The Obvious and The Owl

Psalm 16:5 - "The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot." 

Reflect on this: (The LORD is the "exact accounting" of the revealed obvious portion given to me(He is my everything), and the compressed but unseen reckoned measure; He grasps my way: holding me up to support my choosing, supporting me for the things chosen for me, and keeping me for the result of the choices). 

The Math of Heaven is amazingly in our favor, at all times. He has given us all things; and all things are within our reach, are for our benefit, tailored for us, and are kept safe (from moth, rust and thieves) in His Love Repository. "The LORD is the portion (all things) of mine inheritance (the seen allotment)" And "The LORD is the portion of my cup (the unseen, pressed down, "owl" requisitioning)." 

"All things" = "the realized/seen daily provision x gratitude" + "unseen cup, the owl who hunts in the night, the secret thoughts of the heart x a passionate devotion for Him". 

Take a little bit of time with this. The true power and blessing of our life comes from two sources: 

1. A Delightful Gratitude for the Obvious Blessings of God - The Inheritance. 

2. A Devotional Passion for the Secret Time with Him - The Cup (the Owl). 

The amazing thing ... In our day, the LORD is drawing us to the treasure chest of true completeness - true Shalom, true wholeness... that is found only in Him.

Jeremiah 11 - has been a universal draw as a promise for prosperity or success from many sources, but the true message has been garbled by our almost covetous need for tangible wealth and "stuff" or a desire to be rid of symptomatic pain and distress. True Shalom is not found in the obvious, but always recognize that the obvious blessings of God need to be greeted with a delight filled gratitude. That is only half of the road less traveled. 

While pondering a partial sign along the road that appeared to say "For I know the thought that I have purposed for you, thoughts of Prosperity ..." The car spun around the corner of a remote highway before my Father-n-Law could catch the Scripture reference ... But just up the road in the dark, stood an owl - just glaring at him as swerved by him. An owl, standing in the middle of the road - just glaring at him. He needed to put this together. 

Upon arriving home he searched for the scripture, but this was what he found contrary to the modern day tout for riches : Jeremiah 29:11, 12, 13 - "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." 

After this study, in his travels he found more and more people that he would share Jeremiah 29:11 with, would tell him "That is our verse!" Or "We have kept that as a promise!" ... And the scripture was making connections with other believers; ... But what about the Owl? 

Father's Day 2018 - Dad and I collided in a study and when he heard the word OWL connected with a devotion to God in the secret times. He opened his heart to the dire importance of the Owl ... The passionate desire to seek the LORD in the secret times where the only eyes that would see him would be God's eyes. He learned that for the sake of all the children looking up to him ... Knowing Jesus would have to be his passion in the secret instead of ungodly vises. Wow what a revelation! 

Note: the Hebrew word for "CUP" in Psalm 16:5 is also translated "owl" ... Think about an owl: Silent in its flying, nocturnal in its hunt, focused in hunting the object of its unseen desire ... Though thought of as unclean. A sinner, normally bent to searching for the forbidden pleasures of sin in the dark, NOW saved by grace...can find that sin will lose its grip on him if the choices made in secret are choices made in a passionate desire to know Jesus. 

Dads and Moms - for the sake of the Children - seek Jesus in the secret ... Remember the Owl! 

Be Grateful for God's obvious blessings and passionate about knowing Him in secret; 

Shalom will grow within and around you. 

HLFA, 

Jeff

Inner Kingdom

As the slats on the blinds were opened, and the morning sun began to filter into the room -- I began to rejoice in the Greater Light: "Hey...I love you!" Came out of me almost reflexively and then the discussion began; "There is no remaining curse where You are, correct? You loved me first, and I love you. There is nothing in Heaven or in the Earth that can separate me from Your Love. Why do I have to ache so much ... because the battle of the "Land of the Leb" is still facing me today?

Please let the battle diminish under the Royal power of Your mighty presence. Amen.

Psalm 10:16-18 "The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. LORD," 

(O that my "heathen reflexes" would perish out of my inner land) 

"Thou hast heard the desire of the humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart," 

(I am leaning heavily and humbly on You to prepare the Land of my heart) 

"Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of earth may no more oppress."

(My children are depending on my Heavenly connection to banish the oppression of the "man of the earth" - that old nature, in the preparation of my land. - MY Sin has a way of making my children fatherless and oppressed long into their future ... But there is victory as the LORD is royally welcomed into my Throne room.)

What noble thoughts can challenge our "land of the heart" to submit the rule of this unseen kingdom to the Unseen King of Glory? Does posterity really matter to the self-absorbed and self-inflicted childless ones? Do "others" matter when we constantly grapple with our own self exaltation?

Contrary to popular belief... Loving others is not a token of the goodness of humanity; but the ability to give and to leave "lasting love" is totally dependent on the relationship we have with the God, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. "God is Love!" (Read 1 John 4:8,16) - So what is love without God? Not Love from Above, sorry.

Due to it still being the age of time, every gate to the inner Kingdom has it's flaw. 

