Category Archives: CHRISTIAN VALUES

Are you ready to vote?

a large american flag flying in the sky

Photo by Annerose Walz
on Unsplash

Are you registered to vote? If not, get busy!  The deadline to vote in Travis County, Texas, where I live, is October 7.  An astoundingly large percentage of believers do not vote. Please do not be one of them! If you do not vote in an election, you have, by default, voted for whoever wins that election.  Think about that.

Unsure if you are registered? Maybe it’s been a while since you voted. If you are not sure whether you are registered to vote, visit Can I Vote | NASS.  You can also contact your county’s tax office.

Are the people you know registered? Ask others if they are ready to vote. It only takes a few seconds to ask someone else if they are registered to vote. You can work that into a brief exchange with the person who sells you one bottle of aspirin at the drug store or the person who bags up your groceries. And certainly you can easily ask family and friends.

Being good citizens. Jesus taught that we are to be responsible citizens. Part of good citizenship is to pay taxes. In Matthew 17:24-27 Jesus demonstrated this aspect of being a good citizen. The NIV labels this portion of scripture “The Temple Tax.”

24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

25 “Yes, he does,” he replied.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”

26 “From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

And in Mark 12:13-17, which the NIV Bible labels “Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar” is another example of where Jesus said to pay taxes.

13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at Him.”

Another part of good citizenship for an American is to vote. Think about it. We owe it to our children and our grandchildren and our fellow citizens – and most importantly, to God!

boy in blue dress shirt standing on green grass field during daytime

Photo by Chris Hardy
on Unsplash

Our turbulent times. . . what can YOU do?

Free Earth Globe photo and picture

What are you doing about our world? Like me, you are likely horrified and enraged by recent events, like the attempted assassination of former and future President Trump, the deliberate murder of 12 Israeli children by Hezbollah while they were playing soccer, and the unspeakably perverse mockery of the Lord’s Supper at the opening of the Olympic Games. I could go on. My question is: What are you and I doing about it?

“Silence in the face of evil” As Mark Meckler, President of Convention of States, phrases it: “We are Christians in every arena of life.” Christians do have a role in the secular world. God has a role for each believer to play in this battle against evil. To choose to be silent and do nothing is to be as the German citizens who chose to not see the concentration camps close to their cities. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said:

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

The Nazis aimed to annihilate first the Jews, then they would have come after America, anyone who was not part of what Hitler had brainwashed them to believe was the superior Aryan race. Satan was the force behind Hitler just as he is the force behind Iran and its proxy nations that are seeking to annihilate all Jews. They also plan to annihilate every person who is not of their race.

Satan is behind the evil we see in our nation and his goal is always to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). He controls those who promote abortion, transgenderism, antisemitism and all the other evils we see increasing. As United States citizens, we have the power to remove the political leaders who have been forcing Satan’s agenda on America. We can and must, must, must vote but we can and must do more.

What can an ordinary person do?  Besides praying and fasting and voting–the bare minimum—you can do much more. You can contact governmental representatives, speak at board meetings, help with the voting process, or run for office and/or support others who do. And never forget:  bless and pray for Israel.

For details about these options, read the “What can you do about our world?” page on this website.  What to do about our world? | wordsofhopeandhealing.com

How to help with the voting process.  I urge you to listen to the July 29, 2024, Flashpoint podcast. Starting at about minute 33, Gene Bailey, Hank Kunneman and Mark Meckler have encouraging words about getting involved in our world. Use the link below.

FlashPoint: We Will See America Change! (July 29th 2024) – FlashPoint (govictory.com)

In that podcast (at about minute 38) you will also learn about the organization called Faith Wins Home – Faith Wins.    This organization will provide materials to lead you in setting up a voting registration booth in your church, as well as other ways to help ensure the voting process is legal. See the “Take Action” page of faithwins.org.

Do not fear these “turbulent times”!  I hope you regularly listen to the Give Him 15 podcast by Dutch Sheets. The July 26, 2024, podcast “Turbulent Times are Here” is especially comforting. Please take time to listen to Dutch’s powerful insights. You will be strengthened in your faith.  Prayer | Give Him 15

My prayer for you:

I personally find that I feel more peace when I am taking action, when I am doing what God shows me I can do in this battle for righteousness. I pray you find the same peace.

24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; 26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually). (Number 6:24-26, AMPC)

 

How many roses has God given you?

His love gifts are everywhere. Predawn coolness filled the room. I closed my eyes, relishing the feel of it on the bare skin of my arms. I pressed my palms around the mug of tea just the right temperature for sipping. Inhaling the cool air deep into my lungs, I put the tea on the window ledge and picked up the pencil, ready to continue my journaling with the Lord. My eyes paused, finally, on the profusion of pink roses swaying just outside my window. That’s when conviction came, that piercing within as you realize you have hurt someone you love most dearly,

“Oh, Father! I am so, so sorry! Forgive me! I remember the thrill of first seeing that this wild rose bush had climbed all the way to my second-floor window, letting me see two roses while sitting in this very chair. That delight lasted for days. Looking at them with gratitude was a thing between us, just You and me, throughout the day. And look at how many more roses You have caused to grow and blossom! Just look at them! Oh, when was the last time I thanked You for these beautiful flowers!”

How often do I take His specially chosen love gifts for granted?  That morning, I counted 22 roses in bloom or in bud. When had I begun taking this precious gift from God for granted? How would a human husband feel if his wife plunked the carefully chosen bouquet of her favorite flowers in a corner and never looked at them again? How many times the past few weeks since the roses began blooming had God nudged me to stop and sit down with Him and just thank Him, to just spend a few minutes specifically thanking Him for those roses?

It is fitting and appropriate to give thanks, to praise and to worship the Lord. The Bible is filled with verses telling us to give our thanks and our praise and our worship to God.  I Thessalonians 5:18 says: “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)

Why? It is appropriate.

 Rejoice in the Lord, O you [uncompromisingly] righteous [you upright in right standing with God]; for praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart]. (Psalm 33:1, AMPC, emphasis added)

Why is it appropriate? One of many reasons is because “God is good and His love endures forever”!   This fact is so vital for us to keep in mind that God repeats it multiple times in the Word, especially in Psalms. He even included an entire psalm that repeats this teaching. The phrase “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever” appears in each of the 26 verses of Psalm 136. Selah!

God delights in our praise and thanksgiving and worship. It pleases me greatly that praising God, thanking Him, and obeying Him whole-heartedly are gifts I can give to Him, little of course and by no means anywhere near what He deserves. However, when I keep Him first in my heart and love Him with all my heart, I know that gives Him delight

The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.  (Psalm 147:11, AMPC)

Being ungrateful is spiritually dangerous. When I complain—about anything—I open a door to the enemy. I am making a way for him to steal, kill and destroy the good things God has prepared for me, including an intimate relationship with Him.

God hates complaining. Read Psalm 78 slowly and prayerfully. Do you see how many times God was merciful and forgave Israel and did not destroy them? But do you see that eventually they got what their actions deserved?

Why do we become ungrateful? We get distracted by many things, our own desires, someone else’s agenda, and the ways of this dark world. This world is filled with “troubles, trials, distress and frustrations.” Just before Calvary, Jesus lovingly told His disciples that they would have “troubles, trials, distress and frustration” in this world. But He also told them “but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (John 16:33b, AMPC, emphasis added)

God understands and “imprints on His heart” that we are just frail human beings (Psalm 103) so He always, always, always provides a way to escape from temptations. That includes those that come from within our desperately wicked hearts (Jeremiah 17:9)  as well as those that come from living in this world. Paul told us:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13, NIV).

Praising and giving thanks protects me. When I consciously, purposefully, tell God “Thank You” for the little things that are right in front of me – a Bible to study, food to eat, a home to live in – I begin feeling gratitude, peace and hope. Expressing thanks to my heavenly Father helps me think about His great love toward me and about Who He is. How can I fear or complain when I am pondering the fact that the One Who holds the world in His loving hands dearly, dearly loves me? Like all His commands, the command to give God thanks is good for us.

Like gifts from a child. One of the first gifts a child gives is the head of a flower plucked from the back yard and lovingly presented in a chubby fist. Like the little drummer boy “I have no gift that’s fit to lay before a King” but I can give Him the very best of my heart. I can give Him my gratitude and my conscious awareness of Him. I can just sit down with Him and say,

“I love You Father! Thank You for those roses! Thank You for teaching me from Your Word. Thank You for leading me to have a closer relationship with You. It is so good to just sit in Your presence, Father. I love the peace I feel when my mind is on You.

Help me remember, please, to stop the busyness of my hands and sit down with You. Thank You that I feel Your love when I do that. Show me how to please You more, Lord.  Show me how You want me to live every hour of every day You give me on this earth. I love You Lord, I just love You. . . “

A stained white garment

A Communal Communion | Pictures of jesus christ, Communion, Jesus picturesStained, again. “Oh, no! Not again!”

