If My People***

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  With all the chaos in the world we call home, the Lord's promise in II Chronicles 7:14 is always somewhere in my thoughts:

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways  then I will come and heal their land". 

This morning He draws me to His Word and that promise:  "Humble yourself, pray, seek Me and turn from YOUR wicked ways".

Now it is getting personal.  I find that this is a promise where I have blame shifted and I need to talk this over with my Holy Counselor to see what He sees.  I know that this is a word addressed to only one group of people:  those who are called by His Name, (that name is Christ) and who are Christian by title and claim.

In this world of evil it is not the unsaved, non believers that this Word and promise applies to.  This is clearly a call to God's people.

As I ponder His personal words to me I have to stop and see where I have been acting in any wicked ways.  Since I have the vestiges of a carnal mind and the pride that goes with it,  I sense I need to let Him reveal such things to my heart and then listen to His strategy to fix me. 

Always thinking I am better in my own estimation than  I find myself to be in His, meetings like this are indeed lessons in humility.  Recently He has shown me the truth about rebellion and that it can be in the form of bitterness toward Him or others for my life situations.  These are the situations that He has ordained for my life.  The bitterness can be hidden in a bad attitude especially if we come to feel justified in self-pity. But that is only one side of the problem as I am about to find out. 

God's ways and perspective is higher than ours and we need to be careful about what we see as an inconsequential stubborn mood that might be a huge betrayal to our Lord and even a denial of His Lordship if we go too far in self-comfort and self-will.

Today, the Holy One takes me to the book of Acts chapter 7 to make His point.  This is the account of a man called Stephen who became the first person martyred for his faith in Christ Jesus.  He was seized and brought to a council of Jewish scribes and elders by those who wanted to stop the spread of the Gospel.

He began to testify to them of their own history that pointed to the Son of God and that Son being Jesus but then in his final remarks, he said, "You stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart, you always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you". Acts 7:51 NKJV

What could this possibly mean to me?   Then The Holy Spirit began to connect the dots:   "When you entered into the Salvation agreement you willingly made the great exchange.  You gave your life to Me, but then proceeded to live it your own way. You have asked Me to bless your way and rarely ask to know MY way."

Grief floods my heart with that truth.  Conviction becomes repentance. How many times have I resisted the Holy Spirit?  How many times has this servant said "No Lord, I will not go there", "No Lord I will not testify to them" "No Lord, my plate is too full, I am too busy with my life and my plans".  "I know I gave my life to you but it is really mine to live".  "I am more comfortable serving you in this church rather than in that mission field".

I know that I cannot turn from my wicked ways without His Spirit.  I cannot lay down my life for Him the way He laid down is life for me without The Holy Spirit. I know I have His Holy Spirit.   The question He has for me today is  "Will you listen and then obey Me?" 

I know that we are all in a process so I do not lose hope even in the rebuke.  I am thankful that My Lord cares enough to correct me when I am wrong and is patient in the process.  His best for me is what we both desire.  His best for all of us is what He desires.  I long for Him to come and heal our land.  "If ...Then....."   Since there is a condition to that promise, I must press in to meet it. 

If My people.........

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?               

         

                

The Truth That Sets Us Free***

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  The world is in such chaos and it is apparent that evil is on the march.  We, as Christians, know that in the last days we are to keep our eyes on the Middle East for the last great battle on earth will take place there.

To see it all start to play out in real time speaks to how man's technology has developed in God's great plan as to how every eye will be able to "see" the return of our King, Jesus and even witness the lead up to that great battle in a land far away.

I confess that I struggle with God's Sovereignty knowing it is nothing for Him to intervene in our days and yet there is a time table for man's days upon the earth that is not altered even by the evil that I see.  There is Divine purpose for each and every one of us in the time we have been given to spend on this planet.

The Holy One speaks into the early morning darkness and calls me to conference.  "Sometimes you have to feel the lie in order to know the truth".

It is understood that we must walk by faith and not by sight.  The "sights" we see generated by the evil one triggers our deepest emotions and that is where our faith can fall to unbelief as we begin to "feel" our way through the assault.

The Lord takes me back to His Word in Rev 12:7-12 (NKJV), "And war broke out in Heaven;  Michael and His angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in Heaven any longer.  So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast with him."

