court is held

Psalm 84

2 “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.”

6 “Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools,”

10 “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

according to Wikipedia, the royal court of a monarch is explained as: “A term for the extended household and all those who regularly attended on the ruler or central figure.” with Jesus Christ as my Lord, Adonai, He is meant to be the central figure, Monarch, of my life. we can go into great depths on Him being the KING of Kings & LORD of Lords some other time.

the reason I explained the above is to bring to light the phrase, “the courts of my Lord” in the Psalm. King David wrote Psalm 84 & he was all too familiar of the life within the court of a king. but compare the biblical phrase to the Wikipedia definition.

did you notice it?

David fainted for the court, extended household, of his Lord. see David knew that he was a joint heir with Christ (Romans 8:16 & 17) so that meant he was a part of the extended household. but as part of that extended household it is his duty to attend to the ruler, ie: the Lord. David actively sought out where his Lord was at all times. it made it ever the more easy to attend to his needs & wants by doing so. he even went to so far as to exclaim it was better than a thousand “ordinary” days.

to take it further, we read that the Lord was holding court. in the valley of Baca. in the well! what an odd place. Baca means weeping or sorrow. this life is by no means Heaven. it is constantly full of sorrow. not just the current national situation but in general. apathy & death abound! but not so when you attend to your Lord. by keeping one’s eyes & attention focused on Him, you soon forget about the surroundings & pass through it. but in a well? while this life is dry & dusty a well is a place of refuge & regeneration! what better place to hold court while on active duty!

Recently I’ve found out that my Lord is holding court in that well. to pass through Baca I must voluntarily enter the well. but how? by digging into His Word, donating my full attention to Him & doing His will on a daily basis. it truly is sweet as you notice in verse 7, “They go from strength to strength.”

stay in court! attend to your Lord! only then can you survive Baca!

He Saw It All

I was working in town one afternoon
Attending some business affairs
I heard a commotion a couple streets over
And wondered what’s happening there
A young man was running from in that direction
And stopped just to catch his breath
I asked him to please tell me what was the hurry
He smiled up at me and he said

I was trying to catch the crippled man
Did he run past this way
He was rushing home to tell everyone
What Jesus did today
And the mute man was telling myself and the deaf girl

He's leaving to answer God's call
It's hard to believe but if you don't trust me
Ask the blind man, he saw it all
Ask the blind man, he saw it all

My friend if the troubles and burdens you carry
Are heavy and dragging you down
You've tried everything you can possibly think of
But there's no relief to be found
That very same Jesus that altered the future
Of the blind man, the deaf and the lame
He's still reaching out
In your hour of trouble
One touch and you're never the same

You'll be trying to catch the crippled man
Did he run past this way
He was rushing home to tell everyone
What Jesus did today
And the mute man was telling myself and the deaf girl

He's leaving to answer God's call
It's hard to believe but if you don't trust me
Ask the blind man he saw it all
Ask the blind man he saw it all

He saw it all

free

bound;

by chains of sin,

despair all around,

no hope within,

longing, to be free.

found;

a prophecy foretold,

hope on solid ground,

now covered by His blood,

my Jesus, I love Thee.

your source for 911?

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go . . . Hmm, where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think, where are my priorities?

And no dropped calls!

not about me

I am going through something I have never experienced in my entire life. the devil & his army of demons have been personally attacking me this past week. their primary goal is to sway me from becoming what God has for my life. beyond that the attacks have nothing to do with me at all. I am just the means to attack God Himself. by attacking me the devil is actually attacking the Father.

I have been using Galatians 2:20 quite frequently during the attacks. recently Romans 12:1 - 3 have made an impact; "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

- living sacrifices don't get to pick & choose what happens to them.
- in order to become holy & acceptable I must become a living sacrifice.
- it truly is my reasonable service as Jesus Christ paid for all my sins.
- Christians should only conform to Christ.
- to renew one's mind the Word of God must be implemented.
- God's will is that every child of His do His good, acceptable & perfect will.
- by doing His will, He is going to prove me to see if it still is the forefront of my life.
- upon choosing to become a living sacrifice, I have been shown who I really am in God's eyes.
- the only way I can survive the attacks is to place all my trust, as a living sacrifice, in Jesus.

