The Peace Of God

        

        When many of us visit a peaceful place, we hopefully appreciate and enjoy it. Likewise, whenever we see a peaceful picture, listen to peaceful music and find a peaceful moment in a busy day - hopefully we treasure it and look for more ways to encounter peace.

        These instances and others are nice examples of a breath of fresh air in a chaotic world. However, the peace of God goes beyond what we could think or imagine peace could be. 

        We are strongly encouraged and possibly commanded by God through Paul to not worry or be anxious about anything, but in every situation, seek first God and His kingdom by prayer and petition with an offering of thanksgiving as you come before Him (Philippians 4:6-7). The result of living this way is that the peace of God will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. 

        One of the major differences between peace found anywhere else and the peace of God is that God's peace is proactive and humanity's peace or the world's peace is reactive. Humans will seek out peace many times when the seas of life are turbulent, when sea billows roll. Like I alluded to earlier, we find our happy places, we play our favorite music, we count to ten, we find where and what grants us peace and attempt to attain it.

        In contrast, God's peace is already at work for those in Christ Jesus, guarding the heart and mind against theft of joy, peace or self-control as situations present themselves. The actual Philippians 4:6-7 passage reads, 

• "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

        The critical key is constant communication with The Lord. Paul says to the believers in Philippi, "In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." The word "every" gives you the impression that The Lord desires to be involved in the small details and decision-making of our lives as well as the large, major decisions. We should not be a pick-and-choose the time we want God type of Christian. We should desire God in every breath and in every decision for as we include Him in everything we will have The Peace Of God.

Where The Word Came From

         

        Just as a soldier of old pulls his sword from his sheath or scabbard, so does the Christian pull the revealed or quickened Word of God from the Written Word of God. 

        This imagery of the Armor of God on the Christian soldier is fully described in Ephesians 6:11-17. However, the specific verses of fourteen and the end of seventeen are the point of emphasis here.

        Jesus is the way, truth and life. He is the Word of God who created all things and holds all things together. This "holding all things together" image can be easily seen as the Belt of Truth in the Christian's armor. The Belt of truth is the Logos or written Word of God. 

        The Sword of the Spirit noted as the word of God at the end of verse seventeen is translated in the original Greek as the Rhema Word of God, or revealed/quickened word of God. The Sword of the Spirit is an inspired message from The Holy Spirit that is grounded in The Bible meant to defend yourself, apply appropriately to a situation or encourage and correct another person. 

        However, the whole armor, especially God's written (Belt of Truth) and revealed (Sword of the Spirit) Word were deemed necessary not only for attacks against this world's issues, but also against the spiritual opposition - "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (v.12)

        My encouragement to all of the Soldiers in Christ today is to stay in The Written Word of God! As we meditate on His Logos, His purposes and promises, we will be preparing for when the time comes to do battle. One of my favorite verses in The Bible is Proverbs 15:23 - "A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!" There will come a time when a revealed word is called for, when the Sword of the Spirit is needed, however there needs to be no question Where The Word Came From.

        There is a song that declares There's Power In The Blood. And there is, there is wonder-working power in His blood, but before Christ gave His blood, during His ministry and for eternity He will always be The Word of God.

        If Christ said it or had His inspired writers document it (The Bible), I desire to know His mind and heart. Why? Besides Christ loving me enough to redeem my suffering and dying on a cross and then securing my eternal victory over death, hell and the grave through His resurrection - besides that - "The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen." (Isa. 14:24)

        He is The Word that needs to be on our hearts and in our minds. We should desire with every strand of our being to gobble up every morsel of The Bread of Life - His words. When we are filled-up with His words, God is able to use us to make Him known by having Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

SAY NO TO TEMPTATION

 

James 1:13-14

"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed."

        Humans are very fast to place blame. We shift our responsibility off on something or someone else easily. Long before pointing any fingers are due, a mirror should be consulted. God, the devil and others are always on the top of the list as possible scape goats for failing to rebuke our temptations. 

        While temptation certainly has a source with the devil and others, this verse makes clear who not to blame for temptations of evil and who is responsible - God is not and cannot be blamed for evil temptations, while humanity and their nature is the culprit.

        Temptation is the courting or dating mechanism used by whatever is the source of the tempting, to position a believer or non-believer into a habitual lifestyle of disobedience to God. As sin is repeatedly visited, the feeding and growth of this sin will lead to death manifested - physically, mentally and/or spiritually. For the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

        Concerning this first part of the passage - "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil," - who could even imagine a successful attempt at temptation with the very essence and nature of God being Holy? Satan tried with Jesus in the wilderness but failed because of the Written Word of God being quoted against him by The Word of God in flesh. Christ defeated the enemy's temptations in this manner so that His followers would be able to use His Word likewise in similar situations.

