I am thankful

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Christ, faith, God, promises, thankful, Word of God

I am thankful today. I am thankful that God is a covenant keeper. I am thankful that He has made me a part of the seed of abraham, placed me in Christ Who is seated at the right hand of the Father. I am thankful that Christ redeemed me from the curse of the law, being made a curse for me, that the blessing of abraham might come on me. I am thankful that the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in me because God sent His Son in the likeness of flesh to condemn sin in the flesh, that all the blessing of that law can come on me and overtake me. I am thankful that even when I have let fear in, and spoken accordingly, and brought the curse into my life and affairs, that God restores the years that the locust has eaten. restores – shalam : nothing missing, nothing broken. for that is His covenant with me, a covenant of peace – shalam. nothing missing, nothing broken.

this last year has been a walk through the valley of the shadow of death. there have been storms. there has been frustration, disappointment, betrayal, loss. it has been like just getting to the crest of a very difficult climb, only to be sent tumbling to the bottom once again, but with bruises and cuts added. it has been dark, with only the light of God’s word to light my path. but light my path it did. because the word was made flesh, and is that Son sent to seal the covenant in His own blood. and how, then, could it ever fail? indeed, the passage that says

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

takes on new meaning when you think about that. His word cannot fail, but has to come to pass.

Isaiah 55:9-11
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God has magnified His word above all His name. and I am thankful. and now my feet are like hinds feet on high places. the blessing is beginning to come upon me and overtake me, as promised. I don’t walk though death valley alone, you know.

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that’s not religion

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faith, God, Jesus, religion, Word of God

Psalms 138:2 says I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

magnified, in the original hebrew, is gadal – to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things

that’s a very strong statement to make about God and His name, which name is above every name that can be named, both in the heavens, and in the earth. why in the world would God do that? what does He think about His word, that He would promote it above His own name?

scripture says that in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. it says all things are held together by the word of His power. it says like the snow and rain that come down and water the earth, and make seed to grow for bread and more sowing, so shall His word be that goes from His mouth, and not return void without prospering in the thing where unto He sent it.

scripture says that the word became flesh, and dwelled among us. it says if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen the Father, that He is the express image and likeness of God. the very self expression of God.

Jesus said about Himself that it was for the cross that He was born into the world. His main reason for coming was to walk as a man and fulfill the requirements of the covenant with God, and then pay the awful price for our sin with His own blood shed on the cross. that meant being cut off from the Father for 3 days. that meant going to hell in our place. God was separated from His own word, which is the very expression of Himself completely, and the revelation of Himself to us on our level, so He could pay the price that we would never be able to pay ourselves without being lost forever.

that’s not religion. that’s the most self sacrificing love that ever existed. that’s why He has magnified His word above all His name.

what does that mean for us? what difference could this make?

this makes all the difference. by doing this, by taking the repercussions of our fall, He took the entire blow of the fall. we, then, have access to His standing with God, which is unbreakable. it also reverses the corruption that turned the blessing God originally gave to man into a curse. everything God said to man in that blessing put him in a place of power and authority over creation, and empowered him to prosper in everything he put his hand to. when he turned away from God, and chose first to doubt what God’s motives were, and then to act on those doubts, trying to gain on his own what God had already given him, that blessing turned to brass along with everything else. God, by sending His word as the Son of man, fixed all that forever.

this is what romans 8 1-4 says it like this:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

can you see now why God has magnified His word above all His name?

google Tags: religion,faith,Jesus,God,Word of God

distress and broad places

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faith, grace, overcoming

I  have been rather busy these days, with working a new job, and trying to take care of business. with the beau being hurt on the job in 2010, and then moving to the pacific northwest, it has been a journey full of adventures – not all of them fun. the most challenging thing has been the finances. or rather, getting over into God’s economy and out of the world’s where I have lived for way too long. seems I have an adversary who is contending my move. so I have recently spent time in God’s presence, and in His word, to get some answers and some understanding on how to get over this last, most challenging hurdle. His answer came, and here is an excerpt from a letter I wrote describing it –

