Drum the Message Home

  'Humans are like a passing breath; their time on earth is like a shadow that passes over us during the day and soon is gone.' Psalm 144:4 (VOICE) Humans compared. Only a passing breath? A vapor! Breathe on a mirror and watch how quickly your breath fades away. Why? How can this be? My life. A life lived moment by moment with little substance. Then why do I care so deeply about so many things? Why do I think and over-think all my decisions? A shadow. I can see it all so clearly now. My eternal soul is passionate about so many things in life while I am trapped in this poor as a shadow dying body that will soon pass away. So I must decide to live differently and to hold onto the things that will stand. Then God. God's timing is flawless, He saves me from myself, my self-importance and my disrespectful behaviors by sending His Helper to me. When all else fails, I know where to turn.  Dear Father. Thank you for giving me life. Thank you for breathing

' Today I focus my morning prayer on the oppressed and the persecuted Church. This blog has had 19,188 views to date and for that I am grateful. I do not take that amount of support for granted. I cannot ignore my brothers and sisters that find themselves living in hostile countries. Based on my own research I have found that many of my readers live in the most dangerous places on earth. So this day, I pray for God's peace and protection to surround them. I pray that God guide and direct them through their own storms. I pray that God give them power to overcome their abusers and enemies. I pray that God covers them with His feathers and comforts them with His Word. I pray that God reveals Himself to them in a personal way today. I pray that seeds of righteousness be planted in these regions. I pray that workers be sent to plant the seeds of goodness and truth. I pray that workers be sent to harvest the fields of souls. I pray for a huge harvest to be gathered f

  'Hope deferred makes the heart sick,   but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.' Proverbs 13:12 (NRSV) Nothing energizing me more than hope. Hope is the passion that drives me on through the storms. I can have hope in something good and when I see that vision in my mind, I can do much in order to achieve that thing that I have kept dear to my heart. That desire, when it has become a reality is what brings me the greatest joy. That desire, when it is never fulfilled or lived out is what brings me to despair.  Hope keeps my dreams alive. Hope is what keeps me going in life. Having the faith in my dreams is what I need to find my purpose and to be fulfilled. When I lose the faith, I've lost the hope. When I lose the dream, I've lost the desire to work towards it even if for one more minute. Crushing blow that deferral of hope is to me. My heart is sick. No turning back to it. It is finished.  New directions and new dreams, hope restored. Thankfully, l

'Day and night, night and day, let incense arise Day and night, night and day, let incense arise Day and night, night and day, let incense arise Day and night, night and day, let incense arise' David Brymer, 'Worthy of it All',  2012 ' My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.' Malachi 1:11 (NIV) Incense shall rise to You each morning and evening which signifies prayer and praise. Dear Father. Fear has a name and today it's coronavirus. Common to bats and snakes and rare in humans and apparently some unknowingly eat these animals raw. We were originally told it had jumped the species barrier. Now we know it was manipulated in a lab and made to harm humans through gain of function. Similar to SARS and MERS, it resembles the common cold.  The CDC says the

' Don’t be fooled by those who speak their empty words and deceptive teachings telling you otherwise. This is what brings God’s anger upon the rebellious!  Don’t listen to them or live like them at all . Once your life was full of sin’s darkness, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light ! And the supernatural fruits of his light will be seen in you—goodness, righteousness, and truth.  Then you will learn to choose what is beautiful to our Lord. And don’t even associate with the servants of darkness because they have no fruit in them; instead, reveal truth to them.' Ephesians 5:6-11 (TPT) God prefers that I be hot or cold, not lukewarm. Not lovers of the flesh. With the likes of those I am not to associate. Shake our foundations. Filthy lusts must be rooted out. When the creator of the universe is called Truth, then those that speak

  ' You may think that the situation is hopeless, but God gives us more grace when we turn away from our own interests. That’s why Scripture says, God opposes the proud,      but He pours out grace on the humble. '    James 4:6 (VOICE) In their own way, they corrupt the very nature of God and resist Him. The proud resist God. In their understanding they resist the truths of God. The proud resist God. In their will they resist the Laws of God. The proud resist God. In their passions they resist the providence of God. In their own words they are an enemy of God. In their own way they are at enmity with Him. Is there any wonder then why God opposes the proud? God opposes the proud but to the humble He gives them more grace. They are given more grace because they need it and they ask for it. In a culture where the spirits that oppose God have infiltrated every area of life, God's favor is critical for survival. Even though the times they may

'But now I’m writing to you so that you would exclude from your fellowship anyone who calls himself a fellow believer and practices sexual immorality, or is consumed with greed, or is an idolater, or is verbally abusive or a drunkard or a swindler. Don’t mingle with them or even have a meal with someone like that. What right do I have to pronounce judgment on unbelievers? That’s God’s responsibility. But those who are inside the church family are our responsibility to discern and judge. So it’s your duty to remove that wicked one from among you.' 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 (TPT)   If it is written in the Word by Paul, then we should consider what he is saying and do it.  Don't these words appear to contradict what we are called by God to do? Love the sinner and hate the sin! And yet, Paul writes these words to warn us, that we are not to mingle with or even have a meal with a fellow believer that is a practicing sinner. We all sin, yet, it is our duty to discer

' Yours, O Lord , are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord , and you are exalted as head above all.' 1 Chroncles 29:11 (NRSV) Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,   and let your glory be over all the earth.' Psalm 108:5 (NRSV) Dear Father. I am so thankful for Your Word and the power of those words that helped me with this daily devotional. When my heart is set on You Lord, with humble adoration, then my tongue, in grateful praises, is my glory. Continue to use me I pray. Your gifts, as the freshly fallen snow has done for me this morning, honors me, and so I use the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit to win the victory and in turn to bring You Glory. Expand them. Through You, I find my hope and in You gain in all things. Wake me up every morning to see the potential and the possibilities and to the glory of You. To God be the Glory. Let Your