        Observing the next part of the passage - "nor does he tempt anyone;" - God cannot be a promoter of something His nature rejects. His nature rejects evil temptations and His Word thwarts any attempt as we have seen. God does not tempt us to go through an evil experience for the development of our faith. Later on in verse 17 of this same chapter James says to this, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

        The fault of giving in to temptation and responsibility of owning up to it and staying away from it falls to us. The last part of this passage of study says, "but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed." 

        First, temptation drags us away, dragging implying that of resistance, at least at first, then enticement once temptation gets us where it wants us. Temptation works in reverse of holiness - forsaking evil and cleaving to good. The heart is carried away cleaving to something evil and once alone or trapped then the enticing begins. Verse 15 describes the rest of the process - "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." 

        So, we have the opportunity to stop the growth process of our sinfully conceived or birthed temptations - "when it is full-grown". If we do not and our sinful habits continue until they consume us and/or they become "full-grown" then we must expect some sort of death in our life.

        Some handles for us to consider in rejecting evil temptations on our faith walk are:

1. Run from temptations. Surround yourself with the kind of people you know who are not going to place you in compromising situations. Have an awareness about your surroundings.  
2. Don't blame God, the devil or others all the time for your temptations, trials and sin. Look in the mirror. Do some soul searching. Consider the plank in your eye before removing the sawdust in your friend's, brother's or sister's eye (Matt. 7:3). Take responsibility.
3. Confess before God, repent (change your mind to God's way of thinking), ask for forgiveness, constantly speak with the Holy Spirit so He can alert you to danger and do steps 1 and 2 if you have fallen into temptation and allowed it to grow and fester in your life.

        Let us stop the Blame Game, especially Christians. When temptations come, look for the nearest exit instead of the quickest way to identify the sender of the temptation. We know the sources so Say No To Temptation.

KING of kings and LORD of lords

        

        When Christ Jesus returns with His bride, The Church, and all the angelic host of Heaven, there will be woven into His robe and tattooed on His thigh this truth, "King of kings and Lord of lords." (Revelation 19:16)

        I think of a king as a ruler of a grand swath of territory and population of many people. The king is responsible for the set up and smooth running of his administration that cares for all the different aspects of his kingdom or nation. 

        I think of a lord as a governor of people, laws, culture and society within a smaller community, such as a state, province, district, county and so forth. The lords ultimately report to the king or president of a kingdom or nation and deal with the local issues, elevating them to the king's attention when necessary. 

        The sobering thought that the Holy Spirit inspired me with concerning kings and lords is that if Christ is not The Lord and The King over your life then somebody and/or something else is. That replacement is usually ourselves, reliance on self and/or dependence on anything other than "Christ in us, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).  

        A king or lord does not always have to be in relation to the administration of property, land and people. Mentally and spiritually speaking, a king or lord is often a self-proclaimed title we grant ourselves for whatever reason we deem right. Ray C. Stedman, in his book God's Final Word: Understanding Revelation, adds a qualifying remark, he says -

• "If people reject the Lord's authority over their lives and if God is no longer God in their lives, then they must find another god! It is impossible for the human spirit to thrive without something to live for, something larger than itself - and that something is what god is!" (p.58) 

        King means ruler over all, especially the large decisions in our lives and Christ desires to be that Decision Maker for us and with us on our journey. He desires for us to accept Him as Wonderful Counselor in our lives.

        Lord means master, authority and jurisdiction over what we call the small things in life. Christ Jesus wants this also. He desires for us to cast all our anxiety on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). 

        Whether we are a believer in Christ or not, Jesus is King and Lord of everybody and everything. The matter is acceptance of this truth and a living of our life in light of this truth.

        The barrier that prevents the flow of favor, wisdom and knowledge many times is - first, a personal relationship with Christ as Savior of one's life is not established. For "without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

        Secondly, you must take Him at His word, all of it and especially this word - that He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Once these two criteria are met, I believe God has someone to work with, live with, guide through life and love in many different ways for the rest of eternity. 

        One way or another everyone will bow before Christ Jesus and confess He is Lord and King over all one day. The student of God's Word knows that when a point is emphasized multiple times in Scripture, the reader had better take heed. This subject, of Christ being Lord and everyone's eventual submission is covered at least three times - Isaiah 45:23-24, Romans 14:11-12 and Philippians 2:9-11.

