Prayer

Some of us already know how to pray.  Many of us are insecure or uncomfortable in our prayer lives.

The apostles, steeped in their Judaic upbringing saw the Lord pray and asked Him, "Teach us to pray" in Luke 11 and Matthew 6.  The apostles knew what they were taught but observed the Lord in His prayer life.  They saw Him come back with the Glory and peace of the Almighty ever more upon His face and saw through all things that He had peace.  When Jesus prayed, His words had power.

The Lord taught the Disciple's prayer, often termed the Lord's prayer, in Luke 11 and Matthew 6.  Right before He taught the disciples in Matthew 6, he warns us that we should not contain our prayer life to simply these verses but instead view them as a model for prayer in our lives.  He warns us against continually repeating a prayer over and over again with little thought or understanding the meaning behind the words:  ⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.^{(Matthew 6)}

Keep in mind that meditation upon the words of the Disciple’s prayer or other verses in the Bible are different from vain repetition as meditation is conscious and deliberate.  Meditation requires quietness of our heart and going to a secret place within ourselves, even when we are in public places, in order to seek a deeper or fresh meaning of the word.  Likewise, when we continuously make repetitive heart-felt requests to the Lord, they are not vain and thoughtless.

Prayer is a sacred communication with the Lord.  It changes our focus off of ourselves and onto He that has all power and sovereignty over our lives, our situations and the world around us.  When we pray with honesty and confidence to the Lord, we seek to know Him better.  We develop a relationship with the Lord through prayer which will increase our faith and give us that peace and joy we seek in our lives and which can only come from Him for this type of peace does not come from the world.  It is peace amongst our situations which allow us through His strength to overcome just as He overcame the world.

Should our prayer life all be the same?  In that we pray, yes.  How we pray will be different just as God made our fingerprints, our dna, our personalities each unique so will our relationship or prayer-life with the Lord. 

If you’ve never prayed before, no matter what you are experiencing, cry out to Him openly and honestly.  He seeks a relationship – a dialog, a song, a moan, and sometimes it is just quiet and listening to Him as we sit as His feet.  Prayer life will change as your relationship changes.  Just as the Lord is alive, so will your prayer life grow, develop and mature.

Worry

I have been praying over worry. I know this sounds strange but I wanted to see worry from God's perspective. I know God does NOT want us to worry; I wanted to understand worry from God. Through these past few weeks, I have seen worry from different perspectives -- how to stop worrying, verses where God addresses worry, etc. but it wasn't until a friend asked me about the Law regarding food that God showed me something about worry that sunk into my soul deeply. I pray that this touches your heart and soul, too.

Please understand in this blog I am NOT prescribing any dietary restrictions. I simply trying to convey the symbolism for what these unclean animals represent, that being scavengers. God does not want us to be associated with scavengers or the act of scavenging.  God calls us to be a Holy people, a people set apart  choosing to stand on faith, trusting in God instead of worrying and giving into fear. 

In Deuteronomy chapter 14 and Leviticus chapter 11, God calls the unclean animals scavengers and told the people to avoid them.  God detests these scavengers.

When God's people came upon battles, God would often instruct them NOT to take anything from the possessions of the defeated (Deuteronomy 7:25, Joshua 18:18 and again with Saul). God does not want His people to scavenge through the defeated for their plunder. The victories belonged to the Lord and so did the plunder to do with as God pleased. He does not want His people, a holy people, to be scavengers.


Saul did not follow God's instructions in 1 Samuel 15 and did scavenge through the plunder of the fallen:

9But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. 10Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

This rebellion of Saul cost Saul as God rejected him as King over Israel because of this: “23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

When we worry over something beyond our control, we scavenge over the issues. We are literally picking them apart, tearing through each individual detail. Not a pretty sight, is it? We are literally rebelling against God, stubbornly refusing to hand over the whole issue to God and trust him that He will take care of it. We are not called to be scavengers! We are called to do or learn something from the situation and leave the rest behind. We are called to cast our cares upon Him. We do this because we believe that God cares about us and our situations. And, He faithfully does! God will direct our paths while we stand faithing.

