THE WALK OF ABANDONMENT

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 32

There have been many things on my mind lately and I presume that circumstances that are happening around me have caused me to think about the endless mysteries of life. I have heard the older we become the more clearly we can see, (though I realize that is not necessarily true), but I will pray that in my life it will happen that way. I have spent a great deal of my life writing about things that were actually way over my head spiritually speaking. Even though I may not understand these realities right now, I still have faith in the promise given to me nearly thirty years ago from God that I would “walk out” everything I write. I have been a seeker of truth but again this does not automatically make me (or you) a “doer” of truth. (Can I get a witness?) Just because I am always thinking and pouring out my heart does not mean that I have attained a plateau on the stairwell of enlightenment. I believe in order for us to KNOW truth, it must be “quickened” in our mind from knowledge – into “revelation”, which is why God’s Word is not “activated” in most Christians. This is one of those spiritual mysteries and a very serious subject because number one – I realize that if anything is wrong it is my fault and two – my destiny is directly connected to figuring this out. If you were still wondering why I have titled this article, “The Walk of Abandonment”, I would say a good question would be; exactly what are we abandoning? Well, (I am so glad you asked). It is like panning for gold. If you are really determined to find the hidden treasure of truth and after you sort through all types of materials, you finally find at the bottom of the pan what you are looking for. Sure, there are causes and reasons and tons of excuses that we need to weed through, that are no doubt connected with the answer, nevertheless, if we are serious about examining our own conscience we will see what God sees. “And I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that ask will receive and he that seeks will find and to him that knocks it shall be opened.” (Luke 1:9-10)

I am beginning to realize within my own heart that the key problem I struggle with is the lack of love. What I need to abandon is associated with laying down what I consider to be the idols of my life – the most important “rulers and kings” that sit on the throne of my heart. This includes anything that I cherish and love MORE than God. I believe it would be safe to say that, until I submit all of my possessions and all of my carnal desires, I am NOT a living sacrifice! In addition, until I become a living sacrifice I cannot walk with God as He has called me to do. Selah. We can try to “squeeze” religion into our hectic lifestyle and live in the deception that lukewarm is good enough, but we are only playing a game within a fabricated delusion. God’s Word is like the Ocean and we love to run around on the beach without getting wet. We might stick our toes in but we will not dive in because it will cost us our “will”. We love our pride, our independence, our success and desire the respect from others way too much to become a fanatic for Jesus. We protect our reputation for living our own way, as it is our most precious asset. This is why people are uncomfortable in God’s presence because they KNOW they have betrayed Him! “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world will pass away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever.” (I John 15:17) Abandonment lies at the bottom of the pan and is the most important act of obedience for God. Working around the clock for Jesus and praying constantly does not mean that we have abandoned our carnal thinking. There will be multitudes of people that have devoted their time to good works and helpful service but never really abandoned their life to God or loved others as they loved themselves. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue (endless talk); but in deed (action) and in truth (pure motives).” (I John 3:18) “He that loves not – does not know God, for God is love. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. If a man say, I love God and hates (does not love) his brother, he is a liar: for he that does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loves God – will love his brother also.” (I John 4: 8, 11, 20-21) Some might ask, just whom does the “brother” include? Well, I believe the idea of brother represents the souls of humanity, as in the same way God is no respecter of persons. Let us turn back to Mathew and take a peek at the words of Jesus, “You have heard that it has been said that you must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. However, I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. That you might be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” These next verses are very powerful and are worth spending time thinking about, “For if you love them which love you, what reward do you really have? Do not even the publicans (those who do not regard God’s Word) do the same? And if you salute (respect, acknowledge, act graciously) your brethren (friends, family) only, what exactly are you proving more than the ungodly? Do not even the publicans do the same? Be therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Mathew 5: 43-48) Abandonment in this light means that we drop all of our carnal opinions, critical thoughts, judgments, negativity, stereotypes, profiling, racism, and prejudice, no matter how we were raised or what our politics, doctrines or world views may be. Furthermore, just because we can see they are living in sin does not mean that are not to love their souls! Selah. We that claim to walk with God – must not listen to the voices of carnality that we might reach out in love and compassion to the spirits of all people!

Abandonment is where the rubber meets the road! It is what separates the ninety eight percent of professing Christians from the two percent that actually live it. Abandonment is directly connected to HOW MUCH we love God and HOW FAR we are willing to go for Him. You will always find that love is intertwined with abandonment in either a positive way or negative way. When we abandon our will unto God, it is because we LOVE Him as Mathew 22:37 describes, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” However, when we refuse to abandon our old nature and reject His offer to become a disciple, it is because we LOVE making our own decisions and we LOVE our possessions more than we love Him. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will HATE the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mathew 6:24)
Mammon has several different meanings from riches, wealth, possessions, gluttony, prideful attitudes, unjust gain, injustice, selfishness, hoarding, false gods, excessive materialism, and the attitude of covetousness or greed as a negative influence. The idea may also mean an IDOL in which someone puts their TRUST. It seems the idea is not that being wealthy is always a sin but rather the attitudes and temptations that result from the luxuries of abundance. Many people have enjoyed the pleasures of being blessed by God but it takes a very holy, humble individual to be able to handle great wealth – God’s way. I believe that where blessings turn into mammon is when the heart turns from being pure, into a heart filled with carnality. The sensual, self-centered desire for power and control are directly related to financial success and as Mathew 19:23,24 points out, it is very rare to find a truly Godly rich person. “Then said Jesus said unto His disciples, verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” In other words it is not the riches in themselves that are evil because many good things need to be financed like medical supplies, food, housing, education and so on. It is the ATTITUDE of how much we LOVE our “things” as the rich, young ruler can testify. It is the ultimate challenge for man to learn how to abandon himself from the earthly and embrace the heavenly. This revelation and the willpower to separate the temporal from the eternal can ONLY be accomplished through the power of God – for the glory of God! “When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is IMPOSSIBLE; but with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.” (Mathew 19:25-26)
When the disciples dropped their nets, they abandoned their life and picked up a brand new destiny. They did not try to work Jesus in between their busy lifestyle but rather dumped out their life and rearranged everything around serving Jesus in thought, word and deed. Imagine the idea of emptying everything out, discarding what is not important and only putting back in what Father says He wants. Well, that sounds wonderful that a few fishermen had the opportunity to do that but what about us today in our society with our spouses and our responsibilities to work and pay our bills? It does not take but a moment for our “common sense” to start laying ground rules and limitations to our faith. The rules of our culture, our social correctness and our “laws” of how to function as a responsible adult, act as a defense lawyer to argue for our carnality. Have we given Him our “two mites” as Mark chapter 12 records, or have we just given from our abundance?

THE WALK OF OPTIMISM II

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 31

THE WALK OF OPTIMISM II

In the midst of all events and situations there are always (in general terms), two ways of looking at things. There are many reasons why people lean one way of the other but whatever the case, we all register somewhere on the scale between being positive or negative thinkers. The way a person is mentally, emotionally and spiritually “wired” has everything to do with how they respond to circumstances. This may seem obvious however most people do not even realize where they are on the pessimism and optimism scales. Strangely, many who are dedicated pessimist would never suspect they are guilty of actually being one – and this denial makes it even more difficult for them to understand true reality. The defining characteristics of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do and that much of it is their own fault. The optimists, who are faced with the same problems, think about misfortune in the opposite way. They see defeat as a temporary setback and that its damage is limited to this one isolated instance. The optimist believes that it does not really matter whose fault it is – Everyday is a brand new day. Such attitudes are unfazed by defeat and when confronted by a difficult situation, they perceive it as a challenge to work even harder. Victor Hugo said, “People do not lack strength; they lack will.” After examining your heart honestly, you can write one thing down that is a divine reality; both ways of thinking are choices we all make and will identify who we are. How do you want to be remembered?

