Lord

In Your hand Lord, there is life changing hope
In Your Word Lord, there is the truth that sets us free
In Your Spirit Lord, there are waters of abundant life
In Your life Lord, there is peace and joy abounding.

The Christmas Gift

The Christmas gift -

Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son,
and she will call His name Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14)

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called
Wonderful,
Counselor,
Mighty God,
Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

The reason for the Christmas gift -

For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world,
but that the world should be saved through Him.
(John 3:16 17)

The Christmas promise -

For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; for "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
(Romans 10:11 13)


May you have a joyous, wonderful, and blessed Christmas as we celebrate the gift that was given to us......

make Your way straight before me

'For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
You destroy those who speak falsehood...
The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness...
Make Your way straight before me.' (from Psalm 5)

We live in a time when the boastful stand proudly (just look at our politicians), where iniquity has become just another lifestyle choice, where speaking falsehood has become common and accepted in our daily lives (there is no truth just each person's own understanding) and innocent blood continues to flow in our streets (the value of life has been so degraded starting with infanticide of our unborn babies all the way to assisted suicide and honor killings).
Yet will we, the people of the living Lord, follow the admonition provided in this Psalm ? Will we say 'but as for me, by Your lovingkindness Lord I will enter Your house, lead me in Your righteousness Lord, make Your way straight before me Lord God Almighty....
The desire of my heart is to walk in His way, to trust in Him completely, to walk with humility of heart and mind, to stand firm in His truth, to turn from the path of iniquity, to speak words of life and grace and mercy to this lost world...and I cannot do this of my own flesh and blood - it is only through the
power of the Lord living in me, by His Holy Spirit leading me in the way that I should go, by surrendering my life as a sacrifice and following Him daily. Great is His faithfulness to all who call upon His name.

seeking the Lord God

'...Who set their hearts on seeking the Lord God...'

During this time in our history there has been a continual slide away from the things of God and we have taken the path towards idols and vain philosophies - there is truly rebellion against the Lord God Almighty in our land.

Just as in the time of Jeroboam, the power seeking leader of Israel, when he led people to rebel against the Lord, so in our time we see the fruit of that rebellion in our country. Yet there were a people, a remnant, that did not follow along with the rebellion. Their desire was to follow the Lord even though the leader of Israel did not - they set their hearts on seeking the Lord God.

In our day what will the response of the body of Christ be to the rebellion in the land? For the Lord has said that He always maintains a remnant for His own - those whose hearts seek Him.

So, will we set our hearts on seeking the Lord God, will we stand firm in His truth? Or will we follow the counsel of the ungodly and accept the idol worship and vain philosophies of this world - that is rebellion against the Lord?

May Your remnant Lord be encouraged and our hearts filled with joy and our minds with holy fear.

Father God Almighty may it be our heart's desire that we seek after You,
Lord Jesus may our lives be a living sacrifice wholly devoted to You,
Holy Spirit may we surrender to Your leading as You guide us into all truth.

the Lord abides forever

'...the LORD abides forever; A stronghold in times of trouble...
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.'
(excerpted from Psalm 9:7-10)

Trials and tribulations...rejection and persecution...it is during times like these our Lord desires that we know He abides forever, that He indeed knows the beginning from the end and that He is a stronghold that never fails in times of trouble. And His word tells us that there will be times such as these so we should not be surprised nor dismayed nor discouraged.
Let us be of good courage and resolute in our faith in the living Lord - may those who know His name stand strong in Him...trusting completely in Him...for the Lord will not forsake those who seek after Him with a whole heart.

comfort zones

Moving out of our comfort zones - I think that is part of the sacrifice of becoming a bond servant of Christ. We, as the church, have become very comfortable in 'trusting in our ways' and over time we have become so inwardly focused and protective of 'our ways' that we have lost the hunger, the Spirit led fire, for the truth of the gospel and our call to be bond servants.
As Hosea writes 'for it is time to seek the Lord' - let us allow the Holy Spirit to overflow within us, to fill our hearts and minds with the grace and truth of God's lovingkindness, to exhort and encourage us to be living sacrifices for His sake and to rebuke us for straying from the truth and living within our comfort zones.


'Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.
You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,
You have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your way...'
(Hosea 10:12-13)

are we a drift ?

'He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.' (2 Chronicles 12:14)

The path is narrow and the focus of our heart drives our walk along that path.
Just as Rehoboam let his focus drift from the Lord as he became 'established and strong' so in our day we have so many distractions as we attempt to control our daily lives that we lose our focus and drift. And when we drift we are apt to 'do evil' - which is to make idols in our lives that replace God. Those 'idols' can be as seemingly innocent as fighting for 'social injustice' which can become a passion that replaces our first love. Any cause that removes God from the throne of our hearts leads us a drift. If we do not, first of all love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and secondly love our neighbors, we will not have the proper focus in our lives.
Lest we not forget - loving our neighbor entails reflecting the lovingkindness of God in and through our daily lives (vessels filled with His Spirit) by sharing His grace and truth !
Is your heart set to seek the Lord ?

hope and change

'O sons of men, how long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?'

What a telling question for us to dwell upon from the fourth Psalm. We are taught to believe the wisdom of the world that says that man is getting better and better as we 'evolve' yet where is the evidence ? Has the heart of man changed at all since this Psalm was written ? Don't we still love what is worthless and aim at deception ?

The materialistic, man-centric focus that drives the daily lives of man (loving what is worthless) has not changed. The desire, the drive, to have more has reached a level where we need to have storage units to hold the stuff that we don't have room for in our homes! We even have air conditioned storage units that are better than most living spaces in other parts of the world ! And we are not above using deception as a device to accomplish our materialistic goals (why do we need so many consumer protection laws ?).

Don't get me wrong, the Lord is not against prosperity for His children. The issue is where is our devotion - is our energy, our drive, our heart focused on the pursuit of the world or the kingdom of God - upon loving what is worthless or loving the Lord ?

The love of self, the love of power along with the love of money are still as strong as ever in the heart of man. And it is only an extraordinary measure that can change that - and the answer is NOT the wisdom of this world nor is it the evolution of man.

'But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself.'

Here is the hope that we have - the extraordinary measure that brings about change.
We can most assuredly know that our Lord has provided us with a hope, with a way to change our heart of stone, to overcome the desires of our flesh, to defeat the ways of this world (materialistic, man-centric) that so ensnare us - it is found only in the lovingkindness of God that was displayed on Calvary and made complete in the resurrected Lord. The Lord God has Himself taken the extraordinary measure that we might be set apart - our real hope and change - for Himself.

adopted other gods

Have we forsaken the Lord ? Have we adopted other gods and worshiped and served them ?

When we look at the modern church in America today what do we see ? Do we see a people for God's own possession or a people who want to own God ? Do we see a people who complain and murmur and have become hard of heart or do we see a people who rejoice and are happy of heart because of the goodness of the Lord ? Is the church (which is the body of Christ) more focused on the affairs of man or upon the grace of God and His truth? Has the spirit of this world overshadowed the Spirit of Truth in the activities of our daily lives? Does God's call to repentance and sanctification take a back seat to the modern idols of self fulfillment and personal gratification and comfort ?

We have a tendency in the church, so it seems, to seek closely after the wisdom of the world and its trappings while leaving behind the simplicity and purity of scripture's admonitions. And in so doing we end up forsaking the Lord and adopting other gods - whether we realize it or not !

