Monday, July 28, 2008

He's Free

In one of my postings entitled "God Spoke To Me Today" I wrote about my grandson getting perhaps his last chance to change his life and secure his future. Last night as I was once again talking to the Lord, no … talking "with" the Lord; there is a difference you know; I felt as if He was showing me just why he is responding so well at the National Guard Lincoln's Challenge.

He has been doing great in the structured environment that's run like a boot camp for the new recruits. He has even been made one of the group leaders. When the new recruits were tested for G.E.D. placement for schooling, he scored 12.9 out of a possible 12.9, the highest average there.

How is this possible? My grandson, when left with a choice before, would always choose the easiest way out, like he was "drawn" to the wrong choice. His actions made me believe the phrase was true that says … "If the devil can't pull you into something, he will get behind and push." That was exactly the problem.

But now something is different. Last night I believe God showed me what has happened, what has been making the difference this time in his life.

He has finally been set … "free." First of all I want to make clear, "It's all God." Yes, we have been praying; we've been praying for a long time. But prayer didn't do it … Jesus did.

John 8:36 … "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

So what happened this time, what changed? I can't be sure; but what the Lord showed me I will try my best to explain.

Ephesians 6:12 … "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

This is exactly what has been going on in my grandson's life; and we knew it; which was the reason we were praying for him. I don't believe for one minute that he had anything more wrong with him than the spiritual power of the "darkness of this world" following him around and "oppressing" him. Paul said we wrestle against this "spiritual wickedness."

What changed? He finally became "obedient" to God when he decided to go to this military school. When he climbed aboard that bus … "God took over."

Thank God. Praise the Lord! I want to always give "all" the praise and glory to Jesus. He gets it all. We can't even take credit for praying; it's always the Holy Spirit who prompts us to pray anyway; so I give God the credit even for that. Sorry, I got side tracked a little. I want to make sure God gets "all" the glory He deserves "all" the time.

What changed? Now bear with me here; by being "obedient" to God's will, the "spirit" or "spirits" that the enemy of his soul, Satan, had assigned to "oppress and trouble" him the past few years; whatever influence or pressure they had on his life was over when God "commanded them to leave" thereby allowing my grandson's true self and character to be in control without the outside interference from "the forces of darkness" that had been oppressing him.

I don't know where they went; I don't care. All I know is that they "were" his main problem in the past, but not anymore. They are now gone. Jesus has set him "free!" Therefore he is … "free indeed."

He is now able to operate and choose for himself what he wants to do, without the "spirit of darkness" counseling him to always go the wrong way. I feel as though these … (for lack of a better word) … "evil spirits" that had been assigned to him, knew it was over. I don't believe they even tried to put up a fight this time.
Satan is subject to the government of God and must obey His command.

His freedom from the "influence of oppression" was finally ordered by the Lord; he would no longer have to listen to the "noise of the world" that was all around him. When he stepped aboard that bus to go to this military school … it was all over. God took control. God alone. God all by Himself. God doesn't need our help. God knows what He wants to do in my grandson's life and God has started the process.

Yes we prayed. But it was God, not us. We will continue to pray; but God's the one who's going to continue "His work" reshaping and restoring my grandson.

Why did God wait till now to set Him "free?" I don't know; it must have been time. Sometimes God waits "until there is no other option" before He gives us the answer to prayer. That way we know it's Him and Him alone. Maybe that's what finally happened here. It doesn't matter now … "God has taken over."

Take to heart what I've said here; do with my words what ever you like. I'm not even sure I am supposed to share this with anyone. But I have for only one reason; to encourage anyone praying for their kids or grandkids. God is no respecter of persons, so he will do the same for you.

God is goodall the time.


Comments welcome.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

When Nothing Happens

What should we do when we pray and nothing happens? When whatever you are asking or needing to become reality doesn't; because it just sometimes doesn't, what then? Why doesn't it happen? God has the ability to make it happen. God is sometimes silent; sometimes … lets be realistic … most of the time He's silent. Be still and quiet before Him just for a moment … silent; let's listen to what He wants us to hear. He will speak to you; maybe not right at this moment, but He will. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice" … meaning He is speaking. It's usually that we aren't listening.

We all have questions, things that have befallen us in life that have caused us to ask this question … "Why God?" Or perhaps we even question God Himself, the "reality" of God. But that last question doesn't last long; all we have to do is look around at His creation and we get that question over with in short order. All we have to do is "open" our eyes.

