The Lord is sweet.  We’ve been told lies.  Some about boredom, some about judgment, some about the labors of service.  That is the nature of untruth, it seeks to entice, convince or create victims.  Victims, to join in the self construction serving the ego of them who must demonstrate an alternate explanation for the real.  Untruth, must by its very essence and nature deny the existence, correctness, perfection and reliance to which all reason and science conform upon the foundation of an unalterable, absolute Truth.  It must be revised at any cost, even through the recruitment, alienation, indoctrination and even demise of countless victims.  For without victims the lie must die, so by nature the lie must exist by stealing the life of each victim.

God has loved us, in a perfect sense.  He is really the only one who can truly love anyone, for He is the only one who knows our secret faults and our fault filled secrets.  I know them who are unlovable, don’t you?  Even I cannot believe sometimes that people love me, for they know so little of the entirety of my sinfulness, past, future, thought and action.  Yet, some do still, choosing to look past the hurt and pain I have left in my own wake, they still love me.  God, knows all of it.  By right, He alone should also be the one with perfect reason and choice to dislike, distrust even hate me in disgust.  Yet, He has chosen to give a perfect man’s life, voluntarily, for the sake of rescuing me from the nightmare to which I am complicit.  Just for the sake of loving me and allowing me to love Him.  Forget the obvious benefits, which are too lengthy to give proper voice in mere words.  Just look at that unlovable character we all admitted to knowing and then think of how he basks in, is illuminated by,completely transformed and made new by the simple fact of being an active recipient of the love of God, Almighty.  In a perfect sense, this is the stuff of music, poetry and higher thought.  That God who has every reason not to love us still chooses to love us without requirement or measure.

How then can we fall prey to paltry passion, based upon gain, expectation or sensory selection?  When behind it we know that, if they knew we would never have their love.  So it has never been love, but rather a performance based, approval centered, self gratifying dose of attention, momentary intimacy and needs based edification.  They cannot love me without the indwelling of God, telling them to forget and forgive my sin, rectifying my stench and unacceptability.  For I have earned death by my disobedience, idolatry and self service through sin, that is not a thing that humans accept.  Praise God that I have been cleansed and made anew into someone who can accept love without camouflage, veils or acceptable performance.  I may be loved for I am in Christ and so being I am free from the poisonous muck of my sin nature.  Free to be loved for the man I was truly intended to become.  I too, may love them, perfectly, as Christ first loved me.  That is the first taste of sweetness, whetting my soul to never thirst, never hunger, never concern.  In God’s Word and communion with His Spirit I find the sweetness of peace.

God is love.  Therefore to know love we must first know God.  To know God we must humbly accept His absolute truth regarding redemption, salvation and sanctification through Jesus and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.  Through Jesus Christ we will be reacquainted to God and know true love, only then are we capable of extending that love to ourselves and others.

Praise Him for His Righteous benevolence and love.  In Jesus Name.

It is so easy for me to be mistaken.  It seems to me that I spend more time apologizing for my inappropriate, less than adequate or ineffectual actions than actually getting anything done.  This indicates I have been doing less thinking and praying and more doing, an unfortunate pitfall of trying to fill my life with works instead of faith.  I have been living in a dry spot for a while, waiting for God to determine that it is time for me to enter the next oasis, abundance or steady opportunity.  Most of this has been to allow for investigation of the inherent difficulties associated with my new marriage, that would otherwise remain ticking time bombs if we live complacently for a period.  Although I am grateful and content in this understanding, it unfortunately has allowed the worldly folks around me to batter me about with the fact that I have little financial stability.  I am doing that which God has asked of me yet I am not prospering financially.  According to the prosperity doctrine folks I probably just haven’t sown enough financial tithe via their televangelical ministries.  Or perhaps, there is a time and purpose to all seasons under heaven.  This one I am in currently has produced more reflection, edification and return to the Lord for succor that many of the others combined.  And that is all the prosperity I need.

I do hope that this walk through the desert winds down shortly.  I pray that if it has anything to do with my own resistance to God’s direction, education or counsel, that I quickly give way to His authority, accepting fully the lessons and blessings God has intended.  I do not wish to wander around the desert for 38 years failing in courage to take the high ground of the promised land.  Lord send me against the giants for none may stand against us as you are for us.  Allow me to bring glory to Your Name, through my own walk, through my marriage and through my endeavors/career.  Give me the strength, wisdom and courage to assist appropriately in the edification of others, loving and genuinely/gently assisting them to find you during, before and after each testing/trial.  Let me love them as you love them.  Father thank you for the discipline, thank you for the testing, I appreciate the sparse circumstances as they allow me clarity in my walk and relationship with You.  Everything becomes vivid as all camouflage has been removed.

I love you more each day.  Bless Your Holy Name.  King Jesus.

