My Heart Cries

Sunday, November 27, 2011, 10:04 a.m. – The song, “His Favor,” was playing in my mind when I awoke the second time this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 15:

A Prophecy Against Moab

1 An oracle concerning Moab:
Ar in Moab is ruined,
destroyed in a night!
Kir in Moab is ruined,
destroyed in a night!
2 Dibon goes up to its temple,
to its high places to weep;
Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba.
Every head is shaved
and every beard cut off.
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;
on the roofs and in the public squares
they all wail,
prostrate with weeping.
4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,
their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
and their hearts are faint.

5 My heart cries out over Moab;
her fugitives flee as far as Zoar,
as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the way to Luhith,
weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim
they lament their destruction.
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up
and the grass is withered;
the vegetation is gone
and nothing green is left.
7 So the wealth they have acquired and stored up
they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
8 Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
their lamentation as far as Beer Elim.
9 Dimon’s waters are full of blood,
but I will bring still more upon Dimon—
a lion upon the fugitives of Moab
and upon those who remain in the land.

My Understanding: Moab was under the judgment of God. The enemy had swept across the land and had left a trail of death and destruction, so the people were wailing over their losses. The capital city of Moab went up to its temple, to its high places to weep and to wail over the loss of property and human lives. These high places were religious centers for the worship of false gods (their idols). So, the people of the capital city or those united with the government of the land were calling upon their false gods to save them. They shaved their heads and cut off their beards as a sign of mourning and of humiliation. They cried out in their pain and suffering and their hearts were faint.

Even Isaiah’s heart cried out over Moab. I am certain he cried out to Almighty God because of the pain and the suffering of the people. And I am certain he wept, as well, over the sin of the people that brought such destruction upon them, and many of whom were still going to their idol shrines to weep, instead of turning God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit), the Amen, the Alpha and Omega, the one true God. Oh, how Isaiah’s heart must have ached to see how many of them were still following after their idols and were calling out to false gods (gods of men; man-made idols; the government, etc.) to save them, instead of calling out to their heavenly Father to deliver them from the grave.

God’s act of judgment on this nation was thus not finished. The capital city was full of blood, yet God was to bring still more upon Dimon – a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land.

The Bible teaches us in Revelation 3 that God loves us so much that he loves us like a loving parent in that he disciplines and brings the rod of correction against his own people to either bring them back to God in a right relationship with Jesus Christ and/or to make them holy, fit for his service; to mature them and to make them more like Jesus, conformed into his likeness; to humble them; and to mold and make them according to his will. In God’s love, grace, kindness and mercy, if we continue on a path to destruction and if we refuse to repent and to follow the only true God, God will discipline us with a divine dose of judgment, because he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. All we have to do is to read the letters to the seven churches in Asia as recorded in the book of Revelation to see that God warns of judgment to his church, and that he will carry it out if we do not repent and return to our first love, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and God the Son, left heaven, came to earth, took upon himself human flesh, suffered as we suffer, was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, was rejected, despised, forsaken, denied, betrayed, beaten and then crucified on a cruel cross though he had done no wrong. No deceit was found in his mouth. He was without sin, our perfect Lamb sacrifice for the sins of the world. When he died on that cross, our sins died with him. When he was buried, our sins were buried with him. When he was resurrected back to life, our sins remained in the grave, for he had conquered death, hell, Satan and sin for you and for me, so that we could go free from the ultimate penalty of sin (eternal damnation) and so we could go free from the control of sin over our day-to-day lives. Only by his grace and through faith (repentance and obedience) in Jesus Christ and in what he did for us on the cross will we know him and will we live with him forever. Make sure today, if you have not done so before, that you truly know him, because if you do not, you will live without him forever in eternal punishment and in eternal separation from God.

His Favor / An Original Work / April 18, 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!

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/his-favor

Song on video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2Jq_hHH_QU

The Day the Lord Gives Us Relief

Sunday, November 27, 2011, 5:23 a.m. – The song, “Muted Trumpet,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning.

Muted Trumpet / An Original Work / October 14, 2011

Softly He speaks gently to us,
Giving us His messages, and
He waits patiently for us to
Respond to His words.
Will you listen to Him speaking?
Will you waken from your sleeping?
He is calling; hear Him whisper
His truth unto you.

Jesus speaks His words unto us,
So that He might live out through us,
Giving light to all who need Him,
So they can obey.
He gave His life to die for us,
So that from sin He would free us
To walk humbly in obedience
Unto Him each day.

