Give unto God that which is God’s
Diagram of basic procedure to determine whether two sounds are allophones (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
My God, I thank You. You have given us words to communicate with our brothers. And among men we speak and are understood. But there is a language You have used for eternity. And it is these words You purpose to teach us to use. When You speak, You do not use sounds. You speak in living words. All Your words are true, thus alive. And I thank You that this can be understood by a people who are used to only speaking sounds. These sounds are heard, remembered for a time, then fade away. But Your words last forever.
There are times, my God, when I think of what You are giving Your servant and marvel. There are times when this seems but a dream. For we are taught to doubt from the moment we are born. Yet You continually prove Your love to my soul. This is true of all who know You. And we rise in one accord to give You praise for Your loving hand among us. We say, “There is a faith which becomes a ‘knowing’. There is a God, invisible to man, who makes Himself known. He is the Living God. He speaks to us with Living Words. And we will believe because You have touched us. We believe because You have Spoken to us by granting us Life. Those who went out from among us did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us they would have remained. For to know Your touch and instruction is to gain life itself! And no living creature desires to die. Rather we move nearer that we might learn to truly live.”
There are words a man might speak which require no sounds from his lips. These “words” are deeds of love to one another; a service rendered back to He who gives freely. They speak louder than a man can scream. And they last through time eternal. This is the language of my God. It is Your purpose to create a people for Yourself who understand these things. And You willingly teach all who will submit to You about these things.
Holy are Your ways! Marvelously Holy, pure, powerful, and complete are Your ways! Glory adorns You forever. And what astounds me is this: Though nothing impure will ever enter Your Holy presence, You dress Your servants with Your own Righteous Light. You have provided a manner, way, power, and path, by which we have hope to enter Your Holy presence. Your Holy Son is this means. And it is Your own Hand which has done this.
Praise to the Father through the Son! For He has created a people for Himself from that which was not, and now is. Glory is the Father in Heaven! Eternal Glory! Great is He who purposed to collect a people for His Son from this “Place of testing”. Glory, Glory, and Glory to He who IS! Amen.
By Your Grace.
Rising or setting sun – NARA – 557629 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Shadows, Against the Setting Sun
You perceive and are concerned at the approach of what is coming. What is appearing is new to the earth’s people. No one has ever seen what is about to unfold. Yet all of God’s people sense a new and darker night.
All around you is terror, the blackness of sin. The whispers of troubles are like the buzzing of flies around a carcass; though you are not near enough to see them you hear them. The smell of blood is so pungent, it is even heard in your ears; thick and palpable.
Steady and unceasing they come. One by one the stolid are crushed by the laws of lawless men.
Wickedness assails your walls and laughs, that they enter what is sacred. They rip at what has been respected. And they mock at what has been plainly understood as Holy in ages past. With gleaming eyes of joy they marvel at the ease of conquest. It has become their day to shine in darkness.
It was spoken of them by all the true prophets of God centuries ago. And now they appear on the horizon as shadows, in the brightness of the setting sun. As shadows they advance, mute before God, all the while screaming wickedly vile words to men. They appear before us now. As the sound of an approaching army’s feet can be heard before they crest the hill. So these men are but a precursor of the lawless one. He must come, for our God has given him his proper place at the proper time. The shadow of the lawless one now fills the land.
Your children huddle against you and cry with bone felt terror. The mother of your children quakes and trembles. And the father looks about anxious at the advancing horde. With perplexity; they pester like gnats, with perplexity.
God’s people stand unsure of what is coming. For no one of us have seen this before. The weak capitulate, for they did not gain strength. Blind in their way, they give in to wicked words. But the strong will see the hand of God redeem them! With wisdom and understanding He will redeem them.
By command of law they order the end of sacrifice to the Living God, through Jesus. But they will not prevail. Those whom He has loved will not leave His side. These are blessed to endure.
Fear not! Our God has eyes to see. Do not be amazed at their bold folly. Though they tear you apart, they simply render what is God’s to God. He will take care of you forever. And He will soon enough respond to the wicked who have sent you to Him.
Stand with strength at the onslaught of wicked men. Lies are their gods, and they worship them with a fever. They will not stand before the God who will take you as His very own. He has promised salvation to all who call upon His Holy name, with a holy faith in His Son Jesus. He does not lie. And He is not powerless.
Strength my brothers! Flex your tired limbs. Prepare yourself for the sake of your children (either by blood or by Spirit). Cause them to know what “The Faith” really is. Increase yourself in “The Way” for the sake of His Holy Name. Honor His gift of salvation before men.
Prepare, for the day is approaching with speed and certainty. If you wait too long there will be no time to prepare. And you will be caught in the whirlwind of the wicked many, who even now, are plotting your ruin.
At the sound of a trumpet they will break their amassing. And they will be sent out to deliver evil in every possible form. Death goes with them. Prepare.
As it always was, it will be forever. Those who put their trust in the Living God will flourish under trial. They will rise up as victors at the sound of His voice!
