Revelation 13:1–18 (Continued)

August 09, 2013

In Jane's KJV Bible, Scofield lists the cosmic principles of Satan.

• Force
• Greed
• Selfishness
• Ambition
• Pleasure

They all boil down to one thing: The love of self above the love of God and a violation of God's very first commandment. Self = Master instead of Jesus = Master. 

The love of self and the promotion of self ALL end in naught. Those who refuse to surrender to Christ are in the end forced to surrender to the beast/Satan. Jesus won't force us to surrender to Him. Christ offered Himself as the final sacrificial Lamb and He offers us full forgiveness and undeserved grace. Offers, but does not force. He gives us every opportunity to accept His free gift of salvation, but He will not force us to accept it.

Satan on the other hand will throw everything in your path to keep you from surrendering to Christ. He will appear to be the answer, but later the truth will be exposed and he will FORCE you to become his slave and worship him.

TODAY, while there is still time, change your hearts and lives and surrender your love of self to Master Jesus.


Next Entry: Revelation 14:1 – 15:8

The Path to Salvation

February 10, 2017

All throughout scripture there is a recurring theme: Change your heart and life. But what exactly does that mean?

Our hearts are sinful by nature. Sin entered this world because of the actions of Adam and Eve. Eve chose to believe Satan's lie and she chose to go against the authority of God. Adam chose to follow her example and by doing so he also chose to disregard God's authority. They both chose to not listen to TRUTH and instead chose to listen to the lie. Because of their choices, all of mankind is now born with a bent towards sin.

You don't have to teach a child to lie, to take from others, or to say MINE! Mine—the original sin and the cause of most (if not all) other sin. I will be in control; I will get what I want; I will do what I want; and I want it so I will have it. Pride. It's all about "I."

P

R

S I N

D

E

Notice what letter intersects pride and sin. The letter "I." Notice also the shape created when pride and sin intersect. It is the shape of a cross.

In the Old Testament, God's very first commandment laid the foundation for all the others. Exodus 20:3 - "You shall have no other gods beside me." Nothing! Not ourselves, not others, not things—NOTHING. The first four commandments all deal with our relationship with God. The rest of the commandments all deal with our relationship with fellow man. Vertical commands: how we relate to God. Horizontal commands: how we relate to our fellow man. When you put a vertical line (｜) and a horizontal line ( ─ ) together you once again get the shape of a cross.

In the New Testament, Jesus gives us the Great Commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." Jesus teaches that it requires a change of heart and life to obey the Great Commandment. When our hearts are surrendered and when the sin which pride produces is confessed and repented of, we can then live the second part of the Great Commandment. Matthew 22:39 - "And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

P.r.I.d.e is what keeps us from obeying God's commandments and surrendering ourselves to His authority. Obedience requires a change of heart and life.

To change your heart and life doesn't mean you take a self-improvement course in an effort to become a better person. We can't do it on our own. No self-effort will ever be enough. The only remedy is the cross. God gave his Son Jesus to take the penalty for our sins. He lived, died, and was raised from the dead so that we might have eternal life.

To change your heart and life means:

• you understand you are a sinner;
• you admit you need a Savior;
• you repent of your sins and seek forgiveness; and 
• you surrender your life to Master Jesus. 

It's all about surrendering your life and being willing to follow HIS footpath wherever it leads. Salvation cannot be obtained through good works or by being or becoming a good person. There is only one path to Salvation, and that is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the price with His death on the cross. Because of His Grace, salvation is a free gift available to all mankind.

 

 

 

God's amazing gift of Grace can be yours. You don't have to change yourself. When you accept Jesus Christ as God's free gift of Salvation, HE will change your heart and life. HE will free you from the bondage of sin (which leads to eternal death); HE will give you the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation. When you follow the path God provided, you can be absolutely assured of your salvation.

Here is how you follow HIS footpath which leads to Salvation:

ADMIT you are a sinner and because of man's sinful nature you deserve eternal separation from God.  Romans 3:23 - "All have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory."

ACKNOWLEDGE it is only by His sacrificial Grace that you have been offered the free gift of Salvation.  Romans 5:8 - "But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners."  

BELIEVE by faith that God took on human form in the virgin birth of Jesus, and that although He was innocent of any sin, Jesus took on your sin and accepted death on a cross so you could choose eternal life.  John 3:16 - "God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life."

ACCEPT by faith that God provided the final sacrificial lamb and that He raised that Lamb—His Son, Jesus Christ—from the dead.  HE has the ability to save you from a life of sin and eternal death when you believe and call upon Him.  Romans 10:13 - "Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved."   

CONFESS that Jesus is Lord.  Confess your sins and believe by faith that you are indeed saved.  Because of your confession, Christ Jesus through His Spirit now lives in you.  Romans 10:9-10 - "If you use your mouth to say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.  We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God.  And we use our mouths to say that we believe, and so we are saved."  

LIVE your new position. You are a child of the King. You are no longer guilty of the sins in your past. You are free from the penalty of sin. You are saved.  Romans 8:1 - "So now, those who are in Christ Jesus are not judged guilty."  

If you have never followed God's footpath to salvation, why not do it now?  You simply follow the path. Here is a prayer of confession. Read it. Think about it. If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior, consider sincerely praying this prayer. Make it your own.

Lord, I admit I am a sinner. I acknowledge it is only by Your Grace that Salvation is available to me. I believe You sent your Son Jesus Christ to be born of a virgin. I accept that Jesus died for my sins and that He arose three days later so that I might have eternal life. Lord, I confess to you my sins and I repent of them. Please forgive me by the blood you shed on the cross. Please change my heart and mind. Give me a new way of thinking through your Holy Spirit. With the Spirit's guiding, help me live my life in a way that is pleasing to you. I surrender ALL to you. I will follow you on Your footpath wherever it leads. Thank you, Jesus, for your promise of Salvation. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your life for me.  Amen.

If you've prayed this as your prayer of confession then Hallelujah! By faith, you have accepted God's free gift of Salvation. Praise the LORD!! I John 1:9 - "But if we confess our sins, He will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done." God is a promise keeping God. When He says He will—HE WILL!!

Now what?   

REMAIN in Him. Read His Word. Continue to grow. Obey His commands. Continue to surrender your will to His will. Get plugged in to a local church where a body of Believers will encourage you and hold you accountable. Tell others. Do what His Word says. At some point you will want to follow God's instructions on baptism as a symbol of your new faith. Doing all these things is not what brings you salvation because we cannot earn our salvation. You do these things because of your salvation.

RESULT: You have a changed heart and your life changes. You are not who you once were. You have a new way of thinking. Your desire is to follow the Master and not your own selfish pride. You choose to turn from the sinful nature you were born with and instead make decisions which are God-honoring. If you fall, you pick yourself back up and confess your failure. You repent of it and make amends if necessary. Your changed heart produces a changed life.

The only way to salvation is by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. If you have any questions or would like help in any way please contact me. I would love to help you. If you have prayed a prayer of repentance for the first time, please let me know. I would love to pray for you as you begin your own personal journey of:

 Walking on His Footpath (Following the Master's Lead) 

Still on the fence? Still deciding? Why? What on earth is worth risking your destiny for all of eternity? Don't wait any longer. Do it today while there is still time. A day of accountability IS coming. There IS a heaven and there IS a hell. Eternity IS at stake. Nothing on this temporary earth is worth holding onto at the risk of your eternal soul.

Pride keeps us from wanting to surrender. But while you are deciding understand this: You WILL be a servant or a slave to something. You will either be a servant to Master Jesus—a kind, loving, faithful, generous Savior, OR, you will be a slave to Satan—a conniving, lying thief, and destroyer. There is no middle ground. It IS one or the other.

There are only two paths with two very different end results. The path you choose to take determines your eternal destination. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but the truth is the TRUTH. What would be harsh is for me not to tell you the truth and to stand aside while knowing you were following a path that WILL lead to your destruction.

It is a decision only you can make. Jesus is waiting—but time is of the essence. There is a year, a month, a day, and an hour planned for when accountability WILL happen. No one will escape it. There is coming a day when our lives on this earth will be over and eternity will begin.