As I closed my Bible and put it on the side table next to the rocker by the window,  I looked down at the little spatters of burgundy on my favorite white everyday top. I must have, once again, held the tiny communion cup too close when I’d opened it.

There have been seasons in my life where I take communion at home with the Lord every morning. For years, I used grape juice and bread or crackers, but a few months ago I purchased a box of pre-filled communion cups and wafers, like those used in many, perhaps most, churches. The plastic lid covering those cups is hard to remove.

In other seasons of life, I have taken communion at home as the Lord leads like, for example, when I am deeply convicted of sinning against the Lord or another person in some way, like this morning or when I want to commemorate or  celebrate something with the Lord.

God cares very much about celebrating important things by doing something concrete, like the Lord’s Supper and meeting with Him at church on the Sabbbath day. Consider also the feasts, the festivals, all the altars He commanded to be built in the Old Testament. And how about the twelve stones taken out of the river bed of the Jordan to celebrate the miraculous crossing of the river described in Joshua 4:1-11?

God’s ways to deal with sin. I hasten to say that this is my personal habit, something Holy Spirit has put on my heart to do after I heard about it from others. There is no verse in the Bible that tells us we must take the Lord’s Supper each time we are convicted of sin. The blood Jesus shed on the cross paid the full price for sin once and for all. By faith in His sacrifice my sins are forgiven and forgotten by God. The practice of bringing a sacrifice for sin to the temple was for God’s people before Jesus came.

Then Jesus came to earth and fulfilled the Law with His life, and His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus made the way for us to be cleansed of sin and to have eternal life.

“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.” John 3:16, (AMPC, emphasis added.)

After Calvary, the age in which we now live, the God-prescribed way for believers in Jesus to be cleansed from sin as we go about our daily life is found in 1 John 1:9. God promises us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV)

5 Reasons to Use Hydrogen Peroxide for LaundryGetting those stains out. So what happened to my favorite everyday top? I remembered a household tip learned when I was a secretary for the Sheriff’s Office. Once when a deputy—wearing a snowy white uniform shirt—was fixing a jammed stapler he somehow got blood on his sleeve. Another deputy retrieved hydrogen peroxide from the clinic, poured a bit on each spot and rubbed. As she kept rubbing the liquid into the fabric, the hydrogen peroxide foamed away the blood stain. Completely.

I see several spiritual lessons in that process.

[1] Sin is an unavoidable part of being human, just as accidents are. In Romans 7:14-25 the Apostle Paul describes his struggle with sin. If you have never studied this passage, read it over first in the NIV or the NLT, then do a thorough study. In this passage Paul explains that, although he wants with all his heart to do what is right,  his human, sinful nature always fights against that. Yet Paul rejoices that God, through Jesus, delivers him. Paul says,

“(v. 21) I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. (22) I love God’s law with all my heart (23) but there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. (24) Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (25) ‘Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: in my mind I really want to obey God’s law but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (NLT)”

I clearly remember the relief I felt the day I first understood the next verse, Romans 8:1.

“Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation [no adjudging guilty of wrong] for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1, AMPC, emphasis added).

 God does not condemn me for how my human nature reacts any more than He condemns me for how my physical flesh reacts when I fall and scrape my knee.

[2] God has prepared the way to deal with all our sins. When we genuinely repent and turn away from our sins and toward God, our sins are blotted out (Acts 3:19). We are born again, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3:1-21. Then, as we live this new life of serving God, as we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. How does that happen? As we saw earlier, when we confess our sins to God He forgives us. Look at this section of First John, which the NIV labels “Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness.”

(5) This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. (6) If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

(8) If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us form all unrighteousness. (10) If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us.” (NIV, emphasis added)

General Ledger No. 1 Gold - NYPL's Public Domain Archive Public Domain ...[3] It is best to confess our sin immediately. Perhaps you have heard “It is best to keep short accounts with the Lord.” This pearl of wisdom comes from the Word. Leviticus 5:5 tells us “When you become  aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin.” (NLT)  Psalm 32:3 shows what happens when we refuse to confess our sin. “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.”(NLT)

If I had let that blouse with the grape juice stain sit in the laundry basket for a few days, it likely would not have come out. I had to interrupt what I had planned to do, find the prescribed cleaning agent, then take time to follow the prescribed procedure.

[4] We must be ever vigilant against sin. Whenever I wear my white blouse, I am extra careful about possible spills or stains and I glance down at it several times a day to be sure it remains unstained.

Once God cleans us up, He changes our basic habits and attitudes. He gives us a new nature, a new garment so to speak as He covers our sin with His righteousness. In the Bible, garment is a “symbol of covering, evil or righteous, defiled or beautiful.” (Interpreting the Symbols and Types, Kevin J. Conner, p. 144)

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10, NIV, emphasis added)

Once we are robed in His righteousness, we must watch daily to keep our garments clean, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12).

And look at what Jesus promises in Revelations 3:5:

“The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and His angels. (NIV)”

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, recorded his musings upon the purpose of life. He told us to keep ourselves pure, to keep our garments white.  In Chapter Nine, after Solomon concludes that good and evil, death and life happen to everyone, he says it is best to go ahead and live your life. “There is hope only for the living. . . ‘It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!” (Ecclesiastes 9:4, NLT). Then Solomon continues:

“Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart [if you are righteous, wise, and in the hands of God]; for God has already accepted your works. Let your garments be always white [with purity], and let your head not lack [the] oil of gladness]. (Ecclesiastes 9:7-8, AMPC, emphasis added).

In Verse 10, Solomon counsels: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” (NIV).

That says to me that I am to live my life, with joy, keeping my heart pure before God by living in the light that comes from understanding the Word of God. I am to keep my heart clean before God by confessing any sin as soon as I am aware of it.

Washing with the water of the Word works. After rubbing out those stains on my blouse, I laid it across the back of the couch to dry out before putting it in the laundry basket. When I got back from errands, I picked up the blouse. I looked at every inch and could find no trace of stain. It was completely white. Consider these verses.

(25) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her, (26) So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, (27) That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless]. (Ephesians 5:25-27, AMPC, emphasis added).

            Selah, oh my soul, selah! God loves me so much that He compares me to His bride. God has made the way—despite my frail human flesh—for me to be holy and without blame in His eyes. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14, KJV).

Everything We Need, Part Two

Jesus and NicodemusReview of Part One: In Part One, we looked at the first three verses of the first chapter of Second Peter. We learned that, through having a personal relationship with Jesus, God has already provided everything we need for life and for that life to be godly. In Part Two, we see how He does that and how we are to respond.

His exceedingly great promises.  First, go back and re-read the first three verses of 2 Peter chapter one. Then read verse 4:

(4) By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape (by flight) from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed) and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature. (AMPC)”

In this verse Peter tells us that the cause of the moral decay filling the world is lust and greed. However, we can flee away from that and share in God’s divine nature through the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives. God has given us His very great promises because of His glory and His goodness. Look closely at the first three phrases in the next verse, verse 5.

(v. 5) For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop. . . 

That phrase “For this very reason” points back to verse 4. Peter says that because of the great promises God has given us, we must make every effort, which means be diligent, to add godly qualities to our faith. Then Peter lists seven qualities that we can – and are supposed to — develop in ourselves. We develop these by God’s grace of course, but it requires our effort or it will not happen.

To reiterate, Peter says God has given us all that we need to live a godly life and the way to live that godly life is to flee the world’s corruption by participating in the nature of God. We do that by diligently exercising our faith and continually growing in Jesus, which means developing godly qualities.

What qualities should we pursue? Verses 5 through 7 list the godly qualities Peter says we can develop. We are to add to our faith: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. Putting each phrase on a separate line makes the process of how to acquire these qualities easier to see.

 “For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort

  • in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy),
  • and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),
  • And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control,
  • and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance),
  • and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),
  • And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection,
  • and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.”

 The process of developing godly qualities. Do you see the pattern? As we exercise, or use, one quality, we develop another godly quality, another attribute of the divine nature. “In exercising _________ develop ________.”

Image result for public domain picture of mans strong armsWhen we obey God and exercise, or use, the small bit of spiritual muscle we have, God develops that muscle. As that particular spiritual muscle develops—in response to our using it–the spiritual muscles and tendons around it also grow and another good quality starts to grow. And on and gloriously on!

A good comparison is physical exercise. Let’s say I’m a high school gym student. The coach says he is sure I have potential as a distance runner. I have faith in him, so I add to my faith in what the coach told me by starting with what I have. I diligently, industriously, start running every day. As I continue exercising my faith in what the coach told me, I develop strength, in general, in several body systems and muscles. As I continue running daily, my legs become stronger. I see (or the coach tells me) I must also do strength training to develop my quadriceps muscles so my knees will stay strong. I do that and next the coach assigns exercises to strengthen my hips and on and on until I have a well-trained runner’s physique.