        For those unbelievers in Christ, I hope and pray that you make the decision for a relationship with Christ Jesus today. To still be in the unbelieving number and be kneeling and confessing Christ's Lordship over all one day is not going to be one's ticket into Heaven. This is a recognition by all creation of whom The Master and Creator is - Christ Jesus.    

        Know that He is King over all those who declare themselves kings of any sort. He is also Lord over all those who think themselves master of their own life. Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords.

CAPTIVATED BY CHRIST

        You have heard the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” However, the converse to that can be applied just as easily. Purity or Cleanliness in, Purity and Cleanliness out. I would venture to say that many times whether the input is garbage or pure content, the choice is ours. All of us need to make better decisions, however I encourage my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to really focus on their total engagement with Jesus and His Holy Spirit.

        As mentioned, we have inputs – the eyes and ears. These we use for our sight and hearing. We have a processor called the mind. This we use to grow or evolve our thought and emotional life. Then we have our output – the mouth. Here we have the tongue that forms words which holds the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). So, in order to show the importance of the whole Christian needing to be captivated by Christ, every moment of every day, let’s break down these parts.

        Regarding the eyes, Jesus stresses the importance that the guarding thereof will protect one’s entire health.

• "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:22-23)

        In respect to the heart or emotions, Jesus says,

• “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matthew 15:18-19)

        In Psalm 19:8 and Proverbs 15:30, the Christian receives a glimpse of the needs and benefits of a surrendered heart and surrendered vision found in each verse.

• “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” (Psalm 19:8)
• “Light in a messenger’s eye brings joy to the heart and good news gives health to the bones.” (Proverbs 15:30)

        Jesus challenges all who believe to love The Lord with all their heart. How can disciples of Christ love God with all their heart when their source is corrupted? A miraculous change is required. Paul encourages the Christians in Rome and down through the ages to reconstruct the mind, for it is here where our thoughts and emotions process what we hear and see. Remodel the mind for Christ.

• “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

        When the believer in Christ is responsible, regularly taking every thought captive and making it obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5) then our thoughts, hearing and sight become more aligned to His. Jesus is The Judge on the shoulds and should nots of all our inputs, but He should be The Judge on the rest of the system too – our processing and outputs. Hebrews 4:12 says,

• “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

        So, if a Christian knows that Jesus is The Word of God and Christ has been entrusted with all judgment, including “the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”, then the believer’s goal should be clear – to be captivated by The Judge – Jesus.

        However, Jesus is known by many other titles and marvelous names than Judge. And because of His total sovereignty and our need of Him in our lives, I urge you as the writer of Hebrews once did –

• “…holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.” (Hebrews 3:1)

        The challenge comes in keeping the mind of Christ. God’s thoughts and ways are infinitely superior. Christians are tasked with keeping a mind that says – What would Jesus do? We attempt to research a given situation and behave appropriately but sometimes His thoughts, the answers we seek, are delayed or simply not what we wanted or expected.

In Isaiah 55:8-9, Scripture says,

• “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”

        Perhaps said another way – The way I think is not the way you think about anything. Same goes for the way you do things, I do not do them that way, I perform my will, my way. Then Isaiah restates this thought in a poetic format.

        In the New Testament, Paul contributes to this idea when he says,

• “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:11)

        David, known as a man after God’s own heart, is also seen in Psalm 139:17 as a man after God’s mind or thoughts.

• “How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them.”

        Solomon teaches that when the believer does not rebuke the Lord’s correction and repents or turns 180 degrees toward the Lord or changes their mindset to reflect the Lord’s instruction, then the Lord will not only share His thoughts, but the phrase used is “pour out” His thoughts to them.

• “’Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.’” (Proverbs 1:23)

        This is an image of abundance from the Lord because the person has chosen to place God as Master of their life.

        However, even more precious than a Master-Servant relationship is a Godly Friend relationship. This change is exactly what John describes has occurred through Christ with Jesus as our Mediator, High Priest, Lord, King, Savior and Friend. John 15:15 says,

• “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.”

        At this point, with the believer’s inputs being enthralled by Christ and the Christian’s processing unit under the influence of The Word of God and The Holy Spirit’s guidance – the remaining concern is what proceeds out of our mouths.

        Probably one of the best and well-known passages of Scripture to cover the topic of human speech, language or word choice is James 3:3-12. Whoever invented the phrase – Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. – did not know what they were saying. We all know the truth that words do hurt, because there are hurtful people. However, just as this passage states, out of the same mouth that cursings burst forth, there are blessings, praises and compliments that can flow.