God understands our questions; He understands our doubts and frustrations with our faith, or lack of it since He made us knowing it was going to be "a fight." The Apostle Paul called it "the good fight of faith." But it shouldn't have to be like a fight to the death, should it?

I will admit I don't understand much within the realm we call … "Faith." So why am I writing this paper about the frustration that comes … "When Nothing Happens." Honestly, I think I write sometimes just to vent my feelings; to share my questions with anyone who wants to listen; we all need an audience sometimes.

Now for the truth … not that what I've said so far hasn't been the truth, at least as far as my understanding goes; but now I'm getting to the main stuff I want to share with you. Lately, I have been asking God to show me … "the truth of His Word." I need to know it. How can I operate in man's supposition … what man only thinks God said; I want to know exactly what the Word of God says about His promises to me.

Some say that there are many reasons why, when we pray, "nothing happens," when God stays silent and doesn't answer in the way we want; like giving us some evidence we can see or feel with our fleshly senses. After all we are more then just a spirit and soul; we have flesh and blood wrapped around us … our inner being may be an eternal spirit, but most of what we sense comes to us through our outside flesh. Like it or not, our flesh is just as much a part of who we are as are our spirit and soul.

I said all that to start with a foundation, something anchored in the fleshly side of my understanding, my reasoning … something I can get a hold on that is not of the unseen, invisible realm of faith; for that realm has only the "intangible," unproven to anyone except to the one believing for it. Yes, it may be real; but until it becomes visible to the natural eye, it is still just a tentative theory, a "concept" not yet verified by the manifestation of the answer from God, in accordance to your faith.

Isaiah 1:18 …"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD …" This is what I want to do; combine the Word of God, with reason, or understanding; which is not the normal approach to studying what God has said. The norm is to teach that only your heart or your spirit can understand the things of God through faith. If reasoning and understanding only use the mind and not the heart or spirit, then why did the LORD say …"let us reason together?"

So, with that thought in mind, I want to present perhaps some new or different concepts from the Word of God, while using "reason," applying it to our lives where prayer and answers to prayer, or the lack of answers are concerned.

I want to use as an example Abraham, who has been called, "the father of our faith." Why is he the father of our faith? I'm going to deal with just two of the reasons in this study. The first is that God appointed him to be just that.

Romans 4:17 …"As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed." (Amplified Bible)

God's promises are so certain, that He speaks of them as "already" in existence. God, instead of simply promising that He would make Abraham the father of many nations, speaks of it as already being done. In God's own mind, it was done.

The second reason we can more easily associate with today. The justification of the Church today proceeds from the same promise that was made to Abraham, our father of …"faith"… because he was the first to believe that when God said something, God would do it. He was the first to be justified by faith alone. Today we are justified by our faith in what Jesus has done. Jesus "alone" is our justification.

We will need to back up one verse to see that today, Abraham's promise is still sure to all; that is to … "all who believe" by the faith and grace of God.

Romans 4:16 …"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all …"

The promise is sure, not on obedience to the law, but on the fact that God said it, meaning the promise is sure to all the seed … to all … both Jews and Gentiles, who, believing in Jesus, have a right to all the blessings contained in the covenant made to Abraham. We who are Gentiles need not doubt in the promise, for the promise was given to Abraham while he was a Gentile, while he was still in an uncircumcised state.

In the Amplified Bible, Romans 4:18 reads this way …"For Abraham, human reason for hope being gone, hoped in faith …" The word hope means to anticipate with confidence.

There's that word "reason" again. Abraham didn't use "reason" or the reasoning power of his mind to believe; it is the opposite of "faith" and will do you no good when trying to believe God for a "promise." Just as believing is a product of the "heart," doubt is a product of the "mind," as is reason. Be careful how you "reason."

Romans 4:20 states that Abraham …" staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God …"

There is no reason to stagger at, or hesitate because of unbelief about any of the promises of God, since they are made by God, the one that can not lie.

Romans 4:21 …"And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform."

He had not only faith, but being fully persuaded that what God had promised, God was able also to perform. This statement shows us how Abraham hoped on in faith, believing the promise God gave him. Look at what his faith and hope, even with human "reason" for hope being gone, brought to his spirit and soul.

To put it in as simple terms as I can … Abraham just believed God because … "if God said it," then he believed "God would do it." It's just that simple.