Before we go any further, let us ask how this affects our spiritual life. Are we as Christians supposed to be a constant optimist? Well, I would say yes. The reason for my answer comes from the idea that God is the ultimate optimist. He is perfect in every way and all of His decisions originate from divine pureness. He is omniscient and omnipotent and that alone is cause for us to breathe a breath of relief. Here is a widely known scripture from Romans chapter eight and verse twenty-eight, “And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purposes.” We see the keys to the success of God’s Word here is first to be confident that His Word is true. “WE KNOW” is saying that we bear witness and are convicted that what He says is spiritual reality. Next, we must include “ALL THINGS” (even those situations that make no sense) into the mix of crisis events. Then we cannot ignore the position of those who “LOVE HIM” and who allow God to use them however He desires. These (real) Christians have bowed down to Him in spiritual humility and submitted their will to Him in everything. This is a perfect illustration of completely “TRUSTING” The Lord with not only your possessions – but also your life! Even if you lose everything you have and end up dying before you thought you would, you are still one hundred percent confident that God is working His perfection through you. You realize that your brain cannot figure out the reasons why and if God does not want to impart His reasons to your spirit, you will just have to ask Him again when you get to heaven. It all depends on where your priorities are when it comes to your love relationship with Father God and Jesus. If you want to selfishly hold on to your things and your plans, you will be more discouraged when God pulls your fingers loose from those idols you hold so tightly. However, if you are focused on God’s beauty and His awesome, holy presence that is filled with eternal love, peace and grace, you will not be discouraged in this earthly realm as long as you KNOW that you are going to worship Him forever. Notice at the end of chapter eight these refreshing words of hope and encouragement, “Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, IN ALL THINGS we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39) There are many thoughts connected to the idea of being positive and negative minded, and here are a couple of questions:

1. Does being optimistic have anything to do with being born again? Well, I believe there are many people who have a positive way of thinking that have not given their heart to Jesus. In this light, we can see that someone who tries to see the best in everything can also live in a limited capacity of false hope. I believe this is the separation point of those who have a “naturally” happy personality and those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. People who are not born again can only be encouraging in this realm at best, because they do not have the security of eternal life. Christians should be the genuine examples of optimism because they have all of God’s promises in this life and the one to come. However, this does not mean because a person claims to be a disciple of Christ, they are positive thinkers. Being a Holy Spirit led optimist is a “learned”, disciplined way of seeing and a trained way of thinking.

2. Are we to deny that things are bad when they REALLY are? Of course not. Many events are happening in the world and in everyone’s personal lives that are truly horrific. Sickness and death is real, as well as accidents, severe weather, war and terrorism, but the point is there are two ways to process it. Optimist are not living in isolation or closing their eyes to what is real, but rather choose to not crumble or lose hope in the intensity of the suffering. If a person grows old and receives news of a terminal illness, an optimist will remind them of a great life of blessing and pleasure. In addition, if they are a Christian, dying is actually a time to celebrate the homecoming of a brand new glorified life with Jesus, filled with heaven’s marvelous splendor. Divine reality is pure, just and true.

Why is pessimism seen as being such a bad thing? Because at the core of being negative is connected another deceptive snare trap called “helplessness”. This is the state of affairs in which you believe that nothing you choose to do can affect what happens to you. It is true that many things are beyond our control, but there is a vast, unclaimed territory of thoughts that we can pray for to receive understanding and actions that we can try to change. I believe those who habitually believe misfortune is their fault (or destiny) will undermine everything they do and will continue to experience failure because of their own thinking. I also believe this state of mind leads to chronic depression that will prevent us from accomplishing our potential. I also personally believe that pessimistic prophecies are self-fulfilling and can lead to mental, spiritual and even physical illness. How many people have made mistakes or have experienced unfortunate tragedies that caused them to stop progressing with life. When anyone puts his or her life on “pause”, precious time and energy is wasted that could have been used to get back on track and finish the race. The optimist realizes there will be setbacks but never allows discouragement to control them. “To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. However, we must sail and drift not – nor lie at anchor.” – Oliver Holmes
One ship drives the East, and another the West
With the self-same winds that blow,
It is the set of sails – and not the gales,
Which decides the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As the voyage along through life;
It is the will of the soul, that decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The world is filled with stories of how unexpected circumstances have forever changed the course of people’s lives. The ones, who viewed obstacles as a negative hindrance to the way they were going, failed to see and missed the hidden door of opportunity. Those who were nonetheless staggered by the storm, yet faced the difficulty with an open mind of optimism, found the key that unlocked the door. Listen to the wisdom of William H. Danforth, “Life is a four-sided affair! There are physical, mental, social and spiritual adventures. You have not just one, but four lives to live – a four-fold opportunity to grow. A body, brain, heart and a soul and these are our living tools. To use them is not a burden – it is a golden possibility to become an overcomer. The capacity to succeed is not robbing you of any pleasures – but it is bringing new treasures into every moment. God desires to help you touch life at all angles absorb strength from all contacts and pour out His power on all fronts. Through the four sides of life, there is a spiritual principal; the more you pour out, the more you find to pour! But, the more of this world’s treasures you keep to yourself, the less you have.” Sharing with others is letting go of selfishness. There is spiritual peace when we give to man as a fruit of our love to God. I believe that if you DARE to give yourself away physically, mentally, socially and spiritually, the Lord will multiply your fruit a hundred fold. We give our life away and to His glory and divine purpose, a richer life comes back to us! Endless joy is found when we love him so much that we lay all that we have at His feet. Pessimism is an automatic default setting in our brain and nothing is easier than to drift along in life being miserable with selfish, negative thinking. It is never too late to become the person God is waiting for. It is sad that few believe – but that does NOT diminish who God is! Selah.

THE WALK OF OPTIMISM

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 30

THE WALK OF OPTIMISM

Walking in OPTIMISM – is living with the attitude that everything will work together for the good and that the best is still ahead! Is that the way you really feel? Well, I must admit that some days that is NOT how I feel. And, why is that? Because I see the world growing darker and colder and I am convinced that most people do not consider God in their life. I also believe that the economy is on the edge of collapse and that violence and suffering will become a horrible reality. How can we who are Christians, not accept the fact of future tribulation and the New World Order of anti-christ? Living with these thoughts it is difficult to imagine that our best years of happiness and peace are ahead of us. Ah, that is the problem! I am only seeing the future as time on earth. We must separate our temporary “feelings” from our eternal reality but how can we do that? It is simple; we pray that God will help us develop our mental “filter” that will divide the fleshly from the spiritual. Only then can we keep everything in perspective. We must not live in a pity-party of emotional worry and distress because we have been called to live “above” the darkness. We are the light holders of God’s presence and with Him, nothing is impossible! There is much work to do and Father is calling us to do it – yes, even in the midst of a calloused, barbaric and violent world.

We can (and must) clearly discern the condition and reality of this temporal realm and react with the wisdom and maturity of someone who knows God and His Word. Much of the information that we absorb in our brain comes from events that happen around us. These “happenings” demand a response from our conscience and the results are the finished product of emotions. Those who walk heavily in the temporal realm are tossed “to and fro” because they are so tightly connected to reacting in their flesh. Those who have disciplined themselves to walk closer to God are not carried away so easily. This might have been easier when people lived at a much slower pace and were not bombarded with instant media. However, in this age of the information super-highway, we are choosing to process a great deal of “happenings” and unfortunately, most of it is negative. What is all this doing to our mind? I believe it is bringing darkness to our soul. I am thinking of the difference between being happy because you are not worried about anything, and being sad because you realize you are going to have to deal with some difficult situations. Now what does that remind you of? That’s right, a little child. When we were children, we were happy because we thought there was nothing to worry about. Everything seemed fine because in our world of knowledge, all was at peace and taken care of. We did not know how much money our parents had and had no clue if the bills were paid. How would we know if someone was ill or the price of tea in China, if someone did not tell us? The most important thing we knew was that we felt secure snuggled on the couch with the people we loved and who loved us. The older we grow the more the know, and the more worries we accumulate. “And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, verily I say unto you, except you become CONVERTED, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mathew 18:2-3)

