Tag Archives: God

An Appeal For Prayer

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This picture was found at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius

I appeal to those who read this blog to consider a request for earnest prayer.  I know God has raised up prayer warriors among His people.  And it occurs to me that perhaps there are a few who read these words.  This appeal is directed toward the salvation of a certain young lady.  Due to propriety, it is not seemly that I should begin conversation with her as such things may be perceived as less than holy intent.  Just the same, it has been on my heart to seek the Lord’s mercy for her salvation.

Please allow me to relate how this soul has risen to my attention as a matter urgent enough to deliver to you.  During prayer one night I was presenting the Lord the list of people He has laid within my reach.  Through one of those souls this girl has been near enough to my life to make me aware of her habits. I had been praying for these souls under two requests, which I had laid out at the start of the prayer.  I had prayed that these might be strengthened in the faith, and that they would increase in holy behavior.

As the prayer moved through I perceived the Lord was willing to receive the words I had spoken regarding these souls.  But when I came to the name of this young woman the receiving was blocked.  It was as if my words were spoken into nothing more than the carpet on which I knelt.  I stayed still before the Lord for a while to consider this.

Weeks later I am convinced that she is in a position vastly different from those souls I had listed before the Lord.  I have since begun to mention her to Him in terms of salvation through His mercy.  And this petition appears to receive His understanding.  But I am still not satisfied that my prayers on her behalf are sufficient.  Therefore I thought it reasonable to appeal to my brothers and sisters for help in this matter.

The Lord has brought to my attention a story which relates this item.  The story is not as short as to incorporate it here in full text.  But I will supply a link which you can read as the Lord directs.  (You will find the story on this link in Chapter 25 of book 3.  http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm ).  While I recognize that we are not a people who are used to reading many words regularly. A knowledgable approach is recommended when encountering the salvation of souls. This matter is pressing hard against my heart and mind.  Even this morning, I was wakened early by the thoughts of her name before His Throne.  Thus I have come here to appeal for help.

Specifically I appeal for one of our Family to be brought near her to teach her “The Way”.  And I appeal for prayer that she might be released from the family of death.  One without the other is an utterly useless situation.  As you will note in the story related in the link, simple prayer without discipleship or discipleship without prayer are useless in the salvation of souls.  I may pray, but I cannot disciple due, as I mentioned, to propriety.

I ask you then, by the love of Christ among us all, to hold this young soul up before our Father for the saving of her life.  I know there are so very many we could lift up to the Lord so that our time in prayer might consume every moment of our lives.  But please note that I am not in the habit of requesting prayer from those brothers and sisters who attend the words I write here.

May God grant wisdom and impart desire to whom He wills regarding this.  If you are not affected by this appeal, please do not feel compelled.  I would not want to burden anyone with the things God does not set them apart to do on His behalf.  I thank you for your time as you read these many words.  May God bless you for giving your brother a cool glass of water to drink while we travel in this land baked dry by wickedness.

By His Grace.

“In Our War Against Sin”

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week 15 - Determination

week 15 – Determination (Photo credit: Sweet Dreamz Design)

Have you been consistently overcome by a certain sin?  You love The Lord Jesus.  You know the commands of the Lord.  You desire them almost all the time.  Your prayer life begins to shine like the sun.  Then “BANG”, there’s that hideous sin again.  It is like a punch in the face from a steel beam.  And you fall AGAIN!!!!!!!

You’ve done your research.  You’ve looked to every possible answer.  And still you continue to falter.  The answer is far more simple than you might think.  And I know that statement is simplistic in its very nature.  There is a place of victory.  And I will speak of it as I have come to understand it.

We are told to love our neighbor, to do good to those who hate us and spitefully abuse us.  We are told to turn the other cheek to he who would strike us.  And there is not one Christian who has not heard of such things.  In the way of men these things DO apply.  But in the way of spiritual warfare this is not necessarily the case.

What the Lord is pointing out is that our war is not with other men.  It is with spiritual forces that we war.  And to take out our frustration on men is forbidden.  Here is what I have found in regard to besetting sin.

