The House That Stands

The other night while I was falling asleep, the Holy Spirit put in my mind:  "The overcoming of a castle or fortress happens in waves." 

It's difficult to explain how God communicates to our spirit.  Sometimes whole sentences are just plopped into my mind.  Other times, there is a nagging concept that keeps coming up, pictures in my mind of a concept, a scene being played out over and over--I can see a thought or emotion visually.  The other night, when I was in that limbo state of not quite asleep and not fully awake, I was watching a siege take place and saw the back and forth of a battering ram.  I couldn't see what it was hitting, I just saw the battering ram as it pulled backward and sailed forward, landing at a hard stop as it hit whatever it was battering.  Over and over I saw the ramrod draw backward, then silently drive forward and its sudden, hard stop when it hit its mark, over and over.  My understanding was that this is what is happening right now in individual lives, the church, and the world systems.

That night, I saw the relentlessness of the enemy, like a battering ram making a siege against a fortress.  He makes an encampment against the object of his wrath and carries out his relentless siege against it.  He never tires, he never sleeps, he never runs out of munitions or soldiers.  His archers send fiery arrows over the fortress wall as his battering ram pounds the wall over and over, crushing blow after crushing blow.  I could feel the reverberating thunder of its strike, and I could feel the distress of many, many people in my soul.  I sensed despair, frustration, fear, angst, and thoughts of impending hopelessness.  I felt the thought that provoked and tempted many minds, "Maybe I should just give up, give in, stop fighting so hard."  The Holy Spirit communicated:  "Those inside eventually run out of food, water, and provisions and are overcome.  Only a small breach in the wall is needed to flood the fortress with enemies."  Once the breach is made, it's only a matter of time before it is overcome by the enemy, and can even be turned into a stronghold for himself.

Here is what God wants you to understand:  if your food is not the bread of heaven and if your water is not the living water of Jesus Christ, if you are not actively seeking spiritual provisions from the throne room of God, then whatever has been sustaining you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually--whatever you have been "living" off of-- is going to run out.  I'm talking about families, I'm talking about ministries, I'm talking about careers, I'm talking about whatever you have been using as a source of comfort, joy, and security other than your relationship with Jesus Christ.  I cannot stress this enough, this whole house of cards is about to topple.  I don't mean tomorrow or next month, I mean, it is happening as we speak.  It may continue to fold at a pace that is imperceptible to most, but it will fold.  If your faith has been in anything other than the cross of Christ, and if your sustenance has been from anything other than His abiding presence in your life, you will find yourself empty handed and hungry at the end of your path.  

The cross of Christ is irrespective of denomination, church structure, gender, cultural ideal, social status, nationality, political affiliation or any other thing that we tend to claim as our identity.  Our identity is found in Jesus Christ alone, and Scripture teaches that at the time of the end, God will shake everything we attempt to hold onto and identify with other than Himself.  Every human institution is under attack right now because Satan is simply taking advantage of the shaking.  God is allowing Satan to act as winnowing fork among humanity.  Which means, if you are under siege, then you need to tighten your grip on your faith and make sure you have the right provisions to hold out.  If Christ is your food and water, you will never run out.  If God is your fortress, the wall will never be breached.  Know this:  the waves of assault will continue, but a fortress founded upon the rock of Jesus Christ will never be overcome.  Know this:  your faith and trust in God are like precious silver and gold that He uses to build His glorious temple.  As a believer in Christ, you are a citizen of Zion, an impenetrable fortress of Almighty God.  Zion-- the house that stands.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms of heaven tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of heaven's armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold."(Ps 46:1-7)

"But now take courage, Zerubbabel," declares the Lord, "take courage also, Joshua...and all you people of the land take courage," declares the Lord, "and work; for I am with you," declares the Lord of heaven's armies. "As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!" For thus says the Lord of heaven's armies, "Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations and I will fill this house with glory," says the Lord of heaven's armies. "The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine," declares the Lord of heaven's armies. "The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, " says the Lord of heaven's armies, "and in this place I will give peace," declares the Lord of heaven's armies. (Haggai 2:4-9)

See to it that you do not refuse Him Who is speaking.  If they did not escape when they refused Him Who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him Who warns us from heaven? And His voice shook they earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens." This expression, "Yet once more," indicates the removing of those things which can be shaken--that is, created things--so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude and worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:25-29)

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in Whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. (Ps 18:1-3)

I Need

I need you this morning

As I sit here

Confronted by my ugliness

My broken nature staring back at me, saying:

"You'll never escape from me,

You will always be in my grip

No matter where you run

I will be there waiting for you."

I need you this morning

As I sit here

Contemplating Your promises

Your holy nature says to me:

"You are safe in Me,

Nothing can snatch you out of my hand

There is no need to run

You have not received a spirit of fear."

