Burning or Beauty

Did you know that God desires His people to be like a beautiful sash or an ornate belt that He can wear with admiration, care and love .... close to Him always?
        
What is in your closet? What is it that you like to wear? AND is there a small(or large) collection of that favorite thing. Some like to collect and wear eclectic T-Shirts with "snappy" slogans. Others are shoe czars and belt kings. Some love the adornment of shiny pearls, jewels and gems. [ there is nothing wrong with these things, if they are not the emphasis and focus of our lives ] There was a movie where the female lead opened the walk-in closet of the male lead and found nothing but gray suits, white shirts, striped ties, black belts and black shoes...but that is what he felt comfortable wearing because he was not used to taking risks or being different.
  
 Isaiah 2:24 - "And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty."

None of us wake up and try to plot out a day to make us feel uncomfortable, out of place, awkward, or rejected. When we spot somebody that is overtly disheveled, dirty and putrefying; we do a double-take to find that they are out of synch with society via a physical our mental instability. This may or may not have been their choosing, but there they are in all of their inglorious inability to cope with the settings around them. This person is in need of help. We also fully recognize the abusive and violent lawbreakers who are in need of incarceration. We all desire to live in a peaceful, stable and safe society where those who are in need of help get it, and the lawbreakers are kept off of the streets.

Isaiah 3: 25, 25 - " Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit on the ground." NOW though ... there is a sector of the "society of the heart" that little by little is depreciated and led into depravity because of their inability to stand for what is right. They have lived in a pluralistic society without truth as their foundation for so long that society has changed them. The darkness within this "God -resistant" system constantly badgers and belittles insurgents by words like "intolerance" , "equal rights", and "the better good" ... to subordinate the fearful, and align the weak and double minded, and malign those who will question the "New Norm". , Satan desires to grind and wear God's Kids down, and to mar the beauty of their potential closeness to their God. He does this by moving them into a filthy hole of a life that tolerates of sin, lies, and idolatry. And he rewards their tolerance of the things that stand in perversion of the Word of God... by eliminating social pressure.

Stop here for a moment and get out a Bible and carefully read Isaiah 3 (which has "todays society" written all over it) and Jeremiah 13 -- the story of Marring of the Beautiful Linen Sash (or girdle/belt). Now hear the desire and broken heart of God:

 Jeremiah 13:11 - "For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so I have caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory; but they would not hear."

  ARE YOU LISTENING! If our hearts are hearing, this is where the breaking begins; and hearing now opens the potential for true repentance, Spirit led worship and lasting life cleansing. What are we tolerating that separates us from that close intimate walk with Jesus?

 Don't look around at others ... THIS IS PERSONAL ... GET ALONE WITH GOD and let the change within you begin!

HLFA,

Jeff

The Secret Place

Deuteronomy 27:15 - "Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen"

A window size affects the amount of light in a room. The closer you are to a window the brighter the prospect of seeing more of the outdoors. On the other hand the closer to the window you are the more visible you are to those on the outside. Although we need to be open about our faith, there is an intimacy that is not to be paraded before men. Psalm 18:11 -" He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark-waters and thick clouds of the skies."

What do you want seen by your brothers and sisters in your times of Fellowship? What do you want seen by others in your daily walk? What do you want discovered by all, and possibly your enemies, if the window was opened to your secret place? What importance do you place on the unseen intimacy that you have with your God? Do we know that the real power and effectiveness of our lives in Christ does not come from our public displays to prove our connection with God?

Psalm 81:7 - Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah, Selah." So many of us equate piety with our ability to carry the remnants of our suffering in a daily sorrow filled proclamation of our troubles. "Pity me, I am suffering because of the cause of Christ." WOW! What a travesty ... this "Pity Man" has no King to help him? Why would I want to trust this man's King?