Now here is where I want to present perhaps a different concept concerning Abraham's faith. Abraham did not use his faith to "faith in, confirm or make sure" that the promise of his seed would make him the father of many nations. The Word spoken to Abraham makes it clear that it was his ability to "believe in the Lord" that God honored and counted to him as "righteousness."

Genesis 15:6 …"And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness." Yes, there was a promise made to Abram, that he would be the father of many nations; but it had nothing to do with Abraham's faith, at least in the ability to father children. It had everything to do with God … and God alone. God said it; therefore God was going to make sure that it would come to pass, that it would be fulfilled.

What I am trying to say is that if God tells you … "what is going to happen" … then it's going to happen with or without our help. God doesn't need it. Abraham's faith was only used for his righteousness …"his faith was counted to him for righteousness"… not for his fertility or any ability in producing offspring. God did that without faith.

God made sure he was able and capable by giving him the ability to produce his seed; he didn't have to use "faith" in the same way we do when we ask God for our healing or some other need we may have. I believe God just took care of it to fulfill His purpose; it was part of the promise. Abraham didn't do itGod did.

Now here is where I have a problem with the teaching that Abraham had nothing but great faith. So I ask this question …"If Abraham didn't stagger or waver in his belief that God was going to give him children by his wife Sarah, then why did he consent to the fleshly attempt on Sarah's part to have Hagar bare his seed to fulfill God's promise?" It looks like he tried to help God out; and I don't think it was done through faith.

Because Abraham was just like us, weak flesh; when unbelief came, and I'm sure it did, his unbelief still didn't stop him from receiving God's promise to him. Why not? Because as strange as it sounds, he still believed God while he was going "through" the unbelief as it says in Romans 4:20 …" He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief…" He didn't stay in the unbelief; he went "on through it." And remember, God was working to make sure His promise would be fulfilled.

Therefore, there is no reason for us to stagger at, or hesitate in any way, for any reason concerning the promises of God, when you consider who it is that made them. And who made them? God, right? Is God a manthat He can lie?

Abraham's confidence was this … "that the truth of God" … since God can be nothing less, bound Him (God) to fulfill His promise to him; therefore God could do nothing less or He wasn't God; and he was confident that God had the power and ability to perform it.

I have tried to say, that God's own "truthfulness" binds Him and obligates Him to fulfill all of His promises to believers … believers who are like Abraham … those who without any other reason for any expectation of God's promises being fulfilled in the natural, anticipate with confidence, and do not weaken in faith … just because God said it.

When we begin to use our faith; when whatever you are asking or needing to become reality doesn't …"When Nothing Happens"… and sometimes it doesn't; what are we to do? Wait patiently. Do not get ahead of God like Abraham and Sarah did; even when you begin to waver and doubt. Notice I didn't say if you doubt, because you will. I believe even the father of our faith did. But he went on; and you will go on.

If you believe God has a promise for you … go on through your doubt … till you receive your answer. If it is really a promise from God's Word, God is still honor bound to fulfill it. He is not only truthful … He is Truth itself; and you will receive it just like Abraham did. That's why Abraham is called the father of our faith, he went on through.

Even with doubts and everything.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

God Spoke To Me Today

I want to share my heart with you today. I have been praying for my teenage grandson. He's made some mistakes; but I still love him. His choices haven't always been the best he could have made; but that's all of our history, right?

Right now he's getting another chance at life; it might be his last one. That's why I was praying for him. It's hot outside and he's over at the Illinois National Guard Challenge Academy for the next five months. It's like a military school; physically and mentally tough; that’s why it's called a challenge.

I guess you could say that he "stumbled" and fell; and now he is trying to get up. Life has a way of sometimes tripping us up. But God gave me a verse three days ago that has birthed a new hope for him in me.

1st Samuel 2:4 …"The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they
that stumbled are girded with strength."

Well he has "stumbled" … and God knows all about it … and He is going to give him the "strength" to complete the task in front of him.

Today he was on my heart again and I wanted to be alone with God; so I thought I would go out and mow my yard. But as I said, "it's hot today," so I thought I would put it off till tomorrow; but I really felt like God wanted to speak to me, so I started mowing anyway. It was hot; but I thought "Caleb's out in it" so it won't hurt me to feel what he's feeling.

I thought I was going to be talking to God, you know … praying, conversing with Him, sharing my feelings etc. Then He got my attention by asking me the following question.