Change your heart and life. Surrender your will to HIS will. Follow the Path to Salvation. Do it today. The reward is eternal life. Obedience is a decision you will NEVER regret!

If you have any questions please contact me: walkingonhisfootpath@gmail.com


Next Entry: Revelation 10:1–11

Revelation 8:1 – 9:21 (Continued)

August 02, 2013

6th Trumpet—Destruction was unleashed. One-third of all the people on earth were killed by fire, smoke, and sulfur. Revelation 9:15 - "And they let loose the four angels who had been kept ready for this hour and day and month and year so they could kill a third of all people on the earth."

There is an hour, day, month, and year planned and already determined for this judgment to occur. Judgment WILL happen. There is no avoiding it. One-third of ALL people were killed by fire, smoke, and sulfur—and their hell was just beginning.

INCREDIBLY, the "people who were not killed by these terrible disasters still did not change their hearts and turn away" from their own selfish ways. Revelation 9:21 - "These people did not change their hearts and turn away from murder or evil magic, from their sexual sins or stealing."

I want to scream WAKE UP!! Now, before it is too late, CHANGE YOUR HEARTS AND LIVES!!!  Please!! There is an hour, day, month, and year planned. I Peter 3:20 says that God waited patiently for Noah to finish building the boat before His judgment happened. Just because judgment hasn't happened yet doesn't mean that judgment it isn't going to happen. God waited patiently for Noah to finish the boat, and THEN judgment happened.

God is waiting patiently. He wants you to surrender and repent. But there comes a time when the waiting is over and accountability happens. Do it now. Change your hearts and lives TODAY while there is still time. 

Addendum: 2/10/17 ~ Today, while reviewing and editing Revelation 8, I suddenly realized I need to explain what I mean when I talk about "change your heart and life." When my journals were written they were for my (and my family's) personal use so no explanation of what I meant was needed. But now that God has revealed His plan for how He wants HIS Story told, and my private writings are going to be made public, I suddenly realized not everyone will understand what "change your heart and life" means; who the message is for; why it is such a prevalent theme all throughout scripture; and how you go about changing your heart and life.

Change your heart and life is not referring to the need for a personal self-improvement course so you can become a better person. It's not about what we change—it is about who changes us. It's about accepting God's free gift of Salvation given for all mankind. The gift is free and available, but it is something each one of us must accept for ourselves. It's the only way to change your heart and life. 

Read about The Path to Salvation here or click on the next journal entry.


Next Entry: The Path to Salvation

Revelation 3:1–22

July 26, 2013

To the Church in Sardis the One says this:

"I know what you do."

• People say you are alive (a believer)
• But you are really dead (religious unbeliever)
• Wake up!
• You are doing less than what God wants
• Strengthen what little truth is left in you
• Don't forget what you've heard and received
• Obey it!
• Change your heart and lives!
• You must wake up!

Or, when you least expect it, "I will come like a thief and you will not know when I will come..." and your name will be erased from the Book of Life. There are a few of you who have remained servants of God. To those who have won the victory I will call worthy and "I will say they belong to me before my Father and before his angels."

Revelations 3:6 - "Everyone who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."

To the Church in Philadelphia the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David says:

"I know what you do."

• I have put an open door before you
• A door that no one else can close
• I know (and you've known too) that by yourself you have little strength
• But you have obeyed my teachings
• You were not afraid to proclaim my name
• You did not give up your faith

As a true believer your body is a temple of the Lord.

Temple—The one and only place where sacrifices were performed. Jesus Christ was the sacrifice for our sins. When we accept His sacrifice and receive Him as our personal Savior, our bodies literally become the temple of the Lord. There are those who say they believe, but their actions show otherwise. They are "religious," but the truth is they are unbelievers, and their bodies are "a synagogue that belongs to Satan." (Revelation 2:9b)

Synagogue—A building, a gathering place, a "town hall" of sorts. It is ran by people, financed by people, and is a place of worship and study. As religious unbelievers, one's body is NOT a temple of the Lord, but instead it is a synagogue, a gathering place—of Satan.

Revelation 3:9b–10 - "I will make them (religious unbelievers) come before you and bow at your feet and they will know that I have loved you. You have obeyed my teachings about not giving up your faith. So I will keep you from the time of trouble that will come to the whole world to test those who live on earth."

God put an open door before the Church of Philadelphia. When He opens a door no one can close it. When He closes a door no one else can open it. So, hang on and continue strong in your faith. Then no one can take away your crown. Revelation 3:12 - "I am coming soon... I will make those who win the victory pillars in the temple of my God." Their position with me and my Father is secure.

Revelation 3:13 - "Everyone who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."

To the Church in Laodicea, the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of all God has made says:

"I know what you do."

• You are not hot or cold
• Your are just blah—lukewarm
• I am ready to vomit you out of me
• Your attitude/actions are not compatible with my Holiness and I am close to rejecting you
• You think you are rich
• You have worked to become wealthy
• You think you are in control and self-sufficient
• You don't get it—what you are working for (material things) means nothing
• You think one thing—but the truth is you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked 
• The very things you don't want to be—is what you really are

The only way to get what you desire is to come to me. When you depend on me and keep your faith in whose you are instead of who you are, I will bring you through the fires of life as pure gold—tested and true. THEN you will be rich in the only thing that matters—ME. Surrender and submit to me as Master Jesus and your nakedness will be covered and you will be clothed in forgiveness. Come to me. When you search for me I will be as a balm for your eyes, and your eyes will be opened to truth and you will be able truly see.

Revelation 3:19–20 - "I will correct and punish those whom I love. So be eager to do what is right, and change your hearts and lives. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice (everyone who has ears should listen) and open the door (you have to respond) I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with me."

He is ready and waiting. He doesn't want anyone to be lost. He is knocking, but He won't take us by force. We must listen and respond to Him by opening the door, by inviting Him in, and by obeying His teachings. THEN we have the promise of winning the victory and (you) "will sit with me on my throne..."

Revelation 3:22 - "Everyone who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."

From Christ Through the Bible:

JESUS: The One Who Stand at the Door

"Let me state something important. There is never a time during which Jesus is not speaking. Never. There is never a place in which Jesus is not present. Never. There is never a (place)... that the ever-present, ever-pursuing, relentlessly tender Friend is not there, tapping gently on the door of our hearts—waiting to be invited in.

Few hear his voice. Fewer still open the door.

But never interpret our numbness as his absence. For amidst the fleeting promises of pleasure is the timeless promise of his presence...

There is no chorus so loud that the voice of God cannot be heard... if we will but listen."  ~ From In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado

Next Entry: Revelation 3:1–22 (Continued) 

I John 4:1 – 5:21 (Continued)

July 22, 2013

So, how do you love God?

You love God by obeying His commands. I John 5:3–4 - "Loving God means obeying his commands. And God's commands are not too hard for us, because everyone who is a child of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world—our faith."

Faith. Believing all of what God said is true. Believing in the Trinity and that Jesus is the Son of God. Believing Jesus' life, death and resurrection was the sacrifice that fulfilled God's plan of redemption for a lost world. Believing His sacrifice was necessary for your personal salvation and accepting Him as your Savior.

Believing means action. It means confessing, repenting, and surrendering your will to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Believing by true faith and obedience. Not just a simple nodding of the head and saying, yeah... I believe all those things, while having no outward sign of a changed heart or life. Only giving lip service to God when His act of Love requires us to acknowledge Him as Lord and to accept His position as Master of our lives, is like spitting in the face of God and calling Him a liar.  

To believe—means to obey all His commands. If you refuse to obey His commands, then it means you really don't believe. I John 5:12 - "Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."  What does has/have truly mean? What is the definition of "has"?  I looked it up in my old 1957 Thorndike-Barnhart Dictionary.

To possess; be obliged; obtain; show by action; experience; allow; permit; maintain; keep; retain; know, understand; hold in the mind; be in a certain relation to, etc.  

