My eyes capture hourly sights that I hoped to never see.  Occurrences, changes and episodes that I truly hope would never come about.  Things that strike all of us as unnecessary, shocking, tragic, avoidable and yes plain wrong.  Images of children dying as either collateral damage, neglect and/or hunger are abundant and unfortunately, regular.  God help us if they ever become so commonplace where they cease to produce outrage in our hearts and minds.  Gatherings of once respectful community members shouting at each other in an opinionated display of bullying and aggression where there used to be attempted understanding and cooperation.

Natural and man-made disasters, increasing in severity and frequency as if somehow an alarm is sounding in crescendo as we fail to pay heed. People caught in the speed of technological change losing focus, energy, humanity or control in their struggle to simply keep pace.  What is producing this logarithmic/exponential increase in the perceived episodic normative?  You would probably doubt me if I say that I know, perhaps a review of the prophet Daniel’s predictions about our time will provide some evidence if my words seem incredulous.

Wars, rumors of wars.  What used to be “hot spots” with potential for battle have been replaced by a general unease.  There are no longer quiet, peaceful and safe spots on our planet, violent tensions, economic instability and social rigor have now spread to the four corners of the globe.  The Earth is no longer a harmonious blue pebble spinning in space, having been replaced by a raucous rock where onlookers wait for, applaud or attempt to avoid the next expected calamity, outbreak, clash or eruption.  The climate has changed, global warming is truth. Not the general progression toward a hotter weather pattern, instead the palpable escalation of kinetic energy toward an eventual or repeated episodic release.

This week there was an 8.0 earthquake in the Santa Cruz Islands, by any measure this is a memorable and dangerous event.  However what followed that tragic event was significantly more troubling.  You see that same area had dozens of following earthquakes, most measuring over 4.0 every five to ten minutes throughout that entire day.  That original tectonic event triggered some sort of cascading repetition where the tremors would not resolve as if some tipping point had been crossed.  This episode is emblematic of our current stasis in man’s march through time.  I know you can feel it because I get feedback from believers and unbelievers all stating the same observation, that the environment is pregnant for sporadic outbreaks instead or regularity and normalcy.  It has somehow become an experiment more highly prone to chaos, with what once were manageable occurrences now spiraling out of control.  Man is no longer in the “catbird” seat but has become the unwitting pawn in a drama spinning out of normal centrifugal parameters.  Regardless of which model you subscribe to or utilize, whether the merry-go-round going too fast or the figure skater spiraling faster and faster in a spin, both end in implosive or explosive devastation.

There is a fence separating all of humanity and this energetic flux is creating a polarity where it is increasingly more difficult to remain in the center of the orbiting construct.  Bodies are being forced to the polar aspects through our push against the axis.  There is nothing substantial upon which to adhere at the diametrical way line.  The fence will be evacuated, not by choice but through overwhelming influence, pushing all the positions along the frontier’s circumference.  There are after all only two halves to the whole.  Try as we may persist, we of ourselves are incapable of escaping the laws of physics and time.  The only way to escape the cruelty, inflexibility and finality of the Law is through the forgiveness of redemption by the Blood of Jesus Christ the Savior of Mankind.  I accept my place in God’s unfolding plan for humanity, and I look forward to and welcome my new place in the Kingdom of God, as this world shatters and is reconstructed by the Power of His Word.  Praise King Jesus, Amen.

On and off, something or nothing, life or death, have’s and have nots.  Black and white or simply yes and no.  Do these parameters, these absolutes truly carry as much authority as they appear to display?  Aren’t there so many shades of gray in between the polar junctions of a spectrum.  Is white at one end and then black at the other when one stops to contemplate gray?  Could there be an absolute evil and something that is Divinely pure, or is it just fictional speculation?