I need You this morning

As my heart aches for healing and my soul thirsts for truth

And yet

My heart is satisfied with wholeness and my soul is sated with Your presence

I need you this morning

As my flesh demands its own way and my will struggles against Yours

And yet

My flesh humbles itself and my will surrenders to Yours

Back and forth I amble

Swayed one way and then the next

As my hope rises and falls like the tide

As my faith stands and buckles like the rising and setting sun

As my trust blooms and wilts like the spring and fall flowers

I wonder this morning

Do you see me being torn apart?

Do you see this collision of natures within me?

Do you see these laws at war in my innermost being?

Do you see me in torment?

Do you see?

Yes child, I see.

I see My provision of grace:  forgiveness replacing condemnation

I see you justified by faith:  righteousness replacing sin

I see My Son being formed in you

I see you filled by My Spirit and shaped by My hand

I see.

Yes, You see

And yet, I wonder this morning

How do we walk in a faith that brings both death and life?

How do we both die and live?

How do we trust in a hope of both slavery and freedom?

How are we both submitted and set free?

Child, listen to Me this morning

Your faith makes you dead to sin but alive in Christ

That is how you die and yet live

By My Spirit you are a slave to all that is right and good, set free to bear My image

That is how you are both submitted and set free

Submitted to my Spirit and set free from the letter

Crucified to your flesh and raised to life in the Spirit

I am here this morning

As you sit here

Bending your knee to grace, and bowing your head to blood

As your heart both aches and is healed

As your soul both thirsts and is filled

You will always be in My grip

No matter where you run

I will be there waiting for you

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit Who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Sn in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:1-4)

...count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus...offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace...you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness...But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:11-23)

The Soul That Wants To Be Whole

Travail of soul

Is what I feel

My heart in knots

When I kneel

I come before You

Seeking grace

As dark surrounds

I seek Your face

Instead of joy

I feel angst and sorrow

Today I weep

And again tomorrow

In need of balm

My wounds and hurts

My mourning soul

Feels only thirst

The world is broken

And so am I

My hope draws near

Look to the sky

The dawn is coming

He rides the clouds

He brings His justice

To shame the proud

We wait, we pray

The time seems vast

T'il the day we shout

"We're whole at last"

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matt 5:4)

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. (Ps 51:16,17)

For thus says the One Who is high and lifted up, Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy:  "I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble of spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." (Is 57:15)

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. (Ps 34:17-19)

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. (Ps 147:3-6)

You Deserve

You deserve things I do not have to give

You deserve a trustworthiness, obedience, 

faith, and dependability that I do not possess.

And so I weep.

I weep because I want to give You things

that I cannot attain in my own power.

Because I lack.

I lack because You are the source of all that is good,

all that is right, all that is of true value and worth.

And so I long.

I long to be filled with those things that I may share them with You, 

that I may reflect back unto You the things You deserve to have.

Therefore I wait.

I wait as You shape trustworthiness, obedience, 

faith and dependability in me.

So I can be whole.

So can be whole and give You the things You deserve.


What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, Who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom 7:24)

Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing. (John 15:4,5)

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3,4)

The Majick Word

There is an aberrant teaching that is especially popular in Charismatic circles today based on the notion of power in our words, or speaking things into existence using Scripture.  What many believers in this teaching do not realize, is that it is founded on the occult concept of "majick" which is considered by occultists and New Age followers as the "science and art of causing change to occur in conformity of will."  Occult practitioners teach that we can utilize natural forces around us to bring about change.  The Christianized version of this occult teaching merely substitutes God's word (Scripture) to bring about the desired change.  Most teachers of this erroneous theological doctrine are peddlers of God's word, seeking sheep to fleece for profit or seeking to appeal to larger groups of sheep.  Those who are not peddlers are simply ignorant of traditional apostolic teaching about the word of God, which is not founded upon the principle of using it to change our circumstances, but founded upon the principle of consuming it in such a way that it transforms us.   

These teachers prey on the natural human desire to have power over our circumstances, the desire to express our own will.  It is the very foundation of sin itself, the thing that infected humanity the moment we fell in the Garden of Eden.  It is the stump from which rebellion, selfishness, and pride sprout.  Teachers who encourage sheep to take control of their situation through "the power of God's word," rather than teaching them to submit to God's word, are perpetuating the lie of Satan.  Satan appeals to our desire for victory over our circumstances.  Jesus instructed us to carry our cross-- the life of selflessness and faithful endurance, the life of obedience and humility (Matt 10:38; Matt 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27).  Satan and His snake oil salesmen come along and hiss, "You don't have to live that way!  Rise up and take charge of your life, just speak God's word so your life can be shaped the way you want it to be!"  This teaching would not have been popular in first century Christianity when believers were at the mercy of their circumstances, even those leading to martyrdom.  This teaching is only popular in such cultures as ours who idolize the notion of being the commanders of our own destiny.

