Waves of Majesty

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Waves of Majesty

Gazing on the Splendor You have placed before me.
Captured by the churning power, my eyes delight.
How can one doubt Your existence?
Your Presence weighs heavy .

You have set the boundaries on this forceful body.
You alone coax these waters…
Waves leaping, waters dancing,
Your breath stirs them and they respond joyfully!

Each creature within it’s depths there at Your request,
By Your design and desire.
How amazing Lord is Your creation.
How awesome are You, it’s Creator!

A glimpse of the power amassing before me;
A mere foreshadowing of Your true greatness.
An exhibition of Your magnificence,
Only a tiny example of Your Power, Your Might!

You surround us with Your beauty and favor.
Entice us with Your majesty and goodness.
Bidding us to come, quiet ourselves,
Be lavished by Your  Presence.

Will we be persuaded?
Heed Your soft persistent call?
Wisdom to seek Your refuge;
And joy, peace and love behold.

Adonna Smith

Let the loyal followers of the Lord say, “Yes, his loyal love endures!” In my distress I cried out to the Lord. The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. The Lord is on my side, I am not afraid! What can people do to me? It is better to take shelter in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take shelter in the Lord than to trust in princes. The Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.” They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. The Lord ’s right hand conquers, the Lord ’s right hand gives victory, the Lord ’s right hand conquers. I will not die, but live, and I will proclaim what the Lord has done. I will give you thanks, for you answered me, and have become my deliverer. The stone which the builders discarded has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord ’s work. We consider it amazing! This is the day the Lord has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it. (Psalms 118:4-6, 8, 9, 14-17, 21-24 NET)

Grace

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Praise the Lord, O my soul!
With all that is within me, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Do not forget all his kind deeds!
He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,
Psalm 103: 1-3

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Yes, Bless The Lord oh my soul! What an amazing display of Your glory are the sights and sounds I am blessedly surrounded with this morning! A stunning example of Your goodness, kindness, faithfulness is rolled out like a red carpet before me, my spirit leaps and my heart magnifies You, oh my Lord!!

Oh how great are you Lord, there is none other like You! Your creation cries out at Your great majesty as I meet with You here this morning. Rushing waters, waves crashing declare Your Glory! Palm fronds flutter in Your presence as the palm stands at attention before You, arms raised high. Birds flock to the sky to sing Your praises. The flowering trees wave their hallelujahs to the Most High God, welcoming Your presence in their midst. The sound of lapping waters, crashing waves dim in comparison to You. At Your command the sun begins it’s daily ascent rising over the waters leaving a trail reflecting Your Glory dancing toward me on the sea as it reaches for new heights. Gentle waves advance toward me. They break forth in a crashing song, then quietly receded in awe of Your Splendour.
Sea grass stretch toward You in the warmth of a new day, celebrating. In the distance, playful dolphin leaping for joy at the wonder of You.

Yes, let all that is within me join with creation, praising Your Holiness; let my soul magnify You and bless Your holy Name. My hearts cry. “There is NO other like You” !! Living waters dance jubilantly, fluffy clouds in their sweet worship gently sway to Your beautiful melody. In response, a lone sea gull stands at attention facing sunward, lifting its head to Your dwelling place in awe and wonder! Those made in Your image stand in utter amazement in the beauty of the ever changing canvas as You paint this new day, basking in Your great creativity; enjoying the echoes of You personally singing over our lives; watching an ever changing slide show of Your faithfulness, mercy, and love. This is grace! Continual glimpses of Your goodness, Your beauty. How can we not worship? How can we not Magnify Your name?