Or consider someone who wants to have strong arms. I start with biceps exercises and those biceps muscles grow as I diligently work out, week by week. While I am developing my biceps, the triceps are also affected. Next I add triceps exercises. Next come the shoulders. And on and on until all muscle groups are strong.

Why do we need to develop these godly qualities? The answer is simple: these qualities will keep us from being idle or unfruitful, both of which are dangerous spiritual conditions. Look at verse 8.

(8) For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Notice we must develop these godly qualities and then keep on developing them. These qualities must “increasingly abound.” God puts a stern warning in Verse 9 for those who do not keep growing.

(v. 9) For whoever lacks these qualities is blind [spiritually shortsighted] seeing only what is near to him and has become oblivious [to the fact that] he was cleansed from his old sins.”

Do you remember how many times in the Old Testament God had to punish the Israelites because they lost sight of what He had done for them, could not see clearly Who He was and turned to their old ways of living?

Remember that God has already made the way for each of us to develop these qualities. God equips us for everything we need to live a godly life. If we fail to develop spiritually, we harm ourselves. Greatly. We remain spiritual infants, weak creatures and easy prey for the enemy of our souls. Our spiritual infancy requires that someone else carry us, feed us, and put up with our immature behavior.

Do you want to avoid stumbling and falling?  God gives us a priceless promise in verse 10. He says if we work diligently to develop those godly qualities, we will never stumble or fall.

(v. 10)  “Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall” (emphasis added).  (The NLT says “fall away.”)

Paradox Principles: The Stumbling Man

That “because of this” at the start of verse 10 connects this verse to those that came before. Because of the great potential that awaits us in God’s promises, we should be eager to do what God says and work diligently to develop God-like qualities. God does not promise a life free of problems, in fact Jesus says quite the opposite in John 16:33. However, God does promise we will be able to keep walking safely with Him. And it will be with joy and all the other results of having an intimate relationship with Jesus (Galations 5:22-23).

(v 11.) “Thus there will be richly and abundantly provided for you entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

The Enduring Word Commentary has this note about 2 Peter 1:11: “Peter here reminded his readers of the great reward of a calling and election made sure. They would enter heaven gloriously, not as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15.)”  Read 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 and meditate on that warning.

Be stirred up. Friend, may we be reminded about these things and stirred up “by way of remembrance”, as Peter wanted us to be. Peter said, “I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle (tent, body) to stir you up by way of remembrance.” (2 Peter 1:12, AMPC).  May we diligently exercise our faith so we may become strong and develop every godly quality.

Godly qualities will save us from the darkness of our present world. And we will shine like stars in that darkness. As the apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:14-16:

Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves].

That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (fault-less, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world. ( AMPC)

Stars - Long Exposure 4k Public Domain Video - YouTube

 

Everything we need

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3, NIV, 1984)

For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).  (2 Peter 1:3, AMPC)

We already have everything we need for. . . . I watched Lily closely. She had just started her morning catly ablutions, thoroughly licking one slender paw, rubbing it over and over the right side of her face, then more licking and more rubbing until that side of her face was satisfactory, then repeating the process on the left. Next came her shoulders, then tummy which required an awkward posture and finally her hind parts, rear leg straight up in the air in the most undignified way.

“Hmmm, Lord,” I reflected, “You have given my little Lily and all cats everything they need for life, everything they need to take care of themselves. Either their mother, instincts or both teach them to keep themselves clean, to hunt and eat food, to socialize, to reproduce and to raise their young. I know that their grooming keeps their coat healthy by distributing oils, removes dirt and pests, calms them down and, if necessary, cools them. You’ve given them everything they need for life . . . ”

I paused a beat, then smiled.

“. . . just like You have given us everything we need for life and godliness through Your very great and precious promises. Let me see, where was that verse? I still remember the jolt of power in those words the first time I understood them. . .”

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3, NIV, 1984)

Background of our text: First Peter was written by Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, to a group of Christians who were being persecuted for their faith. Peter urged them to remember what Jesus did for them and he encouraged them to live holy lives. He gave instructions for living a holy life in a sinful world. Second Peter was written to the same group of Christians who were then in “danger being confused by false teachers. Peter reminds the Christians that the best way to resist false teachers is to grow in the knowledge and practice of the Christian faith.” (NIV 1984, Introduction to 2 Peter.)

The headings in the 1984 NIV show that Second Peter covers these topics:

  • Making One’s Calling and Election Sure (the section we will focus upon),
  • Prophecy of Scripture,
  • False Teachers and Their Destruction, and
  • the Day of the Lord.

Old stuff | Old keys, Vintage keys, Old fashioned keyKey point: It is just as important to live a holy life today as it was for believers sixty years or so after the death of Jesus, when this book of the Bible was written. The way to live a holy life remains the same. Furthermore, verse 9 contains the clear warning: if we do not have the qualities listed in verses 4 through 7, we are short-sighted spiritually and have forgotten what Jesus has done for us. But if we develop those qualities, we “will never fall. . . and will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (v. 10-11, NIV)

Our text, 2 Peter 1:1-12.  Take time now to read the first chapter of Second Peter, then re-read verses 1-12 slowly. Here is a summary of what I believe Peter is saying in verses 1-3.

(Verse 1). I, Peter, am a servant and special messenger of Jesus, and I am writing to believers, those “of like precious faith.”

(Verse 2) I say to you believers “May you have even more grace and peace, which you will be able to obtain through knowing Jesus, which means to know Jesus fully, personally, precisely and correctly  .. .

(Verse 3) . . .  because through knowing Jesus we will find the power God has already given us for living a godly life.

"We are all just walking each other home." (With images) | Pictures of ...In other words, God has put abundant grace and peace and total provision for a godly life in the pathway of knowing Jesus, of being one with Him. And knowing Jesus means knowing Him “fully, personally, precisely, and correctly.”

A more detailed look at verses 1-3. Let’s turn to the Amplified Classic Bible (AMPC) for a deeper look at these verses.

1. “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle (special messenger) of Jesus Christ to those who have received (obtained an equal privilege of ) like precious faith with ourselves in and through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:”

First, Peter reminds his readers that he is a disciple of Jesus and also an apostle. Peter says he is writing to fellow believers. He tells them that, as believers, they share the same privilege of having faith like his if they live in right standing (righteousness) with God. They have that privilege because of the right standing Jesus had with God the Father.

2. “May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” What a prayer!

Grace and peace. Most of us have heard that grace means God’s unmerited favor, a truth we need to be ever mindful of. But how often have you considered what God means when He says peace?  Look at what the phrases in the AMPC tell us peace is:

  • perfect well-being,
  • all necessary good,
  • all spiritual prosperity, and
  • freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts

Notice God says perfect, or complete, well-being. Webster’s 1828 online dictionary says wellbeing means welfare, happiness, prosperity. Peace also means we will have “all necessary good.” Remember that God promises in Psalm 84:11 that He will withhold no good thing from those who walk uprightly (KJV). This peace God is talking about also includes having all we need to be spiritually prosperous or successful. Lastly God’s peace means we can be free from fears and agitating feelings and conflicts. As someone prone to insecurity and anxiety, I especially treasure that fact.

. . . be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. And how do we get that grace and peace? The NIV says “through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”. Gotquestions.org says the following about knowing Jesus.

“When people speak of “knowing” Jesus, they refer to having a relationship with Him. Being a Christian is more than knowing about Jesus; being a Christian is knowing Him personally. Jesus spoke of the need to know the Savior when He prayed, “This is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent.” (John 17:3).

The AMPC expands upon what a relationship with Jesus looks like with the following words “in [the full, personal, precise and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”  You no doubt have some people you know a little bit, but not fully. We are to have a full, complete relationship with Jesus, holding nothing of ourselves back from our wonderful Savior Who held nothing of Himself back from us. The next word, personal, speaks of our private life, what we do and with whom, and how we feel.

Precise and correct are the next two words used to describe what our relationship with Jesus should be. Precise refers to how detailed or specific something is whereas correct means being right or lining up with a standard.  To me, these two words mean we are to take great care about the details of our relationship with Jesus and that our relationship should be based on the truths of God’s Word.

Consider the religious leaders in the time of Jesus. They were precise in their attitude about man’s relationship with God, having rules about the little details of life such as how many steps they could walk on the Sabbath, but they were not correct, because as Jesus explained, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27, NIV)

Verse 3. “For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that are [requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).” 

The first word in this verse—for—is not in the NIV nor the King James. These connecting words in the AMPC help me see cause and effect and connections between ideas. That “for” in verse 3 tells me that verse 3 explains verse 2.  In verse 3, Peter says God’s grace and peace will be multiplied in us as we walk with Jesus because God has already put everything we need for living a godly life in the pathway of knowing Jesus.

