Pretending (Appearances)

Wednesday, August 31, 2011, 6:52 a.m. – The song, “Realizing,” was playing in my mind this morning after I woke up. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Acts 5:1-11:

Ananias and Sapphira

1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”

5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

9 Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

My Understanding: For over three years the disciples had followed Jesus Christ during his ministry on the earth, and had worked with him and alongside him. Yet, they had all abandoned him when he was arrested and tried, as though he was a common criminal, although he had done no wrong. Some of them, at least, stood and watched as he was hung on a cross and he died for our sins, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world, although they did not understand that he was dying for our sins at that time. They did not know or understand that, when he went to his death, he was taking our sins with him, and when he was resurrected, he conquered sin and death so that we could be set free, not only from the ultimate penalty of sin of eternity in hell, but most importantly he set us free from bondage to and the control of sin over our lives on a daily basis. And, he set us free to walk with him in complete obedience to his commands and to be in perfect fellowship with him.

When Jesus was resurrected from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and he taught them concerning why he had to die, that he was now going to be with the Father, but he would send them the Holy Spirit who would come to live within them. On the Day of Pentecost, following Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit of God and they proclaimed the gospel of salvation to all within their hearing. The gospel spread and many became followers of Jesus Christ. This was the beginning of the church. The book of Acts records that the church met together daily for fellowship, the teaching of the word, for prayer and for the breaking of bread. Not only that, but they willingly gave up money and property in order to help the poor and the needy.

The church was in its infant stages and was just getting on its feet when Ananias and his wife Sapphira decided they wanted to get into the action, and they plotted to sell a piece of land, to hold back some money for the sale of the property for themselves, and yet to pretend as though they were giving all that they had received for the sale to the church to be distributed to the poor. The thing of it is that they didn’t have to sell their property. It was theirs to keep. There were no requirements to do this. This was completely voluntary. And, even after they sold the property, the money was theirs to keep and/or to distribute however they chose. They were even free to keep some for themselves and to give some away. There were no stipulations in place concerning the sale of their property. No one was coming to their door and asking or demanding this of them. So, they did what they did completely and deliberately to deceive, to pretend, and to give an appearance that something was true about them that was not true. They willfully tried to make themselves look better than they really were, and they did this to get the approval and praise of men.

Peter, in the power of the Holy Spirit of God within him, told Ananias that Satan had filled his heart and he had lied to the Holy Spirit of God. God immediately judged Ananias and he fell down and died. His wife followed suit. She came to the apostles with the same concocted story about the sale of their property, not knowing the fate that had met her husband before her. She claimed that what they were giving was the full price of the sale of their property. Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Then, she died, too. And, great fear seized the whole church.

There are many speculations as to why this happened, and has not happened like this since that time, that we know of. Some commentators have compared it to the story in the Old Testament in Joshua 7 of Achan’s sin. The people of Israel had wandered 40 years in the desert after their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. They wandered all that time because of their sins of idolatry and spiritual adultery. They were on their way to the Promised Land, and yet many who had begun that journey as adults did not make it into the Promised Land because of their sin of unbelief. Joshua and Caleb, I believe, were the only survivors of the freed captives to make it into the Promised Land, along with the children of those who had originally begun this journey. And, now they had just conquered Jericho. Yet, they had rescued Rahab and all her family because of her fear of God.

God had given his instructions on what they were to do with the town of Jericho. I am not here to discuss God’s justice in all of this or why he had the Israelites destroy an entire town of people, other than to say that God is God and it is not my place to question his justice, yet I do know that he often did this because he knew the hearts of the people and he knew who would turn to him and who would not, and he also knew that those who would not turn to him would influence those who were his, and he was a great protector of those who were his own. So, at that time in history, it was the way in which God dealt with those who would not fear him and how he protected his children from those who might influence his children away from pure devotion to God. It was God’s way and he is God. And so he gave his children specific instructions because he wanted to protect them from evil. And, one of those instructions was that they were to stay away from “the devoted things.” Yet, Achan took some of “the devoted things,” so the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.

These were God’s words to Joshua concerning this sin: “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.”

What stood out to me concerning this story of Ananias and Sapphira was how they had the freedom to keep their property or to sell it, to give none of the money, some or all of it, and what they did was voluntary, yet they chose to make it appear that they had given all the money when they had not. What stood out to me here is how many who profess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, by the mere testimony of their commitment to Jesus Christ, to have him as Lord and Savior of their lives, are giving all to the Lord in appearance only but in reality are withholding part or all of their lives for themselves. They are holding on to “the devoted things,” which are not theirs to keep, so by doing so, they have lied, deceived and have put the Lord God to the test. And, that is why they are not able to stand against their enemy Satan and against evil, because they are devoted to God in appearance only, but in reality they are withholding from God what is rightfully his and should be given to and devoted to him for his work, for his service, and for his glory alone, not for the glory of man.

So, God is calling out to his church, in particular to those who are devoted to him in appearance only and/or who are pretending and are making it appear as though they have given all to the Lord when they have not, and when they have truly held some or all back for themselves, and are thus lying and deceiving and are putting God to the test. He is calling to his church to realize all that Jesus Christ did for us when he died on the cross for our sins so that we could go free from the control of sin (lies, deceit, pride, greed, etc.), and upon that realization to thus walk with Him in truth (not lies, pretense and false appearance), to truly make him Lord (master) of our lives, to turn from our sin, to obey his commands, and to get down on bended knee in full humility, repentance and submission to Almighty God, and to stop putting our God to the test. One day he will come in judgment upon this earth and upon the people of the earth, and, in fact, I believe he is already doing that. So, if you know in your heart that you are holding back from giving God your all, but by professing him as Lord of your life you are giving the impression that you have given all to him, then I pray that you will turn from your sin and give your all to God today.

Realizing / An Original Work / May 14, 2011

Realizing what He did for you
Should cause you to walk with Him in truth.
Trust in Him to be your Lord today.
Turn from sin; obey without delay.

Realizing He died on a tree,
So that from sin you could be set free,
Should bring you down upon bended knee,
Repentant; humbly; submissively.

Realizing that He loves us so,
Which is why, to the cross He did go,
Is what leads us to salvation free,
Through our faith in Jesus Christ our King.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/realizing

Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey1JLcFyPJI

Times of Refreshing

Monday, August 29, 2011, 6:53 a.m. – The song, “Rest for the Weary,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 3:11-26 and 4:8-12:

Peter Speaks to the Onlookers

11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

17 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’

24 “Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

…Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.’