Praise the Lord, O my soul!
With all that is within me, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Identity

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What exactly is identity?  According to freedictionary.com, it is the collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is recognized or known; a set of behaviors or characteristics that makes one recognized as a member of a group; a distinct personality of an individual ; the quality or condition of being the same as something else. The other dictionaries had pretty similar definitions.
Those who are reading this for example would all fit into the category identified as human because we meet certain similar criteria. Some of us female, others male as defined by certain characteristics. Because every human is conceived and born of a mother and a father, we are classified as either son or daughter according to our gender regardless of their continued presence in our lives. Further, each of us can also be classified as individuals because every one of us is unique and different. Even in a family unit where there are great similarities, there are also distinct differences that make us uniquely who we are. We are shaped and influenced  by our genetics, by our environment, by our education, our relatives and friends, by our experiences in life and by our beliefs.
When we take on certain titles or positions we also adapt and our identity is influenced by this new aspect in our life. For example, when we become a Christian, a Christ-follower if you will there is a shift in our belief system. With that shift begins a remarkable shift in our identity, however how much of that shift is actually realized in our lives is up to us.
Many of us are introduced to the person of God through fear of punishment and see Him as just waiting and watching in the big unknown to catch us misbehaving or doing something He doesn’t approve of us doing. Most of us are not introduced first to Him as the Self-Existent Creator of life; or as a great and wonderful Creator and Artist that placed the stars above and the earth below. Is our first experience in knowing of God that He spoke and hundreds of thousands of species from the smallest microscopic cell or germ to the grandest majestic mountain was formed? Sadly, not generally is this ever instilled in us as our first impression. Yet, is it easier to believe that everything we see all around us just happened, sprung up from nothing? I personally find that difficult to believe, it is much easier for me to believe
God spoke it into being and when it was done, he lovingly created man to share the great beauty with then seeing man without anyone like him decided to form woman as a companion to man.
Having said this, I often wonder why most of us are introduced first to God as a heavy handed Father just waiting for us to mess up. Why this view of God is the most prevalent has puzzled me for a long time. I am sure there are many theories we could come up with but rather than speculate endlessly, I would like to continue to look at discovering a more accurate and diverse concept of the character of  the God I love and serve. Those possibilities are endless for He is infinite! Though I have spent my lifetime in this pursuit, I have but yet to barely scratch the surface! This I do know, when the Word of God speaks of fear of The Lord, it means a healthy respect; honor; reverence; and yes it also implies obedience.
Obedience, there is a word that throws up defences and rattles us. Have you ever noticed even with a young child just beginning to crawl the independent spirit begins to arise. It gradually intensifies as they become proficient at crawling. They want to go where they want to go and do not enjoy us setting boundaries or redirecting them from obstacles that might be harmful. Then as they grow stronger and begin to walk, it’s on!  Every step of our growth in childhood makes us more and more independent. Nevertheless, we must have boundaries and if we are blessed as we grow more, we learn to impose healthy boundaries for ourselves, not only for our protection but to keep us in line and respectful of those all around us.  I personally believe in hindsight that this is the ideal way to parent and it is how our loving Heavenly Father has designed in His Word that we grow and mature in our lives. It involves moving from dependence on our parents, growing into a place we can be interdependent.  As we mature, we strive to reach a place that we are able to take care of ourselves. Is that fully reaching the goal? Being independent? I believe not. I am convinced the goal of a mature life is interdependence.  There are seasons in our life like childhood, and in times of illness when we are completely dependant on someone. Most of our lives are spent in various states of interdependence but never have I met one who is truly independent or in other words does not need anyone for anything.  That concept is a mirage, it is not possible.
Just as we want to love and protect our little one as they grow and mature into childhood, adolescence and adulthood, our Heavenly Father who loving created each of us desires that and more for His children! The biggest difference is His ways are higher than ours as are His thoughts. He sees the bigger picture and all the possible outcomes if He doesn’t limit or guide us through life by setting standards and boundaries. Here is a practical example: how many children have at some point taken off running paying no attention where they were headed? As a parent or adult in charge, you know the danger of them running out into the street and getting hit by a vehicle weighting anywhere from a thousand pounds up to tens of thousands of pounds of metal, as an adult you see the hidden dangers of them running and falling into a pool resulting at worst in drowning because they can’t swim or even getting just a bit farther away and finding themselves lost in a crowd or kidnapped by a stranger.  The one under our care sees us as limiting their fun, controlling them and keeping them from enjoying life.  Interestingly, not so different from how many of us see God.
Sounds so simple and easy, of course we who are responsible and love our children are going to set rules and boundaries for their safety because we are responsible for them at a minimum until they can take full responsibility for themselves. It would be at the least negligent and unloving not to have their best interests, protection and well being at heart. May I just suggest here, it is no different where God is concerned!
Today on what would have been my Dad’s 79th birthday, I dedicate this to my parents.  Happy Birthday Dad! So grateful for all you and Mom taught me and more so each year I walk this planet without the two of you!! How great to have the assurance of being together again one day and telling you both this in person!  I truly know you love me and  always wanted what was best for me!