Crowns – Royal ExhibitionsGod, in His divine power, has already bestowed, or given, us everything we need for our life and for that life to be godly.  Bestow means to give something to someone or present it to them. A queen could bestow knighthood on a man but if that man did nothing with it, what then? You can place a bowl of food in front of someone, but if they do not eat, what good does your bestowing food on them do?

A theme I see repeated throughout the Bible is that believers are to act like believers in our daily life. If we have faith but do not do anything with it, our faith is dead. James 2:14-26 gives clear teaching on the necessity to put shoes to our faith. Notice especially verses 17–“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”– and verse 26 — “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” ( NIV).

Another theme present throughout the Bible is God’s charge to us to pursue continual spiritual growth. We are to follow Paul’s example and press on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1-3). God tells us to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11), which means we are to take action regarding something He has already provided. We are to clothe ourselves with humility (Colossians 3:12), pursue holiness (Hebrews 12:14) and on and on we could go with things God tells us to do.

How has God given us all we need for life and godliness? Look at the second half of verse 3. “Through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). God has already given us all that we need and the way to get that is through that full, personal relationship with Jesus. As we come to know Him, we perceive His glory, His true nature, not what others may have told us or what we thought. We also come to understand (at least a tiny bit) how wonderful He is. Awareness of these truths will draw us, or call us, to Him as surely as flowers seek the sunlight.

A Wife Who PraysA question to ponder: God has given animals, including my Lily cat, the means to take care of themselves. What would happen if Lily did not eat the food I put in her dish, or if she did not groom herself? Please show me, my beloved Heavenly Father, how to perceive and fully use all that You have bestowed upon me for living a life pleasing to You. Amen.

Part Two: In Part Two we will start with 2 Peter1:4.

By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed) and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.” (AMPC, emphasis added.)

Read the entire first chapter of Second Peter, again, and see what Holy Spirit shows you the second time through.

Are you still praying for Israel?

Image result for public domain free picture of newspaper and cup of coffeeSo much is happening in our world. So much is happening in our world, the pace of events is accelerating, and much of what is happening seems horrible. But be encouraged! Yes, seemingly terrible things are happening “but our God is in heaven. He does whatever pleases Him.” (Psalm 115:3, ESV). God is still and will always, always, always be sovereign. He is allowing some evil things to be exposed, and He is allowing that for many reasons.

For a Biblical view of what is happening, and to help keep your heart safe in His peace, I recommend watching Victory News (https://victorynews.govictory.com, daily at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.) and Flashpoint (https://flashpoint.govictory.com, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00 p.m.).  Another truthful and up-to-the-minute source for news from Israel is www.jerusalemprayerteam.org.

So much to pray about! There is much for believers to pray about and trust God for. Two especially helpful resources for prayer are the “Give Him 15” daily podcasts by Dutch Sheets and the Intercessors for America website. One thing we must pray about is Israel.

God tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper who love you [the Holy City]!
May peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces!
For my brethren and companions’ sake, I will now say, Peace be within you!
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek, inquire for, and require your good. (Psalm 122:6-9, AMPC)

And God promises to bless those who bless Israel.

And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves]. (Genesis 12:3, AMPC)

Are you still praying for Israel? The world was horrified when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 of last year. And Satan is still attacking Israel through Hamas and through  stirring up world-wide anti-Semitism. We need to pray for the protection of Jewish people world-wide. We also must pray for the enemies of Israel. Read Genesis 12:3 again and notice – God says He will curse those who curse or use insolent language against Israel.

And we must pray for the nation of Israel, that God will cause the enemies of Israel to be defeated (Deuteronomy 28:7), that Israel will totally destroy Hamas. Victory News includes a daily update from Israel where you can hear what is really happening.

IDF soldiers operating in Gaza. | IDF soldiers from the Naha… | FlickrAn important prayer for Israel. The military arm of Israel, the Israel Defense Force, needs our daily prayer. In 2005, I was privileged to visit the Holy Land. While there, I learned the powerful prayer below. Will you join me now in praying for the IDF?

God of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, may You bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force who stand guard over our land and the cities of our God, from the border of Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the great sea to the approach of the Arabah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May Hashem cause the enemies who rise up against our fighters to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, blessed is He, preserve and protect our fighting men and women from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, may He lead our enemies under their sway, may He grant them salvation, and may the Scripture be fulfilled for them that says, “For it is Hashem your God Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you.”  (Deuteronomy 20:4). Now let us respond, Amen.

How to help in a concrete way. The Israeli people also need our financial support. There are many organizations helping Israel. One such organization that I trust uses the money for helping Israel, not for personal gain, is www.jerusalemprayerteam.org.

Every prayer and every dollar help. I must ask myself, “Am I doing my part?”

Israel Flag Wallpapers - Wallpaper Cave

What is happening to our world?

Image result for public domain picture of jesus and the worldGood things ARE happening!  You might not know it, but in the midst of all the evil seeming to take over our nation and our world, God has started the greatest spiritual awakening of all time. Unless you have been hearing truthful and Godly news sources, you likely will not believe that. You likely see no way out of the current darkness and possibly feel Armageddon is fast approaching. I say: take heart!

For about two years, I have listened only to truthful, Godly news sources, like those listed on the “What is God doing?” tab on this website. This is where I learned that God is NOW pouring out His Spirit, with signs and wonders and miracles and hundreds of salvations in big tent meetings, through the ministry of evangelists like Mario Murillo. Grassroots America has begun speaking out against things like our schools blatantly grooming our children for sexual perversion—which is nothing less than outright pedophilia. Believers and patriots are running for local and national offices and winning. Many organizations have obtained documented proof that the 2020 election was stolen from President Trump and that proof is even now moving some states toward decertifying the 2022 elections.

God is doing so much for His beloved America! When I first thought of writing this littleImage result for public domain picture of america summary, America still awaited the SCOTUS decision on abortion. Other rulings—like prayer on school grounds–have also supported the U.S. Constitution, which as I hope you know is based on Biblical principles, no matter which twisted way liberals try to rewrite the history of America, the only nation beside Israel which is devoted to God.

I beg you:  Get informed and then get involved! There is much you can do, yes, ordinary you.

Following is a brief overview of what has been happening to America. If you have not been following truthful Godly sources of news, it could take a while before you grasp the big picture. So, I pray this provides a framework into which you can add more knowledge as you start listening. No doubt, I will not get everything exactly accurate and someone who spends full time on telling truth would add much to this outline, but I believe it is a good start if you need a foundational understanding.

See the big picture.  Understand first that there are levels of attack. The topmost leader of the evil we see today is, of course, Satan, who has been scheming against God and His beloved humans since Eden. Under Satan are “rulers, authorities and the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan and his evil horde are pulling the strings of their human puppets.

The next highest level of evil is the deep state. A handful of unbelievably wealthy people have worked for decades to do Satan’s evil bidding and to depopulate the earth. Satan has promised them they will have it all. This includes people like George Soros and Bill Gates.

See the source imageThese people are pushing a globalist socialist, communist agenda. They want to destroy America and other countries and bring in the “New World Order” – a one-world government. Sound like the book of Revelations yet? What do you think mandatory vaccinations are preparations for? In Canada, the wicked despot Trudeau cut off all finances for truckers who protested against the vaccine.

The deep state aims to control the entire world, but especially Israel—the apple of God’s eye—and the United States, which was founded upon and dedicated expressly to God and religious liberty. “America was raised up to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.” (Dutch Sheets, givehim15.com, July 27, 2022).  No wonder Satan is so bent on destroying America.

They have been playing the long game for decades. They are responsible for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (because he was trying to return America to the silver standard for our currency). They are responsible for the stolen 2020 election because they hate President Trump.

Their agenda. ­ They push socialist communism so that they can have control over the world. And they do this through political leaders and other influential, powerful leaders. This is why they are creating such chaos. Chaos makes people desperate for peace and safety. Make a country desperate enough and they will submit to anything.  Their ultimate goal is to wipe out much of the earth’s population so things will be better for them. That’s why the vaccines Bill Gates gave “generously” to a struggling nation made the children sterile. That is why Margaret Sanger, who started Planned Parenthood, openly targeted the black race for abortion and why the vast majority of such death clinics are in black neighborhoods, the easiest, most “productive” target. Their agenda to wipe out much of the human race—especially God’s people–and bring in the “New World Order” is why they used the plandemic to wipe out so many Americans and others.

Image result for Public Domain picture of Churches. Size: 150 x 225. Source: www.publicdomainpictures.netWhat they did to churches.  The church in America has long been rotting, becoming progressively more silent against evil. This is the fault of the church but what put gasoline on the fire of unholiness was the Johnson amendment, which came about because LBJ replaced John F. Kennedy as president. The Johnson amendment gives churches a tax-break but on the condition that churches stay out of politics. Now you know one reason pulpits have been silent about all kinds of evil for so long.

