A Silent God?

Many people walk away from the Creator because they say "he doesn't speak to me" or "he is silent" or any number of statements to that effect. I believe the Lord told me to write about this by answering the question: "is the Lord really silent?"

The Lord himself addresses this idea in at least two places. Let's start here:

Isaiah 57:11 Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?

Notice that was an old testament passage of scripture. What are we told now about the Lord speaking to us?

Hebrews 1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

Now think hard about what the Lord is saying in this statement because its a biggie. Is the Lord really "silent" as many people claim he is? Not by a long shot.......... The Lord is speaking to us every second of every hour of every day. How?

Hebrews 1 tells us that "in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son".....Spoken to us by his Son? What is the Son of God?

Answer? The Son of God is the word of God....John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.

and

14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,d who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So putting this together we see that "in these last days" the Lord has spoken to us by the word of God which is an equivalent statement to saying in these last days "he has spoken to us by his Son." So if you want to know what God is saying to men today, open the word of God and start reading.

The Lord will speak to you through his Son, which is the same thing as saying through his word. You can read the bible cover to cover for a lifetime and the Lord will speak to you in new ways as your walk and your life move forward in time with him. The Lord tells us this:

Psalm 42:7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

Deep calls to deep.....thats Spirit speaking to spirit...God talking to us. The problem people have is not God being silent, its them not listening or their sin separating them from him. God is not the problem, we are. We need to change, we need to align ourselves with him not the other way around. Open the word of God and stay in it if you want to hear the Lord speak.

The Lord spoke to me about these things as I was driving home from work tonight. Grace and peace

Be Patient

We are called to wait patiently for our Lord. Behold:

Rev 3:7“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

We are called to endure patiently.....that kind of endurance means we might be waiting a loooooooooong time.

If things are going to "hell in a handbasket" here on earth but the Lord has not appeared for us, do not be troubled, we have more waiting to do. The sign of our Lords coming for us is no sign at all!!!!! You read that right....there will be no sign for us of our Lord's coming. We are told specifically that it will be just like the days of Noah and Lot when the Lord comes to take us out of here, THEN destruction will fall...

Luke 17:26“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

Read that again and again until you really "get it":
Noah entered the ark THEN the flood came....
Noah entered the ark THEN the flood came....
Noah entered the ark THEN the flood came....
Noah entered the ark THEN the flood came....
Noah entered the ark THEN the flood came....
Noah entered the ark THEN the flood came....
Noah entered the ark THEN the flood came....

Luke 17:28“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

Let's try that repetition exercise again:

the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down
the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down
the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down
the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down
the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down
the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down

30“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

Let's prepare ourselves to wait patiently. grace and peace

No Small Things

I believe the Lord reiterated to me today that we are to pay attention to all the "small" things in life because the small things really are the big things. This world glorifies the rock star and Hollywood star and TV star but dismisses the seemingly small and insignificant things in life.

An example from the news: a virus that is invisible to the naked eye, can wipe out millions of people (flu). Man, with all his "knowledge" is still absolutely helpless against the tiniest of organisms. Men still cannot cure the COMMON COLD much less some of the nastier viruses. It would make me laugh if it wasn't so serious. Small things, almost invisible things bring man with all his pomp and arrogance to his knees. <---There is a God inspired message in there for those with eyes that "see."

What's the effect of buying one $2 flower for your wife/husband once in awhile? How far does that one small act go in the eyes of the person receiving the flower?

There are no small things in this life...the small things ARE the big things, grace and peace

Blessed Are Those Who Hear It And Take To Heart

Rev 1:1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

This^^ is the opening statement in the book of Revelation. We are told here that there is a blessing for those who both hear the words and take to heart the words written.
Nowhere else in the book of Revelation are "the churches" spoken to directly. Is that an accident or is there a reason "the churches" are not addressed directly anywhere else? That's for you to decide. My point today is that we are spoken to right up front, in Rev 1-3. We are the churches. I was impressed by the words written there this morning so I thought it wise to write to you today to encourage you to flip over to Rev 1-3 at least once per week to read what is written specifically to us: the church.

