So, What is Your Core?

So, What Is Your Core?

2/27/12

The human body has a center piece that contains vital organs that allow for the complete function and sustainability of the body.  This core as it is known controls all major functions of the body that is necessary for the human to survive.  Blood flow, blood pressure, oxygen concentration and the continual flow of nutrients throughout the body are all centralized into this continuous pumping mechanism which then brings life to the entire body.  Your core is also the control center of your spiritual being and the major target of spiritual attacks by our enemy.  It is important to know both your inner physical core and your spiritual core.

If you stop and think about the formation of the human body, one will realize that if this core did not exist, all functional life would cease within a few short hours.  Consider the positioning of this core.  Its placement within the body is a nook-like compartment that actually creates its own sustainable pressure by its own movements. It is fascinating to watch this compartment actually working; I have heard stories of surgeons just standing over the open heart watching it beat on its own, with no outside help whatsoever and many of these same surgeons after they have completed a major surgery actually wait to see the heart begin its beat on its own before giving the heart a boost with an electrical shock.

If this core were located in any other place within the body, the body as we know it could not sustain life.  For instance, if the core were located in the thigh muscle all of our blood would be located in our legs and pool there due to gravitational forces.  If our core were located in the human head, then the pressure would literally explode our brains and death would be immediate.  Instead it is located in a sort of, kind of rectangle shaped pouch located in the upper center of our bodies…the perfect creation.  So, if our core is perfectly constructed and correctly located within our bodies then no other place will do for our creator.  Why would Jesus wish to enter a portion that is on the outside, or located on the extremity, or to a position that would be easily compromised?  Those parts could be easily cut off in hard times or sacrificed, when major threats occur to the vital organs.  Being in the center of the body gives Jesus complete access to all functioning areas of the body and can restore broken down areas when in need.

When an enemy attacks something, their goal is always towards the center of the object that they are attacking.  We saw the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and they began in the extremities of the country, but their main goal ended up the center or heartbeat of the nation.  When diseases strike the body, the extremities are usually the first to feel the effects, with the fingers, ears, and toes begin the first casualties.  But in the end, the vital organs are ultimately the targets for the attackers. So, then why would our enemy choose any other spot to attack than our core and since our enemy is spirit then he must strike at our spiritual core.

There are only two spiritual kingdoms that exist, as my uncle would say one is ruled by my Lord God and the other kingdom is ruled by His arch enemy Lucifer.  It is God’s desire that you fully understand the concepts of spiritual warfare and the consequences that it can have on your life, both physically and spiritually.  God gives a great explanation of this war all throughout His word through which He allows our minds to then gather and formulate this information so that a constructive defense can be prepared; then after the defense plans are constructed to form a concise response to these attacks so that God’s kingdom can move forward.

The spiritual core of our life serves as the communication line with God.  Even though there are many ways that God can communicate with us, the spiritual communication is a holy one that we cannot fully explain.  It is a direct line that God speaks to our spirits to relay or convey messages to our lives.  The information that passes from God to man is so sensitive that it is designed for direct one on one sequences only.  In other words, what God says spiritually to me will be totally different to someone else via the same channels.  So you can see the importance of this communication line to our enemy and if he can knock out this line or even hinder the communication process enough, then we are in a vulnerable state and easily targeted for an attack.

Many of us today have forgotten this concept concerning our spiritual cores.  Our lives have become engrained with technology, life in general and the everyday drama that we have “no time” to keep up with everything that is required.  So, we make the cuts that we believe are necessary to maintain our physical lives, which when we choose the physical first the spiritual automatically gets the short end of the deal.  Our physical defenses allow for the physical aspect of our lives only, the physical which by the way is doomed to die one day, is a constant reminder that our efforts to protect the physical is a futile method in the necessary “cuts.”

“Cuts” to our spiritual defenses proves to be more valuable than we can imagine.  Our spirit and its function is the only way that we can effectively communicate with god when times of attack are ongoing.  Yes, we can verbally communicate to Him but it is through the spirit connection that we receive our orders of response.  It is through our spirit that He regenerates our defenses and it is also through our spirit that God feeds us our spiritual daily bread.  If we deliberately cut spiritual spending within our lives our capabilities of a sound defense could suffer to the point of spiritual death.

Once the spiritual cuts have been made in our lives our enemy immediately seizes the moment and provides a vicious attack that is sure to hit its mark.  We recognize this by certain events that occur in our lives that penetrate our spirit with the comparable devastation of a four star commander being killed in action.  When this type of attack occurs it wounds our spirit and also causes our physical defenses to be compromised in a way that our entire motive for functioning as a human being is now being questioned by our own minds and mouths.

God understands that when the spirit is wounded the entire human being is wounded and there is not much that He can do to help in this situation.  It is not until we allow Him to return into our lives in a way that He only can and to restore that spiritual line of communication within us so that we may receive the needed supplies to return to the battle front.  Only when we follow His instructions will be once again know victory in our lives and also realize what is at stake.  There is no use in us fighting a spiritual war if our spiritual hands are purposefully tied by our own doings.  God will not force Himself upon our lives we must choose to accept Him as our commander and the One who is in control of our spiritual core.

What a comfort to have when we know that our spiritual core is protected by the warmth that God gives to us.  What a comfort to know that our spirit is constantly fed by the one person who created us and knows us like no other.  What a comfort to know that this same person is in control of everything that occurs in the universe and that He desires to have a personal relationship with us.  This only happens if we allow Him to guide our efforts on a daily basis and that we continually seek His ways for our lives.

It is also comforting to know and to understand that when we go on our own way God is quick to forgive us and to take us back into His fold.  Yes the restoration plan is a tough one and it will be painful at times but it is reassuring to know that through this process God will protect us until we are able to stand on our own once again.  Let us focus on our spiritual beings instead of placing all our concerns on our physical realm.  Let us restore our spirits instead of our physical cores; don’t get me wrong here it is important to keep our physical aspects in order but we do not need for them to become #1 in our maintenance department.  All He asks is that you turn your life and everything about you over to Him so that He can shape you back into His image.  When God is allowed into the core…He consumes the core and then consumes the remaining parts of the body by way of the flowing system…Let Him be the one to consume you!!