Satan weaponizes our ignorance and weaknesses against us, which is why it is critical to have teachers of God's word in the church who are legitimately educated to teach it.  There are many wolves in sheep's clothing who love to pomp their titles or honorary doctorates or unaccredited degrees.  They are those whom St. Jude refers to as "hidden reefs" (Jude 1:12), because the sheep do not see them for what they are, and like a hidden reef in the ocean causes a ship to wreck, so do these teachers cause shipwrecks of believers' faith.  St. Jude goes on to describe them as shamelessly walking among us, feeding only themselves, "clouds without water, blown along by the wind...wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever." (1:12,13).  

Why does Jude speak of these teachers so harshly?  Because God is a jealous God and anyone who harms His precious sheep by leading them astray will suffer His wrath.  These teachers lead the sheep astray by teaching Scripture out of context, piece-mealing texts together to promote their own selfish, self-centered, human-centric ideologies. Eisegesis trumps exegesis and the sheep are none the wiser because it sounds good and feels good.  Besides, who doesn't want to defeat Satan?  Who doesn't want to walk in power?  False teachers will always work the same way Satan works:  appealing to base human desires such as greed, control, power, pride etc.  They appeal to our flesh rather than our spirit. Jude says that these sort of teachers reject God's authority over their life and circumstances, establishing their own authority in God's name, teaching others to manipulate His word and do the same; giving authority to their own visions and dreams, polluting their own faith and lives with an erroneous understanding of God's word and leading others down the same path (Jude 1:8).

Jesus didn't defeat Satan by speaking God's word, Jesus corrected Satan's lies by speaking God's truth.  Jesus defeated Satan by surrendering His own will to the Father's.  Satan was defeated by Christ's victory over the very thing he caused in humanity:  the desire to express our own will over God's.  You see, when human beings decided to follow their own will instead of God's, they no longer bore the image of God, and in our rebellion we essentially became image bearers of Satan's rebellion instead.  Human beings were created to be image bearers, that is the fabric of our ontology-- the very nature of our being.  Genesis 1:26 says that God created humanity "in His image and likeness," which means our fundamental purpose is to look and act like God.  Satan took the truth of our purpose and twisted it into a subtle lie.  Satan perverted our purpose which is to reflect what God is like, into a desire to be God, encouraging us to use our will for our own purposes and desires, making us traitors against the One Who made us--just like Satan.  Because Christ died both to His own will and physically--atoning for sin with His own physical death-- humanity was set free from both the bondage to sin and the shackles of death.  Jesus died to His own right to Himself, handing over a human life to God in utter and total surrender (Jesus is fully human and fully divine), and thus shattering human bondage to Satan's lie. 

The power in God's word is the power of the Holy Spirit to transform a sinner into a saint.  Jesus said, "The Spirit gives life...the words I have spoken to you are spirit and life" which means that the power in God's word is His Spirit, and therefore any effect of His word in a person's life can only and ever be when it is used according to His will, not ours.  So what is God's will?  His will is for us to be sanctified and holy and live a holy life (1 Thess 4:3,7,8); for us to not be conformed to the pattern of this world and to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God's will rather than our own will, allowing Him to transform us by renewing the way we think (Rom 12:1,2); to be filled with His Spirit, giving thanks to Him and living as children of the light in goodness, righteousness and truth, seeking what is pleasing to the Lord (Eph 5:8-20); to live according to the will of God and to do right even through suffering, trusting Christ in the midst of our circumstances (1 Pet 4:1,2,19); and last but not least, God's will is for us to "rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thess 5:16,17).  God's word says that we are to give thanks in all circumstances, even the ones we may want to change.  God's word is like a hammer that smashes strongholds around our hearts and like a fire that burns away error and lies, purifying our understanding (Jer 23:29). God's word is like a sword that penetrates into our soul, cutting away all that is dead and sinful and selfish, exposing the true motives of our heart (Heb 4:12).  God's word is to be revered and submitted to, not manipulated for our personal desire.  God is sovereign over our lives and circumstances and instead of desiring to use His word in some vain attempt to transform our situation, we should first seek Him in humility as Lord, asking what He may be trying to teach us through it.

Beloved, know who you are following.  Do your due diligence, be Berean and find out where your teachers were educated or who they trained under.  Not all trustworthy teachers necessarily need to be college-educated, but all trustworthy teachers necessarily need to be vetted as having been trained by someone above reproach, and should reflect the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22,23) and the character of Christ (Matt 1:3-11), and above all, be well-equipped in God's word and able to rightly divide it (2 Tim 2:15 & 3:16,17).  Jesus said we will know who are truly His faithful disciples because they will exhibit His love as described at 1 Cor 13:  patient, kind, does not envy, is not boastful or proud, does not dishonor others, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  Someone who truly loves Jesus is someone who seeks the truth no matter what the cost and rejoices when it is shared with them.  Someone truly devoted to Christ does not delight in evil and defend questionable teachers.  Someone truly surrendered to Christ allows His truth to take them wherever it leads, rather than kicking against it because it doesn't feel good or sound good.  Beloved, there are many looking for God in teachers and books, but there is only one Teacher and one Book you truly need. 