"What's the best known and one of the most meaningful scriptures in the Bible?" Of course I responded with "John 3:16." And then God said this …"I'm going to give you some verses that will mean more to you and change your prayer life."

He then began to explain them to me; not with words I could hear, but in my heart, in my spirit.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

I said … "Right, I understand that."

"In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men." (John 1:4)

Just as I was going to say to God … If Jesus is the Word; Psalm 119:105 says … "Thy word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path"…

He spoke to my heart and said, "That Psalm is speaking of the printed Word that lights your pathway."

He continued …"I want you to know that although the spoken and printed Word of God is Jesus; it is not the Light of Men. My Word says … In Him was Life, and 'the Life' was the Light of men."

What He told me was right; it does not say that the "Word" was light … but that the "Life" within Jesus was the light. "… and the Life was the Light of men."

"Okay" I said, "Explain to me what you are talking about."

"… walk in the light, as he is in the light … and the 'blood' of Jesus Christ…" (1st John 1:7)
I felt He was saying … "The key is ... the Blood of Jesus."

God spoke again and said …"Doesn't My Word say in Leviticus 17:11 … For the life of the flesh is in the blood?" I answered … "Yes it does."

I was reminded of the words of Jesus … speaking about His own blood.

"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." (John 6:53)

God also asked me … "Do you know why after His resurrection, Jesus told the disciples … 'Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.' Would not most people have said … flesh and blood?"

I answered … "Because He had already shed His blood?"

He then said … "Exactly. Just as Moses sprinkled the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood of bulls and goats; the heavenly things themselves and the Mercy Seat needed to be sprinkled with better sacrifices than these.

How much better was the Blood of Jesus, when He entered into the Holy Place and sprinkled His own blood upon the Mercy Seat and by doing so, Jesus obtained eternal redemption for you."

I think the Lord was showing me … the "Life" that Jesus had in His earthly body; the "Life" that was the "Light" of men … was actually "The Blood of Jesus." The "life" of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was in her blood; her blood "type" coming from her earthly father, as does ours. Jesus, by virtue of not having an earthly father … got His blood "type" directly from God. This is why His blood was a "better sacrifice" to be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat; it was God's blood.

That's why John said the "Life" in Jesus was the "Light of men." The "Life" within Jesus was "the better sacrifice" that the writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote about.

People today call the Bible, "the Living Word" of God; well I believe "the Blood of Jesus" is also alive today and is crying out in similar fashion as did Abel's blood in Genesis 4:10 when God said to Cain …"the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." I believe the blood of Jesus is speaking on our behalf.

So … as I am sitting here in front of this keyboard, what am I supposed to do with what God has given me?

I believe God wants me to not only know these facts … but put them to use when I pray. When I plead my case before God; when I am in prayer for a need; when I am praying for someone else … even my grandson who is being restored, being set free from his chains … God being the one who "untangles his feet from the net," the snare he was caught in … I am the one who pleads "The Blood of Jesus" over him.

The Blood of Jesus … the "Life" in Him that was the "Light of men."

It's always been about "The Blood." When God looks at us, He looks through the "filter" of the Blood of His Son.

The longer I live, the more I believe that we overcome all things … "by the word of our testimony and by the Blood of the Lamb."

Was what I learned today more important than John 3:16? If you are unsaved, no it wasn't. But where I'm at right now … for my prayer life … yes it was.

But maybe that's just for me.

Father … give my grandson the same "Life" that was in your Son, so that he may have "Light" in his life … and not darkness.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Lord, let me see

The other day, a beautiful young Christian mother of two shared with me one of her desires. It wasn't a worldly desire; it had to do with the Lord. It had to do with spiritual discernment; something which most of us don't know much about and if the truth was known, really don't want to know.

It's not that we think there is something "spooky" about the Spiritual Realm; but you have to admit most of us feel uneasy when we are confronted in dealing with, dare I say, perceived darkness. I believe it was John Wesley who said something like, "The Spirit World is dark unto us, but we lie open to it."

Well, it's this unknown and unseen spiritual world that this young mother has been asking God to allow her to see into; not just to perceive with normal spiritual discernment, but to "literally see" … just like what happened to Elisha's servant in 2nd Kings 6:15-17.

"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots.
And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."


She put it this way … "When I asked God for spiritual sight, I wasn't referring to spiritual insight, as in discernment. I was meaning … I literally wanted to see into the spiritual realm. I want to literally be able to see things in the spirit."

