The Real Test of Job's Life

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Trust has been a subject and issue between the Lord and me over the years when I do not understand His ways.  Maybe subtle doubts have been registered before resolution more often than my conscious awareness would admit.

His voice pierces the darkness in my room and removes the last sleepy covering off my mind.  I hear Him almost proclaim "God trusts His creation!"  I cannot help but think, "What a bizarre twist to the subject of trust we have been discussing lately." 

The crazy world we live in and the circumstances we have to deal with, are not only upside down, but way too out of control to imagine a potential fix. They seem to be pressing down and onto all believers these days.  At every corner and every turn humanity seems to be on a track to do evil and flesh is driving the train.  Despair is a knee-jerk reaction for all who hope for a better life.

Since the account of Job has had my attention lately, it's not surprising that the Holy One wants me to return to his story.  I have read about the enemy identified as "Satan" and know the part he played in all that Job suffered.  Today the Lord calls me to re-read the exchange between God and Satan.

I notice that God initiated the conversation, so I can be assured He understood what was going to happen next.   The Eternal One does nothing and allows nothing without knowing what every player in the scenario will do.  Our education calls for things that will teach us about ourselves and the Master...things that He already knows. 

The first important thing I saw is that Satan is a created being just like the human, but with a little greater power, that he must gain God's permission to exert.  That truth eliminates the feeling of being a "victim" of his evil, so long as I am trusting my God.

Back to the conversation in Job 1:8 NIV.  God's assessment of Job was reflected in His delight for Job's heart of reverence.  "Have you considered my servant Job?  There is none on earth like him.  He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil".

God was bragging on His Creation.  Job appears to have lived before Israel was a Nation, and before the law that provided for his right standing in God's eyes.  In many ways, Job was a man like Adam who, yet, while tempted on earth and not perfect, kept himself above reproach in his flesh life.

The opening statements about Job reveal that he had temptations like "fear" but took his fears to God and by making a sacrifice for his children, he acted as the priest of his household and family.  We have no indication that he acted out of anything other than an inward desire to please the Creator God.

We read in Roman 1:20 NIV, that what may be known about God is plain, "For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and Divine Nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Job lived in that knowledge and acted according to his faith before the law was introduced. 

Job was, therefore, a man who, like Abraham, looked up, understood Someone created the Heavens and the earth and chose to live his life to please that Someone.  Even the concept of sacrifice must have been instilled in the hearts of men since the fall and therefore, Job made sacrifices according to his faith.

For me, today, the most fascinating part of this account is God's "trust" in His creation. God trusted that Job's Divine DNA would hold and prove God's Sovereign wisdom in the creation of man and the free will Job could utilize to worship and love the Creator. 

Remembering the rebellion of the Heavenly Host, Satan's game is to alienate the created from the Creator, man from God and God from man.

While the Law and the Prophets teach us how God dealt with a nation, as a society of His people, Job reveals the personal one-on-one intimate relationship the Creator looks for with His Beloved.

God's delight in Job, reveals the challenge that evil takes up to defeat God each and every day here on earth through our human trials and tribulations.

As the conversation between God and Satan continues, we can see that Job didn't even know the high stakes that were on his humility in the furnace of his afflictions.  God's creative genius and wisdom that speaks in Proverbs 8:30 NIV, was being challenged by Satan through Job's trial. 

Personified Wisdom speaks, "I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing in the whole world and delighting in mankind".

Satan's argument suggested that Job was loyal and "feared" God in his reverent life only because of a love for God's temporal blessings.  Permission was granted by God to test Job's loyalty to Himself through the obliteration of God's blessings and beyond that, His hand of Divine protection.

God's confidence in the man He created was put to the ultimate test.  Would job fail and the enemy's accusation be proven right? Or would Job stand firm in his loyalty and vindicate God's delight in him? 

Through many agonizing chapters, we read of the pain of his losses and the human assessments of his suffering.  Thankfully we who study God's Word have a completed picture of Job's life and struggle. 

In a sense we have been given God's perspective, and, in this instance, we can see and know the end from the beginning.  We can even come to understand the bigger picture of the epic struggle between the great (although created) adversary, Satan and God the Almighty and all-powerful Creator.

God trusted his Beloved Creation and Job, through his trials, vindicated God's wisdom in our design.  God has created humanity for more than the days and earthly experiences we have and seem to focus on here, in the temporal lives that we live.

While we have limited knowledge through God's Word, of what lies ahead or of His Eternal plans for man, the challenge Satan puts forth in an effort to destroy us, makes me believe it is so much greater than I can even begin to hope or imagine.

Satan's accusations were very apparently to try to use Job to bring universal humiliation to God and His Creation.  Satan, we must remember was created to worship God and, in his pride, refused.  Man, now has that privilege and role.  Satan will be cast down for his rebellion and awaits his final banishment.  His obvious goal is to denigrate man, whom God created in His own Image 

This greater understanding of what we are suffering on earth at Satan's hand should give us all hope and courage to persevere. 

God's delight is in us

God's vindication is through us

God's restoration is upon us

God Himself initiates the Sacred Romance with us

The devil is defeated when, through the hard times we face on temporal earth, we stand firm in the reverence and worship for our God.  Seeing the end from the beginning of Job's life, I know God will restore his Beloved. 

In the matter of our Eternity, God already has restored and redeemed His beloved through His Son, Jesus the Christ, but the personal trials on earth will continue until we shed the flesh and are given a glorified body beyond the inescapable decay and temptation to sin. 

The real test to Job's life was the delight that God had in him.  Keeping his reverence for the Creator, Job learned more about His love.  I have to ask myself, "in all my trials, like those of Job, will God be vindicated"?  Worship is the only way, in the furnace of our afflictions, to make sure that His is.  

Will my worship of Him hold when my life goes haywire?  Will yours? 

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?  

Rapture before Tribulation

The Holy One calls to me this morning with an interesting beginning to our conversation today.  In the non-verbal ways that He guides me into all truth, today He reminds me:

“I am the God of Precedents.  To understand what lies ahead, you must look to the past.”

My thoughts are laid bare before my indwelling Counselor, so He takes up my thoughts and speaks to my questions.  Today I am thinking about the promise of the “Rapture” that will wrap up this chapter of His eternal plan for humanity and delightfully so, for those of us who believe.

One thing I have noticed over the years as I study the Word of God: He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  His Word speaks to all generations and over all of time. What God did at the beginning of the history of man’s days upon the earth, He will repeat during the end of man’s days upon the earth.  (Matt 24:40) His Word is a “living” communication between the Creator and the created, in that it speaks wisdom and has application to every person born of woman regardless of the time in which we were born.

