To The End

Friday, January 31, 2014, 7:47 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Praise Be Told!” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 119:33-40 (NIV).

Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,

    that I may follow it to the end.

Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law

    and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands,

    for there I find delight.

Turn my heart toward your statutes

    and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

    preserve my life according to your word.

Fulfill your promise to your servant,

    so that you may be feared.

Take away the disgrace I dread,

    for your laws are good.

How I long for your precepts!

    In your righteousness preserve my life.

Teach Me, Lord

When I read this first verse where the psalmist asked the Lord to teach him the way of his decrees (laws; statutes; standards) so that he may follow them to the end, the Lord Jesus immediately brought to mind the words of Titus 2:11-14 (NIV):

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

This is the reason Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, not just so we could escape the punishment of hell, and not just so we could spend eternity with God in heaven, but so we could and would say “No” to sin (ungodliness and worldly passions) while we still live on the face of this earth, and so we would live and walk in Christ’s righteousness via us submitting to his Lordship over our lives, and via us cooperating with his Spirit’s work of grace in our lives (See Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6; 1 John 1-5; Gal. 2:20; et al).

So, first of all we must receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives by his grace, through faith – a faith which submits to the Lordship of Christ, which cooperates with his work of crucifying our flesh, and which yields to his work of grace on a daily basis. Then we can be taught in the ways of the Lord, and of the truths of his word, and we can then follow him wherever he leads us in the power and working of his Spirit within us. As well, he will give us all we need to persevere, to be faithful, committed, and to endure to the end.

Give Me Understanding

The psalmist also prayed for understanding (insight; knowledge; discernment) so that he may obey the word of the Lord with all his heart. The heart of a person can be defined as “the source and center of emotional life, where the deepest and sincerest feelings are located and a person is most vulnerable to pain; and/or somebody's essential character; compassion; affection; spirit (courage and determination);” etc. (Encarta). In other words, his desire was to obey the word of the Lord with his entire mind, soul, emotion, conviction, energies, courage, determination, passion and compassion, etc. This is how much he loved God! Yet, he recognized that he could not do this in and of himself. He needed the insight, wisdom, knowledge, discernment and understanding of God and of his word to be lived in and out through his life in order for him to be able to walk in God’s righteousness.

So, how do we gain understanding? First of all it comes by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, which then results in us being indwelt by the living Spirit of God, who then teaches, guides, leads, counsels, directs, encourages, strengthens, renews, rebukes, corrects, and empowers us to live godly and holy lives (See Eph. 1:7-10; Col 1:9; 1 Co. 2:14; 1 John 5:20). Paul also indicated that we receive understanding through encouragement, unity in love with fellow believers, humility and submission; through guarding how we live, daily trusting in the Lord; in prayer and petition, thanksgiving and praise; through the WORD, and putting the word into practice; and through making an effort to understand (See Eph. 4:18; Eph. 5:8-21; Phil. 4:4-9; Col. 2:1-3; Heb. 5:11-12).

Turn Me Around

The psalmist also prayed, asking God to turn his heart toward his statutes (his word) and not toward selfish gain. He also asked God to turn his eyes away from worthless things and to preserve his life according to the Word of God. So, we have here a picture of the psalmist desiring that God do the work of repentance and change of mind in his heart, and that the work involve the psalmist turning away from what is sinful – selfish gain and worthless (wicked) things – and turning toward what is godly – the Word of God and salvation.

Jesus Christ said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” So, not one of us can even come to Jesus Christ unless we are first drawn to him by God the Father in heaven. Jesus also said that he came to call sinners to repentance. So, we must be drawn and we must be called in order to repent. To repent literally means to have a change of mind. Biblically speaking, it is almost always used in the context of a change of heart and mind about sin, i.e. a turning away from the darkness of sin to the light of the gospel of salvation (See Ac. 26:16-18; 1 Thess. 1:8-10; 2 Tim. 2:19; Jas. 5:19-20; 1 Pet. 3:11; 2 Co. 5:15; Col. 3:2-3).

God’s objective in sending Jesus was first of all to bring Israel to repentance and to forgive their sins (See Ac. 5:31), and then salvation was also extended to the Gentiles (non-Jews). It is thus God who brings us to the place of repentance, so even repentance is the work of his grace (See Ac. 11:18). As well, he commands such repentance to accompany our faith in Jesus Christ (Ac. 20:21), which is a turning away from sin and is a turning toward God to follow him in his ways. Repentance is also required for our salvation and eternal life with God (See 2 Pet. 3:9). Yet, this too is the work of his grace in our lives when we accept him as Lord and Savior of our lives by faith – a faith which cooperates with and submits to that work. God does not possess us like an evil spirit and take over us so that we no longer can choose how we live, act, think, speak, etc. We must daily yield control and surrender.

So, by God’s grace, through faith, and via the Spirit of God living within us and working out his life through us we can turn our hearts, minds and behaviors away from all that is sinful, and we can live lifestyles committed to him, to his word, and to walking in his truth and in his righteousness. Through him, and by his grace, we can also turn our eyes away from all that is worthless (evil; wicked; sinful; rubbish; empty and/or just plain useless and a waste of our God-given time, abilities, talents, spiritual gifts, compassion and love for others). He can also give us understanding and teach us his ways, so we may follow HIM to the end.

Praise Be Told! / An Original Work / December 28, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

He was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for all our sin.

Our chastisement was upon Him.

By His stripes, we now are healed.

He has witnessed all our trials,

And the sins we choose to wear.

Yet, while we were dead in our sin,

Jesus died, our sins to bear.

He himself bore all of our sins

In His body on a cross,

So that we might die to our sin,

And live for His righteousness.

By faith in the pow’r of Jesus

And His blood shed for our sins,

We can be forgiven our sin,

And have life with God in heav’n.

He will lead us and He’ll guide us

In the way that we should go.

He will comfort and protect us,

Because Jesus, we do know.

Though He disciplines for our good,

He will heal us – Praise be told!

Do not fear, your Lord is with you.

