The Blessed Cliff

Psalm 144:1,2 - “Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.”

My heart is so burdened for so many in leadership positions (Dads, Moms, Sons, Daughters, Friends, employees, employers, pastors, teachers, etc – “all servant leaders”) who are actually struggling to maintain their dignity on the edge of difficult decisions(by the way, if you haven't figured it out, leadership encompasses every position in life … hold on!). How do you see that verse above that began this discussion? What words jump out at you? Do you see the “strength”, the “War”, the “Fight”, the “fortress”, the “high tower”, the “shield” and the “subdueth my people under me”? If these words jump out at you, there is a good chance your struggle at this time is very real; but the battle strategy and your part in it could be missed if you only allow for a casual reading of this passage. {Let me help you slow down and focus a moment!}

First things first: “Blessed be the LORD my strength” … let's take a Hebrew's look at this … “Blessed be the LORD my tsoor.” {TSOOR? A little help please} This word literally means a sheer rock cliff, and it could be the edge of the cliff or it could be the base of the cliff. Regardless, the one facing this cliff has no where to go. The emotion locked into this word is the reality of a binding, a confining, a besieging, a cramping, an adversarial defining, and a potential hostility toward it as a foe or enemy. WHAT? The psalmist must be out of his mind … He is saying - “I am kneeling here in humble sincere praise to Jehovah, who is my cliff, thus I am on the edge or my back is against the wall...I have no where to go... Praise God! HE IS MY CLIFF!” (What has he learned that we are missing?)

We may be thinking … “Why does God make it so hard to know what to do?” or “Why is it that no matter what decision I make it always seems to be the wrong one?” We may even be at the place where we are announcing “I AM DONE!” … “I AM FINISHED”. We are so close to where we should be, that if we can't turn our open eyes upward instead of our eyelids, we could be crushed. We could spend our lives thinking God offers snakes, scorpions, and stones instead of life giving bread.

The words we may have missed along the way in these two verses are “teacheth”, “goodness”, “deliverer”and “trust”. But the word missed most in this passage is the word that paints the true picture of hope … “MY”. These things prefaced by “my” belong to and are for the benefit of our lives and relationship with our LORD Jesus Christ. Only at the “CLIFF” can we truly find what is important to claim as ours. It all starts with my change of attitude towards the “Cliff”.

This is the place where I can end my struggle, and God begins the battle... if I let Him. This is the place where I will find Him as my goodness to be extended, my fortress of provision, my high tower of renewed vision, my deliverer from the fear, and my ever moving shield of protection. I will find at the “cliff” that He is all these and so much more.

He will tenderly teach us at the “cliff”(please let Him!). Our strengthened hands will welcome others who are also there, and our fingers will grasp their reaching to help them hang on as we all share the rescue. “He is My Cliff” is where all the bonds form that truly will matter for years to come. As a leader, my trust must grow. And as our trust grows, He will spread out, form, and strategically align my hands, my fingers and my people in a team of powerful servant-heart praise makers for Him.

In this moment while you are on the edge, or your back may be up against a wall … Praise Him, He is your Cliff! Lift up the eyes of your heart to Him, open up the strength of your hands and fingers to others, AND Breathe in all that He is for you. His Love found at the “Cliff”never fails.

HLFA,

Jeff

Castaway Song

Can you imagine a King walking down the litter strewn side of a dusty old road, clothed in all of his majestic robes, kicking about in the rubbish as he goes, hoping to find some cast away treasure? Seems unlikely that this scene has potential for reality. Wouldn't the King just walk into the royal treasury, and glory in the supply that he has as king. What has happened to his focus that he would desire to sift through objects discarded by careless travelers, who have no vested interest in the highways of the kingdom?

Those passing by and seeing a king acting in this manner would be hard pressed to believe he was actually the king. Possibly, they would believe that he was a commoner dressed as king on his way to a mascaraed. Possibly, they would believe he was a thief, who not only had stolen the kings clothes but was doing what most thieves do at the end of their plunder (back to poverty). Dare not ask him though, what could be his issue or estrangement that would cause this disconnected behavior. When royalty has lost its vision and purpose, but still maintains its superficial image, it becomes unbelievable and almost unapproachable.

Now the scene becomes even stranger as we walk further down the road. It is not just the king that is partaking of this strange beggarly activity, but there is a long string of what appears to be his children (also dressed in their royal robes) kicking their way through the rubble also. The disconcerting nature of this event can cause great distress in the kingdom. Have the royals lost their mind? Has the royal family been banished from the kingdom? What will become of us who have depended on their leadership of the kingdom ... for security, peace of mind and protection?

