Jesus is making me like Him.  Certainly he is the model or example for my behavior.  But I am concerned with my brothers and their decision making with regard to the Holy Spirit’s prompting.  You know when they tell you that someone, usually someone who is curious on what it means to be Christian, is watching you?  Well, I want you to know that I am watching too.  Sometimes I am amazed at your Christ likeness, but many times, especially as of late, I have seen you ignore, overlook or conveniently translate scripture to avoid accountability.  For example, are you going out in the world making disciples?  When was the last time you attempted to make a disciple, especially with someone you didn’t previously know?  Why are women teaching in your church, being given authority over men?  Why have you counseled someone to divorce, simply out of unhappiness or inconvenience?  Are you tithing or robbing God?  Did you give that guy the money he asked for or did you come up with some excuse about you didn’t want to contribute to his substance abuse?  Have you forgiven that person you truly hate?

I fall short at least several times per day, maybe from God’s perspective the accounting is much higher, but am I (A) aware of my offenses and (B) confessing my sins before God that I might be in right standing.  Have I determined that I am going to follow the rules of man where they are in direct conflict with the word of God?  The burning man event is going on in northern Nevada this month.  Who if any of us Christians is going out there to pray against the high places of pagan worship?  Our meekness has become a cushiony couch upon which we spiritually slumber and grow less distinct in our worldliness.   When shall we awake?  How about today?  Obey God’s word today.  Prove that you love Him.  I ask do you love your worldly mother of father?  Prove it.  The only way is to honor them through obedience and right behavior.  How is it any different with almighty God?

It is easy to place the concentration of my behavior and ask what would anyone else do in a particular instance, but what truly matters is what we do in each instance.  I must know Jesus personally to know how he wants me to behave in this life.  I must know God’s Word and write it upon my heart so that when standing upon a deciding event I immediately choose the skinny path.  I cannot approach my faith with nonchalance. I am not watching you because I wish to be your judge I am watching because your life matters to me and how you behave reflects upon Almighty God.  Please obey him, please follow his word, please become the man or woman he is counseling you to become.  Love him in active faith, show it in your walk not just in your talk.

Wow, my first inclination is to try and listen but if they push boy do I have a propensity to take their legs out from under them.  Father, what is the secret to suffering, willingly, accepting the challenge of our time?  This is not a thing of my spirit, for I would win the day in swordplay, wordsmanship, cunningness and inclination to better my fellow man, relegating all to status of enemy.  Will you allow me to concentrate my focus on your objective, giving you the control and achieving a level of patience yet unobserved in my countenance?  What would I become if I could not just show mercy when it is easy but actually, “be gentle” even in battle’s midst?

He that soweth the good seed is the son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.  Matthew 13:37-40

But John forbad him, saying I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.  Then he suffered him.  Matthew 3:14-15

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth?  But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his son to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? do not even the publicans so?  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Father, clearly you are calling me to something beyond my reckoning or personal performance.  I cannot ignore it and I cannot personally achieve it, therefore I am left to prayer and patience.  Mold me in to that man who loves all especially advantaging the circumstances where I may show my enemies mercy, grace and hope.  This is what I want, total surrender to your will for my heart, nothing else will suffice.  I commit myself to being perfect even as you are perfect my Lord.  In Jesus’s Holy Name I pray.  Lord give them hope and let them know I truly love them, where words seem to be insufficient.

Accuracy and imperception.  If I am unclear then my discernment will be skewed.  The foundation must be a new wine skin, a new creature a body washed clean, risen from the dead of poisonous imperception.  I seek to see through the eyes of Christ, perceive via the mind of Christ and speak through the spirit of Almighty God. If I feel that I must argue a point then it should be done from the Word of God, otherwise it is based upon my wisdom that has already been confounded by Almighty God.  If I feel as if I have been falsely accused and believe that God is a righteous judge then I should feel no urge to self-defense unless I have been deceived into fleshly thinking. When I electively, demonstrate my own will in speaking from my corrupted flesh then I am guaranteed conflict with God, people and all of my surroundings.  How then do I remain in the spirit where Christ’s thoughts and Words abound?

