Unless

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Psalm 27:13-14. 

Have you ever felt almost gone, strength drained, enthusiasm fading away ... Gave everything you had, and everything that was given, was taken with little gratitude returned? "I had fainted, unless" ... Unless.

Have you ever felt mowed over by the overwhelming onslaught of negative propaganda? So much bad news and personal disappointments... Feeling that your world is getting darker and darker? ... And "that Hope" that has been promised, is waiting way too long and is way too far off to count on? ... "I had fainted unless" ... Unless.

UNLESS ... There is a "perfect causing" from Above, that supports and strengthens our God gifted eternal resolve - belief, we vacillate between faith and doubt. That "belief" (needed and longed for) is constantly being given so we can "See" ... "Perceive" ... "Understand". That vision from above allows us to focus on "the goods", the good property, the "Goodness of the LORD", in a land of perpetual "green", ever replenishing life ... Today and forever. 

The enemy longs to squelch and blur our vision of the "wide open life" of God's goodness. He wants us to live in the squalor of disappointment and discouragement, while we are taught a false piety that just humbly waits for the future - sweet by and by. The enemy constricts and constrains our vision of the green pastures, the flowing fresh water, the constant springtime revival, the lively sustenance and constant maintenance of this abundant life. 

Satan will focus his servants of wickedness to expend their demented efforts on devaluing the unsung gifts, pointing at the open scars, reminding of the constant pain; causing the focus to shift from the goodness of God to our internally supported disqualification. If we could only realize that there is also a living strategy for our short comings and handicaps ... In the hand of God they are the lethal weapons that allow us the ability to charge right into the frontline of the Enemy.

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Psalm 27:13-14. 

Here is how deceitful the enemy is -- He would have us believe that we are not worthy or that others are more worthy to see the goodness of God. 

Here is the strong admonition from the heart of God -- "Wait on the LORD" - ("Wait, Look for, hope for, and eagerly hold the highest expectation of the LORD") - and HE will (desires to) undergird, support, and strengthen your heart"; And if that command wasn't enough the Psalmist repeats it "Wait, I say, on the LORD.:" 

Unless - He had unleashed my faith to see -

 the Green pastures would become a wasteland. 

Unless - He had unbridled my lips to drink - 

the flowing fresh water would settle and stagnate. 

Unless - He had revived my senses to feel - 

His Springtime renewal would be a polar freeze. 

Unless He had sustained and maintained my life - 

of all men I would still be most miserable. 

I had fainted in these days -- if not for His Goodness. 

Believe and Live!! 

HLFA, 

Jeff 

Church of the Most High God - be unchained by the Word of LORD!

"Although"

"Although" ... What an interesting word. In spite of all of the amazing points of God's provision, there remains one thing that is irreplaceable and overwhelmingly desirable...One thing that we need... WE NEED HIM!

Have you ever stood in the middle of the flow of a massive crowd that was moving in the opposite direction that you were? Have you ever been caught in the fierce force of the ocean's undertow? Have you ever found yourself in a vehicle that had hit a patch of black ice and you were caught helplessly in the spin off into the unknown? Have you ever felt the waves of vertigo that would not allow you to lift your head? 

Have you ever faced the words "you best get your life in order!" ? Have you ever held the stillness of a small lifeless child and virtually drowned in the tears that fell from your eyes? Oh, if only You had been here! 

We have immense promises and possibilities that flow from the heart of God to us as His beloved children. His very character displayed in creation and described in scripture shout the untiring greatness of His power, the inexhaustible nature of His provision, the selfless focus of His loving-kindness and His ever renewing faithfulness. Why the delay ... wasn't Lazarus and His sisters(Mary and Martha) loved by Jesus? 

It was even clearly stated in John 11:5 "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." Well yes we could learn of the powerful provisions of God here -- 

- Time does not limit the works of God, 

- sickness doesn't terrify our Savior, 

- and death has absolutely no finality with our God. 

- Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. 

These are all great truths from a distance and especially when we are not in the passenger seat of catastrophe. 

