Blessings and Thanks

A little over four years ago I was in a deep state of depression. I have a wonderful wife and family, a home, clothing, food, and all my needs met. But even though I was blessed with all this, I still had a gaping hole inside. I contemplated just ending it because then I would be home and my problem solved. It was the proverbial 'Its a Wonderful Life' moment. So laying in a hotel bed in Florida, tears streaming down my face, I cried out to the Father. "Lord you have to tell me what you want me to do." "I can't do this anymore."

I opened the bible and it was the story of Moses in the wilderness. I said, "Ok Lord you have to take me through the wilderness before you can use me." Three years passed and for the most part, nothing had changed. I had just turned forty; a number I felt held great significance. It would take a supernatural event two months later to get my attention. The Father sent a messenger to tell me I wasn't listening, and that my destiny had been written long before I was born. I was to carry on the calling of others in my family, and bring the Father's light to the darkness. To live a life of servitude and humility.

So I started a mission to help the poor. The important word there is I. Not the Father, but I. Once again I was not listening to His voice. I was doing what I thought was right and not His will. So like anything else we try to do alone without it being His will, it failed. And again I felt lost. But this time I knew I was being attacked. Satan was trying to pull me back into a state of depression, and a feeling of being unworthy so I could not complete what the Father wanted. This time he would not prevail. The Father led me to begin an online teaching ministry. After seven months there were only 10 followers on the blog.

You can probably guess what comes next. The attacks began again. I went straight to the Father and said, "I only want your will to be done. I will continue to teach if only one person is reached." My hope to have "Olsteen" numbers would not be a distraction. Three months passed and I felt a pressing to check the blog. The numbers were in the hundreds. He confirmed that all things done through him would be completed. A couple of weeks ago I ran into a old friend. He greeted me as Pastor Shane. I said I'm not a Pastor, the Father hasn't appointed me to a flock to shepherd. Well guess you can tell where this is going again.

He led me to once again check the blog. This time not to just show the greatness of His work, but to correct the statement I had made to my friend. As of yesterday, the Father's word is now reaching 20 countries. Praise God! Over 5,000 people now follow the blog. There are no limits to what He can do; even through an introvert with public speaking issues. The second largest country of followers is the Ukraine, and especially Crimea which has a large population of Muslims. Praise God! From Ukraine to countries in South America, Europe, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, India, and more. The Father is bringing His light to some of the darkest places in this world.

Thank you for all that have supported this ministry. Please continue to share it with all you can. You never know when you share, that a friend of a friend of a friend in another country may see it and share it with others.

May You Be Blessed with Peace and Understanding 

Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Luke 18:27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Wounds Of A Friend

When we think of friends, we often think of the people who we naturally like, who like us, and who like the same things we like. We hope for friends who will encourage us, comfort us, and support us — but what about praying for friends who are willing to wound us?

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. (Proverbs 27:6)

True friends are not mobsters who club us with their words to prove points or settle scores. But godly friends are not less than EMTs (emergency medical technicians) who will rip open our carefully crafted excuses and stun us back to life. They wound us for our good. And of course, friends must be more than than this — after all, we aren’t Pavlovian puppies to be shocked every day. But in a world of political correctness and hyper-sensitivity to criticism, such friends with backbones are nearly as extinct as they are unwelcome — even within the church.

Your soul needs friends who are willing to risk wounding your pride in the moment for the long-term good of your soul. The world cares nothing for our eternal good. Ungodly friends cheer us on toward destruction. They bequeath the kiss of flattery — the Dementor’s kiss. They coddle our egos, telling us what we want to hear, not what we need to hear. Even the most genuine and moral among them sets sail away from God. Thus we need a crew of Christian companions — a body — to keep us from shipwreck. Finishing the race is not an individual endeavor, and eternity is at stake.

Praise God then for the faithful wounds of true friends who protect us from ultimate injury. They tell us plainly, “You’re flirting with destruction!” Or, “Spiritual sloth is unacceptable!” Friends who ask us hard questions, who crush the whispering lizard on our shoulder, who are for our eternal soul above our momentary feelings — these are true friends.

Find these friends. Thank these friends. Imitate these friends. They are, God’s “community grace” to you. Jesus calls his followers friends (John 15:14). Some of us may not have many companions, but in Christ we have the Truest Friend, who gives friendship meaning. But had we lived two thousand years ago, we might not have enjoyed living with the Son of God as much as we suppose at first. Jesus was not afraid to wound his friends for the healing of their souls.He did not walk in step with our unoffensive niceties. He rebuked follower and Pharisee alike. He would not have balked to say things that would offend us. He was without guile, without flattery. He called a spade a spade, and sin “sin” — always with love, and always with truth.

But the unbelievable thing is that Jesus also was wounded for his friends (John 15:13). He didn’t do accountability drive-bys and leave it at that. He loved with word and deed. He rebuked the sleeping disciples, and called Peter “Satan” one moment, only to lay down his life for them in the next (Matthew 16:23; 26:36–46; 27:24–56). Jesus loved his own with comforting words, encouraging words, life-giving words — and hard words. And he backed up every sharp word with three piercing nails and a cutting crown of thorns — all for the everlasting good of his friends. He hurt his friends in order to help them. He was wounded for his friends in order to heal them (Isaiah 53:5).

We should thank God when he gives us friends like Jesus, and pray that he sends us more.

1. Pray for friends who wound in love.Though they don’t always feel like it, these friends are a good gift from God. Your soul needs these friends. Ask him for them.

2. Pray for friends who also build up. More than just wounded, we want to be built up. We want to be loved through encouragement, affirmation, and deeds as well as tough words (1 Thessalonians 5:11; 1 John 3:18).

3. Thank friends who love enough to wound. Often, those friends who do speak the truth in love feel as uncomfortable and awkward saying tough things as you do hearing them. They may also fear your disapproval and rejection, so when they do speak up, thank them — even when they don’t do it perfectly.

4. Invite wounds from others. Take initiative to ask friends to be honest with you about your weaknesses and blind spots, knowing that, because Christ was wounded for us, we can invite wounds; he is our identity. May we say, Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. (Psalm 141:5)

5. Be a friend who wounds in love. The author of Hebrews calls us to beware unbelieving hearts that cause us to fall away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12). How do we not fall away? We “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).

Today is called today. Which believers will you exhort? Be courageous and speak the truth in love when the time comes (Ephesians 4:15).

Don't Be Yourself

“Just be yourself,” “keep it real,” and “keep it 100” are life slogans for many in our day. And when they are, authenticity often takes precedence over courtesy, self-actualization triumphs over self-discipline, and the self — whoever it may be — is to be celebrated and never censured.

And subtly, we can adopt this philosophy in the church. Even though every imperative in the Bible protests against it, every identification of sin condemns it outright, every discussion of holiness and God’s judgment warns against believing it, we too excuse sin tendencies as our personalities.

