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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Marriage...What is Marriage?

So in my quiet time with Him this morning I think it was revealed that my "main call" is to show love and mercy to Laura.  I fall so short in that, just yesterday she was saying, "I am sorry that I am such a disappointment and annoyance to you."  My eye rolling, heavy sighing, "I can't believe you are so annoying and such a burden to me" crap has to stop.    Jesus is love and mercy and He is inside me, so all that needs to happen is I need to die and let Him live.  Thankfully He has been merciful to her and has brought her out into an understanding of His great love for her and the freedom He offers, now it is time for me to display that also and "play catch-up" to the heart of God.
Praise Him for His mercy, that she still puts up with me and stays with me.  That "simply staying together" is the key to it all, divorce is evil because it prevents people from growing and sticking with each other long enough to let God do what He is doing in a marriage.  Laura has taken the first step in making time for the two of us to sit down and study Romans together, she is willing to learn from my gifting, and that openness on her part is softening my heart to be open to her gifting of insight and revelation into the "heart of the matter" an ability to see things like Simeon, while they are still just 'babies.'
God has walked me around this mountain many times and is bringing me to a place of His love for her, His mercy toward her, but none of this would have happened if we had checked out when it got hard, if we had said, "This is too hard, it cannot be his will for me, 'Where is my happily ever after?'"  So the cry of the heart of God is for a people who will trust Him and persevere.  Lead on, Oh faithful Savior!

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Indictment of "churchianity" and the benefits of the curse.

 9/11 TI have listened to hundreds of teachings by Art Katz and more than a few teachings from the guys at the Daniel Training Institute.  When I pull out a section and transcribe it, I can guarantee that you are getting the 'best of the best.'  Enjoy!


This w                 This was a statement in a message that Art made after 9/11 and it has proven to be very true!                 “What our dear President (Bush) does not know, when those planes crashed into those towers the world has changed and will not ever again be the same.  Not only have the rules changed the rules have been removed.  You are not going to find the bad guys at the “OK Corral” and get rid of them, with a few blasts and go back to things as they were.  This is a whole other world and new considerations have come with that act of violence that need to be recognized and patriotism as we have understood it and even the Christianity that we are happy that the President has obtained is inadequate to meet the level at which this crisis has come. “

                 “Systems are predictable and safe, organisms are messy.  Crisis reveals and absolute crisis reveals absolutely.  The truth of our condition is not revealed in our comfort, the truth of our condition is revealed when crisis strikes unsuspectingly and suddenly and what is revealed then is the truth that has ever and always been our condition but has been concealed until the crisis has revealed it. “

                 "The ‘churchianity system’ allows for mediocrity and late Saturday night viewing because one knows that “Pastor” is going to bring a nice biblically sound message which the audience is not expected to heed.  It is not to challenge to change but to fill the slot provided for a Biblical presentation.  We are willing to pay a man who can to that ably.  This is a travesty against God’s purpose for the church.  This satisfies the religious requirement but does not make any personal demand.  The whole level of church is reduced to a pedestrian achievement. Essentially the perpetuation of itself as a religious system providing predictable and minimal services on a schedule that does not distract from the more vital and predominately worldly interest of its ."   Art Katz  from the message “9/11 Tragedy”
                     “Repentance and Faith”
                “We love to define ourselves (what good Christians we are) when our health is good, money is plentiful, and friends and favor abound, but God brings/allows the curse to fall on humanity and we are put in situations that discipline us to bring out authentic faith, which is believing in what you do not see.  God wants us to know reality and truth about our own condition and that is “found out” when the three main aspects of the curse enter our lives: strife, hunger and the body of death.  When those things enter our lives through various events we find out who we are.  Recognizing this reality and repenting of any self life left, is then the path to the resurrection life of God.  The body of death is our stumbling block, what joyful news, that “you are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God. “


Saturday, January 16, 2016

Is it unfair or is it mercy?


When we read the story of Jacob and Esau, (Genesis 27 and 28) I would say that the "idea" or "thought" in our head that needs
to die, is "I deserve" or "They deserve" or "Anyone, Any where, deserves!"  What we
receive from God is mercy, which is, not getting what we do deserve. 
 Mercy is His to give
from our perspective,
His mercy is His glory.  
The book we call the Bible is one story, about
the preservation at great cost to God of His seed in man.  His wisdom and love  
(two words that both have to have "sacrifice" as part of their definition) 
is shown in His preservation of His 
seed against all odds.
We are His, "objects of compassion" Psalm 106:46
"vessels of wrath, made vessels of mercy by His glory/mercy"  Romans 9:22,23


One other thought, at the end of Isaiah 40 the "waiting on the Lord" results not in forgiveness, or insight, or healing, but
"strength"  Strength to endure, which is, to stay in the presence of God, when circumstances are pulling us away.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

The crying/groan of "Great is Thy Faithfulness"

"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'the Lord is my portion, says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" (Lamentations 3:22-24)

 I think a recent insight is that this was a groaning sigh of a man who watched so much of what he loved destroyed, but looked to the God who is ever faithful and ever true.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Infallible God Irrevocable Promises

Infallible means that it must come to pass.  Zechariah 12-14, Romans 9-11, Ezekiel 47, Specific promises about a specific people and a specific land will come to pass.  If only we could take the beautiful humility of the Syro-Phonecian woman and agree with God about His election, but cry out for His mercy.
Reggie starts a thought/prayer at 3 hours and 1 minute into this video...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYxVSrq7LQ0&feature=youtu.be