Performance Anxiety

           Performance anxiety, also known as stage fright, comes when too much fear paralyzes the victim into thinking they can't do what they are trained to do. Like actors, singers, athletes and speakers, they all must perform in front of an audience for their job. Stage fright comes when several things take place in their minds. 

Unrealistic assessment of what is expected of them. Often times, the performer can over assess or completely overshoot the expectation that is on them. Take an athlete for example. If a quarterback for a very prominent team is playing in a playoff game, he might think he must make ten touchdown passes in the game to gain the love of the fans, the coaches, the team or the sports writers. If he doesn't then he is going to ruin his career, the teams reputation and more. His expectation of what everyone wants from him is an unrealistic assessment. He thinks they want him to perform at such a high level that he is afraid he cannot live up to that.

Underestimation of your capabilities. Often times, for those that are humble enough, they see themselves as having the inability to perform. Take a singer. Now she is great at singing in church, around friends and family but if she performs at a more public venue, then her assessment of her talent is way below what others think. She has in her mind that she can't sing well and that there's no point in trying despite the cheers, accolades and coaxing of everyone around her. When she hears their applause or hear them boast about her, all she hears is people who are being kind hearted and nice, that they are just being that way because they feel they must. She doesn't understand that her voice is like gold.

Overestimation of the opinion of others. Worldly people, let's say those living in the flesh instead of the Spirit, are always wanting to tear down instead of build up. When someone around them excels, especially those in their own profession, they tend to downplay that persons talents and performances. So much so that some that have stage fright are listening to others comments instead of listening to their own heart. Knowing that you have the talent, the means and the know how to perform and yet still listening to others opinions is giving yourself over to their control. Hence, the performance is effected.

The idea of rejection. One of the main reasons for performance anxiety is the idea of being rejected. For those who have heard way to many harsh words growing up in their lives, been rejected over and over for various reasons, taking risks are not in their wheel house. The constant rejection at every turn keeps them from moving out of their comfort zones. They stick to what they know and are comfortable with and they never move out of their lane. Often times, when it comes to performing, they just won't. Happy to be behind the curtain instead of in front of it, they lead a very mundane life of sameness. 

We as Christians are in the very same predicament as those taking the stage or performing in front of others. We treat God as our audience as well as others and we go through the same issues. 

Unrealistic assessment of what is expected of them. Don't we as Christians, always assess an unrealistic expectation of ourselves? Right out of the box we think we need to keep the commandments and laws and everything else the church says is bad. Trying to fulfill those expectations creates an unhappy Christian as they fail continually and create a larger separation from God than before. It's crazy to think we can follow the law, any law. If we try to fulfill any law then Christ died for nothing. The unrealistic expectation we have is that we can accomplish anything without Him. Full reliance on the Father is the only way anything can be accomplished.

Overestimation of the opinion of others. Whether a bad opinion or a good opinion, we should never listen to the opinions of others. The only thing we need to be listening to is the Holy Spirit, Jesus and Gods voice. Outside of that, the opinion of others take second place.

Underestimation of your capabilities. The only capabilities to do anything good comes through God. Instead of leaning on our own talents, we need to lean on Him. We have no capabilities yet we never fully realize what God can do through us. I think that is where we fail. I think we underestimate how, when and why God wants to work through us, so much so, that it limits His effectiveness. It's like Jesus said, don't hide your light under a bushel. 

The idea of rejection. This one is the big one. For most Christians,  they don't worry about being rejected by society but they worry all the time about being rejected by God. That they'll do something that causes Him to quit loving them. Again, they base God's love on works. This is where the works cycle and law and capabilities come in. We did nothing to deserve God's intervention, we did nothing to receive His love but accept it. We can't do anything to maintain it. That would be like saying, I must maintain the spin of the Earth. The Earth will continue to spin no matter what I do or don't do to it. God's love will continue on no matter if I accept or reject it and I have no power to change it. My actions, my opinions, my being good or bad, my daily devotion, my time with Him or lack of; none of that will ever change the love of God. God's love shines on us no matter what we do. It's like the sun. Do we think the sun stops shinning at night? No, it keeps shinning even though we cannot see it. It always shines. So, no matter if we are in the darkness or in the light, His love is always there. He will never leave you or forsake you. We just need to understand that fact.

To perform for God is not the purpose of His love. We cannot perform to draw Him nearer. We cannot perform to get His love or His acceptance of us. So if what we do, cannot make a difference in how He feels about us, then why do we have stage fright? If we never take the stage, we can never fail. So leave your anxiety behind and just be open to Him. He'll do the rest!

To God be the Glory!

More on Feelings

 

              Previously we talked about feelings of love versus knowing you are loved. I'd like to expand on that more. The realm of feelings is the realm of the flesh. It's the side of us that resides in self. Our feelings are often, if not always in a continual flux. They change every time something influences them to do so. If things are going our way, we are happy. If they aren't, then we are sad. Simple logic. However, in God, there is no room for feelings only facts. 

Courts of law establish the guilt of a person based on facts and evidences provided. Someone cannot walk into a court room and say I feel like this man is guilty. He just has this look about him that makes me feel uncomfortable. If our courts worked that way, then everyone would be behind bars including the judges. That's why feelings aren't a reliable source of facts and truth. Our feelings can be manipulated and coerced by the enemy. Feelings are so unreliable that we cannot afford to judge anything by them.

I've heard it over and over, I don't feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. For those new in the faith, they see others talk about how they can feel the presence of God. They wonder what it is and want what everyone else is talking about. The dangerous position of basing their relationship with God through feelings, however, is not good. If God only worked through our feelings then our perspective of God changes by the minute. If I'm upset, then God is mad at me. If I'm feeling happy, everything with Him and me are going great. This rollercoaster of feelings then places God in a position of inconsistency and relationships cannot be grown in that environment.

If we feel God changes every time our feelings change then we are constantly at the mercy of our enemy. The enemy, knowing full well that you label God with your feelings, will then go out of their way to make you feel like crap all the time. The constant bombardment of bad feelings will cause ones hope in God to fade into nothing. 

God cannot be relegated to our emotions and feelings. It is one of the biggest mistakes out their and it isn't that obvious for some to realize they do it. Subtlety is the enemies forte. They can ease in a doubt based on your feelings so quick it can never show up on your radar. Once one event, a major meltdown, is labeled as God driven, then the door is wide open for more. Eventually, we become those that rely solely on emotions to steer them forward instead of truth.

Truth is something that cannot be moved or manipulated. Thus, the reason courts use evidence and facts to establish a case. Facts cannot be altered easily. What is written in the Bible is fact, truth and an unwavering witness. It points to the facts of God. When Jesus was tempted after fasting for forty days, He used facts against the devil. If He used feelings, non of us would be born again right now. If Jesus used feelings instead of facts, it would go something like this.