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

My Understanding: A man who was crippled from birth was carried to the temple gate each day to beg from those going into the temple courts. One day the man saw Peter and John about to enter the gate, and he asked them for money. I love Peter’s response to the man. He said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong, he jumped to his feet and he began to walk. The disciples saw beyond this beggar’s surface need of money to see what he truly needed. He needed to walk so he could earn his own money, and would not have to beg for a living, but the need was even greater than that. He needed Jesus! Peter exclaimed to the people that it was by faith in the name of Jesus Christ that this man was healed and made strong. He said, “It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”

John 3:16 states that “God so loved the world that he gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.” And, truly that is our greatest need. And, this passage gives the perfect definition for us of how we should love others, too, with that agape-type love. We are to love others so much that we are willing to give of our own lives – time, energy, reputations, resources, etc. – to meet their legitimate needs. Sometimes, I think, we can get so focused on meeting surface needs (or wants) that we fail to meet people’s true heart need of the love of God in their lives, as shown through our lives and as witnessed to them through the sharing of God’s truths found in the Bible. In fact, sometimes if we only meet surface needs or wants and fail to see what people really need – Jesus Christ and his salvation - we may leave them spiritually and emotionally crippled and always begging to have their surface needs (or wants) met. So, I believe we need to ask the Holy Spirit of God to make us sensitive to what people truly need and to meet those legitimate needs with what resources he has given to us, mainly his love.

Peter explained to the people who this Jesus was (and is) in whose name this man was healed. He was the one they had handed over to the authorities to be killed. They had disowned Jesus before Pilate, who had decided to let Jesus go. Not only had they disowned one of their own, but they disowned the “Holy and Righteous One” and asked that a murderer be released to them, instead. Wow! Peter was telling them that they chose to set a murderer free while they condemned, not only an innocent man, but God Almighty to death. He told them they had killed “the author of life,” who is God Almighty. So, not only was Peter telling them that they did this to Jesus, a man, but they did this to God, because Jesus is God, because only God is the “author of life” and the “Holy and Righteous One.” They did not kill God as in killing his Spirit, but they put his human form to death on the cross. Yet, God the Father raised the Son, Jesus, from the dead, so that by faith in Jesus Christ we could be set free from the control of sin over our lives and we could be resurrected to new life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. And, this happened to fulfill scripture.

Then, Peter went on to explain how one comes to faith in Jesus Christ. He said, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” So many times throughout the New Testament this same message is repeated over and over and over again, including from Jesus himself, and yet many today still teach and believe that repentance and obedience to God are not necessary for salvation. It blows my mind that so many in public ministry can totally ignore these Biblical mandates concerning God’s salvation. This is not works-based salvation. We did nothing in ourselves to earn God’s grace. It was freely provided to us through Jesus’ death on the cross and via his resurrection when he conquered sin and death, and yet to believe in Jesus means to turn from our sin and to turn to God in obedience to his commands, and this is the working of the Holy Spirit of God within the life of one who truly believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior.

Peter said that the result of this kind of faith, that involves repentance and turning to God, is first of all that one’s sins would be wiped out (forgiven). Don’t expect forgiveness of your sins if you are not willing to come to God in repentance and to turn from your sin and to turn to God in obedience to his commands. This is essential! And, when you do, not only will you be forgiven and be given eternal life with God and be set free from the control sin has had over your life, so that you can be free to walk in obedience to our Lord, but “times of refreshing” will come to you from the Lord. Refresh means “revive, rejuvenate, restore, recharge, regenerate, renew, restart and revitalize.” This is speaking of our new birth in Jesus Christ when the Holy Spirit of God comes within us to make us new creatures in Christ Jesus our Lord and he does a heart transformation within us so that we desire no longer to live according to the ways of the world and allowing for our fleshly desires to rule our lives, but our desire now is to live for Jesus Christ and to walk humbly before him all our days.

One day Jesus is going to come back to earth to judge the world and to receive to him his own, and then we will be perfectly at rest with him in his eternal kingdom, and sin will no longer even tempt us – amen! I pray that as we watch and wait for his soon return that we will live lives worthy of the calling we have received of him and we will daily repent of sin and find his refreshing (renewal) in our lives to live holy unto him, forsaking sin and the things of this world, and seek daily his will and his purposes for our lives in being completely committed to him as his obedient servants. There we will know these times of refreshing.

Rest for the Weary / An Original Work / April 23, 2011

Rest for the weary; peace for the soul;
Light in the darkness; mercy untold;
Perfect salvation; pardoned and free,
For Jesus died so that all may believe.

While we are waiting for Your return,
Jesus, Redeemer, let our hearts yearn
For your soon coming to get Your bride,
Washed in Your blood, having been sanctified.

Father, Son, Spirit, all three in One
Giveth salvation through redemption;
Jesus provided the sacrifice,
For our sins blood bought, for He paid the price.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/rest-for-the-weary

Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLoMT5ZqB9g

By God's Grace

Sunday, August 28, 2011, 6:40 a.m. – The song, “By Your Grace,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 18-21 (quoting John 18:20-23, 36; 19:11; 20:21; and 21:15-19):

“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”

22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.

23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

…Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

…Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

…Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

…When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

My Understanding: Judas, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and close companions for the three plus years of his earthly ministry, agreed to betray Jesus and to hand him over to the authorities. Jesus was subsequently put under arrest, bound and turned over to the high priest for questioning. His disciples and/or followers all deserted him. He was put on trial, during which time another of his twelve disciples and close companions, Peter, denied his relationship with Jesus Christ, and he did this three times - one time, at least, vehemently denying that he ever knew the Lord.

When the high priest questioned Jesus, Jesus told him that everything he had done and said was out in the open, it was not hidden behind closed doors, and the people who had heard him speak could testify as to what he had said publicly. At this, one of the officials struck Jesus on the face. Jesus questioned the official as to why he struck him for telling the truth.

Then Jesus was brought before the Roman governor. Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus explained that his kingdom was not of this world, but from another place. Jesus agreed with the assessment that he was a king and, in fact, it was for this reason that he was born; that he had come into the world, as well as he had come to testify to the truth. Then he said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Pilate could find no basis for a charge against Jesus. It was Pilate’s yearly custom, at the time of the Passover, to release to the people a prisoner, so Pilate offered to release Jesus to them. Yet, the people chose to have a murderer released to them, instead, and they called for Jesus to be crucified.

Jesus was flogged and a crown of thorns was placed firmly upon his head. He was struck again on the face. They put a purple robe on him and mocked him. Pilate continued to find no fault with Jesus, nonetheless, and continued to find a way to release Jesus. He questioned Jesus about things which Jesus chose not to respond. So Pilate said, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or crucify you?” I love Jesus answer to him! He said, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” Amen!

Pilate still tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar.” So, Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified because he caved in to political and social pressure, which was apparently more important to him than the fact he knew he had just released a criminal and he had just condemned an innocent man to death.

So, Jesus was crucified, yet this was no mistake. It was God’s plan all along to send his Son, God the Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to take on human flesh, to suffer as we suffer, to be tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, then to die on a cross for our sins so that we could be set free. When he died our sins died with him, and when he was buried our sins were buried with him, yet when he was resurrected from the dead our sins stayed dead, because when he rose from the dead he conquered the grave, death, hell, Satan and sin. He put our sins to death on the cross so that, through faith in him, we can be free, not only from eternal punishment in hell, but free from the control of sin over our daily lives. This is God’s grace!

When Jesus was resurrected, he appeared to his disciples. He told them, “As the Father sent me, I am sending you.” He was letting them know that they were to carry on his ministry.