Psalm 137:4 – "How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?" If the truth be told, there is a whisperer in the kingdom of this present world that will always place God's kids at the scene of a crime or a scandal. This malicious whisperer will do his best to sway public opinion in favor of expressing dissatisfaction with the character of the royals. If the enemy's vestments of deceit were stripped aside, we would see that the greatest weapon of the adversary is humanity's reflex to assume the worst. Rumors of love and forgiveness do not seem to sell well as front page news. Nice, juicy, horrifyingly disappointing events, that are discovered, uncovered or manufactured, and that can be connected to the life of a Kingdom Hero, will be the top seller. Guarranteed!

These scandals that come into the Kingdom may be real and very disappointing but the reaction or response of a Child of the King should always be seasoned with the Song of the King's unfailing grace, mercy, and love.

Psalm 137:4 – "How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?" Here are some devotional thoughts collected from Psalm 137 that might help us if we find that we are the target of a rumor or scandal.
   1. The enemy always wants us miserable in captivity; not the King.
   2. The enemy mockingly wants us to sing though we are in sorrow's captivity.
   3. The reflex will always be to “hang it up” in the “midst” of the sorrow.
   4. The question “How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?” urges us to sing anyhow.
   5. Remember the truth of the unchanging and unfailing destination of God's kids... Home. 
   6. Remember that those who threaten you will answer to the King... and He will handle them in
       His way and His time. 

We are the treasure of the King. We are the pearl of great price. We were the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son … and The King sought us with all the desire of Heaven. He has kicked through the rubbish on the side of the highways for us, and in so doing He bore that beggar-like reproach for us in love. We are the rescued, the redeemed, and the beloved. Nothing can separate us from His love. We are the royals. We are the singers of the LORD'S song. Sing loud! Sing long! For there is no captivity that can steal our liberty. There is no enemy that can rumor us out of our promised home.

Our Castaway Song is Jesus, and our voice carries His love. Sing the LORD'S Song in a strange land!

HLFA,

Jeff

Note: Read Psalm 137 -- then read Psalm 138 ... what happened between those two Psalms?

The Praises of the Plowed

It was a little tougher to get my eyes open after the trouncing I had once again been given. Trust me, I was having trouble picking myself up after what I had experienced. Though this pattern had been repeated over and over again by the enemy, time and time again since my early days of wrestling with life, it wasn't getting any easier. It seems like no matter how hard I fight or how firm I try to stand, I still am knocked down for the count, and the plowing begins.

When you are in these situations, the enemy loves to focus his "plowing" attack on the area of your life where you find the greatest support; and he will plow deep long furrows into you, leaving you vulnerable. The vulnerability created by the plowing is what the enemy counts on. He wants to engrave a big question mark of disappointment on your soul. The typical response to the trouncing is to shake it off, to deny it happened, to cover it up and to keep it hidden. The last thing we want people to see and to know is that we have been battered, bruised and beaten. The sad thing is sooner or later the exposed furrows of the enemy's plowing will be revealed, and truthfully, they are never discovered in a convenient season.

Normally the plowmen have a purpose when plowing, and that purpose is to prepare the field for planting. And you would think the enemy after plowing long furrows would plant also; for doesn't the enemy creep into the kingdom feilds of labor in the night to plant tares? Matthew 13:25 - “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.”

The enemy loves to plant tares (or fake wheat) when we go through all the blood,sweat and tears effort of plowing and preparing for a harvest of goodness, kindness and righteousness. This is one of vanguards of the enemies attacks to defeat us. Because of the tares growing among the wheat, in the kingdom there will always be those motivated to spend their efforts to prove who is real and who is fake (such a waste of energy). This Kingdom purging of tares is discouraged by the King so don't get caught up in it … just be real. Surely, the enemy does plant tares, but not when he plows.

Psalm 129:1 – “Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:” But what about this plowing of the enemy … the enemy is hoping that you cover it up, and leave it seedless in the midst of your shame. vs.2 - “Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth; yet they have not prevailed against me.” The enemy is hoping you will not talk “Now” about your affliction; and dare never to talk about it in the congregation, for the revelation of your affliction may start a mutual prevailing for your wounded brothers and sisters. The enemy doesn't want that type of chaim reaction. vs. 3 - “The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” Your openness to the plowing may cause a quake of rebellion against the shame of so many still trying to rise up from the plowing and victory will rise out of your unplanted furrows.  vs. 4 - “The Lord is righteous; he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.” Think of the ramifications of the praises of suffering saints, who find that they are no longer bound by the cords of shame. Jesus sets us free!