Done for today, keep praying for all of our family "in Christ." Grace and peace

Rejoice, Dwell In His Presence

I asked the Lord to restore to me the joy of his presence today and as I was driving home from work he responded with this:

1. We are to dwell in his presence.....

Psalm 91:1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty

DWELL:
1. To live as a resident; reside.
2. To exist in a given place or state
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dwells

2. Rejoice always:

1 Thessalonians 5:16
... Rejoice always
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Notice that "joy" is part of "re-joi-ce" and we are told to re-joice always. Question is, how can we rejoice always when we have days that are really not good?

Answer? Remain in his presence...There is something that happens when we are in the Lord's presence that cannot happen anywhere else. The Lord comforts us, restores us, strengthens us when we are in his presence in a way that happens nowhere else. For that reason we should be very motivated to DWELL in his presence, which basically means live there permanently. When we dwell permanently in the presence of the Lord, not only can we rediscover our joy, but we can also REST.

Many of us are heavily burdened by all kinds of things these days. The rest and peace and strength we must have can be found in our Lord's presence. We need to re-center ourselves in his presence every day.

Keep the faith, grace and peace

Growing Pains

I think the Lord made it clear to me tonight that what I am going through right now is a time of growth. Growth means:

1. Change
2. Pain

I am in a constant state of change and pain right now, that's about the best way to describe it. I feel constantly "off balance" in a way because I am not staying the same from day to day, I'm changing. This change going on in my life should improve my walk with the Lord and enable me to serve the brothers better. I am being confronted with my weaknesses and being challenged to improve upon them on a daily basis, that's painful. This process takes some humility and strength. I have no idea where things are going to end up but judging by the Lord's past faithfulness in my life the final destination should be better than where I started.

One of the many challenges facing me each day is to say nothing bad about anyone in my "self talk." That's going to be a real challenge when it comes to addressing Christian Apostasy won't it? The Lord has me on a diet of saying nothing bad about anyone, even bad people. This has required daily committment and the Lord's strength. This requires faith that the Lord knows what he's doing with my life. Perhaps my days of writing on "christian apostasy" are over and a page will be turned to writing about something else, who knows? I have seen this process unfolding for many months now, where the Lord leads I will follow.

I have no doubt that I am supposed to continue writing here. Until the Lord tells me to stop I will continue. I also know that I do not exist in a vacuum. Everything that happens to one part of the body affects the rest. Now you know a little bit more about what's happening with this insignificant part of the body known as "brother D" :-)

Keep the faith, grace and peace

Delivered From ALL My Troubles

Psalm 34:19
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

This has been true my entire life. I have been delivered from ALL my troubles. Something to realize here is that in order to be delivered from troubles, you must first have troubles. I am like you, I've had many troubles in this life, but who hasn't?

Our Lord's word is true. We can count on it, we can depend on it. Recently I've had troubles drop out of the sky into my lap by the dozen (seemingly). Through this I comfort myself with the word of the Lord and with the remembrance of all the Lord has already done for me. I write this to you so you may take the same attitude and reap the same benefits. In all our troubles let us REST in the Lord. Let's hand over our troubles to our Lord who has the broad shoulders to take the burdens of the world upon himself and never break a sweat. We can be overwhelmed but our God cannot.

Only the Lord knows what the future will bring, but we know what he has done for us already. Let's remember what he has done let's praise him for it. Lets take a dismissive attitude to our problems and focus instead on the solution to our problems which is JESUS. It's just that easy, its one stop shopping.

There are many people in the world who tell us there will be no escape from all but the word of God tells us there IS an escape from ALL that is about to happen(Luke 21:36). The same people who tell us there is no escape from all also dismiss the idea that we can be delivered from ALL our troubles because somehow in their mind we need to "cowboy up" and take the weight of the world on our shoulders to somehow earn a special place in the Lord's sight. Such thinking is erroneous.

We CAN be delivered from ALL our troubles, my life is living proof of it. We CAN ESCAPE from ALL that's about to happen and stand before the Son of man, that is our blessed hope. Keep your eyes on the prize, his name is Jesus....keep the faith. grace and peace

Praise Him Through the Bad Times

This evening the Lord impressed me with a lesson from the story of Job. The lesson is, praise the Lord through the hard times and watch what comes out on the other side. That's it.

