THE HEART OF WORSHIP

TEXT:

PSALM 122

I was glad when they said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2 Our feet have been standing
    within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem—built as a city
    that is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up,
    the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
    to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 There thrones for judgment were set,
    the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
    and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions' sake
    I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your good.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

PART 2: - PRECEPTS FOR LIFE...THE PEACEFUL, JOYFUL LIFE

In Psalm 19:8, the praise continues with the Psalmist (King David) saying “The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad, the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up.”

What are the “precepts of the Lord” and why would they give us peace, joy and contentment in our souls?  

First of all, this is one thing only a truly converted child of God (i.e. born again) can comprehend. The reason is that the empowering and enlightening agent is the Holy Spirit of God.  To understand what the precepts of the Lord are, is the key to a different level of thinking which the unsaved do no possess. The precepts are the statutes, laws, decrees and commands of God. We know what those are.

They are not just the ten commandments but the decrees of the Lord which encompass love, mercy, compassion and living a lifestyle which is both pleasing to the Lord, while not offending others. The bible tells us that while some things may be lawful, as regards food and drink etc. not everything is profitable. If something causes someone else to stumble, that thing is an anathema. Why would be want to diminish our testimony by going into a liquor store, buying a bottle of Jack Daniels and a case of Budweiser just as our next door neighbor is driving by, to whom we are trying to witness?

The precepts of the Lord is more than just those which concern loving God and your fellow man. God gave us these to save us from ourselves, as well as to protect His Glorious Name. Committing adultery not just destroys marriages and families, it has the capability to ruin the health of the participants, the children of those families who are now scared for life, once sin is discovered and lead to drug abuse, sin, and depression. Obeying God’s commands to stay faithful to Him and our spouses, gives us peace and harmony in our homes and brings contentment to the nth degree. Stealing robs not just the victim, but it robs the soul, and tarnishes the Name of the Lord. Lying, cheating, coveting and more....are violations, for sure against other people that can have legal as well as ethical repercussions. Not doing those things is optimum and should never be part of our nature or thinking.

These commands and commandments are not to keep us from having fun. They are keep us from harming ourselves! Read all the decrees in the New Testament from the Apostle Paul, in many places, and see why the Lord put them there. It is for us to have a joyful and as pure a life as we can.

God’s Word is pure! His Commandments are pure because He is as Pure as His Word. When He says in 1 Thessalonians 5:13b and following: “Be at peace among yourselves…..admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all (verse 14). Then He says “do not repay evil with evil….”(15).  “Rejoice always  (16). Pray without ceasing (17). Give thanks in call circumstances (18). Do not quench the Spirit (19). Abstain from every form of evil (22)……He says all of this so that our “whole spirit, soul and body will be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (23).

All of this put together, as Psalm 19:8b says, for “enlightening of the eyes”! In the great big Heart of God, what He saying here, is that the eyes of our own spiritual hearts, will see the beauty, joy and comfort of the Lord in the darkness which exists out there in the unsaved evil world.

What an amazing loving God. He cares so much for us, He gave us what the world sees as rules, but we see as the roadmap, to a truly peaceful and joyful life, while we journey here on earth. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

THE ALL-PROTECTIVE GOD - PSALM 139: 23-24

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." (Psalm 139:23-24)
Many of us have had encounters with angelic beings. There are accounts of what has happened on many mission fields or people in dangerous places or situations who are suddenly protected and cleared through those same situations.

Elisha saw the Chariots of fire. My wife spoke to a woman in line at an AMC Theater one time who knew more about us than any human being. Then the angel disappeared. I was about to slide down an icy small hill, where I parked at the top, on a cold snowy morning, when all of a sudden my little Taurus was shot directly into my parking spot a few feet away. The parking was perfectly straight with equal space on both sides! I sat there smiling knowing exactly what had happened and thanking the good Lord. "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them (Psalm 34:7)

Why are we even discussing this about Angels? Here is why - our positional salvation. When we are placed into the Eternal Kingdom of God - all of it. We are grafted into the Family of God, from Eternity past and into the Future. This includes every heavenly being. We all have our role in our Heavenly Father's Kingdom. However, as saved human beings, we baffle even the angels, in that we can literally appeal directly to the Throne of God, and He hears us.

It is unbelievable the kind of access we have to the very Throne of God. This access represents just some of the Fruit of acknowledging, fearing, knowing and revering the All-Knowing, All-Present, All-Perceiving and All-Powerful God. We have studied all four of these attributes earlier in Psalm 139. However KNOWING these truths about God and not doing our part to stay in the zone He presets for us, is NOT the mark of a good Christian. There is a reason Psalm 139 ends up with these two critical verses (verses 23 and 24).