Your openness to allowing your brokenness to give wings to the praises of God literally will begin to have an amazing affect on the strongholds of the enemy. In the enemy's camp ... there will be
- a confounding and turning away of hateful purpose,
- a withering of oppressive vision,
- a lack of a source for unrighteous replenishing ,
- and an end to the coerced “blessings”of the wicked out the mouths of the defeated (Psalm 129:5-8).

 Although the enemy is counting on our fear of transparency to defeat us (especially when we are down for the count), the shame of Cross is calling us to rise up and love others though we appear defeated. In the midst of the most shame-filled moment of our Saviour's life, He bore long deep furrows openly for all to see. God in the flesh … ripped and ravaged, ransacked and plundered, grievously taunted and slandered, cruelly masqueraded and mocked, openly and physically defeated; but even in that situation of destitution and abandonment ... He offered the sacrifice of His suffering as the highest Praise to honor His heavenly Father … “Into Thy hands, I commit my spirit.” All He asks in the midst of our moments of defeat is to raise up His cross in the midst of our shame, and join Him in the victory that overcomes the world.

HLFA,

Jeff

Troublesome Travelers- Blindsided Aliens

Sometimes we can be right in the midst of the fray … “just because” … and due to our insatiable need to focus on the gathering and collecting of this life to survive, we are not aware that we are targeted for conflict. We have all heard the story ...“I was just doing my job, when out of nowhere mighty archers had their bows drawn, and I found myself having to run for cover as flaming arrows were piercing my clothes and catching me on fire”. “Oh, I hate when that happens!”(What? Oh, that's right …and yes, Jeff is incoherent, delusional and mad... but bear with me as we walk into some extremely valuable spiritual Intel that could radically change the way you live.)

Hated, despised, rejected, and the topic of whisperers … just like Jesus; believers at some point will find themselves living and serving in their positions in life with all of their hearts; and still they are treated like they are the problem. In Psalm 120 the writer speaks out from this conflict, and he cries out to God because of his anguish in dealing with lies and slanderous accusations. He experiences the lies hurled his way like accurately shot flaming arrows from the bows of mighty archers. Blindsided, he has been targeted, he is hit, and he continues to burn. He states his frustration in verse 7 “I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.”

Here is part of the problem: believers seem to cop out, opt out, and drop out whenever possible. We thrive on "ignorance is bliss". We can throw wisdom around like small hand grenades to ward off evil doers and keep a separative distance. This doesn't protect us from the realities that we are in a conflict, we are not invincible, and we can get hurt on this side of heaven. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding.” Prov. 4: 7. Carelessly utilized Wisdom can fuel the fire for archers but understanding will help you when you are hit.

There is a gem for understanding in Psalm 120, but we can choose to continue on hurt and dejected by just casually reading through this Psalm, or we can admit we don't understand verse 5 that reads “Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!” What do you do with information like this? Do you just mechanically bob your head vertically up and down and repeat the words “Amen. That's right!” Or do you dig in to get understanding?

Allow me to open this verse up to a devotional translating and then let's see where it takes us: “I am in a place of stress, I am a troublesome traveler who is living like one following a trail of seeds leaking from an unseen seed bag, and I constantly pitch my tent in the dark, while the flicker of my utility light causes conflict with those enjoying the darkness.” (Start thinking! This devotional translation still has issues if you don't connect at some level).

IF you are a believer here are some facts to consider:
1. The Spirit of God already has the world stirred up with the conviction of Sin, Righteousness, and judgment... the conflict is already active.
2. You have received the Seed of the Word, and by Faith Jesus dwells in you via the Holy Spirit... you are alive and on the seed trail.
3. Whether you like it or not, You are now directly in conflict with those who chose to love darkness and to alienate themselves from God ... the enemy is what they believe.
4. Live aware of this conflict and you will be victorious... we must live with vertical and horizontal vision.
5. Ignoring, disengaging, or suppressing your identity in Christ will only leave you hurt and standing in your blindside... blindsided Believers are a nuisance to themselves.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:34 - “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword.” Jesus wasn't telling us to carry a physical sword or to cause war, but He was letting us know that initially there would be conflict in the face of His Gospel. A “Jesus believing people” who follow an unseen seed trail are a nuisance(always getting in the way), and their light for living is not welcomed by the darkness. Live aware and you can truly rejoice in the conflict. Not every one without Christ is an enemy … many are longing for the truth ...live openly.

“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126:6

HLFA,

Jeff