We can't just say He is the Son of God, we must have Him as the Lord of our life. When we have Him as Lord of our lives we can "ask God for anything that agrees with what He wants" and we can know that He hears us. I John 5:15 - "If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him." When He is in us and our desires line up with His desires, then we can know that He hears our prayers, because our prayers are not selfish or self serving. It is ALL about Him and doing His will.

God has given us everything we need to understand and know Him. I John 5:20 - "We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we can know the True One. And our lives are in the True One and in the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the eternal life."

"God's holiness demands that all sin be punished, but God's love provides the plan and way of redemption for sinful man. God's love is the cross of Jesus, by which man can have forgiveness and cleansing. It was the love of God that sent Jesus Christ to the cross!" ~ From Peace with God by Billy Graham

God used these chapters, really the entire book of I John, to explain a lot of TRUTH to me. I John puts in condensed form the message of the entire Bible: the promises of blessings for obedience and the inescapable consequences for disobedience. It breaks my heart that people we know and love are missing out on the blessings God has made available to them and are instead living lives of consequences for the choices they have made. Instead of a life of joy, they appear to be living a life of punishment and torment.

Last Friday morning (July 19, 2013), as I was reading I John 4:1–5:21, I literally wept when I began to understand the meaning of what God's word was saying. It was a new Truth to me. It explained the "why" behind my husband's mom actions and the resulting issues we have been having to deal with—and I wept.

My husband and I have been both disgusted and frustrated with his mother's behavior. She is literally consumed by fear and has been for as long as we can remember. She is manipulative and uses "I didn't know" lies as a means to excuse her unacceptable behaviors. I personally had been getting more and more frustrated and even angry that she has gotten by (and keeps getting by) with that kind of inexcusable behavior—for years!

But then I read I John 4:18. It is punishment to live a life of fear. Punishment!! She isn't "getting by" with anything! She is living a tortured, tormented, punished life for the years she has refused to surrender all to God, and my heart broke for the consequences she is living and in compassion for her—I wept. There was no more anger. Just a broken heart for her.

How many times have we excused my mother-in-law's or my sister's behavior by saying, "Oh, that's just _____ (my sister) or "that's just _____ (my mother-in-law)?  NO!! NO! A thousand times NO! It isn't "just so and so," it is SIN!! Let's call it what it is—SIN! My sister is living a life of fear, anger, revenge, lies, and control because of SIN! My mother-in-law is living a tormented punished life of fear because of SIN!

What are we going to do about my husband's mom? We don't know yet. We are praying and asking God what, when, and how He wants us to do something. One thing we know. We cannot have this truth revealed to us and do nothing. Love requires action. Eternity is at stake.

When I quit making excuses for my sister's behavior and when I finally accepted the whole ugly truth it broke my heart. There was no anger, only a deep concern for her soul. I wanted to reach out to her because love does require action. But what could I do? We are in the middle of a lawsuit. There is no communication. It seemed hopeless.

When I felt led to begin this journal I had no idea God would use it to allow my voice to go to my sister as a witness to her of God's truth. It certainly wasn't anything I orchestrated. When the judge reopened discovery over some random issue and I realized I was going to have to send my private words and thoughts to someone who was seeking our ruin, it seemed like my worst nightmare. Yet, it was God's plan to reach my sister with HIS words and to free me from any responsibility for her ultimate choices. Now, we are seeking God's will for how He wants us reach out to my husband's mom. We will continue to seek His plan and wait on His leading.

Understanding scripture better has explained so much. I used to wonder why it would drive me crazy to be around my sister for very long. I've often wondered why there were times I found it difficult to even like my mother-in-law. I loved both my sister and mother-in-law, but there were times it was very difficult to like them. I've discovered it has nothing to do with a difference in personalities, it is because of the difference of who we are at our very core. It wasn't my sister's clutter, or the fidgeting, or the obsession with my brother that was driving me crazy; it was the difference in our core values that was separating us. It wasn't my mother-in-laws fears and unacceptable behaviors that was driving me crazy; it was the difference in our core values.

And my heart breaks and my soul weeps for both of them.

LORD, thank you for giving me an opportunity to share Truth with my sister. LORD, I pray that you will give us direction on who should speak Truth to my husband's mom. LORD, I pray that they will each understand that without you they are nothing and that they would both desire nothing but you.  LORD, may they surrender their hearts to Master Jesus, and change their hearts and lives. May they each live to see the day where they understand for the first time the fullness of your amazing Love.  LORD, we surrender them both to you. We lay our concern for them at your feet.

Addendum: 1/3/2017~  So, what happened? I wish I could say there was some sort of miraculous change in my mother-in-law's life. There wasn't.

I had two different opportunities to talk in depth with my mother-in-law. The first was in early 2014. We had recently moved both of my husband's parents to an Assisted Living facility. My mother-in-law developed an UTI which required a visit to the emergency room. While in the emergency room, the nurses wanted her to get up and walk a few steps before they released her. Even with two big burly men on each side of her, and even though their arms were wrapped securely around her in total support, my mother-in-law was paralyzed by the fear of falling and would not attempt a small single step. In the privacy of her room I talked to her about surrendering her fears. She didn't want to hear anything about it.

The last opportunity I had was shortly before my mother-in-law died in August of 2015. She would look up and smile whenever a nurse came into the room but she rarely ever acknowledged the presence of any of her family members. Knowing she could hear me, I went through all the steps of salvation even though I knew she grew up knowing them. I sang hymns to her, and I prayed for her. There was no visible response. While I believe her salvation was secure, I wanted to make sure she had every opportunity to surrender ALL.

The only thing we have any control over is our own personal response to Jesus. As for me, I choose to surrender—ALL.

All to Jesus I Surrender


Next Entry: II John 1:1–13 

I John 4:1 – 5:21

July 20, 2013

John continues to drive home the point: God is love and if we have God living in our lives, God's love will be reflected in us and through us. Love comes from God. He sent His son to die so that we may have life. Real love is not our love for Him, it is His love for us. Psalm 8:4 - "What is man that you are mindful of him?" Because God is love we can trust Him. When we confess Him as Lord (Master) we live in His love, and He lives in us. I John 4:17-18a - "This is how love is made perfect in us: that we can be without fear on the day God judges us, because in this world we are like him. Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear."

Our lives (actions) reflect the truth of who we are. If we have God's love in us, that is what we reflect. If we are instead fueled by our own desires (own = evil) we may try to mask it, but it IS what we reflect and it will be revealed. After John talks about there being no fear if you are living in God and in His love, He makes a statement I never noticed before. I John 4:18b - "It is punishment (KJV says torment) that makes a person fear." And why is it punishment? Because when someone refuses to surrender to God they do not have God's perfect love that drives out fear. The refusal to surrender becomes a punishment as fear runs rampant in their lives.  

God's perfect love is available to us. When we refuse to submit to it we are punished by living in fear. You would think people would "get it" and choose to live in God's love. But selfish pride (the very core of sin) gets in the way. They would rather live a miserable existence and think they are in control (and be punished for it) than to unconditionally trust God.

I used to think fear is what kept some people from trusting God, but my thinking was all wrong. My "aha" moment came when I finally understood what John was saying. Fear is not the cause that prevents someone from surrendering their life to the Lordship of Christ; it is the result of refusing to surrender your life. It is punishment received for choices made. How sad. What a waste of precious time, energy, and effort, and what a shame to live in fear when God has provided us His perfect love.  

John goes on. I John 4:19 - "We love because God first loved us." You can't say you love God and hate your brothers or sisters. The two actions cannot mix, and John says that person is a liar. I John 5:3a - "Loving God means obeying his commands." His commands are not hard to follow IF you are surrendered to Him, but they are impossible to follow if you are controlled by your own selfish desires.

As a child of God you can conquer the world. It has nothing to do with who you are. It has everything to do with whose you are. The ability to conquer the world comes from having faith in the One who created the world, sent His Son to save the world, and will return again to rule the world. God's Spirit, who is in us, is greater than the spirit of this world.

II Kings 6:16 - "The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us." I John 4:4 - "My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated them; because God spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world."

It is God who gets the victory and God who gets ALL glory.