Just have faith in Christ your Lord.

http://originalworks.info/praise-be-told/

Laid Low

Thursday, January 30, 2014, 9:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus placed the song “His Tender Mercies” in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 119:25-32 (NIV).

I am laid low in the dust;

    preserve my life according to your word.

I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;

    teach me your decrees.

Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,

    that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.

My soul is weary with sorrow;

    strengthen me according to your word.

Keep me from deceitful ways;

    be gracious to me and teach me your law.

I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

    I have set my heart on your laws.

I hold fast to your statutes, Lord;

    do not let me be put to shame.

I run in the path of your commands,

    for you have broadened my understanding.

In the Dust

I looked up the term “laid low” in the dictionary, because I wanted to understand what that meant. It means “put out of action (by illness); affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function; stricken; ill; sick” (thefreedictionary.com). Literally the passage reads that the psalmist’s soul clings to the dust. The NIV translates this as “laid low.”

A soul of a person is considered to be the essence of who they are – their consciousness, thoughts, feelings, emotions and will (See Encarta). Dust can be translated as “very small dry particles” of sand, of dirt (like on furniture in a house), or of the human body, which is “thought to be reduced to dust by decay after death;” or else “dust” could be rendered as “earth” (Encarta). To cling means: “to hold on to something; or to adhere to something” (Encarta). So, the psalmist could have been sick, depressed, sorrowful, or he could have been lamenting over even the smallest amount (small particles) of sin in his life that were still holding on, or the fact that he still had the propensity to sin, and he longed for the day when that would no longer be the case. Dust and ashes were often used in Bible times in relation to (and are symbols of) grieving, mourning, sorrow and/or repentance over sin.

An Account (of his ways)

I learned a long time ago that in interpreting scripture that we must look at the context. The psalmist began this psalm with a declaration of blessing on those who walk in the ways of the Lord and who keep his commands; as well as on those who seek God with their whole hearts and who follow his ways. Then, he expressed his own heart’s desire to be steadfast in obeying (keeping) God’s commands. He then made a commitment to praise the Lord with an upright heart, to learn of his righteousness, and to do what was written in his word.

Following this he spoke to the issue of moral purity, and he declared his walk with the Lord to be of one who seeks God with his whole heart, who hides the word of God in his heart - not just in his mind – in order to keep him from sinning; who proclaims God’s truths with his mouth, and who rejoices in, meditates and delights in his word. As well, he called upon God to help him in his commitment to not stray from following after the ways of the Lord.

Then, just prior to the section of the psalm which was in my reading for today, the psalmist asked for the Lord’s blessing (goodness) on his life while he lived, since he was the Lord’s servant, and so he could continue to obey God’s word. He longed (thirsted) for the word of the Lord at all times. He recognized that, in God’s calling upon his life to be holy (separated unto God and to his service), that meant he was a stranger (an outsider; unaccustomed to; and a visitor) on earth, and thus he did not belong to this sinful world; he did not fit in. Thus the arrogant ones, who willfully chose to not follow the Lord’s ways and word, showed him much scorn and contempt, and they told lies about him for the purpose of bringing him harm and disrepute. Yet, he determined in his spirit to keep God’s word and to make God’s word his counselor, calling upon God often for help, strength, comfort and guidance.

This is the accounting of the Psalmist’s ways, and this is what preceded his proclamation that he was laid low in the dust. In other words, he loved the Lord with all his heart, he delighted in his word, and he chose the path of God’s righteousness for his own life. Yet, he recognized, as well, his own human frailty, so he continually prayed for help, wisdom, discernment and strength to remain steadfast in all of his commitments and to not give way to sin, or to the fear of what humans might do to him, or say about him.

Weary with Sorrow

The context of this psalm would suggest that his sorrow was based upon three main things: 1) His own battle with even the slightest temptation to sin, 2) his own human struggle to remain steadfast in his commitments to God, and 3) his personal trials and tribulations due to much opposition and persecution from outside sources, which were beyond his control, including the outward shame associated with their vicious lies against him. His persecutors were taunting and mocking him unmercifully. In v. 70 we read: “Their hearts were callous and unfeeling.” The arrogant were wronging him, but he was trusting in the Lord.

The psalmist appeared to have been suffering an affliction of some kind, whether it was sickness, sorrow, or grief, and this came after a time in which he had strayed from the Lord. Perhaps this is related to his sin with Bathsheba and the death of their firstborn, but now he had repented of his sin and his commitment was very much to obey the Lord and to walk in his ways. Yet, perhaps, his enemies used this as an occasion to taunt, mock and persecute him, so he called upon the Lord for mercy in his time of need and distress. Whatever the cause or the occasion, the psalmist was suffering greatly, he acknowledged his own human weakness, and he called upon God Almighty to be his strength, comfort, and counsel. He recognized his own human limitations and that without God he could not combat his own discouragement or fear and temptations, as well as he could not walk in the ways of the Lord apart from God’s grace, help, counsel, guidance and strength within him.

Our Merciful God

Life, as we all know, has its ups and downs. Some days are better than others. Things don’t always go the way we would hope or desire. We get sick. We get hurt. We sin. We fall down. We fail. We make mistakes. We have communication and relationship difficulties. We make bad judgments sometimes, and we pay the natural consequences. We experience loss, rejection, misunderstandings, heartache, etc., and sometimes we shed many tears.

In all these trials and difficulties of life, or even in just some of the minor inconveniences of change, aging, or slight misfortune, for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, by his grace, through faith, we can be assured that God is with us, he is watching over us, he will help us, comfort us, lead and guide us, and we will forever be kept in his love and care.

We just need to trust the Lord, believe that he cares about us; know that he will never leave us, that he is our friend, and that he will supply all we need to get through these difficult times. We must, as did the psalmist, be honest concerning our own human frailty, and recognize that without God we cannot resist temptation to sin, walk in his ways, and/or have the strength to persevere under severe trial, distress and great suffering. We must yield to the power and control of the Holy Spirit within us and allow our Lord Jesus to work his will and his ways in and out through our lives for his purposes and for his glory.