DLB

The Service of Addictions Part I

The Service of Addictions Part I

2/26/12

Addictions are something that occurs in each of our lives and most of the time we do not even realize what they are doing to our lives.  It is important for us to understand the process of this state and to recognize when this process begins.  Many times we are already in “too deep” before we actually agree to believe that we have a problem.  It is at this time that the inner battle begins within our spirit and the fight for freedom rings in a new era in our dominion. 

This message on addictions is going to take me a while to compose.  God has shown me many aspects of this process and it will take time for me to write them down in sentence format.  Addictions have infiltrated our society in various shapes and forms and need to be addressed so that people understand that they are real and that they can be overcome by a Godly restoration process.  Our attitudes towards these addictions is one of mind over matter which almost in evidently proves this theory invalid.  Each step needs to be detailed according to what god has to say concerning this matter along with the importance of your life to Him and His Kingdom.  The first part of this message is going to deal with the enemy and his plan to begin an addiction in our lives.

Addictions can come in any form that we can imagine and if allowed they will consume our beings with full force and end up destroying us as time proceeds.  These are nasty habits that our bodies become accustomed to, and end up dependent upon the effects of the addiction.  Our minds take over this process in two ways.  The first being the thought in which our mind “talks” to us and says everything is ok and that we are not experiencing an addiction and that we are still in control of the situation.  The second method is when our mind ignores the production of certain chemicals in our bodies to make our minds believe that we actually need more of the addiction to function properly.  Another method that we fail to see is that this addiction has caused an infiltration into our spirit and we now have become dependent on something of a physical nature rather than God.

Our enemy cares for one thing and one thing only and that is to destroy our lives as thoroughly as possible on every level that he can think of, that is his job now and he will stop at nothing to complete it.  Satan does not care about you or anything that you have, need, want, or even might want to possess in life, his goal is to separate us from God as far as possible and to destroy your potential for God’s Kingdom.  That point is a major theme to my messages and it will not be in any less stressed in this message and the subsequent messages on this topic.  Always, always remember that concept about our enemy.

It is difficult for us to keep in our forefront thinking that our enemy can intertwine these potential events as we walk along our daily paths.  It is also difficult for us to routinely examine our lives close enough to recognize a potential target for our enemy and to close this weakness before the attack begins.  As stated in one of my earlier messages, this is part of the besieging process that takes place before the attack begins, reconnaissance if you prefer to use that term.  It is important for Satan to do his homework so to speak since he has a limited amount of time to accomplish his goals in our lives before the truth is recognized.  So he must strategically deepen his attack enough to penetrate that certain area of our inner core enough to have a long term and lasting consequence on our lives.  It may sound a little far fetched at what I am portraying here, and many people who do not completely understand the goals of our enemy might agree with that statement but the ones who do understand know perfectly well that what I am saying is correct and to what extent that it poses on our individual worlds.

Satan knows that our human lives are on a limited basis here on earth and that while we are alive on this earth our potential to accomplish God’s work could be detrimental to his kingdom.  Some time back in history Satan was thrown out of his position in heaven by his own choice.  He was not alone in this decision for he took one third of the angels with him when this occurred.  Lucifer as he was known then main job was head of the music department in heaven.  Ever wonder why music is so important in worship services?  Ever wonder why music is so important in our lives?  Ever wonder why many of the indifferences within churches stem from the music aspect of the service?  Our enemy knows his music and what it does to the spirit.

So, God gave the music department to Lucifer, ok we can accept that but we also have to remember that God did not take that talent away from Satan when he fell.  He still has that capability of the creation of music and he still uses it today.  However, let us think about something for a minute, how many times throughout history have we read about kings, priests, every day Joes who have fallen out of grace with their superiors and then take action against their superior’s heirs in acts of revenge.  This concept is the exact concept that Satan has towards us and God.  We are God’s ultimate creation and a direct insult to Satan himself, so why wouldn’t we be the natural target of his “revenge” towards God.

Since I am a medical person by trade my example that I am going to use is medications, I am not going to specify a certain medication but use them in a general sense.  Even though I am using one example in this message, please remember that addictions can form with anything that we can imagine.  I have seen over the years many people that come into the hospital setting that are addicted to drugs.  I have seen the all of the effects that an addiction to drugs has on a person’s life and I must include their families in this assessment.  It tears a person to pieces in every way imaginable but when they begin to appear in the Emergency Department their status as a functional human being has been totally wiped out.  What many people do not realize is that this process also wipes out their spiritual lives in the same manner and has a longer lasting effect on the person.

Sometime during our daily life there occurs an event that seems to be just a passing moment in which we do not pay much attention to or deem important enough to concern ourselves.  The transition of a passing moment into a habitual pattern is something that we seldom recognize in time to stop.  Some of these patterns we may never recognize but we must remember that others will and could change their course of their own personal history according to what you have portrayed.  This line of passage varies within each life and as the saying goes, once that line is crossed things will never be the same again in that person’s life.  Satan knows of this line of passage and focuses on this as one of his goals in our lives.

We now know our enemy and what his objectives are going to be for this series of messages.  Realize that I am only going to deal with one aspect of his objectives and that there are thousands more like this one that can be used against us.  Also know that God loves us and desires to protect us in every way possible but in order for Him to accomplish this feat we must have a heart of repentance and be willing to restore our lives back to its rightful place.

DLB

Lukewarm

Lukewarm

2/23/12

We have heard this word and the accompanying phrases used many times in our lives.  Most of us immediately think of the Biblical sense when we hear this word but I know that some of us have heard it coming from some type of relationship setting, and even if we have not directly heard it then we have become isolated within ourselves and refuse to recognize our ways.  This is the major issue that we as humans continue to ignore and fail to address, so God has placed this message in my heart to give to you and for you to understand exactly where our society is standing.

I remember the months following 9/11 and all of the media questions and interviews that were produced all over the world.  Everyone from a schoolboy to the most advanced academic was interviewed during this period of time.  Thousands of questions, diagrams, reasons, stories, tributes, remembrances, etc were broadcast over the airwaves.  No type of media was left out in airing these messages.  The eyewitness accounts were numerous and horrific in specificity but none greater than one single interview given on one of the major media channels.