Do you think that zero envies one?  One has everything while zero stands null, one is complete while zero absent, one has existence and zero only void.  Does saying yes truly give a person a degree of potency that their no position lacked?  When you commit to something, anything, you must first say “yes”.  So there is no business, no marriage, no child, no harvest without the utterance of the affirmative.  It is this shear act of will and determination which brings with it the inception and eventual march toward resolution.  No battle was ever won by accident, without the “will” to overcome whatever opposing odds.  Without the yes there is only “no” thing.  God said yes and this world came into being, a place where man feels compelled to reduce everything to infinite stages of grey.

Could it be that simple?  That a mere choice, a basic decision is the true power of creation.  Could that be why the Almighty God has loved us enough to base eternity’s decision upon a choice?  Is that perhaps why satan has craftily named the murder of a child in the womb, choice, to contort something which God meant for glory?  Say “no” to the enemy in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and he is left with Nothing.  Wherever you may currently reside, whether dilemmic or null, you can say “yes” to the Father and be recreated for a new life with God.  It is after all that simple.  Make the declaration, let the light shine into your life, take that first step on the path toward Glory.  Choose Life, Choose Jesus.

My life was not cleansed by baptizing my finger in an inch of holy water.  The entirety of my sin was washed away by the precious cleansing blood of the Almighty God come to pay my sin debt through a humbling death upon a tree.  The torrents wash over me removing my filth, my stench, my weakness, crime and shame, returning me to right standing with God so that I may pursue a relationship with our Creator.  I do not want a dabbling of such Majesty.  I prefer to dive into the waters of my rebirth, arising refreshed, renewed, reborn in the Kingdom of my true citizenry.

There is no dedication, discipline, line of study or just-pursuit that requires a minimum of time to learn, master or overcome.  There is no fast track to anything worth mastering.  Study must be earnestly conducted, disciplined practice must be attended and practical application must be empirically tested until weaknesses, errors and flaws are revealed and winnowed.  Certainly talent and gifts play a role in enhancing the limits to which one may rise, but even the most talented of masters will tell you he learned more in the trenches of failure than from easy victories.  Becoming a mature Christian takes effort, time, dedication, learning and honing.  To adeptly wield the Two-Edged Sword, capable of separating soul from spirit requires practice.  Even David as a shepherd boy had some expert level of proficiency with the sling before facing and by the Grace of God defeating that giant.

This is the narrow path that does not follow the easy road craved by the masses.  For man it is impossible to traverse.  Ah, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  His Word is a light unto my path.  I walk by faith not by sight.  We are the redeemed sons and daughters of the Most High God.  We have been healed, cleansed, made whole through the Works of God Himself.  We are joint heirs, blessed by God’s immeasurable Love and shaped by His Word, His Spirit and His Disciplining Hand.  This is the road for the weak, the lost, the tired, sick, hungry and poor who will be made strong in Christ and healed by His merciful touch.  Come to Him in weakness, live with Him in security, strength and everlasting life.  Praise God, through Jesus Christ the King.

We scan, we plan, we scrimp, we thrive and save.  To what end shall our endeavors flourish?  Is it a house, a job, a family, a love or an extended vacation/retirement which guides our present efforts?  Have you a stated objective or is life leading you toward some eventuality?  What about Christ?  What about God’s direction?  Is this life the epitome of existence for which the Almighty created such a masterpiece of life, called man?  Could simply completing this march toward some unknown expiration date be all that God intended from creation?  It just defies logical understanding.

Certainly if we can be reduced to the progeny of chimps then the purpose is irrelevant.  Absolutely if man is the happenstance conclusion of elemental chance then life has no other meaning then the random collision of molecules and transfer of energy.  Decidedly if man has been designed in isolation simply for self-service then gathering and dispensing of material objects becomes the overall measure of a person’s worth.  Thank God my life is not that simple.  Praise the almighty that He orchestrated this Earth and all upon it, toward an end not of self-construction, giving it purpose, meaning, direction and the choice of eternal opportunities.  I will not surrender to an explanation of man’s origin that simplifies the majesty of this gift we have been offered.

