His Favor / An Original Work / April 19, 2011
Behold your King. Worship the Lord;
He’s the great I AM; the perfect Lamb.
Jesus, our Redeemer, our Savior, sustainer,
The heavens declare.
The risen One; He gave His life
as a sacrifice. He paid the price.
Our blessed provider, our Lord, magnify Him,
For He’s God’s Son.
Our God is King; He reigns forever
In majesty. He set us free.
Without Him forever, we won’t know his favor
In victory.
Sheet Music (with lyrics)
Audio/Sound (without lyrics)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Glory to be Revealed
Monday, April 18, 2011, 7:07 a.m. – When I awoke this morning, I had several different hymns of old playing through my mind, but when I got up, the Lord placed within my mind a song (hymn) he gave me to write last night, “Magnify Him.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read I Peter 5, and immediately made the connection between this passage of scripture this morning to the song the Lord gave me to write last night. I Peter 5:1-11:
My Understanding: As I prayerfully read through this passage of scripture, the first thing that stood out to me was how vv. 1 and 4 went perfectly along with the lyrics to this song the Lord gave me to write last evening, which is definitely a God thing, and how he works. Then, as I closely examined before the Lord the message from this passage, I saw three basic sections: 1. The Appeal, 2. The Attention, and 3. The Appearing.
The Appeal
Jesus Christ, God the Son, left heaven, humbled himself, took upon himself the flesh of man, was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, and suffered as we suffer so that he could become our great, sympathetic and compassionate high priest. Then, he was crucified on a cross, as well as he took upon himself all of our sins, which was the greatest suffering of all. He was buried, and our sins were buried with him, and then he rose from the grave, triumphing over death, hell, Satan and sin – the penalty of sin and the control of sin over our daily lives – leaving our sins in the grave. He rose victorious so that we could be free from the penalty and control of sin, and so that we could have victory over sin, too, as well as to be free to walk humbly in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ on a daily basis.
Peter was a witness of Christ’s sufferings. As we recall, Peter was the one who claimed he would never deny the Lord, and yet, just as Jesus had said would happen, when Jesus was arrested, Peter denied him three times, the last time even denying him vehemently. Yet, Peter repented, and the Lord Jesus had him reaffirm his love for him three times: “Peter, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” “Then, Peter, feed my sheep.” And, that is the job of elders – to feed God’s sheep because they love the Lord.
Yet, this responsibility is not exclusive to elders. We are all instructed to make disciples of all nations and to teach them everything Jesus taught us. We are all instructed to encourage one another, to use our spiritual gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ, to share with one another songs, hymns and spiritual songs, for older women to teach younger women, and older men to teach younger men, etc. As well, many of these spiritual principles Peter is exhorting his fellow elders to emulate apply to all believers in Jesus Christ.
So, in our service to the Lord and in our sharing of our gifts and ministry of love to others, we should all serve the Lord and others, not because we must, but because we are willing and because we are eager (enthusiastic and excited) to serve our Lord and to love other people, because we truly love Jesus, and because we are so thankful for all that he has done for us. We should desire to love others as Jesus loves us and gave himself up for us so that we could be free from sin and could be free to walk humbly before him in faith and obedience. This should be our primary goal in ministry – to bring others to faith and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, because salvation is the greatest gift of all. Yet, in all of this, we should not act like we are the master over people, because the Lord Jesus should be their only master, but rather we should lead by example. In other words, actions speak louder than words. When we teach others, we need to be learning at Jesus’ feet, too, and applying those same principles we teach others to our own lives so that, not only are we sharing the gospel in words, but we are teaching the gospel by how we live our lives.
The Attention
One day Jesus is coming again to receive his bride, his true church, i.e. his followers to himself, and to take us to be with him forever. Until that time, we are supposed to be watchful. This is like being a guard, a lookout, or a sentry, i.e. somebody who is assigned to keep watch and to warn of approaching danger. It means to observe, examine, and scrutinize (be discerning), as well as it entails paying attention, being cautious, and keeping an eye out for danger, i.e. in particular the kind of danger that would lead us into sin and would lead us away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ and/or into a trap of deception. So many believers just go with the flow of what everyone else is doing without considering whether or not how they are behaving is what is pleasing to God and/or whether or not they are in any way participating in sin, either by giving their approval through allowing sin to entertain them through movies, TV, the internet, etc. or whether they are literally actively living out sinful acts in their daily lives. We need to stop letting life just happen to us and just go along with what everyone else is doing, but we need to be deliberate in how we live our daily lives so that we are living lives pleasing unto our Lord as we watch for his appearing.
We, thus, need to give careful attention to how we live. We need to guard against greed of all kinds and the love of money, which is the root of all evil. We need to clothe ourselves with humility, i.e. humility is something we must put on daily out of a choice of our wills by resisting any temptation to allow pride to take a foothold in our lives or to give into prideful thoughts or actions. This might mean allowing people, sometimes, to openly criticize us without us coming to our own defense, or it might involve allowing people to think things about us that are not true, in order to keep us from boasting or trying to build ourselves up in other people’s eyes. This scripture says that God will lift us up in due time.
We also have to be a sentry and a guard and be watchful because we have an enemy who is out there to destroy us in any way he can. So, that is why it is so critical that we remain continually alert and are self-controlled rather than allowing ourselves to be controlled by sin, by our circumstances or by other people. If we take garbage into our minds, garbage is what will come out. We can’t expect to be able to resist Satan if we are taking into our minds what glorifies Satan, the flesh and sin. We need to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing to him, and not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed in the renewing of our minds (see Rom. 12:1-2).
The Appearing
Peter described himself, in v. 1, as “one who will also share in the glory to be revealed.” Then, in v. 4 he said, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” And, v. 10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” So, what is this eternal glory that we have been called to and that we will share in when Christ is revealed? This glory spoken of here is the honor, praise, dignity, majesty, godly character, magnificence, splendor, excellence, and absolute perfection of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When Jesus is revealed, and when he returns for his bride, we will be changed into glorified bodies and we will share in the divine character of God, not that we will be God, obviously, but that we will perfectly wear his character and will thus share in HIS glory – his praise, honor and godly character. Right now, we wear his character, as He is within us and is living out through us his divine character, yet we are still in fleshly bodies, too, that war against godly character. Yet, when he comes again and takes us to be with him, that imperfect will disappear and we will be perfect in Christ, no longer vulnerable to sin, but perfectly united with Christ in mind, body and spirit. Oh, what a glorious day that will be when we are freed of these flesh bodies and we wear the crown of glory that will never fade away!
Magnify Him/ An Original Work / April 17, 2011
Glory to the Father, and glory to the Son;
Praise the Holy Spirit – our God, the Three in One.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end;
Savior, sanctifier, healer, the Amen!
Jesus reigns forever; He is the King of kings.
He is our Redeemer, the Lord of everything.
Through His blood He saved us, and brought us victory;
Purifying, our debt buying, so we’re free!
Soon He’s coming back for us, to make us His bride.
He asks that we watch ‘til the time when He arrives.
