VISION QUEST

An insightful Peter Marshal once said, "give us clear vision so we know what to stand for. Unless we stand for something, we will fall for anything."

The new year is in full swing and the entire world is facing serious issues from social unrest and injustice, to nuclear war.  Historians tell us that history has a way of repeating itself. What we watch daily on the news and read in the paper is nothing new.  Centuries ago, during days much like we face in 2014, the prophets encouraged the people to listen to the voice of God.

Unfortunately, many of us tend to think God is rigid and unyielding and will tell us to follow a strict set of rules and regulations that are impossible to keep.  In reality, his requirements have a lot to do with how we view our world and treat our fellow man.  According to Micah 6:8, in times of great hardship and unrest, God has a word for all men who decide to listen.

"Hear, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you....

"*live justly."    Because God is just, he asks us to stand up for the rights of others, and when it's needed go the extra mile and attend to their physical needs.

"*love kindness and mercy,"    We need more kindness in the world; people do not need to be pressured to perform perfectly to receive God's love and acceptance.  On the contrary, it is His goodness that He wants us to demonstrate to our fellow man.

"*humble yourself and walk humbly with your God."    We do not have all the answers to life's many problems but we serve a God who is mighty to save.

Like handwriting on the wall, a day is coming when God will avenge the world of injustice and violence. As we wait for that day, let us hear His voice and give him what he requires.  Not a set of blind acts of conformity to man made rules.  Let us strive to give God what he truly desires of us; to do what is just, to love mercy and kindness, and walk humbly with him.  

   

VESSELS OF HONOR

"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself of the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, ready for every good work."  2 Timothy 2:20-21

 Statistics say there are 7 billion people in the world.  Each one of us has our own set of fingerprints and no two are alike. The Bible teaches us that the creator of the universe knows each of us by name and has numbered the hairs on our heads. You are special to God and he created you for a set purpose. It does not matter if you are an atheist or a believer; we are all clay in the Master's hand and there is a reason we are on planet earth right now. It is not a question of whether or not God will use you for his glorious plan but as he calls upon you throughout the years of your life what will he use you for.  Will you submit to a noble or ignoble purpose?

Silver, gold, and clay are all useless when they are first brought in from the field.  The original compounds are full of impurities that make the product unfit for use. The potter must refine it before it can be shaped.  Impurities must be removed and tempering agents added so it can be softened and kneaded.  The same process applies to us as we are refined and made ready in the furnace of life. Once we are formed into His desired design we are tried and purified to be ready for the function God wishes us to perform.  Some of us will crack and blister under the pressure of the furnace while the pliable ore, once fired, is virtually indestructible.

The world we live in is God's great house.  We are his vessels of silver, gold, wood, and clay that are displayed across the globe for a  noble or ignoble cause.  If we approach life with the attitude that how we act and what we say is insignificant we are not living up to our greatest potential.  To fulfill our God ordained role in life we must realize we are ambassadors, made in the image of God, destined to carry the light of the gospel everywhere we go. Let our zeal for the purpose of God prepare us for every good work. May each one of us live up to a higher standard and shine with the message of love, forgiveness, and hope that our savior, Jesus Christ, came into the world to proclaim.



     

DANCE TO YOUR OWN DRUM

Have you ever considered yourself a "square peg"? 

You know the type. The guy who spends his time trying to sneak into the crowd, too timid to speak up or stand out. He wants to look and act like everyone else so no one will notice he's different. The real issue with forcing your square personality into the bottomless black hole of mediocrity is fear. I realized this truth as I studied the children of Israel and their failure to enter the Promised Land. 

The key to their problem is found in these words: "And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight ." Numbers 13: 33. These men were not terrified of the giants they found living in Canaan because they were so big.  It was because the Israelites saw themselves as so small. Our mindset can become a bigger giant then life's obstacles. Whether we think we can or think we can't becomes our reality. The Israelites saw themselves as small and powerless so they imagined their opponents saw them that way too.

The same thing is true for you as a believer. If you are not strong in the Lord in your own sight, you need to change that.  Fill your mind with the word of God and start walking around like a spiritual giant. When you are a grasshopper in your own sight it will stifle your ability to fulfill God's purpose for your life.  Of all the spies Moses sent out to scout their new homeland, only two stood among the crowd with a fearless report. I imagine there were other square pegs among the spies, but the fear of not fitting in made them fall into the trap of negativity and insecurity.  God never intended to have His followers fit in or follow the crowd. Dance to your own drum. Square pegs were created for greatness.  Embrace your uniqueness and grab hold of your special purpose.

Once you realize your own value you will be able to achieve mighty things for God.
   

PRAYING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX

I refuse to settle for ordinary. 
Status quo Christianity has kept me safe and secure within my comfort zone long enough.  I want to reach beyond my limitations and feel God breathe something new in my spirit.
I believe He is calling me to a deeper level of faith.

 I'm talking about faith that makes people feel uncomfortable.  The kind of unworldly belief that prayer can raise the dead, give sight to the blind, and cause the lame to walk.
Jesus said "if anyone believes in me , he will himself be able to do the things I do; and he will do even greater works then these ,because I go to the Father."(John 14: 12).

I know it sounds crazy, but if we are willing to accept some of the promises in the bible why not reach out and tackle the things that challenge our view of normal. Unbelief is anchored in what is visible and reasonable apart from God.  It honors the natural realm as superior to the invisible......unbelief is faith in the inferior. God promises us that He will do exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond all we dare to hope, ask, think or imagine according to His great power that is at work in us. (Eph. 3:20) 

It is God's power, but it is done through us. If we can grasp the magnitude of this promise we should be daring in our faith and prayers. I have come to realize that Kingdom living and the amazing manifestations of God's power should be part of everyday Christian life.  Faith is not the absence of doubt; its the presence of belief.