How many of us have had the wealth, health, status, family etc etc that Job had then lost it all? I'd wager none of us.... Through all that Job lost, he never sinned by accusing the Lord of wrongdoing. Because of Job's righteousness through his hard times he came out shining in the end.

Whatever it is that you are going through, praise our God through it all. Keep your focus on the answer to your problem: Jesus. Through patience, persistence and praise you can move the world.

The second thing the Lord impressed me with is to remember the source of our comfort. Many people find their comfort in circumstances they find favorable. When those circumstances change, their peace is demolished. Be sure to keep your faith, hope peace and comfort all centered "in Christ." In a world of constant change, the only place we can assure our peace is in our Lord. He never changes.

I have been very busy lately but in small moments each day the Lord is showing me how what I am doing now will benefit the brothers, my family and myself. Part of that benefit will be making me a better writer. I apologize for my terrible writing style over the past years. Now that I have to do some writing for work, trained eyes (not mine) are showing me how choppy and disconnected much of my writing has been. Sorry :-) I'm working on it, but it might take awhile because I often get in the way of my own progress :-)

Our God is very very good. With all my heart I encourage you to trust him. Believe that what he says in his word is true. Keep the faith, grace and peace.

Flaming Darts

Today the enemy reminded me of a sin I committed in the past. When I thought about it my guts turned I was so sick with myself. Then the Lord reminded me of something he taught me long ago. The Lord asked me "who are you to condemn yourself for something I have forgiven you for?" That's a good question isn't it? When the enemy shoots his fiery darts at us, we are to lift the shield of faith immediately and extinguish them. The enemy loves to torture us with our past sin if we let him.

Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of ...
... Above all, taking the shield of faith, where with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he ...
... As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our sins from us. ... As the distance of east from west He hath put far from us our transgressions.

If we repent of our sin it is forgotten, GONE. If the Lord has blotted it out and forgotten it, so should you. Don't let the enemy bend you over a barrel and beat you with memories of sin our Lord paid for and did away with on the cross with his blood...

A second point for today ties into what was written here yesterday. Remember what the Lord has done for you. REMEMBER. Thank the Lord every single day for his faithfulness and goodness to us. Remember every single good thing that has ever happened to you and give the Lord thanks for it. Remembering and thanking our Lord for past things builds our faith for todays needs and the needs we will have tomorrow. Our Lord always has a reason for telling us to do things. PRAISE HIM, and REMEMBER what he has done for you....

grace and peace

Busy Busy

Its been busy as usual for me lately. It used to be when the Lord showed me something I had access to a computer to knock out a post about it but now I have to wait most of the day to get back to the keyboard. I was impressed by a number of things today but the only bit I remember at the moment is this:

When the Lord comes back for us the sign for it will be......................no sign. Just like the days of Noah and Lot, no signs no wonders just ordinary days then WHAM!!! everything changes in an instant.

Now I remember one more thing that impressed me today:

Psalm 105

1Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
5Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

Since we are called by our Lords name, and since we are "in him," we should always remember the wonders he has done. Read through your bibles and count how many times the Lord worked miracles for Israel and shortly thereafter they forgot him. Lets not make the same mistakes they made. Lets make every effort every day to REMEMBER what our Lord has done for the world, the brothers, our families and for us. We serve a very VERY great God, lets not forget it. PRAISE HIM, that's what we were created to do. We were created for his pleasure and to bring praise to his name.

Matt 21:16 Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"

Matt 18:2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

We are the little children created to praise our Lord...we are dearly loved, grace and peace.

Life is a Blur Right Now. The Flu-Your Health

Greetings Friends, I wanted to update you on what's happening in my life right now. I started a new (dream) job that the Lord has prepared for me to do for some time now. With the new work comes alot of learning new things. In addition to the new work, I coach my son's football team 3 nights per week plus games on Saturday, I'm also taking a language (Russian) class one night per week which creates homework. I spend time with the Lord in the morning and time with my family in between all this.

In Novemember things will slow down a bit, and I hope to post more often. For now while things are so busy the Lord is impressing me with the idea that no matter how busy things get, keeping him first will always be priority number one. Keeping him first is something the military calls a "force multiplier" because he helps us with everything we do in life.

