One Step Could Change You

July 20,1969 on this day the US, by God's Grace, landed two men on the Moon, and on the 21th Neil Armstrong became the first person to step onto the moon (Buzz Aldrin Jr. stepped on to the moon also 20 minutes later). Oh those days were so different, people actually prayed and praised God without fear of offending someone. Phrases like "God Bless" "Creation" and "God willing" we're shared without inhibition. It was almost like that "all" knew that God was in charge of the protocol. 

Dive into the history of the prayer and the amazing "despised people" people that God raised up to work through this mission. Stop listening to our modern day skeptics and history "lie weavers", who climb into the garbage cans of their own bitter doubts and the stench of their "dead bones" closets. They know full well the historical safety of the shadow of the Almighty, but have no personal experiential clue to the rewards of the trust in the greatness of the hand of God. 

Psalm 51 may be appropriate for a nation to read (out loud on their knees), who would sooner slander and curse leadership than pray for miracles... Which are found in God's department of Grace.

The Nation has changed by the spirit of the prince of dark influence, within the realm of man's curiosity to be his own god. Have we changed with the tide of darkness? Are we adorning ourselves with the fruit of the Antichrist " lust, dissatisfied unrest, impatience, rambunctious cruelty, mistrust, crudeness, and characterless indiscretion {Read Gal. 2:22-23 in comparison}. Out of this spirit proceeds all the seeds and plans for (Galatians 5:19-21) … Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditious, heresies, envying so, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: ...they which practice such things are outside of the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. (The list above sounds like an outline for our current daily media to search on for news to report).

"Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty.""But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." II Corinthians 3:17,18

AND/OR are we changing by becoming less and less like the adorning glitter of this planet and more and more like Jesus?

- What would you think of a life that had power to omit things that have nothing to do with a love relationship with God? 

- What would you give for a life freeborn from Above that was no longer in bondage to the shameful and chain-full life without God? 

- How who you feel about positioning yourself in the style of Heaven, as a rebellious advocate of loving obedience to the Word of God?

- Instead of trying to profiteer from the life that totters so close to destruction that it doesn't even remotely resemble the heart of Heaven, why not truly Live the Abundant Life?

If "His mercies are new every morning," who are we to hold malice, anger, bitterness and unforgiveness against an offender: Stranger or brethren? There is a problem in the Kingdom with those of us who have chosen the "me god" over My God and create our own personal system of excommunication, separation, and isolation. 

Let's look at a judgment cry to some of the obvious symptoms:

Hey filthy talker! Your lips are profane as they proclaim your are a "tough guy" or an "edgy" Christian; and that your particular style of grace gives you license to spew the verbs of hell if needed... Jesus' lips would not utter filth and lewdness.

Hey lewd thinker! Your mind is soaked with rebellion against the scriptures or you have stolen things from the Word of God that you can warp to support your addiction. You reflexively shun as "archaic" any of His wisdom that creates conflict with your "My Way" ideals. Jesus thought, spoke and lived His Father's Words.

Hey anger monger! You have all the justification for revenge and hatred while you grow even angrier as forgiveness and peace alludes your hardening heart. Jesus taught us that hate filled anger was murder.

Hey defamation lover! You continually give your faith to lies in order to appear elite and higher educated than the "simple minded idiots" that chose prayer over gossip and slander. Jesus prayed in the garden to make it to the cross, so he would die for your sins and those you slander.

Hey hypocrite detector! The stage you stand on, is sinking sand while you point out the faults of others, purporting to be standing on a rock of offense instead of the "pansy" lifestyle of those who love and forgive too quickly. Jesus acted out the love of the Father with every moment of His Life; You probably still can find fault with Him if you pervert Love too far.

Do we really think that there is a loop hole in the clauses of scripture that command us to love, to forgive, and to tenderheartedly be kind? I am so glad that God's Love is unsaleable, unscalable, unoffendable; unrelenting in in His power to love and keep us and relentless in His Love to free us... LIBERTY is ours if we just clearly see what our sin did to our Savior and what it does to our ability to fully experience all of His eternally extravagant love supply to us and through us.

O the Rich Man may have thoroughly despised the wretched Lazarus as he ate from the crumbs that fell from the Rich Man's table; but when the tables were turned at death, the Rich man's perspective from the flaming torments of Hell was quite altered. The Rich man's envious thirst was unquenchable as he desired just a cooling drop of water from the finger of the wretched Lazarus, who was now secure in the extravagant comforts of Paradise.