Hear the trumpet clearly calling.
He died to keep us from falling.
Won’t you listen; heed His call to
Turn to Him today?
Hasten to Him calling to you.
Turn from sin and follow Jesus.
He loves you so much He gave you
Life eternally.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/muted-trumpet

Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0iizyIw0KM

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 14:1-23:

The LORD will have compassion on Jacob;
once again he will choose Israel
and will settle them in their own land.
Aliens will join them
and unite with the house of Jacob.
Nations will take them
and bring them to their own place.
And the house of Israel will possess the nations
as menservants and maidservants in the LORD’s land.
They will make captives of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.

On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor has come to an end!
How his fury has ended!
The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers,
which in anger struck down peoples
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued nations
with relentless aggression.
All the lands are at rest and at peace;
they break into singing.
Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon
exult over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no woodsman comes to cut us down.”

The grave below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—
all those who were leaders in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.
They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”
All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,
along with the noise of your harps;
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms cover you.

How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
But you are brought down to the grave,
to the depths of the pit.

Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
the man who made the world a desert,
who overthrew its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”

All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.
But you are cast out of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,
with those pierced by the sword,
those who descend to the stones of the pit.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
you will not join them in burial,
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never be mentioned again.
Prepare a place to slaughter his sons
for the sins of their forefathers;
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.

“I will rise up against them,”
declares the LORD Almighty.
“I will cut off from Babylon her name and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,”
declares the LORD.
“I will turn her into a place for owls
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,”
declares the LORD Almighty.

My Understanding: Since the time in which Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected to life in conquering Satan, death, hell and sin, we have been under the New Covenant with God Almighty through Jesus Christ, his Son. God removed the barrier of hostility, which had stood between the Jews and the Gentiles, through his death and resurrection, and he made them one in Christ Jesus. At that moment, Israel was no longer a name associated with Jews only, but Israel now included Gentiles, too, and Israel became the name associated with all those who believe in Jesus Christ. All those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are among those who come from the slave woman, whereas true Israel (the saints of God through faith in Christ) are the children of the free woman.

Babylon is a name associated with those who are against God, who are of this world, and who are against God’s holy people, true Israel, the saints of Almighty God, who have made Jesus Christ their Lord and Master. God will use Babylon to come against his people in order to cleanse them, and to purify them before Jesus Christ returns for his bride for their wedding day. Then the Lord will have compassion on Israel, the true church; the true saints of Almighty God who have not soiled their garments but have remained true to their Lord Jesus Christ and who have not denied his name. On that day when the Lord gives us relief from suffering for his name’s sake and for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ; from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, this will be true about the king of Babylon, who is really Satan, the great Dragon, Lucifer, the devil.

The oppressor has come to an end. His fury against God’s holy people has ended. The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked… which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows; with relentless aggression. All of the pomp of the oppressor has been brought down to the grave. And, then we see who the true king of Babylon really is – Satan. He has fallen from heaven. He has been cast down to the earth. He said in his heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; …I will make myself like the Most High.” But, not only was Satan cast out of heaven down to the earth, but he will be bound in a pit for 1000 years and then he will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. He will meet his doom. It is certain. He, who has so often triumphed over God’s saints; he who prowled around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour; that great serpent – he will meet his doom and his doom is sure, and when he does, God will then give relief to his people.

This day is coming, but before it does, The Dragon (Satan), the beast and the false prophet will be allowed to rule the earth for a time, times and half a time. They will be given authority over all nations and peoples and they will be given permission by God Almighty to come against his saints to conquer them and to kill them. Yet, those who remain true to Christ Jesus and who do not deny his name, will be resurrected when Jesus Christ returns for his bride, and they will reign with him forever. So, we have nothing to fear. They can kill our bodies, but they cannot kill our souls, because we belong to the one true God!