"If you are the son of God, make this rock into bread." "Well, I am very hungry and I just don't know why God has dragged me out into this wilderness to starve me to death. I thought I was doing everything right but apparently I'm not. He must be mad at me. Yeah, why not, it's not like He's listening to me anyway." Can you imagine if Jesus didn't quote facts to rebuke the devil. How about hanging on the cross. Instead of saying Father forgive them, He'd be asking the Father to kill them. It's because of facts that Jesus lived His life the way He did. He didn't live by emotions or feelings, He lived by the promises God laid out in the Old Testament. When He read Isaiah in the synagogue and said this scripture is fulfilled,  He did it by facts, yet the reaction from the crowd was emotional. 

We cannot base our relationship with God on feelings. I cannot establish that enough. We just cannot. If we do, we will never make it. We will always be shifting sand if we do and we'll drag our perspective of God with us.

So many times I hear and in the past have personally said, God must hate me for being the way I am. God must be angry with me. God is so far away. What did I do to upset Him? That is the enemy try to drive a wedge between you and God. If the enemy can convince you that God is angry with you and that His love is based on your performance then your done for. Thinking God's love is based upon your feelings or your actions brings God down to our level and you will stay in constant despair. 

Instead, we must realize this one truth. God loves us no matter what we've done and no matter how we feel. It's His ability to love regardless of who we are that calls to us. His love is endless and it's never going to stop. Once our minds switch from thinking our performance rewards us with His love to Him unconditionally loving us then we can get out of the loop of performance anxiety.

I'll continue that thought in the next post.

To God be the Glory

  

Facts over Feelings

                  Have you ever looked into another person's eyes and seen something special. That moment when lightning strikes your heart and in an instant time freezes. The body shudders and glistens with an overdose of chemical reactions. Sight, smell and touch all come to a heightened realm of sensitivity like an exposed nerve. The realm I speak of is that moment when you know you love someone. It's a mixture of lust, emotion, feelings, needs and wants all wrapped up into a nuclear type reaction that runs away in a cataclysmic explosion of dumbfoundedness. The victim is left speechless and confused with a look of befuddlement upon their face. The stare is all that is allowed as the brain revs to maximum RPMs yet the mouth stays in neutral and can't shift into gear. It's a feeling of confusion, euphoria and glee all wrapped up into that one moment. 

Love, as we try to describe it, is a mixture of visual, chemical and emotional states that absolutely wrecks our minds and makes us do activities out of our realm of normalcy. The moment when Cupid's arrow strikes, all things change. A person in love will go to great lengths to ensure that love stays and never goes away. It's a feeling so tremendous that often times people seek that emotion, run after it at all costs, instead of settling into a relationship.

The reason men and women wake up one day and say, I want a divorce is because they crave that feeling, that insatiable overwhelming emotion of love. They want to feel it towards someone else and they want to feel it from someone else. 

It's their identity in the relationship. If the feeling is there, then everything is good but if it's not then things are bad. We as a people, all need a specific type of love and it's not the emotion that we should be after. Security in someone, knowing that they will be there through the worst and through the best is more valuable than emotion and as we mature, the craving for pure emotional love should wane and a more mature approach to love should take over. Yet, that feeling of overwhelming, heart rattling, stomach churning love, that is nothing more than pure ecstasy, haunts our minds and makes us yearn for that moment over and over. For some, the pursuit of this type of love leads them to many relationships and many heartbreaks as this emotion doesn't last forever.

I have read many passages where God asks Israel to return to the love of their youth. As we have already discussed above, the love of our youth is very powerful. God draws us into Him through the Holy Spirit and Jesus and there is that one moment, that existential moment, where we are drawn to Him through that same euphoric love we can have with each other. He draws us with the feelings of happiness, lightheartedness and pure weightlessness as He takes away our burdens and heavy hearts. The first encounter with Him makes you shudder in realization of your wretchedness and the possibilities of cleanliness all at the same moment. His love overwhelms us and destroys all our walls and barriers. Our defenses fail and we submit, falling exhausted into His arms. The battle of our hearts is won and that feeling, the same feeling we see in each other at the moment of realized love, washes over us and takes control.

We pursue because of it. We sacrifice for it. We never want to let it go. For a person on a rollercoaster, the climatic hill, the slow rise to the top and then the sudden plunge to the bottom, is the only thing I can compare the pursuit of love to. We are drawn in and then plunged head first and the feeling of complete terror added with trepidation, evolves into excitement as the ride continues on. It's why we get off the ride and jump into the line again. When God's love drops us down a 200 ft. drop and our stomachs rise out of our mouths, we often only want that experience over and over. Just knowing He loves us and settling into a relationship with Him isn't enough. We want that sense of youthful love over and over which leads us down paths not intended for us to pursue. The idols Israel pursued drew them out of God by the same way. Lust for that feeling of importance drew them away. In God, once that overwhelming honeymoon phase fades, we are left with the work to pursue Him instead of being pursued by Him. 

We cannot expect the continued aphrodisiacal effects of young love to continue throughout our entire relationship with our spouses or with Him. Maturity must be reached in order for it to obtain a sustainable goal. In other words, the pursuit of the feelings of love must evolve into a mutual understanding of love. We must know we are loved without being lavished with gifts and pleasures.

I'm beating around the bush a bit but our whole goal in any relationship is to go from that passionate love to a more mature love. God will pursue us in the beginning and lavish us with spiritual glee, gifts and understandings. He will cover us from head to toe in goose bumps just to tell us He's near. He'll give us spiritual gifts and He'll give us great understandings into His written word along with His voice. All these things are designed to draw us into Him. When His pursuit ends and our end of the relationship begins, which is time with Him, we tend to spiral into a people only seeking that feeling of love.

The feelings of love fade and as it does, should be replaced with knowing we are loved unconditionally. Maturity in love is knowing He loves us regardless of how we feel. If I, when I first got married, always brought home a bouquet of flowers every Friday for my wife and I did several things like that to let her know I love her for the first year we were married, then I suddenly quite doing it or they faded away, she would think I didn't love her anymore or at least less than before. We are hard wired, being selfish beings, to always expect something from each other. If I quite giving gifts, it doesn't mean I love her less, in fact she should know that after a year or more of my display of love for her, my love is established and not going anywhere. She however, still needs that affirmation and wants more displays of love. She becomes sad and distrusting thinking she did something wrong. She becomes angry and wants my full attention always. It's called insecurity and that is what drives a wedge between marriages and between our relationship with the Father. 

If we only think He loves us when He is giving us something then we have made this mistake. We must understand that His love is everlasting towards us and that we do not need examples of His love all the time. If we lose that euphoric love feeling, we then feel as though God doesn't love us anymore. If He stops blessing us with gifts, do we then fall back into disbelief or do we trust and know He is always there for us. 

We cannot pursue a constant flow of God by feelings. We must mature and know within that He loves us no matter what we feel. Feeling loved and knowing you are loved are two very different things. We must come to a point in our relationship with Him where we wake up each day knowing we are loved outside our attempts and outside our feelings. We cannot sustain a relationship with feelings. It must be changed from feeling loved to knowing you are loved in order for us to move forward in Him. 