Who Influences How You Think About Who You Are?

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Good morning.  Sometimes a word, phrase or a single thought will come to my mind and it will grab my attention, today it was a question. As I was in the Word reading, I believe I heard the question: What do you believe about who you are? For the past number of years, and I am not really sure how many, my Heavenly Father has had me on a journey teaching me about who we are in Christ but the last few months the pace seems to have accelerated in my lesson times.
The last few days I have been reading in Hebrews which is rich in what it says about who we are and who our Saviour is. Today, I’ll stick with the thought, Who do you believe you are?  in relationship to who God says we are in Christ.
In Psalm 8 and repeated in Hebrews 2 the question is asked, “What is man that you think of him or the son of man that you care for him?”  Next flows the answer, “You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. (Hebrews 2:7, 8 HCSB)
So do we believe that our God, our perfect Heavenly Father created us a little lower than the angels?, that He crowned us with glory and honor and subjected or placed everything under our feet? Even if at some level we do believe this, the verse goes on to say: “as it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him.” This means that even if we believe it on the surface, we are not walking there in our lives.  Why? Most of us, myself included, only scratch the surface of knowing who God says we are in His Word. I believe if we really understood the greatness of God’s love and what He says about us as His children and His heirs we would be astounded. We would be completed stunned to see how great is His love for us and how much He longs for not only a personal relationship with each of us but for a deeply intimate relationship.
By this I simply mean a relationship where we know and understand Him on a level that is deep and abiding, because He already knows us on such a level and already loves us more deeply than we can comprehend. Relationships are much better when they are mutual and when both persons are equally engaged with one another. Though it is not something we can likely attain in our relationship with God because His thoughts and ways are higher than ours; it is certainly something we can reach for in our relationship with Him.
Now, getting back to the question that was given me this morning, I would like to begin with a scripture that is very dear to my heart. It literally changed my way of thinking when I first discovered it many years ago.
“My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began. God, how difficult Your thoughts are for me to comprehend; how vast their sum is! If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with You”. (Psalms 139:15-18 HCSB)
For deeper understanding, you might go back and begin at the first verse and read through this passage, but this is in a nutshell what I began to realize:  God not only knew when I was conceived and knew every detail of my formation before I was born, every single day of my life was known by Him before even one came to be! How incredible! God knew every day of my life before any came to pass;  He knew every good thing I would do and even more staggering, He knew every mistake I would ever make. He knew every sin, every misstep and He still created me, He still wanted and accepted me.  He made provision through His own Son, Jesus for redemption, reconciliation and relationship with Him because He understood my humanity. It was still His desire to be in a loving relationship with me and it is also His desire for you, my friend!!!
Jeremiah 1:4-5 says, “The word of the Lord came to me: I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Here God is speaking to Jeremiah but His Word also tells us He does not believe in favouritism in James chapter two.  Our God designed us each and every one uniquely and with a purpose and destiny to fulfill just as He did with Jeremiah.   It brings great pleasure to Him when we choose to be in relationship with Him, to offer of ourselves: our time, our talents and our gifts back to Him. His Word says He delights in us and sings overs us. Imagine, pause and reflect on the Creator of all the universe taking time and just delighting in you, singing over you…
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing. Amplified Bible
It is my hope this blesses you, whether it is the first time you have heard it or it is just a reminder.  I would like to leave you with this proclamation from Him. Yes it applies because though it was spoken over Israel, our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Word also proclaims in Christ we are the seed of Abraham (Israel) .
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3b
Coming soon- More about Who He Says We Are