At the same time I was hearing all of the questions of why God allowed this to occur, forgive us oh God, I cannot believe God would allow something like this to happen, and we need to get back on our knees, etc, etc being broadcast on most of the same media channels.  It seemed like the fear and groaning of the church people was beginning to sound and unite together to respond to this action.  The eyewitness accounts were numerous and horrific in specificity but none greater than one single interview given on one of the major media channels.  And if you are wondering yes, I meant to repeat that last sentence.

The interview I am referring to was from a representative of a large civil rights group.  Many questions were asked of this person, all of them having to do with the so called violations of liberties due to this attack on our country, but as the interview was drawing to a close the reporter asked one final question.  The question asked went something like this…how does your group respond to all of the cries from the public for God to help us out during this time of need?  The response of this person went something like this…We will allow these people to say what they wish for a certain period of time and then we deem that time is over we will once again pursue to remove God from all activity of the land.

Now, this message is not directed at the person that gave this interview, but it is directed to all of us who fall into the category of not doing anything to restore our relationship with God.  It does not matter if it is on a personal level or on a “national” level God’s message is still the same for all people.  First and foremost God wants you to know that He loves you and will do everything in His power to protect His children, but He cannot protect those who do not obey Him.  It is not that He does not want to help us and to protect us, but he cannot do these things because of the decisions that we continue to make regarding our ways.  So please keep that in mind while reading this remainder of this message.

Most of us human do not like to rock the boat, kind of stay in the crowd so to speak and try and go with the flow.  This action is a normal one and an easy one to accept in our lives.  However, a long term practice of this philosophy will produce a level of complacency in our motives that will soon find it governing our thinking and our ways.  When this occurs we begin to compromise more than we actually need to and then allow our internal security systems be breached to our enemies.  This is why the statement “you demand My absence from your daily lives but pray for My protection in time of need” defines God’s truth about the state of conditions that rule our means and ways.

The solution to this definition of our lives is very, very simple.  We must stop following ourselves and believing in the wants of man and turn back towards God.  That is all we must do to begin the restoration process that God so desperately wishes to bestow upon us.  This one step method will automatically get God’s attention and His ears will perk up when he notices this change because it tells Him that His children realize that they are on the wrong path.  It also tells Him that our hearts are not so hard that we still want His guidance in our lives and it also allows His Kingdom to be advance in our restoration.

God’s message is also simple in this statement “you are either for me or against me.”  This is clear and precise to what God desires from all of us.  I will be the first to say that I have not always been faithful to God as I should and I also will be the first one to stop and to examine my life so that I might know what impurities that needs to be removed from my life.  For all of you that are riding the fence, the lukewarm ones, God has a message for you.  He says that He will eventually destroy that fence that you are sitting on and then you will have to make that decision after the dust settles.

The next step proves difficult for some of us humans to complete and that is to give up our impurities to God.  When we realize that we have these hidden within our lives we become ashamed of them and that is not a bad thing to recognize.  What makes it hard is the fact that we want to cover them up and hide them from God so that he does not see them.  Only one slight and minor detail, He knows that they are there, since he is the one that allowed you to find them in the first place.  Giving them to God is a life changing experience and one that your spirit will enjoy its absence once they are gone. 

The above information is all that God has for you concerning this message.  Most of my messages are longer but God wants it just as short and easy as the way for us to get His attention. 

DLB

Is Your Foundation Flawed?

Is Your Foundation Flawed

 2/14/12

Anything that has ever been built has had a base that defines the object that sits on top of it.  It is a guarantee that the object on the foundation will be subjected to many trials over its existence and will need to have a firm base that provides stability during these perilous times of trouble. This concept of having a solid foundation applies in the human as well and as you take a closer look at the life of the human the foundation really does serve as the beginning point as we know it.  The building of the human foundation determines many aspects of the human and can honestly make or break that human down the road.  It is important to understand that a foundation built on God is the only true security that we have in knowing that when things go awry that the ground that we are standing on will support us.

The simple definition of a foundation is the lowest load-bearing part of a building.  To many people a foundation is just a carved out wood frame dug into the ground and then concrete poured into it and after it dries it is called a foundation.  For many years I too found myself believing in this concept, until I began to watch how some foundations of buildings and houses were being constructed.  The foundation constructing process caught my attention somewhat and I soon realized that a foundation is more complicated than what it would seem.  I had a great opportunity to learn how a foundation was constructed when I was in Cleveland, Texas but with me being a teenager and more interested in other things, I blew that chance and thought nothing more about the subject.

I am not going into the technical details of the construction of a foundation but I am going to give you a bit of background on the process.  A foundation must be constructed one step at a time beginning with the soil.  Some foundations need to be dug into the soil and others, depending upon the type of soil can basically rest on top of the ground.  The outline of the foundation is then measured and built, reinforcement steel and other wires are placed into the foundation in strategic spots so that expansion of the concrete, when it is poured, does not occur.  Other inner support columns are dug and constructed at other points to spread the strength of the foundation to its outer points to make sure the weight of the building is located there instead of another area.  I know that this is a gross explanation to what actually occurs when building a foundation, but it gives you an idea of just how much detailed work is done to make sure the foundation of a building can withstand all stresses in the future.

Since my knowledge of building foundations is vast J  I asked my dad about some of the materials that are used in foundations.  He quickly gave me a list of “ingredients” for a foundations and I quickly scribbled them down.  He stressed to me that the person in charge of the project could have all the correct “ingredients” but not use them in the appropriate manner and the entire foundation be useless before it even began to take its shape.  So, it sounded like to me that a person who is charge of the foundation, better know what they are doing or major problems will occur soon after the project begins.

The foundation requires a confirmed amount of space which requires a very thought out planning process.  The foundation cannot just be a flat square that has no direct measurements, in other words a foundation cannot be wider than the intended building; it serves as a waste and will not provide the adequate amount of stability when nature throws its obstacles its way.  We all know what will happen if the foundation is smaller than the size of the building, so that leaves the foundation being the same size of the building which means no shoot from the hip tactics are allowed in this area of construction.  In my conversation with my dad he stated that the foundation may look ok in the beginning but will eventually crumble when weight is applied or in other words, when it is tested.