To God be the Glory!

 

  

In it, Not of It!

 

My time has been split up amongst several different projects, therefore, my posts have been less than daily. However, my identity is not in daily posts. It's in Him. How can we fight to stay in the race when life happens so frequently around us. I'm doing vehicle repairs for my wife's van, a full time job, Door Dash to help pay for the remodeling we are starting to do in my house and all this is drawing me away from my daily writing. Is this a bad thing? No. Yet if I let my busy life take priority over my relationship with God, there's the problem. Can we be busy, with non-stop things going on and still have a relationship? Yes. 

Being in the middle of anything, we can choose whether we are mindful of Him or not. When we say, I can't handle all this pressure and start to lose our joy and happiness, then worry because He is the source of our joy and happiness. If we start to get overwhelmed, we aren't relying on Him to keep us centered. Our joy comes from knowing Him. It's an understanding that you live in Him and He in you and that He is in control of your heart. 

You see, the situations we are in never change. The Jews expected Jesus to change their situation. They wanted the Romans killed and removed from their land. They wanted independence back. Yet, Jesus came to change their hearts not their situation. Jesus came so that within their Roman occupation, they could love their enemies and in so doing, change the hearts of the Romans. The unattainable becomes attainable through Christ as the heart changes to be OK in any situation it's in.

Can we let our lives overwhelm us? Yes we can, because we don't let our hearts be filled with God's joy, happiness, self-control and love. 

For instance, If we are in line for coffee at a coffee shop and we are running behind for work, we are automatically stressed because we are running late. The long line adds to the stress and when you spill coffee on you in the car because you were hurrying, more stress is added. In this situation, we can rely fully on God to give us the energy to make it through the day instead of relying on caffeine. His life in us gives us more than we can imagine.

We think, God has better things to do with His time than be my caffeine dose for the day, yet He wants to show how much He loves us through these things. If we cannot be fully reliant on Him to supply us with our basic needs, then how can we be confident in Him supplying our salvation. Is God only good at giving us the big ticket items and not the daily needs? It would be like a rich uncle who only comes around on your birthday or Christmas. You never see him except those two dates but the grand gifts he brings are so awesome, you forget the time he's not there. So, do we rely on Him for forgiveness of sins and salvation only then never expect anything else? Of course there's those people who are spoiled rotten and think the rich uncle should buy them everything they want. God's not like that either, there's a middle ground between spoiled and too full of self doubt. Spoiled wants it all and self-doubt thinks they don't deserve anything. 

We have to understand the relationship God wants with us. He takes joy in providing for us, that's His love. Yet we are not to abuse that love. We should except His grace, kindness and care with great humility and appreciation. If our hearts are right, the relationship between us and Him can overwhelm any situation we face. We can move and be in this world and never be affected by it's doubt, stress, and evil ways. We can sit in a figurative dumpster fire all around us and we would never get burned by it. 

This is why it says, be in the world and not of it. We cannot help but be different than the world around us when we are in Him. So, my busy life cannot dictate how my time with God is. Instead, my busy life is made straight and stressless under His presence not the other way around. If we live by reacting to our situations and letting them rule our lives, then we aren't any better than those outside of knowing Him.

We cannot say we know Him then melt every time something goes wrong. I've always heard Dan Mohler say, if you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice, right? What if we squeezed the orange and apple juice came out. That would be extremely weird and if you saw that juice in a cup you'd think that orange had to be bad. So why when we squeeze a Christian with everyday situations, everything comes out but Christ. If we are squeezed by the pressures of this world like an orange is in a press, the thing that should flow out of us is Jesus not something different like emotions and hurt feelings. It's a true test of someone's faith and Peter says faith must be tested, tried and proven in order for it to stand. If we are the fruit of the tree and a wind storm comes, will we fall to the ground and be eaten by the bugs or will we stand through the winds and provide the world with food they so desperately need. 

If you stress about the day, don't condemn yourself and throw yourself in a pit of despair. Look and see your need for Him. Just as we need water everyday to live, so we need the living water to live in Him. We cannot be so fixated on our lives that we lose faith and hope in Him. Truth is truth and will never be anything but the truth. How then do we let our lives override the truth. The truth being this. Rely fully on Him to the point that no thing can be done without Him being involved in it. 

I always used to think that I had to get approval from Him in everything I did daily, which is exhausting. Instead, I have faith that wherever I go or whatever I do, He will be there to guide me and move me in the right direction when needed. I cannot live my life paranoid, thinking each decision I make or each direction I take will spell disaster. Instead, walk and if He says turn here, then turn there. Simple! Just be open to hear Him when He wants to say something to you. Again, have faith that you know He wants to talk to you and will talk to you. 

This is not a one way street. Communicate and seek His voice. Know you have the ability to hear Him. Know He wants you to hear Him. Know that He loves you and wants the best for you. This is being not of this world but in it. This is walking in Him. This is Life and Life more abundantly. Just open your heart, mind and spirit to Him and He'll do the rest.

To God be the Glory!

The Tree

 

What can we say about our loving Father that will describe Him accurately enough so we can understand how much He loves us. Because, if we understand and can realize just how much He loves us, we will be able to let go of all the junk and all the emotional baggage we carry around with us. For most, love is such a foreign concept because they have been abused by people so much they think love is something of fairy tales. While other's idea of love are so messed up, that when they encounter God's love it isn't what they had in mind. 

The idea of an all powerful deity wanting to have a personal relationship with us is weird enough but that He loves us to the point of placing His son on a cross so that the one thing that separated us could be forever destroyed. I was listening to some of Dan Mohler's preaching the other day and He was pointing out the time when the Israelites were being bitten by snakes because they were being disobedient. Moses fashioned a bronze snake and placed it on a pole and whoever saw the snake on the pole, they would be cured of the snake bites. I'm sure I'm not doing the story justice but the point is this, God had placed in the law that anything hanging on a tree was cursed. The snake on the stick was technically on a tree, they knew the law and therefore believed that they would be cured of the snake problem.

I asked God about the tree itself, why a tree? What was the symbolism of the tree and why was anything hanging on the tree cursed. 

I heard, it all started in the Garden of Eden. So I'm looking into the garden and we see two trees, one a tree of life and the other is a tree of the knowledge of good and evil. These two trees were in the middle of the garden and when Eve ate of the wrong tree, then Adam, they became self-conscious. Before, they didn't care about how they looked but after they were very aware of their nakedness. I believe the nakedness was something that compares to being vulnerable. Yet they weren't aware of their vulnerability till the fruit. They only were aware of their surroundings, what was going on around them. They had no cares for self as God provided for them.

It would be like someone growing up on a tropical island with tons of fruit and vegetables to eat. You have no clue about society or their requirements so you aren't aware that being naked is wrong. You had no worries, no needs and no fears. Everything revolved around God. We wouldn't need altars or church buildings or prayer time either as God would always be there, ever present.