Pastors have chosen to serve the god of money and popularity rather than the Holy One of the Bible. They have not spoken out against the evil things happening in our land because they do not want to lose their tax break and they do not want to “offend” their congregation and lose their church. And they have led their sheep into the same evil path, staying silent about and even affirming all kinds of evil.

Image result for public domain picture of pasttor at pulpitBesides that, the pulpit in America largely stopped preaching the power of the blood and holiness many years ago. Not only that, the church stayed in its four walls and out of the pillars of society. Consequently, the foundations of our society were corrupted and that corruption has, like the contaminating filth it is, spread. Did you know pastors were heavily involved in America’s initial fight for freedom? They were called “The black coat regiment.” Did you hear that on mainstream media?

“But we are not to oppose authorities” you say.   Multitudes of churches and believers are cowering behind Romans 13:1-2 which states: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (NIV) This verse applies to righteous rulers. Verse 3 explains that this applies to “rulers who hold no terror for those who do right, buy for those who do wrong.”  Most of our world’s rulers today support those who do wrong and violently oppose those who do right.

See the source imageWhat did Peter and the apostles do when the authorities persecuted them for preaching Jesus and gave strict orders not to teach in the name of Jesus? “Peter and the other apostles replied: We must obey God rather than men?” (Acts 5:29, NIV)

They own the media. The deep state owns mainstream media and seeks to spread its evil agenda and to silence all those who speak for righteousness and truth. This is starting to change as God gives truth a voice through individual believers who speak out and through believers who create platforms that get the truth out.  But this is only the tip of the iceberg.  Mainstream media is still covering up most of the evil currently operating in our world.

The evil you see happening is by design. The covid epidemic—and other evil and destructions we now see, like the invasion of our southern border — was planned. Yes, covid is a real disease but it is a manufactured sickness, a test to see how quickly the deep state could control the world, to see how much we would put up with. What did the world do? We wore masks, forsook church, got vaccinated and believed the lies – like children are in grave danger and must wear masks in school. Did you know that the percentage of children who died from covid is miniscule? You will not hear that on mainstream news.

While they had everyone terrified of covid, they killed millions world-wide, especially among the elderly and those with health issues; did much to start ruining our economy, damaged the lives of a whole generation of children; and trained much of the world to submit to whatever they say to handle the next virus they are waiting to unleash.

This attack by the deep state, incidentally, prepared the way for them to use mail-in ballots as part of their theft of the 2020 election. Don’t believe it was stolen? See the documentary “2,000 mules.” And just wait. God is even now exposing evil, and His arm is lifted high.

Image result for public domain picture of white houseThe jackal sitting unlawfully in our White House is systematically destroying our economy through planned inflation, which he began by shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline immediately upon beginning his charade as our lawfully-elected president.  Besides that,

  • He abandoned American troops and civilians in Afghanistan as well as Afghanis who supported and had fought alongside the U.S.
  • He created and continues to deepen the gas shortage because he sold out to the hyper-radical environmentalists who funded his campaign and so is pushing “green” energy.
  • There are too many horrors to list and they grow daily.
  • All this, plus, the media is no longer covering up his incompetence and the world laughs at the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, God’s nation.

Image result for Cute Elementary ClassroomsWhat Satan wants to do to our children. Because the deep state controls the media, you are not hearing about the sexual perversion being taught in our public schools and the pedophilia teachers are committing using curricula approved by principals and school districts. To further the perverted homosexual agenda, teachers are preparing children to accept homosexuality and transgenderism by teaching them, in detail, about homosexual practices – under the guise of being “inclusive” and “gay rights.” THIS IS PEDOPHILIA! When parents protested at school boards, the jackal’s administration labelled them “domestic terrorists”.

More parents are speaking up and the tide is turning in some states but last week I saw a podcast on Victory News where a teacher explained to other teachers the correct pronouns to use on report cards so that a child who “identifies” as being of the opposite sex while at school can continue to pose as the sex they want and the teachers will not, inadvertently, let the parent know what is going on at school with their own child. Some children have begun sex change treatments which were deliberately hidden from parents.

Image result for public domain picture of school childThis is all part of a planned attack by Satan. Go online and search “We are coming for your children.”  A San Francisco gay men’s choir spells out exactly what the left wants to do with YOUR children and grandchildren. It is disgusting and I hope it infuriates you.

This is one more reason why you need to start listening to conservative, Christian, patriotic, righteous news and stop listening to and believing the enemy.  Are you mad yet?

Why the deep state supports violence, defunding the police, and taking our guns. If the only people allowed to have guns are criminals, then the only people with guns will be criminals. Then, the evil, totalitarian, socialist progressives and the deep state can control Image result for Public Domain Picture of Police. Size: 180 x 101. Source: www.publicdomainpictures.netus. Then America would be in a situation like Australia, where people were forced into covid camps for not obeying the governments covid rules. The right to bear arms is the second Amendment to our Constitution. Yes, gun violence is horrific beyond words, but the solution is to allow law-abiding citizens to bear arms. Mainstream media has not told you that since the tragedy in Uvalde at least two other potential mass shooters were stopped by citizens using their legally-permitted guns.

Blind justice. The deep state worked years ago to get corrupt judges and prosecutors and legislators into office. That is how Congressman Lee ZeldIn could be attacked with a knife, during a political rally, and his attacker immediately released from jail. Such things are happening all the time. You just do not hear about them on the media that the globalist, communist, socialist deep state owns.

Image result for public domain picture of united states mapBorders. The jackal’s puppets have purposefully moved him to allowed millions of illegal aliens to cross our southern border. And they are being relocated throughout the US. Many of these are sex traffickers, drug traffickers, terrorists and other criminals. Thousands are dying as they are smuggled across the border by the drug cartel. Fentanyl use has exploded as it has flowed like a river across the border. Why does the administration do nothing? They are planning for the illegals to be grateful for being allowed into the US and to vote for them.

January 6 theater. This is a blatant attempt to stop President Trump from running in 2024. I will not give it the dignity of explanation but start listening to conservative news outlets and the truth you hear about this sham will seem unbelievable. And what about the rampant violence in our cities which is not covered in mainstream news and about which the left does nothing?

See the source imageWhat they are doing to our beloved military.  I say “beloved military” because I am deeply, deeply grateful to the men and women and families who have sacrificed and are even now sacrificing so we may live in a free country. Satan is working to weaken and destroy our military. Thousands are being discharged because they refuse to take the vax.  Leaders are spending resources teaching our military how to use the “proper” pronouns lest they offend someone who is deluded into thinking they can change their sex. They have been forced to work alongside homosexuals and do you really think the trouble this perversion causes is reported by mainstream media?

In China the government removed ALL “girlie” boy effeminate movies and tv shows for children, replacing them with media that teaches boys to be men. Communist China is raising up a generation of men who will fight like men. What is our media teaching our young boys, our future soldiers? How to be weak, intimidated, and to tolerate that which is disgusting and vile in God’s sight.

God puts an instinct into males to be men and fight to protect females and children. What will our future soldiers be if that instinct is beaten out of them by years of lies and punishment for following their God-given instincts?

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Distractions! All these and many more distractions are coming now, before the 2022 midterms and who knows what else they have planned? They are already making noises about another plandemic. And look at the hatred unleased against abortion.

Image result for Public Domain Picture Of Ultrasound. Size: 188 x 100. Source: radiationepal.blogspot.comThe curse of abortion over the United States. When our Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, returning this issue to the states, where it should have always remained because it is not a constitutional “right”, a curse was lifted off our land. Abortion is a blood sacrifice to the god Molech. That is why you see such unbelievable hatred from those who support it. They are demonically controlled and influenced. How else do you account for the violence and hatred? It is demonic control and it is also the flesh. People do not like it when they have to pay the consequences for their sin. They want abortion so they can continue their sexual immorality without the consequence of raising a child. So Satan has brutally murdered millions of babies in the womb. Their blood has cried out to God and He is bringing justice.

Did you know some states were approving abortion up to 30 days AFTER THE BABY WAS OUT OF THE WOMB?

See the source imageIf you vote democrat, you are supporting this abomination. One hundred percent of democrats in the House voted to keep Roe v. Wade intact.   Think about that. If you voted for the jackal now in the White House you voted for abortion and for all the evils now seeming to prevail.

Wake up! You can do something! You can repent of that and start praying for and supporting righteous leaders and righteous endeavors. You can make a difference!

The tide is turning, God is already doing mighty things. Look at the other Supreme Court decisions that defend righteousness. Look at the truths that even mainstream media is starting to proclaim (because they have no choice.)  Just this should convince you.

But if you listen to the prophets, you have been hearing them say, for years that God is doing many things behind the scenes, exposing and destroying evil. Prophets have been saying for months now that the Third Great Awakening has already begun, with signs and wonders and hundreds of salvations happening in tent revivals as in former days. They also predicted the many ways righteousness is starting to flow in our nation.