Circumstances, Grace, and Gratitude

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How fascinating when several avenues in our life converge and it results in a new understanding of who we are or of who we are meant to be, when they come together and totally change our perspective or our trajectory. Lately, I have been emerged in a study of Gideon, a Biblical hero of faith listed in the book of Hebrews. He did not start out that way! When first mentioned in Judges, he is hiding in a wine press threshing wheat. This is a very unconventional place to thresh wheat but Gideon is hiding in order to protect the wheat from the enemy who is oppressing his people. Meanwhile he is visited by an angel of The Lord with this message, “the Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” From our perspective, Gideon is fearful and hiding; from God‘s perspective he is declared a mighty warrior (Judges 6:11-12); and finally from Gideon’s perspective he is the weakest and the youngest (verse15). Whether we like it or not so is our lives. People see us from one perspective, we see ourselves from another, yet God sees us beyond those perspectives. He sees us for who we are, who He created us to be, and our unlimited potential in Him.

I don’t know about you but I am not that different from Gideon. I tend to be hard on myself and to be insecure, though some have said they see me as confident and strong, I rarely qualify. They only see the outside, my actions and have no idea what is in my heart unless I share it. Again, from God’s perspective, He sees the real me, the good, the bad, and the ugly. He also knows the destiny He created me for and the potential that I have, especially if I walk with Him. He has a plan and purpose for us; he also allows us free will to choose what path we will take.

Imagine our lives as series of roads, for this purpose we will picture if we can three roads. One is a beautiful road with flat places shaded by the covering of pretty trees at times, further along it meets with fields of flowers, rolling hills, and even the rougher terrain along the way is beautiful and pleasing to the eye.  We will call it God’s Grace. The next road is direct and straight for a long-span, it divides and goes different directions at a certain point and from there tends to meander and wind at times. It’s name is Circumstance. The last road is a perimeter like roadway, each of the other roads intersect with this road at some point and this road ALWAYS circles back to God’s Grace. This road is called Gratitude. All of these roads intersect each other at different places and each has an impact on the other.

Our lives are often lived in our circumstances. We are walking or driving along straight and smooth, something happens, a bump in the road, a sickness, or a tragedy and we are at a fork in the road. Which way will we choose to go? Will we go with the west fork or the east fork? For those of us who know God and have trusted Jesus, will we trust His promises? Will we see His grace and allow it to take us to gratitude? Will we take a turn on gratitude, knowing He is good and trust Him until we reach the path of God’s Grace. Will we possibly take the more winding path of West Circumstance taking the long way to God’s Grace and eventually finding our way to Gratitude. There is also the option of just staying on the road of our circumstance, east or west and continuing on their long paths and totally miss God’s Grace and Gratitude.

For me, I have chosen different options including the absolute longest roads back to His grace and to gratitude in a few cases. Trust me that one is not a healthy one!  After many trials and troubles and tragedies  it is my desire to take the shortest, straightest route to see Him bring grace and glory from both the good circumstances and the bad. Do I want difficult circumstances? Are you kidding me, no! Can I give thanks in a hard time? Maybe, maybe not. Can I believe that despite tragedy God is always good? Yes, He has proved it again and again. Can I believe He can take the worst circumstance and bring something good from it or despite of it? Yes, I have seen it and personally experienced it.  I write this today with a broken heart. Our small town has experienced tragedy today. While I was writing this, a wonderful man, a friend that owns our local jewelry store was viciously gunned down as four males decided that their desires and wealth or lack of was more valuable than his life. Three of them are on the loose. Tragedy!!! Heartbreak!!! Be assured, this does not change God’s Goodness!! This is a product of a fallen world and a culture that has come to value things and use people, a culture where wrong is accepted as right and right is judged as wrong. We can not blame God for these things when we are the ones who choose our own paths! We can strive to make good and right choices and teach others within our influence to do likewise.
I am not an artist, but they might look like this:

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An Advance Not a Retreat

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This past week, I was blessed to attend the SHINE Conference at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida with three dear friends and about 42 other beautiful ladies from our church that I also call friends! It was simply amazing. The first image I notice as I enter the building is a beautiful life-size wedding dress that you would never suspect from a few feet away was made of paper and decorated with a trail of paper flowers cascading down the front. The next sight was a huge cloud structure hanging from the high ceiling and suspeded from those clouds were letters dangling at different lengths. One of the letters caught my eye! It said, “Do you not know, I have loved you with an everlasting love!” This is based on the scripture in Jeremiah 31, ” 2 This is what the Lord says:“The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.” 3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.4 I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful.”  I took this very personally, you see, there were no less than twenty letters hanging down from this cloud but my eyes were drawn to and captivated by this one alone! I was soon to see the theme of the Conference was Wonder, what a way to begin on this journey!  Now, looking back, I know that the Lord was preparing my heart for what would be to come!

One of my first take away’s as Session One began was: “Don’t let the mundane get in the way of the magnificent; and Don’t let the magnificent become mundane!”  How appropriated to start of with a directive not to let the wonder and magnificence of God’s touching my heart through the simplicity of the beautiful decorations; a reminder that we are the Bride of Christ, precious in His sight and in the sight of Father God, slip away!! He sings over each of His Beloved.

 Zephaniah 3 (GW)  ‘17 The Lord your God is with you. He is a hero who saves you. He happily rejoices over you,renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy.”  
Some translations use, “He sings over you.”
 Oh what freedom and joy we would know if we would just step into His Word seeking to learn all about His character and to fully know how much He loves us and who we are and who we can become in Him! What a difference it would make in our lives to fully realize that we are  adopted by God, daughters of God; betrothed to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as part of the Bride of Christ (His Church)!  Is it possible to truly grasp He really does love us with an everlasting love? That He calls us His beloved? Perhaps He even calls us ‘My Princess’? Imagine for a moment, if you dare that right this minute He is with you; your hero coming to rescue and save you; that He is rejoicing over you with singing; renewing you with His love and celebrating over you with shouts of joy! Can you imagine just how much that one verse could change our lives? He really does love us and His plans for us are for good, are you game to find out what His Word says about how precious you are in His sight? I promise it will be the adventure of a life time!!
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He who observes the Wind

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He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God, Who does all. In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hands, for you know not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. (Ecclesiastes 11:4-7 AMP)

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After an incredible road trip filled with fun and laughter and only a few hours sleep, I awoke to the soft chime of my alarm. I then did something that I have not done in a while…I was responsible to wake up the other ladies so that we could enjoy a beautiful sunrise. What a beautiful reminder of how great our God is!! Above verse 5 says, “As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God,” I began to ponder the works of God all around us as we watched the sun peak over the horizon and bring warmth to our hearts and our bodies.

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We followed the beautiful adventure with with an early breakfast, followed by an amazing walk on the shore. I was completely stunned by the incomparable beauty surrounding us, by the great complexity of God’s creation all around us, and yet also by it’s surreal simplicity. All around us, creation was doing exactly what the Creator had purposeed! Nothing more and nothing less. What a wonderful lesson we humans can learn from such an observance.
  • What if we uncomplicated our lives by seeking out what our Creator’s purpose for us is?
  • What if we choose to Love God, love people, and seek that purpose and only that purpose?
  • What if we lay down our comparison of ourselves to others and quit striving and simply did what we were created to do?
  • How about we reflect on our expectations of others and their expectations of us and got rid of the unreasonable ones so that we could just our true selves?

Would this simplify our lives, decrease our stress, increase joy and happiness in our lives? I am betting the answer is unequivocally yes!! How much different life would be if we simply did just what we were created to do? Maybe you are already there but today I realized I am not. Can we take some time to realize we are not human doings but human beings? Today, I am taking time out by the pool, enjoying the shade and resting in Him, reflecting on who I am in Christ Jesus and being content to just be. No unreasonable expectations, no pressures, just resting in being His creation.

