Influences

Influences

7/29/19

How many times have we been influenced by someone or something that has crossed our path?  It is a common ordinance that this process comes naturally to our lives for it is a basic survival force to have things and friends in order to function properly, or at least that is how the world tells us we should live.  But God warns us about this specific entity of our lives and He gives us plenty of examples in His Word that clearly demonstrates why we should not be influenced by the world or worldly companions for the shaping of such influences can make a rigid complexion which takes advantage of others and then ourselves become gross influences on others.  It is very important that our hearts stay pure and to choose the correct friends or associates to be around because if we do not then our lives will become targets for a negative eternal placement.  Often we do not see this sharpening develop and by the time we do can be already hardened enough that our words and examples cut deeply in the manner of the world instead of the life-giving abilities God has installed into our hearts.  Repentance and restoration through

God alone is the only way possible for us to live in our true abilities, a natural and calming state that all of us desire.  With all of the opportunities of living in new places every so often, the new adventures gave me the possibility to meet new people and cultures which handed me the destinations of finding same age groups of people that I could call friends.  These opportunities were not limited to a church but also included people from school and outside sports projects as well.  As most people do not realize at the time, every one of these folks that I associated with became important enough in my life that eventually their attitudes and demeanors began to show through my life.  Of course, I failed to recognize this fact and for the most part, my parents did not have a problem with things because while I said and did some things that caught their attention they were not bad enough to warrant any direct attention.  I believed that I shied away from all of the so-called bad influences even though I could have easily fallen in their web, all the while not wanting to place my parents into a predicament in the public eye.

However, there were a few occasions that the people that I hung around influenced me enough that my attitude became visibly different and changed enough that mom and dad had to step in and speak to me about it.  The reaction I had was your normal teenage vows that I had no problems that I could see and that they were totally off-base with the people in question.  The few times these talks occurred I failed to understand that it was the same attitudes previously that were now affecting my behavior at that moment, a pattern in which I had been influenced and shaped enough to make a visible change in my daily actions.  Even when my parents gave me specific instances of how my attitude had changed from normal I still refused to recognize it and while I did not agree with their assessments I begrudgingly complied with their requests and sometimes punishment for reacting ugly.  I remember a couple of times replying with the argument that my parents were just picking on those that they did not like to which they replied that it was NOT that they did not like the person but the spirit that they harbored that was turning my influential attitude away from where it needed to be.  It is this aspect of the process that many of us do not realize is happening and when approached about our actions or non-actions we do not think about what has transpired but react and thus ignore the truth.

As I take the time to look back on some of these situations and other nonparental instances within my lifespan, I can clearly see how God placed the instincts of leadership in my parents to sense when things were not going as planned in my life.  As stated above I really did not see this change and when it was pointed out to me I reacted as any normal worldly influenced kid would; but, now I can see just how those bad influences in my life began to shape my entire structure enough to where I was not who I was before and actually going against how I was raised to be.  The influential process had covered me enough that I had not recognized the mold that I had come out of and how subtle the change was over time too.  It did not matter that I did not see these friends every day either for at that time I did not care that spirit recognizes spirit and how this recognition would affect my outward appearance to others.  It is this process that Satan gains a small enough foothold in a person’s life that he can begin to manipulate each function of their existence with an eventual take over if not recognized and then stopped.  I thank God that He showed my parents exactly what to say and how to present it correctly in order for me to stop and to think about what was really living inside my heart and then presenting itself to the people around me.

Why is this type of influence considered to be a problem in our lives, in our world and especially in our nation today?  The answer to that question is that we do not understand the process of the blacksmith and how they work to mold and shape the projects that have been requested from others.  The blacksmith will only complete projects that they have orders on which means that they have received specific instructions on what to complete, when it needs to be completed, and how it is supposed to be completed.  Once the order is received, the blacksmith will begin to heat up the piece of metal enough so that they can bend its original shape enough to form a somewhat close shape that resembles a finished product.  Through a slow process of heating and cooling, the metal is then shaped further into what the called for project should be so by the time they complete the project the original piece of metal no longer looks like it was but has been transformed into a newly constructed work that the requestor needs.  Little by little, this unmolded piece of metal turns into another work that does not look like the original piece and it is this process that occurs within our spirits when our enemy requests his workers to reshape our original mold into something he wants to be completed.  It is this spiritual blacksmith process that will ruin our lives if we do not understand what is going on around us and who or what influence our daily actions.

The first biblical example that God wants to share with us today comes from Proverbs 27:17 which states as follows: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”  The first portion of this verse states what type of strength we are dealing with and what it takes in order to reshape or remold an object.  It is not an easy process of changing by any means but once it is made into the new object the eyes will behold another subject that will fulfill the desired need.  The first portion reminds us that it takes equal pressure on both sides of the equation in order to produce the adequate results desired and in conjunction with the second portion of this verse we see that this process of equality is necessary for the shaping of the human as well.

When we look at the second half of this verse we see a course that really makes sense when we think about what will occur for we all know that when we listen to others our minds and hearts pick up ideas and thoughts that sound good to us at the time.  Our spiritual ears have been tickled enough by the presentation that our curiosity begins its natural movements to either accept or to dismiss this new information.  Human history has provided with an endless supply of examples that people have had before them and either listened to what was presented or rejected those concepts and in either acceptance those folks have followed the paths intended.  This verse clearly states that men have the power and the ability to influence others no matter which direction they pursue.  This verse also indicates just how deep this influence goes if allowed.  The word “countenance” used here is defined as a face or facial expression, support which means that the influence is deep enough that its presence has changed the receiving person’s body enough to be recognized by others.  This is totally true and I refer you back to the personal experience of myself above for while I did not hear it the influence of the friends that I had completely revamped my speech and attitude.

There is a detail here that is very important that we understand and it deals with the equality that God Created us in.  Remember that God breathed into us His Spirit and we became alive and to this day each human being that is alive harbors that same spirit that God gave us so long ago.  Satan is a spirit as well and operates through this realm of his existence and our existence which means he can see which angle to direct his blacksmith work into our lives.  If God did not place His spirit within our lives and make the battleground “fair” then He could not claim to be the almighty and all-knowing Eternal and Holy Being that He states (is).  Which brings us to our second Scripture verse which is located in Genesis 2:6 and states as follows: “But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.”  I can hear some of your saying what does this verse has to do with the first biblical example in this article and at first, when God gave these two verses to me I had the same question, but when God showed me what He was saying it shows just how complete an influence can be in a person’s life.

