Bow Shots to the Fleet!


USS Enterprise leads ships of the Enterprise C...

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I listened to two men on a radio show.  They were presenting themselves as financial advisors.  One of them went off on his soap box a while.  He was recalling the oil spill in the gulf and mentioned the situation in Greece.  He pointed out how the media was trying to lead us into a belief that the world was going to end.  His point was that though bad things happen, all is well on the western front (so to speak).

I felt there was something wrong with what he was saying.  I pondered the point he made in my soul and came away with this:

 A fleet of ships has been given the task of venturing across the ocean to a far shore.  They were sent on a specific task to a specific place, a pin point location thousands of miles away.  On either side of the fleet are waters teaming with pirates, hidden projections in the waters, storms which tend to draw or push the fleet off course, and many other hazards.  Their navigator, on the lead ship, is the son of the father of the owner.  So the sailors aren’t willing to disrobe him of his duties, though he sucks at his job.  There are friendly ships guarding the fleet on the right and left.  So when the ships tend to drift off course these friendly ships shoot across the bow of the fleet’s lead ship.  This lead ship sends back messages that everyone is to correct their course.  Having corrected their course, the Captain and officers of the lead ship again turn to the stupidity of the navigator.

This is how it is for the world.  They drift into sin and forget who’s in charge and the orders they have from Him.  Yet, in His mercy, He directs troubles to threaten our way.  In fear men turn back to what is right.  But when calm comes again to their path, they begin to drift back into sin.  What will God eventually do to those who act this way?  He does not desire to have people who must be led by a ring in their nose.  He is looking for willing participants in His ways.

By His Grace.

Practise


You have heard that nothing corrupt will ever enter eternity with the Lord.  I know I’ve mentioned it a time or two.  And you’ve noticed how corrupt you are, I hope.  Now there’s a problem here, ya think?  It’s a problem we all struggle with.  You’ll be cruising along just fine one day and, all of a sudden, you realize you’re pondering or doing something you KNOW the Lord will not allow entrance into Heaven.  It’s one thing to ask for forgiveness from the Lord and believe you have received it.  But what will you do next time?  Is there a place a man can live where he commits these wicked things less and less?  I can testify that there is such a place.  And though I don’t know how Jesus will deal with you personally over these issues, I know of a clue to learning how to obey Him more often.

When you were a child you learned how to do many wicked things.  You learned early how to lie.  It was, at first, a way of keeping out of trouble.  But remember, there was also a time when you had no clue how to lie.  So you learned how to be wicked so you could do what you wanted and get away with it.  From that moment on lies became a tool in your tool box.  And you’ll notice that through out every day lies still come to mind.  You might not play them out.  But they’re still hangin around. 

The key to transforming your mind from wickedness to purity is called learning.  Think of the things you used to do as a child.  How many things have you forgotten how to do?  Like crawling through the grass.  Adults don’t do that much.  But children love it.  How did you come to forget how to enjoy that?  The answer is, you stopped doing it.  You learned to lie the same way.  You stopped living in innocence.  It’s our practise that leads to who we become.  If I practise playing guitar, I get better at it.  If I stop playing guitar for a year or two I hardly even think of it anymore.  It’s not that I can’t remember if I pick it up again.  But I will have to learn all over again how to get pretty good at it.  Practise.

Be innocent of what is evil and wise about what is good.  But how do we become innocent of what is evil if we have lived evil lives?  How do you forget what is evil if that is all you’ve been all your life?  The Lord’s reply is amazingly simple.  “Practise doing what is good and you will forget what is evil.  Just as when you begin to practice what is evil you forget what is good.” (As I heard Him whisper to me one day)

Peter put it this way:  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy because I am Holy.’” (1 Peter 1: 14)

But the Apostle Paul pens the words like this:  “. . . but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.”  (Romans 16:19)

Learn from the Lord by listening to the Word of God in the Bible.  Learn from the Lord by listening to His leading in your conscience.   Learn to listen to His voice of guidance from the Holy Spirit within you (if, indeed, you are a Christian).  For if you are not a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, it will do you no good to practice what is good; for you are still bound by the father of lies.  Only in Jesus can we hope to find help in our attempts to become holy and practice what is good.  Before Jesus within us, we can only play like children at accomplishing the holiness God the Father demands.  The power to please God comes from an intimate relationship with Jesus.  And we have heard that those who practise evil will never enter God’s peace.  Practise!

By His Grace.

Truth is Singular. Lies Abound.


Truth lies

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Debates regarding what is “right” are endless to those who despise the Lord.  A simple situation will spawn thousands of angles to defend.  But to those who are learning from the Lord Jesus will begin to see truth in a very different light.  Each situation which is presented before us becomes a very distinct understanding.  God’s view of what is right will forever be firm. 

By His Grace.

Prayer is a Privilege


"Praying Hands" (study for an Apostl...

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There is prayer.  For the non-believer prayer is a last ditch effort to avoid an obvious “bad thing”.  For the religious, prayer is a duty that they do not understand.  For the believer, prayer is a wonderous intangible object which causes a glorious transformation.  And regardless of the person’s standing with the Most High God, prayer is the one place where intervention into the situation of man is accomplished.

