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Plymouth, MN 55446
Monday, January 26, 2009
Q & A
Bob from Littleton, CO.
Q. Why the focus with the death rather than the resurrection?
Christ within us.
A. Because first things first, we must first die with Him in order to experience His resurrection. So many are laying claim to His death and resurrection without ever dying... and in all reality they feel as if they never really received anything. They have no identification with His death in their own life. In order to lay claim to His resurrection we must be willing to loose ourselves. Walk the rugged road down... Those who truly love Him will sacrifice their life and choose to live as Jesus did here on the earth. Many times the focal point will be turned onto others; doing for others rather than for me, but a true saint will always turn their focus on the Person, that being Jesus. Very few today know anything about loyalty to Jesus. Ask God to make incarnation a reality in you, and you will know what it means to receive something from God. Once you become born again, you will clearly know it!!! Yet, we must be willing to make room for Him in our heart.
The question lies in your lap, are you willing to allow Jesus to completely take over and run the show?
Instead of [I]need to make a living, are you willing to allow [Jesus] to make a living for you? Control is the deciding factor for most people. Too many, the idea sounds great but when it comes right down to it we aren't satisfied with sitting back and taking orders. Are you willing to take orders even in the areas that you're comfortable dealing with yourself?
We must throw all commonsense out the window (just as Joshua needed to, in order to walk around the walls of Jericho) God's ways will not settle well with our understanding, nor should they.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Lean not on your own understanding,
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Q. Why the focus with the death rather than the resurrection?
Christ within us.
A. Because first things first, we must first die with Him in order to experience His resurrection. So many are laying claim to His death and resurrection without ever dying... and in all reality they feel as if they never really received anything. They have no identification with His death in their own life. In order to lay claim to His resurrection we must be willing to loose ourselves. Walk the rugged road down... Those who truly love Him will sacrifice their life and choose to live as Jesus did here on the earth. Many times the focal point will be turned onto others; doing for others rather than for me, but a true saint will always turn their focus on the Person, that being Jesus. Very few today know anything about loyalty to Jesus. Ask God to make incarnation a reality in you, and you will know what it means to receive something from God. Once you become born again, you will clearly know it!!! Yet, we must be willing to make room for Him in our heart.
The question lies in your lap, are you willing to allow Jesus to completely take over and run the show?
Instead of [I]need to make a living, are you willing to allow [Jesus] to make a living for you? Control is the deciding factor for most people. Too many, the idea sounds great but when it comes right down to it we aren't satisfied with sitting back and taking orders. Are you willing to take orders even in the areas that you're comfortable dealing with yourself?
We must throw all commonsense out the window (just as Joshua needed to, in order to walk around the walls of Jericho) God's ways will not settle well with our understanding, nor should they.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Lean not on your own understanding,
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Oswald Chambers Story
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was born July 24, 1874, in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Converted in his teen years under the ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, he studied art and archaeology at the University of Edinburgh before answering a call from God to the Christian ministry. He then studied theology at Dunoon College. From 1906-1910 he conducted an itinerant Bible-teaching ministry in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
In 1910, Chambers married Gertrude Hobbs. They had one daughter, Kathleen.
In 1911 he founded and became principal of the Bible Training College in Clapham, London, where he lectured until the school was closed in 1915 because of World War I. In October 1915 he sailed for Zeitoun, Egypt (near Cairo), where he ministered to troops from Australia and New Zealand as a YMCA chaplain. He died there November 15, 1917, following surgery for a ruptured appendix.
Although Oswald Chambers wrote only one book, Baffled to Fight Better, more than thirty titles bear his name. With this one exception, published works were compiled by Mrs. Chambers, a court stenographer, from her verbatim shorthand notes of his messages taken during their seven years of marriage. For half a century following her husband's death she labored to give his words to the world.
My Utmost For His Highest, his best-known book, has been continuously in print in the United States since 1935 and remains in the top ten titles of the religious book bestseller list with millions of copies in print. It has become a Christian classic.
In 1910, Chambers married Gertrude Hobbs. They had one daughter, Kathleen.
In 1911 he founded and became principal of the Bible Training College in Clapham, London, where he lectured until the school was closed in 1915 because of World War I. In October 1915 he sailed for Zeitoun, Egypt (near Cairo), where he ministered to troops from Australia and New Zealand as a YMCA chaplain. He died there November 15, 1917, following surgery for a ruptured appendix.
Although Oswald Chambers wrote only one book, Baffled to Fight Better, more than thirty titles bear his name. With this one exception, published works were compiled by Mrs. Chambers, a court stenographer, from her verbatim shorthand notes of his messages taken during their seven years of marriage. For half a century following her husband's death she labored to give his words to the world.
My Utmost For His Highest, his best-known book, has been continuously in print in the United States since 1935 and remains in the top ten titles of the religious book bestseller list with millions of copies in print. It has become a Christian classic.
The Hidden Life
. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God —Colossians 3:3
The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that "is hidden with Christ in God." Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and "walk in the light" ( 1 John 1:7 ).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being "filled with the Spirit" ( Ephesians 5:18 ), and "walk[ing] in the light," we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, "Oh, I could never live up there!" However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. "You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip" ( Psalm 18:36 ).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, "Let not your heart be troubled . . ." (John 14:27 ), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. "My peace I give to you . . ." (John 14:27 )— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. ". . . your life is hidden with Christ in God," and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that "is hidden with Christ in God." Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and "walk in the light" ( 1 John 1:7 ).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being "filled with the Spirit" ( Ephesians 5:18 ), and "walk[ing] in the light," we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, "Oh, I could never live up there!" However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. "You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip" ( Psalm 18:36 ).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, "Let not your heart be troubled . . ." (John 14:27 ), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. "My peace I give to you . . ." (John 14:27 )— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. ". . . your life is hidden with Christ in God," and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
As workers for God we have to learn to make room
for God--to give God 'elbow room.'
We calculate and estimate, and say that this and that
will happen, and we forget to make room for God to
come in as He chooses.
Keep your life so constant in its contact with
God that His surprising power may break out
on the right hand and on the left.
Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that
you leave room for God to come in as He likes. Amen
for God--to give God 'elbow room.'
We calculate and estimate, and say that this and that
will happen, and we forget to make room for God to
come in as He chooses.
Keep your life so constant in its contact with
God that His surprising power may break out
on the right hand and on the left.
Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that
you leave room for God to come in as He likes. Amen
Devoted to a Person Not a Cause
I have appeared to you for this purpose . . . —Acts 26:16
The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, "Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine." And the Lord also says to us, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go . . ." (John 15:16).
When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be "disobedient to the heavenly vision"Ðnot to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling ". . . to make you a minister and a witness . . . ." There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).
The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, "Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine." And the Lord also says to us, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go . . ." (John 15:16).
When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be "disobedient to the heavenly vision"Ðnot to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling ". . . to make you a minister and a witness . . . ." There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Friday, January 23, 2009
Do You Walk In White?
[If] We were buried with Him . . . that just as Christ was raised from the dead . . . even so we also should walk in newness of life —Romans 6:4
No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a "white funeral"-the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream. There must be a "white funeral," a death with only one resurrection-a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose— to be a witness for Him.
Have you really come to your last days?
You have often come to them in your mind, but have you really experienced them?
You cannot die or go to your funeral in a mood of excitement. Death means you stop being. You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. We avoid the cemetery and continually refuse our own death. It will not happen by striving, but by yielding to death. It is dying— being "baptized into His death" (Romans 6:3 ).
Have you had your "white funeral," or are you piously deceiving your own soul? Has there been a point in your life which you now mark as your last day? Is there a place in your life to which you go back in memory with humility and overwhelming gratitude, so that you can honestly proclaim, "Yes, it was then, at my ’white funeral,’ that I made an agreement with God."
"This is the will of God, your sanctification . . ." (1 Thessalonians 4:3 ). Once you truly realize this is God’s will, you will enter into the process of sanctification as a natural response. Are you willing to experience that "white funeral" now? Will you agree with Him that this is your last day on earth? The moment of agreement depends on you.
No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a "white funeral"-the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream. There must be a "white funeral," a death with only one resurrection-a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose— to be a witness for Him.
Have you really come to your last days?
You have often come to them in your mind, but have you really experienced them?
You cannot die or go to your funeral in a mood of excitement. Death means you stop being. You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. We avoid the cemetery and continually refuse our own death. It will not happen by striving, but by yielding to death. It is dying— being "baptized into His death" (Romans 6:3 ).
Have you had your "white funeral," or are you piously deceiving your own soul? Has there been a point in your life which you now mark as your last day? Is there a place in your life to which you go back in memory with humility and overwhelming gratitude, so that you can honestly proclaim, "Yes, it was then, at my ’white funeral,’ that I made an agreement with God."
"This is the will of God, your sanctification . . ." (1 Thessalonians 4:3 ). Once you truly realize this is God’s will, you will enter into the process of sanctification as a natural response. Are you willing to experience that "white funeral" now? Will you agree with Him that this is your last day on earth? The moment of agreement depends on you.
The Devotion of Hearing
Samuel answered, ’Speak, for Your servant hears’ —1 Samuel 3:10
Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, "You are My friends . . ." ( John 15:14 ). Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed it. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don’t even hear Him. He might as well never have spoken to us.
The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41 ). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don’t hear Him. The attitude of a child of God should always be, "Speak, for Your servant hears." If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God.
Have you heard God’s voice today?
What's keeping you from hearing your convictions?
Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, "You are My friends . . ." ( John 15:14 ). Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed it. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don’t even hear Him. He might as well never have spoken to us.
The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41 ). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don’t hear Him. The attitude of a child of God should always be, "Speak, for Your servant hears." If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God.
Have you heard God’s voice today?
What's keeping you from hearing your convictions?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Ready to die?
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14
The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was "crucified with Him" (Romans 6:6 ). The proof that your old life is dead, having been "crucified with Christ" ( Galatians 2:20 ), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.
Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— ". . . without Me you can do nothing" ( John 15:5 ). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means.
The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was "crucified with Him" (Romans 6:6 ). The proof that your old life is dead, having been "crucified with Christ" ( Galatians 2:20 ), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.
Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— ". . . without Me you can do nothing" ( John 15:5 ). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means.
Do You See Your Calling?
. . . separated to the gospel of God. . . —Romans 1:1
Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.
Paul did not say that he separated himself, but "when it pleased God, who separated me . . ." (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. "Don’t ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose— to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).
Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.
Paul did not say that he separated himself, but "when it pleased God, who separated me . . ." (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. "Don’t ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose— to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).
John 21
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Ezekiel 7
1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
3 Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.
4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come.
6 An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come.
2 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
3 Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.
4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come.
6 An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come.
White funeral
"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." -Jesus of Nazareth
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" -1 Peter 4:18
"All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." -Matthew 10:22
"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." -Jesus "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in you name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' The I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me,..." -Matthew 7:21-23 "...Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness." -Romans 6:4-10,16,19 No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a "white funeral"--the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more that an elusive dream.
There must be a "white funeral," a death with only one resurrection--a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose--to be a witness for Him.
Have you really come to your last day?
"As the spirit of self-advancement is the root of all sin, so the spirit of self-denial is the root of all holiness. "
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" -1 Peter 4:18
"All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." -Matthew 10:22
"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." -Jesus "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in you name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' The I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me,..." -Matthew 7:21-23 "...Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness." -Romans 6:4-10,16,19 No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a "white funeral"--the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more that an elusive dream.
There must be a "white funeral," a death with only one resurrection--a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose--to be a witness for Him.
Have you really come to your last day?