"Oh, her? She’s just strong-willed and independent. That’s why she doesn’t submit to her husband."
"Him? Don’t worry, he isn’t trying to be inhhospitable and cold towards everyone. He’s just shy and introverted."
"Yeah, he doesn’t lead spiritually, but don’t fret. He just doesn’t go deep — that’s not who he is."
"Why isn’t she growing in her knowledge of God’s word? Because she just isn’t a reader."
"Why does it seem like he flirts with every girl he meets? Don’t read too much into it. He just has a playful personality — that’s just the way he is."

This unassailable sense of self is contrary to biblical thinking. Our personality must bow to God’s standards, never vice versa.
Wives, submit to your husbands, whether you’re strong-willed or not.
Introverts, be hospitable and kind, even if your inclination is to stow away for time alone.
Husbands, lead your wife and wash her with the word, even if you’d prefer to just keep it light and casual.
Christian, meditate on the word of God day and night, even if you haven’t read any other book since high school.
Romeo, restrain yourself from engaging women’s hearts, even if you find it easy to engage with the opposite sex.

Ever since the fall, being yourself is the opposite of what God desires. Since the fall, our authentic selves are unsurpassed in self-absorption; they hate God by refusing to treasure him above all things. Therefore, the authentic you is worthy of death. And this is the scandal of the gospel. It tells each man, woman, and child — whether criminal, “good,” religious, or otherwise — that they must be born again to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3). It tells us that the unregenerate man who is “keepin’ it real” is keepin’ himself in constant threat of God’s wrath and only increasing his condemnation (Romans 2:4–5).

Whether Mr. Rogers or Gandhi or Stalin, being the “true you” does not produce the righteousness that God requires. We all need God’s righteousness freely offered to us in Christ (Philippians 3:8–11), and we all need to be new creations of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Jesus doesn’t say, “Just be the true you.” He says, “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
And Jesus died on a cross so that we can be born again. He bore the wrath of his Father while we were “just being ourselves,” and sent the Holy Spirit to make us new creations in him. And the Spirit dwells inside of us who are born again to cause us to increasingly walk out who we already are.

This new us is a better us than we could have imagined. We are not made to image the ideal versions of ourselves, but to reflect the image of God himself. God ordained our salvation to make us look like his Son (Romans 8:29) — a being who, if you saw now, “you would be strongly tempted to worship”
So, “just be yourself” is only good advice when it means “be that person: the new you in Christ.”

Paul returns here again and again in his epistles: At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)

In other words, Paul tells Christians to be who we are in Christ. We walk as children of light — not to become light, but because, by a work of our almighty God, we already are. We live as new creations with new affections and joys because, by the Spirit’s regenerating work, we already are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).And we become more like who we already are when we stare at Christ and seek to be what he is (2 Corinthians 3:18). We do not gaze within and become more of what we see inside, but we gaze without to see him — and to others who look like him — and, by the Spirit, mimic what we see (Philippians 3:17).

Don’t be yourself. Be something higher. Be who God predestined you to be. Be who you are in Jesus.

Triumph Of The Light

In the series True Detective, two partners played by Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey work a murder case in the backwoods of Louisiana. Haunted by evil, the case twists and turns taking the detectives deeper and deeper into darkness — their own and the criminals they investigate. Wrestling with evil and injustice, McConaughey withers before the viewer’s eyes, physically reduced to a tattered shell of his former self. Darkness broke him.
With darkness encroaching, ostensibly more with each new headline, what difference does Jesus make?

The Gospel of John boldly proclaims, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). We need the light because we live in the shadow of our broken selves. This shadow seems to grow during the holidays. Unplugged from routine, our passions can get the best of us. Holidays can surface old hurts, even send us into the presence of people we’d rather avoid. “We’re only staying at your mother’s house for an hour, not a minute more!” “I don’t care; we are not getting uncle Billy a present, after how he’s treated us!” Many live in relational darkness.

We’re quick to identify the darkness out there, but often slow to find it in here. It’s tempting to treat darkness as a social phenomenon, one detectives and politicians must solve, or family brings to our homes. It’s easier to see the darkness around us instead of inside us.
But the darkness lurks in us all. It’s why a seemingly good family man like Matt Laurer can fall. Why pastors suffer depression and politicians play cover up. The darkness doesn’t respect position. And so, we need a light with a capital “L.” Light exposes and warms. The light of Christ exposes our darkness, revealing we all possess a sinful capacity to make the headlines. And if we think we don’t, we’re even more deluded than we know, drunk on our shadow. But there is a Light, the true Light, and he has broken into this world.

To move beyond exposure to warmth, we have to first admit our inner darkness. We have to emerge from the shadows. John writes: “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness” (1 John 2:9). You see, we can’t be the light and harbor hatred toward others, no matter what their political position, racial follies, or moral failures. We might think, “I’m not a hater,” but Jesus says those who insult others express hatred deserving of hellfire (Matthew 5:21–22).

Why does Jesus take such a hard-line on hate? Because it’s demeaning people made by the Light. It’s harboring self-righteousness as we peer down on others. It’s refusing to forgive fellow strugglers or hang out with that family member smugly thinking, “I’d never make the mistakes you’ve made or hold the political position you do.” It’s abstaining from the reconciliation he died to extend. The darkness inside you and me contributes to the trouble of the world. “The hypocrisy of the human heart is where a lot of the trouble of the world starts

How do we get into the warmth of the light? I’ve been a moral mess my whole life. We need a light stronger than our moral constitution. The burning Light warms as it purifies: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Walking in the light isn’t just being good; it’s bringing our darkness to Jesus over and over, and to one another, to experience his cleansing, purifying light. Is there something you need to confess to him? Where are you harboring darkness? Where do you need to let the light in? Coming out of the darkness can be painful, but once we do it, the light can cleanse us.

The Word became flesh, a package of light inside of Mary, stepped out into the world, and suffered under a cloud of judgment at the cross, so we could experience the cleansing joy of the light. This should provoke wonder. Jesus, knowing everything he knows about you and me, says, Let me do it. Let me die in their place to triumph over their darkness and bathe them in the light.

Thank God the eternal Word didn’t remain behind eternity, but sank down into the womb of Mary, and suffered the sorrows of humanity to shine his light into our darkness. And you know what, the darkness did not overcome it. We needed the Light to overthrow the darkness. And he did, by being snuffed out and raised in resurrection glory, securing a glorious future and purified present for us.

Those who walk in the light now will walk in Jesus’s final triumph over darkness, when there will be no need for a sun or moon because his glory illumines his city forever (Revelation 21:23). It’s coming. Keep bathing, keep confessing, keep hoping. Don’t just dip your toe; dive headfirst into the wonder of the incarnation.