This entire chapter speaks to the birth of Christ Jesus and the battle Satan is waging against those of us who "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" on our lips and in our hearts. (Rev 12:17 NKJV) .

Jesus came in flesh form.  He came as the Creator in flesh form to identify with us, His created.  He was born in our same flesh form with a human brain, nerves, emotions and all that we are born with.  The only exception and due to His virgin conception and birth, He was born without a sin nature that dictates our human vulnerability and failure in flesh temptation.

I know my Savior "feels" and because He suffered emotional pain, He validates my feelings.  But then He asks me to get past those feelings and walk on the higher ground of Holiness. In some cases that means forgiveness and in the bigger picture that means trust.

The Holy One knows me well  He knows all of us well.  He has taken me today to the very place in His Word that draws me out of my funk.   Satan is the accuser.  He has been cast down and no longer has a place of authority in the Kingdom of our God or over me.

Satan uses a 3 pronged fork of accusation in his war for our hearts, minds and our souls: First and foremost,  He accuses God to us.  That makes for unbelief.  Then he accuses us to ourselves.  That makes for self-defeat.  Then he accuses others to us and us to others.  That makes for division and therefore corporate weakness and dis-unity.  But before we throw in the towel and head for the hills to hide, let us remember:  We have the power to overcome him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Heaven rejoices because this nasty accuser has been silenced by the only means whereby God could save man and maintain His Holiness in judgement.  God became like man in flesh to take our place.   Satan thought he had God over a barrel seeing how humanity could be tempted to rebel as he did, whereby God would have to send all His beloved humanity into the lake of fire for their rebellion too.

But the Creator had a plan from the very beginning that the devil knew nothing about.

The Cross was that plan.  Jesus came to earth as the Son of Man AND as the Son of God and was sacrificed to preserve humanity AND God's Holiness in judgment.   Satan's nefarious plot to hurt the Creator by seducing His created, making us liable for Divine Judgment was foiled when Jesus died in our place.      

Heaven rejoiced on the day of his eviction but then grief came to earth's inhabitants because of the wrath of this celestial being (AKA Satan) who makes war with those of us who keep the commandments of our God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Satan threatens death, but the Cross promises life.  The power of the Cross is the Truth that through the sacrifice Jesus made in His flesh body and the life blood He shed, the death sentence for all humanity was paid in full.  And His resurrection is the proof of that final verdict:  God is still Holy and humanity is now saved.  That is the testimony we are to give to the world that God so loves.

The message of this morning calls me out of the "feeling" that evil is winning, and encourages me to beef up and shout out my testimony of his defeat.  I am reminded that the devil is a defeated foe.  His outrage is temporary and by the Blood of Jesus who died in my place and by my testimony of faith in His death and resurrection, the enemy's power over me is neutralized.

The message of the Cross is that all humanity has been saved, but not all people know or believe that as Truth and this is the challenge and task for all of us who know we have been saved:  To share our testimony of the power and purpose of the Cross.  The Cross is where God's ultimate judgment for sin was poured out.  Jesus died the death penalty required for all who have sinned and fallen short of the Holiness of our Holy God.  His resurrection is the fact and evidence that the penalty has been paid and accepted by the One who gave the law: death for sin.

Today at first light, I did "feel" the lie but that despair drove me to know and remember the truth and it is the truth that did ultimately set me free.  Now to share it!

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?









  

         

Get God's Eternal Perspective***

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Lately I have been overwhelmed by all the evil that is being brought to bear here at home and around the world. From the earthly perspective, things relative to our persecution as devoted followers of Christ, are not looking so good for the home team. 

It is a time when many are in deepest despair and yet for others, it is a time of great anticipation as we await the return of our King.  What makes the difference seems to be whether or not we possess an eternal perspective over the events unfolding in our lives.

I have been asking my Lord for help since He has told me that to focus on the evil robs me of my peace.  I need His help to understand how to look at the evil and not allow the despair to take over.  Today He speaks of a perspective:  "The eternal perspective of temporal circumstances is crucial during these end times of the enemy's rage". 

With that He takes me back to a familiar passage in Isaiah 54:16-17, "Behold I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.
 