Then Jesus reinstated Peter. Peter had denied Jesus Christ three times, so Jesus asked him three times if he loved him. The first two times Jesus asked Peter if he loved - “agape” – him with a Godlike love, to which Peter answered that he loved Jesus with a friendship love. So, the third time Jesus asked him if he loved him with a friendship love, to which Peter responded in the affirmative. When Peter said he loved Jesus, Jesus responded by telling him to take care of his sheep, to feed them, and to follow Christ.

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ to our sins and our old lives, and we are resurrected to new lives and a new walk in Christ in obedience to him. You cannot have true faith in Christ apart from true repentance (turning from sin) and choosing to walk in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ. And, when we are resurrected with Christ to our new lives he, as well, asks us if we love him, and if we love him, we are to care for and feed his sheep and follow him wherever he leads us.

This song is a prayer to our Lord asking him to be all we need to walk humbly before him as his obedient servants, to change our hearts so that we might be more like him, to guide and direct our steps, to help us to live for him every day as we listen daily to his words, and to make himself Lord of our hearts so that we can be his faithful witnesses and obey him in all things, being doers of the word and not hearers only. This is what it means to be his followers and this can only be done by his grace, in his power and in his strength. If we truly love Jesus Christ, then we must follow him wherever he leads us and be his faithful servants and witnesses in feeding and caring for his sheep.

By Your Grace / An Original Work / June 27, 2011

Speak Your words to my heart,
Let Your grace and love impart.
Be to me all I need
To love and serve Christ my King;
To love and serve Christ my King.
Change my heart; be like You;
Let me love and serve in truth.
Guide my steps ev’ry day,
As I bow my knees and pray;
As I bow my knees and pray.

Love You, Lord. You love me.
You died so that I’d go free
From my sin; pure within;
By Your grace I’m saved from sin;
By Your grace I’m saved from sin.
Invite You in my heart;
Now I have a brand new start.
Repented of my sin,
So that I’d be cleansed within;
So that I’d be cleansed within.

Live for You ev’ry day,
List’ning to the words you say.
Make You Lord of my heart;
Be Your witness, grace impart;
Be Your witness, grace impart.
Obey Your ev’ry word;
Do the things I’ve seen and heard.
Your word, Lord, in me burns,
While I wait for Your return;
While I wait for Your return.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/by-your-grace

Song on Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gCSwQSG2AI

In Them

Saturday, August 27, 2011, 6:36 a.m. – The song, “God’s Great Commands,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 17:

Jesus Prays for Himself
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

My Understanding: The Lord woke me with the song, “God’s Great Commands,” which is about loving God and loving others, so when I got to verse 26, the last verse of this passage of scripture, I knew this was to be my key verse for this writing. Jesus Christ, God the Son, made known God the Father, as well as he made known himself and the Holy Spirit – our triune God – to the people of his day, while he was still on the earth. In his prayer to his Father, he said that he would continue to make God known to the people, the purpose of which was so that the love God the Father has for the Son may be in the hearts and lives of the people to whom Jesus was making him known, and also for the purpose that he might, in the person of the Holy Spirit, come to dwell within the hearts and lives of his followers.

Jesus was given authority by God the Father over all people so that he might give eternal life to all those the Father had given to him as his true disciples. Jesus used that authority over all men to humble himself, to take on human flesh, to suffer as we suffer, to be tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, to suffer persecution, hatred, jealousy, misunderstanding, mocking, false accusations, beating and scourging, crucifixion on a cross, taking all our sins upon himself, and he suffered betrayal, abandonment and denial by his closest companions, by those who were his own family members, and/or by those who were his own people. He did this because he loved us and because he wanted to give us, not only eternal life with him in glory, but so he could set us free from the control of sin over our lives and so he could set us free to walk humbly and obediently in fellowship with him.

Then, Jesus described what eternal life was or what it consisted of and what it means to have eternal life. He said that it was for us to know God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. Then, he went on to describe those who knew him and were his true followers. He said of them that they have obeyed God’s words and they accepted the words into their hearts and lives. They were not merely hearers of the word, but they were doers of the word, i.e. they obeyed the word, i.e. the word of God was alive in their lives in practice. They were also certain of who Jesus was, who he came from, and they believed in him.

Jesus’ prayer, thus, for those who were his true followers, who obeyed and accepted his words and the Father’s words into their lives and who believed in Jesus Christ for who he was and for who he came from, was that the Father would protect them for they were still in the world. God didn’t always and does not always protect us from hurt, pain, persecution, suffering or even death. In fact, he promises that we will have great trouble in this world. So, I believe the protection that Jesus was speaking about was and is protection against the evil one and the evils of this world, since they were still in the world. So, the prayer was basically that they would be kept from becoming like the world but would rather be kept set apart for God and for his service and that God would purify them and make them holy.

Jesus expounds on that further when he says to the Father that his prayer is not that his followers be taken out of the world, even though they were hated and would be persecuted just as Jesus was, because they had the words of God, they spoke the words of God, and because they were not a part of this world any more than Jesus was. And, the world (including the worldly church) will hate us, too, when we share the words of God and when we separate ourselves from worldly passions and desires and we choose to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in all things, because they will want us to join in with them and be just like them. And, Jesus Christ is not promising us protection from mistreatment or a physical escape from the trials, temptations and tribulations that will face us while we are still on the earth. Yet, he does promise to be with us, to give us strength and encouragement, hope, comfort, joy and peace, even in the midst of great tribulation.

Then, Jesus extended his prayer, not merely for those who were already his followers but also to include those who would yet believe in him. His prayer here was for unity, but not the kind of unity that the world speaks of or even that some churches speak of when they preach unity with men’s visions. Jesus was talking about a unity with the Father and with the Son and if we are united with them in spirit, then we should be united, as well, with others who are also in unity with the Father and with the Son. He prayed that his followers would be brought to complete unity to let the world know that the Father had sent him and that he loved them just as he loved the Son. When we are not unified in Christ, as a people of God, it is a poor testimony of our faith in Jesus Christ and is a poor reflection on the church as a people of God. And, I believe that is why Jesus prayed that God’s love would be in his followers and that his spirit would dwell within them, because God’s love for others is the greatest way in which we can show the world who Jesus is and why Jesus came.

God’s Great Commands / An Original Work / July 10, 2011

Loving God and loving others
Are the Lord God’s great commands.
On these rest all of the others;
Live by them and you’ll not fail.
Be a witness, share the gospel,
Be a light in this dark world.
Share the love of Jesus always
To a world who has not heard.

Serving others; be like Jesus;
Wash their feet and pray with them.
Be a healer; mend their hurts and
Show them how to turn from sin.
Be a living example of
How to live for Jesus Christ,
Walking with Him in His footsteps,
Leading others to new life.

Give to God and give to others
Of yourselves in ev’ry way.
Obey your Lord, do His bidding;
Bow your knees and humbly pray.
Pray for others to know Jesus.
Tell how they can be set free
Of their sins and live for Jesus;
Walk with Him eternally.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/god-s-great-commands

Song on video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DWGg3-NvEE

You Will Weep

Friday, August 26, 2011, 7:22 a.m. – The song, “Realizing,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. I also woke from a dream.