I know all of us like to heed advice from our friends or from the local expert but is that a safe thing to engage ourselves in when something so important to us is being constructed.  Friends always have the “best ideas” and other professional contractors have their opinions as well, but it is the one person who is in charge of our project that bears the responsibility of completing our house to its perfection.  That one person who is charge of the house is you. 

Let me bring this foundation message into a bit more of a personal level.  I know that everyone does not grow up in the best of situations and that our foundations that we construct can be done sloppily, hurriedly, or even haphazardly.  Then there are those of us who have had a foundation structured on Biblical principles or in a solid home that prepared us for a proper future.  However, all of us have one thing in common, we are human and eventually we are going to do things our way and then take over the foundation project ourselves.  We have stood by and watched the foundation process and believe that we know how to complete the job.  So we fire the professional and continue on with the project alone. 

A few questions quickly arise and we apply some fixatives to the area and it seems to work, so we continue on until we look at our finished product.  We notice the flaws but say to ourselves it looks pretty good and no one will notice the minor flawed details and when the house goes up then all will be forgotten.  We look towards the sky and comment under our breath about how lovely the weather is today.  The house we live have built is completed now and it looks great!!  The last coat of paint is drying and the last screw is tightened on the shutters around the window.  We step back for a minute and gaze at the “finished” product.  We are proud that we finished the house that can be called “mine” now.  How correct this person is by calling it “mine” for it is a representation of his life.

But what if your house is flawed and the storms arrive, the house begins to leak or it creaks, windows bust out and the ceiling cracks, what happens then?  We get angry at the structure and ignore the fact that it could be the foundation that has caused this catastrophe.  Next we think that the structure has failed somehow, so we call out a person to assess the damage.  That person realizes that the structural damage is due to the foundation and the condition it is in and that major repairs need to be completed soon or the entire house will be rendered non-salvageable. 

Here is where the most important decision is going to be made.  Do we repair our foundation on our own or do we call in a professional to get the job done correctly.  We make the decision to do it alone, for whatever the reason, and proceed to complete the task.  We make the “necessary” repairs and when it is finished we hope that all will stand firm when nature takes its course.  So, the time comes and once again the same conditions occur in our house, but this time more flaws are noticed and the desperation has increased.

Throughout history the house has been represented by a family.  The House of Borgia, The House of Windsor and even the House of David are a few examples.  The house defines your existence in the world and provides a safe haven when times are tough.  A house also is a place where people find refuge when times are tough and we all know that there is no comparison with being in our own house.  All of these houses represent family traditions that have been built on foundations that have ruled nations, had currency based upon their names and even led men and women into battle to rescue loved ones.  All of these families had a foundation that stood the test of time, but in some way their foundational flaws became noticeable and were used against them.  It was those who allowed God to reinforce their foundations with His divine ingredients that provided the adequate strength for you to overcome the forces of nature.

In many ways houses can be compared with our lives.  Both entities need a foundation and a formed structure to make it complete.  Both entities also need to have confidence in their builders so that when the project is complete or even near completion and the tide turns, that both can withstand nature and everything that comes against them.  In the example given above it is clear that if we chose to build or to repair our personal foundations we set ourselves up for some pretty serious conditions when trouble arises.  We see the devastating effects faulty foundations have on our lives every day in our world and these devastations will only continue to increase in their intensity until all flaws will be made public.

The other choice we have is to allow God to be our professional expert in foundation building and repair.  I know it is not a popular decision to allow God to take over our lives but there is no one more qualified to complete this task; since He is the one who made us in the first place with His own ingredients and He knows just which ones to use where.  His work will be meticulous in its nature and He will tell us every step that He will make while completing His work.

God knows exactly what areas to being in, and that is usually at the base of the foundation of our lives.  The work is a bit painful sometimes but He has to make sure that every detail is repaired and set accordingly before He can proceed to the next step.  See, God does not make mistakes when it comes to our lives, we are His pride and joy and it is His desire for us to withstand everything that is thrown our way.  God then interjects His Words of steel and ties them into place so that our new foundation does not move or expand when His concrete is poured into our lives.  He injects his stabilizing concrete into the cracks and spaces left open by the previous methods, filling in every inch of space that could pose complications in the future; and then He waits a while so that the completed layer of foundation can cure and after an appropriate time, the next step begins.

See, God takes His time in building or repairing your foundation.  He is the master carpenter who knows your plans inside and out and knows exactly what you will need to have in your foundation to prepare you for your journey.  He recognizes all of the storms that you will face and all of the trials your structure will have to endure; no one is better suited to complete your foundation.  God will allow us to build our foundation to His satisfaction and He will show us everything that is flawed and show us each finished area that He has completed.  He does not leave us when the tough or hard to reach areas are being repaired, this is where He takes over and fills in the area with His ingredients to strengthen the area.  His process of building our foundation and our house is never complete it is a constant process in which takes our entire lifetime to achieve.

Whether you realize this or not, but you have just been through a restoration process. It is all about turning your live over to God and let Him direct you in all your days.  He does not wish to control you, He wishes to have a relationship with you, to restore you to your rightly place in the world and to set you up on a high plain as an example to others.  What you might not also realize is that while God is repairing your foundation He is also preparing you to withstand an unusual enemy.  This enemy is not of the physical realm, which we are instructed not to fight, but it is of a spiritual manner, a force that opposes your completed Godly foundation.  Remember we fight against a spiritual battle and a spiritual kingdom, not one that reasons with the flesh.  God will prepare your foundation for this spiritual storm and other forces of nature, for it is these forces which press against your house.

Remember that we are human and all of our building ideas for our lives are flawed.  When we construct things by our own knowledge we automatically look at things that only matter to us and not what God wants for our lives.  That is why it is important that He be included in our foundation project so that He can guide its construction since He knows what we need for protection.  Restore yourself by allowing God to reconstruct your foundation.  I know that when I began to let God change and repair my foundation, I began to see things in a different light and I also realized how vulnerable I was to the spiritual storms that were prevailing against my inner man.