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper.  And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord."NKJV

This was for many years my "life verse".  It is a battle hymn in my heart.  I found it years ago when trying to grasp the evil, that was coming against me at that time, much like it is coming against all of the Lord's Beloved today.  I was trying to grasp the lessons tucked within the circumstances of my life.  For to understand the Lord's ways is to have a greater understanding of  Him.

When I found and pondered Isaiah 54, much came in to focus and vs 16-17 provided a picture of the "spoiler" aka Satan, as under the ultimate control of the Creator Himself.  We get a more detailed picture of this ancient foe in the first two chapters of Job.

If I believe and accept the Majestic and absolute Sovereignty of my Creator God Who is beyond our temporal universe and all circumstances on earth, then I must acknowledge that He knows exactly what this "spoiler" will do and has Divine purpose for me in what He permits, just like He did in the life of Job and I must pray to find it.

Once this becomes my faith reality then I can move on to live in the promise that; "No weapon formed against me will prosper and I will condemn every tongue accusing me.  Why?  Because my righteousness comes from the Lord.  The accuser is made silent and I am free from wrath or penalty executed by a Righteous and Holy God.  Jesus took my penalty and God's wrath. 

Now I am being prepared for an outrageous eternity.  I have been bought and paid for as a servant of the Most High, but then, even better,  I have been adopted into His family and with the inheritance rights of a child of the King.

The spoiler has but one purpose and that is to keep us from our Sacred relationship in knowing and loving our Creator Who, by the way, is his Creator God too. 

The "why" of it all is very simple:  Angels in creation were provided free will by design just as humanity has been given.  But for them, there is no savior for their kind.  Lucifer used his free will to rebel against the Creator and was evicted from Heaven with an irrevocable ultimate death sentence. 

One who was the most beautiful of his kind became proud and chose to make war against God in Heaven and was cast out and down to earth where he now and for a little while longer makes war with God's beloved.  (See Rev 12)

Having been catapulted to the earth realm,  yet being in essence more powerful than man, Satan has made it his ambition to tempt God's beloved humanity to follow him in rebellion of the Most High.  We were created in innocence to co-govern with the Creator over this earth realm,  but the spoiler's presence here is the very thing that provides a choice for our free will to make:  accept or reject God and His one and only way of reconciliation in relationship.

Satan uses the very same deception today as back in the Garden of Eden and that is to challenge God's rule and question His love.  His attack and attempted assassination of God's Character is relentless because he has nothing to lose, his fate is set.  Humanity on the other hand has eternity to lose if we miss and refuse the rescue that God provided through His Son Jesus.

The truly amazing part of our reconciliation is the priceless unity we now have with our Creator and that brings a whole new perspective to life on earth. Now I can process what I see and experience in light of eternity and there I can see the Lord's better purpose even in temporal suffering.  I can be like Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame. 

If the eternal purpose of my life is to testify about my eternal Lord and Savior to enlarge the citizenship of my eternal home,  then I must look to the people whose lives my circumstances put me in contact with and then testify to the goodness and salvation of my Lord.

The mercy of God may call me into untoward places.  But His mercy at that moment is not so much for me but for those who oppose me, even the unsaved.  His mercy for me is that I am already rescued and His promise is that "He will prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies".

As I pray for fulfillment of God's eternal purpose in my temporal circumstances my perspective changes.   Hard times will fade into a distant memory as I press on into eternity.  To be able to understand how my "hard things" are actually a sacred trust place here by my Lord to further His will, in the salvation of humanity, gives me the determination to look for and find the better and greater purpose He has than the personal pain I feel at the moment. 

His message this morning reminded me that while the enemy is attacking our temporal circumstances, the victory will be experienced as we look for and find God's eternal perspective.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?    

    

      

       



                       

God's Sovereignty In Light of Eternity***

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Many deep wrestles have come in the hours just before dawn: Things that indicate the depravity of humanity and the evidence as to how evil has blinded some from the very identification with humanity.  The sanctity of life has been over ruled by monetary gain and babies are being butchered with none to stop the carnage.

Despair got a foothold and the Lord watched and waited for me to stop wringing my hands and start folding them.  The Holy Spirit is my faithful Counselor and does lead me into all Truth.   The truth is sometimes so hard to accept that we go into the denial of it.

