WORD OF LIFE, PART 20: "DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL- BUT BREAKTHROUGH COMING!"

Is there such a things as the "dark night of the soul"?  Some would defintely agree with this.  Even the strongest believer can stumble into a dark hole and come face to face with a crisis of Faith. This is nothing abnormal. Is there such a thing as Despair in the Believer? You bet there is. Apart from being a saved and sanctified child of the Living God, the faithful are still human beings, in a fallen world. The thing we have to consider is our response and then God's role in emerging revived and renewed when we run off a spiritual cliff. The Bible is full of examples for us, of great souls who suffered under great physical, mental and even spiritual torture.

Jeremiah is called the "Weeping Prophet". There is an entire book of the Old Testament called Lamentations which is exactly as it sounds. It contains the wailing and weeping of a man who simply believed, did what God told him to do and paid some heavy costs for it, as a man. The thing was that his "lament" was not about himself, but his people. Does the lost nature of the people around you and I cause us to weep and be scared over their eternity away from God, because they keep rejecting Him? If it does not, we are in worse shape as the Body of Christ than we thought!

The Apostle Paul spent most of his life, post-conversion to Christ, being persecuted and in situations which would have destroyed the modern western believer. Christians in China, the Middle East and Asia face the same thing and worse. He said "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies" (2 Cor. 4:7-10).

Please, let us look closer at Paul's response here from this passage:

 ~ Afflicted (attacked, sometimes in bad health or slammed by life in so many ways. YET - NOT CRUSHED. Sometimes physical pain or a variety of illnesses can easily distract us from our previous joyful walk with the Lord. How do we keep from being depressed and the feeling of being hit by a 2000 pound boulder? Community. God created us to fellowship with the saints, from our immediate families to those in our churches and small groups. Here is where we need our fellow saints to come around us and lift us up in prayer and encouragement.Do not neglect the fellowship of the saints.
 ~ Perplexed (in other words "WHY, LORD?....Why ME, Lord?").  YET NOT DRIVEN TO DESPAIR. There is nothing which we suffer in this life, which people from ALL backgrounds have not experienced since our time on this planet began 5777 years ago (from the current Hebrew Calendar). Solomon said it best all through Ecclesiastes - "there is nothing new under the sun". How we deal with it and ALLOW others to help us cope, will decide how long we stay in the dead zone and not allow ourselves to partake in a "pity-party".
 ~ Persecuted (from the extreme hatred and evil we see in non-Christian countries to judges/politicians forcing Christians to disregard their beliefs in the West). YET NOT FORSAKEN, because we know WHO is with us. We are a people sealed by the Holy Spirit and the world only has so much power against the Godly.
 ~ Struck Down (financially in harsh economic times; physically by evil or ill-health or morally by a corrupt culture). YET NOT DESTROYED. Modern culture and society can only distract and destroy us and our children if we allow them to. The Key is Faithfulness to Abba Father and the Word of God. The lock is guarding our hearts and instructing our children to not partake in the evil and cultural rut and filth of these times.

We see this in the next section of our Journey through Psalm 119:
Psalm 119:153-160
Resh.
153   Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I do not forget Your law.
154   Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word.
155   Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes.
156   Great are Your mercies, O Lord; revive me according to Your ordinances.
157   Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies.
158   I behold the treacherous and loathe them, because they do not keep Your word.
159   Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
160   The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

These verses are almost completely similar to what Paul was talking about in the passage we just looked at above (from 2 Corinthians 4:7-10). 
Psalm 119:
Verse 153 tells of the affliction and need to be rescued from the "dark night of the soul" or the dark place or traps which have befallen us.  YET we do not forget God's Word in the Bible and His Promises. We know from studying the Bible that the Law actually gives life.

Verse 154 tells us that when we cry out "Why Me?" we have an Advocate with the Father who will plead for us. Scripture and the Holy Spirit CONFIRMS that this Advocate IS JESUS! THEN, this same verse informs we can ask for a renew of Spirit and the Word (the Bible) and the Word Who became Flesh (Jesus) will most certainly do so! (P.S. Question to self: "Is Jesus your Lord" or are you?)