i will have enough even if i get it one day at a time. His grace is sufficient for me. thats what God spoke to my heart this morning when i asked Him about these ongoing financial struggles. i was asking Him about what was it going to take to go on over. its been like that wall in the obstacle course in basic training i never was able to go over. He said this isnt so different from paul’s thorn in the flesh – still caused by people with their own agenda. so i have begun to meditate on His sufficient grace. i want to know what it is, and how to receive it. i know He told paul His power is made perfect in our weakness. and paul’s response was to say he would glory in his weakness and insufficiencies, because when he was weak, then was he strong. i like God’s strength better than mine. mine doesnt cover much. for all my will and intent, it always comes up way short. but this is another open door situation. its like, God prepares the path, opens the door, and arms me with His might. all i have to do is walk through that door and on up the path. the real battle is only in whose report will i believe. this grace is going to put us over, and the struggle wont be there anymore. the people might be, but they wont have the effect they have been having, because i am renewing my mind yet again and speaking His word of grace over everything. that is when the circumstances start changing to conform to the word of God. its not just about standing out in the storms and standing your ground. its also about stilling those storms, coming out of those distresses, and having Him put your feet in a broad place. that is His word to us.

so, i am doing more than just standing and fighting the good fight and all that. more, because im doing less. im being still. im letting God do His thing. thats what He’s been waiting for. affirmative, and make it so.

so there you have it.

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the witness

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Christianity, faith, God, Jesus

 

 

 

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religion

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faith, God, religion

one thing I often hear when I’m talking about faith in God is “I’m not religious”. I usually answer that with “well good. neither is God.” religion is a set of rules and requirements imposed externally on one’s life to govern the way one lives. that puts the one in question in charge of his or her own righteousness.  that is, like, categorically opposite to faith in God. that’s faith in self. that is the fundamental difference between choosing religion and being born again. every religion out there from the new age and pagan world views, wicca, eastern philosophies, and cults to the pseudo christian denominational organizations, are all a works based system in one form or another. that is, they are all dependent on how you live your life to achieve the goal of godhood, sainthood, righteousness, perfection. they all have some kind of account balance for countering bad with good, whether its paying for it with some sort of penance, or neutralizing it with good deeds. the bottom line is that salvation depends on oneself.

if this were they way, how would one know when one has done enough? on what would one base one’s faith? in self? but one has seen that self is capable of corruption, and therefore needs to counter it. a corruptible self is not a reliable basis for faith when the stakes are so high. that the stakes are high is evident, else we wouldn’t be thinking about countering the bad, or even recognizing that bad is bad. I mean, what is bad, and why is bad less desirable than good, if there were not a reason to care about it? is it just in this life that it matters? if so, then it really doesn’t matter that much.

the Bible teaches something completely different. it teaches that God is the one who provided the solution for all the bad, and that faith in what He did is the way to deliverance. the way to union with Him. the way to righteous perfection. I think that’s why it’s so hard for some to accept. they think it can’t be that easy. it’ hard on the ego. most people feel they have to deserve it, and they know they aren’t perfect.

so what happens when one is born again? why is this so much better? because what God offers is a change from the inside. religion will never be able to touch that. the caterpillar never becomes the butterfly simply by willing himself into it. neither by following a regimen imposed from the outside. so it is with everyone who comes to God, and receives the gift of righteousness by faith. then such a one is changed on the inside, and no longer needs the law to govern him/her.

this is the point where people start either rejoicing or choking. it’s hard for many to conceive that God really doesn’t impose the law on people to govern their lives. “why, you mean we can live anyway we want to and still be accepted by God?” yeah. that’s what I mean. the thing you may not be aware of is this …  when one is born again, one is just that – born again. the body is still the same, but the spirit inside – the real you – is recreated all over. you might be surprised at how profoundly this will change one’s “want to”. when the desires of the heart are changed from the inside, when the nature of the beast is changed into the nature of God, all the want to’s change with it. now one is really back in union with God.

isn’t that point of all religions anyway? don’t people engage in religious pursuit because ultimately they desire to get back to God somehow? even most atheists seem to desire to at least be good, not just be happy. people seem to have an innate awareness that there is some kind of higher power, and that it is both higher than themselves, and more powerful. they also show a desire to hook up with that higher power. else they wouldn’t engage in any kind of religion. they wouldn’t care. those that don’t care are never chosen as role models for anyone except others who also don’t care.

