GOD'S VOICE RECOGNITION PACKAGE

When really hard and difficult times come into our lives many believers may point their fingers at the devil as the cause. Some would be right, the remaining would have themselves, others or another worldly influence to correctly assess the cause. In other words, our challenges in life are not always from the devil. However, for those tests and attacks that can be discerned as coming from the devil, 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

What? "Be alert and of sober mind" you have an enemy that prowls around.

Who? The Devil, also called The Serpent or Satan.

Why? Because he is looking "for someone to devour". His job description is to steal, kill and destroy.

When? Full-time. 

Where? "Around." He has a pride (lion reference).

Interesting that the word "prowl" means to rove or go about stealthily, as in search of prey, something to steal and so forth, yet the "lion" or devil makes himself known with his boisterous voice. 

The Holy Spirit has a Voice Recognition Package included when you accept His leadership of your life. I encourage you to always have this on and turned up to the maximum frequency. The devil might be saying the same kinds of things since the first day of The Fall of Creation, but Satan will always try to find a new and creative way to deceive you from the "weeds" or "bushes" where he is stalking you. 

Sometimes believers are equated with sheep, some of the dumbest animals on the planet. But fear not, we have The Great Shepherd and He says about this awareness of the right or wrong voice - "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27). I believe we are a special kind of sheep - God's Fold. And because believer's in Christ are in God's Flock they have God's Voice Recognition Package installed. So, "be alert and of sober mind" discerning the spirits (1 John 4:1-6).

PATH OF LIFE

I wish to encourage everyone who has decided to read this to enter every day on the "narrow road" and through the "narrow gate". Do not only set the "narrow gate" as a final destination, but have it as your starting point and the pathway you choose to take when challenges come your way. Jesus taught - "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt. 7:12-14)

The word Path or Paths is spoken of much in Scripture. Although the Christian adheres to an overall Christ-like Path - Paths, plural, are mentioned as transitions, chapters and/or lessons in life. As a transition Job speaks about death when he says, "Only a few years will pass before I take the path of no return." (Job 16:22) David, in his infamous Psalm 23, talks about how Paths are chapters in our lives; deviations or changes to us but the same Path or Plan to God - "He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake." Then David continues the analogy with Paths pictured as lessons we learn along life's journey, like patience, faith, generosity and kindness. David said - "Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths." (Psalm 25:4) 

Paths can be narrow and wide, curvy or straight, smooth or bumpy, obstacle filled or not. However, Paths are usually depicted as our Navigation of whatever is presented before us. Numbers 22:32 says, "The angel of the Lord asked him, 'Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.'" In this case Balaam's navigation of what was in his life or on his path was "reckless". 

So, we pray or sing like David about the choices we are to make as we walk along our path of life. "Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors." (Psalm 27:11) "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight." (Psalm 119:35)

The key to a more straight, smooth path with clear-cut decisions at the divided-road section of your path is The Word of God in your life. Want to walk a more pure lifestyle? Psalm 119:9 says, "How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word." This works for older people too. Want to stay away from a decision that takes you down a path not meant for your life? Obey God's Word - "I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word." (Psalm 119:101) Want your decisions to be clear about anything and everything as you navigate your path? Solomon encourages us to - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-7) Do you desire revelation for right now in life-matters and vision for the long term? David says, in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Lamp being for your short-term vision and light being for the future vision.

In all that we do, in all that we say, in all that we think - God's gaze is upon us. The first part of Proverbs 5:21 confirms this by saying, "For your ways are in full view of the Lord,". However, the second part of the verse has God focusing on my development by stating, "and he examines all your paths.". The word "examines" here not only means to observe for faults, it also means to test. Notice the word exam in the word "examines" - an observation of someone or something while undergoing some form of trial. 

The great news is that God - The Observer, The Tester on our Path of Life is also our Construction Worker when the road is cluttered and rough with physical, mental and spiritual challenges. The Path is narrow so that we know our boundaries and know our only go-to is Christ Jesus, The Word of God. Remember, He said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) So, while we are on this journey, let us not sprint through the situations and circumstances of each day, but as Paul said, "let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us," (Hebrews 12:1), this way we will know our true Path Of Life.

LOVE AND OBEY

I have been thinking about The Law (first five books of the Old Testament) and the Prophets (minor and major) lately. I have asked myself and asked The Lord - are they relevant today? The Holy Spirit answers, "Yes." I respond, How Lord?

