"The Word Discovers Our Condition!"

"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
                                                                                          (Hebrews 4:11-13)

Many Christians and Believers wrestle daily with their humanity. The trials and tribulations of life and the unwillingness to submit to the power and authority of the Word of God (WOG) have prevented their safe passage into the bosom of the Creator. 

Since the "beginning" there has been a promise of "rest." The "rest" herein is the uncompromising Presence of God (His love, joy and peace). From of the seventh day of creation until this very moment there has been an appeal to mankind to enter into His rest. Moses and his crew decimated an entire generation because of disobedience and a lack of faith. Jesus' recruitment of disciples for the spreading of the gospel was plundered by fear and their carnal desire to be comfortable, popular and accepted.

However, the road to that rest has been laden with the pitfalls of unbelief, sin and hardened hearts and the stiff-necked Christians who were fortunate enough to enter in to that rest have yet to experience the fullness of God's rest because they don't read, study and meditate on His Word!

You can only experience that rest when you not only "know "His Word but "know" Him as well. The major stumbling block to a victorious Christian life is not rote memorization of the Bible (which is a book) but, rather, the immersion of oneself into the spirit and original intent of the WOG which is a living, breathing organism. The WOG is a beacon in darkness that hears the faint cries for help of the lost way off in the distance and presses forward through every manner of adversity to search and rescue that person from himself.

The conclusion of the matter is this: The WOG discovers our condition (clothed or naked) and meets us exactly where we are...whether we like it or not!

"My CUP Runneth Over!"

             "...saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."                      

                                                                                (Luke 22:42)

David sings a song of praise in the midst of his trials as he ponders his future as the mighty King of Israel. Psalm 23 is a psalm of trust. The overriding theme of this song is that there is no fear under the wings of the Almighty! David asserts his total confidence (blessed assurance) that the Lord God is with Him and that his enemies are of no consequence to him. David's cup runneth over...with FAITH!

David is a "sheep" and the Lord God is his Sheperd. Likewise, David was also lord over Israel and was responsible for the spiritual development and maturity of his flock. King David, in the presence of King Jesus represents royalty of the highest order. This psalm is a song of "loyalty to royalty."  This psalm gives us the perfect description of the true nature and meaning of grace and mercy.

As Jesus labors in the Garden of Gethsemane with the anguish and turmoil of His fate of the Cross, His "humanity" is a war with His "deity." His humanity cannot see the absolute nature of this assignment to Calvary and frankly, "Does NOT want to do it!" Is that too hard to hear that Jesus the Man didn't want to go to the Cross? Too bad, because He states His position emphatically right there in the Gospel of Luke 22:42 in black and white!

But praise be to God for the Lord Jesus and the deity of Yahweh that suppresses our fleshly desires, selfish motives and carnal thoughts and deeds. Jesus was given the revelation that His "cup" was full to over flowing and that His time had come. In the Greek language "cup" is translated "poterion" (Strong's #4221) and it means draught; a lot (that has been drawn) and/or "fate." Jesus knew that unless His cup was emptied, no man would be saved and all would perish! He was fully persuaded that the Cross was His lot in life, His fate and His destiny! His cup runneth over...with LOVE!

Simply stated, it is the fate of a righteous man for him to submit his humanity to the deity of Jesus Christ so that he can fulfill his destiny, receive his fate and walk out his assignment in the earth in real time to the glory of God! Our afflictions are only a "playground" compared to the "battlefield" God is preparing to send us in to!

"Is your cup full or empty?" Selah...

"God's Presence Creates Distance!"

           There is no need to worry about the people in your life who are giving you the “blues;” God’s Presence will create distance between you and all the people, places and things that might cause you to fall from grace with the Father. Now I must warn you, this only applies to those Believers that are serious about the POG and desperately want His peace:

          “Where can I go from Your Spirit or where can I flee from Your Presence?” If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”

                                                                   (Psalm 139:7-10)

          The POG in your life will cause your friends and family to look at you sideways and make them pull away from you as if you were doing something strange to them. Guilt is a quirky spirit; it has a mind of its own. I always say, “The guilty always tell on themselves if you are patient enough.” 

          Sure it stings a little and sometimes a lot when a friend or love one shuns you, but at the end of the day, you must be strong enough to know that adversity is part of the pruning process and that there is no getting away from it. The testing of your faith will be measured if you allow them to leave or if you cave in to fear and chase them only to be hurt once again.

          Radical faith offends the wicked (even those folks who don’t think they are wicked). Faith is a heat seeking missile that targets the things that are opposed to God for destruction. It is not the destruction of the individual that faith seeks to obliterate but, rather, the spirit inside the person that is creating distance between them and God.

          

"Peacekeepers versus Peacemakers!"

"Blessed are the peacemaker's for they will be called the sons of God."
                                                          
                                                                    (Matthew 5:9)

What side of the fence are you on? Are you a peacemaker or a  peacekeeper? The shameful thing would be if you were somehow straddling the fence!

A peacekeeper looks to maintain peace at all costs. They compromise truth to avoid confrontation and work hard to convince onlookers that nothing is wrong and that nothing bothers them. They are quick to hide from tense situations and bristle at disagreements of any kind. They like the status quo and fake spirituality and humility as a devise to sidestep conflict by any means necessary.