Next Entry: I John 4:1 – 5:21 (Continued)

I John 2:1–29

July 15, 2013

Just because we have a Savior who will forgive us from our sins doesn't mean we have a license to sin. We are to become holy as He is holy. If we do sin Jesus is our intercessor between us and God. But we most certainly are not to remain in sin. There are two simple questions to ask yourself if you don't know where you stand in your fellowship with God.

1)  Am I obeying His commands? Yes or No? Remember, He is Master Jesus and we are to be His servants. We don't get to pick and choose which commands we want to obey. 

2) Do I say I know God but still follow my own ways and do not obey His commands? Then the answer is simple—He is not your Master. The disobedience of His commands show you are are not willing to be a servant to Master Jesus.

John says you are a liar and the truth is not in you if you say with mere words that He is Lord but your actions don't support your words. I John 2:6 - "Whoever says that he lives in God must live as Jesus lived."Jesus explains the teachings of the Old Testament.  We must go to Jesus for salvation, instruction, guidance, direction, clarification, etc. I John 2:9 - "Anyone who says, "I am in the light" (Christian) but hates a brother or sister, is still in the darkness."

Someone who lives in the light will not hate a brother or sister and will not harm anyone. But someone who hates (hate = angry, seeking revenge, harm, etc.) a brother or sister is:

• in darkness
• lives in darkness
• does not know where to go, and
• the darkness has made them blind.

Darkness—the absence of light. What a horrible way to live. When you "say" you are a Christian but your actions show you are out to get your brother or sister then the truth is not in you, and you are in darkness, you live in darkness, you wander around without clear direction, and you are blind because of the darkness. Your actions trump your claims.

I clearly remember how disturbing it was to watch and listen to my sister and brother-in-law's depositions in early 2009. There were just so many conflicting lies in their answers. On the way back home our hearts were just broken for them. At one point, my husband and I looked at each other and said, "There is no truth in them." Now in July, 2013, I understand more about the accuracy and horribleness of that statement.

The Truth/God can set them free. But standing in the way of God's forgiveness is that little (big) word—IF. There has to be confession AND repentance. There has to be a turning from and a turning towards. 

I John 2:15 - "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. These are the ways of the world:

• Wanting to please our sinful selves
• Wanting the sinful things we see 
• Being too proud of what we have

None of these come from the Father, but all of them come from the world. The world and everything that people want in it are passing away, but the person who does what God wants lives forever."


Next Entry: I John 2:1–29 (Continued)

I John 1:1–10

July 13, 2013

"When it comes to salvation, there aren't several roads... there is only one road... there aren't several ways... there is only one way... there aren't several paths... there is only one path. And that path is Jesus himself. Jesus is not one of many options. He is the only option or nothing at all. ~ From NCV Introduction to John

I John 1 is comprised of only ten short verses, but those ten short verses are packed full of TRUTH. If the only page you had of the entire Bible contained I John 1, it would be all you needed to understand God and the way to salvation. 

John knew Jesus. He was there. He heard Him. He saw Him. He watched Him. He touched Him. He knew about God through Him—and he couldn't keep it to himself. He had to tell others what he knew. He wrote it down and he announced to others who Jesus/God was/is and how we can be in fellowship with God and what prevents that oneness with God from happening.

Here is John's message (my paraphrase):

God has always existed. Jesus is the "Word" and the Word gives life. Jesus walked, talked, and lived among man. His life continues forever. Jesus is part of the trinity. He was with God before the world began. God was revealed to man through Jesus during His time on earth. The way to God is through His Son Jesus. Knowing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ brings joy to your life and unity with other believers. Jesus shows us that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. None. Sin puts a barrier between God and ourselves. Denying the barrier doesn't make it go away. To think sin does not cause a barrier is only fooling ourselves and calling God a liar. The only way to remove the barrier is to confess our sins. IF—we confess our sins, THEN—the blood of Jesus cleanses us from every sin. We can trust God. We can trust God to do what is right. We can live each day in God's light.

You cannot have darkness (sin) in your life and also be in fellowship with God. I John 1:8 - "So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars and do not follow the truth." Continuing to live in sin is refusing to be a servant to Master Jesus. It is asserting your own will over the will of God.  It is self choosing to live in darkness while saying you are a follower of God who is light. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. Light is a symbol of goodness and truth. God is light. If God allowed darkness in it would alter the Light of God.

God cannot change and cannot be changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But, while God is eternal, man is mortal. If we have accepted God's Light into our lives and then allow darkness in, it doesn't change who God is but it does change us. Our light loses its brightness and if we do not get rid of the darkness, the darkness takes over. I John 1:7 - "But if we live in the light as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's son, cleanses us from sin." The only way to have fellowship with God (and others) is to live in the light of God's truth.

IF we say we have not sinned we make God a liar and we are fooling ourselves. IF that is our attitude then the bottom line is we have rejected God's teachings and His truth is not in us. But IF—we confess our sins, THEN—He WILL forgive us of our sins and He WILL cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But it all hinges on one thing: IF we confess.

"We cannot be in a right relationship with God unless we live humbly, honestly, and dependently on him." (Life Lesson Observation)

Max Lucado, in his book The Applause of Heaven says it this way:

"If we confess our sins..." The biggest word in Scriptures just might be that two letter one, if. For confessing sins—admitting failure—is exactly what prisoners of pride refuse to do.

Justification. Rationalization. Comparison. These are the tools of the jailbird. They sound good. They sound familiar. They even sound American. But in the kingdom, they sound hollow...

When you get to the point of sorrow for your sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to cast all your care on him, and when there is truly no other one that you can call, then cast all your cares on him for he is waiting."

Excuses. We are all good at making excuses and rationalizations. Well I'm not perfect but I'm better than so and so. I'm not that bad. It's not really sin... at least not the big ones. I do a lot of good. I'm certainly not worse than most. I read my Bible... sometimes. I put money in the offering plate... sometimes. I give the things I don't want to charities. I'm a good person... at least most of the time. I'm sure God is glad I'm part of His team. Excuses. Excuses. No more excuses!!

God is faithful with the THEN, but it all hinges on the IF. 

IF—we confess our sins... THEN—I will forgive. 

IF—my people who are called by my name... THEN—I will hear. (II Chronicles 7:14)

 "True repentance is not just confession of sin but a sincere willingness to not do that sin again." ~ From Life Lesson for Hebrews 9

Next Entry: I John 2:1–29

I Corinthians 11:2-34 – 12:1-31a

March 27, 2013

One Spirit; different gifts; different ways to serve; and different ways that God works through people. BUT! There is only ONE God and ONE purpose: to bring honor and glory to Him.

Today is Holy Week. I Corinthians 11 talks about being under authority and the Lord's Supper. I Corinthians 11:28 says - "Look into your own hearts before you eat the bread and drink the cup."

• Do I know of any unconfessed sins?
• Am I using my gifts for Him?
• Is there anything He wants me to change?
• Can He use me like He wants?
• What am I not doing that He wants me to do?
• What am I doing that He doesn't want me to do?

God wants us to take a look at our own lives; a serious, introspective review of our lives. What is it that God sees when He judges us? God is a just judge and He will go to great lengths for our souls. I Corinthians 11:32 - "When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world."

"We are to follow him...to the cross." (A quote from our Pastor)

We know about Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, but there is much we can learn from the rest of Holy Week as well.  

Sunday
     Jesus rode on a borrowed donkey.  He is teaching us about obedience, humility, and servanthood.
Monday
     Jesus teaches that the temple must be clean. We need to have personal holiness.
Tuesday
     Jesus rebukes the fig tree for not producing. We have a purpose, we need to have faith, and we should be producing fruit.
Wednesday
     Silence.  Be still and KNOW that I am God.
Thursday
     Jesus—as the Lamb of God—shares the Passover. We are to become one with Him.


Next Entry: I Corinthians 12:31b – 13:13

Romans 11:1–36 (Continued)

February 19, 2013

Being part of the tree doesn't have anything to do with our own works. It is all about the roots of the tree—God's grace. We are grafted on the tree, and we remain a part of the tree because of our belief in (and surrender to) Jesus as Lord. God's grace is a free gift to man, but it is our choice to either:

1. Obey
2. Refuse to obey

I like how William McDonald puts it in his book Alone in Majesty.