 

DLB

Do Not Be Afraid To Use Your Gifts

Do Not Be Afraid To Use Your Gifts

 2/11/12

I know all of us have wondered at some point in our life of why we were ever placed on this planet.  That question is a common theme among many of the people in the world and even though it may not seem like a very viable complaint, it is one that none of us should ever hold truth into the question.  Each of us has a purpose in life and it is our responsibility to enhance the talents that have been given to us to the world.  We as humans cannot totally understand this placement of talent within our lives but we do recognize it and if we do not enable its growth, then God will nudge it into our existence in His own timing and fashion, and once it is introduced into our spirit it must be developed or God will not rest until His gift is manifested as it should even if it changes our entire thinking patterns.

As I have mentioned in past messages, our lives are unique in a way that none of us is 100% alike.  Even identical twins have features about them that are different.  Now I know that there are many of us out there that enjoy sports, sewing, quilting, etc but each of us though we share similar likes, our depth and knowledge of these events differ on many levels.  The same goes with the talents that we share with other people.  This is evident in the way our individual talents are conveyed from within our spirit to the outside world and the way that we physically produce it is what makes things different from anyone else.

A talent is a gift that is given to us that is part of our definition in this world.  Our talents are not our exact defining point in our life but it is a part of us that proclaims to the world that I am alive and that I do have a reason for being here.  That is why it is imperative for all of us to know and to understand just how special we are and what our talents bring to the world.  Talents come in many varieties and are not limited to music, writing, dancing, or even speaking.  A talent of listening to a person tell about their day can be just as effective as a music composer penning an entire symphonic work.  These talents that we carry within our lives are given to us at our conception and will eventually manifest themselves at some point in time.

There are many examples of young kids performing songs with their voices sounding like an aged adult voice, or a high school boy who has composed six symphonies.  It is important for us to remember that God has His own timing for our talents to be developed and when they are to be recognized by you.  These can be known early in life or not until you are well into your adult years.  All of us have a tendency to push God to show us our place in this world and seeing others portray their talents at a young age can be frustrating sometimes.  As an example in my own life, my newly exposed talent came when I was almost 44 years old.

In the development of the statement above concerning my new talent, I have learned on an intimate level that God is in control of all things and that when He wants things known He allows them to be known.  I have always believed that the medical field was my talent and that this area would be fulfilled in a medical mission, the building of a medical facility somewhere, service in a foreign country teaching others about laboratory services and techniques and this may still be a part of my calling, but I now have another talent that God has placed upon my heart.

As you are reading this message you are figuring out what kind of talent God has given me.  Believe me, this was a shock to my system since I had never seriously considered writing anything, unless I had to for some major reason.  When I was in school, all school to be honest, I could not stand to write things.  I despised it and everything it stood for.  According to my philosophy, it was a waste of time and I could care less if my finished product was good or not.  I know the majority of us had those same feelings at one time but up until a few months ago, I held onto those concepts.  Yes, I spent enough time to complete my assignments and projects but I knew then that I could have spent more quality time on them and probably would have received better praise for my efforts.

Now, proof that God does has a sense of humor.  Little did I know that the area of work that I did chose to fall in love with many decades ago would prove to be a breaking ground for my new passion and how much it really would matter in my journey.  Even though I did not consider my profession would provide me with many spiritual concepts to write about I do have to say that the many experiences that I have witnessed over the years will keep me writing for decades alone about the experiences of life that I have encountered.  But God has not stopped there, He is even using birds, people, nature, books and songs to define my new talent and to allow me extend His Kingdom to others through these various topics.

As I have told my parents and a few other people, I would have never thought that God would have chose writing as a talent for my world.  Some of you reading this may say or think that I have a long way to go, and I do, but it is something that God has placed within me that I must get out to others.  I now realize that God allows us to participate in many things in life and through the background of past family stories, nature and other previous and present encounters around me have provided the perfect backdrop for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.  Even though I have began this quest with enthusiasm I am still scared to death about this process and what will be coming from me next.  I do not even know if my writing will be the only thing in my future, it might be, it might be tied to the medical field, all I know is that God is in control of things and He gives me these messages and I accept them and in turn share them with someone who needs them.

Our potential to accomplish great things through our talents is almost limitless.  This is one major reason why Satan does not want us to see our lives as they were created.  It is also a reason why he wishes that our lives never come out of the womb.  Some of the kids of today seem like they want to blend in with others and become one crowd, no individualistic qualities begin displayed.  What a robbery that is taking place in these kids’ lives and they are accepting it like it was their right.  That is why all of us are on the hit list to be destroyed and a major reason that his goal is to delay you from enabling your talents.  And if he can delay you long enough and spread his propaganda in your direction long enough then you probably will give up on your talents all together.  It does not matter who you are or what background you have come from, always believe in the talents that you have been given.  Do not get discouraged if everyone does not agree with you or support your talent, but others will.  A gift from God that goes unused will be subject to ridicule from Satan’s Kingdom; oh, and remember that he will laugh at you while you are sitting there doing nothing.

Now I understand that not everyone will complete this inner talent quest and perform for God.  This is a given and I realize this; however, for those of us with other talents that are using for God…it is our responsibility to make God known to them.  On the other hand, people listening to these groups of people play might just be the spark that is needed to revive or to ignite those who are wondering about their talents.  People are influenced by others in many ways and it must be remembered that God knows the heart better than any created being, so it cannot be rule out that secular settings might just produce the some of the greatest Kingdom movers of God.  What a testimony of restoration if this occurs in people’s lives!!

I believe that there are many changes coming to this world, changes that are going to tax our human abilities in ways not ever experienced before in human history.  What are these changes, I have no idea.  But what I have been reading about within the newspapers and watching current situations around the world, and then add the things that I have been studying in the Bible show that mankind has turned its back on God once again and it will soon be time for God to allow things to occur in our lands.  These messages that God has given me all pertain to restoration.  Some of the messages deal with personal issues, some with church issues and others on a large wider scale, which to me says that God is calling all people to restore ourselves to His Kingdom.  Therefore, I believe that everyone is going to be included in these future events, but definitely the church.

In closing, the message that God wants you to understand is that He is the one that places things into your inner core that defines you.  We may never completely understand why God places them in our lives, but know that there is a specific reason.  Talents are a part of His design and at His given time He will present them to you.  Don’t fight them, embrace them with humility and humbly accept them as a part of your life.  If you have inhibited your known talents, restore them to your fold and allow them to grow into your everyday existence.  If God sees fit to unlock new talents, be open to His guidance and look forward into your new adventure, but whatever the case trust God with all of your might that He has a divine purpose for them.  Develop them and use them to push forward God’s Kingdom because one never knows if the talents that are within you might be needed for some occasion down the road. 