I am learning that in seeing human depravity, the enemy of my soul tempts me to question the goodness of God's Sovereignty.

Today the Holy One draws me back into right alignment with Himself.  "As hard as it is for you to see right now, My Sovereignty is best understood in light of eternity". 

Rather than withdraw from my Lord, as the evil one wants me  do,  I know that I must press in and ask Him for greater understanding as my Holy Counselor and friend.

From past conversations, and the sign of the times, I believe the day of our redemption draws near.   Patience is required as we get closer to that prophetic day on the calendar and yet live amid the escalating treachery in each temporal day on earth.

In light of eternity I am able to see how patient the Lord is in His dealings with humanity.   Long before I was ever born His Word has been in operation.  My impatience is galling and in need of repentance.  The Lord is about His business calling countless souls to be with Him for all eternity.  Many of them have not yet been born and would I, in my impatience deprive Him and them of such a wondrous eternal community and fellowship?

As hard as the subject of abortion is to my heart, in pressing deep, I find hope in the Heavenly wisdom and thought that these precious souls, while never permitted by depraved humans to see the light of day,  are welcomed into the loving arms of their Creator and have life eternal.

Abortion is an indictment of human depravity not God's good Sovereignty.

Heaven's citizenship is growing in each earth day that passes and for that I do rejoice....and find comfort from the heartache.  Truth softens some hearts and hardens others. Time is given for us to process and yield (soften) or analyze and reject (harden).  

Warnings abound in God's Word as well as promises for the faithful. Today the Holy One takes me to His word and what was spoken through the prophet Joel to reveal His plan that stretches throughout earth life and into eternity. .
     
Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;  your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions  and also I will pour out My Spirit in those days and I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth;  blood and fire and pillars of smoke."

In order to grasp fully where we are spiritually, we need to see what is spoken before,  that,  the "afterward" comes. The Prophet spoke of the "word of the Lord" that was given to him.  It speaks of "The day of the Lord" and yet without a date on the calendar or clock of earth time.  It can be said that to  every generation these prophetic words can and do apply.

Our nation is reeling from situations coast to coast and in between that are "acts of nature" turned deadly and destructive.  If one does not believe in the God of all creation (and nature)  then these are merely due to global warming or bad luck, or cycles of weather patterns and human expansion into places of risk.

The threats of war are being heard loud and clear.  Any ability to control our own lives and protect our personal comfort zones is not to be found in and of ourselves and especially not in the governments of men.

For those of us who believe: in the Word of God as absolute truth, the Savior Son of God who came to rescue humanity and the day of judgment of our Holy God, then these signs and wonders are significant.  (wonders are things in the sense of conspicuousness)

We would do well to appreciate that the Lord may be trying to get our attention as the verses  speak that "In earth" we will see blood (as in blood that when shed causes death aka "bloodshed") and perhaps through the "fires" and pillars of smoke in Calif (and other places).  Without a doubt, He is after our attention. Not just the attention of citizens of any particular state but the attention of all of us who refuse to come to Him in times of our prosperity or while living a relatively comfortable life.

We know by the Word of God that the Holy Spirit was poured out after Jesus was resurrected and after He ascended to His place of origin AKA Heaven.  The day of the Lord can be interpreted as today...and every day since Pentecost.

These difficulties both here and around the world seem to be getting harder and harder and closer and closer together.

Our circumstances are like birthing pains....getting closer and closer from generation to generation to the return of the King and the birthing of His Kingdom on earth.  .  All the threats of war and rumors of war just help us to understand and long for peace, the peace that only King Jesus as the absolute Sovereign can bring to our hearts, minds, lives and world.

God is reaching out to us.  He has sent His Son and then His Holy Spirit to call us back to Himself before it is too late. The message is repentance and for us to turn from our own rebellious and wicked ways....rejecting God's authority over our lives.

I would add that all the prophets of old, who were told of things to come, walked with the Lord and listened to His voice.  They only spoke what they heard and were given by God with the directive to share.

That precious gift (He, The Holy Spirit) is available to all who believe and many will "prophesy" as in to "speak or sing by inspiration".

The rest of us can hear and know by the same Holy Spirit what is to come. I am reminded today that my eternal life began on the day of my rescue/salvation and with that knowledge comes patience and peace while waiting for the return of my King.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?   