If it is joy, mystery, safety and aspiration then there is only one rational choice, surrender and service to the One God, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.  Believers are being swayed by logical argument because they will not investigate the evidence and of Biblical Historic and Prophetic Truth.  We have allowed the lost to dictate the public argument to save ourselves embarrassment of exposure as infants of Biblical understanding.  If you want to see EVIDENCE of this statement type in Biblical Prophecy at Wikipedia and you will see a warning that the articles they present are incomplete.  Biblical scholars, and by this I mean every mature Christian should be volunteering to assist them with the public description of our own faith, yet we remain seated.

Biblical Prophecy is unfolding before our eyes and yet we refuse to share the Good News of Christ’s Coming.  The accuracy of God’s Word as foretold by Daniel, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Paul, Micah and so many others is being visibly presented, RIGHT NOW for all the world to see, yet we remain ambivalent, ignorant or unaffected.  This is the time of our rejoicing yet we are captured in relative silence.  Our Lord lives and soon He will return to Rule and Reign forever and to His Kingdom there will be no limit or no end.  I don’t know about you, I am a man of purpose.  A purpose designed and encoded to my spirit by my Father the Lord God Almighty who came down from heaven to demonstrate His Authority, Power and Love for all to witness.  He is the purpose I serve.  A life with Him is the treasure that I seek.  I will not hesitate to learn what must be learned in order to prepare for what is about to unfold.  Won’t you join me in the hope that comes through understanding of prophecy, for the Spirit of Prophecy is the Lord Jesus Christ and His return for His Church and His reign.  Jesus Be praised in all His splendor, Might and Glory.  Amen

How many times have I been forgiven?  Innumerable, immeasurable, incalculable, perhaps, even if I were to have kept score, the Lord has forgotten them.  Can you conceive of such grace?  A God so full of a Love that is beyond my understanding that He would forgive my tremendous offenses while I find it hard to forgive those I love for minor infractions.  What kind of fool I would be to believe that I am somehow entitled to such depth of kindness.  Or the greater fool to turn away from such an offer of redemption, cleansing and relationship.

How many days have I looked beyond blessings following each footfall, remaining in desirous want?  Gifts, left for me, perfectly matching my specific need and character, given without attachment.  Yet I failed to offer up thanks or in a moment of humility see the profoundness of my legacy.  Always grasping, lamenting, coveting that which I needed so.  All the while surrounded by Glory, Power and Divinely protected from obvious dangers in my haphazard walk.  I am and have always been wealthy, why now do I see it so?

I have read of men, greater men, lesser men and I have spoken down to their folly.  As if I have somehow displayed another measure of wisdom.  Judgment is the Lord’s prerogative, yet I dispense it without restraint.  How careless my wielding of sword and shield, apologetic only when caught in crossfire or cross-hair.  Allow me to forgive Father to save me from donning my own inconsiderate apparel.  There are none for whom I have perpetual misgiving.  Remove those trapped in the clouded dungeons of my uncompromising demeanor.  Set us free.

Teach me to love them as You have first loved me.  Praise God in Jesus’ Name.

Can you stand still for as long as it takes?  Could you spend forty years in the desert only to be called to lead a gathering of miserable, rebellious, complaining people back into the same desert for another forty years?  Could you go willingly into captivity and there so shine that the leaders of two empires choose you as their Chief of Staff?  Would you go into that same captivity knowing that you would never again see home?  Would you have what it takes to preach the gospel in the desert for one hundred twenty years all the time constructing a ship when those around you had never seen the rain?  Could you joyfully sing in captivity, changing hearts and leading those around you to Christ all the time knowing that death awaited you?  Would you call out the church for its departure from scripture with full knowledge that they would burn you at the stake for proclaiming the truth?  Will you proclaim your faith in The Lord Jesus Christ when your farm, life and family hang on the balance of your weighty words?  Would you refuse to move until you heard from Almighty or one of His Angelic messengers?  What form of patience do you possess?  Is it the type that hungers and thirsts for the Word and can go forty days and forty nights without sustenance?  That is the will that I seek.  It is not a thing of self, because I cannot possess it.  It is a thing of God which overcomes all that is in this world through the shed Blood of Christ, our Love for Jesus and the strength of our testimony of children of the Almighty God, sealed by Spirit and hidden with Christ in God.   There is no one worth Praising but You Father, in the name of Your Only Son, Jesus, I pray this great day which You have made.