This morning He takes me back to His word to confirm my thoughts about the coming “rapture”.

I usually look to Elijah as our hope in the promise of a rapture, but today the Lord shows me another man whose circumstances might actually be more similar to our own.

He takes me back to Genesis to remind me about a man named Enoch, who lived and as scripture tells us in Gen 5:22-24, “After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 hundred years and had sons and daughters.  So, all the days of Enoch were 365 years.  And Enoch walked with God and He was “not” for God took him”.

To further explain what happened to Enoch, as a man who “walked” with God even before the flood of His judgment, the Lord takes me to Hebrew 11:3-6, 

“By faith Enoch was taken away so he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him; for before he was taken, he had this testimony: that he PLEASED God.  But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”.

This is an Old Testament precedent for the “rapture", (a sudden, rapid departure/evacuation) that we current believers are looking forward to. 

The Lord honored the man who “walked” with him in the days of such depravity and called him out before the flood of judgment came.  There is much symbolism for us to glean from this account of the way God works with His people and especially with those who walk closely with Him.   

As I look to this account for wisdom, I understand that we must have and demonstrate faith, not only in the fact that He exists, (even Satan knows He exits!) but also faith in the goodness of His character that He will reward those who diligently seek Him. 

When we confess and trust Jesus is the One God sent to save us from our sin, believe that He paid the penalty for human rebellion through His death on the Cross, and made the way for those who trust Him to have eternal life after temporal death, we will experience God's goodness and blessings.   

While not everyone will experience transition by rapture, the point remains that some of us will. Many have died trusting in the Lord Jesus and they are at peace awaiting the completion of God’s eternal plan and reunion with all who have trusted in the good will and reward He has promised.

There is a day on the earth calendar when the Lord Himself will fulfill the promise He made before leaving planet earth:  

John 14:1-3:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am”. IE.  Jesus will come back to "pick us up" and take us to be with Him forever.

Then Paul writes this confirmation in his letter to the Thessalonians in 1 Thess. 4:16-18:

"1 Th. 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Th. 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Th. 4:18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."

In these days when darkness seems to cover the land and evil seems to prevail, our loyalty to the Lord gets tested and our faith in His good character gets challenged in a myriad of ways. 

These words are a powerful reminder to stand firm in faith, stay the course, look for that day and live as if it could happen at any moment because it can.  

If we go with any evil-inspired misunderstanding of our God, and we doubt His goodness, faith gives way to fear or rejection and we lose our walking unity and intimacy with Holiness.

I am thankful for these vital words and the encouragement that comes from knowing that the life and rapture of Enoch represents a Precedent in God’s will and His ways.  We have been told of what pleases our Lord and what “faith” He is looking for that enables us to be excited for that great event called the Rapture of the Body of Christ. 

Walking with the Lord has been made far easier for us due to the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit. But there still remains a choice that we all have to make and that is to “walk” with Him each day in the ways where our faith/trust in what He has planned, pleases Him.

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

Get Ready For the Return

With the impending and imminent return of our King Jesus, are we ready for His coming?

Much has been told about the Biblical prophesies of the final days.  We have been “promised” not just warned…of what things will happen.  A great falling away, and love for the Lord will grow cold.  Those who have an emotional attachment as opposed to a willful decision to love and be loyal to Jesus will follow their emotions into a place of betrayal and apathy.  

Just like in a marriage when the glitter and glitz wears off and personal happiness trumps best interests of the others in the relationship or family, a broken covenant is an accepted norm by society in these days, and divorce rates are staggering.

The great promise is that those who remain true and faithful to their love decision regarding Jesus, will be taken out (as in Rescued) before the dreadful day of the Lord.  Again, like in a marriage covenant, love and loyalty will bring rewards despite the difficult days.  

How do we get ready for that day?  First order of business is to check our heart. Make sure we have a do or die attitude that we actually live by.   If you first formed an intellectual attachment to the Lord or the church or the good organizations who claim His name and didn’t make a willful heart decision (love is not an emotion but a decision) to follow Jesus, no matter what, then it is time to re-think your relationship.

We who believe THE Truth about Who Jesus is and love Him, are committed to following the Sovereign God of all Creation.  He is THE ONE, Who wrapped Himself in Jewish flesh, Who came to die our death and Who made the way for our resurrection unto eternal life in unbroken fellowship with our Creator, as was the original plan for Humanity from the very beginning.  

We are in a personal relationship according to an unbreakable sacred eternal covenant not merely "performing" according to an intellectual ideology or fleeting emotion. Once we enter in, by faith, trusting Him, our sacred covenant that was signed in His Holy Blood stands forever.

Jesus came as God in the flesh and commands our loyalty to Himself.  His sheep know His voice and are expected to pay attention when He speaks.  Do we personally read and follow His Word?  Do we hear Him speak to us?  Do we know His voice? Do we give instant obedience to what we hear?  If not, why not?

It has been prophesied from long ago that the day of Yeshua's (Jesus the Christ's) return, will come like a thief in the night when least expected, and will bring a judgement that no one on earth can escape.  But there is another event we must add to our calendar of expectation and that is His imminent return for the purpose of rescuing His people from the inescapable judgment to come.  

It is written that this event will be in the "twinkling of an eye", when those who are united in Him, saved by His Blood sacrifice on the Cross, will be suddenly evacuated from the earth realm before the "great and dreadful day of the Lord". 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18:

"16. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words."

I Corinthians 15:50-55

"50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead (In Christ) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

    Where, O death, is your sting?"

Human love warns.  God's love warns even more urgently.  We must not allow His warnings to go unheeded and into a pathetic human file called "apathy".  Let us embrace them as the Merciful promises from our Gracious Lord that He intends to execute one day in His eternal timing. 

Opinions vary as to the timing, but we must never doubt His promise. The point remains and I encourage all my friends and family to Get ready For His Return especially when it will be (for those who know Him) a time when He comes in the clouds to pick us up ahead of the dreadful day of that final battle here on earth.   If we live out our earthly lives as if this promised event might happen at any moment, we will be ready.      

The Holy Spirit is Calling.  Can you hear Him?

  

Intimacy with the Holy Spirit

I wake up every morning to the call of the Holy Spirit.

It is in these quiet times, just before dawn, that the Lord

speaks to my heart. This blog is an attempt to share some

of what I hear and to encourage others to listen for His

voice because…

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning and I am all ears!  His counsel is incredible and His communications with His Beloved profoundly personal.  When we come to accept Yeshua (Jesus) as our "Personal" Savior, sometimes we fail to understand His call for intimacy when we do.  

