Drum the Message Home

'Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.' 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) After a temptation to fall back into his old life, Augustine's actual quote was this, 'Thou fool, dost not thou know that thou are ca rrying God around with thee." My appetites can become my temptations to sin. Yet, Augustine called himself a fool for allowing his body to rule over him. Just like Saint Augustine, there is a war raging inside of me. The battle is the Lords. His Spirit restrains me. His Spirit sustains me. No desire of the flesh should be so great that it controls my behavior. For me, I have been bought with a price of unspeakable value. When the temptation to sin presents itself, I choose to run from it and right into the arms of my Savior. The Holy Spirit lives in me. That spirit i

'Every governor who had come before me had exploited his authority and levied a stiff tax—a pound of silver a day—and taken food and wine to supply his own table, often using unmerciful servants to extract this payment. But my fear of the True God kept me from ever acting in the same way.' Nehemiah 5:15 (VOICE) I am to pray for our leaders in government. I am to pray for God-fearing men to lead me. I am to pray for the oppression of over-taxation to cease. I a m to pray for men and women to use their power and authority to do good and not to bring evil upon their people in order to enrich themselves.  On June 2 our religious leaders are calling for us all to pray for our President. We are to pray for God to intervene and to protect, strengthen, encourage and guide our President. We are to pray for hearts to soften and minds to change.  The Bible instructs us to pray for those in authority so that we all might live quiet and peaceful lives in all godline

'We kept at it, repairing and rebuilding the wall. The whole wall was soon joined together and halfway to its intended height because the people had a heart for the work.' Nehemiah 4:6 (MSG) Through it all they found themselves. Through all of the hard work and the toil they found unity. Unity of purpose within and because they were united as a group throughout the entire proj ect they found their heart. The benefits of sweat equity are immeasurable to keeping the vision alive. They secured the materials they needed and the people God called were ready. It was their time. They kept at it. Each day presented new challenges for them. Each day they committed themselves to the task at hand with their coming in and going out. They prayed. Their hearts were one and they loved their work. They encouraged one another. They lifted one another up. The jabs and insults of their enemies only helped to strengthen their determination and their resolve. It really did become

'Nehemiah prayed, “Oh listen to us, dear God. We’re so despised: Boomerang their ridicule on their heads; have their enemies cart them off as war trophies to a land of no return; don’t forgive their iniquity, don’t wipe away their sin—they’ve insulted the builders!”Nehemiah 4:4-5 (MSG) You may have heard the quote 'Hard work goes unnoticed'. Indeed, but many a good work does not go unnoticed. When you set out to do a thing, even if it is a good thing, the scoffers will come to ridicule the thing and to regard it as worthless. It is wise to be prepared for this and to be prayed up against it Nehemiah was the right person for the job. We read that he was a man of prayer and that he was even called to do it by God. The entire book in the Old Testament is a testimony to good leadership. Nehemiah had patience. He prayed and waited for months before He ever approached his boss about the plan to repair the wall. He walked around his mission field and prayed for d

'On the first day of the seventh month, the people came together in the open area in front of the Water Gate. Then they asked Ezra, who was a teacher of the Law of Moses, to read to them from this Law that the Lord had given his people. Ezra the priest came with the Law and stood before the crowd of men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand.' Nehemiah 8:1-2 (CEV) The wall building project was complete! The people of that day had moved back into their own homes. For them, Nehemiah had accomplished a great thing. It was not an easy task. He had brick by brick, being led by God, helped them to restore order back to Jerusalem. He had brick by brick, being led by God, helped them to restore security back to Jerusalem. He had brick by brick, being led by God, helped them to restore the government back to Jerusalem. Even with all this there was something missing. It was something of great importance to the people and they knew it. On the first

'Then God came and stood before him exactly as before, calling out, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak. I’m your servant, ready to listen.” God said to Samuel, “Listen carefully. I’m getting ready to do something in Israel that is going to shake everyone up and get their attention. The time has come for me to bring down on Eli’s family everything I warned him of, every last word of it. I’m letting him know that the time’s up. I’m bringing judgment on his family for good. He knew what was going on, that his sons were desecrating God’s name and God’s place, and he did nothing to stop them. This is my sentence on the family of Eli: The evil of Eli’s family can never be wiped out by sacrifice or offering.” 1 Samuel 3:10-14 (MSG) God announces His intentions through His Prophets when they listen and they have ears inclined to hear what He is saying. He expects His Priests to deal with the desecrating acts of their own. And shouldn't we follow His comma

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!Come, buy wine and milk without  money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,  my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he ma

'It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We’re something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We’re the Messiah’s misfits. You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we’re mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don’t have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, “God bless you.” When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them. We’re treated like garbage, potato peelings from the culture’s kitchen. And it’s not getting any better.' 1 Corinthians 4:9-13 (MSG) Some, especially the Apostles, were called to greater suffering than others. It does make one consider what a gift that they gave us by enduring it

'Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;' Romans 5:1-3 (NIV) My meditations t his morning bring me to a place of wonder. My prayer is to experience more of what God has for me through the Holy Spirit's anointing. I pray for eyes to see all that I have access to because of my faith in Christ Jesus. Because of my faith in Jesus, He has transferred God's righteousness to me and now I am justified and flawless in His eyes. I am joint heirs with Jesus and now I know and enjoy true peace with God. He does not hold my sins against me. Because of my faith in Jesus, He has given me access to God. There is no veil, no line of demarcation, nothing between me and Go