In the closing episode of True Detective, Harrelson rolls McConaughey out of a hospital in a wheelchair, stopping out front, just beyond the pale of the artificial light. McConaughey describes his brush with death, “I felt the darkness and all I had to do was let go, and I said, yeah to the darkness.” Looking up at the stars Harrelson responds, “Seems like the darkness has got more territory.” McConaughey responds, “There’s just one story, the oldest: light versus darkness. You ask me, the light is winning.”

Be encouraged, the Light is not only winning. It has won, and it makes all the difference in the world.

"What If He Was Just Like Us?"

I was reading a sermon on the significance of the manger, when He reminded me of a song that was popular when I was in college. The song was, 'What if God was one of us,' by Joan Osborn. I don't think she was aware of the profound meaning in cased in her lyrics.

If God had a name what would it be? And would you call it to his face? If you were faced with Him in all His glory. What would you ask if you had just one question?

There are many names for God, each with a powerful and deep meaning that we call out to His face everyday. His glory surrounds us in all His creation. The problem is the questions and requests we often ask of Him, are quite often selfish. We tend to only cry out when we need something. And we rarely take the time to simply thank Him for the abundance we have.

1 Chronicles 16:11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us. Just a stranger on the bus, trying to make his way home?

God was one of us. And he was a slob like one of us. He lowered Himself to become us to take away our sins. He lowered Himself to the point of being born in a feeding trough for animals. A king was never born this way, much less The King of Kings. He wasn't born in a palace surrounded by riches. He was born in filth surrounded by animals. And His life would continue to be a lowering right up to His death. But all of this was His journey on the bus. Because without His loving act, we would never be able to find our way home.

Hebrews 2:7 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

If God had a face what would it look like? And would you want to see if, seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints, and all the prophets?

This is the saddest part of the whole song. And unfortunately, will be the outcome at the end of the age. Many people will see Him coming, and see His face and they still won't believe. We as humans have a problem with taking responsibility for our actions. We pile on excuses, throw blame,  or seek to harm another just to cover our shame. We've been doing it since the garden. We made a vale attempt to hide our sin then, and we continue to this day. Seeing and believing, means we give up control. We don't like being told what to do. From childhood to the golden years we fight for control. But we miss out on the greatest gift possible when we try and keep control...God's Grace.

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

Just tryin to make his way home. Like back up to heaven all alone. Nobody callin on the phone...

I can't even begin to fathom what that last day was like for Messiah. The excruciating feeling of pain and loneliness. Because He was alone. Despised by His people. Removed from the Father. Carrying the entirety of mankind's sin. And in those last dark moments, He did make one last call. He called out to the Father, 'Why have you forsaken me?' See folks, Messiah had to be removed from the Father to save mankind. Death, sin, or sacrifice could not inhabit heaven. He had to become a slob like one of us. He had to lower Himself, be beaten, be ridiculed, be despised, and be crucified as our sacrifice.

Isaiah 53:3-5 We despised him and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him—we ignored him as if he were nothing.“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God. But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.

All of this done out of love for a creation who wants nothing to do with Him. Is your control worth eternity?  Our Creator was one of us. He became a slob like one of us, because He loved us. And without His love, we could never find our way back home.

The Matrix

We were outside at night and, as we often enjoyed doing, looking up at the stars.

"Your life began in darkness," he said, "in the darkness of the womb. It was once all you knew, your entire life, your entire world. If you had been asked then to describe life, you would describe it as being dark, warm, and wet. And if someone tried to tell you that there was more to life, another life, another world, outside the womb, a world of stars and grass, of flowers and faces, of sand castles and setting suns, what would you have thought?"

"I guess I wouldn't have believed it. I wouldn't have been able to fathom it."
"But would there be a way that you could have known that this other life, this world beyond the womb, actually existed? What evidence would you have had within the womb of that which was beyond the womb?"
"I don't know."

"You," said the teacher. "You would be the evidence...you, dwelling in the darkness yet with eyes made to see color and light...with no ground to walk on, yet with feet made to run...with no air to breathe and yet with lungs made to breathe air and a voice box with which to speak into air...with no one's hand to hold, yet with two hands made to hold and be held by the hand of another. You yourself would be the evidence of the life beyond your life in the womb and the world beyond your world. Your very being was the evidence of a world yet to come, and yet you were surrounded by a much smaller world that was unable to answer what was within you."
"And this reveals..."

"When you hear of a world beyond this world and a life beyond this life, when you hear of heaven, you're hearing of it as a child in the womb. You've never seen it or touched it. And yet everything within you was made to know this world and live within it...a heart made for a love that is perfect and without condition, a soul yearning for that which is eternal, a spirit longing to dwell in a place of no death, no fear, no tears, no darkness, and no evil. And yet you live in a world of imperfection, of corruption, of pain and evil, of darkness and the absence of love. And as it was in the womb, so too this world can never answer the longings of your heart or the purpose for which you came into existence. And every tear, every sorrow, every disappointment, every unfulfilled longing is just a reminder that you're not home, and that you were made for something more, to be a child of heaven...and that this life is only the beginning of real life and the matrix of the world to come."

Take all the unfulfilled longings, needs, and desires of your life and turn them away from the worldly and to the heavenly.

Psalm 139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

The Door Of Evil

"How do you deal with temptation?" he asked.
"You resist it."
"Yes," he said. "But how?"
I didn't answer. I didn't know what he was looking for.
"The Book of Proverbs reveals how to deal with the temptation of sexual sin, the seduction of an adulteress. It is written: 'Keep your way far from her. And do not come near to the door of her house.' You see, the best way to deal with temptation is to not deal with it."
"I don't understand."

"If you keep yourself away from the temptation, there's less chance you'll be dealing with it. But the Scripture goes farther than that. Listen again. It says, 'Keep your way far from her. And do not come near to the door of her house.' This is an even greater key. It reveals that it's not enough to stay away from temptation-you must make it your aim to stay away from the door of the temptation. Think about it; which is more alluring, a person trying to seduce you or a door?"

"The person, of course."
"Which is more tempting, a substance that would addict you or a door?"
"The substance."
"And which is more likely to harm you or make you fear, a dangerous situation or a door?"
"The dangerous situation, of course."
"Exactly. So instead of dealing with the person, or the substance, or the situation of danger, deal with the door. Deal with the door and you'll avoid the temptation."

"And the door is what exactly?"
"The door is not the temptation, nor the sin. It's that which would lead you to the temptation and the sin. That's the key. Make it your aim not only to avoid the temptation. Locate the door to the temptation and then stay as far away from it as possible. For it is the wise who, instead of dealing with the temptation and sin, deal with doors."

Today, make it your aim not just to avoid temptation, but to avoid even the door that leads to it. Focus on the door, and stay from it.