Pondering God’s love.  A quizzical thing.  Why us Lord?  I turn my mind inside out looking for a smidgen of understanding, and come up empty.  I have seen men do some nice things, some unselfish acts, even some instances where people have reflected “some” Godliness.  I have seen dedication to the common good, sacrifice for the poor and conformance to limited righteous ideals.  I have seen small church bodies whose abundant giving was magnified to create enormous impact for the Kingdom.  I have seen courage in the midst of overwhelming difficulty even to the point of death, but none of this rises to the level of sufficient explanation for our deserving the Love of Almighty God.  Especially considering the depth of our offenses the magnitude to which we have been provided for, protected and forgiven.  None of what we have done begins to explain that the unfathomable reasoning behind love for an undeserving species.

Akin to the most common unbeliever question, “If God is Almighty and Sovereign why would he allow evil or bad things to occur in the world?”.   You see these questions cannot be understood or even ventured without the benefit of humility.  To reflect upon the supernatural reasoning requires “super” (above), “natural” (mortal) inspiration.  Searching a print out of code may be interesting, but without the key, the primmer it is unsearchable.  Without God’s assistance these questions are unanswerable for man.

Why then did He implant them within our mind, why are we encoded with an unquenchable desire to seek Him out?  Even the most devout atheist seeks the same answers.  These questions are only answerable through a “living”/”active” relationship with Almighty God.  A relationship where the individual may receive direction, insight and understanding of those things beyond him or herself via the internal/external Voice of God.  A relationship, that is not governed by our explanation of that which we cannot explain.  A relationship with rules that supersede what we want.  A relationship defined by the Divine, fulfilling the purposes of the Divine, so that we may interact with the Divine.

The joyous revelation of the mystery is that these things are “knowable” through the access provided by a Loving God.  He has given us an open door to visit with Him, for the purposes of fellowship, education, protection, counsel, intercession and discipline.  You see I cannot understand those unknowable questions through either my own reasoning or through my demanding answer.  I must first comply with the rules of the Almighty God who designed not only the mortals but also the process by which our questions are answered.  For He alone has the answers to the questions that we have been asking, forcing us to come to Him for resolution of our yearnings.  The satisfaction we seek is possible through relationship with Almighty God.  Thank You Lord for Loving us so much that You even provided a path to resolving our most pressing interrogatives.  You are Awesome and Divine.  Please show me Your Ways so that I may live this life to its fullest.  Jesus Be Praised.

Befriending darkness are we.  State by state we comply with the root of wickedness in our okaying what the Lord has labeled abomination.  These are difficult times where we find ourselves having to stake ground for things with which we cannot possibly agree.  There is no ambiguity in the Lord’s proclamation regarding our immoral behavior and service to those idol’s of self-direction.  Judgment, this will be the key word when reviewing this nation’s future.  The limits of acceptable speech have been stretched to include the truly evil.  Love has been forgotten, replaced with social approval.  Truth has been trodden and its place a fashionable, bronze statue of our erected, manly worship.  We have abandoned reason and common sense wondering clumsily into to a clearly labeled minefield.  God help those who unwittingly are drawn in to the area of impact, but most of us know the price of our national decisions.  We cannot plead negligence for we have been clearly told.

