Archive for January, 2019

The Door- Part 2

Thursday, January 31st, 2019

Jesus spoke in John chapter 10:

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

There is no other door or entrance to lawful entry into the Heavenlies except through Christ Jesus.  There are those who would deemphasize the work of Christ thereby exalting their own ministry.  Their goal is to have followers who would submit to their teachings and by default, affirm their path to them.  In the end, their fruit would prove to be meaningless and/or worthless to the Kingdom of FATHER’S dear Son Jesus Christ.  Those teachers may have started out with good intentions but their egos prevailed and subtly took them off course from The Way of Jesus Christ.  We must not allow ourselves to seek those intellectuals who by logic and reason would have us believe anything else but the exact Truth of Jesus Christ.  If a ministry is not “Christ-centered” then beware!

Jesus continued in chapter 10:

22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.

24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.

26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

30 I and My Father are one.”

Our words and works should bare witness of Jesus Christ and exalt no one else but Him!  As we mature, we must not allow those who are immature to exalt us in any manner but we should point them to Our Heavenly Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Without FATHER’S anointing, I am nothing.  Without FATHER’S confirmations by His Holy Spirit, I have nothing to offer anyone.  I am simply a vessel for HIS use for I have and will continue to surrender my life to HIM.  These daily writings only exist because FATHER has designated me to write them by responding to The Holy Spirit.  Each day I submit and surrender myself to HIS leading.  Each time that you read these, I trust that they minister life to you, correction when needed, and encouragement when you are being challenged.  We must let The Holy Spirit flow through us to give life to those around us.  Our unconditional Love for others should be ever present as we are being led by THE SPIRIT.  We must not allow this flow of life to be restricted in any fashion because our ego is not being tweaked by the recipient.  Jesus was not disheartened when He was rejected in His ministry.  Neither should we.

There is only one Way, one door to The Way, and we must purposefully direct those who have ears to hear and eyes to see toward The Door to eternal life.  May Jesus Christ be exalted in our words and actions at all times.

The Door

Wednesday, January 30th, 2019

In the Gospel of John, the Beloved Disciple wrote by THE SPIRIT in chapter 4:

5 So He (Jesus) came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

After some discussion with the woman, Jesus revealed who He was (and is):

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.

For us to truly commune with FATHER, we must access HIM in the spirit realm but how do we access this realm?  It is clear that there is a distinct separation between the physical realm and the spiritual realm.  Additionally, Jesus reveals to us that there is a door that separates to the two realms.  In John chapter 10, Jesus spoke:

1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

A door is a specific opening designed to separate two areas and restrict access by some means when it is closed.  It is meant to designate to the seeker that there is a lawful way to enter into an area because of its attachment to a wall of separation.  Jesus clearly indicated that thieves and robbers would attempt to lawlessly access the restricted area by “climbing up some other way”.  Let us pay close attention to what Jesus revealed- there is a door and there is a way to lawfully enter and a way to attempt lawless entry.  By the fact that “hearing” is involved, the indication that there is a realm of hearing that is separated by the door.

What is this realm of restricted access?  The spiritual realm.  Jesus continued:

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the (true) sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Jesus indicated there are two types of people who try to enter into the spirit realm by other means and adversely affect the welfare of the sheep- thieves and robbers.

The thieves are false teachers, who do not care to instruct men, but abuse their confidence for their own gain.  They are embezzlers who use their position of trust to extract from others.  Pilferers steal from us without using violence.  Robbers are those who plunder by use of force in some manner.  Jesus tells us there is a thief who comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  Both groups are lawless and operating against the sheep in a spiritual manner.