I wanted to let you know something that the Lord let me know here recently through someone I have never met before and have never seen since. I believe the Lord brought him across my path to tell me (and now you) something important about our health. With all the pig flu, bird flu, seasonal flu and everything else floating around right now the timing could not be better.

1. Prayer and time spent with the Lord is your best weapon against the flu.

2. Use your blender (not juicer) to create fresh juices for your health. Forget the "juicer" use your blender. You will drink the pulp and all. I put things in like dark greens (spinach/kale) lettuce apple pear strawberry GARLIC banana and anything else I can put in thats not bitter/then just add fresh water and puree. The idea here is not to create some pleasant tasting smoothie, its to keep you alive and healthy when the food supply is polluted with genetically altered ingredients and there are constant attacks on the health of the population at large by viruses and whatever else is going around.

FRESH GARLIC is a powerful anti-viral. put a half clove of garlic and a little water in your blender and puree it, then add some strawberries and do puree again. The strawberry takes a huge bite out of the powerful Garlic oil taste but still allows the garlic to war against whatever is ailing you, then add whatever else you want. Cooking things kills many of the benefits you get from fresh produce. All you need to do this is a blender water and fresh ingredients. I have fought off a number of attacks on my health with this. Your doctor cannot prescribe anything to fight a virus off of you when you get sick but our Lord created things that will fight virus, its called: GARLIC. Onions work too but not as well. Combine both in a salad or whatever else you can think up but keep high heat cooking away from your food while you are fighting off all the crud floating around these days. DISCLAIMER: this is NOT medical advice. I am not a doctor. I believe the Lord brought someone across my path to tell me this and now I am passing it on to you for your benefit.

Bottom line here: PRAY first, spend time with the Lord daily. Also use your blender to blend up various concoctions from your supermarket fresh produce department and see your health improve daily, fight off the crud going around these days.

The Lord loves us dearly and I am always amazed at how he provides for us in various ways at various times. This whole juice from the blender thing is something that came out of nowhere from someone I met once and have never seen again. He was an angel sent by the Lord whether he knows it or not. I was not going to say anything about this on this blog but how could I call myself your brother and hold something like that back if I thought it could help you?

Keep the faith, grace and peace

Praise Him

This morning I get the same impression from the Lord I had yesterday:

PRAISE HIM.

As I read through the bible today and ask the Lord what word he has for his people, "PRAISE" is the answer I get back. My heart starts to warm with joy as I meditate on it more and more.

It becomes easier and easier to praise him when I remember all that he has done for me and my family. I remember how recently he brought people across my path, seemingly out of nowhere, to deliver important messages to me. Our Lord speaks to us in many different ways at different times. One way he speaks to us that many of us overlook is through other people. Our God uses people to do his will. Sometimes he even speaks to us through other people. Usually its not until later that we recognize the person we spoke with was an angel in disguise, a "messenger" of the Lord.

Do not fear, do not be discouraged but be strong and very courageous for the Lord our God is with us wherever we go to help us in our time of need. Let us PRAISE HIM with every ounce of strength we have today. Let us remember the great and mighty things he has done for mankind, the brothers, our families and ourselves. Remember also that our Lord answers prayer, he speaks to us in many different ways and at different times as it pleases him. Be patient, be persistent.

We are dearly loved children. Our minds cannot come close to comprehending how wide and deep the love of the Lord is for us. Keep the faith. grace and peace

Tried to Post, Would'nt Let Me

This morning I tried to post something that I felt has definite resonance with the Lord. For whatever reason, google and blogger would not let me in. Now that I can write, here's the super short version of what the Lord would have me say to you today:

PRAISE HIM

Guys, we've got to learn to praise him continually. If we get nothing else right, lets have thanks and praise for our God overflowing from our hearts minds and lips at all times.

Thats it. Let's get this right, lets spend whatever energy we find ourselves with each day praising and glorifying our God. He is worthy.

We are dearly loved....grace and peace.

Very Busy, The Lord is Good

I wanted to post this evening to let you know that I think about you always. I am very busy these days but the Lord has not released me from writing so words will continue to appear here as he leads.