DLB

The Only Perfect Peace

The Only Perfect Peace

2/10/12

As we wake up every morning we are subjected to news of unrest within our world with every imaginable traumatic situation that a human mind can conceive flashes across our television screens before we eat breakfast.  Such constant bombardment into our lives eventually takes its toll on our emotions.  Now enter our personal bombardments that we receive on a more personal level; you know the ones, the ones that make your blood pressure rise, your stress level become unbearable and the ones that bring questions of life itself into your head.  Are we really prepared to tackle these issues on a daily basis or even sometimes minute by minute?  There is only one way that we can be sure that our preparedness is adequate to withstand these situations and the one way is God.

Before I dive into this message, I must tell you that this message is going to be a tad more pointed than my other messages.  This message deals with a very serious topic that ultimately has the highest form of lie that humans know, and its name is suicide.  I know that this is an area that has touched all of our lives and will continue to haunt us as time rolls along.  I also know that when I was about to receive this message there was a huge battle that occurred while it was being delivered to me.  I could not understand why I was angry or upset that day but when I saw the object that God intended for me to see, it all came into place.  The majority of my past messages have pretty much just rolled out and I have easily placed them on paper as planned, not this one.  I have struggled to maintain course with this topic and I suppose it will continue this way until the message is completed and God’s Kingdom is moved forward.

Everyone who takes a breath of air knows that sometimes life can deal you an uncomfortable hand.  Everyone also understands that each one of us deal with life in our own specific way, which when all is said and done the phrase “life is life” totally engulfs our realms.  All of us desire to live the quiet and serene lifestyle which includes all of the necessities life without any complications being presented.  However, all of us know that this type of Utopian belief system will not occur.  For some of us older folks, there is an old song called “Rose Garden” in which the lyrics state that one of the people in this relationship believed that everything was going to be easy along the path that they had chosen.  The other person in this relationship was trying to explain that they did not understand how the other could believe such a tale.  We as humans have clung onto this idea for our own personal surroundings and now have used this Utopian idea as a reality.

Let us take a bit closer look at why adverse conditions come our way.  When a human has to deal with another human, no matter on what level, complications have the ability to present to each side.  These dealings come in all shapes and sizes including the gross and bloody kind, even up to death.  All adverse reactions affect us in ways that leave lasting impressions on our lives.  These impressions can be included as a part of our lives or it can be a product of someone else’s pain that we encounter on some level of communication.

Life presents itself on our own personal levels and constantly appears to us every second of the day.  It is fascinating to me how life chooses to pick out certain people at random and then just tears them apart for a specific amount of time.  This battering of the spirit plays a huge role in how people respond to life itself.  We all know that we are going to face extreme conditions in our lives and that there is never a “good” time for it to rise.  It does not matter if you live in a third world country or are a multi billionaire you are not exempt from these circumstances.

Suicide is the most destructive result of a spiritual battle that exists within a person.  It has a final consequence that opens so many doors into other people’s lives in which its legacy could rule others for generations.  The moments leading up to suicide are the last act that humans have to defend themselves against the ultimate surrender.  Many people struggle with this situation for years without any relief and never accrue the information necessary to effectively combat the urge to take the final step.

The first step is to understand that you are fighting a battle, a very serious battle that encompasses your eternal life as its prize.  The way we conceive ourselves as a person usually reflects on our physical appearance and how we look in the mirror but we fail to recognize the inner spirit that our body houses.  It is the spirit that you are not noticing that is under attack.  It is your spirit that forms your defenses against these attacks and alerts you to the impending danger.  We fail to recognize our spirit warning us because we have placed it last in our line of succession, essentially rendering it as a useless instrument.  This is why many attacks upon our lives are allowed to proceed unchecked and be completed as successfully as the first wave of Japanese planes on Pearl Harbor.

As in the attack on Pearl Harbor many of the warning signs that a major concept like suicide is approaching as a rule of thumb, is ignored.  We have made adjustments to our life schedules that compensate for these uneasy feelings.  People facing this situation take up hobbies or change some pat of their life to combat these thoughts.  This is a great idea but if the adjustments do not have God within their center, it will only prolong the person’s torment and allow deeper infiltration of the spirit to occur.  It has been said at many funerals after a person’s suicide that the person usually had a hobby that that they loved to do.  Many psychologists would say that these hobbies were the person’s escape valve, which once again is a good thing, but still God is not the center.  These people do not even realize that what is being attacked is their spirit, not their bodies and in essence they are building up the wrong defenses.

And to all of the Christians out there in the world who believe they have an exemption to these types of attacks, WAKE UP and TAKE HEED, you are actually more susceptible than others.  Why?  I am glad you asked that question.  See, all of us have the potential of damaging Satan’s kingdom and he knows that.  What he also knows is that he does not care how he accomplishes it or how he “gets the job done” his mission is to destroy your life and to get you off the face of the earth.  It is your potential that he hates and wishes to manipulate enough for you to make rash decisions that will you to finish the job so to speak.  So what better target than those who have been shown the truth and are doing nothing to spread the gospel to others, in other words they become sitting ducks.

As the song above stated about not promising a rose garden God does not promise that either, but He does promise that He will be right there with you protecting you and guiding you when these trials arrive. He has so much confidence in you that He allows these situations to occur so that you can show Satan that you are stronger than anything that he throws your way.  God is the ONLY way that these trials can be soundly defeated when we encounter them.  God is the only one that can give us peace that passes all human understanding no matter what our circumstances are and only He can show us how to defeat this attack.  See, God is spirit and He has placed His spirit within us so that our communication lines with Him will always be connected; however, as in any communication device the right settings and frequency must be present in order for the access to occur.

But have we ever stopped to think about why a certain situation tends to come our way at a specific time, or why an event that occurs really gets under our skin?  These questions plague people constantly and no matter where you go, or who you experience everyone has these situations that they do not have answers for.  Is it possible that there is something out there that has us targeted, and if so why?  Why are we picked out?  What did we do to deserve this kind of treatment?  All of these questions do have answers to them and it is imperative that we know how to combat them.