If you see the Cross of Jesus as salvation, why do you choose to live so close to Hell? Is it possible that you are being changed, but not by the Word of God?

Take note: That by 1976 there was already a self-published book that attempted to purport the theory that the moon landing was staged. It took all of 7 years and the doubt was being published as "a Hoax that cost taxpayers billions of dollars". What spirit was this preying from and on?Be careful that your disappointments do not turn your heart away from the truth ("Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.").

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." I John 1:9,10

HLFA,

Jeff

"I'm Sorry."
"I forgive you."
"I love you."
Use these gifts without inhibition.
Annihilate "My Way". 

Infirmity Filter

"You gnarl your face at my words, you repulse and push away at my incidental touch, you show disdain when I appear, you sicken at the smell of my presence and turn your nose at my breath. The typical response to my offerings of love is silence, I only experience your complaints and cruel grumblings. Of all men I am most miserable as I stare through the broken perception of my pain." The Scarlet Sinner to the Lover of his soul.

The capacity to think on God and receive His Truth is constantly filtered by: what you know and believe of His Word; what you have touched, seen and desired to experience in the world; and your "infirmity filter".

We are all composite people. There are no self made men and women. Every one of us is a product of the input that he or she embraces as his or her reality. The sad state of affairs of the human condition is that we usually espouse the "first experience" as proof. This is why we wrestle with principalities (or beginnings). 

If it smelled good, tasted good, looked good, felt good and had minimal negative repercussions, then it was probably not bad, ok, good or left undetermined and open for further experimentation. If it isn't outright catastrophically evil than it may not be sin. Hence we apply the "moderation in all things clause" to provide an alibi for our momentary self inflicted ignorance of potential eternal truth. 

The flip side can be just as devastating to a faith walk - it smelled bad, tasted bad, looked awful, felt bad and had ongoing negative personal repercussions, then reflexively it is bad and to be avoided. Again the sad state of affairs of the human condition is that we may even consider God as the source of suffering and thus shut down the avenue of healing by trading for a painful commitment to "this is my lot in life or my cross to bear". Hence, we provide a filter to out life that handicaps us from the potential blessing of God.

"Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will He be favorable no more? Is His mercy clean gone for ever? Doth His promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah." Psalm 77:7,8,9 

There is a rhetorical answer that pride blusters against and instinctively pushes back from at every twinge of pain ... But if pride would fall the answer would be "NO". 

But the gift of a reason that the these questions are even being asked is found in verse 10 with a plan of action that takes on gratitude as the enabler and not bitterness.

Psalm 77:10 - "AND I SAID, THIS IS MY INFIRMITY: but I WILL REMEMBER the years of the right hand of the Most High." (I will remember His story, His past mercy, His wonders, His doings, His sanctuary, His greatness, and I will declare His strength among my peers... Read to the end of this chapter).I will be totally saturated with the memory of My God and override the infirmity filter.

"The Natural man receives not the things of God!" Don't get bent out of shape when the Word of God you try to share creates conflict; for so it potentially created a conflict in you until you surrendered your will to that Truth. If you are going to get bent out of shape, get bent into shape... Choose the kneeing shape and Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

"When I decided it was my infirmity that was ruling my vision instead of Thy Word, I broke desperately before Thee. At that moment I regained the clarity of vision needed to see through the issues that had burdened me so. Now I could see this magnificent Kingdom in its splendor. Mercy painted its glory across the Heavens in the changing of the lights; faithfulness extended it beauty as it reached the clouds; as mountains arose in the azure beauty of righteousness, judgement flowed strong and true to the depths of the oceans. There was plenteous supply for the preservation of man and beast, and loving kindness was the power that extended in all directions to the children of men that put their trust under the shadow of His wings. There I stood in captive amazement." exert from The Scarlet Sinner - Starting Anew.

Culture must not dominate and define the Kids of the King. Pain must not dictate our willingness to live openly in His truth. The King's Word and His Spirit must invade every area of our living so that we can live abundantly ALIVE becoming transcendently relevant in thee culture and through the pain. 

Let God be our Filter.

BOW, RISE UP and LIVE!! 

See Love!