Verse 155 tells us of the sure judgment and eternal disaster facing the rich, poor, middle income or the powerful and those who reject God and persecute His Elect. So let that alone and let's move on. We ask "how long shall the wicked reign"? Well, they will face God on That Day too....and will have a different final destination. Do NOT dwell on that but pray for their eyes to open before it is too late for them.

Verse 156 reminds us to keep our FOCUS ON HIM because in the midst of this darkness, despair, depression and even death, He is willing and able to bring us around to His side, heal, reveal goodness, while He conceal our hurts. He is a good, good God and full of Love, Mercy, Grace, Long-suffering, patience and Kindness. Take Him at His Word.

Verses 157 and 158 tells us that we MUST understand the spiritual battle we are in. We are horribly misinformed by weak teaching if we do not recognize this truth. Read Ephesians 6:12 and be alert at all times. Hate ALL forms of evil and do not fellowship even with fellow Christians when the Holy Spirit reveals what they are about to do can lead to potential sin and ruin. The enemy, the devil, is looking for an opportunity to destroy us. Don't let him.

Verses 159 and 160 can be summed up like this: the weeping Prophet Jeremiah's despair, weeping and hurt over the destruction in the book of Lamentations are so intense and stunning. YET in the midst of all of that, here is what the Holy Spirit led Jeremiah to write in Lamentations 3:22-24: "The LORD'S lovingkindnesses (mercy and grace) indeed never cease, For His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY TEN:
VERSE:
“Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
2 “He will revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him"....Hosea 6:1-2
PRAYER: (Part 2)

Most heavenly Father, Ruler of Heaven and Earth, forgive us, oh Lord. We have strayed so far from You and Your Word, personally and as a people that we are seeing the fruits of our disobedience. Yet in blindness, some refuse to bend the knee and not just not obey and surrender to You, but even acknowledge Your Mighty Existence, Your Sovereignty and Your Majesty.

You are patient, kind and long-suffering, oh God. You desire that none perish but that all come to Repentance and a saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ. You know many will turn away, like the stiff-necked people they are, proud, arrogant and full of their own limited and foolish intellectual wisdom. We are a people torn apart by our own rebellion, stubborn and hard of hearing, but You promise to heal, oh most Merciful God in Heaven. 

So now, the Call goes out to all who would listen - to return to you, to seek restoration and healing to seek the Lord Who binds up the broken-hearted and sets the captives free...to surrender to He by Whose stripes we were healed at Calvary, when He paid the debt He did not owe, for sins He did not commit.

Revive us oh Lord, wake us from slumber and sloth. Remove the stain of guilt from our souls. Rejuvenate and restore all who are weary and tired of running AWAY from You and let us now hit the brakes, turn around and run TO You. Your Eyes runneth to and fro across the whole earth in search of those whose hearts are loyal to You. Therefore make us realize we have strayed so far from You that we deserve the Judgment You had set before those who refuse You. But in Grace, You built a Highway of Holiness with a very clear road map back to Your good Graces, Your loving arms and Your eternal Home.

It is only by this can we truly live, oh God. It is only by this Grace and the narrow road back, that we may live before You, in Your Holy Presence, now and through Eternity. May this be, oh Father. Give us the fire, passion and urgency to reach those who fall in this category and may hearts be open to the listening and processing of the Truth that if we do what Your Word to Hosea above says, we too may live. Glory to Your Name and to the Son Who died for us, and it is in His Name, the strong and exalted Name of Jesus we pray, amen. 

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY NINE:
VERSE:
“Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
2 “He will revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him"....Hosea 6:1-2
PRAYER: (Part 1)
Heavenly Father, we have so sinned against You that if You don't judge America and the west, You would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. Lord, You are Holy, Holy Holy and we (the collective society "we") are not. Most of this world are a foul people, living under the spirit of deception that You are okay with the vile depravity, degradation, destruction and violence. Most of this world - from the Far East to Russia, to South America, Iceland, Canada and the USA - live as if You are not aware of every thought, word and deed of mankind. They think that because You have not rained down destruction as You did on Sodom and Gomorrah, whose pride rose like a vile odor before You, that You are okay with the sins of this world.