The remnants of a once great nation rapidly spill down the raceway toward abandon.  Our defeat has not been brought about by enemies external but through festering illness within our own flesh.  We are nearing the point of implosion where people are forced to defend themselves, not from opinion but from real assault upon life, liberty, limb and Faith.  Our watch posts have gone unmanned and as we turn to deal with our own wounds our patient foes will clamor over the walls of our once safe kingdom.  Prepare, protect and pray for God’s mercy on those who will not respond.  Come soon Lord.

He demands I look away from the ideas which drove a lifetime.  A lifetime, of dedication to fulfillment of the internal drives to get, obtain, use, possess and stimulate.  A lifetime, which to most could be perfectly rewarding when viewed through global, national or certain philosophical norms.  A lifetime, although even when philanthropic carried with it a choice to forgo the promises of the unseen eternal residence with God.  Could I truly stand being dirt poor, diseased, cast out, alone or hated if it meant that at the end of that unbearable living I would sit at the feet of The Father, known, loved, perfectly engaged?

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This is not easy, this life.  There are Brothers and Sisters who are fleeing for their lives at this moment knowing that their decision to follow Christ will bring punishment if not death to their loved ones.  What then can I do to support their brave and courageous decision?  Shall I stand up to politician, asking that monies be dedicated to protecting their rights?  Absolutely.  Shall I attempt to raise awareness of their plight while alerting the world to the rationality and the sound reasons for such dedication?  Absolutely.  Shall I shine His reflected light for those who would find route to the skinny path leading them away from the broad, well-traversed road to destruction?  Absolutely.  Shall I give whatever it personally takes to feed, shelter, encourage and edify them as they run toward eternity?  Absolutely.  What will it cost me in this life time to see as many of them join us in the next?  If I am fortunate and true, Absolutely, everything.

He is worthy of my praise and my service to His children.  Glorious God, Glorious God, Almighty for ever and for ever.  Jesus, Lord.

Why does it make us queasy to speak about blood?  Why are Hollywood, the news and those pent on violence dedicated to desensitizing the globe to the sight of its crimson majesty?  What are we without it, lifeless?  What are we because of it, forgiven, cleansed, family, separated from most mammalia by its warmth.  That is why Jesus gave His blood for us and promised even the wicked, salvation if they should depend upon  His sanguine sacrifice.  There is no greater gift a man can give then to shed his blood for humanity.  This is the God we serve.  A being so powerful that He could voluntarily make Himself susceptible to sin and death, just to fulfill something that could not have otherwise been accomplished, bringing man back into His presence.  How can God die?  Out of His Will to spill His own blood for humans.  Do not blame the Romans, the Jews, the arrogant or the weak.  For this was the Lord’s plan.

Do not be misguided in your pursuit of Glory.  There is nothing new under the sun as Solomon stated through the Holy Spirit’s guidance.  This includes any steps you or I might take to delay or defeat the enemy’s intention.  This has already been accomplished, completed, done.  satan and his armies are simply a corpse in its death throws after being administered the judgment to which they are headed, the Lord Jesus rebuke him and his followers.  This was fulfilled through the Awesome Blood of God being brought into this world as the antidote to sin and death.  One drop was capable of creating/destroying worlds, one milliliter worth a trillion stars.  A liquid so strong that it reaches back and forward through the span of time to make right what had been violated by rebellion.  A God so wonderful that instead of condemning everything, wiping the slate clean and remaking the universe, chose to give us the gifts of forgiveness, mercy, patience and Almighty Grace.

I cannot open my mind wide enough to begin to comprehend the breadth of this salvation, no wonder the angels remain in awe.  Did you ever stop to think that God “existed” for eternity before He even created satan and the fallen?  And that when he created these beings he knew exactly every step that they would ever take throughout their entire existence.  Yet He still offered them “free will” to choose right.  Do you begin to see the Love that our God possesses?  He creates things even when He knows that they will oppose Him, and He does it out of Love.  Humility is too weak a word.  Praise Him in all His infinite Love and Grace, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.