When He comes, what glory then will be ours to share;
Magnify Him when we meet Him in the air!
Music Score: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b58/Christsfreeservant/MagnifyHim30.jpg
To Elders and Young Men
1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
My Understanding: As I prayerfully read through this passage of scripture, the first thing that stood out to me was how vv. 1 and 4 went perfectly along with the lyrics to this song the Lord gave me to write last evening, which is definitely a God thing, and how he works. Then, as I closely examined before the Lord the message from this passage, I saw three basic sections: 1. The Appeal, 2. The Attention, and 3. The Appearing.
The Appeal
Jesus Christ, God the Son, left heaven, humbled himself, took upon himself the flesh of man, was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, and suffered as we suffer so that he could become our great, sympathetic and compassionate high priest. Then, he was crucified on a cross, as well as he took upon himself all of our sins, which was the greatest suffering of all. He was buried, and our sins were buried with him, and then he rose from the grave, triumphing over death, hell, Satan and sin – the penalty of sin and the control of sin over our daily lives – leaving our sins in the grave. He rose victorious so that we could be free from the penalty and control of sin, and so that we could have victory over sin, too, as well as to be free to walk humbly in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ on a daily basis.
Peter was a witness of Christ’s sufferings. As we recall, Peter was the one who claimed he would never deny the Lord, and yet, just as Jesus had said would happen, when Jesus was arrested, Peter denied him three times, the last time even denying him vehemently. Yet, Peter repented, and the Lord Jesus had him reaffirm his love for him three times: “Peter, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” “Then, Peter, feed my sheep.” And, that is the job of elders – to feed God’s sheep because they love the Lord.
Yet, this responsibility is not exclusive to elders. We are all instructed to make disciples of all nations and to teach them everything Jesus taught us. We are all instructed to encourage one another, to use our spiritual gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ, to share with one another songs, hymns and spiritual songs, for older women to teach younger women, and older men to teach younger men, etc. As well, many of these spiritual principles Peter is exhorting his fellow elders to emulate apply to all believers in Jesus Christ.
So, in our service to the Lord and in our sharing of our gifts and ministry of love to others, we should all serve the Lord and others, not because we must, but because we are willing and because we are eager (enthusiastic and excited) to serve our Lord and to love other people, because we truly love Jesus, and because we are so thankful for all that he has done for us. We should desire to love others as Jesus loves us and gave himself up for us so that we could be free from sin and could be free to walk humbly before him in faith and obedience. This should be our primary goal in ministry – to bring others to faith and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, because salvation is the greatest gift of all. Yet, in all of this, we should not act like we are the master over people, because the Lord Jesus should be their only master, but rather we should lead by example. In other words, actions speak louder than words. When we teach others, we need to be learning at Jesus’ feet, too, and applying those same principles we teach others to our own lives so that, not only are we sharing the gospel in words, but we are teaching the gospel by how we live our lives.
The Attention
One day Jesus is coming again to receive his bride, his true church, i.e. his followers to himself, and to take us to be with him forever. Until that time, we are supposed to be watchful. This is like being a guard, a lookout, or a sentry, i.e. somebody who is assigned to keep watch and to warn of approaching danger. It means to observe, examine, and scrutinize (be discerning), as well as it entails paying attention, being cautious, and keeping an eye out for danger, i.e. in particular the kind of danger that would lead us into sin and would lead us away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ and/or into a trap of deception. So many believers just go with the flow of what everyone else is doing without considering whether or not how they are behaving is what is pleasing to God and/or whether or not they are in any way participating in sin, either by giving their approval through allowing sin to entertain them through movies, TV, the internet, etc. or whether they are literally actively living out sinful acts in their daily lives. We need to stop letting life just happen to us and just go along with what everyone else is doing, but we need to be deliberate in how we live our daily lives so that we are living lives pleasing unto our Lord as we watch for his appearing.
We, thus, need to give careful attention to how we live. We need to guard against greed of all kinds and the love of money, which is the root of all evil. We need to clothe ourselves with humility, i.e. humility is something we must put on daily out of a choice of our wills by resisting any temptation to allow pride to take a foothold in our lives or to give into prideful thoughts or actions. This might mean allowing people, sometimes, to openly criticize us without us coming to our own defense, or it might involve allowing people to think things about us that are not true, in order to keep us from boasting or trying to build ourselves up in other people’s eyes. This scripture says that God will lift us up in due time.
We also have to be a sentry and a guard and be watchful because we have an enemy who is out there to destroy us in any way he can. So, that is why it is so critical that we remain continually alert and are self-controlled rather than allowing ourselves to be controlled by sin, by our circumstances or by other people. If we take garbage into our minds, garbage is what will come out. We can’t expect to be able to resist Satan if we are taking into our minds what glorifies Satan, the flesh and sin. We need to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing to him, and not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed in the renewing of our minds (see Rom. 12:1-2).
The Appearing
Peter described himself, in v. 1, as “one who will also share in the glory to be revealed.” Then, in v. 4 he said, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” And, v. 10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” So, what is this eternal glory that we have been called to and that we will share in when Christ is revealed? This glory spoken of here is the honor, praise, dignity, majesty, godly character, magnificence, splendor, excellence, and absolute perfection of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When Jesus is revealed, and when he returns for his bride, we will be changed into glorified bodies and we will share in the divine character of God, not that we will be God, obviously, but that we will perfectly wear his character and will thus share in HIS glory – his praise, honor and godly character. Right now, we wear his character, as He is within us and is living out through us his divine character, yet we are still in fleshly bodies, too, that war against godly character. Yet, when he comes again and takes us to be with him, that imperfect will disappear and we will be perfect in Christ, no longer vulnerable to sin, but perfectly united with Christ in mind, body and spirit. Oh, what a glorious day that will be when we are freed of these flesh bodies and we wear the crown of glory that will never fade away!
Magnify Him/ An Original Work / April 17, 2011
Glory to the Father, and glory to the Son;
Praise the Holy Spirit – our God, the Three in One.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end;
Savior, sanctifier, healer, the Amen!
Jesus reigns forever; He is the King of kings.
He is our Redeemer, the Lord of everything.
Through His blood He saved us, and brought us victory;
Purifying, our debt buying, so we’re free!
Soon He’s coming back for us, to make us His bride.
He asks that we watch ‘til the time when He arrives.
When He comes, what glory then will be ours to share;
Magnify Him when we meet Him in the air!
Music Score: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b58/Christsfreeservant/MagnifyHim30.jpg
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Magnify Him
Magnify Him/ An Original Work / April 17, 2011
Glory to the Father, and glory to the Son;
Praise the Holy Spirit – our God, the Three in One.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end;
Savior, sanctifier, healer, the Amen!
Jesus reigns forever; He is the King of kings.
He is our Redeemer, the Lord of everything.
Through His blood He saved us, and brought us victory;
Purifying, our debt buying, so we’re free!
Soon He’s coming back for us, to make us His bride.
He asks that we watch ‘til the time when He arrives.
When He comes, what glory then will be ours to share;
Magnify Him when we meet Him in the air!