I refuse to settle for ordinary.  I want to stretch my faith into new realms beyond my "highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams."





Quotes: Joyce Meyer/ Bill Johnson

WELCOME TO BETHLEHEM

I have grown accustomed to my American view of the birth of Christ.  Pictures of a magical star hovering above a stable while shepherd's tend their flocks in a quiet meadow were my idea of our saviors birth. Yet in the aftermath of the massacre in a Connecticut elementary school, our sons and daughters away at war, the homeless population increasing and unrest in our world, I began to look beyond the idyllic Christmas cards with their hollow words and trite greetings into something more to the point.

Bethlehem, 2000 years ago, was not a little peaceful town in the suburbs of Palestine. The world Jesus was born into was dominated by one military dictatorship, and a mad man (Herod the Great) was in command. The population was ethnically and economically diverse. You could not find much "comfort and joy," unless you were a high government official or rich and famous.  Jesus' parables were the breaking news of his day.

RACHEL WEEPS FOR HER CHILDREN WHO ARE NO MORE,  ABSENTEE LANDLORDS FORCE TENANT REVOLTS,  WOMAN BEGS JUSTICE FROM CORRUPT JUDGE,  DAY LABORERS WAIT FOR EMPLOYMENT, BEGGARS STARVING IN THE STREETS, SAMARITAN BEATEN AND LEFT TO DIE...debts and debtors, slavery, extortion, corruption.- Jesus walked the streets with the needy and suffering.

So what's my point?

Christmas will go on like always and for some like never before.  Lets stop playing Santa and give as Jesus gave....
To give consolation to those who mourn, to give them beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of tears, the expression of praise instead of a heavy, burdened spirit..(Isaiah 64:3).

                                                        WELCOME TO BETHLEHEM
    

FLIRTING WITH DEMONS

According to folklore, the black rose represents the dark side of the soul. The beauty of the flower is the deception of it's color. It's unnatural hue is said to open our imagination to the forbidden playground of incantations, ritual magic, and mysticism.  The lure of hidden pleasure draws us like insects into a spiders web.  Foolishly, we think we can flirt with evil without falling under the influence and control of the powers of darkness. 

In the past decade our culture embraced immorality and is now dripping with lust for the occult.  The American quest for all things paranormal has become the new normal. Books, movies, and role playing games feed our hunger for the Black Arts bringing ancient secrets to life, wetting our appetite for more. Illusion is shaping our perception of good and evil, enticing us into Satan's trap.

73% of us read our horoscopes, participate in seances, call the psychic hot line, and visit hauntings, never realizing we're dealing with demons. The Holy Spirit distinctly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach. (1 Timothy 4:1)

Like the serpent in the garden, evil is seductive.  He leads us away from solid teaching while promising to gratify our senses with knowledge of forbidden fruit.  If the New Age practices are all fun and games why does God take such a hard stand against these supernatural pursuits? 

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or who uses divination, or is a fortuneteller  or an augur, or a sorcerer.  Or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  All of these things are an abomination to the Lord.....  

(Deuteronomy: 10-12)

There is an eternal price to pay when we continue to be influenced by his charms. We will turn aside from hearing the truth, and wander off into myths and man-made fiction. (11 Tim. 4:4)  It is in the realm of deception that Satan operates.  He wants us to innocently "sell our souls" for a bite of the apple. For the acts of the flesh are obvious; sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft.....for those who live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5: 19-20a)

If you want to see your future, read the Bible.  The word of God is what we need to live power filled lives.  Jesus is the answer we seek.

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY

Many of us like to drive the fast lanes of life. Accelerating across the interstate of our immediate lifespans, we deliberately test our boundaries and mindlessly speed through the years eager to fulfill our dreams. Then there are those who prefer the scenic route. We are the folks who meander through time enjoying everything this world has to offer. While cruising the endless coastlines, we stop long enough to get our fill before we move on to greener pastures.

The funny thing is, everyone must hit their breaks and stop at the big toll booth in the sky we call death. You can try to ignore the destination, switch lanes, or get another GPS...but this is one stop we all have to make sooner or later. "And just as it is appointed for all men to die once, and after that we face judgement. (Hebrews 9:27) It's at this moment our driving record will make all the difference for our future.

Solomon, the wise king who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in the bible, had the money and the power to do it all. In his lifetime, he indulged in every whim and fantasy that crossed his mind. In the end, he called his earthly pursuits "living under the sun", and summarized the pleasures of self fulfillment as "chasing the wind." (Ecclesiastes 1:14)

So whats my point? Is enjoying life wrong? No way! Jesus came to offer us abundant life- now- in the land of the living. (John 10:10)

The problem is, sometimes we grovel in the dirt, confining ourselves to vanishing pleasures, and momentary satisfaction. God wants us to live above all the glitz and glamour that turns out to be futile, empty, and disappointing. Our Creator placed eternity in our hearts. He asks us to see life from an elevated vantage point, "above the sun." When we begin to see our future through the lens of eternity, our choices, decisions, values, and priorities will line up with God's Word and His plan for our lives.

I don't know about you, but when my life comes to a screeching halt, and I'm driving up to that Pearly tool booth that opens the way to heaven, I want to have an E-Zpass and roll right into the streets of gold.

Jesus assures us...."The person whose ears are open to My words, and believes and trusts in Me has eternal life. and he does not come into judgement but he has already passed over out of death to life. (John 5:24)











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