THE DREAM: I was sitting in a row of chairs, which were facing west. A man to my right (or north of me) was talking about repentance (regret over wrongdoing; change of heart and mind). He was illustrating, with body language, what it meant to repent. So, he took his arms and he swung them left to right (south to north). I know I agreed with him. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 16:17-33:

Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

…Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

31 “You believe at last!” Jesus answered. 32 “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

My Understanding: I read several news stories (referenced below) which made a direct hit with this dream, as well as did this passage of scripture. Then, my husband and I went to lunch. The restaurant was one in which we clean up our own dishes afterwards. My salad bowl and soup bowl were on a platter that I was carrying in one hand while I carried my drink cup in the other hand. I was saying good-bye to a former acquaintance, who we had seen in the restaurant, when my wrist gave way, the platter tipped, the remainder of my bowl of tomato soup went flying to the ground and the tomato soup splattered on the woman who was eating at the table with my former acquaintance. The woman was wearing a solid white skirt, and she now had tomato soup all over her skirt, arm, shirt, etc. I felt so horrible that I began to cry and to tell her how truly sorry I was for getting this tomato soup all over her white skirt. She assured me it was ok, but I could not stop crying (stress buildup, probably), and I felt so badly for messing up her white skirt.

Then, as we were leaving, my husband told me the two women were laughing over the incident. He said he looked back in there and they were laughing, so I was not to worry. Then, he began to laugh, too. I wasn’t laughing, though. I was still crying over this when we got into the car and drove home and when we got home, so I began praying and asking the Lord if he was trying to teach me something through this. Was there a lesson he wanted me to learn? And, then I got out my Bible and read again what I had read in the morning and the words, “you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices,” really jumped out at me because I was weeping and mourning and feeling such sorrow over having spilled this soup and it having splattered all over this woman’s white skirt – a woman I did not even know. And, yet, the women and my husband were laughing over it, which is good that they could laugh at something that really was not all that important in reality. Yet, I believe the Lord allowed this to illustrate to me very personally what he was teaching his disciples.

I read a news story about the hurricane coming up the east coast of the USA from the south, and it struck me how there were some similarities between this picture of this man to my right physically demonstrating what it means to repent, using his arms (power; military strength; weapons) swinging from the south to the north. Phrases such as “heightened waves,” “expanded warning area”, covering a large section of the east coast, from Washington to New York, or from North Carolina to New York City, strong storm surge, strong winds, and damage to crops, etc., reminded me of this image of this man’s arms swinging south to north and us both facing the west.

I read another story of a car bomb that supposedly detonated outside Nigeria’s United Nation’s complex, leaving scattered bodies, many dead, and a mention of a largely Christian south, etc. And, then I read a story about NATO airstrikes in Libya, which also brought to mind this image of this man waving his arms in the air from the south to the north, while facing the west, claiming that he was demonstrating the meaning of “repentance.” The sporadic shooting and mention of bloodstains brought to mind the red tomato soup splattered all over this woman’s white (for purity) skirt (could be a symbol of servanthood). The story spoke of the shooting and airstrikes being for the purpose of “paving the way” for the advance of the rebels if they are not able to negotiate an agreement.

Then, there was something said in the article indicating that time was up for the present government and that they needed to realize that their time was up. Then, a little further in the article it said something to the effect that the opposition needed to let go and go back (repent, basically). I don’t know specifically who this man represents or who I represent, only I normally do symbolize the US or the US government, and I was in agreement with this man’s physical display to demonstrate the meaning of repentance, and the article does say it was NATO and British forces who are carrying out the airstrikes in Libya. If we are not directly involved in these strikes, we are at least in compliance with them taking place.

The dreams the Lord Jesus gives me are always (99.9%) for the purpose of giving practical application to today of his word and its truths. The passage today was about Jesus’ disciples mourning the death and loss of Jesus and how the world would rejoice that the “troublemaker” had been removed from their midst. The passage also said, “Now is your time of grief.” I was grieving over the spilled and splattered tomato soup all over this woman’s white skirt. I believe this represents the spilled blood of the saints of Almighty God who are servants of the Lord who are being killed because they are the Lord’s servants and because they refuse to “repent” of their faith in Jesus Christ and they refuse to “turn” from their belief in Jesus to follow the N.W.O. And, I do weep over this. Yet, many are rejoicing over Christians being exterminated from the face of the earth. And, many, as well, are completely oblivious to what is really going on in the world and are just having a good time.

We were facing the west in the dream. I believe the Lord is saying that our time is coming soon. I don’t know if this hurricane is part of this or not, but I do believe it illustrates the kind of judgment that is coming to America in the near future, if not now, and that, although the N.W.O. is calling for nations to repent of their independence and to bow to the N.W.O., and they are calling for Christians to give up and to let go (repent) of their belief that Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father and to heaven, or else face the consequences, Jesus is calling for a different kind of repentance. He is calling for us to forsake our sins of idolatry and spiritual adultery, as a nation, and as a people of God (the church), because our time is coming when “repentance” will be physically demonstrated to us, too, and we will be asked by the new global order to realize that our time is up and that we are to give up and retreat and bow to them, and if we do, then we will be safe (like the mob does when it offers “protection” to business owners who cooperate).

Jesus told his disciples that a time would come when they would be scattered, each to his own home, which is what the N.W.O. is asking that believers in Jesus Christ do. They were scattered because they forsook Jesus Christ. I pray that when this time of great persecution comes to America that God’s holy church will rise, be on fire for the sake of Christ and the gospel and will be willing to lay down their lives for Jesus’ sake rather than giving up and retreating. I pray we will now see our sins of pride, arrogance, idolatry, and spiritual adultery and that we, as Americans, and we, as the church in America will be revived in our hearts as we realize all that Jesus went through so that we could go free.

Realizing / An Original Work / May 14, 2011

Realizing what He did for you
Should cause you to walk with Him in truth.
Trust in Him to be your Lord today.
Turn from sin; obey without delay.

Realizing He died on a tree,
So that from sin you could be set free,
Should bring you down upon bended knee,
Repentant; humbly; submissively.

Realizing that He loves us so,
Which is why, to the cross He did go,
Is what leads us to salvation free,
Through our faith in Jesus Christ our King.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/realizing

References:
Hurricane Irene's effects begin being felt in NC
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRENE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-26-07-28-35
Car bomb strikes UN building in Nigeria's capital
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_NIGERIA_EXPLOSION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-26-07-36-39
NATO attacks pro-Gadhafi forces near Sirte
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-26-07-28-39

The Shroud

Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 8:43 a.m. – The song, “God’s Great Commands,” was playing in my mind as I got up to have my quiet time with the Lord Jesus this morning. As I was on my way out to have my time of devotions with the Lord, I recalled that I had a dream in the night about a shroud, though I did not know what a shroud was exactly.

THE DREAM: Someone had been given a shroud as a gift from a family member. The family was of German descent. The person who was given the shroud was a seminary student of some kind, but he was taking some time off from school, perhaps for financial reasons.