They think that because You have not sent men like Jeremiah, Elijah, Hosea and others to speak against the modern day Ahabs and Jezebels.....they think that because the false prophets in the pulpits are sailing along in their expensive clothes, multi-media empires and homes with apparent impunity....they think because they can call themselves by Your Name like the false prophets of Judah who lied to Jehoakim and Jehoachin, that You sanction their vile lies...they think they can do all of this, and You are okay with this. Judges and politicians of all stripes assume unto themselves the mantle of god, just like their father, the ancient serpent. The majority of the world say they believe there is a real God but live like the devil. They took prayer and the Bible out of school and the old accuser of the brethren, Satan, moved in and filled the gap. They, most of us, compartmentalize You. 

They put You in a Sunday box or twice a year in a Christmas and Easter/Resurrection Sunday box, just like those who practice ritual and call it relationship, but they do not know You. They do not walk in Your Ways. They practice lawlessness and call it tolerance. They practice lawlessness and call it love. They initiate iniquity and call it innovation. They transform entire institutions and societies that walked with You and call it progress. They do not know You or Your Word or Your Son Jesus Christ and will hear those searing words one day, of  condemnation and dismissal from His Holy Presence.  Your list of indictments against mankind for 2000 years is longer than the universe is vast.  Mankind has stored up so much wrath in the Heavenlies that they will not be able to stand it on the roll is called up yonder.

Still, You are a compassionate God. You are a loving God. You are a merciful God Who says that if YOUR people (Christians) who are called by YOUR Name (even the fake Christians) would repent, humble, surrender and submit to Your Word, YOU will hear from Heaven. Your Ears are always available to those pleas and cries of surrender to Your Will. The World has run so far from You that the are almost at the point of no return. We must return to the Lord. 

We as a society must return oh Lord and it must begin and with a Stop Sign. We, who are the remnant, must step up and pray and influence those around us to put on the brakes and look up and consider returning to the Lord, because what is ahead is a cliff, a step cliff with a bottomless pit at the end of it. Give us the strength this day, oh God to be bold and humble at the same time....to be wise and not foolish....to be loving but not accomodate and sanction sin and to listen to Your Spirit and not the noise of this World, we ask this in Jesus' Name, amen. 

THE EYES OF THE LORD, Part 1 - NOAH

Genesis 6:8 says "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD".

The eyes are the windows to the soul, but how are the Eyes of God…the Almighty, All Powerful, All-seeing; All-knowing Mighty Eyes of our God?

In human terms, our field of vision is limited to the physical environment we currently occupy. Not so with the Lord.  The Voice that spoke the Creation into being has Eyes which always WERE, ARE and WILL BE. Therefore those Eyes pierce to the quick of the matter, the core of the human condition.

Those are also the Eyes which looked down at Creation in the Book of Genesis and said "it was Good"! In this short series of posts, we wish to look at some of the mentions of the "Eyes of the Lord" and what each one means. Today, we see right of the bat at the beginning of time (in the sense of humanity), that Noah, the great grandson of Enoch - found Favor in the "Eyes of the Lord".

Taken in its fuller context, we see from this chapter 6 of Genesis that everything man was doing was perverted, evil and corrupt. It was so horrible and horrid, as a foul aroma to the Lord, that He said in Genesis 6:6, that He regretted ever creating man! How bad is it, for the gracious and most merciful God of Heaven, to be so aggrieved (according to Scripture) that He was so sorry that He made man, He wiped everyone out except Noah and his immediate family?! 

We know how disgusting and foul-smelling evil is. We see it from border to border, from sea to shining sea, from culture to church corridors all over America and western Europe. What we need to focus on, is goodness and righteousness and the veritable FAVOR OF THE LORD.  Noah found favor. How did that occur?

Well, we look back to a man named Enoch who lived only a "few" years compared to others in his family tree! Enoch, a direct descendant of Adam, became father to Methuselah at age 65. Then Scripture says that Enoch "walked with God for three hundred years" after Methusaleh was born...(Genesis 5:22). Then in Genesis 5:24, the Lord says that "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him".

There was something about this family. All Enoch's ancestors were fruitful and multiplied and created enough people to populate the known earth at that time. Before Enoch was taken into Heaven without dying at age 365, he had other children who are not mentioned here. Only Methusaleh and his son Lamech and Lamech's son Noah (and his three sons) are mentioned by name before the great Flood. This family had the Favor of the Lord upon them. This was literally four generations of men who were preachers for the Lord!