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Passionate Plea

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Have you ever been at a place that something was pressing so hard on the inside of you that  you just had to get it out either by talking about it or writing about it and you felt you would explode if you didn”t??  This is where I am today! For a little back ground, a few weeks ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to hear a survivor of the Holocaust. As he shared his horrific experiences and those of his loved ones, each time he would ask, “Could you forgive?” For about two hours he spoke of atrocity after atrocity and it was painful to hear how they had suffered and that was only a fraction of a percent compared to the his suffering, and that of his family, and his friends! His was a message of forgiveness from start to finish! Don’t get me wrong, he shared his anger, frustration, fear, torture but the solid thread flowing through his testimony was forgiveness and that we have to forgive in order to live freely. You see, unforgiveness makes us slave to the one we refuse to forgive, but that is a topic for another day. Next, the Holy Spirit began impressing us  that we were to share this fellow’s experiences and theme of forgiveness at a Bible Study we were to substitute teach in two days. We knew we had to be obedient but it took a little time to line up because there were a couple of people who bring their children and the youngest is about eight. The decision was made and the parents were informed on the topic and approved.  This all took place on the actual day of Yom Hashoah  (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and the days following.

The questions that arose from studying and sharing this that Tuesday evening turned a childhood spark into a flame. I had always heard that there were Christians that blamed the  Jewish people for the death of Christ. I never understood this thought pattern. You see since I was a child I have been a student of the Word of God.  I am not a theology student and I have no “formal” training in the Word. I do believe that God will enable us despite lack of formal training to understand  the Word because John 14 it tells us:

John 14:25-26  (HCSB)   “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

Long story short, I began to do more research on the holocaust and the history of the church, how and if the church was a catalyst in some cases that fanned the flames of those who were propagating the evil atrocities that occurred. What I continue to read has sparked a passionate plea!  Christians, please read the Word of God for yourself! Know what it says, pray for understanding, find a reliable translation and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into wisdom and understanding. Yes, even and especially the Old Testament. When we don’t know our roots and our history, we are targets for deception and being lead astray from the truth. When that happens we can fall into false thinking which can lead us do things we might have thought at one time we were not capable of doing and rationalize our actions based on a false belief!

When we as Christians become students of the Word, we are arming ourselves against deception. Throughout the Bible it was prophesied that Jesus would come born of a Virgin  and that He would suffer, die, and be raised to life. A look at Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, to name just two tell us this. We are told that before the foundation of the world, Christ is the Lamb that was slain. This was God’s plan long before it happened.  Jesus was born and raised Jewish.  It was not the Jewish people who were responsible for His arrest, His beatings and His death. A quick look at John tells us it was certain Jewish rulers that plotted His capture and demise and it was planned under the cover of darkness.

John 18:13 And they brought Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year.14 It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was expedient and for their welfare that one man should die for (instead of, in behalf of) the people.

24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium (judgment hall, governor’s palace). And it was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled (become ceremonially unclean), but might be fit to eat the Passover [supper]. 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this Man?30 They retorted, If  He were not an evildoer (criminal), we would not have handed Him over to you.

John 19:4 Then Pilate went out again and said to them, See, I bring Him out to you, so that you may know that I find no fault (crime, cause for accusation) in Him.

6 When the chief priests and attendants (guards) saw Him, they cried out, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no fault (crime) in Him.7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to that law He should die, because He has claimed and made Himself out to be the Son of God. (note this is referring back to the chief priests and guards who had brought Him)

Based on scripture, history and archeological findings, it is a pretty sure thing that it was  a select group of leaders and their guards/servants that are responsible for the death sentence given Jesus and knowing the prophecy it was accomplishing God’s plan that was from the beginning. Jesus was welcomed warmly when He entered Jerusalem with large numbers of people waving palms and celebrating. It was not they who turned on Him and cried “crucify” in the darkness of early morning! It was those who were threatened by their fear of loss of power, prestige and wealth. I understood this even as a youth based on the Word. It was only in the last ten years that I found that this was by the other historical and archeological findings.