The shroud ended up on a dining table of some sort where I and another person were seated. The shroud was light brown in color and had a particular textured pattern to it, though it was one solid color. It had the appearance of parchment (very old).

I ended up writing on the shroud and I drew pictures on it, too. Why? I don’t know. Afterwards, I realized the significance or the importance of this shroud to this man in seminary (I don’t know what religion uses a shroud). The shroud was like a shawl that went around the man’s neck and shoulders when he preached.

So, I went to the computer and looked up “shroud”, found one, and I placed an order for one so that I could give the man another one. Yet, then I learned that this one I had drawn pictures on had sentimental value to the man, because it had been given to him by a relative. So, I put something like Spray and Wash on it, and threw it into the washing machine.

One of the relatives of this man then came and sat next to me, to my right (east). I figured she was coming to fuss at me about the shroud.

It gets fuzzy in my memory at this point. I know there was a woman who sat next to me, to my right, who wanted me to show her something about the Bible or about studying the Bible, but as soon as I began to show her, she got up and left. I am not certain this is connected to the man’s relative sitting next to me, though it may be.

I remember getting the shroud out of the washer, but two of the pictures I had drawn on it could still be seen, even though they were somewhat faded at this point. There was some discussion about this, but I don’t remember what was said or what was finally decided about the shroud.

I also remember being in a grocery store checkout line, but I don’t recall what happened there, either. This is all I remember of the dream. END

Based upon the dream, I was expecting “shroud” to be some kind of religious shawl worn by clergy in some religion. Def: Shroud - a cloth in which a dead body is wrapped before burial; something that covers or conceals something or somebody; a protective covering, e.g. a guard for a piece of machinery, etc. (Encarta). The shroud looked something like this image on the left: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_of_Turin. Some regard the image on this shroud to be that of Jesus Christ and is associated with his crucifixion, death and burial.

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 15:18-16:4:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

“All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

My Understanding: I read a news story (referenced below) about a partnership between the CIA and the NYPD, and immediately it made many hits with this dream. The article is very long, and my notes are extensive, so I am praying that the Lord Jesus puts the pieces together for me.

First of all, I learned that a shroud is a covering for the dead, yet it is also a cover for the purpose of concealing something or somebody. I get the strong impression from this, in combination with the news article, that this is about concealing the dead and/or concealing and making a cover story for why they are dead. This whole article is shrouded (masked; cloaked; hidden) in mystery as to what of it is true and what of it is lies.

The thought of a shawl as being something someone wears over his neck and shoulders brought to mind a yoke, which can symbolize oppression, burden, and bondage. The shroud also appears to represent Jesus’ crucifixion, and the Lord is paralleling that over to the persecution of Christians in these last days, I believe. And, this would be a yoke that we would bear as disciples of Christ, as we are called to share in the fellowship of his sufferings. Yet, Jesus said we are to bring our burdens to him because his yoke is easy and his burden is light for us to bear, because he bore the burden for us on the cross and he will bear the weight of whatever we go through. We just have to put our lives in his hands.

I began my recording of the dream by saying that “someone” had been given a shroud as a gift from a family member. Since this whole article is about undercover operatives, and this person was wearing this shroud as though it were a shawl, and the shroud is a cover (concealment) for the dead as well as it represents the persecution and deaths of Christians, then it would appear that this person, i.e. this “someone” who was given this shroud as a gift from German relatives would be acting as though he were a Christian and perhaps, also, a minister of the gospel, when in reality he is neither. It is just a covering that he wears when he preaches, but that he takes off when not preaching. In reality, he would be an undercover operative to spy on believers in Jesus Christ. And, this “someone” is now on sabbatical leave.

Continuing on the theme of this “someone” who had been given this shroud as a gift, I found in the article that “someone” was needed to do extensive intelligence work, someone was needed to develop this global (it turns out) operation - someone who had access to privileged information about people, someone who was willing to be an informant, and someone with great creativity, who would do what others might not be willing to do.

The shroud ended up on a table. If something is “on the table,” it is up for discussion or something being considered. A table can also be a graph, chart, diagram, agenda or plan. This article spoke of a “human mapping program” which basically targets minority groups or particular demographics, including targeting people of a particular religious affiliation. I believe the Lord is showing me that they are targeting, persecuting, and killing Christians world-wide, as the article continues by broadening its reach beyond just the borders of New York City to the nations of the world. I believe the Lord has been showing me for some time that factions within our federal government, in cooperation with the “international community,” i.e. the New World Order, have been persecuting and killing Christians in the nations of the world, but have been covering this up by calling the Christians “terrorists” or “rebels,” which is the cover-up for their deaths. And, this appears to be happening to some extent in the USA, as well, and is about to greatly increase in intensity, I believe.

I (don’t know yet who I represent) ended up writing on the shroud and drawing pictures. I didn’t know why I did this. Jesus said that they hated him without reason, and they will hate us, too, so I do know that this writing on the shroud on the table, which is about this human mapping, is directly related to hating, persecuting and the killing of Christians for no reason other than the fact that they are believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus warned us that this was going to happen, and we know it is going to happen world-wide in the last days. Whoever I represent in this dream, which is often the US government, appears to be involved in this human mapping, planning and plotting how to infiltrate Christian groups to spy on them and then to persecute, kick them out of the church, and kill them.

People are being stopped in their vehicles, searched, and spied upon for no reason, i.e. without any reason to suspect them of anything. They are being monitored in grocery stores, bookstores, churches, cafes, bars, etc. Sermons are being monitored. They are probably monitoring everything we do. People supposedly blow themselves up for no particular reason, either, and maybe that is because they don’t really blow themselves up. I wonder how many people our government has said were people who blew themselves up in order to kill other people with them didn’t really kill themselves, but we, the US government and military, NATO, and the New World Order killed them because they were Christians or because we feared they knew too much and they might squeal.

Since I had drawn on this person’s shroud (cover), I tried to get him another one (cover), yet the old one had sentimental value to him, so I put some Spray and Wash on it and put it into the washing machine, yet when it came out, you could still see two of the pictures. I believe this is about this someone having a cover (like an undercover operative), yet I (whoever I am) had written something on that cover (maybe I exposed his cover), and so I tried to get him another cover (as an undercover operative), yet he wanted the old one for sentimental reasons, so I tried to whitewash it or make it look better, but some of what I had drawn on it (word pictures I had painted of the situation, perhaps) could still be seen, so I was not able to clean up the cover (concealment) entirely.

This article is mainly about a man named Cohen, who was CIA and then began this secretive unit in the NYPD. The article talked about him being shaped, and I was drawing shapes on a man’s cover. His informants were to blend in, act like they were one with the people, act as a human camera, etc. They even collected data on people in prayer services. They recruited store owners and neighbors to spy on patrons and neighbors. Sounds like Hitler, doesn’t it? This undercover unit is a special services unit just like Hitler’s SS, which was responsible for many, many crimes against humanity. Only, this unit is in the service of the global community. And, it keeps looking like I am representing the federal government of the USA, who supposedly is not party to any of this. The United Nations is all through this, as well as is the FBI, CIA, et al. And, this is all over the globe, including in the US.