The Word is entirely useful, beneficial and empirical.  In each of those life-testing moments the Bible provides guidance, defense, assistance and protection.  Why then are there few if any teachers demonstrating its usage to a world gone askance?  Certainly the image of preachers delivering heart felt pulpit messages are widely known and understood, even by unbelievers.  However, where is the television, net or podcast event that demonstrates the effective use and Power of God’s Holy Word for most of the entirely predictable events in human life?  For example, memorizing the Bible is a wonderful artifice for believers concerned with writing God’s Word upon their hearts, but what of those novice or “baby” Christians who may not know that the Word will defend them from the assaults of the enemy?  Why have we ceded victory to the enemies of God with respect to knowledge and training of the effective use of God’s Double Edge Sword? The greatest indisputable examples of Biblical efficacy that readily come to mind are; The Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 23 and Psalm 91.  Each of these when spoken cause direct results and make God’s enemies flee, additionally reconnecting the believer with God.  Prayer is our lifeline to the Father as a direct result of redemption through Christ.  This is why the enemy has attacked the use and understanding of the Bible, because without the Word believers, even with faith remain naive to the indwelling Power of the Holy Spirit and the weaponry of the saints.  The Lord’s Prayer establishes reverence for Almighty God and acceptance by each believer that it is from God that we receive sustenance, aligning lives with His Will, surrendering our own.  Psalm 23, immediately dissolves fear and realigns believers with a clear understanding of God’s provision, protection and direction for their lives, causing the enemy to flee.  Psalm 91 reminds believers that God fights for them and that no one may touch them in battle or in life.  This is the proper use and understanding of God’s Holy Word, so that when confronted by those particularly trying moments of life we immediately draw God’s Sword, evoking His Will, His Spirit and His Sovereignty of all things. We are not alone.  God is always with us.  There is no event, episode, predicament or challenge that we experience into which we may not bring God.  We ought not hide our sin from God, for He already knows, and for each believer this is impossible, as His indwelling Spirit is carried into every sin we commit.  Stop allowing the enemy to guide your thoughts, steps and actions.  Remember God’s Holy Word, study, pray about, memorize and utilize His Word for each of those circumstances which must invariably test our walk.  God’s Word is Holy, it lives, it is Christ and that is why the enemy fears it so.  For Christ has defeated the fallen, holding the key to death and Hades.  Speaking God’s Word commands all things under God’s Sovereign command, including our own behaviors.  Learn the Word, practice the Word and enjoy your salvation in the authority and victory of Christ our King.

Father God, I wept when I thought of seeing your face, laughing in thankfulness, joy and the finality of continual peace.  You have known me but I know so little of You.  I have this great Word, given for my understanding, and each time I review, contemplate and apply its teaching I want to meet its creator.  Have I seen Christ?  Yes, in the center of my mind there is a picture of Him, calling to me, bidding me be silent, learn and do as the Word directs.  So many angry, prideful men, wish that they were Him.  Even brethren, led astray by their own covetousness, try to psychologically thrash those seeking into accepting the love of Christ, without mercy, without understanding and without kindness or gentleness.  We were meant to speak His Word or be given His Word to speak as needed, not develop some robust, sickeningly sweet or bitter utterances that give us the upper hand.  In our wicked state He came to us and set us free as a gesture of His Love.  How then could we offer any thing but that precious example to those who remain in suffering?  What I don’t know may be resolved by getting in the Word and relaying that Word to those who desperately need “its” power and authority.

Your Grace pauses my tongue, as I realize that both vitriol and praise arise from this same throat.  Oh what a sinner I have been, all the more that I should treasure in thankfulness and obedience the gift of my salvation, redemption and sanctification, especially this side of glory.  I am not threatened by my sin anymore, not that I am free of it for I continue to fall daily, but rather because I know that I have been cleansed of unrighteousness by the Blood of Christ.  I have repented and wish that I would soon see the day of my glorification and the final removal of my propensity to humanity and sin.  However, this is God’s plan, a right good one too.  No one of us could have constructed or manufactured this story out of our own imagination, for this world and its progression toward eternity is a thing of God.  We have been set upon the scales and will be measured by our understanding and conformity to God’s Word, His expectations and direction.  Our only Hope is choice, the choice of accepting His lifeline, His salvation, His “Way Out” of our calamity or choosing to close our hearts, minds and spirit to the Truth that we all know to be the truth.