Scripture explicitly compels us to examine ourselves daily (sometimes many times a day) to see not if we are saved, but if we are acting like one who IS saved. Therefore in order find ourselves in full alignment with the God Who is all we have described in this Psalm, we MUST constantly maintain every aspect and facet of our daily walk.  This world is so unforgiving. We can do a great job or do the right thing 99.9% of the time, but one lapse in judgment or a decimal point left out on a total by accident, can call all 

But our positional salvation in Christ – permanent and sure – gives us the hope and reassurance that we can now proceed to grow in Him, according to His Will and purposes. We can rest assured that even when we sin and fall short, the Lord is faithful to forgive and remove our sins from us, as far as the east is from the west. It is absolutely critical we use these 

To comprehend what these verses mean, we must have a fixed point of reference of God’s stated Will for our lives? Most people are still looking for that statement or “revelation”. Romans 12:2 tells us exactly what it is, right here “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."

This much is true – if we stay in the Will of God, He SHALL work His way through us and lead us where we are supposed to BE. For this to function in the form which God designed for us, there must be obedience and obedience comes from one place – a mind found in Christ.

For our minds to be found in Christ, there has to be maintenance. The Apostle Paul tells to “work out our salvation”. He did not say “work FOR it”. Working out one’s salvation literally means  the process of Sanctification. We are saved once and justified – made right – because of repentance and faith and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord. This is just the beginning of our walk in Christ. 

Now these final verses of Psalm 139 are active and ongoing, just as our daily walk with the Savior should be. In fact, these two verses should be used by us to take stock of ourselves, with the long view of holding ourselves accountable before God. So, let us look at what the verses teaches:
-  Search me and know my heart: Jeremiah 17:10 tells us that God does the following: "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds." So we know He has the capability to get to the root of the matter, since He is our Creator and knows every single thing about us.  We also know that every human heart...EVERY human who ever lived except the God-Man Jesus Christ, is exceedingly corrupt, sinful, lustful, greedy and all that bad stuff (Jeremiah 17:9). Even when the Lord causes us to be born again and gives us a new heart, we need to check our selves before we wreck ourselves by more sin!. The way to fixing our sin problem, in the process of becoming MORE like Christ as one who is born again is to constantly ask the Lord to search with the strongest searchlight, every hidden part of our heart, mind and soul to discover where we need Him to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

-  Try me and know my anxious thoughts: King David, the human author of Psalm 139 writes to his son in 1 Chronicles 28:9 the following "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." We know that because Solomon developed such a lust for female companionship of all varieties and pagan nation, he had over 1000 women in his royal household/harem and rejected the Law of the Lord by his actions, for most of his life. The Lord allowed Solomon to do this until he repented and came to his senses and proceeded to write the Book of Ecclesiastes as a warning, as much as anything else. We must know this about God, unless we do as Scripture tells us and take every thought captive by not allowing them into our system in the first place, we are already on the path to major sin, if allowed unchecked. Here is what we should be doing after the Lord reveals our thoughts or if we get side-swiped and blindsided by evil thoughts from the devil...from 2 Corinthians 10:5, we read: "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

- See if there is any anxious way....lead me in the everlasting way: We must realize that God is for us. In fact Jesus Himself intercedes, prays for and comes to the Throne of the Father on our behalf if we ask in His Name. Romans 8:27b tells us "He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." We do NOT want to be disqualified by service to the Lord or even worse. So we examine ourselves each day to keep short accounts with God by confessing our moral shortcomings immediately and then trying our best to NOT do them again (2 Corinthians 13:5).

God has offered us life and life more abundantly. He sets before us life OR death. He sets before us blessings or curse. He wants us to CHOOSE LIFE that both us and our descendants might life (Deuteronomy 30:19). The everlasting and eternal way that God has been leading us throughout our entire Christian walk is found in this Life. Choose Life is not just a slogan for the pro-life movement and what a wonderful movement we have here to protect the life of the unborn. Choose Life from this amazing sermon by Moses in Deuteronomy is the way out of anxious stressful living when all the world is falling down all around us. Take God at His Promises. He can be depended upon.