Bearing one another’s burdens is a result of agape love but it is not the same as worrying about the price of gas. This is why it is crucial for us to understand how to allow the negative information to run off like the rain on the roof. I am not saying that negative knowledge is not important but it is one thing to PRAY for a situation and let it go, and another to embrace it and carry it around like an iron weight. Selah. Most of us have become “heavy” filing cabinets of information that not only we CANNOT change – but has caused us great STRESS. This heaviness is mentioned specifically in Isaiah 61:3 as a “spirit” that can alter our personality and change us into a pessimist. “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, THE GARMENT OF PRAISE FOR THE SPIRIT OF HEAVINESS; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” You remember that Jesus read part of this scripture in the fourth chapter of Luke, and is describing His mission as well as those who follow Him. So, if our attitude is to be seen as a garment, we can learn a few things about how to make this a reality. First, let us see that being optimistic is associated with being thankful. This scripture said “praising God” would eliminate the dark, depressing feelings of sadness and discouragement. Praising Him is the result of TRUSTING Him. The reason why so many people live in fear is that they have not and ARE not convinced that God has everything under control. We notice the next verse in Mathew 18 mentions humility, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same shall be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” There is a secret to praising God – it is bowing your knee and lowering yourself before Him without pride. I believe that along with being “heavy” with depression is the presence of resentment, anger and pride. Many believe their life is the way it is because God has not helped them. They walk in the dark clouds of negativity and pity themselves because of their circumstances. Unless they repent from their anger toward God and receive a clean conscience, they will not be able to praise Him and thank Him for His goodness. Moreover, without putting on the garment of praise they will continue to be oppressed by the spirit of heaviness.

The next practical thought about the garment of praise is that we cannot sew pieces of praise to our coat of anxiety. In other words we cannot dabble in being happy in God some of the time or be partially clothed in optimism. The garment of praise is not something that magically appears on us but rather it is the determined, INTENTIONAL” act of learning about it and putting it on! It is something WE must do out of faith and obedience to God. The problem today is that too many Christians are trying to “partially” live their faith. They are trying to cram their brains with the world while not recognizing they have no room left for Jesus in their heart. We cannot absorb the negativity of the world and expect to be a bright shining star of optimism. In Mark 2:21, we see the idea that one cannot be halfway sold out or half-hearted in wearing their garment of spiritual convictions. True spirituality is more than head knowledge of facts but rather a commitment and dedication to love and serve Christ completely. “And no man also sews a piece of new (material that has not been shrunk) cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that patched it up takes away from the old, and the tear is made worse.” When we try to put on a fake smile while freaking out on the inside, we do not really believe with our whole heart. True optimism must be more than just a “memorized” motivational speech. We need to KNOW that what we are exhibiting is the truth that we would not only live for – but also die for! There is no place for “fake” charisma or manufactured inspiration on the front lines of battle. It is simply a spiritual revelation of faith and trust.

Perhaps during times of affliction you have almost fainted. You may have been so weak and weary you thought you couldn’t go another step. But now, from where you stand, you can say, “I never want to go through that again but thank God, He brought me out. He has been faithful. Praise the Lord! Father does appreciate us being thankful but actually, He is seeking from us a much deeper realization. He is saying – “I did not bring you through all those troubles and afflictions just to make you a grateful overcomer. I’ve spent years training you, putting you through all these things for a purpose, and I’m not going to let you waste them now. I fully intend for my investment (AND your investment) to pay off and I am trying to reveal to you that your best work is ahead of you!” You see as we develop within our deeper-level afflictions, God opens our eyes to those struggling divine appointments all around us who are still in kindergarten. These beloved ones are confused and discouraged, so what do you do with your affliction experiences? God whispers to you, “I need seasoned, tested veterans, people who have survived deep waters and awful fires, who have been refined through suffering. I want people who have learned to stand and will prove MY faithfulness to this generation. I need disciples who can DEMONSTRATE the power of MY grace and love!” “That ye may tell it to the generation following” “Now also when I am old and grey headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have demonstrated thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come.” (Psalm 71:18). Listen to Paul in Philippians 1:12-14), “But I would ye should understand, brothers, that the things which happened unto me have actually turned around out unto God’s glory for the furtherance of the gospel. So that my bonds for Christ are clearly seen in Caesars court and to all that have heard about it. And, many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more BOLD to speak God’s Word without fear.” That is saying something! When Paul wrote this, he was an older man with years of experience and he was in the midst of one of the worst trials of his life. He was speaking from his heart that it would be the most wonderful thing right now if he could go home and be with his Lord. However, he was trying to teach them with his example. He said, I am a veteran, and I’ve been through severe afflictions and trials – but I know I’m needed here. This generation needs to see a sufferer who survives and rejoices with TRUE FAITH in any affliction. Therefore, it is best that I stay and endure these trials and afflictions with SPIRITUAL OPTIMISM! He had genuine hope! He was not down or depressed but rather said, I rejoice in the Lord for all He has brought me through! Is this not the attitude that we also must have in these last days? How can we “stand” as overcomers if we forget that Jesus has ALREADY WON the VICTORY? Trusting Him brings the joy of peace!

THE WALK OF PEACE II

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 29

THE WALK OF PEACE II

I have felt impressed to watch what I eat lately and have started a regular routine of walking and light running. I am taking baby steps but have already experienced some improvement in my stamina. I live in a subdivision that is next to a beautiful old country road. Several years ago, a new road was built and they closed this road, which leaves it isolated and very seldom traveled. The other day I was walking along and was sensitive to God’s presence, and as I looked up into the sky, the white puffy clouds were peacefully floating along. The birds were singing and rabbits were crossing back and forth in the road up ahead. I closed my eyes and breathed deep because I wanted to soak up every drop of this serene contentment. I was talking with God and asking Him to help me with my failures and to teach me how to be more like Jesus. I had many questions about life and situations because I do not understand why certain things happen, but Praise God for His patience to not become annoyed or act as if we get on His nerves.

As I have been walking everyday for the last two weeks, I can say that it enhances your prayer time and clears out your mind so that you can think. I highly recommend that you consider adding walking to your daily “walk” with the Lord. It will tone your entire body and increase your energy while giving you plenty of quiet time with Father. For myself personally, I recognize the danger of sitting in front of the entertainment box every night and how the enemy loves to distract us and steal our precious time. About a month ago on the way to work, I was asking Him to please help me. It seemed immediately after I made the request that I heard a voice in my spirit that said, “I also really need you to help me! It hit me hard and I meditated on this for several days. Without realizing it, how often do we just present our petitions without asking Him what He wants from us? Do we even give Him the time to respond? Since we are too busy to slow down, many times we just give Him our list to fill and rush off to do errands that are more “important”. I wonder if sometimes we stay in a frantic rush to “avoid” what He really desires. Selah. I believe that of all the things we could say or do, that He desires to have All of our heart – and that will give us the peace that is beyond our comprehension. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

We find a story in Luke 10 and verses 38 through 42, about two sisters that loved the Lord. Martha was busy in the kitchen, rushing around and frantic about all the details of serving the meal, while her sister Mary was relaxed, listening to Jesus talk. Martha became aggravated and eventually complained to Jesus about Mary not helping and asked if He would tell her to get up and help her. It is interesting to hear His response because it gives a different perspective about what is truly important in this life. He said, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful (anxious) and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” It is not that He did not appreciate all of the hard work Martha was doing, but instead was making a point that it is more important to spend time with the King than to just labor all the time for the Kingdom. When we are overwhelmed with being busy, our life becomes hectic and exhausting. This in turn causes us to become tense and irritable. I believe Jesus was trying to teach the importance of living in His perfect peace. He is not saying that work is bad because there is much to do, but if we keep Him in our thoughts – our deeds will be pure and our long hours will accomplish everything with the right attitude.