You who are not prepared and have not taken understanding from the Lord, now is the time to rectify what is lacking. When it appears in full bloom it will be far too late to fortify your faith. You will become paralyzed with the fear they have come to inflict.
Do not mistake their ability, they do their duty to their master, the liar, exceedingly well.
Do not think to yourself that you can hide behind the word “Jesus” as men who stand before advancing lava with a cross. It is that very string of letters the wicked are coming to destroy. They will seek to wipe out His Holy name from this earth. But all they perceive is a word. Of the Spirit, they know nothing. And when they are finished with that task they will turn their blood thirst on one another.
They have come to perplex. But they have been born from that same weapon. They command all to lie, for they are liars themselves. A confession of faith without the resulting actions of the proof of a holy life, is but waste into idolatry.
Rise up and serve the Living God in truth, wisdom, and the Spirit of God. This is the proof He is looking for. This is the Spirit within His people. This is the saving religion of Christianity.
With their lies comes a fake (ungodly) sincerity. They work the works of their own imagination, perceiving themselves to be godly. Do not be fooled. He who serves the Living God does the works of the Living God. He who does not, stands against Him.
Stand the ground He has given you to retain. And do not be swayed by their apparent “righteousness”. They are liars who promote the welfare of man, while they have no regard for the Living God.
Do not be fooled by the sweetness of the incense they carry. It is a foul smelling incense created at the imagination of man’s desire to rebel against the will of God. They seek their own glory; an abomination before the Most High God. It is folly they burn as if to a god.
They repel at the mention of His Holy Name. His name sickens their heart. For they consider their ways far more entrancingly beautiful. They are like men who saw their way through the fortress wall, thinking a window, with a breath taking view of their gore, is better than the “perceived safety” of “The Way”. All the while they hire the enemy to do the work for them, and how glad he is to help for a price.
“Peace. Peace”, they say. But they will not promote true peace of God, nor allow others to obtain it so as to live by it. Peace is found in obeying the will of the Father in heaven through Jesus, the very thing they detest.
Do not stand with them, nor welcome their words. We live by a far greater Word. They will be shown and known by the message they bear. Prison, public rebukes, out-casting, and even death are their weapons of choice. And they will retain the power to carry them through for a season. Do not be fooled, nor allow yourself to continue sleeping.
Remember the true word spoken to us: “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.” (Mark 13:22) The Lord Jesus has told us ahead of time what will come. And now we are seeing it unfold.
Fear belongs to the wicked. Strength remains in those who put their trust in the Living God’s Son, Jesus. There is a peace which passes all understanding. This peace is received from He who is Eternal Peace.
Though the wicked call on His name, they use only their lips, for their hearts are as hard as stone. They do not receive what they desire so they contrive their own methods of “peace”. It will not satisfy their thirst for the wickedness of self glorification however. And they will grow restless to the point of riot.
This word is sent out to encourage, strengthen, warn, and define limits. God divides what is His and what is not. If you read this and are unsure of where you stand with Him, I encourage you to make every effort to enter in now. There is a day coming when the door will be shut.
24 “Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, let us in!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves thrown out. 29 Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God. 30 But indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13)
Beware. Identifying yourself with the religion of man (even if it comes dressed as Christianity) does not identify you as belonging to the Lord Jesus. There is a distinct difference between traditions of man and the Spirit of the Living God.
I can do no more than post this message. I ask that it be passed to those who might benefit. Or at least the summation of this message would do well in the hands of those blessed with understanding. May God grant that it is a cool drink of pure water to a parched people.
Night is falling upon the world. And what a dense black night it will be! And may He grant wisdom to understanding for those who lack knowledge in the Spirit of God. Amen.
Iceland - The End. (Photo credit: alicethewhale)
I perceive a powerful meaning today. I see that “The Way” of Christ Jesus among men is impossible to walk by the will of man alone. For my brothers and sisters this is understood. But for those who do not know these things I relay this truth.
For a man to be consumed with purity before the Most High God, and to love his fellow man willingly and quickly, without reservation, is far too much to ask. On the one hand, a man will become consumed with self as he strives with all his might to obey what is pure and true. On the same hand, he will be asked to render complete forgiveness to others and that without judging; a sacrifice of self for the sake of others. What an odd and perplexing difficulty. Only the “God man” can accomplish this (that man who has surrendered to the will of God and has accepted God’s “terms of peace”). Only those who have received power from God can make this happen. A simply religious man will not gain “The Way”. The Spirit alone gives the strength, wisdom, understanding, and forgiveness from Christ, to accomplish “The Way”.
The world is quite keen to point out these things to Christians. “You judge me”, they will say to us. And they count it unfair, even illegal for us to do so. By this accusation they prove that they know they are condemned. But they do not understand the difficulty presented to God’s people. They only respond by virtue of the knife which is thrust through their soul by remarks made against wickedness.