"As the spirit of self-advancement is the root of all sin, so the spirit of self-denial is the root of all holiness. "
Avoiding Vain Hope and Conceit
Whoever puts his confidence in men or in any creature is very foolish. Do not be ashamed to be the servant of others for love of Jesus Christ, and to appear poor in this world. Do not trust in yourself, but put your whole confidence in God. Do what you are able, and God will bless your good intention. Do not trust in your own knowledge, nor in the cleverness of any man living, but rather in the grace of God, who aids the humble (James 4:6) and humbles the proud. Do not boast of your possessions, if you have any, nor of the influence of your friends; but glory in God, (2 Cor. 10:17) who gives all things and desires above all things to give you Himself. Do not be vain about your beauty or strength of body, which a little sickness can mar and disfigure. Take no pleasure in your own ability and cleverness, lest you offend God, who has Himself bestowed on you all your natural gifts. Do not esteem yourself better than others, lest you appear worse in the eyes of God, who alone knows the heart of man (Ps.44:11; John 2:25). Do not be proud of your good deeds, for God does not judge as men; and what delights men often displeases God. If you have any good qualities, remember that others have more; and so remain humble. It does you no harm when you esteem all others better than yourself, but it does you great harm when you esteem yourself above others. True peace dwells only in the heart of the humble: but the heart of the proud is ever full of pride and jealousy.
Victory over self-love
"I must tell you a great truth, Much-Afraid, which only the few understand. All the fairest beauties in the human soul, its greatest victories, and its most splendid achievements are always those which no one else knows anything about, or can only dimly guess at. Every inner response of the human heart to Love and every conquest over self-love is a new flower on the tree of Love."
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
we must die With him
On the Royal Road of the Holy Cross
`Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.'(Matt. 16:24) To many this saying of Jesus seems hard.
But how much harder will it be to hear that word of doom,
`Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire'. (Matt.25:41) For those who now cheerfully hear and obey the Word of the Cross (I Cor. 1:18) will not tremble to hear the sentence of eternal damnation.
The sign of the Cross will appear in the heavens, when Our Lord comes as judge. Then will all the servants of the Cross-, who in their lives conformed themselves to the Crucified, (Rom 8:29) stand with confidence before Christ, their judge.
Why, then, do you fear to take up the Cross-, which is the road to the Kingdom?
In the Cross is salvation;
in the Cross is life;
in the Cross is protection against our enemies;
in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness;
in the Cross is strength of mind;
in the Cross is joy of spirit;
in the Cross is excellence of virtue;
in the Cross is perfection of holiness.
There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross. Take up the Cross-, therefore, and follow Jesus, (Matt. 16:24) and go forward into eternal life. (Matt.25:46) Christ has gone before you, bearing His Cross; (John 19:17) He died for you on the Cross, that you also may bear your cross, and desire to die on the cross with Him.
For if you die with Him, you will also live with Him. (Rom 6:8) And if you share His sufferings, you will also share His glory.
See how in the Cross all things consist, and in dying on it all things depend.
There is no other way to life and to true inner peace, than the way of the Cross and of daily self-denial.
Go where you will, seek what you will; you will find no higher way above or safer way below than the road of the Holy Cross. Arrange and order all things to your own ideas and wishes, yet you will still find suffering to endure, whether you will or not;
so you will always find the Cross.
For you will either endure bodily pain, or suffer anguish of mind and spirit. But He clearly urges both His own disciples and all who wish to follow Him to carry the cross, saying, `If any will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.'(Mark 8:34)
Therefore, when we have read and studied all things, let thus be our final resolve: 'that through much tribulation we must enter the Kingdom of God.'(Acts 14:22)
Truthful Conversation
How we should not Believe all we Hear
THE DISCIPLE. Lord, help me in my trouble, for vain is the help of man.(Ps.60:11)
How often have I found no loyalty where I expected to find it! And how often have I found it where I least expected! It is useless to place our hope in man; salvation is to be found in You alone, O God.(Ps.37:39) In all that befalls us, we bless You, O Lord our God.We are weak and unstable, changeable and easily deceived. None of us can guard himself so carefully and completely that he is never deceived nor in doubt. But who ever trusts in You, Lord, and seeks You with a pure heart, does not easily fall. And if he encounters any trouble, however great it be, You will swiftly deliver or comfort him; for You never abandon those who trust in You to the end. Rare indeed is a faithful friend, who stands by his friend in all trouble. And You, Lord, are the most faithful of all friends, and there is none like you.How wise was the holy soul (Saind Agatha) who said, 'My mind is firmly established and grounded in Christ.' Were this true of myself, I should never fear any man and no bitter words could disturbe me. We cannot forsee the future or provide against evils to come and if things that we expect often harm us, how can unexpected events do otherwise than seriously harm us?
Why have I not made better provision for my unfortunate self and why have I trusted so readily in others?
For we are but mortal men and nothing if not weak,
even if many people imagine and say that we are angels.
Ther is none in whom I can trust, Lord, save Yourself,
who are the Truth and who neither deceives nor can be deceived.
But every man is deceitful,(Rom.3:4) weak, unstable and fallible,
especially in what he says so that we should not at once believe
even what at first appears to be true.
Your wisdom warns us to beware of man,(Matt.10:17) since a man's enemies are those of his own household (Micha 7:5)
and we may not believe any who say, 'He is here', or 'He is there'.(Matt.24:23) I have learned this to my cost and I only hope that it may make me more careful and correct my foolishness. 'Be discreet,' says one: 'Be discreet and keep what I tell you to yourself.' And while I remain silent about it, imagining it to be a secret, he cannot himself keep the silence which he enjoined on me but at once betrays both himself and me and goes on his way. From such tales and from such indiscreet folk protect me O Lord! Do not let me fall into their power, nor behave in the same way myself.
Make my conversation truthful and trustworthy, far removed from slyness. For what I do not tolerate in others, I must myself avoid at all costs.To remain silent about others makes for peace and goodwill, neither believing all that is said nor repeating what one has heard. There are few to whom we should open our hearts, but we should always seek You, who see into all hearts. We may not allow ourselves to be carried to and fro by the windy blast of words, but rather pray that all our life, both public and private, may be ordered in conformity to Your Will.
A sure way of retaining the grace of heaven is to disregard outward appearances and diligently
to cultivate such things as foster amendment of life and fervour of soul, rather than to cultivate those qualities that seem most popular. Very many people have been harmed by publicity and by lightly bestowed praise of their virtues.