Image result for public domain picture of niagaraEveryday Americans are waking up and taking action. Grassroots efforts and organizations that oppose evil and promote righteousness are exploding. God is about to unleash a Niagara of justice and righteousness. (Amos 5:24)

Will you get involved? I beg you: will you get involved? You are alive at this time by God’s design. He has things for you, personally, to do in this fight, just as God had things for Esther to do. And He will equip and supply you as you stand and start fighting.

I ask you: Do you want to look back and remember that you did your part in God’s fight? Or do you want to remember that fear and disbelief kept you from taking your stand against evil?

How do you think the Holocaust happened? Little by little, one lie at a time.  People believed lies because they were repeated over and over and those who could help the Jews stayed silent. And the Jewish people themselves, these precious souls who are the apple of His eye? What about them?

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The last exhibit in the Holocaust Memorial Museum is the “shoe pile”, a pile of 4,000 shoes of holocaust victims.  May we never forget and may we never cease to pray for Israel and the peace of Israel. What happened to God’s beloved Jewish people is a warning for us. They were deceived, and those who suspected evil was being done and who could do something remained silent.

Socialist and communistic leaders promise people things will be good if they just submit and obey the government. Think about it.

Here is part of an article from the October 12, 2021, Seattle Times.

The 4,000 shoes on display are on loan from the State Museum of Majdanek in Lublin, Poland,” said Steven Luckert, curator of the permanent exhibition. “In general, the shoes are the objects that leave the most profound impression on the visitors. It shows the magnitude of Nazi murder through something so deeply personal.”

Men’s loafers, children’s bootees and women’s two-inch heels are piled in a disordered heap. The women’s shoes, once beautiful, may be the most shocking remnants in the exhibition. They are the reminder that some victims were hopeful, taking their finery and most-feminine footwear on trains that led to this.

“Some of the shoes are very elegant, and the variety gives the sense of the deception at work to fool the victims,” Luckert said. “Jews were told they would be building new lives someplace in the East, not told they were being sent to be killed.”

In the 1930s, the quotation below appeared in many public addresses of the German pastor Martin Niemoller:

“First, they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews – and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me–and there was no one to speak for me.”

If you are doing something, keep doing it and even more! If not, I must ask: how long will you remain passive and indifferent?

Specific things to do – now:

  1. At home alone, with in-person prayer groups or on-line. Put your boots on the ground and go to places and pray.
  2. Get informed – go to the “What is God doing?” page of this website and start listening regularly to conservative, Christian media. Besides speaking truth, they give ways to get involved in God’s fight for righteousness and justice in our land.
  3. Send letters and emails and call your government representatives, at all levels. millionvoices.org has made this easy. Check it out.
  4. Serve at polling places, run for local offices – yes you!
  5. Go to school board meetings, city councils, legislative sessions – whatever is available to you — and pray and speak as the Lord leads.
  6. Speak up to your pastor. Just writing a respectful, but truthful letter to your pastor can move him or her to start speaking up for righteousness.
  7. Start a prayer meeting for your city, state and nation – just you and one other person can move mountains.
  8. This is just a starter list. As you seek God and get in the fight, He will lead you personally.

Fellow believer, I have been bold and I wish I could be even bolder! We must be about God’s work and do our part to destroy the works of the enemy. (I John 3:8) We cannot remain passive and silent. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30, NIV)

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Where are you planted? Part One

Image result for Public Domain Picture Of Car on Street. Size: 184 x 206. Source: www.photos-public-domain.com“Do not call conspiracy [or hard or holy] all that this people will call conspiracy [or hard or holy]; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor [make others afraid] and in dread.” (Isaiah 8:12, AMPC)

“Well, Father, I am not sure what the first part of this verse means but you are surely telling me that my fear can make others fear.”

Midmorning traffic was light as I drove down Manchaca, past the high school, the community college, and the string of small businesses, repeating my current Bible verse. At the light, I glanced at the next phrase on the printed page spread on the passenger seat, next to my purse.

“The Lord of hosts—regard Him as holy and honor his Holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety].”

As I made the left turn onto Jones, a little side street lined with homes, conviction came so strong I almost pulled into a driveway to stop and think.

“Oh, forgive me, Father! I see that I dishonor You when I do not depend on You alone as my only hope of safety. Oh, forgive me, Lord!”

I sped up along the entrance ramp and then the slow, arcing single-lane turn, ignoring the unsettling feeling of being suspended in midair. Although focused on driving, part of my mind repeated “The Lord of hosts—regard Him as holy and honor his Holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety.” All the while, a familiar undercurrent of gratitude flowed along at a semiconscious level, gratitude for the path the Good Shepherd had led me to follow.

“Thank You, Lord, for all the times the boys and I drove along this road on our way to the gym back when they were preschool. Thank You that diligent Bible study and meditation in my areas of need healed the depression and fear when nothing else worked. Thank You, Father, for the thirst You have given for Your Word! What an unspeakable gift!”

Image result for public domain picture of handwritten noteA personal message of deep love and concern. Friend, this piece of writing came about, with a strong awareness of God’s presence. It interrupted work on another subject. I do not, of course, claim to hear God’s voice perfectly, but I do know when I feel His presence especially strong, as I did when writing this. I plead with you to receive these words in the spirit in which they are written– keenly aware of my own weaknesses and with deep love and concern for your spiritual welfare and your life eternal. So, I ask you today. . .

  • What are you doing with the Word?
  • Are you planted in a desert?
  • Are you planted in a fertile area?
  • Do you have deep roots? Any?
  • Do your roots seek a cistern or the Source Himself?
  • Blinders?
  • Do you know about two more dangers?
  • Do you hear “The full counsel of God”?
  • Do you do personalized study for personal needs?
    • God wants to teach you personally
    • Only God knows my heart and what my heart needs
  • A personal regret

What are you doing with the Word? Are you purposefully studying the Word, diligently, and in your areas of personal need? Are you purposefully meditating on the Word you find each day, all day? If so, press on!  But if diligent Bible study and diligent, purposeful meditation are not part of your daily routine or if your Bible study consists only of trying to absorb Truth others have mined, I beg you, consider – where is the tree of your heart planted?

Image result for public domain picture of tree in desertAre you planted in a desert? Are you planted in the desert of rebellion and disobedience regarding God’s command to “study and show yourself approved to God?” (2 Timothy 2:15)? Do you consider personal, serious Bible study and meditation unnecessary? While listening to preaching and teaching, do you play with your phone? Do you think about the week ahead? If so, if you seldom study or even read the Word for yourself and if you do not pay close attention to what preaching and teaching you do hear, then you rarely get rain and your heart is shriveling as is your soul although you do not perceive it.

You remain spiritually alive only by His grace, and, like a cactus, your trifling bit of life-sustaining moisture is hoarded deep inside, with thorns blocking the way of any fellow parched soul seeking sustenance. You bear no good fruit and provide no shade under which weary ones may rest. You are in grave danger.

Image result for Public Domain Picture of Rainforest Trees. Size: 137 x 100. Source: www.flickr.comAre you planted in a fertile area? You say, “No! I am like a tree planted where it receives abundant rain. I regularly study my Bible and gather with others for preaching and teaching.  I eagerly stretch out my branches and let the rain revive my leaves and, thus, I am watered abundantly. My roots bring water to my soul and I bear good fruit.”

Ahh! That is well and good and you may be a fruit-producing tree but receiving life-giving water through leaves and shallow roots drawing on pooled rain water is a “backward sort of way for a tree to absorb water . . . At least 70 different species of trees in seven different ecosystems have been identified as using a back to front water transport mechanism like this. This is most common in rainforests where mist forms near the treetops, making an environment suitable for this type of water consumption.” (www.wildlifeinformer.com)

Friend, are you getting your spiritual nourishment—like trees feeding on the moisture in the treetops–only from the rain and from the atmosphere created by other believers as you discuss the Word that has been fed to you?

See the source imageDo you have deep roots? Any? God obviously intends for us to be instructed. Every tree does indeed get some of its necessary moisture from rain and from close proximity to fellow believers as well as via shallow roots drawing on rainwater held in the ground. However, God also intends for every believer to diligently study the Word individually and to meditate on His Word continually. It is not God’s plan for believers to be watered with the Word only by what they hear from others, no matter how sound. What happens during drought, when water from rain fails?

Friend, I must ask: Do you have deep roots? Any at all? Do you take time regularly and consistently (not perfectly, but consistently) for diligent Bible study and diligent meditation? Or is your sustenance only from that treetop mist and shallow soil soaked with rainwater?