"The fact that God has chosen some to be saved does not mean that He has chosen the rest to be lost. The world is already lost and dead in sins. If left to ourselves, all of us would be condemned eternally. The question is, Does God have the right to stoop down, take a handful of already doomed clay, and fashion a vessel of beauty out of it? Of course He does. C.R. Erdman put it in right perspective when he said, "God's sovereignty is never exercised in condemning men who ought to be lost."... God holds people responsible to accept the Savior by an act of the will. In reproving those Jews who did not believe, Jesus placed the blame on their will. He did not say, "You cannot come to Me because you are not chosen." Rather, He did say, "You are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." (John 5:40)

God's gift of grace is free to those who are willing to surrender their will to His will. 


Next Entry: Romans 11:1–36 (Continued)

Luke 18:1-43 (Continued)

September 19, 2012

"O we are three, you are three, have mercy on us." ~ From And the Angels Were Silent by Max Lucado. A lesson of humility. 

God wants simple humility. A Pharisee (religious unbeliever) goes into the Temple to pray. He stands and prays, "I thank you that I am not like other people who steal, cheat, or take part in adultery, or even like this tax collector. I give up eating twice a week, and I give one tenth of everything I get!"  His prayer was all about himself. I... I.. I.

A tax collector went into pray at the same time. He stands off to the side and would not even look up. He beat his chest because he was so sad. "God, have mercy on me a sinner." He understood the

God

↓

Man

relationship. The tax collector's prayer was heard by God. The Pharisee's prayer was not. 

God is not our servant, nor is He our puppet. He is almighty God. We are the created. The created is never greater than the Creator. Jesus said, "All who make themselves great will be made humble, but all who make themselves humble will be made great." (Luke 18:14)

Life Lesson Observation: "When we pray we must be persistent and humble. Most of all, we can't depend on our own resources to get us through problems. We need to trust God and his strength."


Next Entry: Luke 19:1–48

Matthew 9:1–38 (Continued)

April 18, 2012

Jesus calls Matthew (a despised tax collector) to follow Him—and Matthew did. Jesus went to Matthew's house and had dinner with other tax collectors and "sinners." The holier-than-thou Pharisees were shocked. They asked, why does your Master/teacher eat with "sinners"? Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick." Then he continued, "Go and learn what this means: (and then Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6) I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices. I want people to know me more than I want burnt offerings." (Matthew 9:12-13)

Jesus came for sinners. The problem is the Pharisees didn't think they were sinners. They didn't think they were in need of a Savior. After all, they were more than "good" people. Why, they interpreted the laws; they were the wise ones; and they even added new laws to God's law. Why would they need a Savior? And Jesus says, "I didn't come for the good" not because the "good" didn't need a Savior but because the "good" didn't recognize their need for a Savior. And Jesus tells them to go and figure out what this means, which is kind of funny since the Pharisees already thought they knew the meaning of everything. (You have to believe they were, "we are on the cutting edge of everything" type people.)

I want your faithful love. I want you to know me. This is what I want. I don't want your rituals without a changed life. I don't want outward appearances of obedience and being "good" by you going through the motions. I want changed lives. I want lives that match what you say you believe. I want faithful love. I want you to know me!!


Next Entry: Matthew 9:1–38 (Continued)

Matthew 7:1–29

April 05, 2012

"Don't judge other people, or you will be judged." (Matthew 7:1)

This is one of the most misused and abused scriptures in all of the Bible, and it is usually by people who are living contrary to scripture and are not wanting to be held accountable for their actions. They somehow choose to ignore Jesus' words which are found in the same chapter as the verse they love to quote so much. Matthew 7:16 - "You will know them by their fruit."

Jesus is saying: Don't get the relationship out of order. It is

God 

↓

Man.

It is not your position to "judge" someone else. It is mine. Your responsibility is to be looking at your own life. Confess what you need to confess. Repent when you need to repent. Turn from what you need to turn from. Take responsibility for your actions. Make sure you have died to self. Make sure you have no other gods beside me or in addition to me. Take care of yourself and leave the other people to me. I will judge. I will convict. I will avenge. I am in control.

While we are not the judge, Jesus does want us to be smart. Jesus says—I want you to discern the hearts of others, and this is how I want you to do it:

• Be careful—some people look like sheep but they are really wolves
• You will be able to tell what the truth is (discern) by their actions
• Grapes don't come from thorn bushes and figs don't come from thistles
• A good tree produces good fruit (actions)
• A corrupt tree produces bad fruit (evil actions)
• A good tree cannot produce bad fruit
• A corrupt tree cannot produce good fruit

So, I want you to be smart. I want you to discern. Judging someone is not your job—it is mine. I will decide judgment. You are to look at the fruits. Then you will know what kind of person you are dealing with. "By their fruits you will know them." (Matthew 7:15–20)  

Jesus makes it very clear, it is not our responsibility to judge and/or pronounce judgment, but it is our responsibility to determine what people are like—and the way we do that is by the fruit they produce. What kind of fruit are we (they) producing? Do our (their) life actions and our (their) words match? People are watching. We may know all the right words to say, but it is our actions that will reveal whether there has been a heart change and a new way of thinking in our lives.

Jesus goes on to say, "Not all those who say I am their Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. The only people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do what my Father in heaven wants." (Matthew 7:21) It is not enough to "say," we must also "do." The way to heaven isn't easy. It is a narrow road and gate and only a few people will find that road. (Jesus' words, not mine.) Wide is the road that leads to destruction and many people will enter that gate. Unfortunately, I believe there are many people traveling down the wide road that leads to destruction who think they are on the narrow road. They say that the Lord is their God and they say, "Lord, Lord, we spoke for you." But instead of hearing, "Well done my good and faithful servant" they hear, "Then I will tell them clearly, 'Get away from me, you who do evil. I never knew you.' " (Matthew 7:23)

We must "do." Our actions/fruits will reveal the truth of who we are. We are known by our actions and we are to discern the actions of others.


Next Entry: Matthew 7:1–29 (Continued)

Matthew 5:1–48 (Continued)

March 23, 2012

Matthew 5:25 - "If your enemy is taking you to court, become friends quickly, before you go to court." Just like the passage before this one where it talks about leaving your offering at the altar if your brother and sister has something against you, I believe Jesus is talking about the aggressor here and not the innocent party. I have heard this taught, and I have believed the exact opposite of what I now believe Jesus to be saying. Have I only read these verses before through my eyes? Knowing I have not or would not purposely wrong others so I assumed Jesus was talking about a "victim" of someone having something against you or being a "victim" of an enemy who wanted to harm you for whatever reason?

We have an "enemy" who has taken us to court. Even in hindsight, there is not one single thing we could have done to "become friends quickly" or dissuade them from a course of action they were determined to take. Not one single thing. You cannot deter someone else's greed. You cannot put salve on someone who is seeking revenge. You cannot talk rationally with someone who is irrational. You cannot change a persons heart, actions, or evil intents. You cannot—and I do not believe that is what Jesus is saying in this passage or the verses before. Instead, I believe Jesus is talking once again about personal accountability.  You cannot control another person but you can control yourself.  

I don't believe Jesus is saying you should quickly go to the person who is falsely accusing you and is threatening (or actually taking you) to court and try to "fix" things yourself by becoming friends and that you should try to appease them in order to get them to stop their actions when you (and most likely they) know you are innocent of their charges. I believe Jesus is talking about the person initiating the legal action. This is about your actions of trying to take things in your hands. And you better be careful. Your actions may backfire. What you are trying to do to others may happen to you. If you have wronged others, there may be legitimate cause or reason for the law to be enforced upon you. I believe these verses are saying—Own up! Take responsibility for what you have done. Go! Make things right. Be willingly accountable for your actions. Confess. Repent. Turn. (I Chronicles 7:14)

Jesus' teachings follows the teachings of the Old Testament. This isn't something new. This is Christ calling for personal holiness and personal accountability. 