But grace is most powerful when preserved in silence in this transitory life which consists wholly of temptation and warfare.
THE DISCIPLE. Lord, help me in my trouble, for vain is the help of man.(Ps.60:11)
How often have I found no loyalty where I expected to find it! And how often have I found it where I least expected! It is useless to place our hope in man; salvation is to be found in You alone, O God.(Ps.37:39) In all that befalls us, we bless You, O Lord our God.We are weak and unstable, changeable and easily deceived. None of us can guard himself so carefully and completely that he is never deceived nor in doubt. But who ever trusts in You, Lord, and seeks You with a pure heart, does not easily fall. And if he encounters any trouble, however great it be, You will swiftly deliver or comfort him; for You never abandon those who trust in You to the end. Rare indeed is a faithful friend, who stands by his friend in all trouble. And You, Lord, are the most faithful of all friends, and there is none like you.How wise was the holy soul (Saind Agatha) who said, 'My mind is firmly established and grounded in Christ.' Were this true of myself, I should never fear any man and no bitter words could disturbe me. We cannot forsee the future or provide against evils to come and if things that we expect often harm us, how can unexpected events do otherwise than seriously harm us?
Why have I not made better provision for my unfortunate self and why have I trusted so readily in others?
For we are but mortal men and nothing if not weak,
even if many people imagine and say that we are angels.
Ther is none in whom I can trust, Lord, save Yourself,
who are the Truth and who neither deceives nor can be deceived.
But every man is deceitful,(Rom.3:4) weak, unstable and fallible,
especially in what he says so that we should not at once believe
even what at first appears to be true.
Your wisdom warns us to beware of man,(Matt.10:17) since a man's enemies are those of his own household (Micha 7:5)
and we may not believe any who say, 'He is here', or 'He is there'.(Matt.24:23) I have learned this to my cost and I only hope that it may make me more careful and correct my foolishness. 'Be discreet,' says one: 'Be discreet and keep what I tell you to yourself.' And while I remain silent about it, imagining it to be a secret, he cannot himself keep the silence which he enjoined on me but at once betrays both himself and me and goes on his way. From such tales and from such indiscreet folk protect me O Lord! Do not let me fall into their power, nor behave in the same way myself.
Make my conversation truthful and trustworthy, far removed from slyness. For what I do not tolerate in others, I must myself avoid at all costs.To remain silent about others makes for peace and goodwill, neither believing all that is said nor repeating what one has heard. There are few to whom we should open our hearts, but we should always seek You, who see into all hearts. We may not allow ourselves to be carried to and fro by the windy blast of words, but rather pray that all our life, both public and private, may be ordered in conformity to Your Will.
A sure way of retaining the grace of heaven is to disregard outward appearances and diligently
to cultivate such things as foster amendment of life and fervour of soul, rather than to cultivate those qualities that seem most popular. Very many people have been harmed by publicity and by lightly bestowed praise of their virtues.
But grace is most powerful when preserved in silence in this transitory life which consists wholly of temptation and warfare.
False Testimony: Susanna
The history of Susanna, set apart from the beginning of Daniel, because it is not in Hebrew, as neither the narration of Bel and the Dragon.There dwelt a man in Babylon, called Joacim: And he took a wife, whose name was Susanna, the daughter of Chelcias, a very fair woman, and one that feared the Lord. Her parents also were righteous, and taught their daughter according to the law of Moses. Now Joacim was a great rich man, and had a fair garden joining unto his house: and to him resorted the Jews; because he was more honourable than all others.
The same year were appointed two of the ancients of the people to be judges, such as the Lord spake of, that wickedness came from Babylon from ancient judges, who seemed to govern the people. These kept much at Joacim's house: and all that had any suits in law came unto them.
Now when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went into her husband's garden to walk. And the two elders saw her going in every day, and walking; so that their lust was inflamed toward her. And they perverted their own mind, and turned away their eyes, that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember just judgments.
And albeit they both were wounded with her love, yet durst not one shew another his grief.
For they were ashamed to declare their lust, that they desired to have to do with her. Yet they watched diligently from day to day to see her. And the one said to the other, Let us now go home: for it is dinner time. So when they were gone out, they parted the one from the other, and turning back again they came to the same place; and after that they had asked one another the cause, they acknowledged their lust: then appointed they a time both together, when they might find her alone.
And it fell out, as they watched a fit time, she went in as before with two maids only, and she was desirous to wash herself in the garden: for it was hot. And there was no body there save the two elders, that had hid themselves, and watched her. Then she said to her maids, Bring me oil and washing balls, and shut the garden doors, that I may wash me. And they did as she bade them, and shut the garden doors, and went out themselves at privy doors to fetch the things that she had commanded them: but they saw not the elders, because they were hid.
Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders rose up, and ran unto her, saying,
"Behold, the garden doors are shut, that no man can see us, and we are in love with thee; therefore consent unto us, and lie with us. If thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with thee: and therefore thou didst send away thy maids from thee."
Then Susanna sighed, and said, I am straitened on every side: for if I do this thing, it is death unto me: and if I do it not I cannot escape your hands.
It is better for me to fall into your hands, and not do it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord.
With that Susanna cried with a loud voice: and the two elders cried out against her. Then ran the one, and opened the garden door. So when the servants of the house heard the cry in the garden, they rushed in at the privy door, to see what was done unto her.
But when the elders had declared their matter, the servants were greatly ashamed: for there was never such a report made of Susanna.
And it came to pass the next day, when the people were assembled to her husband Joacim, the two elders came also full of mischievous imagination against Susanna to put her to death;
And said before the people, Send for Susanna, the daughter of Chelcias, Joacim's wife. And so they sent. So she came with her father and mother, her children, and all her kindred. Now Susanna was a very delicate woman, and beauteous to behold. And these wicked men commanded to uncover her face, (for she was covered) that they might be filled with her beauty.
Therefore her friends and all that saw her wept. Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head.