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF BIBLE TRUTHS - DAY 8 (REST)

BIBLE VERSE: Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God's people (Hebrews 4:9)

TRUTH: Nine times in 11 verses from Hebrews chapter 4, verses 1-11, God uses the word “REST”! He goes on to say, through the author of the Book of Hebrews, who will and will not enter into His Rest.  The original word used is not rest per se, but "katapausis" ….which means abode or divine dwelling or in essense, heavenly home. God basically speaks more here about who gets into heaven and His eternal rest. Those of whom He spoke – the Israelite rebels in the desert – perished twice: both in the desert and in eternity.  But because of Jesus and the Cross, we have the opportunity for Salvation and not rank disobedience like the majority of mankind – alive and dead.  

The Christian who is walking closely in all things, with Abba Father, actually has that rest right now! We can feel it – it’s called “the peace that passes ALL understanding”. The world cannot comprehend and Christians in Name Only are baffled by it and ridicule true believers.  The result of all of this? We must do as Verse 11 says “be diligent to enter that rest”. That is – the immediate eternal Sabbath rest of God which actually begins at the point of one’s conversion to a True Christian.

(Image Credit here)

DON'T BE STRESSED OUT - TURN TO GOD!

Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7)
We live in the most critical time in history. I am sure that everyone in the past 1000's of years felt the same way. The difference this time is that most of the prophesies of the great "Old Testament" prophets and world events are lining up to give the accurate picture of the falling away and corruption which will precede the taking up of the saints (the Rapture), the Tribulation and then the Second and Final Return of the Creator and King - Jesus Christ (Yahweh).

We are strung out, stressed out, squeezed, singled out (if you're a real Christian these days) and stung by Satan's minions who are not as cute as the cartoon ones from the movie "Despicable Me". The most popular drug in America or the west sold for decades have been tranquilizers and anti-depressants because folks simply cannot handle and cope these days. But God did not plan for us to live this way. He gave us His Word as THE Guidepost to righteous and powerful living. In this video teaching from several years ago, we examine the application of Scripture - the Word of God - to daily living, and in this case, we look at Stress.  May the Lord grant understanding in this important feature of life in the 21st century.

SPEAK LIFE: LESSON 8 - PRAY IN JESUS' NAME. Part 3

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. (John 16:24)

We have heard the following many times, and have even said or thought the same ourselves that "God does not hear me, care about me or answer my prayers". This statement is not true at all, in light of Scripture and the protocols of Abba Father, Who hears all His Children and processes in His own time and according to His own holy Will!. 

CONDITIONAL:
It is understood that we are positioned to be praying to the Father, in Jesus' Name through our adoption as His sons and daughters (based on John 1:12). Therefore, we are authorized to approach the Throne of Grace for His Grace, Favor and Mercy in all things, according to His purposes. This key verse in our journey to understanding the "Power Prayer Life" from John 16:24, gives us the condition. This condition is similar to a math equation: if you add one plus one, you will get two!

It is this simple, ask IN FAITH (knowing that God only hears the prayers of the righteous, and those asking for His forgiveness and salvation) and thou shalt receive. Therefore, this equals peace, joy, contentment and victory in Jesus! To fully grasp this what this joy really is, please understand that praying in the Name of Jesus is not a chant, mantra or formula for yours or mine own selfish pursuits, but a powerful and humbling realization and acknowledgement that we are nothing, can do nothing and deserve nothing UNLESS we are in the Presence of the Name above All Names! This is the true conditional status of the intercessors, prayer warriors and just plain old Christian like you or I who pray daily (or several times per day) to the Father!

In My name - means just that! It means we are praying as directly commissioned by Him, to seek His presence and intervention for our prayer requests. Please do not neglect or misunderstand what this truly is. This is the Creator of ALL things, paying direct and close attention to seemingly insignificant people like us! Who am I that the King would bleed and die for (as they song says) and then when He returns to His throne after the Ascension, send His Spirit to live in those He saves.....THEN LISTENS TO OUR PRAYERS??!! Who are we indeed? Blessed and more fortunate than we can ever imagine is the response!

Your joy may be made full - This is truly an amazing statement by God the Son! He simply says "ask in My Name....and your joy will be complete"! The true meaning of this is both amazing and even unfathomable. The original word "Joy" here is "chara" or "xara" and means, in essence, that the awareness of the Heavenly Favor of God will be so present in your own spirit that the resulting joy and exuberance in your spirit will want to cause you to leap, jump and dance for joy in your heart. It exemplifies the presence of God's goodness in the life of the Christian which, if the Christian is properly submitted and committed to the Will of Christ, will burst forth and show all over his/her countenance.  This, my friends, is the condition we find ourselves if we are prayerful obedient servants who seek the very Face and Presence of the Master, as much as we can, during each day!