Anyone who attempts to access the spiritual realm by any means other than Christ is guilty of being a thief, robber, or both.  Jesus declares that we are able to hear His Voice and He will lead us accordingly, to life and its abundance.  We must never lose sight of this Truth.  If Jesus is not at the center of our focus, we are probably subjecting ourselves to error and it will ultimately cost us in some form of loss.  Additionally, He is the door to the higher spiritual realm of hearing and we must not lose sight of this reality as well.  If you have difficulty in hearing FATHER, you may have subjected yourself to false teaching by those who are described as thieves by Jesus.  We have been give The Holy Spirit to help s discern these false teachings and Jesus clearly warns us of the their existence.  We must only access the higher realm of THE SPIRIT through the Door of Jesus and not attempt to access this restricted area by any other mean else we will become subject to judgment and its associated loss.

Walking By THE SPIRIT

Tuesday, January 29th, 2019

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Galatians chapter 5:

5  For we [not relying on the Law but] through the [strength and power of the Holy] Spirit, by faith, are waiting [confidently] for the hope of righteousness [the completion of our salvation].

6  For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through Agape Love.   AMPL

An outworking of The Holy Spirit in our life is expressed by walking in Agape Love toward others.  Some people will walk passively throughout life and fail to take the initiative to be a blessing to others.  It is as though they want everyone else to seek a relationship with them rather be active and seek the best for everyone with whom they come in contact.  You can sit by the phone all day and wait for someone to seek you out or you can go about doing good yourself and expressing Agape Love to those who are in need.  The greater will always compensate and minister to the weaker.

It is recorded in Matthew chapter 4:

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Jesus Himself did not sit at the top of some mountain and wait for the crowds to seek out His ministry.  He went out!  It is further written in Matthew chapter 9:

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Jesus spread The Gospel in an active manner.  Aren’t we called to spread The Gospel in the same manner?  Isn’t spreading Love an aspect of spreading The Gospel in its purest form?  Love is active in expressing Its intent and we will become more active as we walk in a greater revelation of Divine Love.  We will produce fruit to feed to those we encounter who may not realize they are in desperate need of the fruit we are dispensing.  We too will be moved with compassion toward those who are weary and scattered.  Is the current harvest of souls any less important than what Jesus saw when He walked the earth?  When we do nothing, we hinder the flow of The Holy Spirit through us toward others.  Sometimes, we need to “prime the pump” in order to initiate the flow through us.  The Holy Spirit awaits our decision to act in submission to the directives expressed by FATHER’S Dear Son when He said “Go into all the world”.

Don’t Be Foolish

Monday, January 28th, 2019

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Galatians chapter 3:

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—

6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”

9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

We are constantly bombarded with rules, guidelines, and standardized methods which claim to produce desired outcomes in our lives.  There are a multitude of books at the local bookstore on self help which cover almost every area of interest one can fathom.  Do you want to lose weight, become happy, deal with depression, get rich, etc.?  Someone has written a book on the topic with a set of rules or guidelines to achieve your goals… or so they claim.

Why not have faith in GOD instead?  Why not ask The Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you into all Truth concerning your specific situation?  The Galatians in the above passage are being chastised for attempting to be made perfect by the flesh through the works of the law.  Do you think Abraham and Sarah were going to follow a book on the “Five Steps to a Successful Pregnancy After the Age of 80”?  No, he simply believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  Abraham had faith in FATHER’S Word to him and did not rely on the knowledge, understanding, or wisdom of the world in order to fulfill what FATHER told him.

If we want to be fruitful in life, we should believe FATHER’S Word to us in the same manner, we must have faith in GOD rather than trust in some physical set of rules, guidelines, or methods.  Each of us has a set of unique needs in our life and FATHER is will aware of those unique needs.  The Holy Spirit will guide us into all Truth.  Jesus spoke in John chapter 16:

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

When we make the decision to live according to the directives of The Holy Spirit, life will become rich and fruitful in all areas of our life.  Our stress will be replaced by peace and our bodies will begin to change and line up with The Word.  Sarah was barren but in the end her womb came alive and bore Abraham the promised son.  This was accomplished through faith in GOD, not some set of rules man surmised to produce the seemingly impossible.  As we become immersed in being led by The Holy Spirit and submitting to FATHER’S Word, we should expect similar results.  We should expect our bodies to respond and conform to HIS Word.  We should expect by faith to have all our needs met.  As our desires become aligned with FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love, our desires will be fulfilled as well.  Let us set aside the foolishness promoted by the world and seek HIS Face today!

