Drum the Message Home

  ' “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.   And you must always obey the Lord ’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.' Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NLT) Just what does Jehovah require of me? For all that He does and will do for me is more than enough. He is all that I need. Love. Amazing mercies. Forgiveness of sin. Protection. Guidance. His favor. The Promised Land. He requires only that I fear, love and obey Him.  He asks me to do the things that are doable. Nothing extraordinary. He has given me a free will. I get to decide. He loves me enough to ask these things of me for my own good. He is a loving and compassionate Father. He requires of me the things that only I can give. To fear with love. To love with service. To serve with obedience. In these things I abs...

  ' G ive careful thought to the paths for your feet   and be steadfast in all your ways.' Proverbs 4:26 (NIV) The wise course. The wise counsel. Divine Word. Carry it in my heart.  In the moral life, it is best to ponder the path. Ponder the course wisely. Make the way straight and smooth. Remove all obstacles that prevent me from going to where God is leading me. Roads less traveled. Be prepared to have to think. Ask questions. Workflow charts and maps are useful. I should give my life careful thought. Study the paths. Make level. Steady. Not easily moved. Follow Truth. Focus on the feet. Pray. Stay true. Roads to Righteousness. It's a well lit path. The ways of the righteous are lit. Christ is the Way. Look up. He is Light.  The ways of the wicked is dark. Darkness is dangerous. It has its appeal for an instant. Those that travel toward sin fall into the sin habit traps.  They don't seem to know how to avoid it. Pray. Talk to Him. He is...

  ' Moreover, the Law entered thereupon, that the offense should abound: nevertheless, where sin abounded, there grace abounded much more:     That as sin had reigned unto death, so might grace also reign by righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Romans 5:20-21 (GNV) The Word as an Eternal Light. Just as in life, we cannot see the dust and lint particles that accumulate all around us until we turn on the light. The light exposes our sins. We do not know our offenses until they are exposed. The law does not make me a sinner. Thanks to Adam I already was one. We do not know what to do or say without the Light of Life to guide us. His Word is our guide. What if the small majority of corrupt politicians and media expose the current violence and make it look as if the world is on fire? We live in the best times ever. Spring. I love this time of year! So much life. so much to live for. Grace abounds more than sin. Good is not news ...

  '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...

  ' 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...

  '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...

  ' 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...