Meditation: October 6

“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.” Lamentations 3:21

The immediate challenges of our day oftentimes cloud our view from seeing the faithfulness of God throughout the years. Living in the immediate alone without any reference to the past will make us feel as if we must take matters into our own hands. God has given us the gift of memory to reflect upon His goodness directed towards us even when all hope seemed to be lost. We are then able to feast through reflection, on His faithfulness. Whatever may appear as an impassable mountain standing before us, God is there with His wisdom and His strength awaiting our request. He will first settle us in our difficulties to know that He has knowledge of our present state. Then He will provide for us the wisdom to see all things from His perspective. If this is one of those obstacles that should not be or is as a test of our faithfulness to Him alone, in time,  we will have provided for us the right answer and resolve. He will keep us in perfect peace if our minds are steadily focused on Him knowing that our God is greater than our circumstances.

Meditation: September 29

“For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light.” Psalm 36:9 (KJV)

Darkness conceals while light reveals. Things are further darkened by darkness while they are illuminated by the light. The Lord speaks His Word in order to guide us through life. His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We are guided through those dangerous places where the enemy of our souls is lurking with the intent of killing, stealing, and destroying us. We are not walking alone because when we walk in the light we walk with Him. We see together and move in sync with one another. What we see enables us to see more. What we experience together is preparation for what lies ahead. The light that is before us now will lead us to greater dimensions of light. His light is the light of life. A fountain of living water continues to flow in our direction keeping and preserving us. What awaits us is far greater than what we had to abandon. All that preceded was mere preparation for what the Lord has yet to show us. We can trust His guidance and rest in His peace. We must not allow anything to get us off track but know that He knows the way that we must go. And when we safely arrive, we will appreciate every winding curve along the way.

Meditation: September 8

“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”  John 16:14

The work of the Holy Spirit is to arrest our thoughts and energy and guide them in a new direction. He will give us an understanding of all things that belong to Jesus Christ. Beforehand our thoughts would wander and attach themselves to things that destroy the soul. Before He intervened there existed no passion to pursue Christ because His life to us had no appeal. Some would attempt to redefine Christ’s  life and mission in order to pursue their own passions and goals. Their emptiness remained when the activity ended. There was no lasting effect to their experiences.

There is no contentment unless the Holy Spirit is completely in charge. He will not compete with the pettiness of selfish interests. He is committed to those things that please the Father alone and will not allow anything to get Him sidetracked. What we have learned and received of Christ is clarified and applied to the soul. As the Son did only those things that please the Father, so it is with us who are led of the Holy Spirit. We will sense His grief when our ways sway towards a different path. We will sense His pleasure as we maintain that course that He has prescribed. What a privilege we have to be led by the Holy Spirit! The Eternal reaches down into time in order to envelope the temporal in order to lift mortals to a new place and a new vision. Once we see with the Lord what He has always seen, we no longer wish to entertain ideas beneath the standard now revealed to us. Even when we drift in thought and action, the same Spirit reminds us of who we are. It is the knowledge of Christ that changes us. Once we have been changed, our contentment is with godliness. Those allurements are outside of us and no longer in us. His glory is our good and His pleasure becomes our peace of heart and mind.

September 2016 Article: “Heavenly Confirmations”

The power of agreement is of vital importance in an environment where so many things are separated and dislocated. It is through agreement that progress is made in life and any other endeavor in which people may be engaged. While this is a biblical principle, it is not always applied towards those things that glorify God. When an agreement is reached, the people are of one mind and purpose, and the momentum set in motion has the potential of enlisting unengaged bystanders and absorbing them into the effort of accomplishing that goal. The erection of the Tower of Babel would have been completed unless God Himself had not intervened. We have seen groups of people come together and organize movements either in defense or defiance of a particular cause. It is especially effective when those in favor take ownership of that cause. Yet the question of rightness and wrongness is yet to be determined. However, a conclusion can easily be reached from the surface. But there are variables that could completely change the equation, and if known, could influence the decision of those who had committed themselves to that end. It was stated, “believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see.”  Even our eyes and ears can be deceived, and it is pride that will cause one to hold on to an opinion when the current information contradicts all that he once believed. If my eyes and ears cannot be completely trusted, then what can I trust and who can I trust? There has to be an absolute from which all other things originate. It must be above all things, yet inclusive of any facts that are known or may be discovered in the future.

