fasting weakness

He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their prayer. Psalm 102:17 Destitute - completely wanting or lacking, deprived of, devoid of, or lacking, poor enough to need help from others.
The many scriptures on "waiting" speak of a people who have come to the end of "their plans" and "their strength" and are now throwing themselves onto their God, crying out to Him.  
Hannah cried out to God, "My husbands love is not good enough, I want to give birth to something that will bless You, but I am barren."
 
Contemplate the amount of time God spends with the subject of barrenness, and choosing that which is weak, and moving on behalf of a people who have come to "the end of their strength."
This fast, and any act that weakens our flesh, gives us the opportunity to come into contact with His strength.
Ultimately our desire to live as Paul said, (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."
"It is no longer I who live" is what a true fast is all about.  My ways, my choices, my strengths, my knowledge of good and evil, are worthless, God what I need is Your Life, let me always and ever eat of that tree.  Let us go forward in weakness and dependency on our gracious Lord, who delights to show mercy.  (Micah 7:18)

Teaching is useless without revelation.

I'm a teacher.  I gather the scriptures and listen to the ones who have gone before, and read books on the subject, then I pray and try to bring it all together.
And it is all USELESS, without revelation.

A teacher in the world, is trying to transfer information, whether through rote, or question and answer, or illustrations, or dramas, whatever the method, it is an attempt to convey information in a way that the person can then repeat back what they learned.

I am beginning to learn at a deeper level that that is not so, with the 'gift' of teaching.  The greatest amount of preparation will be useless and suffer a painful disconnect if "revelation," that is only available from the Spirit of God, does not come in and give life to what is being shared.

  What is being shared, has to be true, and in God's time, and shared with His heart, so that He can become One with it and give it His Spirit and power.

I save my teachings on this computer on "openoffice writer."  It is not "opening" right now, so I have to start over...and I think this is the lesson.

So God, "Who is sufficient for these things?"   Come and make it happen Holy Spirit.  Prepare me, prepare those who will hear.  Be glorified.

Fresh wind

The emphasis on "Christ in you, the hope of glory."  is not new to me, God started me out in 1983 with the truth of "Christ in you."  It is not new, but it is fresh, in this season.  God's love, His delight, in us, the fact that somehow He uses (redeems) even sin, and forces it to draw us closer to Him, amazes me.  At one point in a teaching Dalton Thomas says, something like, "He even used our sin, to set us free of sin."  When men banded together to see Jesus crucified, they were sinning, sin which they and we are held accountable for, but somehow, God grabs a hold of that evil act, and says, this 'sin' is what I will use to set the world free from 'sin.'
In another teaching Dalton shares the strangeness of God punishing Saul, for what appears to be a minor infraction, and forgiving David for what appears to be a horrible, unforgivable, well-planned, multitude of sins.  It all goes back to the heart.  Saul's heart was one of rebellion against God, David's heart was one of tenderness toward God.  The sin does not intimidate God, He is always and ever looking at the heart.

Grace is dangerous, teaching grace is dangerous.  It 'appears' to soft and lenient.

It is a challenge to teach grace while acknowledging the God who will "one day" judge it all.

Art Katz, often echoed, Paul's cry, "Who is sufficient for these things?"

God help us, take full control, open our eyes.  

The Big Finish 2013

Just a bunch of stuff that I have been accumulating over the last couple weeks, because I have to have exactly 54 posts... because.... well just because... as the quote from Fiddler on the Roof says,  "Tradition!"

So there is a lot of good stuff here, but it will take hours to get through it all, and who has that kind of time??  If you only have a second skip to the end and read the last line.

changing my mind as He reveals to me the object of His Devotion.

embracing me with burning purity.

Both quotes from this poem...

http://isingsoftly.wordpress.com/

Weep, before you whip. Luke 19:41-48

Shane Idelman sermon

Jesus wept over Jerusalem, before he cleansed the temple.

Why don't we love... why do we criticize....

#1 We do not see the need for the diversity of the gifts in the body.

#2 We judge by default - it is part of our sin nature to judge and critique, UNLESS, we crucify the flesh and the desires of love with humility and grace, take your thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.

#3 Our need to be right. I have to be right and get the last word in. Spurgeon said, we are never so much in danger of being proud as when we think we are being humble.

How to check the motivation of your heart?