Here is a concept that many of us would not think about on a routine level when the issue of suicide is brought into our thoughts.  Your life and potential of completing a kingdom purpose must be great.  What a place you must hold in God’s eyes for He has looked at your heart even before it began to beat and has understood you in a way that no one else will ever see you.  The talents that you have to offer others must be so immense that they hail to the heavens when you take your first breath.  Your talents, no matter if your talent is a simple smile, has the opportunity to extend towards others in a way that will be special to that person or those people at that moment.  No wonder Satan despises you so much for him to plant this type of horrid thoughts to cloud your spirit, but God believes in you enough to provide a way to overcome this situation.

Always keep in mind that everything and everyone that you encounter will at some time let you down.  No one is exempt from these conditions and do NOT let anyone or anything inform you of any other type of answer.  Anything that this world has to offer you will fail and it will cause pain in your life, this is a fact.  But we must not let these situations control our emotions to the extent where it becomes a mainstay in our everyday thinking.  Your mind and heart deserve better living conditions; and I am happy to say that there is a way for this to happen.

All areas of your life have been scoped out and the targets chosen.  It is sad to see the memorials of people that have chosen to leave this world by their own hands.  There is nothing comforting to know that they lost their greatest battle to an enemy that serves and deserves no purpose in your life.  As one of my previous messages stated, don’t believe the hype.  God is in control of everything that takes place in this world, we may not always understand the events but we can know that He is with us while we are passing through them.  Do not be fooled into believing that your life is worth nothing more than mere muck of the ground and that your existence here is meaningless.

Here is something for you to think about.  The human reacts in various ways when things are not going his way or when times get tough.  This is not new to our consciousnesses in fact it seems like a tension release when this occurs.  The one thing we need to remember is this….times are only going to get tougher and tensions in life are going to get tighter.  This means that we need to realize the source of true peace right now and begin to restore this relationship with the only true peace.  Isn’t it a comfort to know that God will not all things to happen in our lives that we cannot handle?  Isn’t it also a comfort to know that He knows us so well, so intimately that everything we experience He knows that we can handle?  How we handle things will vary but even if things are handled incorrectly, it means that we can learn from the trials and might be able to help others in the future that may be going through the same trial. 

Humans make adjustments in our lives from the time we were conceived till our natural lives end.  Inside the womb the baby moves towards warm areas.  During our day we adjust to the individual situations that our jobs present, schedules are always being changed.  Even at night when we are asleep our bodies still change while we are in our bed, including dreams.  So when our adjustments come our way and we get these ideas of “ending it all” we need to stop and think that there is a battle going on inside and that God has given us the ability to adjust ourselves in order to combat these thoughts.  These specific orders come from a carefully prepared line of communication that can be restored to use in an instant.  It is up to us to take that step of faith and to reconnect with the only one who can grant us perfect peace in times of struggle.  Nothing else that man can dream up will prevent such rash and harsh decisions from happening like turning the communication lines back on to God.

DLB

Besieging the Heart

Besieging the Heart

02/01/12

In many parts of history we have read that wars were fought to conquer or re-conquer lands.  Wars took long periods of time to obtain one simple goal, win the objective.  Sieges were an effective method of warfare that prepared the lands for this style of fighting.  It allowed the hosts to realize something was on the horizon but only the attacking force knew what was coming.  We can apply this siege concept to the enemy trying to do the same with our hearts.  Not our physical hearts but our spiritual hearts, the one communication line that controls access to God and the one that gives us spiritual life.  We must keep our physical eyes open to see the situations forming around us and we need to keep our spiritual ears open to hear the instructions that are presented to us.  The siege is a guaranteed plan that will show itself in some manner; we need to be prepared for any sign that danger is imminent.

I am going to begin with a couple of scenes from a popular movie called “Home Alone”.  The people that are involved in the soon to be robbery actually come to the houses that they are going to rob, but they are dressed up as police officers.  They inquire general information about the activities of the occupants and scope out the place at the same time.  Then when the people have followed through with their mentioned plans the robbery can occur and the damage is done.  This is similar to what our enemy does to plan his attacks.  However, as in the movie there are ways that we can prepare ourselves to help against these personal attacks.

It must be kept in mind that many times the enemy forms a relationship with their eventual target.  Throughout history many countries that have fought each other in wars have had friendships develop between the countries. A prime example of that is The United States and Japan before the outbreak of World War II; as an act of friendly gestures Japan had given The States “friendship” medals that had been awarded to U.S. servicemen before the war.  Enemies of people have the same concepts in this category in that they will begin a relationship with you in order for you to let your guard down long enough for them to accomplish their mission, whatever their plans may be.  It is our personal duty to be prepared and to keep our eyes open in any relationship in order to protect ourselves from future attacks coming from anyone, this includes people we consider to be our friends.

A siege begins with a motive or a reason that one believes would be an adequate response to the beginning of a more aggressive plan.  This stage of the siege is birthed in the mind of the person or group that is going to conduct the operation.  This thought process usually has many ideas swirling around with many targets being assessed.  For this message I am going to use the heart as the main example but always remember that any portion of our lives can and will be used as the target of Satan.  If we are in tune with our spirit and our spirit is aligned with God properly, this is the point at which we become on alert; but if not, we have already allowed a foothold to our inner being.

A siege then progresses with a loosely designed plan for a specific target in mind.  This target can be anything of nature or world and can be small or large in stature.  After the initial plans were conceived, the leaders would appoint people to carry out this process.  This step in the planning process is not an overnight session but it allows more specific methods of engagement to be enacted.  This portion of the plan may take days or weeks to sort out all the minute details so that nothing is missed.  These initial plans are kept in secret with only a few privileged trusted personnel knowing what is in the making.  The foothold now becomes deeper and wider if the plan is not recognized at this point; however, at the same time God’s warning signs are stronger and more pointed in our lives.

After the initial planning stages are completed, the first scouts are sent to the desired target.  Specific instructions to be vague or to be obscure in the intentions of the visit are given so not to draw attention to the intended purpose of the visit.  At this time the defenses are generally scanned for weaknesses and common places are visited where many people congregate.  No notes are taken but what the eyes observe and what the ears hear will be brought back to evaluate the next course of action.  This is an opportune time for the enemy to gather information about our defenses and to see if we are paying attention to our surroundings.  This is a very crucial point in the siege since it is the first direct contact with the enemy.  By now we should be fully aware that some type of enemy activity is present.  Sadly, this is not always the case and we continue our daily lives as nothing is approaching. 