I understand why being able to "see" or "discern," (which means … perception of that which is obscure), would be one gift of the Holy Spirit that could benefit a mother, especially when going to "battle in prayer" over her children. You need to know just what it is that you're dealing with. Is it just life, maybe just kids being kids or could it be something spiritual from the dark side; the presence of the evil one, even Satan himself?

She wants to see the situation just as clearly as something material. Being able to see into that realm would allow her to "zero" right in on the problem, and take authority over each situation that comes … and they do come.

There are small differences between seeing a vision, receiving insight, having discernment or some other type of "understanding or knowing" that the Holy Spirit uses in allowing us to "see" into the spirit realm, but I'm not going to speak of them here.

I'm going to let the theologians argue about the name of each operation and which one does what, because I don't know or really care. In my opinion, you can put all these descriptions and operations in a sack, shake them up, mix them together and what falls out is still … "discernment" … one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I like to simplify things.

Now back to Elisha's servant … the Bible does say, "the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw" … but what it doesn't say is by what means he was able to see. Was it a vision he pictured in his mind and spirit? Could it have been that his physical eyes were "opened" to the spiritual realm for the first time? Yes, "he saw" the … "horses and chariots of fire" … or are the words "he saw" just another way to say the servant only discerned in his spirit the true reality of what was around him; what Elisha had already perceived?

I really can't say. But what I do know is that the spirit realm is just as real; no … it is more real than the physical, material realm we call the natural realm. It's called the spiritual realm only because we can't see into this realm with our physical eyes. Because we can't feel it with our senses; touch, taste, sight, etc., we therefore have great difficulty understanding it; some even go so far as to deny its existence all together.

If I may, I'd like to point out perhaps one important difference between the O.T. saints and the Church today, the Body of Christ. The O.T. saints like Elisha and all those who were living under the Law, didn't have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them as we do today. They were saved by their physical works, the offering of the blood sacrifices … physically.

God even operated differently towards them compared to today. When was the last time you saw God send fire down from Heaven to burn up an idol, or cause the sun to stand still. Has He ever opened up a river so you could cross on dry ground or given you water to drink from a rock? The physical works of the Law by man was equally matched by the physical appearing of God to these people. They needed to see with their physical eyes the miracle working power of God.

The main reason today that God doesn't need to appear in our presence as He once did is because we now have the Holy Spirit inside of us. He is already here. Yes, He was with them also, but He was … for lack of a better term … He was there to anoint them, not to fill them. I know this isn't theologically correct … but it's close.

Today, as Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 5:7 … "we walk by faith, not by sight" … meaning, by our faith in God, in His Word and by the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of our direct physical vision. We still use our eyes physically but they are no good in the spiritual world of faith.

"We walk by faith" … The sense here is, that we conduct ourselves during our lifetime with reference to the things which are unseen, and not with reference to the things which are seen, but in the belief of those things which we do not see.
We believe in the existence of spiritual things which are invisible, and we are influenced by them. To "walk by faith," is to live in the confident expectation of things that are to come; in the belief of the existence of "unseen realities" and allowing them to influence us as if … they were seen.

We walk … "not by sight" … This means that we are not influenced by the things we actually see with our eyes. The main idea is that we are not influenced and governed by our physical sight. We are not governed and controlled by the things which we see; and we also "do not see" those things which actually influence and control us in the spiritual realm. In both it is faith that controls us, and not sight.

Paul said in 1st Corinthians 12:31 … "covet earnestly the best gifts" … but I'm not sure peering into the spirit realm is one of the best gifts of the Holy Spirit. But I want to be quick to add … "whenever" God does show a believer something in this dimension or realm; it is still "one of the ministries" of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we do not have anything to fear except, in my opinion, one thing. And that is … trying in our own power … to put on or wear the office of, or operate in … one of the ministry "gifts" of the Holy Spirit … without Him.

It's not for us to choose our ministry gifting. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives spiritual gifts "as He wills" … it's not of our choosing.

"Covet earnestly the best gifts" … Covet means to "long for, wish or crave" for something that you don't have.

Will God really give you what you want from Him? Maybe. He already has at least once in the life of this young mother I first started talking about. She saw the manifestation of Jesus as He ministered the touch of "His hands" unto a group of believers seeking Him.