The word sanctification actually means something set aside to be made Holy (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sanctification). So, dear children, we MUST learn to not worry. When we worry, it is a lack of faith and will diminish our hope. Worry does not build trust or relationship with the Lord.  Worry is fear and it represents a lack of faith.

We can trust God because the Lord is – not was, not will be – He is “I AM” which means He always will be. We can tell worry to stop because as long as God is on the throne, He is in control. And, He is, was, and always will be on the throne!  Amen!

Abba Father

I use to think God the Father was this awesome scary thing that was ready to spite me.  I did fear this awesome, jealous God and kept Him at arm's distance.  But then, something changed over time and as I learned more about Him and let Him in and started trusting Him, I feared Him less and began to understand how we could ever come to call him "Abba, Father."

Jesus wanted us to understand His Father when He shared in Luke (Chapter 15) about the Parable of the Lost Son:

Jesus continued: v11-12 "There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.'  So he divided his property between them."  In this verse, we can see that the younger son is focusing on himself.  Traditionally, the younger son would not receive an inheritance at all and secondly, the blessings would be given out near death.  The younger son’s heart had already left his father.  The Father knew this in his heart, too, but he divided the estate between them and allowed his son to leave.

Jesus said the son went off to a distant country and squandered his wealth.  Then a famine came and out of the pit of his need, he realized how hungry he was and wanted to eat the pods that he was feeding the pigs.  Jesus says, “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like on of our hired men.’  So he got up and went to his father.’”  (v17-20a)  

When we leave and start living in sin, we, too, must come to the end of ourselves before we are ready to “come to our senses” and turn our hearts back to the Lord.  The son only knows if he returns he will eat in abundance.  At this moment in his life, his next meal is his greatest need.  He views the people working for his father as hired men and determines that he would rather be a hired man for his father than his current employer.

V20b “But while he was a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”  The Father knows when our heart turns and He will personally meet us right where we are, just as we are, grateful and joyful for our return.  For you see, the Father didn't walk, he didn't talk a donkey or a chariot -- he RAN out the moment he saw his son on his way home with all the sweat, stink, dirt, cuts, etc.  He didn't hand him any antibacterial wipes to clean himself up first  --  he just ran out there and let the son knew his father loved him.  Our Father does this for us, too.

V21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”  The son, verbally confessing to the Father what he has rehearsed above, is interrupted by the Father before he has a chance to request to be a hired man.  For in verse 22 the father says to his servants to bring the best robe and put it on him.  He didn’t wait for him to bathe; he simply took him as he was.  In verse 23-24 he tells his servants to “bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” 

The Father wants us to return to Him.  When each of us returns to Him, it is his great joy.  Notice how the Father interrupts the son before he has the chance to request to be a hired hand.  God wants us to verbally confess our sins, to acknowledge our errors and his sovereignty.  God interrupts before He has the chance to request to be his hired hand because God doesn't want hired hands -- we are sons and daughters of God.  God wants us to serve him in joy and obedience, working together in the family business through Jesus Christ to bring about the harvest.  In return, the Father provides not just our needs, but abundance for all things comes from the Father.

We meet the other son in verse 25-26, “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field.  When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.”  When he finds out that they are celebrating his brother’s return “the older brother became angry and refused to go in.  So his father went out and pleaded with him. (v28)”  The son does not understand.  He has grown up in the church and has always done what he was asked to do, serving diligently and obediently.  He has never gone out into the world and tasted sin like his brother.  He has always done what it was he should do.  This son represents the law for when you're living under the law, it is difficult to understand grace.  God's grace is given freely and without merit.