Might we begin this very day to focus our thoughts on the lovingkindness of our Lord. May it be our heart's desire to sit at His feet and seek His face so that we might draw close and be renewed in heart and mind and soul. Might we prostrate ourselves in His presence wholeheartedly petitioning for a reviving of our first love. And may we urgently appeal to the Spirit to overflow in our lives that we would truly be living bond servants for Christ. For we have been called to His wonderful grace - may we not forsake Him.

followers of Jesus Christ

What are we called to do as followers of Jesus Christ?

Really just two things – 1) love the Lord your God and 2) love your neighbor

But what does that look like in our daily life?

1) Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth – our lives should reflect the love and affection that we have for our Heavenly Father - in praising Him, in honoring Him, in glorifying Him - by our desire to be in His presence and please the One who loved us first.
2) We must be willing to wait on the Lord – we live in a microwave world and waiting has become something we are just not good at – but all things are accomplished in His timing – not ours.
3) We are to be His witnesses to this world – as His witness it is His testimony that we are to be reflecting to the world around us – proclaiming the Gospel which is the greatest news man has ever heard or experienced.
4) We are to reflect His love and His grace and His mercy and His righteousness to all those around us – we all fall short of His glory therefore we must be His vessels that reflect His glory – not our own.
5) We are to share the reason for the hope that is within us to all who will listen – what good is your hope if you are not sharing it with others who do not have it ?
6) We are to stay true to our calling – He has gifted all of us with a calling (a ministry) and we need to obey and follow that calling, even in the small things – let us not be swept away with vain ambitions and prideful visions.
7) We are to make sure that we are the ‘vine’ and that Jesus is living through us – if we are not living in and through Him we are not fruitful and all of our efforts shall be as wood, hay and stubble.
8) We are to stand firm in His word - that means we need to be in His word, drawing ever closer to the One who created us, abiding by His truth
9) We are to shed off the wisdom of man – man’s wisdom has grown ever more insidious in the life of the body of Christ, without knowing God’s truth how will you know the difference and only God’s truth will set us free.
10) We are to be humble – true humility is a difficult thing for us in these times but we are called to it – humility is restoring God to His throne in our lives and focusing on worshipping Him not ourselves or others.
11) We are to have integrity – Godly integrity is only achieved when you are a living sacrifice, knowing where truth and honor are found.
12) We are to live a life that includes self-sacrifice and self-control – the actual practice in daily life of dying to self and living for Christ.
13) We must allow the Holy Spirit to lead in all matters – without the Holy Spirit filling us and leading us we may as well not get out of bed – for the works of the flesh are but dust.
14) We are to be a bond servant of Jesus Christ in every part of our life – the voluntary and willing submission of every part our lives to the Great Shepherd and His direction.
15) We must be actively exercising our faith in all aspects of our lives – faith without the accompanying works is dead, faith in action will be the natural occurrence of our submission to the will of Christ in our lives
16) And we must reflect the love of God to a lost and dying world – the ‘bottom line’ as we like to say in our day to our whole purpose on this earth – to share the love of God with all creation.

our walk of faith

Our Walk of Faith, God’s Saving Grace -
I was recently impressed with the analogy that our walk of faith through God’s saving grace is like a funnel – wide at the open end and then it gradually becomes narrow as you proceed (walk) through it.
Our walk of faith begins with God’s saving grace – and His grace, like the open end of a funnel, is wide open, inviting and directional. Once we are born again from above (by grace you have been saved through faith) our walk of faith, like traveling through the funnel, follows the narrow way that leads to life. It is the process of being refined through discipleship, sanctified by the Spirit. And even though the way is narrow His grace and His mercy are always sufficient no matter where we find ourselves within that funnel.
Also, the funnel is pointed upward, not downward. God’s grace always points us, draws us and directs us to Him - drawing us ever nearer – and that is the key to our walk – drawing closer to Him…more of Him and less of us.
So, let us walk boldly and confidently through the funnel as we draw ever closer to Him knowing that He is leading and guiding us through the power of His Spirit – and one day we shall be in His presence forever.

the wisdom of God

The wisdom of God
As we look at our country today we are ever hastily forsaking the wisdom of God and we are exchanging it for the wisdom of man. We now are ridiculing, slandering and ultimately rejecting His wisdom. This trend is running rampant through all segments of our society, even into the church.

As Proverb 1 indicates:

For those who disregard God’s wisdom -
How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded?
And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
And you neglected all my counsel and did not want my reproof

When distress and anguish come upon you then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD
They would not accept my counsel, they spurned all my reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices.
For the waywardness of the naive will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

And here is the promise for those who desire and seek after His wisdom -
Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
For he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.

May we seek after the true source of wisdom and not be lead astray by the wisdom that will ultimately destroy.
For the path is wide that leads to destruction…and man’s wisdom is the road map that provides the directions for that path.
There is a narrow path leads to life and God has promised that He will provide us with the directions if we are willing to listen and obey.

children of the living God

Children of the living God,
May the word of the Lord enrich you abundantly above and beyond all that you can imagine. May it strengthen your faith and give you hope in this desperate day.
Do not fear the world, nor shall you fear man, and do not become ensnared with the wisdom of this world for it is vain and fleeting.
People of His pasture, we are not of this world we are sojourners walking this earth until we reach our eternal home. And since we are His people we must be about doing His business while we walk in these fleshly tents.
I say this as one who struggles with the wiles of this world - His word says that I do not have to fear. For I must place my faith and trust in Him – in His faithfulness, in His lovingkindness, in His righteousness, in His Holiness – and take up my cross and follow Him. For He has promised His Holy Spirit shall be with us to lead us and guide us if we might surrender all.
As we are the apple of His eye therefore may we focus on the goal set before us, the crown of glory that is His restoration of His creation by His sacrificial atoning work. Let all the earth hear of His glory. Let all the earth praise His wonder. Let all the earth rejoice in His lovingkindness. For we are His witnesses called to proclaim His glory.
Children of the living God it is time that we take our place and fulfill our calling for the harvest is ripe and the workers are few. For in desperate times people call out to the God they do not know and we must be ready and prepared to lead them to the living waters – to the place that is beyond the fear of man and his world.
May His mercy and grace abound to all who call upon His name and may His strength uphold us.

a bondservant seeking after Him,

prb

Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matt 10:28-29

some things to consider

Some things to consider:
1) Where is our trust ?
a. in the proud or those who lapse into falsehood
b. or in the Lord God Almighty

2) Have our ears been opened to His truth and righteousness and lovingkindness ?
a. do we seek to hear the wisdom of man and follow his leading
b. or do we delight to do His will and have His law within our heart

3) Have we/are we proclaiming His glad tidings of righteousness ?
a. do we proclaim the wiles of the world’s ways
b. or do we proclaim Him to all those around us as well as to those in the congregation

4) Can we say that we:
a. have NOT hidden His righteousness within our hearts
b. have spoken of His faithfulness and His salvation
c. have NOT concealed His lovingkindness and truth

For the Lord will not withhold His compassion nor His lovingkindness.
His truth will continually preserve us.
Let all who seek after Him rejoice and be glad…

a famine of truth and righteousness

2 Kings 6:33
While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, "Behold, this evil is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"

The evil referred to in this verse was a great famine that had come upon the land. The King wanted to take matters into his own hand. He wanted Elisha killed because he blamed Elisha (the man of God) for all of their problems.
At this time in our country there is also a great famine – a famine of truth and righteousness in the land. The people of our country want ‘change’ but we want it by man’s hand and man’s wisdom (why should I wait for/believe on the Lord any longer?).
The truth and righteousness of God is no longer worth ‘waiting’ for – our leaders don’t even want to acknowledge it any longer!
As we proceed through this time the famine will become worse and a time will come when a man of God will 1) be blamed for all the problems and 2) there will be an attempt to silence the truth.
I believe we are beginning to see the early seeds of this already germinating within our country.