A) Will you keep the confrontation to yourself or do you want to tell everybody?

B) Are you a confrontational person?

100. Are you a fault finder? We can develop a critical spirit. It does not exist in the underground church.
     D) Do you submit to authority, that God has ordained over you?

E) Do you need to confront or can you wait on the Lord for clarification? Three are involved, you, the person, and God who already has a plan and is dealing with that person, and is the ONLY one who can change that person.

“In the essentials unity, in the non-essentials liberty, in all things love.” Augustine

Non-essentials – church government, gifts, eschatology, hymns, choruses, be aware that heresy is a weighty thing. Consider the total portrait of ones character, life and extend grace and patience.

Can I “Live with” the idea that eschatology is one of the non-essentials? I think so.

here is what I know 

"If the message, doesn't apply to me.  I am already in, or on the 
fast track to deception."


here is what I know
There is an attack on marriages taking place right now that is
invisible but brutal. Draw near to God, get so close that you are
under the shadow of His wings and stay there.


Never say, “I know how to do this” We need God for everything and He gets all the glory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMUDstHBUa0


Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your mind with all you strength and love your neighbor as yourself.


Genesis 15:12-21 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then HaShem said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day HaShem made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- The land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

Zephaniah 1:7 - 2:3 Be silent before the Sovereign HaShem, for the day of HaShem is near. HaShem has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited On the day of HaShem'S sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit. "On that day," declares HaShem, "a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. Wail, you who live in the market district; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be ruined. At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'HaShem will do nothing, either good or bad.' Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. They will build houses but not live in them; they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine. "The great day of HaShem is near--near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of HaShem will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, A day of shofar and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against HaShem. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of HaShem'S wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth." Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, Before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of HaShem comes upon you, before the day of HaShem'S wrath comes upon you. Seek HaShem, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of HaShem'S anger.

This is worth looking at...

http://www.betemunah.org/lordsday.html

this is worth listening to...

http://daltonthomas.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3-The-Maskilim.mp3

dalton thomas has some very good teachings on David and Peter and what we should do when we have let God down, basically, run TO Him!

Jeremiah 32:

 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. 41 I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. 42 For thus says the Lord, ‘Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them.

The result of sin, we cover, fear, hide, blame. The result of being born again, Naked and unashamed, He loves me, He likes me, He delights in me. I am Hepzibah

Reading “Abiding in Christ” by Andrew Murray. It is lining up with what God is doing in my heart right now, taking me back to basics. God loves me, God likes me, He will remind me to keep Him first, He is in me, giving me life, guiding, The Father promises to complete the work, the Spirit is sent to make the presence of Jesus real in my life. He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives in me! When I fail Him, I need to run to Him. That is the exact opposite of what you would think. But it is true.

So I guess that is my final thought for 2013 … Run to Him. If you are born again, He lives in you.

Zechariah Bible Study # 11 Chapter 7

Zechariah Bible Study # 11

Zechariah Chapter 7

The Negative Answer

Hearts like Flint - A Call for Justice and Mercy

7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month,which is Chislev. 2 Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to seek the favor of the Lord, 3 speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?” 4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? 6 When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? 7 Are not these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’”
8 And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all he nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.” NASB and ESV




Fast forward, two years, from the night of visions that Zechariah was given. Things are going well, the hindrances to completing the rebuilding of the temple had been removed by Darius. So a natural question forms in the minds of people who have continuously observed a fast ever since the destruction of the Temple and the conquering of the land, 70 years of expressing national sorrow, lamenting and commemorating that day, “Should we continue to do this, now that things are 'looking up?'”
It is important that it is mentioned that they came to Jerusalem from Bethel. Bethel was set-up as an alternate 'house of God' (what the name means) when Israel, (made up of 10 tribes chose to separate from, Judah and Benjamin, and the priests of the tribe of Levi, during that days of Solomon's son, Rehoboam) So in coming from Bethel to get answers at Jerusalem that are demonstrating a humility and a willingness to learn from the people inhabiting the city that God has chosen. (A city by the way that is mentioned twice in the Koran, not by name but by inference, and over 800 times in the Bible, by name...hmmm!) On the part of the group from Bethel this demonstrates that they have learned from the judgments of the captivity, that there is no separate destiny for the other 10 tribes and there is no other center of worship.
This is a lesson that God is teaching me VERY clearly at the moment, do not be contentious. Quote from Augustine, “In the essentials, unity, in the non-essentials liberty, in all things love.” Shane Idelman states in a sermon that there are always three parties involved when you are confronting someone, you, that person, and GOD, who is the ONLY one who can change the other person and who already has a loving plan for that change. We need to stop and pray and make sure we are going to the person in the Spirit of God, before, we confront.
The names of these men, do not have meanings related to Jehovah, but to the false gods of Assyrian worship. What David Baron takes this to mean is, like the changing of the names of Daniel and his three friends, these were probably people who had become important in the land of their captivity, but had chosen to return to Israel. They come to ask the priests who are the teachers in Israel and the prophets who speak the words of the Lord.
The fifth month of Av, in the Jewish calendar, and the ninth day, has been the day of terrible judgments on Jewish people throughout history. (From an article on the internet)