Proverbs 5:3-8 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Broken, Bitter, Bottom of the Pit

Psalm 51:16-17 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

You can't be a truly effective disciple unless your broken. One needs to be humbled to the point where all you can say is "Lord all I have is my heart." If one is not completely humbled before Christ it's much easier for a spirit of pride, greed, or other sin to take hold of your life.

David, who wrote Psalm 51, was crying out in repentance, because he had not only committed adultery with Bathsheba, but his sin had led to murder.

He wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit in me.”

He even went so far as to ask God not to take His presence from David.... not to take His Holy Spirit away. These verses we just read follow this plea to God. These verses are a recognition by David that there is no adequate sacrificial atonement for his sin. David knew that there was no sacrifice he could bring to appease God’s wrath over his sin. What’s more, David seemed to recognize that God wasn’t looking for a sacrifice, per se, at least in the way his culture had come to think of sacrifice. What God wanted was David’s whole heart. It was the only thing David had to offer.

First, David in verse 17 writes, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” Essentially, we could paraphrase this by saying, “The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit.” God wants us broken. Not because He’s cruel, not because He enjoys seeing us in pain, which often accompanies brokenness. He wants us broken, because unless we’re broken, He cannot penetrate our hardness to speak to us, He cannot put us back together again.

Now, when I say cannot, I don’t mean He is unable. But I mean that because He has given us a free will, a free will to accept His Lordship in our lives, a free will to submit to His will, of our own free choice, in that sense, unless we’re broken, He can’t build what He wants to make of us. So, again, to paraphrase this first part of verse 17...the only sacrifice that means anything to God is our brokenness.

It’s important to understand what this brokenness is. Broken here means to to burst (literal or figurative) :- break (down, off, in pieces, up), broken ([-hearted]), destroy, shatter, smash, crush...
That’s reiterated in an even stronger sense by the next part of this verse. “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” There’s the same word, broken, repeated for emphasis, followed by the word contrite. Now, we typically think of this word contrite as meaning repentant, and it does mean that. The dictionary definition of contrite is: caused by or showing sincere remorse, filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement; penitent: a contrite sinner.

Yet, the biblical meaning is stronger still. It means: to collapse (physically or mentally) break.

The Hebrew root word means crushed. Literally crushed to a powder.... to beat to pieces, or break in pieces... figuratively, it can mean to be humbled. So, combined with the previous verse ...where broken means smashed or crushed, we get a stronger sense of what David means to be broken here
In our typical understanding of it, we think more in terms of something being cracked or chipped, or even broken in two. But here, it’s a lot stronger. It means crushed, turned into powder.  So, when the Word says we’re a new creation in Christ, and we relate it to this understanding...of being broken...of being contrite...both of which carry the meaning of being crushed, it gives this idea a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?

When something’s crushed to the point of being turned into powder, it’s often literally unrecognizable. But the word says, Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
And Jesus applied the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1 to Himself. Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. So, God wants us broken, so He can bind us up, and rebuild us.

You know the saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Well, to change that around a bit, if we ain’t broken, we cannot be fixed. God wants us broken, so He can put us back together again in His image. And while this clearly applies to unbelievers, I think it also, just as clearly, applies to us as followers of Christ. Being broken in specific areas of our lives, is part of what God uses to mold us and shape us into the image and likeness of Christ.

I think it will help us understand what this brokenness that God wants is all about, if we understand the opposite, too, in other words, what it is not. The opposite of brokenness is pride, it’s arrogance, it’s self-sufficiency. Now, these are things we can relate to, because we see them all around us, and if we’re honest, we see them to some degree in ourselves. The inward part of a man is said to be broken and crushed when his sinful nature is broken, his ungodly self slain, his impenetrable hardness softened, his haughty vainglorying brought low, in fact, when he is in himself become as nothing, and when God is everything to him.

Unbroken is like King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles. Like some of Israel’s or Judah’s kings, he started out OK. 2 Chronicles 26 begins by telling us how he came to power as King, and that “he did right in the eyes of the Lord....” it tells us that “he sought God,” and it says in 26:5 “as long as He sought the Lord, God gave him success.” In verse 15, it tells us that Uzziah’s fame spread far and wide, “for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.”

But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God. We can see this kind of story again and again in scripture, especially in the Old Testament. What’s more, we can see it in our world today. You may have heard the phrase, “power corrupts... and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

It happens in businesses, it happens in governments, it happens in churches. Earthly power corrupts, and earthly power hardens. And that hardness leads to either more hardness, or a breaking, that brings down that power, to real brokenness.

Charles Colson once said, “Before God can use a man greatly, He must wound him deeply.”

He spoke those words from his own personal experience. Most of you know his story. He’s a man who rose to a real position of political power in the administration of president Richard Nixon. There was a time when, as an aide to the president of the U.S., Charles Colson was one of the most powerful men in the world, and he would be the first to admit that he was ruthless in the exercise of that power.  As a result, he got caught in the criminal and political mess that came to be known as Watergate in the early 1970s. It brought down the Nixon presidency in shame in 1973, and it ended up with Colson in prison for his part in the scheme. But not long before he went to prison, God broke Chuck Colson. God used the circumstances of his crime, and a prison sentence, and a few well-placed friends, to break him.

Here was a man with an Ivy League education, an attorney, a brilliant man, a potentially wealthy man, humbled by being sent to prison. There in prison, shortly after becoming a Christian, God used that time of brokenness in Chuck Colson, to begin to rebuild this man. He went on to found Prison Fellowship Ministries, a really fine ministry born of Colson’s own time in prison. More than that, he became a prolific author and commentator on culture, and today, he has a tremendous impact for the Kingdom of God, on Christians and non-Christians alike.

But first, before any of these things could happen, he had to be broken, humbled before the mighty hand of God, before God could re-shape him, to mold him into the kind of servant he could use.

Now, these things don’t just apply to a well-known believer like Chuck Colson. They don’t just apply to the kind of power he had. They apply clearly to our own self-sufficiency, even in the more mundane things of our lives...our homes, our schools, our marriages.

David is telling us that in this Psalm. When he writes, as he did in verse 17: The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit....he’s referring to what God wants from him, he’s referring to what God wants from Chuck Colson, he’s referring to what God wants from us. That’s because David recognized that God didn’t want the ritual of sacrifice. He didn’t want what for David had become only an outward act of obedience. He didn’t want the ritual of sacrifice, which apart from a real commitment to do God’s will has absolutely no value.

David knew God wanted his crushed heart, his broken spirit, the very center of David’s being. God wanted David’s heart, which isn’t just the emotional component we often think of when we hear “heart.” To the Hebrews, the heart was the center of not only the affections, but also of the will and of the mind. We sometimes tend to create this false separation between heart and mind... such as when we say something like, “He understood it in his head, but it didn’t penetrate his heart.”
But this false separation doesn’t square with the way the Old Testament views the heart. To have a clean heart, as it says in Psalm 51:10, is not only to have pure desires and emotions, but pure thoughts – which originate in our minds.