Psalm 91:1 - "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Real "Abiding" Life is found in the Secret Place of the Most High. If our troubles are placed under His Shadow, they will not be seen the same way by others. What is placed under the shadow is to be trusted to be taken care of there. Stay there in secret until you know He is God over your troubles, then bring His marvelous deliverance to light. Luke 11:33 - "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light."

I followed Jesus down the truth pathways of the four Gospels in search of real life. It was almast like a train ride or a trailer to a bizarre movie. I passed by a crowd who were jumping and praising while still carrying their crutches. I passed by a dimly lit crowd with their lips and fingers full of shushing. I passed by an assembly whose hearts were heavy with sorrow and whose eyes were heavy with sleep. I raced by those who were proclaiming "the Good Life" formulas and "magical outlines" for success.

With tears in my eyes these sights made me feel so alienated from the love connection with my God. To fit in with any of these groups might find me "amidst a doing in His Name" that may very well be foreign and disconnected from the Jesus Story. So immediately I retreated to my Secret Place and found Him waiting. But he pointed to the windows in passing:

Still on the train ... I looked, and beheld, as the media of the day continued to rape innocency by exposing intimacy, all in the name of transparency. I found that this expose' could capture and enslave the heart of the most noble believer. This "frankness with the secret" was causing many of His more fragile Kids to fall by the wayside by the same error... in the name of "honesty"? Honesty and transparency are purposeful in shedding light on darkness, but are extremely destructive when they are a smokescreen for unbridled lust. Real liberty in the Spirit does not excite nor entice the lust of the flesh. Ezekiel 7:22 - "My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it and defile it." (Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little eyes what you see, for your Father up above is looking down with love, oh.. be careful little eyes what you see.) You can count on the onslaught ...undergird and strenthen your resolve and strongest desires for His Secret Place with you.

Windows are awesome ... but potentially the only windows needed in our "secret place" is a Skylight to the Father and a Oneway looking out to the broken.

HLFA,

Jeff

The Nekros Virus

Happy After Anastasis Sunday!
I was just remembering once again the "Turning point" days of my life because of Jesus...the attic intro, the living-room "win" of my Soul Mate, our first Bibles, the scary concrete baptistry, the church basement first communion experience, the wedding, the Call, the first move, the planting of our firstborn, the flaming hair of promise, the accidents, the surgeons scalpels, the reset ....why is it...that further down the road...the excitement turns to apathy, apathy to narcolepsy, narcolepsy to numbness...numbness to sleep? "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."..Eph. 5:14

On Anastasis Sunday the challenge left me hungry, naked and wondering "why?". Why has Hope been infused with an anesthetic just by the removal of truth, bit by bit. The full Gospel has become a fools gospel by the truth left behind. Where is the purifying hope? Why is it kept in hiding? What is the purifying hope?2

Timothy 2:18 - "Who Concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some."

News Flash!!! The Weakest point in the Kingdom (on the Westside), the Sensory and Ocular Portal was compromised this morning by two Nekronian terrorists. The two have been identified as Epi Thumia and Aled Zunia. Commenting Specialists in the art of Spiritual Warfare have stated that "Epi Thumia maintains a covert existence within in the masses majoring in the infiltration of the media to change personal and public morality, while Aled Zunia creates "events" that loudly portray the boasting successes of their efforts." These two, though harmless and peaceful in appearance, have anesthetized entire common gatherings. Be on the look out!

Side note: Many well-meaning leaders in the religious community feel there is no cause for alarm for they have not seen evidence of any spiritual insurrection; chiming out that "the Nekronian Terrorist news alert is preposterous."

News authorities have stated that, "The major affect of this "breach of the wall" is that saints of every age and genre have been virally inoculated with what is known as the "MeNow" or the "Nekros" Syndrome. Victims are left with a complete apathy towards the coming of the King; and an overwhelming anxiety that they are leading a 'Breathless' or futile life on the planet."