Father, why are kids so great?  They bug you incessantly yet still manage to make you think about the things that you had previously forgotten or dismissed as common sense or boring.  What is it about their spirit that allows them to look passed our hardened humanity to see the right thing?  How may we return to such innocence, excitement and fervor for life?  How might we laugh at the simplest thing and love without expectation or standards?  Teach us to love again anew, especially respecting the pain of those suffering the nightmares of sin and lack of salvation.  Let me speak with Your Love so that they might see past this world’s recrimination.  Let me remember Your Word when there are only a few words that may be uttered, especially in those times when I only have time for a handful or phrase.  Give me hope in such abundance that those to which I speak cannot help but be effected.  Let me show them Christ and not me.  I love You Lord Jesus and I know that You Love me.

Going to church, or being part of the family, the body of Christ is not about me.  It is first and always about God, gathering in worship to delight in His character, His mercy and be thankful for it.  God wants me in church, so I go.  I am full of joy when I honor, worship and fellowship with God.  Church is where these things happen, so I go with joy in my heart.  Church is where God places people whom we may love.  These are people whom God loves.  They are in church for various reasons, but God wishes that we love each other as a foundation of all that we believe, so I have great joy in going to church and loving these loveable people.  There are sinners in church, seeking God so that they might be cleansed, set free and sanctified in their redemption to the Lord God through Christ.  I am a sinner who has experienced the joy associated with being set free from sin, cleansed by the Blood of Christ, sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit of God so that I might not be alone in this life.  So, I go to church in hope that the Lord may use me in some unique, subtle of substantive way to help one of the sinners, whom God loves find their way to relationship with Him.  There are enemies of God who unfortunately serve God by trying to lead us into impurity, sin, loneliness and despair.  Church is where I am spiritually encouraged by my Brothers and Sisters such that the enemy’s efficacy at leading us astray is significantly lessened in our quickening.  So, I go to church for edification and to encourage those believers who may find themselves in the midst of an expected or surprise enemy influence or assault.  Church is a place where I might unabashedly display the spiritual gifts God has bestowed upon me and to delight/reflect upon the wonderment He created in others.  So, I go to sing at the top of my lungs to God, that He might one day hear a single well toned note and know fully how much I love Him.  I go because it is part of who I am.  Is it part of who you are or wish to be?  Go and find God.

After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.  Judges 2:10

This world is blinded by their transgressions and since they have turned away from the truth that every man knows they have been turned over to their decadent minds.  No one will say what even the simplest of children will utter, “Why don’t we turn our faces back to God?”  Is anarchy necessary?  Is it imperative that we suffer an attack before we will remain vigilant upon the city walls?  How many unbelievers must flood this country, that was created and consecrated to God, before we see God’s discipline for our unbelief?  How many people must be killed by their brother’s hand before we will see that what we are doing just isn’t working?  When will reality supersede theory?  Ask children about God or even more specifically Jesus and you will receive a litany of explanations that have nothing to do with the Truth.  When will we see that we have followed the path of post Joshua Israel and forgotten to teach our children the most important facts about our history, God, Jesus, blessings and faith?

Father.  I am simple.  Spent or rather squandered so much precious time chasing Harlequin and apple pie.  Doldrums, asking, no threatening to the suck bountiful wind beneath my sails, leaving me faltered and directionless.  Secrets whispered in those moments when I have no where to go, no breath left to sigh aloud.  You asked me, “How can you feel blue when you are praising me?”  So, I tried and as always you are entirely correct.  If I concentrate on praising You, whether anger, sin or sadness, none may break the joy of honoring Your Name.  I see now, that I choose to be angry or sad when I could instead focus my energy on bringing glory to Your Righteous Name.  Oh how easy this task becomes when you have some of the insider information.  Thank you for the mind of Christ, I shall remember to don this helmet each day.

Why should we fear them?  When we do not have this spirit and that is what they seek, how can we service their requirement?  Martyred for a god who requires the lives of the innocent as payment for entry to the hereafter is not the type of spirit I would follow.  Sacrifice, who can love someone who cheers the pain, loss and extinguishing of beauty and innocence?  These things are the greatest in life to be defended, even at the loss of a noble dream.  The loss of a child for political or ideological purpose is the worst type of transgression against Almighty God.  No one should think themselves worthy of taking such a grievous step for the furtherance of a goal, idea or religion.  Killing, shedding the blood of the innocent, even when shouting that it is being done for righteousness sake will never be sanctioned by our Holy God.  If I must kill those who disagree with me in order to enter heaven than such a place is not where I belong.  Praise be to God that I am allowed into eternity not through any works of my own.  The sacrifice made by Jesus Christ upon the Cross of Calvary, where He shed His perfect and innocent blood taking on the punishment for the sins of mankind is all that will ever give me access to heaven.

I will not fret, I will not bemoan my lowly station, I will sing allowed with joy at my smidgen of knowledge about God.  I will praise a Righteous Father, who knowing fully every sin that I will ever commit before they are done, has forgiven me for my belief in His Sovereign Plan.  I will squash the negative influences of my own pitiful thought with Praise and speaking the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ the King, waiting, wanting and patiently hoping for His imminent return.  I love the light, I will not even for a moment be shrouded by darkness for my God fights for me, that gives me courage.