The Father explains in verse 31-32 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

When one child of God is found and reborn, it can be difficult to watch God bless them and become envious of their blessings by discounting those that have been bestowed upon ourself by His grace.  It is important to remember the great capacity of God’s love and to remember that each of us has a special unique purpose.  The Father’s great plan is that none of us would be lost but that all would be found.  He comes to us at the point of our need if we desire to seek Him.  And through that plan, those that are found have the opportunity to join Him in the fields where God's cultivating (planting/watering/harvesting) is already at work.  Through joining him, some may be called away from their current activities and instructed by God to minister to other sons and daughters He sees returning their hearts back to Him just as the servants in this parable above who were instructed to bring his returning son a robe and feed him.  The Lord said the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few in Matthew 9:37 and Luke 10:2.  If your heart is willing to join Him, ask Him to show you where He is at work and then become involved.  


Through the power and glory of Jesus Christ, may you be blessed by the reading of His words and have your eyes lifted to His glory so you may see the fulfillment of the Father's purpose.

Fear of the Lord

So, what does the word of God say about fearing the Lord? It turns out, quite a lot!  Here are just some verses:

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.”  Proverbs 29:25

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:9-11

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.  Psalm 111:9-10

I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the LORD listened to me.  Deuteronomy 9:18-20

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, Deuteronomy 10:11-13

When I was a child, I use to think that fearing the Lord meant that I should be afraid of Him.  And, with the stories of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, I found it easy to be afraid of Him.  I kept the Lord at arm’s length and wouldn't let Him get too close.  But, as I got older, I began to realize that this is not the relationship the Lord desired.  He wants us to be in close relationship with Him.  I mistakenly thought that if I became too close to God, He would take my life.  So what then does "fear of the Lord" really mean?

Job, according to God, was living righteously.  Yet, the bottom fell out of Job’s life:  he lost his children, his wife and his property all in a very short period of time.  Under those circumstances, many would say “forget this” or “how could God allow this to happen?”  Instead, Job explains why he remains faithful to God despite his circumstances.  Job feared God’s sovereignty and continued to praise Him even in his grief.  In chapters 38-41, God answers Job and explains His sovereignty.  Because of Job's faithfulness, God blessed him by restoring him in double portion.

In another example, Peter, the Apostle of Jesus Christ is in a boat during a terrible storm (Matthew 14:22-33).  He sees Jesus walking on the water coming towards him.  Peter asks the Lord to call him and Jesus responds, “Come.”  Peter comes out of the boat and begins to walk towards Jesus.  But when Peter looked around at his circumstances – the wind and the water – he became afraid and began to sink.  He cried out "Lord, save me!"  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"  Peter took his eyes off of the Lord and became more afraid of his current situation instead of remaining steadfast in Jesus’ sovereignty.  Jesus saved Peter and taught him at the same time who He is.  He continues to do this for us today.

As we begin to trust God’s sovereignty in our lives and allow Him to be our God, and thereby giving Him the rightful place in our lives, we are displaying a righteous fear of the Lord.  Putting God first and allowing him to be Lord over our life and our will, He will draw us closer, teach us about His character and transform our lives – changing us from the inside out.  This fear will become a desire to follow Him wherever He leads us because we are more afraid of losing this close relationship with Him no matter the cost or circumstances because we understand that He is in control.

Growing in the Lord

Brothers and sisters in Christ,


I am so excited to be writing to you. I was reminded this morning that our faith comes through hearing. Hearing what? Hearing the word of God, prayers and hymns that uplift and glorify His name, testimonies that resonate of His glory and studies which illuminate . It brings balm to the hurting, salt to the saints.. The Word of God becomes a living spring in our hearts.
It is what we store up in our heart that comes out of our lips. So, be weary of what you hear. Test those spirits that come with words of defeat. Defeat the enemy with the sword of truth which is a double edged sword. This sword is the word of God. It is double-sided as sometimes it heals while sometimes it convicts us to our very being. But, it is always out of love, for God is love. He is continuously trying to bring us into a deeper relationship with Him. He is out of love continuously healing, refining and restoring us. He wants what is our best and only He can do this as only He can see past, present and future at once. Only He knows why we are created and to what purpose our unique talents and gifts were meant for. We standing on faith when we know, despite our circumstances, that God does know what is best for us and is working for our best. Faith requires trust.
Trust comes through experience that He has our best in mind and not giving up on Him as He does not give up on us. Reminding ourselves that in good times and bad times, the Lord gives and the Lord takes and through it all, Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Trust requires understanding what God is doing.