GOD'S RESPONSE:
Does God owe us a response? In general, God owes us nothing, but because of Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross, He has given us everything and that includes access to the Throne through prayer! He has promised us, when we pray like this, in the Name of His Son? Yes He does and those promises can ALL be found in His literal, inerrant and Holy Word. 

He says in John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you." Regardless of anything else, that very fact - that GOD HIMSELF CHOSE US. This means everything and like any good parent, the Father listens to and responds to us!

The Bible also says in 1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." After knowing that our Father has chosen us, how can we help NOT having confidence? The wonderful thing about being saved and called a child of Christ is we inherit eternity. An upcoming post will discuss what eternity really means - past, present and future. 

This inheritance is more than just the blessed hope of living in anticipation of a future heaven. It is about living in the NOW, with confidence (as the verse tells us), that we can appropriate every aspect of our lives to His safe keeping as no one cares for as God does! Praying in the Name of Jesus is not just a stock ending to a prayer we are supposed to "say" or "mumble" like some pagan mantra. It is the sole and exclusive privilege of the blood-bought son or daughter of Christ, and thus God the Father, who knows the Heart of the Father and how He loves us. It is therefore, this love, which compels us to boldly approach the Throne of Grace, in Jesus' Strong and Powerful Almighty Name, in humility and but with confident hope - that He would do what He said He would. Amen. 

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

DAY ONE:

Beginning anything with Prayer and Praise, in gratitude for what God has done for us, is imperative. It is also always wise, in the Sight of the Lord, to begin each new calendar year humbly submitted to the Father, Who always existed and is always gracious to us, His Children.

The theme which the Lord gave me for this first month's focus - whether it is prayer, fasting, praise and sometimes, all three is ABIDE. The literal meaning of ABIDE in the New Covenant (or Testament) with Christ is "to remain in; to dwell and to live in Christ until death"! Christ is literally called the Branch in Prophesy (Zechariah 3:8 and others). There is no other way but to remain in Christ. He said that NO ONE can snatch HIS sheep out of His Hands, So eternity is secure to the born-again, converted and regenerated forer son/daughter of perdition. 

But just like the vine must remain connected to the Source to produce fruit. We must also remain connected with the Spirit of God. We know when we are saved that the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of the Branch - indwells us until death. Therefore, to live the full life, we must allow the Source of Everything to work in and through us. There is no other way - to be happy in Jesus - but to trust, obey and pray.

To start 2015 off as we should and in order to get to where we can function with an unction, this January, the focus is abiding in the Word with a verse and a prayer...and when the Spirit guides - a song. So here is Day 1 of 31:

VERSE: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. (John 15:4).

PRAYER: Father God, Abba, Almighty God, Ruler of the Universe and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we thank Thee for all You are. We thank Thee for giving life, sustaining life and being the Author of Eternal Life. This is Life, that we may know You, that we may know Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, Who for the Joy set before Him endured the Cross, even unto death, that we may be saved. 

Father we accept, I accept, that glorious gift and accept Your Sovereignty, Your Majesty, Your Kingdom Authority, Your Power and Your Passion for Holiness which You exude in everything sent from Heaven, via Your Word. Your Word is confirmed by Your Holy Spirit Who lives in Your children. Father I attest to that Truth and pledge my days, the days and minutes of this new year, of this new paradigm, of this new season, to living in that Truth, to loving in that Truth, to triumphing in Your Testing, to persevering in the trials that come my way and to declaring Your Goodness.

Lord, You are MY GOD- You are MY KING, You are my Source, You are all that I need, all that I seek, all that I desire, all that I live for, all that I work for in the long run. I abide in the shadow of Your Mighty Wings, I dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, I rest in the Blessed Assurance that Jesus is mine, oh what a foretaste of Your divine glory, majesty, worthiness, excellence, purity and amazing awesomeness. I depend solely on You for my sustenance, in the spirit man and in the temporal. You are my all in all and I worship You, Abba Father.  Thank You for opening the portals of Heaven that we may seek and come before Thy Mighty Throne minute by minute if we so desire, and You listen. Lord, what manner of God is this - that You know my name....that of the billions, You know ALL Your creation to the smallest detail...that the Eyes of the Lord runneth to and fro and seeketh those whose hearts are set on Thee! Thank You for taking me as I was, so I can be like the Great I am, Your Son - YHWH - Who spake to Moses through the Burning Bush and led Israel through the Pillar of Fire and the Cloud.

Your Shalom is more precious than anything ever created, now and in the future and I rest and abide in this as we begin 31 days of precious, anointed, humble and submitted worship to You, oh Glorious King and Commander in Chief of the Universe, through Christ our Lord, amen.  