Sheet Music (with lyrics)
Audio/Sound (without lyrics)
Glory to the Father, and glory to the Son;
Praise the Holy Spirit – our God, the Three in One.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end;
Savior, sanctifier, healer, the Amen!
Jesus reigns forever; He is the King of kings.
He is our Redeemer, the Lord of everything.
Through His blood He saved us, and brought us victory;
Purifying, our debt buying, so we’re free!
Soon He’s coming back for us, to make us His bride.
He asks that we watch ‘til the time when He arrives.
When He comes, what glory then will be ours to share;
Magnify Him when we meet Him in the air!
Sheet Music (with lyrics)
Audio/Sound (without lyrics)
The Rest of our Earthly Lives
Sunday, April 17, 2011, 3:42 p.m. – The Lord had the song, “Faithful Friend,” playing over and over again in my mind. So, I sat down on the sofa to read his word and to hear from him. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read I Peter 4:
My Understanding: This chapter in I Peter begins by presenting us with a premise by which the remainder of the chapter is based off of: Because of Christ’s sufferings and his attitude concerning his suffering, setting for us an example, we should follow His model in all we do. In prayerfully examining the passage of scripture, in order to get from it the message I believe the Lord would want me to receive, and to share, I discovered that this chapter could be divided into three main sections: 1. Attitude, 2. Opposition, and 3. Result.
Attitude
The writer presents us with a challenge and an appeal – since Christ suffered in his body, we are to arm ourselves with the same attitude. Ok, this passage does not go into detail concerning Christ’s attitude, so what came to mind was this passage from Philippians 2:
Philippians 2:5-8 says:
Jesus Christ is God, yet he was willing to leave heaven and to take upon himself human flesh, to be tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, to suffer as we suffer, to serve rather than to be served, to give up all that he had in heaven with the Father and the Spirit, to make himself of no reputation, to be ridiculed, mocked, disbelieved, made fun of, challenged, accused falsely, spit upon, scourged, rejected, betrayed, abandoned, denied, and then to be crucified on a cross for our sins, taking upon himself the sins of the whole world, which was the worst pain of all. In order for him to do this, he had to humble himself and become obedient to death on a cross. His human flesh resisted what he knew was coming, yet he willingly yielded to the will of the Father in heaven. The good news is that he did not remain dead. He rose again, and when he arose, he left our sins buried in the grave as he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin – the penalty of sin and the control of sin over our daily lives – by triumphing over them by the cross and via his resurrection.
When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, it is a lot like what it means to come to a stop sign on a road. We stop sinning, i.e. we repent of our sin and make a conscious choice of the will to not live any longer to please the flesh. Then, we yield the right of way to God in our lives by making him our Lord and master. We choose to no longer be slaves to sin but instead to be slaves of Christ Jesus and slaves to righteousness. And, we give him the throne of our hearts and lives. Then, we go forward in the grace, knowledge and strength of the Lord Jesus Christ living within us, via his Holy Spirit, and living out through us in our acts of obedience to our Lord and master, Jesus Christ. It does not mean stop for a minute or two and then keep going the same direction. It is more like a U-turn, where we go in the opposite direction we had been going. And, the good news for us is that when we humble ourselves and we become obedient to the cross by dying to our old lives of sin, allowing God to work his grace in our hearts, then Jesus raises us up with him in heaven and he gives us a new life, a new beginning, a new start, and he gives us, not only the grace to be saved and the faith to believe, but he gives us the power within us to keep living for Jesus Christ. That is how our bodies are done away with sin.
Opposition
When we truly make this decision to make a U-turn in our lives and to leave our lives of living according to the flesh behind us and we decide to follow Jesus Christ and to live for God and to obey him in all things, we will face opposition, just like Jesus did. Our friends, family, companions, and/or co-workers, who had once had the pleasure of our company in sinful behaviors, will think it strange when we no longer plunge with them into wickedness, sin, corruption, dishonesty, immorality, and the like, unlike Jesus experienced, since he was without sin, yet he did face much criticism just the same for not following the religious rituals of the Pharisees. And, many of our former comrades in sin may heap abuse upon us for no longer participating with them, even mocking us and making fun of us, and calling us names. Yet, they will have to give an account to God for how they treat us, as we will, too, for how we treat others.
Our attitude about this kind of persecution and unjust suffering should be the same as that of Christ. Scripture says that it was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross. The joy that was set before him was the salvation of our souls. And, it is with that same joy of having received salvation, having had a life transformed by the power of God within us, giving us a new life, and having the hope of eternal life in heaven with God that we can endure unjust suffering, knowing that we are suffering for the sake of our faith and for the sake of the gospel and our witness for Christ Jesus and for the joy of the salvation of the lives whom we touch each and every day with our lives as we share Jesus’ love with them in all that we do and by sharing the truths with them of the gospel message that will set them free from their prisons of sin and will free them to walk in faith to Jesus Christ.
This suffering, nonetheless, does not include suffering for doing wrong, but rather the suffering we will go through because of our commitment to follow Jesus Christ. We should not be ashamed then for any ways in which we will suffer for doing what is right, but we should praise God that we are privileged to share with him in the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death on the cross. We should continue to follow the Lord in obedience even in the face of unjust suffering and persecution and rejection and we should never, ever give up because life is too hard, because it is not our strength that sees us through but his strength is perfected within us in our weakness.
Result
When we endure such unjust treatment, it helps to build within us determination that we never had before to never return to our lives of living to please ourselves, but rather we want to please our Lord and master in all things because of what he did for us. This new way of thinking (attitude) that bears up under unjust criticism and rejection drives us into the arms of Jesus and puts within us a desire to love and obey our Lord above all else. Out of the overflow of what is now in our hearts should then come deep love for others, a hunger for knowing God more, for walking in greater obedience, in humbling ourselves, in committing ourselves to meet the needs of others, clear minds and self-controlled lives, and a passion for sharing the gospel, knowing that the ultimate in love is giving of ourselves to others by telling them what they need to hear most, because the greatest need they have of all is to know Jesus, to be free from the control of sin, to walk in freedom by faith in Christ Jesus, and to have the hope of eternal life in heaven.
One day God is going to judge. He will judge us by what we did with Jesus. Judgment begins with the house of God, which is Christ’s Body, the church, i.e. the people of God. So, we need to examine our hearts before God to see if we are in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, and if so, whether or not we are walking in faith and obedience to him by having our bodies done with sin, and rather living the rest of our lives for the will of God. If that is not where you are today, my heart’s prayer for you is that you would make that conscious choice of your will today to humble yourself before Almighty God, to repent of your sin, then to turn in faith and obedience to your Lord, master and Savior, Jesus Christ, to live for his will for the rest of your days on this earth. We never know when will be our last day. Seize the day!
Faithful Friend / An Original Work / April 13, 2011
My loving Father; precious Lord,
To You I lift my voice in accord –
I hear Your pleas; I heed Your call
To worship You only, who ransomed us all.
O Gracious Father; faithful friend,
I know You’ll be with me to the end.