And she weeping looked up toward heaven: for her heart trusted in the Lord. And the elders said, As we walked in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, and shut the garden doors, and sent the maids away. Then a young man, who there was hid, came unto her, and lay with her. Then we that stood in a corner of the garden, seeing this wickedness, ran unto them.
And when we saw them together, the man we could not hold: for he was stronger than we, and opened the door, and leaped out. But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, but she would not tell us: these things do we testify. Then the assembly believed them as those that were the elders and judges of the people: so they condemned her to death.
Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, O everlasting God, that knowest the secrets, and knowest all things before they be: Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me, and, behold, I must die; whereas I never did such things as these men have maliciously invented against me.
And the Lord heard her voice.
Therefore when she was led to be put to death, the Lord raised up the Holy Spirit of a young youth whose name was Daniel: Who cried with a loud voice, "I am clear from the blood of this woman."
Then all the people turned them toward him, and said, What mean these words that thou hast spoken? So he standing in the midst of them said, Are ye such fools, ye sons of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth ye have condemned a daughter of Israel?
Return again to the place of judgment: for they have borne false witness against her.
Wherefore all the people turned again in haste, and the elders said unto him, Come, sit down among us, and shew it us, seeing God hath given thee the honour of an elder. Then said Daniel unto them, Put these two aside one far from another, and I will examine them. So when they were put asunder one from another, he called one of them, and said unto him, O thou that art waxen old in wickedness, now thy sins which thou hast committed aforetime are come to light.
For thou hast pronounced false judgment and hast condemned the innocent and hast let the guilty go free; albeit the Lord saith, The innocent and righteous shalt thou not slay. Now then, if thou hast seen her, tell me, Under what tree sawest thou them companying together? Who answered, Under a mastick tree. And Daniel said, Very well; thou hast lied against thine own head; for even now the angel of God hath received the sentence of God to cut thee in two.
So he put him aside, and commanded to bring the other, and said unto him, O thou seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thine heart.
Thus have ye dealt with the daughters of Israel, and they for fear companied with you: but the daughter of Juda would not abide your wickedness. Now therefore tell me, Under what tree didst thou take them companying together? Who answered, Under an holm tree. Then said Daniel unto him, Well; thou hast also lied against thine own head: for the angel of God waiteth with the sword to cut thee in two, that he may destroy you.
With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and praised God, who saveth them that trust in Him.
And they arose against the two elders, for Daniel had convicted them of false witness by their own mouth: And according to the law of Moses they did unto them in such sort as they maliciously intended to do to their neighbour: and they put them to death. Thus the innocent blood was saved the same day. Therefore Chelcias and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, with Joacim her husband, and all the kindred, because there was no dishonesty found in her.
From that day forth was Daniel had in great reputation in the sight of the people.
NASA & THE BIBLE
NASA & THE BIBLE
For all the scientists out there, and for all the students who have a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible, here's something that shows God's awesome creation, and that He is still in control.
Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called 'myth' in the Bible is true?
Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore, Maryland, and a consultant in the space program, relates the following development. I think one of the most amazing things that God has done for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking out where the positions of the sun, moon, and planets would be 100 years and 1,000 years from now.... We have to know this so we won't send up a satellite and have it bump into something later on in its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down.
They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries, and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong with either the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.
They called in the service department to check it out, and they said, 'What's wrong?' Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time. They scratched their heads and tore their hair out.. There was no answer. Finally a Christian man on the team said, 'You know, one time I was in Sunday School, and they talked about the sun standing still.' While they didn't believe him, they didn't have an answer either, so they said, 'Show us, ' He got a Bible and went to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for anyone with 'common sense.' There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, 'Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before Thee.' Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy! And if darkness fell, they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right... 'The sun stood still and the moon stayed and lasted not to go down about a whole day!' (Joshua 10:12-13)
The astronauts and scientists said, There is the missing day! They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes . . not a whole day. They read the Bible, and there it was about [approximately] a day. These little words in the Bible are important, but they were still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes, you'll still be in trouble 1000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings that told of the following story: Hezekiah, on his death bed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said 'Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?' Hezekiah said, 'It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees.' Isaiah spoke to the Lord, and the Lord brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe! Isn't it amazing?
References: Joshua 10:8 and 12,13 and 2 Kings 20:9-11. If God could do this then; how much more can He do for us today if we only believe in His Voice. Amen
For all the scientists out there, and for all the students who have a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible, here's something that shows God's awesome creation, and that He is still in control.
Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called 'myth' in the Bible is true?
Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore, Maryland, and a consultant in the space program, relates the following development. I think one of the most amazing things that God has done for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking out where the positions of the sun, moon, and planets would be 100 years and 1,000 years from now.... We have to know this so we won't send up a satellite and have it bump into something later on in its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down.
They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries, and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong with either the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.
They called in the service department to check it out, and they said, 'What's wrong?' Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time. They scratched their heads and tore their hair out.. There was no answer. Finally a Christian man on the team said, 'You know, one time I was in Sunday School, and they talked about the sun standing still.' While they didn't believe him, they didn't have an answer either, so they said, 'Show us, ' He got a Bible and went to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for anyone with 'common sense.' There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, 'Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before Thee.' Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy! And if darkness fell, they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right... 'The sun stood still and the moon stayed and lasted not to go down about a whole day!' (Joshua 10:12-13)
The astronauts and scientists said, There is the missing day! They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes . . not a whole day. They read the Bible, and there it was about [approximately] a day. These little words in the Bible are important, but they were still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes, you'll still be in trouble 1000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings that told of the following story: Hezekiah, on his death bed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said 'Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?' Hezekiah said, 'It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees.' Isaiah spoke to the Lord, and the Lord brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe! Isn't it amazing?
References: Joshua 10:8 and 12,13 and 2 Kings 20:9-11. If God could do this then; how much more can He do for us today if we only believe in His Voice. Amen
Choosing to suffer
To chose to suffer means that there is something wrong; to choose God's will even if it means suffering is a very different thing. No healthy saint ever chooses suffering; he chooses God's will, as Jesus did,whether it means suffering or not. No saint dare interfere with the discipline of suffering in another saint.