• “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” (James 3:10-12)

        James emphasizes the need to realize the power such a small part of our body has on a big world or on the rest of a life. He uses the analogy of the small bit in a horse’s mouth that directs the entire animal wherever the rider needs to go as equal with the words we choose to use over a person’s life or given situation. James also uses a ship’s rudder that controls the whole ship’s direction and a spark that ends up torching an entire forest as examples.

        James goes as far as to say the tongue or our word choice – “corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6). If you think that is an unkind picture, wait there’s more! James continues and says, “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8)

        Do you see why the inputs have to be surrendered to God? However, we could distort them in the processing phase so the Christian needs to surrender the processing stage. Then believers still could muff the communication part of anything so we desperately need God’s fulltime intervention.

        There is not a part, phase, stage of operation or life-aspect that we do not need God. Luke says in Acts 17:28 – “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” If Christians reflect this practice of His encompassing presence in their lifestyle by monitoring and adjusting their inputs, protecting their processing and screening their outputs according to The Word of God and The Holy Spirit, then those around them will know they are Captivated By Christ.

GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF OUR PATHS

 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on you own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

        Straight paths are preferred by many but some like to take the scenic route in life. Whether or not we choose to have crooked roads that lead to meandering, indecision and procrastination in our lives - God can make our paths straight. 

        However, there is a price for all this Road Construction (Pathway). The Christian must:

1. Trust in the Lord with all their heart
2. Lean not on your own understanding
3. In all your ways submit to Him

then the Lord will do His part - 

1. He will make your paths straight.

        Why is the work ratio heavy on our part? Because our will, our nature, this side of Heaven is always battling God's will. 

        Straight paths lead to clear direction and speedy results. Conversely, the non-straight paths of life lead to ambiguity and procrastination. 

        Each one of the responsibilities for the Christian, listed above, is a developing characteristic. The first, "trust in the Lord with all their heart" is wholehearted trust in the Lord. All good relationships contain a degree of reliance upon each member. God gave His All, His only Son for us, so He asks for nothing but ALL of us. 

        The second responsibility, not leaning on your own understanding, is acknowledging and using the higher wisdom and understanding of God found in His Word. When believers come to realize who the real authority on life is and where their help comes from, the not depending solely on your smarts becomes easier.

        The last duty we have before the Lord makes our paths straight is submitting all our ways to Him. Let God be in every detail, not the devil. If every aspect of our lives is surrendered, then there is Godly favor. Otherwise, there is potential for the path to go crooked again. 

        These steps of responsibility re-shape the believer's non-trusting, half-hearted, self-depending, non-submissive being into a Christian who uses these duties to prioritize God and rely on His dependability.

        Notice that the Scripture says, "He will make your paths straight" - "paths" being plural. In our lives, we have many paths we walk. We walk down an employment path. We walk down a family path. We walk down a spiritual path and so forth. We have to walk down these paths but management of them is conditional. If we put our effort into this formula of fulfilling our responsibilities, then God Will Take Care Of Our Paths.

KEEP YOUR SIGHT ON GOD

        

        There are many uses of the word "sight" in Scripture. There is the biological sense of vision. The phrase "in God's sight" is loaded with concepts such as God's view, God's perspective, God's knowledge-of or God's presence. Then there is living by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) yet if we keep our sight set on God, life tends to go as it should.

        However, do we live as though God's gaze or sight is everywhere? There is nothing that shocks or surprises God. There is not anywhere God does not want believers to be holy and blameless before Him. Paul speaks to the omnipresence of God, especially with Christians and uses the word "sight" to convey that idea when he says,

• "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." (Ephesians 1:4)

        If God can see you and God is everywhere, especially close to His children who He chose before the creation of the world, then Christians should align themselves with this original directive to be set apart for God (holy) and filled with integrity before God (blameless).

        Knowing to keep our eyes fixed on God's Word everyday is different from keeping our eyes there. With so many options the world, our flesh and the enemy presents to us, it is no surprise our eyes wander. 

        The second line of "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" has the key - "look FULL into His wonderful face". Full here implies total devotion, wholeheartedness, total attention and utter captivation. The word is likened to a horse with blinders, whose vision is full of nothing but the face of the owner. 

        Moses experienced this blinder effect while beholding the fullness of God in the cleft of a rock.

"Then Moses said, 'Now show me your glory.'

And the Lord said, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,' he said, 'you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.'

Then the Lord said, 'There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.'" (Exodus 33:18-23)

        Thankfully, the believer can know and focus on Father God's face ever since sending His Son, Christ Jesus, in the flesh. After Jesus declared He is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father expect through Him - Philip (bless his heart) asks a question that surely makes Jesus slap His hand on His forehead.

"Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.'

Jesus answered: 'Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?'" (John 14:8-9)

        Since Jesus has ascended to the right hand of Father God, the Holy Spirit is present in the lives of believers to teach them all things and remind them of Christ's words. Seeing God merely means taking a nature walk every now and then and being obedient in the love-commands of Christ toward everyone  - 

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Rom. 1:20)

        The everyday behavior of believers in Christ should be found as reflecting Jesus, the focus of their lives. Do you want to live a healthy life in all aspects? Guard your eyes. This is what Jesus says. 

• "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:22-23)

        Society has deemed the eyes - the windows of the soul. Jesus has declared the eyes as "the lamp of the body"! They are so important and telling that Jesus says your whole body depends upon what you are viewing, watching or feeding your eyes.

        One of the chastisements of Christ, in the letter to the church in Laodicea was of spiritual blindness (Rev 3:17-18). The cure that Christ told them to use was salve, not of the worldly kind that the city of Laodicea was known for but the spiritual kind that Jesus offers for their blindness. 

        I encourage my fellow Christians, if you need some Holy Spirit salve to regain your Christ-like sight, then pray now. If you are interested in having a healthy body and showing His light through your life and eyes then pray for a Cleft of The Rock experience like Moses. If you desire to be set apart for God and characterized as a man or woman of integrity, then Keep Your Sight On God or as the writer of Hebrews says, "fix your eyes on Jesus, the author (or pioneer) and finisher (or perfecter) of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

FAITHFUL INTERCEDERS

        

        In a world that is filled with more unreliability and deceptiveness everyday, I am so glad I have as my friend someone known as Faithful and True - Christ Jesus - Revelation 3:14 and 19:11.

        There are so many times when I fail myself, I fail others, I fail God and others disappoint me. The Lord knows I have taken His presence through some bad decisions. But even through all this He has not left me. He was, is and will always be Faithful. The times when I feel neglected by God is when I'm basing my judgment on feelings not God's Word, Spirit or testimony of what He has done in my life and others around me.

        Did you know that The Trinity has two of its members that minister as interceders for believers? In Romans 8, Paul encouraged the believers in Rome and all through the ages that Christ and the Holy Spirit are both interceding for them.

• "Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (Romans 8:34)
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." (Romans 8:26)
• "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." (Romans 8:27)

        I don't know if I have the proper words or actions to express my thanks and gratitude to God for this personal display of Love, Favor and Faithfulness. There are times I am aware of Christ's and the Holy Spirit's intercession and sometimes I am not. But to know that both are not only cheerleaders for me but agents of God's will pushing for God's plan to be manifested in my life before Father God's Throne - is daunting. Thank you Father God for your Faithful Interceders!

 

A MESSAGE FOR THE YOUTH

Ecclesiastes 11:9

"You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment."

        When anything is judged, the result is either approval, needs improvement or failed. King Solomon, perhaps by experience, but certainly by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, encouraged young people to be happy, to follow their heart and their eyes but know this - it had better line up with what God wants for your life. 

        Ever heard the expression - Sow Your Wild Oats Early? This simply means an individual got their experimentation with touching the hot stoves of life out of the way. Though many of us go through this stage, there is no need for it. We can be happy while we are young and not receive the failed judgment rendering. A good start would be to follow the way of happiness found through the B-Attitudes in Matthew 5.

        Entering the picture of this sowing your wild oats phase of life, there is a daily battle between our heart, our eyes and the Joy of The Lord. 

Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" 

And in Matthew 15:19, Jesus said, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." 

        Both words for heart in these verses, Old and New Testament, mean our thoughts and/or feelings. 

        The Joy of the Lord is made available to us in the form of our obedience. His joy, His favor becomes our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

        Some say, the eyes are the window to the soul. Jesus, in Matthew 6:22-23, goes a step further and places a lamp in your window. He says, 

• "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness." 

        Remember the phrase - garbage in, garbage out? One of the major ways we take in the world is through our eyes. Also, one of the major ways we communicate ourselves is through our eyes. Many times words do not have to be spoken to tell what is inside a person. We might not know the specifics, but just through the eyes, we can get a glimpse that someone might be in pain, reaching out or elated about something. I encourage you to fill yourself up with the good things of Christ, so that people will see Christ, The Light, when they Look In The Window of Your Soul.

        Judgement has a sentencing part to the proceedings. Solomon is stating very clearly, in the original Ecclesiastes 11:9 verse, that there are consequences to one's actions and words. Sometimes those consequences are meted out immediately and sometimes those ramifications are felt down the road somewhere. 