On the other hand, a peacemaker seeks to create peace and will endure hardship, turmoil and adversity to achieve it. They will confront the adversary with truth, no matter what the cost. He will sacrifice relationships and status and social acceptance to maintain his integrity. He hates sin and loves God. His only desire is to point people to Jesus Christ.

How does one become a peacemaker? By fasting! (Isaiah 58:6-14). I am not talking about changing your diet or turning off your TV for two weeks. I am talking serving God's people in the marketplace. A servant's heart is that of a peacemaker (one who is a light bearer and messenger of the gospel of peace, which is the Word of God). Amen...

"HOPE in the Shadow of FAITH!"

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen..."
                                                    
                                                                                       (Hebrews 11:1)


The paradigm of hope versus faith is a resounding and reverberating clarion call for all Christians and Believers alike to reconcile themselves to the truth of the revelation of how the truth can polarize the most well meaning of folk.

Hope precedes faith but does not and cannot exceed it. The only thing that exceeds faith is "belief." It is written, "As soon as Jesus overheard what was spoken, He immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Don't be afraid, only believe." (Mark 5:36)

Hope resides in the wheel house of fear. Hope takes away your comfort. How do I know this? Most people that are hoping (waiting) for something are rooted and grounded in fear. They are desperate and they have anxiety. They are, in fact, uncomfortable! Hope immobilizes you and makes you complacent whereby you are waiting for someone else to do something for you.

Conversely, faith empowers and engages the individual. Faith looks the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" square in the eyes and declares, "I will not submit to you." Faith is the evidence of the presence of God through the person of the Holy Spirit. Faith is righteousness, holiness, peace, love and joy in the Holy Spirit. Faith corrects me. Faith ties us to adversity (kinship with Christ). Faith matches our thoughts with the mind of Christ (His awesome Word). Faith affirms that Jesus Christ is the standard that I measure my spiritual maturity against.

The conclusion of the matter is this: Hope is an occurrence that is deferred sometime off in the future but faith is now...

The Holy Spirit will not stop His work until I am like Christ! Selah...

"Pursuing the KINGDOM of GOD!"

"...But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." 

                                                                      (Matthew 6:25-33)


The key to being successful in pursuing any dream or vision is possessing the ability to be diligent, remain focused and minimize or eliminate distractions. In this passage of scripture, Matthew draws parallels in our everyday life and in creation where God meets and exceeds our needs without our help!

"Do not worry!" God has given us a clear directive and declaration. Worry is the byproduct of fear. Fear and faith cannot co-exist in the life of a Believer. The practical approach to pursuing the KOG can be achieved by first understanding that it is a "spiritual territory" where Believers have the ability to dominate and rule contingent on their level of faith.

There is a profound difference between the KOG and a democracy. In a democracy, the leader has to answer to someone (in most cases it is the people whom they are elected by). However, in the KOG there is only one ruler (God Almighty) and it is incumbent upon the citizens of the KOG to abide by its laws and commandments in order to retain the rights and privileges (salvation, eternal life, etc.) associated with being a son of the King.

Believers have "dual citizenship" in heaven and earth. Seeking the Kingdom first is a kerygmatic statement that offers the listener no alternative. You MUST SEEK GOD FIRST! The Holy Spirit directs us to stop chasing alternative plans for a limited time which binds the Believer in various snares that have the tendency to cripple our witness.

We must prioritize, organize and discipline ourselves to stay connected to the King. Prioritizing the development of our spiritual lives protects us from falling away from God. The KOG has established the priorities of God in the earth. We have been given a righteous priority which is the opposition to selfish prayers (whereby the immature Christian tries to manipulate God through prayer).

The conclusion of the matter is this; righteousness validates our relationship with God and citizenship in the Kingdom and prayer is our motivation for intimacy with God through our priority of pursuing and seeking Him first! Selah...

"The ENIGMA of CHRIST!"

"Behold My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouth at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider."

                                                                                     (Isaiah 52:13-15)

The notion that God Almighty would manifest truth and glory through sin is remarkable! An "enigma" by definition is a paradox, a puzzle of sorts, but not a contradiction. It is the proverbial "bait on the hook" that entices you and draws you in to intimacy with the Father. The enigma is rooted and grounded in "not knowing the Father."

Christ was the "Sin Bearer" and "Light Bearer" at the same time! He was Light because of sin and became sin because of Light. How could this be? How could He manage the weight of sin? Because He is Light (Genesis 1:3):  

         "I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness (John 12:46)"

He came as the sacrifice for sin to afford us (sinners) direct access to God through the knowledge of the truth of the gospel of peace. His words, His deeds and His life all point to His relationship with the Father. His deference to His Father is the source of His power. Why is Christ so omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent? It is because He has mastered the gift of staying out of God's way and trusting Him to do what He said He is going to do.

Jesus has a symbiotic connection to God. They are One (the entire gospel of John reinforces this declaration). They "know" one another because they are connected by the Spirit of Truth. It is the Holy Spirit that leads us into God's Presence and gives us the grace to endure the suffering that is certain to come and the blessing to have our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life after we have endured to the end.

Our suffering is where God's gives us a name that we might call Him that He will answer to because we are sons. God will only call you or answer you if you know Him. The conclusion of the matter is this, 

                  ...If you know Him, He is NOT an enigma! Selah...