one more thing that must be done. There are pressures to obsessively throw ourselves into our jobs. Now, we should work if able but not to the extent that that is all we do and all we talk about. I know you have met some of these folks. I walk away feeling tired just listening to all they have accomplished and what is yet on their “to do” list. We must have balance in our lives. One of the most productive times you can have is when you sit before the Lord and listen to His instruction and direction for your life. We will avoid many missteps if we will take this time to be still. Listen and then obey.
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Pressure will come to tempt you to perform for another rather than God. Anything that you put before God is an idol. What is it that you bow down to that you know you should not? What gets in the way of you doing what you are called to do? What causes you to compromise walking in the ways of God? This is a type of a crowd coming against you to press you out of the will of your Father.
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:17
Hebrews 4:15-16 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” This verse tells us that Jesus, our High Priest, is a feeling person. He feels your pain and your struggles. He was temped like we are and He knows what it is like. The next verse says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
When you feel the pressures of any of these crowds, I encourage you to go boldly to the Father. Tell Him the things on your heart. Tell Him the pressures that you are facing…your hurts, worries, anxieties, fears, disappointments…the things that you are struggling with. He will give you guidance, peace and strength to overcome and obtain victory.
“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37
Overcome is a military term which suggests combat. We are combating against forces of evil and, at times, our own flesh. These have purposed to keep us out of the place of receiving that crown of victory.
You and I must press through every one of these crowds. He has already given the crown of righteousness to those who are His. Press on to receive your crown. Every one of these crowds that you overcome will give you the fortitude, strength and courage to overcome the next crowd that comes against you.
“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be His God and he shall be My son.” Revelation 21:7
Whirlwind of Hope 