1. Learn to hate that sin.  Hate what is evil and cling to what is good.

2. Seek the Lord’s guidance in how to approach that sin.  There is only One who is Good.  From Him alone comes the commands that give life.

3. Recognize that you don’t have to know “Why” that particular sin is within you.  You are not a victim!  You are a man or woman who has entered into the warfare of the soul.  This is your opportunity to join the saints in the arena of testing.  The animals threaten to tear the flesh from your body.  Do Not Fear!  Join them with gusto!

4. Allow yourself to become spiritually violent against that sin.

The last item is the focus in overcoming.  Spiritually violent does not indicate that you take any physical or mental action against anything in this world.  Rather we learn to desire to rip that sin to shreds.  This is what it means to hate sin.  Only when we have come to the end of our ability to take care of this problem civilly will we finally turn to a violent hatred of what is within us.  This advent of violence in our hearts must be focused on the sin, not what causes it.

The world will continue to beckon us to sin.  Pay them no mind.  Rather turn your hatred to that specific string of events you have come to know so well.  You know where the sin begins within you.  And you know the certain stages of attack it always follows.  As quickly as you can SMASH that enticement as you would a black widow spider on your arm.

This is the war we all fight, my friend.  If you are still fighting then you are still part of the war.  Take heart.  Take vengeance against the wickedness within you.  Fight with all your might, and God will give you strength!

2nd Notes From Reading “The Shepherd of Hermas”

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Stone Tower, Lynn Woods

Stone Tower, Lynn Woods (Photo credit: d4vidbruce)

The Church has not decided to include “The Shepherd of Hermas” in what we know of today as the Bible.  And I can see why such writings were not considered directly from God’s Holy Throne.  The author’s writings are much like mine.  They are not the pure revelation from God, but the interpretation of revelation.  However, let us not dismiss such work as worthless (or even worse, that of demons).  For there is great benefit to be had as men speak to one another regarding the things of God.

There is an item worth mention in his writings.  The reader of this post should do their soul good by reading the original text.  Some things such men write penetrate as deeply as a word from the Lord Himself.  And how do I know but this particular vision was not from the Lord.  By the power it is having on my heart I would consider the vision as God given.

There was a tower being built by Angels.  The stones used were so perfectly unionized that their joints were not visible.  When the Shepherd asked what was the meaning of this, he was told that the stones represented obedient Christians.  And that the tower was created entirely for God’s eternal purposes, and composed entirely of such men.  There were other stones which could not be used due to cracking, unevenness, and even rounded corners.  These other stones were not necessarily unusable.  But their use was less than glory.

I am given pause to consider that my past will come with me into my appearance before the Lord of Life.  And I confess that the vision related has left a mark on my thinking.  May God allow that the vision will not leave me till I appear before Him.

By His Grace.

Notes From Reading “The Shepherd of Hermas”

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English: The Lord Jesus Christ in the image of...

English: The Lord Jesus Christ in the image of Good Shepherd. Early Christian trsdition of symbolism. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am reading “The Shepherd of Hermas”.  I have stumbled on a few thoughts regarding “The Faith” and “The Way” that are worthy of note.  May the Lord of Life impart understanding through these words.

There are men in whose life righteousness has been King.  And there are those whose life has been dimmed by sin and a certain broken consistency with righteousness.  To the former, in Christ Jesus, is the prospect of salvation and glory.  To the latter, in Christ Jesus, is the prospect of salvation and far lesser glory is the prospect of their faith.  To each eternal life is offered.  The righteous will seal their identity in the body of Christ if they remain consistent to the end.  The wayward soul may attain to salvation in Christ Jesus if they will mend their pace toward attaining what the righteous own by their consistent actions of godly living.

What aspect of “The Faith” remains upon each group is that each is encouraged to add to what he already has attained.  What man can muster the measure of righteousness which the Lord Jesus held from birth to death?  So we encourage one another to add to their testimony all things good and sure.

In one way, I cannot help my brothers more than to render these words of hope and encouragement.  Yet, by my own appropriation of righteousness, it is possible to impart some worthy provocation toward what glory the Lord will give to those who practise righteousness.  That is to say:  If I live out the truth of Christ in my own life I can leave a legacy of example.  And in this way we are more effective in encouraging one another to a living faith.