So, let me continue with how much I have been enjoying walking and jogging. There is only one house on the lane and it is down at the end of the road. They have a large white American Bulldog that I would estimate at 80 to 90 pounds that is quite intimidating. It runs free to guard their property and it has run out on me before, growling and bearing its teeth to scare me away. One night the dog ran toward me and the owner caught it and held it until I could pass. Sometimes I see the dog and other times it does not come out, so I have been taking unnecessary risk with a potentially dangerous situation. This past Saturday night, I was running along my usual route and I was feeling good. I went past the house, saw no trace of the dog, and kept on going. I made another lap and headed back down to the end of the road. This time out of the corner of my eye, I saw something white running out of the garage. I turned to see the dog coming at me with full speed, so I stopped to contemplate what I should do. I did not want to be aggressive so I chose to be calm and say gently, – good boy, good boy. Before I could blink an eye, he bit me hard on the wrist. I was in shock as I looked down and saw the blood pouring out of my arm. I must say that in spite of my trauma I am very grateful that he willingly let go instead of locking on and twisting his head. I am completely convinced that he could have torn my hand off and for that matter, could have mauled me to death. There is no way I could have fought this dog off. I believe his “little bite” was simply a warning for me to leave and a notice that next time he would not be so nice. I felt very helpless as I had no protection and I am grateful that he did not keep biting because there would have been nothing I could have done to stop him. God must have restrained him.

Even though I knew the dog did not particularly enjoy me jogging on the road, I really did not think he would actually attack me. I kept thinking that he was probably a big old teddy bear that just liked to appear mean. Now that I look back on it, I should have been carrying mace or some type of protection in case I needed to use it. Well, some family members came out of the house as I was screaming for help. I kept trying to tell someone to hold the dog because I was afraid he was not finished biting me. There were several older women and some teenage girls that came out but they were all afraid to touch the dog. They saw the blood pouring from my wounds and they seemed to panic. I could not understand anything they were saying because they were speaking in Spanish. I finally asked them if they could drive me home and they did, to which I filed a police report and went to the emergency room. They did not stitch the wounds because they wanted them to stay open for a few days. Later that night I had to go back to the emergency room because the pain in my wrist and arm was excruciating. I could not bear the intensity of the pain as the doctor said the swelling was pressing on the nerves in my wrist. They gave me more pain medicine and a shot to put me to sleep. It is Monday morning and I have just returned from my doctor to check for infection and to re-dress the wounds. I will probably miss several days of work this week because I cannot bend my fingers or turn my wrist – but it could have been much worse.

I have been wondering why this happened, as I was having such a peaceful time out alone with God. Nevertheless, I realize that Satan does NOT want us to enjoy God’s presence. I will not allow this disruption to stop my exercising or my time with God. I will keep walking down this lane and have told the devil that nothing can stop me from legally jogging on a public road! I have peace with God and I am so grateful He allowed me to survive. This event has reminded me that as much as we like to believe that we have a hedge of protection around us, maybe it is not completely one hundred percent. In other words, there might be times when the enemy can find a crack in the wall and take advantage of an opportunity to strike. Remember Job was being protected, but Satan begged for access to his flesh for the intention of turning Job away from God. Glory to God, Job held on the best he could and finally passed the test of faithfulness and obedience. The Lord proved to Satan that Job was truly a man of God and He rewarded Job accordingly. We see many stories of people being assaulted by the devil and we wonder how this could be. A family that has a car accident on the way home from church, a church being set on fire or a child that runs out in front of a car, we shake our head in bewilderment. You know, there are many unanswered questions in this life and I am sure we will personally have many more, but the lesson to learn is that it is not what happens to us – it is how we REACT to what happens to us. Sometimes it might be something that we did that causes our problems and sometimes we are completely innocent, but in the end it is how we CHOOSE to deal with it that will cause us to fail or be victorious. The devil wants us to turn against God just like he tried with Job but we must stay strong in our love and confidence with Father to know His Word will never fail.

Sometimes when a crisis happens, it makes us feel that we are defeated. We have a natural tendency to feel sorry for ourselves and become discouraged with our situation. However, God’s peace is the highest, most powerful feeling we can experience because it comes from the spiritual realm. We need to learn to let go of our abilities to handle things and let God make ALL things work together for His purpose. Selah. His peace is far beyond our emotions because His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His peace is stronger than our fears and crushes our worries and anxieties. His peace floods our heart with His courage and His confidence. Jesus is victorious and His promises are guaranteed to quiet our soul and replace restlessness with contentment. His peace opens the floodgates to His treasure house of joy and freedom to enjoy the beauty of His person. There is only one condition to living in His peace and that is – we must make a determined decision to receive it and accept it! Father will not force His blessings on us and they are not usually automatic. As we grow in His Word and learn about our covenant with Him, we begin to understand the gifts He died for us to have. The darkness CANNOT steal our perfect peace.

THE WALK OF PEACE

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 28

THE WALK OF PEACE

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

In the last few years there has been a surge in the interest for bible prophecy and rightly so as we are no doubt in the “last days”. Allow me to rephrase that time line and say with more accuracy that it is more like we are living in the last “hour”. Along with coming to the end of this dispensation, there are many different ideas and thoughts among Christians as to the order of events in Bible prophecy, but most all agree that judgment is happening now and will continue to increase. It is not my intention at this time to lay out my own personal interpretation of end time prophecy but rather to encourage all of us to keep our hands on the plow and to NOT look back.

The world is beginning to tremble under the stress of sin and these theological interpretations about what is coming upon the horizon have the religious community buzzing about how to prepare for the gradual increase of calamity. For the ones who believe the teachings about being “caught away” with a pre-tribulation rapture, today is not necessarily a day of worry or anxiety. Many Christians are convinced that Jesus will return before the time of intense judgment and will be rescued from what God has promised as punishment against the wicked. The idea with this particular brand of eschatology (which has been nicknamed the great escape) reminds me of a group standing around, patiently waiting at a bus stop. They are straining their eyes to see their transport device while being aware of the gathering rain clouds. I work with a man that comes in each morning saying that he is disappointed that the rapture did not happen while he was asleep. I have never heard him talk about God or share the gospel but only appear to be worried about leaving the darkness of this world and getting a good seat around the throne. Actually, I was raised with this doctrine along with the predestination teachings that are very difficult to understand. These two creeds are fastened together by some Christians to work hand in hand. If we believe that everyone has already been “selected” then there is usually not much concern about witnessing. This in turn pours cold water on the fiery passion for lost souls and excuses the attitude of burden for those who are lost. Some believe since Jesus is coming to rescue the chosen and leave the ones who were not chosen, He has made all the decisions and understands the lack of faith to believe in prayer. Many are convinced that any moment the worthy saints who have been made ready, will suddenly disappear from this earth to join Christ in the air. They will go to heaven for a while and feast at the wedding supper of the Lamb while the earth suffers under the tremendous wrath that God pours out on the blind. Then they believe He will return with His saints and destroy all evil as He establishes His new kingdom.

Then, on the other side of the fence, there are those who are persuaded the remnant church will remain on the earth and be used by God to walk the Christian walk in front of the world as a demonstration of God’s power and glory. These saints believe they will not be rescued but rather will be used to minister and stand for God’s truth to prove their faith as all other martyrs have throughout the ages. They may fall under the sword in persecution or be imprisoned and abused but they will be PROTECTED from the anger, punishment and WRATH from God. They believe the catching away of the bride will not happen until much later within this dispensation. They view the end of the age as Noah was protected within the ark but yet was still “in” the flood. Another type is the three Hebrew children who were “in” the furnace but was protected because Jesus was with them. Even in the story of the pass-over we notice that God said, when I see the blood I will pass – over – you. Therefore, we see the two camps of ideas and may I say that depending upon which side you are on – it does make quite a difference as to how you think and how you live. If you do not believe you will be exposed to the trials and temptations of the tribulation, you will not worry about being prepared. If you believe that God desires to use you when the world is reeling from fear, then you are no doubt hearing His instructions about what your mission will be and how to stand strong for Him.

