Drum the Message Home

'Large crowds were walking along with Jesus, when he turned and said: You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life. You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your own cross and come with me.' Luke 14:25-27 (CEV) The numbers people and those making a name for themselves and getting rich off of their fame, beware. The large crowds in Jesus day could resemble the same spiritual condition that we may see today in some of the churches of our culture. Some were then, just as some are now, seeking to follow Him for the wrong reasons. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Some examples of people that followed Him then were: the thrill seeker, the sick, the hungry, the sinner, the attention seeker and the fame and fortune seeker! Even today, sadly, reports show that less than 10% o

'One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple. “Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’ Luke 14:25-30 (MSG) God's Glory is in the presence of His Holy Spirit. If you are looking for the Glory you should run hard after it but with the full knowledge that it is going to cost you something. It is going to cost you everything. His Truth will disrupt everything. You should be ready. You should seek it with every

'When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.' Isaiah 43:2 (NRSV) Dear God, Thank you that you never leave us alone. Thank you for being with my grandson and daughter as he passes through the waters of her womb. Amen.

'So you believe now? Be aware that a time is coming when you will be scattered like seeds. You will return to your own way, and I will be left alone. But I will not be alone, because the Father will be with Me. I have told you these things so that you will be whole and at peace. In this world, you will be plagued with times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world order.' John 16:31-33(VOICE) Believe ye now! Yeah! Now y ou believe! That was Jesus's prayer. That was Jesus's purpose. That is why He came then and why He is here now. His purpose in life was to preach the truth about the Kingdom of God and show us the way that we might receive it by having faith in Him. Hear God! It is not too late to hear the Good News and to repent. All in His time. In the hearing we might see and believe. Seeing and believing, so that it is well with your soul. You are made whole. Peace. He gives you peace. Peace with God through Him has

' At once the man could hear and talk normally. Jesus ordered the people not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them, the more they spread the news. Jesus completely amazed the people. They said, “He has done everything well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute talk.” Mark 7:35-37 (GW) The beauty is in the doing, and oh how Jesus does everything so well. Amazingly well, really. Precise. Perfect. The perfect gift. He met the man. The man that could not hear or speak normally. He healed the man and made him whole again. Just imagine it! How it stunned the crowd that was watching. How it amazed the deaf man himself! Oh my. All things done well. The cure was even beyond what they had hoped. The man was totally healed!  The man had learned to live with his deafness. With the loss of hearing your body tries to help out and the other senses kick in and are more dynamic. Your body will compensate with better eye sight or sense of smell. Oh, but to be able to he

'However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not God’s people, but now you are. Once you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy.' 1 Peter 2:9-10 (GW) So here I am, being called a priest again and getting ready to ascend with Jesus to the throne room where I will praise Him in all of His Glory. I was invited to that Holy place and I will stay in the cloud just long enough to see His glory and to be filled with His light. I will stand in His presence long enough until I hear Him say all is well, return to the valley to bear more fruit. And I go. I go willingly to the valley for the valley is my own garden that He has give me. He gave it to me and assigned it to my care. I love my valley. My valley is my home, my community and my church.  I was called out of the dar

'The Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”' Genesis 3:9 (GW) Where are you? His voice, calling out like thunder. Me, the coward, hiding and taking on the role of the defeated transgressor. Like the child, hiding from her parent, guilty and caught in the very act. Fearful, alone, ashamed and afraid. God knows me, yet He still desires my communion. The Perfect Judge, He pursues me and asks me again, what have you done? Let me lay out my case. Here I am, in the beautiful garden that You have given me to tend. It is Yours. Oh, but for just a taste, I was so willing to disobey. But it wasn't my fault. Look at what this one and that one have done, how can I possibly be held to account for my mistaking that which is to come for that which was?  Now I see, that thing that You gave me more clearly. The thing that You gave me, truly was a thing of great beauty and of most importance, for that thing was You. Your presence, in the garden, fo

'But a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up. He was a highly respected expert in Moses’ Teachings. He ordered that the apostles should be taken outside for a little while. Then he said to the council, “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you do with these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared. He claimed that he was important, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, and all his followers were scattered. The whole movement was a failure. “After that man, at the time of the census, Judas from Galilee appeared and led people in a revolt. He, too, died, and all his followers were scattered. “We should keep away from these men for now. We should leave them alone. I can guarantee that if the plan they put into action is of human origin, it will fail. However, if it’s from God, you won’t be able to stop them. You may even discover that you’re fighting against God.” The council took his advice. They called the apostles, beat them, ordered them not to s