Next Entry: Matthew 5:1–48 (Continued) 

Fanning the Flame – 2012

March 20, 2012

At the rate I am going it is going to take me years to get through the New Testament. :)  There is just so much to process with Jesus' own words.

This week is Fanning the Flame services at church. As always, we have really enjoyed them. Dr. Bob Laurent spoke on Sunday night. He is a professor of the Old Testament. I would love to take his classes. He is just fascinating to listen to. Here are a couple of his points.

• Nowhere in the Old Testament does it indicate that the sacrifices were for intentional sins
• The Old Testament points to the need for God's grace
• The Old Testament isn't just about "the law"
• Confession—when you get rid of the sin. God already knows. It is when you are freed.
• You're never closer to God than when you run risks
• Your faith comes alive during battle
• Who are you touching for Jesus?
• The importance of ONE-ness with God.
• Love the unlovely. Touch the untouchable.

Monday - Ron Williams
He spoke about how the Israelites got in such a mess and how Christians today find themselves in such messes. They have lost the "awe" of God. Signs that you may be in danger of losing the "awe" of who HE is.

• You lose sight of God's greatness and goodness
• Your view of sin becomes small
• You choose compromise over conviction
• You choose happiness over holiness
• Your life becomes about "you" and not about God
• Your worship becomes casual

"When we reduce the size of God, we reduce our view of sin." This quote by Ron Williams is a very profound statement. When you don't "get it" and you minimize God, your view of yourself/sin gets distorted. I've written many time before that the most important thing Jane (Her Name Was Jane) taught us was the importance of praise—first and foremost. Praise brings AWE. I never connected the two together until last night. Praise keeps AWE alive and well. It puts everything in the proper perspective. God → man.  Psalm 8 - O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is YOUR name... what is man?

Dr Ronald Smith
Are you on fire or beating the bush? Are we in our own "self" protection program, or are we God-reliant? As a child Moses was saved from certain death by God. When Moses sees the injustice of what is happening to his fellow Israelites (God's people) he takes matters into his own hand and kills the Egyptian. And now here he is (in his own "self" protection program hiding as a shepherd) and God calls him by name. God knows where we are even if we are hiding. God doesn't give up on us. He pursues us. He is there if we will look up and respond, "This is Holy Ground." You never make things better by your own hand! Only God's plan works.

When we get real, God will go to the lowest rung to save us. Moses relied on his rod, again using "self" protection. God told him to throw it down and it was revealed for what it was—a snake (the devil). Any time we are trying to do "self" protection it is a tool of Satan. Once it was revealed for what it was, God told him to pick it back up. Truth was revealed. Now he, (and it) could be used because God gave it to him. It was no longer a rod of "self" protection. It was now an instrument of God. Then Dr. Smith asked this question, "What won't you give up?" What is it that you are trying to use to protect yourself? What is God asking you to throw down? Are you on fire? Or, are you beating around the bush?

Dr. Laurent, Ron Williams, and Dr. Smith ALL emphasized that the Old Testament is not just about the Law. Dr. Smith, "The Old Testament is the Gospel." Look at Hebrews 11, they are all people from the Old Testament. Oh my goodness. My words (my journal from Genesis – II Chronicles 11 that I had to send to my sister and brother-in-law when it got caught up in "the storm") gave them the Gospel! I knew it was God's words and truth was spoken, but I never thought about it as being the Gospel. Thank you Jesus for giving me the opportunity to share the truth about you!

David Leeder
He spoke about relationship. The most important relationship we have in life is our relationship with God. Some people settle for knowing about God. They "know" church, they "know" Bible, they "know" about, but they don't have an active and alive current relationship. The present reality of God in their life is gone. But where is God? How is it possible to lose God? Leeder gave the example of the lost axe head in II Kings 6. We can lose God in our busyness of serving God—doing, but not being. Another way we can lose God is in the midst of adversity. Job lost everything and in Job 23 asked "Where are you?" to God. His third example was Revelations 2 where the people lost their first love. You can lose God when you allow other things to take priority in your life. So, how can we find God again?

Psalm 42 - A renewed longing for Him. You will never experience something you don't long for. "I am desperate for you."
Psalm 63 - Where your treasure is your heart is (Matthew 6).
Colossians 3 - Set your mind/heart on things above.

You will never discover something if you are not searching for it.

Jeremiah 29:13 - When you search for me with all your heart you will find me – I will let you find me.
Psalm 51 - A renewed commitment to Him. Realizing that where I am is not where I should be. Where I am is not where I need to be.

How is it between you and God today? Have you lost God? Where did you lose Him? II Kings 6 - where did you lose it? To find it/God you must go back to where you lost Him. Where you lost the blessing is where you must go back to in order for the blessing to be restored. You must learn to trust God again. There are no short-cuts. You must go back to the fork in the road. Revelation 2:5 - Remember. Repent. Restore.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Fanning the Flame services again. It was beautiful weather each night, but each night the church was full. So glad we went. Now—back to Matthew 5.


Next Entry: Matthew 5:1–48 (Continued)

Matthew 5:1–48 (Continued)

March 16, 2012

"So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother and sister has something against you" (Not as a victim of someone else, but as the aggressor; someone who has pursued selfish desires at the expense others.) When you take your gift and remember what you have done because of your selfish desires, and why people legitimately have something against you, then "leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person." Own up to your sin; surrender your life; go fix the damage you have caused in the wake of your actions. Quit blaming others. Quit excusing your decisions and actions. Own up to what you have done. Face the truth about yourself.

God already knows the truth. It is not hidden from Him. Confess your sins. Change your hearts and life... "and then come and offer your gift." THEN God will hear your prayers and THEN you will have forgiveness. THEN you will have peace of mind and contentment of soul. What Christ seeks from us is a heart that is like His. HIS! He doesn't want our offerings, He wants us. He wants us to be like Him and we cannot be like Him when "self" is our god. He wants from us what I wrote about on March 7 - Matthew 5:1–48. He wants a changed heart and life. When He has that—THEN and only then—our offering is an act of giving ourselves to Him as a gift in humble worship of the LORD of ALL. To do otherwise, to give an offering without a changed heart, is an inward slap in the face to God while outwardly confessing Him as LORD.

Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin." God wants our obedience FIRST and then our sacrifices.


Next Entry: Fanning the Flame - 2012

Matthew 5:1–48 (Continued)

March 15, 2012

I've been pondering Matthew 5:23–24 for a long time now.

"So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person, and then come and offer you gift."

I've been asking Jesus what exactly He means by this teaching. As we know, my sister (in her mind) has "something against me" and has filed a lawsuit accusing us of evil things and seeking harm against us. So, I read these words and I wonder—what is my responsibility here? I want to be obedient to God's words. All of them! Is He asking me to do something? I shouldn't use the word "asking." Is He "telling" me to do something? Because if He is telling me do something I will do it! So, I've been asking God, what exactly is Jesus teaching here? What do these verses mean?

I've heard many sermons where the Pastor uses the phrase, "as much as it depends on you" meaning we are responsible to go and seek peace but we are not responsible for the actions of the other person and whether they forgive, hold on to revenge, or whether the "problem" is only in their minds, etc. I've only ever heard this verse explained in what I view as a "victim" type circumstance. The other person has a problem with you, so you should go try and fix it. It wasn't your action against the other person, it was the other person's problem, but you are responsible to go and try to fix it (I have to wonder now if that is actually how it was preached or if that was how I "heard" it because of my "fix-it" personality.)

I don't think that is what this verse is saying at all. After days of asking what Jesus' teaching means, slowly His teaching became very clear. It's not about the other person at all. It is only about me (and you). It is a continuation of the prophet's teaching in the Old Testament. Let me explain. I've just spent years immersed in the Old Testament. As I am reading Matthew 5:23–24, I suddenly realized I recognized what Jesus was teaching. Jesus' teaching in Matthew is the same message the prophets were teaching in the Old Testament. So, I began to look back through the Old Testament to find the passages.