Those who are waiting for the bus are constantly saying more and more as each day goes by – come Lord Jesus! This is not a bad thing to confess as long as it is not meant in a selfish way. I do not believe that we are demonstrating love and the character of Jesus if we just want to disappear away from all of this madness and not really care about all of the lost who are in our network. Salvation was never intended to be a secret or a golden ticket that we keep to ourselves. We were given the gift of grace like a anti-biotic that healed our infection. We in turn have been called to take this life saving medicine to the entire world so they will not die from the deadly virus of sin. If we keep the medicine locked up, what does that say about our love? Another serious thought is the attitude of not having to be prepared to face persecution and not having to worry about living in the midst of violent, chaotic world of demonic hatred. It is scary to think about living in a day like Moses did and it brings much relief and excitement to think that we would be snatched from the jaws of the dragon just in the nick of time. There would be no need to think about or pray about where to go or what to do as a survivor. There would be no need to pull away from the world’s power grid or be prepared to leave your home and flee to another location. You could just live for today, watch television and hope that Jesus would come while you sleep and save you from being uncomfortable. Let everyone search the scriptures for themselves and seek their salvation with fear and trembling. I am not trying to say what to accept and what to reject but only using these concepts as examples of what Christians embrace in their world-views. Pleased do not misinterpret my direction – Jesus is coming for His bride that He is making ready! The point is that God does not really want us to argue about when He is coming. Working until He comes and being ready everyday like it is the last day – is the key! Salvation is a finished work “and” a work in progress at the same time. Jesus paid the price for our redemption but has called us to live a life of obedience to Him. Instead of being so legalistic about doctrine, why can’t we stay in an attitude of prayer and love? “Peace comes not from the absence of troubles, but from the presence of God”. (Alexander Maclaren)

The opposite of peace is being anxious and we usually experience anxiety when we are uncertain of what is going to happen. We become worried and concerned when we have a serious need or faced with a threat. Everything that is connected to worry has the smell of negativity. This negative “dark” energy loves to consume us and control our mind because we have given it our blessing. Living in peace is a choice that we allow to happen. If we do not fight for this state of mind, the enemy will be more than happy to steal our peace and leave us in a fetal position of depression and fear. We talk about trusting God and how we must stand strong in the day of adversity – until our life takes a nose-dive. To really trust God means to believe (to KNOW that you KNOW) that He can see into the future and that nothing can ever take Him by surprise. This includes seeing you and all the emotions you feel and all of the circumstances you will face. Peace comes from knowing that He is aware of our needs and will provide for us. Peace comes from believing that His power is greater than any force of danger that might threaten us. Constantly reminding ourselves that He lives inside of us and is aware of us every second, will cause us to know and abide in “perfect peace”. Peace is connected to freedom, as we do not feel “bound” by panic or discouragement but rather totally resting and trusting in His perfect will. “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)

One of the many names for Jesus is the “prince of peace” and someday soon, He will return to earth and establish His Kingdom of peace. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) All of this is true and we will know about His eternal peace very soon but we do not need to wait until then to know His peace. If we choose to stay in His presence no matter how intense the storms are raging, we can WALK in spiritual contentment. As the world grows darker and chaos increases, it does not mean that our peace will be altered or decreased. It is only when we drift away from His promises and become confident in our own decisions that we become perplexed. He is giving us an offer that we must not refuse. He desires for us to give Him our worries – in exchange for His peace. Listen to Philippians 4: 6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the PEACE of God, which passes all understanding, will GUARD your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” May we redirect the energy from our worry into prayer because worry never helped anything but prayer can change everything. He does not call us to understand – but to have faith that His ways are perfect. “Because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need. In the meadow grass and leads me beside the quiet streams. He restores my failing health. He helps me do what honors him the most. Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way. You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow. Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your home.” (Psalm 23 TLB) Knowing and believing are two different things.

THE WALK OF THANKSGIVING II

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 27

THE WALK OF THANKSGIVING II

I was thinking this week (while in the midst of complaining about the frustrations of life), that being thankful is an attitude or state of mind. I am determined to continue praising Him in appreciation for all of the wonderful blessings He gives me. Each morning as I drive to work I pray for those on my heart and take a moment to realize how good He is to me. Here is a small list of things that I am sure you can relate to as well.

It is a blessing to wake up each morning! In addition, it is even more wonderful to open our eyes and not feel pain. When we swing our bodies over onto the side of the bed and stand on our feet – this is a wonderful thing! So often, we become so busy thinking about what we are going to do that we forget that it is the miracle of strong health that enables us to do it.

Have you ever thought about how glorious it is to be able to take a deep breath? Breathing seems so natural but to many it is a constant challenge and fear. It would be scary to not be able to get enough oxygen like being under water for a long time. We all know how good it feels to come up for air as it gives us such an awesome sense of relief. It is truly a blessing to be able to breathe deeply and not have to worry about it.

With so many different diseases that effect organs and causes them to not function properly, it would take a book to list them all. Our heart for example is another involuntary function that God has designed to keep a constant rhythm without us having to think about it. Many people are not so fortunate. Since the heart is such a crucial organ, its problems are taken seriously and a constant area of concern. What a blessing it is to have a heart that beats normally! We also thank God for all of the medications and devices He provides to maintain heart health.

Another organ that we seldom even think about but plays such an important part of our health are the kidneys. I grew up around kidney disease and watched as it has tortured several members of my family. As you know, the kidneys filter out the poisons, which contaminate the blood, and this waste is normally discarded through the body. Without this filtration, the blood retains the waste and the entire circulation system becomes overloaded with waste. Thus, the blood must be cleaned or the result is death. For those in good health the kidney function is hardly even thought about (or the bowels for that matter). Nevertheless, for the ones who have a disease of the urinary system and are left without kidneys that do their job, it is a demanding lifestyle of dialysis and careful diet. I have watched my father fight this sickness and he has been one of the most courageous individuals I have ever known. This disease completely changed his life and the life of my mother. His life has been a maze of doctor appointments, infections and weakness not to mention the consistent analyzing of the ingredients of every ounce of food and water he consumes. What we consider a normal routine to be able to go to the bathroom would be looked at by my dad as a miracle from God’s throne. When was the last time we were thankful that we could go to the bathroom without pain or even go at all?

I took a break a while ago and went downstairs to take a short nap in my beautiful den. I nestled into my cozy leather sofa while a cool breeze from a standing fan blew gently over me. Our dog’s name is Samson ( a year old French bulldog) and he wedged his way in between me and the couch and let out a sigh of enjoyment that sounded more like the grunt of a hog. I was thinking about what a blessing it is to have a place called home. I am sure most of you have a comfortable home and enjoy the pleasures of your private “castle” of peace and security. I thank God that I can work and make money because finances are needed to support a family. We go to the refrigerator and find something to eat, then get into our nice vehicle and travel wherever we need to go. We usually do not pay any attention to these “luxuries” but nonetheless they are tremendous blessings. We know there are many people that do not have a home of their own. Moreover, I heard recently there is a large percentage of schoolchildren in this country that go to bed hungry. May we not lose our spiritual humility as we live in the blood covenant blessings of Jesus Christ. It is God that has blessed us that we might be sensitive to the needs of others.

It is not a curse or a negative confession to say that we might not always have these great blessings. If we stand for God in the time of the New World Order, we may very well lose these pleasures and luxuries. This does not mean that God will forsake us or fail to protect us, it just means that surviving will require sacrificing and suffering. May we stay sensitive to His voice as we retain our attitude of love and thanksgiving to Him.