What the Lord showed or reminded me is "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18)

This accomplishment has been realized. The Perfect Life, also known as The Law is satisfied and accomplished at The Cross when Jesus said, "It is Finished." The Word of God in flesh, Christ Jesus, has appeared to us, lived a perfect life and substituted Himself for us on The Cross. All the punishment and wrath that we deserved from The Law for not being able to live a perfect life was placed upon and paid for by Jesus. 

The Lord showed me that each rule and regulation is not only a foreshadow of Christ - the only person who could fulfill every part of The Law - but every attempt at obeying The Law was and is a love expression to God. Father God gave His perfect love gift, Christ Jesus, to humanity for the redemption of our souls. In that gift, Father God also fulfilled all The Law was pointing towards and ever tried to teach - love for everyone. He confirms this for us today through Paul when Paul wrote the believers in Rome and Galatia. In Romans 13:8 it says, "...for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law." Then in Galatians 5:14 it states, "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 

It is hard to think of all the minutia of God's Law as being a love expression. There were bloody sacrificial requirements. Cleanliness requirements were demanded. Disease control rules were set down. And the list goes on and on. Then you have 1 Samuel 15:22 that says, "But Samuel replied, 'What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.'" A kind of confusing verse. If it was me hearing this from Samuel, I would have responded - "Well, was it not God's voice that called us to obey in following His commands about sacrifice?"

I personally believe that this verse was God working with His people to start them looking toward a future time when One Sacrifice, His Son, would take care of all sacrifices, so obedience and submission would be better. The key phrase is "more pleasing". What does Samuel equate "more pleasing" with? Obedience and submission. Not that the rest of The Law was negated, just what is your focus. If you have more of obedience and submission to God in every area of your life then everything else will fall into place. Jesus said later when He visited - "If you love me, keep my commands." (John 14:15)

Well, is The Law still good? By all means. Paul devotes an entire chapter to this viewpoint in Romans 7. The mindset that was encouraged in 1 Samuel 15:22 is finally, fully realized in the life and death of Christ. The concern for the whole Law being performed by us can be put to rest because of Jesus. That blessing is followed by another - that certain laws are still excellent to show our love by obeying them (i.e. following the The Ten Commandments). So, for those of us trying to live a perfect life for the Lord, always attempting to dot the i's and cross the t's - Jesus did that for us. Is that not liberating? People will know us by our love one for another. Father God will know us by our love through obedience, submission and worship. Now, as the song goes we must Love And Obey.

A RELIABLE FRIEND

Proverbs 18:24 says, "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." I do not want to "come to ruin". One of the most frustrating and aggravating experiences to go through is a relationship with someone who proves them-self unreliable. Whatever the situation might be - punctuality to events, faithfulness to commitments or empty promises to help - the lack of dependability in a friend not only is insulting but is a total waste of your time and energy.

In my previous post or writing I encouraged all of us to be very selective in choosing our friends. I would like to revisit that again for a moment, because "The righteous choose their friends carefully..." (Prov. 12:26). When you are blessed enough to have a friend who is dependable, there are some other qualities that Scripture mentions that aide in the selection process and that you can be glad you have in your eventual friend. Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." Friends are great sounding-boards for each other. Friends are great for studying The Word of God and growing together. In the same thought Proverbs 27:9 states, "Ointments and perfume encourage the heart; in a similar way, a friend’s advice is sweet to the soul." For friends that might be a few years older and have gone through similar experiences, their advice is truly sweet because it can save a lot of headaches. If you have a true friend, honesty prevails at all times. Proverbs 27:6 says, "You can trust what your friend says, even when it hurts. But your enemies want to hurt you, even when they act nice." Loyalty to the relationship is important also (Prov. 17:17). Then John reminds us we can have no better Friend than one that would sacrifice His life for yours or mine. He says it like this - "No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends." - John 15:13 

This leads nicely to the second part of Proverbs 18:24 - "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Wow! Closer than a brother? A brother is blood; a brother is kin - this verse is saying that there is a PARTICULAR FRIEND that is closer than family. To help explain this the second half of Proverbs 17:17 says about the brother - "a brother is born to help in time of need." So, while the brother seems to be only noticeable in time of need - The Closer Friend trumps the brother by being around all the time and therefore dependable in all things. Talk about your Johnny-On-The-Spot type of person. There is no better person to personify this than God's Holy Spirit. 

Christ Jesus paid the life-price to eventually send The Holy Spirit or Closer Friend after His resurrection and ascension. Because of our faith in Him, believers have the best of both worlds - we are part of His Family and He is our Friend. Matthew records Jesus saying, "...whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50). Then about Friendship John remembers Jesus saying, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." This brings a whole new freshness to the lyrics - "What a friend we have in Jesus..." and reassures me as it should every believer in Christ that we have A Reliable Friend.