Intimacy is what a personal relationship thrives on. If we were to keep our spouse at arm's length, we would not enjoy the deepest blessings of our marriage and be willing to settle for a glorified roommate:  Someone who is there when you want or need them for something, but absent or invisible when you don't.  This intimacy cannot be based upon someone else's relationship; it must be yours.  

The Holy One speaks personally to each one of us. Just as our salvation is a personal decision that no one else can make for you, so is our intimacy with Him.  

Over time we come to recognize His voice as Jesus likens it to the familiar voice of the shepherd to His sheep.  In our day-to-day thoughts and as we bring those thoughts into captivity, causing them to be obedient to Jesus as the Word commands, wisdom flows and intimacy follows.   

How many of us misunderstand the Love the Lord has for us and His desire to live out life here on earth with us as well as eternity to come.  How many of us focus on His Presence as only in the "supernatural" or think His requirement is for us to be "super-spiritual" in order to garner His attention.  We pray in times of great desperation for Divine intervention and then let the relationship go silence in the day-to-day mundane things that represent most of our life on planet earth. 

We know, by faith in the Word of God, that the Holy Spirit dwells within us as God Himself and has indwelled believers in Yeshua since Pentecost for those who know Biblical History recorded in the Book of Acts.  But how that is applied to our daily lives, leaves much to be learned and understood in the way Holiness desires and is willing to operate in us. 

If we interpret His Presence as merely our "Get out of jail free" card and only when it comes to life after death here, we are missing the magnitude of relational blessing He is willing to provide us here and now. We are His vessels.  Jesus said, "apart from Me you can do nothing".  The "Me" is the Holy Spirit who is the source of our lives: our identities, our fruit, our strengths, our gifts, even our faith.  

The Indwelling Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made to send another "Comforter", when He left this earth after His death and resurrection, but He is also the fulfillment of the plan of Yahweh Elohim our Creator to dwell with His Created Ones.  A plan that was first introduced in the Garden of Eden.  Just as it was in the beginning, Yahweh's plan has always been to dwell with His Beloved humanity in an environment of timeless leisure and endless beauty. 

While the fall of man may have dictated the timing of God's plan, it did not change the plan itself.   There is great purpose in the earth years we live.  God is Sovereign.  He knew every player in the Garden of Eden and what each would do and what He planned for human redemption. Jesus is the Messiah promised and The Holy Spirit is a "deposit" who guarantees our future inheritance until we come into possession of it.   

Ephesians 1:13-14.  

"13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

As we come to know and accept the saving knowledge that Jesus came to save us and it was through His crucified death on the Cross that He redeemed us for all eternity, we receive His Holy Spirit within and unity with Him becomes our "Sacred relationship" with our Creator God.  The Definition of redemption is:  "to recover ownership of, by paying a specified sum".  

Our "inheritance" is eternal life, immortality and all the blessings that come with and from our Heavenly Kingdom's King:  Jesus.  As we live out our earthly lives, we are being prepared for an amazing eternity and the lessons we learn in submission to His ruling authority here, I am convinced, will somehow impact our role there.  

In these crazy times and hard days, we can settle in with Him and grow in the Sacred Romance or Beloved brotherhood He is offering to all the devoted followers of Jesus, the Savior of the world.     

Intimacy with the Holy Spirit brings all the peace and joy of our emotional wellbeing as well as wisdom and understanding of the Will and Ways of Our Lord from the One called the Holy Spirit of Truth if we will but turn our attention toward Him.

Today is a great day to learn and listen for His voice. because:

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?  

Facing our Fears

Looking back over the years of this blog, some of the conversations I have had in the early morning hours just before dawn are as fresh as if just yesterday.  Life is surely repetitious, but each new experience is like a brick in a faith wall I have been building year by year. 

Today I found this one tucked away in the archives, but the message is as relevant today as it was back then.  The timing of this blog was right before we came to know that my husband of 30 years had terminal cancer.  We were facing other life challenges, but this blinding fear was on the horizon and not yet understood.  Looking back, I know it was Adonai's preparation for what was to come.  (Nick finished his earthly race July 5, 2012).

Permit me to reminisce and maybe someone will find this helpful in today's life circumstances.  

Feb 9, 2012:  The Holy One calls me today.  I wake up to the reality that nothing changed in my circumstances since yesterday.  The only relief I find is that each morning the Holy One meets me at the moment my mind registers that it is a new day.

Yesterday is gone.  We cannot go back and change anything.  We must press on in spite of our failures or victories.  The journey with Jesus is life and eternity long, but not always on an easy, level pathway.

The latest part of the journey has been a huge mountain to climb.  A long, narrow, winding pathway.  The discomfort has been at times, like a fiery furnace burning my flesh and at other times, like deep thorns piercing my mind. The pain I feel and the agony I suffer is not just mine but also for what others are going through as well.

The injustice, the unfairness, the bitter things in the fallen earth.  Things I know my Savior can change with one word from His Throne. Then the Holy One calls me to sit with Him.  I know He doesn't have to explain Himself, but He does.

His gentle voice speaks to my heavy heart.  "I know it may be hard for you to understand looking on.  But I am taking my Beloved children, even you, into places of their greatest fears, not to destroy them but to heal them."

Fear is one of those hot button issues for me. I deal with it on a daily basis.  The Lord in His mercy has given me great victory over many fears, but there always seems to surface some nasty, ugly, fearsome thoughts as I face the threat of harm in each new situation.

Long ago, the Holy One told me to assess things correctly and that the "threat" of harm is not harm itself.  Fear is like a phantom, dark and foreboding until the light of the Son shines and reveals it is nothing more than that:  a phantom.

Fear is spoken of throughout God's Word:

  

Provb.1:17, The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Provb 19:23, The fear of the Lord, teaches a man.....leads to life.  Then we are also commanded to "fear no evil" and taught that "fear of man is a snare".

I sit with my Counselor, my mind swirling with the various forms of fear I read about in His Word.  Then He takes me to Isaiah 33:5-6:

"The Lord is exhaled for He dwells on High.  He will fill Zion with Justice and Righteousness.  He will be the sure foundation for your times. A rich storehouse of salvation and wisdom and knowledge.  The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure."  

Our God is the God of justice and righteousness, a sure foundation for all who trust in Him.  He is our Source for all things and greatly to be praised.  Reverence is in reality the "fear of the Lord".  