At this time the enemy has already chosen the target and is now preparing the means by which to attack the target.  Spiritual spies initiate contact with the target but it is casual and non specific, which is intended not to draw attention to the overall attack plan.  They know what roads are taken by loved ones to reach the interior of the heart and they also know the supply lines that continue the spiritual nourishment that is constantly needed.  The enemy is now ready to send back more detailed information so that pinpoint accuracy can be assured when the attack begins.  The heart is mapped and its potential weak areas given to the planners, which are now ready to make their attack plan known to others.  We should have already called up our reserves for help by now, yet for some reason we still are in the dark about when the attack will occur, so we continue to wait to give out the signal.

Permission from the commander for the attack has been granted and the timetable is also set.  The boundaries have been drawn and the limitations for damage put into place.  Final attack points are memorized and particular mission notes are being delivered to the participants.  The entire area is quickly probed once again to make sure no changes have been made by the target.  The enemy’s initial “troop” buildup is now in motion and everyone is taking their positions as instructed.  The target finally realizes that an attack is imminent and begins to sound the alarm for the defenses to position themselves for readiness.  This movement also alerts the attackers so the commander gives the final attack plan and the onslaught begins.

Quickly the target realizes that all areas of escape have been cut off and there is nowhere to run from the attack.  The heart has no option but to stand and face the intruders and pray that backup arrives in time.  What the target forgets is that the attackers have also prepared themselves for the backup help so a large battle rages on them as well.  It slows the response from the reserves and the initial target is getting weaker as time rolls along.  As the enemy advances and begins to penetrate the inner defenses with pinpoint accuracy damage to the morale of the target becomes lower.  Desperation now begins to appear and some of the decision making of the target becomes erratic.  Defenses quickly deplete and the leaders of the area are now being asked t help in the fight.  You can hear the reserves coming but you do not know if they will make it in time.

The battle has just completed and the damage assessment is now underway inside our lives.  The dust settles and we realize upon examination of our surroundings what the intended target was and we now notice all of the warning signs that we missed.  We begin to berate ourselves in not recognizing the warning signs and wonder why God allowed us to not see the coming events.  We then turn against humanity and begin to place blame on other individuals, groups, church in general, and we eventually get around to include ourselves in this blame game.  God never said that our lives will be easy and the road with Him would be a bed of roses.  This is a war and it is a war that will have everlasting consequences, so the enemy is not here to play games, he is fighting to end your life and to permanently separate you from God.

There are always questions that arise after battles have been waged.  The questions that we pose to ourselves differ in ideologies but they all reflect on the common theme, what could we have done to make our defenses stronger.  God will bring back to our minds our foundation and what we are standing on; this foundation is what we must base our restoration process upon.  We must examine our foundation and provide our lives with the best source that is available, God.  We have no choice but to allow God to restore us in His way so that we can not only protect us for the next attack but also let others know how they can be prepared.

If you do not think that there are spies out watching you, you are setting yourself up for an attack that will blow your mind.  The prize is your eternal value and it you may not consider that to be much, but to God you are.  Your value is so high that He sent His son to die for you so that you may not have to endure His separation from you for eternity.  His enemy is gunning for you in a way that is so intense that all creation is on alert and is preparing for the battle…which that battle is for you.  God took preparations to make sure that all His bases were covered and that he could supply the necessary information to you when the time is needed.  Listen to His information and take it to heart, listen to the information so that you can fortify your defenses against the coming attacks.  All information has been given to you, including the armor to wear.  This coming battle is for your life, be prepared to defend it when the time comes.

This siege is against the unbeliever as well, this process is not just limited to the Christian.  Even though they do not know about it or even believe in this process, it is still occurring because they have the potential to understand the process.  His siege is no less important than the one that is being prepared and executed on a Christian.  The siege is directed upon all humans which are the pinnacle of God’s creation and a constant reminder to Satan that God is God and that as long as humans are alive on this earth they have the opportunity to be a part of God’s Kingdom and to move it forwards.  In other words, it is imperative that we do our jobs in the area of witnessing so that the unbeliever may understand that they need to prepare themselves for the coming onslaught and the only way that they will know this is to show them God.

We must have our communication devices on alert at all times.  This means that our spirit must be in its rightful place within our lives; this is not an option.  The above scenario will take place if we are not prepared and the only way to prepare ourselves is to have God number one in our lives and have our spirit in like manner so that our communication lines and supply lines will know exactly where the enemy is at all times.  The attack may still come and it may do some damage to the target, but I do know that if we have fortified our defenses and know when to call for help the damage will be less than the above example.

How do we prepare for these attacks?  Read God’s word on a consistent and regular basis.  Pray daily and sometimes even two or three times a day or as many times that God leads you to pray.  Constantly be on the lookout for suspicious activity around your spirit, and you do know what kind of activity to which I am referring.  No distractions are allowed, period.  Once our spirit is cut off, then our enemy has to opportunity to completely destroy everything that we know to be real….both in the spiritual and physical realm.  Be resilient, be strong enough to ask for help from God and accept His help when it arrives, for the help that is given from God is Jesus and all of the angels that He deems necessary for that attack.

It is a fact that Satan informs his demons of the plan that he has devised.  It is a fact that they like to be in groups when they execute this plan and then there are times when Satan himself conducts the operation.  The only time frame that they have is when God says the plan can occur, to what extent the plan can be carried out, and when it must end.  Yes, even God is in control of the attacks that He allows Satan to carry out on our lives.  If you ever doubt this situation, read the entire story of Job and you will understand who is ultimately in control of all things. 

You are now on notice!!!  Know that you are being watched for a future attack. It may be a personal attack or it could be a general assault on your beliefs, the introduction of doubts and anything other cause that Satan can think of to wear a person down.  Whatever it is you must be prepared for this attack as much as possible.  So, prepare yourself…get ready, here it comes.

End notes:  I know that almost every paragraph in this message raises questions; and I plan on addressing these issues in the very near future.

DLB