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ. (Col 2:8)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. (Heb 13:8,9)

...until we all reach the unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. (Eph 4:12-14)

Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies that even deny the Master Who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. (2 Pet 2:1-3)

"Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully...Is not My word like fire," declares the Lord, "and like a hammer that smashes rock? Therefore behold," declares the Lord, "I am against the prophets who steal from each other words they attribute to Me. Yes," declares the Lord, "I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and proclaim, 'The Lord declares it', indeed," declares the Lord, "I am against those who prophesy false dreams and retell them to lead My people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent them or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people," declares the Lord. (Jer 23:28-32)

The Worthless Garden

My shepherds have become farmers, instead of gardeners.

They have become drivers of cattle, rather than those who tend and guard sheep.

Does not My word say that I am a gardener, not a farmer? (John 15:1,2)

A tender of sheep, not a driver of cattle? (Is 40:11; John 10:11)

You produce much fruit

You farm much soil

But the fruit is rotten

And the ground you work

Produces thistles and thorns

You produce much produce

But your high yield is worthless

Countless casings with no beans in them

Many blooms that wither and rot

Many beautiful trees cover the land

But they have no root

They have no water

All your striving to make the surface of the land seem bountiful

But their source of life is from man himself

So in time, the beautiful landscape of man's own doing

Will wither into kindle and be scorched

By the fiery trial ahead

The fire of my anger burns against those

Who preach from their own heart

My wrath is kindled against vanity and selfish ambition

Which has taken its seat in the hearts of those

Who preach My word for their own gain

I am not a commodity to be marketed

My word is not a source of income, but a source of life

You merchandise the Tree of Life

All your peddling aligns you with the peddler

Who by the abundance of his trade was cast out (Ezekiel 28:16-18)

To those who follow the peddlers:

You search for Me among books and teachers

When there is only one Book

And one Teacher you need

My word is sufficient

My Spirit is sufficient

But you forsake them both

Because the desires of your own heart lead you astray

Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless, and its curse is imminent. In the end it will be burned. (Heb 6:7,8)

Zion will be redeemed with justice, her repentant ones with righteousness. But rebels and sinners will together be shattered, and those who forsake the Lord will perish. Surely you will be ashamed of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen. For you will become like an oak whose leaves are withered, like a garden without water. The strong man will become tinder and his work will be a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the flames. (Is 1:28-31)

Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation. (Prov 27:23,24)

Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain, they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah's rebellion. These men are the hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted...these are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage. (Jude 1:11,12,15)

Formed By The Light

Prayer is where energy is converted into mass.  Spiritual realities are transformed into earthly realities.  The Holy Spirit places godly desires in our soul and prompts us into prayer where those godly desires manifest themselves in human character and in earthly life.  Through prayer, desires placed within us by the Holy Spirit become actual things that take place.  I say desires placed within us by the Holy Spirit, because those are the only types of prayers that God answers--those that are according to His will.  This may seem easily understood by anyone with a sliver of working faith, but I think the profundity of the actual concept of energy being converted into mass through prayer can be better appreciated by scientific explanation. 

Let's start with what we're most familiar with, which is mass being turned into energy.  In any basic understanding of science, we can easily grasp the concept of mass being converted into energy.  The sun converts mass into energy through the process of nuclear fusion.  Gasoline is turned into energy through combustion.  Food is turned into energy by metabolism.  And so on and so forth.  In these everyday, familiar processes, a very small amount of mass is used to create a large quantity of energy.  We refer to this process as the "mass-energy equivalence," which is represented by the famous equation E=mc2.  The "c2" figure in this equation is actually a ridiculously large quantity....it is the speed of light squared.  The speed of light is 186,282 miles per second.  Therefore what this equation says is that "Energy equals mass multiplied times the speed of light squared."  To put in simpler terms, this equation means that a tiny bit of mass corresponds to a large amount of energy and the proportionate corresponding link between them is light (1 John 1:5).  To put it even simpler, this equation means that energy and mass are interchangeable and the constant between them that determines the change is light.  Without light, there is no link nor conversion.  Which brings us to the lesser understood converse of this formula, which would be the opposite of mass being converted into energy....namely, energy being converted into mass.