In the power, working and strength of the Spirit within us, by God’s grace, through faith, we must resist temptation to sin, walk – our daily lifestyle - in his righteousness, obey his word, speak his truth, sing his praise, and honor his name. And, we must never give way to fear or to the taunts and slander of our enemies, but we must rest in the Lord and in his love, and depend upon his strength, power, comfort, and guidance to see us through.

His Tender Mercies / An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

http://originalworks.info/his-tender-mercies/

His Tender Mercies

The Lord Jesus gave me this song to encourage my heart. Life, as we all know, has its ups and downs. Some days are better than others. Things don’t always go the way we would hope or desire. We get sick. We get hurt. We have communication and relationship difficulties. We make bad judgments sometimes, and we pay the natural consequences. We experience loss, rejection, misunderstandings, etc., and sometimes we shed many tears. As we grow older, our minds are not as sharp as they once were, and we begin to slow down. We don’t multi-task as well as we once did. We have more aches and pains.

In all these trials and difficulties of life, or even in just some of the minor inconveniences of change, aging, or slight misfortune, for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, we can be assured that God is with us, he is watching over us, he will help us, comfort us, lead and guide us, and we will forever be kept in his love and care. We just need to trust the Lord, believe that he cares about us, know that he will never leave us, that he is our friend, and that he will supply all we need to get through these difficult times.

His Tender Mercies / An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

http://youtu.be/9L96ZnxjMEY

http://originalworks.info/his-tender-mercies/

How Can We Remain Pure?

Monday, January 27, 2014, 9:09 a.m. – On my way to have my quiet time with my Lord Jesus this morning, he put the song “Courageous” in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 119:9-16 (ESV):

How can a young man keep his way pure?

    By guarding it according to your word.

With my whole heart I seek you;

    let me not wander from your commandments!

I have stored up your word in my heart,

    that I might not sin against you.

Blessed are you, O Lord;

    teach me your statutes!

With my lips I declare

    all the rules of your mouth.

In the way of your testimonies I delight

    as much as in all riches.

I will meditate on your precepts

    and fix my eyes on your ways.

I will delight in your statutes;

    I will not forget your word.

The Purity Challenge

This question posed of the psalmist in verse 9 comes across my mind often. “Why?” you might ask. It seems to me that these days no matter where you go that you are bombarded with sexual images – in the grocery store checkout line, in store windows, in most all internet sites, including social media sites, some “Christian” sites, news sites, and even ones promoting “Christian” song lyrics. Some of those even advertise porn sites. I forget which ones. When we had a TV, I even had to stop listening to (viewing) a “Christian” music channel because the images of the “Christian” artists were often in seductive poses or with sensual looks in their faces, or they were improperly dressed so as to attract the eye to particular body parts. If you are a TV watcher, which I am not, these “images” are in most commercials and many TV shows. If not outright, then they are often hinted at or there are sexually suggestive comments made or sexual situations presented. Even many “Christian” films, in order to be realistic and relevant, confront the viewers with sexually suggestive material and/or sensuality. It is everywhere. So, how do we keep our way pure?

Not only that, but most American homes have at least one computer with internet access, I believe. Many have multiple desktop computers, laptops, IPads (or equivalents). Even the poorest of poor in America have multiple devices connected to the internet. As well, from what I have noticed, most Americans now also have smart phones, including each individual family member has his or her own smart phone from teenagers on up, and many children have been given IPads, too, and not all of this is monitored. Even if parents put nanny services on their children’s electronic devices, sexual images are now everywhere, even in what might be considered “innocent” sites. Soft porn can be viewed by children and teens without it ever raising a red flag. Many children are exposed to this early on through TV shows and movies, as well, and that only creates a thirst in many of them for more. And, even if the device is nanny protected, there are back doors to sites that are not picked up by the nanny service; or children and teens, who know their way around these devices better than many of us adults, find their way around the “nannies”, and they probably have friends who can help them find their way around, too. So, how do we keep our way pure?

By Guarding It

The scriptural answer to that question of how we can keep our way pure is by guarding it according to the word of God (word of truth). So, how do we do that? Can we do that if we just spend 5-10 minutes a day in having devotions? - Probably not. Can we do it if we go to Sunday school classes or Bible Study or small groups and attend Church services, sing in the praise team, volunteer to lead a small group, teach a Bible study and/or volunteer our time to feed the poor and hungry? - Most likely not. Can we do that if we are in full-time Christian ministry, pastor a church or we attend Bible College or Seminary or spend hours upon hours in exhaustive Bible study? – Possibly not! Would it help if we got on Christian discussion sites and talked with other people about Bible theology and/or argued various Biblical or denominational doctrines, or even joined support groups? – Perhaps not.

Why? Because it has little to nothing to do with quantity of time spent reading, studying or discussing the Bible or even spent in Christian ministry. Some people in full-time Christian ministry are actually the most vulnerable of all, because of the trust people place in them, the pressures put on them, the long hours they work, the lack of accountability, in many cases, and because of so many opportunities for failure made available to them via ministering to people’s needs and perhaps time and location unaccounted for. In other words, those who are the most Biblically trained or the most involved in Christian ministry are just as vulnerable and susceptible to moral failure as anyone else, and perhaps more.

So, how do we guard our way and keep it pure according to the word of God? I think that James articulates the answer to this pretty well where he said in James 1:22-25 (ESV):

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

So, first of all we need to DO the word, not just study it and not just talk about it. We need to not be like the person who looks into the word, and it speaks to his heart, and it reveals to him what he or she needs to do, only to walk away and forget what he or she just learned. We need to put the word into practice in our everyday lives, and it needs to become a natural part of what we do every day, without us even having to think about it. This means we have to have hearts committed to Christ and to his ways, desirous of him, and willing to forsake our old lives of living for self and sin so that we can walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness in the power and working of the Spirit within us. It also means we have to hate the sin so much that we truly want it out of our lives. If we don’t hate the sin, and we don’t have a heart change from God Almighty by his grace, through faith, that transforms us from darkness into his wonderful light, then all the best laid plans we have may not have a chance at all, because we are more likely to follow our hearts. Someone with a changed heart thus will desire to be a DOER and not a hearer only.

