Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Ignorance Can Kill

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English: An XOXO brand purse.

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A little boy lived on a farm.  One day he came up to his dad and asked, “Dad, is it ok with you if I steal grandma’s purse?”  The dad looked at his boy with a straight face, hiding the amazement within him.  “Why would you ask me something like that?”  The dad asked.  The boy answered, “I was tempted to do it.  I think I even want to do it.  And I thought I’d ask you if it’s ok.”  The boy said.

There are certain things we KNOW God doesn’t want us to do.  How often have I found myself pleading and pleading with God to help me resist temptation.  I would guess others have also.   Here’s the meat of the issue:

Why do we beg for something the Lord has plainly told us is not ok with Him?  And why do we beg for strength to overcome?  The issue here is the begging.  Begging does not have the same strength as a simple belief that God is willing to help.  He has promised to give such things to those who love Him.  It is not His will that we sin.  It is His will to overcome sin.

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

He wants us to live life full of “wins”.  And He is anxious (if that is possible) to see that “Winning attitude” appear in all of His children.  Let’s get our head on straight.  Are we so immature in Christ Jesus that we can’t make out the difference between temptation and a test?

Winter Past, Victory Attained!

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English: Yosemite Valley in winter

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The people of God wake to spring in America.   As I sat in the dark to listen to the rain sprinkle life to new born plants, I thought about the winter past.  I thought of how quickly a season passes once it is done.  How odd that the strivings of winter fade to a single picture of either success or failure when Spring moves in.  And at the end of that inspection I find work.  By His Glorious Grace I have worked through Winter to become something more than what I was in the Fall.

How beautiful to find that growth has been logged in my history.  I did not do this.  It is God, because of His beauty, who has done this for me.  And not for me only, but for all who hear with ears not their own.  For those who have been given eyes to see what cannot be seen with the eyes of man.  And for all of us who fight that good fight with a strength that only comes from the One who is absolute strength.

How glorious to remember that God is eternal!  To know that there is no shadow of turning within the God Most High we serve through Jesus.  We rest in knowing that unending seasons will continue because God cannot fail.   Death belongs to sin.  And there is no possibility of God sinning against Himself.

With this I rise to serve.  And I remember this:  There is no fear in love.  For fear has to do with punishment.  And he who fears is not yet made perfect in love.  There is no reason to fear Spring this year.  For I remember that He has granted me sweet memories of holy work within me through the Winter.   May God bless all His children with the same victory, and more.

Amen!

By Hiis Grace.

A Necessary Evil?

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May God grant to the living _ Westminster

There is such a thing as “honor among thieves”.  In full, we can consider all man’s intentions without God to be such.  But there is an honor among the holy.  And this can only be owned by submission to God’s Righteousness.

I mention this because all of us face temptations to gain what is not to be gained.  James put it this way:

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 So then, if you know the good you ought to do and don’t do it, you sin. (James 4)

What shall be said regarding this? We who worship the Living God through Jesus MUST strive to be a honorable people.   In the end, we must ask ourselves two questions.  Are we willing to admit that we are chasing after something that should never belong to us?  And are we willing to lay aside this “chasing” in order to do what is right before the Holy eyes of the Father in Heaven?

Since we will give account of all our actions, it is wise to become ready to abandon any evil chase.  This is a hard thing to accomplish.  And sometimes it is a hard thing to know what is purely good and what is called “a necessary evil.”  May God grant us wisdom to know the difference.  But above all, may we be willing to accept loss for the sake of what is pure and good.

1 John 3:14

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We know that we have passed from the death of this world into the eternal life of God’s Kingdom when we find ourselves joyfully obeying His commands.  Those who do not obey have not completely passed from death to life.  We know that no disobedience will remain when we are brought into the presence of God for eternity.  And we also know that when we obey God’s commands we become full of a desire to love.  As we mature this desire becomes a full bloom within us.  And we have confidence before the Most High God through Jesus.

We begin in a tiny shred of belief.  God grants us mercy to grow, according to His wisdom and mercy.  All along the way we encounter items of concern within us that need attention.  And to these encounters I say, strengthen your belief.  Retain the confidence you had at first and do not begin to doubt.

To those who have begun to rest on that shred of faith I say this:

If you do not have this love of God growing within you, you will regret horribly that you did not consider it important to fan it into flame.  I do not say this to frighten you for no reason.  The intent is to wake you from a slumber the music of sin and rebellion in the world has caused in your soul.  On the day you see Him face to face, it will be far too late to cultivate that obedience and love.  What you do here is what will be presented before Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

I urge you to consider these things.  Today is all you have.  Set your face in the direction of obedience and love.  Do not look back as sin and rebellion, so as to go back to it.  This is the day your heart is being tested.  I urge you to do all you can to pass that test.  The gift of God in Jesus is free.  But it is freedom to set you free of sin and disobedience, and rebellion.  It is not freedom to do as you please.   It is freedom to do as God pleases.  Do not allow yourself to be fooled.  He who sows to the flesh will reap destruction.  He who sows to the Holy Spirit of God will reap eternal life.

May God grant you understand, wisdom, mercy, and forgiveness as you contemplate these things.

The Ladder of Divine Ascent is an important ic...

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A Prayer

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Praying Hands (Dürer)

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Father in Heaven, Glory to You!  Beautiful is Your Holy Law.  And wonderful is Your Way.  All You are is marvelous to behold.  You uphold those who love you.  And You provoke us to love you by the Love You have shown in that You loved us before we loved You.

You have protected Your servant with a powerful and gentle hand.  When I was at the mercy of the blood drenched animals, You came to me to support me.  For this I give you all the praise my tiny soul can muster.  I thank you!

I have spoken to You about this.  And I said, “Oh Lord, if you will promise to provoke me to speak I will continue to speak for You till You open eternity upon me.”  Your reply was, “You have My promise.”  For these things I worship You with a full heart.  Honor is Yours.  Integrity was born by Your Holy name.

I place this message here so that You might receive the Glory due Your name:

I ask You, Living God of Israel, to open the door of ministry in this place.  Fling open the window of blessing that You, in Your Wisdom,  have kept shut.  I see the Love You offer.  I see it with eyes anew.  I see the strength You abundantly give.  And I know that I can trust Your protection forever.  By the magnificent name of Your Son Jesus, I present myself as a willing servant.   Teach me what to say.  Teach me what to do.  Teach me what humility is.  And I will embrace you with a great love forever.

All I ask, Lord, is that You save souls by Your work in this servant.  May Your Beautiful will be done forever!  Billions will praise You, for You are worthy of all praise forever!

Black Gems in the Deepest Darkness

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Bituminous coal.

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There is a people who live in a land of darkness.  The darkness is so dense that even the glimmer of a candle is swallowed up within inches.  They grope about doing things they consider to be “good works”.  And they gather black coal gems for each good work they perform.  They drill holes in those coals and place them on black thread.  Then they adorn their necks with the “glories” they have gathered.

They say to one another, “Look at my beautiful gems.  Aren’t they gorgeous!”  The other looks with blind eyes through that impenetrable darkness and replys, “Oh they’re lovely!  How blessed you are to own such wonderous good works!”

There is a King who reigns in splendor. His majesty fills the courts with a brilliant light.  From His glorious bounty He gives “works eternal”.  He dresses His people in prayers, deeds, and praises which they are blessed to return to Him.  He gives Light Everlasting to those who worship Him.  And the promise is sure, that they will live with Him forever in His land of Pure and Brilliant Light!

The masses in darkness laugh at such tales of hope.  But they are the ones who praise each other for things they cannot see, let alone keep.

AMEN!!!!!