Now we are right back to my first statement:  "Prayer is where energy is converted into mass."  While mass being converted into energy is more familiar to our daily experience, energy being converted into mass remains theoretical to us, for the most part, because such a ridiculous amount of energy is required to make a tiny amount of mass.  For example, burning one gallon of gasoline releases enough energy to make an amount of mass equal to a single particle of finely ground flour, or 14 billionths of a gram.  That's a decimal point that goes out twelve places to the right.  In another example, the amount of energy released in the nuclear bomb that destroyed Hiroshima (18 kilotons of TNT) would make an amount of mass roughly equivalent to a small paper clip.  Humanity doesn't possess the capacity to convert energy into mass in any practical way, since it would require the ability to harness and manipulate quantities of energy greater than the core of the sun.

The greatest occurrence of energy being turned into mass was when God first spoke creation into existence out of nothing. God said, "Let there be light.." and the potential mass for the entire universe came into existence.  Without light, there is no mass and there is no energy transference.  Which brings me to the point of this post, which is the critical nature of prayer in the life of a growing, committed Christian.  Prayer is the place where God continues His work of turning energy into mass.  1 John 1:5 says that "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."  God's very presence is a creative force, thus He forms Christ in us by the energy of His presence.  We enter His presence through prayer.

Scripture tells us that we are to walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7).  Jesus tells us that He is "the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).  Prayer is where energy is converted into mass, where sinners are converted into saints.  When we look at Einstein's formula for mass-energy equivalence, we see that the link between the two, the constant that determines proportion, is light.  If you are a believer in Christ and you do not have a prayer life, then you are not walking in the light.  You are dwelling in darkness and you have no life in you.  You are a dead believer, a shriveled twig (John 15:6).  You may have the entire Bible memorized, but there is no life in it because you are not connecting to the source of transformation, the source of living water, the vine of life.  Jesus said "I am the vine, you are the branches... apart from Me, you can do nothing...if you remain in Me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:5-7).  How do we remain in Christ?  How do we enter into His presence?  How do we ask Him for things?  In prayer.  Prayer is where our trust in Christ is built.  It is where Christ becomes real to you, and where the rubber of your faith meets the road to heaven.  

We consume God's word because Scripture teaches us the type of things that we should ask for in prayer, but God's words devoid of His Spirit are lifeless.  God's word reveals His will to us, Scripture gives us knowledge, but prayer brings us into understanding because it is God's Spirit that gives life, both to His word and to us.  The letter instructs, but the Spirit transforms and the Spirit transforms us when we connect to Him in prayer.  God's words are truth, but without His Spirit they remain in the cradle of information.  A cradle may move from side to side, it may lull a babe to sleep, but the cradle itself has no life in it.  For God's word to have life, it must be shaped in the womb of prayer where the life-giving force of His Spirit feeds us.  Paul himself says that the New Covenant of Christ is not of the letter, but of the Spirit, "for the...Spirit gives life" (2 Cor 3:6).  Jesus said, "It is the Spirit that gives life.  Human strength can do nothing.  The words I have spoken are spirit and life. However, there are some of you who do not believe." (John 6:62,63)

Jesus says that the Spirit gives life and His words are spirit and life, which means that we cannot separate God's word from His Spirit, or we will only have letters that kill, lifeless doctrine that divides us, creates factions, incites arrogance and pride, making us defamers and destroyers who "think they are offering a service to God" (John 16:2) and those who are "not serving the Lord Christ, but their own personal interests," deceiving and creating obstacles (Rom 16:17,18).  Jesus' words become life when we put our trust in them.  It is our trust that testifies with the Holy Spirit.  Our trust both in Christ and His words is the hand that reaches into the spiritual realm to grasp a hold of God.  God then communicates to us and shares Himself with us in prayer.  Paul tells us that sanctification takes place "by the word of God and prayer."  (1 Tim 4:5).  We enter into relationship with Christ by expressing our faith in prayer (Rom 10:9), and we maintain our relationship with Christ through prayer.  Without prayer, there is no relationship with Christ.  Without prayer, there is no spiritual growth.  Without prayer there is no sanctification, and Scripture teaches that "without holiness, no one will see the Lord" (Heb 12:14).  There is no such thing as a non-praying Christian, because to be Christ-like, to be in-Christ, is to pray.  My fear is that there are many people who consider themselves Christians, yet have no real prayer life and will be counted among those to whom Christ says, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,'...but I will declare to them, 'I never knew you.'" (Matt 7:23).

For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Tim 4:5)

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you:  God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Extend Your loving devotion to those who know You and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. (Ps 36:7-10)

By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Heb 11:3)

Rusty Nail

Jesus calls to us, "Come to the narrow path, there is life here!  Come to the narrow path, where righteousness dwells!"

He says, "Come to the narrow path and I will give you My Spirit!  I will show you My ways!  I will feed you the bread of heaven and the water of life!"

We say, "The path is too narrow and Your bread is disagreeable to our belly and Your water is bitter to my understanding.  Besides, the world offers a banquet full of the desires of my own heart.  I can eat all of the things I love, as much as I want.  Why should I empty my heart of my own desires so that it can be filled with Yours?  Your desires crucify my flesh.  If You truly loved me, You would let me have the things I love."