The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Not A Democracy

The Holy One calls to me this morning. Wrestles can seem so dark to my mind like the watches of the night just before dawn. But when the Holy Spirit speaks the darkness gives way to light and that Light is Truth.

Today His word to me corrects any misconception I might have about His ruling authority.  "The Kingdom of Heaven is not a democracy!"

Oddly enough, this brings a smile to my face and a joy to my soul. I have been caught up with all that is going on in the world of politics and feel a great frustration in my "righteous" spirit as the people and so called majority have voted for the principles of darkness to govern this nation. 

I have been arrogant in past thinking that our democratically operating Republic could handle all the challenges coming against it.  While I believe that this (our form of )government based on the wisdom of our founders according to their guiding principles of faith in the One True God, is the best government ever established on earth, I am brought to the truth that no external government of men is sustainable given the degree of evil that lies within the human heart. 

Sin is a reality of humanity and evil has a grip on every man or woman ever born.  Eventually depravity will take over and external government will fail.  Today the Lord has taken me deep into the subject matter of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Living my temporal life in a place governed by the rule of the majority, even with its good founding principles locked into a constitution, I find that evil can conquer and over-rule through deception so that we, as a people, can actually be led by consent to surrender all that makes us free.  Literally speaking, we can vote our way into bondage and become slaves to a system that thrives on wickedness.   

Religion is no different in concept than our "democracy".  Its the rules and our observation of them that make us feel secure.  What a shock it is to our entire sense of well-being when we realize the government is our enemy and our observation of rules is not enough to keep us safe.  

It took the 1st coming of Christ to straighten out our thinking and reveal the Kingdom of Heaven to our darkened minds.  At the time of His 2nd coming He will execute judgment on all that stands in opposition to the Kingdom of Heaven and His ruling authority as King.

At the time of His 1st coming, Rome was the governing authority in the world and the Scribes and Pharisees were the technical ruling authorities over the Jewish people.  Unwilling to surrender their power, they rejected the One who gave them the law of God that they were misusing to maintain their sphere of influence and ruling authority over the nation of Israel. 
  
Jesus came to bring the good news of  His Kingdom AKA The Kingdom of Heaven and to invite all to become its citizens.   His Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom but operational in the world of that time and is still operational in our world today.

The Kingdom of Heaven is an upside down Kingdom in the realm of human thought.  We must give to get, serve to rule and die to live, all exceeding backward and upside down to the ruling authority of our flesh.  Yet the good news about the Kingdom of Heaven brings love, forgiveness, healing and peace to everyone who accepts the truth and believes that Jesus is the King.

Jesus taught people everyday about the Kingdom of Heaven and God whom He called, Father.  Then one day He said to the Pharisees, "The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observations, nor will people say "here it is" or "there it is" because the Kingdom of God is within you."  Luke 17:20. 

His words reveal that something transformational needed to happen in their thinking.  In their careful observation of the external law they had failed to deal with the Godly conviction set by the internal one.  The internal spirit of the law which should bring about goodness and mercy had been over-ruled by the external letter of the law that brought hypocritical adherence and legalistic judgment. 

The Kingdom of Heaven is first established in the heart and the Kingdom of Heaven is a place of choice. 

The good news of the Kingdom of Heaven is all about the Creator's unconditional love for the individuals He created to be in a personal relationship with Himself.  The good news of the Kingdom is that all are welcome and can become a citizen by recognizing and pledging personal allegiance to the King of the Kingdom of Heaven.  That King is Jesus. 

Man by nature is a rebel of God's kingdom authority and presses for independence from it. The good news of the Kingdom is that God is willing on His end to bring humanity back under the safety of His governmental ruling authority after we come to deal with our rebellion  of it.  

The Kingdom of Heaven is a government that operates under God's Sovereign authority.  Jesus brought to humanity the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven, not the good news of "the church" or the good news of the "USA".  It was not the good news of Rome or the good news of the Pharisees that He brought us. 

The good news of the Kingdom is that God is willing to take over the government of humanity in a personal way, one life at a time. The Kingdom of Heaven is a perfect place that operates in perfect order and that brings perfect peace.  For us to be ready to enter we must be ready to live in surrender to the ruling authority of the Kingdom's King: Jesus.