        Young person, will you say "No" to the Eating of Wild Oats in life? Will you allow your happiness to align with God's happiness? Will you select God's joy and favor by choosing to obey Him? Will you protect your eyes and your very soul with what you watch or look at? 

        I challenge you not to say, "My judgment will go well for I have a forgiving Savior." - and then proceed to continue in disobedience. This is not living out the life God has for you. This mindset and behavior is keeping Christ nailed to The Cross and not allowing His victory through The Cross and over death, Hell and the grave to spur you to righteous living. Paul tells the believers in Rome this very thing when he said - 

• "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:1-4)

        Live with the Holy Spirit acting as a screen or judge of your words before you say them, your actions before you do them. And know that you have Grace from Christ Jesus when you stumble. But do not let His favor be a crutch. Go on and live your life, but With God.

THE APPROACHABLE SOVEREIGN

        

        The idea of the Sovereignty of God must be accepted for life to have meaning. Any option welcomed in place of this doom existence to oblivion. The vehicle for accepting the Planner God, the Creator God and Master of it All or Sovereign God is faith. There is no way around faith. About faith, Scripture says,

• "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

        However, now that we know what faith is, God's Word goes a few steps further in accepting His existence. The Bible speaks to the power of faith and the lack thereof through the writer of Hebrews and Paul. The writer of Hebrews says,

• "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

        Then Paul adds,

• "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)

        For those skeptics, naysayers and those attempting to make excuses that there is no God, Blaise Pascal has a consideration for you. The French philosopher, theologian, mathematician and physicist put forth what is known as Pascal's Wager. Pascal argues that it is in one's best interest to believe in the existence of God, as it is a rational assumption and does no harm, and the possibility of eternal punishment in hell outweighs any advantage of believing otherwise. C.S. Lewis adds to this thought by saying, "Aim for heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in'; aim at earth and you will get neither." (The Joyful Christian)

        So, God exists but some, like Deists would suggest, God or a Divine Being created everything then sat back or walked away - a wind-up creation and let the chips fall where they may type of involvement.

        This is NOT the portrait of God in Christian Scripture. Over the physical creation, God is sovereign (Genesis 1-3). Over the spiritual realm, God is sovereign (1 Chronicles 21:15, 27; Matthew 13:41; Judges 9:22-24). Over humanity as nations and individuals, God is Sovereign (Acts 17:26-28; Deuteronomy 32-7-8). Over all the plethora of details that construct existence and meaning, God is Sovereign.

        The ultimate, intimate involvement was Father God sending His one and only Son to pay humanity's redemption price which was Christ's perfect life's blood upon the cross and victory over death, Hell and the grave three days later.

        Humanity might not agree or understand God's decisions, but Christians especially must trust in His sovereignty or be doomed to frustration. I keep learning God's response is totally on Him. Just because God has made a promise in His Word, the evoking of its fulfillment through my prayer may or may not be answered, even if I am praying His Word back to Him.

        Even as a believer, I question God. Do I have that right, not really. Do I have that privilege, absolutely, through the sacrifice and victory of Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews affirms this by saying,

• "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

        However, just because believers in Christ have the privilege of an audience with The King at the whisper of a prayer, does not mean all responses are answered and/or delivered according to your specifications. The answer, including the timing is the will of The Sovereign Lord.

        Sometimes, the Christian can be aligned with The Lord in prayer about all they are seeking, but the timing is not surrendered. I know control for many people is a hard thing to give up, but the timing of instant gratification is sometimes harder to yield. If the believer does not relent in this area, he/she makes God out to be a genie meeting wishes instead of The Sovereign God fulfilling His purposes and plan over their lives.

        All this is not to discourage prayer. Persistent prayer continues our alignment with God's perspective on how our lives should run. He is the one with The Plan for our lives and will help to see it through. Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi and says -

• "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

        This verse alone screams of a personal God, involved intimately on behalf of His believers to develop them into the man or woman of Christ they want to be and He wants them to be.

        There are probably many things that could go toward understanding God's Sovereignty. However, my research has found that our understanding of God's control must at least include - faith, trust, hope and testimony.

        The Christian faith in God says He does exist and provides a restored relationship back with Himself through Christ Jesus. How that faith is displayed helps continue the believer's development as a Christian, especially if a spiritually tuned ear is maintained. Paul admonishes the believers in Philippi to continue figuring out and working things out within their faith-walk with God -

• "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling," (Philippians 2:12)

        Trust in God's Word says we rely on God's foreknowledge about everybody, that He has a plan for everything and will counsel His beloved.