The lesson here is when we don’t learn for ourselves, it is easy to be deceived. When we are deceived, we don’t generally know we are deceived and we act with great confidence fully believing that we are acting in an appropriate way. We have a tendency to become an impulsive people rather than  reflective, perhaps before acting rashly we should slow ourselves down; begin asking ourselves some questions;  listen to the answers; and for the “still small voice” to reveal:

  • What is really going on?
  • Am I missing something?
  • Why do I feel so strongly about this? whether it is anger, hurt, frustration, confusion.
  • What is the heart of those involved?
  • Am I being deceived?
  • Am I being defensive and if so why?
  • What does the Word say about this type situation? Though listed last, it is perhaps the most important question we can ask!

Ephesians 6:11-13 says:  11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tacticsof the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.

Last night our pastor reminded us of 1 Peter 5″:8 Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour”.  His next words were priceless, he said: “Notice is says as a lion or like a lion; Satan is a poser! He comes to steal kill and destroy posed as a lion, but Jesus came to give us abundant, rich and satisfying life. John 10:10”

Jesus, the Lion of Judah, is the real deal. He is not a poser and He came not only to save us from ourselves and our sin but He came to give  us new life, freedom, deliverance; life better than we could ever imagine.  Reading, understanding, and seeking to follow His Word is paramount in seeing this to come to fruition in our lives!!

Reminder to Remember

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Following up on yesterday’s post, sometimes we need reminders to remember. Yesterday we explored a little history as the Hebrew people were rescued from their bondage in Egypt by the mighty and outstretched hand of God. God had moved mightily on their behalf. He not only  rescued them from their enslavement, but He also delivered  them from their enemy as the Egyptians and Pharaoh pursued them in their escape.  God parted the sea, His people escaped on dry ground and the sea swallowed up their enemy before they were able to catch up with God’s people! Things were looking up but one thing is sure. In this world we will have difficulties, trials and testing. The next forty years were just that for the Hebrew people. They would wander in the wilderness for 40 years to reach the Promised Land which by direct route was only an eleven day journey.

So, why the extended travel time for such a short trip?  I will let you read the story or travel notes yourself. I suspect from reading the stories and from putting together sermons I have heard, studies I have done, that the people were not so different from you or me. God has a purpose and plan for all of us and it is usually far better than anything we can even imagine. However, just like a baby is ill-equipped at birth to become an adult right away, we as believers are also not ready to immediately step into all God has planned for us.  As you are probably aware, there was an attempt at entering the promised land before the 40 year mark. Ten spies were sent in to scope out the land. They went in, explored, and even brought back produce from the land. The Promised Land was confirmed to be a beautiful land flowing with milk and honey, yet despite what they found eight of the ten spies had a negative report. Only Joshua and Caleb came back with the attitude that we are well able to take the land. They were the only of the spies that were certain that with God’s promise and outstretched arm and mighty hand this could be done. The opinion of the eight won out and the wandering continued. By the end of forty years most of those who had doubted and forgotten what God had already had done for them had died. Many could not see past their doubts and remember how God had delivered them. Many could not remember that God had provided food for their hunger, water for their thirst, that He prevented their clothing and shoes from wearing out during those years.

At last, in the book of Joshua we can read the account of Israel finally going into the Promised Land. They are told that God is among them and He will dispossess the inhabitants of the land. The priest will go first and enter the Jordan River, the waters will be cut off and held back despite it being at flood stage. The priests carrying the ark stood firmly on dry ground as the entire nation crossed. Once the people were across, Joshua sent twelve men, one from each tribe back to remove twelve stones to set up where they would camp that night as a memorial to what God had done. Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan  and placed them where the priests were standing as a memorial. Once this was accomplished the priests finished crossing and when they stepped out of the Jordan River, it resumed its course. That night they camped at Gilgal and set up the other twelve stones as a reminder to remember and to tell their children what they had experienced, what God had done for them and to teach them about the Lord’s mighty hand so they would reverence their God.