The beginning of understanding is fear of the Lord. When we fear the Lord more than our circumstances, then God is ready to show you His power in your life and in your circumstances. It requires us to Hear that He is in control and sovereign. It requires us in our heart to trust him even when our flesh is shaking like a leaf. It requires us to know Him and we only know Him by spending time with Him.

Children, how blessed we are to have a Father that loves us so much that He is always looking out for us and waiting for us to bring us into a right relationship with Him. He isn't asking for slaves of obligation but slaves of joy. When we understand that through this relationship we are set free and begin to experience grace rather than oppression of obligation (and law), then we truly will be filled with the Joy of the LORD which is our strength.
God be praised!

A Watching World

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'--which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' When some of those standing near heard this, they said, 'Listen, he's calling Elijah.' One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 'Now leave him alone.
Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,' he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, 'Surely this man was the Son of God!' Mark 15:34-39 NIV

I am awestruck and touched by the centurion who watched Jesus died and was converted. My own Grandfather accepted Christ on the day he passed. Before taking his last breath, he sat up in bed -- previously without his own strength since his body was overcome with cancer -- reached out his hand and said "Lord". Then he took his last breathe. Although I was already a Christian, I was absolutely humbled by his death. I knew he was found worthy by the Lord, our Savior, as He came for him. This centurion knew by watching Jesus' death that this was different from
what he had witnessed before. Will we be found different by a watching world? Are we living a life set apart? We are to live in the world without becoming part of the world. We are called to be set apart, even when it means we feel alone. To turn away from the norms of the world for the arms of our Savior so in the end of running our race, we too
will taste the victory, to be home at last so that even through our death, others will see God, the Father's glory. In those last moments when all of our sins were heaped upon Jesus and the Father turned away from the sin, Jesus knew that although He felt alone, He was not. If you're struggling, in the quietness of your soul, cry out to Him who
knows your struggles. Our race is like the child when they see you and start running towards you with their eyes open wide - He's running - where are you going? He'll be by your side these arms that are holding you.

Redemption

Prior to Jesus' coming, many had turned their hearts away from the Lord Jesus Christ. Others were looking towards the law passed down by God, trying to live rightly and continually falling short and thereby feeling discouraged or frustrated. There is a reason. To fall short of the law, is to experience the curse which is God's ultimate condemnation and His wrath.

But there is good news!!

God so loved us, in all of our sin and imperfections, that he sent His son, his only BELOVED son to die for you and me. Not because we were worthy but because we were loved. Jesus came to earth to feel what we feel, see the world He spoke into existence through our eyes, to relate to us on our level. God always meets us where we are, just as we are.

One day out of the year, the Jewish nation celebrate Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement as stated in Leviticus 16:29-34. On this one day out of the year, the sins against God, not against other people, are reconciled for the past year. On this one day, the traditional dress is to wear white symbolizing purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins will be made as white as snow as spoken in Isaiah 1:18.

Jesus Christ came to so that we, Gentiles and Jews, would be reconciled to God every day. God desires a relationship with you and with me! The law that was crushing down on us - Jesus covered us and took upon His flesh all of God's wrath. Galatians 3:10 says "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."" To do everything in the Book of the Law was impossible for man so Jesus became the incarnate law when he was up on the cross. He did this so it would be full filled and we would be saved from God's wrath, the curse. This was what Jesus spoke when He said, "It is finished." We who were living in the world were bought out of the world through the blood of Jesus Christ. When Jesus went on that cross, voluntarily for no fault of His own, He became the worst murderer, the worst liar, the worth thief the world has ever known. He did this to atone for all the sins of the world so that we could have relationship with the one that created us, who knows us so personally, and who loves us completely.