In the verse, in Proverbs, the word used here that is the topic of concern is “countenance” and when it is used with the rest of the verse it gives us a picture of exactly what method is used to shape the countenance of a human and includes the entire surface molding of that person well enough that it changes shapes that different recognition features are present.  The verse in Genesis used here refers to the face or surface of the ground and how much of it is covered by the mist that God provides.  In both usages, the word for countenance and surface are the exact same Hebrew word “pene” which means that God is talking about the exact same descriptive terms; coincidently, it is also intriguing that both of these Scripture passages refer to the same origin, dirt and that would be us.  When you combine the words in front of these two specific referred words you get a picture of exactly how deep influences run, in both examples it is plain to see that all areas are covered enough to change the consistency of the influenced area.  Another thought to ponder for a while, it is both spirit beings that put into motion this covering aspect and gives us the eternal clue as to which kingdom one shall incorporate into their lives.  All of this information, when put together, says that these two verses and the content of both are Kingdom oriented which means they are Kingdom verses and our lives reflect which kingdom we serve.

The keys to your life are shaped over time and through those who you allow to influence you.  It will be obvious to others if you allow God and His Word to be the influences in your life and vice versa if you allow Satan and his kingdom to be number one.  Both of these influential kingdoms want to form your molten life and will become your standing ground in the future and the shaping of our lives is never complete as long as we are alive and walking on the earth.  It is this component that our enemy wants us to have nothing to do with the Truth and why he makes it so difficult for us to hear this necessity if we are not directly paying attention to what is going on in our lives and who is accessing our inner courts.  Whether you look at this process as a “pounding” of the Truth into our lives or as a potter is trying to mold and shape the clay, it is the one who swings the hammer or spins the wheel that brings our influences into life.  Adam and Eve failed to recognize this aspect of their lives and look where it led them, the Serpent had them so confused and influenced that when the time came for the reckoning of the relationship the woman could not even quote God’s command correctly; thus, Genesis 3:7 came along and changed all of creation’s existence forever.

Church, where is your stance on the influences that are allowed into your lives?  Always be aware that your presentation in public is just as obvious as mine was to my parents even though they presented to me the Truth about my actions.  It is not hard to see which influencing spirit has control over our hearts, for as God showed me in that helicopter ride almost a year ago our hearts may look abundant on the outside but deep within lays a blackened core that is already showing signs of public decaying.  Influence will appear in many subtle forms and will be accepted as normal or okay if we do not recognize their intent and content.  The ONLY way possible to distinguish between good and evil is to keep the command of God and obey His Word, this command was given in the Garden of Eden and has not changed one bit ever since.  But for some reason we want to be teased with options, to play with the fruit that is in front of us and soon after we find that our teeth are munching on the fruit of disobedience and death. 

It is time we allow God to totally eradicate the sinful influences from our hearts so that we may once again find our lives vibrantly pursuing the eternal blessings that God has for each one of us.  When we live in such a state, we cannot help but display the Truth and Love that God wants to share with everyone, but it cannot occur if we harbor sinful disobedience within our hearts.  We see that God casts out even His prized Creations from His perfect palaces when we choose disobedience over Truth.  Repent, Church and allow God to work His Kingdom through our lives through the blood of His Son Jesus.  There is no other influence we need than that of Jesus for He sacrificed Himself for all and that is good Kingdom influential news that all mankind and nations need to hear.

DLB

The Power of Prayer

The Power of Prayer

7/23/19

Many times we randomly say a quick selfish prayer that asks for favor and friendly conditions another example of taking a gift of God for granted, all of us are guilty of such whims.  Over the decades of our servitude to God, we have lost the concept of how to pray, the meaning of prayer, and for this topic the power of prayer.  Prayer is a communication to God and should be accustomed to speaking as one does with a spouse, child, or close friend.  Yet, as our days slip past us our communication skills with God diminish and thus we feel abandoned at times; I wonder why that is.  Prayer grabs the attention of God for it is His child that is speaking to Him, He is never too busy or out of the office, He is never on the cell phone either when you talk in His direction.  God is the almighty Creator of everything and even with such a title, He is still willing to grant His ears and heart to you as you speak.  How powerful is prayer you ask?  When words turn the heart of God into a single person’s direction there can be no greater power present.

We all know or should know that the single goal of our enemy is to steal, kill, and destroy everything that amounts to our existence.  Satan wants to completely annihilate your name from any record books and that would include the Lamb’s Book of Life.  He does not care how he obtains this result either, for he will throw anything and everything at your life in order to make his death wish for you occur.  Your presence on the earth and in the lives of others represents the balance of his kingdom for if he can control you and your actions so that you are not effective for the Kingdom of God he has the advantage not only in your life but in the spiritual battle for others as well.  Satan has already been in contact with eternal death and there is no way possible that he can return to the place that God Created for him.  This means that revenge and hatred fill his heart and it is this vile reality that drives him to eternally separate you from God in death.

No one really likes to talk about death for it is a subject that all of us will have to face at some point in time, but while physical death is something we cannot escape spiritual death is and it should be known that we have a direct communication link from our heart to God’s heart and it is through this pathway that we have salvation when our enemy comes to steal, kill, and to destroy our lives.  From the moment God Created humans, He also gave a manner in which to call upon Him for help and security, and just as it was in the Garden of Eden it is our choice to either obey His voice and commandments or leave ourselves to the spiritual attributes of our enemy’s tricks and lies.  God only knows and can produce life for Life is His definition and the opposite is true for our enemy for he can only produce death for he is already spiritually defeated.  There is no higher price that humans can pay but for death.  Death is sickening no respecter of persons, harsh, gross, and grotesque in all imaginable shapes and forms, but it is a necessity due to our sinful choices that we made so long ago.  But we have the Holy and Eternal Creator to turn toward to provide Salvation from all this mess.