For the past 5 months or so the Lord's finger has been pointing my mind directly at the fundamentals of the faith. Pray, obey, have faith, and stay in his word. Another way of looking at those things is: focus on him. We must keep him as our "first love" (Rev 2:4). There's nothing more important we can do.

The faster life comes at us, the more we need to remember to spend time with our master. I remember you daily in my prayers, please pray for me and my family. The Lord has been incredibly good to me and my family. He is faithful, you can trust him, seek his face.

grace and peace

New Work

Thanks be to our Lord, I have been given a dream job. I don't want to elaborate on it except to say that our Lord does answer prayer, although sometimes we may have to really wait for it.

My posts my be erratic for awhile while my schedule is in flux, but as the Spirit leads, I will follow and post the thoughts that he gives me.

As I was typing the sentence above, for a brief second the Lord really impressed me with how much he loves us. I actually kind of "felt it" for a moment. Know that we are dearly loved, he cares for you. Continue to pray always, keep the word of God in your hearts and minds and the praise and thanks for our God on your lips at all times.

Blessed be his name, grace and peace

Perseverance, Patience, Led by the Spirit of God

The bible has much to say on the words perseverance and patience:

Romans 5:4
..... perseverance, character; and character, hope. ...
James 1:4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may bemature and complete, not lacking anything. ...
Ephesians 6:18 ... With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view,be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints ...
2 Peter 1:6
and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness ...
Revelation 2:2
..... I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. ...
Romans 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, becausewe know that suffering produces perseverance ...
2 Thessalonians 1:4 Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faithin all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. ...
2 Corinthians 12:12
The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance. ...
Revelation 2:19
I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance,and that you are now doing more than you did at first. ...
James 1:3
..... because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ...

James 5:10
Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ...
2 Corinthians 6:6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness;in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love ...
Proverbs 25:15
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. ...With patience you can persuade a ruler, and a soft tongue can break bones. ...
Proverbs 19:11
A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. ... The learning of a man is known by patience and his glory is to pass over wrongs.

Then we add this:

Romans 8:14
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

I am impressed today by the need for perseverance, patience and most of all being led by the Spirit of God. For some reason the Lord is not allowing me to elaborate on this, I'm hitting a stone wall trying to go beyond the words: patience, perserverance, follow the Spirit of God. Since it appears the Lord will not allow me to write more on these things I will leave them for your consideration today.

Whatever it is you have going on in your life today, think about the perseverance and patience necessary to be a follower of Jesus. Also consider the need to follow the Lord's Spirit instead of the ramblings of men. We are to follow the Spirit of God wherever he may lead us, and we are to do this following with patience and perseverance. That is a simple recipe but not always easy one to follow.

done for today, grace and peace

Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled

John 14:1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God trust also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”

As the media ratchets up the fear factor with the fear topic du jour (swine flu) it is helpful to remember what our master told us. Do not let your hearts be troubled...Notice that he tells us to not let our hearts be troubled. This is something we make a decision to do, its an action of our will. We tell ourselves "in accordance with our Lord's word I will not allow my heart to be troubled." Next we move on to why our hearts should not be troubled....

Trust in God trust also in me. You know what trust means? Its another way of saying "have faith in" or "believe in."

I want you to let your minds drift back over the past 8 years with me. Since 9/11/2001 think of all the thousands of fear laden messages this world has bombarded us with, and what has happened? How many of the fears sold to us actually came to fruition? How about none of them....As I was running this evening the Lord pointed out to me what we should expect and where we see this in his word. Matt 24 and Luke 17 tell us clearly that we should see pre-flood days right up to and through the day we go into the ark. We should expect days like the days of Sodom and Gomorrah right up to the day we leave the place.

The picture the Lord paints for us of the day he comes back for us is more or less a normal day. There are no fearful sights in the heavens, there are no piles of dead bodies for us to step over to get into the ark, there's just the sound of normal things.

The word portrait our Lord gives us paints a picture of a day like today:

Matt 24:36“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,f but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

The "days before the flood" point us to days like today.