Jesus said, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. "  Matt 4:17.  What was He telling us to repent about?  Was it last night's binge?  Or lying about your last sick day to the boss? Actually It is neither and both for each is merely a reflection of the evil sin nature that rules our flesh in opposition to the rule of God. 

It is not the individual sin acts that Jesus came to die for, it is the wholesale sin nature that lives in rebellion of God's Sovereign authority that He was crucified to end once and for all.  Accepting His death as a substitute for our own, we agree that the rebellious nature must die in order for us to receive the blessing of eternal life.  We agree to give him our pathetic rebellious nature in exchange for His Holy One.   

Since His death on the cross, those of us who have surrendered our lives to Him, now come under the ruling authority of His Spirit from within.  Sin is no longer our Master and we have the ability to reject all the temptations to live in independence of God. 

Why is that such good news?  Because the Kingdom of Heaven is the ultimate place where man, created in God's image belongs and can find peace and security for all eternity. People back in the day of the first coming of Jesus misunderstood his words and his mission.  They thought He came to set up an earthly kingdom as an alternative to Rome.  However in reality He came to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven in earth which is first internal and initially established in the heart.

The Kingdom of Heaven is just that: A Kingdom.  It is a form of government that is under the ruling authority of a king.  It is a monarchy.  We do not get to vote and the opinion or rule of the majority holds no power.  When we speak of Jesus as the "King of Kings" that describes Him as the ultimate of all authorities.  But this is where the rubber meets the road in our lives as Christians. Is Jesus Christ our ultimate authority?  And do we yield to His authority in all aspects of our life?

We are constantly being tempted and are contiguously barraged with the challenges to act apart from our Kingdom's Heavenly Authority here on earth. All of us fail and that is why repentance is so huge an issue  Repentance re-establishes the chain of command and Kingdom authority when we rebel or fail to seek the Lord's directives and act independently in our lives.

Today, the world does not acknowledge the Kingdom of Heaven nor will it yield to our King yet.....the day is coming when every knee with bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

I am thankful for the wonderful privilege to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven and to bow before my King Jesus here in the earth realm.  Today, the Holy Spirit brings me the sweet reminder that unlike with the government in the USA, the goodness and mercy and peace of the Kingdom of Heaven can never be voted away.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

       
        
          

The Power Of Our Words***

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  He has an urgent message that He wants to convey and one that I need to hear:

"The power of life and death is in the tongue, so speak life".

The Holy Spirit brings this message with a deep caution and a reminder to me of how all things came to be.  Our mysterious Creator God brought all things originally into existence through the power of His spoken word.  Even if we choose not to believe in that truth, our unbelief does not change it. 

However our unbelief in the raw power of the spoken word can impact our lives.  As I look around I see all the evidence that confirms the truth. His message to me continues:

"Beware of what your spoken discouragement sets into motion and guard your words."

It is a shock to realize how easily the enemy of our souls can manipulate life and circumstances through all of us human "vessels".  One of the primary manipulation tools the evil one uses is emotional manipulation.  The devil understands how our emotions can rule our lives and provides ample emotional challenges that send us into fits of discouragement, hopelessness and  despair.

The "hook" is not in the emotion itself but rather the words we speak when we are in that hard emotional place.  Words of discouragement spoken in times of despair can become a form of a curse since we begin to agree with the evil and destructive agenda of the devil whose goal is to separate us from the love and goodness of our Creator God.

In John 10:10, Jesus tell us that the "thief" comes not but to rob, kill and destroy, but He (Jesus) comes that we may have life and have it to the full. 

The enemy of our souls understands the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven even better than we do since he was once a "guardian Cherub" full of wisdom.  Ezekiel 28:14   He is an ancient being turned foe who became an antagonist against God and His created and all that God has said is "good".

The enemy's ultimate goal is to keep humanity separated from our Creator.  He knows first hand the spoken word of God and our legacy.  He knows how men and women are made in God's image, and how the redeemed have been given authority and power to destroy the works of darkness, which is his evil agenda. 

The devil has limited power so he schemes to get us humans to speak (with the power of our own words) in agreement with what he has plotted and planned and thereby work to destroy ourselves and the good things the Lord has planned for us.