The absolute supremacy of our God and King is assured in my mind.  The Holy One continues to speak His wisdom in what He has allowed.  "fear in my servant's heart and mind is the one thing that will immobilize them and neutralize their effective service for Me in a fallen earth.  I must take each one of you into places of your greatest fears so that you will know no fear.  To get past fear, we must walk through it .......TOGETHER!"

Each step of the way my Shepherd leads me.  And as I look back at other places where fears hung me up, I realize He got me through those things, never to fear them again. He has proven over and over that He is faithful.

The truth will set us free.  The Truth is that we have a Shepherd/Savior all rolled into one.  Interesting.  He leads us into places to save us...out of our fears, out of our ignorance, out of our unbelief, out of all those things that would cripple us and neutralize our victory over the works of darkness here on earth.  

Jesus said that He came to destroy the works of the devil and left us in His place to do the same.  The things we fear hold us in bondage.  Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to set us free that we might serve Him more powerfully.

"The Lord is exhaled for He dwells on High.  He will fill Zion with Justice and Righteousness.  He will be the sure foundation for your times. (The Lord will be a sure foundation for MY times,) a rich storehouse of salvation and wisdom and knowledge.  The fear of the Lord is the "Key" to this treasure."

Somehow, I knew that despite all my worries and concerns for myself and others, despite the way the world looks like it is spinning out of control, My Lord is in control, and I am thankful that He takes the time to remind me of that fact.

So when we wake up and find ourselves in what seems to be a prison of circumstances, let us remember that we don't have to remain there.  The Holy One says, "I have the key, and I will set you free".

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

Remain Faithful in the Hard Things

 The Holy Spirit has been repeatedly showing me a visual and with the message: 

"Remain faithful in the hard things".

The visual is the last moments of Yahshua's flesh life and John standing at the foot of the cross (execution stake). John 19:25-27.   He was the only disciple that is identified in scripture, sharing the horrific suffering scene along with Mary the mother of Jesus and two other women.  

It is written that all the other disciples scattered and left in fear.  Each, I am sure, was handling the shock and heartbreak of the death of the one they respected, loved and hoped would end their bondage under Rome, but John despite his deep personal trauma, remained to the very end.

What happened in those final moments of Yahshua's flesh life was John receiving perhaps the greatest, most important assignment of his life up to that time:  John, the beloved of the Lord, was given the delegated responsibility for Jesus's earthly mother.  Jesus was tying up all the emotional loose ends and thoughtfully providing for his mother's well-being after His departure from physical planet earth. 

Despite the deepest grief and pain, they were both experiencing, Jesus and John were deeply connected in John's faithfulness and loyalty, a connection that allowed for Jesus to leave His earthly life with the last bit of a son's obligation and love for his earthly mother to be passed to His friend.

Our world is imploding on so many levels.  Heartache and grief are felt by all but the most calloused.  We face deeply troubling situations in our families and among our friends and faith communities.  We are seeing such brutality and abuse of humanity; it is hard to look at it day after day.  Many of us want to run away and hide from the pain we are feeling at what we are witnessing. Just like the disciples ran from the crucifixion and death of their "hope".  

Unlike the disciples who fled, however, we know the end of the story which should give us the strength to stand firm in these days in the face of hard things and remain faithful without fear or depression over the evil we see manifesting in our world.

Standing at the foot of the cross, present for the final breath our Lord drew did not destroy John but rather set him up for even greater things that would come.  Can we trust that our Lord will do the same in and through us as we face and remain faithful in the hard things? 

Thankfully the rest of the disciples found their courage and loyalty once they saw their Lord resurrected but then incidentally, what they feared that kept them in hiding, was where they finally stood firm.  All were martyred but John, who reportedly died peacefully in his old age.

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

Shabbat Shalom: A Day of Rest

Shabbat Shalom to all my beautiful family and friends.  It's a day of rest, given by our Creator to prepare us for the ultimate Sabbath rest for the people of Adonai.  What a gift it is but how much greater will be our appreciation, when we understand what and when the ultimate Sabbath will be. 

Following Yeshua is such a fascinating journey with ongoing lessons that teach of the incredible mystery of our Sovereign Creator: Yahweh Elohim.

As all things in creation, mystery surrounds the epic eternal plans of our God, but it's in the pursuit of Him that causes such great excitement in our lives.  The Sabbath rest is no exception.   

This morning as I awaken to the dawning of the "traditional" Sabbath morning, (Saturday in America) I hear the Holy One say, "Your creativity is an act of war!"  My mental wheels start turning, to grasp where He is leading me this morning into all truth.  It is Shabbat after all. 

He continues to impart a new perspective, "You are in a Kingdom war against the fallen Elohim (celestial beings who inhabit the unseen realm). The war against evil and its chaos and destruction is to strategically defeat such things with the Truth and enact creative GOOD just as Yeshua did when He came to earth."  

When Yahweh created our world, of everything He spoke into being, He said "It is Good".  When the original pair rebelled the one rule in the Garden and ate from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the door for evil to enter into the fabric of creation was opened and evil began to rule over the hearts of mankind. 

The once trusted "elohim" turned into traitors and began to instruct humanity with the knowledge of evil and how to destroy what Yahweh had created. In their pride, they set up various "religions" whereby these little "g" gods could steal for themselves worship that belongs to Yahweh alone.   Sadly they taught humans how to do the same. 

As these fallen beings spread their corruption to humanity, chaos and lawlessness rules, and destruction follows. 

Misrepresenting Sabbath is one of the ways evil has distorted "human" understanding of Yahweh's Character.  The "law" given as instruction back in the day, was meant for good yet was twisted to become oppressive.  

Things such as abusive power-lust led the Pharisees to use the Sabbath as an excuse to control all Israel and even limit "good" creative works on that day of the week.  Perhaps, in an effort to offset "lawlessness", the ruling religious authorities piled rules upon rules in Shabbat observance.  No travel was allowed limiting fellowship outside a small boundary.  Plucking even a grain of wheat was included in the no-work policy possibly limiting the hungry from finding a bit of food.  As Jesus began His healing ministry, that too was considered "work" and condemned by the religious of the day. 

As I ponder the influence of the fallen elohim, I realize that their agenda is served by our misunderstanding of the ways of our Creator God. Yeshua came to change what was out of order in our human understanding of Holiness. His creative miracles, that eliminated human suffering occurred even on Sabbath days.  

The message of this morning is a reminder that we can participate in this Kingdom battle through creative GOOD works actively overruling evil things, for the benefit of others and for the glory of Yahweh.  