        About His foreknowledge of everybody and everything, David says -

• "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16)

        Concerning His plan for our lives, Jeremiah writes -

• "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

        Then concerning His counsel of His beloved in this life, Solomon and John contribute.

• "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 3:5-6)
• "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)

        Believers base their hope and drive to live, now and future, on God's promises within His Scripture. Meanwhile, the testimony of others in The Faith is the fuel for the mind, body and spirit to endure and aide others needing help. 

        The criteria of - faith, trust, hope and testimony - are crucial in experiencing The Lord as the personal Sovereign God. While some may live their life as though there is no God or as though there is an impersonal God or unapproachable God, Christians believe in a highly intimate and accessible God who is All-Powerful, All-Knowing and Everywhere.

        Believers in Christ accept God as the ultimate planner. Listen to what Jesus says as He drops a hint at God's planning character -

• "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.'" (Luke 14:28-30)

        According to Scripture, humanity never was, is or will be Sovereign. God is the I Am. He is before time, before all. The acceptance of the lie that we can be Sovereign through disobedience was the beginning of the The End for humanity.

        Therefore, the balance that is terribly lacking has progressively worsened since The Fall. The balance is not between good and evil, the balance is about restoring the proper perspective and position on God's Sovereignty in all matters.

        As stated at the outset, we are doomed to frustration if we do not surrender to God that which we do not understand, discern partially and even the concepts we seem to grasp. As mentioned earlier through the writer of Hebrews, through Christ Jesus - Father God's presence, ear and hand are always present, the matter is leaving and trusting the response with The Approachable Sovereign.

DUE DILIGENCE

        Back in the times of kings, queens, counts, ladies and knights there was an expectation by these individuals and the rest of royalty to attend the Royal Court activities. Their attendance and contribution to the events of the day in court was their way of due diligence to the King and kingdom.

        Today, two of the ways Americans show their due diligence is to vote and answer the summons to appear in court as a member of a jury. The dictionary defines diligent or diligence as constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything. 

        When I researched the words diligent or diligence in Scripture, the references were to the consistent work on The Temple, not giving-up in your own personal faith journey (Heb. 6:10-12), being persistent with your gift from God (1 Tim. 4:14-16) and if you consider yourself a leader, then being steadfast in leading (Ro. 12:6-8).

        The essence of diligence is summed up through Paul's words in his letter to the believers in Colossae. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." (Colossians 3:23-24)

        In this attitude and mindset presented by Paul we see wholeheartedness in anything and everything as the first key - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,". 

        The second key is maintaining the perspective that whatever directive you are under from whomever, fulfill it as if it came from God - "as working for the lord, not for human masters,". 

        The last key is the why. You wholeheartedly work at anything as if working for the Lord because you know that you already are guaranteed a Holy Inheritance and will be rewarded for your diligence in good deeds through the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ (a judgment of the believers works or deeds for Christ while on earth that takes place in Heaven after the rapture) - "since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.".

        The daily consistent meeting and walking with The Holy Spirit as a child of The King will develop this diligent mindset and attitude. Through prayer, focused thoughts on His Word (input), and screening our thoughts, words and actions through The Holy Spirit (output) - Christians will be on their way to doing their part in serving The King and kingdom effectively. 

        Jesus said that The Holy Spirit would be there for the believer to "teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26). There is no shadow of a doubt then that Christians should look on themselves as Royalty with a purpose, but without the haughty attitude. The Lord says through Peter that through faith in Christ Jesus, believers "...are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9) and we need to perform our Due Diligence.  

HIS FAITHFULNESS

        There are many depictions and declarations of God as Faithful in Scripture -

• 1 Corinthians 1:9, 10:13;
• 2 Corinthians 1:18;
• 1 Thessalonians 5:24;
• 2 Thessalonians 3:3;
• Hebrews 2:17, 3:2, 3:6, 10:23;
• 1 Peter 4:19;
• 1 John 1:9; and
• Revelation 1:5, 3:14 and 19:11.

        Even with all the testimonies, proclamations and my own observations of God's hand in my life, sometimes I doubt God's faithfulness. Not that He is incapable of being faithful anymore, but that He is fed up with my antics and chooses to withdraw His faithfulness.

        However, His faithfulness does not depend upon our belief or trust in His variety of consistent provisions in our lives. This kind of thinking borders on viewing God as a genie, appearing to take our wish for a more pleasant life experience anytime we have need of him.

        God's faithfulness is to His Word concerning what He promised about anything. His faithfulness is solely connected to Himself. If God is not faithful to and about Himself then He and everything that exists has no meaning.