There is so much more here that I don’t have time to go into right now, but I believe this is a heads up that this is going on world-wide, including inside the USA, that God is telling us he warned us this was coming, and we should take the warning seriously and get ready for some very serious persecution coming to the USA soon.

God’s Great Commands / An Original Work / July 10, 2011

Loving God and loving others
Are the Lord God’s great commands.
On these rest all of the others;
Live by them and you’ll not fail.
Be a witness, share the gospel,
Be a light in this dark world.
Share the love of Jesus always
To a world who has not heard.

Serving others; be like Jesus;
Wash their feet and pray with them.
Be a healer; mend their hurts and
Show them how to turn from sin.
Be a living example of
How to live for Jesus Christ,
Walking with Him in His footsteps,
Leading others to new life.

Give to God and give to others
Of yourselves in ev’ry way.
Obey your Lord, do His bidding;
Bow your knees and humbly pray.
Pray for others to know Jesus.
Tell how they can be set free
Of their sins and live for Jesus;
Walk with Him eternally.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/god-s-great-commands

Song on video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DWGg3-NvEE

Reference: With CIA help, NYPD moves covertly in Muslim areas
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SEPT_11_NYPD_INTELLIGENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-24-06-10-47

An Example of Love

Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 2:18 a.m. – The song, “Leap for Joy,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 13 (quoting vv. 18-38):

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’

19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. 20 I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”

22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

“What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, 28 but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

My Understanding: Jesus knew it was time for him to leave this world. What this means is that he also knew that one of his close companions was about to betray him, another was going to deny him three times, all would abandon him initially, he would be hated, spat upon, scourged, beaten, a crown of thorns placed on his head, mocked, put on trial and ultimately crucified on a cross, although he had committed no wrong. Not only that, he knew that he must go to the cross to be our sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world. What that means is that he knew he was going to take upon himself all the sins of the world, and not only that, but that His Father would have to look away from him. Oh, what suffering beyond human comprehension awaited him. So, what did he do? He served and loved those whom he knew were going to betray, deny and/or abandon him. What love!

The scripture says that Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer garments, wrapped a towel around his waist, and he began to wash the disciples feet. Some would teach that Jesus’ act of servanthood here was merely a lesson to teach us that we must also be servants to others, even to serve those who hate us and reject us. Yet, there is so much more to this story than just an example to us in servanthood. If we follow Jesus’ words closely, I believe we will get a glimpse into the symbolism of the act, as well.

Peter could not comprehend his Lord stooping to act as a servant to him in washing his feet, and yet Jesus told him that “Unless I wash you, you have no part of me.” Peter not only needed his feet washed, because they were dirty, but he was in need of a spiritual cleansing, as well, and this is what Jesus was referring to. In other words, unless we allow Jesus Christ to cleanse our hearts of sin and to set us free, not only from the ultimate penalty of sin, but free from the power, bondage to and control of sin over our daily lives via us turning from our sin (repentance) and turning to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ, then we have no part in Jesus Christ, i.e. we are not truly his. The New Testament and Jesus’ teachings tell us this over and over again, and yet many still do not get it.

And, Peter didn’t get it, either. He basically said to Jesus, “Ok, then, you can wash my whole body.” He missed the point entirely. Then, Jesus said something rather profound, if understood within its symbolic context. He said that if a person has had a bath, he only needs his feet to be washed. They got their feet dirty when they walked along, because they did not have cement sidewalks and paved streets. They walked in dirt all the time. When we walk our daily lives as believers in Jesus Christ, we don’t need to be saved again (a bath) every time we sin against our Lord, but what we do need is to have our feet washed, i.e. we need daily cleansing of sin in our lives which will take place from time to time as we walk along in this world and we give into temptation to sin, and we get our “walk” dirty with sin.

Then, Jesus told his disciples that he had set the example for them and they were to wash one another’s feet. Yet, he was not speaking merely of a physical washing of feet or even only of the physical act of servanthood he displayed, though they were part of the example. He was speaking of the symbolism, as well. They were to follow their Lord and his example in sharing the gospel message of repentance and faith and obedience to Jesus Christ and what the act of the washing of feet truly symbolized in representing our salvation and daily cleansing from sin.

Four years ago this October I participated in a “foot washing” and distributing of new socks and shoes to people as a ministry project. I don’t like to touch people’s feet, not even people in my own family, except for the babies. So, I knew it would take the grace of God to help me to do what naturally I was opposed to doing. So, I prayed and asked the Lord Jesus for a scripture passage to let me know what approach to take and to assure me that he was with me in this adventure. He gave me this verse:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Co. 5:17-18).

Quote from my journal from October 2007: “He (Jesus) helped me to see that just as people came in there with dirty feet and needed to have their feet cleansed, many of them also came in there with dirty hearts. We are all born with dirty hearts (born into sin) and we need to have our hearts cleansed just like we were washing their feet. Also, just as they removed their old shoes (or we removed them for them) and we put new shoes on them after we washed their feet, the Lord has provided the way that we can have our old dirty hearts removed and we can leave there not only with new shoes, but with new hearts.”

So, in following Jesus’ example set for us in servanthood, we must also follow his example in sharing the symbolism of what he did that day by telling people the gospel message and by letting them know how they, too, can be set free from the penalty and the control of sin over their daily lives through Jesus’ saving grace, his shed blood on the cross for our sins, and through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit to transform us into new creatures in Christ Jesus, no longer conformed to the pattern of this world, but daily being renewed in our minds so that we can live lives pleasing unto our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus not only set the example for us of servanthood and of the sharing of the gospel message, but he also set the example for us of how to respond to people mistreating, hating, rejecting, accusing falsely, mocking, denying, betraying, and abandoning us. He served them. He loved them. He ministered to their needs. He died for them, i.e. he gave of himself and all he had willingly to suffer for us so that we could go free. And, he did this with joy, even though he had anguish of heart, as well.

Hebrews 12:2-3: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Leap for Joy / An Original Work / August 2, 2011
Based off of Luke 6:22-23, 27-28

Leap for joy in that day.
Great is your reward in heaven.
Blessed are you who are poor;
Blessed are you who hunger now.
You will be satisfied and
You will laugh if you weep now.
Blessed are you when men hate you
And exclude you because of Christ.

Leap for joy in that day.
Love your enemies who hate you.
Do them good; say kind things;
Pray for those who treat you wrong.
If you love those who love you
What reward is there for you?
Love your enemies and your
Reward will be great in heaven.

Leap for joy in that day.
You will be sons of the Most High.
Be ye kind; merciful
To the ungrateful always.
If you love those who love you
What reward is there for you?
Do to others as you would have
Them do to you every day.

Leap for joy in that day.
Great is your reward in heaven.
Blessed are you who are poor;
Blessed are you who hunger now.
You will be satisfied and
You will laugh if you weep now.
Blessed are you when men hate you
And exclude you because of Christ.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Link to song

Link to song video

Luke 6:22-23, 27-28: “Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.”
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

"IF You Love Me"

Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 7:53 a.m. – The song, “How Sweet the Sound,” was playing in my mind when I awoke. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 14:

Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.