Evil is bad enough right now. Imagine when the Lord God lets Satan rule. We cannot fathom the level of evil and deception that will break loose upon this earth. So, we must be diligent and make certain of our faith in Christ Jesus, and we must make certain that we are walking in victory over sin and in true fellowship with our Lord, because if we are not, we will not be able to withstand Satan’s attacks against us. So, that is why, I believe, that God is calling out to his church at this time to waken from their sleeping, to hear his gentle whispers to our hearts, to repent of any known sin, and to walk humbly in obedience to him in full surrender to his will for our lives, because God and God alone is the only one who can keep us from falling into sin and/or away from pure devotion to our only God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. A time of great and unimaginable evil is fast approaching. We need to be daily putting on the armor of God so that we can withstand this day of evil and so we can be victorious, faithful, overcomers who will one day receive our crown and hear God say the words, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”

Hear the trumpet clearly calling.
He died to keep us from falling.
Won’t you listen; heed His call to
Turn to Him today?
Hasten to Him calling to you.
Turn from sin and follow Jesus.
He loves you so much He gave you
Life eternally.

Weep, Mourn and Wail

Saturday, November 26, 2011, 11:03 p.m. – I awoke with the song, “Fear Not!” playing in my mind:

Fear Not! / An Original Work / October 20, 2011

Based off of Philippians 4

Rejoice in the Lord!
Gentle be always.
The Lord is near you.
Fear not in all things.
But in ev’rything
By prayer, with thanksgiving,
Share your requests.
God will guard your hearts
With His peace always.

Think about these things:
Whate’er is honest;
Pure and is lovely;
And is praiseworthy.
Whate’er you have learned,
Or you have received, or
You heard from Christ,
Make it your practice.
God will be with you.

I can do all things
Through Him who gives strength.
Whate’er I go through,
Satisfied I’ll be.
My God will meet all
My needs according to
His riches in
Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Praise Him forever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oZOuR7S8eY

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 13:

A Prophecy Against Babylon

An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates of the nobles.
I have commanded my holy ones;
I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—
those who rejoice in my triumph.

Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The LORD Almighty is mustering
an army for war.
They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—
the LORD and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country.

Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
Because of this, all hands will go limp,
every man’s heart will melt.
Terror will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.

See, the day of the LORD is coming
—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
I will make man scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the LORD Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.

Like a hunted gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,
each will return to his own people,
each will flee to his native land.
Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall by the sword.
Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives ravished.

See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.
Their bows will strike down the young men;
they will have no mercy on infants
nor will they look with compassion on children.
Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the glory of the Babylonians’ pride,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there,
no shepherd will rest his flocks there.
But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.
Hyenas will howl in her strongholds,
jackals in her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.

My Understanding: A Day of Judgment is coming upon the earth. The Bible says so. The Book of Revelation describes in detail what it will be like for those who live on the earth at that time. The Dragon (Satan), the Beast, and the False Prophet will be allowed to rule and to reign on the earth for a time, times and half a time. They will be given power to conquer the saints of God and to kill them for their testimony for Jesus Christ. The false trinity will be given power to conquer and rule all the earth, all the people, and nations, etc., and to require that everyone bow down to the beast and to worship the beast instead of to worship Almighty God and Jesus Christ, God’s Son; God the Son. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the Saints of Almighty God, i.e. for those who worship and bow to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who took away the sins of the world. Much destruction of the earth and much loss of human life will take place during this great time of God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth. Yet, for those of us who know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are not to fear that day, but we are to continue in Him who saved us and who called us with a holy calling in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Isaiah was given a commission by God to prepare the hearts of people for this time of judgment that was to come. He was called of God to raise a banner on a hilltop, to shout to the people; to beckon (summon) them to enter the gates of the nobles. The apostle John, as recorded in the Book of Revelation, was given a similar commission to warn, to give notice of coming judgment, and to call on the churches to return to their God, to repent of their sins and to enter the gates of heaven in restored fellowship and faithfulness to Jesus Christ, their Savior and Lord before the Day of Judgment. And, he warned them what would happen to them if they did not repent. As well, he was given the task of encouraging the faithful saints of God to persevere, to be strong in the Lord and in His power and strength within them, to not fear what was coming, to endure patiently, to be overcomers, and to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, their Lord, and to his gospel, and they would receive their reward in heaven. They would be given white robes to wear and a crown on their heads to lie at Jesus’ feet. And, they will reign with the Lord Jesus forever and ever, amen!