REMEMBER IN DECEMBER - PEARL HARBOR DAY, 2018

DECEMBER 7, 2017

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)

The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever (Isaiah 32:17). 
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other (Psalm 85:10). 

Let the mountains bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness (Psalm 72:3). 
In his days may the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace till the moon is no more (Psalm 72:7).
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). 

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21).

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JOY, JOY, JOY - DOWN IN YOUR HEART! (Psalm 20:4-5)

4 He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.  (Psalm 20:4-5)

This is a really tricky thing. We know, both from Scripture and personal experience that the heart is a deceitful, deceptive and even evil thing, "who can know it"? We hear people telling us all the time to "follow our hearts". This is a usually recipe ingredient for disaster because if we follow our hearts, into some gray areas, WITHOUT following what you and I know is right, according to the Will, Word and Wishes of God - we will end up in a very bad place. How many more times do we have to learn the lessons of history.

We live in a culture, society and system which is led by emotions over rational reasoning and while some of this is good, if based on Timeless Truths, most of it can lead to some horrible stuff. How many apparently solid marriages are broken up because a husband or wife "fall out of love" and it is usually when one person falls for somebody more tempting and alluring. Then, this person proceeds to justify it as "God wants me to be happy" - all emotion-based, all led by the heart. Recently a number of well-known 'christian' singers-songwriters have declared their same-sex status and are living in sin with their partners, but have become belligerent (without anyone asking) in their justification of their human desires, vis-à-vis the Lord and His Word. Both are wrong, and both types of conduct are outside the Will and Purposes of God.

Verse 4 above exhorts us to line up our hearts AND our minds with the Will, Plan and Purposes of God. There is a reason Jesus said the greatest commandment is to Love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. When you truly love somebody, you commit all to them and even more so when this somebody is the One Who holds your life in His Hands, Who created you and Who sustains you ONLY by His Good graces. There is nothing good to endear us to Him except our obedience.  But the Good News if we pick up our Cross daily, die to our fleshly and sinful lusts and desires and if we seek Him daily and His righteousness, our spirit and soul will line up SO perfectly with His Will, Word, Plan and Purposes for our lives, that we can never stop our cup from overflowing with blessings from above.

When this happens, we can not stop rejoicing! We then develop a joy, joy, joy, joy down in our real hearts, which are in sync with God's, that is there to stay! This is confirmed in Verse 5 as we rejoice in not just the fact of our salvation and future eternal home with the Lord, but we have a magnetic pull whose powerful attraction to the LIGHT Of CHRIST so permeates every fiber of our being, that we cannot wait a moment to be near it! This is the TRUE JOY of being a Biblical Christian.  The difference between rejoicing and happiness is similar to the chasm between God and those who have rejected Him. This perishing world seeks after lust, power, fake peace treaties, pomp circumstance and phony show (to fulfill their human happiness) but those whose full gaze are fixed on JEHOVAH NISSI - The God Who is our Standard, will rise on that Day, and will have both the Joy and Peace that passes ALL understanding, even in today's evil, dark and perilous times.

Father God, we love You, and praise You for Your Mercy, Love, Grace and Long- suffering. We don't deserve a thing You give us, in fact we deserve hell and all the punishment set up for those who reject You. But by Your Mercy and Compassion, You saw our sad estate and sent Your Son the Savior - Jesus - to empty Himself and die for us on the Cross, paying the price for the evil desires of our heart, that we may be reconciled unto Thee. Father today, we commit our heart's desires to You and pray for the wisdom, the obedience, the perseverance and the commitment to be solidified in us that what we want in every aspect and facet of our lives will line up with the Plans and Purposes You have had for us since the foundations of the World.  As You told Jeremiah, You knew Him before You formed him in the womb and You know us well too, Father. You know our failures, lusts, weaknesses and even strengths.  Do away with the first two, turn our weaknesses into strengths and our strengths into eyes FIXED on Jerusalem that we may see the spiritual Holy City and the Kingdom Work You have called us to and thus, answer all the prayers and petitions we make, as we are no aligned more perfectly with what You, in Your perfect wisdom, have in store for us. We love, adore, praise and magnify Your Holy Name, through Christ the King, amen.

WHERE IS THE ROAD TO PEACE WITHIN?

The late seminary professor Howard Hendricks once told of a neighbor of his whose pride

and joy was his speedboat. This man was really proud of this boat and spent all of his spare moments washing and waxing it. One day, he boasted to Hendricks that "I now have 38 coats of wax" on the boat. That must have been one exquisite looking boat.