When the fruit was eaten, self-consciousness came into being. Suddenly, shame entered their minds, condemnation entered them too. If we looked back at the island, it would be like a ship coming from a modern society and telling those two living there that they are being shameful by running around naked. Then they would be shown how to act like them and then self-consciousness would destroy all the freedom they had before.

The fall of man stripped our life of freedom away from us. We had a life of being unaware of rules, laws or any kind of constraints. It's hard to imagine because we would think about the chaos of it. We would think that rules would surely be needed instead of them running around care free. Children are like this. Children aren't aware of the rules when they come into this world. That's why they cram everything they can into their mouths. They don't know any better. We are very quick to teach them the constraints and to correct them if they don't live in the societal parameters. 

Like Adam and Eve, they knew no wrong. They knew to just exist and to be. They weren't aware of anything until they were infused with knowledge, then they knew. Only by knowing something can we be held accountable for it. 

So the tree, why are things cursed that hang on trees, the snake was cursed, the sin in Jesus was cursed but why? What is the symbolic representation of the tree? Some of you out there may know. I haven't heard anything but a thought about the garden. One tree cursed us with knowledge, the other would have given eternal life. I will keep asking and listen for the answer.

To God be the Glory!

Perseverance

 Matthew 24:9-14

9Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, 11and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.

12Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. 13But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Perseverance definition: Endurance, steadfastness, patient waiting for. Cheerful endurance, constancy.

Many passages in the Bible contain warnings of coming persecutions, beatings, floggings and torture to those who preached the gospel of Christ. Most of those passages read like a prerequisite to being a Christian is a life of pain and suffering. For me this is one of the main reasons to believe in Jesus, God and the gospel of Christ. If you were to go out into the streets and preach a new gospel to people and it was something that was completely contradictory to everyone's current theology and they beat and killed the followers and they tortured them and did unspeakable things to them, if it wasn't real, no one would endure or persevere through all that for something false. It would most definitely have to be life changing for anyone to endure what the early church endured. If it wasn't real, would those Christians not renounce Jesus when threatened with lions or being burned to death. 

Matthew 10:16-20 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18On My account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. 20For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

This is what caused them to suffer for righteousness sake. This is what caused them to persevere. Can you imagine the amount of good one person did by being sent in front of a group of peers, being tried for blasphemy and God's words leap from their mouths. For anyone within earshot which had even the slightest knowledge of what was going on, the encouragement would be overwhelming. Sitting in the jail testifying that God the Father was talking through them, that the words they spoke were not their own but they were the Father's words would be a battle cry for perseverance. News would spread like wildfire as more could testify that God worked through them.

It was a different atmosphere then, full of danger yet so full of the Spirit's guidance. It's amazing how the Spirit shines through in times of pain and suffering. It's in moments like these where we cannot do anything, therefore we fully rely on Him to take control. Living in a country where the freedom of speech and religion has afforded us relative peace in the church, has created a situation where no one truly relies on the Spirit of God like they did back then. 

If we were being targeted with violence each Sunday as we pulled in the parking lot of our church; lawyers, cops, and advocates would come to the rescue. They had nothing but the Spirit of God to comfort them and to guide them through their issues. In this country, we have it easy compared to what they went through and our softness and lack of Spiritual reliance shows. Sure there's massive amounts of Christians in this country but out of those, who can say they have a reliable relationship with God, that they hear His voice and obey it, that they are led by the Spirit; I'd say not too many. Heck, most don't believe the Spirit gives you power to do any of the Spiritual gifts like tongues or prophecy. 

Perseverance comes by sufferings. We never hear of people persevering through a good time. Whew, I just barely made it through this perfect day today. The sky was blue, the temperature was great, everything went the way I wanted, boy I'm glad God was with me today so I cold persevere through all that comfort and ease. No one has ever said that! Instead, we complain when our coffee spills on our shirt going down the road or when the red lights make you late for work. We cry out when our order is made incorrectly or our lives are so inconvenienced by traffic. Our lives are tough compared to being fed to a large hungry cat. No comparison there!

If we look at the passages of  Matthew 24:12-13 above, then we can see a more sinister form of attack. In our ease and complacency we have become too familiar with things being made smooth. In our comfort we trade in the leading of the Holy Spirit for love of self and as in the passage, the love (which is the Father's love in us) will grow cold. 

Faith for the early Christians required that through all those tortures and all those sufferings, that they not harbor hate towards those that caused them pain or death. They were convicted to love everyone whether they agreed with them or not. As Christ said, forgive them Father, they know not what they do, so did the early Christians. It wasn't because of imitation they did this. If it was merely imitation, they would have folded and left the faith before it went through the first suffering. Instead, the nature of Jesus coursed through their hearts and it was Him living in them that gave them the ability to endure and to love those killing them. 

Today we are too self absorbed to love the one cutting us off in traffic le alone someone coming to take our lives. We scream and shout and throw a hissy fit on social media every time we think our rights are being stepped on. We whine every time someone doesn't agree with us and we do the persecution of anyone not walking the way we do. Oh how the roles have reversed. The early church was persecuted unto death and today we persecute in the name of the Lord with words off hate, which kill and destroy.

Yes, this is what is meant by the love of most will grow cold. This is what we are fighting through today. 

Apostasy comes in slowly as we settle for ease and comfort. A coldness and emptiness of the heart is our enemy threatening to take away our life, which is God. We say we love and we say we are followers but take away the comfort and ease and our true colors are revealed. Can we persevere through the selfishness of out times. Can we be real with God and can His love endure in us. Those that came after Christ were hunted and killed for their religion because it created such a stir in the darkened hearts of men. If we don't shine, then darkness has nothing to complain about. 

Change is coming though. Persecutions will rise. The church must be tried with fire to burn away the impurities. Those that remain will shine like gold and will be God's people where those that fall away are tortured by their failure to see the truth. The days are coming and have already come where great shaking and turmoil will take place in God's church. Those that have not relied upon God will turn on those that have. Those that walk in the Spirit will be persecuted by those that walk in the flesh. The ones who say they are Christian will rise against the ones who are Christ like. 

To God be the Glory!

  

The Two-Edged Sword

 

Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

We cannot lose the understanding that the fights we face are not with people but with the darkness that has invaded their minds and hearts. Deception is a cruel thing as it creates comfort in its victim. The one under deception would rather stay in deception than face the bright light of truth. Because if they face the truth in one aspect of their lives, then they must face it in all aspects of their lives. As the light is given access, it will light up every dark corner. Most are not prepared for that to take place.

Coming to terms with deception and being given the truth hurts. Its a hurt that I am very familiar with as in my journey in Christ, many things had to have light shed on it. The first feeling you have when God casts the light of truth on your heart is betrayal. You feel betrayed by yourself, as now you see the error of your way so clearly. Why didn't you see it before that moment? You look back at whatever transgression, deception or lie you held onto as truth and you see the pain it caused you and those around you and grief strikes your heart. For you see the cruel deception you held onto as truth has caused massive harm to you and others. You then realize that the person who revealed the truth to you is the same person you harmed the most, which is our Lord and God. 