Did she "see" Him with her physical eyes? Maybe. I don't know. How real is real? Did she "see" Him in her spirit only? Maybe. Could it have been just a vision, a type of "discernment?" Again, maybe.

But she did … "see" Him. To me, that's all that matters.

I'm going to let God, be God. He's pretty good at it.


Comments welcome.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

What Will Be Will Be

I woke up the other morning like always, but before I could get out of bed the Lord spoke these five phrases to me. I didn't have a note pad handy, so I asked my wife who was at her desk to write them down quickly as I gave them to her in the following order. They were …

1.) What will be, will be.
2.) That is not true.
3.) Satan is "one who lies in wait."
4.) "Neither give place to the devil."
5.) "Pray without ceasing."

I need to explain what God was showing me in my spirit. Some people believe that this first phrase ("what will be will be") is true; that we have no say, or control in what happens to us. That is not true according to the Word of God.

Satan, whose name means … ("one who lies in wait"), looks for an opportunity to mess up our lives any way he can. Yes, he comes to … "steal, kill or destroy" … but he's just as happy trying to make us sick, fearful, lustful, selfish, and greedy or one of a hundred other tests or temptations he can throw at us.

Since we know that Satan wants to hurt or injure as many of God's creation as he is allowed; we must also apply the next phrase … "neither give place to the devil." So what does that mean and just how can we do that?

We do not have to except everything that comes down life's highway and parks right in front of us. We cannot afford the attitude of … "what will be, will be." The best way to stand against "giving place to the devil" which includes listening to his lies is this last phrase … "pray without ceasing."

This doesn't mean we start praying and continue twenty-four seven; it just means when we start believing God for something, we never give up on the answer we want from God. We keep on praying even when in the natural it looks useless; we keep coming back to God as long as it takes. Jesus said … "ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking."

Some things take a little while; the answer may be on the way. Let God handle the how, when, where and why; knowing that everything God does proceeds from a heart of love.

The attitude of … "what will be, will be" … keeps you from even trying to fight or taking a stand against the enemy. Satan will try and tell you … "this must be God's will for you, so accept it."

Don't believe him … he lies.


Comments welcome.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Men Always Protest

How can a Good God and an Evil World co-exist?

Man has been given by God, the power of freedom, the power of choice, and enjoys himself so thoroughly in all that freedom offers, and conceives his life to such a degree even thinking he is separated from God, that with every approach of God, even every positive work of God in Man's behalf, that it appears to him as an unacceptable disturbance and finally an attack against him.

Man does not at all perceive that he is in bondage to the things adored, the objects of his affection, things which are actually chains keeping him in prison. When God comes to deliver him, he protests against his own liberation; the breaking of those objects, his chains, the doors of his prison. This is clearly the situation of Man.

We must take account of the fact that every work of liberation (the process of freeing us) is in fact destructive to the evil environment all around us. The very thing which assures his liberty is felt by Man as a personal offense.

"How can God who is good permit …?"

In uttering this phrase so frequently, Man does not envision for a minute, first of all, that the evil deed is most often the result of the liberty that God allows Man and the independence and freedom that man has seized against God. Man is responsible for what is done (and he has wished for it), but he protests against God for what is done.

In short, by asking this question … ("How can God"…?); man would demand that God take this liberty from him, which he enjoys.

Next, there are natural evils that take place by the spiritual powers (both of darkness and of light) that interact in the world and in society. Finally, that which does "evil to Man" can very well be the act of God that liberates him. But this liberation causes suffering.

I do not know anything better to compare this to than to a medical operation. The surgeon who takes out a cancer destroys the power of death … to the profit of the living body. But he removes something of this body, part of his flesh; he amputates something which had become the body itself. The patient who does not know what has been done, from what he has been saved, could perfectly well interpret that same medical operation as an evil torture, as an illegitimate extraction, being aware only of the pain that remains after the operation is finished.

And so it is with Man's thoughts toward God after He operates … we seldom fully understand.


Jacques Ellul … (edited for clarity)

Friday, July 4, 2008

Holding On

Genesis 32:24-27 … "And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak. And when the Man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But Jacob said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me. The Man asked him, What is your name? And he said, Jacob."

This unknown wrestler has wrestled Jacob all night; and with the breaking of day, wanting to end this struggle, this Man, (who was the manifestation of God), asks Jacob to "Let me go, for it is dawn." It's as though He has other matters to attend to. So with only one touch, Jacob now feels the strength that is in this Man and the power of His might and he can no longer stand by himself. Without any support of his own, Jacob now must hang upon this Man, and in this weakened condition learns the practice of sole reliance on one more powerful than himself.