So God wanted David’s heart. He wants our heart. And He knows that to really have our hearts, they must be broken. When we sin we are playing God. When we know something is wrong, and God has said it is wrong, but we do it anyway, we are choosing to sin. We are choosing to play God. We are putting our will in opposition to His will. But for salvation or restoration, God’s terms are my will returned to him by my own choice. Those are the terms he has laid down, and they are inflexible. David sees that here, and that is why he offers himself. It’s as if David were saying: "I have nothing to offer you except exactly what you want. You don’t want the blood of goats. You want me. So I offer you me." And David understands that God accepts that.

We also cannot properly understand this passage in Psalm 51 without taking a look at the sacrifice. That’s because of the way David ends this verse: He says of our sacrifice of ourselves, of our broken will to God, that God will not despise this. Now, at first glance, that seems a rather odd way to say this. Why, for example, wouldn’t David say what is said in other passages of scripture, as in Psalm 34:18: The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Why didn’t David just say that God loves the broken in spirit? To write that God doesn’t despise the broken seems like kind of a negative way to put it, doesn’t it? Well, I believe there are two ways to look at this passage, and I think both have merit. One is Men despise that which is broken, but God will not. In other worlds, the world doesn’t appreciate brokenness, in fact, it’s not too strong to put it this way: the world despises brokenness.

I believe that’s true, but God doesn’t despise it. But here’s another take on the way David, as we believe, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this verse.
To understand it, we have to read Amos 5:21-23, where God says, " I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

Pretty strong words from God. But His anger was directed at the religious hypocrisy of their sacrifices. He knew their hearts, He also saw the rest of their lives, apart from the time they were bringing these sacrifices to Him. He saw them as hypocrites. He saw their religious worship as inconsistent with the rest of their lives. If it were today, He might have said, “I hate the worship of these Sunday morning Christians, who go to church on Sunday, and live like hell the rest of the week.”

God hates false worship (“religious feasts” and “assemblies”) by people who go through the motions out of pretense or for show. If we are living sinful lives and using religious ritual and traditions to make ourselves look good, God will despise our worship and will not accept what we offer. He wants sincere hearts, not the songs of hypocrites. I believe that’s why David wrote this Psalm this way. It’s because God despises the worship of those who are unbroken, those who by their thoughts, their words and their deeds, reveal that their will is not submitted to God. They reveal that their hearts are not broken before Him, they reveal that they believe either God doesn’t see their hearts, or that they don’t care that their religion has no impact on the rest of their lives.

So to say that God does not despise a broken and contrite heart, is to compare it to what He does despise...an unbroken, uncrushed, proud, arrogant, self-sufficient heart. The sacrifices of the arrogant, of the unbroken, are only external compliance, at best. And not even that – perhaps only compliance when they’re with Christians. Who you are when you’re alone, or out of the sight of your wife, or your children, or your Christian friends, or your pastor, is who you really are. And God knows who you really are.

For a humble, broken, contrite heart, the Word alone is enough to steer the whole life immediately. There’s a trembling at the Word of God all by itself. I take that to mean that nothing else is needed to make my heart listen to God. Just the voice of God - just His Word causes my heart to tremble. I long for His favor more than I long for anything else. I’m anxious - trembling - to get at His will for my life. There’s joy in our will being instantly submitted to our loving God. Once we find the freedom and joy in this, we’ll never want to live in our own sufficiency again. We’ll never want to be in charge of our lives ourselves. Our hearts will be soft, they’ll be pliable, they’ll be the kinds of hearts that God not only doesn’t despise, but the kind of hearts He can work with.

Isaiah 57:14-15 And it will be said: "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people." For this is what the high and lofty One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

On the one hand, we have broken and contrite hearts, like a piece of fruit. On the other, we have hard, strong-willed, unbroken hearts, like a rock. God only works with the broken, and despises the other. It’s that simple.

The only sacrifice God accepts is our will, submitted to Him. Which one will you be?

May You Be Blessed With Peace And Understanding

Entitlement Mentality: Worldly and Spiritually

James 4:6-But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

The entitlement mentality is rampant in our culture. It says, "I deserve better. I deserve more. I deserve it all. People should take care of me. I'm entitled to more than I'm getting." Many different areas of life can bring on a entitlement mentality.

Position of status- A job title that is above another doesn't make you a God.

Education level- A higher degree in a certain field of study does not make you more intelligent than all others. A degree in one field does not transcend to all corners of life.

Notoriety- Being famous or a spouse of someone famous does not elevate you above others. Because you think you're more special than others does not entitle you to what you want when you want it.

You may have put more time in your education, job level, or life and made different decisions along that path; But you were not created in any higher of magnitude than the one that has made different life choices.

Entitlement encompasses two attitudes: (1) I am exempt from responsibility, and (2) I am owed special treatment. In other words, I don’t have to carry my own burdens, and I should be treated differently.

Entitlement is discussed in the bible on many different occasions. Naaman was a respected commander of a powerful army, a strong soldier, well regarded by his superiors and yet, had leprosy. At this time, there was no known cure for this disease. One of his servants told him where he could go to be healed. So Naaman went to Elisha with his horses and chariots. Elisha told him that if he washed in the Jordan River seven times, he would be cleansed.
Here’s where we see Naaman’s entitlement: “But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy’” (2 Kings 5:11).

Naaman presents both of these characteristics in his response. First, in Naaman’s mind, he was owed special treatment or at least a proper acknowledgment. Second, Naaman felt that he should be exempt from responsibility. He didn’t want the responsibility to follow orders by washing in the river.
We all have a Naaman in our lives. Perhaps it’s a co-worker, family member or friend who wants you to wave a hand over their situation and fix their problems. Maybe you have a son or daughter that, despite your best parental efforts, has chosen a path of laziness. They feel they deserve special treatment with no responsibility.
Here’s what you need to remember: Change happens in the presence of compassion. Before you look at that Naaman in your life and pretentiously point out all their failings, remember that you have been a Naaman. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

You may receive your reward here on earth but be very careful of how you use that. One day you will make account for that gift and judged on how it was used.

Luke 17:5-10- The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you. "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"

If we aren't careful, this entitlement mentality even invades our relationship with God. We begin to feel that we deserve something from God. That he owes us something!

Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, what we deserve is death. That's a tough pill to swallow, but the Bible is clear about that.  "The wages of sin is death" says the apostle Paul. What God owes us in wages is death! The good news is that he doesn't give us what we deserve. Instead, in mercy he gives us life!

He gives us eternity and freedom and forgiveness and hope and love and truth. God is SO good!

Our response to all this grace can't be, "Well, what else are you going to do for me, God." (Though he does so much for us everyday.) Rather our response should be, "What can I do for you, God? How can I serve and follow you today?" We are his servants. Not vice versa.