This place is painful, but nothing as painful as separation from Almighty God.  This place offers glory and gain, but nothing like that which I receive in the promises of Almighty God.  This place offers friendship, family and felicity, but none of it built upon the unshakeable foundation that is Christ the Rock.  My place is with God in peace, love, work, understanding and commitment to purpose.  I cannot live outside this purpose and expect to righteously explain or be protected from the ravages of mortal men or spirits aligned against all that is Holy.  I must be fully aligned with God and remove or extricate myself from any circumstance that demands I re-enter my flesh.  This is not my home, this is my place of work and as such I may travel to work each day remaining the man of God He requires without joining in or becoming embroiled in the sinful folly of man.  The Lord has overcome all of this, therefore I have the hope that though I am challenged I also am victor.  He has given me this gift, I must choose to accept it and display for all to see my Father’s greatness.

What then of situations that surpass my abilities?  None shall if I am fully dependent on God.  That doesn’t mean that everything is always going to go my way or that I may name it and claim whatever benefit I desire.  It means that my problems are not my own.  God has bid me turn to him and He will give me peace.  I just don’t follow this direction.  I give up for the 6330th time.  I was never meant to win this war or any war, I am simply a messenger of God’s Love and Grace.   Therefore, my problems are self-manufactured for they always lay outside of the part I was sent to perform.  Lord, free me from having to be right, acceptable to man or this childish need to be validated by every person I meet.  I truly mean them no offense but I really do not care about their opinion of my efficacy.  You alone are my judge and though I would have them love me, or offer me respect, if receiving that requires that I enter fleshly discussion, argument, contemplation or litigation then I want none of it.  I thank you for allowing me to stay on plan and simply offer them love, without requirement and a gospel that will set them eternally free.

In Christ I have found eternal life, let me begin to live it now.  In Jesus’s name I pray.

In prayer, in song, in open praise, in giving, cherishing and thankfulness.  Why does the Lord want us to come to him, especially when our words recognize his kindness, righteousness and worth?  How come the writers of the Bible spend so much time describing God’s glorious attributes?  One question; what happens the moment people forget God’s goodness?

I can only move on from truth, beginning from a lie effectively prohibits growth assuring whatever is produced as bi-product with be corrupted.  We as a church and as individuals are susceptible to the corrupting influence of sin and easily swayed by the voice of flesh.  We serve a God who has never once let us down, never once backed out on even one of his promises or failed to show up when we cried out.  Yet we continue to have trust issues, failing to depend on God’s dependability.  One question; when choosing a bridge would I choose the one that has known weaknesses or the one that has perpetually shown sure footing.

Without faith it is impossible to please God.  That presents a difficult conundrum, if faith without works is dead faith, then only my faith that has demonstrated action will possibly please God.  Therefore, I can sit here and have the greatest ideas, programs, initiatives, incentives, drives, movements or studies, but if they produce no action, then they were never capable of pleasing Almighty God.  There has to be fruit, there has to be something capable of sustainment as an outcome of any productive equation or there is nothing produced by dead faith.  Therefore, any agreements I entered or contracts signed that were entered to protect myself from circumstantial influences are worthless for they place no faith in God but in man to come to my aid against the influences over which God has infinite and ultimate authority.  Starting with truth, going to the source, both share inescapable logic.