On that subject, I can tell you that I have attended classes in two different colleges 30 years apart from each other, and in the second college I even had a straight “A” average, and yet I can’t remember probably 98% of what I learned. Why? - Because I did not put what I learned into practice. The best thing I learned the second time around, though, was that I could learn, and to not fear learning new things, feeling or thinking as though I could not. So, it was worthwhile for me in that respect.

Learn to Say “NO!”

So, what does the word teach us about how we can remain morally pure? Several passages come to mind. The first one is Titus 2:11-12 (NIV):

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age..”

If we want to remain morally pure we have to say “NO!” to worldly passions and sexual idolatry. So, how do we say “NO”? We have to refuse to allow it to be a part of our lives. Many, many people struggle today with sexual sin because they do not guard against it, but they allow it into their eyes, minds and hearts. We can’t watch TV shows, movies or go to internet sites or watch music videos or even listen to music that promotes sensuality and sexual sin, not even a little bit! If we must go to a news site, and at the bottom or at the side are sexual images, we have to have a plan in advance for guarding our eyes and our minds against it, or we have to go to sites that do not display partial nudity or invite sexual idolatry into our lives. If we cannot control our appetite for sexual sin, then we should remove from our lives all sources for engaging in sexual sin so that we remove even the temptation, which is one of the reasons we got rid of our TV and movies 5 years ago. Consider these two passages of scripture on this subject, Matt. 18:8 and Heb. 12:1-2:

If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…

I believe that many people struggle with and give in to moral failure because they don’t get serious enough with God on the issue, and they don’t DO what the word says, and they don’t get RADICAL enough about doing what it takes to truly GUARD their walks of faith according to the word of God. They deceive themselves into thinking they can take in just a little bit of “poop” in their “brownies,” and that it won’t harm them. Or, they convince themselves, even though personal history has proved differently for them time and time again, that they can handle it, and that they won’t fail “this time.” But, eventually that false sense of “I can do this” has its limitations. Failure thus becomes inevitable because the appropriate precautions have not taken place, and because the person has no plan in place to not fail. Someone once said, “If we don’t plan to succeed, we plan to fail.” This is true!

Seek The Lord

Is it possible that we can have all our plans in order for how to guard against failure, and have removed all obstacles of temptation, or so we thought, and yet still fail morally? Yes! – Most definitely! Ephesians 4 speaks to this subject, I believe, where it teaches us to put off lying, and to tell the truth, to put off stealing, and to work and to give to others, to put off the ways of the flesh and to put on Christ and his holiness in our daily lives. It is a MUST that we seek (follow, chase after) God daily with our entire minds, hearts, emotions, passions, desires, thoughts and deeds.

Ephesians 6 speaks to this subject, as well, where it reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers of darkness, and so daily we must put on faith, truth, the word of God (be DOERS), righteousness, and what Christ did for us on the cross in delivering us from slavery to sin, and we must GO purposefully into the world with the intent of sharing the gospel of salvation. This is the way we truly store up the WORD in our hearts, because we activate it in our daily living. And, if we do these things, we will not wander from Christ’s teachings, because we will be FIXING our eyes, thoughts, attitudes, mind and behaviors on God’s ways.

Courageous! / An Original Work / December 24, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

The Word of God throughout taught.

Some people heard, but did doubt.

Still others had faith in Christ.

By grace He purified them.

They turned from sin

And they obeyed Christ.

He opened up their blinded eyesight;

Turned them from darkness

To the true Light;

Forgave their sin by His might.

He strengthened them in their faith.

He said, “Remain my faithful.”

He called them to obedience.

By faith, they were so grateful.

By faith, they were to follow Jesus;

To daily sit and listen to Him;

To have such faith

That mountains could move;

To love those whom He gave them.

Be on your guard; courageous.

Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.

Take up the shield of your faith;

Protect against all evil.

Do not move from

The hope that you have.

Your faith in Jesus let it endure.

Hold to the truth;

Your conscience be clear.

Endure with perseverance.

http://originalworks.info/courageous/

*I highly recommend the book “Purity Principle” by Randy Alcorn – It is a short little book on purity that I believe everyone should read: http://www.amazon.com/The-Purity-Principle-Safeguards-LifeChange/product-reviews/1590521951

Steadfast Ways

Sunday, January 26, 2014, 10:16 a.m. – I spent some time this morning with the Lord in prayer concerning situations that are going on in my personal life. Somewhere in the course of this time of prayer he put the song in mind “Courageous!” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 119:1-8 (ESV).

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,

    who walk in the law of the Lord!

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,

    who seek him with their whole heart,

who also do no wrong,

    but walk in his ways!

You have commanded your precepts

    to be kept diligently.

Oh that my ways may be steadfast

    in keeping your statutes!

Then I shall not be put to shame,

    having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

I will praise you with an upright heart,

    when I learn your righteous rules.

I will keep your statutes;

    do not utterly forsake me!

Blameless

What does it mean to be blameless? Encarta Dictionary says that it means “not responsible for something wrong.” The MS Word Thesaurus used such words as righteous, faultless and guiltless. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance translates the Hebrew word as “complete, full, perfect, undefiled, entire, integrity, truth, upright, and/or whole. So, how can we achieve such a state as this? In Romans 3 we read: “None is righteous, no, not one.” And, yet it does not end there. The passage continues:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. ~ vv. 21-26

Jesus Christ, God the Son, left his throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we suffer, and was tempted in like manner as us, yet without sin. He was despised and rejected of humankind; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (see Is. 53). He was crucified on a cross, although he had done no wrong. He willingly went to the cross that he might be our sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the entire world. When he died, our sins died with him, and when he rose again, he conquered hell, Satan, death and sin. He died, and he crucified our sins so that we, by faith in him, might be set free from eternal punishment in hell (eternal separation from God) and so we might have eternal life with God in heaven. Yet, he also died that we might be set free from bondage to (and the control of) sin day to day, and so we might walk in Christ’s righteousness by his grace, through faith.