The saint who satisfies the heart of Jesus will make other saints strong and mature for God.
The people who do us good are never those who sympathize with us, they always hinder us, because sympathy enervates. No one understands a saint except those who are closest to God themselves. If we accept the sympathy of a nonbeliever, the reflex feeling is--well, God is dealing hardly with me. That is why Jesus said self-pity was of the devil see Matt. 16:23.
Be merciful to God's reputation. Beware of the thought that Jesus needed sympathy in His earthly life; He refused sympathy from the man because He knew far too wisely that no one on earth understands what He was after. He took sympathy from His Father only, and from the angels in heaven. (cf. Luke 15:10)
Notice God's unutterable waste of saints, according to the judgement of the world. God plants His saints in the most useless places. We say--God intends me to be here because I am a so useful. Jesus never estimated His life along the line of the greatest use. God puts His saints were they will glorify Him, and we are not jud-ges at all of where that is.
Amen Amen Amen
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Divine Intervention
2 Samuel 5
David Becomes King Over Israel 1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.' " 3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
David Conquers Jerusalem 6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here." 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.
8 On that day, David said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft [a] to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies. [b] " That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace."
9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces [c] inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.
11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.
David Defeats the Philistines 17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 19 so David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD answered him, "Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you."
20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, the LORD has broken out against my enemies before me." So that place was called Baal Perazim. [d] 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.
22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. 24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." 25 So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon [e] to Gezer.
David Becomes King Over Israel 1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.' " 3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
David Conquers Jerusalem 6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here." 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.
8 On that day, David said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft [a] to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies. [b] " That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace."
9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces [c] inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.
11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.
David Defeats the Philistines 17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 19 so David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD answered him, "Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you."
20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, the LORD has broken out against my enemies before me." So that place was called Baal Perazim. [d] 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.
22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. 24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." 25 So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon [e] to Gezer.
Stubborn House
Ezekiel 3
1 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 He then said to me: "Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel- 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house." 10 And he said to me, "Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says,' whether they listen or fail to listen." 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound—May the glory of the LORD be praised in his dwelling place!- 13 the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days-overwhelmed.
Warning to Israel 16 At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for [a] his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.
20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."
22 The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you." 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.
24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
1 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 He then said to me: "Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel- 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house." 10 And he said to me, "Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says,' whether they listen or fail to listen." 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound—May the glory of the LORD be praised in his dwelling place!- 13 the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days-overwhelmed.
Warning to Israel 16 At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for [a] his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.
20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."
22 The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you." 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.
24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
Is a good thing a good thing without God?
2 Samuel 6
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah [a] to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, [b] the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, [c] and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs [d] and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. [e]
9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
12 Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings [f] before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
21 David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
'I Am the Way'
The way is a Person. Our part is to abide, to remain, to continue in His love. Amen
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah [a] to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, [b] the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, [c] and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs [d] and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. [e]
9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
12 Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings [f] before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
21 David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
'I Am the Way'
The way is a Person. Our part is to abide, to remain, to continue in His love. Amen
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Beatitudes
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Let us keep to the point
Let Us keep to the Point "...my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death" -Philippians 1:20
My Utmost for His Highest. "...my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed...." We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him.
It's as if Paul were saying, "My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His Highest--my best for His glory."
To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering.
When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn't know what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn't know what our obedience will mean.
Keep to the point--He does know.
Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only--
MY UTMOST for HIS HIGHEST.
I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.
My Unstoppable Determination for His Holiness."Whether it means life or death--it makes no difference!" (see 1:21). Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted.
But before we choose to follow God's will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God's gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide--for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives.
If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.
AMEN
My Utmost for His Highest. "...my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed...." We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him.
It's as if Paul were saying, "My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His Highest--my best for His glory."
To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering.
When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn't know what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn't know what our obedience will mean.
Keep to the point--He does know.
Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only--
MY UTMOST for HIS HIGHEST.
I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.
My Unstoppable Determination for His Holiness."Whether it means life or death--it makes no difference!" (see 1:21). Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted.
But before we choose to follow God's will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God's gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide--for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives.
If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.
AMEN
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Blindfolded
Will You "Go Out" Without Knowing?
"He went out, not knowing where he was going" -Hebrews 11:8
Have you ever "gone out" in this way? If so, there is no logical answer possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, "What do you expect to do?" You don't know what you are going to do.
The only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing.
Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to "go out" in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in constant wonder, because you don't know what God is going to do next.
Each morning as you wake, there is a new opportunity to "go out," building your confidence in God. "...do not worry about your life...nor about the body..." (Luke 12:22). In other words, don't worry about the things that concerned you before you did "go out." Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. He will only reveal the next step we are to take with Him. Step-by-step He will guide us, because if He were to reveal more, we would more in likely run off and take things into our own hands. Moment-by-moment, listening and watching for what He is going to bring us next.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Do you believe in a miracle-working God? Are you willing to "go out" in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does? Or, are you more interested in what God will do for you, rather than receiving God Himself into your hearts? The only thing He will give us is Himself, and the only way we can receive Him is by giving up a little bit of our-selves. This process is call sanctification, letting go of self and replacing it with Him. This takes time and must be done at His pace, under His directives.
"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures." -John F. Kennedy
We can start today, by simply asking God in and asking for His Gift of repentance. As he shows us the problem, we initiate the healing by forgiveness.
Asking God in to show us who we've hurt and what we've allowed in to corrupt our thinking. Asking for God's forgiveness and healing Presence to flood our hearts and heal our bodies of this sickness. Then believe, and receive His forgiveness and receive His promise and hope for the future. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. -Jesus. Is there someone in your life that has hurt you and that lack of forgiveness is keeping you from knowing Him?
Search your heart and ask God to reveal this to you, or it may be something small that someone has done to you that is building into a problem. No matter what you have done or what has been done onto you, there is nothing to big for Him. Nothing that His blood doesn't cover.
Take it to Him and allow Him to show you the problem. He will and when He does deal with it now! Forgive and forget...Jesus has the power to forget and if we receive Him, we also have the same power through His amazing grace. Have faith and trust that God sent His son to save you from sin here and now.