a word of exhortation

Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.
Psalm 91:14-16

What a word of exhortation for those who love the Lord and know His name.
Because we love Him therefore the Lord -
- will deliver us
- set us securely on high
- will answer us when we call upon Him
- will be with us in times of trouble
- will rescue us
- will honor us
- will satisfy us with a long life
- will allow us to see His salvation – the living Lord Jesus Christ
Lord, we love You and we know Your name – draw us ever closer to You for our trust shall be in You all the days of our lives.
Blessing and honor and glory to Your Holy Name.

bondage

Bondage…it is prevalent all around our world today – people’s lives bound up, their freedom usurped whether forced or voluntarily. Bound physically, bound mentally, bound economically but most of all bound spiritually.
Even those within the body of Christ have been bound up with the things of this world. The trend toward placing man’s wisdom above God’s in most everything that we do is one of the sources of this bondage. Our freedom comes only in Christ - not in the wiles of the world or in the wisdom that the world promotes. Yet, we seem to be so desirous of what the world has that we forsake the true and real freedom and liberty that comes in Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit.
Jesus came to set us free from bondage in all of its forms. But it is our own foolishness and desire to rule our own lives that keeps us bound. The life in the flesh struggles continuously with sin and temptation and evil. Whether we recognize it or not we also wage war in the heavenlies against the principalities and powers of this world (the devil) and we can become bound by his oppressive attacks on our lives.
And yet, in Christ we are told that our struggle against bondage has been overcome in Him, by His atoning sacrifice and victory over sin and death: His finished work – we must take hold and stand victorious in this truth.
The world and its ways will never set you free.
The wisdom of this world will never grant liberty.
Only Christ can break the shackles that bound man’s mind, body and soul.
And only by trusting completely in Him, surrendering our whole life to Him, can we be free to live without the bondage that is perpetrated by this world.
Redemption and deliverance are Mine saith the Lord God Almighty, in Me you will find freedom and liberty.

Abide

As we walk through these times of concern and anxiousness let us ponder upon these two verses in Psalm 91 and be encouraged.
May our desire be to dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in His shadow.
For in His shelter there is rest and peace and understanding.
And when we abide in His shadow He will provide protection and deliverance from the wiles of this world.
Let us be encouraged knowing that the Lord is our refuge and our fortress acknowledging that to Him –
‘and I will say to the Lord, You are my refuge and You are my fortress…and because You are my God in You will I trust’.
For I long to be in Your presence Lord, to sit at Your feet – for there I shall find grace and comfort and joy and peace and restoration
and a lovingkindness that the world does not understand.
And that touch of heaven and eternity’s bliss shall exhort my soul.


He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!"
Psalm 91:1-2

on offering

Our lives are to be an offering to the Lord.
We are to be honoring God with our gifts, our talents, our whole lives for we were purchased with a price, redeemed from the pit, given grace upon grace.
And yet are we like the people Malachi is speaking to ?
Do we live our lives as an offering to God or as an offering to what we do for work, for our pleasure, for our success, for our vanity ?
Do we offer just a part of our lives to God - the blemished, the lame, the sick ?
Do we believe that what happens on Sundays is sufficient for our offering ?
Are you helping to build the kingdom of God focused upon eternity with the offering of your whole life or are you spending the majority of your life building the kingdom of man which shall be burnt up as wood, hay and stubble ?
We are all called to be His witnesses in ALL that we do during our days on this earth.
Let our hearts be fully devoted to Him and we shall be a light to all around us touching lives with the love of God – building upon the foundation that is the corner stone, Jesus Christ.
A pleasing offering that is not defiled.
What does your offering look like ?


"But you are profaning it, in that you say, 'The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.' "You also say, ' My, how tiresome it is!' And you disdainfully sniff at it," says the LORD of hosts, "and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?" says the LORD. "But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King," says the LORD of hosts, "and My name is feared among the nations."
Malachi 1:12-14

a time of famine

In this portion of scripture we have some admonitions that I believe are worthy of visiting as we proceed through these volatile times-
1) the man of God, Elisha, warned the woman of the famine
2) the woman listened and acted on God’s word through Elisha
3) the woman was sustained during the time of the famine
4) after the famine had ended she requested that her life be restored and the Lord restored

And what may we glean from this passage: if we follow Him, and listen to His word of truth, and are faithful to respond to His leading and direction – the Lord will provide for His own during the time of famine. His remnant will be upheld. And after the famine has subsided the Lord will restore.
May we trust Him in this as we experience a famine in our land?



2 Kings 8:1-5
Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, "Arise and go with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for theLORD has called for a famine, and it will even come on the land for seven years." 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to appeal to the king for her house and for her field. 4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done." 5 As he was relating to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. 6 When the king asked the woman, she related it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, "Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now."

a famine of truth

A famine of Truth is coming upon our land…
It looks to be a severe famine that will touch all parts of our land.
A famine that results in blindness to the light of truth.
A famine where truth shall nary illumine a small corner nor cast a slight shadow amongst the daily affairs of men.
A famine resulting from arrogant men who have risen up and have not set the Lord before them nor do they stand for His truth.
A famine that creates bondage - that will see people bound up as if prisoners in chains.
A famine that destroys hearts and minds – people lead astray by their wandering away from the protection of divine intercession.
Fear replacing hope
Strife replacing joy
Struggles replacing peace
Such is the famine that is to befall us.

What can we do?
1) listen to the Lord’s leading in your life
2) fill yourself with His word
3) praise Him in the storm
4) be prepared to walk thru the fires of adversity – knowing that He will be at your side
5) be open to the Lord’s teaching – drink abundantly from the living waters
6) meditate and dwell upon the Lord and His nature
a. His lovingkindness
b. His truth
c. His righteousness
d. His grace and mercy
e. His power
7) hold steadfast in His strength
8) be faithful to share His truth with a perishing world
but most of all TRUST IN HIM COMPLETELY…

a man of God

A man of God
Is there anything that the Lord can’t accomplish thru a man of God – one who is totally surrendered to God and His Word of Truth ?
A man whose heart seeks longingly after his God ?
Let’s take a look at Elisha (from the 6th chapter of 2 Kings), a man of God, and see what the Lord accomplished through him –
1) Elisha made iron float
2) Elisha opened the eyes of man to see the heavenly host about them
3) Elisha blinded those who were his enemies
4) Elisha took his enemies captive without any violence
Again I ask, is there anything that that Lord cannot accomplish ?
We seem to live in times when we really don’t truly believe in the absolute and awesome power of God. We have minimized Him in our lives to a small place (usually calling upon Him only in our times of troubles). We have placed Him within a very small human contextual understanding that almost totally eliminates the miraculous.
Either we serve and worship a mighty God or we don’t – there is no middle ground.
If we believe that He is limited in what He can accomplish than we are, as Peter was when he began to sink into the stormy waters, not focusing on Him but on our own human limitations.
And here I speak to myself – my ability to accomplish my goals and objectives has been inherently within my own abilities (although I have given credit to God for gifting me for the things that I have achieved) and that works well until our ‘own efforts’ fall short !
As I walk through this time of struggle in my work life where I have seemingly lost the ability to control the ‘results’ I need to stand firm on of this portion of scripture.
Where man sees the impossible God works the miraculous.
And as we see in Elisha He can work mighty and miraculous things through a man of God.