Luke 17:26“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

The lesson here for us is this: up to the day that Noah entered the ark, things were normal. Up till the day Lot left Sodom, things were normal. It will be just like this when the Lord comes back for us. The day we leave this place will be JUST LIKE the day Noah went into the ark, and the day Lot left Sodom. Until then...do not let your hearts be troubled.

Our God is a God who meets temporal needs. If you have need of something ask him for it then believe you have received it in accordance with Mark 11:24. Remember this as well: Phil4:4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

My testimony is this: the Lord has watched over me and taken care of me from the womb up through this very moment AND there is nothing special about me apart from him who lives in me. Those of us who boast can boast in one thing: the Lord God Almighty. Be encouraged, trust him, do not let your hearts be troubled.

We are dearly loved. Grace and peace.

Pray, Watch, Give Thanks, The Test of Time

Here we have instruction from the Lord on things we should be doing:

Col 4:2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Same theme as we've been on here for months: pray, watch, give thanks....

These are not hard things we have been given to do. These are the things we must do daily. It's important to remember how important "daily" is in our walk with the Lord. We have no idea when our Lord will come back for us, so we must always be ready to meet him. We do not know the "day or hour" he will come to meet us in the air, nor do we know if we will live long enough on this earth to experience the escape from all.

What we do know is that if you are reading this, you have today. What can we do right now to please the Lord? Pray, watch, give thanks.

The Long Run

We are in this walk with Jesus until the Lord comes back for us (rapture), or we go back to him in heaven (death). We could be at this for years. What is going to happen when 2012 rolls around and there still has been no rapture, no time of Jacob's trouble, just our troubled life on earth year in and year out? Will people become discouraged and fall away from the faith because they have been made to wait? We must guard ourselves against such things.

I am convinced that the change of heart the Lord has brought about within me has been to set a pace that is sustainable for a lifetime. We eagerly await our adoption as sons yet the Lord has a day and hour in mind that may not be for years in the future. I have no doubt that there is an escape from all coming for those who are "in Christ" but we have no idea when that will be. I now believe that it is unwise to keep a constant drumbeat of "rapture rapture rapture" because when "rapture" does not show up year after year, people become discouraged and some may fall away.

Don't get me wrong, the rapture/harpazo/escape from all IS coming, however I believe the Lord has impressed me with a different idea of how we approach this event. We maintain a daily readiness for the escape from all by walking daily in a way that pleases our master. If we are ready for the Lord every day then that particular "day and hour" the Lord has in mind for this world will not catch us off guard. If we are living a daily life of prayer, watchfulness and giving thanks we can live in victory for a lifetime and be ready all the time to meet the Lord.

As I have aged, I have seen more clearly what our Lord has done. He tests everything with TIME. The test of time is what proves we are "in Christ" (saved), not one decision on one day of someones life. Anyone can make a 10 second decision, that's easy. What's not so easy is living out our decisions day in and day out for a lifetime. Time is the simple and effective test of things. It is not those who start the race who get the rewards, its those who finish the race.

1 Cor 9:24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Phil 3:12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

We must settle this in our minds that we are in this to the very end. We must take the attitude that Paul did so that after preaching to others, we ourselves are not disqualified for the prize. We must press on toward the goal to win the prize.....This thinking is foreign to today's "christian" teachers and preachers. Today it is widely accepted that a 5-10 second "decision for Jesus" is all that is necessary to take hold of the prize. <---and that is why we are told to pray and watch.......what does "watch" mean?

1 archaic a : not able or accustomed to sleep or rest : wakeful b : causing sleeplessness c : spent in wakefulness : sleepless 2 : carefully observant or attentive

Notice that "carefully observant" part of watchful. We are to carefully observe what is in the bible then carefully observe what is taught in this world. When the world is teaching one thing and the bible teaches us something else, what should we do? We reject the world and press forward in the truth. Those who love the world find it hard to reject the world which is why they do not leave their social circles masquerading as "churches."

How many people today are willing to shed worldly friendship, their beloved social circles in order to be found spotless and in the truth? How many are willing to stand (seemingly) alone with the Lord for the truth? Time tests these things. The Lord himself teaches us so that none of us will have an excuse on the day of judgement. When the Holy Spirit knocks on our heart and tells us to do something, but we refuse because we love this world more than we love the truth, what is the price for that?