In Isaiah 1:2–20 - God says over and over "I have had enough... I am not pleased... don't continue to bring me worthless sacrifices... I can't stand your rituals... I hate your offerings." Why did God hate the way they were "doing church"? Because their lives (their walk) did not match their talk. He wanted changed hearts and lives and not just someone going through the motions. Isaiah 58 - God again talks about people who do what they want, whenever they want and then "worship" God "acting" as if they are fair and honest people while the truth is they are unfair, selfish, dishonest, etc.—all things God hates. And God says, "You cannot do these things as you do now and believe your prayers are heard in heaven." This is not what I want. "This is not the way I want people to be sorry for what they have done... I will tell you what I want."

• Free the people you have put in chains
• Be fair
• Be generous
• Be kind
• Stop making trouble
• Stop accusing

THEN—I will accept your offerings and hear you prayers. In Jeremiah 7:1–28 - God tells Jeremiah to stand at the gate of the temple to preach this message: You come through these gates to worship the LORD, but this is what I want, "Change your lives and do what is right... you must change your lives and do what is right." Be fair. Treat others right. Obedience is more that bringing me a sacrifice or an offering. I didn't only give commands about offerings and sacrifices. "I also gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Do all that I command so that good things will happen to you." Obedience is what is important—NOT offerings.

Ezekiel talks about it. Hosea talks about it. Hosea 6:8 - "I want faithful love more that I want animal sacrifices. I want people to know me more than I want burnt offerings." Amos 5 - The LORD calls Israel to repentance. Come to me! Come to me! "You turn justice upside down, and you throw on the ground what is right." You hate truth, you take money to do wrong, and you don't care about justice. And God says, "I completely hate your feasts; I cannot stand your religious meetings. If you offer me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I won't accept them."

There are many, many more references to what God wants recorded by the prophets. He doesn't want our offerings while we continue to pursue our own selfish desires. He wants changed hearts and lives.

I believe Matthew 5:23–24 is a continuation of God's message to His people through the prophets and now through Jesus. Don't bring me an offering while at the same time you are hurting, cheating, stealing, or are in any way trying to harm your brother and sister, because I don't want it, and I won't accept it. Change your hearts and lives; go to them; make it right; and then come and offer your gift.


Next Entry: Matthew 5:1–48 (Continued)

Prepare the Way!!

October 14 - 30, 2015

I am still processing a new thought—Prepare the Way!!  

Here is how it started.

Last Sunday (October 11, 2015), our Pastor spoke about intercessory prayer in the morning and then that evening we went to see the movie "The War Room." Our church rented out the small local theater so the leaders of the church could all go together. I've been processing what we heard both Sunday morning and Sunday evening ever since.

There has been a lot to process.

After the Sunday morning service our Pastor opened up a time of prayer for the eight key outreach ministries of our church. There were large groups gathering in the front of the church for each area. We would have chosen the Honduras group since we were part of a mission group there in 2013. But instead, my husband leaned over to me and said, "I think we need to stay here and pray for ______ (my sister and brother-in-law)," and that is what we did. We once again "stood in the gap" and cried out to God for them to change their hearts and lives.

Sunday evening we went to see "The War Room"; a movie all about the need for intercessory prayer. The movie makes the analogy between the preparations that go on behind the scenes during the time of war and the preparations that should be going on behind the scenes as we Prepare the Way!! for the battles in our lives. There is no way around it. We will ALL face battles in our lives. To be prepared and to Prepare the Way!! we must be in prayer and we must have our own "war room."  John the Baptist came to "prepare the way" for the LORD. We also need to Prepare the Way!! for the LORD in our life situations through prayer. The goal both then (John the Baptist) and now (our prayers) is for people to change their hearts and lives.

I've been convicted that it is time for a change in how I have been praying, specifically for how I have been praying for my sister and brother-in-law. I absolutely believe that the "battle belongs to the LORD" and I have absolute faith in the promises of protection that God has given us. While I certainly pray often about "the storm" and for my sister and brother-in-law, I have for the most part left it (our situation) entirely in His hands which is a good thing to a point. But, in leaving it all in God's hands, I have failed to do all I should be doing to Prepare the Way!! for changed hearts and lives. The battle DOES belong to the LORD. But we are to participate in the preparations. We need to do our part. We are to "prepare the way for the Lord, make the way straight for Him" through prayer.  

Years ago, when this breakdown in our relationship with my sister and brother-in-law and "the storm" began, we strongly felt God gave us a specific prayer to pray for them. I have written it in my journal many, many times. Here is the prayer:

LORD, may _____ (my sister and brother-in-law) understand that without you they are nothing. LORD, may they desire nothing but you.

I still absolutely believe in the value of that prayer. It says it all. But after spending time processing Prepare the Way!! I now realize that for such a time as this I am to be praying more specifically for their changed hearts and lives. Specific actions which would bring about the understanding that without God they are nothing; specific actions which would give them the desire for nothing but God; specific actions for a specific purpose, for them to have an opportunity to change their hearts and lives; which would in turn fulfill the prayer God gave us to pray for them many years ago. 

To Prepare the Way!! does not mean we go to the LORD and tell Him our agendas and what we want Him to do for us. It does mean that we should be praying what I call biblical "whats." II Chronicles 7:14 - "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." To pray biblical "whats" mean you boldly go before the Lord, asking HIM to do what HIS words say and what HE has taught you.  You are asking HIM to do HIS work in your own life and in the lives of those around you. You are not telling Him what you want done to fix your problem and you are not telling Him how HE should do what you are praying. You are instead praying what you have learned from HIS words. To Prepare the Way!! means you are praying for HIS words to be fulfilled. You are praying for HIS will to be done.  

We KNOW that Jesus does not want anyone to be lost, so we KNOW we can pray with confidence for HIM to do a work in our loved ones lives. We can purposely and passionately Prepare the Way!! for the battle of salvation for our loved ones, but we cannot control whether they will choose to "humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways." Even though we have no control over their responses, we can KNOW we have done all we can do to Prepare the Way!! for such a time as this, and we can KNOW that God is faithful and will battle for them. It brings peace and comfort to KNOW that the battle results belong in God's hands.

How to Prepare the Way!!

First and foremost—Praise.

O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is YOUR name in all the earth. YOU have set YOUR glory above the heavens. From the lips of infants and children YOU have ordained praise, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I think about YOUR heavens, the sun and moon YOU have set in place. What is man that YOU are mindful of him? The son of man that YOU care for him. YOU made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. YOU made him ruler over the works of YOUR hands and put everything under his feet. All flocks and herds, all beasts of the air, all birds of the air, all fish of the sea, all that swims the path of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is YOUR name in all the earth. (Psalm 8) PRAISE—is the act of acknowledging who God is; HIS attributes; HIS power; HIS Sovereignty; HIS greatness. It's ALL about HIM!

Pray confession.

Thank you, LORD, for providing YOUR Son for our salvation. I acknowledge that YOU are God—I am not. I invite YOUR Holy Spirit to examine my life. Show me if there is anything in my life that is not pleasing to YOU and I will confess my sins, seek YOUR forgiveness, and surrender my will to YOURS. Speak to me Father and show me YOUR ways that I may walk in them. I want my life to be pleasing to YOU. I surrender my all to YOU. I will trust YOU and follow YOUR path—no matter what. Forgive me for where I have failed. As YOU have forgiven me, help me to also forgive others.

Pray the situation.

LORD, here is the issue. Here is the problem I am facing. Here is what is concerning to me. LORD, without your intervention the situation is hopeless. But with YOU, LORD, ALL things are possible. We put our faith and trust in YOU. We declare YOU as God of our lives. YOU are Sovereign. YOU are our deliverer. YOU are the One who shields our heads in the days of battle. Do not grant the wicked their desires. Do not let their evil plans succeed or they will become even more prideful. (Psalm 140)

Pray people humble themselves.