Unconditional Love Is The Key To Peace

Sunday, January 27th, 2019

I fully understand where this man is coming from in his encounter with FATHER and Our Lord Jesus Christ:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAnySx2lHC8

Levi: A Borrowed Love

Saturday, January 26th, 2019

My friend Alan wrote:

As we follow the progression of ‘adam’ to Christ in the narrative of the Sons of Jacob, we begin to discern a pattern of valuable insights. The genealogy of the sons of Jacob is not unlike a progression of understanding that parallels the graduation from one school grade to the next. The ‘story behind the story’ of each of these sons of Jacob teach us progressions about ourselves as we play out our own pageant on our journey to Christ. Indeed, we are birthed Spiritually into the Kingdom. And then we have to begin to grow up into a mature Christ. We are shown an advancement of discovery of the Kingdom of God in the unfolding of this pageant.

Leah, feeling rejected and scorned, is producing sons for her husband Jacob, and is revealing to us her own tragedy in the names she ascribes to these sons. Though the story doesn’t specifically tell us, we know that Rachel is also having sexual relationship with Jacob, but she is embarrassingly unable to conceive and give birth. [Gen. 30:1] Rachel is producing no son. There is trouble brewing in the life of this ‘supplanter’ in his role as ‘Jacob’.

Gen. 29:34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. Apparently, the ability to produce two sons for Jacob has done little to assuage the hurt in Leah. As we remember that the name ‘Leah’ is a description of the feelings of rejection, and being negated, delivering sons doesn’t seem to have satisfied her feelings of inadequacy where her husband is concerned. Can ‘Leah’ be a parable of us all in our feelings of rejection and separation from the God of Unconditional Love? Aren’t we all, in our religious deceptions, attempting to produce something of acceptance to a God that we don’t really believe loves us as we are? Are these parable/patterns teaching us of the reality and progression of the Spiritual birth of the Son of God within each of us? Hmmmm.

Most of us are familiar with the ‘parable’ that declares “…three times is a charm”. In the case of Leah, producing a third son doesn’t seem to have provided much balm. The telling of this genealogy doesn’t give us any details about what has gone on in the lives of these characters between births. The nine months of a normal pregnancy can be a long time. Some have believed that time heals all wounds. Actually, time heals nothing. It does, however, allow for the formation of scar tissue; both physically and mentally. Throughout all of this, Leah is still haunted with feelings of rejection, starving for the reassuring love from her husband. Leah is still negated; at least in her heart and mind. “…now will my husband be ‘joined’ (lah-vah) to me, for I have born him three sons: therefore she called this son ‘Levi’ (lah-vah). The name ‘Levi’ (Strong’s # 3878) is quite revealing when the root of the word is properly understood. Levi (#3878) has been ‘defined’ by Strong’s Concordance as “…from the root #3867; attached; Levi, a son of Jacob;” Many have described this name as ‘joined’, based on how the KJV translates Gen. 29:34. In this verse, the word translated as ‘joined’ is indeed the
Hebrew root word ‘lah-vah’, Strong’s # 3867, and therein lies the beginnings of much misunderstanding of the name ‘Levi’ (Strong’s # 3878), of the tribe of Levi and of the Levitical priesthood around which most of the Old Testament revolves.

