Gold - Week of August 31st 2010

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil, For who is able to judge this great people of Yours? The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

1 Kings 3:5,8-10

Did I not promise in My Word to grant Wisdom to anyone who would ask (James 1:5). Today within My Body, what is so lacking and so needed is My Wisdom. Often My people are doing things based on the world’s way. My Wisdom will always and forever surpass anything the world has to offer. Mixing worldly Wisdom with My Wisdom is not acceptable to Me, either. My Wisdom is the only Wisdom that will stand the test of time and deliver you unharmed. My Wisdom is like precious gold and the value to the church today surpasses the greatest amounts of gold. The one who holds My Wisdom has all he or she needs to whether anything that comes. Wisdom will serve you when everyone around you is in mass confusion. Wisdom is the last place people look today, yet, it is the first line of defense. Seek My Wisdom, I will always grant it. You choose whether you will accept that Wisdom or not.

Choose Me choose My Wisdom!

Reconciling the Law with Obedient Discipline - Week of August 24th 2010

Reconciling the Law with Obedient Discipline

            A dear friend brought to mind this week the daunting task of reconciling the law, while living under grace, with our need for obedient discipline to our Master.  What a tightrope walk that can be at times for the all of us from the babe in Christ to the most mature saint.  Yet, one nevertheless which has to be taken on if we are to fully live, as Christ desires us to and steer clear of turbulence.  As my friend expressed, so many people just do not get this concept.  It has taken me a very long time not only to get this concept, but even longer to start allowing it to be a very real aspect of my life. 

            The law can be harmful if we approach it as a master and not a tool to show us our own inability.  The law was meant to lead us to our need of Christ not make us feel condemned.  Once we realize we cannot live up to the law and that we need Christ, the law’s purpose for our lives has been fulfilled.  Once we have met Christ at the foot of the cross the law dies but grace gives birth to a responsibility to be obedient to Christ. 

            It is this responsibility to be obedient to Christ, our Lord, Master and Savior that people confuse with living a law driven life.  They wrestle with themselves in knowing whether they are: (a) truly driven by love for Jesus and therefore, have an overwhelming desire to be obedient and to do all that He would have them do or (b) being what one might consider legalist.  This struggle can result in much misunderstanding on the part of others, when they are viewing your lifestyle from afar, or much stumbling and backsliding, if you do not have confidence in what is driving your disciplined lifestyle. 

            Each person must personally go before the Lord to determine his or her dos and don’ts in life.  God has a different plan for each person and though some acts are clearly sin for all, others acts would be considered personal sins based on God’s specific plan for that person. Since to go against anything God wants personally for an individual is considered sin.  Therefore, keep in mind what one can do another cannot do, necessarily.  If they do...they may not be a grace abuser and if they do not do...they may not be attempting to live under the law. Without grace, there will be no desire and without discipline, there will be no results.  

            The law or a legalistic attitude will stir up the desire for sin.  Nevertheless, a person must still follow God’s instructions for cleaning up, and clean out, their lives; otherwise, their faith and spirituality will never affect their or other’s lives a great deal.  The old nature must die and give way to the new nature.  Our focus should be on what God wants for our lives and what God wants us to be.  When Jesus is sought, He will show an individual what alterations need to be made to their lives so that they might bring Him more glory.  On this, He will never leave us without an answer.

God spoke something about this to me just a few days ago.  “You give into your habits not your desires. The things you want on the surface are your habits. The things you want deep within are your desires.”

Service - Week of August 17th 2010

Service

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

My people who have received My inheritance in their earthly life willingly serve for the purpose of serving Me. Those who have not experienced My inheritance in their earthly life serve man; seeking, seeking, seeking something man cannot give them. To serve Me for the purpose of simply serving Me is to love Me and to know Me. To know the One with all the riches ready for distribution. Every day and with every act of service, My people choose whom they will serve. One day it may be Me and one day it may be man. Those who need not be seen, heard or known serve Me – quietly, silently, lovingly and patiently knowing that I will reward their efforts on My behalf, they need not depend upon or look upon man to give them anything. For they have come to a place where they know man has nothing of eternal value, by way of reward, to offer. Serve Me quietly and secretively or boldly and obviously but serve Me because you love Me. Don’t ever serve Me for a reward; serve Me for the same reason I served you with My death – LOVE! The only real hero’s have so much love for Me and others that they cannot help but serve to the point of death if required and reward is the least of their concerns. Yet, those will be the ones with the greatest rewards heaped upon them on earth and in eternity with Me. Would you like My rewards or the rewards of man?

Time - Week of August 10th 2010

TIME

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Mark 1:35 (The He that is being referred to is Jesus.)

Why My children do you, think I took time to go somewhere, where I could be alone and pray?  The flesh part of Me needed to submit and commune with the Father.  I was God, I was Son and I was man.  The man needed the Father.  I also slept, ate, rested and had fellowship.  Yes, I could have been incarnated in such a way as to not require these things but I needed to be man.  I needed to be flesh.  I needed you too understand, that I do understand you and your human needs.  One of your most basic human needs is time in SOLITUDE with Me. Your Spirit, mind and body need this on a regular basis.  It was never intended to be a “must do” it was designed to be a treat a “wanna do”.  For those who have experienced this on a regular basis and then experienced not having it they understand the need for it, the blessing of it, the privilege of it and the must have of it.  People must not think of it as something they do for Me – it is I, who do for them during these moments in time.  Giving Me your time makes you more effective and if you are more effective, you don’t need as much time to get the same amount of things done.  So you cannot tell Me you don’t have time!  If I had time, with only few years on earth to accomplish an eternity of work, you have time. 

Doors - Week of August 3rd 2010

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Revelation 3:20

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

John 8:36

There are so many things, My children that are hindering you; that daily you struggle with to overcome. A struggle that wears out the brightest minds and the strongest bodies. Why must one struggle so – why the unwillingness to submit? Submit to Me, to what is required, to My Will, to My Ways and Principles. A struggle that keeps you bound in chains the Enemy is all too happy to help you make. Yet, it is My constant desire to see My children free. There are many levels of freedom. How much freedom do you My child want? Your freedom must come through Me, through My Ways not the worlds and not your own very good, well-intended ideas. Only My Way makes you free indeed. All other look-alike freedoms are only temporary and lack any depth. I have a freedom that will reign in your life forever and forever, if you will allow it. My people know I stand at the hearts door of each lost person waiting to come in and offer them the greatest gift and the most wonderful freedom of all time from now throughout eternity. But what about all the other doors? Each one of My Own are temples, houses of Myself, The Living God, inside there are many rooms and those rooms have many, many doors by which to enter. I stand at each of those doors desiring to enter and too clear out the clutter and garbage that is within each room. But so often, I am left standing and knocking and knocking and knocking until the blood drips from My knuckles – from My hands. Can’t you see My knuckles – My hands My child? Can’t you see how much I want to come in and clean up your room? I want to set you free, please, I am standing at the door knocking, the blood that will cover it all and make it all clean again dripping from My hands. LET ME IN!!!