But how do we believe that this was for us? Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not based on faith. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us [by covering us]. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Giles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. To redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons [and daughters], God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts [the Holy Spirit], the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. [Galatians 3:11-14, 4:5-7]

And so it is, dear ones, that we are made free by Christ Jesus' sacrifice. We live by Faith. We express our freedom in Christ Jesus through our Faith. We build our faith by relationship.

David and Goliath

David, the youngest son of Jesse, was a sheep herder or shepherd. Jesse [David's father] replied "There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep." David is described as "ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance." Samuel anoints David in his youth to be King "and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David." We get this early glimpse of David in 1 Samuel 16:11-13.

In verse 18 David is described by others in the community: "A servant spoke up to say: 'I have observed that one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem is a skillful harpist. He is also a stalwart soldier besides being an able speaker, and handsome. Moreover, the Lord is with him.'" The Psalms were written by David, many from playing his harp, which reflecting an intimate relationship with the Lord our God.

In verse 21, David was made an armor bearer. Webster defines an armor bearer as "a person who carried the armor or weapons of a warrior." Another website defines an Armor Bearer as someone having a servant's heart:

• is a servant, anointed by God to serve a leader of the Kingdom of God.
• is called to walk with his leader, assisting in any way necessary, to cause his leaders "God Given Vision" to come to pass.
• will intercede for the leader and his family declaring victory on every battlefront.
• stands between his leader and danger both in the spirit and in the natural.
• is humble, faithful, trustworthy and loyal.

Not only did David serve his father as a shepherd, he also served Saul, the current King of Israel. In verse 23 "Whenever the spirit from God seized Saul, David would take the harp and play and Saul would be relieved and feel better, for the evil spirit would leave him." This is also good advice for us to rid the devil when he begins his attacks -- to focus on the Lord and listen to that music which brings the Lord our God glory.

Now Goliath was the prize giant of the Philistine army whose height was six cubits and a span. The NIV converts this measurement to over nine feet tall (1 Samuel 17:4). He challenged the Israelite army for forty days:
In verse 26, David hears Goliath's taunting for the first time and asks the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" An uncircumcised man represented a man who was not under God's covenant.

David goes down to the camp and hears the taunting of Goliath for the first time. The camp is discussing the situation. David asks the men at the camp about the situation and the reward for the family of the one who defends Israel. Some of the men hear David speaking and relay this information to Saul who calls upon David where David acknowledges that he will fight the Philistine. I'm glad that David did not just rush out to fight the Philistine because it gives us a great view into David's faith. David tells Saul that "When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." David and the living God have history together, they have experiences and therefore a relationship. David draws on these experiences in his own life, knowing that the Lord has delivered him and will continue to be with him. His experiences, or relationship, with the Lord have allowed him to stand on faith that he, and consequently Israel, will be delivered him from the Philistine army.

Saul sends him out, first trying to dress him in armour in verses 38-39. David tries it on but quickly takes it off as it was uncomfortable. When we try to fit the calling of God into our own understanding, it is uncomfortable.

David grabbed five smooth stones and went to meet Goliath with his slingshot and his Shepherd's staff in hand. Goliath is shocked too see this young warrior. The world often is shocked to see who God calls, surprised by the packaging. David says in confidence to Goliath, 45Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands. "

David took one stone from his shepherd's bag and sent it flying from his slingshot into Goliath's head. This one stone killed Goliath and David did take his head. Afterwards, the Philistine army fled in terror. The Israelite army overtook an defeated them just as David said.

Isn't it wonderful how one person's relationship with the Lord can produce a faith that can save a whole nation? Not through the understanding of the world but instead by being just who God created us to be? We are not clay to fit into a mold. Instead, God crafts the clay to be its own creation to fulfill a purpose He designs for a specific time and place.

Jehovah Nissi

What does it mean that Moses called an altar Jehovah Nissi in Exodus 17:15?