In the original Paleo-Hebrew language (which Moses wrote and is different from modern day Hebrew) we start with Enoch and immediately notice that his name means "teaching or commencement".

Methusaleh, was the prophet of doom, for the corrupt around who refused to listen to his messages. He lived the longest life in the Bible, because like the prophet Jeremiah, God was trying to give His people time to repent and turn from their wicked ways. Methusaleh, who was preaching God's message of repentance (like Jeremiah) means "his death shall bring"....and as soon as he died - BOOM - the Flood's plans were put into motion by the Lord.

Lamech, the grandson of Enoch, son of Methusaleh and father of Noah, means "lamentation" or "despairing". You see the parallel to Jeremiah here, who wrote the book of Lamentations about the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians!

Noah, the last of these four great preachers for the Lord, means "to bring rest, or comfort". He brought rest and comfort, not to the evil what was wiped out by the Flood but to the new earth after God had reset things. 

By being obedient to the Lord and taking ridicule for decade after decade while he painstakingly built that Ark, and raised his family in righteousness, Noah was loved mightily by God - he found favor and grace was showered upon him. God literally saw, with His own Eyes, Noah's faithfulness and loved him, with a mighty love.  The fourth in this line of preachers, then got to save a portion of all creation, and even the members of his own family.

Are the Eyes of the Lord looking into your heart and mine, and seeing that same faithfulness, love, obedience, integrity and more? Let us then search our heart to see if our walk is like Enoch through Noah, and if we even merit the Favor and Grace of the Lord! This can only occur, if we, like Enoch through Noah, are walking in the Light of the Lord - and that Lord is Jesus Christ, Messiah of the whole world.
Amen.

FRANKLIN, THE CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE OF AMERICA?

WILLIAM FRANKLIN GRAHAMS (JR. & III)

I think the answer to this rhetorical question is a resounding "Yes". The first requirement of any true Christian is to stand on the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the Divine, Sinless Son of God and the ONLY way to Salvation and Heaven, period. In fact, as any true Christian knows, the definition of a Christian is one who believes in the following:
- The literal six day Creation of the Earth, as described in the Bible
- The Inerrancy of the Bible as the divinely inspired Word of God (Sola Scriptura)
- The Virgin Birth of the Lord Jesus
-  His Sinless life on earth 
-  Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life...to eternal life (Solus Christus)
-  His Death, Burial and Resurrection
-  His Second Coming
-  All for the Glory of God (Soli Deo Gloria)

A true Christian also believes the following: "Faith without Works is Dead" (James 2:17). Nobody has done more, as a person or single organization, than Franklin Graham and Samaritan's Purse to feed, clothe and bless children and adults of all ages and religions! This year alone, Samaritan's Purse is set to give away over 94 million shoe boxes full of desperately needed personal items to disadvantaged kids worldwide - no matter what religion or color they are. When Hurricane Sandy destroyed the coasts of New Jersey and New York, Franklin and Samaritan's Purse had trucks on standby, from homebase in North Carolina, ready to move equipment and hundreds of Christian volunteers in to help the regular people who were hurt the most. While the mainstream media played up publicity seeking politicians and entertainers, God saw the hearts of our Christian brothers working anonymously to help restore other's lives.

A true Christian and especially a Christian leader, knows what the Great Commission is - and it is to win souls and make disciples for Christ. Following the example of the greatest preacher of the 20th Century - William Franklin Graham Jr (the 94 year old Billy), Franklin has "Rocked the River" up the Mississippi valley, bringing thousands of youths to Christ and is getting set to launch the next Billy Graham American Crusade one year from now, in November 2013.

Graham is a man for all seasons and missions, and never loses sight of his first obligation to be a follower of Christ. Like those of who stand on the Name of our Lord and Savior - JESUS - he will not sugarcoat, lie or compromise like most Americans, to curry favor with the elite. As a result, he has been kicked out from the Pentagon from National Day of Prayer events in 2010....only to hold a prayer meeting in the parking lot! Samaritan's Purse was banned from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, later that same year. He has gotten into controversy for speaking boldly on the issues and people of the day, who affect the lives of many.

