by admin | Apr 18, 2009 | Jesus Talk, Kingdom Comments, Politics, Spiritual Warfare, etc., Uncategorized
Many were astounded, as was I, this week as a report was released in which the Director of HomeLand Security named among others….’right wing pro-life’ people to be terrorists….all terrorist considered dangerous and to be watched closely.
I looked up the meaning of terrorist and found a lot….let me share a little of that: out of over 100 definitions they (a study group) concludes that the ‘only general characteristic generally agreed upon is that terrorism involves violence and the threat of violence.’ Yet terrorism is hardly the only enterprise involving violence and the threat of violence. So does war, coercive diplomacy, and bar room brawls.” Hence depending on the perspective of the state a resistance movement may or may not be labelled terrorist group based on whether the members of a resistance movement are considered lawful or unlawful combatants and their right to resist occupation is recognized. Ultimately, the distinction is a political judgment.
If, indeed, ‘right wing pro-life’ people are terrorists then it is very easy to identify their leader. His Name is Jesus Christ. He was known to say–actually recorded for thousands of years–“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones (children); for I say unto you that in Heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” and “But whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the dept of the sea.”
Yet, Jesus was also the First to forgive sin, and offer redemption; i.e. peace, love and joy for those who opposed Him. Seems an unlikely leader of a ‘terrorist group’? Yet, that is the accusation in the report from the White House.
This is not an accusation against a group of people but against the very Lord of Glory, Son of God, King of Kings because all who follow Him are part of Him. Who in their right mind would come against the most honored revered loved Man in all of History? The spirit of stupid must have moved into the White House.
I am not of course defending those individuals who also were caught up in the ‘spirit of stupid, death and violence’ who bombed abortion clinics or took out their rage on individuals…..even followers of Jesus can be deceived.
Those who believe in moral boundaries that protect all peoples, those who value and believe in life from conception, those who have received the forgiving Grace of God, and truly follow the commandments of Jesus are told by Him, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite-fully use you, and persecute you;”
Nuts! That includes the director of HomeLand Security….and I am having trouble doing that right now. However, I will, because it is a discipline….a decision of my will, not my emotions.
Jesus did say, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:” What better way to divide and destroy our country than to have our leaders accuse (with veiled threats) the supporters of the sanctity of life? Because we do not agree with others does not mean that we destroy each other as though we were the enemy.
Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” That sounds down right inflammatory if a person does not understand that Jesus is talking of the supernatural realm that we are all a part of, and His kind of force is prayer. Amazingly Jesus spoke to this situation 2000 years ago….now there is a leader we can truly follow.
There may be times when we must physically defend our country….but defend ourselves from our own leaders? What is wrong with this picture? President Obama, why do we not have a military person, who has personally faced the threat of loss of life and limb, in charge of HomeLand Security? Someone who truly understands covert operations, not spending time and tax money on watching people who are defending religious freedom?
Paul, a man who knew Jesus well, said, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Good advice! Quick to forgive those who know not what they do–forcefully praying against the spirits behind such deception and division.
I have said for years, if I were an Atheist, or a Muslim, or Hindu, or any other religion, living in America, out of a desire to believe whatever I chose to believe, I would want Christians in charge of the country because they will fight to protect the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This has been one Nation Under God, and to insure that it will remain so will require prayer, unity of purpose (if not in doctrine), and quickly responding to the words of Jesus Christ, to keep the freedoms we have so lavishly enjoyed.
Pressing in and pressing on…..
by admin | Apr 11, 2009 | Jesus Talk, Personal
This has been on my heart for a couple of days, because I thing there is something related at Easter that has caused some confusion and could be a ‘pot hole’ in our road of faith.
Jesus speaks while dying on the Cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” That is the first line of Psalms 22 and I have been taught in past that Jesus may have been quoting that Psalm, not just the first verse, but all of it, even though it was not recorded that way. And, that could be true….however, I feel there is another explanation.
When we are in sin, or confusion, or fear it is hard if not impossible to hear God or sense His presence. Many people are going through very difficult times and may feel God has deserted or forsaken them.
From the moment that Jesus said to our Heavenly Father, “Not my will, but thy will be done.” All the sin, abuse, mockery, trespass of the world was put on Jesus….at that moment. Jesus began to feel the pressure, the torture, the mocking and abuse that those offenses would have brought upon those who committed them. More than, it would seem, any one human could endure, Jesus took that retribution upon himself, for each of us.
God has said He would never leave or forsake us–and would He leave His Son who is doing His will? I think not! So no matter what we go through we must believe and trust He will never leave or forsake us, no matter what it seems at the time.
Just a few minutes later Jesus commends his spirit into the hands of the Father….he may have felt forsaken….and that was part of what he had to suffer as we do to finish the work set before him. We can rejoice that nothing was left undone and it is finished! How blessed we are!
Pressing in and pressing on….
by admin | Apr 9, 2009 | Jesus Talk, Kingdom Comments, Personal, Relationship Not Religion!
Celebrating the resurrected life of Jesus Christ this week brings to mind a scripture in three of the four Gospels in the New Testament: Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23…..
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me’.”
I delight in the fact that no matter how long we read the Bible we will find new understanding and revelation that will enhance and bless our lives. One that came to my mind this week was on the above Scripture.
The focus of course, is on Jesus, what He did, how He suffered for mankind, forgave and changed the world forever! Thank God we dedicate a day to celebrate, honor and rejoice for our good fortune and love on Jesus, the man, the person He is for us today! But, how do we take up our cross and follow Him?