In Christ Jesus, we may be set free and if He touches you, you will be set free indeed. Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him. Then think how unnecessary and disrespectful worry is! Let the attitude of your life be a continual willingness to "go out" in dependence upon God, and trusting His promise and taking His Word for it. You will never regret it and He will never let you down.
"Go out" ...and Live!
"He went out, not knowing where he was going" -Hebrews 11:8
Have you ever "gone out" in this way? If so, there is no logical answer possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, "What do you expect to do?" You don't know what you are going to do.
The only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing.
Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to "go out" in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in constant wonder, because you don't know what God is going to do next.
Each morning as you wake, there is a new opportunity to "go out," building your confidence in God. "...do not worry about your life...nor about the body..." (Luke 12:22). In other words, don't worry about the things that concerned you before you did "go out." Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. He will only reveal the next step we are to take with Him. Step-by-step He will guide us, because if He were to reveal more, we would more in likely run off and take things into our own hands. Moment-by-moment, listening and watching for what He is going to bring us next.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Do you believe in a miracle-working God? Are you willing to "go out" in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does? Or, are you more interested in what God will do for you, rather than receiving God Himself into your hearts? The only thing He will give us is Himself, and the only way we can receive Him is by giving up a little bit of our-selves. This process is call sanctification, letting go of self and replacing it with Him. This takes time and must be done at His pace, under His directives.
"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures." -John F. Kennedy
We can start today, by simply asking God in and asking for His Gift of repentance. As he shows us the problem, we initiate the healing by forgiveness.
Asking God in to show us who we've hurt and what we've allowed in to corrupt our thinking. Asking for God's forgiveness and healing Presence to flood our hearts and heal our bodies of this sickness. Then believe, and receive His forgiveness and receive His promise and hope for the future. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. -Jesus. Is there someone in your life that has hurt you and that lack of forgiveness is keeping you from knowing Him?
Search your heart and ask God to reveal this to you, or it may be something small that someone has done to you that is building into a problem. No matter what you have done or what has been done onto you, there is nothing to big for Him. Nothing that His blood doesn't cover.
Take it to Him and allow Him to show you the problem. He will and when He does deal with it now! Forgive and forget...Jesus has the power to forget and if we receive Him, we also have the same power through His amazing grace. Have faith and trust that God sent His son to save you from sin here and now.
In Christ Jesus, we may be set free and if He touches you, you will be set free indeed. Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him. Then think how unnecessary and disrespectful worry is! Let the attitude of your life be a continual willingness to "go out" in dependence upon God, and trusting His promise and taking His Word for it. You will never regret it and He will never let you down.
"Go out" ...and Live!
Sinner turned saint
Can a sinner be turned into a saint?
Can that twisted life be put right?
There is only one answer: "O Lord, Thou knowest, I don't." Never trample in with religious common sense and say-- "Oh, yes, with a little more Bible reading and devotion and prayer, I see how it can be done." This is nonsense!
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God: we mistake panic for inspiration. And works which are to be done by Him alone are being done by our own
two hands without Him, yet for Him by our own strength and efforts. We must be willing
to wait on Him.
Are you willing to die with Him? Why, not? Is it something about you that is dear to you?
That is why there are so few fellow workers with God and so many workers for Him.
'They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.' 2 Peter 2:13
We would far rather work for God than believe in Him.
Am I quite sure that God will do what I cannot do? I despair of men in the degree in which I have never realized that God has done anything for me.
Is my experience such a wonderful realization of God's power and might that I can never despair of anyone I see? Have I had any spiritual work done in me at all? The degree of panic is the degree of the lack of personal spiritual experience.
When God wants to show you what human nature is like apart from Himself, He has to show it you in yourself. If the Spirit of God has given you a vision of what you are apart from the grace of God, you know there is no criminal who is half so bad in actuality as you know yourself to be in possibility.
"My 'grave' has been opened by God and I know that in me dwelleth no good thing." God's Spirit continually reveals what human nature is like apart from His grace.
Are you avoiding God's Spirit?
Lord send down Your advanced formula, to which deeply cleans and resists dirt and evil stains. Show me what it means to 'remain' Amen
Can that twisted life be put right?
There is only one answer: "O Lord, Thou knowest, I don't." Never trample in with religious common sense and say-- "Oh, yes, with a little more Bible reading and devotion and prayer, I see how it can be done." This is nonsense!
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God: we mistake panic for inspiration. And works which are to be done by Him alone are being done by our own
two hands without Him, yet for Him by our own strength and efforts. We must be willing
to wait on Him.
Are you willing to die with Him? Why, not? Is it something about you that is dear to you?
That is why there are so few fellow workers with God and so many workers for Him.
'They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.' 2 Peter 2:13
17These men are springs without water and mists driven by a
storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18For they mouth empty, boastful
words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they
entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
We would far rather work for God than believe in Him.
Am I quite sure that God will do what I cannot do? I despair of men in the degree in which I have never realized that God has done anything for me.
Is my experience such a wonderful realization of God's power and might that I can never despair of anyone I see? Have I had any spiritual work done in me at all? The degree of panic is the degree of the lack of personal spiritual experience.
"Behold, O my people, I will open your graves."
When God wants to show you what human nature is like apart from Himself, He has to show it you in yourself. If the Spirit of God has given you a vision of what you are apart from the grace of God, you know there is no criminal who is half so bad in actuality as you know yourself to be in possibility.
"My 'grave' has been opened by God and I know that in me dwelleth no good thing." God's Spirit continually reveals what human nature is like apart from His grace.
Are you avoiding God's Spirit?