Isaiah was to wail and/or he was being called of God to tell the people to wail, for the day of the Lord is near. To wail means “to express pain, grief, or misery in a long mournful high-pitched cry or in words uttered in a mournful way” (Encarta). I know that sound. The Lord gave me a song to write the other day that sounded just like that. I could feel wailing in my spirit as I listened to the music play. I know that I was grieving and wailing over the sins of the world and God’s coming wrath, yet I could not help but feel that this was God wailing over the sins of the world and the fact that he would now have to come in judgment because of the stubbornness and rebellion of men’s (and women’s) hearts in not listening to and heeding God’s warnings and urgings to repent of their sins and to return to their God and to make Jesus the only Lord of their lives. God does not want to have to bring judgment. He is patient and compassionate, full of love and mercy, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, and yet there is a day appointed unto man in which he (or she) will be judged by God as to whether or not he or she received Jesus Christ, God’s Son, into his or her life to be Lord and Savior via repentance and a choice to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ and to follow him wherever he leads.

That day has not yet come, but it is inevitable that it will, because God said so. And, God is still using his servants today to given warning and strong encouragement, urging the church to humble themselves, to pray, to seek God’s face, and to turn from their wicked ways, and then God will hear their prayers and will bring spiritual healing and restoration of their lives back to their God. He is calling out to the unsaved, as well, to know God via faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, to have their hearts cleansed of sin and to be brought into fellowship with God and with His Son because of what Jesus Christ did for all of us in dying on the cross for our sins so that we could go free, not only of the ultimate penalty of sin (eternity in hell), but also so we could be free of the control of sin over our lives on a day-to-day basis. So, if you have not yet made that decision to make Jesus Christ Lord and Savior of your life, I pray you will do that today. If you know him or think you know him, but you have not been living in faithfulness, surrender to his will and obedience to his commands, then I pray today that you will humble yourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from your wicked ways, because truly this Day of Judgment will come.

Wake Up! / An Original Work / November 25, 2011

Based off Ephesians 5:1-21; Revelation 3:1-6

Wake up, sleeper,
Rise from the dead.
Your God awaits
You to do what
He says to you.
Be not conformed
To your selfish will.
Trust in the Lord.
Do what He says.
He will give you victory.
Do not walk in
Darkness; come into
The light of love.

Listen to your
Savior calling
You to obey
All His teachings.
Repent of your
Sin, and Christ will
Shine His love on you.
He waits patiently
For you to
Heed His whispers to your heart.
Will you hasten
To obey Him;
Not from Him depart?

Live your life from
This day forward,
Walking in His
Love and mercy.
Let Him cleanse you
Of all your sins.
Dwell with Him today.
Do not insult
God’s grace to you.
Do not make light of your sin.
Let the light of
His truth come and
Free you from within.

http://youtu.be/VRPINCxQluc

Wake Up!

Wake Up! / An Original Work / November 25, 2011

Based off Ephesians 5:1-21; Revelation 3:1-6

Wake up, sleeper,
Rise from the dead.
Your God awaits
You to do what
He says to you.
Be not conformed
To your selfish will.
Trust in the Lord.
Do what He says.
He will give you victory.
Do not walk in
Darkness; come into
The light of love.

Listen to your
Savior calling
You to obey
All His teachings.
Repent of your
Sin, and Christ will
Shine His love on you.
He waits patiently
For you to
Heed His whispers to your heart.
Will you hasten
To obey Him;
Not from Him depart?

Live your life from
This day forward,
Walking in His
Love and mercy.
Let Him cleanse you
Of all your sins.
Dwell with Him today.
Do not insult
God’s grace to you.
Do not make light of your sin.
Let the light of
His truth come and
Free you from within.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, Song Lyrics and Sheet Music (free) at

Song on Video

The LORD Hates

Friday, November 25, 2011, 6:25 a.m. – The song, “Your Life,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. The Lord brought to mind the passage in Proverbs 6 about the things the Lord hates.

Warnings Against Folly

1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have struck hands in pledge for another,
2 if you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go and humble yourself;
press your plea with your neighbor!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.

12 A scoundrel and villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks with his eye,
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up dissension.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Warning Against Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s commands
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them upon your heart forever;
fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For these commands are a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and the corrections of discipline
are the way to life,
24 keeping you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife.
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes,
26 for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread,
and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 Men do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment;
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never be wiped away;
34 for jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse the bribe, however great it is.

My Understanding: This person has done something dishonest, and now he feels trapped, and he does not know the way out. He has been trapped by his own words, and he needs to free himself by coming clean. God requires that he humble himself and to press his plea, i.e. to beg forgiveness from the one he offended or whom he sinned against. Instead of running away from the problem by going into a state of depression and sleeping all the time, he is to allow no sleep to his eyes until this is resolved, and until he is at peace with his neighbor. Then, he will be free. Yet, he continues to just sleep, instead of resolving the issue with his neighbor.