You sent Your Son to die on a tree
So from sin and death I can truly be free.
Oh, Jesus, Savior, King of kings,
You are the Lord of everything.
You died in my place, so I could be free
To serve You only, so all may believe.
Living for God
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Suffering for Being a Christian
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,
“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
My Understanding: This chapter in I Peter begins by presenting us with a premise by which the remainder of the chapter is based off of: Because of Christ’s sufferings and his attitude concerning his suffering, setting for us an example, we should follow His model in all we do. In prayerfully examining the passage of scripture, in order to get from it the message I believe the Lord would want me to receive, and to share, I discovered that this chapter could be divided into three main sections: 1. Attitude, 2. Opposition, and 3. Result.
Attitude
The writer presents us with a challenge and an appeal – since Christ suffered in his body, we are to arm ourselves with the same attitude. Ok, this passage does not go into detail concerning Christ’s attitude, so what came to mind was this passage from Philippians 2:
Philippians 2:5-8 says:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Jesus Christ is God, yet he was willing to leave heaven and to take upon himself human flesh, to be tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, to suffer as we suffer, to serve rather than to be served, to give up all that he had in heaven with the Father and the Spirit, to make himself of no reputation, to be ridiculed, mocked, disbelieved, made fun of, challenged, accused falsely, spit upon, scourged, rejected, betrayed, abandoned, denied, and then to be crucified on a cross for our sins, taking upon himself the sins of the whole world, which was the worst pain of all. In order for him to do this, he had to humble himself and become obedient to death on a cross. His human flesh resisted what he knew was coming, yet he willingly yielded to the will of the Father in heaven. The good news is that he did not remain dead. He rose again, and when he arose, he left our sins buried in the grave as he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin – the penalty of sin and the control of sin over our daily lives – by triumphing over them by the cross and via his resurrection.
When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, it is a lot like what it means to come to a stop sign on a road. We stop sinning, i.e. we repent of our sin and make a conscious choice of the will to not live any longer to please the flesh. Then, we yield the right of way to God in our lives by making him our Lord and master. We choose to no longer be slaves to sin but instead to be slaves of Christ Jesus and slaves to righteousness. And, we give him the throne of our hearts and lives. Then, we go forward in the grace, knowledge and strength of the Lord Jesus Christ living within us, via his Holy Spirit, and living out through us in our acts of obedience to our Lord and master, Jesus Christ. It does not mean stop for a minute or two and then keep going the same direction. It is more like a U-turn, where we go in the opposite direction we had been going. And, the good news for us is that when we humble ourselves and we become obedient to the cross by dying to our old lives of sin, allowing God to work his grace in our hearts, then Jesus raises us up with him in heaven and he gives us a new life, a new beginning, a new start, and he gives us, not only the grace to be saved and the faith to believe, but he gives us the power within us to keep living for Jesus Christ. That is how our bodies are done away with sin.
Opposition
When we truly make this decision to make a U-turn in our lives and to leave our lives of living according to the flesh behind us and we decide to follow Jesus Christ and to live for God and to obey him in all things, we will face opposition, just like Jesus did. Our friends, family, companions, and/or co-workers, who had once had the pleasure of our company in sinful behaviors, will think it strange when we no longer plunge with them into wickedness, sin, corruption, dishonesty, immorality, and the like, unlike Jesus experienced, since he was without sin, yet he did face much criticism just the same for not following the religious rituals of the Pharisees. And, many of our former comrades in sin may heap abuse upon us for no longer participating with them, even mocking us and making fun of us, and calling us names. Yet, they will have to give an account to God for how they treat us, as we will, too, for how we treat others.
Our attitude about this kind of persecution and unjust suffering should be the same as that of Christ. Scripture says that it was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross. The joy that was set before him was the salvation of our souls. And, it is with that same joy of having received salvation, having had a life transformed by the power of God within us, giving us a new life, and having the hope of eternal life in heaven with God that we can endure unjust suffering, knowing that we are suffering for the sake of our faith and for the sake of the gospel and our witness for Christ Jesus and for the joy of the salvation of the lives whom we touch each and every day with our lives as we share Jesus’ love with them in all that we do and by sharing the truths with them of the gospel message that will set them free from their prisons of sin and will free them to walk in faith to Jesus Christ.
This suffering, nonetheless, does not include suffering for doing wrong, but rather the suffering we will go through because of our commitment to follow Jesus Christ. We should not be ashamed then for any ways in which we will suffer for doing what is right, but we should praise God that we are privileged to share with him in the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death on the cross. We should continue to follow the Lord in obedience even in the face of unjust suffering and persecution and rejection and we should never, ever give up because life is too hard, because it is not our strength that sees us through but his strength is perfected within us in our weakness.
Result
When we endure such unjust treatment, it helps to build within us determination that we never had before to never return to our lives of living to please ourselves, but rather we want to please our Lord and master in all things because of what he did for us. This new way of thinking (attitude) that bears up under unjust criticism and rejection drives us into the arms of Jesus and puts within us a desire to love and obey our Lord above all else. Out of the overflow of what is now in our hearts should then come deep love for others, a hunger for knowing God more, for walking in greater obedience, in humbling ourselves, in committing ourselves to meet the needs of others, clear minds and self-controlled lives, and a passion for sharing the gospel, knowing that the ultimate in love is giving of ourselves to others by telling them what they need to hear most, because the greatest need they have of all is to know Jesus, to be free from the control of sin, to walk in freedom by faith in Christ Jesus, and to have the hope of eternal life in heaven.
One day God is going to judge. He will judge us by what we did with Jesus. Judgment begins with the house of God, which is Christ’s Body, the church, i.e. the people of God. So, we need to examine our hearts before God to see if we are in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, and if so, whether or not we are walking in faith and obedience to him by having our bodies done with sin, and rather living the rest of our lives for the will of God. If that is not where you are today, my heart’s prayer for you is that you would make that conscious choice of your will today to humble yourself before Almighty God, to repent of your sin, then to turn in faith and obedience to your Lord, master and Savior, Jesus Christ, to live for his will for the rest of your days on this earth. We never know when will be our last day. Seize the day!
Faithful Friend / An Original Work / April 13, 2011
My loving Father; precious Lord,
To You I lift my voice in accord –
I hear Your pleas; I heed Your call
To worship You only, who ransomed us all.
O Gracious Father; faithful friend,
I know You’ll be with me to the end.
You sent Your Son to die on a tree
So from sin and death I can truly be free.
Oh, Jesus, Savior, King of kings,
You are the Lord of everything.
You died in my place, so I could be free
To serve You only, so all may believe.
Faithful Friend
Faithful Friend / An Original Work / April 13, 2011
My loving Father; precious Lord,
To You I lift my voice in accord –
I hear Your pleas; I heed Your call
To worship You only, who ransomed us all.
O Gracious Father; faithful friend,
I know You’ll be with me to the end.
You sent Your Son to die on a tree
So from sin and death I can truly be free.
Oh, Jesus, Savior, King of kings,
You are the Lord of everything.