Anyone who is over the age of say fifty years old remembers the old story called Rikki Tikki Tavi?  I saw the cartoon movie a couple of times and read the book once but never really applied its meaning and content to much of anything but God brought this short story that was written in 1894 to my mind a while back to illustrate to us the power of prayer and how it is so effective in the fight against our deadly enemy.  Rudyard Kipling wrote this story as part of the anthology “The Jungle Book” and after a short period of time became its own short story that was produced in the same context in a book.  Modern times saw a cartoon movie about the story, which then became popular viewing and reading material back in the 1970s.  I find it hilarious that God chooses off-the-wall topics to use for His messages to His children and until He gave me this title and article content I would have never placed this story with prayer.  The story is about a mongoose in India who lived with a family and tormented a couple of cobra snakes who were seeking revenge on the family due to the fact that one of them had killed a snake’s relative.  Rikki eventually fought the cobras on their own pit and came out the victor of the battle.  What many kids missed is the fact that mongooses have a specific anti-venom in their bodies that protects them from the poison cobras inject when they strike which serves as the foundation of what God wants us to remember about the power of prayer.

This antivenom is a key component of the mongoose’s life in that its presence gives the mongoose an edge over its deadly competitor and enemy.  Yes, the snake will strike and sometimes land a nasty blow to the mongoose but the poison that the snake’s fangs inject is rendered useless inside the body of the mongoose.  What would likely kill any other animal or human being is not any danger to the mongoose, what a powerful weapon this animal has against its enemy wouldn’t you say?  Also, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have such a weapon in our midst to protect us from our enemy?  Do we understand that God has built within our hearts this exact protective device to ward off the most powerful attacks, bites, and stings from our enemy?  It is here that we must truly understand who our enemy is and whether we wish to know it or not, our fellow humankind is NOT our enemy but it is our adversary who walks around doing his best to bite us with his eternal teeth so that we die a painful death and keep that pain as we separate ourselves from God.  If the mongoose and all other animals know who their mortal enemy is and know how to use their internal and external defensive mechanisms for protection, shouldn’t our protective devices are understood as well?

When God created humans and animals, He did so in such a way that all beings would have a way to defend themselves against their natural enemies.  In the case of the mongoose, they have a natural anti-toxin in their bodies that defends themselves from their enemy, the snake when it attacks them.  Keeping it scientifically simple here, mongooses have anti-receptors in the bodies that do not allow snake venom to attack thus activating the toxins that can kill a human being within minutes, seconds if you are a small animal.  Humans do not have these specific anti-receptors in our bloodstream and this is why snake bites can be deadly if not properly treated in a quick manner.  And how does this example compare to the power of prayer one would ask?  James 5:15-16 gives us the complete answer to this question and should really reinvigorate the Truth about prayer and its effectiveness in our hearts.

Our Scripture passage for this article comes from James 5:15-16 and it states as follows: “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.  Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  Yes, this is a well-known passage of Scripture and it has repeatedly been used to demonstrate what it means when a righteous person prays and it also demonstrates the continual and abundant life-line that we have to God.  The first verse in this passage talks about how prayer will heal the sick.  Now, we cannot forget that before sin was invited into our lives that we as humans did not know what it was to be ill or to even die for that matter but because we listened to the Serpent we have to live under the law of sin and death, physically.  My youngest daughter is so funny sometimes when she does not feel good.  It does not matter what she may temporarily have she believes and will boldly proclaim that “I am dying”.  None of us like to feel bad or to be bedridden with the flu or a common cold virus or worse laden with a permanent disease process but we need to understand exactly what is in play here and how to effectively use our eternal communication line to help.

We must never forget the power of prayer and what it means for and to our lives, but we also need to understand that there is a time to pray and a time to go and preach the gospel and we must never confuse the two settings.  I have heard many times people state that they will pray for those who are going around the world or to the next-door neighbors to witness and do neither.  A prayerful heart is one that heeds the voice of God to go and preach as well and if we refuse to go then our hearts are only looking in one direction and it is not in the direction of God.  Given this specific truth, how do you view prayer and do you fall into this category of prayer abuse?  I know I am guilty of such a setting and have repented many times that I have not been a good witness before and used prayer as a scapegoat to promote what our true mission is.  Yes, prayer is an important document that we have with God but if God tells you to speak to someone and all you do is pray then it is considered disobedience.  Stop and think about this for a while.

Not many people know that we can abuse the power of prayer just through not understanding the relational status that prayer offers to our lives.  It is completely impossible to form or to have a viable relationship without communication, even those who are unfortunate to be blind or deaf have ways to communicate with each other in order to survive and it is a gross injustice if we do not do our best to try and communicate with people who speak other languages so what is the difference with God and us?  Over the past few years, God has demonstrated to us through these writings that He desires to hear our heart’s voice every single day and that He desires nothing more than us communicating with Him.  Our speaking to Him is a prayer, our questioning Him for answers concerning how we should handle issues that come our way is prayer, witnessing to others and listening to God’s voice to help those in need is prayer but in order for this to occur we have to have a willingness to pray and to seek God first.

All of the promises that God and Jesus said that we could see and obtain are true if we communicate with Him on a daily basis, not on an as-needed basis.  So often we hear people praying when times are tough as they should be but not much is accomplished or given when the prayers of the people are lifted up in disastrous situations, see when people pray continually God shall show you what is in front of you both the good and the bad, and through the abilities that He has given all of us can either rejoice in the blessings or foresee the dangers ahead and act before they arrive.  The beginning portion of verse 15 in this passage gives us a Truth about prayer that it has the authority to heal the sick.  None of us like to be sick and at some point in our lives we shall face a grave illness.  We cannot believe that God is a regular sugar daddy but through prayer He can operate in such a manner that His glory is manifested in all results.  One of the hardest questions that people ask is why God allows ugly things to occur, but when a person who prays understands this passing time and will comfort those around them who need answers.  Prayer comes in a variety of forms and is sensitive in the appropriate times but only those who know the willingness to pray in all occasions fear God enough to listen to His voice during these instances; if people do not, then they shall heed the voices of the world and further divide their lives and hearts from the One True Creator.

It is a sad fact that many people who call themselves Christians walk around in a defeated state and allow depression, oppression, obsession, overrule their testimony.  When you ask people in these states if they pray most will say yes, but when you ask how they pray the same percentage of them will ask “what do you mean?”  Most pray superficially with common language used, by common I mean that the words they use are repetitive and become a habit instead of truly spilling our hearts out to God.  All of us have fallen into this category and while some realize it and break away from this pattern most do not and use this type of prayer as their prayer-life, a wasteful time that is a cold religious act that God does not want to hear.  This example is not one that represents the power of prayer but one that is formed and blackened that is approved by Satan for it is meaningless in its content and superficial and fleshy to obtain a want and not a desire.  It is this type of prayer that exposes the abuse of prayer and one that demonstrates our capability to seek pleasures and temporary happiness instead of knowing the will and heart of God.