The non-believer wouldn’t notice if God turned a “deaf ear” to his prayers.  His understanding of the Holiness of God is muted and lost in the blindness of a lack of faith.  But to the believer, a lack of attention from the Father is a jolting reminder of God’s expectations for His children.  The non-believer will not faint if his prayer is not respected or considered by the God of Glory.  But let the Father lack response to the desires of a Christian, and this one will recoil with horror that he has lost something precious.  Panic begins to set in as Christ’s people feel the wall go up between themselves and The Father of Life. 

Prayer is a privilege which can be cut short when our actions do not match the demands of our Holy God.  God allows us to falter.  But rebellion will receive a response; as if to say, “You will not listen to me, therefore I will not listen to you”.  Is God cruel in this?  Never, shall the God of all be cruel!  He is teaching us in regard to what His Holiness is all about.  Accept your state before Him.  Render the respect He deserves.  Don’t consider that you have been slighted.  Prayer is a privilege through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Submit to God.  Submit as a child might when he has been caught in rebellion.  Listen to what you do hear from the times when your prayers bounce back at you.  Your mind will remember certain things which have caused this problem.  Yet I will mention here that there are times when your faith is being tested.  It is quite possible that God is testing your resolve to remain before Him and wait.  In these times, it is more important that you recognize that you are not God.  You are a babe in this place of testing.  He is above all.  And His will is to be done regardless of our perception of things.

By His Grace.

The Troff


During a time in my life when I was warring with immorality, I had a vision of a troff.    It snaked from side to side and was filled with perfect bodies.  Every one of them was face down and sliding along in a clear liquid. (It appeared like an endless water slide, in which the bodies floated en mass)  There was no ability for them to move or speak.  And I could detect no ability of these people to resist their position in their state.  I perceived that they had no control of their muscles.  I knew, without doubt, that this was the place of discipline for those who were caught up in any form of immorality in their lives here.  They are consigned to this place untill the Father has considered their punishment enough to drive this desire from them.  As if to say, “You desire the body?  Then here, I will give you bodies untill you are eternally sick of them.  You will NOT desire perverse pleasure from My creation!”

Now, I’m not going to tell anyone that this vision is absolute.  There would be no supporting scripture.  And I can’t draw worth a bean.  So it would do no good to try.  But what I can tell you is that God the Father is deadly serious about immorality in His children.  And the impact of His judgment against the immoral will be severe.  In short, He’s not Joking, as Americans often seem to believe.

I will post this following scripture as a reminder to us all.  This passage comes from Hebrews chapter 10.  If you even dabble in the thought that your bend toward immorality will be over looked, I’d strongly (STRONGLY) recommend that you rethink your position.

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Father is absolutely serious about His commands.  And those who allow themselves to be caught up in sin will suffer the consequences.  I don’t care if you mock the Lord’s solid commands.  But I can testify that such visions alone are enough to burn the conscience. 

Beautiful are the Lord’s commands!  He alone has it in His hand to accomplish salvation.  May the peace He had from the foundation of the world return to Him in full.  And may He reap the sweet fruit of obedience from all His children.  His enemies will suffer endless punishment.  But His mercy to those who desire Him will endure forever.  Do not be deceived, a man will reap what he sows.  God will not be mocked.

By His Grace.

Glenn Beck and the “Two Witnesses” of Revelation.


Flag of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem

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(Since this entry was written nothing has come about to warrant its writing.  I will leave this post on my blog.  I see that a lot of people are searching for such things.  But I will remind the reader that prophecy has its place.  All the while, leading a life filled with the Holy Spirit of God is of vastly more importance.  While we search for what is to come, let us remember to live a life worthy of God’s blessing.  Prophecy will do nothing to help us as we stand before the Throne of Christ Jesus.  Obedience, however, will help us immensely.)

I just posted a difference in beliefs between Glenn Beck and the children of the Most High God through Jesus’ sacrifice.  So I feel a bit redundant bringing him back to my blog.  But something is transpiring which demands attention.

Glenn is planning to take his media power to Jerusalem.  It is his belief that he must stand with Israel in the coming days.  I pondered this move in light of the Lord’s plans and wondered how this might fit in.  Though I don’t have direct word from the Lord on this, I’ve come to a realization that might hold some water.

The current media ignores Israel, being quite liberal and ungodly in their approach to the world’s plight.  And we have heard of the two witnesses which will appear to testify to the world’s ungodly behavior.  It’s not likely that the current media would even notice them, given their present bend to sin.  But we are told that these two witnesses will be seen by the entire world.  Is it possible that Glenn’s move to Jerusalem (along with his powerful outreach) is a direct hand of God?  Perhaps the Lord is setting up the stage on which these two men will carry out their appointed tasks.

The following is the account of these two men from the book of Revelation chapter 11.  I present this, not as the direct word of God, as something for all men to ponder and respect.  God will move against the sins of this world.  How He will do it is only in our hands to watch.

1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”  5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

 7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

 11 But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

 13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

 

May all who seek life from the Lord through Jesus be made to wake.  The time is nearer now than ever before.  Do not get caught sleeping.

As a supplement to this post, I invite you to read Man’s Understanding of Holy Lacks a Bit.   (which is another post on my blog)

By His Grace.