You died in my place, so I could be free
To serve You only, so all may believe.
Sheet Music (with lyrics)
Audio/Sound (without lyrics)
My loving Father; precious Lord,
To You I lift my voice in accord –
I hear Your pleas; I heed Your call
To worship You only, who ransomed us all.
O Gracious Father; faithful friend,
I know You’ll be with me to the end.
You sent Your Son to die on a tree
So from sin and death I can truly be free.
Oh, Jesus, Savior, King of kings,
You are the Lord of everything.
You died in my place, so I could be free
To serve You only, so all may believe.
Sheet Music (with lyrics)
Audio/Sound (without lyrics)
Gracious Father
Gracious Father / An original work / April 6, 2011
How great are You Father; how great are You, Lord.
My heart so adores You; Your mercy outpour.
Your love and your kindness; Your gracious reward
Are treasures from heaven that we can’t afford.
So, freely they’re given and humbly received
When we bow before You on penitent knee.
O gracious Redeemer; my Master and King,
To You I owe everything - my offerings I bring
With whole heart devotion, to honor and praise
My loving companion and friend for always.
It’s You I serve only, to walk in Your ways,
So I have your promise for all of my days.
Sheet Music (with lyrics)
Audio/Sound (without lyrics)
How great are You Father; how great are You, Lord.
My heart so adores You; Your mercy outpour.
Your love and your kindness; Your gracious reward
Are treasures from heaven that we can’t afford.
So, freely they’re given and humbly received
When we bow before You on penitent knee.
O gracious Redeemer; my Master and King,
To You I owe everything - my offerings I bring
With whole heart devotion, to honor and praise
My loving companion and friend for always.
It’s You I serve only, to walk in Your ways,
So I have your promise for all of my days.
Sheet Music (with lyrics)
Audio/Sound (without lyrics)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Air Strikes
Saturday, April 16, 2011, 6:13 a.m. – I woke with the song, Gracious Father, playing in my mind. I also woke from four dreams. I will preface this first dream by stating upfront that this is not about me and my husband. The Lord often uses me to represent the USA and my husband to represent our NATO allies, because we are in a contractual relationship with them. So, the Lord is using my marriage to my husband purely allegorically here.
DREAM ONE: My husband and I were gone from each other for a week. When I went to where he was, I learned he had cheated on me with a woman named LINDA. He said a counselor told him to cheat on me in order to fulfill some need of his. He and LINDA appeared to still be in a relationship, and he was not apologetic for this relationship. I know that I had previously warned him about trusting in human counselors. I also felt as though my military son was cheating on his wife and that he was following in the footsteps of older generations, i.e. WWII era.
So, I decided to leave to go back home. I had no transportation. I was not even wearing shoes. I had on white socks. So, I took them off because it was wet outside from the rain, and I walked in my bare feet. I decided to stop at a bank and use my credit card to get out some cash. I wanted at least $2,000.00, but I did not know if the bank would let me get that much or not. I checked my right-hand pocket in my pants or jacket to make sure I had my keys with me to get back inside the apartment, which was really more like a college dorm room. I was a college student, but I knew now that I would also have to get a job, because now I would have to live alone. END
DREAM TWO: Our family had moved to a new house. We had all our stuff for our four bedrooms piled on our bedroom floors. None of us had hung up the curtains or had put anything away. I told one of the kids to put his or her stuff away, but I had not done anything in my room.
Our youngest son (international military) was sharing a room with his oldest brother (former US soldier), but our oldest, David, was concerned about our youngest destroying his things, so I thought about putting our youngest, Steven, in a room with John, our middle son, whose room was in the NW corner. I was standing SE of John’s room, and from my vantage point, it appeared that John’s room was too small, and that we could not fit another single bed in there. Then, upon closer examination, I saw there was a top bunk bed attached to the SW wall of his room and that was hanging over and above the foot of John’s bed on the south end, so I decided that Steven could go there. END
DREAM THREE: I had previously been someplace where I met a man. He was a college professor type. He said he needed some kind of book or pamphlet. I was someplace where I found what he was looking for, so I placed it in my right-hand coat pocket to give to him the next time I saw him. I think this is the dream where I saw heavy rains coming down and where I was concerned about going outside into the storm or about sending a child out into the storm to get onto a bus. This dream also appears to be connected to the other dreams, because we had moved in this dream, so I had to find the coat that had the pamphlet inside the right-hand pocket and then I went looking for the man. END
DREAM FOUR: I was someplace with my daughter, a female friend of hers, and my son, David. My daughter and this other girl were on the west side of the table and my son was on the east side of the table and I was on the south side. My daughter and this other girl began singing. The other girl had bright blue eyes. She was singing right into David’s face, and she was flirting with him with her singing, her body language and her eyes.
When they had finished singing, I began in a weak and cracked voice to sing. The friend of my daughter’s said I had a beautiful voice, but it was an old and cracked voice. END
I read several relevant news stories: 3 more storm deaths in Ala.; 3-state toll now 13 - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SEVERE_WEATHER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-06-20-16; Libyan rebels say they've reached oil town, again - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-07-15-15; Obama: GOP budget vision 'is wrong for America' - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-06-20-44; Japan nuclear plants ordered to beef up readiness - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_EARTHQUAKE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-06-30-06; Fires sweeping across Texas; firefighter killed - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEXAS_WILDFIRES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-03-30-45; NATO: Bomb kills 5 NATO troops, 4 Afghan soldiers - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AFGHANISTAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-03-56-48; and G-20 nations reach agreement on imbalances - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GLOBAL_FINANCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-03-42-10.
My Understanding: I did notice the number four occurring in several of these articles quite frequently. I have four children who often represent the four main continents of the world – Asia, Africa, Americas & Europe. There were also four bedrooms in our house, which I believe also represent these four divisions of the world. So, the house is the world, but more specifically the new global order of the four continents in one house and family now. All of these dreams and news articles overlap each other as they are all basically about the same thing, i.e. this new global order of a one world rule taking control of all the governments and nations of the world and bringing them under one rule, which thus leads up to the rule of the beast in Revelation, though I am not sure exactly where we are in that timeline of events. I represent America in these dreams but I also represent certain factions of the US government who are working on the inside with our allies to take down America, which I see as the primary focus of these dreams and news articles.
Storms in the USA
In the news article about these storms in the USA, I believe that my daughter and her friend singing from the west toward the east and in my son’s face have to do with these storms, which are to give a message to our government in the east, as the message was delivered with eyes (eye of a storm) and body language (winds) and singing (wind). A week ago, on 4/9/11 we had four storms back to back with serious hail the size of gulf balls and shaped like the emblem of the Federalist Party of years ago in the USA (at its beginning). I learned that the Tea Party Movement is Federalist, i.e. they are about taking down the established government, so they are of the global order and they are working for them, I believe. And, now a week later we had a rash of tornadoes sweep across the south USA, one week after those previous four-in-a-row back-to-back storms. I also sensed that I, Obama, et al, was responsible for the wind and fires in Texas as my singing was cracked.