I am not to let anything stall my good works and creativity overcoming the evil I see, even on "Shabbat".  There is a measure of temporal "rest" that can be gained when I function in my God-ordained role, accomplishing good works though creativity when and wherever I see evil destroying other lives. 

Jesus came into our world to destroy the works of the devil and take back what belongs to Him.  All creation is His and since the unleashing of the Holy Spirit, humanity has the ability to participate in the war for our own "Kind".

For many years on my Journey with Jesus, I have been engaged in what has been termed 'SPIRITUAL WARFARE".  I see life as a great battle between 2 kingdoms, one that is good and one that is evil.  God our Creator is Good, and all He created is magnificent. 

In the ancient and eternal past, an enemy declared war on Adonai's kingdom, and formed a mutiny of rebellion against the Creator, Adonai.  We are told in Ezekiel this enemy of God was at one time a "guardian Cherub" created to encourage humanity to seek and worship God our Creator. But that celestial being became "proud" and wanted to be "like" God and so moved on humanity to turn all the honor and respect to himself and away from the One who is worthy of all our worship.  Ezekiel 28:11-15. Rather than being a guardian for God's Glory, Satan became a usurper of it. 

The battle rages every day between good and evil over our lives.  Focusing on the war, we might not have ever asked what the battle is really about?  Lately I listened to a teaching that has really opened my eyes to the fact that I have so much to learn about the spirit realm and the fallen elohim (angels) who inhabit the unseen realm and yet are free to pass back and forth between the seen and unseen realms.  

In these end times, we are witnessing an intense "collision" between The Kingdom of Heaven and the opposing forces of darkness.  I hear the Lord say, "Brace for impact".      

We get a few clues about these powerful beings through the account of Job.  We know that Satan kept an eye on humanity and brought charges against Job regarding his ultimate loyalty to His Creator.  Satan had the power to create havoc for Job but was restrained from going beyond God ordained boundaries relative to human life.  

When we look at the description of the evil one in Genesis, and then again in Job, it is apparent that Satan (an adversary) has as his ultimate goal, the separation of humanity from our Creator God.  Understanding God's Sovereignty enables us to stand firm when evil rears its ugly head and threatens our relationship that has been reconciled and renewed and is now protected by the Blood of Jesus. 

Shabbat can be what it was always intended to be in the very beginning of time, back in the Garden of God.  For followers of Jesus (as well as Israel) it can be a day of rest from the ordinary labor of life.  A day to enjoy all that God created for our delight and benefit.  The most important reason no matter what we consider delightful or beneficial, is that we share it with Him.  And the greatest blessing and gift is our Salvation, that requires no performance or "work" on our part. He is the Creator and the Source of all that is good in our world and life.  

Take the time, enjoy the day, find the good, the pleasant, the delightful and share it with The One who makes your joy possible. Shabbat Shalom!

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?  

 

  

        

 

    

   

God's Grand Eternal Plan

 The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning.  His Presence is the sweet comfort I need when I wake up in a world that most often seems to be spirally out of control. 

He always brings me back to His grand plan and provides pieces that are almost like those of a jigsaw puzzle. Each one has a specific place, and I am to find where each fits.  

In this season of life, I am learning much about the overarching big picture of Yahweh's Divine plan that we are living out on our days upon the fallen earth.  Distinct from the day-to-day challenges and trials we weather, comes the Truth about Yahweh's Eternal Sovereignty and His Control over our days and times.  

The Book of The Revelation of Jesus the Christ is the last recorded message and completes the cannon of Divine revelation of His eternal Being and what is to come at the "end of days" and on into the glorious plan for our eternal habitation with our Creator, whose desire it has been to dwell among His Creation with Humanity since the very beginning. 

To merely look at the big picture in bits and pieces is to miss the grandeur of it. 

We are the center piece of a "Never-ending-Story" that has unfolded chapter by chapter since the beginning of time itself. The eternal nature and character of our Sovereign Creator is a mystery we cannot comprehend in our finite minds.  But we have the hope that the clues we have been given in His Word, enable us to seek and find a few of the answers to the many questions "inquiring minds" might want to know.

In His great mercy and the record of His delight in what He created in the beginning when it is written that, "He saw that it was good", we can actually rejoice in the value He has placed upon us and for the relationship He desires to have with us. 

What began as a companionable relationship in a beautiful garden, became a test of human free will response to the love offered to abide with Him and live within the boundaries of protection He set.  There was only 1 rule the original pair had to observe and live by:  Avoid the tree bearing the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.  That one rule was to preserve the innocence of their design and keep them safe.

Humanity was created with a "free will" and with that freedom came the necessity of options with which to exercise that "free will".  The one rule provided the opportunity for the original pair to exercise their free will.  Enter the "tempter" and a convincing lie that over-ruled the truth:  "If you eat of this fruit, you will become "Like God".  They did not consider that in reality they already were "Like God" for in Genesis 1, His Word tells us:

 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.   (KJV).

The seed (from the forbidden fruit) embedded in that careless act of rebellion, was the penalty of death.  Toxic and poisonous, the pair experienced the death in their relationship with the Creator and died in their radiant glory as Yahweh's imagers. I can only imagine the horror of suddenly being wrapped in skin with the original glory dimmed and exchanged for a body of sin.  More than nakedness as we might understand in our flesh, I would imagine the sudden awareness of separation from the Creator's comfortable Presence and loss of innocence was indescribable devastation.  

Praise the Lord, the amazing plan of Yahweh our Creator, did not end with the rebellion in the garden that day.  Because Yahweh Elohim is Sovereign, knowing the end of everything from the beginning of anything, planned for a future rescue for His imagers from the death penalty.  

Perfect justice required the penalty to be paid, but perfect mercy provided a flesh representative to pay it for all humanity.  That "flesh representative" was none other than God's own Son, Jesus.  Just as in the original free will choice to rebel, we each are given a free will choice to accept a substitute who died in our place. 

The death penalty will have to be paid by every human ever born, and not just the death of our temporal flesh, but the eternal death of our relationship with our Creator.  And yet, our merciful Creator God, has provided a way of escape if we choose to take it.  

Paul sums it up in Romans 7 where he gives word to the cry of our hearts and praise to God for our rescue.  

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

As we come to accept the One who died in our place, acknowledge our need and His sacrificial death in our behalf, an amazing supernatural thing takes place within us.  We are beneficiaries of a new nature.   That new nature restores us to our original glorified immortality when upon the physical flesh death, we are fitted with a new and glorified body that will not decay and will instead provide what we need for our eternal existence.            