So, when we accept God’s invitation to his great salvation, which he provided freely by his grace, through faith (belief), we become positionally righteous (blameless) in God’s sight. In other words, our sins are no longer held against us, i.e. we are no longer bound for the gates of hell, but rather for heaven. As well, we are now set free from the control of Satan and sin over our lives, and we are free to walk in the Lord’s ways in his power and strength within us. Yet, is this positional righteousness what the psalmist is referring to? He said that blessed are those whose “way” is blameless, and who “walk” in the law (word; way) of the Lord.

His Ways

So, is the psalmist implying that it is humanly possible to walk perfectly and to never be at fault in anything we do? Is he even implying that through faith in God, his Savior, that he could walk perfectly and never ever do anything wrong? In Psalm 15, in the context of walking blamelessly he described this walk in these terms: “he who does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up reproach against a friend...” In Psalm 19 he said: “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.” Other translators translate the word “presumptuous” as “willful” or “deliberate.” The Hebrew word can be translated as “arrogant, insolent, and proud.” In other words, the psalmist, it appears, does not mean to suggest he was never without fault, but that his lifestyle (way and walk) was one that reflected integrity of heart, truthfulness, faithfulness, uprightness, morality, etc. He was not stubborn and rebellious, engaging in willful or deliberate sin as his way and walk in life. Sin no longer had dominion (control; rule) over him, but his trust was in God Almighty.

The New Testament, as well, has much to say on this subject of walking uprightly, in purity of heart, etc. We who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives have been crucified to the dominion (control) of Satan, self and sin over our lives that we might walk in newness of life. Jesus Christ condemned sin in the flesh in order that “the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4). We are to walk properly, not in sexual immorality, drunkenness, quarreling and jealousy. We are to walk in the way of love toward our fellow humans. We should walk by faith and not by sight. We are to walk in the Spirit, so that we do not gratify the desires of the flesh. We are counseled to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We are instructed to walk as children of light and in the light; not as unwise, but as wise; to walk in Christ; to please God; and to walk in the truth. In fact, the grace of God teaches us “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (See Tit. 2:12).

Seek Him

We are blessed (happy; fulfilled) when we walk in the way of righteousness in the power and strength of the Spirit of God living within us. Amen! And, we are at peace and satisfied in Christ when we keep his word and we seek him with our whole heart. To seek means to pursue, follow after, and chase after, or to practice, or to engage in the life of someone or some activity. It involves persistence, perseverance and active pursuit with the goal of getting to know Christ, to grow in his love, to know his will, and to follow him wherever he leads us. We can’t seek him if we barely give him our time and/or if we do not make it a practice of our lives to walk in his truth and to follow in his steps – all in the power and strength of his Spirit within us, as we cooperate fully his work. Seeking him with our whole hearts means that we pursue him with our entire being, as a deer pants for water when he is thirsty. We need to hunger and thirst for God and for his righteousness diligently. And, we need to cease seeking and hungering after the things and sinful passions of this world.

Steadfastness

The psalmist said, “Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!” Amen! Oh, that my ways may be unwavering, resolute, persistent and faithful in keeping God’s word, abiding in his truth, walking in his ways, and resting in his love. I pray that I would not give way to willful sin or choose to do anything purposefully to disobey my Lord and/or to dishonor his name. I pray that my eyes will be fixed on Jesus – on his ways and on his word, and that I would not give way to fear. And, I pray that I would walk daily in his love, in his righteousness, in his truth and to follow his ways now and forevermore. Amen!

Courageous! / An Original Work / December 24, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

The Word of God throughout taught.

Some people heard, but did doubt.

Still others had faith in Christ.

By grace He purified them.

They turned from sin

And they obeyed Christ.

He opened up their blinded eyesight;

Turned them from darkness

To the true Light;

Forgave their sin by His might.

He strengthened them in their faith.

He said, “Remain my faithful.”

He called them to obedience.

By faith, they were so grateful.

By faith, they were to follow Jesus;

To daily sit and listen to Him;

To have such faith

That mountains could move;

To love those whom He gave them.

Be on your guard; courageous.

Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.

Take up the shield of your faith;

Protect against all evil.

Do not move from

The hope that you have.

Your faith in Jesus let it endure.

Hold to the truth;

Your conscience be clear.

Endure with perseverance.

http://originalworks.info/courageous/

Integrity of Heart

Saturday, January 25, 2014, 9:11 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken” in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 101 (ESV).

An Upright Walk

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;

    to you, O Lord, I will make music.

I will ponder the way that is blameless.

    Oh when will you come to me?

I will walk with integrity of heart

    within my house;

I will not set before my eyes

    anything that is worthless.

I will sing… I not only purpose in my regenerated heart, by the grace of God, to make the worship and praise of God in song a part of my everyday life, but I determine and am committed to resonate (echo) his unwavering and persistent love in word and in deed, in a heart response of love for my Lord, and in demonstrating his faithful love toward others.

I will ponder… I declare my sincere determination, by God's help, and in his power and strength living within me, to behave myself in an upright, decent and honest manner.

I will walk… I also proclaim my sincere resolution, out of a renewed heart given over to devotion to my Lord Jesus Christ, to live a lifestyle of integrity (honesty, decency, and uprightness) through the life of His Spirit living within and out through me by his grace.

I will not… I vow, by the grace and mercy of my Lord Jesus Christ, via him delivering me from slavery to sin, to not set before my eyes what is rubbish, trash, wicked, ungodly and useless. This means I refuse to gaze upon or watch, read or even listen to what gives honor to or what gives entertainment value to what is sinful, wicked, and immoral, and for the purpose of my own enjoyment and pleasure. “Garbage in – garbage out!” goes the saying. I can’t expect to do these first three items of commitment to my Lord if what I am taking into my eyes, mind and ears is pure junk, and is that which dishonors my Lord and works in direct opposition to the first three statements of purpose, goal and intent for a life given over to God and to godly living.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. ~ Jas. 1:21

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. ~ 1 Pet. 2:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Heb. 12:1-2

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ~ Rom. 13:12

Our Associations

I hate the work of those who fall away;

    it shall not cling to me.