THE WALK OF THANKSGIVING

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 26

THE WALK OF THANKSGIVING

I have something very exciting to share with you. I know that most of you have been Christians for a long time and many of you have ministered about God’s love and even taught classes, preached and written articles concerning His mercy. I too have heard about God’s never ending love all of my life and have shared this great revelation. Nevertheless, as I was driving to work the other morning, I was reminded again within my spirit, how that God KNEW every sin that I would commit – yet still loved me enough to die for me. It is not that He died for me and then I have disappointed Him to the point where He feels He made a mistake. That way of looking at the situation is like the human way of seeing. If we bailed someone out of jail and they promised to be good, then turned around and robbed and killed while laughing at us, we would feel that we were used. This is not the way God operates. He knew every detail of our “entire” life. Everything we would do in secret, and every thought we will ever have. As the psalmist relates the wonderful statement that “His mercy endures forever” it is beyond comprehension the patience and compassion He had and has for us. It is the supernatural power of His love and His commitment to saving us that should give us the constant attitude of thanksgiving. This great, awesome covenant that He has signed with His own blood is the final say to the reality of His promises for our inheritance. Whenever the devil tries to bring discouragement or condemnation to us for failing God, let us remind him that our Father loves us with infinite forgiveness! The devil may run to God and tell on us, but The Lord knew about that sin from the beginning of the world. I can see the scenario of Jesus telling the devil to go away and forget about it because it is “covered” under HIS blood! We learn about news everyday but this is the BEST news the world could possibly know! We do not have to preach sermons or write books in order to witness to the lost. This “good news” of God’s love is the arrow of conviction that can pierce the heart of the hardest sinner. This good news has the power to transform lives but it must have someone to tell it! When is the last time you shared the message of God’s love? Ask Him for a divine appointment to share this simple truth about how the Fathers love sent Jesus to shed His blood for those who will receive by faith the truth that He KNEW us – yet still LOVES us? All Praise and glory to His Name forever!

THE WALK OF SEPARATION

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 25

THE WALK OF SEPARATION

The word separation has been associated with a mindset of division and it is rightly so. Division is the opposite of unity and for the Christian, this kind of thinking is usually negative. But in the spirit realm, we notice that separation has always had its place and will be in existence until we are with Christ in eternity. Those of you, who are the front line warriors and remnant bride of Christ, know first hand what it means to be separated from people and possessions of this world. Our sanctification prevents us from embracing sin but our love inspires us to love the sinner. We have turned away from those things that desire to enslave us and have separated ourselves from the temptations of pleasure. Many of you have sold your collectables and valuable treasures because you heard God’s voice and you obeyed His commands. Some of you have abandoned the world’s idea of success to embrace a life of humility, helping, ministering and giving. Likewise, some of you are still debating about which direction you will go and are weighing the cost as to just “how much” you are willing to surrender. We must be prepared to walk away from everything. Let us be reminded of the price that comes with being a follower, “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishermen. And, He said unto them, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they IMMEDIATELY LEFT THEIR NETS AND FOLLOWED HIM.” (Mathew 4:18-19) We notice that He did not make them an offer or allow them to argue about the details. It does not say they hired other people to work for them while they were gone or even to watch over their possessions. It does not mention them saying goodbye to their families and friends or if they were torn about leaving the security of their established life. It simply describes the scenario of the God of the universe speaking to the hearts of humans to trust Him and obey Him. We make such a huge drama out of our decisions because it is the evidence of a fierce WAR between our will and His. Our flesh has such a smothering control over us that it creates incredible confusion and complications. Most of us at one time in our life were deceived with the complexities and fantasies of how life should be, but I hope we now realize that it was all a fleshly mirage. Remember, Lots wife was told to NOT look back.

I believe there is coming a time in the near future where those who are called by His Name will continue to experience a deeper revelation of separation. I am sad to realize there are many in our families that will choose to NOT advance with God. The masses that have not prepared themselves mentally and spiritually to follow Jesus will most likely be carried away with the strong flood of Satan’s lies and deceptions. It is too difficult to comprehend the depth of Christ if the mind is saturated with doubt and blindness. Most will turn away from the invitation to suffer for Christ as the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus. Today is the day to allow Christ to fill our hearts with His wisdom and holiness – not at the last second. “Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven: AND COME AND FOLLOW ME. But, when the young man heard that saying, HE WENT AWAY SORROWFUL: FOR HE HAD GREAT POSSESSIONS.” (Mathew 21-22) I received a word from a saint the other day and felt it was a message to us for the hour. I pray that it blesses you and speaks to your spirit.

Glynda Lomax, Jun 07, 2012 10:06 pm.

“I have spoken to you to leave behind the things of the past, yet many of you still cling to it. You cling to the people, the places, and the things of the past that have no place in your future, in your future in Me. If you try to take the past into your future, you will find no place for it there, my people. There is no place in the chaos that is coming for your flesh. Set your minds on Me, and on the things of My kingdom. Set your sights on your heavenly reward, for all that is now shall soon pass away. Life as you know it will cease, but in My Kingdom, all things are made new. You have asked Me for many things, and you have asked that I anoint you, yet you refuse to lay down the things I ask of you.

In the spirit I saw the enemy handing us things to occupy us, much like a mother hands a small child a cheap toy to keep them busy and distracted so they won’t fuss, while the Lord stands nearby, holding out to us a very genuine reward He wants to give to us. I saw that this is a very widespread attack of the enemy, trying to distract us from our walk with the Lord.
You are refusing to choose the things of Me when you cling to what is no longer useful, and many of you will be passed over for promotion because of this. I promote those who show themselves yielded vessels, ready for My use, obedient to My commands. I do not promote the disobedient.

Some of you have waited a long time for what is coming, yet have not made yourselves ready. Why must I continually speak this to you, My children? Why do you not obey, as you know you should? Will you live with regret and not the rewards I have for you? Some of you are obeying and you shall be given much for your much obedience. Those who obey little shall be given little. Do not be deceived children; I do not reward disobedience and sloppy living. I do not reward those who do not strive to walk in My ways. I do not reward those who do not honor My Son with their lives. You cannot serve two masters. Either you will serve your flesh, or you will serve Me, but you will not serve both and receive rewards from Me.

If you serve the enemy, then you receive his reward. If you serve Me – truly serve Me – you receive Mine. You cannot serve Me only with your lips, you must sacrifice the desires of your flesh, walk in My ways, be in My Word, do My will. I try the heart and the reins, I know all things. I know the true
motives behind your deeds and I shall judge you accordingly.

The time to shake off the past is now, My children. Let go. Let go of the things of the flesh that no longer serve a useful purpose in your spiritual lives. Let go and come up higher with Me for I have great rewards for you when you do. Do not be deceived. You cannot serve the enemy while serving Me, for
He who is not for me, is against Me. Release the past. Trust Me to meet your needs.” “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) “In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” (Luke 17: 31-33)

After reading this message, I felt drawn to the passage in Mathew 25, as we follow the train of thought about the separation of people in this last hour. As we perceive the words of Jesus, we cannot help but notice the “difference” is revealed in the condition of the heart as well as the spirit. The hardness or compassion of the heart clearly identifies the character of the individual. Selah. Spiritual freedom is found when we lay everything at His feet and let go of the tight grip that we have on the things we have deep feelings for. Holding on to our “idols” exposes our allegiance and explains our motives. Let us begin with verse 31, “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall SEPARATE them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And, he shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” We will see that God’s people have life changing convictions and burdens for the helpless and hopeless people of the earth. Their agape love is more than just words coming out of their mouths – they pour themselves out completely and freely like water from a container.

Jesus say’s, “For I was hungry and you gave me meat: I was thirsty and you gave me drink: I was a stranger and you took me in: Naked and you clothed me: I was sick and you visited me: I was in prison and you came to me.” The righteous people of God wanted to know when did they see Him in need and when did they ever help Him? He said that when they had ministered out of love – they had actually ministered to Him. He goes through the same examples to the lost people but instead acknowledges they DID NOT help anyone but rather lived selfishly without concern. He continues about how the sheep will inherit the eternal Kingdom of victory and joy while the goats are cursed and will be sent into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. If anyone has a question about his or her own salvation, this is a perfect example of what a true Christian looks like “walking the walk”. The remnant is not composed of “lip service” crowds, who want comfort, pleasure and everything handed to them on a silver platter. The followers of Christ are called to be like “Gideon’s 300 warriors” who say, “God, I know this is going to be a fight. I know it is going to cost everything that I have and all that I am but, Father, I am with You in this battle!” Are you being separated as a goat or sheep? Do you know which side you are on at this moment? Are you determined to be a SOLD OUT fanatic for Jesus? The dividing line is being drawn this day by the decisions of every person that has an ear to hear. Selah.