These last to posts are not made out of anger. They are made out of pain. Both personal and the pain of seeing it happen to so many others. Stop the hate, greed, the gossiping, the belittling of those you have less or don't fit your mold!  Most of the people who read this blog will not fit into these categories. But I can guarantee you know others like this that need prayers.

Romans 12:3- For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Luke 14:11- For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

For those who read all the way through, here's a good video on entitlement.

May You Be Blessed With Peace And Understanding

Perception:Visual or Reality

1 Samuel 16:7 But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart.

This is something that bugs me on a daily basis. Sometimes multiple times a day. "Oh they look a certain way so they must be those kind of people". Or "He doesn't smile 24/7 and talk to everyone that walks past so they must be antisocial and have an attitude."

 The only mold we have in common is the human race. That is how we were created, and this is how we should perceive one another. Yet I see it day in and day out.

 People are quick to cry fairness and equality; but if someone doesn't fit the mold of what they think equal is, then they're just pushed to the wayside.

 That lady you pass that looks all disheveled, it doesn't mean you talk about her with your friends like she's unkept. What if she just lost a child or spouse? What if she's been battling a toddler all night?

 Don't assume the person that doesn't smile all the time has an attitude; he could be depressed, have social anxiety, or be going thru some things. Instead of judging others we need to love and pray for each other.

Don't ever think you have to fit some preconceived image that the world puts forth. Like I tell my son, "don't be a follower always just be you." People you come in contact with will come and go as you move thru life. Some will really get to know the real you that's all locked up from the world. Most will adopt the image the world wants and shun you for not being part of it. In the end you answer for yourself. Not for what your friends did; but for the decisions you make when they decide to follow the norm.

Romans 12:16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

This is a letter from a girl in college to her parents:

Dear Mom and Dad: I’m sorry to be so long in writing again, but all my writing paper was lost the night the dormitory was burned down by demonstrators. I’m out of the hospital now, and the doctor says by eyesight should be back to normal sooner or later. The wonderful boy, Bill, who rescued me from the fire kindly offered to share his little apartment with me until the dorm is rebuilt. He comes from a good family, so you won’t be too surprised when I tell you we are going to get married. In fact, you always wanted a grandchild, so you will be glad to know that you will be grandparents next month. Please disregard the above practice in English composition. There was no fire, I haven’t been in the hospital, I’m not blind. I’m not pregnant, and I don’t even have a boyfriend. But I did get a "D" in French and an "F" in chemistry, and I wanted to be sure you received this news in proper perspective. Love, Mary.

Proper perspective is a very important thing to have. Sometimes if we’re not careful we can lose focus of what’s truly important.

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

There are many verses on the evils of gossip and slander. I believe the reason for this is because of all sin, our speech is

the worst. Murder, hate, war and every conceivable evil has it's root in a spoken word.

Our daily lives are filled with enough stress and pain as it is. Why do so many people add the destruction of others to that pain? You may be angry with someone but don't verbally destroy them; lift them up in prayer and yourself in the process. I am tired of seeing all the pain and hate in our families and our world. People I beg you lift each other up! Pray for each other. Love each other. And for God's sake STOP THE HATE!

May You Be Blessed With Peace And Understanding

The Woman,The Child,and The Dragon

Revelation 12:1-2,5 "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."

For past centuries this chapter in the book of Revelation has been highly symbolic of past, present and future. The depiction of the pregnant woman has at large been agreed to represent either the Virgin Mary or Israel with the man child being brought forth representing Jesus Christ. However other views have emerged during Church history, notably that either the woman represented the church or that the man-child represented the church. The arguments and differing points of view have facilitated this topic.

However whatever ones view is, the consensus is that this scripture has future prophetical implications because of the location of this passage in the book of Revelation which many see as a sequential and time dependent series of events following each other.

On September 23rd, 2017, an unprecedented astronomical alignment will appear in the sky over Israel that some researchers believe will be a literal fulfillment of of Revelation 12:1-2 and Revelation 12:5. The passage describes a heavenly sign where a pregnant woman appears covered in the sun, with the moon at her feet, and crowned with 12 stars. The woman gives birth to a male child who is "caught up" to God. For centuries many had thought this was a form of allegorical symbolism, but today some researchers believe that it is more than just symbolism.

On the Hebrew day of Tishri 1 which falls from sunset on 22nd September until sunset on 23rd September 2017 the sun will be within the zodiac constellation of Virgo—“a woman clothed with the sun”.

The moon will be at the feet of Virgo—“with the moon under her feet”.

The ‘nine’ stars of the zodiac constellation Leo, plus three planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars), will be at the head of Virgo—“on her head a crown of twelve stars”.

The planet Jupiter will be in the center of Virgo, and as the weeks pass after September 23 Jupiter will exit Virgo (after being within this vicinity for 9 months) to the east, past her feet, so to speak—“She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth”. Jupiter is the largest of the planets, the “king” of the planets, so to speak—“She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod”.

As I stated before this is NOT date setting. This is only observing the signs in the heavens that Christ said to wait and watch for. The four blood moon tetrads of 2015-16 plus the fact that they all fell on Jewish Holy days and corresponded to the Shemitah and Super Shemitah is to hard to dismiss.

If that wasn't enough this coming celestial convergence is a once in 7000 year occurrence. Plus
September 22, is the Feast of Trumpets or Jewish New Year. It is also the 70 year anniversary of the UN resolution allowing for Israel to be recognized as a state; which 70 years was considered a generation. It is also the 50th anniversary or year of Jubilee for Jerusalem and the 70th anniversary of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Wow right! Again I don't believe in date setting. I don't believe in trying to pull out future predictions from single verses of scripture. What I do believe in is watching and waiting. Christ said there would be signs in the heavens before his return, and gave descriptions of these signs. He said in
Acts 28:26-27 'GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, "YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM."'

Luke 12:35-40-"Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. "Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. "Blessed are those whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. "Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those. "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.

John 5:28-29-"Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Are you ready? What will Christ say to you at his return? Will he say "Come my good and faithful servant, to your much deserved rest'? Or will he say "Depart from me for I never knew you"?

Be ready my friends, always serving, always watching, always waiting, and always being prepared for his return, 

May You Be Blessed With Peace And Understanding

Sticks And Stones

 James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,and set on fire by hell.

"Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me."

"Sticks and Stones" is an English language children's rhyme. The rhyme persuades the child victim of name-calling to ignore the taunt, to refrain from physical retaliation, and to remain calm and good-natured.

It is reported to have appeared in The Christian Recorder of March 1862, a publication of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, where it is presented as an "old adage" in this form: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never break me.