With love, I must ask again: Do you have any deep roots? Think about it. What if your source of water, of God’s truth, is now tainted or becomes tainted?  God wants you to fully, from the heart, obey Scripture and become like a tree “planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1), so that you will be continually watered not only from others but from below, from the unseen depths of the Spirit directly. God wants you to have deep roots. And He wants your roots to connect to the spring, the Source Himself, of Living Water.

Do your roots seek a cistern or The Source Himself?  Spiritual roots must not only burrow deeply into the soil but they must burrow in the right location. Otherwise, you will draw from a source that, like rain, is secondary to the True Source.

What do I mean? You may be drawing from a cistern. A cistern is an underground reservoir to hold rain. You may get good water, from sound teaching and your own diligent study and meditation upon about what you have heard, but you still are not getting water from the Source Himself. Why?

Roots grow toward water. If a tree, even a deeply-rooted tree, is planted far from a river, its roots will grow toward and inevitably draw from secondary underground sources, like cisterns or ground water.

See the source imageIf I establish myself, if I plant myself, in the habit of getting all my spiritual water from the teaching and preaching of others, I am planting myself above a cistern or a water table.  Even though my roots do go deep, if my mind is open only to what I have been taught—all my roots reach sideways, into that cistern or groundwater, into that reservoir of the teaching of others. I will not hear from God through His Word directly. Friend, every human, no matter how holy, is but a “broken cistern” (Jeremiah 2:13). God wants us to hear from Him directly.  

Unless I am planted close to the water so that my roots connect directly to the underground water that is part of the river itself, the Living Water cannot do His full work in me. The Living Word cannot uncloak truth as I study new Scriptures and He cannot reveal new depths of familiar Scriptures. He is limited to the interpretation of the person who taught me.

Suppose someone taught me that one has to be baptized in water to be saved. When I read that Jesus told the thief on the cross “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise. (Luke 23:43, KJV)”, I will not perceive that this verse shows water baptism is not mandatory for salvation. If someone teaches me that the gifts of the Spirit demonstrated in the New Testament are not for today, I will read with that veil over my eyes.

Suppose my pastor only preaches Romans 13:1 (“be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established”). Study Romans 13:1-6 for yourself, and you will see God is saying obey rulers who do right, not wicked rulers. Was it right for God’s people to worship King Nebuchadnezzar when they were commanded to do so? No!  And what did the apostles say when the governing authorities commanded them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus? The apostles said “We must obey God rather than men!” (Romans 5:29b)

Further, we are not to say silent in the midst of evil, as so very many are doing today. Proverbs 25:26 is clear. “Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring is a righteous man who yields and compromises his integrity before the wicked.” (AMPC)

Image result for public domain picture of horse with blindersBlinders? A horse with blinders walks where he is allowed to see, blind to all things except what is right in front of his eyes, which is what his master has chosen for him to see. This was the sin that kept most of Israel from perceiving Messiah for Who He was and is and will ever be—God Himself. They believed someone else’s teaching, were blinded to all else, and rejected the teaching of the Living Word Himself.

In Matthew 23, Jesus called the teachers of the law and Pharisees, “hypocrites, blind guides, snakes and a brood of vipers”.  Jesus told them:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matthew 23:13-14, NIV)

Jesus was addressing teachers of the law and Pharisees who were blocking the way to salvation. Why were they doing that? They were enslaved, controlled, by their own fleshly lust for power and wealth.

Beloved, today’s pastors and teachers are made of the same flesh as those teachers and Pharisees more two thousand years ago.

I am not saying the pastors or teachers you hear are teaching you lies or using you or purposefully leading you away from Truth, but I must ask: if you do not search the Word yourself, how will you tell? A child accepts whatever his parents tell him because he trusts his parents. Who does God tell you to trust, Him and His Word or those who claim to know His Word?

Selective Focus Shot Of A Male Standing And Speaking From The PulpitAgain, I must ask, is it not possible that, though they have good intentions, some pastors and teachers are not connected with the Source of Truth and so are speaking only revised versions of what they themselves have been taught? Is it not possible that their own blindness and pre-judged interpretations cause them to err and, thus, lead you into error?

Suppose one is following another down the road and they both fall into a ditch. The leader says, “Oh, we are fine right here. This is the best place for us. No, no, don’t try to climb out. I know best.“ If the follower believes what the leader says, both will remain cold, wet, and miserable, mere inches away from the bright, warm, sunlit path God prepared for them.

Besides that dangerous kind of pastor and teacher, sadly, many so-called Christians today use and abuse God’s people and serve Satan just as much as the teachers of the law and Pharisees.

I beg you: let God open your eyes. Let Him teach you from the Word directly, not through the filter of anyone else’s understanding.

Two more grave dangers. As stated, if all I hear an know of the Word comes through someone else’s interpretation, I am planted above a cistern. Holy Spirit will not be able to show me fresh understanding of familiar Scriptures nd will be unable to open unfamiliar Scriptures.

Besides those grave dangers, (1) I will not hear the full counsel of God and (2) God will be unable to fully cleanse my heart of sin, bring full healing, and bring me to full maturity. Why? Let’s look first at the matter of hearing the full counsel of God.

Image result for free clipart Of holy fire. Size: 150 x 208. Source: clipground.com“The full counsel of God, Acts 20:27”. There are many kinds of sin. We are ignorant of most of them until we learn God’s laws and He personally teaches us how His laws apply to our individual lives.

Most preaching and teaching in the United States today focuses on self-improvement and other humanistic self-centered themes. Most preaching and teaching does not call sin sin. Think. When was the last time you heard a sermon on sexual immorality, homosexuality, abortion, jealousy, or lying? These sins are so obvious that even most unbelievers know Christians are not to do such things, but how often do you hear preaching on these sins?

Even rarer are sermons and teaching against filthy language, immodesty, self-centeredness, the consequences of neglecting the Word, the need for holiness and our responsibility as believers to shine into the darkness of our current wicked culture and to fight for the Kingdom and our freedom.

God has called us ALL to live “upright and godly lives” in this current dark world.  But if we do not hear preaching or teaching against sin—in all its forms—and if we fail to diligently study and meditate on the Word for ourselves, letting Holy Spirit speak to us personally, how will we live holy lives? How will we be changed from glory to glory? How will we gain a renewed mind? How will we conquer “the world, the flesh and the devil?” How will we hear God explain, through Biblical principles, what is happening in our world and what we must do about it?

Do you want to merely wipe the outside of the dish or do you want to clean the inside as well? (Matthew 23:25) The Great Physician has filled the Bible with His prescriptions for “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3)—right living in each aspect of human life.  God has called us ALL to be holy because He is holy.

(14) [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel].

(15) But as the One who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living.

(16) For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. (I Peter 1:14-16, AMPC)

Part of holiness is maturity. In many places and with persuasive words, God urges us to press on to maturity, in verses like 2 Peter 1:5-11, Hebrews 6:1 and Colossians 2:6-8, to name a few. We can only do that if we hear what He says about each aspect of life—His full counsel.

Do you do personalized study for your personal needs? Finally, fellow sojourner, unless I seek unfiltered, fresh truth directly from the Word, through the teaching of Holy Spirit, for my particular needs, I remain—unknowingly—vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. I remain enslaved by (and reaping the consequences of) sin and iniquity concealed from my own awareness. And this can be in spite of decades of following God. (I stumbled at that point for many years)

Merely listening to teaching from others is like blindly grabbing a shirt from a huge rack holding every possible size. My need will be met only marginally and possibly not at all. Letting God teach me is like having the world’s best tailor make a garment for me.

Image result for public domain picture of two people studyingGod wants to teach us personally. Pressing on to maturity—until Christ is fully formed in us–is essential for every believer and possible only by the Living Word of God.  Our loving God longs to speak to you personally, through His Holy Spirit opening His Word to you, about your personal troubles, like fear, temper, depression, or addiction. He wants to give you victory over every “trouble, trial, distress and frustration” (John 16:33). God invites us to reason together with Him, and to let Him cleanse every crimson stain of sin until we are white as wool (Isaiah 1:18). Holy Spirit longs to study the Word with you. If you seek Him, He will be as clear as if you were studying with a human friend.

Only God knows my heart and what my heart needs. Pastors and teachers do not know my heart. Neither do I–because “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

It is part of human nature to conceal sin. Consequently, so very much of our sins and iniquities are hidden. Thus the psalmist cried: “Who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.” Psalm 19:12, NIV).  God does use sound preaching and teaching to convict us of much sin—glory to God!!—but most of every iceberg is hidden.

You have never and never will hear a pastor or teacher tell you the precise occasion when you committed adultery as you allowed lustful thoughts, like birds, to build a nest in your hair. But God knows and His Word will convict you of that.

Image result for public domain picture of an earYou have never and will never hear a pastor or teacher tell you that you are holding resentment and unforgiveness toward someone from 25 years ago – but God’s Word will.