Now I am not advocating that “The Way” is too hard. Though no man can walk this way by his own power, God has granted the understanding and means to accomplish this. The primary accusation against God was that He asked too much of His creation. I am convinced that the primary accusation is the very reason for the entire universe, up to , and including, the death of His Holy Son on a Cross. And we should never join in that bitter song of accusation against our God. Instead, we testify that it is entirely possible to walk according to the law of God. And this appears within us because He has made it possible by the Holy Spirit He has freely given us.
I am pointing this out for the sake of my weaker brothers and sisters. This article admits that “The Way” is difficult to attain and remain. This is a testimony from man’s perspective. It is not God’s perspective. His expectations upon us are quite clear. “Attain release from sin by My Son’s sacrifice. And hold no ill will against those who hate My ways and you”, God could be said to say.
There is a truce to strike between God and man, terms of peace to comprehend. There is a building to build which cannot be built by our own will. And anyone who sets out to accuse “The Way” of being too difficult remains in a blind state. They remain in the state of utter destruction. It is given to those who have struck a truce between themselves and The Holy God, through Jesus, to live their lives in a manner pleasing to Him. Those who do not receive the terms of peace remain in death.
You who accuse us of unfairness and illegal activity know nothing of “The Way”. You simply fend us off from your selfishness by making accusations unfounded. And your way is not hidden from the Wisdom of God within us. Instead of accusing you should accept the terms of peace the Most High God has prepared for all men. Then you would be able to prove what is true. And you would no longer be at odds against the Lord of Life, or His people. If you hold us against the Holy Law of God and find fault in us, what will be said of you? In this you judge us, even while you accuse us of judging you. God has plainly said that when we judge our brothers we are judging The God who made them. You walk your way according to your own desire, accusing, finding fault, and carrying on as if there was no judgment. Surely you will be proclaimed as an accuser. What, then, will be your plight? Join us and live. Come to see the perplexing difficulty, which is “The Way”, for yourself. Taste and know that the Lord is good.
28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him. 30 They will say, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’ 31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions.” (Luke 14)
Central Christian Church (Photo credit: char1iej)
Perhaps, when you read this, it will not apply to you. Or at least, you will think it does not apply to you. I simply urge you to consider what is said here with a sober judgment of yourself. Far too often we allow ourselves to be fooled by our own mind. And this is a crucial point to be made among all men, especially the members of the body of Christ.
Entrance into the kingdom of heaven cannot be bought. You can’t buy your way in by doing anything more than to receive the gift of God in Jesus, His Christ. With that said, I know there are certain things we are compelled to do by the Lord’s commands. And I do not speak against the things of God here. What I am talking about is the things we do for the sake of being respected by God. We would do well to be careful how we perceive those necessary things.
Some might attend every Church function perfectly. I remember reading about a woman who received a reward from her Church because she did never missed attending. I recognize that the Church was trying to say that dedication to the body of Christ was important enough to reward. But such things can also cause men to be led into a wicked lie. While rewarding good behavior is not to be frowned upon, it is wrong to leave a carrot before God’s people. Let them secure God’s pleasure before man’s appreciation. Then the man of God will serve out of a pure heart.
Men tend to try to buy what they are not willing to do. A man hires someone to do the tasks he does not want to do. And in this the Church often leads to folly. Remember this incident from the book of Acts, and consider hard where you stand.
“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.’ But Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Acts 8:18-24)
Please, don’t judge what I have written here as an accusation against you. There is one who does that, and this is not my intent. I am simply trying to wake my brothers and sisters up to the facts of wickedness which lays within all of us. Let us all consider how to clean the House of God. Let us ponder how to remove every possible obsticle from the path of His people, and from those who desire to enter.
Father Ford in the fire truck (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A dead body cannot be responsible. Neither can a fool be responsible. It is even hard for a righteous man to be responsible. Why? In answer, let me take responsible apart: Response Able.
God has given gifts to men for the sake of His Holy name. He has given forgiveness for sins. What is our response? Do we dress ourselves with ability to respond? Or do we take His Glorious gift for granted. He has spoken in the gathering of wickedness. He has danced a Holy dance in a body for all to see. He endured this place of testing without sin. And God has granted Him, (Jesus) Glory, Joy, Eternal Life as the Ruler of all.
I look at the ability of Jesus to respond to His Father as He walked in this utter black world of decayed souls. And I am amazed that He performed perfectly! He did not cave to the words and actions of man. He desired only to be available to the will of His Father. And He shunned all proposals to capitulate with the enemies of His Father. He made Himself able to respond to the will of God. He is perfectly Responsible to God, the Father of all Life and Righteousness.
With that in mind, I ask again, are we individually able to respond to the Grace given us? Are we responsible Christians? I write this with a severe anger at the sinful nature within me. I remember what was spoken, and will not be taken out of the way, “Hate what is evil and cling to what is good.” This is what is asked of us. And it is not an unjust request. For He gives us the power to over come. What will be our response? Are we able to be willing to work?
We retain men who have learned to put out fires. If they are not responsible, what is the possibility that they can carry out the charge that has been laid upon them? God has retained us through the sacrifice of His Holy Son. Are we responsible?
We: Live, Die, Face Judgment. Jesus or die twice.
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