1 Peter 3:9-11 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it

Anyone that has been a victim of bullying as I was, knows this saying is not true. Words cut like a double edged sword through your soul. As children, we learned to act as if the harsh words didn’t faze us. We became adept at denying or ignoring our hurt feelings on the outside, becoming emotionally crippled on the inside.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Our words can be filled with love, joy, happiness and blessing or they can be filled with sarcasm, unbelief, all kinds of negativity, and even hate. Words can curse and words can bless. Words can encourage and bring life. Words can discourage and bring death.

The words that you hear linger with you. Biting, stinging, hurtful words we speak to our wife, husband, or children as they leave the house in the morning can rob them all through the day.  Loving and tender words of encouragement can linger too, and keep them encouraged all through the day and bring them to victory.

Ephesians 5:4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

The same thing is true spiritually. Words, spoken words, written words, even words set to music are more powerful than we may realize. And what you hear will linger and creep into your spirit. If you are surrounding yourself with words of doubt, fear, defeat, and failure, you’re believing will start moving in that direction. So will your life spiritually and carnally.

Romans 10:17 says, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. If I will keep hearing what God’s Word says, if I will keep reading what God’s Word says, faith is promised: Faith comes. Listen to me. Satan didn’t use some magic spell. He didn’t tie Eve to a tree and force her to eat of that tree. Man fell because of WORDS! Satan did not deny God or his power. He used words of untruthful speech to sway their thoughts.

What are we speaking ? Are we speaking our words from a well-spring of wisdom; the Bible? Are we speaking words of contention that bring destruction and a snare to our soul?

What are we giving our ears to? The Bible says if we give our ears to God’s Word faith comes. I can tell you when faith comes, victory comes. If you listen to the world doubt comes, and when doubt comes defeat comes.

Satan at no time took away Eve’s power of choice and he hasn’t taken away ours. We can choose to hear the Lord's word and be a help, and speak words of encouragement to our brothers and sisters. Or we can choose to listen to the world and give the things of the world precedence over the things of God and the lost who are watching us. We cannot choose if we live by words or not, but we can choose what words we will live by.

Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

What will you do with your words? Will you lift others up with loving and caring speech? Or will you  respond with hateful words, or words of gossip?

Matthew 12:36  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.

May You Be Blessed With Peace and Understanding

May The 4th Be With You

Genesis 1:14-19 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

I admit this was a stretch at first just so I would be able to use that title. I prayed that the Father would show me the words to say about the number four. In my study he showed me some pretty amazing things concerning the number four and how it is entwined in scripture. As is all numbers, so I will spend a few posts on the amazing glory that numbers have in creation and redemption.

Three signifies Divine perfection. Now the number four is made up of three and one (3+1=4), and it denotes, therefore, and marks that which follows the revelation of God, namely, His creative works. He is known by the things that are seen. Hence the written revelation commences with the words, "In-the-beginning God CREATED." Creation is therefore the next thing—the fourth thing, and the number four always has reference to all that is created. It is emphatically the number of Creation.
It is the number of things that have a beginning, of things that are made, of material things, and matter itself. It is the number of material completeness.

The fourth day saw the material creation finished (for on the fifth and sixth days it was only the furnishing and peopling of the earth with living creatures). The sun, moon, and stars completed the work, and they were to give light upon the earth which had been created, and to rule over the day and over the night (Gen 1:14-19).

Four is the number of:  the great elements, regions of the earth, divisions of the day, seasons of the year, and the lunar phases.

In Genesis 2:10, 11, the one river of Paradise was parted, and became into four heads, and "the fourth river is Euphrates." Here, as so often elsewhere, the four is made up of 3 + 1. For three of these rivers are now unnamed, while one is still known by its original name "Euphrates."

In the next chapter (Gen 3:22-24) the cherubim are first mentioned. These are four, and they have to do with creation always. They are first seen here, guarding (Gen 2:15), the Tree of Life, and thus preserving the blessed hope of immortality for creation. They are next seen in connection with atonement, showing the only ground on which creation could hope for the end of its groaning. They are seen on the veil and on the mercy-seat, binding up the hope of creation with Him who is called "the Hope of Israel." So that there is no hope for a groaning creation apart from atonement, or apart from Christ. In the Apocalypse the same four cherubim are called "the living creatures" (Rev 4). These announce the Coming One; these sing of creation and of Him who created all things, and for whose pleasure they were created (Rev 4:11). Whenever they speak it is in connection with the earth. These call forth and announce the judgments or plagues (Rev 6) which issue on the ejection of the Usurper from the earth, and the destruction of them which destroy the earth, and in the exaltation and enthronement of Him when all the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of our Lord and His anointed, and when the LORD God omnipotent reigneth. Wow Right!

Hence it was that these four cherubic forms were placed in the Signs of the Zodiac, and so placed that they divide it into four equal parts, thus uniting in one the twelve signs which set forth the blessed hope of a groaning creation, which waits for the Promised Seed of the woman to come and crush the serpent's head and bring in universal blessing. The fact, therefore, of the living creatures being four (and no other number) marks them as connected with Creation, and as a symbolical representation that its hope of deliverance from the curse is bound up with the blood-shedding of the coming Redeemer.

I strongly suggest reading a book called The Witness Of The Stars by E.W.Bullinger. It shows how even before we were created the message of redemption was placed in the names and alignment of the stars.

The fourth book of the Bible is Numbers. In Hebrew it is called B'Midbar, the Wilderness. The gematria of B'Midbar is 248 (4x62). It relates to the earth, which is a wilderness compared with Heaven; and to our pilgrimage through it. It tells of Meribah and striving (20:13), and records the history of the murmurings, rebellions, and wanderings.

The fourth book of the Psalms is the Book of the Wilderness. The first Psalm is the "Prayer of Moses, the man of God,"—the man of the wilderness. All the illustrations and metaphors, are drawn from the earth, and this fourth book sets forth Jehovah's counsels and purposes in relation to the earth. (See Psalms 90-106.) In the First Book of the Psalms (1-41), the fourth Psalm has to do with earth. It tells how there is nothing satisfying in it; that apart from God there can be no real prosperity in the earth.

We may note also the fourth Psalms of the other Books of the Psalms:—Psalm 45 (the fourth of the second book), Psalm 76 (the fourth of the third book), Psalm 93 (the fourth of the fourth book), and Psalm 110 (the fourth of the fifth book). All these tell of Dominion in the earth, and they speak of the coming reign of earth's rightful King and Lord.

The Fourth Commandment is the first that refers to the earth.

The fourth clause of the Lord's Prayer is the first that mentions the earth.

I could go on and on, there is so much more correlation with the completeness of creation and the number four, but I would be writing all day. I will gladly point you in the direction of where to study this and answer any questions you have.

When you see creation and the scriptures by the numbers your eyes are fully opened to the magnificent design that went into everything the Father has done.

Wait till you see how the numbers 1,3,and 7 fit into His great design of creation.