        When I come from my limited perspective, not His all-knowing view and when I have to have it now, not trusting in His timing, then I surrender any physical, mental, spiritual or character development that God had in store for me. God's faithfulness is on His own schedule with His own purpose, not according to the imprisonment of my/our definition and parameters. 

        The story of Job is a wonderful example of our lack of Godly vision/perspective and the possible withdraw of faithfulness in his life because of the amount and severity of his trials. But God's faithfulness was always there and Job persevered to experience God's blessings many times over. 

        Jesus said about the topic of worrying and I believe He also was speaking about the faithfulness of God -  "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" - Matthew 6:26 

        Christians, how much are you trusting and appreciating God's consistent steadfastness, especially during the times we can't witness and return thanks? Again, God's faithfulness is God's faithfulness not that which we ascribe to Him. Read His Word and you will discover His plan for you and humanity and reveal the promises that will prove in your life and others His Faithfulness. 

        

HOME

             Where do you call home? Now-a-days, I witness many individuals and families that are very nomadic. For a variety of reasons - financial, family, weather or other - they move often enough to make you wonder - where do they really call home?     

        Then there are those who seldom to never move from the area they were born in and end up living to their dying day there. We can name without a shadow of a doubt the home of these individuals and families. 

        However, there is a home that is spoken of that I have never known, visited or even seen from a distance. One might interject that I speak of Heaven here and while the location is correct, that is not what 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 declares as our forever Home with the Lord. Here is what the passage states - 

         "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

        Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

        

        For the Christian, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 describes this age, these years we have been in since the ascension of Christ as a life by faith, not by sight. However, this same passage speaks to a future time when Home will be a more personal, intimate, visible manifestation of God's presence in a Heavenly prepared place for us, within a glorified body. God is perfect, His Heaven is perfect and His presence is perfect which demands a perfected Home or glorified body or temple - Believers!

        Revelation 21:3 depicts this future time of perfect unification and/or dwelling with us in the New Jerusalem.

        "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'"

        Home to me is where you hang your hat. Home is where you unwind, relax, especially enjoying company, food and laughter. Home is a place of relationship and so this passage by Paul informs us that the believer's body will one day be that Home, that perfect relationship with God. Home will be wherever God is and God is everywhere, but He will especially make His residence within those there. The status of things will be fact not faith.

        Until that moment, while we are in this tent, building or body - the deeds of the believers are very important. Christians are separated from the full experience of Christ through the fallen, sinful body and mind. But Christ Jesus changes believers from glory to glory daily as they surrender to Him and will one day ultimately make them the perfect Home.

ROOT OF IT ALL

        

        Why can't we all just get along? That has been a question asked throughout the ages. But this question goes beyond just mere difference of opinion. All of us, from the first human beings, have varying opinions on things, but the choice of how we act on those opinions is what matters. Throughout most of our history we think and/or allow emotions to drive violence to the forefront of our responses.

        The nature of this beast can be detected in a toddler as selfish behavior. The "I" statements are plentiful at this age. And unfortunately, sometimes, some individuals do not outgrow this stage. However, the beginning of this nature or programming can be found all the way back in The Garden of Eden.

        The root of it all is three-fold - (1) a deceiver, (2) the deception and (3) the deceived. The Deceiver being Satan, deceived the parents of humanity, Adam and Eve, with the deception - the lie that they would be like God if they ate of a particular fruit tree. The fact of the matter is that God said - "Do not..." and Satan said "Do, because...". Due to the acceptance of Satan's reasoning, humanity's programming was altered, in fact, it was corrupted. Sin or the act of disobedience now became the dominant nature of our being.

        When you marry lying with disobedience your offspring are pride and violence. Adam and Eve were lied to, they lied to each other and they lied to God about their situation. Adam and Eve embraced their disobedience and the consequences are meted out with pride still getting in our way and violence, unfortunately, being a first choice rather than last resort.

        The birthing and manifestation of pride and violence came when Cain's pride was hurt concerning his offering to The Lord as compared to his brother Abel's offering. With Cain, violence, to the point of death was the result of the corrupted programming; of the terrible mix of untruth and defiance. This act rocketed humanity into an evil mindset. Humanity's thoughts were so depraved all the time that God was about to hit the reset button. But up-rightness and honesty or integrity was found in Noah, enough to save humanity but not enough to get rid of the sinful nature that even plagued Noah and his family. This proved that you could be a great person, but you still had a disease, you still needed a cure.

        Now that we know the cause of humanity's issues, especially unto conflicts, how is this stopped, reprogrammed or at least slowed down? That is a topic for another day. But until then at least we have got to The Root of It All.