2 Kings 6:1-23
Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. 2 "Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live." So he said, "Go." 3 Then one said, "Please be willing to go with your servants." And he answered, "I shall go." 4 So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, my master! For it was borrowed." 6 Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. 7 He said, "Take it up for yourself." So he put out his hand and took it.
8 Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel; and he counseled with his servants saying, "In such and such a place shall be my camp." 9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there." 10 The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, more than once or twice.
11 Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?" 12 One of his servants said, "No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." 13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him." And it was told him, saying, "Behold, he is in Dothan." 14 He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16 So he answered, " Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, " O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Strike this people with blindness, I pray." So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 Then Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he brought them to Samaria.
20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "OLORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, " My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" 22 He answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." 23 So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

true prophets

As we meditate on these verses in 1 Kings it is interesting to see what we can glean.
Here are the key components:
1) Ahab, King of Israel, had his 400 prophets (he had surrounded himself with people who’s only aim was to please the king)
2) Along comes a true prophet of God (the true prophet who hears from God and stands firm on His truth has become the one who is hated by the king)
3) Ahab does not like what he hears of God’s truth as revealed through a true prophet (Ahab believes that since the truth is not ‘pleasing’ to him that this word is not from God but evil)

What is the lesson: the word of truth to those who do not want to truly hear from God, those who have their own agenda, becomes an unpleasant word – he does not prophecy good but evil.

As the church do we only want to hear the ‘positive’ and count as ‘evil’ the difficult words from the Lord (ie: our sin nature and its consequence, the call to repentance, the price of the cross, obedience to the truth, waiting on God, self sacrifice, dying to self, self control, warfare, deliverance, humbleness, meekness, forgiveness)?

Do we have too many who only desire to have a ‘favorable word’ for leadership knowing that leadership does not want to listen to those who have a ‘difficult word’ ? Those who are only concerned about moving forward with their own conceived agendas and surround themselves with their own ‘400 prophets’ ?

The Lord will make the whole counsel of His word known to those who truly seek Him and do not rely on the ‘prophets’ who wish to tickle the ear with worldly wisdom.


Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the LORD." Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men…

But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?" The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil…

Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably." But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I shall speak."

Then the king said to him, "How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"

Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, " Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

"Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' "The LORD said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.' "Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you."

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?"
(1 Kings 22:5-24)

where are we to turn?

For the teraphim speak iniquity,
And the diviners see lying visions
And tell false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep,
They are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.
My anger is kindled against the shepherds…

Let us seek to be encouraged and take comfort in the words from the prophet Zechariah.
For we are living in a time where we are wandering as a people – the shepherds (our leaders) seem to have lost their way. There are too many who speak iniquity and see lying visions and tell false dreams – and their attempts to comfort are truly in vain. The sheep are afflicted, hope is fading.

Where are we to turn?

First of all know that we have the almighty Shepherd – the Lord Jesus Christ who, by His atoning work of grace, has given us all that we could ever need. He has brought forth truth and in Him there is no iniquity. He comforts His own with a peace that passes understanding. His Word was not given in vain but for life and hope and joy abundant. We must trust in Him and we shall no longer wander.

Stand firm on these words from chapter 10 of Zechariah which provide hope and direction that we can anchor our lives upon as we struggle through these times.

And the Lord God said:
I will strengthen…
I will save…
I will bring them back…
Because I have had compassion on them
For I am the LORD their God
and I will answer them
And their heart will be glad, their children will see it and be glad
Their heart will rejoice in the LORD
And they will pass through the sea of distress…
And I will strengthen them in the LORD…
And in His name they will walk, declares the LORD

our inheritance

Have we given over our inheritance? Have we traded it for the promise of something better? Have we sold it for a price?
We, in this country of ours, have been given an inheritance from our fathers. It is an inheritance that was very costly to obtain and it should be cherished and protected. The inheritance that has been passed down from our fathers was based on the idea of freedom and liberty for all but specifically to provide the ability to freely worship God and live our lives based upon His Truth. Our inheritance provides a firm foundation that enables our country’s leadership to maintain our freedom. And this foundation is based on truth that does not change.
Yet we have moved to a time when we are not standing firm as Naboth did. We are giving away our inheritance, ours as well as our children’s, to the Ahabs of today for the promise of something better! What could be better than our freedom and our liberty? What price can even compare to the cost that has been paid to provide our inheritance? We have come to a time in our history where truth has become relative and there is no longer absolute truth – our foundation is crumbling, our inheritance traded away.
Arise, people of God, and stand firm as Naboth did and do not trade nor sell your inheritance. For the price of giving away your inheritance will be persecution.

Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, " Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if you like, I will give you the price of it in money."
But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.
(1 Kings 21:2, 3)

pray for rain

Ask rain from the LORD….
And He will give them showers of rain…
(Zech 10:1)

Patti, my beautiful wife, has recently been moved by the Lord to pray for rain in my life. She was impressed with this when we watched the movie ‘Faith Like Potatoes’. A true story of a man’s life and how he was powerfully moved by God to serve Him along with the chronicling his struggles. In spite of his struggles, he put his total faith in God to fulfill His word to him about planting potatoes in a part of southern Africa where rain had been in short supply.
The thing about potatoes is that you cannot tell if they are growing until it is harvest time – so it took persevering faith to wait through the growing season, while praying for rain, to be able to rejoice in the harvest. And the rain came and the harvest was abundant!
It is like that in our lives. We just don’t seem to have the patience to wait and see what the Lord is doing in our lives. We want immediate answers and results. And if they don’t come as we ‘expect’ we sulk and wander about questioning our faith and God’s promises.
Are you asking the Lord for rain in your life?
Will you be patient and faithfully persevere to wait for His showers of rain so that you may rejoice in His harvest?
I know that my patience has not been persevering lately. As I struggle with my ‘planting of potatoes’ it seems that the harvest will never come – that the fruit of my labors have dried up and shriveled away. But I know that my steadfast wife and her prayers, along with a faithful God, will provide a harvest of rejoicing.
I just wish I could get a glimpse of those ‘potatoes’ and how they are coming along!

A Word

A word -
to those who play church,
to those who want it ‘their way’,
to those who believe it appropriate to mix the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God,
to those who do not fear the admonitions of the Lord,
to those who do not seek to follow the whole counsel of God and stand firm on His truth….
For those who do not seek true justice but justice as the world sees it,
for those who talk about kindness and compassion but do not daily practice it,
for those who talk about the oppression of the widow and the orphan and the stranger and the poor yet rely on others (such as the government) to take action,
for those who discuss the wrongness of devising evil in one’s heart against one another yet live by their own form and understanding of self-righteousness and do not bear one another’s burdens….
Now is the time to repent of our refusal to pay attention as well as the closing of our ears to hear the true word of God…
Now is the time to seek forgiveness for our hardened hearts that fight against the truth of God…
Now is the time to turn away from the wisdom of the world and all that is contrary to the things of God…
Let it be our heart’s desire to hear again from that still small voice…
May it be with our whole heart, soul and mind that we are anchored upon the truth of God’s word.
Stand firm and resolute in the fact that God loves us and desires that we be near to Him…
And that He answers us when we call upon Him.
For when we truly seek Him we shall find Him.


Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to seek the favor of the LORD, speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?"
Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, "Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted?
'When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? 'Are not these the words which the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?'"
Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah saying, "Thus has the LORD of hosts said, ' Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.'
"But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.
"They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
"And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts…
(Zech 7:2-14)

People of the Lord

People of the Lord
Let us declare God’s wondrous works
Give thanks to the Almighty for He is near
Rejoice in His lovingkindness
Rejoice in His mercy
Rejoice in His grace
Let us confirm our faith in the One who judges with equity
For it is He who has firmly set the pillars of this world
He has His appointed time to deal with the insolent and prideful
May we not be boastful nor arrogant
For the joy of the Lord is our stronghold
And the humble shall walk in His paths
For all the strength of the wicked He will cut off
But the righteous will be lifted up
As for me, I will declare the marvels of Your wondrous love
I will sing praises to the God of my salvation
For You are my God

true justice and kindness and compassion

Just as Israel was scattered with a ‘storm among them’ and they made the ‘pleasant land desolate’ because of their disobedience, so we to are following that same path today.
We are being scattered by the storms of selfishness and disobedience and our land is changing from a place of ‘pleasant’ to a ‘land desolate’…
There is lawlessness in the land. Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. And many people believe that truth is relative. Mammon is king of their lives and they believe it to be the answer to all life’s problems…while we no longer believe in the sanctity of life…
We have become as a country - one who mocks God.
It is time, people of the Living God, to stand firm. Let us dispense TRUE JUSTICE and practice KINDNESS and COMPASSION. And do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor and DO NOT devise evil in our hearts against one another.
This is not the government’s role (as some seem to believe) it is our job; we, the living body of Christ - it should (must) be our passion to serve the Living Lord as He has instructed and directed us…
Let us not turn a stubborn shoulder nor stop our ears from hearing. Might we pay attention to the things of the Lord and not allow our hearts to be as flint.
For I hope that we shall not find ourselves in a place where we have made the pleasant land desolate.


Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah saying, "Thus has the LORD of hosts said, ' Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; 10 and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.' "But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. "They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. "And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts; "but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is desolated behind them so that no one went back and forth, for they made the pleasant land desolate."
(Zech 7:8-14)

stand firm

When we stand firm in His truth
When we hold fast to His righteousness
When we confront the wiles of the enemy
When we restore the altar of the Lord, which is our worship
When we seek to be led by His Spirit
When we follow His leading
When we glory in His glory
Then the hand of the Lord will be upon us to accomplish His mighty works

Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins…
(1 Kings 18:46)

a purpose, a hope and a future

As we struggle through these difficult times where stress and the unknown can cause us to have doubt and fear, will our focus be on the following verses from Psalm 77:

Will the Lord reject forever?
And will He never be favorable again?
Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?
Has His promise come to an end forever?
Has God forgotten to be gracious,
Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion?

Or, will we stand firm in our faith, grounded in His truth, knowing that God is in control of ALL things and place our focus, our energy, our passion on the following verses from Psalm 77:

I shall remember the deeds of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy;
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
You have made known Your strength among the peoples.
You have by Your power redeemed Your people…

For the Lord God Almighty has told us that He has a purpose for us, He has provided us with a hope and a future…no matter what the world says, no matter what people might say, no matter what your emotions are telling you – our God is in control. We can rest assured on that truth – forever!

our Shepherd

And He will arise and shepherd His flock
In the strength of the LORD,
In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.
And they will remain,
Because at that time He will be great
To the ends of the earth.
And this One will be our peace.
(Micah 5:4-5)

Jesus is our Shepherd, and as His flock -
do we listen to His voice,
do we follow Him,
do we abide in His truth,
or do we chase after the hirelings who walk the paths of man’s wisdom and discount the truth of God’s Word ?
As scripture indicates His remnant will stay true to His calling and to His Word…
And they shall be graciously led by the Great Shepherd in spirit and truth….for the gate is narrow that leads to life…
Let us not be led astray from the truth that was once delivered to the saints…
For Jesus is our peace – do we believe it ?

evil in the sight of the Lord

And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.
"Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away…
…because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. (1 Kings 21:20-22)

Here is a passage of scripture where Elijah the prophet confronts Ahab, the King of Israel, regarding Ahab’s involvement with the taking of innocent life.
Leaders are called to be accountable for their actions. When they stray from the Word of Truth they lead their people to do the same. In the case of Ahab, we see a leader who has ‘sold himself to do evil’. And this evil evokes a strong response from the Lord – ‘I will bring evil upon you and you will be utterly swept away’.
We have, in our day, leaders who have sold themselves to do evil. Their continued justification for the taking of innocent lives of unborn children in name of ‘choice’ is abhorrent – it is evil. Without God’s grace I fear that we will be utterly swept away…because of the provocation with which we have provoked God to anger

our hope and our strength

O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people.
Blessed be God (Psalm 68:35)

- Where does our strength come from
- Where is our hope

Is our God all powerful?
Does He not give strength to the faint hearted?
Is He not great in His lovingkindness?
And merciful in His compassion?
Is His truth not for all generations?
Let us forever praise His name
May we magnify Him with thanksgiving
And bless Him in the congregation
Our God who is our salvation
The God of deliverance and hope
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You
And let those who love Your salvation say continually –
May the Lord be magnified

the Lord our God will save us

And the LORD our God will save us
As the flock of His people
For we are as the sparkling stones of a crown

And I shall strengthen you
And I shall save you
And I shall bring you back
Because I have had compassion on you

For I have redeemed you
And I shall strengthen you in the LORD

Zechariah

May we rejoice in the words written by the prophet Zechariah for the Lord has brought forth His word of truth and He has provided us with a hope and a future. He has not left us fatherless. He has adopted us into His family by the blood of the Lamb. And those that believe on the name above all names, Jesus Christ the Lord, shall spend eternity forever with Him.
Rejoice all you saints of God !
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. . . . .

word of truth

As we live through these historic times in American history let us take heart in knowing that there is nothing new under the sun, that our God knows the beginning from the end, that He is not caught unaware in these days of stress and tribulation.
Psalm 60 has a word of truth that we can stand firm on as we proceed through these times:

God, You have rejected us. You have broken us;
You have been angry; O, restore us.
You have made the land quake,
You have split it open;
Heal its breaches, for it totters.
You have made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger.

[Here is a picture of the struggles that our country is going through as we have moved away from the sovereign truth of God’s Word in our daily lives as a nation. We have decided as a country that man’s wisdom is better than God’s and we are reaping the harvest of that decision. We are a country that is torn and broken with no remedy in sight – from man’s perspective and ability that is. The Hand of blessing is being removed as we have forsaken the Word of Truth and bought the lie that ‘money is the answer to everything’ (Ecclesiastes 10:19)]

You have given a banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth.

[Here is the exhortation to the body of Christ, those who fear the Lord God Almighty, that we display the banner of Truth that the Lord has given us. And what does this mean ? The Lord has revealed His Truth to His children and we are exhorted to stand firm in the power of His Spirit and boldly proclaim His banner to all those around us. And with this proclamation there must be the spirit of grace and truth.]

That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and answer us!

[And what is the expectation if we are obedient to His call to display His banner – may we, His children, be delivered by His mighty right hand]

O give us help against the adversary,
For deliverance by man is in vain.
Through God we shall do valiantly,
And it is He who will tread down our adversaries.

[The final portion of this admonition is that man’s efforts to deliver are in vain…it is the Lord God Almighty who delivers. It is only through Him that deliverance comes and our part is to diligently seek after Him and, by faith, follow His admonitions.]


