Scream Naked in the Back Yard

Can you feel His breath? Can you sense His stare? Can you sense His desire for you? Can you feel the pressure, the draw... of His love Song over you?

"The fool hath said in his heart, there is NO GOD. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.God looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God." Psalm 53: 1,2

He still seeks men today and definitely will not let His own starve their Spirit life.. Let's take a deep breath, and let the next words soak our soul ...

The tempter was rattling our Savior's cage after He (Jesus)had fasted in the wilderness, a deserted place, for 40 days and 40 nights (as told in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke, both chapter 4) - "fasted" means, no food! And the scripture makes an understatement "And He was an hungered".

The first rattle from Satan was about this "Hunger" that Jesus had ..the Devil said "Hey Jesus, if thou be he Son of Man, turn these stones into Bread." ... "If thou be" revealed that the number one problem with Satan was that, with him there is no searching for soul sustenance ... just fishing for trivia to make accusations to the Father. "If thou be", was an attempt to jab into the pride of truth... There is no "ifs" on God's end of things, only with ours.

Sorry , Truth is always seeking first ... so the gnawing, and the drawing of the soul's starvation is there in the heart and soul of God's creation, and especially in His highest creation .. MANKIND.

Hear Jesus' answer, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." SO two big questions: 1. What aches when we don't have food? The Body (and all its related physical support systems). 2. What aches when we don't make ourselves accessible to "every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" ? Our Spirit (and all of its related eternal, mental, spiritual and social support systems).

Quit starting each day by hiding yourself in the fragile, faultily, sown fig leaves of Word Depravation Living.

What are the symptoms besides a closed Bible?

1. Lack of desire to move forward.

2. Strange fear of "what to do next".

3. An anxiety of being alone.

4. An Overwhelming sense of the fulfillment of Self fulfilling negative prophesies that we place on our lives.

5. A fear the opening the Word will prove God is mad at you.

6.The most obvious results are a paralyzing fear and fatigue with the mention of spiritual words and songs. (This is drawn from the thought of starving at the soul connection).

This morning in sharing the fellowship of anxiety, with the gifted "completer" that God had given me so many years ago (my beautiful wife): we discussed the symptoms that were creeping up on us, and I asked her what should she do differently tomorrow morning to change this downward spiral? Her answer, though it sounded crazy, was right on : "I guess I should just get naked and go scream in the backyard."

NOW if we do this physically it could have some legal ramifications especially if the neighbors call the police; but let's go straight to the Soul.  Start our day by Stripping away the "fig leaves" of false piety and self pity, run out into the presence of our God ... Soul Naked and waiting for His Word to cover and fill our life with the abundance and purpose that His Truth and Spirit from His Word have promised ... Let Him pour love and life into us... Everyday ...

LET US START EVERY DAY with His Word, for that is where we can truly begin to thrive.

Can you feel His breath? Can you sense His stare? Can you sense His desire for you? Can you feel the pressure, the draw... of His love Song over you?

"O God, Thou art my God, early will I seek Thee: (early will I seek Thee)

My soul thirsteth for Thee

My flesh longeth for Thee,

in a dry and thirsty land,

where no water is.

O God, Thou art my God, early will I seek Thee: (early will I seek Thee)

To see Thy power and Thy glory,

So as I have seen Thee in the Sanctuary.

O God, Thou art my God, early will I seek Thee: (early will I seek Thee)

Because Thy loving kindness,

is better than life,

my lips shall praise Thee,

(Where no water is).

O God, Thou art my God, early will I seek Thee: (early will I seek Thee).Psalm 63:1-3

(Words by The Lord - Music by Blushing Well)

Scream Naked in the Backyard of your Soul life every day!Early.

HLFA,

Jeff

I Am Not

I am feeling a little awkward at this moment. I am not here; but what's left of me is. No one is looking directly at me, although I am the big topic of conversation. I have never seen such an array of emotions put on display at any one given time like this. There is a thick serious spirit hanging over even the lightest of conversations; while All with slightly wetted eyes seem to be looking for something that they cannot see.

The achievements of my life have been noted, and listed in a little less than 300 words so that my life and associations would fit on one side of a quickly printed 8 1/2" x 11" folded handout. (The order of the show that will be put on for those who have gathered has actually occupied as much printed space as my deducted achievements). There Pictures and Impressions of me posted for all to see, so that they might connect with me, my family and the moment; while stories of these connections and other moments may only be stated to prove the qualifications of those that have joined in this gathering. I am still, I am not invited into the conversations; I am all but voiceless.

In my life, much like the prophesy of the Savior ... "For I Have heard the slander of many, fear was on every side; while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life. Psalm 31:13" Why did they want me to diminish my love for Real Life? I truly could tell that I did not fit. When I spoke, my listeners' eyes would glaze over and they would start looking for another to converse with. Those who were polite would give me a pat on the back and a quick meaningless blessing to push me on my way.