A perverse heart shall be far from me;

    I will know nothing of evil…

Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart

    I will not endure.

I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,

    that they may dwell with me;

he who walks in the way that is blameless

    shall minister to me.

No one who practices deceit

    shall dwell in my house;

no one who utters lies

    shall continue before my eyes…

I hate… Romans 12:9 says: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Notice the psalmist did not say that he hated those who fall away (who fall into sin), but he hated (detested and was repulsed by) their wicked deeds, saying he would not let those evil and sinful deeds cling to (have a grip on) his life. If we, as followers of Jesus Christ, want to walk in victory over sin, we must learn to hate what God hates. We can’t entertain evil in our minds or play with it through taking in even “a little bit” of evil. We have to remove it far from us, flee from it, and draw near to God in full assurance of faith so that it doesn’t get a hold on our lives (See 1 Co. 6:18; 10:14; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22; and Jas. 4:7-8).

I Will Not… In James 4:4 we read: “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

A friend is an associate, companion, and/or an ally. An associate is someone you spend time with; hang out with, or with whom you are involved together in an activity, thought, and/or belief, or with whom you are partnered in some way. An ally is one with whom you are joined together in a common purpose. And, a friend or companion can also be a mate (partner) or cohort (accomplice). We are not to be partakers with, in close association with, joined together in a common purpose with, or partnered with this sinful and ungodly world, including with the people of this world and with those who profess Christ but are living sinful lifestyles (See 1 Co. 5:9-11; 2 Thess. 3:14; & 2 Co. 6:14-17).

This is not saying that we should remove ourselves from the world entirely or that we should go live in a monastery, but what it does mean is that we should not make the things or the people of this sinful and ungodly world our close associations; we should not be in agreement with their sinful practices; and we should not be one with them in heart, mind and purpose. We should not take pleasure or glory in what is evil, but in what is good. Bad company corrupts good character. Thus, we must be careful of our associations and choose our close companions wisely. We should, as much as is within our power to do so, surround ourselves with those who will influence and encourage us in the right ways, while still showing love and kindness and being a light for the gospel to those outside of Christ.

The Cost

When God tells us to not be partnered together with unbelievers and to “Come out from them and be separate,” we must realize that there will be cost involved. We live in a day and time when the church in America, for the most part, has embraced the world and its practices and has thus very much partnered with the ungodly world in order to attract the ungodly into their meetings. Today’s worldly church encourages participation in worldly and even sinful practices, in some cases, in order to make friends with the world as a way to “reach” them or to “connect” with them. Yet, we are not supposed to come down to the level of wickedness in order to reach the wicked with the gospel of salvation. That is counterproductive. We are supposed to come out from them, and not partner with them, but to hate wicked deeds and to have no part with what is evil and sinful. And, we are to be lights for Jesus Christ and his gospel to a world in need of the Savior; not blend in with it.

So, what is the risk? And, what is the cost? We may be despised, forsaken, rebuked, falsely accused, rejected, persecuted, abandoned, betrayed, or even crucified for our stand for Jesus Christ and for the truth of the gospel of salvation. We may lose a job or a spouse, or our children may reject us, or our friends abandon us, or we may be made to be objects of mockery, scorn and/or abuse. Yet, although the world or even the worldly church may despise and reject us, and friends and companions may forsake us, we are rich because God will never leave us or forsake us! Amen! We can always count on his faithfulness and his steadfast love to see us through any and all trials that come across our way.

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken / Henry F. Lyte / Mozart/ Arr. Hubert P. Main

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;

Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou, from hence, my all shalt be.

Perish every fond ambition, all I've sought, and hoped, and known;

Yet how rich is my condition, God and Christ are still my own!

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too;

Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like man, untrue;

And, while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might,

Foes may hate, and friends disown me; show Thy face, and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me – ‘Twill but drive me to Thy breast.

Life with trials hard may press me; Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.

Oh, ‘tis not in grief to harm me, while Thy love is left to me;

Oh, ‘twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!

In Thy service pain is pleasure; with Thy favor loss is gain.

I have called Thee, Abba, Father, I have stayed my heart on Thee;

Storms may howl and clouds may gather; all must work for good to me.

The Nations Have Invaded

Wednesday, January 22, 2014, 8:52 a.m. – When I sat down to have my quiet time with the Lord Jesus this morning he put the song “I Do Not Seal My Lips” in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalms 79 (NIV).

O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;

    they have defiled your holy temple,

    they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

They have left the dead bodies of your servants

    as food for the birds of the sky,

    the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.

They have poured out blood like water

    all around Jerusalem,

    and there is no one to bury the dead.

We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,

    of scorn and derision to those around us. Ps. 79:1-4

The Nations

The “nations” can also be defined as the Gentiles, the people or the heathen. Basically this is referring to the ungodly, i.e. to those who do not believe in the God of the Bible. Translated to today this means all those who are of this sinful world and who do not trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. The ungodly have thus invaded the Lord’s inheritance, they have defiled his holy temple, and they have reduced the Holy City to rubble. So, how can this be translated to today, i.e. to the Messianic age?

First of all, the Lord’s inheritance is his possession or his heritage. In Old Testament times, the people and the land of Israel were God’s inheritance, the temple was a building constructed by human hands but by God’s design and direction and for his purpose. Within that temple was the Holy of Holies in which was contained the Ark of the Covenant, in which was the Spirit of God. And, the Holy City was Jerusalem, a physical city.

Yet, since Jesus Christ died for our sins, was resurrected, ascended to heaven, and sent his Spirit to indwell the hearts and lives of his followers, we, Christ’s followers, have become God’s inheritance (See Eph. 1:14; 1 Pet. 2:9). The temple of God is now the body of Christ, the individual and collective body of believers in Jesus Christ, called the Church (See 1 Co. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Co. 6:16). And we are the Holy City in which God dwells - the New Jerusalem (See Matt. 5:14-16; Gal. 4:24-31; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 3:12; 11:2; 20:9; 21:2).