There are worse things than persecution, irrelevance, doubt and oblivion away from God.  Thankfully all these come about through choice.  The enemy learned several thousand years ago that when the church is persecuted it grows, flourishes and spreads.  So, for the last several thousand years the church has become mainstream, acceptable and worldly, relegating it to near powerlessness and irrelevance.  Unfortunately, with the formation of the United States of America, courage was reborn within the ranks of Christianity.  Men yearned to speak the truth of the Gospel, returning to the Holy Spirit inspired correctness and purity of the path before God.  Unfortunately this freedom, which must always be maintained in vigilance, has for the most part been taken for granted, once again allowing the enemy to infiltrate the church and siphon its inherent potency.

Persecution comes again, this time in the form of public correctness and even more nefarious black shrouded men indwelt by the fallen, hungering to rid the planet of Christians and Jews.  This makes the saved rejoice, for it is in the testing of our faith that we are perfected.  Through persecution, we see the signal of Christ’s imminent return, as the enemy may no longer infiltrate the Holy of Holies but now is cast out by those who will demonstrate truth in belief.  The church grows in time of persecution and the fact that the enemy is again pent upon its destruction assures its continuance.  For it is time that we may share in the sufferings of our Savior, uttering His name, His powerful Name at each swipe, lash or mockery.  The Truth will soon be revealed for all to see.  No longer will men deny the existence of God, rather they will know the Truths of Love, Free Will and Choice.

We have never been forsaken.  For certain we have had to traverse the desert of our own testing and many times failed, but for them who remained vigilant, thanks be to God have been delivered to an eternity beyond the grips of any twisted spirit.  The Jews have outlived the diaspora, their discipline for forgetting the Covenant made between God and their prophets.  They have returned to the land He promised them, in advance of His return for their redemption.  Lean not on your own understanding the Bible states but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.  Well if you are acknowledging Him now then there is no need fear the coming persecution for it is testimony to His Sovereign, Divine and Correct Word of Truth and the Will of His coming Kingdom.  None of us wishes to suffer or be persecuted, but even this is reward for to do so is kinship to Christ.  Be strong, stand in the face of certain catastrophe and know that the Lord is our God.  Praise Him for His Awesome Grace, in the Name of Jesus.

When the pressure becomes too great, men bend or break.  My greatest tears come from seeing the innocent tortured, but next to that it is watching as men refuse to heed God’s call and discipline in their lives.  What is a Sovereign Lord to do if He has chosen us for salvation and we avoid, ignore, walk away from or simply close our ears to His invitations?  Some would agree that He should simply just give up on those who refuse to answer.  Is that How you view God’s love, shallow, quick to dissolve, relenting?  Or do you see God’s Love as relentless, caring, patient, long-suffering and omniscient?  He knows who will eventually come to Him, He knows the exact moment and the pressure necessary to assist each heart in surrendering to salvations’s call.  Pride resists salvation, guidance, forgiveness and conformity to Christ.  Therefore pride is the enemy of each of us in our quest for relationship with the Lord.

“Take my hand”, is always the cry of someone trying to pull the dangling person to safety as they hang from the ledge.  We must first have the will to live, the desire to survive otherwise we would simply drop or hang there until our energy expires.  By nature it is the act of submission to the offer of assistance necessary to escape the predicament.  We must first comprehend our circumstance and accept that we cannot save ourselves before we may effectively reach out for the offered hand of salvation.  Pride must give way to reason and free will choice.  God will not force salvation upon anyone, but He may have to allow you to make such bad decisions that you end up hanging from the ledge in order to provoke that precious moment of decision and surrender.  We are all sinners hanging from that ledge where death is the wage for our willful acts.  Some will choose to accept His hand of salvation and others will eventually fall, but make no mistake either is by choice.

I look around and see so many people refusing the hand of Christ, dangling from the ledge they cry out for help, yet refuse Him who stands ready to save.  If you can hear me as your energy diminishes, I beg you to put aside your pride and self-reliance.  We cannot get to heaven on our own performance.  It is a gift of God that brings us back into relationship with a Holy, Mighty and Caring Father.  There is one way to salvation, and that through Christ.  This world will have no mercy upon any of us, it will say to each of us, “save yourself, fool”.  I do not wish to die for the sake of proving that I could not learn.  My pride is secondary to my reason and conscience.  I choose Christ because He is the only route to God, now and in eternity.  Take my hand Lord, pull me from this firey ledge.  I don’t want to fall and I cannot save myself.  Free me from my bondage, no matter who created it, it is You who holds the key.  Praise God in the name of Jesus Christ the King.