so what God offers is a real change, and gives His own Spirit to govern us from the inside. I can tell you from personal experience that the Holy Spirit is a much stricter governor than any rule I have ever encountered. you break a rule or a law, you hope you don’t get caught or you pay the price. you might experience shame, or embarrassment.  but you disobey the Holy Spirit and you have this conviction in your heart that you just can’t ignore, even if nobody else knows you have disobeyed. shame is the price we pay for breaking the rules. conviction is the result of walking contrary to the leading of the Spirit, because it now goes against your own nature, and you know good and well that the Spirit of God only wants the best for you. and Jesus said “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. the Spirit of God never deviates from that in His leading.

wouldn’t you rather be lead than ruled?

google Tags: religion,faith,God

wait and see

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blessing, faith, God, the blessing of Abraham, the blessing of the Lord, Word of God

‘you might have to wait for that’ … ‘you may not get every thing you want’ …

the other night I sat down to write out the things I had recently asked God for. things I have been standing on the Word waiting for, which seemed endlessly not to come. I had begun to ponder why things had been at such a long standstill, when I heard the Lord say ‘ye have not because ye ask not …’. It became suddenly clear to me that I had largely been assuming to receive things, like a badly needed job, when I had not actually asked for one. I don’t really know why it is. maybe it’s because one’s faith grows even more when one asks God for something, and when it comes it results in obvious glory to Him. maybe He just likes to be asked. either way, I asked. I asked for a job, with a certain schedule and pay, and I asked for a house with four bedrooms and two baths, on five acres, with a barn for the goats. then I sat down to write out my requests, more for my own benefit, so that I will remember what I asked for and when. immediately the thoughts ran through my mind that I may have to wait for a while for these, and that I may not get everything I want. they brought with them a feeling of impending disappointment and struggle.

I pondered these thoughts for a moment. they were very familiar. but I asked ‘why would I have to wait? why is it I might not get what I ask? where do these thoughts come from?’ again, it became suddenly clear to me.

over the last too many years I have heard these very statements come from well meaning Christians, who want to shield me from disappointment, and govern me away from asking for those things I desire lest I ask for selfish reasons. but even beyond that, most seem to view the requests in the light of what I am able to get with my own efforts and resources. while it’s quite true that I might have to wait to acquire the job I want or the house I want, and I might not be able to get them on my own, it stands that I am not on my own. nor am I setting out to get these things in God’s name. I have asked One who is able, and willing, to get these things for me, according to His own word.

so, I put these thought to rest. put them in the ground, really. chased them out like flies in my house. its not that I am unwilling to wait. I have been waiting for several months now for the job. and like Lazarus, whom Jesus waited four days, until past the time that the Jews believed the soul hung around before departing for good, and then called him out of the tomb, so shall I come up out of this tomb of need and debt. and it will be plainly clear that it was the Blessing of the Lord that did it. but I will not have to wait until some undetermined time that no one knows, and I will not be disappointed with something less than I have asked. my God is able to do far about all I can think or ask.

wait and see. He will do it!

google Tags: faith,God,the blessing of the Lord,blessing,the blessing of Abraham,Word of God

new beginnings

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faith, new beginnings, new years day

how can I describe what happened to me last night? it was like light bursting forth in my spirit. it was like ocean waves cresting over me. the love God has for me came over me in a way I haven’t experienced in a long time.

I once did a word search on joy in the bible. I found Zephaniah 3:17 in that search. it says God will joy over me with singing. the word ‘joy” used there is ‘giyl’, and it means to dance, to tremble, to leap for joy, to rejoice even to exultation. it dawned on me that God felt this way about me. no wonder I was overcome!

a couple of other verses came to mind, which I read, and saw what they were really saying.

Malachi 3:10 says bring all the tithes to the storehouse, and “’prove  Me now herewith, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven …’ and I saw how eager God is to bless me.

Mark 11:22 Jesus said ‘have faith in God’. this one struck me because I saw that it wasn’t like you hear most people quote it. you hear the inflection on ‘God’, and the implication is to have faith. most people, christian or not, are glad to see that someone has faith to carry them through trials. but faith alone is not enough. if I have faith in something I can’t see, and I lean my weight on it, it doesn’t matter how much I believe in it, if it isn’t real it won’t support me. planes, for example, can fly because along with thrust they have real air to rest their weight on, to achieve lift. if the air wasn’t there, gravity would never let them get off the ground. but Jesus put the inflection on ‘faith’, implying that God can truly be counted on to be there and to perform His oath as promised. it’s like when you say ‘have faith in me’ to someone you want to encourage. you put the inflection on the word ‘faith’. or when you exclaim that you have no faith in a leader, you do the same. it expresses the faithfulness of the person in question. Jesus said ‘have faith in God. He loves you. He keeps His word’.