For me, coming to the realization of something I had done wrong, came by asking God to reveal any wrong in me. I asked to be judged and found guilty. It would be like a criminal walking into a court room and asking the judge, I know I am not a good person by the standards of this court yet I don't know what I have done wrong. Please judge and try me and show me the errors of my ways. Then your file gets pulled out and He grabs your attention and shows you the error of your ways. 

When the evil in our hearts is exposed as a grievous crime against humanity and heaven, grief strikes at you hard. I have cried for hours knowing how badly I hurt those around me and more importantly, my God. See, He is the one that had patience with me the entire time I was doing my selfish behavior. It was Him that cried for me, worried for me, called to me, and loved me through all my darkness. He's the one who showed me the light and held His arms out wide to greet me as I came to understand my transgressions.

When Simon Peter, realized that the Messiah stood before him, when he had just thrown a fit moments before about casting his nets out one more time, he fell to his knees and said depart from me I am a sinner.

It's like that you know, when God exposes your sinful heart to you. As you realize the deep darkness of your heart, the only thing you can do is grieve and say why did you put up with me for so long Lord? Why did you pursue me, a filthy sinner? His response always gets me, because I love you! When you realize that fact, the water works really start to flow. The terrible ways of your heart were bad enough to deal with but in the midst of your condemnation against yourself He reaches in and hugs you and says you are loved.

I'm tearing up just writing this. His love conquers all the darkness we could ever have and as His love shows us our errors, its also healing our wounds.

Have you ever heard of God's word being as sharp as a two-edged sword.

Hebrews 4:12-13

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

It is two-edged for a reason, as God pierces our hearts and exposes our sin to us, He is also cutting that out like a surgeon would cut out a tumor. When the sword does its job and gets pulled out, it heals us on the way out and we are left healed and new. God not only exposes our wrongs but He heals us as He's doing so. If we have faith in Him to do this process, after a while, the  sword isn't as painful as the first time you experience it. 

I've been run through by God's sword so many times I have lost count but each time it gets sweeter and less bitter. As we let God carve us up like a Thanksgiving turkey, we lose who we were and with each cut, we lose the flesh and gain Him. The first cut is always the most painful as we cannot bear the brunt of our sins being exposed to us, but as we continue in Him, each exposure gets us closer. 

Can we agree that when we first get married, there are things that get on each others nerves. We love one another and the little things like not picking up the clothes or not putting the toilet seat down is at first overlooked. Small hints are dropped and maybe a small discussion briefly introduces our aggravation, until one day the pressure builds beyond capacity and the volcano erupts. We've been there when Mount Vesuvius erupts and kills all life in its wake. The dam has broken and every small thing that has been annoying comes flying out of their mouth. It hurts and feelings are stomped on but if you are mature enough and you love enough to change, instead of the emotional explosion destroying your relationship, it helps it. You change your ways, they love the change and everyone is good.

It can go the other way with God and with spouses as our sins are revealed, the sorrow of our deeds leads us to self condemnation and instead of running into the arms of our beloved and asking for forgiveness, we instead drop our heads and walk away, mad and depressed.

Instead of us seeing the sword as a tool for healing, we see it as a tool of condemnation and we fall into a pit of despair.

I've been there too. Before I knew the sword was plunged into my heart out of love, I only thought of how filthy and wretched I was and instead of letting God's love welcome me, I withdrew thinking my filth was too much for Him to handle. If you've ever worked or been around homeless people, they think they aren't worth being loved by someone. Sure, they know their situation and they know they will get sympathy from time to time but love is not for them. 

We must learn that God is out for our good and that He loves us unconditionally. When His pure light shines into our darkness, it is overwhelming and all sorts of remorse, happiness and snot start flowing. We must let Him cut away at us though. It's the only way to be healed from our diseases. 

I started out with exposing the enemy is not of flesh and blood and diverged into the enemy is within us. It wasn't the direction I thought I was going with this but it turns out we need the enemy exposed in all of us. See, we think the enemy is out there in others or out there in the spiritual realm yet the most deadly enemy is living within your own heart and mind. Once we grasp that, we can then begin to let God do His carving. A person cannot be healed until they admit that there's a problem. If we stop living in denial and actually want change, then God will show up, fully scrubbed and ready for surgery. 

Now you know why they call Him the great physician. He diagnoses the problem, shows you the issues, cuts you open to remove the problem, stitches you up and makes you new. He even gives you a lollypop of love as you come out of the hospital. 

We have ways of denying we need help. We have ways of projecting our failures on others or our environment. We have ways of fleeing the light yet we need to be exposed and healed. God will not do surgery unless we sign the contract and say it's OK to do so. He's not going to jump you and take your kidneys and sell them on the black market. His love prohibits Him from being that way. He needs your permission for the procedure. So, what are you waiting for. Ask Him to expose your heart to you. Ask Him to show you if there's anything that is in you that is not of Him. Ask with anticipation for healing and a greater relationship with Him. 

To God be the Glory!

Revelation Part 2

In this second part, we'll be moving on into Revelation chapter 14. In the last post, we ended at the end of chapter 13 where those that follow the flesh have been marked. In 14 we start off with a group of people standing with Jesus, with the Father’s name written on their forehead. The number 144,000 is just a symbol. The number 12 is the meaning of completion, perfection and authority especially when connected to government. As we all know, or should know, God will establish His kingdom here on Earth. The 144,000 is a symbol of those that have walked in God and have been sealed by His name and they will usher in the kingdom of God with Jesus. They will be the government of the new kingdom.

If you say you know God and you still have hate in your heart instead of love, then you don't know Him. We can run the risk of thinking we know Him by doing things religiously and having an appearance of Christ but the heart is where the rubber meats the road. If your heart still harbors anger, hate, anxiety, doubt, or disbelief, then you don't have a correct relationship with Him.

In Him we should love those that hate us. In Him we should never take account of any wrong done to us.

If your in a restaurant and your order comes out with fries instead of a baked potato, do you throw a fit and demand the potato or do you not care either way. By saying you don't care doesn't mean you eat the fries and then complain about it all the way home. I mean, you may not even notice, or if you do, you say nothing and you tip the waiter extra. That is God in you. When His character flows through you to affect you and others around you, then you can say you know God.

So, back to Revelation 14:3-5

3And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

The song is a song from their heart. A joyous song that comes from relationship. Verse four throws people. The redeemed here, the 144,000 have to be virgins? If you take this literally, then the only ones to join this exclusive group would be prepubescent boys. So, every girl is excluded, every adult is excluded too. Not true! Again this is a metaphor. The woman is the flesh. When Adam and Eve were in the garden, who was tempted? Eve! She came from Adams flesh and represents the flesh. She was deceived by Satan to eat of the fruit, which by the way was his character, and then she convinced Adam to do the same. Adam even said, I was deceived by the woman you gave me. Sound and feel familiar? It's because our flesh, which is the emotional side of our nature is represented by the woman. 