Jesus says, "But the things you love are not Me.  You do not love My ways and you do not love Me, so the things you love will betray you in the end and lead you to death.  I will never betray you, I will lead you to life, a life that is yet to come."

We say, "I do not want a life yet to come, I want life now. My faith is in what I can see, in what I can understand."

Jesus says, "If your faith is in what you can see and understand, that is not faith at all, it is reasoning.  If you would trust Me and turn away from your own reasoning and empty your heart of its own desires, I would fill it with heavenly treasures and everlasting life.  Come, dig in my field and find treasure."

We say, "I do not have time to dig, I am too busy.  Besides, perhaps I will dig and never find anything.  Perhaps I will dig and my time will be wasted.  I cannot dig when I do not know what I am digging for."

Jesus says, "If you dig you will find a rusty nail.  You can have it and keep it if you sell all you own and buy my field."

We say, "Ha!  A rusty nail?  What good would a rusty nail do for me?  Sell all I own for a rusty nail that can do nothing for me?  No, I will keep my desires and I will keep my possessions and You can keep Your worthless rusty nail."

The weary world-worn traveler says, "I have nothing to give but my trust, may I have Your nail?  I could use Your nail as a peg upon which to hang my dwindling hopes.  I could use Your field to plant a garden and build a dwelling, not only for myself, but for other weary travelers.  We could have food and shelter in Your field and hang our hopes upon Your nail.  I will take Your nail, if You will take my trust."

Jesus says, "I will take your trust, and give you heaven.  You have taken My nail and received forgiveness of your sins, a price you could never pay.  Because you have given Me your trust and taken My rusty nail, you will be with Me in paradise.  In My field you will sow faith and reap righteousness.  Your emptied heart will be filled with heavenly treasures and everlasting life."

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it. (Matt 13:44-46).

Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the path that leads to life, and there are few who find it.  (Matt 7:13,14)

Ashes Of The Pulpit

"Burn the pulpit"

That is what I hear

I see the humble and faithful shepherds

With broken and contrite hearts

Sitting in the ashes of their burnt pulpits

Crying out to heaven

Heaping the ashes of idolatry on their heads

The ashes of the pulpit

The golden calf of the West

That has spread out over all the earth

A plague of idolatry

A plague of pride

I see bulls standing at their pulpits

Gripping its sides

White knuckles that refuse to let go

"I have been called by God to stand here!"

"I have been anointed to preach!"

"Authority is mine, I will not relent!"

Bulls at the pulpit

Drunk on the intoxicating wine of authority

Staggering under the delusion of power

"See my great horns!"

Charging ahead in arrogance

Destroying the kingdom of God

Their hooves pawing the ground

Kicking up the dust of confusion

Leading the sheep by ideals

Rather than truth

Bearing witness to the desires of their own heart

Rather than bearing witness to the heart of the Father

Because their fathers are the Pharisees

White knuckles that refused to let go

"I have been called by God to stand here!"

"I have been anointed by God to preach!"

"Authority is mine, I will not relent!"

Bulls in the temple

Drunk on the intoxicating wine of authority

Staggering under the delusion of power

"See my great horns!"

Charging ahead in arrogance

Crucifying the Holy One of Israel Who says,

"Meekness shall be your master,

humility shall be your guide.

Sit among the people, not above them."

But the bulls refuse

Because they are in bondage to pride

Blessed are the humble shepherds

Who see what the pulpit has become

Blessed are the obedient shepherds

Who burn the pulpit and sit among the people

Waiting for the Holy One to come

You suffocate under the weight of madness.

You have cast your own spell

Witchcraft has become your master

It is your own story you desire to tell

The story of God has no place in your heart

Although your story has a place in mine

But you refuse to dwell there

And seek your own way instead of mine

All your ways are futile

All your striving will end in defeat

If you would but sit in the dust

And remember you are dust

I would rescue you from the fate you will meet

For thousands of years my word has stood

And for a thousand more it will stand

You can read it for yourself and see

Your arrogance and rebellion will suffer my hand

What is coming you cannot see

How it will unfold, you do not know

But what I can tell you is that all will be lost

All that you have vainly sown

Only that which was sown by my will

Only that which heeded my word

Only those who sat in the dust

And remembered that they were dust

Will escape all that is destined to burn.

My word flows forth like a river

Like a river that you do not perceive

It is here, but you do not see it

And your blindness will cause you to grieve

"Zion will be redeemed with justice and her repentant ones with righteousness. But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, and those who forsake the Lord will come to an end. Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, and you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen. For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away or as a garden that has no water. The strong man will become tinder, his work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together and there will be none to quench them." (Isaiah 1:27-31)

That Day

I turned and faced the darkness and said, "He is coming for you."

I looked into the eyes of the dragon and said, "The time is near."