If we do not guard our words, we can inadvertently, unconsciously, but ever so powerfully orchestrate our own dreadful circumstances by merely agreeing with the negative things we see and feel as a final and inescapable reality.

James 3:9 says of the tongue, "with the tongue we praise our God and Father and with it we curse human beings (including ourselves) who are made in His image".

I take that word "curse" to mean not just derogatory statements we make about each other but also to set up a contradictory image of our Divine purpose that is good, though an oppression of darkness that is not good nor according to our Godly image in creation.

Fortunately there is a "limit" to the power of the tongue when we make rash comments, speak harsh commands,  or pass ungodly judgments against people in our lives.  I wonder how careful we would be if every word we speak brought a visible and immediate result.  Would we tell others to "drop dead" when they annoy us?  Would we tell those who garner our temporary anger to "go to hell"?

Even if the careless words we speak do not appear to impose a life curse, what if they create a dark atmosphere over the lives of the ones we see fit to "curse" and what if we will be accountable one day for such brutal and oppressive words?  The Bible says we will.

Then there is that personal issue:  what if our spoken discouragement in a moment of frustration actually impacts what can become a life struggle for someone else?  How much will our worthless words spoken over our children set them up for difficulty in their lives?  How much does our derogatory self-talk initiated by the enemy's accusation of our character,  hold us bound to a life of defeat?

What if we look at our circumstances then declare and confess that "nothing will ever change", or "the situation is hopeless", or "I cannot believe that any good thing can come of this'"?   What if we, by our very own words, in contradiction to God's words about us, have executed what translates to  curse and even worse, a death warrant over what might have been a very powerful witness of God's true and Divine intervention?

The sorrow of that possibility breaks my heart for myself and others struggling in bondage to our own declared fears and discouragement.  So today I will take a look at the things I have spoken.  I will ask the Holy Spirit for the reminder of those negative, careless, worthless words I have released over myself and others.  I will take responsibility for the negative words and revoke them all in Jesus Name.

As I think about what may be “true”, according to what I see, the Lord puts up a caution and a place for discernment.  I must not focus on the weaknesses and faults or failures of others or myself even as the brutal truth, but rather use the knowledge of such “truth” as a call to prayer and to petition the Lord to be our strength in weakness.  Then I can speak the good will of Heaven over all that I see or fear.   

Today I will appeal to my Lord for discernment to know what needs to be corrected and I will also ask for Divine discretion in the words I choose to use from here on out.

I purpose to think on whatsoever is true, noble, lovely, praiseworthy, admirable and according to the list of good things that goes on and on, and then I purpose to speak the very life of my Savior and the power of His good Name over all I see.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?                           

     

Thy Kingdom Come***

The Holy One calls to me this morning. There is an assault on my peace that has for a while choked out my hope.  Today hope has been revived as the Holy Spirit teaches me more about His Kingdom. His voice fills my spirit ears:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is material as well as ethereal."

This is a message of hope since the evil one floats the deception that the Kingdom of Heaven is only a future place of the sweet by-and-by and not a present place for the situational day-to-day.

To make His point, The Holy One reminds me of His word that reveals a kingdom where streets are paved with gold and has dimensions.(Rev 21)  Even if the graphic picture is not one we can wrap our finite minds around, the description of it is provided in material terms. 

But then the King who came to earth to show us the way and the only point of entry into the Kingdom said, "The Kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, "here it is" or "there it is" because the Kingdom of God is within you".   
Luke 17:20-21

As I ponder the words spoken and written, I realize how I can be out of balance in my thinking and not operate in the total truth about the Kingdom of Heaven AKA God's Kingdom. 

Jesus, in teaching the disciples how to pray, said to pray in this manner: Our Father Who is in Heaven, Hollowed ( Holy) be Your name.  Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven".  Then follows the prayer petition of provision, forgiveness, protection from temptation and deliverance from evil. (Matt 6:9-13).

I always wondered why there was the word "in" earth and not "on" earth in the KJV. Some translations have transcribed that word as "on" earth which makes more sense to our human minds.  Unless, that is, we come to grasp and understand that the "ethereal" earth kingdom is the place where the invisible enemy resides and does his best to corrupt the physical/material earth with his depraved agenda.
 