The primary meaning of the root verb ‘lah-vah’ is that of ‘borrow’. If you ‘borrow’ (lah-vah) something from me, it is doubtful that you would ever consider that which you had ‘borrowed’ as your own personal possession. If you are like me you have probably at some time ‘borrowed’ something, and then forgotten the importance of returning that which you borrowed. You didn’t intend to keep that which you had ‘borrowed’, but sometimes we get so distracted that the return of that which was borrowed becomes lost in the shuffle. I can personally attest to that in my own experience; numerous times. But never once when I ‘borrowed’ something did I intend to make that ‘something’ mine. In the case of Leah and Jacob and Levi, we are told that the name ‘Levi’ means “…to be joined to”. And yet the very word from which ‘Levi’ is derived doesn’t mean ‘to join’ at all. The verb ‘lah-vah’ is dealing with the idea of lending for a temporary purpose. The verb ‘lah-vah’ means simply to borrow, or to lend. Maybe, when naming this third son, Leah was thinking that since she was the first ‘wife’ of Jacob, her sister Rachel had ‘borrowed’ her husband from her. That is the more probable explanation of this scenario. For although Leah was continuing to conceive and give birth, yet in her mind her husband was not ‘joined’ to her at all. She knew that Jacob’s heart was for Rachel. Maybe Leah had determined that a third son for Jacob would ‘borrow’ him back from Rachel. But alas, this is all mere speculation, and the translators didn’t help us very much.

In the western concept of ‘joined’, the idea means to ‘unite’ with; to become in union with another. We are told in Genesis that the union of ‘adam’ with his wife was intended for them to become ‘one’ flesh; united. ‘One’, in the Hebrew concept, doesn’t necessarily mean singular, or singularity. Actually, the Hebrew word we translate as ‘one’ is not often used to indicate singularity, as if referring to quantity. The concept of being ‘one’ is that of becoming in total and complete harmony with the other; united in every aspect. Yashua said, numerous times, “My Father and I are one”. And yet he also told us “My Father is greater than I”. Was Yashua being coy with us? Of course not! While acknowledging that ‘God the Father’ was a greater concept than that of ‘God the Son’, Yashua also declared that he is in complete harmony and unity with all things revealed to him by “My Father”. In our western and occidental mindset we have totally misunderstood many Hebrew concepts, and therefore have taken many things out of context. I believe the ideas surrounding ‘Levi’ are a valid example of western mindsets misunderstanding some common eastern customs and language patterns.
The ‘mystery’ and fascination with the name ‘Levi’ can be addressed by understanding that the verb from which this name is derived, ‘lah-vah’, means “…to borrow”; plain and simple. The word is translated into KJV English as ‘borrow’ and ‘borrower’, ‘lend’ and ‘lender’, ‘join and joined’, ‘abide’ (Ecc. 8:15) and even ‘cleave’ (Dan. 11:34). Prov. 22:7 translates this word both as ‘borrower’ and ‘lender’ in the same verse. The obvious idea this word is communicating is that of a temporary transaction of lending, borrowing or abiding with. None of these concepts can be seriously considered transactions of permanency. These all are referring to actions that have temporary purposes, value and merit. All of these ideas were/are intended to be ‘supplanted’ by a more valuable understanding; and that more valuable understanding is Christ in you and me.

For whatever reasons that Leah was moved to call her third son ‘Levi’ we can speculate and debate. However, if we understand the true meaning revealed in the verb ‘lah-vah’, and the noun ‘Levi’, there can be no question that the importance and permanence that religion has attached to the name and concept of ‘Levi’ as an enduring priesthood has been misunderstood, and misrepresented. Judaism is still trying to elevate the concept of the Levitical priesthood to a level of credibility and glory that was never intended by the Spirit of God. Levi was a temporary loan for the purposes of God’s Pageant to teach us about ourselves, and to illustrate our distancing ourselves from the Spirit of God within. God never intended for us to think that ‘Levi’, or the Levites, were anything more than borrowed actors, performing their role in God’s Great Pageant. For mankind to continue to value and pursue the spiritual benefits of a ‘Levitical’ priesthood is tantamount to a grown up continuing to play with toys and dolls after the Real and True Christ has been given; which he has. To expect to be ‘joined’ to that which is grossly inferior is to completely misunderstand the Character and Nature of Our Father.

Christ is High Priest after the order (dah-vahr, divine orderly arrangement) of Melchizedek. Christ has no fellowship with Levi. “For what accord has Christ with belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever”? [2 Corin. 6:15] The story of Leah has much to teach us. And this is not the end of the story. …to be continued.