God is always good and God is always right.

no decline

II Chronicles 34:2 "And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left."

this verse is taken from the life of King Josiah, king of Judah. in verse 1 we find out this young king was only eight when he ascended to the throne. His father, Amon, was a wicked king. It states Amon was so hard-hearted that he refused to humble himself as his father Manasseh, Josiah's grandfather, had done during his reign. even Manasseh was evil until he came face-to-face with God.

so with all the wicked influences, why would Josiah want to live right & please God with such a steadfast heart? I believe it comes down to Grandpa Manasseh influencing young Josiah. Amon took the throne when Josiah was six. that means Grandpa had time to tell Josiah about his rebellion against Almighty God & how God humbled him.

right now my faith is being tested. how I handle this test could easily influence my future children & grandchildren. my desire is to please my Lord while passing the test. the benefits would be to come closer to Jesus & increase my faith - just as He planned. future benefits could be children & grandchildren. thus giving me the opportunity of telling how an Almighty God can humble a man to future generations.

just like Granpa Manasseh.

hungry?

too many of today’s independent fundamental Baptist churches are starving. by this I mean that the preacher sent from God to feed the congregation is not supplying the necessary food to strengthen and sustain the believers. born-again Christians need more than just the sincere milk of the Word given to them Sunday to Sunday. Spirit-fed meat should be found in their daily walk with God but also served up on the preaching menu on a regular basis. the downside to this is that too many of today’s independent fundamental Baptist preachers are not off the milk themselves. how can they expect their congregation to grow?

so my question is: are you hungry? the Holy Spirit has driven me to a desire for meat from the Word that it near ravenous. physically I like a good ribeye loaded with all the trimmings, and spiritually the Holy Ghost has been serving just that.

Matthew 14:22 – 32 is a favorite section of Christ’s earthly walk that I have always loved. mainly because it tells of the only 100% human to ever walk on water, Peter. but until the other day the Holy Spirit showed me something that I had never noticed. so here goes…

verse 22: "And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship." this is only a portion of the verse but notice that Jesus constrained his disciples. meaning He "urgently & repeatedly suggested" they get into a boat and leave. no doubt one could see the Lord almost physically picking them up one-by-one and placing them into the boat, telling that one to stay, and doing the same to the next just like parents do with their own children. this was done because He knew about Verse 24.

this is good! verse 24: "But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed about with waves: for the wind was contrary." I love this! Jesus Christ knew the wind was going to be contrary! do you see that? He knew when He was constraining the disciples to get into the ship in verse 22 what was going to happen in verse 24! now you can’t tell me that He isn’t the Son of God if, by chance, verse 24 just happened. nothing happens by chance to God!

so what does Jesus do? He goes for a leisurely stroll… on the sea. verse 25: "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." I can see it now – wind and waves billowing about, a little ship being tossed to and fro like a ragdoll in a dryer, and there’s my Saviour. calmly, serenely, maybe even whistling, walking on the water – to His disciples. do you get what I am saying? Jesus knew when He was constraining in verse 22 about the storm, He even knew about taking a walk on the water, and all for what? to go to His disciples. He placed them in the exact position where the only place to go for help was to Him. and there He was. in the midst of the storm – but in control.

verse 27: "But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I: be not afraid." He placed them into a boat. He placed them into the midst of the stormy sea. only to prove to them His power and might over the extenuating circumstances that surrounded them. Hallelujah! my God is mightier than any storm surrounding me! my God even places me into storms if only for me to see how mighty He is. to see that He IS in control no matter what befalls me. to prove to me that He is there at every turn of life’s wave whether calm or contrary. no doubt He does it just to flex his everlasting muscles so His children can ooh and aah over them aka give Him the glory He so richly deserves. it’s like, "Hey Christian, watch this" and then he flexes his big muscles and the storm is calm. that’s my God!

now that was all said for this. Verse 28, "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." did you catch it? Peter ASKED to leave the safety of the ship and step out into the stormy sea. exactly where Jesus was. it wasn’t satisfactory to be in the ship NEXT to Jesus. no, he wanted to get out INTO the water. he wanted to LEAVE the ship and replace it with the Saviour – eternal security. he wasn’t content with the norm. he wasn’t satisfied being with the other 11. instead he asked Jesus, "Can I come out there with you?" I’m sure he knew how safe/unsafe those fishing boats were and decided it was more safe on the water. the key is that Peter ASKED to go out to Jesus. we’ve all heard about Peter’s faith in walking on the water and his lack of faith in sinking once out there, but we fail to realize that Peter asked Jesus if he could go to him. and where was Jesus? on the water.