Excerpts from Psalm 60

May we join the revolution

Might we be the watchman on the wall signaling the way of hope…
May we join a revolution that changes our world…
What must we do ?
Here are some steps to guide us on this path:
- Take a step of faith - stand firm and be resolute in your belief in the One True God knowing that He is ever faithful
- Don’t be afraid to share your faith – and may it be seasoned with grace and truth
- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (and may it be in word and deed)
* Make sure you show your spouse how much you love them – everyday
* Make sure you show your children how much you love them - everyday
* In the course of daily life make sure you have a smile and a kind word for those around you – be an encourager and an exhorter
* Don’t be in such a hurry that you miss the opportunities to brighten someone’s (anyone’s) day
* Do something out of the ordinary that touches another person’s life
* Be truthful in all things – ready to rebuke with grace when necessary
* Take responsibility for your actions
* Be a giver without expecting something in return
* Serve rather than be served
* Be a blessing to all
* Love people like there is no tomorrow

May we live life one day at a time as dispensers of His grace and vessels of His hope and anchors of His truth. And may the revolution grow strong as one heart is changed at a time.

For we are called to be His witnesses to His truth – may our lives be the living sacrifice that abides in His presence and delights in His glory pleasing Him in all that we do.

Holy Spirit lead us this very day.

God gave Solomon

God gave Solomon –
1) wisdom
2) very great discernment
3) breadth of mind

As we head through these times of struggle and anxiousness and economic fear what are we calling out to the Lord for ?
As we seek His face what shall we desire of Him ?
It is most assuredly in times such as these that we must seek after and long for as well as earnestly pray that God would grant us His wisdom (not the wisdom of the world), that we would have very great discernment (biblically based and not the wiles of man) and that our breadth of mind would reach to the heavens (not be restrained by political correctness).
Now is the time that we must no longer be beholden to the schemes of men.
It is now that we must no longer rest nor find comfort in the wisdom of man.
It is now that we must seek discernment from the Lord and not from the so called experts and those who live on sound bites.
The battle over good and evil is growing ever stronger in our country, in our world. And the war is waging in the heavenlies…the Lord has called us and He has empowered us to fight the good fight of faith.
Stand firm, army of the Living God, and pray that our Lord would give us wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind just as He gave Solomon. And that we would persevere in following His lead and His call to take action for His name sake.


Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind…
1 Kings 4:29

nothing new under the sun

In pondering upon the current situation in our country (and the world for that matter) and measuring it against God’s Word, the verse in Ecclesiastes- That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) has really hit home as of late.

As you read through the Old Testament there are vivid and direct reminders of how man has not changed at all. The striving for worldly possessions and power as well as our sin nature that leads us away from the Lord continues to pervade the heart of mankind.

So, let us take a look at today’s ‘there is nothing new under the sun’ lesson from Psalm 62:

As we look at our government and their continued efforts to ‘resolve’ our country’s issues we see a similar word of truth from this portion of scripture.

- Our government’s current leadership seems to be an exact fit:

They delight in falsehood (falsehood- meaning the absence of truth or accuracy, which our leaders appear to have cornered the market on)
They bless with their mouth (we, your government, have all the answers to all of your problems and we will take care of you- don’t worry)
But inwardly they curse (their continued desire for control using the power of money to motivate us will have an enormous future cost that, in the end, will be a curse to our country)

- Here is what we need to watch out for:

Do not trust in oppression (we are seeing unprecedented examples of unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power as we move through this time of crisis, our representatives, our senators and our administration continues to push the boundaries usurping constitutional power moving us ever closer to a socialistic state as well as attempting to silence the voices of Christianity)
And do not vainly hope in robbery (if you truly believe that the government’s desire to take money away from the people, that being higher and more onerous levels of taxation at all levels, who are the economic producers and contributors and use it to ‘solve’ all of our country’s ills is not robbery than you are part of the problem- your hope is in vain)
If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. (we have leaders who appear to truly believe that money is the answer to everything and the more money government has to spend the better -if you believe this, as Solomon warns us in Ecclesiastes 10 that ‘and money is the answer to everything’, than your heart is set in the wrong direction)

- And here we find God’s desire for His children:

My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.

In these verses we find truth that enables us to take refuge as well as gather strength during these chaotic times. I continue to find comfort in the fact that God’s Word is a strong tower that can be trusted in all ages – even in ours today as we face a mighty battle with the forces of darkness.
People of the Lord - stand firm, trust in our God, pour out your heart before Him.

the Passover Lamb of God

As another Passover is celebrated
The foreshadowing of what was to come
Celebrating a future fulfillment of the promise
A promise made from the foundation of the world
The Passover Lamb of God

His broken body would be pierced for our transgressions
He would be crushed for our iniquities
By His scourging we would be healed
He would be poured out even to death for our sin
His blood would be shed to overcome death’s sting
The Passover Lamb of God

And yet, He was despised and forsaken of men
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him
The Passover Lamb of God

The Righteous One who came to serve
His sacrifice made, the price paid that many might be set free
Redemption accomplished through an act of His loving-kindness
Grace and mercy interceding for our transgressions
The Passover Lamb of God

Salvation is among us, liberty and life anew
Rejoice for He has risen, Rejoice for He is alive
Our Passover Lamb of God
Our Redeemer, Our Savior, Our Lord
Jesus

the valley of discontent

Lord, as I walk through this valley of discontent
Through a time of distress and anxiousness
Of concern and fear
Remind me that I am not alone
That You, Lord God Almighty, are with me
A mighty fortress in times of trouble
Established by Your loving-kindness
Lead me afresh into Your Presence
You are my Provider
You are my Strength
You are my Hope
You are my Joy
Your life living in me
For the momentary fire of adversity and strife will refine me
An instrument fine tuned to Your Voice and Your Leading
Your Grace and Mercy shall uphold me
And I will find comfort in the Glory of Your Presence

God's lovingkindness

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress
O my strength, I will sing praises to You
For God is my stronghold
The God who shows me lovingkindness
My God in His lovingkindness will meet me…
Psalm 59:10,16,17

In these hectic days that include a crisis reaction mentality to every distressed news item that is uncovered let us take a moment to reflect upon our place in this world.
Of late I find myself being caught up within this cyclone of crisis news and strife that besets not only the financial world but our country as a whole. This creates a spiral of thoughts that take me from frustration and anxiousness to fear and trepidation. Yet, I know in Whom I believe but the flesh’s desire to control rages within me taking me down the path of despair which leads to fear. What is to become of me ?
As we ponder upon these verses from Psalm 59 may we invite the Holy Spirit to lead us to the place of peace and rest that God’s Word promises to those who believe in Him. And may we exchange the fear of the world for the fear of God that places us within the shadow of His wing – His stronghold of lovingkindness.
As we head into each new day, as a believer in Christ Jesus, may we not forget:
- we have a Solid Foundation that the winds of stress can not wash away
- we have a Refuge that is not swayed by any crisis that may make front page headlines
- we have a Stronghold that will not be moved nor breached due to a global financial collapse
- we have a Redeemer whose lovingkindness restores and refreshes
- we have a Savior who has lifted us up out of the miry clay and set us on solid ground
- we have a God who desires our presence
So, might we sing joyful praises each morning as we are reminded that my God in His lovingkindness will meet me…

my part of the puzzle

As I walk through this time of discontent and discouragement regarding where we are headed as a country and I struggle with the ‘whys’ of our present situation and contemplate how are we ever going to restore the founding principles of our nation that seem to be fading away so quickly, I continue to ask myself what can or should I be doing – what is my part in this puzzle.