THE WALK OF DISCIPLINE II

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK
PART 24

THE WALK OF DISCIPLINE II

I must be honest – I have not fasted a whole lot in my life. I am guilty of loving to eat and have my own problems trying to deal with it. I also struggle with spending time in prayer. I pray and talk with God on the way to work and going home. I talk with Him while I am at work and try to go to bed early so that I can be quiet in His presence and listen to Him but I do not have a two or three hour specific time each day. For those who do – I am inspired to rise to this level of commitment. I personally believe that we are to STAY in constant communion as we WALK in prayer consciousness. Whatever the quantity of time we choose to surrender to Him, our prayers must become a personal discipline that we place at the top of our priority list or our fast-paced life will cause us to forget the needs of others. Last year I felt inspired by the Holy Spirit to go on a seven-day denial of meat, bread, potatoes and sweets. For this particular week, I only ate fruit, vegetables and drank water and fruit juice. I am not boasting of my sacrifice but rather just testifying to you the spiritual encouragement and refreshing this time of seeking God gave me. This may not seem like much of a sacrifice to some but you must understand the amount of rich foods I consume regularly. Fasting done with the right intention and with the humble desire to draw closer to His presence will always be spiritually rewarding and a true blessing to clear our mind and rest our body. Of course, this is not the only kind of discipline we can choose to do because actually the Christian WALK is an entire LIFE of discipline! Fasting is just an example of how we are to live in a “state” of order and control. We are not to be extremist that is strict one minute and let our hair down the next because it exposes the instability of our heart with an imbalance and immaturity of our mind. So, how do we abide in His discipline? We can buy all the books and listen to the video programs telling us how to incorporate Godly principals into our schedule but what we need is more of God Himself! We must be careful that we do not become like the Pharisees who took discipline to a completely insane level of legalism. They became more absorbed in the “science” of living according to the law than trying to connect and know God spiritually. I read an anonymous statement the other day that said the Christian life is not for everyone. It did sound strange at first but the more I thought about it the more I began to grasp its meaning. Salvation is for “whosoever will” but most people will NEVER accept Him. There is such a huge difference between being religious and being a disciple that it is obvious that many church attendees have never had or never will have a burning desire to be a “true” Christian. It is because the followers of Christ must ALLOW themselves to be stripped completely, broken into pieces, melted with fervent heat, molded into God’s image and polished to the brightness of His glory. The masses are completely confused because when they heard the invitation for salvation they were told to accept Christ as their Savior and He would make everything wonderful. They were not informed intentionally about what their requirements and accountabilities would be. They may not admit it publicly but deep within their conscience, their rebellion secretly professes to have never “signed up” to be a living sacrifice or live a life of strict discipline. This lack of holiness is why many churches do lot’s of “activities” but have very little anointing.

I heard an interview with a pastor the other day on Christian radio. The host was asking him about his church and he went on to tell about his programs, the size of the church, and he tried to describe his “style” of ministry and so on. After it was over I realized that he had not mentioned anything about the anointing, the Holy Spirit, changed lives, miracles, healings, visions, the power and glory of God, casting out devils, discipleship, weeping, fasting or even reaching out to the community. It seemed the church was focusing on itself and how hard they were laboring to be a success. Sadly, this is the typical, average, “normal” condition of modern lukewarm religion. The reason why the presence of God is not manifested is obvious: the people have not invested their personal time in prayer and intimate worship. If the members have been calloused by the sins of the world, they will not desire the holy of holies but rather are more comfortable with a light, pleasant, religious service. If the atmospheres in churches like these are no different from going to the grocery store, then something is terribly wrong! If God’s power and anointing has been exchanged for entertainment and if Holy Ghost preaching has been traded for politically correct lectures and socially acceptable stories – then where is God? What part does the Lord have in a church where man leads it, designs it and controls it? God is looking for men and women who desire to know what spiritual discipline really means and who has the faith to step forward and say – I will do it! Not because they are trying to impress anyone but because they love Jesus with ALL their heart, their mind and their strength. In the Christian world there are popular subjects to talk about that can stimulate a crowd to stand on their feet and shout the house down. And, on the other hand there are topics that pastors will keep on the shelf because the majority would be offended and not be able to receive it. I believe that fasting is one of such examples because in general most people are not interested in anything that causes a disruption in their daily routine or that could cause suffering. That is why many churches avoid the deeper spiritual “walk” and settle for potluck dinners every week. It is no secret that people love to eat and sadly in many assemblies instead of being built around God’s Word and the desire to grow spiritually the church is built around fellowship where the only “gain” is found on the bathroom scales. Our lives have become so spoiled with the luxury of eating, that food has evolved from the category of “survival” to the plateau of exciting entertainment. For many, food has become one of our favorite pastimes and is the high point of the day. There is so much sadness and depression in the world that some, (even Christians) have adopted food as a way to drown their anxieties and depression, similar to the alcoholic and drug addict lifestyle.

We understand the general meaning of “fasting” to be the deliberate abstaining of food (and) or drink for spiritual purposes. I also believe that we can declare abstinence from other things that we love and enjoy for the purpose of sacrificing our flesh to enhance our relationship with God. The first part of the New Year is a good time to establish our commitment to Christ and start the calendar with a strong statement of dedication and loyalty to His Name and His Word. But fasting can be exercised anytime of the year and is an awesome way to generate power into our prayers of faith. Also it is a form of discipline to train our heart to be more of a giver and compassionate to those in need. Let us begin in Mathew chapter six and verse one, where Christ gives His instructions on several specific aspects of the disciplined life we have been talking about. “Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, for then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give a gift to a beggar, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do – blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity. I tell you in all earnestness, they have received all the reward they will ever get.” (verses 1- 2 TLB) Verse 9, “But when you pray, go away to yourself, all alone and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly and your Father who knows your secrets will reward you.” Verses 32, “So, don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But, your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and He will give them to you if you give Him FIRST PLACE in your life and live as He wants you to.”

It is very common for those who think about being disciplined to believe that when the New Year comes around that it is a magical time to instantly become strict and organized to get everything in their life on track. What sort of New Year’s Resolution should a Christian make? The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a new year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31 and January 1. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make? Common New Year’s resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. By far, the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating more healthily. These are all good goals to set. However, first Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to material things. This is not the central focus of what God’s visions are about. The Lord does want to bless us but usually our benefits and pleasures are the side item while HIS plans and destiny for us are the main spiritual meaning and focus. Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?

Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has a chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God’s Word, we will not receive God’s help in fulfilling the resolution. So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions: (1) pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) pray for wisdom with HOW to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) rely on God’s strength to help you; (4) find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further; (6) don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Yes and Amen!

There have been many brave soldiers since the beginning of time to walk out on a battlefield and declare to heaven and earth, that they are willing to die for what they know to be true. Unfortunately God does not give credit for those who believe in a lie. Having faith in a false god or a false belief system does not earn favor with THE GOD of the heaven and earth. Sincerity does not earn special credit because there is an absolute truth and many who are “sincerely” wrong. Sincerity also does not TAKE THE PLACE of discipline. The Lord does not move just because we ask Him to. He cannot turn against His own perfection because that would be compromising and confusing. We must listen to HIS voice and pray according to HIS destiny for the miracle to be performed in His perfect way and at the perfect time. He usually moves when He sees us taking the initiative to help ourselves. In other words, He is more inclined to help those who are working hard toward the vision instead of those lying on the couch waiting for Him to do it all. We must start somewhere and believe that along with our effort that God is going to empower us with His spiritual discipline and open doors of favor and blessing to help us accomplish HIS will.