Your time is short because our cries have reached unto heaven

I have spoken of your deeds

I have spoken the horrors aloud

My voice was like shouting in a room full of silence

A cry that rang out through the courts of heaven

We mix human DNA with animals in the name of science

We murder our children in the womb 

And we use their body parts for medical experiments

Our children are raped and molested by priests

Our women are sexually abused by pastors

Homosexuality is preached in the churches

Homosexual marriages are performed at the altar

Sexual deviancy is rampant in our leadership ranks

Our pastors commit suicide

Whether from hopelessness or confusion, I do not know

We blaspheme your Spirit

We reject sound doctrine

Witchcraft is practiced in church

Occult is taught as your truth

We dance for Baal, drunk in his spirit

We mingle ourselves with Molech

We drink from the river that flows from the mouth of the serpent

We reject the living water of truth

Your people are slaughtered for their faith

Hacked to pieces by machetes

Burned alive in their churches

We worship politics and the economy

The statue of Nebuchadnezzar stands in the sanctuary

Like the son of perdition, we follow Christ for our own benefit

For what we think we will gain

But like Judas, our selfish ambition will be our noose from which we hang

Our pot is boiling and the meat in it is rancid

The steam streams upward, like a furnace vent to heaven

The sweat from the pace of our sin streams down our faces

We are out of breath from our rebellious striving

Our cheeks are red, but not from shame

We pant, but not from a thirst for righteousness

We groan, but not from Godly sorrow

We labor and give birth to death

We worship and raise our hands to wickedness

I whisper to no one, "He is coming."

I cry out, "The time is near!"

He says, "You write to no one, daughter

because they are all too busy to live in fear."

Since you call on a Father Who judges each one's work impartially, live your lives in reverent fear during your temporary stay on earth. (1 Pet 1:17)

But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. So keep watch at all times and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34-36)

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this:  Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil. (Eccl 12:13,14)

Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?" (Rev 6:15-17)

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:  "Come out of her My people, so that you will not share in her sins, and so that you will not receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached heaven and God has remembered her iniquities." (Rev 18:4,5)

The Fate Of Our Foibles

In my search for God, I searched for wisdom among men and I found none.  I found theology, I found religion, I found spiritual pontificating and doctrinal parroting, but wisdom I did not find.  So I asked God for wisdom and He brought me face to face with my own ignorance.  He showed me the true depths of human ignorance and I fell into despair and He allowed me to wallow around in it so that I could gain true understanding of how utterly wretched of a creature we are without Him.  He let me experience angst and anguish over the darkness of the human soul without His light.  He let me consume and eat what Jesus says at John 15:4-6 so that as my food it would become a part of my very being. 

We are obstinate creatures.  We continue to charge ahead, lead by our arrogance and hubris, despite our festering wounds.  We are sick, mortally wounded, and the church organizes a seminar to discuss our problem.  There is no seminar, conference, workshop or meeting that will fix this.  There is no Bible study about biblical manhood or womanhood that will fix this.  There is no annual denominational convention that will fix this.  There is no politician, or political party, or therapy session, or prescription drug, or confession of positive thoughts that will fix this.  No human being or human method can fix this.  There is no cure for us but humility and repentance. 

We are hopeless without God's grace and guidance. We reach for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but when we do it without God we are utterly incapable of making any correct distinction between the two.  In our reasoning, good becomes evil and evil becomes good and our ignorance comes back upon our own head.  We reach for the tree of knowledge and we try to wield its fruit through corrupted wisdom.  Time after time, age after age, epoch after epoch, we fail.  In our striving, we reach a crescendo of rebellion, futility and wickedness and God has to reach down and set everything aright again.  Over and over we do this.  Deception torments us and we don't even perceive it.  We naively invite the serpent to our bosom, unaware that it is bleeding our soul dry.

God gave humanity His law and we failed.  Then He gave us His Spirit, and again, we have failed.  God never fails, He gives us good things, but we try to run out ahead of Him or make sense of those good things in our own reason and we fail.  The Jews rejected the sufficiency of His revealed law and the Christians reject the sufficiency of His quiet Spirit.  The Jews built their own theologies around His law and were led astray by their own misapplied understanding, and the Christian church has done the same with His Spirit.  When will we learn?  What will it take?  Sometimes I wonder, if I told everyone that judgment was on the doorstep, would they even care?  If I told everyone that their way of life was about to evaporate into an unrecognizable oblivion, would anyone change their path?  If history teaches us anything, it is that even when we are told our path leads to death, we simply smile and say, "But this time it will surely be different!"