This person is a villain and a scoundrel, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers. He is a deceiver, a manipulator and a liar of the worse kind. He plots evil with deceit in his heart against others, and he stirs up dissension, i.e. he willfully misleads people in the wrong direction, one against another in order to pit some people against other people. Therefore, disaster has been declared for him, and it will overtake him in an instant – very suddenly he will be destroyed, and without remedy. Jude said: “The blackest darkness has been reserved for this man.” He is like a wild wave of the sea, foaming up his shame – a shepherd who feeds only himself and who changes the grace of God into a license for immorality. As well, he denies Jesus Christ who bought him with his blood and who purchased him so that he could go free. Yet, he chooses to remain in bondage to his sin.

In further describing this sluggard, this scoundrel, this divider of people, the poet here describes that there are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty (proud; arrogant) eyes (eyes are the window into a person’s soul), a lying tongue (continuous lies, one piled on another), hands that shed innocent blood (this person takes advantage of the innocent), a heart that devises wicked schemes (this person plots evil in his heart against another), feet that are quick to rush into evil (all too ready to rush into Balaam’s error or to betray a friend for his own gain), a false witness who pours out lies (this person lies against another for his own advantage), and a man who stirs up dissension (conflict) among brothers via his lies and his deceit, again, for his own advantage.

Coupled with this is a warning against adultery. We, as believers in Christ, should bind God’s truths and commands upon our hearts forever. They should guide us when we walk throughout the day and they should watch over us as we sleep. When we awake in the morning, they should immediately speak to us. God’s word is like a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths showing us the way that we should go. We should love the Lord our God and we should love his word so much that his word is engrained within us and it becomes a part of our daily lives and practice.

God’s word keeps us from sin. It keeps us from idolatry and immorality. God’s word helps us to forsake our sins and to walk in obedience to God in daily fellowship with him. And, our Lord helps us to not yield to all temptation, but in particular this is dealing with the subject of temptation to lust after the beauty of another, and then to giving in to that temptation by the actual act of adultery. The Bible says that a man who lusts after a woman has already committed adultery in his heart against his wife. This goes, too, for a wandering wife who lusts after another man and who ends up in bed with a man not her husband. And, there are many ways in which this can take place today, not just in the act of actual physical adultery, but through many artificial means of satisfying one’s own sexual desires outside the marriage bed. The picture is pretty clear. If we scoop into our laps a tub of hot coals, we are going to get burned. We will not go unpunished. A person who commits adultery is one who lacks judgment. He destroys himself. His shame will never be wiped away unless he repents and turns from his wickedness.

Your Life / An Original Work / October 22, 2011

Based off of Colossians 3:1-17

Set your hearts and minds
On things up above
Where Christ sits with God;
Not on earthly things.
For you died and your life
Is now hidd’n with Christ.
When Christ, who is your life, is seen,
You will be with Him.

Your sins, put to death.
Don’t walk in these ways.
Don’t lie to yourselves
Or to others, too.
Since you have taken off
Your old sinful past;
Put on the new self in Jesus,
Get rid of such things.

Therefore, holy ones,
Put on gentleness;
Kindness; patience, too;
Be compassionate.
Bear with one another;
Forgive others, too.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
O’er all, put on love.

Let the peace of Christ
Rule in your hearts now.
You were called to peace.
Be ye so thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell
In you richly now
As you teach and instruct others;
Sing songs unto Christ.

Spoken: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17 NIV 1984).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3rBIcdt7uI

Judgment with Fire

Thursday, November 24, 2011, 10:48 p.m. – The Lord woke me with the song, “Walking in The Light,” playing in my mind. He also woke me with the passage from Jude 8-13 in my mind, as well. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.

Walking in The Light / An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Based off 1 John 1-2

When I lift up my voice, and
Sing praise unto God,
I will fellowship with my
Lord and Savior, King.
In Him there is no darkness.
He is in the light of truth.
If we walk in His light,
From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,
He’ll forgive us now,
When we humble ourselves, and
Before Jesus bow.
The man who says, “I know Him,”
But does not obey His truth,
There is no truth in him.
In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,
For it is hell bound.
If you follow the world, you’ll
Not in Christ be found.
The world and its desires
Will not last; they’ll expire.
The one who does God’s will,
Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from
Christ remains in you.
Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and
In His Father, too.
This is what He promised us –
His eternal life with God.
So, continue in Him, and
You’ll receive a crown.

http://youtu.be/wS6ljsF6aV4

Jude 8-13 (NIV 1984):

In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them.

Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.

These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

My Understanding: Jude said that there were certain men who had secretly slipped in among the saints of God (the church). They were godless men who changed the grace of God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. Then, Jude gave several examples of those in the past who had suffered the judgment of God’s eternal fire, and among them were Sodom and Gomorrah. From that point, he then said, “In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies…” So, Jude was linking the judgment of God on these false teachers with the examples of God’s judgments on his people who did not believe, even after he had delivered them out of Egypt, with his judgments on fallen angels, and with his judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.

These false teachers were described as those who “pollute their own bodies,” i.e. this is a picture of moral decay, sexual immorality in excess, self-love, self-gratification, and perhaps even a reference to homosexuality (Sodom). They are dreamers because they live in a fantasy world, either a reference to sexual fantasies and/or to denial of truth concerning their own sin. They are also those who speak abusively against whatever they don’t understand, which I believe has to do with spiritual matters that must be spiritually discerned, because they are of the Spirit of God, and cannot be understood with carnal minds. Since they are not able to discern them, they mock them instead. And, they reject the authority of Jesus Christ in their lives. They are shepherds who feed only themselves (self-love), and do not spiritually feed the sheep of God. Blackest darkness has been reserved for them because they have rejected the truth of God and have followed a lie.

Write: Blessed

So, I inquired of the Lord as to what message he had that he wanted to share with me here since I had just recently written on this passage of scripture. I knew he had woken me for a reason, so I inquired of him as to the reason for waking me with this song and scripture. And, then I heard him say in my mind (from Revelation 14:13):

“Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Just prior to this, in chapter 14, John stated that an angel proclaimed the gospel throughout the earth. The angel said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” Then, a second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” A third angel said that if anyone received the mark of the beast that “he, too, would drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.” Then, John stated that this called for “patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” It was right after this that John heard the voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

I believe the Lord is making a direct connection here between these false teachers described in the book of Jude who polluted their own bodies with sexual degradation, in reference to those existing today, and this judgment on Babylon the Great which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries. I believe this is a call to come out of the darkness and into God’s wonderful light, to endure patiently, to obey God’s commandments and to remain faithful to Jesus, because we who die in the Lord Jesus from this point (following the judgment on Babylon the Great) on will be blessed.

This world is not my home. I have a home in heaven with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I am looking forward to being with my Lord in heaven one day when he chooses to take me home to be with him in glory. As I prayed concerning all of this that the Lord had just shown me in connecting the passage in Jude with this passage in Revelation and with the song “Walking in the Light,” and I was prayerfully considering this passage in Revelation about those who die in the Lord from that point on (following the judgment) as being blessed, the Lord brought to mind yet another song, “I Would Be Like Jesus.” This is the prayer of my heart. I pray it would be yours, as well.

I Would Be Like Jesus / James Rowe / Bentley Ackley

Earthly pleasures vainly call me
I would be like Jesus;
Nothing worldly shall enthrall me
I would be like Jesus:

He has broken every fetter
I would be like Jesus;
That my soul may serve Him better
I would be like Jesus:

All the way from earth to glory
I would be like Jesus;
Telling o'er and o'er the story
I would be like Jesus:

That in Heaven He may meet me
I would be like Jesus;
That His words "Well done" may greet me,
I would be like Jesus:

Chorus:
Be like Jesus this my song
In the home and in the throng;
Be like Jesus all day long!
I would be like Jesus.

Stand Firm!

Thursday, November 24, 2011, 6:08 a.m. – The song, “The Peace of Christ,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 7-8 (will summarize some and quote some).