It is our agreement with God who has full knowledge of all things that will bring peace on earth and peace within our souls. The frustration of the soul that often leads to violence and rebellion is merely an indication of the disharmony that exists between man’s intent and God’s will. It is not His intention that any would find perfect peace and contentment by any other way. The Holy Spirit rested upon Jesus like a dove after His baptism, thereby indicating the stillness of His soul. He only rests as a dove when there is no turbulence and disquieting within. The announcement from heaven was, “this is My Beloved Son in whom I Am well pleased!” His submission to baptism was more than a mere ceremony. It was His inauguration into the work that led to our salvation. He, through baptism, demonstrated His submission to the will of the Father, and expressed the course in which His life was to take in order to provide the way for all to be rightly related to Him.

Today, as with Jesus, the Lord both affirms us as being His own and confirms that His Presence is currently with us. The voice was not for Jesus, but about Him to others. He knew that He was the Son of God and that His ways pleased the Father, but did others know? Today, God confirms His Word with signs following. We are embarking upon a time when the signs, wonders, and miracles of God will manifest among true believers like never before! Yes, there will always be the counterfeit attempting to disprove the authentic. How can one distinguish the difference between the true and the false? All that is true will lead to the development of character. The confirmation will not just be the demonstrated power of Christ, but His power leading to the character of Christ lived. It will be in Word and in power in the Holy Spirit with much assurance, so you may know what kind of men were among you for your sake. (1 Thessalonians 1:5) Those who were waiting on the Lord to manifest Himself must come to realize that God had been waiting on them to come into full agreement with Him. When we meet His criteria, He will open Heaven and rain down His Spirit upon all manner of flesh!

Meditation: August 28

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26

Values are a means to equate the worth of thing in contrast to its usefulness or utility. Whether a thing is profitable or dispensable is determined by the individual. The question of Jesus was directed at the value one would place on his own soul. It has to do with ultimate importance, or to have one to stretch his thoughts beyond the immediate gain to consider the ultimate cost one would have to pay for it. Values fluctuate among the immature. True maturity is marked by the development of a value system that is unalterable. They become the center of our lives, standard of behavior, and the stimuli for thinking straight. Jesus asks them to make a value assessment of their lives. He asked them, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world?” If the whole world as gain to him, would the gaining of it produce peace within the soul? Would the pleasures of the world squeeze you into a fixture that cannot escape the grip holding you tightly to it? The pursuit of acceptance and the trappings of success have the potential of robbing one of any desire for spiritual truth. The world defines the person rather than God giving him meaning for living. Has he really won or lost when his sole desire is to achieve greatness and all traces of humility have faded. The loss of one’s soul is a great loss where most people never recover. Jesus does not speak of receiving at all when one’s soul is at stake. He speaks of the loss of spiritual sensitivity as severe loss. Even though the person paying may not be aware of the price attached to it, he is still paying more than he would be willing to pay if he only knew the consequences of where his decision is leading. The entire soul is loss in exchange for whatever he thought to receive on his end of the bargain.

August 2016 Article: “The Shaking of Kingdoms”

Heb 12:27-29 The phrase, “one last shaking,” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered. (28) Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. (29) He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” (The Message Paraphrase)

God’s established authority, having been compromised, gives rise to resulting calamities that expresses violence within the heart of the rebellious. Sin is rebellion and is practiced by those who contradict God’s Word and is offended by His standard of absolute righteousness. Since it is impossible to measure up to His standard independent of surrendering to His Son, Jesus Christ, the futile search for alternatives merely lead to further frustration of the heart. The essentials stand clear and uncluttered regardless of contrary opinions among those who consider themselves too intelligent to trust the simplicity of God’s Word. Jesus spoke of the ignorance among His own people when He said, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:42b) The practice of sin blinds one from understanding or even having an interest in what works and produces a permanent resolve to the issues of our day. Therefore, more laws must be passed and further modified, increased military strength to regulate the inevitable, and a dependency upon the decisions of ungodly leaders leading to increased fears and ultimately hopelessness and despair. When His authority is violated, security and the people are threatened.

The closer we come to the return of Christ, the more the light of His glory exposes the intent of the hearts of mankind. The increase of warring factions is not coincidental. Injustice becomes the measure among those lacking an absolute standard. Unfortunately, most are not able to draw the line that connects decisions made on a personal and collective basis and the consequences that follow. God merely withdraws a small measure of His grace that allows people to have it their own way. Only God knows the end from the beginning. All of us have the right to choose what we will to do with our own bodies, what we wish to say, and where we wish to go, but we do not have the right to determine the consequences of our decisions. The prophetic Word is a warning to all; yet it is still be ignored today as it has throughout history!