Let's pray that we may be counted worthy of the prize. Paul was concerned about being disqualified for the prize after preaching to others, are we better than Paul? This world is full of deception, so lets be watchful. Lets especially be thankful for all that our Lord has done for us. Lets spend time every day remembering the good things our God has done for us, the brothers and the world. In a world that sings "what have you done for me lately" let us sing a song of eternal remembrance. We must praise our God for everything he has done, from the very beginning up through right now. We do not have enough time in the day to praise him for everything so lets pick something and start praising him for it now. He is worthy to receive all the praise and the glory and the honor.

done for today, grace and peace

Driving Home the Message

Short one today... this is what stood out to me in the word of God:

Colossians 3:15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This is just a short passage of scripture but look at how much "give thanks/gratitude" we see in there. Be thankful, keep gratitude in your hearts to God, giving thanks to God always....think there's something the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us there?

The other powerful lesson we get from this is that we teach and admonish one another.....That statement puts all of this world's "clergy" out of work in 6 words. If we teach and admonish and encourage each other, why do we need "clergy" for? Answer? We don't.

Lets be thankful today. Lets remember all the things the Lord has done for us today. Lets keep his praise on our lips at all times. Lets encourage one another while its still called today.

If you are "in Christ" then I pray for you daily. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you and may he grant you peace.

Rejoice Always

There were many things I could have written to you about today. This is what I sensed was the best topic among the many.

Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Today we are almost through Rosh Hashanah/Feast of Trumpets 2009. This would indicate to me that we have to wait awhile more for the Lord. The Lord has made it clear to me that it is no use to try and pin down the exact "day and hour." We are instructed to be ready every day. There is no argument (except from the insane) against such a readiness. We are ready every day for our Lord.

This daily readiness is closely allied with our word from the Lord today. We are to rejoice in the Lord always. Always means constantly, every hour of every day and more. Paul said "I will say it again: Rejoice!" That was a point of emphasis with him. How can he tell us to rejoice always in such a sick and evil world? He gives us the reason for our constant rejoicing: the Lord is near...Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

"The Lord is near" is the reason for our constant rejoicing. What problems do we have that he cannot solve? What troubles us today that he cannot move out of our way? Who stands against us today that our Lord's cannot save us from? The Lord is near. He is our "one stop shopping" answer to everything. I know that there are many people in the world who mock such a notion. They consider the worship of our God to be a fantastic delusion and they mock us for it. These people only mock themselves. How do the mockers of the world explain away my 40 years of answered prayer? Do you know how many prayers I have said over my lifetime? Do you know what the statistical probabilities are against having lets say 1,000 consecutive prayers answered?

The Lord is near, so in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. We are to pray with thanksgiving...notice the wording here. How did Paul start of off here in Phil 4? REJOICE ALWAYS.....then he tells us to pray WITH THANKSGIVING. This is powerful stuff friends. If only we could learn how to fully declare our God's praise. If we could learn to keep his praises, his glory and overflowing thanksgiving to him on our lips at all times....well, we could turn the world upside down.

The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I see the simplicity he has called us to. Our Lord told us: Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I believe him. There are few things necessary for us to walk with our Lord. We are to believe, be humble, have faith, obey, praise him and tie that all together with love. We don't need any man to hand us some degree to figure that out do we? No, we don't.

It has been written here for months now. We are being called back to the fundamentals of the faith, to a simplicity "in Christ" that seems to elude this world. Men set themselves up as "guru's" and "experts" and "scholars" to control other men. They set themselves up in a system that attempts to force us into reliance on them. We are reliant on no man, but on our faithful Creator alone for everything. Our faithful creator is near, so do not be troubled. Pray with thanksgiving for the things you need and rest "in him."

We may have years to wait for our Lord or he could come back for us tonight, who knows? We don't need to know. We need to remain "in him," and watch for him everyday. While we patiently wait, lets do the things that please him. Lets love, be faithful, be obedient and especially lets have his praise on our lips with thanksgiving all the time. We are dearly loved children, grace and peace