'The apostles gathered around Jesus. They reported to him everything they had done and taught. So he said to them, “Let’s go to a place where we can be alone to rest for a while.” Many people were coming and going, and Jesus and the apostles didn’t even have a chance to eat. So they went away in a boat to a place where they could be alone. But many people saw them leave and recognized them. The people ran from all the cities and arrived ahead of them. When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd and felt sorry for them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. So he spent a lot of time teaching them. When it was late, his disciples came to him. They said, “No one lives around here, and it’s already late. Send the people to the closest farms and villages to buy themselves something to eat.” Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Should we go and spend about a year’s wages on bread to feed them?” He said to them, “How ma

'From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience i t along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!' 1 John 1:1-4 (MSG) This week is the week we all give thanks. So I get out my turkey decorations and spend big bucks on a meal to make everything perfect and try to find Him in it. He was the reason for the original Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims and the Indians gathering to thank God for their first successful harvest. If I was truly looking to fin

'They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.' Psalm 22:18 (NKJV) This prophecy was fulfilled 520 years later when Matthew documented that Jesus the Messiah's garments would be divided among the Roman soldiers by the casting of lots. 'Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.' Matthew 27:35-36 (NKJV)  

'They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.' Psalm 69:21 (NKJV) This prophecy was fulfilled 520 years later when Matthew documented that Jesus the Messiah would be given gall and vinegar to drink.. 'And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.' Matthew 27:33-34 (NKJV)  

' I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.' Psalm 22:14-17(NIV) This prophecy was fulfilled 520 years later when Luke documented that Jesus the Messiah died in a brutal way and that his hands and feet were pierced. 'Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.' Luke 23:32-33 (NIV)  

'But I am a worm and not a man,       scorned by everyone,            despised by the people. All who see me mock me;       they hurl insults,            shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,       “let the Lord rescue him.   Let him deliver him,       since he delights in him.”            Psalm 22:6-8 (NIV) This prophecy was fulfilled 520 years later when Matthew documented that Jesus the Messiah was mocked. 'Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will be

'Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn’t with the others when Jesus appeared to them. So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas said, “First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!” A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples and said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!” Thomas replied, “You are my Lord and my God!” Jesus said, “Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!” John 20:24-29 (CEV) Sometimes studying scripture is like looking into a mirror. The story of Thomas reminds me

'He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.' Isaiah 53:3 (NIV) This prophecy was fulfilled 740 years later when Luke documented that Jesus the Messiah's would be despised, rejected and crucified for us all . 'Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.' Luke 23:20-23 (NIV)  

'This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.' Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NLT) Who do we call when we need advice about the future? Where do we go? When things seem to get a bit out of order and way beyond our control, we pray. This is how prayer has sustained the Republic.This is why we pray for our great country. This is why we believe America to be special enough to defend and to pray for. America was built on miracles. One such miracle happened in 1746 when a call for prayer went out and God shielded New England from a naval attack.  Dismayed by the reports he had been hearing, Massachusetts Governor William Shirley declared a Day of Prayer and Fasting on October 16, 1746. It had been reported that French Admiral d'Anville was sailing right for them with evil intent in his heart. The admiral sailed for New Engl

'Afterwards, Jesus, his disciples and those close to him remained behind to ask Jesus about his parables. He said to them, “The privilege of intimately knowing the mystery of God’s kingdom realm has been granted to you, but not to the others, where everything is revealed in parables. “For even when they see what I do, they will not understand, and when they, hear what I say, they will learn nothing, otherwise they would repent and be forgiven.” Mark 4:10-12 (TPT) God doesn't always seem to play fair. There, I said it. Then, I might ask why not? Why would God grant privilege to His disciples but not to the others, which the Aramaic calls the 'backward' ones? When you consider the fact that those who followed Him were either devoted, devout and hungry, or just the opposite you begin to see why. The backward ones were there merely to listen to the interesting stories and maybe, to perhaps be entertained by a miracle or two. You could consider and yo

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.' Zechariah 13:7 (NKJV) This prophecy was fulfilled 578 years later when Mark documented that Jesus the Messiah's disciples deserted him. 'Then they all forsook Him and fled.' Mark 14:50 (NKJV)  