There will come a time when there will be one last shaking. A shaking of our economy, a shaking of our educational, and economic systems, a shaking of our political system, a shaking among religious institutions; everything will be shaken. The shaking will take place as a means of exposing the futility of everything established where the Lord has been expelled. God is actively cleaning house! First, there must be the uprooting of the residue of rebellion that stands as a monument of man’s strength when he stands alone. Babel was incomplete and its structure was not secure—it represented confusion. However, God is erecting a Kingdom that cannot be shaken!  It is time for each one of us to examine ourselves and ask the question, “What are you building? Whose side are you really on?”  He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and the time is soon coming where are will eventually realize that the only thing that matters and will have a lasting effect are those things initiated and sustained by Him.

Meditation: July 30

“ For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”( 1 Cor 2:2)

Memory is a gift from God. When appropriately used, it can serve as a blessing. But when the lingering effects of memory close our minds to God, it is then a curse. During times of stillness the mind can relive experiences of the past. Our memories capture those moments and freeze-frame them into the catalogue of our minds. Things we have learned lay the foundation for further knowledge.

Paul realized this and made a decision. He said, “for I determined…” The word “determined” in the Greek language is “krino” which means, “to separate.” Paul was in essence saying, “I separate the knowledge of the past from the knowledge of Jesus Christ.” God was determined to separate light from darkness. It is not that Paul was ignorant of other things. He knew many things, but now possessed the ability to separate what he knew from who he is in the process of knowing. To know Jesus Christ is a full time job that ought to occupy our undivided attention.

All other information must pass through the filter of the revelation of Jesus in order for it to translate into wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge effectively and skillfully applied to life. What should this mean to us? It is saying that since the life of Jesus is to become life to us, we cannot afford to allow competing information to separate us from what we are convinced of.  The discernment of the Christian is the ability to see through the lenses of Christ what He sees.  Only then can His judgments become our own. The wisdom that comes from beneath is sensual and self-seeking. The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:17-18. It will not come through mere wishful thinking. It is yours only when you are determined to know nothing other than Jesus Christ, and to know Him as crucified for us as well as the rest of the world.

Meditation: June 22

“From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?” Job 28:20

The pursuit of wisdom occurs in many places. It is sought in the majestic halls of education. It is pursued among the politicians who ponder over laws which prove over time to be no more than an experiment in balancing the scales of justice. Wisdom appears to be such a fleeting and ethereal thing that many are left on their own in their attempts to define it. Their eloquence and artistic usage of words is often the disguise used to camouflage what is lacking when true wisdom is lacking. The impressive psychobabble of self impressed individuals with self-interests often become standard among the misguided sheep who find themselves following after leaders who are not being led themselves. There is a place where wisdom can be found. It is found in the reverential fear of the Lord. It is when individuals no longer allow themselves to be governed by the whims of men, but consider the Lord before any decision is made. It is imparted to surrendered and humble hearts. Those who remain teachable oftentimes corrected so that the path of righteousness is maintained. Then the Holy Spirit will reveal what otherwise would remain unknown. What God is doing will become sensible for understanding provides peace to the soul.

Meditation: June 21

“Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting — begging! — that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish.” Jude 3

It is worth everything to guard and protect what has been entrusted to our stewardship. Out of all the subjects of interest and arguments to defend, our common faith must remain paramount. Jesus prayed that we may become one as He and the Father are one. The unity that He has ordained is the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace. This is only possible when we are able to see Him as He is. Oh how urgent this pursuit must be in these days of compromise and declension! We cannot afford to join the company of unbelieving who have failed by allowing distractions to capture their hearts and minds. There is a need for true conversions. Not merely a step in a supposedly positive direction but rather, transformation of the heart and soul. This is why Jesus died on the cross. Not for us to feel good about ourselves but to love Him with our whole hearts. As Jesus was raised from the dead, pray that this message might be restored among the deceived who have embraced the subtle lie of the enemy. There is only One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism. Revival is being restored from the many to the One.

Meditation: May 12

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” Psalm 139:17

The mind of the ungodly is perplexed by what exists beyond lie his reach. He has rested upon his opinions of life and love, as the result never knowing either. His restlessness drives him in dual directions thus condemning him to a divided life. The evidence of God cannot be completely ignored, but an admission of God’s existence would contradict the natural passions that demand attention. But to the believer, he knows that God’s mind is constantly focused upon him. Therefore he is aware that his life is lived under the scrutiny of the only One who will give special attention to details. He knows our frame and frailties, but intensely works upon and within us to produce what He wills. He never gives up but fixed His attention upon His beloved.  We learn to trust Him for the outcome of yielding everything to Him. The knowledge of God stabilizes us and prevents us from the inner wars of the ungodly but rather produce the peace that passes all understanding.