How many times do we see the tricks of our enemy manifesting right in front of our eyes?  How do we handle these situations?  One of the most dreaded settings I have to deal with sometimes in my profession is a person or people that enter into the hospital that is about to tragically pass away.  Some of these moments I have to be directly involved in their final care settings and I have to admit that it is tough, very tough to watch a person leave this world and enter into the eternal realm where he/she shall spend eternity.  Of course, my mind is focused on the present physical situation at hand but my heart is praying seeking God’s authority over the situation and while some people do not make it at the end I know that God is in control and that His will was done during that moment in physical time.  Do we pray in good times and in bad times?  On what level do we pray when these conditions and circumstances arrive?  Do we effectively use the power of prayer to communicate to God so that His presence is not just there but His authority over such settings is manifested?  Or do we just spurt out a wimpy God help me prayer, or God please be with the family statement and call it good?

Why is it that we know what the power of prayer can do for our lives and the lives of our friends and family that we forget to continually sustain such a prayer life that it actually provides life?  Hit and miss prayers do not represent prayer or any type of relationship but a broken and taken for granted practice that means absolutely nothing to both ends of the prayer.  Ever since the days in the Garden of Eden has the concept and truth concerning prayer been attacked and subjugated by our enemy, and for some odd reason, with the history that we have right in front of our eyes, we tend to follow such a devastating pattern today.  Our enemy has done a bang-up job in convincing us that we do not need to have protection from God nor do we need to have a continual and abundant livelihood with Him either.  The world promotes broken relationships and that the next one will be better than the abusive one we just came out from under only to find that the next one hurts us more and causes us to harden our hearts deeper for any true communication system within our lives.

Satan has also done a bang-up job in convincing us that God does not want a relationship with us through the antics of those who do not understand what it means to have a pure and truthful relationship with others.  If a person comes from a long line of divorcees then it is very likely that the person in present tense shall be witness to divorce as well.  This generational curse of division goes unnoticed in many cases and when humans try to find love again many times fall back into the same types of relationships as previously suffered through.  One must beg the question of how to stop such practices and deep hurts and instead of fervently praying to God for Divine guidance we quickly return to worldly standards and seek through faulty channels that we are familiar with.  I have used the example of divorce here but any example of division can be inserted into this example status and be accurate enough to warrant a true change that can actually help our lives instead of ruining them.  Day after day we see people, cities, states, nations, and kingdoms succumb to the death notices that the world turns to yet we ignore the One True Savior that can solve all of our problems correctly and eternally.  The reason that we do not know that God is the answer is that we no longer have a prayer life and now believe that all the power we need comes from the world and not God thus rendering prayer useless and not necessary.

This is the exact reason why you have mega-churches today that may have thousands of people in attendance each Saturday or Sunday but are spiritually dead and have no clue or concept about God and His Ways.  If one does not communicate with their immediate family, business partners, friends, etc. there is no way possible that one can say they know what the other relational partner needs, does, says, lives.  Now I lay me down to sleep is an excellent prayer for a child at night until they grow a bit older and then we should teach them a deeper way to pray.  When we are taught to pray and to have such a conversation that comes from the heart we can only receive growth messages from God.  So, one must ask ourselves what is the difference in a dead megachurch from a spiritually dead individual?  The answer to that one is easy, nothing for they are both dead with their pride and bloated egos still intact and ruling their existence.  When a child of God prays they should do so with boldness for God’s Word says we should come boldly before the throne but in order for us to do this we must first want to communicate with God and if we continue this pattern then we shall depend on our prayer life to secure the results of our days.

A hit and miss, a superficial, or an every-once-in-a-while prayer will only have one success rate and that will consist of Satan flicking his spiritual finger in our direction and heap further destructive forces in our lives.  Look at the events of 9/11 and look at what all has occurred to this nation since that memorable day.  A person can spend the rest of their life studying the raised turmoil around the world and still not fully cover the ugliness that has been shed.  Another person can also study the amount of true prayer that the Church has done around the world too and the conclusion of this amount shall be staggering in one heart.  To be honest, when people understand the Truth about Kingdom and the spiritual warfare that is ongoing around us no studies should be warranted for the results of this warfare is evident and shows which kingdom we have accepted as our own.  Our hearts are blackened and shameful in the eyes of God and He is sending us warning signals that if we do not change our ways and return to Him, He will soon have to alter the course of our hearts.

As long as the majority of this nation decides to line up with the world our lives are in physical and eternal danger.  We have totally forgotten the concept of eternity in accordance with death, for now, it is not acceptable to stand over a teenager who has purposefully and voluntarily ended their life and say to the attendees that what they did was wrong.  We have become hardened to the fact that self rules the day and self-control has no place in our informative societies; what we feel and subsequently do is not recognized as a spiritual leading but only a self-gratifying status that is deserved.  Oh, if you have not noticed I am talking about the Church and not the secular operations.  We should expect these types of activities from the world but from the Church?  It is time that we start praying again with the heart that knows it needs God instead of some lightweight, non-specific, and general “cover all” prayer.  We have lost the advantage of Kingdom advancement and it is time we start winning the world again for Christ.  Allow God to take away the selfishness of our flesh and to replace it with His Ways and to defeat the works of death from our enemy.  The only way for us to complete this sanctity is to get away from the phones, the “reality” programs, and to return to our knees and pray to God and seek His face, then we shall see and know the power of prayer against the world.

DLB

FDA Standards Only?

FDA Standards Only?

7/20/19

I find it very confusing many times when I hear about another standard being raised or lowered in order to keep production equal and steady.  On another side of this spectrum, we have a few levels of absurdity that run deep within our food organizations that seem far-fetched and unnecessary at best and while they are put into place for a specific reason we need to not waste more than we consume.  This may seem like a secular title and subject but it does have a biblical manifestation and law that we need to understand and live under.  It is not God’s desire to have any of His prized Creations go hungry, either in the physical manner or in the spiritual yet countless do each day.  Church, we have the ability to feed the spiritual lives of every person around the globe yet we pick and choose where we witness and to whom we witness and we need to understand that this practice is wrong and it is utterly one of the gravest sinful beliefs Satan can manipulate.  Let us turn our hearts back to God and allow Him to once again show us exactly who to witness to and bring in the appropriate harvest as we are commanded to complete.