I went to bed laughing, and somewhat giddy, like the first time I ever thought I was in love. everything I am facing right now seems so ineffective. I woke up laughing.

I don’t have to try anymore. trust is no longer an effort.

I crossed over.

google Tags: new years day, new beginnings, faith

germinating

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Abraham, blood covenant, covenant, faith

that’s the term when you have seeds planted that aren’t yet showing results. but you know there will be.  that’s why I haven’t been writing much lately. I’m in germination mode.

things haven’t been proceeding as fast as I had envisioned, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t proceeding.

I really thought getting a job in my line of work would have been easier than it has been. there are always posting for positions available, but I have yet to get an interview, even after several attempts to follow up with them. these have all been with large medical groups. I have decided that I no longer want to work for large corporations. with all the occupy movements recently opposing the large corporate industries, which I support even though I don’t attend encampments, I am turning my attention to small businesses. I have applied to several small clinics, and I expect to hear from some of them. the large groups are not approachable, there is no one to contact, or if there is they give a generic ‘if we find any positions that match your job skills … ‘ yada yada yada …

we still have plans to get the goats, and start a livestock landscaping business. it seems the small business is becoming more important to the community, at least here. there is a website designed to help the small business get started, grow, and expand, with all sorts of resources and helps. I am quite excited about it. the article in the paper, where I found out about the site, went on to say that more people are turning to small businesses as a real means of surviving in the current economy. this is again along the same lines I am already feeling lead along. the big corporate giants are falling. some faster than others, and maybe not with serious consequence for some. but just the same, they are falling, at least from grace. people are losing faith in them. they are hollow, uncaring machines, that care nothing for the cogs that work for them.

but that’s another blog.

anyway, here we sit for now. currently staying with my ma, living in the RV with 4 cats and 2 dogs. its cramped, and sometimes inconvenient. but its working for now. with bills looming, and debtors ‘at the door’ so to speak, its been challenging. I have turned my attention to the Word of God, as I always do. I have been meditating on the blood of the covenant, and the God Who stood in blood when He recited the terms of that covenant to Abraham, obligating Himself to fulfill it to Abraham and his seed. He swore by His own Name, thereby making the promise more sure to that seed.

the words of this covenant have been seeds in my heart, germinating and growing, and taking root. I am confident that everything is going to be alright. and I will posting again on a regular basis.

google Tags: faith, covenant, blood covenant, Abraham

rain and renewal

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easter, faith, resurrection, Word of God

friday was a holiday for me. I work for four catholic doctors, so we get good friday off. it was pretty windy during the day, and hot. we had some business in the utterly user unfriendly downtown tulsa, and probably could have used sails on our little versa and gone just as fast. faster. we stayed home most of the rest of the day. too windy to do anything.

later toward evening, just before sunset, I captured these shots of the brewing skies. it that time, it was just as still as space …

saturday was also rainy off and on. we had some silver coins we sold for a little extra cash – and got more than I thought we were going to get and they didn’t even buy all of them. the lady said a couple of them were worth more as coins than they were as silver, and we should sell them online. so off to get a few provisions, and home. this was an answer to prayer, as I had asked the Lord for some extra money for some things we needed. I am sure the beau did as well.

after dinner that night we had an engaging conversation about spiritual warfare, and who we are in Christ. one of my favorite passages is in james 1:23-24

²³For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

²⁴For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

and 2 corinthians 3:18

¹⁸But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

about the Word of God being like a mirror, one that reflects Jesus when we look into it.

I came away from that conversation different, changed. in the same way the rains lately have revived the green life from the earth, so the Word has revived my spirit and my heart, and that of my beau. again I am reminded of another place in scripture that I love – isaiah 55:10-11. the whole chapter is amazing.

¹⁰For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

¹¹So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

so this easter is significant this year. things have changed. we have rounded a corner.

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