Don't Leave Home Without It

I may have been a little ambitious in my attempt to get a start on the day. The morning was chilled and the hot steam from the shower was more than enough to blur my vision during the final prep of my face in the mirror ... oh well, hair straight back, razor near beard touch up (I think). ready to rock! ... I wrestled on my “set out the night before” clothes (in the dark), grabbed my suitcase, and raced out the front door so I could begin my 2 hour drive to catch an early morning flight. Locking the front door and turning to take 2-3 concrete steps down to our front walkway (that led to the driveway in which my car was parked), I had failed to assay the fact that the night had provided me with a fresh sheet of black ice for feet. My feet refused to stand firm on this invisible slippery substance and decided they wanted to point at the sky while the remainder of body rushed quickly backwards smacking the pavement in a most uncomfortable fashion. Fortunately, the only thing that was hurt was my dignity as I briefly lay there looking at the sky and wondering how this frail, clumsy human being could even begin to glorify His God. (Trust me the Adversary was standing there offering any words of agreement he could add to my doubting of God's choosing.)

Zechariah 3: 1-4 “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”

There will always be events, people, words, and your own thoughts that will align themselves perfectly with your fallen perception of your life and Satan's accusatory rhetoric. This perception and accusation is true at the surface: Clothed with useless “filthy garments” (just like Joshua the high priest), loaded with so many disqualifying attributes (anyone can see it)to neutralize and devastate your effectiveness in the Kingdom; BUT GOD WANTS YOU TO SEE BEYOND THE OBVIOUS and beyond the destructive satanic agreement. Within the ten brief verses of Zechariah 3 – we get a snap shot of the abundant life that God offers to us if we stop looking with our fallen eyes and trust the ONE STONE, the BRANCH, the ENGRAVED ONE; the ONE who brings the real love from His perfect vision and real life from His perfect fountain. Who better than the “unlikely” and the “unassuming” to knock the socks off of a world that thinks the greatest work is done by those “wondered at” (those who are amazingly talented).

YOU like Joshua the high priest are a “brand plucked out of the fire”. You are a burning ember, purposely plucked from the fire of judgment, by the burning desire of a God, who not only saves you,

but strategically places you in this world with full significance. You will start a fire of salvation every where your feet trod if you will push the filth of a fallen vision to the side (quit making lying excuses why God doesn't love you) and trust His love decree for you (accept openly the life He wants to pour over and through you … He wants to bless you!). Don't live another day defeated – encourage your heart in the Lord

I John 1:3 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” Surprise the world around you, don't leave home without a clear vision of His desire for you. Burn brightly, Jesus loves you!

HLFA

Jeff