I am sure there are many answers to the question. I respectfully want to share mine! When Jesus said, “Father Forgive them, they know not what they do!” set in motion a supernatural phenomena that will never end. Forgiveness and repentance have more power spiritually than an atom-powered locomotive on a down hill track. That declaration of forgiveness and the payment of His blood, His life, has taken the penalty of sin in the world, for those who chose to accept His gracious selfless gift–available to each and every person on the planet.
We can pick up our cross, and do as He did, in forgiving others. (John 20:23) This really does take denial of self, because most of the time we don’t feel like forgiving. Wonder how much Jesus felt like forgiving as He hung on that cross racked with pain, having taken the weight of the world upon himself? The magic of forgiveness is not a game or a shallow act of being humble but a decision of our will to have the will of the Father in Heaven, not ours!
It is not always easy…..but always possible! Because God has put supernatural power in the act of using our will to do His. Sometimes we must get rid of our judgment of the person or incident to forgive. Sometimes we need to be healed of the hurt or pain, to forgive. But, the greatest power and reward comes when we forgive out of our pain, as Jesus did!
Forgiveness is not:
- Stuffing our feelings and emotions!
- Condoning the act–“Oh, it’s OK.”
- Taking part in–“Well, it’s just this once.”
- Agreeing with–“Well, everyone does it.”
Forgiveness is, giving our pain, hurt and offense to a Heavenly Father, because the price has already been paid by Jesus, and the very act and declaration by a decision of our will, cleanses, heals and restores!
Jesus died once and was resurrected to give abundant Life…..just once….and every year we are reminded because of Him we too, can deny self, pick up our cross and follow Him. What a precious Easter gift He has given us!
Forgiveness never loses it’s power or effect. Forgiveness can restore relationships, bond groups and communities together, end wars and most of all, bring the presence of God right into our lives! Thank you, Lord–You are so special and more than enough in every situation!
HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!
Pressing in and pressing on….
Note: If you are new to this Blog, you are invited to take advantage of the FREE BOOK OFFER given on the page to the right of an indepth study of this subject on forgiveness in the book–THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!
by admin | Apr 3, 2009 | Jesus Talk, Kingdom Comments, Personal, Relationship Not Religion!
That is what a friend of mine said the other day…..and she really touched my heart. So as I talked with her I began to think about my own prayer-life and how many others might feel the way she does. There is such an emptiness and sadness in what she said. I now pray my comments will change hearts as it has mine in writing it!
If we ever think prayer is work or boring we must ask ourselves several question:
- Why are we praying?
- What does God represent to us?
- Do we believe He hears us?
- Do we believe He will answer?
- What is the alternative?
It is so simple, a sovereign God, in His love for His creation of mankind, has limited His own powers to give us free will. He wants our love and relationship because we chose to love Him, to be with Him forever. However, our Gracious Loving Heavenly Father sent Jesus that we might really know Him, His heart and His purpose for us in eternity. Then God Graciously established communication, the Gift of Prayer, to bond to the powers of Heaven!
What a privilege and honor He has given to His children, those who chose to love Him. There is an evil spirit of ‘Urgency’ that convinces and deceives us into thinking we don’t have time to pray…..there are other priorities…..immediate needs….doesn’t God understand? Why can’t He just take care of it for us?
The Majestic Communication of Prayer is our bond to the Throne Room of a Loving Father. The Bible tells us we are the bride of Christ. I ask my friend and myself…..would I want to be married to someone who never talked to me? Would I want a husband or wife who went everywhere without me?
They might do their chores or support us, but never to talk to us….never to share with us feelings and emotion? I don’t think so! Not for me! If prayer is only at a structured time in a specific place, that could be work…..sounds more like religion than relationship. If we pray to feel good about ourselves, to move the Hand of God, to feel ‘justified’ in our Christian walk, we have missed the point and we are groveling in self-righteousness.
- I pray because I want to…..because I love Him…..because I have needs I want to give to Him!
- God represents to me–Heavenly Father, Loving Lord, Comforting Spirit….my future….here and forever!
- As Jesus said, I know He always hears me!
- For many years He has answered, I have seen miracles, been comforted, enjoyed laughter at His Hand and comfort in my grief. The answers I don’t receive are because of fear, doubt or unbelief in my heart. So I seek more of Him to forgive the past and build another future….knowing He will not leave or forsake me no matter what the devil, and evil in the world may throw at me!
- The alternative is have no one to call on, to lean on, and no excuse when things go wrong that I did not pray about.
One of the ten commandments says not to take the Lord’s Name in vain. So if we pray just for our needs and then hope for an answer or doubt His faithfulness, we are taking the Lord’s Name in vain, and our so-called prayer will avail little. Do I set aside special times for prayer…..yes….just as I would want special time with a spouse or friend. Do I enjoy prayer meetings….whee….yes, it like having a party to celebrate someone special!
It is so fun to talk to the Lord just like we talk to anyone else through out our day. If we have asked and received a gift of a prayer language, where the Holy Spirit prays with us, through us, we can do that, all through the day while accomplishing other things. The action of connecting to the power of God with prayer builds our spirit strength and resolve to be led by the spirit and not by our fleshly worldly thinking. The Spirit of God has more wisdom than all mankind and can lead us in blessings, endurance in hardship and joy in just being with Him.
In writing this I realize PRAYER is the greatest gift I have on this earth….until I face Him face to face and can personally converse for ever! I am so grateful for my friend, that she brought me to remembrance of something I was taking for granted! I ask the Lord to forgive me….He is quick to do so…..another great gift from God….
Pressing in and pressing on…..