This is why Jesus modeled for us His resurrected body as a preview of our own.  The resurrection of Jesus is the embodiment of our hope. 

Paul speaks of it in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Paul argues that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised, making Christian faith futile and leaving believers still in their sins. 

The resurrection is therefore essential to the gospel, validating both Christ’s victory over sin and the hope of eternal life for believers. 

In God's grand eternal plan, a resurrected glorified body is necessary to house our being. Non-believers will not have a resurrected body to inhabit.  The soul lives on but not in a "body".  

As we learn more and more about God's Grand Eternal Plan, it is our privilege and responsibility to share such knowledge and wisdom we have gleaned with others along the way.  The Gospel is meant to be shared.  The story of our Savior. Jesus, who came, died to pay our debt and then resurrected to show us the future of all who trust in Him, is meant to be shared.  God's Grand Eternal Plan is too good not to.  

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him? 

I Will Bless Those Who Bless You.

We were born into a world at war.  The battle we are told is not against flesh and blood (each other) but in conflict with dark and deceitful entities who inhabit the unseen realm. The author of the deception that convinced original man and woman to rebel God's ruling authority is alive and well today.  

Let it be understood that the battle is for the mind and the power of the evil one is in the lies and deception he whispers to an unguarded mind, that our flesh considers and chooses to act upon.     

As we march toward the end of temporal time and toward the renewal of this planet according to the eternal plans and purposes of our Sovereign Creator, the deceptions continue to grow in an effort to manipulate hearts and minds to reject God and hate His chosen. 

Way back in the beginning of time, after the fall of man and the penalty was issued, it was conveyed on the Sacred Scrolls of history that at a certain future moment, a Savior would come to defeat the enemy of God's people (humanity).  

This Savior would come forth from a woman and there would be animosity between woman's descendant (singular) and the enemy's descendent (singular).  That singular "Descendent" from woman is Yeshua, the Redeemer and Savior of the World. 

In our day and times, antisemitism is reaching a fever pitch. Israel as a nation was brought forth and designated as chosen by Yahweh (God) to represent Him and His Kingdom to the world. The world has hated the "children of Israel" and yet they are Beloved by God and have their future completely secured by His Mighty Hand.  

This hatred is ungodly and inspired by those who refuse to live in submission to Yahweh's ruling authority and who seek worldly power and self-rule in and of themselves.  Despite any failure on the part of Israel to represent His Kingdom, hatred of Israel is inexcusable for a true Christian and lover of Jesus.       

The bottom line is that the Savior of the World of humanity came to us as a baby wrapped in Jewish flesh, walked among His creation, lived in perfect submission to God's ruling authority and died the death penalty we all have been required to pay for flesh rebellion.  

He came to die so that we might be reconciled to our Creator and by faith in His sacrificial death, become eligible to be restored to our original immortality and eternal life with Him.  He is a Holy God and cannot abide with sin in any form.  Rather than have all to perish, a great exchange was made possible.  

In a magnificent supernatural way, we are able to exchange our rebellious sin nature for Yeshua's Holy one and that, not by performance, but only by trust and faith in His promise recorded in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, (Yeshua/Jesus) that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life      

Over 2000 years ago, Yeshua (Jesus) was conceived by way of a of Divine conception, born in Bethlehem, lived a perfect life as a Jewish man under the terms of Torah, was crucified and then resurrected in Glory making physical appearances for His disciples and others to see, touch and feel Him alive before He returned to His Heavenly Throne. 

The Church was established upon His death and resurrection message. The Original Disciples and therefore the original community we call the "Church" were Torah observant Jews and followers of their long-prophesied Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus).  When He came to earth, He was wrapped in Jewish flesh but Divine in Nature, as Yahweh Elohim, the Son of God.

It is a mistake to try to understand our faith in Jesus, apart from understanding the Jewish culture He was born into.  It is also a mistake to regard the Nation of Israel as "perfect" because in truth the great tribulation is the event that will bring them into alignment with the ultimate and final recognition of Yeshua as their Messiah. (true Salvation). The Book of Revelation tells of that coming and glorious day. 

Hatred of Israel is hatred of those God loves.  Hatred of the "Jews" is hatred of Yeshua's kinsmen.  When He returns there will be a price to pay for those who have ravaged His Beloved. 

As we approach the final chapter of earth before Yeshua's return, it is important to understand Divine justice and judgement within the Jewish culture as it will (most likely) be part of the tribulation and Millennial Reign of Yeshua.   

That said, here is an important thing to understand.  In the culture of the Jewish nation of Israel, there is a "Kinsman Redeemer" role which entails being a "Blood Avenger" of His people. The cultural responsibility to avenge the family follows and is within the definition of the kinsman-redeemer: A kinsman redeemer is a close family member in biblical times who had the responsibility to rescue or restore a relative in need, which could involve buying back family land or marrying a widow to preserve the family line, or avenging the bloodshed of a family member. This concept is prominently illustrated in the Book of Ruth, where Boaz acts as a kinsman redeemer for Naomi and Ruth.

This is a picture of Yeshua, Jesus, who is the Messiah promised to the descendants of Abraham and the Children of Israel. 

True "Christianity" is founded on the Nation of Israel and the One Who was promised and foretold by the Prophets, as they spoke over the course and history of Israel and over the world we know. Do not miss this by failing to dive into the riches of our Redemption story. 

We know that Jesus came for the salvation of all of humanity, first the Jew and then the Gentile.  Speaking as the "Good Shepherd" in John 10:14-16, Jesus declares, "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; (born-again Gentiles) them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

Rather than live in animosity with God's chosen nation why not seek to understand His will and ways though it's culture and history?  One day we will all be in unity as "One flock and having One Shepherd".  Until then, why not value the nation who brought us the lineage and story of our Savior.  Yahweh Himself promises to bless those who do.    

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

 

 

Do You Know HIM?

 The Holy One calls me this morning. Together we are working to rid my heart of any and all unbelief. Actually, the unbelief seems to start in my mind with lies by the enemy of my soul and without realizing the toxic nature of the lie, the "evidence" supporting it begins to surface, and it seems like truth.. 

As the "evidence" falls into place, there comes a heart shift, subtle at first, but left unchecked the heart becomes cold, indifferent and resigned to what the enemy wants me to believe. 

People around me are sick and some have died. Compromise in the lives of those who claim to be "Christian" is obvious and yet we are told that grace covers all sin. Doom and gloom prevail with famine and drought, physically and spiritually being experienced by most of us who live on the earth. Yet when Jesus came, He brought such relief to those suffering the same things we experience today.