'Deborah said to Barak, “Charge! This very day God has given you victory over Sisera. Isn’t God marching before you?” Barak charged down the slopes of Mount Tabor, his ten companies following him. God routed Sisera—all those chariots, all those troops!—before Barak. Sisera jumped out of his chariot and ran. Barak chased the chariots and troops all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s entire fighting force was killed—not one man left.' Judges 4:14-16 (MSG) When the true prophesies are from God we can be assured and seek our answers with boldness and with confidence. Those words of faith that flowed from the mouth of Deborah, gave hope to all that heard it, and brought the vision of victory to the army as they charged down the slopes of the mountain to face their enemy. A Word from God will keep us looking forward to the battle we must face when we know that God is in it. Barak was called to the mountain and had been assured of his victory by the spiri

'We are all messed up like a person compromised with impurity; even all our right efforts are like soiled rags. We’re drying up like a leaf in autumn and are blown away by wrongdoing. And it’s so sad because no one calls out to You or even bothers to approach You anymore. You’ve been absent from us too long; You left us to dissolve away in the acrid power of our sins. Still, Eternal One, You are our Father. We are just clay, and You are the potter. We are the product of Your creative action, shaped and formed into something of worth. Don’t be so angry anymore, O Eternal; don’t always remember our wrongs. Please, look around and see that we are all Your people. The places that You sanctified are reduced to nothing. Zion is a wasteland; Jerusalem sits in eerie desolation. Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors worshiped You, has been burned to the ground; everything we loved is ruined by our enemies, a smoking pile of ash and debris. Now with all this, Et

' The end of all things is at hand; therefore keep sane and sober for your prayers. Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another. As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; i n order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.' 1 Peter 4:7-11(RSV) Major changes are ahead and you know that is true. How can we know the future? We can't. We can only know that the things around us are always changing. Nothing remains the same forever. How can we be prepared for what lies ahead? Only by the grace of God go I and thus we pray. It is why we fight our important battles on our knees. It is why we accept our ass

'The LORD shall go forth as a giant; he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war; he shall cry out a battle cry; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time held my peace; I have been still and refrained myself; now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. I will make waste mountains and hills and dry up all their grass, and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will cause them to walk in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them and not forsake them. ' Isaiah 42:13-16 (JUB) Thanking Him this day for giving me a vision of this battle and a promise that it will be won. He is doing a new thing and taking us to places we have never been. He will light the way and straighten out the paths. He gives the battle cry and prevails against our enemies. H

“Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, ‘Listen to God’s Message!’ God, the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what’s going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven’t lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on God’s Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons . They say ‘God says . . .’ when God hasn’t so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen.' Exekiel 13:2-6 (MSG) Some might see this as a call to return to truth. We need to hear a message from God. I need to hear a message from God. I need to know what is going on. I need to know what God is up to? I need to identify the broken walls in my own life and get busy repairing them. Repairs, to my spirit that caused me to neglect my fait

'Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you. Put on God’s complete set of armor provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser! Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage.' Ephesians 6:10-12 (TPT) Last night I did something I have never done before. I went forward at church and stood in a line that was full of sick people asking for prayer for their healing. I was the only one in that line that was not sick. I was there because a friend asked me to put myself in that line and to stand in the gap for her. S

'And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.' Matthew 5:14-16 (VOICE) Some days I get confused by it all. The days are getting darker. Jesus calls me the light of the world. Believers, Jesus calls us a city on a hill. He says we are to be like an illuminating light. How might I illumine creation? How do I let my light shine everywhere I go? I could take the bowl off to let my light shine and that would let men and women everywhere see my good act

'So abandon every form of evil, deceit, hypocrisy, feelings of jealousy and slander. In the same way that nursing infants cry for milk, you must intensely crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word. For this “milk” will cause you to grow into maturity, fully nourished and strong for life— especially now that you have had a taste of the goodness of the Lord Jehovah and have experienced his kindness. So keep coming to him who is the Living Stone—though he was rejected and discarded by men but chosen by God and is priceless in God’s sight. Come and be his “living stones” who are continually being assembled into a sanctuary for God. For now you serve as holy priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices that he readily accepts through Jesus Christ. For it says in Scripture: Look! I lay a cornerstone in Zion, a chosen and priceless stone! And whoever believes in him will certainly not be disappointed. As believers you know his great worth—indeed, his pr