"My"

Is it wrong to imagine the unseen rescues that God has planned for his beloved ones? Is it presumptuous of us to think that HE WILL HEAL us? The simple answer to these questions is a resounding, "NO!" 

We say that He is almighty but are so timid to truly rely on His power to defend, to deliver, to hide, to save, and to keep ... Or could our hesitation to believe come from the daily negative interactions with and from those that we depend on for love. 

A mutual shrug, an exchanged growl, an ignorant silence, a returned sharp look, a quick and careless word... These all can culminate from our lives when the winds of adversity sweep into our souls. Oh, if only we could develop a reflex... that when the winds blow, we would bow before God in our time of need, before we start spewing our disappointment and resentful opinions toward others. 

Could it be that we have become the negative affliction in the lives of others? We need His Spirit and Love to rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep (Selfless abandon to be there for others is not in our DNA, it has to be Heaven sent.) 

If His Love is our filter and connection to our God, then our eyes will automatically be opened to see the amazing provision of His ultimate care for us. The end result is what we really want in our lives: that innermost being that has an unending, unstoppable force of grateful praise; that like a geyser of timely love offerings to the needy world around us, we will unleash an irresistible "listen UP - God loves you" message. 

Picture ourselves hurled into the middle of a skirmish involving the most violent hand to hand, sword to sword combat, along with the flailing of the most unrecognizable weaponry that we have ever encountered. The enemy has devised cruel, subtle weapons to devastate our lives and souls. Satan hates every bit of creation, especially the part created in God's likeness. With an active eternal hatred and he is relentless to achieve your destruction ... Usually from the inside out. 

Stand still and see the salvation of your God. He is our - ("My" is the Word used to describe each of these attributes of God in the midst of our battles): 

"My" Rock - (Seh-Lah) - The Crag or the cliff, putting me in a position where there is no other place to go. "My Fortress - (Maw-stood) - The net for prey, the bulwark, the siege work where He capture me in His love and sets a defense against my enemy. 

"My" Deliverer - (Paw-lat) - He actively saves, provides escape, and delivers me into His security. "My" God - ('el) - He is my Strong Man, my Warrior, my Mighty One, my God none can stand before Him. 

"My" Strength - (tsoor) - He is my Rocky Wall, my Cliff, putting me in an unscalable position in the face of the enemy - the enemy cannot get to me. "In whom I will trust"- as I seek refuge and flee for protection, 

"My" Buckler - (maw-gane') - He is my moveable shield that constantly surrounds me with protection. 

Horn of "my" Salvation - (Qeren) the horn, flask, Ray of light of my Deliverance -- He will always sound the triumph of His Love over me ... He Will always Win. 

"My" High Tower - (Mis-gab) - He is my Higher Security, His placement of my life is far out of reach of the enemy. 

What an amazing provision for us in the midst of the battle ... Oh if only we could grab some of these gems of truth and march forward fearlessly into our future. We HAVE the victory and need only claim it! 

"I bowed my head and then raised my eyes and prayers above the hills, in the midst of the Battle; and stood still until He had WON." -- read Psalm 121:1,2 

Jesus is MY Victory! 

HLFA, 

Jeff

Calling All Hewers

Can we truly see the deliverance of God when we are in the midst of international, national, local, or personal pain that is filled with life threatening strife? Why is it so hard to rise up beyond the verbal ruckus and the voices of panic plagued confusion ...AND become a conduit of Hope's deliverance? What does it take to be a Praise-Making-Hope-Deliverer? 

{Take the time to read Judges 6 --- this is a prelude to deliverance}

Waking up daily, to the smell of the damp air of the cave with its dank moist belly-like feeling, slithering over the occupants of the crevice of the rock, like a large anaconda ... just waiting to strike; this was absolutely the most depressing way to start every day. This was a dawning reminder of the oppressing enemy that brought on this life of loathing and barely surviving. To be truthful the real enemy is rarely faced because it is easier to blame than seek forgiveness. 

Years of oppression? Seven! ... (If one doesn't see that it has eternity written all over it ... the oppression's numbness may have taken its toll). Seven years of wasteful oppression with every crop planting destroyed, every potential harvest uprooted, every bit of cattle slain, every lamb bleat stifled in blood and the mangled meat left rotting. Any increase left out in the open was plundered and destroyed ... Death would be via the ache of starvation or by diseases urged on by malnutrition and stress. 

In the seventh year the sporadic intense cries that intensified with every passing year had finally molded the character of God's nation into "a cry".... And God heard "The Cry", and sent a prophet who responded to the cry ... "After such an amazing deliverance from Egypt and the nations of this land ... that God had given to you ... Why do you fear the breathless gods of the nations? Fear God!" 

What a prophetic message, but who even heard with the blame game still in play.The blame game had to stop, the heart needed to see itself as the real enemy ... so that deliverance could begin. With a People unknowingly lost in the fear of false gods, the game would continue until it would be met with a life altering conflict. 

So, God focused His Word on the "Hewer"... who would take on the task of "the one man" deliverance challenge, because he had been a source of resistance in the midst of the nation's compliance to false gods. God's Call Came and the "Hewer" placed his perceived poverty and foreboding insignificance before God: and God declared him a "Mighty Man of Valor!" 

The events that followed in the life of this man need to be recognized to realize that God is calling prepared people with a strong purpose; His call is to those who are not just "news sharers", "whiners and complainers", self proclaimed "spokespeople", emotion driven "rabble rouser"; God is looking for those ... who will or have: 

- taken responsibility for the condition of their world of influence. 

- already been "doing", not just spouting that "someone needs to" or "someday"!" 

- offered the threat point of their will to recognize the Voice of God. 

- Humbled themselves before Him. 

- Asked the hard reality questions of the Character of God. 

- will Obey the Voice of God to the tearing down of the altars of worship and supporting groves of devotion to false gods. 

"But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him." Judges 6:34 

These are our prerequisites to aligning with God's Voice and Plan for the battle ahead. 

Are you willing and/or have you been willing?

Calling all Hewers! 

HLFA,

Jeff