The Holy One has taken me to the gospels to recall the account of the Centurion who brought the plight of his paralyzed servant to Jesus for a healing "Word". Matt 8:5 begins the account and Matt 8:10 reveals how Jesus felt about this Gentile and his faith in a "Jewish Carpenter". "When Jesus heard this (the Roman's statement of faith) He was astonished and said to those following Him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith". The Centurion's servant was healed at that very moment.

Reading past this account are many other accounts of Jesus confronting a variety of infirmities and physical suffering. All were "healed". All were "cured". Then the Holy One brings me to the encounter between Jesus and a ruler named Jairus, whose daughter had just died. In Matt 9:18 the short version of the story captures my attention. 

What is interesting to me is that, as this Synagogue ruler told Jesus about his daughter he said, "but, come, put Your Hand on her and she will live." This seems to speak of an even greater faith in what Jesus could do. The confidence of the ruler demonstrated by his words was faith in Jesus to resurrect his daughter from the dead.

As I ponder the two accounts, I wonder why this man's faith for a resurrection was not the subject of similar astonishment to Jesus? Knowing my thoughts the Holy One gives understanding. Jairus knew Jesus. By all the Holy writings the Jews had in their hands, they knew and recognized Jesus was the Messiah and knew what Messiah would do when He came. Jairus' faith was expected from one who knew who Jesus was: the promised “Messiah."

Then it hits my mind, the Centurion came out of spiritual ignorance and decided that Jesus was One in whom great authority rested. His faith was based on what he heard or saw Jesus do. "Even if you do not believe in My words at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." John 14:11

Faith from the Jewish ruler was expected for all he knew about the coming Messiah. The Centurion on the other hand took the initial but huge leap of faith to believe in the One standing before Him.

Holiness takes me back to the issue of unbelief. Then comes the hard truth:

"Unbelief prevails because you don't really know Me. Doubts arise because you are too busy to come to Me. Fears rule your circumstances because you refuse to trust that I can or will take care of you". 
 
As soon as I start to object, I realize the truth He has just spoken. Until I acknowledge the problem I cannot begin to be healed. Unbelief is like a disease. Unbelief kills hope. Unbelief kills dreams. And unbelief, ultimately, kills the soul. The only cure for unbelief is to really get to know the One I have trusted my eternity to. For those of us who have the Holy writing available, there is no excuse to remain in ignorance and unbelief. 

The Bible embodies the Person of our God. It is a living testimony of our Creator for all who feed on its Truth. The Gospels tell of the day when God came down from Heaven in a form (wrapped in Jewish flesh) that humanity could relate to in every sense of the word. Jesus came in flesh form as the exact (copy) representation of God's Being. Heb 1:3. 

When He returned to His place of Glory, after demonstrating His power over death through resurrection, the God of all Glory sent my Counselor called the Holy Spirit to teach me personally about Himself. He is the One who calls me every morning and moves with me throughout every day. And He is the One who enables me to know God in ways that the infamous sheep know their Shepherd.

Familiarity brings trust. Like dealing with a very vulnerable sheep, the Good Shepherd, guards, protects, provides for and loves...me. Even as my penchant is to wander past my boundaries, He always brings me back to safety. At the end of the day, even if I do not grasp all the whys and wherefore's of what life brings through what He allows or what He doesn't, I just must trust in His love.  

I know that changes have to be made. I purpose to spend more time with Him. To know better and trust more completely the One who gave His life for me. He bids me come. When I do, I know the doubts will fade, fears will vanish and unbelief will never find a habitat in my heart ever again. 

The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?

Cure for the Sin of the Soul

 The Holy One calls to me this morning.  He always brings a refreshment to my soul.  Even as He is working to purify my "stinkin thinkin", His Presence brings relief.

The accuser of the brethren (as Satan has been described) hurls his insults at my mind.  The attack begins during the watches of the night, just under the radar of my conscious awareness.  The enemy begins early to try to infect my thoughts and make his evil presence known on the battlefield of my mind.

I am thankful that Holiness wakes me each morning with reminders that He rules my life; that the enemy can hurl his insults and take his potshots at me, but in the end my relationship with the Holy One always prevails unto victory.

Today, as the enemy reminds me of past failures that seem to relate to current issues, the Holy One speaks:  "The past does not dictate the future.  You are a different woman today than the one who got deceived years ago".  His gentle voice and sweet love floods my soul.  The One who knows me better than I know myself comforts me.  There is no condemnation, no bitter words or even an innuendo that suggests rejection.

The Holy One continues, "I see sin differently than you do".  Since His "opinion" of me is the only one that counts, I press in to hear what my Lord has to say to me on this subject.  "The sins of the flesh that you are so prone to focus on are temporal.  The laws I have given for the temporal, affect the best interests of your flesh life in a fallen world.  The more important sin to be dealt with is the sin of the soul and My Law in that regard affects the best interest of your Spirit life for all eternity.

I am always amazed at the simplicity of Truth.

The sin of the soul is willful independence from the One who created us.  The sins of the flesh are just symptoms of the sin of the soul.

Humans seem to be in the constant turmoil over the flesh failures, and thinking that our Savior, Jesus Christ, came to offer one more tool for the "big" issue of sin management.  Or worse yet, one more impossible requirement to an already inexhaustible list of what is required to have peace within.

Far from that, the Savior came to obliterate once and for all the "soul sin" that separates us from our Creator God, and that which is the source of all the "flesh sins" we see being carried out in ourselves and others.  

When Isaiah said in 53:5, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, by His stripes we are healed", he was talking about the deep soul sickness that our sin nature causes, not as some promote as a promise for temporal physical healing, we might need in times of illness.   

God, Himself, has offered the only way to cleanse the "soul sin" we are all infected with at birth; the soul sin that leads to soul death for all eternity.  Relational separation from the Creator is soul death. 

Jesus was sent into this fallen world to bring the cure.  We always quote John 3:16 as God's great love for us but the next verse brings additional clarity regarding the Heart of the Creator for His beloved creation I.E. each one of us.  "For God did not send His Son into the world (of people) to condemn the world (of people) but to save the world (of people) through Him".

"For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Jesus brought life sustaining reconciliation in relationship with our Creator, that was lost at the fall. 

From God's end the problem is solved. The cure has been granted for any who would choose to take it. Jesus came and did what was necessary to save every person ever born from the "soul sin" that causes death of the person/soul for all eternity.  

Now, the big question we each, individually, must answer is: "will I take the cure?"