THOSE YOU LIVE AND DIE WITH

One of the top stories and/or movies I could hear or see over and over again is A Christmas Carol (The Scrooge). In fact, I have it on DVD and every Christmas pull it out and watch the Patrick Stewart version to my utter delight.

Why do I like it so much? The many lessons it teaches. It speaks to reflection, consideration of others, the proper place of money in our lives, second chances, transformations, supernatural intervention, and a changed perspective. 

The story starts off with a man who totally does not get life anymore, but had a distant history of an appreciation of it. Now that the root of many evils - money - is ruler of his every breath, there is no space for any other kind of relationship. 

This is what I desire to bring to the table today - what will you live with and what will you die with? Hopefully it will be relationships. Put another way - who will you live with and who will you die with? Because life is all about relationships.

The Scrooge had gotten to the point where he burned all his "bridges" or relationships. All he had in life were associations. Ebenezer had no relationships of real depth, weight or value - besides that which brought him coin. Jesus said, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21). For Ebenezer Scrooge his treasure and heart were "Grinch-like" - always concerned about himself and his greed. Notice what this did to both Scrooge and the Grinch - it alienated them; made them hermits; created them as people who lived alone.

We are here on this earth for such a short time. Humanity's lifespan is but a blink and then we are either in the direct presence of The Savior or a place of judgment and pain. James says it this way - "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14) 

So, my encouragement to you today is to surround yourself with people who care, are considerate and value your relationship with them. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, "Two people are better than one because together they have a good reward for their hard work. If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is all alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up."

Be very selective in the choosing process of your friends. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 - "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" And Paul even goes on to warn us about the false believers - "Now, what I meant was that you should not associate with people who call themselves brothers or sisters in the Christian faith but live in sexual sin, are greedy, worship false gods, use abusive language, get drunk, or are dishonest. Don’t eat with such people." (1 Cor. 5:11) And before Paul, Solomon in his Proverbs stated - "Do not be a friend of one who has a bad temper, and never keep company with a hothead, or you will learn his ways and set a trap for yourself." (Prov. 22:24-25)

As Red says in "Shawshank Redemption" - "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." - I hope you choose living and living with a great host of friends and family. Remember, family does not always have to be blood-related. I sincerely hope the core support group in your life is a positive anchor for now and when you face your last hours on this earth. If you don't already have this security and comfort like Ebenezer and the Grinch eventually did, I hope in a short while you will have by your side Those You Live And Die With.

YOU HAVE TO OPEN THE FRONT DOOR

In The Bible, there are Keys that God has or have been delegated to individuals that are very important. In 1 Chronicles 9:26-27 it speaks about men from the tribe of Levi who have been given the responsibility as gatekeepers of the house of God. As part of their duties, they had to guard the four entrances to the house (north, east, south and west) and possessed the key for entry.

In Isaiah 22:22, God gave Eliakim son of Hiliah special authority over Jerusalem. When Jerusalem was without a father-figure and leader, God raised Eliakim up for the task. God's words were heavy and profound because they would be heard again from God about His Christ -  "I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open." As promised, you fast-forward to John on the Isle of Patmos and the Holy Spirit conveyed to John a communication about who now this key holder is - Christ Jesus - "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:  These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open."

In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus is speaking with Peter, however He is also speaking to all believers in Christ down through the ages who confess Him as Lord of their lives. Jesus said, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." There is only One Rock (stable, immovable force) in the universe and He is Christ Jesus. He has the Keys of Heaven and because of our confession of faith in Him as Savior and Lord - He says to Peter, as well as to us, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

In Revelation 9:1 and 20:1 an angel has been granted The Key to The Abyss. The 9:1 passage is about opening The Abyss for creatures to come out. The 20:1 passage is about opening The Abyss for Satan to be locked in for a thousand years. Very important key. But one of the most crucial keys that The Lord Jesus Christ purchased for humanity with His death, burial and resurrection was The Keys of Death and Hades. Jesus says in Revelation 1:18, "I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." No more fear of death or Hades.

However, of all the Keys the Lord Jesus possesses, the one that seems the most important - He does not forcefully use. Jesus paid for The Key to Our Heart with His life, but He elects not to use it for the front door. He awaits acceptance of His invitation as you hear His knock on the door of your heart and hear His voice calling to your spirit. Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." - Revelation 3:20 

God holds all the keys. He even has The Master Key for all the doors of your heart/life. He will unlock many a room inside your heart; He will open many a door in your life - but first You Have To Open The Front Door.