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16 ( Epithunia - "Lust" or turning desire; Aledzunia - pride, boasting rebellion against the truth of the Kingdom)

Please follow the following instructions to apply the antidote to the Nekros Virus: Once you recognize the effects of these terrorists in your life.
1. Admit that your weakness needs the Kings strength.
2. Trust the provision of His Sacrifice.
3. Read His life giving Instruction daily.
4. Keep in constant communication with the King daily.
5. Completely rely on the King for your rescue.
6. Look daily for the imminent, eminent, and soon to be immanent return of the King.

Hear and trust the words of the King found in John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken unto, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." and take heart by His words in Revelation 22:12 a "And, behold, I come quickly."

O Lord, inoculate me to trust your every word!

HLFA,

Jeff

The Blur

When Does the Night End and the Day Begin? In that moment of twilight or dawn, light can be blurry. For some, the night will never end; but for believers here in the twilight-dawn ... soon there will be no night.  

There was the Crossing over the Stream called Darkness, and into the momentary Garden of Vital Pressing. Oh, the awesome beauty of this garden was the moment of mystery that it held. This was the place where the grapes would be separated from their life giving essence and be called wine. This is where the olives would be pressed and the restorative extraction would be called oil. The Wine and the Oil - the Blood and the Spirit in mystical union, kneeling in the threshold of horns of Eternity's Altar of Sacrifice for all mankind.

Though none could stay awake during the prayer that kept Him alive in that moment of the garden pressing. Jesus prayed that that cup of life-threatening stress would pass. Jesus prayed so that He could press on the to the shame, the mockery, the spitting, the scourging, the nailing and the suffocating pain that He would endure until He would commend His spirit to the Father, and expire with a broken heart. "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit, and having said thus, He gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, certainly this was a righteous man. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts and returned. And all his acquaintances, and the women that followed from Galilee, stood afar off beholding these things." Luke 23:46 -49

And there still stands men squabbling over insignificant details such as: the day of the week; counting nights and days, or days and nights to figure which day of the week to declare "Holy". They argue over "the hour" ... the third, the sixth, the ninth ...though no man on that day, looking at the sky, could tell the real hour for the dark sky veil that hung so timely to somewhat cover the shame of the moment. They would continue to pick and poke at where the nails were actually placed to torture the body of Jesus; though deaf to the Blood that would scream love from every piercing. They would joust about the wood's carpentry, composition, and positioning; when all that truly mattered was that the Son of God was suspended in that moment creating the only acceptable bridge to the Father with His perfect sacrifice. No one seemed to notice that while hanging between Heaven and Earth, He staved off 72,000 of Heaven's Warrior Angels and all the hoards of Hell's demons, while His death was planted momentarily into the heart of the Earth, but forever planted into the heart of Heaven for such wretched souls that we be.

 JESUS DIED ... and with 3 days and 3 nights of death's silence echoing from a large stone covered, empire sealed, and soldier guarded tomb ... The message of His death became the first belief at the empty tomb. The Horror of Christ's Crucifixion negated and erased the few words that could have sustained hope ... "And I will Rise again!" The first stare into the empty tomb cried "grave robbers" to the disciples. And so they went back to hiding in further discouragement. Jesus did not allow them to stay in despair, Jesus personally and creatively shattered that first belief and brought back their remembrance of the promises.

Today that Gospel was alive and still holds our hearts in an orbit of longing ... longing to be with Him where He is ... some day! This Easter Message is to those who believe without all the squabbling that causes men to fight and bicker to stake their claim on righteous fame. Easter 2015 puts us one day closer to the Return of our Lord to claim His Bride - "I will come again!" So don't just say Jesus is a righteous man. Don't just look at what was done and beat your chest in unbelief, and quit standing afar off in fear. Rejoice for your redemption draweth nigh!

For with each day passing His coming is growing nearer - Woe unto those who blur the light in our days by denying us the hope of this glorious event which could be on us in the "twinkling of an eye".

"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly, Amen. Even so, come , Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20

 "The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen." Revelation 22:21

Happy Easter - Anticipate His return; you will not be disappointed!

HLFA,

Jeff