Have an argument with your flesh and try and resist it without Jesus, it's impossible. It's like winning an argument with your wife, impossible! Right Guys? 

I'm just kidding, but it is true that God created Eve from Adam, flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone and in the context of Revelation 13:4, we see the chosen people, the 144,000 not being defiled by the woman which is the flesh. When they became born again, they were cleaned and presented to Christ as a chaste virgin. Nothing wrong with them and they held their faith in Him and never waivered or was tempted by their flesh. As the quote says, they followed the Lamb wherever He went. As we ought to do. They have been pulled out amongst the population of men to be a first fruits. 

To me, they are talking about the Apostles. They were pulled out amongst men, they were the first fruits of what Jesus did. 

In the verses 12 and 13 we read, 

Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

13And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

I like the wording, "from this moment on." It resonates with me as the Angel of God is declaring at the onset of the age of Faith, from the moment Jesus died, rose again and then was seated at the right hand of the Father, from that moment just after the battle to cast the devil out, at that moment They marked a period, drew a line in the sand and declared, those that die to flesh, die to selfishness, die in Christ Jesus; as we believe we were buried and resurrected into a new life with Christ, at that moment they are blessed. Those that truly believe and live the life of Christ, they will rest from their own works because in them is someone else at work. In them is the Spirit of God and as they sit back and do nothing in their hearts or minds and they set their hands on nothing, they can sit back and watch God work through them to their amazement and their joy. 

When we fly to a far off country or across our own country, are we expected to fly the plane? No. Instead, we pay the ticket price and we sit back and relax as the pilot flies us to our destination. Same goes with God. If we pay our ticket price, which is the flesh, then we can sit back and enjoy the ride with full confidence that God, our pilot will get us where we are going. Work on our part is not an option when you are in Him. He takes over if we let Him do so. What would happen if we went into the cockpit of a jet and started pushing buttons and moving levers? I'd think the plane would probably go down. So, if we constantly question how God is flying our plane and we can't relinquish control, then we crash.

I want to stop there as it seems this is all the Lord wants me to write but I want to say that any book of the Bible is not t be taken at face value. The words we read can and does have layered meanings. The trick is getting the Spirit to reveal the layers to you. It takes time, studying and keeping an open heart and mind to the Lord's leading. 

We cannot afford to not understand what God is trying to say. As it says, my people perish because they lack understanding and knowledge. The day of the Lord is near and we must be prepared to endure the coming issues. As it says, we must persevere and press on towards the mark God has set for us. To be fully consumed by the Spirit of the Lord, unwavering, dedicated, faithful sons and daughters of the most high God.

To God be the Glory for Ever and Ever, Amen!

Revelation Part 1

 

Ruby Falls, Chattanooga TN- Irish colors for St. Patty's Day

Revelations is a book that most people don't dare tackle. The imagery and the metaphorical context is often times beyond what we can know. Today, I have something that I think will intrigue you and/or anger you. Keep in mind, I asked God what was going on in chapter twelve and I believe this is what He has said.

In chapter twelve of Revelation we see the title "The Woman and the Dragon." 

The woman is Israel, the twelve tribes represent the twelve crowns, her pregnancy was the birth of the church through Jesus. She birthed Him then He was taken up to the throne of God. When war broke out in heaven, it was because Satan continually persecuted God's people but now that the blood of Christ had brought forgiveness of our sins, the devil had nothing to persecute us for. So the war was fought and the dragon was cast down to Earth. 

If Israel represents the woman, then Satan pursued them and tried to wipe them off the face of the Earth many, many times. Her children, who kept the commandments of God, I believe is the young church. At the end of Chapter 12, we see the dragon standing at the edge of the sea which represents the population of the world outside the church.

However, in the next chapter we see a great beast rise up out of that very sea. 

The Beast, is the flesh. That nature of old, the one Jesus came to get rid of in all of us. It even says that one of the beasts heads were mortally wounded. Where does the flesh nature work in man, his heart, his mind and soul. One of the workings of the flesh was critically injured when Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross. The head on the beast that was mortally wounded may have represented the heart of man as the heart is what God is after. So the heart of man was turned, thereby giving the beast/flesh a wound that most thought was going to kill the flesh in man. The flesh was critically injured but it came back. It says, the dragon gives the beast authority and we all know that Satan works through our flesh to tempt, manipulate and move us around like a puppet on a string. 

So the flesh is the beast and its power comes from the dragon and if you look at 13:7 you'll see that the flesh was given permission to wage war with the saints and to conquer them, which took place.

The young church became full of flesh, so much so that they were collecting money for get out of hell cards called indulgences(look it up, it's a bunch of twisted junk). The church became so corrupt that anyone challenging their ultimate authority like Martin Luthor were imprisoned or killed. So, Revelations predicted the church being corrupted by the flesh and the whole world it says in 13:8 will worship the flesh.

What is worshiping the flesh/the beast mean. I mean you don't see altars set up to worship our human nature do you. Currently, I'd say social media is set up to worship the flesh. The flesh is human nature and if I've heard it once I've heard it a thousand times, "You do you" which is inherently saying, you are fine the way you are, no need for change or a savior. Better still is the rise in LGBT and BLM stuff and cancel culture. They are practically parading the flesh down the streets and their motto is, if it feels good, do it. Quite the opposite of dying to the flesh which is what should be taking place. 

13:9,10 Talks about going into captivity, which means those that have given up on faith and have instead been consumed by selfish fleshly desires. Those that die by the sword are those willing to die by the words of God and His truth which slays our flesh. Yet back in those days, the church was corrupt and never thought of dying to self until the Protestant Reformation came into being. 

In 13:11 we now have a beast from the Earth. If the sea represents all of humanity then the land or Earth represents the church. In this it says this beast is like a lamb yet spoke like the dragon. So in a corrupt church system, this scenario would completely fit. Here's a church system with the appearance of Jesus with their pious clothes and huge churches, their art work and appearance of holiness yet inside their hearts, the dragon is in control. It goes on to say in 13:12 that they exercised the authority of the first beast which is the flesh and caused everyone on Earth to worship the first beast. This is the system that was supposed to be set up to eradicate the flesh through faith in Jesus and now they are causing people to worship the flesh. 

In the following verses, doom and gloom abound as now fire, which is power, is being used to deceive many into worshiping. The first beast, the flesh, is now given authority to talk, to have a voice, which we see today. If someone who is living in God and follows God with their whole heart they are beaten down and killed with words from the church.

Have you ever seen someone who truly loves God and is completely sold out to Him, get Baptized in the Spirit, in a church that doesn't believe in the Baptism. It is not pretty. They will run that person out of their church because they cannot live with the conviction. For those finding a church that believe in the gifts of the Spirit, often times, the gifts are elevated above God and the gifts are worshipped instead. Our churches are truly messed up and the predictions of Revelations proves it.

