Daily Archives: April 5, 2014

Play day, everyday

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I don’t want to see a show of hands.  I’m not interested in a 2000 page spreadsheet.  I don’t want to talk to a statistician.  And I don’t particularly have a craving to see someone respond to this post.  But I wonder how many people realize they’re being played.

From the time you were born until the time you die, somebody or something is playing you.  You got needs, and your basic necessities are often played against you.  You got wants, and there is a variety of enemies arrayed against your desire.

Now it’s pretty easy to go through and make a real thick book describing all of those things.  But you already know about how the world plays you.  You’re even aware of how you play yourself.  At least you should be.

But not many people are aware of a certain group that plays people 24 /7.  They’re a forgotten clan.  Virtually the only time they were even mentioned is in some Hollywood horror movie.  So when I call them what we know them to be I’m going to get laughed at.  I don’t particularly care.  I’m not gonna let ignorance play me.

I’m not here to spook people.  I’m trying to draw attention to a fact.  You can’t see them, hear, taste, smell or touch em.  But I can tell you demons are a big part of the corruption in this world.

I don’t care what they look like.  And I’m not here to call em out so we can have a squabble.  I’m just bringing up an age old truth.

If you don’t believe in them, then you don’t believe in the gospel of Christ Jesus.  So this whole article won’t do you any good anyway.

They were pretty healthy when Jesus was here with us.  So let me ask you a simple question.  If they’re not still here where’d they go?    You think they went to some distant planet for a vacation for a few thousand years?   You are more Looney than me if you believe that.

They whisper to you, and you think you just had a thought.  They watch for opportunity to destroy you.  They don’t spit vomit.  And they don’t make your eyes bug out.  They simply enhance your own wicked desire a thousand fold.  Whatever chance you had to be a righteous person is thrown right out the window.

If you don’t have Jesus as your Lord, a rock-solid prayer life, and habits that reflect holiness, you’ll have no way to defend against them.  They’ll tear you down like a tornado and there won’t be any rising.

If this is the first time you’ve heard any of this you’re probably……..  Dunno.  I have no idea what your response might be.  But I can assure you with absolute certainty, you’ve been played by demons.  And if you scoff at this you’re likely being played right now.

If you believe what I’m saying, this is likely to get you angry.  If you don’t believe, what’s that to me?  You won’t be able to tell the difference between a normal day or a played day anyway. 

But if realizing this makes you a little hot headed, don’t waste your time on a rant.  Simply turn your attention to the Lord Jesus Christ.  He’s been watching the whole scene all along.  He’s more than able to set you free from being played by demons.

Above it all

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Twelve disciples, a little fishing boat, a raging sea, and a Lord who is above it all.

No one has ever witnessed such a thing before.  Not only did the Lord walk on top of the sea, he walked on top of a raging sea!  It happily resided in his heart to show his disciples something from heaven.

The disciples of Christ, a boat of grace, a ragng sea of wicked men, and the Lord is above it all.  Who could guess?  Even angels longed to look into these things.

The people of God, tiny piece of wood in the shape of a cross, a raging torrent of holy law, and the Lord Jesus who is above it all! 

How could this be?  He was crucified by those who kept the treasury of law.  Dressed in blood among a murderer and a thief.  The righteousness of God murdered as a law breaker.  For this reason Jesus is above it all.

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”  (Matthew chapter 14)

Life Happens

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If the Lord is willing, I will get in my car and drive to the place I intend to go.  You might say, “He is there”, before I even leave.  If I begin to prepare a good meal for the family, you might say, “They have eaten and are full and satisfied.”

We all know there are things that need to happen in between the desire and completion.  But if all things go well, we can expect to be able to refer to our tasks as if they have already happened.  In a perfect world this would be the case, wouldn’t it?

Well, there is a perfect world, my friends.  And the One who dwells there is faultless.  Bad things never happen to His plans.  When He says something will happen, it absolutely will.  When we consider His promises we can refer to them as if they have already come true.

The promises of man are not like this.  They are but hopes.  They are assurances of intent.  And the one who lives as if his desires can be so reliable as to consider them complete before they have begun will suffer.  He is like the one spoken of in Isaiah 44, “Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself. . .”

Place no trust in man’s promises.  Understand that he intends to do good.  But his intent has no strength of surety.  Place all your trust in the Living God’s words.  His words are life.  When He speaks, life happens.

Another Religion?

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Why do Christians preach to man?  What right do we have to firmly believe that we have the answers? Men will say to us, “You are just like us.  We see your sins.  We perceive your faults.  There are plenty of religions among us.  What need do we have for yours?  By some reason, you think what you believe belongs in the belly of everyone.  You are no different from any other cultish behavior of any other obnoxious religion.”

We are just like you.  Therefore we know the extent of man’s rebellion against God.  We too are sinners with plenty of faults among us.  And what we preach presents itself faultlessly as the final answer to all man’s troubles.  From without, you cannot understand what we say.  But if you would enter Christianity the Lord would prove His words to you.

However, your problem is that once you enter you will find yourself compelled to stay.  By your questions you prove you are not ready or willing.  But neither were we.  We do not preach fables.  We do not believe as we do because a man has told us.  We believe because the Heavenly Father has drawn us to His Holy Son.

Because of the rebellion of man against the Holy One, there are plenty of religions, indeed!  But we have found that man’s need is not satisfied by opinion.  We have found that Christ Jesus fulfills every need of every religion.  He leaves no stone unturned.  He is Holy Truth embodied.  For this reason (That the Lord Jesus is the embodiment of truth) we are obnoxious to you even as the Lord Jesus was once obnoxious to us.

The pride of man will refuse to believe that he is nothing.  The pride of man builds his own answers, as if a man can say he has seen the Holy Living God.  But as we believe, the Lord strips that rebellious spirit from us.  Humility comes to understand.  Humility fears the Living God.  Humility is the necessary first step in understanding what is Holy and Good.

Jesus proves to His people that He has every right to claim the singular title of “Son of God”.  We are not tossed about, as are other religions, by every desire and fabrication of man’s mind.  Yes there are many who claim to be Christians yet offer a seriously blemished testimony of God’s perfect commands.  And the best of us will falter from time to time.  But Christ Jesus remains the same in His Holy command to, “Be holy, even as your Father in Heaven is holy”.   And He teaches His people to understand these things.

You may find fault with us.  But you will also find absolute truth within us.  Ask.  Provoke the testimony within us.  Keep asking questions.  The Lord will testify from within His people.  We willingly confess our lack before all who ask.  But you will not find fault with the Son of God.

You will say, “How can you be sure that what you believe connects with Heaven?”  We know it by the living words of the Bible.  And it is confirmed within us by the Holy Spirit He gives; the Spirit which is sent from the Living Lord Jesus Himself.  Though it is by faith, this faith is not like that faith a man holds in things unseen.   The faith we have is given to us from the Heavenly Father. He confirms His Lovely Son’s position before Him.   There is a leading from the Lord.  There is a “proof”, which over time, confirms without doubt those things we preach to the world.