now here is the meat. Jesus placed His disciples into a position in order to prove to them He was mightier that their surrounding circumstances. but once in those circumstances, He wanted to see who would take the step TOWARDS Him. God places each of His children in circumstances we do not have control over. but it is only to see if we will in turn run to the One in control of those circumstances while in that situation. the next time you find yourself in a storm, ask the one in control of the storm if you can come closer. Peter found it easy for Jesus to stretch out His arm and catch him while sinking in the waves as Jesus was right in front of him.

now to make it hurt. Jesus could have reached out His arm and catch me all those years ago before I stepped into sin. if only in the middle of the storm I turned and asked to go to Him, instead of running from Him. ouch.

a good read

more than a carpenter by josh mcdowell.

it could transform you into being a more effective soulwinner AND possibly win that skeptic friend of yours that refutes Jesus Christ.

but by Grace

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, writer of 13 books of the New Testament, and a former persecutor of Christians, was human. he had emotions, cares and most importantly the trait of sin. in Romans 8:24 we hear him crying out as a wretched man that he knows he is. but by Grace he didn’t stop there. he wrote in verse 25, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

Paul, being directed by the Holy Spirit, allowed us to see his real self. the Spirit within that warred against his flesh. the human that cried out in verse 24 was also the same that gave thanks to God for paying his pardon thus freeing his soul from death and hell. but he also told us his own mind served the law of God and his flesh the law of sin. it is comforting to know that Paul had the same battles I face in this day-to-day Christian life. those spiritual battles that are given to God as I cannot win alone.

but by Grace he didn’t stop there. in chapter 8 Paul writes of being led by the Holy Spirit. verse 14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

currently I am in 7:25. by Grace, 8:14 is approaching.

journey in Him

hello again. yes it's been awhile and trust me, God has been blessing in so many ways it is all too exciting to contain within this blog. church, family and work has all seen God's miraculous hand throughout. I am only privileged to be a vessel.

Exodus 40:36 & 37, “And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.” these verses are both loaded with so much good stuff that I need to back up, get the steam going, then explain.

chapters 36-39 tell of how the Lord used the wisehearted within Israel to construct the tabernacle in the wilderness. then men were filled with the Holy Spirit as they performed the set tasks given to them. the bible says they did “as the Lord commanded Moses.” Moses was the leader so God told the leader and he in turn passed the memo down to the workers. every little detail was carried out as God commanded. nothing was let half done or waiting for someone else to complete. even the priest's were clothed according as God commanded. on top of all this every item was anointed for the service of the Lord. the items were sanctified, or set apart, to the Lord. this included every ladle, pan, candlestick and even the altar. even Aaron and his sons were anointed as they were the priests using those items on a daily basis. God wanted to make sure they were set apart as well.

now here is the good part... God commanded Moses to construct the tabernacle. He gave Moses the plans to the minutest detail. God gave Moses able-bodied individuals to carry out those tasks. those individuals carried out God's plan. then God set apart certain men to perform within the tabernacle to continue the plan. only then did God rest within the tabernacle. only then did God Himself reside within the tabernacle that He Himself had commanded to be built.

once we get God's command, enable those God gives us to carry out the command, and then perform the command will He then continue to reside. but it doesn't stop there. if the cloud moves, then we move. if the cloud stops, we stop. being in God's will doesn't matter where the cloud leads or where the cloud travels, you need to follow. can you see through a cloud? no. can you see around a cloud? no. so the only choice is to stay behind the cloud and follow. too many times I want to look around. too many times I want to look through. I've found it very difficult to look through, around or past my Lord. but that is exactly where He wants me. dependant upon Him to lead and trusting in Him while I follow on life's journey. I can only journey in Him. not through or around. but in Him.

right now God is working in my life. I don't feel qualified to carry out the task He has asked me to perform. but I do know that He will be my strength to perform said task. does my imagination try to look around Him? yes. does it try to look through? still yes. but I know one thing is certain. He is taking me to the mission field. see I must journey behind the cloud through this task in order to get to the mission field. that is why I must journey in Him.

family affects

one never realizes how much their family can affect a Spiritual walk until you have taken the step of Faith out and then see with new eyes. I dearly love my family and I would do anything for them within reason. but looking at them now I see two distinct lifestyles - God's and theirs.