When the church has become just another piece of the world around us and no longer sees fit to stand firm on God’s Word but seeks to placate the desires of the world. When ministry becomes entertainment and preaching becomes feel good sound bites and the city on the hill has lost its light, I continue to ask myself what can or should I be doing - what is my part in this puzzle.

And I seek after God’s face but the sounds and activity of the world seem to drown out that still small voice and the fear and the anxiousness of the times distract me from His presence. And I ask – what is my part in this puzzle.

And the Lord finally broke through all the clutter and said to me ‘your part must emanate from a heart that longs to see the truth and grace of My Word boldly imparted to a lost and dying world. A life that moment by moment is lead by My Spirit, relying totally on My sovereign hand and is filled with fervent prayer that seeks after the things of My heart above all else. Come, walk with Me for the struggle has been since times past and you are called to persevere for I am with you.’

our hope and our faith

All this has come upon us,
but we have not forgotten Thee,
And we have not dealt falsely with Thy covenant.
Our heart has not turned back,
And our steps have not deviated from Thy way
Psalm 44:17-18

These have become very difficult times in our nation. We are becoming wearier by the day. There seems to be no end to the trials that appear before us. We, by our nature, look to man and his wisdom to save us from our predicament – from all this that has come upon us.
All this has come upon us (as the Psalm says) and we have a choice as to which path we shall follow. The choice is a simple one – either follow man and his wisdom or steadfastly follow the Lord.
We have a growing population in our country that seems to believe that the government is their messiah. They believe that fallen and sinful men, who do not serve the Living God, can provide the answers to life and hope and restoration that will save us.
People of the Lord, may it be our resolve and our humble prayer that we not forget our Lord, that we not deal falsely with His covenant, that we do not turn our back on Him and that we do not let our steps deviate from His path.
May our hope and our faith be completed rooted in Him – let us not waiver. For just as Job said “though He slay me I will hope in Him’ let us also hold fast to the words from Nahum “the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble and He knows those who take refuge in Him”.

church in America

The Church in America has become like the dry cleaning business!

We have converted the modern church into a business operation where we, the customers, have been instructed to bring the dirty laundry (the lost) and drop it off at the church. It is then our expectation that the church (ie: professional staff) will ‘clean and sanitize’ these lost souls so they might return to the world as good Christian people.

This process is so far removed from the biblical mandate that Christ gave His church!

We are all called to preach the gospel and make disciples…the primary purpose of the gathering of the believers (the church) is to equip the saints for the work of ministry – which is using our gifts to share the gospel and make disciples. We have allowed man’s wisdom to so dominate today’s church and yet we wonder why we are so ineffective, so luke warm. We place more emphasis on ‘entertaining’ and keeping ‘happy’ those who visit the church than on the biblical mandate believing that ‘our’ vision of church will change people.

The only thing that changes people is a real, living relationship with Jesus Christ – none of the programs of man will ever generate real, life saving change. Jesus is in the business of changing lives – we just need to join Him.

Church in America – wake up!

Let’s start by focusing on the most important admonition that Christ gave us, to all those who call Jesus Christ Lord – love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Then we shall be equipped by the power of His Spirit to preach the gospel and make disciples.

And when we gather together as the body of Christ let us focus upon equipping the saints, on whole hearted worship to our Lord and all consuming fervent prayer. And as we abide in Him we shall see and experience His miraculous workings in ourselves as well as those around us.

As we walk through these times of uncertainty

Why dost Thou make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me; strife exists and contention arises.
Therefore, the law is ignored and justice is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.
They are dreaded and feared.
Their justice and authority originate with themselves.
Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty, they whose strength is their god.
Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, and Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor. Why dost Thou look with favor on those who deal treacherously?
Why art Thou silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?
Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith.
Habakkuk

Reviewing these verses from Habakkuk we find amazing similarities to our times !
And it becomes even more apparent that man’s sinful nature does indeed never change and that we can stand firm on God’s Word.
As we walk through these times of uncertainty and we see that God’s Truth is a rock for all ages – let us walk by faith for that is always the answer.
It is our faith in the Living Lord Jesus Christ that will deliver us from all that we may come to endure.
It is our daily, living, breathing faith in our wondrous Risen Savior that will guide us through these historic times.
It is our uncompromising faith that will lead is into all truth and save us from wickedness and treachery.
By faith we shall know where our strength comes from and we will not walk the path of violence and destruction.
It is by faith through grace that we walk in righteousness – not by our own power.
By faith alone shall we live victoriously.

May we return whole heartedly to our first love – the Lord Jesus

Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days, now they are fleeing; she is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!
Hearts are melting and knees knocking! Also anguish is in the whole body, and all their faces are grown pale! "Behold, I am against you," declares the LORD of hosts

Also her small children were dashed to pieces…
The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies…
There is no relief for your breakdown, your wound is incurable…
(Nahum 2,3)

Is this a picture of America ? Are we like Nineveh whose days are fleeing and will become desolate and waste ? Hearts are already melting and knees knocking with fear and anguish. We have given over our children to those who callously disregard life and we support their being dashed to pieces through our choice of leaders. Our gates our opened wide to our enemies and we allow lawlessness to fill our land. Is there no relief – is our wound incurable ?

Is God’s Word through Job a foreshadowing of what is to come for our country ?

He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away. He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people, and makes them wander in a pathless waste. They grope in darkness with no light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man. (Job 12:23-25)

May all those who call heaven their home seek after God and ask His forgiveness.
May we return whole heartedly to our first love – the Lord Jesus.
May we seek to honor Him in all that we do.
May it be our hearts desire to serve Him and follow His leading.
May our focus be on preaching the gospel and making disciples for His kingdom.
May we love as He has loved us.
And maybe, just maybe, our country shall be saved from the fate of Nineveh…

Be gracious to me

…by this I know that You are pleased with me
because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me…
(Psalm 41:11)

O Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up
Heal my soul for I have sinned against You
O Lord be gracious to me, be my help
My soul thirsts for You, O God
My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God
While the enemy says ‘where is your God?’
I will recall your lovingkindness
I will remember your graciousness
I will stand firm in Your righteousness
And I will give thanks with a voice of joy
For I long to know that You, O Lord, are pleased with me.

Hope in God

Hope in God
For I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence
The Lord will command His lovingkindess in the daytime
And His song will be with me in the night
A prayer to the God of my life
Hope in God for I shall yet praise Him

Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation
O God, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man
O God, send out Your Light and Your Truth, let them lead me
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
(Excerpted from Psalm 42 and 43)

Who do we hope in and where have we placed our hope ?
Have we placed our hope in man ?
That is a truly a false hope unless that man is the Lord Jesus Christ !
Just as David and the prophets of old did in times of affliction and persecution,
let our hope be found only in the Lord and may we stand firm in the Light of His Truth…
Hope in the Lord and we shall again praise Him…

What does the Lord require of you ?

A jealous and avenging God is the LORD;
The LORD is avenging and wrathful.
The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.

Who are the adversaries and enemies of the Lord ?
- those who serve idols
- those who worship the creation instead of the Creator
- those who exchange the truth of God for a lie
- those who seek after and follow the wisdom of man instead of the wisdom of God
- those who have hardened their hearts toward the Word of Truth
- those who wish to be a friend of the world

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
(Nahum 1:2-3)

So, what does this mean for those who follow the Lord, those who are not His enemies nor His adversaries ?