 

The Jews used religion as a means to manipulate God for their own benefit.  The Christian Church does the same.  The Jews engaged in meaningless religious tradition and ritual as a way to solve their problems.  The Christian Church does the same.  The Jews believed that they were God's chosen people and that they would never suffer judgment.   The Christian Church believes the same.  Anyone can follow religion and perform rituals, but it is only the person who truly reflects God's character that has entered into a genuinely salvific relationship with Him.  But when our behavior is no different than that of the world, our fate will be no different either.  If God judged the Jews for their failure to faithfully uphold His Law, how much more so will the Church be judged for its failure to faithfully reflect His Spirit?

That servant who knows his master's will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows. But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12:47,48)

Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all men everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:30,31)

But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. God will repay each one according to his deeds. To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger. (Rom 2:5-8)

"If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 1:19,20)

Walk The Line

The church wrings its hands and frets and wonders why it is mocked and ignored and ineffective against this present darkness.  It is because we are called to preach God's word in boldness, not hypocrisy.  Oswald Chambers said, "Never water down the word of God, preach it in its undiluted sternness; there must be unflinching loyalty to the word of God; but when you come to personal dealing with your fellow men, remember who you are-- not a special being made up in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace."   We are to preach the full counsel of God without shrinking back in shame or fear, but to preach the full counsel of God, you must also walk in the full counsel of God.  Or, as I have said to our church, "You can't preach it if you ain't livin' it."  And when we preach it, we must remember that we once walked in darkness just as those to whom we counsel with God's word (Eph 2:2, 5:8).  And when we preach it, we must do it in the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own talent.

When we engage in teaching the moral aspects of God's word, we must do it without compromise but we must also do it in a way that is responsive to the weaknesses and ignorance inherent in humanity, more specifically, a humanity devoid of any true knowledge of Christ and His kingdom ways.  Even if someone disagrees with Christian moral teachings, most people are interested in dialogue with someone who treats them with respect and takes their questions and struggles into consideration.  When you look through the Gospel accounts, you see Jesus engaging people in conversation.  You see people who disagreed with Jesus and He allowed them to question Him.  He allowed them to disagree.  Jesus always honored people's humanity, even when their humanity was expressed in their rejection of Him.  Jesus always treated people as if He valued them as a person, because He did.  The only people we see in the Gospel accounts receiving a harsh word from Christ were the self-righteous and religiously arrogant.

Christianity is a moral religion.  There is no getting around this, no matter how intricate and inventive your theological acrobatics may be.  Christianity is a moral religion because God is a moral being and morality is based on the very character of God.  Which means that what is considered sinful and immoral by God, is considered sinful and immoral because it is contrary to His character.  What God considers a moral sin will always be considered sinful and immoral because God never changes.  The standard of measurement of morality in the Christian religion is God Himself.  Morality is measured by Who God is, and God is holy and He will always be holy.  There is a difference between law and morality.  The law is based on morality, but the law is not the source of morality-- God is the source of morality.  That is why morality never changes, but the law does and can change.  Laws are pursuant to covenant, and since God is the one Who engages mankind in covenant, it is also His prerogative to end, renew, or redefine them (Heb 7:11,12).

There is not enough preaching done about righteousness and there is too much preaching done in our own strength shaped by our own reasoning.  There are too many gospels of the flesh being preached.  Just as the true Gospel required the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, so too, does the true Gospel crucify our own flesh.  To the hedonistic culture of Corinth, Paul said that he was determined to focus on nothing but Christ crucified, and to preach Christ crucified (1 Cor 1:23; 2:2).  For too many people in the church, the cross is a symbol but not a lifestyle.  There are too many people in the church for whom Jesus is a concept and an idea, but He has never become a genuine part of who they are.  Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father Who is in heaven" (Matt 7:21).  The will of the Father is for us to know Him through Jesus Christ (John 17:3).  The will of the Father is for those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be transformed into His image (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18).  Such a transformation requires the crucifixion of our flesh, the death of self, so that He may live in you.    

This is something that many people in the church simply do not understand, therefore they are incapable of reflecting an accurate portrait of Christianity to the world.  The church fails to fulfill its commission to make "disciples of all the nations.... teaching them to obey" all Jesus has commanded (Matt 28:19,20).  The church is too focused on promising people the power of God instead of the obedience of Christ.  The church fails in doing this because too many people who claim to be a part of it, do not truly know nor understand the very One they claim to follow.  Just like there is a difference between the law and morality, there is a difference between those who believe in Jesus and those who follow Jesus.  The devil believes in Jesus, but he does not follow Him.  There are many like the devil in the church today.  Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord but do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46).  I believe that is what Jesus would say to the church today.  That is the cry that rings out and echoes among those who dare to call themselves by His holy and perfect name.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. (James 1:21,22)

Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Cor 7:1)

But just as He Who calls you is holy, be holy in all you do, for it is written: "You shall be holy, because I am holy." (1 Pet 1:16)

A servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and patient when wronged. He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim 2:24,25)

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself also, lest you also be tempted. (Gal 6:1)

...All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (1 Pet 5:5)