“1.The Jews balk, and reject the promised land. 9th of Av, 1313 BC(now commemorated by the Jewish holiday and day of mourning called "Tisha B'Av").

2. The first Holy Temple destroyed. 9th of Av, 586BC.

3. The second Holy Temple destroyed. 9th of Av, 70AD

4. The Romans crushed Bar Kokhba's revolt and destroyed the city of Betar, killing over 100,000 Jews, on July 8, 132 AD (Av 9, 3892 AM). Following the Roman siege of Jerusalem, Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple and the surrounding area, in 133 AD.

5. The First Crusade was declared by Pope Urban II on July 20, 1095 (Av 9, 4855 AM), killing 10,000 Jews in its first month and destroying Jewish communities in France and the Rhineland. A grand total of 1.2 million Jews were killed by this crusade that started on the 9th of Av, this crusade killed each and every Jew that they could get a hold of on the way to and back from the promised land.

6. The Jews were expelled from England on July 25, 1290 (Av 9, 5050 AM).

7. The Jews were expelled from France on July 21, 1306 (Av 9, 5066 AM).

8. The Jews were expelled from Spain on August 11, 1492 (Av 9, 5252 AM).

9. On August 1, 1914 (Av 9, 5674 AM), World War I broke out, causing unprecedented devastation across Europe and set the stage for World War II and the Holocaust.

10. On August 2nd, 1941, (Av 9, 5701 AM), SS commander Heinrich Himmler received approval from the Nazi party for "The Final Solution". One year later, to the day, the plan was formally implemented. The final solution was the almost completely successful plan to murder all the Jews in Europe. Almost 50% of the Jews on the face of the earth were captured and killed at that time.”

In our lesson the only day that they were memorializing was the destruction of the first Temple by the Chaldeans. Should we continue to do this now that the new Temple is almost finished. The answer that is given has two parts the negative reply in this chapter and the positive reply in chapter 8. This is given as an authenticate message from God, due to the use of the phrase, “the word of the Lord of hosts came to me.”

What follows is a strong call to repentance, the necessary precursor to the announcement of the blessing of God, just like in the visions. The inclusion of the priests means that they too are being addressed by God as needing repentance. When the ministers sink down to the level of the people, when they are no longer pursuing the standard of God... bad things happen.

Fasting in itself is not a meritorious act. The reference to the seventh month is when the assassination of Gedaliah took place. That act of rebellion against the authority that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, led to the little remnant that he had left in the land, migrating to Egypt out of fear of vengeance. They fasted, they mourned, they lamented and God rejects it all, because even in their fasting and mourning they were centered on themselves they fasted not unto God.

“It was not the outward sign and accompaniment of true sorrow and repentance for sin, but of sorrow for their calamities. They were self-imposed to begin with; and they regarded them, not only as intrinsically meritorious, but as an end in themselves rather than as the means of turning away from self and, all idea of self-merit to the grace of God. And not only in their fasts but also in their feasts there was the same concentration on self and regardlessness of God.” D. Baron

The exhortation from Paul is, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We can only throw ourselves on the mercy of God and ask Him to judge and reveal the motives of our hearts. We do not want to fall into this in our 'religious observances.' Only His Spirit can save us from this. Going all the way back to the words of Samuel to Saul, 1 Samuel 15:22

Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Again and again God makes the point, what is your life saying? Do you show mercy? Do you show kindness? Do you render true judgments? Obviously these are things that require being humble, being led by and filled by the Spirit of God. It is our debt of love and gratitude toward God, that is the fountain head of these actions toward our neighbors.