Every time he boasted about the mint condition of his vessel, Howard Hendricks was kind to him, encouraging him. He never said an unkind word to this rich lost man, as he said to himself "this man has to stay busy and always doing something so as to hide the completely useless emptiness of his life". If you ever watch some of these hyper or active men or women who pursue self-gratification and pleasure with a passion, you will find that same type of emptiness. I see them on most Sunday mornings (except in the middle of winter) when I drive by the lake on the way to church, and see these guys fishing....sometimes in the rain.

Do ALL of them have empty lives? Do any of them have peace? Sure they have great families, the best homes, cars, jobs and even boats like this guy Hendricks lived next to. But do they have the peace that passeth all understanding? Are their souls at rest in the Lord? Do they even know what that means? Sadly, the majority does not and this problem cuts across all classes, races and stations in life. 

Scripture gives us the roadmap to the way of Inner Peace, the Peace within. Ephesians 2 tells us that "14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." There is NO peace unless we have God in our lives and that can only happen if Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.

In this older Plumbline program. I look at one of the fruits of the Spirit - PEACE, and give part of my personal testimony as to how I found that peace....and it was only through coming to the end of myself. It was only hitting the ground so hard that all I could do was look up and choose Him....then give my life to Him and see His forgiveness for all my sins - Repentance. You too can have that fruit of the Spirit - Peace...we all can, so we don't have to make busy plans or occupy our minds with mindless books, hobbies, sports, activities etc just to run from ourselves, and the convicting conscience we have been ignoring. Please watch:

LORD, I AM AMAZED BY YOU - JOY

Do we often get these two things confused - Joy and Happiness?  We do and while the world around us may merge both concepts and call them the same, the follower of Christ should be aware of the difference. The contrast between the two could not be more stark.

The world says if you follow this formula - go to school for over a decade; get an education; get a driver's licence and go to college AND graduate, when then, you can have the big dream. THEN you would be happy.

The dream life is the three bedroom ranch with an entertainment room in the basement. 
The dream life is the job paying $65,000 right off the bat and a new car. 
The dream life is the beautiful spouse and 2 1/2 children (what does this 1/2 look like?) and the annual vacation in Myrtle Beach. Well how is that working out now? Politicians and the culture killed that dream and our young people are now stuck with massive college debt paid to fat and rich uber-liberal college professors. They have no prospects for that future. All of that "dream" stuff was supposed to last into perpetuity and make our children happy.  Now make no bones, some of it is still possible, but it is the subject of another essay.

For everybody else, the marketing gurus and the culture and the society tell us if we have the latest Bowflex machine; the latest tablet computer; the latest smartphone; the latest fast car; the Cruise we can't afford; the latest ....(fill in the blanks)...we will be happy, happy, happy!

Can all of this make us feel good? Yes, a new iPad or laptop or SUV will make us feel really good! There is nothing wrong with working all year and getting some time away from the grind with a week in a cabin by a lake or down by Gulf Shores, Alabama. Just do not confuse this with Joy! This is material and even emotional temporary 'happiness' which is about as fleeting as a full tank of gas on a 15 hour trip to the coast.

God calls us to something more permanent, real and which is exclusively FOR you, designed with YOU in mind and which is pure, undefiled and CAN NEVER BE TAKEN AWAY by ANYONE - none! No one, no government, no person, no demonic force from the prince and the power of the air, can take this away. 

THIS IS CALLED - JOY! 

Joy is not only a feeling. Joy is an attribute and a permanent condition of the Heart of the Follower of the Lord, through the Only Way possible - Jesus Christ! 

Joy is the blessed assurance that not only that Jesus is yours - as Lord and Savior - but He is your defense; your comfort; your shield; your protector and your Guide.

Joy is the state of consciousness where a river of peace flows through you; while the waves of turbulence in a corrupt and perishing world lash against the sides of the Ship of your Life.

Joy is the absolute knowledge that whatever befalls us when those trying times and tribulation hit, that our citizenship is not on this current earth but in the  New Jerusalem, the New Creation, the New Kingdom of 1000 years.

Joy is that peace that passes ALL understanding.

I can do on and on about this and will, on another occasion. Suffice it for now that we can discern the Will of our Amazing Lord and then have true happiness - God's Way. Joy is that kind of "happiness" if you will. Joy is not some temporary sort of dependence which more and more unbelieving masses of millions look for, when they put their faith in politicians and corrupt people for their sustenance and happiness.  Joy is peace, and until you have that, there will just no joy in "Mudville". There will be no peace, no justice and no true and God-ordained happiness. Amen.