While, it is true that Franklin Graham is not a pastor of a church, who has to try and hold/shepherd a congregation, that does not preclude America's pastors from speaking on the great moral issues of our time. Yet time after time, every one of America's top "celebrity" preachers and Christian authors, who lead the largest churches in this country, remain resoundingly silent when God is blasphemed; religious freedom is threatened or the church is persecuted worldwide. No one calls for national repentance or fasting or prayer, on the national scene anymore....so somehow, it is always up to the son of the great Billy Graham, to call it as God sees it. Just like the Old Testament Jeremiah proclaimed the coming Judgment on Jerusalem and the corruption of its people, there is only one man brave enough in America today, to prophesy like that and call Christians to prayer for the country and its leaders.

However, the main thing about this brother and all the rest of us redeemed folk out here is this - he is also sinner saved by Grace (Sola Gratia).  Franklin Graham, America's Christian Conscience, was once a rebel against God, like you and I, yet Christ got a hold of his life, and turned him around. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, can do the same for you! Would you let him?
Amen.

(There will be more about Billy Graham's "My Hope" here in the weeks and months ahead)

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 18

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 18
GOD IS MERCIFUL


A definition of Mercy I have seen describes it as "Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm"!


This perfectly describes our Holy God! The great and wonderful favorite prophet of mine - Jeremiah wept over the destruction of Jerusalem when God sent the Babylonians to accomplish His Will at the time. For the first two and a half chapters, Jeremiah "lamented" the ruins and devastation which Judah's idolatry and paganism had wrought, but then he said these famous words:
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
  “therefore I will hope in him.”
(Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV)


Over 2000 years later, these words led to the great hymn of the Faith "Great is Thy Faithfulness"!



Merciful is His Name! Almighty God is the God of Mercy!

Look again at the definition of Mercy .."compassion ..toward someone..." whom it is within One's power to punish! God is going to punish sin and whether we admit it or not, we are ALL sinners. Sin will either be punished or it can be paid for, and the penalty removed.


For the majority of the world, which lives in rebellion, they WILL be punished. That includes weak or fake Christians!



But if the Lord is YOUR portion. If He is YOUR Savior, the penalty will be removed. This penalty will be pardoned. In this life, the consequences of sin may linger, but God's Grace and Love will get you through it.


ACTION POINT TODAY, READ & PRAY THIS SHORT PASSAGE:
But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice. For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.
(Deuteronomy 4:29-31 ESV)


CLAIM THIS PORTION OF THE PASSAGE:
For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. 


PLEASE PRAY WITH ME:
Father, in the Name of Jesus and most Merciful and Gracious God, thank You for Your love for sinners such as I. Lord, You saw us in our weakened estate, lost and drifting into oblivion as we are, yet You reached down through Christ and pulled us out of the muck and mire and put a new song in our heart, a hymn of Praise to our God - YOU, Abba Father!


You had every right to punish and destroy Jerusalem as Your servant Jeremiah saw and to send disasters all around us today, but still oh God, You have withheld Your Mighty Hand of Judgment against us, until that day, so that many will be saved and come to know You as God, as the One True God of Heaven!

Father, from the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same, the Name of the Lord is greatly to be praised and I praise Your Mercy. I praise Your Kindness. I praise Your Goodness. I praise Your Holiness. I praise Your Worthiness.


You, oh God are worthy to be praised! Your mercy endureth forever!

You, oh God are worthy of worship! Your Majesty shines over all the earth!
You, oh God are worthy of wonder! Your Rule over the universe is Sovereign!
You, oh God are worthy of fear! Your Justice will prevail in days to come!

You, oh God are worthy of respect! Your Truth is embedded through eternity!
You, oh God are worthy of surrender! Your Presence will make every knee bow!
You, oh God are worthy of ALL, Your mercy endureth forever!


Lord, You are my Portion in the Land of the Living, an oasis in a dry and thirsty land and I love only You and thank You, with all my heart and soul and mind, in the Name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ, amen and amen!

TOMORROW: GOD IS SOVEREIGN!

(IMAGE BY BING IMAGES)