Sickness and disease, lust and murder (all death spirits) are on the list of the evidences of a dark kingdom that festers in our material/physical world but really originates in the ethereal realm.  These are the works of the devil that Jesus came to destroy and then to teach us how to do the same.

This has caused me some faith issues and exposed some underlying unbelief that needs to be resolved with regard to miracles and Divine intervention. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit leads me into all Truth and is patient for the time it takes me to grasp what He is trying to teach me.

The importance of today's message has to do with following Truth that leads to the structure of Divine authority and that opens the way for Divine intervention in our material/physical world.
 

Jesus came to show us the Father as well as the Kingdom of Heaven and how it operates.  Jesus was in total submission to the Father's Will and that put Him in perfect balance in both the Heavenly Kingdom and the earthly one.

Jesus said that He only did what He saw His Father in Heaven do and only spoke what He heard His Father in Heaven speak.  This defines the structure of Kingdom  authority that Jesus came to demonstrate and then teach.

All that Jesus did in over-ruling the conditions associated with life in our earthly realm, were according to what the Kingdom of heaven offers all its citizens.  This visual picture of the Kingdom of Heaven was given because we as individuals must choose where we will spend eternity:   Will we choose to ultimately live with the Creator God in His kingdom or reject Him and choose to live somewhere else apart from Him.  Jesus came to offer the better choice by the demonstration here on earth of what life is like there, in the Kingdom of Heaven.

By and through miraculous intervention (the evidence of the miracles here on earth) Jesus calls us to believe:

In the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven!

In the One True Holy God of all Creation whose Kingdom it is!

In the fact that His death through crucifixion and His life through resurrection is the only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Those of us who believe and are, by choice, already citizens of the Kingdom of our God,  are now in a position to be a witness to:  His Divinity (as our God), His life (as our King) and under His authority (as our Lord).

We are to live our lives here on earth as servants of our King,  as a beloved child of our Heavenly Father and in the structure of Divine authority that comes from honoring the Lordship of Christ and His Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

When we are in right alignment with those factors in our mortal existence we can see and experience the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, and then, through our lives, others can see it as well.  The importance of our coming into right alignment can never be underestimated since our life is to serve as the "evidence" of His love and care that can cause others to come to believe and receive Jesus as their own personal Savior, Lord and King.

As I let the Truth saturate my mind, heart, soul and spirit, I am reminded of a visual that describes the Body of Christ in ways that are similar to how a human body moves and operates.  We are all members of the Body of Christ and like our body parts.   In our physical body the head is where all information is received and stored and where all our outward actions are first initiated.  Christ is the Head of the Body and all our actions must be initiated by Him.

As a part of the body I must report to Him what is going on from any and all threats I am aware of to any and all needs that might require an action to be taken for the good of the entire Body of which I am a part. I am to convey all the challenges and respond to His directives for His Godly, Kingly, Headship directive and reaction.

Taking this visual helps me to grasp the bigger picture of my role and ultimate accountability with the Lord's authority to act.  I cannot move on my own for that is like a spasm in the body and the representation of a body part taking independent action that is not fully connected to the Head.  The Church can be a well functioning body in a graceful motion and purpose given by the Head or it can be a spastic disconnected set of body parts.

The Kingdom of Heaven truly begins in the heart of the individual.  As we each give Jesus the Lordship over our personal lives then we can become a well functioning part of the bigger Body of Christ moving in concert with all the other parts reporting to and taking directions from the Head whereby the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven can then flow to and through us.
 

As we report to the head and receive His directives for our function, the Body of Christ will no doubt experience and manifest more of the earth shaking delightful things Jesus brought to earth as evidence of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Things like Divine healing and deliverance, the bind given sight, the deaf given hearing, the lame given mobility and even the dead restored to earthly life.

Today, I am thankful that my hope has been revived with the truth about the Kingdom of Heaven. To acknowledge with thanksgiving the Lordship of my Jesus and take all things needed to my Head, is the plan and prayer for this day.   But I know I must first yield to His authority and directives in my personal life and then I can wield His delegated authority as He tells me what to do.  This is the challenge. 

So I pray:

Abba Father

Holy is your Name

Your Kingdom come

Your Will be done

In earth (through me)

As it is done in Heaven

All for You and in Jesus Name!

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?