I have stated a few times over the past years that when I was a kid I grew up in a pastor’s home.  At the time, I had no idea about how pastors were paid or how much they were paid and to be honest it was not my place to question such a fact especially when I had no clue about what I would be inquiring about in the first place.  I never really questioned this process when I was older either for you see, even though there were many people and many of my friends who ran around with flashy abundances, it was never an issue with me for my parents supplied me with everything that I needed in life.  I always had transportation to and from activities, had food on the table, clothes to wear and a good roof over my head.  I went to good schools, had plenty of friends, lived in many different cultural towns and cities and had a family that cared for every breath I took.  I am thankful for the things God gave us when I was living with them for I know that all of my needs were cared for just as His Word tells us.  It became clear to me that not everyone had such opportunities to live with needs met, and it was my trip to Haiti in 1985 that changed this view of mine.  But somehow, those people in that beautiful/dank country lived and survived and while their living conditions were appalling at best they amazed me and scared me at the same time. 

Out here in the west, farming are a huge part of life and the crops that this area supply does so for many people around the world, not just for this country.  Many FDA standards and policies follow each farmer as they complete their daily routines, and when not followed some penalties can be implemented in order for compliance to be observed.  We have standards in place to ensure as much as possible the quality of food that is being produced and thus placed on our tables for one can produce much quantity of supplies but if the quality is not sufficient much waste can be incorporated.  This guideline is one of great importance and since its establishment has done a great many things for food and other health products.  One of the benefits of such a standard is that once a field is harvested for a company the general population has the opportunity, with the permission of the farmer, to locate left over products that were not used.  To some, this practice is beneath them but for the folks who wish to utilize this benefit it is an added blessing for the coming winter months.  The high standard of production is in place for a reason and as long as the FDA is in charge of such laws that standard will not change, for while many aspects are not perfect to what we may believe to be for our pleasure, we cannot forget the reason why those standards are put into place and thus seek out a means to ensure we consume these standards with a grateful heart.

However, there is an issue that we have taken for granted and one that we now place ourselves on which represents a selfish detail that we do not even recognize.  Current “policy” is to make sure that entry-level jobs bring in a sustainable wage-earning which on paper looks like a splendid idea but in reality it is a financial farce that will quickly hurt the local and national economy.  Many youngsters today believe in the socialistic society lifestyles but they do not understand that when such policies are implemented it brings everyone and everything down and not up, across the board the entire governmental environment goes bankrupt.  On the other hand, we must contend that not everyone can be raised up to millionaire status either which is the “dream” goal of equal wages for everyone.  I have been in my profession for over 30 years now and I still do not come close to other sectional jobs of others.  We cannot forget that the spirit of entitlement operates on both ends of the financial and non-monetary spectrum with consequences being equal on both ends.  How come we can see how to argue and to resist certain ways and laws then vocalize them in a militant manner but fail to see the true higher reasons these laws why it is important to understand why they are in place in the first place?  We also fail to recognize that it is this Truth about God that we fail to obey as well because it is by our own doings that these laws had to be established, talk about lack of respect and responsibility.

For an untold amount of reasons, people find ways to not partake of what is available to them and since we do not exercise this benefit much of the products that are grown are not harvested and then plowed under and used for fertilizer for the coming year.  We have had plenty of good harvests seasons here in the recent past but how much longer can we truly count on such conditions to exist?  I mean, how will we act or react when this land of plenty of ours is stricken with a supernatural phenomenon that changes the planes of all markets around the world?  Political food gathering and other examples of popular or public food competitions represent a dangerous field because when you politicize food it can only mean that you are representing a selfish inkling and one that is based upon gluttonous and prideful heart wishes.  I do not see any people harvesting fields and directly giving their goods to food kitchens or homeless shelters, no unorganized or organized groups are volunteering to help those around us, instead, we allow the food to waste away buried in the ground never to be used.  How many opportunities do we have to miss to share the gospel with others before our resources are taken away?  This number can only reach so far before it looks like a tower of Babel to God because so many people stand before His throne every day that has left this earth not knowing who He is and what His Son has done for them.

Our Scripture passage for this article is Ruth 2:1-3 and it gives us a picture of how we are to gather food when we have the capability for God shall supply the time for this completion for He does supply our daily bread.  However, do we turn away such standards and then complain about them when our personal livelihood goes array or do we seek out true opportunities to find food where it can be obtained legally?  The same process occurs when we do or do not share the gospel with others for as Jesus says He provides living water so does His Father supply living food as well.  Do we find ways to share the gospel when our conditions and settings change or become more difficult to complete such commands?  Do we find ourselves basking in the revels of such standards that God has provided for us and at the same time arguing against God for other standards that we may not agree with?  God has given us the ability to reason out the ways of the world from His highest standards, yet we find ourselves running out the Ways of God in order to justify our whims and whines instead.  It is a saddening process to watch unfold when standards are dropped in order to make things and even people “equal”.  God knows how to correctly put into place rules and regulations that will protect and then help His children in all circumstances that we may face, but as long as we continue to ignore such Providential Ways our wanderings will be nothing more than that.

There have many days that I have driven by the harvested fields and witnessed a sad sight, countless crops still left in the field to be picked up by someone.  Yes, the majority of the fields have been thoroughly tapped but even with this percentage being high it is still not 100%.  Maybe that is a bit high for me to expect but on the other hand, there are so many people that do not have a steady supply of food set on their tables come evening time.  I guess this is where we should do our part in helping out those who are in need and complete the harvest that still remains, not only for our own families but for those who have nothing.  Do you think that this concept can be placed into the context of the Bible as well and be used as an example of how we are supposed to feed on God’s eternal Standard and then share it with those who do not know His Ways?  Who would have thought that a worldly principle such as this one has a biblical meaning to it?