Despite nearly four decades of weekly preaching I never heard a pastor explain how lies I believed about myself and God had created depression. But studying and meditating on the Word exposed those lies and replaced them with Truth, which set me free indeed. (John 8:31-21)

Sometimes prophets do bring God’s conviction to individuals, as Nathan did for David, but for most, God convicts us of our sins and iniquities through teaching and preaching AND personal study and meditation of His Word.

God says “I search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10). In that same passage, in verse 13, God sternly warns us through Jeremiah who said,

“Lord, You are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame; Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.” (NIV, emphasis added)

Only washing with the Word, from the inside out, will reveal and cleanse hidden sin. Only washing with the Word, from the inside out, will bring living water to hidden areas of weakness and needed growth, transforming dust into malleable clay, useful for the Potter. Only truth can expose and destroy lies and tear down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). Only the Word can shine light in caverns in your soul where, despite your best efforts, darkness yet reigns.

God longs for us to be healed and whole and living in peace as we labor, joyfully, in our work with Him.  And He has made the way. That way is through the cross, the way of letting God’s Living Word crucify your flesh and then wash you and keep you clean.

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A personal regret. With deep regret I confess that I did not truly study and meditate diligently—and in my individual areas of need—until two years of deep depression forced me to. Then I began studying passages phrase by phrase, slowly, carefully and digging deep to see the complete thought God was expressing. Often that involved the entire chapter as well as chapters before and after. And, finally, because God had put me in a dessert and I was desperately thirsty, I not only studied diligently but I also meditated diligently. I thought all day about truths God had revealed, repeating those passages and verses until I “accidentally” memorized them.

Only diligent Bible study and diligent meditation healed the depression and fear. Why? Because although I was outwardly obeying everything I knew about God and every command I heard and (thought I) had studied, the enemy’s lies living in my heart kept me in bondage to hidden sin, sins like doubting God’s faithfulness, His power for my life and His good intentions toward and promises to me.

Until I dedicated time and energy—and all my heart–to letting God teach me personally from the Word regarding my personal sins and weaknesses, until I then meditated on truth He revealed, until those truths renewed my mind, many areas of healing and needed growth remained hidden. So did many sins of which I was unaware – because I had heard no preaching or teaching about them even though I had pursued God with all my heart for nearly four decades.

Praise God that through diligent Bible study and meditation, Holy Spirit used the Living Water of the Word to reveal the precise portions of Truth I needed. Some need to have God’s truth flow in their hearts regarding a temper or lust or whatever. But I needed to have certain of God’s truths imprinted on my heart, the truths hat God loves me just as I am, that He truly will take care of all my needs, and that when I perceive His presence, His peace and love always drives out all loneliness and fear. I had heard those things but until I personally searched out Scriptures then studied and meditated upon them, letting the Living Word show me—or judge—which of my thoughts and intentions were true and which were false–I remained in darkness.

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Let’s review. In Part One, we have seen some conditions regarding the Word in which believers may be trapped. Believers, even with good intentions, may be:

  • Planted in a dessert – Not paying attention to the Word they hear and doing no personal study.
  • Planted in a fertile area – Paying attention to the Word and doing some personal study but drawing strength and light mainly from the Word they hear taught and interactions with believers.
  • Growing deep roots . . . but planted above a cistern – doing serious Bible study on their own but unknowingly interpreting all they study through the lens of what they have been taught.
  • Not hearing the full counsel of God – Hearing and studying only what is taught in sermons, group study, or what others have written.

I pray that you and I will ever pursue the path of:

  • Personalized teaching from Holy Spirit – Thirsting for and satisfied by teaching from Holy Spirit through the Word that reveals and heal personal sins and weakness and leads one to maturity.  Then we will joyfully live as that “living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1b, NIV)

In Part Two, we will continue investigating this vital topic, starting with these questions:

  • Where is God telling you to look?
  • “Where can you get this living water? (John 4:11b, NIV)

 

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Watering works!

Image result for public domain picture of watering can(5) What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. (6) I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. (7) So, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (8) The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will be rewarded according to their own labor (9) for we are co-workers in God’s service . . . (I Corinthians 3:5-9a, AMPC)

Planting, watering, and rejoicing. As I walked beside the pool, my hands full of mail, I waved at Joe walking on the other side.

“Hey,” he said, “thanks for praying for me the other day.”

I smiled, turned the corner and walked toward him.

“So, what’s happening? Do you know when you’ll move yet?”

“Well,” he replied. “I don’t know. There is a social worker helping me but it’s taking a long time. After you prayed the other day I’m feeling better and things are quieter.”

“That’s wonderful!” I replied, as the wind rustled through the trees, a flock of sparrows fluttered from one nearby bush to another, and the heat of the Texas midday sun pressed into my scalp and bare arms.

“Tell me about it.”  So, for the next few minutes, I listened, commiserating about dealing with large government agencies and the frustration of waiting.

The habit of planting and watering. I live in a condominium complex and make it a habit to get to know my neighbors and to work God into our brief conversations whenever I can. I had seen Joe for two years, waving at him and his two buddies every few weeks or months when they sat on the curb by the dumpster, sipping from tall cans tucked into wrinkled brown paper bags.

In early spring, I had seen Joe at a neighborhood drug store, and we had talked while we stood in a long line. I learned a bit about his background and current problems. As the clerk bagged his purchases, he turned back to me and said, “It was good to talk to you.” As I smiled and said “Likewise, Joe!” I remember thinking at the time “Joe may not have anyone to offer a kind and listening ear.” And I had thanked God for letting me offer a bit of friendship and concern from a fellow human being. And I had, of course, prayed for him.

Image result for public domain picture of homeless man drinkingBy God’s grace alone. Like three others in the complex, I knew he had some kind of disability and I took extra care to speak a word of encouragement whenever I saw him in the parking lot or by the mailboxes.

“There but for Your grace, Lord, go I. Help me be Your smile and Your voice.”

Today, as Joe talked, resting one thin arm on the fence by the pool, I was praying the same prayer.

“Let’s pray again,” I said, and I did, briefly thanking God for helping, asking for guidance about making decisions, and asking God to keep Joe in peace.

“Thank you,” Joe said. “You know, I think He listens to you because last time you prayed for me, things got a whole lot better.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Joe. That makes my heart happy! He loves us all so much and He wants to help us. He has taken good care of my daughter and me for many years and has never let us down once.”

We shared a warm smile before we parted and went our separate ways.

Image result for public domain picture of watering sproutsA little more water sprinkled. “Thank You, Lord, for that chance, for being able to sprinkle a little more water on those seeds You’ve planted in Joe’s heart. Thank You for letting me sense what he was ready to hear. Keep him safe, Lord, help him . . . “

As I walked upstairs, I pondered afresh the message of 1 Corinthians 3, that each of us who labor in the kingdom plant seeds and water seeds but it is God alone who makes things grow.

(5) What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. (6) I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. (7) So, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (8) The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will be rewarded according to their own labor (9) for we are co-workers in God’s service . . . (I Corinthians 3:5-9a, AMPC)

I opened the door, walked over to the rocker and sat, staring out the window. This month has been the hardest this year, with one problem after another—all in the stressful atmosphere in which our world is currently bathed. I paid out $800 for a fender bender that was my fault, I fell and got some interesting bruises (but fortunately only bruises), I got scammed, and the air conditioner had to be repaired. All month, handling fallout from those problems had interfered with the writing, which is a source of delight and great peace. Earlier that morning, while waiting on the air conditioner repair man, was the first time I was able to sit down and write for more than a few minutes.

Image result for Public Domain Picture Of Planting Seeds. Size: 142 x 106. Source: www.publicdomainpictures.netLike a tangible pat on the head. I continued staring out the window, into the glare coming off the building ten feet away.

“Thank You, Father, so much. That is a pat on the head I can almost feel.  What a privilege to help draw Joe toward You a bit more! What a privilege to be involved in kingdom work in my own back yard and in the middle of these problems, which I know are much less than what many are enduring.”

I sighed and scratched Lily’s head, then I smiled.

“And it’s an affirmation of the verses in Psalm 37 that I’ve been trying to memorize these many weeks now, especially verse three.”   

“Trust (lean on, rely on and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.” (Psalm 37:3, AMPC, emphasis added)

Thank You, Father, for giving me the opportunity to do good today while I, along with millions of others, take my place in the battle for the Kingdom and wait expectantly for Your deliverance in the midst of our present troubles. Thank You for Your faithfulness, Thank You for Who You are, for Your loving kindnesses, Your tender mercies, Your compassion. . . “

Image result for public domain picture of jesus holding the worldLord, although the whole world is greatly afflicted at this present moment, we who know You have hope and expectation because we, as did Jeremiah, recall:

(22) It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. (24) The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore, will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.

(25) The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquiring of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of His Word]. (26) It is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:22-26, AMPC, emphasis added)

Image result for public domain picture of watering sprouts