HLFA,Jeff 

PS: The picture of the TWO fighters - they Praised to the end

Zip-Lock Death

Years ago my wife was extremely excited to join the Arbor Day Foundation. Upon joining she was to receive 10 free trees … cool, almost. After weeks of waiting a small box was delivered with the 10 trees; but there must have been a failure to deliver because in the box were 10 small bags with what looked like dried up - almost rotting roots. There was a note in the box explaining that the trees were specially packaged as "dormant" and care instructions were given for "potential" success to "start" these trees and foster them to maturity and replanting. Out of the 10 trees only a few made it due to my non-green thumb, delay in transplanting and weather. Coming out of dormancy isn't always successful. 

STAY CLOSE TO THE SOURCE AND GROW! 

Psalm 76:1-3 - “In Judah ("Praised") is God known: His Name is great in Israel ("God Prevails"). In Salem ("Peace") also is His tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion ("Parched Place"). There brake He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.” 

Think about it - He is known when He is truly Praised. His Name is great because He Prevails. His worship is Peace. His Dwelling is in the Parched Places in need of His refreshment. 

Psalm 28:7 - “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him.” 

The LORD is - MY strength (material, physical, political, social - external and internal strength to function complete within the pressures of this present life) and MY shield (defense, buckler, protection); MY heart(the seat of my character, emotions, and thus decisions) finds Him the perfect source of trust, “In Him”; and I am helped (supported, undergirded): the result is a surge of exaltation and praise in MY song that is about and toward Him. 

He provides everything to allow MY heart to thrive and My life to give life, fully alive. So why do I settle for dormancy? Why do I quit in defeat? Why do I allow discouragement? And why do I entertain dark desires? Why do I listen to the powerless advise of negative woe wishers? 

Interruption - distortion is unavoidable. BUT - He is able! BUT - We are fragile. It is hard to encourage a heart that never hears the words “I love you”, never hears words of intimate endearment. And, oh by the way, there are scars that will be delivered via expressions that devalue and degrade. Do we speak love? Do we speak gratitude? Do we give praise? Do we bless with value? Do we seek peace? OR have we boarded up the lips of our hearts in disappointment and anger? 

The heart needs strength and protection so that it can trust, exalt and praise. This is the flowing stream or "water" course of a healthy flow of life. How do we feed that to others? The power of life and death is in the tongue. What are we delivering? 

Take a risk and bring value to others no matter what is thought of you. There is so much discouragement in our day... information that sells seems to lean towards the ugly and the awful revelations of the worst possible news. 

Good news is quickly becoming a rare and inconvenient commodity that is quickly fading even in the congregation of faith. There is a slanted grace message being heralded from the pulpit, but a death sentence in pews, aisles, hallways, meeting rooms and exit doors. The "failure" and "embarrassing falling" of the saints is greeted with a pious personal disappointment and a disgraceful public shunning. 

The meetings of the saints have become a time to pretend to be perfect while we grow more and more numb by the harboring of untreated infection. We live in fear of being known for who we really are on the inside... instead of being seen as one primed for the rescue and redemption. 

The Church is finding itself in specially sealed storage/shipping bags prepared for destinations that are not where we are. We are told that we can bring it all to the alter, but in so doing we are made to feel dirty and exposed; the promised cleansing is just another step into a baptism of expositional nakedness. Where is our Father, our robe and our ring? Instead there is a stripping of our dignity, tatter rags for covering, and shackles of shameful identification are locked onto our lives. 

Then we hear "Go into the world, and preach the good news!" How obscene when we have been so abused: Upon delivery to the world in need, we have either been reduced to beggars ourselves, or our fruit of the Spirit is so dry and withered (waning and much in need of water and light) that we have nothing but bagged, dried, withered and rotting roots to offer. 

We were told and believed that this marriage to Christ, this amazing grace Salvation, was to bring a thriving, and abundant life; not a zip-lock "rot in the fridge" type of dying life. When will the world hear - "I am sorry!" - "You are forgiven!" "Thank-you!" - "You are welcome!" - "I love you!" ? If our lips refuse to take the Risk from Above and truly, openly love for the sake of Jesus - what will be left of those around us, who are so in need of His love through us? 

A dormant plant can only stay contained for a determined period of time before it rots in its shipping container. If the price has been paid for the plant, we will bring it to water, light and life with a full sense of urgency? 

Psalm 28:7 - “The LORD is MY strength and MY shield; MY heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore MY heart greatly rejoiceth; and with MY song will I praise Him.” 

Take ownership of His Love Venture! 

It is mine, and yours. 

HLFA, 

Jeff