- The guards of the eye gates have a tendency to catch every flicker of fantasy that shines in their direction.

- Even the eyelids have a tendency to close upward or droop earthward at the sound of eternity. - The ear gate is too closely connected to the mouth gate, especially when it comes to leaking gossip or spouting slander. 

- The nose gate has a tendency to flirt with the familiar the aroma of the forbidden; and with every strange breeze that would blow its direction it would capture the essence with gusto. 

- The keepers of the memory habitually detain the guilt and the shame that separates the land of the heart from God; while at the same time allowing the thief to come in a steal the gold and gems of promise from the treasure chest of eternity.

BUT fear not, the King is not caught unaware of the Battle we face. He is more than ready and powerfully able to step in for the rescue. His arm doesn't grow weary in delivering and His ears do not grow tired of our cries for help. But here is the reality: Without Christ we are condemned already; In Christ there is now no condemnation. BUT - Sin separates and makes us believe that God has turned a deaf ear in our direction and pulled back the rescue that could have been ours. 

SIN creates the dissonance, discord, and disconnect in the inner Kingdom of believers.It is amazing that the choices we make in secret rebellion of His word, create the words that we use to slander ourselves --Nothing breaks the heart of the Father more than to know the self inflicted anguish in the lives of His children. 

There are no ""black Sheep" in the family of God -- that is Sin's subliminal trash talk because of choices that led to feelings of judgment.. that lead inevitably lead to being "out of favor" ... Sorry but every man has the Black Sheep Syndrome, "For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God." (Romans 3:23) It is "the bend" of the man of the earth. "But God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."(Romans 5:8).

Now as His Children, He has stated in 1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

Here is a potential chain breaker -- 

- Daily, start hearing His Word

- Daily start listening to his Word

- Daily start living the Word

- Daily start sharing the Word in love and in the Power of His Spirit

- Daily rush to forgiveness and not self degradation. 

Remember - in the inner Kingdom - "The Lord is King for ever and ever!"

Let's Bow our hearts before Him.

HLFA,

Jeff

The Edge of Between

Am I the leper?...So untouchable and so unworthy to even be seen, (all that is known of me is this disruptive voice crying "unclean, unclean". Those words spread the fear ... Don't touch or you will be like me!) - there is really no space of love reserved for a leper.

My disease, which seems more assigned and appointed than real, has me longing and aching; While I hang "in between"... While I hang in "the middle" ... Between Heaven and Earth, between the living and the dead; there is a gnawing sense of needing to know that I belong; needing assurance that I am loved, and needing to know that I have worth. Oh to know the spontaneous touch of Eternal Life, and the feel of that Life being given and shared without regret, reservation or remorse. 

I see that You are heading my direction; I stand in anticipation that You will stop Your movement for me, and long enough to embrace me before moving on: And so I wait with bated breath for those everlasting arms to hold me. I wait ... Eyes closed and head bowed. You are there and honored by my waiting ... For You.

I can still smell the mysterious eternal bouquet of your garden of Grace.I can sense the refreshing cool air that flows with your presence in the moment.And still remember the youthful butterfly kisses and playful gestures of love as you encircled and engulfed me in Your Worth ... Making me feel strangely appropriated and treasured beyond my wildest dreams. Oh How I Love you, Jesus.

It was the First Love; it was so new, every fiber of my senses vibrated in sympathetic harmony to the melody of Your Song over me. Every movement of this life was in stride to stay close to you, though you were always near; although I could wander far in a split second, I could never get so far, so high, so low, so fallen ... That You were not there. You bore my shame, You washed my wounds, You anointed my scars, You ravished me, and You captured my heart. And For no other reason than Love, You held me ... For You drew me from out of my nowhere, and raptured me from Above... To be Your Beloved.

I always find myself missing You in those empty moments when my choices have been selfish and full of sorrowful tears; When parting and becoming a castaway had seemed so near, because it would have been my pitiful solution. It was in those moments that Your Longing for me seemed even stronger... in those strangely "in the middle" - "in between" moments, it was there that I bowed to the safety and closeness of the Edge of Between.

There on the Rock, the Cliff again. Safe in the Risk of All You are.There and only there, with no other place to go, with no one to turn to, no one else to trust ... All idols die ... As Jesus has us as we have Him.

Jesus is our All, and all He has ever desired to give us is ours.

Live in the Freedom of the Cliff! Stay on the Edge of Between!

Psalm 18: 2 - 

" The LORD is my rock, (the Safety of the Cliff)

and my fortress, (the Provision of the Stronghold)

and my deliverer; (the Security of His Escape)

my God, my strength, ( My God, no idols climbing this insurmountable Wall) 

in whom I will trust; (Who in my only sought after Protection)

my buckler, (My ever adjusting/adapting Defense)

and the horn of my salvation,(the obvious shining rays of my Deliverance) 

and my high tower." (My High Retreat - Vision of the Future)

I want no other ... So with the appointment of "Leper": I will be His Leper on the Edge of Between.

HLFA,

Jeff