I think we can easily wrap our minds around the concept of nations invading a physical city and defiling a physical temple, but how does this apply to today? First off, to invade means to attack, occupy, conquer, assault, take possession or overrun; and/or it can mean to infect – contaminate, pollute, poison, dirty, corrupt, defile, pervert and/or to influence. In doing so, the ungodly reduce or diminish God’s holy people to wreckage; ruins. So, how do they do this? How do they take possession, influence, corrupt, pervert and/or defile us?

Invited In

First of all, I believe the church of today in America has invited the ungodly to invade and to defile us. “How so?” you may ask. Well, for one, when the institutional church invited the government to partner with them via the 501c3 non-profit corporation status for tax exemption, they invited the U.S. worldly government to be head over the church, and they gave the government permission to set rules for what the church can and cannot do; say and cannot say, so that the government serves in the position as head of the institutional church in place of Christ. Don’t believe me? Check it out. The government presently stipulates what cannot be said from the pulpit in one area that I know of, but I believe that is expanding, which means a pastor cannot say what God tells him to say if the government says it is off limits. And, this control is continuing to grow to cover even more territory.

They also invited government worship within the church. In most all institutional churches I have ever attended, an American flag sits at the front of the sanctuary to one side of the pulpit or the other, right up front for all to see. Both in school and in church we were taught (from the 1950’s on) to pledge (vow, give oath, promise, and guarantee) allegiance (loyalty, commitment, adherence, faithfulness, fidelity, and duty) to the government of the U.S.A.; and with hand over our hearts (emotion, mind, soul, spirit, empathy, courage, and resolution). Where in scripture does it teach that we should worship our human government in such a way? Nowhere! This type of “pledge of allegiance” coming from our hearts is reserved for our Lord God and Jesus Christ only!  

So, not unlike what took place during the rise of Hitler, we have been brainwashed that the U.S. government and the U.S. military are the good guys to be “worshipped” as our “savior” from tyranny and oppression and to be given our praise for protecting our “freedoms.”  Yet, do we really know the history of the U.S. government, or do we pay attention to all the idolatrous symbols of foreign gods within our nation’s buildings and even in the layout of our capital city? Do we check out the associations of those who call themselves “Christians” to see if they are involved in any kind of Satanic cult worship? Do we even question what our military is doing in all these various countries throughout the world? Are we sure they are protecting our freedoms? If they are, then why was the NDAA 2014 signed into law?

Not only have we invited in the US government and government worship into the church, which is idolatry, but the institutional church in America has invited in the teachings of humans via all these books on church growth that have been written, and all the humanistic marketing schemes for attracting large crowds of unbelievers into the church via worldly and even sinful methods designed to attract the ungodly, but to what? And, not only that, but we are inviting the ungodly into our times of worship and fellowship with the body of Christ. How can darkness have fellowship with light or light with darkness? It cannot! We are not supposed to invite the unsaved into the fellowship of believers except by invitation to faith in Jesus Christ whereby they then become believers in Christ and are joined with us in the body of Christ. We, as Christ’s body, have been instructed to come out from the world and to be separate, but instead we invite all the ungodly and their ungodly ways into the church to influence, pervert, corrupt and defile us. And, it worked!

The Result

Ungodly movies, music and methods have been brought into the church to attract the ungodly to the institutional church, but not to the God of scripture and not to true salvation via Jesus Christ, our Lord. The church has embraced the world and worldly methods so much that it is barely distinguishable between those who say they are Christians and those who are not. Much of the church is not shining the light of the gospel to the world, but the world is influencing God’s people toward sin. Consciences have been seared and the new way of the world has become so commonplace that most people who call themselves Christians here in America barely notice anymore, I suspect. Many who have been brought up this way don’t know there is another way, i.e. the way of holiness. Christianity, paganism and idolatry are smoothly blended together with hardly a crack in between. And so we are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.

Not only that, but in the process, the gospel has been diluted to something that barely resembles the gospel taught by the apostles. I believe very much that scripture teaches that it is by the grace of God we are saved, through faith in Jesus Christ, and that salvation is a free gift from God and is not of ourselves, i.e. not of human works lest any of us should boast that we earned or deserved our own salvation. We cannot and we do not! Nonetheless, “faith” is not an emotional feeling or decision nor is it an intellectual assent to something or an acknowledgement that something is true, nor is it even a desire for something to happen. James said that even the demons believe, and they shudder. Thus, I believe where the gospel gets diluted and sidetracked and perverted is not so much in the teaching of God’s grace and Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice for our sins on a cross, but in the understanding of the word faith and what it means to believe, for we are saved, not just by God’s grace, but also by our faith, which I believe is also a gift of God.

So, if faith is also required for salvation, then we need to understand what it means to believe. There is much teaching on this subject in the New Testament (See Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-25; Ac. 26:16-18; Rom. 6; 1 John 1-5; Gal. 2:20; & Titus 2:11-14, for example). What these scriptures teach us is that faith in Christ means that we die to our old way of living for sin and self, and we are transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sin and self to following Jesus Christ in full submission and surrender to his will for our lives. No longer should our flesh rule supreme, but we hand over authority of our lives to Christ Jesus for him to live his life out through us. None of this can be accomplished in our flesh, but only by the working of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives, as we cooperate with that work. In other words, faith does not mean we become puppets on a string controlled by God and we no longer have control over what we do or don’t do. Every day we must yield to the control of the Spirit of God in our lives and choose to follow his ways over our flesh.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer / Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

They Conspire Together

Tuesday, January 21, 2014, 7:44 a.m. – When I sat down to have my quiet time with the Lord Jesus this morning he put the song “I Do Not Seal My Lips” in mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 71 (NIV). http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+71&version=NIV

The Hand of the Wicked

…Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,

    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

…For my enemies speak against me;

    those who wait to kill me conspire together.

They say, “God has forsaken him;

    pursue him and seize him,

    for no one will rescue him.”