Just as Israel need to be reminded to remember, we also need to remember. When distractions and trials come into our life, when difficulty is here and it is hard to see past the immediate demands of our circumstances, we need to remember, turn to God remembering all He has seen us through. We need to remember His great love and His faithfulness and believe beyond human reason that He will once again act on our behalf and see us through whatever is the current circumstance or difficulty we face.  In order to do this, we must know what the Word says; we must have some grasp of His Word and His promises; and above all we must exercise our faith. The more we exercise faith the more faith grows in our life.

Remembrance

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The last few days I have been doing some thinking. Several questions began to go through my mind. So today I am taking a few minutes to find at least a few answers. Most of us clearly remember 9-11 and the terrible tragedy of that day. Many of us can still see those images in our minds eye if we allow ourselves to really think about that day and most can tell you exactly what we were doing when the towers collapsed, the Pentagon was hit and the last plane was crashed.

So, my first question was how important is it that we take time and choose to remember the events in our lives. I began by looking up the word remember in the Bible. According to http://www.christianbiblereference.org the Bible contains between 148 and 168 references to the word remember depending on what translation/version  that you are using. According to http://www.sermoncentral.com, Pastor Toby Powers stated that in the KJV there are 320 references to the word remember in some tense or form throughout the Bible.

How important is it to remember? One quote I found is:

“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”
― Edmund Burke

It would seem that this lines up with what God tried to teach us from the earliest of times. The first mention of remember that I found in the Bible was Genesis 9:15 and it was a promise from God that He would remember His covenant with His people.The first time He told His people to remember seems to be in Exodus 13:3: “ Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the Lord brought you out of here by the strength of His hand.”  God’s people were told to remember and to teach their children to remember. They were encouraged to remember because of all God had done for them. If you look at the history of God’s people in the Bible there is a cyclical tendency in many of us. We tend to forget at some point to remember what God has done for us either because of the worries and concerns of our world (distractions) or because of deceptions from the enemy.  When this happens we slip into doubt and unbelief because of the difficulties and trials we see coming our way rather that walking in faith. When we walk in doubt and unbelief we are prone to loose hope; slip into unhealthy thinking; and take things into our own hands, This can lead to bondage and this is where the Hebrew people found themselves in Egypt.  The Hebrew people cry out because of their oppression in Egypt and God hears  their cries. He sends Moses and Aaron and after 10 plaques (trials), God delivers them from their oppressors on dry land through the Red Sea and eliminated their enemies in the process. It is here that He told His people to remember in Exodus 13:3. I believe God wanted His people to walk in freedom from that day forward and that is why He asked them to remember and teach it to their children.

We always have a choice in how we will react to the trials and experiences in our lives. When we act in doubt and unbelief we end up on a negative cycle but we always have another choice. We can choose to walk in faith and belief, remembering all that God has done for us in the past and when we choose this positive response we are able to move ahead rather than be stuck in a repetitive cycle. I picture the comparison of a hamster wheel and of a spiral staircase. You get nowhere on a hamster wheel, just keep going in circles getting no where fast. On the other hand a spiral staircase will take you to another level and new opportunities! I don’t know about you, but I have gotten stuck on the wheel running myself crazy going in circles and not getting anywhere and I do not want to ever get stuck on that path again. I much prefer choosing to remember all God has brought me through, remembering He is faithful and will continue the work He has begun in me and doing my best to walk in faith that He will continue to work all things for my good because I love Him, He has called me, and I now am His daughter!

Today I write this not only as an act of remembering the deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt and how God had delivered me many times in my own life, but even more because today is Yom HaShoah– also know as Holocaust Remembrance Day. Yom HaShoah began yesterday evening  and ends this evening. May we never forget the atrocities of  this period in history and may we never forget those who despite the dangers to their own lives did all they could to help those who were being persecuted. May we remember that even today many worldwide are persecuted for their faith and may our remembering and our actions prevent another such event in the future!!