LORD, I pray for _____. I pray that YOU remove from them anything that is blocking them and keeping them from humbling themselves and surrendering to YOU. Anything, LORD. I pray that if they won't let go of the things they are clinging on to because of their pride, that YOU would force open their clenched fists and pry whatever it is they are holding on to away from them. Break down their self-made strongholds. LORD, it is their only hope. LORD, if they won't let go, then I pray YOU take it from them. "May the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused. May they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pit never to rise. May the slanderers not be established in the land, and may disaster hunt down men of violence." (Psalm 140) LORD, I pray YOU hold them accountable for their actions so they will understand their need to humble themselves before YOU. IF—they humble themselves and let go of their pride, THEN—YOU will be their stronghold, the One they can rely on. 

Pray they seek His face.

LORD, show them their need for YOU and only YOU. May nothing else work for them. No strategies, no schemes, none of "man's" plans. Nothing, LORD. May they search for YOUR truth. May they seek YOUR word. May they come to YOU for their salvation. May they pray and confess their sins and seek forgiveness. LORD, bring people into their lives that would guide them to YOU. IF—they confess their sins, THEN—YOU will forgive them of ALL their trespasses. 

Pray they turn from their wicked ways.

LORD, expose their deceit. For too long they have hid in the dark shadows of lies. May the light of YOUR Truth expose every dark lie that has been hidden in every corner. LORD, they cannot move forward into YOUR salvation while they are still pursuing what YOU call evil. So LORD, I pray YOU expose the ugly truth—all of it—and LORD, I pray they will turn from it. It's their only hope. It's their only hope. IF they humble themselves, and IF—they seek YOUR face, THEN—they can turn from their wicked ways with YOUR help. They can go back to the fork in the road and choose the right path. LORD, I pray for them to change their hearts and lives.

Pray for God to hear your cries for mercy.

LORD, hear our cries for mercy. YOU know we are innocent of all their false accusations. Save us by YOUR great power and YOUR surpassing greatness. May everyone know that it was YOUR power that saved us. You are a God of justice, may YOUR justice prevail. Have mercy LORD, have mercy. Sustain us. Strengthen us. Free us from those who surround us. 

Pray thanksgiving. 

LORD, thank you for YOUR promises. Thank you, for hearing our prayers and our cries for mercy. Thank you, for YOUR forgiveness and YOUR faithfulness. We surrender all to YOU. We are so grateful for YOUR guiding hand in our lives. We are grateful that YOU are a God of Justice and for YOUR surpassing greatness. We trust YOU. We worship YOU.  

Prepare the Way!! God was already teaching us this concept, and to some extent we were already living its principles, but we had not yet grasped the whole picture nor understood the importance of fulfilling our part in specific, daily, earnest, and purposeful prayer. We now have a better understanding of the role we have to pray in order to Prepare the Way!! (I meant to write "play" but I typed "pray" instead—rather appropriate!) Our level of participation needs to increase. It is time for our prayers for my sister and brother-in-law to include passionate specifics.

Psalm 140 is a perfect example of how to pray and Prepare the Way!! It models how to pray with passionate specifics. It is astounding to realize that even though it has been over eight years since Jane (Her Name Was Jane) first told us to read Psalm 140, this special chapter is STILL teaching us today. It clearly gives a step-by-step guide on how to handle anything life may throw at you, how to pray specifics, and how to claim the promises of God.

But! Before we/you pray the example of Psalm 140 we/you MUST remember what MUST come first. Psalm 150—PRAISE. 

PRAISE.

Praise first and foremost, and ALWAYS. It puts everything into proper perspective. Once we have acknowledged WHO God is then we can begin to pray the example of Psalm 140.

Submission to God.   

"Rescue us O LORD... protect us. Keep us O LORD... protect us." The rescuing, protection, and keeping ALL belong to God. We must first recognize that God is God and we are not. It is not our responsibility to try and figure out ways to rescue or protect ourselves. What God wants from us is our obedience and our submission. He wants us to trust Him and to wait on Him. 

Here is the problem.

"Rescue us O LORD from evil men. Protect us from men of violence who devise evil plans in their heart and stir up war every day. They make their tongues as sharp as serpents, the poison of vipers is on their lips. Keep us, O LORD, from the hand of the wicked. Protect us from men of violence. Proud men have hidden a snare for us, they have spread out the cords of their nets along our path." We have to face the truth of our situation and call it what it is. Avoiding the truth or sugar coating it doesn't make it go away or lessen the effects of it. For a while I questioned whether the statement "men of violence" applied to our situation because it seemed like such a strong term. We typically associate violence with something physical. But then I finally understood. Sin and evil behavior is violent and "men of violence" is NOT too descriptive or too strong of a statement. Sin creates upheaval, stress, angst, turbulence, emotional pain, etc. and yes, it creates violence, even if it isn't necessarily physical. The truth is the truth! Call it what it is. Sin is ugly. It produces evil, and it is violent.

Salvation comes from God. 

 "But we say, You are our God. Hear O LORD, our cry for mercy. O Sovereign Lord, our strong Deliverer, who shields our heads in the days of battle." CLAIM IT!! YOU are our God!! It is all about HIM. HE is the One who saves. HE is the One who deliverers. HE is the One who shields. HE is the One who will protect us and free us. Cry out to HIM. Go to HIM for mercy. Claim HIM as your God. If He isn't your God yet, then humble yourself and pray; acknowledge that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided the way and opportunity for your salvation; ask HIM to forgive you of your sins; surrender your life to HIS will; turn from your old ways; and claim HIM as your God. 

Hold them accountable.

"Do not grant the wicked their desires, O Lord. Do not let their plans succeed or they will become proud. Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused. Let burning coals fall on them. May they be thrown into the fire, in to the miry pit never to rise. Let the slanderers not be established in the land. May disaster hunt down men of violence." Expose the deceit and lies. Reveal their motives. Hold them accountable for their own actions. Put them into a position where they cannot save themselves by their own power. It's the only way they will ever realize they need a Savior. It's their only hope.Notice that NONE of the vengeance is our responsibility. There should be NO anger or revenge coming from our hearts. That doesn't mean we want them to get a free pass for their behavior. It does mean that we want them to be held accountable because that is their only hope for salvation. But it also means that we understand that accountability has to come from GOD. Vengeance is HIS, not ours.  

The LORD—HE is the One.

"I know the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise HIS name and the upright will live before you." I KNOW!! What peace; what strength; what joy; what contentment; what assurance comes with just those two words. I KNOW!! God is in control. HE secures. HE upholds. The LORD—HE is the One. It is ALL about HIM! Our faith is in HIM. There is life in HIM. We praise HIM. There will never be enough human words to adequately praise HIS name. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is YOUR name in all the earth. 

When you Prepare the Way!! you will find it changes YOU first. Prayer is often for the pray-er of the prayer. If we are going to Prepare the Way!! through prayer, then we have to first make sure we are living our own life in obedience to His Word and are living our own life surrendered to the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is only then that we can begin to Prepare the Way!! for changed hearts and lives in our loved ones and others.  

To Prepare the Way!! for changed hearts and lives we MUST be practicing purposeful prayer. When we Prepare the Way!! through prayer, we also Prepare the Way!! to receive HIS blessings in our lives. It is a two way street. We get to watch and witness the Hand of God working in our own lives and in the lives of others. What a gift. What a blessing. What a responsibility.   

PREPARE THE WAY!!

Addendum: 8/3/2017 ~ We have added a new Prepare the Way!! to our prayers. We are asking the Lord to Prepare the Way!! for this journal/blog—Walking on His Footpath (Following the Master's Lead) and the blog chronicling the story of Jane—Walking By Faith: A True Story of God's Faithfulness to be made public. As far as I know, I have almost finished everything I believe God has asked me to do. My journals and our story has been written and Jane's story is almost finished. It is HIS story. While the lawsuit is still in the court system HIS story cannot be released. So, we are praying that God "Prepare the Way" for HIS story to be shared.

LORD, we are not the victims of a lawsuit, we are the recipients of a Blessed Event. Thank you for taking what was meant for our harm and giving us a story to tell of YOUR faithfulness. LORD, we ask that you Prepare the Way!! for YOUR story to go out. May the story of YOUR great love and faithfulness encourage others and bring many people to YOUR Kingdom. Thank you, LORD.

Prepare the way, LORD. Prepare the Way!! 


Next Entry: Matthew 4:1–25