The article also mentioned piles of rubble, and in the dream where our family had moved, we had piles of stuff on the floor that we had not yet put away, including curtains we had not yet hung. Also, difficulty in cleaning up the mess, after the storms hit, was also mentioned. In the dream, we had difficulty cleaning up our piles on the floors of our bedrooms, which resulted from the move. I believe the “move” is to this global order and the curtains represent flags that are among the rubble that is left after the New World Order has come into the continents of the world and has ransacked them. The article mentioned how, in some places, they were beginning again, and that is the picture for America and the world, too, as we now come under this one global order of rule of the world.
Air Strikes in Libya
The article also mentioned how forecasters had warned the people that danger was lurking, which reminded me of how I had warned my husband not to trust in human counselors, and the counselor then advised him to get into a relationship with LINDA. This article also parallels over to the article about the air attacks in Libya at the hand of NATO and I saw how both the air attacks in Libya and the storms in the USA were both the work of NATO. In the Libya article, it mentioned a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin. I saw the united front concerning the mission in Libya as my daughter and her friend singing together (air attacks in Libya; storms in the USA), the true mission being to take over the world. It spoke of rebels being defeated by advanced military tactics, which I saw as weather manipulation, i.e. man-made storms, including earthquakes in Japan, whose sole purpose is to demote the governments of nations so that the New World Order is in charge world-wide.
This article also mentions the alliance’s top military commander, which I saw as this top bunk bed attached to the southwest wall of my middle son’s room. John may, thus, represent John Boehner, and the NW bedroom, the government of the USA. My youngest son represents international troops, and he is being moved to John’s room in a bed above him, which I believe has to do with NATO allies now coming in and taking over the US government or monitoring over the government of the USA. I felt as though my son was cheating on his wife as well as I knew my husband was cheating on me. They are both part of NATO, so this has to do with NATO cheating on the USA with another woman, LINDA. The article mentioned that the top commander needed more accurate attack air vehicles, and in the dream about my husband he had a need that the counselor suggested he meet with LINDA. I got the impression that LINDA was an acronym for five nations or groups of nations that our NATO allies were aligning themselves with over us, such as possibly L-Libya, I-India, N-Nigeria, D-Dubai, and A-Arab Emirates or Arab League of Nations, or something along those lines. So, basically LINDA fills this need for more military power.
Obama wrong for America
In this article, Obama supposedly came against Republicans over concern that they were trying to take down a safety net and that they were choosing something in the area of tax cuts at the expense of college students or adults on Medicare. Here I saw this related to my husband cheating on me with “LINDA” which would take down our marriage contract, which I saw as our NATO allies cheating on the USA with this “other woman”, i.e. choosing her over America and at the expense of America so that we are now or soon will be on our own, i.e. the plan is to put the US government under close supervision (the bunk bed with Steven in it, i.e. NATO troops) and then to put it into bankruptcy (which is why I was not sure if the bank would give me money from my joint credit account with my husband), and then to completely change the organization of our government.
Obama supposedly said that we all need to take part together in the financial loss, but I saw I was the only one sacrificing, i.e. our allies (my husband) chose LINDA, i.e. an alliance with other nations, over me. And, now I was going to have to be on my own. Obama said that we don’t have to forgo our nation that we trust in, but that is exactly what this is about, i.e. the USA making the sacrifice so that our “husband” can have this other woman and can leave us in the dust. I believe this goes to the prophecy in Revelation about the beast hating the prostitute and plotting her demise. I believe America is the great prostitute, yet I also see her as the institutional church in America, and perhaps the world, who is married to the government, yet no other nation fits the description of Babylon except the USA. Then, the article mentioned that the president assaulted people who have a dissimilar vision of the government, which I believe goes to these air attacks and storms and earthquakes, rebellions, et all world-wide for the purpose of disciplining the nations of the world in order to bring them into submission.
Earthquakes in Japan
This article speaks of power in the sense of electrical or nuclear power, yet I believe the Lord is using it to show political and global power and shifts in power. Steven was moved from David’s room (east) to the NW (John’s room) because he was destroying David’s stuff. I believe this is about how the US military has been destroying the property of other nations in the east and has been killing their people, and so we need to be removed and there needs to be a shift in power. Yet, this was intentional, i.e. my son was following the footsteps of his ancestors, which I believe goes back to the bombing of Pearl Harbor 70 years ago this December 7th. This was in inside job, too, I believe, as I have read up much on this previously. We provoked Japan into bombing us so that we could get into the war so that we could be the next super power and push other nations around. What goes around comes around, and I believe what these dreams are about are mainly about it being done to us what our nation has done to others as a judgment of God and as discipline for the wrongs we have committed world-wide. So, this is history repeating itself, only this time it is to take America (the USA) down. The impression I received from the article is that there are still mountains to climb in this process of global domination of this new world order.
Bombs in Afghanistan
Five NATO troops were killed along with four Afghan soldiers. The attacker was on foot. I was in my bare feet after leaving my husband with LINDA. I was on my way back to school. I checked to see if my keys to the apartment were in my pocket so that I could get back inside. The attacker was supposedly wearing a security force uniform which was what got him entrance to the base, so the “key” to get me entry into the apartment is really a security force uniform to gain entry into a military base so that I could carry out this attack against these soldiers, i.e. we killed our own. This “key” also leads into the next article.
The New Program
The G-20 has come up with a new monitoring system for the world’s economies, which will follow “key” increments, so this new monitoring system is really about a global security force to monitor the governments of the world, which is what moving Steven into John’s bedroom in a bunk bed over him is about, i.e. to monitor over him, i.e. over the US government, i.e. over the foot of John’s bed, not over his head. It will monitor how much I can get out of our “joint” credit account, i.e. the “joint” account between the US and its NATO allies, i.e. the World Bank. This sounds a whole lot like a lead up to the mark of the beast where we cannot buy or sell unless we have the mark and where everything, all the peoples and governments of the world will now fall under the rule of one entity.
After I recorded the dreams, and before I read the news articles, I prayed, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” and then I read I Peter 2:13-25:
Conclusion: This scripture applies to this new rule of the global order, too. We are not to resist it. We are to submit to it except in these areas which the Bible tells us about: 1. We are not to take the mark of the beast, i.e. a mark is a characteristic, symptom, indication, etc. In other words, we are to remain separate from the world and the world’s system and not to adopt their beliefs and practices. 2. We are not to compromise our faith, in other words, or to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and 3. We are not to do anything contrary to God’s laws or that would be contrary to faith in Jesus Christ and what we are called to be and to do as his followers and as his witnesses. Other than those Biblical exceptions to obeying government authorities, there is never permission scripturally for uprisings politically or violently in order to try to overthrow governments. They are instituted by God, and even in Revelation it tells us that God is going to allow a beast to rule and to persecute and kill Christians but that we are to submit to Jesus Christ and to being willing to suffer and to die for the sake of our faith and our witness for Christ.