THE WALK OF DISCIPLINE

October 28, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

THE WALK

PART 23

THE WALK OF DISCIPLINE

Summer is here and I realize that everyone is busy. It seems there is so much to do and we are hot and tired. Having so much to think about is exhausting and a time to beware of emotions that can create a negative attitude. To say the least, these feelings of “blah” can influence our spiritual lives. Now is not the time to allow our spiritual flame to die down or our edge to become dull. I believe this is a unique hour in the history of humanity and when I talk about being prepared, I am saying it is CRUCIAL to buy oil NOW so that we will not be like the unwise virgins. The remnant that made the conscious decision to be “FILLED” with the Holy Spirit was ready and was allowed entrance into the presence of Christ. Those who did not take the initiative to “walk” in God’s divine reality tried to “catch up” at the last minute but did not have time to develop an intimate relationship. Today is a window of time that we must guard our mind so that we will not be swept away with Satan’s flood of deception. The devil wants us to stop reading God’s Word and to stop spending meditation time alone with the Lord. The dark kingdom loves it when we spend our evenings watching television instead of praying and studying. Yes, we are being bombarded from all sides with sin and the aggressive violence of hatred for God but we must maintain our courage. How can we stand for God’s truth if we are weak, uninformed, lethargic, unprepared and afraid? To say the least, it is OUR TIME with God that will pay huge spiritual dividends. Today is the day to press in, to move forward and advance toward His light. We are to be maturing and growing stronger NOT going backward into discouragement. WE are to be the hands and feet for Jesus but how can we help His Kingdom if we are depressed and not interested? Let us remain focused and alert to His direction.

I know that we are not to live in condemnation and it is miserable to walk in the shadow of a guilty conscience. Please allow me to speak honestly about betrayal, compromise, denial and the personal pain of living a carnal existence of mediocrity. Many including myself have collected knowledge through the years and have learned at least something about right and wrong. Those who are interested in seeking spiritual truth love to “collect” more wisdom like some people hoard antiques but that is not necessarily accomplishing anything. The most effective vision would be to pray for the DESIRE of discipline so that “truth” can be “incorporated” into our character. When are we going to “live” our knowledge? There is the HUGE difference between being a walking seminary – and a live demonstration. Moreover, there are many who KNOW what everyone else should do but FAIL to walk what he or she understands. Selah. I know this is hard and not really exciting but sometimes we need to hear it. Let us go on. I know I stumble all the time, I make wrong decisions and I do not always reflect the character of Christ. I know right from wrong and I can perceive truth and even communicate it, but nevertheless I feel that I am failing to walk the walk. I realize I have high expectations of what I believe are God’s vision for me (and the body of Christ) to live but at the same time, I am NOT where I should be. I will not make excuses for my carnality but on top of my personal problems, I do feel the intensity of resistance from evil. Even the news is saturated with discouragement and seems to have every intention of draining the very life from us. It is true there are dark clouds of “concern” on the horizon with everything from the economy collapsing and the one world government to the mark of the beast. Am I worried? Of course I am! However, I also believe that if I will heed God’s warnings and embrace His wisdom that I will be given the opportunity to develop the discipline that I will need to be prepared. I feel the pressure from the enemy is being increased against anyone that desires to press toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. The devil hates us and he hates it when we start talking about being disciplined in the Lord! It seems as though I am being attacked from every side – even in my sleep! Do you feel that way? I want to live for God and please Him but lately it has been like climbing a steep cliff. It is HARD to get it all together and feel enthused about your progress. Even my weight has become a serious issue because I do not like the way I look or the way I feel. I need a booster shot of discipline to stop eating all the wrong foods. A man of my age should realize that I cannot eat like I did when I was twenty years old. Nevertheless, the more I think about changing my life, the more I am tempted and with delicious, mouth-watering delicacies. I am convinced that no one will change anything until the agony of staying the same becomes greater than the painful cost of changing. We can complain and cry about our situations but until we become nauseated about the way we are – we will not incorporate the discipline that is needed to become victorious. Selah.
Are we bored with preaching and teaching? Those of us that have been involved with the religious environment for years believe that pretty much we have heard most everything about the bible. No matter what the subject we feel confident that we know about it and that most of what we hear now is just repetitions and cycles of previously heard commentaries. As we read and study about a particular genre, our brain has a tendency to evaluate what others say, which comes complete with our own set of personal opinions, criticisms, judgments and arguments. What does this have to do with discipline? There is a danger to developing numbness to the abundance of spiritual teaching. We go through our email messages and delete biblical insights that we say we do not have time to read. I have a large library of biblical treasures and I seldom even pull one from the shelf. I receive numerous magazines and newsletters but usually scan them at the most. I have sat in my office many times and nodded out reading about the glorious splendor of God’s love and provision. Why? Am I tired of hearing about the cross of Christ? Am I turned off with the subject of discipline because I am not interested in suffering? Has the world’s pleasures spoiled us so bad that we have become fat and lazy? Have we traded our swords and shields for the false security of materialism? If there was ever a time when the body of Christ needed to drink freely from the fountain of God’s mercy and be transformed into the image of Jesus it is NOW. Let us not yawn at spiritual truth but rather be excited and count it a privilege that we can still receive His Word without persecution. There may be coming a time in the near future where there will be a famine of God’s Word. The Lord is giving us His Word NOW to help prepare us and build our FAITH for the time of tribulation. Amen!

Sin should always be recognized and treated as the enemy of our soul and when “secret deals” are made between our flesh and the devil it is never in our best interest. I have noticed in my life and in human behavior in general, the cravings of the flesh dominate this world. Yes, humans are very emotional and have a “wiring” system that is controlled by carnal pleasure. Now brother, Christians have overcome the flesh and are not prone to being led with their flesh aren’t they? Well, I know what God desires from His children but sadly, I am convinced that most people who consider themselves religious have NO intention to discipline their mind and harness their carnality. This “deal” that I mentioned is the compromise of receiving a new “home” from Father God but decorating it completely in our own style. The home represents our new spirit, our new agreement or covenant that guarantees temporal blessings and eternal security. The “style” is moving in all of our OLD thoughts, ways, actions, attitudes, opinions, habits and merging them with our new promises. In this light, we become deceived into thinking that we can have the best of both worlds. Like a brand new ship where we are still the captain or inheriting a manufacturing plant and we are the CEO that decides what is produced, how much volume and at what cost. This is NOT the revelation of spiritual discipline and is NOT Christianity.

Discipline is a word that is commonly used whenever there is a need for REAL change. It is not a very likeable word unless you are very serious about accomplishing something important. It is a popular word like “love” or “prayer” but also a hated and avoided word because it always accompanies other words like sacrifice and pain. It is closely related to determination in that nothing usually happens unless there is a vision so strong that someone actually becomes “possessed” with seeing it through. Multitudes can draw blueprints, hold seminars, write books and even dream about accomplishing goals but it is nothing without discipline. No destiny will ever be realized, no destination will be reached with only talk and hope. Discipline must become the legs of our faith so that God can breathe His miracle power into our calling. Selah. Our flesh desires to not only do what WE want to do – but to accomplish it as painless and easy as we can. Again, this is NOT being led by God and is always out in “left field” when it comes to living in His Divine Reality.

“Father we cry out, Oh God for your mercy. We are struggling to stay steady in a world that is reeling and groaning under the weight of depravity and abominations. Give us the desire to want MORE of you. Please, blow on the embers of our heart that we might become a flame for your glory. Shake us and wake us from our slumber. Open the eyes of our heart that we might be able to KNOW you and your perfect will. Break our hearts and reveal to us our sin. Tear down our idols and anything that is keeping us from you. Please convict us when our love waxes cold and we judge others through the eyes of prejudice. Allow us to know the revelation of Jesus and the cross that we been called to carry. May we abandon our carnality and embrace the faith that moves mountains. I know that most of this will depend on how much we want you and I simply ask you this day to help enhance our awareness, sensitivity, holiness and discipline. In Jesus Name, amen.”

BILLY HOLLAND MINISTRIES

CONVICTIONS and CONSIDERATIONS

Category: The Walk

THE WALK OF ABANDONMENT

THE WALK OF OPTIMISM II

THE WALK OF OPTIMISM

THE WALK OF PEACE II

THE WALK OF PEACE

THE WALK OF THANKSGIVING II

THE WALK OF THANKSGIVING

THE WALK OF SEPARATION

THE WALK OF DISCIPLINE II

THE WALK OF DISCIPLINE

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