Jehovah Nissi means "The Lord is my Banner"

The Amalekites came to attack the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert. Moses remembered what God had already done for them. While Joshua gathered an army to fight the Amalekites, Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill with the staff of God in Moses' hands. Moses raised his hands in FAITH to extend them to the throne of God knowing in his heart all the promises of God. That He goes before the Israelites, He goes behind and He is among them by Faith. While Moses raised his hands in faith, the Israelites would win. When Moses became weary and he lowered his hands, the Amalekites would win. So… to keep Moses' from being weary, Aaron and Hur physically uplifted Moses and kept his arms raised. At the end of the day, the Israelites won the battle.

The altar was built afterwards by Moses to remind himself and the Israelites that the act of FAITH fought and won the battle. It is a claim that when we reach up in faith, we too hold to the promises God has for us in our lives and He fights our enemies for us. God goes before us to win the battle. What do you do to remind yourself what the Lord has done for your life? As you look back and recall what you have come through and see where you are today, you must know you were not alone, that it was not by your strength or skill that you are where you are. By Faith we can cry out Jehovah Nissi because God made good on what he said. That while we were lost, we did not perish but have overcome through the act of faith by claiming the promises of God in our lives. I have been brought through and will continue to rely on this faith.

And where has God called you today? Are you called to lift up others? Are you to needing to raise up your hands in faith, saying AMEN to all that God does for us? Are you on the front lines to uphold the Lord our God? Our perhaps God is asking you to build an altar in your life to recall all He has done for you? Where ever you are, my brothers and sisters in Christ, I know you are not alone, that it is our Faith in action that allows us to triumph over the enemy.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist [knowing who we are in Christ, our relationship with Him, is what holds us up], with the breastplate of righteousness in place [our hearts and lives in alignment with His will], and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace [knowing the words of God in our hearts and minds where they can be recalled quickly]. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occassions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always praying for all the saints [this is us dear ones]." Ephesians 6:10-18, italics added

God's Refuge

If you feel alone and not able to fit in with those around you, I bring you peace and hope for your heart. You are truly not alone! A soujourner is a resident alien in a foreign land. Jesus said we are to live in the world, but not be part of the world. This place we live in is not our home. We have something better waiting for us!

I have been told repeatedly this week that if God tells you something more than once, stop and listen because He is really trying to tell you something. I want to share this with you.

In Exodus chapter 20, God gives us the law through the ten commandments. Perhaps being a soujourner makes it difficult for you to feel the Joy of the Lord? Exodus 20:21 says "The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was." God was in the thick darkness! Do not fear the darkness in your life for He is there.

In Exodus Chapter 21, God gives us Grace, directly following the law. He says in 21:12-13: "Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate." I have unintentionally harmed others through my words and sometimes my deeds. God has promised a place for us to find refuge.

In Numbers 35: 6-21, God provides six cities of refuge to anyone who unintentionally kills someone. Six represents man; it is the picture of humanity. The key to this is it cannot be premeditated harm to another.

In Joshua 20, God tells Joshua again to designate the cities of refuge. This time they are named by God - cities to be set apart - places we can run to in times of trouble. In order, the six cities are:

• Kedesh in Galilee - translates to Sanctuary.
• Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim - translates to shoulder. To whom do we get comfort when we cry?
• Hebron in Kiraith Arba in the hill country of Judah - translates to fellowship or communion.
• Bezer on the east side of Jordan of Jericho - translates to a fortified place or a strong hold.
• Ramoth in Gilead - translates to Height. A city on a hill.
• Golan in Bashan - translates to joy or exhultation.

Do you have a complete picture of what God was and continues to give us? Through His Grace we have a place to find refuge. Through grace, we have not just a place but a person to run to. To whom do you seek? To where do you run? Are you choosing to live in the law or under Grace?

God be with you as you go through the week!

All blessings come from God

Job said, "God giveth and God taketh away."

Many times the Israelites came against the Philistines and their armies. Tony Evans says the Philistines represent oppression -- anything in our lives whether it is a issue or situation which keeps coming back and rearing its ugly head in our lives. Why are we not overcoming?

God tells the Israelites [and us] to first remove the Baal altar and the Ashtoreth poles (sometimes translated in the Bible as sacred poles or groves). These two false gods represent fertility and blessings. The pole in particular was considered a blessing pole. Have we removed our blessing pole or are we relying on God?