This passage also warns against using our freedom as a cover-up for evil. I believe the US government does this all the time as they give the impression they are spreading democracy (freedom) world-wide to these other nations when it is nothing of the kind. They are bringing the people of the world under slavery to this global order and it is forced through all kinds of atrocities our government has committed against the peoples of the world. Then, it speaks of receiving a beating for doing wrong. I believe this fits with the judgment that is coming against America for her (at least) 70 years of crimes against humanity. God is going to judge our nation, which is why we need to come out from her and be separate, i.e. not accept her character so that we don’t share in her sins. We need to repent of our sins of spiritual adultery against our one and only God, we need to humble ourselves, and we need to return to our Lord in full faith, surrender and obedience.
Gracious Father / An original work / April 6, 2011
How great are You Father; how great are You, Lord.
My heart so adores You; Your mercy outpour.
Your love and your kindness; Your gracious reward
Are treasures from heaven that we can’t afford.
So, freely they’re given and humbly received
When we bow before You on penitent knee.
O gracious Redeemer; my Master and King,
To You I owe everything - my offerings I bring
With whole heart devotion, to honor and praise
My loving companion and friend for always.
It’s You I serve only, to walk in Your ways,
So I have your promise for all of my days.
DREAM ONE: My husband and I were gone from each other for a week. When I went to where he was, I learned he had cheated on me with a woman named LINDA. He said a counselor told him to cheat on me in order to fulfill some need of his. He and LINDA appeared to still be in a relationship, and he was not apologetic for this relationship. I know that I had previously warned him about trusting in human counselors. I also felt as though my military son was cheating on his wife and that he was following in the footsteps of older generations, i.e. WWII era.
So, I decided to leave to go back home. I had no transportation. I was not even wearing shoes. I had on white socks. So, I took them off because it was wet outside from the rain, and I walked in my bare feet. I decided to stop at a bank and use my credit card to get out some cash. I wanted at least $2,000.00, but I did not know if the bank would let me get that much or not. I checked my right-hand pocket in my pants or jacket to make sure I had my keys with me to get back inside the apartment, which was really more like a college dorm room. I was a college student, but I knew now that I would also have to get a job, because now I would have to live alone. END
DREAM TWO: Our family had moved to a new house. We had all our stuff for our four bedrooms piled on our bedroom floors. None of us had hung up the curtains or had put anything away. I told one of the kids to put his or her stuff away, but I had not done anything in my room.
Our youngest son (international military) was sharing a room with his oldest brother (former US soldier), but our oldest, David, was concerned about our youngest destroying his things, so I thought about putting our youngest, Steven, in a room with John, our middle son, whose room was in the NW corner. I was standing SE of John’s room, and from my vantage point, it appeared that John’s room was too small, and that we could not fit another single bed in there. Then, upon closer examination, I saw there was a top bunk bed attached to the SW wall of his room and that was hanging over and above the foot of John’s bed on the south end, so I decided that Steven could go there. END
DREAM THREE: I had previously been someplace where I met a man. He was a college professor type. He said he needed some kind of book or pamphlet. I was someplace where I found what he was looking for, so I placed it in my right-hand coat pocket to give to him the next time I saw him. I think this is the dream where I saw heavy rains coming down and where I was concerned about going outside into the storm or about sending a child out into the storm to get onto a bus. This dream also appears to be connected to the other dreams, because we had moved in this dream, so I had to find the coat that had the pamphlet inside the right-hand pocket and then I went looking for the man. END
DREAM FOUR: I was someplace with my daughter, a female friend of hers, and my son, David. My daughter and this other girl were on the west side of the table and my son was on the east side of the table and I was on the south side. My daughter and this other girl began singing. The other girl had bright blue eyes. She was singing right into David’s face, and she was flirting with him with her singing, her body language and her eyes.
When they had finished singing, I began in a weak and cracked voice to sing. The friend of my daughter’s said I had a beautiful voice, but it was an old and cracked voice. END
I read several relevant news stories: 3 more storm deaths in Ala.; 3-state toll now 13 - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SEVERE_WEATHER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-06-20-16; Libyan rebels say they've reached oil town, again - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-07-15-15; Obama: GOP budget vision 'is wrong for America' - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-06-20-44; Japan nuclear plants ordered to beef up readiness - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_EARTHQUAKE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-06-30-06; Fires sweeping across Texas; firefighter killed - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEXAS_WILDFIRES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-03-30-45; NATO: Bomb kills 5 NATO troops, 4 Afghan soldiers - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AFGHANISTAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-03-56-48; and G-20 nations reach agreement on imbalances - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GLOBAL_FINANCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-16-03-42-10.
My Understanding: I did notice the number four occurring in several of these articles quite frequently. I have four children who often represent the four main continents of the world – Asia, Africa, Americas & Europe. There were also four bedrooms in our house, which I believe also represent these four divisions of the world. So, the house is the world, but more specifically the new global order of the four continents in one house and family now. All of these dreams and news articles overlap each other as they are all basically about the same thing, i.e. this new global order of a one world rule taking control of all the governments and nations of the world and bringing them under one rule, which thus leads up to the rule of the beast in Revelation, though I am not sure exactly where we are in that timeline of events. I represent America in these dreams but I also represent certain factions of the US government who are working on the inside with our allies to take down America, which I see as the primary focus of these dreams and news articles.
Storms in the USA
In the news article about these storms in the USA, I believe that my daughter and her friend singing from the west toward the east and in my son’s face have to do with these storms, which are to give a message to our government in the east, as the message was delivered with eyes (eye of a storm) and body language (winds) and singing (wind). A week ago, on 4/9/11 we had four storms back to back with serious hail the size of gulf balls and shaped like the emblem of the Federalist Party of years ago in the USA (at its beginning). I learned that the Tea Party Movement is Federalist, i.e. they are about taking down the established government, so they are of the global order and they are working for them, I believe. And, now a week later we had a rash of tornadoes sweep across the south USA, one week after those previous four-in-a-row back-to-back storms. I also sensed that I, Obama, et al, was responsible for the wind and fires in Texas as my singing was cracked.
The article also mentioned piles of rubble, and in the dream where our family had moved, we had piles of stuff on the floor that we had not yet put away, including curtains we had not yet hung. Also, difficulty in cleaning up the mess, after the storms hit, was also mentioned. In the dream, we had difficulty cleaning up our piles on the floors of our bedrooms, which resulted from the move. I believe the “move” is to this global order and the curtains represent flags that are among the rubble that is left after the New World Order has come into the continents of the world and has ransacked them. The article mentioned how, in some places, they were beginning again, and that is the picture for America and the world, too, as we now come under this one global order of rule of the world.
Air Strikes in Libya
The article also mentioned how forecasters had warned the people that danger was lurking, which reminded me of how I had warned my husband not to trust in human counselors, and the counselor then advised him to get into a relationship with LINDA. This article also parallels over to the article about the air attacks in Libya at the hand of NATO and I saw how both the air attacks in Libya and the storms in the USA were both the work of NATO. In the Libya article, it mentioned a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin. I saw the united front concerning the mission in Libya as my daughter and her friend singing together (air attacks in Libya; storms in the USA), the true mission being to take over the world. It spoke of rebels being defeated by advanced military tactics, which I saw as weather manipulation, i.e. man-made storms, including earthquakes in Japan, whose sole purpose is to demote the governments of nations so that the New World Order is in charge world-wide.