19They promise them freedom, while they themselves are
slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
20If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are
worse
off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21It would have been
better for
them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have
known it and then
to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed
on to them. 22Of them
the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"
and, "A sow that is washed
goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
Lord send down Your advanced formula, to which deeply cleans and resists dirt and evil stains. Show me what it means to 'remain' Amen
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Spirit of Christ
THE SPIRIT 'HE who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,' says Our Lord. (John 8:2) In these words Christ counsels us to follow His life and way if we desire true enlightenment and freedom from all blindness of heart (Mark 3:5). Let the life of Jesus Christ, then, be our first consideration. The teaching of Jesus far transcends all the teachings of the Saints, and whosoever has His Spirit will discover concealed in it heavenly manna (Rev. 2: 17) But many people, although they often hear the Gospel, feel little desire to follow it, because they lack the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9). Whoever desires to understand and take delight in the words of Christ must strive to conform his whole life to Him.
Ordering your day
CHRIST. My son let this be your constant prayer:
`Lord, if this be Your will, so let it be. (James 4:15) Lord, if this is good and profitable, give me grace to use it to Your glory. But if it be hurtful and injurious to my soul's health, then remove this desire from my mind, I pray.' Not every desire comes of the Holy Spirit, though it may seem right and good; for it is often hard to judge whether a desire springs from good or evil motives, or whether it arises from your own inclinations.
Many are deceived in the end, who at first seemed to be led by the Holy Spirit. Whatever, therefore, the mind conceives as desirable is always to be desired and sought only in the fear of God and with a humble heart. Above all, commit all things to Me, and entrust yourself wholly to Me, saying,
`Lord, You know what is best; let everything be in accordance with Your will. Give what You will, as much as You will, and when You will. Do with me as You think good, as pleases You best, and is most to Your glory. I am in Your hand; guide me according to Your will. I am indeed Your servant, (Ps.119:125) and am ready for anything. I wish to live, not for myself but for You alone; how I wish I could serve You perfectly and worthily!'
AMEN
`Lord, if this be Your will, so let it be. (James 4:15) Lord, if this is good and profitable, give me grace to use it to Your glory. But if it be hurtful and injurious to my soul's health, then remove this desire from my mind, I pray.' Not every desire comes of the Holy Spirit, though it may seem right and good; for it is often hard to judge whether a desire springs from good or evil motives, or whether it arises from your own inclinations.
Many are deceived in the end, who at first seemed to be led by the Holy Spirit. Whatever, therefore, the mind conceives as desirable is always to be desired and sought only in the fear of God and with a humble heart. Above all, commit all things to Me, and entrust yourself wholly to Me, saying,
`Lord, You know what is best; let everything be in accordance with Your will. Give what You will, as much as You will, and when You will. Do with me as You think good, as pleases You best, and is most to Your glory. I am in Your hand; guide me according to Your will. I am indeed Your servant, (Ps.119:125) and am ready for anything. I wish to live, not for myself but for You alone; how I wish I could serve You perfectly and worthily!'
AMEN
God vs. Satin
Spirit of God vs. Spirit of this world
Reality is redemption, not my experience of redemption; but redemption has no meaning for me until it speaks the language of my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me right out of myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left with my experiences, my experiences have not been produced by redemption. The proof that they are produced by redemption is that I am led out of myself all the time, I no longer pay any attention to my experiences as the ground of reality, but only to the reality which produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source, Jesus The Christ. If you try to dam up the Holy Spirit in you to produce subjective experiences, you will find that He will burst all bounds and take you back again to the historic Christ. Never nourish an experience which has not God as its Source and faith in God as its result.
If you do, your experience is anti-Christ.
No matter what visions you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you try to lord it over Him?
Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord?
He must be Lord over you, and you must not pay attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. There comes a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience--I do not care what I experience; I am sure of Him.
Be ruthless with yourself... if you are given to talking about the experiences you have had. faith that is sure of itself is not faith; faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is.
Reality is redemption, not my experience of redemption; but redemption has no meaning for me until it speaks the language of my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me right out of myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left with my experiences, my experiences have not been produced by redemption. The proof that they are produced by redemption is that I am led out of myself all the time, I no longer pay any attention to my experiences as the ground of reality, but only to the reality which produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source, Jesus The Christ. If you try to dam up the Holy Spirit in you to produce subjective experiences, you will find that He will burst all bounds and take you back again to the historic Christ. Never nourish an experience which has not God as its Source and faith in God as its result.
If you do, your experience is anti-Christ.
No matter what visions you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you try to lord it over Him?
Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord?
He must be Lord over you, and you must not pay attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. There comes a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience--I do not care what I experience; I am sure of Him.
Be ruthless with yourself... if you are given to talking about the experiences you have had. faith that is sure of itself is not faith; faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is.
Heaven’s Calling: A Memoir of One Soul’s Steep Ascent
"My thanks to all of you who have written in response to reading my new book. The Lord seems to have given it wings, and to have such beautiful “reactions” from all over the world (and so quickly) has been amazing to me. So many identified with differing parts of my story, and saw their own open up before their eyes and with new understanding received healing. It seems the Lord has abundantly answered my prayer that in sharing my story, others would not only be more fully opened to their own, but would see more clearly the call of God upon their own lives."
Under the Mercy, Leanne Payne
Under the Mercy, Leanne Payne
Blessed are the Meek
No man appears in safety before the public eye unless he first relishes obscurity.
No man is safe in speaking unless he loves to be silent.
No man rules safely unless he is willing to be ruled.
No man commands safely unless he has learned well how to obey.
No man rejoices safely unless he has within him the testimony of a good conscience.
Thomas a Kempis (ca. 1421), Imitation of Christ
No man is safe in speaking unless he loves to be silent.
No man rules safely unless he is willing to be ruled.
No man commands safely unless he has learned well how to obey.
No man rejoices safely unless he has within him the testimony of a good conscience.
Thomas a Kempis (ca. 1421), Imitation of Christ
CHRIST. This is true, My son. But My will is that you do not try to find a place free from temptations and troubles. Rather, seek a peace that endures even when you are beset by various temptations and tried by much adversity. (James 1:2) If you say that you cannot endure much, how will you endure the fires of Purgatory? Of two evils, always choose the lesser. Endeavor patiently to endure for God's sake all the ills of this life, that you may escape eternal punishment. Do you imagine that worldly men suffer little or nothing? Ask the most wealthy, and you will not find it so.
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