1) we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength
2) we are to love our neighbors are our selves by walking in the grace and truth of God’s Word
3) we are to walk the narrow path that leads to life
4) we are to stand firm on His Truth, hold fast to His Word, be filled with the Spirit of Truth
5) we are to pray without ceasing, giving thanks in all things
6) we are to preach the gospel to all creation, making disciples everywhere we go
7) we are to minister unto the Lord Jesus Christ
8) we are to repent of our sins and iniquities forsaking the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life by the power of the resurrected Lord living through us

And even though in the coming days there shall be ever increasing persecution and believers shall be targeted for discriminatory treatment while being called foolish, uneducated and prejudiced people, our great and powerful Lord has all things under His control….and He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished…

Let us do as the prophet Micah indicated – what does the Lord require of you ?
To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.
And maybe, just maybe, the Lord will honor and reward those who have obeyed Him with revival in our land.

Fear of the Lord

Taste and see that the Lord is good…
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him…
Fear the Lord you His saints…
We are called to trust and believe in these foundational admonitions as we live out our lives on this earth.
To ensure that we are grounded and secure in our understanding of whom the Lord is that we serve.
We are also exhorted to teach the children the fear of the Lord !
For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
I believe that one of the greatest short comings of the modern day church is that we do not understand the fear of the Lord. And if we have lost it the children most certainly have not been instructed !

May the instruction begin:
The fear of the Lord – let us begin with our awe and reverence for the Lord’s majesty, His power, His holiness, His righteousness, His grace, His mercy, His lovingkindness….
For He is our Almighty God, our Creator, our Redeemer, He is our Salvation, He is our Truth, He is our Life, He is our Sustainer, He is our Provider, He is our Fortress, He is our Refuge, He is our God…
He is Faithful and True.

And let us continue with the Names of our God –
Elohim – the Creator
El Elyon – the God Most High
El Roi – the All-sufficient One
Adonai – Lord, Master
Yahweh – Lord Jehovah
Jehovah-jireh – The Lord will provide
Jehovah-rapha – the Lord that heals
Jehovah-nissi – The Lord my banner
Jehovah-mekoddishkem – the Lord who sanctifies you
Jehovah-shalom – the Lord is peace
Jehovah-sabaoth – the Lord of Hosts
Jehovah-raah – the Lord my Shepherd
Jehovah-tsidkenu – the Lord our Righteousness
Jehovah-shammah – the Lord is there
El Olam – the Everlasting God

Bottom line: our nation, including the church, has lost its fear of the Lord…and do not be fooled and do not think that a price will not be paid…

May His remnant stand firm and be of good courage as we fear the Lord and take refuge in Him.


O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
O fear the LORD, you His saints;
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalm 34:8-11

The Lord lives

Your grace and mercy provide the way
But rebellion’s price must be paid

For man was made to reflect Your face
But for a lie we rejected Your grace

Yet redemption was Your ultimate gift
A sacrifice of Your lovingkindness

One True God to You we call
May we humbly before You bow

May we seek Your face as well as Your hand
Resolute in You we will make our stand

For man is but a vapor upon this earth
And being with You is eternity’s worth

And I shall forever proclaim -
Your grace and mercy restore me
Your righteousness and holiness uphold me
Your lovingkindness surrounds me

the eye of the Lord is upon us

He sees all of us, He looks out over us
He who fashions our hearts and understands our worries
And where does our hope come from ?
Is it in the people and things of this world ?
That is surely a false hope…
For our hope is found only in the Lord -
- those who seek His face
- those who wait on the Him
- those who trust in His Holy Name
- those who dwell in His lovingkindness
- those whose hearts rejoice in Him
Let your lovingkindness be upon us Lord,
According to our hope in You…
For the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him…
prb

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked; and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the soul of His servants; and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
Psalm 34:15-22

Walk in His paths

In thinking about the Hebrew exodus from Egypt and how the multitude of the Hebrew people wanted relief from the trials and tribulations that Pharaoh had placed upon them and how they longed to be spared from the bondage and oppression that had taken place in their lives. Then God provides for their deliverance. And yet, shortly after their deliverance from that bondage, they were murmuring and complaining and saying they would be better off going back to Egypt ! They had witnessed and experienced the great salvation that the Lord had provided yet they became restless and rebellious about proceeding to the promised land. Yes, they must walk through the wilderness and the arid lands that separated Egypt from the promised land but God had promised to provide for all of their needs as they made their way. Follow Him and they would be taken care of…He gave a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day…water to drink and manna to eat…what more could those Hebrew people have asked for ? It seems that it wasn’t enough !
Although there were some who truly believed the Lord and trusted in Him as well as His promises I dare say most were only along for the initial relief from bondage and oppression – they were not willing to trust in the Lord enough to work out their salvation.
And then when you look at the ten men that went into spy out the promised land and only two of those ten men trusted enough in God to follow His leading while the other eight only saw with man’s vision. The picture is clear of a people not willing to humble themselves and follow the God that delivered them.
In the church (the body of Christ) today it appears that we probably have a comparable ratio of those who truly trust in God’s promises for His children and seek to walk in His paths. When I think about how weak the church is in our time, how we don’t stand firm on God’s truth, how we murmur and complain, how we are not satisfied with God’s provision, how we believe that man has a better idea and vision – it makes me wonder when our 40 years of wandering began…

2009 - the narrow path

As we head into 2009 will we take the narrow path that leads to life or the wide road that leads to destruction ? As His church we are instructed to follow Jesus Christ so that we may be transformed as well as conformed into His image….Are we moving down that narrow way ?

Do we desire to be ‘dispensers’ of His grace and truth in all aspects of our lives ?
Or do we save that for Sundays…if even at all !
Scripture says that they will know (followers of the Lord Jesus) us by our love for one another...The question then becomes - does anyone ‘know’ us ?
Does the message of the Gospel exude through our lives to those around us? Or are we no different than the world in the way we live our lives.
Are we His disciples ? Or are we disciples of the ways of the world ?

One of the issues that appears to be prevalent in our church today is that we attempt to ‘accomplish’ what we earnestly believe to be God’s will (ie: following the narrow path) through our own strength, by our own accomplishments, via the ‘power’ of man’s wisdom. This is not the Biblical admonition !

We are called to crucify our flesh, abide in Him, allow the power of the Spirit to fill us and lead us into all truth and direct us in all facets of our lives as well as empower us to fulfill the will of our Father. The road we are called to as disciples is narrow and it is a difficult road to follow when we seek to do it on our own accord – through our own power and worldly wisdom. Jesus told us that His burden would be light if we were to follow Him and we would experience the abundant life…the condition is that it must be in the way that He has provided – not our ways ! And His Word is truthful if we would let Him abide in us. Yet we, in our pompous, prideful and usually arrogant ways, try to do it our way (or should I say the world’s way) and then we wonder why the road is so difficult and the abundant life appears to be so devoid of joy !

From a worldly perspective 2009 appears to be a year that will be fraught with more trials and tribulations. More economic stress, more social unrest, more intrusion into our lives by our government, more ‘persecution’ for those who follow the narrow path...less of God and more of man !

But therein lays an opportunity for those who will listen to and obey that still small voice…those that will allow the working of the Spirit to direct their lives and empower them to do the will of the Father. For in difficult times humanity seeks after that which is beyond itself…for it knows deep within that man does not have the answer to life and joy and peace…and it is in times of difficulty that the soul hungers after truth.

People of the Lord get ready….prepare for the harvest that the Lord is gathering…walk the path that is the narrow way…be filled with the Spirit so that you may be vessels of grace and truth….stand firm in His truth…and may His loving-kindness flow through His disciples as we enter this year that the Lord has made…may we rejoice that our God is in control.