And I am made aware of another aspect of “The Way” which we hear little about.  Salvation is not found in knowledge.  Rather salvation is found in “The Doing” of what is pure and right. And as we do what we are told more understanding will be given to us.  This understanding is said best by the Lord Jesus, as spoken by the “New Living Translation”:  “Those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (Matthew 13:12)

Many seek to understand the greater things of God.  They perceive that if they understood more they would, naturally, become more adept at doing the things of God.  While Godly knowledge is good to own, there is an obvious tendency for knowledge to “puff up” a man’s perception of self.  It is better to be lacking in knowledge of revelation while doing the things of God, then to be over filled with pride for that which adds very little to a man’s obedience to the commands of Christ Jesus.

May the Living God bless these things for the sake of His Holy name to all people who desire to please Him.

By His Grace.

America’s Future

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Riot part 2

Riot part 2 (Photo credit: interrobang)

Considering how great the threats are which present themselves against the people of America, I have tried to give account of how involved with the things of God I am to another.  One does a task for the Lord.  Another does another task for the Lord.  One is given to provide for certain aspects in the family of God.  While another one is given to war in the realm of the spiritual, unable to deal with the issues of the other.  The Apostle Paul speaks of the “gifts of the Spirit.”

With this in mind, there are certain things we are all required to accomplish for the sake of God’s will for America.  God’s people in Jesus, who are named by God as His people, are the key to what happens next.  And this is summed up with the following Scripture.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

It is appropriate to warn my brothers and sisters that there are two plans available in the hand of our God.  There is blessing for this land of America.  And there is horror to inhabit if we fail to heed this warning.  This is all I will say in regard to this.  May God bless our hearts to understand these things.

By His Grace.

The Surpassing Great Advent of Wickedness

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Christogram (labarum) with Jesus Prayer in Rom...

Christogram (labarum) with Jesus Prayer in Romanian. Jesus Prayer in Romanian Doamne Iisuse Hristoase, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, miluieste-ma pe mine pacatosul. English translation Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner. This image appears on the cover of all editions of Romanian translation of Philokalia Français : Christogramme entouré de la Prière de Jésus en roumain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I was a child I was taught to respect my elders, be kind to everyone, and consider myself last in everything.  This teaching was taught to the extreme.  By the Grace of God, I have developed out of that harsh treatment (to a great extent).

Being taught by Jesus now, I am taught to respect my elders in the faith, be kind to all while keeping in mind that there is a “justice” in the world, and to consider myself the servant to all men.  This teaching is being taught gently with mercy for my ignorance.  By the Grace of God, I am developing into the kind of man we all aspire to become.  (This is not to my account a righteousness.  But it is a gift from God through Jesus.)  Understanding that none of us can fully attain to the Glory that is Christ Jesus, we are encouraged to emulate the truth He allows us to “hear”.

I am shocked, however, to be witness to a new breed of human emerging on the scene.  People I thought would be steady and mature are beginning to adopt lies to themselves.  They hear some accusation against the righteous and run as a herald.  Foaming at the mouth with hatred of all that is pure, they run head long as servants of demons.  This is not the kind of place I was raised in when I was a child.

The very fabric of the world has changed, as if a blanket has developed a mold.  Young people wear disrespect for truth just as the young of past ages wore truth for the simple reason that they were taught that truth endures.  Older people are the most surprising to me of all.  For after living their lives through experience of lies and truth, they now prefer to spout ungodly lies against everything associated with God.  And I am surprised at how willing they are to put on the clothing of liars and demons.

Though I speak of being surprised at these things, there is no reason for my astonishment at the increase of wickedness among men and women.  We have been warned that such things will take place.  And of “increase”, the wicked will continue to mold their souls till the Lord comes to war against them Himself.

“Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” (Rev. 22: 11-15)

This warning remains for all men.  Regardless your background, the Lord does not lie.  If you want to be clean seek the Lord Jesus’ mercy.  If you find yourself unable to care, consider this:  The wicked will not find pity before the Holy Throne of the Most High God if they appear without the covering of Jesus’ sacrifice.

Amen!  Even so, Lord Jesus, come.