Finally, if my objective is a consistent, communicative relationship with God the Father such that I begin to have faith in his word and action.  And the only method to developing that manner or relationship is knowing and developing a trust in God’s character as he never let’s me down.  The only way to know God is through regular study of his word, lengthy time spent in prayer and communion with our guide, counselor and friend the Holy Spirit.  It is then incumbent upon me to spend that necessary time dedicated to furthering the relationship.  Additionally, since I know that I am susceptible to reactivity to circumstance, then I must be logical and proactive in my planning for those instances where I must choose to go to him instead of emotional or flinching reaction.  I must know God, but I must also know myself, so that I may identify those areas where I may be susceptible to enemy or fleshly influence.  If I know that I am fearful then when I see fear I must choose not to feed it or listen to its leverage I must instead turn to God in faith, who will either pluck me out of the circumstance or show me the way through the instance.  It is always a choice this walk with God and the paths are typically clear, but we must always be aware that the enemy lays in wait for our destruction and his greatest ploys are deception, falsehood and camouflage.  Therefore being a Christian is an enlightened persons game, sober minded, spirit filled and dependent upon God for everything.  In Christ’s mighty name I pray.  Amen.

In her dream God asked that she consider sacrificing her eyes for those who cannot see.  After she got over the shock of his request, I asked her to consider that God was testing her faith asking her to give up her vision, her view, represented by her eyes but truly reflecting the way she sees her life vs. what He would have her see.  It made sense to her as she had never sacrificed her point of view in exchange for God’s Will.  Additionally, she saw how this would give vision to the blind, who could not yet see Christ, through her obedient witness, in effect giving them her vision.  She teared up as I reminded her that she was never as happy as when she was involved in serving God.

It is simple, this old world.  We want it complex for in its complexity we may hide in the tall grass of perpetual misunderstanding.  Doing the work of God for a Christian is our purpose, yet we confuse it with the complex principles behind a “calling” or a mission field.  Life is its own meaning.  Living it today, loving those around me today, resolving the problems associated with today is my purpose, today.  Tomorrow, perhaps God will send me on some fanciful mission to set the captives free from Egypt, but for today feeding, clothing, praying for, healing and encouraging people is simply my job for the Kingdom.  I wish sometimes that I were some prophet, pastor or warrior with a great big task set before me that will help shape eternity, but all things considered I would rather be a simple man, with a simple plan and a measureable duty upon which I can dedicate all my energy, focus and understanding.  You see God told us all to create disciples, so that is simply God’s Will for all our lives.  His vision vs. mine.

I don’t like watching the churches that are teaching sound doctrine, dwindle, but that is what God says would happen.  I don’t like seeing mega churches grow as businesses, watering down the word and delivering packaged programs intent on entertaining parishioners and keeping their butts in the pew seats.  You see it is simple, we were never meant to sit still.  We are meant to become disciples and go forth as preachers, teachers, witnesses and care-givers, delivering the Gospel to the four corners of the world.  We are not intended to become cogs in a mission to achieve maximum church expansion, burgeoning church roles or as sources of fixed incoming revenue.  The work of a Christian has always been out there, in the world.  Jesus demonstrated that example as he daily went out seeking the lost, blind, lame and disenfranchised, separating himself nightly to prayer and communion with the Father.  His thoughts are complex but the vision is simple, any attempt on my part to complicate it is serving other gods.

So what do I do now that I know his vision is different then my own?  Well it’s simple.

I saw one who proclaimed himself king, rising from his throne of stoney wickedness in the cave of absolute despair.  Leaping for joy he laughed unto the heavens, for God’s faithful had begun and finished prayer in minutes.  Brandishing a tilted smile he threw his cloak about him, circling and covering the entire atrium with inky blackness.  He had succeeded with the simple things of man, always easy to manipulate through weariness, distraction or shiny objects.  He held himself in comfort surrounded in his own self satisfaction and laughed unto the second heaven, toward God.  The angel of light or so he was known catapulted himself skyward in a blink to review the lands he knew were his and the subjects who someday would worship him alone.