See, the FDA laws were placed into effect for a certain reason, to provide the best quality and the safest food possible that we put on our tables.  While other nations have similar food quality standards none of them compare to the ones put into place by the FDA and it is through this standard that we do not see many instances in this nation of bad food reaching the consumers.  Even though we have slip-ups our state of food production is grand and should be continually commended and not scorned.  Most people have no clue about what the FDA laws are and what the standards must be before the harvest can even begin much less hit our tables, but if we desire to know such higher standards we can go online, to a library, call the FDA directly, or write to them to find out what each one of their standards is and how they reached such agreements.

I have heard of many protests against such laws from groups all across the nation.  It has always been a fascination with humans to act up when they do not like what rules are in place and will do almost anything in order to make sure that the higher authorities know just how they feel.  Protests have their place and can be very effective if they are done correctly for when they are setting the record straight usually follows and within a short period of time, all can go back to being normal once again.  A question that God wants us to think about today is this: have you ever thought about just how high His Standards are compared to the ones humans put into place?  This passage of Scripture puts things into perspective when you deeply look into its content and sets into motion about just how far below our lives are when compared to God, plus it should remind us that when we adhere to God’s Standards that we benefit from His majesty and not suffer.

Ruth asks Naomi if she can go to the fields and glean what is leftover from the harvest, from those who allowed such practice to occur.  When she found one who would allow her to do such a practice, she had no idea of what would later become of this encounter but for the here and now she was able to get the food necessary to feed her family.  The product that she received was not of bad stock or rotten in any way but it came from the highest quality for it was from the same field as was harvested for everyone else to buy.  The field of grain was of top form and there was plenty to go around so as per the custom of that day, a portion of the crop was left for those who could not easily afford to buy it at the markets; a generous practice that did not have to be done but it did show an act of servitude towards those less fortunate.  It is this type of scene that many are willing today to adhere and to keep gladly, but we as a society have frowned upon such gratitude for it would be embarrassing to be seen harvesting food after the harvest itself, a total misconception of what the entire process of harvest means.

How hard is it for us to see that the FDA standards that are in place today can be compared to the standards that God has put into place for our lives?  Would it be impossible for us to understand that God has a much higher standard of Life than our finite bodies can imagine yet at the same time He has placed in front of us the resources to partake of the eternal harvest?  It is extremely easy for us to fall into the category of believing that the harvest is not for us (Christians) and only for the ones that are lost.  The overall harvest plan is for everyone, even those who know God and Jesus as their Savior for the harvest of God is a living concept and one that never leaves or dissipates.  Why go to church or study the Word of God if the harvest is not for you?  Why tell others about what God has provided for you if His harvest is not for everyone?  See, one must work in the fields in order to bring in the harvest, but what you do with the harvest after it is in your household is just as important as harvesting it in the beginning.

Bringing God’s Standard to our family tables every day is what His harvest is all about and it is the mission that Jesus gave to each one of us to complete.  When we study the Bible what we are doing is working in the fields of God and gathering His harvest so that it can be shared to the dying world.  Yes, the unsaved and ones that do not know God are the harvest and if you stop and think about it the entire process of gathering and harvesting represents a standard and it is our duty to ensure that it is God’s standard that is given to people in need.  If we do not work and get Jesus’ mission completed those fields that are ready shall sit and rot as the season's change, and through this lack of harvesting so much damage will be done to those who need this food.  In other words, you drive by these incomplete harvested fields and say that it is a shame that so much food is wasted; you know, like I say when I drive by a field in such condition.  That means that you would rather do things on your own and not take advantage of what God has provided for you.  It is also a sign of laziness in that you do not wish to take the time to receive the best products of the highest standard available but settle for a subpar product instead.

When we complete the harvest in the manner to which God established us to do, all aspects of the Garden are dressed and kept.  It is when we begin to stop what is necessary and to believe that it is okay to leave a few pieces of straw lying around that our enemy sees the opportunity to invade.  We can never forget that if we do not completely keep what God has commanded us to do at all times His Kingdom cannot be forwarded thus allowing the enemy’s kingdom to be advanced.  No, it is a fact that we shall not like all of God’s Laws for they are harsh to our physical and selfish lives but that is exactly what they are designed to do rub out all of the sickness and death particles that inhabit our lives.  In a world that is in need of a complete harvest unto God, many people who consider themselves to be Christians constantly drive by inadequately harvested fields and look away towards the mountains.  How is it possible that we believe that an incomplete harvest is one that we can be proud of especially when we stand before the owner of the field and give account of how the harvest went?  Oh, such sin we harbor in our hearts for those who have not been eternally harvested for God and His eternal promises.

Have you ever thought about what would have occurred if Ruth had not wanted to go into the fields to get food for her family that day?  Ruth married Boaz, the owner of the property and the field that she gleaned her wheat from and if she had not gone that day who knows if she would have ever met Boaz.  Also, Boaz and Ruth are in the direct lineage of King David which we all know that produced the line of Jesus.  How important is it to listen to the voice of God and to obey His Word you ask?  It has also been forgotten that our physical actions take a direct reflection from our spiritual actions and it is acceptable to draw conclusions about one’s spiritual life through the physical aspects of their lives.  I know not many people like to hear that but it is the truth and it needs to be dealt with quickly for we know that if things linger unattended for some time rottenness occurs.  Church, how are we doing with the harvest that God has placed before our lives today?  Are we attending to the complete harvest and doing what Jesus commanded us to do and what God commanded Adam and Eve to do in the Garden of Eden so long ago?  Or are we seeing the work to be done today and leaving it to be completed tomorrow?  You know, God never procrastinates His timing is impeccable but it is also one of holy origins and completed authority that we cannot assume or even imagine.

Church, we can no longer afford to do things on our own and live by the standards that humans believe will work for everyone/s existence.  The world is WRONG on every level of our lives and it is high time we stop driving by the fields that need to be completely harvested, because what we do not realize is that when we do this process we are accepting a lower standard of what we believe to be the Truth and this action of ours places us into a category of a truth instead of the True and Eternal Truth.  In other words, when you drive by a field that needs attending you are not only condemning your fellow brethren to an eternal death you are in a state of sin just as they are for God has set an FDA Standard that cannot be changed, moved, or lowered in any fashion and if we do not do our best to complete the harvest that He has readied we are setting ourselves up for a huge failure that has an ugly eternal outcome.  Take a hard look around and see what the Church is producing and doing with the fields that are being harvested; what you will find is that the fields are empty and wasting away because the line of cars driving by form a mile-long uninterrupted chain of people looking the other way.  Repent Church!  Because if we do not, those fields shall be taken away from our sight and the nation that we know and the Church status that we know shall be changed forever.