The next part is the mark of the beast, which has been speculated to be some sort of chip embedded in our hand or a bar code on our skin of some kind. If we stop looking at this book as literal, we see that Christ, in Rev. 3:18 says, buy from me gold refined in fire. Gold is a symbol of God's nature as it will not tarnish over time. The fire are trials. So Jesus is saying, through Him and through trials that kill the flesh, you can purchase the nature of God. See, our task, once we come to Christ, is to get rid of our flesh through faith in Him. The flesh can be stubborn and often times it takes some heat, some sort of trial to see it for what it is in us. Once we see our flesh and how truly awful it is, we can hand it over to God to be destroyed forever. This is the purchase, our flesh as an offering to purchase the nature of God.

So in Rev. 13:16-18 What the church or the second beast, who makes the world worship the flesh, the first beast, has now done is placed labels on people through denominations. The mark on their hands indicate work. We use our hands to work and if our hands are marked for certain work by the flesh or the church then we go out and work for them. Our hands are marked when we take what we are given and we go out and do works according to what we are marked for. 

If we are followers of God, God himself will mark our hands for His will and purpose. Often though, works are dictated by a doctrine or a belief system dictated by a church. We should not have any church system override the works of God on our lives. No matter who it is in the church, pastor, deacon or a visiting evangelist, if they tell you to believe in something directly contradicting what the Spirit has told you, then do not listen. This is why relationship is so extremely important.

The mark on the forehead speaks of our minds being manipulated. If they don't have these marks, then they are not allowed to buy and sell. So we have established that we sell our selfishness and buy the nature of God. If a system is corrupt and they have everyone thinking that they are the only way to salvation, that they hold the keys and dictate when, where, and how someone comes to Christ, then they hold the buying and selling power. Again, to reiterate, relationship with the Father is the key.  

We have been told that the book of Revelations is something that is to come and that the church will be raptured out and those that are left will have to endure all these things. Again, consult God over this. Don't let the church and their doctrines overshadow the truth. I may seem to be anti-church because of my posts, I am not. I am against the entity who claims to be the true church of Christ. Wolves in sheep's clothing as they worry more about money, pride, doctrine, attendance and the flesh than actually having a full relationship with God. That's why Revelations is filled with warnings to the saints. Those that seek God diligently and sacrifice their lives for His. 

Do I have all this right, I'm not claiming that, yet I feel in my heart that this is what God is saying. We cannot sweep under the rug the tragedies of the church throughout history. From selling indulgences to killing people who disagreed with them, to standing by as slaves and Indians were treated horribly, to sitting in all white churches and thinking they were more righteous than the blacks. To today where Trump is king and guns are the solution to all problems. How can we even begin to think things are right when we see all this happening. We must change the way we think. As Christians, we cannot keep our lives, they belong to God. We must live like we have been purchased. Instead, we live like a spoiled teens with daddy's credit card running around and getting everything for ourselves. It's no wonder the world is falling apart. 

In my next post, I will continue on into chapter 14 which talks about those sealed by God, the saints. 

A fire burns in me for truth. I cannot stand by and watch the truth  of God be destroyed by those seeking self. If you have read this to the end, I believe you are searching for a true relationship with the Father. Do not look to my posts as truth, do not turn to a church for truth, truth comes when you fall on your knees in your alone time with God and seek Him. Knock and He will answer. Seek and you will find. I believe there are those out there who are sold out to God completely. Our task, is to join them in these final hours.

To God be the Glory, Always!

The Rock

I woke up this morning with an image in my mind and a message. However, as it typically goes here lately, I don't have the full message yet so we shall see where this goes.

The image I saw was of the Israelites in the desert and Moses was where God commanded Him to strike the rock to get water. This was the first time Moses had struck the rock and him and the leaders of the different tribes were all standing around the rock in awe of this miracle. I can see them in my mind standing there dumbfounded. They were just standing there watching water come out, no words just baffled over the whole thing. 

God talked to Moses only and he alone heard God's voice until they all heard the thunder later at the mountain, but in this case, they were all complaining of being thirsty and Moses just stopped, acted like he heard something then went over to a rock and hit it with the staff he had. Now the majority of the people, the millions, were not following the leaders and Moses closely. For millions of people to go anywhere together, they were scattered in groups and clusters and spread out for miles. The leaders were at the front of the line. So, when Moses struck the rock, only a handful saw the actual miracle and in my vision, I saw only six or so men standing there watching the water come out. 

By the time all of the millions of people came to get water, the miracle wasn't much of a miracle to them. Have you ever been told of some miraculous thing happening by someone else. In that scenario, the story has been retold so many times that it has been changed, manipulated and the excitement of the first witness is gone and often times replaced with doubt and skepticism.

Take the resent Asbury revival in KY. If you didn't go there and experience it for yourself, you don't have a clue what went on there. You only hear stories from those that have. You may here a ton of good stories but they may also be negative ones as well. As we tend to focus on things we can see and touch, when we hear of thing intangible that only the receiver can be a witness to, doubt usually wins over. The negative stories win out and doubt controls every story out of that event.

Similarly, in the case of Moses and the rock, only a handful of witnesses saw it happen. Undoubtedly, those few witnesses passed along their excitement to the crowds but as millions of people came for water, the leaders by now would have scattered to a place to camp or settle for the night as the rest came for water. As they came, the truth became muddled and doubt set in.

I can see it now, "It's about time I got my turn, my family is thirsting to death."

"Yeah mine too. My tongue is so dry."

"I don't know how they found this spring but I am thankful they did. I've not seen water for days."

"Me either. This God everyone has been talking about, I thought He was leading us out here to die as a cruel joke."

"I heard rumors that this water was provided by this God."

"Moses was just lucky he found this, the crowds were almost ready to kill him and go back to Egypt. At least there was water and food there."

"Very true, very true. They say, it was a miracle. That he stuck this rock and water came out of it. What do you think?"

"A bunch of lies. He's trying to get us to keep following him to this so called promise land. I think we left Egypt to follow a mad man." 

See the miracle of God, over time and through so many people can become muddled and manipulated. Most will have doubt unless the miracle happens to them. 

However, it's not the miracle we need to worry about anyway, it's the one who provided the miracle, God, that we really need to focus on. In other recent posts, I have mentioned several times that staying singled eyed, only following God's truth and keeping your heart and mind focused on Him is the most important thing we can do.

Simon Peter is a great example of this very thing. When Jesus approached the boat, Simon was the only one who jumped out and walked on water. The reason He walked on water is because Simon was focused on Jesus. He wasn't worried about the water, the waves or the depth. Instead he was laser focused on Jesus. When he lost his focus though, Simon fell through the water. It was his lack of focus and his sudden realization of his situation. Doubt creeped in as he knew in his mind that walking on water was impossible, yet nothing is impossible with Christ. 

Same scenario with the Jews in the desert. They lost focus and assumed the worst because they focused on their situation instead of being focused on God. 

We can hear everyday how God does small miracles around us and how great His love is. We can also hear the critics as well who discount those miracles as coincidence or luck. It all depends on us, the receiver of those two sides. If we trust and have faith, we see and hear God working all around us but if we are full of doubt and fear we see nothing but a fanciful story. 