What am I doing to upset the enemy’s current effective attacks upon the brethren?  Am I bent in intercessory prayer for the remnant, knowing that my time with God shelters them from the mounting prayers of satan’s minion.  Do I understand that I am assigned ambassador for the gospel of Christ.  And though God may have the stones and sticks proclaim the gospel in my absence that this is the time of my presence.  Do I get it that if I shirk my duty that other’s will suffer and my works will smell of smoke as I give account for my works before Jesus?  Do I get it that God has ordered my progression, from babe, to man to prayer warrior and I alone am responsible for aligning myself with God to achieve the titles; disciple, evangelist, teacher or preacher.  Certainly the churches understand this mandate or do they?  And if they do not, does that increase exponentially the responsibility of my own enlightenment, clarity and action for Christ?  Do I understand the personal and collective consequence of my action or worse yet my inaction?  Certainly being saved and accepting the gift of grace is all that is expected of me.

Does it make you feel good to know that you’ve made satan smile today?  That wretches my stomach, to think that my luke-warm service is making his job easy at dispatching the brethren, that all it took to steal our victory was my own self serving disobedience to Christ.  Father, I know that you are changing me.  I know that your Holy Spirit dwells within us and calls us to righteousness, but I also know that we may quench that spirit with our reluctant service or hearing disabilities.  Forgive me for failing you.  How close I become or remain to you is something for which I acknowledge my control.  Keep me in your Word, Keep me on my knees at the foot of your throne, Keep me singing with joyous recognition of your Majesty and above health let me never miss the opportunities presented me to tell everyone who’ll hear about Christ the King.  I serve you and you alone as it is written My Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Please help me to refrain from actions or inactions that profit the enemy.  Let me only bring you honor and praise through my walk.  Let me offer up my service in request for protection, grace and your continued presence with my brothers in Christ.

I wanna sing a new song, with words that describe your majesty.  A melody that’s so strong like the beat of my heart in gratefulness of the sacrifice offered me.  Believing in myself I weave octave and sestet, so tightly at first-look you cannot distinguish them together, but just as when I screamed at the storm to cease, I have the habit of  worrying about the weather instead of embracing comfort from the sleeping Christ beside me. How to convey in a simplistic method, the fourteen steps from shame into joy, as the generations you mingled together to produce such a glorious boy.  How else to explain, the joy found even in my pain then my neurons or gluons to be given voice.  Or to utter from the nucleus of my soul, sounds, groans and hidden harmonies to which only God’s Spirit may make you aware.  Do I dare cry out for a song so stunning that it stops men running, waking them from their own path to consider the glories of God?  Why else have I been born then to give this testimony of promises sworn, not by fleshly and fickle men with limited character but by Almighty God, the origin of all that is Holy and True.

Do I love His discipline?  For that matter do I love discipline at all?  If I struggle against that which I know is best for my growth, resilience and longevity, how then may I trust my own apparently contrary decisions?  What builds faith?  TRIALs, followed by the salve of God’s enduring mercy, healing and deliverance.  Since it is impossible to please God without faith and the expression of mature faith is the single greatest element in verifying belief then wouldn’t, no shouldn’t I pursue instruction through discipline or any other effective measure?  In effect I ought to invite and cherish discipline, appreciating fully the stretching of my character brought about by trials.

Then from a non-personal sense, knowing that God’s miracles are always innovative result of God’s Holy Spirit acting in this world, shouldn’t I welcome the opportunity and circumstance that is perfect at preparing me as conduit for such innovation?  The word counsels us to humility, readiness, maintaining a Holy Focus and inclining our ears and hearts toward God.  If discipline or loss be the paramount tools at achieving these wanton states then shouldn’t I seek their visitation enthusiastically?  Ought I seek those opportunities to welcome discipline’s productive hand upon my flesh, mind and spirit?  Instead of complaints wouldn’t you hear my revised voice of thankfulness?

Replace my desire for comfort with a belief in the healing power of hunger.  Prepare my hands, muscles and mind with the strengthening aspects of endurance making me relatively impervious to adversity.  Let me walk, spreading the joyous Word of God, never once considering frailty, falter or slumber.  Take away the fat of a wanton man replaced by the lean of a tested worker for Christ.  Thresh out my doubt replaced with the untouchable knowledge and faith in God’s promised and perpetual victory for us all.