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Saturday, December 31, 2016

His Life Through Me

As the year is ending I am grateful that my Christian walk is not stagnant.
He is teaching me that He wants to live His life through me.  My part seems to be to intentionally get out of the way, die to self, put the flesh away. 
I am positive that Jesus wants to heal, He wants to reconcile, and display the love of the Father.
I want to step out more in faith and pray for healing, deliverance, even raising the dead.
2017 will be a good year.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Circumcision

PG-13 post at least for modern Americans.
Before Moses could lead the people, his sons needed circumcision.
Before Joshua led the nation to their first battle in the Holy land circumcision was ordered.
Circumcision set apart the people of God from the nations that surrounded them.
All the way back to Deuteronomy God made it clear circumcision was about the heart.

The total cutting away of the flesh that is covering the Head.
The total cutting away of my striving and my trying that if it were allowed to succeed would bring glory to me and block the view of the Head.
Early on I studied the beatitudes with a small gathering.  All I got out of it was "I am not living the way this says."
Conviction is a tremendous blessing from God, it reveals the ugliness of the flesh that is blocking the beauty of the Head.
Conviction used to drive me to try harder, NO MORE!
I quit.
By faith I recognize and reckon the truth that in baptism the fact that  I died is sealed and now the very life of Jesus Christ is lived through me by the power of the Holy Spirit.  I no longer live!

This death is renewed day by day, moment by moment.  My flesh can show its ugly self at a moments notice, but I desire a greater and greater dependence on God.  I desire a greater and greater awareness of my weakness and inability.  I desire a deeper transforming revelation of being a beloved son of the Most High.


Sunday, December 18, 2016

I did an evil thing

I woke up in the afternoon yesterday (I work night shift) and came downstairs...That was an evil thing.
I did not stop upon getting out of bed, and kneel at my bedside, I did not proclaim my total dependence on the life of Christ flowing through my "dead" flesh.
I just went downstairs, and my "dead" flesh proceeded to show itself as very much alive.  Changes were made in what I expected to happen, requests were made for my time, and my "dead" flesh proceeded to show itself as very much alive. 
People were hurt, people that I care about, my thoughts revealed that my "flesh" is far more evil than the grace of God allows to manifest, Thank You Jesus, You are indeed faithful even when I am faithless.
 (2 Timothy 2:13 "if we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny himself.")


Later on, apologies were made, but damage had been done, AGAIN! 


Oh God that I would be broken on Your altar, tie me to that altar with cords of love and let only Your life flow through me.  That all of my flesh would be silent and only Your presence would manifest.


Galatians 2:20  " I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

Monday, December 5, 2016

Singing to Those Who Cannot Sing

"We have to recognize that the prophecy is Jerusalem centric in order to understand all that the prophecy communicates." Samuel Whitfield 
 ...Prompted to view the amazing gift that is given in Isaiah 24. By the time we get to verse 13-16 we are in the midst of the tribulation..."13For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done. 14They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west. 15Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 16From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, “I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me! For the traitors have betrayed, with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.” (Isaiah 24:13–16 ESV) Here we see the "singing" of the kingdom of priests who will speak and, with their laid down lives, demonstrate that the God of Israel reigns, even when it is darkest in Israel and it appears that He no longer reigns. The high call of the "ministry of reconciliation" is becoming more and more clear to me and it demands a people who see beyond this life, who trust beyond this life, who willingly follow the Lamb that was slain.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Despising God is the Root of Sin

2 Samuel 12:10 "Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’"




God is revealing the root of sin here.  Lust?  No.  Despising God?  Yes.  What causes a person to get to the place of despising God?  God speaks to David of the many times He has blessed David and reveals a heart that was willing to bless him even more.  So we do not despise God due to a lack of temporary blessings in this life.  David had already acquired multiple wives which kings were warned not to do.  (Deut. 17:17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.)  Was this the beginning of "despising God"?  Did David see this "rule" as too limiting and did he begin to shift his focus from God to man?  Despising starts in the heart.  Despising says, "God does not know best."  "His rules are too narrow and hard."  "I knew that you were a hard man..." the wicked man says in the parable and proceeds to hide the blessing of the king, and when the time is up, he simply returns the blessing to the king, unused, and that servant is greatly condemned for this, the root seems to me to be not truly knowing the heart of God.


And now I turn to the people of God and I say, We have been given the ministry of reconciliation, we serve a Shepherd who carries the hurting sheep, who is gentle with the dimly burning wick and the bruised reed, who lays down His life for His enemies.  This is the way of reconciliation.  We are to display with our lives the beautiful love of the Father.  We are to make Him known.  When we despise Him and display that despising by making it appear that His commands are too narrow and His blessings too few, we "witness" to lies about His Name and character.  2 Sam. 12:14 However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.”  God does not bring death lightly, He shows great mercy by allowing David to live, but the child that was the result of this sin, dies.  What we sow from a place of despising God must be cut off, if God were to allow it to prosper, we would continue in our error.  Can we see the tremendous mercy in cutting off such fruit?  Can we see the love behind the pruning?  Can we come to a place of desiring the glory of God above all else?  Can we be so in love with Him that that love compels us to stop before giving the enemies of God reason and occasion to blaspheme?


If we are to truly take up the high call of the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18) we must know the heart of God.  In order to be His ambassador and operate in His authority we must know the Lamb of God.  Lead on, Oh Faithful Savior, Save us to the uttermost!