  ' This time the dove came back to him in the evening, and there, in its beak, was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew then that the waters had begun to retreat from the land.  For good measure, Noah waited another seven days. Once more, he sent out the dove. This time, it didn’t return.' Genesis 8:11-12 (VOICE) 'John the Baptist: Look! This man is more than He seems! He is the Lamb sent from God, the sacrifice to erase the sins of the world!  He is the One I have been saying will come after me, who existed long before me and is much greater than I am.  No one recognized Him—myself included. But I came baptizing with water so that He might be revealed to Israel.  As I watched, the Spirit came down like a dove from heaven and rested on Him.  I didn’t recognize Him at first, but the One who sent me to baptize told me, “The One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit will be the person you see the Spirit come down and rest upon.”  I have seen this wit

' But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.' Ruth 1:16 (NIV) My mind is made up and it was one clear example of what love and dedication brings to a relationship. I love the Biblical story of Ruth. Ruth was a woman of faith. She loved her mother-in-law Naomi enough to prove it. Naomi had just lost her husband and her sons and Ruth had suffered in the loss as well. Though the journey that Naomi had set before them was going to be long and hard, Ruth would not withdraw from the course that lay before her. Ruth would not leave Naomi by herself. Ruth loved Naomi. Her love was strong and self-less. She would not break Naomi's heart again by walking away from her. Many may love, but not as deeply as this. This love requires commitment enough to leave the familiar. Many may be tested in this and fail, but not this one. Same

'In their hearts humans plan their course,   but the Lord establishes their steps.' Proverbs 16:9 (NIV) I don't even have one collectible souvenir plate of the states. So, here the planning starts. Here is where it begins. Here's the humans planning their course part. Here, look here, I have charted out a direct route to the east. Here is where I could take a 15 hour, 1000 miles times 2, trip to see the Capitol! It's a place we've always wanted to visit. The Museum of the Bible is definitely a must see.  In our hopes to collect a plate from each state, we might consider a visit, rather than just a drive through. Vacations are good for your health they say. We wouldn't want to miss catching up with friends and family along the way, so giving it a day per state sounds doable. I can see absolutely no reason to rush through this vacation if it is God's Will. If it is God's Will He will make a way and make it a mission field. Five states

'Basic elemental Instinct to survive Stirs the higher passions Thrill to be alive Alternating currents In a tidewater surge Rational resistance To an unwise urge Anything can happen From the point of conception To the moment of truth At the point of surrender To the burden of proof   From the point of ignition To the final drive The point of the journey Is not to arrive Anything can happen   Basic temperamental Filters on our eyes Alter our perceptions Lenses polarize Alternating currents Force a show of hands Rational responses Force a change of plans Anything can happen From a point on the compass To magnetic north The point of the needle Moving back and forth   From the point of entry Until the candle is burned The point of departure Is not to return Anything can happen   I set the wheels in motion Turn up all the machines Activate the programs And run behind the scene   I set the clouds in motion Turn up light and sound Activate the w

'You are the body of the Anointed One, and each of you is a unique and vital part of it' 1 Corinthians 12:27 (TPT)  I need to know who I am in order to effectively meet the needs of those that I have been called to serve. If I know who I am in Christ, then I could identify the things of this world that are unnatural spirits such as the unhealthy sins of greed, envy and strife. Then I can pray against those things. But Gods ways are higher. He has equipped His body to be the hands and feet of Christ.  Haven't you noticed? God has given us a place in small groups and He has given us each other and equipped us all with the gifts that are natural spirits in the heavenly realm. We are vital to the Kingdom. God has given us all exactly what we need. Our needs in the body of Christ are many and they are all supplied by the Anointed One. In Him there are gifts differing. When I look around me, I see that God has blessed us with hearts to encourage: One to teach wi

' Go to God’s teaching and His testimony to guide your thoughts and behavior ! If any response disagrees with the word of God, then it’s muddling and wrong and not the least bit illuminating. ' Isaiah 8:20 (VOICE) In a sort of battle cry of the Redeemed, we sing, we seek and knock as we know where our allegiances lie and in whom we trust. We give a shout of victory as we seek the Light of His Word. We give our testimonies as to what God is up to in our lives every day! He is Good! When the enemy attacks us, it will be to God's Word and His Testimony that we will turn to. Not to the words of men, not the government, not the health care industry, not the eastern or western philosophers or anything else that only offers material solutions to a spiritual problem. We pray for God to put an end to their muddling and wrong thoughts and deeds. We see fear will arise whenever we seek the familiar spirits. Only death and misery follow the words of the enemy that oper

A place with a view. Its mine. I look at it as my sanctuary. The lake house. It is a healing place. It consumes all of my thoughts and takes a lot of my time. We bought it after months of house hunting. We bought it on a whim. We've built two houses already, so why not a third? We could only afford it because of all the work that needed to be done to it. But, we both fell in love with the view and could see the potential in the investment. Downsizing? No. Closer to grandsons? Yes. That place gave us a project. It brought unity. Cursing, maybe, but never a curse. She still had some glory left in her. Oh, the stories she could tell. We could add our own stories too. What more could we bring to the new thing than our own stories, our own time, our own treasures and our own lives? And we did.  A God thing? Perhaps! A place with a view for sure. Water therapy. On the road, again. We are busy people. The miles between where we had built our lives and where this thing w