My Lord Jesus led me to read several news articles this morning, which I will reference at the end of this writing. The first article of interest is that of this newest winter storm in the U.S.A. It was named Janus, the name of a Roman mythological god. If you have followed the winter storms in the U.S.A. in the news last year and this year, you probably have noticed that many of them are named after Roman, Greek or Egyptian gods or goddesses or after anything having to do with mythological gods and goddesses. I believe the Lord Jesus has shown me that this naming of these storms is not without purpose, i.e. a message is being given out (by the N.W.O.) concerning what is going on in the world around us.

First of all, for us to be taken by storm can mean for us to be attacked and captured by force by opposing forces, or for someone else to take possession of us and/or of our land. A storm, as well, can be a violent disturbance, trouble, controversy or uproar of some kind. This god “Janus” was the god “of beginnings and transitions;” “of gates, doors, passages, endings and times;” presiding over (controlling or supervising) “the beginning and end of conflict,” i.e. “over war and peace” (See the Wikipedia article). I believe the message is that the U.S.A. (and the world) is being taken by storm, by opposing global forces, and these new world order forces rule over or supervise both the beginning and the end of conflict within nations, as well as transitions within governments from one rule of law to another.

In other words, there is a New World (beast) Order which is taking the nations of this world by storm, and it presides (rules) over the beginnings of these conflicts within the nations, the ending of the conflicts, and the transitions to “transitional” governments, i.e. it starts the trouble and will bring the trouble to an end and into a transition to a new form of government, i.e. it is responsible for usurping authority over the nations of the world and is bringing about a new world (beast) order out of the ashes of the old world order. And, this is taking place within the U.S.A., too, and is evident in some of our new laws which Obama has signed into law (See the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014, for one).

The Lord Jesus also led me to read a news article about the present situation in Syria, which also included talk concerning the governments of Egypt, Myanmar, Thailand, the Ukraine and the U.S.A. As well, I read an independent article concerning the situation in Thailand. In this article about Syria, the Lord had me focus on the world “fail,” and the message he gave me here is that “failure” was due to non-participation in making these things a “success,” i.e. failure was the intended result and there was no plan for success whatsoever, and there is not going to be a plan for success in these specific areas of “failure.”

There were three specific areas of failure I saw noted in this article about a Human Rights group’s charges of failure to perform specific functions or acts. The first charge was against international powers for their handling of the war in Syria and their failure “to protect civilians caught in the conflict.” The second charge was specifically against President Obama for human rights violations, including his failure “to recognize the privacy interests involved” presented by the “massive invasion” of “privacy rights represented by the N.S.A.’s surveillance.” Lastly the charge was made against the failure of particular national government leaders to make good on their pledges to make “democratic changes” within their countries, while the protesters within those countries were praised.

I believe the message here is that the New World Order of Global Powers and Obama are willfully failing to protect the lives of civilians (and of some of their own soldiers, too) and are willfully failing to protect the rights of citizens and governments of sovereign nations and that of the citizens in the USA and the people throughout the world regarding the matter of privacy. I believe they have no intention of protecting anyone but their own skin, which is evidenced by their actions and by the laws put into effect even within our own nation which removes habeas corpus from U.S. citizens, and truly is the rule of law now worldwide, I believe. In Thailand it appears they are under some type of martial law presently and that “new measures” and “new powers” are in order for them, i.e. the overthrow of their present government and it being replaced with a new and improved (global) government, as well as this is on the plate of the entire world, I believe.

I Always Have Hope!

…As for me, I will always have hope;

    I will praise you more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,

    of your saving acts all day long—

    though I know not how to relate them all.

I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;

    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.

Since my youth, God, you have taught me,

    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

…Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,

    you who have done great things.

    Who is like you, God?

Though you have made me see troubles,

    many and bitter,

    you will restore my life again;

from the depths of the earth

    you will again bring me up…

I think some of us or all of us at times get fearful when those who do evil succeed in their plans, and it is because we are not trusting in the Lord, and we are not resting in him; and/or it is because we believe somehow that evil can trump God, but it cannot! Our God and Lord Jesus Christ is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion. God the Father has placed all things under Jesus’ feet. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. In everything he has the supremacy. Amen! He is the ruler of God’s creation; the head over every power and authority; and all angels, authorities and powers are in submission to him. Praise God! [See: Eph. 1:15-23; Col. 1:15-20; Rev. 3:14; Col. 2:9-10; & 1 Pet. 3:21-22.] In that we can rest secure, knowing that God rules supreme over all.

So, instead of fretting over what evil people do or even over what appears to be as though they have succeeded in their evil ways, we should place our trust in the Lord, and he will give us his peace. We should find our delight in him even when all hell is breaking loose all around us. And, we should commit our ways into his capable, powerful and loving hands, waiting on him, keeping his ways, delighting in his word, and believing that he hears our cries for mercy, and that he will sustain us and will give us strength and grace through it all. And, we should continue to give him all honor, praise and glory and never ever give up!

I Do Not Seal My Lips / An Original Work / January 13, 2014

Based off Psalms 37, 40

Do not fear when evil man

Has success in all their plans,

For like grass they’ll wither soon.

They’ll be cut off from the land.

Trust in the Lord and He’ll give you peace.

Find your delight in Him through all stress.

All of your ways commit unto Him.

All your desires from Him He’ll fulfill.

Wait for the Lord; keep His way.

Delight in His Word always.

He’ll be with you to the end;

Life eternal found in Him.

I waited patiently for my Lord.

He turned to me, and He heard my cry.

He set my feet on the Solid Rock.

He gave to me a firm place to stand.

Blessed are we, who trust the Lord,

Who do not turn to false gods.

Our desire’s to do God’s will.

His word is within our hearts.

I will proclaim salvation to man.

You put a new song now in my mouth.

I’ll not withhold your love and your grace.

I’ll speak forevermore of your truth.

http://originalworks.info/i-do-not-seal-my-lips/

News Sources: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-janus-forecast-20140120; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus; http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/22/world/middleeast/rights-group-assails-inaction-on-syria.html?_r=1; http://www.voanews.com/content/thailand-declares-emergency-decree/1834269.html; http://blog.independent.org/2013/12/31/habeas-corpus-still-dead-nsa-records-now-assist-obama-signs-ndaa-2014/