The Aftermath Of Healing

Friday, January 25th, 2019

When the Sons and Daughter come into full maturity, great Love and wisdom will be needed as their power and authority will be on display.  Consider the following passage.  Luke recorded by THE SPIRIT in chapter 8:

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.

31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them.

33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.

37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

You would think that everyone would be excited and positive about the deliverance of this man being plagued by the demons.  He was well known among the local inhabitants and was kept under lock and key when possible.  When his day of deliverance came, it cost the herdsmen their herd of about 2,000 swine when the demons entered them and “ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.”  In one fell swoop, this entire income-producing herd was gone at a great financial loss to the owners of the herd.  What was it worth for the man to be delivered from the demons?

What do you think will happen when hospitals are cleared of patients as a result of FATHER’s healing power comes forth?  Do you think the American Cancer Society’s first response will be to rejoice?  Do you think the entire healthcare industry will lay down their stethoscopes and begin praising the Name of Jesus?  FATHER’S Love and Wisdom must come forth and minister to those who will be seized with great fear.  There will be a sudden shift from the old system of Babylon to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Those who have come to rely on the old system will need FATHER’S Love to prevail and consume the fear of loss in their lives.  There will surely be a great impact on all those surrounding the ones who will receive complete healing and restoration.  This is why the foundation of Agape Love must not be overlooked as we become fully mature IN HIM and HIS Love.  Agape Love will overcome the love of money in all situations.

Who Am I?

Thursday, January 24th, 2019

The definition of identity is who you are, the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world and the characteristics that define you.  Each of us has a unique identity and the ability to impact certain aspects of our identity.  There are characteristics which FATHER has imparted into each of us when HE formed us in the womb.  There are other characteristics which we have the ability to impact over time.  These include the way we think about ourselves and the way we are viewed by the world.  These aspects help define our future walk and our growth in various areas.

There is an old wise saying, “You become like the company you keep”.  If you run around with lawless types, you will ultimately become lawless yourself.  If you surround yourself with those who are successful, you will likely be more successful in life.  If you read many books on self improvement, you will surely develop better habits which will serve you well in life.  If you are lazy and make no decision to change lazy habits, you will probably remain lazy and be seen as lazy by those who encounter you.  These are some of the areas where you can impact your future.

Our words are indicative of who we are.  Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 12:

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The summation of our fruit is very informative to us of who we are.  What we do, where we go, and what we spend our money on all reflect who we are.  When our annual tax season has arrived, I am acutely reminded of who I am when I go back and look at the past year.  Have I grown or have I digressed?  If someone looked at my life, who would they conclude me to be?  Has my fruit increased in the areas of blessing others?  Have I represented The Way of Jesus and reflected His priorities?

Many want to be called Sons and Daughters of GOD but in order to be one, we must take on the identity of Jesus Christ.  We must take on His characteristics, not expect to endorse ours  which are distinctly separate from His Way.  Above all, we should be increasing in the revelation of unconditional Love and producing more fruit in this area.  Only then do we truly begin to have an identity change.  In the end, when asked the question who are you, we should be able to confidently state, “I am Love”.

Trusting The Exchange

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019

The most fundamental aspect of our life as Sons and Daughters of Our Heavenly Father is trusting what Jesus did for us at the cross.  There is not one thing we can add to the Blood of Christ to improve what He did at the cross.  We do not need to go and do some periodic act to refresh our salvation rather we need to simply trust in our salvation in Christ.  Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 2 Corinthians chapter 5:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Let us never doubt this work of salvation on our behalf.  We do not need to go and get saved again for His exchange at the cross was once and for all sufficient for our conversion.  When I stand before FATHER, I will not count on anything I have done nor any good works, I will only trust in The Blood of Christ as my reconciliation to Our Heavenly Father for I trust in Jesus’ Blood shed at the cross.  I shall think only of His sinless Blood in exchange for mine.  I shall think only of His Love for me to shed His Blood at the cross which removed all my sins which were legally transferred to Him as the ultimate sacrifice of this immense and intense Love for me.