Thank God that we cannot change the “FDA Standard” that He has put into place.  And since this Truth is a constant why do we continue to struggle against it?  There is only one conclusion to the previous question and that is it is because we listen to the ruler of the world and are tickled by his lies instead of knowing and living by the eternal Creator’s Standards.  It is our responsibility to feed the ones who do not know the Truth about God and His Ways and we no longer can afford to sell them anything less than the entire Truth about eternity.  Just as the FDA and other organizations have put into place standards that do their best to ensure safety and quality in food so does God when it comes to our eternal existence with Him or for many that we do not reach, without Him.  Church, it is our responsibility to show these wonderful people that God has a better life than when the world can produce and if we do not tell these people about His Greatness that means we do not believe in what His Word states either.  Repent Church, and once again complete the mission that Jesus gave us to do, without compromise and definitely without portions of the harvest uncollected.  SO, when asked if God represents an FDA Standard then the answer would be an emphatic yes, because there is no higher standard than God.

DLB

You Do Not Have To Be Defenseless

You Do Not Have To Be Defenseless

7/5/19

There are times in our physical lives that we are caught off guard when certain situations arise, this is a normal pattern of life itself and we must face these contingencies as they unfold.  The same types of situations occur in the spiritual realm as well, but the conditions of being caught off guard are different for in these cases we do not have to be defenseless.  God has given us the perfect blueprint of how to deal with and the defeat these attacks that come out of nowhere and this plan comes from His Word.  Humanity loves to strike deals with others in order to get things accomplished but in reality, all that process does is delay future tactics against each other, real solutions need to be handled correctly in the appropriate manner and over and over it has been proven that the only way for this to be achieved is if we follow the examples of the Bible.  Putting God first in our hearts guarantees us a defensive plan against any attack the world provides and while these attacks may scratch us at times, our spiritual core alignment will be intact and we can live the prime example of how Jesus wants us to be.

How many of you know in detail what the entire status of the Major League Baseball players is?  I mean, what are their playing positions, batting orders, on-base percentages, and for those of you who follow the pitching side of things, what is each starting pitcher’s ERA?  Now, I understand that only the avid and enthusiastic follower will know all or even a majority of these statistics and that the ones who do know these numbers follow quite closely this sport.  The point of these questions centers on knowing the entire realm of the game of baseball and how to out-think the opponent and in order for this to be done all areas of offense and defense must be considered.  How in-depth can one really understand what is going on if they do not know details of both sides of the game operating at the same time?  One cannot foresee or predict what is ahead of them unless their entire heart is in motion when it comes to such activities and we surely cannot enjoy the game if we are continually being taught lessons as each pitch, hit, home run, error, and out are committed.

When I was a kid I loved the sport of baseball, and to be honest almost every sport I was a huge fan, but while I liked these sports my main interests sided within one aspect of the game and that was the offensive side.  When we ask you won the game last night, we really mean who scored the most runs, points, or goals.  The team with the highest numbers won and we could only hope that the winning team was the team you and I were rooting for to win.  Baseball has been around far longer than my 51 years of life and has produced some great players throughout its history, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb just to name a few.  Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, Steve Garvey, Rod Carew were in their prime when I was at a young stage in my life with Andrea Dawson, Mike Schmidt, Dale Murphy, Kirby Puckett come to mind in my teenage and 20s decades of life.  All of which were powerful and feared offensive players that could change the current game around or even end one just as quickly.

For the most part, all of these players made their names famous by their offensive prowess and excitement filled the air as their names would be announced and they stepped up to home plate.  But how many actually know what position these people played when they are on the defensive side of the game?  I must admit that even though I followed teams quite regularly I had not much of a clue about these players when it came to the field positions.  It does not matter how well a person knows one aspect of the game but not the other half for if this setting occurs, the game cannot be known and played to its full potential simply because not every detail has been covered in order to win the game.  Understanding one part or even half of the game cannot present itself as a winning attribute and it sure cannot produce a winning record if one is actually playing the game.  It is for this reason that all aspects and all sides of the game need to be understood as much as possible in order to provide a good result.  So, why do we still play around with God’s Word on this spiritual half knowledge level and then come crying when things do not go the way that we believe they should?  I see this time and time again throughout the Christian world yet we still miss what is occurring because we only allow ourselves to know about one side of Kingdom Warfare and refuse to understand the other side of spiritual warfare; it’s our own death actually, so let’s change course.

Having a strong defense is just as important as a strong offense and is key to winning any competition for when one has an equally strong defense the team does not always have to rely on the offense to win the game or in our case pushing forward the Kingdom of God.  We cannot totally rely on the excitement when heavy hitters come to bat and swing for the fences in order to make ourselves popular and well-known, for it is this concept that we have allowed overgrowing the Truth about our mission to those who need God and not a memorial souvenir from attending.  It is this memorial gift idea that has infiltrated the Church and has mesmerized countless people on superficial feelings instead of telling them that their eternity is at stake and that God should be number one in their lives not the novelties of offensive excitement.  Completing the knowledge of the Word of God and living it on a daily basis puts us in a position to do great things when it comes to advancing the Kingdom of God.   There is no stronger word in any language than the word love, but when this word is not spoken and lived through according to God’s definition it becomes a perversion and a lifestyle that does not promote God’s Kingdom at all.

It is this lie of greatness that Satan loves to tell us we have, but when he does he leaves out the fact that we need both sides of the Word of God in order for us to understand the potential that we have.  See, for as long as I can remember the common belief has been that if you are saved and consider yourself to be a Christian that your ticket has been punched and that your life is already complete through Jesus.  This belief is not wrong but it is NOT entirely the truth either, for if one understands that the entire Bible has been written for us to use as a guidebook and a life book then we would know that it needs to be shared with those who do not know God.  In this passage of Scripture for this article, we see that people believed that John the Baptist was a great man and preacher through the words he taught them.  This was the case with John, but Jesus knew that His life and Testament was going to be written for those who lived in the future and that God’s Word could not be complete without Him.  For this reason, Jesus makes the statement that where there is no greater prophet than John but whoever is in the Kingdom of God is greater than John.  If a person is in the Kingdom of God they are doing their best to advance God’s Kingdom at all times and on all levels through the knowledge and understanding of the complete Word of God and without compromise.