God is a jealous and righthly so. He does not want something else to take His place in our hearts. Rely on the blessings that come from these false securities. Or, reach out in faith, tear these false securities down and rely on the one true God to direct our paths and overcome.

Once we do this, we too will start facing these challenges running towards the enemy -- the oppression, the obstacle -- secure in the knowledge that this fight belongs to God because we belong to God. He is our God and we are His people. Stand secure praising God and saying in faith that the Lord God will defend His name and His people for His glory. Then watch how the Philistine army will run!

The Trinity

This morning I woke up and God revealed to me more of this passage and wanted me to share it with you before I left today and before anyone read this message. I'm so glad that He did.

In the beginning, God created our souls in Chapter 1:26-28. This is how we are all numbered, all thought of before the beginning of time.

Then, He created our flesh, or humanity. We are clay, works in progress, mean to be molded and shaped. We are clay in the potter's hands.

Then, He breathed His spirit into us. He did this so that we may live and have life abundantly.
He did all of this before giving man a name. It is not until after all of this takes place that we see the man has a name -- Adam -- lest we think that all of this was unique to him. No my brothers and sisters, this is for all of us. God in all of His infinite wisdom and efficiency has shown us here His plan from the beginning for all of us. God the Father then sent the Son. The Son sent the Holy Spirit so that we may have life abundantly in Him again, after the fall. God knew and has always known us.

Isn't that beautiful?

Be blessed!

Alleluia

Who is worthy of being praised in your life? Is someone striving for perfection? It is one thing to want to be worthy in God's eyes of the sacrifices we give Him. It is quite another to strive to be perfect in man's eyes, also earthen vessels meant to be broken. Jesus covered our imperfections when He took our place. So are you running from or to something? The victory in your life is already won, brothers and sisters in Christ!! Hold your banner high declaring "the leader of your band." Just make sure it's the right leader. Once we rely on the Lord instead of our own understanding, we will begin to see the Lord truly work miracles in our lives. Ready your hearts in praise for He that truly deserves all Honor, all Praise, all Glory! For the Joy of the Lord is our Strength!
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I am lifted up above the enemies that surround me. I offer sacrifices of joy. I sing and make music to the Lord. (Psalm 27:6)

God’s goodness is so great! He has stored up great blessings for me because I honor Him. While everyone watches, He pours them out on me. He hides me in the shelter of His presence. He protects me from those that conspire against me and falsely accuse me. Praise the Lord! He shows me his wonderful love. He keeps me safe when I am under attack. When I pray, He hears me and rescues me. I Love the Lord and I am loyal to Him and He protects me. I am strong and courageous because my hope is in the Lord!

(Psalm 31:19-24)

I sing and make music to the Lord. He deserves my praise. I praise Him in song and with musical instruments. The Word of the Lord is true. He can always be trusted. His unfailing love surrounds me!

(Psalm 33:1-5)

I put my hope in my Savior and my God. I will always praise Him.

(Psalm 42:11)

I sacrifice praise to God and keep my promises to Him. I call upon Him when I am in trouble. He delivers me and I praise Him.

(Psalm 50:14-15)

I praise God’s promises! I trust Him and I am not afraid. No one can harm me.

(Psalm 56:4, 10-11)

I trust in the Lord. He surrounds me now and forevermore.

(Psalm 125:1-2)

I go out in joy and I am led in peace. The hills burst into song before me and the trees clap their hands.

(Isaiah 55:12)

I live my life worthy of the Gospel of Christ. I stand firm in the Spirit and work with one mind for the faith of the Gospel. I am not intimidated or afraid of my adversaries. This is proof of their destruction and my salvation from God.

(Philippians 1:27-28)

The peace of God guards my heart and mind.

(Philippians 4:19)

Atonement

Prior to Jesus' coming, many had turned their hearts away from the Lord Jesus Christ. Others were looking towards the law passed down by God, trying to live rightly and continually falling short and thereby feeling discouraged or frustrated. There is a reason. To fall short of the law, is to experience the curse which is God's ultimate condemnation and His wrath.
But there is good news!!