All of Christ’s righteousness is transformed to my account and I am no longer guilty of any judgment previously requiring payment.  This exchange was permanent!  Continuing in chapter 5:

21  He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].  AMPL

This great exchange should never be questioned.  We cannot ever be judged twice for the sins we committed or we would have to acknowledge that Christ’s Blood was insufficient for Its intended purpose.  FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love designed this plan for our complete and total reconciliation unto HIM.  Let no person ever convince you otherwise.  We do not need to run up to some mountain retreat to make some sacrifice.  We do not need to create some object to pay homage to in order to  assure us of our salvation, Heaven forbid!  We do not need to seek some prophet to confirm our state of reconciliation, we simply need to trust IN HIM and His full and complete sacrifice on our behalf.

Our carnal man will wait until we are weak or discouraged to tempt us into believing we are missing some aspect of our conversion as though it was incomplete in some aspect.  Paul further wrote in chapter 10:

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

We must implicitly trust in FATHER’S Word toward us and not allow anything to compromise what FATHER has expressed to us in HIS Word.  There are those who would use their carnal logic and understanding to undermine the Words of Jesus and the work of The Holy Spirit in order to exalt themselves above Christ.  We must reject any teaching which would compromise what Jesus did for us at the cross.  We must not allow mankind to redefine FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love by using some extensive form of research in order to create division among the brethren.  The Gospel of Christ is both simple and direct.  Let us not forget what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 18:

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”

Let us approach the Words of Jesus in the simplicity of His Word and trust His Word knowing that The Holy Spirit will provide the level of understanding we need at the time of our study and at our current state of maturity.  Yes, there are many facets of His Word but all those facets simply reinforce the fundamental Divine Intent of what Jesus was expressing to us.  Let us not forget this Truth.

Hearing And Doing

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019

In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus spoke:

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,

29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

A wise man is known as a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man who makes the right choices which serves him well in the long term.  In these days of instant gratification, there appears to be less “wise” men than in the past.  In these times, everyone tends to rely on technology to fix any problem that arises.  In Oklahoma, we have some of the best weather technology in the world due to the high incidence of tornadoes but most of us who have been here for a long time know that we cannot count on that technology to assure us of a tornado’s track.  This is why we have a storm cellar.

In the spiritual sense, many people no longer rely on following the principles of Jesus because they have yet to see a significant storm in their own lives.  They assume that the long term will reflect their limited experience in the short term.  Nothing could be further from the Truth yet they are not interested in pursuing the warnings given to us by Jesus Christ or The Holy Spirit.  They are more interested in having their senses tickled by the latest form of entertainment.

Now that I have been around awhile and endured a few of my own storms, I have a greater appreciation for the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the intent of His unconditional Love to prepare us for such storms.  I have endured storms on all fronts- spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and financial, and FATHER has delivered me out of them all.  This gives me the confidence and faith in HIS Word even to a greater degree.

These writings are meant to build up the Body of Christ and provide current examples of “doing” the Word.  My wife and I have been cheerful givers for many years and FATHER has always been there for us in our own time of need.  What must I say or write to convince someone to become a cheerful giver?  I can only be a practical example for someone who is wise to look at and accept my testimony at face value.  Over ten years ago, I shared the importance of accumulating an ounce or two of silver each month whenever possible.  Those who live in Argentina are now going through hyperinflation of their fiat currency which has virtually no purchasing power now.  Those who accumulated silver are able to purchase food for their table.

What does it take to convince people that the Words of Jesus are critical to our lives?  The wise man will respond long before the first cloud in the sky forms.  However, the foolish man will wait until he is in the midst of the storm when all his assumptions are proving to be worthless and his life is crashing down all around him.  Neither Facebook nor Twitter will come to your assistance when the storm is raging all around you.  Only FATHER and HIS Truth will be standing when the storms of life cease.  You can learn your lesson the hard way or easy way… it’s your choice.