My Understanding: Many in this life are troubled in heart over poor health, deaths in the family, loss of job, financial difficulties, family issues, straying children, job complications, etc. Jesus said for us to not let our hearts be troubled (worried), but to put our trust in God the Father and in him (God the Son). Then, basically, he reminded us that this world is not our home, but for those found to be in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, he is preparing a home for us. One day he will come back for us – Praise Jesus! – And, we will go to be with him, and forever we will be with him wherever he is! Hallelujah!

Then, Jesus told his disciples that they knew the way to the place where he was going, because he was the way, the only way to the Father and to eternity in heaven with God. Not only is Jesus the only way to heaven and to the Father, but he is the only truth and the only light (truth) there is, and apart from him, there is no other. Jesus went on to say that if we know him, we know the Father, because the Father is in him and he is in the Father. The Father is living in Jesus doing his work. Jesus does not act or speak on his own accord, rather he acts and speaks what he has received from the Father. As well, the Holy Spirit is within those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and he does the work of the Father and the Son within us and out through us, if we are willing.

The disciples, at the time that Jesus was on the earth, had the Holy Spirit with them in the person of Jesus Christ, yet the Holy Spirit was not dwelling within them yet. Once Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then was resurrected and ascended to heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to indwell and to empower his followers. So, when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit of God within us in all his fullness – the living water springing up within us to eternal life! I believe scripture teaches that when the Holy Spirit comes within us in saving grace and in transforming our hearts in salvation, that this is what was referred to by John when he said Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit.

If you study the subject of baptism, you come to understand that when we believe in Jesus we are baptized spiritually (of the Holy Spirit) into Christ’s death and into death to our sins and we are resurrected to new life in Jesus Christ. The scripture in Ephesians 5, which commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit must be understood in light of the previous verses on dying to our old way of life, putting off the flesh, and putting on Christ, as well as we must understand that the word “filled” is really “be ye being filled,” i.e. it is a continual process in our lives of putting off the deeds of the flesh and putting on Christ and His Holy Spirit. So, being filled with the Spirit of God is not an emotional one-time experience where we “feel” something, but it has to do with us putting off the flesh and putting on Christ, which thus allows the Holy Spirit room to do his work in our hearts and lives.

Then, Jesus said something of great importance that is critical that we understand. So many preachers today are preaching a false gospel that says that repentance and obedience to Christ are not necessary for salvation, and yet Jesus’ own words refute this false gospel over and over again. At least three times in this passage of scripture, Jesus said that “IF” we love him, we will obey his commands. And, then he will give us the Holy Spirit within us. Of course, this must be understood in the context of where they were in history, as the Holy Spirit had not yet come, yet I believe it can be applied to us today in the context of what it means to be a true believer in Jesus Christ. We must obey our Lord by turning from our sins and by turning to walk in faith and obedience to him and to his commands. If that was not our experience when we came to faith in Jesus Christ, then maybe we should check to make sure we are really in Christ Jesus and that his Spirit truly dwells within us.

Jesus reversed this saying when he said whoever has his commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves him, and we cannot know Jesus apart from loving him, because he goes on to say that those who love him will be loved by his Father, implying that is not the case if we do not love the Son. And, if the Father loves us, the Son will also love us, and he will show himself to us. If you are having difficulty hearing God’s voice and understanding his word (not that any of us will understand all of it), then maybe you should check with the Lord to see if you truly love him, which means you are obeying his commands. So many people want God to do for them, and they will pray for God’s blessings in their lives and for God to reveal himself to them in any given situation, and yet they fail to love Jesus by obeying his commands. We need to make sure we have things in the right order.

Again, Jesus said, “IF anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.” Some of us may think we are obeying his teaching, but then maybe we don’t read the Bible and so we don’t really know all of which he taught. He taught some pretty tough stuff, which is why many of his so-called followers deserted him, because they could not accept the hard teaching. Jesus then said that if we love him and we show we love him by obeying his teaching, he and the Father will make their home with us. Interesting! And, yet people are still teaching that obedience is not necessary for salvation. How much clearer can Jesus be? If we want his blessings in our lives, if we want his Holy Spirit within us, and if we want the Father and the Son to make their home in our lives, we must obey what Jesus taught – all of it! This does not mean we will live in sinless perfection, but what it does mean is that this is what we strive to do in the power and working of the Holy Spirit within us.

When we believe in Jesus via repentance (turning from sin) and obedience to his commands, to walk in his truth, the Holy Spirit of God enters our hearts and he becomes God’s presence and voice within us to teach us, to counsel us, and to remind us of all things Jesus said when he was on the earth. We should be hearing his voice speaking within us showing us the way to go and guiding us into all truth, unless we are not truly his disciples, or unless we have been quenching his Spirit within us due to disobedience to his commands. Yet, the only way to true peace, which Jesus has left us, is to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ and to do what he says to do. Then, we should have no reason to fear.

How Sweet the Sound / An Original Work / April 24, 2011

How sweet the sound of Your saints in chorus;
Oh, how we adore You, our King.
We love You so, we want You to know.
That’s why we lift our voice to sing.
Praise and adoration we bring
Just to honor God and our King.

We love You, Lord, for Your great salvation;
Freely given grace from above.
Jesus, our friend, His promise won’t end.
He gave His life out of His love.
By His blood He purchased our fee,
When He died on Calvary’s tree.

He set us free so that we can worship
Him as a living sacrifice.
We come to Him with all of our sin.
Before our God we humbly bow.
We have been forgiven our sin,
So that we might be cleansed within.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Link to song

Link to song video

The Wedding

I also woke this morning from a dream. THE DREAM: My daughter was married to her husband, but her husband kept kissing another girl all the time, too, and right in front of my daughter. I finally told him one day to stop, or else I told the girl to stop kissing him. Then, my daughter divorced him. The next day she was ready to marry someone else.

She met this other guy at what appeared to be a college with very strict rules (like Bob Jones U.), for they were not even allowed to touch each other until they were married. This wedding was rather last minute in planning, so they were having great difficulty finding someone to perform the ceremony.

I asked around to see if anyone knew of a minister or a justice of the peace who could marry them, but I was told that their phone book was set up to where these people could not be reached individually, but we would have to go through a central number, like a service of some kind, but even that seemed unavailable. So, while we waited, I wandered around the building.

I found a room with a freezer inside of it, so I opened the freezer door to see what was inside. The freezer was on a north wall. All the way to the left in the freezer was a box of Nutty Buddies (ice cream cones with chocolate and nuts). I was excited over this discovery, but then I remembered we had not yet had dinner, so these would have to wait until later. The box was sitting closest to the freezer elements and the cones were getting a layer of frost on top of them, so I decided to move the box over to the right. There was so much stuff in this freezer that I had to push stuff out of the way and then kind of shove the box down into a spot and force a place for it more toward the middle of the freezer. It was my intention to come back for these later.

Since my daughter and her husband-to-be could not yet get married, we all went out to dinner at a restaurant. I went into a section to the north on the east side of the restaurant, and I announced to everyone sitting in the restaurant that my daughter was getting married, that she and her intended were at a particular military base (fort), but that she needed a minister or a justice of the peace to perform the ceremony, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend someone to us.