May You Be Blessed With Peace and Understanding

Grace: Undeserved Love, Forgiveness, Life

Ephesians 2:4 – 9
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Grace is a terribly misunderstood word and defining it sufficiently is difficult. One of the best definitions for it would be God's unmerited favor.  A.W. Tozer said, “Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines him to bestow benefits on the undeserving.”It's the absolute undeserving, unmerited, and unearned gift offered to humanity.

In a previous post I stated that parenting was God's humility training plan. But it's also and somewhat more of a way for us to try and show grace to our children. We should correct them not necessarily with a punishment that fits their disobedience, but instead with Grace.

Imagine if you will standing in a funeral home as the casket of a young man comes in. His mother, a widow behind him crying. He is her only son, and her only support. Then suddenly the mourners are interrupted by a man who hurries forward, “here let me deal with the dead, I can bring him back to life.”“All this man needs is education,” explains the man while boldly approaching the casket. And from his books of science and philosophy he attempts to teach the young man in the coffin. But in vain he watches for the flush of life to return; there is no response. Education has failed.

Another man approaches the scene, confidently proclaiming that he can bring the young man back to life, and so he begins, “Now young man, make up your mind that you are going to live. Exert your will, and choose to live – the choice is yours. You can get up if you only will”. But there is no response as the previously confident man looks upon the lifeless face of the young man. Free choice and will-power has failed.

Then another man came toward the crowd, calmly and with a sense of peace about him. For a few moments no one moves. Then the man speaks, “My friends, do you not know that what this man needs is religion? Through the knowledge of our doctrine he will be revived”. And he sat down by the coffin’s side. “Now I will reveal to the young man the precepts of the law, for if he will keep them faithfully he will live again”. “But” inquires one of the bystanders, “how can a corpse observe the laws since he cannot even hear your words? Until he is first alive, all your precepts will avail nothing”. Sorrowfully the man walks away, Religion has failed.

Then from the crowd steps the figure of One who walks with perfect confidence and composure to a scene of certain failure. A sudden hush falls on the expectant throng as he stands for a moment beside the coffin. Then He speaks, his voice calm but authoritative. “Young man, I say unto thee, arise!”
Eagerly the people draw close. Who is this? What power is there behind his simple words? What manner of man is this? But then their questions are suddenly answered. The eyelids quiver, the flush returns to the cheek; the heart throbs once more, and the young man rises to his feet.

What had happened? Jesus imparted Life. The man was dead and it was Life that he needed. This is the one great essential. Education will not do; nor will free choice or human rights; not even religion, however sincere it may be, will ever make the grade. None of the things we regard as being of value is equal to the task of restoring life.

ONLY GOD'S GRACE BEGETS LIFE!

How often do we think about grace? Consider your own life. We need not even look very far or at great and mystifying examples. For instance, how many of us parked our cars at home each day and thought of God’s grace that brought us home safely. To the majority of us grace is only a concept. An abstract idea that the pastor uses to explain certain principles from the pulpit. We understand grace, but do we know grace. Do we know him personally?

The Russian Czar, Alexander, used to love to disguise himself and mingle with his people to hear what they have to say. One night he visited the army camp and listened to some soldiers. While passing a tent he saw a young soldier sitting at a table with his head on his arm, sound asleep. The Czar tiptoed to the back of the chair and looked over his shoulder. There on the table before him he saw a loaded revolver. Beside the revolver was a sheet of paper with a long list of gambling debts.
After seeing the total the Czar noted a sentence below the figures saying, “who can pay so much?” Suddenly the czar understood the situation. The young officer had gambled away all he had and was about to take his own life for fear of not being able to meet his debts. Then the czar took up the pen and below the young soldiers question wrote the words “I, Alexander, Czar of Russia”. Quietly he turned away and went home. The next morning the young officer woke up and immediately took hold of the revolver when suddenly he saw writing on his letter that he had not put there. He read the words of the Czar and in amazement he dropped the revolver. At that moment a messenger came to his tent with a bag of money from the Czar. The young soldier’s debt was paid and his life was spared.

Friends, we too, have accumulated a large amount of debt. A debt so great that none of us would ever be able to pay the price. But there is good news, we don’t have to. See, just as Noah received his righteousness as a gift through grace and the young soldier his life through a gift, so too do we receive the gift of God’s grace that paid our debt for us in order that our lives might be spared.


The well-known preacher, A. T. Pierson, once said, “However poor a preacher, I can preach the gospel better than Gabriel can, because Gabriel cannot say what I can say, “I am a sinner saved by grace.”

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

May You Be Blessed With Peace and Understanding

Ask and Ye Shall Receive:Or Click Amen and Win Instantly

John 14:14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

In a society where people want their every want and desire filled yesterday; people tend to be easily influenced by someone that seems to be able to make that happen. Those people who will twist wording and scripture around to take advantage of people when they are in a bad place.

Take the opening verse for example; when taken out of context a convincing speaker could make you think just by asking in Christ's name you can have anything you want. But when you put it together with the corresponding words of Christ it says, "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

Whatever is asked in his name that will glorify the Father he will do it. The key word here is to glorify the Father not to fill your desire. When you need something and you pray in his name he will provide. It may not be when you want, or how you thought it would come, but he will provide.

Matthew 6:26-34 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Satan preys on you when your at your weakest. Easily manipulated, easy to control, and easy to follow a wolf. And believe me there are many wolves out there; and most are shining like a golden chalice beckoning you to come and take a sip. Christ always said the way to distinguish between a wolf and a sheep is by the fruit they produce. Some wolves are so convincing they may seem like they are doing a great good. A Pastor's focus must be walking as Christ did and helping those that can't help themselves.

I will say I am guilty of asking God to just let me win the lottery; we probably all are. Of course I said I would pay off all my family's debt and help others, but I was still thinking of a big family vacation, and yes I'm ashamed to say, my own Lego DeathStar. Even with doing some good with the money I would win, I was still focused on my wants; not my needs. 

Just as Christ told the rich man in Mark 10:21-22, And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. But his countenance fell at the saying, and he went away sorrowful: for he was one that had great possessions. 
There is enough money and resources to eradicate homelessness and poverty 100 times over. But the currency of this world is Greed and it's motto is whatever pleases self.

My point is be careful; as Christ said," Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves."

When you find yourself hurting, defeated, and alone turn to Christ. Not the God of type Amen and you will receive a blessing tomorrow. Not the God of "Send me your money and God will bless you!" Not the God of "Just ask for what you want in Jesus name and you will get it because God wouldn't want you to not be happy." 

Turn to the God of the Bible, to the God of compassion and love, to the God of forgiveness and salvation.  To the God that won't give you your every desire but will supply you with all you need.

Let Christ into your heart. Begin to walk in his footsteps and love and care for the helpless around you. Put other's needs above your own. Know that your true reward is not here; but it's in your home where Christ resides and abundantly takes care of those who show his love and light to others.

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

May You Be Blessed With Peace and Understanding