Posts

Showing posts from May, 2023

Spring Cleaning

Image
  '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...

The Witness

Image
  ' Peter and the apostles answered, “It’s necessary to obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging him on a cross. God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven. And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey him, corroborates every detail.”' Acts 5:29-32 (MSG) Officials are to be obeyed in regards to the things that do not go against the Father's will. To the things that do, God is to be obeyed and not man. In their day the apostles had been forbidden to go to the Temple and preach the doctrines of the Gospel. The Sanhedrin had forbid them to speak and teach in the name of Jesus.  Therein was their dilemma. Just as in their day, we also may find ourselves in such a place where our elected officials or even our church leaders, use force to require us to act in such a way that is contrary to the Lo...

Moving Into The Light

Image
  'The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.' Psalm 119:130 (NLT) From the beginning when there was no light, You were there moving upon the darkness until You perfected it when the Word was spoken. In the Garden, when darkness moved in, You were there in the cool of the evening moving them out. Through it all until the Word was spoken by Your Son, You were there performing it and pointing each one to the Savior. And there has to be more than just teaching. There has to be understanding. And He told them to do more than teach, but to wait until they had received the Promise of the Father. They waited in that Upper Room because they had to have more than what they had in the natural to get the job done. They needed the Comforter. They needed the Power. They needed the streams of Light. They had to have You. Holy Spirit.  And You inspired them all to write. You were the Light of Revelation and Life in them. You are the Light that...

Calm! As Soon As The Storm Passes Over

Image
  ' And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”' Luke 8:25 (NASB) Dear Father Thank you for Your Word. I am inspired by You to pray Your Word today. Please let me not be a believer and testify to Your greatness on Friday and then take on fear during the storm and wonder who You are at what I see You do this Sunday. No one can know everything about you, so please continue to prepare me first for the things that are to come. Make me part of Your plan. Use me. Where is your faith? I hear You say to get your life in order! Mountain Mover is about to speak! I will do it! Give me strength to see that You are the creator of all things and that You are in control. You control it all. You are orderly. You are Good. Your ways are always Good. With just a Word You will bring down both Grace and Fire upon Your creation. Then You will...

Our First Day

Image
  '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 da...

The Importance of Listening

Image
  '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 command...

The Turning and the Running

Image
  “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 may have compassion...

Wisdom and the Fool

Image
'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 al...

Can You Hear Me Now

Image
'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...

Effulgence!

Image
  '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. For His...

A Better Way

Image
  '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 imp...

His Excellency

Image
'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.' Galatians 2:...

The Lord is Always Willing, Don't Hesitate to Ask

Image
'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 day o...

The Rule of 5

Image
  ' “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.' Matthew 14:17 ' Five of them were foolish and five were wise.' Matthew 25:2 ' To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ' Matthew 25:15 ' The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.' Matthew 25:16 ' The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ Matthew 25:20 ' After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.' Luke 1:24 'Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.' Luke 12:6 'From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.' Luke 12:52 ' “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and ...

Justice is Severe

Image
  ' Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.' Romans 11:22 (NASB) In severity is a message, Your message to those you have called, a message of love and correction. Darkness needs light. Immorality needs to be confronted. That's God's mercy. That's the Gospel. God's Goodness.  There is Balance and Order in the Kingdom. There should be restored respect, humility, and fear of God from those that fall away. My prayers are for the nation and the images I still have of our political leaders cheering victory over passing legislation last year for full term abortions. I pray for forgiveness for these. Legalizing death of innocence is immoral to a God that's Word brings Life. God loves us. He wakes us up to get our attention first, to tell us what we need to know and do. Like balanced scales, He is patient with us. but no...

Silver Badge

Image
' You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day;       Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.' Psalm 91:5-6 (NASB) Dear Father Thank you for Your Word. Your Word gives me comfort and Your Spirit protects me. Your Word reminds me to not fear the thief by night. Thank you for Your Guardian and Ministering Angels. Your Word and Spirit strengthens me when I am in battle by day. I am blessed with and surrounded by loving family and caring friends that want to keep me safe. I know that whatever happens to me it is done by Your will so I will not be afraid. Your Love is here. May all sinners find the Love of Christ and come to find You on Your Mercy seat. I pray for the President and my country. Bind the enemy. Bring to justice those that break the law and choose to live opposed to Your will and way. We've messed things up beyond repair. We need You now more than ever Lo...

Polished Silver

Image
' Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.' 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NASB D ear Father Thank you for Your Word. Weren't we all such as those, children of the wrath? It is good to consider that fact from time to time. And doesn't what You have done for us make Your Grace even more magnificent in conversion, pardon, justification, and salvation?  Yes. For You washed me clean, not as to be cleansed for my filthiness that is without but from the sin living in me. I am washed in the blood of Christ, and sanctified and polished as silver through the powerful Holy Spirit and justified through the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! Thank you Father, Son and Holy Ghost. In Jesus's name. Amen. Source: 'Drummingthemessagehome', May 12, 2020 blog post.

Silver Maple

Image
  ' And Jacob took fresh rods of white poplar, almond-tree, and maple; and peeled off white stripes in them, uncovering the white which was on the rods.' Genesis 30:37 (DARBY) Dear Father Thank you for Your Word. Just as you did for Jacob you will do for others. You are not a respecter of persons. You are a blessing to those who find You and always find a way to bring peace and comfort those who follow You. Your ways are just and true and You will plead my case when I am feeling oppressed. Your ways are righteous and even though at times I may not understand them, I will still honor You and obey. Whatever You say I will do. You say 'follow me' and show me the way. You say 'don't question My ways', just do it.  So, I've learned to trust in You.  Peel off white strips on the branches and put the speckled branches before the herd so that they might have speckled offspring? That seems illogical but that's exactly what Jacob did an...