We should learn to do the same.

This is the turning point in this strange drama. It is related that God could not prevail against Jacob, but rather Jacob prevailed over God because he held on with determination, if necessary to the death. God could not prevail; but only because He would not overthrow Jacob's faith and will.

God does not shake off the clinging grasp of desperation that Jacob has on Him as he says, "I will not let you go except you bless me." Now, even with his own strength gone, he declares his determination to hold on until his conqueror will bless him. He now knows he is in the hand of a higher power, one who can curse and also bless. Jacob also now knows that he is totally helpless without the healing power of his victor, and although he may die in this fight, he will not let Him go without receiving this blessing.

Genesis 32:28-30 … "And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed. Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what is Your name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And the Angel of God declared a blessing on Jacob there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God], saying, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared and not snatched away."

Jacob says, "I have seen God face to face." He is at first called a man; here Jacob calls him God. I cannot say that every word of Scripture is to be understood in a literal sense; but in this instance I think it should. If God … walked with Adam in the garden, told Noah how to build the ark, talked with Abraham and Moses, was the fourth man in the fiery furnace in Daniel, etc.; can we agree that God, for whatever reason He chooses, might enter into a bodily conflict with Jacob? If we accept any of these other manifestations of God, are we not bound to accept all of them?

An act took place during the birth of Jacob and his twin brother Esau that would shape his future. Jacob has a hold of his brother’s heel, as if to show he would trip him up from his very birth. This action of his was not done by chance, but ordered by the providence of God as a shadow of things to come with Jacob getting Esau's birthright and blessing.

Hosea 12:3-5 … "He took his brother by the heel in their mother's womb, and in the strength of his manhood he contended and had power with God. Yes, he had power over the Angel of the Lord and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He met Him in Bethel, and there God spoke with him and through him with us, Even the Lord the God of hosts, the name of Him Who spoke with Jacob is the Lord."

Jacob in his manhood contended with power and prevailed over God; Hosea assuring us that it was God by calling Him Who spoke with Jacob … "the Lord."

God, through Jacob is speaking "with us" … how? By this lesson … fight and hold on … until we receive God's blessing.

What I receive from this today is … when we struggle or wrestle with anything, even contending with God for something … "hold on" … with the same tenacity, the persistent determination and strength, that Hosea said caused Jacob to prevail over God, and "receive" a blessing from Him.

One lesson for us to learn from this battle or test is this … God will in the end always win; although, "if He so chooses," when He does touch us, we may have a limp to remind us of our struggle. In the greatest spiritual victories which any believer can obtain through faith, there is always something to humble us.

When you choose a spiritual leader to follow, make sure he … walks with a limp.

This way you will know that he has met with God.



Comments welcome.

God Is

I should probably start by stating that … "God is." If you don't believe that, you might as well stop reading right now. Everything I am going to put on paper starts with this fact … "God is."

God was before all things … and therefore will still exist, and quite well I might add, even after, (if there ever is) an end someday to eternity. God was before us and will be after us. God was not created. God did not just suddenly appear from a big bang in the universe. That's what makes Him God … He just is.

To quote God Himself, He said … "I AM." Period. No matter what … God will still be able to say … "I AM." He is the only "anything" that always was and always will be.

"I AM" … what is He saying by this statement?

It's found in Exodus 3:14 … "And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM …"

"I AM WHO I AM" … The Vulgate translates these words … "I am who am." The Septuagint reads … "I am He who exists." The Arabic paraphrases them this way … "The Eternal, who passes not away."

It is difficult for me to put an exact meaning to the words; but they seem intended to point out the eternal and self-existence of God.

God in speaking to Moses of the first of two names God would now be known by, a name that speaks to what He is in Himself, "I am that I am," means to me … "I'm here, like it or not … I AM." In other words … "Deal with it."