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

Be Ready: A Revisit of Sodom and Gomorrah

 As the Lord's arrival is imminent, we are all being called to give careful thought to our ways. We are all being shaken down and out. We are being tested to see what is in our hearts, before we are called to have audience with our King where we will be required to give an account of how we lived our lives here on earth.

Most fail to realize the seriousness of our choices. Jesus has said that narrow is the way that leads to life eternal. Grace has been reduced in our minds through some teachers to a distortion of true accountability.

Perfect love and perfect justice come together under Grace. Liberties have been taken and the dread associated with a Holy God has rarely, if ever, been felt.

The Spirit calls me this morning to look at Lot's life and where he "pitched his tent". Lot was Abraham's nephew. He had moved with Abraham, and spent years in the presence of the Patriarch, God's chosen.

The day came when the Lord had so blessed them with livestock and other things, they needed to separate. In Gen 13, Abraham and Lot discussed the division, and Lot was given the choice of the land. Gen 13:12, "So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordon and set out for the east." Vs 12, "Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tent near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord."

As the account continues, we fast forward to Gen 18. In this chapter Abraham gets a visit. Gen 18:1-2, "the Lord appeared to Abraham. Abraham looked up and saw 3 men standing nearby."

Abraham was privileged to have an encounter with the Trinity, and the Lord revealed the purpose for His visitation. "Then the Lord said, The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous, that I will go down and see if what they have done is a bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know it."

The Lord came to Abraham, His friend, shared with him the Divine purpose about to be fulfilled and even the "why" behind it.

Abraham was given the great privilege of a visit, but we can also see though this account a picture of the intimate relationship between God and His covenant people. We, in Christ Jesus, are God's covenant people and have access and privilege before our God to intercede and voice our thoughts, concerns and fears for others in the pathway of God's Divine judgement.

But today, the Holy Spirit calls me to look at Lot's life and where he chose to pitch his tent.

The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great that the outcry against it reached God's ears. Lot chose to live just outside the city, perhaps thinking that he could live with the perks without the liability. It is quite obvious that this close proximity to such wickedness had an impact on Lot's life and his family suffered as a result of where he pitched his tent.

When the angels of destruction were given the assignment to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the real devastation of the family unit was revealed. Lot attempted to barter his virgin daughters to the crowd of depraved men about to assault the "heavenly" visitors sent to destroy them.

As I look at Lot's life, I realize the ultimate risk of living in such a place of compromise. For whatever the reason, Lot had no impact on the place of wickedness. Conversely, that place of wickedness seemed to have a great impact on him and his family. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah was about to be destroyed, not even Lot's pledged sons-in-law were willing to listen and leave town with him and his family which included their wives-to-be. Lot was not able to persuade anyone, that judgment was about to fall.

God's mercy was the only thing that spared Lot and his family from being destroyed along with everyone else in that corrupt place. With judgement about to be executed, Lot was still hesitant. Gen 19 says, "when he hesitated, the men (Angels) grasped his hands and the hands of his wife and of his 2 daughters and led them safely out of the city.

God is so faithful up to the last minute providing a merciful rescue even to those who might hesitate in fear.

But once the family was on the road to safety, God's command and warning, "flee for your lives. Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere on the plain", was not heeded nor obeyed and Lot's wife died along with all the others associated with the ungodly city.

God's mercy has an expiration date, and we don't know when it will arrive until it is too late. There was a day on the calendar when the door of Noah's ark closed and all those outside the ark perished in the flood of God's judgment.

The Spirit is calling to all of us, "beware where you pitch your tent". The world is full of evil. Temptations abound for us to participate at different levels of life. Yet, we as believers are called to be separate, bound to our God and His principles of Holiness.

Today the Spirit has revealed truth about the dangers of living on the borders of wickedness: compromise with wickedness, tolerance of wickedness, apathy toward wickedness. Lot apparently did not have the reputation for witnessing the truth about a Holy God to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. At the moment of Lot's appeal to the depraved citizens of Sodom to leave his guests alone, they told him to get out of their way, saying further that Lot had come to them as an alien and now, "wants to play the judge"

God warns His people, "give careful thought to your ways". In these end times, knowing the judgement to come, we must all consider where we have pitched our tents. Are we in that border town, having no Godly impact on those around us and in danger of the judgement that will come upon the earth?

Are we bartering our children to the whims and demands of the world, failing to protect them from worldly dangers whether by assault or acceptance of ungodly principles of living?

Are we so entrenched in the lifestyle of the world that we cannot leave it's perks even if our eternal lives depend on it?

Where have you pitched your tent?

The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?

From Combatant to Observer

The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning. Life has been so hectic and chaotic for months and lives have been forever changed. My blog has sat silent for a long, long time, but the Holy Spirit continues to speak to me each and every morning, so I am trying to return to the discipline of writing and scribing what I hear from Him.  

The dust of the battlefield is finally clearing, and now, I can spend time processing the wisdom and putting the details together in my mind.  All my adult life, I have been engaged in understanding the battle between good and evil and found the call to be a "combatant" in the war against evil.

"Spiritual warfare" was my wheelhouse, and I sought to learn and operate in Divine strategies provided by my Commander-in-Chief according to His Holy Word and in the revelations of His Sovereignty, since the beginning of history and all of time.  

That said, a new season has begun for me and the "calling" has changed.  I have heard the Lord tell me, "My judgement (of evil) will not be postponed. The battle is too big for you; I will take it from here."  At first, I objected, since the battle was familiar to me.  But the Holy Spirit has revealed things I would never have imagined regarding the evil in the world and in our own nation.

Jesus knows me, and my strength along with my weaknesses.  If He says something is too big for me, I know, I must surrender to His assessment.  Thankfully He has brought the understanding of my new "assignment", and it is that of a "watchman".  From combatant to observer, from the "battlefield to the watchtower", I can now see things from a different perspective, and act accordingly.

I pray this blog touches hearts and lives for my Lord, and offers encouragement for those who need it, but at the end of the day, I write and blog for an audience of One, and it is His prerogative to place the journal of my life and thoughts before readers, wherever He so chooses.

My job is to observe and write what I see, not to worry if others agree or have another perspective of what is unfolding as we await the coming of our Lord.  With this as a disclaimer, I pray the reader understands that The Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus, desires intimacy with each one of us and seeks to engage us in a personal relationship with Himself. 

My goal in sharing what the Holy One speaks to me from out of His word, is to encourage each of you who belongs to Jesus, to listen for His voice and what He is speaking to you, because His Word is alive and:   

The Holy Spirit is Calling.  Can you hear Him?