This article also mentions the alliance’s top military commander, which I saw as this top bunk bed attached to the southwest wall of my middle son’s room. John may, thus, represent John Boehner, and the NW bedroom, the government of the USA. My youngest son represents international troops, and he is being moved to John’s room in a bed above him, which I believe has to do with NATO allies now coming in and taking over the US government or monitoring over the government of the USA. I felt as though my son was cheating on his wife as well as I knew my husband was cheating on me. They are both part of NATO, so this has to do with NATO cheating on the USA with another woman, LINDA. The article mentioned that the top commander needed more accurate attack air vehicles, and in the dream about my husband he had a need that the counselor suggested he meet with LINDA. I got the impression that LINDA was an acronym for five nations or groups of nations that our NATO allies were aligning themselves with over us, such as possibly L-Libya, I-India, N-Nigeria, D-Dubai, and A-Arab Emirates or Arab League of Nations, or something along those lines. So, basically LINDA fills this need for more military power.
Obama wrong for America
In this article, Obama supposedly came against Republicans over concern that they were trying to take down a safety net and that they were choosing something in the area of tax cuts at the expense of college students or adults on Medicare. Here I saw this related to my husband cheating on me with “LINDA” which would take down our marriage contract, which I saw as our NATO allies cheating on the USA with this “other woman”, i.e. choosing her over America and at the expense of America so that we are now or soon will be on our own, i.e. the plan is to put the US government under close supervision (the bunk bed with Steven in it, i.e. NATO troops) and then to put it into bankruptcy (which is why I was not sure if the bank would give me money from my joint credit account with my husband), and then to completely change the organization of our government.
Obama supposedly said that we all need to take part together in the financial loss, but I saw I was the only one sacrificing, i.e. our allies (my husband) chose LINDA, i.e. an alliance with other nations, over me. And, now I was going to have to be on my own. Obama said that we don’t have to forgo our nation that we trust in, but that is exactly what this is about, i.e. the USA making the sacrifice so that our “husband” can have this other woman and can leave us in the dust. I believe this goes to the prophecy in Revelation about the beast hating the prostitute and plotting her demise. I believe America is the great prostitute, yet I also see her as the institutional church in America, and perhaps the world, who is married to the government, yet no other nation fits the description of Babylon except the USA. Then, the article mentioned that the president assaulted people who have a dissimilar vision of the government, which I believe goes to these air attacks and storms and earthquakes, rebellions, et all world-wide for the purpose of disciplining the nations of the world in order to bring them into submission.
Earthquakes in Japan
This article speaks of power in the sense of electrical or nuclear power, yet I believe the Lord is using it to show political and global power and shifts in power. Steven was moved from David’s room (east) to the NW (John’s room) because he was destroying David’s stuff. I believe this is about how the US military has been destroying the property of other nations in the east and has been killing their people, and so we need to be removed and there needs to be a shift in power. Yet, this was intentional, i.e. my son was following the footsteps of his ancestors, which I believe goes back to the bombing of Pearl Harbor 70 years ago this December 7th. This was in inside job, too, I believe, as I have read up much on this previously. We provoked Japan into bombing us so that we could get into the war so that we could be the next super power and push other nations around. What goes around comes around, and I believe what these dreams are about are mainly about it being done to us what our nation has done to others as a judgment of God and as discipline for the wrongs we have committed world-wide. So, this is history repeating itself, only this time it is to take America (the USA) down. The impression I received from the article is that there are still mountains to climb in this process of global domination of this new world order.
Bombs in Afghanistan
Five NATO troops were killed along with four Afghan soldiers. The attacker was on foot. I was in my bare feet after leaving my husband with LINDA. I was on my way back to school. I checked to see if my keys to the apartment were in my pocket so that I could get back inside. The attacker was supposedly wearing a security force uniform which was what got him entrance to the base, so the “key” to get me entry into the apartment is really a security force uniform to gain entry into a military base so that I could carry out this attack against these soldiers, i.e. we killed our own. This “key” also leads into the next article.
The New Program
The G-20 has come up with a new monitoring system for the world’s economies, which will follow “key” increments, so this new monitoring system is really about a global security force to monitor the governments of the world, which is what moving Steven into John’s bedroom in a bunk bed over him is about, i.e. to monitor over him, i.e. over the US government, i.e. over the foot of John’s bed, not over his head. It will monitor how much I can get out of our “joint” credit account, i.e. the “joint” account between the US and its NATO allies, i.e. the World Bank. This sounds a whole lot like a lead up to the mark of the beast where we cannot buy or sell unless we have the mark and where everything, all the peoples and governments of the world will now fall under the rule of one entity.
After I recorded the dreams, and before I read the news articles, I prayed, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” and then I read I Peter 2:13-25:
Submission to Rulers and Masters
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Conclusion: This scripture applies to this new rule of the global order, too. We are not to resist it. We are to submit to it except in these areas which the Bible tells us about: 1. We are not to take the mark of the beast, i.e. a mark is a characteristic, symptom, indication, etc. In other words, we are to remain separate from the world and the world’s system and not to adopt their beliefs and practices. 2. We are not to compromise our faith, in other words, or to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and 3. We are not to do anything contrary to God’s laws or that would be contrary to faith in Jesus Christ and what we are called to be and to do as his followers and as his witnesses. Other than those Biblical exceptions to obeying government authorities, there is never permission scripturally for uprisings politically or violently in order to try to overthrow governments. They are instituted by God, and even in Revelation it tells us that God is going to allow a beast to rule and to persecute and kill Christians but that we are to submit to Jesus Christ and to being willing to suffer and to die for the sake of our faith and our witness for Christ.
This passage also warns against using our freedom as a cover-up for evil. I believe the US government does this all the time as they give the impression they are spreading democracy (freedom) world-wide to these other nations when it is nothing of the kind. They are bringing the people of the world under slavery to this global order and it is forced through all kinds of atrocities our government has committed against the peoples of the world. Then, it speaks of receiving a beating for doing wrong. I believe this fits with the judgment that is coming against America for her (at least) 70 years of crimes against humanity. God is going to judge our nation, which is why we need to come out from her and be separate, i.e. not accept her character so that we don’t share in her sins. We need to repent of our sins of spiritual adultery against our one and only God, we need to humble ourselves, and we need to return to our Lord in full faith, surrender and obedience.
Gracious Father / An original work / April 6, 2011
How great are You Father; how great are You, Lord.
My heart so adores You; Your mercy outpour.
Your love and your kindness; Your gracious reward
Are treasures from heaven that we can’t afford.
So, freely they’re given and humbly received
When we bow before You on penitent knee.
O gracious Redeemer; my Master and King,
To You I owe everything - my offerings I bring
With whole heart devotion, to honor and praise
My loving companion and friend for always.
It’s You I serve only, to walk in Your ways,
So I have your promise for all of my days.
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