Although, I truly think a greater truth was revealed in this passage, and it was found in Martha's words when Jesus arrived on the scene (potentially late by earthly standards). John 11:21 - "Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." and in her sister Mary's words soon after in verse 32 ... (almost like she had been coached by Martha) "LORD, If Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." 

We have no idea of the truths that are at our disposal in times of great duress and distress. We often sit under the false counsel of disappointment because of the pressure of time, sickness and death; But God does not penalize us for our fragile spiritual reflexes. He knows that we too will murmur under the sound of our breath - "Lord, if only you had been here!" 

Years ago I taught an extremely small but elite Sunday School class. It consisted of 2 students - My youngest Son, Jeremy, and the older adult handicapped son of one of our couples that attended church. This handicapped young man was at possibly half the mental capacity of Jeremy though Jeremy had just hit 13. I was reading from one of the Gospel stories that told of the paraplegic that was healed... as both Jeremy and this young man listened on intently. 

I felt overwhelmed by the mental and physical handicaps of this young man; and internally was hearing my own internal voice saying "Lord, if only you were here!" So I took a risk and asked the question - "What would you say to Jesus if He ... physically ... was right here?" 

Jeremy was potentially in the same frame of mind as I was -- so I directed the Question to this young man. I repeated the Question because I wasn't sure if he really heard me. All of a sudden the young man began to rock back and forth with excitement and shouted out while pretending to hug someone that he felt was there - "I would say - Jesus, O Jesus, I love you and I would give You a big hug!" 

Both Jeremy and I were challenged by his response. He didn't even consider his own healing, like the story ... He just wanted to hold and to love Jesus. We were wondering if we might be the ones that were handicapped. 

All the provisions for protection, peace and prosperity can be found in Him ... but the true test of what we really need is found when all those provisions are challenged... then we truly find the best thing ... we only need Him. 

Psalm 18:2 - "He is my Rock (my cliff), my fortress (siege works, prey net), my deliverer (my escape), my God (my mighty one), my strength (cliff rock wall), in whom I will trust (seek refuge), my buckler (covering shield), the Horn of my Salvation (flask of my victory, ray of light of my deliverance) and my high tower ( inaccessible height)"

 .... "ALTHOUGH" even with all of these verbalized provisions... by verse 6 distress had arrived: "I will call upon the LORD, and I cried unto my God: and He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ears." 

Although - You just have to read what happens next -- Look out enemies Here He Comes! 

HLFA, 

Jeff

The Piercing Shield

If only I could adequately describe the vision of "the refuge" where "the Ache" can lead us. What form or image of defense has the King provided for those that Love His Name? The Spirit teaching us Scripture has an amazing way of devotionally pulling our hearts into that wonder if we let Him.

Here is some strong devotional advice from a seasoned Saint, known as the Scarlet Sinner: "I heard the Voice of Love singing ever so sweetly ... 'Want not My Word to find evidence that thou art right; desire not to read My Love-letter to correct thy fellow Saint or to the waylaying of the froward, hold this Song fast in your heart as the wreathed, thorned crown of our suffering Savior, who loved our souls unto death and back' ."

Meditate momentarily on the Crown - the encircled wreath of thorns ... that momentarily protecting as well as piercing the brow of the Savior. O the irony of the pain on both sides of the thorns; the former of the crown could not fashion it without a piercing, the brow could not receive without a piercing; and the image of the crown so distanced and shielded our Savior that it would be just Him and the Father to deal with the only sacrifice that could perpetually offer salvation to those who would believe. 

"He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life... but wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36

"Destroy Thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels: cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against Thee."

"But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them: let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee."

"For Thou, LORD. Wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt Thou compass him as with a shield." Psalm 5 :10, 11, 12.

("Thou compass him as with a shield.")The Shield - the favor, the surrounding, the wreath, the piecing, the barb, the hook, a large shield and buckler, the cold of snow, the thorn, the crown ... The blessing!! All these are wrapped in the image of His shield provided by His favor for the kids of the King. 

The Shield is what allows us to fearlessly serve others in this life and serve with the full protection of eternity. However, on this side of the eternity, the shield is not seen; but the power of this Shield of Favor will be and needs to be... realized, and gratefully accepted. 