Jesus knew that many people had missed the Truth about what the Old Testament meant and taught, He also knew what His life was to represent and that if we were to understand the importance of eternity and why God Created each one of us it is without question the importance that we know and live the entire Word of God.  You may proclaim to be a Christian but do you walk it every day?  How many more people can we reach for God through the mannerisms that we present by just walking on our town’s streets?  It is this presentation and verbiage of our daily lives that Jesus was referring to when He said we could become greater in the Kingdom of God than even the prophet John.  The point here is that when we have the entire Word of God with Jesus as our center we can do so much more than what John the Baptist did for the Kingdom of God.

Recently I heard a sermon on how important it is that we know that our fight is in the spiritual realm and not in the physical and while there are many aspects to the physical realm and the antics people demonstrate there can be no higher in representation than eternity and as we have learned in the past it is vital that we fight with the same weapons that our enemy has because when we do not it shall be a spiritual slaughter with him winning and us lying spiritually bleeding somewhere asking where God is.  John understood the entire defensive plan and with it had a beautiful and effective offensive plan to spread the Truth about God and how the Pharisees and other religious and secular leaders were not getting it.  Yet, Jesus states that we will be greater in the Kingdom of God through the Truth of not only the Word of God but in Him as well.  Placing up a defense has always been, is today, and always will be easier when you know the defensive plan, you have confidence in its meaning, its goal, and what it can provide for you along the way but if you only know a portion of it, it shall be no good to your life and thus a weakness instead of a strength.

John had a total love for and knowledge of God and His Word, and to be honest, if one has such a total plan in their life they shall not be liked too much by those who operate through worldly standards, This is why John ran into such controversy during his ministry.  It is also through this overall principle setting that church denominations are either accepted by the world or they are not.  For those who understand and accept the Word of God in its entirety see such patterns rising and call them out when they are near and while I wish I could say we are winning the world over for Christ it is also easy to see that the world is winning due to the Swiss cheese configuration of our hearts and congregational doors.  A person’s defense can only be presented according to what they understand and it is for this reason why many people who call themselves Christians are attacked effectively because we do not truly do not know our defensive playbook.  When our defenses have weaknesses, you can be sure that our enemy will quickly recognize them and then use his tactics against us.  We do not have enough confidence in what we believe to stand against these attacks and to share the Truth with those who believe a truth and not The Truth.  In short, if we do not know how stand and fight against our enemy then we do not believe in The Truth as it is for our lives thus proving to the world that we are liars and have no Living Faith to prove God.

The question cannot help to be raised if we, the Church, wish to spread the Gospel, to live abundantly through Christ, and gain spiritual Truth or not.  From what is currently being displayed we would rather seek time showing off our sitting around and watching skills instead of telling people about God and how they really need to know what is coming if we do not repent and turn from our wicked ways.  This nation did not come to this point by a one-sided pattern, for it is all of us who have established such a cesspool of lies and selfish behavior and we need to have a heartfelt realization of this before it is too late.  It is difficult for many to see this truth about our condition because we have voluntarily accepted that equality can come from a fleshly establishment.  But look at where we are headed, each day another grip or complaint is added to our list and to be honest our arms should have an untreatable amount of lactic acid buildup due to all of the finger pointing we consistently do.  A worldly defense shall crumble after a short while, guaranteed yet we keep turning to its message as being one of truth and getting disappointed with each turn.

Church, this is where we should be stepping in and showing these hurting people the way that God wants us to be.  But we are stuck within ourselves and rather than showing the eternal Truth we show them another worldly option to get lost in.  Can’t we see that this is such sin?!?  We ourselves have become famous for clouding the truth when it comes to knowing and living right from wrong, did we not read the story about that tree and what occurs when we partition our minds from the Truth of God?  A wealth of information is not a good defense if its words cannot form a perfect outcome on The God Level.  Listen, when we use an offensive tactic to gain a worldly advantage of acceptance we cannot truthfully witness to anyone for everything that we say is out of disobedience and thus a lie against God and His Kingdom.  If we use the Bible as a defense mechanism for the world, it is sin and an abomination to God and I would classify it as an unforgivable sin against God because THAT is the definition of taking the Lord’s name in vain.

Where does this leave us as a defender of the faith?  I was talking with one of my good friends the other day about the church in North Korea.  Yes, North Korea has a Church and a strong one in faith, much stronger than the Church in the United States and Western Civilized countries.  During our conversation, we talked about how weak our faith is and just we do not know how to defend the Faith.  It broke my heart to that the people in the Church in North Korea are praying for us daily but not in a manner in which should be taken lightly.  We would like to believe that they are praying for our patience, virtues in Christ, strength in God and confidence in our daily walks with God but they are not.  They are praying for our salvation and repentance and the understanding how to defend the Faith through the Word of God, its message and most importantly our return to sending out missionaries to the world to spread the gospel.  Wow!!  In other words, they do not have any desire to become like us, but are praying that we become like them in understanding how to defend God, His Word, and our salvation.  From a nation that does not have a television in every house, cell phones to see what is constantly occurring around their villages and cities, they sure know what to pray for and it should bring us to our knees knowing this about people who have nothing.

“My only hope of salvation is in the infinite transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross.  Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it.  Come Lord Jesus! Come quickly!”  This quote is from one of those atheist and deist Founding Fathers and signers of the Declaration of Independence of this nation that we hear so much about today, Benjamin Rush.  “God commands all men everywhere to repent.  He also commands them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and has assured us that all who do repent and believe shall be saved.”  This comes from another atheist and deist of our Founding Fathers Roger Sherman.  Do these statements from just two of our great fathers sound anything like what the Church is teaching and showing the dying world today?  No way at all, and not even close to being close if you think about those statements.  How do we correct such a misguidance?  By doing and living these words of wisdom from just two of our Founding Fathers for they understood about how to live in True freedom and what it means to have freedom indeed.  Repent, Church and allow God to show us how He wants to direct our lives and our future through defending the Faith through the Bible and all of its defining contents of Jesus Christ.

DLB