Do not oppress those who are worse off than you.

Do not think evil against your brother in your heart. The heart is the issue in both testaments, which are actually one united story.

There is an interesting thing that takes place in scripture. The command, “Be not like your fathers.” is side by side with the reminder, “You are no better than your fathers.” Just another reminder to be humble and seek for the Spirit of God to change who we are.

This turning of the “stubborn shoulder” in verse 11 is a word picture of pulling out of the yoke of God. The “stopping of the ears” is a warning that the more you choose to disobey the more you self-harden your own heart. Hebrew 4:7 contains a quote of Psalm 95:71, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” The stone mentioned in verse 12 is harder than flint and was known to be able to cut rock. It is altogether hopeless that we could soften this stony heart and make a heart of flesh. That is the work of God, we must cry out for it.

While looking at the Jewish story we must remember the history of Christendom is nothing to boast of either. These solemn words, “and I will not hear” are spoken to cause us to repent. The scattering that follows disobedience is meant to be a reminder and a cause for repentance. The judgment comes as a result of the sin and what should be a pleasant land is made desolate.

Baron summarizes, “You have not yet truly repented of the root cause of your suffering. Your fasting and mourning are in themselves nothing to God so long as they are not the accompaniment of a real sorrow for sin, and a heart-desire to do His will as expressed in His moral law. Take warning, therefore, from the experience of your fathers—who kept on hardening their hearts, until there was no more remedy, and great wrath from God came upon them—lest the same, and something worse yet, happen to you.”  

The Lie - work makes free, Arbeit macht frei

The Lie was over the gate to Auschwitz.

The Lie exists in much of Christianity, and it is a battle for me, not to 'proclaim' it and teach it to my kids.

Our salvation is a free gift, our continuing process of sanctification only flows from the free love given by the Father, paid for by the Son, and made real by a revelation of the Spirit.  

Offenses from other people give rise to bitterness, when I do not know 'whose kid I am.'

 I think I have to rise up and defend myself, when I do not know 'whose kid I am."  

Almighty, eternal, Lord of all the universe has chosen to call me His son.  That is the truth, His choice, His grace, His sacrifice, MAKES FREE!  

Everything else is a lie, whether it is inserted into the beginning, middle or end of your Christian walk it is a lie.

 "My hope isn’t built on my performance but on Jesus’ righteousness.

The flesh is always performance driven and everyday I need to become Cross-centered again and no one needs the Gospel only once, because of all the bad days, we need the Good News of His grace again and again."  Ann Voskamp

Cancer, greed and anger.

I have people that I know and care about who have fought and lost to cancer.  I know people right now being given the "best" cancer treatment.  When I see an article like this... anger rises up and so it is time for a rant, and rant I will.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/shock-study-chemotherapy-backfire-cancer-worse-triggering-tumor-growth-article-1.1129897

So the good researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer research were doing their job one day and "whoops" one of the methods used to help people actually backfires and hurts them.  So the 'cancer industry' made sure that this very important information was thoroughly disseminated to all the patients and their families currently making decisions on treatment options.  NO.
Well the news outlets picked it up and made it one their top stories, so that people would be informed and better able to participate in planning the treatment of the 5,000 new people who are told, "You have cancer."
every day.  NO.
My good friend whose wife died of cancer hates the word "remission."  I have never talked to him about this sensitive subject, but I wonder if it is because of the false hope of "we got it" that makes the "it's back" so much more bitter and evil.
So, if I am understanding this study correctly, what we use to get the quick and good result at first that raises everyone's hopes and expectations actually secretly causes the "remission."  When the  Doctors load the same gun in the bullet that "helped" the first time it no longer helps and is in fact a primary cause of the remission and spread and resistance of the cancer.
Chemotherapy is a big, temporary, expedient lie that actually makes the cancer bigger and stronger the next time around.
I would think that would be a fairly big "news item" and something that would be included in every patient and their families "vital information" packet as they are making these huge decisions on treatment options. NO it is not.
And my guess is the "WHY?" of why it is not is related to greed, the whore of babylon, Wickedness, mammon.  God have mercy on us!