The shield provides His distance in the connection between the temporal and the eternal. This is why (experienced by His Kids) ...out of nowhere comes a sense of safety, an eternal call, a humble comment, a shared brokenness, a vital conversation, a radical conversion, a spiritual blessing; 

... and alternatively ... at the same time the shield can create a sense of unrest, a fearful glance, an angry outburst, a contemptuous reply, and a hurtful turn. There is pain and promise on both sides of the Shield.

Remember:  This is a devotional thought and can feel a little mystical; but isn't it amazing how God's people struggle to connect with Him ... Many times it is because the imagination has been numbed by lifestyles and choice of mental stimulation. Somehow imaging the greatness and glory of our God beaming out of eternity in our favor is treated as taboo. 

Children and young believers are constantly chided for thinking that God somehow personally intervenes in the affairs of humanity. What does it mean to you -- "Emanuel, God With Us" "Touched by the feelings of our infirmities." "He first loved us." ... How we see God loving us the link to our effectiveness in encouraging others of His love. 

When our total being is vested fully in His love for us, it will effectively spill over into the lives of others. Imagine being loved by the God of all creation, let it thrill your heart and then share it with all that you come in contact with. The shield will protect you!

Like the Psalmist, cry out in desire for the favor of the Piercing Shield... He is with you children.

HLFA,

Jeff

Dog Lick Deliverance

Drenched in his own sweat, his own tears, his own blood, and the blood of his enemies dripping from his weapons... there in the midst of the battlefield he stood. Some would say he was the champion, but his heart was telling him something very different. As his eyes panned the scarred earth and torn bodies around him, he realized he was the only one standing. There were no cheers, no songs, no witnesses, no admirers: no mercy. What had he done? What had he won?

He fell to his knees in the midst of the carnage and wept. He realized that his heart was satiated with the contempt of his enemies, the proud. With the fire of hate still raging against his senses, he felt as if there was absolutely no room for anything of true worth in his life. His heart was so heavy and so full of darkness that there couldn't be any space for the smallest light to flicker. There on his knees he gave into his total exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep. O Proskuneo where are you? Just then a large wounded mastiff crept up to the warrior, licked his hand, and lay down beside him.

"Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that He have mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud." Psalm 123

Wiping the sweat from his brow, and sighing, then loudly exclaiming, "Man, glad that was only a dream!" NOW ... Hauntingly, he realized that the dream had revealed the deep truth of contempt's captivation of his heart: though he hated the attitudes shown to him in the past, the treatment of "the scorner" and the mockery of "the proud" ... Over the days and years of quietly bearing the embarrassment, he had allowed disdain to fill his heart, and he had become what he hated. He was so exceedingly full of contempt that there was no room for the things that could bring healing to him and others: he could not find room for forgiveness, mercy, grace, faith and love in his life.

Although he thought he was a skilled spiritual counselor with plenty of lifetimes of wisdom's experience, he had become a source of negative attitude, controlling decisions, discouraging conjecture, hasty opinions, and woeful cursing of the life of others. The scariest thing was he began to cast away people who truly loved him ...with this overwhelming contempt. Either, or ; black and white; no gray in his perspective, and a hard hearted, stubborn answer had become the reflex of his lips. He knew the answer and didn't have to think about (or did he?); but what he had no power to offer, had become his greatest need ... MERCY.

O Proskuneo where are you? He slid out of his bed, fell to the ground and lifted his eyes ... looking and longing with his soul for the comfort of the Masters hand. O he would kiss that hand if he could find it offered. Tears seemed unquenchable in this moment, but it was here ... in his new found worship, in the midst of his tears... that he found Mercy offered. Worship prevailed! 

Until we face the exceeding contempt that we could be harboring beyond fullness, we stand stubbornly in a battlefield with only one unsung, one self proclaimed ... hero. And the song that we sing in that painfully awkward solitude carries the saddest of all melodies right to the heart of God ... Sing away, hear Him say - "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 

HLFA, 

Jeff