But I had questions, and I needed answers. I had dreams and aspirations that were quickly dismissed as the babblings of a social idiot. "He is beside himself!" The crying out of the prophetic mad man in not received even by his own kinsmen in his own country.

Why could I not just fade into the gray of the popular faith of the day is beyond me? Why couldn't I be content with the "smile offerings" and the "shallow connections" that seem to get everybody else through life? Why did I have to take eternity so seriously? Why was I in need of making sure "It was well" with the soul of every human being that I shared a moment of time? Why couldn't I just assume all was well? AND why did the freaking tears have to fill my eyes when others would laugh their way through their days?

Some would say that I was a little "off my rocker", "slightly imbalanced", "out of touch with reality", "emotionally fragile" ... but to know the implication of my full salvation because of His "Bloody Sacrifice" on the Cross; and to know the power of His resurrection on each and every moment of my life; and to know the fellowship, groaning, and fullness of the Spirit in battle for the lost souls of men ... I would trade what the world calls stable and sure, for the instability of this declaration: "I am crucified with Christ, never the less I live; yet not I; but Christ lives in me: and the life that I NOW live... I live by the faith of the Son of God., who loved me, and gave Himself for me. " Galatians 2:20

Every day, because of being in the Middle ... it is like we, the faith followers of Christ, are in a velvet bagged box of our own ashes, while the world looks on and wonders ... who we are and why we are so passionate about Jesus. Why can't we live and just let others live whatever way they want to? Because:

WE believe that Jesus is the only Way that leads away from eternity lost.

WE believe that Jesus is the only Truth that has eternal connecting consequence.

WE believe that Jesus is the only Life source that makes humanity truly alive and raises them from death

--because NO MAN can come to the Father but by Him.

Once WE have trusted Him , we live because He lives, and WE believe WE ARE HIS.

1 Corinthians 6:19,20 - "What know ye not, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which lives in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

HLFA,

Jeff

Waiting Warship or Waiting Worship

"We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us." Isaiah 59:11

How close is our God? Some would suppose that we are too insignificant to catch His attention in the midst of all of events and happenings in all creation (even the Psalmist expressed this when he declares "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?"). We may even feel that He will not notice that we are not even acknowledging that He exits. We will make a choice that is simply rebellion, and then wait for "nothing" to happen. This "nothing" is our sign that all this "God talk" may be a farce...and we decide to "sin on".

We may even dedicate ourselves at times to doing right because of the hope of "good stuff" coming our way. We convince ourselves in that moment that we are planting a seed of good deeds that will lead to a "success" harvest. THEN, when the harvest does not come when we think it should, we abandon the "good works" pathway for self medication and feel good choices (though many of these will lead us further into darkness).

We are convinced that God does nothing while our enemies close in on all sides, and we live under the pressure of constant persecution and impoverished demise. We watch as our enemies seem happy and healthy, while we are sad and sickly ... it seems so unfair. The ungodly prosper while the echoes of the voices the prosperity prophets just bounce off of our empty bank accounts and amassing miss-fortune of spiritual failures. Our enemies seem to win!

Why has God asked us to "love our enemies"? Why has He encouraged us to "do good unto those who spitefully abuse us"? Why is it that the goodness of God leads men to repentance, while voices scream behind pulpits of the FEAR of GOD and the WRATH of GOD - not as a tearful warning to the enemy but as a threat that GOD will get them. And God does not get them ... when we think He should.

YES ... judgment is sure, Hell is real, and God will deliver His people. The timing of this is where the Sovereignty of God is in conflict with the temporal patience of Man. Waiting is a touted as a game for the weak...but scripture teaches elsewise.

Psalm 35 - is an amazing passage where our Triune God seems to wrestle over this issue and this verse deals a catastrophic blow to my need for revenge and gloating over my enemy. Here is what God's response is to the Enemy's time of illness: "But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother." Psalm 35:13,14

Obviously my thoughts are not His thoughts and my ways are not His ways --- has he not shown mercy and grace to me, I would be hopelessly lost today ... but His goodness led me to His Salvation. NOW I MUST WAIT and worship for others, I must not become a waiting Warship -- ready to launch an all out assault on my enemy. THAT ASSAULT BELONGS TO GOD ... what belongs to me is waiting.

Read the following expanded devotional translation of Isaiah 40:31:

"They that ...wait, (look eagerly for, hope, linger and lie in wait to collect, bind together...to be collected, and bound together. The simple fact of this type of waiting is ... those waiting have collective contentment with the abilities of the one they trust)

Upon the Lord, shall renew (This waiting causes those waiting to pass on or away for the threat; to pass through, pass by, go through, grow up, to change, to go on from there as the moment of trouble seems to pass on quickly away (vanish) to come on anew, to grow new life that allows them to pass through to overstep the moment; change to change, substitute, alter, to be changed for better, renew to show a newness of ...

their strength, (power, might, that produces a wealth of "good soil", adds an adaptability... like a type of lizard-color-change to better fit in with its surroundings.