The next thing I remember is being back on the college campus. My daughter was now married to the new guy. I asked her why she divorced her husband. She didn’t remember. She said she would check her journal or calendar to see why she divorced him. We talked about how he kept kissing that other girl all the time. I asked her if she had ever talked with him about that, and indicated that she had never mentioned it to him. END

My Understanding: The news stories about Libya and Gadhafi overlap what is going on and has gone on in all of the world, including in the USA, which is that the countries (nations) of the world are being taken over by the New World Order (culminating in the beast of Revelation). So, the “daughter,” in one case is Libya and in another case she is the US, in particular our Homeland Security Division. So, the “husband” that the “daughter” divorced, whose name means “wolf” in real life, represents nations who have divorced their governments in favor of marrying the New World Order (their new form of government in each case), only I am not so sure that the nations themselves really had any say in it.

In other words, in all of these uprisings, NATO has played both the role of the government of these nations and NATO has also played the role of the rebels, insurgents and terrorists, so it is difficult to ascertain really what roles the people of these nations actually played in all of this and how much was pure orchestration for the benefit of the public. One article stated that it was the international community that was responsible for asking Gadhafi to leave office, so in that case, my “daughter” would represent the “international community,” which is really another word for the New World Order, or is most certainly the precipitating force leading up to the rule of this new global government.

I saw in the news articles about Gadhafi that he was being asked to step down. In a previous dream (from yesterday) it was Assad who was being asked to step down and he and I were both on the descending steps. I had to step down these steps in order to cross the street to go into the house we are buying which we are supposed to close on in three weeks (representing but not necessarily literally meaning 9/11/11). I am usually representing the USA, though there have been some exceptions. Ultimately the USA will come under the complete rule of the N.W.O. and our present form of government will “die.” It is inevitable, because the Bible prophesies that it will be so, and I believe the Bible. I believe the Lord is showing me that the time is close, though I am not sure how close.

There are all kinds of foreign “ministers” in these news articles who help perform the “marriage ceremony,” as well as bringing these national leaders to “justice” is mentioned, which I saw as the justice of the peace, the N.W.O, who is working to perform these marriage ceremonies. So, in the name of “justice,” “liberty,” and “freedom,” this new global government, no matter what you call it, is working both sides in the nations of the world to create chaos and then to come in as the “Savior” to bring liberty and freedom to the people of these nations, yet it is nothing of the kind. They are bringing the rule of Satan to the nations of the world and the people of the world, only here in America, we still don’t get it and we believe (most do) that we are a Christian nation and we are one nation under the one true and only God and that our leaders and military are really working to ensure our freedoms, but 9/11/01 was proof that that is a myth and so are all these supposed uprisings and government takeovers all over the world, and we are next.

The people of Libya supposedly have a nickname for Gadhafi, which is “frizz-head.” I also read where “frozen” Libyan assets would soon be released. Of course, I knew this was directly related to the “Nutty Buddies” in the freezer which had frost (frizz?) on top of what could be considered a head of the ice cream cones, as well as the frozen assets would certainly be what was being considered in this dream with the illustration of the frozen “Nutty Buddies,” so, and I don’t know this for sure, it sounds like maybe some of these leaders are “on ice” and they will soon be released, but I don’t know. I just know there is a connection between these frozen assets, whatever they might be, and these Nutty Buddies that I relocated more centrally in the freezer in order to keep them from getting too frosty and to preserve them for a later time. Time will tell what this means.

In the dream, I publicly announced my daughter was getting married and was in need of a minister or a justice of the peace to perform the ceremony. In this first article (referenced below), the rebels made a public announcement of a free Libya, so again, Libya is not free but is being forced into a marriage relationship via NATO, world ministers, the “justice of the peace,” i.e. NATO, the international community, alias the New World Order. In other words my daughter is part of the New World Order and her new husband is the New World Order and the marriage has taken place and now it is just a matter of time to where it becomes really obvious to the American public that we have been sold out. I am pretty sure the people of these other nations are a little bit more conscious of what is really going on world-wide than what we, in America, are aware of, but I could be wrong.

The phrase “the end is near” kept showing up in these news articles. They were speaking of the end of Gadhafi’s rule, yet they were speaking, tongue in cheek, about the end of the world as we know it, too, for this is the end of the rule of all independent nations and the beginning of a marriage to the beast of Revelation in which a one world rule of government will rule the earth for a time, times and half a time. And, that does mean, literally, that the end is near – the end of life as we have known it on this earth.

This second article (referenced below) spoke of events evolving rapidly, which made me think of how my daughter divorced her husband, the wolf, one day and was planning to marry the new guy the next day and how I felt that was really fast. So, the events that are taking place worldwide in all these nations that have been in upheaval are directly related to the swiftness now in which the New World Order is taking over the world and will soon rule the earth.

I am not certain who the “other woman” was that the “wolf” was kissing, but I do know that kissing involves lips from one person touching the lips of another, and I do know that lips have to do with speech, and I also know from previous dreams that kissing can have to do with one person putting words into the mouths of another, and I also know that what we read in the news about what is going on in these nations, and even in our own, is mostly, if not all lies, deceptions, made up stories, etc. Yet, I don’t quite get this one yet.

In the next article (referenced below) about post-9/11 data looking blurry, this brought to mind how my daughter didn’t remember why she divorced her husband and she did not seem to have recollection of ever confronting him about his kissing of this other woman, either. As I read this article, I was struck with the similarities between the wording here and the part of the dream about my daughter forgetting why she divorced her husband and her having to look in her journal to find out why. This article talked about how, for homeland security purposes, images on Google maps might appear blurry over some areas of New York, which then brings to mind how the events of 9/11 are directly related to factions within our government divorcing the rule of law of the USA and divorcing its people in favor of this new world order (global rule), and so much that they were willing to kill nearly 3,000, I believe it was, innocent civilians that day in order to advance their goal of a one world order of rule of the world. They have purposefully kept the truth from the people.

Then, in this last article (referenced below) concerning Libya, once again, it speaks of “restarting” oil and gas manufacturing. I saw the starting over as this new marriage to the New World Order and that they are the new form of government in Libya and they are the ones to benefit directly from these natural resources of this nation. For the beast of Revelation to make everyone worship him if they want to buy or sell, he has to have control of all the natural resources of the world so that we have to go to him if we want to survive, but don’t do it! Turn to Jesus Christ and let him take care of all your needs!! Interestingly enough, the article stated that “three weeks” was the target time frame for when all this transition should take place. Three weeks was in my previous dream, and three weeks from yesterday is 9/11/11. I am not a date setter. I am just reporting what I read.

Libyan rebels claim control of most of Tripoli
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-22-07-34-06
World urges Gadhafi to surrender
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WORLD_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-22-07-38-49
AP IMPACT: Uneven post-9/11 data-cloaking persists
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SEPT_11_HIDING_TERROR_TARGETS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-22-07-50-46
Oil price down as rebels capture most of Tripoli
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-22-07-31-29