'The Son is the dazzling radiance of God’s splendor, the exact expression of God’s true nature—his mirror image! He holds the universe together and expands it by the mighty power of his spoken word. He accomplished for us the complete cleansing of sins, and then took his seat on the highest throne at the right hand of the majestic One.' Hebrews 1:3 (TPT) Behold! God's final Word and i t was just what we needed. A Shining forth, Jesus! God's radiance is so bright that no one can look on Him and live, so He sent His son to us-His mirror image. The Gospel revelation was perfect for as we have seen the power, the wisdom and the goodness of Jesus we have seen the power, the wisdom and the goodness of the Father. And that is why we are encouraged to keep our eyes on Jesus. Our eyes are on Him as the fullness of God rests in Jesus and even when the world was falling apart under the curse He took on the work of redemption and held everything together

'Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words! After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule. Did God ever say to an angel, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you” or “I’m his Father, he’s my Son”? When he presents his honored Son to the world, he says, “All angels must worship him.” Hebrews 1:1-6 (MSG) I can only speak for myself, but maybe there are a few of us that can relate to this. There is this bit of dissatisfaction in me that encourages me to be constantly striving to make things better. I am always trying to impro

'Now he brought me back to the entrance to the Temple. I saw water pouring out from under the Temple porch to the east (the Temple faced east). The water poured from the south side of the Temple, south of the altar. He then took me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate complex on the east. The water was gushing from under the south front of the Templ e. He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through. He said, “Son of man, have you had a good look?” Then he took me back to the riverbank. While sitting on the bank, I noticed a lot of trees on

'On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at attention at the base of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all smoke because God had come down on it as fire. Smoke poured from it like smoke from a furnace. The whole mountain shuddered in huge spasms. The trumpet blasts grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered in thunder. God descended to the peak of Mount Sinai. God called Moses up to the peak and Moses climbed up.' Exodus 19:16-20 (MSG) Whenever I am tempted to put God in a box I think of these Moses' moments. At the base of Mount Sinai, while His chosen people were in the wilderness, right before God gave Moses The Law God descended to the peak and He manifested His presence before the people and preached a message to them like no othe

'What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righ teous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.' Galatian

'But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:17-18 (NLT) 'That night th e Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” 1 Kings 3:5 (NLT) Wisdom is such an incredible gift. Who would not want to ask for it? Who does not need more of it? When you consider the benefits you receive from calling Wisdom your friend, let there be no hesitation. Petition God for it daily. What have you got to lose? Make your requests known to Him. Today Lord, I need more of Your wisdom that leads me to right living. God wants me to make wise choices and to live life with Godly wisdom. When could I use more of it? How could I make sure that from this da

'Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.' Proverbs 31:29 (KJV) When interpreting the word virtuous you might find that the Hebrew used the word Chayil and that it was closely related to what we would consider to mean power today. For the Hebrew women, the Chayil woman was a woman of courage and influence with inner force and strength of character. She was a strong willed woman. She was a spiritual woman. She was morally pure. In her, you would find determination and energy. Proverbs 31 says that the Chayil women sought after the things of God with passion and grace and was more valuable than rubies. She had an excellent reputation. She held a place of honor. She was a noble woman of high quality and social rank. Today, we might consider her to be a worshiping warrior that calls forth things that are yet to be seen as if they were. I see a lot of her characteristics in you. You are the passionate servant that sees to it that the thing

'Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,' Hebrews 3:12-1 4 (NASB) Its purpose is to warn me that even those that fear God can fall away and by that can grieve Him. So therefore shouldn't I be called by Him in this day of Grace to encourage my brothers and sisters in the faith? What if through exhortation my words could soften even one heart? That would be a good day. It is the unbelieving heart that falls away. When the heart gets hardened everyone is tempted to sin. What if I would be tempted to distrust God and thus to turn away from Him? Would there be even one person that would encourage me in the faith? Would there be e

'For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers; [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strengt

'Three days later, they all went to celebrate a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was invited together with Him and His disciples. While they were celebrating, the wine ran out; and Jesus’ mother hurried over to her son. Mary: The host stands on the brink of embarrassment; there are many guests, and there is no more wine. Jesus: Dear woman, is it our problem they miscalculated when buying wine and inviting guests? My time has not arrived. But she turned to the servants. Mary: Do whatever my son tells you. In that area were six massive stone water pots that could each hold 20 to 30 gallons. They were typically used for Jewish purification rites. Jesus’ instructions were clear: Jesus: Fill each water pot with water until it’s ready to spill over the top; then fill a cup, and deliver it to the headwaiter. They did exactly as they were instructed. After tasting the water that had become wine, the headwaiter couldn’t figure out where su

'John testified [repeatedly] about Him and has cried out [testifying officially for the record, with validity and relevance], “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I and has priority over me, for He existed before me.’” For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessin g upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]. For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].' John 1:15-18 (AMP) The Law was given through Moses and it revealed God to us. through its burdensome rites and ceremonies and prepared us f

'Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My ho ld on you [assuredly not]!” So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 (AMP) Don't I know it. Don't I know that this is true? Don't I know that I need to hear it again and again. God is for me. Christ will never relax His hold on me! He will never let go. He has me tightly in His grip. He gives to me, the believer, a word of encouragement to persevere in the faith and be free from the love of money. He encourages me to be content. Adam, even though he was living in par

'I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save non-Jews. The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself—that it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “But those who are right with God will live by faith.” God’s anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth. God shows his anger because some knowledge of him has been made clear to them. Yes, God has shown himself to them. There are things about him that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness. They said the

'And in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. “I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace (unmerited favor) and supplication. And they will look at Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him as one who we eps bitterly over a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of [the city of] Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo [over beloved King Josiah]. The land will mourn, every family by itself; the [royal] family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan [David’s son] by itself and their wives by themselves; the [priestly] family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei [grandson of Levi] by itself and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, each by