They shall rise up with wings as eagles,

they shall run and be not weary, t

hey shall walk and not faint."

It's not you,

that needs to war against the Enemy -

That is God's Battle ...so that there can be:

Redeeming,

Reclaiming,

and Restoring.

It is yours to be in waiting worship -- not a waiting warship

-Wait on the Lord!!!

HLFA,

Jeff

Something's Fishy

This is not where I wanted to be. After spending 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a whale, having my clothes reduced to rags, my skin and hair bleached white, and what was left of my beard was matted by the most disgusting stickiness of a "big fish mucous ball". To top it off, the fish had hurled me onto the beach like the vomit I had become because of my inability to see mercy. Only judgement raining down, even on the innocent, would satisfy my sense of warped purpose. Think about it! God would have me preach fiery judgement, and then when the multitudes would turn to Him, He would have mercy, the fire would not come down, and I would look Like a powerless idiot.

Why should grace and mercy be there for those who don't deserve it? The problem with me was so simple that I could not see it -- I was more devoted to my reputation than God's.

"His mercy endures forever!" from my perspective, was a promise for the elite, the separated and set apart for His glory and His purpose ... right? "His mercy endures forever!" is not for the Godless, flesh glorifying, sin loving reprobates that just need to be wiped off of the face of the earth.(Man was I steaming, after I waited outside the city that I just preached God's Fiery Judgement to ...anxiously awaiting the fire to fall, but it did not; I give up).

They heard the message and repented AND GOD GAVE THEM MERCY --- NOT FAIR!!!

It was a city full of perverted sexual activity at the highest level ... rape and incest was rampant, maiming and murder was a justified response, the offering of infants and children to the fire of idols was the highest form of worship ... the whole city partied as the children screamed for their lives.

Fear and injustice was the order of the day ... God should have not warned them, He should have just poured out His fiery wrath and been done.

Now here I sit under a stinking juniper tree as I watch a beautiful gourd destroyed from the inside out by a stinking worm ... and I slipped off into the numb sleep of a fool; but man, something is fishy here.

Hey -- Although I am not Jonah --- I think I understand the concept of seeing the blessing of God in the lives of others but not seeing His blessing in my life.

I try to make the right decisions and do the right things. But unknowingly, I set myself up for the kill by the corruption of real JOY by my choice to live under the constant oppression of my negative, stinking thought life. I am plagued by a self inflicted depravation caused by continual negative prophetical utterances over my life. I have become my worst enemy. Here is a sampling of some of my debilitating self talk:

"God does good things for others ... but He never does that for me."

"God cares about everyone else but not me."

"The darkness in my life is too dark for God's light to overcome."

"I must be beyond help"

"I am useless to God."

"I must be under a curse."

"I will never ________ (fill in the blank) --- never, never, never!"

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (food, clothing, position, purpose, etc.) will be added unto you". Matt. 6:33 -- We have it backwards, while striving for the "things", we easily loose sight of real life -found only in Jesus.

"Oh God, Thou art my God, early will I seek thee!" Psalm 63:1

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!" Phil. 3:14

Hey ... I think I have it dumbed down for even me ...

Start every day with a Rugged Cross and Resurrection focus, the Word to my ear and flowing in my heart, and with a grateful heart ... live a life in all prayer and all thanksgiving.

He is my righteousness (rest) - He is MY GOD(trust) - He is my prize (win), my high calling is to empty myself of me "early" - in the beginning of each new day and like Him... take on the form of the lowliest, the servant. Weep with those that weep and rejoice with those that rejoice.

Yes there will be tough days of broken body and broken dreams but He is with us in those moments to see us through ... be ever thankful. Don't live in regretful bitterness.

Jesus Could have called 12 legions of angels - 12 x 12,000 = 144,000 (One angel mentioned in Isaiah 37:36 - in a battle to protect Israel, killed 185,000) -- 185,000 x 144,000 = 26,640,000,000 people. With the world census clock ticking at about 7.5 billion people on planet earth -- God had (during his days on the planet) and has (during our days on the planet) enough Angelic fire power to cleanse the world of mankind BUT that was not the choice of His character.

"For God so loved the world (not just mankind), that He gave His only begotten Son (a personal price paid that could far outweigh all the guilt of 26,640,000,000 humans), that whosoever(anyone) believes on Him should not perish(lost forever separated from God), but have everlasting life (with Him now, and forever)". John 3:16

HLFA,

Jeff

Phil. 2:6 - " Who in the beginning positioned Himself "below" in the form of God, did not deem to lead by seizing to appear equal with God".... Wow He chose to be a nobody that could save everybody and anybody that would believe on Him. Why do we see every one else's blessing but not our own?

Blessing Seeking lesson # 1 - Let His Grace and His Mercy rule your life in His Love.