The following promises of Scripture affirm our status as joyful children of God who can stand in that gap of Peace knowing His Word is true, because HE is Faithful and True! Meditate on them:
Psalm 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in You rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because You
defend them: let them also that love Your Name be joyful in You.
Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Psalm 22:3 But You are holy, 0 You that inhabits the praises of Israel.
Psalm 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 34:1,2 I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:the humble shall hear and be glad.
Psalm 35:9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in His salvation.
Psalm 40:16 Let all those that seek You rejoice and be glad in You: let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion; shout 0 daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King comes to you: He is just, and having salvation.
Matthew 5:11,12 Blessed are you, when men shall revile you..... Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...
Ephesians 5:18,19 Be filled with the Spirit. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always.
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give

WHY WE BLESS THE LORD - PART ONE

Too many of us not just take God for granted but use Him as an ATM machine. Except this "ATM Machine" has riches we did not create and deposits we did not make! What do we have that was not given to us by His Grace?

And what is His Grace - God's Riches At Christ's Expense. The timeless, eternal Ancient of Days came down and  I mean DOWN, to this very earth to be born in a nasty stinky cave, so that evil filthy religious men who spit on Him, persecute and murder Him. Then this VERY God, would pay the price for ALL SIN for ALL TIME, since Adam until the end of the coming Tribulation.

But wait - it gets better - He rose out of the grave they put the dead Savior in! He kicked down the gates of death and hell and won the Victory for us, forever.

So today, when you feel like God has not only abandoned not just all mankind but YOU, remember that Truth...remember what He has not only done but done in YOUR life - when you were sick, when you were hungry, when you were at your wits end, when you had no job, when you had no love in your life, when you had no nothing...remember WHO was there...because He still is and He is waiting for you to come back to Him - RIGHT NOW!!

Psalm 103: 1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4 

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

UNFORGIVENESS - SPIRITUAL POISON

Freedom into your destiny only begins when you have broken free from the stronghold of sin, which has held you down. This is not some charismatic mumbo-jumbo, but truth released from the Word of God.


Christians too can be bogged down by strongholds to the point of distraction where it becomes a major distraction in life. This will rob you of your favor, your destiny and your complete rest in the Arms of the Savior.


The strongholds of sin, sex and the flesh are not the only ones which will rob you of your peace of mind or Shalom (rest). There is the stronghold of Unforgiveness! This is a stronghold which will hold you back so much that it can make you the most unpleasant human being to be around.


Have you ever seen people, and most of them 'go to church', who are so negative over everything and everybody that you cannot stand to be around them? They bust on every national of local event. They are annoyed by every little kid running down the church hallways. They comment on every short dress worn by some young married mom. They can't see the reason why the church just bought a new snowblower to clean off the sidewalks to the parking lot. No matter what they reason, they find no joy in life.


If you speak to them long enough, you will find a cause for this effect - they really hate another person. It could be their boss, supervisor or co-worker. It could be Mary Sue across the aisle who stole her boyfriend in high school. It could be Frank down the street who got the promotion at work over you, even if you have been a loyal employee at the office longer than he was. Then you come to find out Frank and the boss' son play in the same golf league and go to the same sports bar! More hate....more opportunity to gripe and complain...more..more...more.....


Have you heard the Name of God in any of these situations? No! The reason is people like this have consumed the spiritual poison of Unforgiveness. They refused to share the pardon and the grace which God has so richly demonstrated for and to them (and us) .....in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. These two examples may well be examples of people who were saved, but their growth is stunted by a lack of joy and love for their fellow human being. These two living examples are reasons why non-christians refuse to join us in corporate worship (notice I did not say 'church'). These two people are reasons non-believers call us 'hypocrites'.


Scripture says in Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV) "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."


This is an example of what we were talking about yesterday (on Strongholds).  Refusing to give Grace or listening to counsel to love one another gives the devil an opportunity to put anger in your spirit. This then causes you to sin...and boom - he has a foothold on you...and it's all because you refuse to let it go!

So Father in the Name of Jesus, I come to You now and ask You to search my heart now. Right now, dear God, I know in my own heart, You are constantly revealing sins I committed 30-40 years ago, when I was much younger, so I can be forgiven of them after repentance.


So now, oh God search my very inner core and reveal any spirit of unforgiveness towards anyone which may live in me. If it is something I swept under the carpet so I won't have to deal with it, expose it with the Light of Christ right now, so I can go make peace with that person...even if that person is a close family member or now a former friend who lives 1500 miles away. Lord, let me make it right today. Let today be the beginning of the healing of my soul.