If we lose our focus, we can be like the Israelites who doubted and died. If we doubt, our soul dies. It gets pulled away and darkened by the enemies lies. We cannot afford to put all our trust in media, other Christians, stories or even preachers. Our hope and trust should only lie in God and His truth. 

Times are going to get worse according to the Bible. As Jesus puts it, we are only in the birth pains and the kingdom of God is coming. However, the darkness hates the light and it will do everything in its power to extinguish the light. So, I believe we are in for a very rough ride even though the ride has been rough already. We haven't the worst part of the end yet. However, and again, if we we only have a heart for Him and a single mind towards Him, we will prevail because He will lead us through the desert just like He did the Israelites. Cloud by day and fire at night, food from heaven, shoes and clothes not worn out. 

These are symbols of what we will go through in this end time. Cloud by day, keeping us sheltered; fire at night, keeping us warm in the cold of night; feeding us heavenly bread for our souls to feed upon; our shoes being our walk with God not growing old or worn out; our clothes not wearing out as we are clothed in Jesus' righteousness; all these things will come to those who are diligently seeking God.

To God be the Glory! 

 

Perspective

It's often said that individual study and individuals seeking God, lead to multiple perspectives and it creates chaos within the church. For instance, if a hundred people took one year to truly seek the Lord with all their heart, mind and soul, they, according to most, would say they would have a hundred different perspectives. It is true that each of us grow up in different homes, situations, experience different successes and tragedies but if we all have one Spirit, one Christ and one God we should all be hearing the same thing. For those hundred people, no matter their background, they should all come out of the experiment hearing and understanding the same thing. 

The problem lies in the perspective of those not relying fully on God for their sustenance. If we feed upon the Lord daily, "I am the bread of life," we all should end up at the same understanding  without the need of human interference. 

John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Issues arise however and doubt catches strength when we take our eyes off of God and what he promises. Instead we dwell upon circumstances and visual cues to guide us instead of the Spirit. We are the Israelites waiting for Moses to come back from the mountain. We panic easily and get impatient waiting on God to say something or to move in us. We may start out excited and raring to go but as soon as our eyes wander from truth to situation, we start building a golden calf to worship, which could represent anything from the Bible to a pastor. If anything is placed ahead of God as the source, including the Bible, it is an idol. 

Our perspectives are based on situational thinking. If we are in financial trouble, do we think God doesn't know. Do we think that God will not provide? Is any situation too big for Him to handle, I think not. Our perspective, our narrow way of looking at things keeps us from accepting the truth. First, God will provide peace beyond understanding so that your situation isn't overwhelming you. With trust in Him comes peace. Second, once the peace is established in your heart, He will then bless you with provision. God will never provide provision to those with no trust. He doesn't want to feed the flesh, instead He rewards those that are faithful and trusting in Him. 

I have a wife that is much shorter than I. When we are in the car or out walking, we often point something out from our line of sight, our perspective. She can see the moon at night through the window of the car when it is high in the sky, where I have to lean way down to see it. Last night walking, I saw a vehicle parked and I made a comment about the dual sunroofs on it, yet she couldn't see them. Do we then, if we see different things from the angle of our eyes, doubt the others vision and say if I can't see it, it doesn't exist or argue about it. No, we take each others word for it and often we describe what we have seen to each other so we can share each others experience. Do we doubt them? No! So why do we doubt God? 

From His perspective the absolute truth comes forth from Him every moment of existence. Yet because we can't see what He sees, we doubt His perspective and we instead believe in our situation. It is imperative that we line up our way of thinking with His. It is of utmost importance that we seek the one who can change our line of sight. We may not experience the same circumstances as God, but just like my wife and I, God will paint a picture of His truth in our hearts so vivid and real that we would believe we were there with Him. 

When the waters are muddied and the vision is dull at best, we must rely fully on Him who can guide us through the darkness. Try and blind fold someone and give them instructions on how to move from one place to the other. They want to rely on putting their hands out in front of them, poking their foot out to make sure they don't collide with anything. You tell them to move left and they stand still then wave their arms out in that direction making sure it's clear before taking a step. They are still relying on themselves more than the are relying on you. If they would listen to your precise direction only and never make a movement without being told, then and only then do they fully trust you.

Do we not grab a snippet of God's word and then flail our arms out trying to figure out where to go. If He says go left we take off in that direction, crawling if need be. When we ram our heads into a wall, don't we then say, help. We tend to do that with all things as we do not trust.

Fully trusting in God would like this. God, I'm blind and cannot see like you see. Show me the way. Turn left my Son and you turn your body left but don't move. Where to now Lord? Take seven steps. You do as He says. Now turn right. Same thing. Now where Lord? We cannot take a step without knowing where to go and we cannot rush in that direction without further leading. 

If we see someone else being blessed by God with healing or words of knowledge, do we then imitate them so we can have that as well or do we go to the source and ask and if He says no at the time, like children, do we go off to try and circumvent God. Often times we do. Again, we don't see fully so why would we run into the dark trying to navigate by ourselves. Pride and stubbornness gets us every time and we'll fall off a cliff knowing it is the right thing to do every time. If we see darkly, then why do we run. If our vision isn't true, then why do we ignore direction.

This reminds me of a mirror maze. If you've never been in one, they are very disorienting. It is a building filled with identical mirrors, floor to ceiling at 45 degree angles so the mirror you see ahead reflects onto another and another and so on. You can literally see you all around you. The only way to know which way to turn is to practically run into a mirror. They give you gloves so you don't smudge the glass but every once in a while, you'll see a forehead smudge on the glass and know instantly what happened. My son and I got real good at one and learned the pattern from start to finish. we ran through from beginning to end to time ourselves. We did good but came pretty close to smacking into one a time or two. 

All that to say, perspective can be manipulated into making you think right is left and left is right. If the worker of the mirror maze walked us through, we would have had no problems what so ever. Instead, we spent an hour or more trying to memorize the pattern. Many bumps, wrong turns and dead ends kept us from the end. Of course in a fun environment like that, not knowing is fun. However, when it comes to life, not knowing what to do or where to go next could lead you into tragedy. 

Being guided by the one who has all the maps, all the knowledge, all the clear vision is paramount. We cannot afford to run when we cannot see the danger ahead. We cannot afford to turn into a dead end. As I've said before, the enemy waits for us to make the wrong turn constantly. He thrives on us following our own perspectives instead of God's. If there were deadly traps in that mirror maze, do you think I would ask for guidance. Of course, yet we walk through life oblivious to the dangers we face because they are internal and not seen. If I heard that there were deadly things in that maze and I doubted it and entered anyway, following what I could see, then I'm a fool. We cannot always see what is coming.

So, try the blindfold trick on some friends the next time you get together. Make them do complicated tasks with everyone else trying to distract them. If they are humble enough to listen to your voice and do what you say, then victory. Why then can we not turn off all the voices trying to get our attention and focus on Him so He can lead us to victory.

To God be the Glory!