God so loved us, in all of our sin and imperfections, that he sent His son, his only BELOVED son to die for you and me. Not because we were worthy but because we were loved. Jesus came to earth to feel what we feel, see the world He spoke into existence through our eyes, to relate to us on our level. God always meets us where we are, just as we are.

One day out of the year, the Jewish nation celebrate Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement as stated in Leviticus 16:29-34. On this one day out of the year, the sins against God, not against other people, are reconciled for the past year. On this one day, the traditional dress is to wear white symbolizing purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins will be made as white as snow as spoken in Isaiah 1:18.

Jesus Christ came to so that we, Gentiles and Jews, would be reconciled to God every day. God desires a relationship with you and with me! The law that was crushing down on us - Jesus covered us and took upon His flesh all of God's wrath. Galatians 3:10 says "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."" To do everything in the Book of the Law was impossible for man so Jesus became the incarnate law when he was up on the cross. He did this so it would be full filled and we would be saved from God's wrath, the curse. This was what Jesus spoke when He said, "It is finished." We who were living in the world were bought out of the world through the blood of Jesus Christ. When Jesus went on that cross, voluntarily for no fault of His own, He became the worst murderer, the worst liar, the worth thief the world has ever known. He did this to atone for all the sins of the world so that we could have relationship with the one that created us, who knows us so personally, and who loves us completely.

And so it is, dear ones, that we are made free by Christ Jesus' sacrifice. We live by Faith. We express our freedom in Christ Jesus through our Faith. We build our faith by relationship.

We are made in His image

In the very first Chapter in the very first book of the Bible, God reveals himself and his purpose in creation.

In the original Hebrew text, the word for God in this chapter is Elohim - Creator and Judge. "In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 Elohim is a plural noun referring to a single nature of divinity -- the plurality within the Godhead. God the Father, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit are in unison of power and purpose when they created the heavens and the earth. No disagreement, no quarrels and no hierarchy. Although Jesus takes his authority from God the Father, He is not less important. He works in unison of purpose just as the Holy Spirit works in unison in purpose. Individually their nature compliments the others so perfectly that together they become one.

Elohim creates on day 6 the grand finale of creation:
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

After the grand finale, "God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (v31)" This is the end of the sixth day. The seventh day God rested and blessed creation.

It isn't until Chapter 2 that God created a physical body for both Adam and Eve.

7-8And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
15And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help mate for him.
21-24And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Elohim created our nature or spirit -- both male and female -- on day 6. After the seven days, God then created the flesh in chapter 2 and breathed His life into Him and became alive. He gave us purpose before flesh.

Elohim also displays a pattern for communicating with His creation. He gives us purpose and then personally confirms it. In 2:15 the Lord God, in perfect harmony of relationship, confirms the man's purpose. He also lets Adam know he is incomplete by himself. Remember that a help mate was already prepared in chapter one. God does not forget anything. He creates a woman out of the man's rib while he sleeps and then presents the woman to the man. Immediately Adam recognizes her as a part of himself.

Both male and female were made in God's image, in God's likeness. In a marriage, male and female are united to become one flesh, to complement each other in purpose. Male and female need each other and will be incomplete without the other. If they separate, they must compensate for the loss. Jesus confirms this in Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9 (quoted below is Matthew):

4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[a] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'[b]? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Men and woman were created in unison of purpose for creation with God as the third. Neither should dominate the other. One is not less than the other. Even the feminine nature is created in God's image. Is not our Lord like a new born mother who provides for our security, the mother listening to their babies cries and provides for their needs? Does not our Lord watch over us as we grow in Faith, learning to trust Him? He watches over us as we sleep, counting our hairs. I have seen many a mother do this as they hold their sleeping baby in their arms. God intended for us to respect each other, not compete with each other. Marriage is part of God's plan and designed from the beginning. To work together to accomplish God's plan for each other and His creation.