Let me not be consumed, my Father, with the spiritual poison, which may destroy the amazing blessings of true peace, joy and contentment which You have for all Your true children, who have been called to salvation according to the Riches of Christ Jesus the King.


Let me not be carried away by pride and hate and arrogance, which goeth before the fall.


Let me not cut up on the inside while wearing the mask of righteousness, when You know the spiritman or woman in us, is not right with another person...and therefore You.


Holy Spirit, I ask You to now have access to root all that cancer out of my spirit which has spread its tentacles all inside of me. Pull it out by its roots that the fruits of my salvation may be fulfilled and I can live the truly anointed life of Favor and blessing in the Mighty Name of Jesus, amen!


TOMORROW: ARE YOU HYPOCRITE?!

(image by google images)

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 10

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 10


JEHOVAH SHALOM


In a stressful and restless world, there is one constant. Just as the sailors of old followed the North Star, if we find that constant, we can refuse to participate with the rest of the world in their pity party. 


We find it on the altar of the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. We find it at the Foot of the Cross.

What am I talking about? Well, back in the day of the Judges in the Old Testament, "every man did what was right in his own eyes"! This is just like today where evil and rebellious man has walked away from the One True God and is finding spirituality (so to speak) in New Age paganism and other eastern mystic cults like hinduism, buddhism and such.


An Angel of God appeared to one of those men - Gideon - and told God will give him the victory over the Midianites. Gideon, a pagan at that time, questioned the Angel and made him prove Himself. Once the Angel (Who was Jesus) made Himself known and vanished, Gideon said "I have seen the Angel of the LORD Face to face". At this point, the LORD told Gideon not to fear, as he will live. Even a pagan like Gideon knew no one could see God and live! (Read the full account here in Judges 6)


To celebrate and remember this occasion, Gideon "built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace (Shalom). To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites" (Judges 6:24).

Jehovah Shalom means the LORD is Peace. Shalom is not just the Hebrew word for Peace, but it means perfect peace, security, rest, trusted, at ease, having a TRUE sense of well-being and more!


When the Bible talks of the Angel of the LORD, it is a description of the pre-incarnate Christ, Who appears in the Bible from Genesis to the end of Revelation. This Angel, this Jesus is the Messenger of True Peace, True Shalom.


There will be no peace in our souls apart from believing and trusting in Him and accepting Him as Your LORD and Savior...so pray with me right now:


Father, in the Name of the God of Peace - Jehovah Shalom - I thank You this day that You alone are God and there is no other! Lord, Your servant Gideon saw You Face to face and lived. 

I thank You that You drew me to Yourself that I too can have an encounter You...that I too can see my failings...that I too can see the Midianites of today: sin, self and selling out....that I too can be face to face with the fact that I was worthless...but You, Oh God, took that blob of dying mess, breathed Life into me, rejuvenated me, saved me, brought me into Your Kingdom and then gave me YOUR SHALOM!


Father, this was only possible because the same Angel of the Lord Who appeared to Gideon and Samson's mother, is the Son of Man, the God-man, the Last Adam, Who became flesh and tabernacled among us. This shalom was only possible because He gave it all on the Cross, as a once and for all payment for my sins and all sins of all time. This was only possible because I believed, trusted and surrendered at the Foot of that Cross and the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God on that Cross washed me clean so that I too can enter into Your Rest....because I too received that Rest!


God, You said only those whom You choose will enter that rest....that peace...that Shalom which is set aside for the People of God.


When the world is spinning out of control, I soak in that rest.
When the world is surrendering to satan, I soak in Your rest.
When the world is stressing over mammon and material things, I soak in Your rest.
When the world is swimming in a sinkhole of its self-importance, I soak in Your rest.
When the world is seeking after its false gods something that can only be found in You,I soak in Your rest.
When the world is siding with the enemies of Christ and plotting against Him, I soak in Your rest.
When the world is signing security agreements with invisible ink with no clue of YOUR eternal security, I soak in Your rest.


You alone are the Source of my peace.
You alone are the Sign of my salvation.
You alone are the Savior Who heals.
You alone are the Shalom I seek.


I worship, adore, rejoice, praise and give thanks that You have not only forgiven and pardoned me, but that You have given me that most precious of that fruits of Your Salvation - Your Shalom, Your Eternal Rest.

I thank You for the fact that this Eternal Rest has already begun, my LORD and my God.


I thank You that I can walk and talk and live in that rest right now, this very minute, every minute of every day, until the end of time and then in Eternity with You, in the Name of Jesus, amen.

TOMORROW:HIS NAME IS IMMUTABLE!