One of the names or titles of the God of Israel was and is … Jehovah; and it signifies at least these three things …

1.) That He is self - existent; He has His being in and of Himself, and has no dependence upon any other. And being self existent, He cannot but be self sufficient, and therefore all sufficient. Exodus 3:14 … "I AM"

2.) That He is eternal and unchangeable; He is always the same, yesterday and today, and for ever; and He will be what He will be and what He is. Malachi 3:6 … "For I am the LORD, I change not"

3.) That He is faithful and true to all His promises, unchangeable in His word as well as in His nature; that He is not a man that He should lie; and a name that speaks what He is to His people. 1st Corinthians 1:9 … "God is faithful"

Just in case the name "I am" should be a problem for Israel, Moses is further directed to give and make use of another name for God, a phrase that will become more familiar. After declaring … "I Am that I Am" … He also takes, as His name on earth, the name … "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob."

Jehovah, the great "I AM" is His name, as He reveals Himself to be such; but His name or title, by which He is to be remembered forever to all generations is … "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob." As Christian believers, we still quote that phrase today.

Another statement from God that I find interesting is also in Exodus 3:14, where God speaking to Moses says … "I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE" … (Amplified)

And a little later in Exodus 6:2-3 we find (again in the Amplified version) … "And God said to Moses, I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty (El-Shaddai), but by My name the Lord (Yahweh) I did not make Myself known to them."

So … what has been said so far?

God is self existent; eternal; unchangeable; faithful; that He is … "El-Shaddai," God Almighty and that His name is "Yahweh," the LORD.

One could say that God is immutable … "not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form, quality or nature."

The Believers Creed … is just one of many in print that makes an attempt to say something right and fitting about God. This one states …

"God is the Creator of all things, and doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern … all … creatures, actions, and things from the greatest event to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise and glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness and mercy."

More than two centuries ago, smarter men then I also wrote this statement … "God, by His wise and holy providence governs all the actions of men and devils."

God is … and will be God … forever. Forever is a long time.


Comments welcome.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Spiritual Maxims

These quotes are selected from the little book … "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Nicholas Herman; a seventeenth century Carmelite monk from French Lorraine, known as Brother Lawrence.


"In the beginning I resolved myself to live in a continual sense of God’s presence, and accustom myself to a continual conversation with Him.

I spent hours in thinking of God, so as to convince my mind of, and to impress deeply upon my heart, the knowledge and love of God, resolving to live in a continual sense of His presence, and if possible never to forget Him more.

I sought nothing but how to become wholly God’s, and I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world.

I worshiped Him the oftenest that I could, keeping my mind in His Holy presence, and recalling it as often as I found it wandered from Him.

At times a crowd of wandering thoughts would invade my mind and take possession of the place of God; when such happened, I proceeded straightway to expel them and return to my commune with God.

To accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him, we need only to recognize God intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment; that we beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us.

I know for the right practice of the presence of God, the heart must be empty of all other things, because God will possess the heart alone; and as He cannot possess it alone without emptying it of all, so neither can He act there, and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant to Him.

We should seek to learn the sins that do most easily beset us and the times and occasions, when we do most often fall. In the time of struggle we ought to have recourse to God with perfect confidence, abiding steadfast in the presence of His Divine Majesty; in lowly adoration we should tell out before Him our griefs and our failures, asking Him lovingly for His grace; and in our weakness we shall find in Him our strength.

Let us begin to be devoted to Him … let us cast everything out of our hearts … He would possess them alone … let us seek Him often by faith. He is within us; seek Him not elsewhere.

He requires no great matters of us … a little remembrance of Him, a little adoration, some prayer for His grace and to return thanks. You need not cry very loud; He is nearer to us than we are aware of.

We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.

We ought, once for all, put our whole trust in God, and make a total surrender of ourselves to Him, receiving the abundance of His grace, without which we can do nothing but sin. One does not become holy all at once.

In truth we can render to God no greater proof of our trust and faithfulness, then by thus turning from things created to the creator; to be with Him we must leave behind the creature.

Yet, think not that I counsel you to disregard completely and forever the outward things that are around us. That is impossible.

The world, the flesh, and the devil join forces and assault the soul so straitly and so untiringly that, without humble reliance on the ever-present aid of God, they drag the soul down in spite of all resistance.

The presence of God is thus the life and nourishment of the soul. The practice, which is the most needful, is the practice of the presence of God.

Above all other things; set heartily about the practice of the presence of God; it is better late than never. Believe me; count as lost each day you have not used in loving God.

The greatest glory we can give to God is to distrust our own strength utterly, and to commit ourselves wholly to His safekeeping.

God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. God often permits that we should suffer a little to purify our souls and oblige us to continue with Him. I know not how God will dispose of me.

I abandon myself in His hands that He may do with me what He pleases."