Isaiah 7:1-9:

When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“‘It will not take place,
it will not happen…
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”

My Understanding: I believe the Lord Jesus would have me look at this passage from Isaiah and look at how it can be practically, in principle, applied to our lives today. Judah was being faced with the real possibility of Jerusalem being overtaken by an alliance between the king of Aram and the king of Israel. When the house of David received this news, the hearts of Ahaz, Judah’s king, and the people of Judah were shaken. So, the Lord sent Isaiah to comfort Ahaz with words of encouragement to him to be careful, to keep calm, to not be afraid, and to not lose heart because of these “two smoldering stubs of firewood,” i.e. because of the fierce anger of Judah’s opponents in battle. Then, Isaiah said something we might not consider all that encouraging. He confirmed the fact that Judah’s opponents were indeed plotting Jerusalem’s ruin, yet the Lord assured Ahaz, Judah’s king, that it would not happen. So, Ahaz and his people were thus counseled by God to stand firm in their faith, for if they did not stand strong and steadfast in their faith, they would not stand at all.

We, as believers in Jesus Christ, and we, as human beings, will face many trials and tribulations in this life that will come to test our faith. God does not promise he will deliver us from every enemy coming against us in the physical realm, i.e. he will sometimes allow us to go through difficulties, persecutions, mistreatment, etc. to bring us closer to him, to mature us in Christ, to strengthen our faith and resolve to follow the Lord wherever he leads us, and to purify us and to make us holy. Even in the book of Revelation we read where the beast will be allowed to conquer the saints of God on a physical level and will be allowed to put them to death for their faith in Christ Jesus. Yet, a physical conquering of our lives does not have to equal being overtaken by our enemy, for the true conquest is when our enemy is able to defeat us in heart and faith to where we give up hope. So, that is why the Lord encourages us, no matter what we go through, to keep calm, to not be afraid, to not lose heart because of our enemies, but to stand firm in our faith, because God is with us!

Isaiah 8:11-22:

Fear God

11 The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:
12 “Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,
14 and he will be a sanctuary;
but for both houses of Israel he will be
a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”

16 Bind up the testimony
and seal up the law among my disciples.
17 I will wait for the LORD,
who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.

18 Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.

19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

My Understanding: The feeling expressed here is that the people, who were recipients of Isaiah’s prophetic messages from God, were calling Isaiah’s prophesies of judgment against them “conspiracies,” and were perhaps even trying to get Isaiah to fear men over God and to reject these messages God had given to him. So, God placed his strong hand upon Isaiah, warning him not to follow the ways of the people nor to fear what they fear, but to fear God, and to regard him as holy. And God will be a sanctuary for his people, and he and his truth will be what cause men to stumble, to fall, to be broken, to be snared and captured, i.e. this is a picture of God’s divine judgment against the people because of their unbelief. So, the encouragement to Isaiah was to keep trusting in the Lord and to not fear man, and certainly not to follow the ways of men, including not agreeing to get his counsel from those who do not inquire of their God; from those who are spiritually dead; and/or from those who do not speak according to the word of God, for they have no light of dawn. Isaiah was to keep trusting in the Lord and to wait for the Lord to do what he said.

The message for us today is the same as what the Lord gave here to Isaiah. There will be many people among us who will try to get us to doubt God’s word to us, and who will try to get us to follow their ways (the ways of men) and to receive our counsel from men who do not speak according to the truths of God’s word, instead of us receiving our counsel from God and from his divine word to us, his people. Yet, we are not to follow the ways of the people, but we are to fear God and him alone. He is the one we are to regard as holy, and his words are to be trusted above all else. And, he will be our sanctuary. Yet, for those who refuse him and who refuse his words, he will be a rock that makes them stumble and fall, i.e. they will face judgment for their unbelief. Yet, we are to wait upon the Lord to fulfill all that he said he would do through his holy word, and we are to put our trust in him and in his promises to us, and we are to wait for the Lord. And, he will rescue us.

The Peace of Christ / An Original Work / October 31, 2011

Based off of Col. 3:1-17; Eph. 5:19-20

Let the word of Christ dwell in you,
As you teach with all wisdom,
Teaching one another to not
Think on earthly things;
Think instead on things above,
Where Christ sits with God, in love,
Saving us from all of our sins,
Cleansing us; made new within.

Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts,
As you sing songs unto Him;
Speak to one another with psalms,
Hymns, and spir’tual songs;
Always giving thanks to God,
In the name of Christ, His Son,
Who gave His life up for us all,
And gave us eternal life.

Let the love of Christ within you
Rule in your hearts; grace within,
Purifying you from your sin,
Make you whole within.
Forgive as the Lord forgave.
Show His kindness ev’ry day.
In word or deed, whate’er you do,
Glory give to Jesus Christ.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music (free):
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/the-peace-of-christ

Song on video:
http://youtu.be/tW7HXchJ9qE