God's is influencing my life daily. part of my family can understand and rejoices with me. those members I enjoy sharing what God has and is doing in and through my life. my brother-in-law, saved, rejoiced with me when I told him that God had used me to lead someone to Christ. it was he that also rejoiced when I told him that God had returned 50% of an offering back to me via a dryer - trust me it happened. he in turn edifies me as a brother in Christ.

my blood brother unfortunately is still focused on the flesh and satisfying the lusts thereof. I cannot tell him everything God is doing as he only says that's good and then back to him. he to is saved yet behaves totally different. I am reminded of I Corinthians 6:11, "And as such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

Yes, my family is saved but even the redeemed can choose to not be close to God. look at me! for many years I tried to hide. didn't work. if it wasn't for my extended family praying that God would jerk a knot in my tail, as my grandpa would say, then I would probably be dead. thank God He does jerk knots and praise God He does love us. even when we need the knots.

then came amalek

the first three words of Exodus 17:8 are by no means cheery. they are written just after God's people have been refreshed from the water at the smitten rock. yesterday for me was a day spent with the Smitten Rock (Jesus Christ). He and I accomplished many tasks. but just about 10:30 pm Amalek, or the flesh, attempted to take over. my denied, starving for attention flesh seems to attack, many times, right about 10:30 pm in hopes of being satisfied.

I have to praise God that it is only through Him that I make it without succumbing. you might ask, is it difficult to resist? I will not lie and say no. it is at those times I lean ever more pressed into the Lord. the Father brings to mind verses to help me resist and reminds me of the deliverance He has already given.

verse 16 states, “that the LORD will have war with Amalek, from generation to generation.” we will continue to battle our flesh until we are freed from it's earthly grasp either in death or at the rapture. and who will be there every time to make sure we obtain the victory? none other than our Heavenly Father! now that's worth shouting about. especially at 10:30 pm! HALLELUJAH!

cast your crowns

II Perter 1:11
“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

so to conclude; if we seek the Found, in thus Abound and find ourself on solid Ground in Christ we have the promise that once in Heaven our “entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly.” God is pleased every time one of His comes home. but those who have chosen to serve Him, and not self, those who learn to live the Found list, is more welcomed as they have already been talking with God down here on earth. it's as if a best friend is coming home to stay forever. those who live the Found list here also have more crowns, rewards, in heaven to cast at Jesus' feet. now how do we accomplish this task? John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” more of Him, less of me. everyday He must gain more of a square footage on my heart and I must submit more of it to Him.

if I obtain but one thing in life, let it be said that I was Spirit led.

cross reference verse: II Timothy 4:7 & 8.

abound

II Peter 1:8 & 9
“For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

now those things that are Found can only Abound they will make us fruitful for our Lord. How do we become fruitful? only by submitting to God and allow Him to mold us into what He wants out lives to become. hard to do as He has given each of us a will. but once we relinquish our will to Him then truly He can, and will, work. and oh how He works! the Almighty God that formed our planet, created every human both past and present, and will one day return in glory wants to actually walk with us daily. He wants to guide our footsteps. hold our hands and walk us through this life. and be there at every turn. truly a loving God would be that interested in this speck of a human. truly an awesome God would be that interested in each speck He creates.

cross reference verses: I Thessalonians 3:12 & 13, Colossians 2:6 & 7, and Romans 6:10-14.

about face

though from a line of soldiers, I have never enlisted in the military. true my father's generation considered it a reasonable duty. mine, well I am a product of the 60's and raised in the 70's so not enlisting was an afront to the system. by the 80's, military service was passe' as the cold war continued. not until the 90's did one realize that military service was an honor and not a duty. today our military is lauded as heroes as daily they put their lives on the line for us. my grateful thank you to our servicemen.

today's post is a continuation of an earlier post (read learning to press below).

I have found the secret to obtaining the prize daily! it begins at I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” this ALL includes times of temptation. there is no other way to get through them. verse 8, “Be sober, be vigilent; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” if you watch throughout the day you will be aware of those time when the devil has approached you with temptation, and if you brushed them off thats when he's got you. the greater attack will come when you least expect it and then its over. you are his lunch!

now to verse 9, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” ahem, you are NOT the center of the universe. the same temptation that you are afflicted with is the same that another brother or sister in Christ is rising above. it is at this time that obedience and submission to God should be first and foremost. not satisfying your flesh, which should be dead. another post for that.

finally in verses 10 and 11, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.” the only way you become perfect, stablished, strengthened and settled is to submit and allow yourself to be purified by God's fire. He only allows the temptation in order for you to become a stronger Christian. and the only way you can become a stronger Christian is to be purified. one cannot withstand temptation while full of their dead self. God cannot get the glory He is due while Christians are full of themselves.

that's the clincher! God will get glory from you one way or another. it is so much easier to submit and allow yourself to give Him the glory while being purified, than to have Him wrangle it out of you. daily have an about face to the devil and towards God!

learning to walk

I don't remember when I learned to walk as a child. my parents and grandparents always said it was after my first younger brother learned. I guess he felt he had to catch up as he was the number two child. anyway, it is fact that I did eventually learn. Freedom! no more being carried, crawling on the ground, or scooting from place to place just to make it through this world. I was officially a biped!

my Christian life has been quite different. mainly crawling, scooting and being carried instead of walking. I was carried the first couple of years. hoping things would change but refusing to trust God to work. I crawled my way through Christian college instead of walking upright. giving the appearance of uprightness but still holding onto sin. lastly scooting from church to church seeking a place to feel “comfortable” in while I held onto my sin. odd how then I never seemed to understand that God was everywhere I was carried, crawled and scooted.

Matthew 14:29 tells of how Peter walked on the water to Jesus, “And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” many people tend to overlook the fact that Peter actually walked on the water and quickly condemn him for sinking, verse 30. I say, Peter walked on the water! and to whom? to Jesus. if we are ever going to walk in this Christian life is HAS to be to Jesus! there is no other way to make it in this world. sin is everywhere with its baubles of temptation. the devil would love to just dangle something shiny in front of us just so we look away from Jesus. but we must keep our eyes on Jesus so we will be able to walk in His power.

just as my parents had to hold onto me for several months just to keep me upright, God holds onto us. not for a few months or years but for eternity. He is that involved in our lives. He wants us to walk but more importantly He wants us to do it through His power, strength, and love. He knows we can be easily distracted and so with Him going before, He asks us to hold His hands and keep our eyes on Him. that's the only way to walk.

my eternal Priest

I am Baptist. like died-in-the-wool, born and raised, till death removes me from this earth Baptist. the main reason I am of the Baptist faith is that it is the only one that I am able with which to align my beliefs. I've tried several evangelical churches but none that stay entirely true to God's word. the topic of today's post is one many have fallen away from.

Hebrews 7:15 & 16 states, “And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.” feel free to study this guy Melchisedec, or Melchizedek, as he was the recipient of Abraham's tithes. in Jewish tradition, sins of the people were absolved by the sacrifices made daily by the Levite priests aka commandment from Moses given by God. once Christ died on the cross, those sacrifices became null and void as He paid the once for all sacrifice for our sins. HALLELUJAH! hence He was the priest after the order of Melchisedec and not a Levite.

verse 27 states it quite clear, “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” because the payment on the cross was the final sacrifice, I no longer have to rely on an earthly priest to absolve my sins through an animal sacrifice. Jesus Christ is the Eternal High Priest so only He can absolve my sins, whether committed already or those to be. this cuts out any earthly priest and any earthly form of sin removal. no human can wash away my sins, see I John 1:7.

I thank God that I can go directly to Him and ask forgiveness for every sin that I commit. trust me, I sin daily and the Holy Spirit convicts daily which means confession is daily as well. though God already knows my heart, “He is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness” I John 1:9.

faithful is He

when I was young my mom was faithful. who would wake me up every morning? Mom. who would make me breakfast? Mom. who would help me get ready for school? Mom. as I grew older I soon learned to trust her to help me with a host of other things. homework, projects, cleaning my room and when I had my first crush on a girl she helped me make a valentine. not to mention being a good “back seat driver” when I was learning how to drive. mom was always there.

now isn't that the exact place God wants to be in our lives? I Thessalonians 5:9 & 10 reads, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” now we know we cannot obtain salvation any other way except through Jesus Christ, but once we have accepted Him we should be living with Him; daily. this should be done whether we wake (that means alive) or sleep (that means to be deceased). the totally cool part of this is if we skip to verse 24 of the same chapter reads, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” HALLELUJAH! not only is God our salvation but He is faithful in helping us to be His children! our Heavenly Father wants to be there whether we wake or sleep in order to make sure we are living right for Him. this is good! this parallels with II Corinthians 5:9 "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him." I once heard a radio preacher state that we shouldn't talk to God on every subject in our lives. WHY NOT! He already knows our hearts, knows what is going to happen anyway and I'm pretty sure He is the one who brought the situation into our life. um, why wouldn't you want talk to God on every thing in your life?

so what your'e saying is that Jesus Christ, who saved you, will also help you live for Him? bingo, I think you've got it! He is more faithful than my mom, no offense mom, as He is there at every step and every turn of my life. only God knows what's exactly in store for me every morning when I awake. just as He knows what step I should take at every turn of my life; God wants to be there to make sure my steps, turns and walk is with Him. if I am deceased then I am already walking with Christ in heaven. but as my heavenly life has not began, my Heavenly Father wants to walk with me in my earthly life. oh, how this makes one put their life into a different perspective.

I would rather walk aside the One who never fails than to step alone with the one who fails always.

learn to press

I am not muscular. true I work out, exercise and eat right but muscle mass still eludes my form. I've come to accept the fact that a physique worthy of the Greeks should no longer be on my 'to do' list. it truly is unattainable for me. at this stage in life good health is better than a “perfect” physique.

Paul must have been a true sports fanatic; if they existed back in the first century. he constantly refers to running, wrestling and fighting. I'm sure he must have been a fan of the Olympics or at least knew several of the athletes or even gladiators. no doubt we will get the chance to meet some he led to Christ. Philippians 4:13 & 14 states, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

for what are you pressing? Paul tells us to forget the past. hard to do as we are told to learn from our past, but this refers to our past life before meeting Christ. that life will either slow us down or back into it. we should reach forth to what Christ has for us in our new life. the fruits of the Spirit, His strength and power, and winning souls should be what we reach towards. pressing toward the end of our life, or mark, when God welcomes us home to heaven. and the prize? the priviledge of casting our crowns we won at the feet of Jesus. oh what a glorious day!

now that is something worth pressing for! earthly honor will only fade. what's stored in heaven is worth the wait.

automatic ambassador

december 2007. it began to crumble like cookies succombing to a steamroller. I was realizing that the relationship with the person I had lived with for almost 7 years was swiftly coming to an end. love, or the likeness therof, was no longer evident. I was not flatscreened, widescreened, or pixelated by any means. hi-def maybe but not in the way that provided joy. I knew going into this 7 years prior that it would not last. God, via the Holy Spirit had made that very clear. it was a lust of the flesh that was being satisfied, solely and purely. the Spirit wanted no part in this sin. yet I chose to dive headfirst into it thus dragging Him through it. once in He constistantly whispered how to escape. I chose to ignore. the only reason the Holy Spirit gave voice was because at the age of 14, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I trusted in His payment for my sins and gave my life to Him. I was no longer mine own to do as I pleased. little to my knowledge I had automactically become an ambassador. II Corinthians 5:17 tells us, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." a new what? yep, a new creature. see I had given my soul to Christ but had chosen to keep my life for myself. I refused to accept the fact I was a new creature and had become an ambassador.

II Corinthians 5:20 & 21, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made righteousness for God in him." see I enlisted as an ambassador whether I liked it or not. that's why it was crumbling. God was tired of His ambassador serving the prince of this earth, satan. Jesus Christ didn't leave heaven, be born into this world, live a perfect & sinless life, minister for 3 years, die on the cross for my sins, and then rise from the grave only so that I could be redeemed thus to continue in my sin. it wasn't going to happen.

so, december 2007. the beginning of the end? no, the beginning of my reconciliation to God and the start of my fulfillment as an ambassador.