Category: Daily Word

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
    
     "When the Lord brought back the captives [who returned] to Zion, we were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal].  Then were our mouths filled with laughter, and our tongues with singing.  Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them.  The Lord has done great things for us!  We are glad!  Turn to freedom our captivity and restore our fortunes, O Lord, as the streams in the South (the Negeb) [are restored by the torrents].  They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing.  He who goes forth bearing seed and weeping [at needing his precious supply of grain for sowing] shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Ps. 126:1-6; Amplified Bible)  Can you see with the eyes of faith that the Lord has brought us to the very moment and days that we are in?  So that He might show His mighty deliverance for us!  All the tears and weeping over loss, tragedy, personal calamities, catastrophes, and the like has been allowed in order that we learn to yield more to God.  So the spiritual stage is set for God to be magnified and to receive all the glory for the great things He will do.  He has seen us with our seeds of faith, believing even through much weeping.  We must keep our hearts and minds in the expectation mode for our harvest by rejoicing.  Your tears of faith have watered the seeds of the Word, but a step we must also do by faith and not let our feelings dictate to us, is to rejoice even through tears.    
     So our harvest is coming, no matter what it looks like, as long as we keep our eyes on God, and watch the kind of seeds we sow.  We must not become doubtful and a complainer.  "You keep track of all my sorrows.  You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book.  My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.  This I know: God is on my side!" (Ps. 56:8-9)  Crying is not a problem as long as we don't act like people that have no hope or help.  I like what the psalmist said, "this I know".  Know means to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty; to have established or fixed in the mind or memory.  We must perceive and understand as truth and to clearly apprehend that God is really on our side.  He has collected our tears and kept track of our sorrows, all that we have sown as we continue to walk in the Word and He will multiply them into a harvest.  Our time has come right in the midst of despair for God loves to show Himself strong on our behalf by the most extraordinary exchange.  You know what He likes to do, He gives us beauty for ashes,  the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness! (Isa. 61:1) We win, so let's hold our hands high and lift up our heads!  Fresh new joy and a brand new song are to be heard from the people of God.
 
Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
     "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.  For I Am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isa. 43:2-3)  That is a promise that we need to take to heart at this time as we pass through the waters, knowing that Our God is faithful and that He will not let us down.  I have been meditating on this verse and one similar in Isaiah 58:11; "And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones.  And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.  "God will not only be with us, but he will guide us through the tough times and satisfy us in the midst of drought.  You know what it means to be guided by Him, right?  Really, the truth is that we hate to give up the lead position to anyone in our lives, even when we say that God can lead, we hold on to the position tighter.  Guide means a little bit more than just leading us, it indicates that He actually knows the way through the water, the fires, and the dry places.  We should let God be the leader because he knows and created the course that we are to take.  Guide is the one who leads or directs another in the way or course; to lead to a resting place or a watering station; a guide regulates, supervise and manages one towards the desirable end.  Well we know that God said that our end was good in Jeremiah 29:11.  God also promises to satisfy us while we are on our way to our expected end.  Satisfy means to please, to gratify to the full, to fulfill, to have ones needs and or desires filled.
     Now we are coming to the place where our waters fail not, our provision is continually supplied.  It is not dependent on the outward circumstances nor the supply from this world.  No, we are entering a season of a supernatural supply and resources that will not run dry.  It is indicative of the times of the prophets of old.  1 Kings 17:11-16;  "As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.  And she said, As the Lord your God lives, I have not a loaf baked but only a handful of meal in the jar and a little oil in the bottle.  See, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it—and die.  Elijah said to her, Fear not; go and do as you have said.  But make me a little cake of [it] first and bring it to me, and afterward prepare some for yourself and your son.  For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: The jar of meal shall not waste away or the bottle of oil fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.  She did as Elijah said.  And she and he and her household ate for many days.  The jar of meal was not spent nor did the bottle of oil fail, according to the word which the Lord spoke through Elijah."  God provided for this widow, her family, and the prophet, through the drought and dry places by a supernatural source.  Her supply was sustained.  We serve the same God, He has not changed!  He will be Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who sees and provides.  We will have the opportunity to know Him in a greater capacity as our Jehovah Jireh.  The verses in Isaiah show us that God will guide us through to our expected end through perils, adventures, caution, and comfort.  He will see that we come through victoriously whole through our journey!
 
Love,
 

Pastor D. 

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
     Today my meditation is 1 Peter 3:12-14; "The Lord watches over those who do what is right, and he listens to their prayers.  But he is against those who do evil.  If you are always trying to do good, no one can really harm you.  But you may suffer for doing right.  If that happens, you have God's blessing.  Don't be afraid of the people who make you suffer; don't be worried.  But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts.  Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have."  Are we always trying to do good?  That is what we must keep doing, no matter what life hands us.  It may appear that you are not coming out on top as you are the, "do- gooder", but God has our back.  He promises that in Isaiah 58:8 "Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."  Notice that it is our right relationship with God that will conduct us to peace and prosperity.  In the midst of doing right, God promises that we will have peace and prosperity.
     The glory of the Lord is the rear guard for the ones who do the Word of God, that is what "doing good" is.  Rear guard or rereward means to cover our back, to bring in the rear, to gather and take in.  Glory carries the idea of honor, dignity, abundance, riches, reputation, splendor, and reverence.  For doing right, I will be covered, God has my back from anyone or any circumstance I may go through, but He will conduct me to peace and prosperity.  Just think on it, God's honor, dignity, riches, and His reputation will follow me.  That's a great covering.  We are bound to be victorious as long as we do right, we are being watched over.  So, "does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?  Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!  Turn away from evil and do good.  Search for peace, and work to maintain it.  The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help." (Psa. 34:12-15)
     Remember that's good news, after all that is the Gospel.  You no longer have to scheme and connive or manipulate to get your way, or to do good to yourself.  It is hard work trying to get your plans to work out, plus God is against those who do evil, and He can't be manipulated.  While you are just doing the Word, not looking to take care of you, God is watching over you to prosper you!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
    
     "The words of the wise are like prodding goads, and firmly fixed [in the mind] like nails are the collected sayings which are given [as proceeding] from one Shepherd.  But about going further [than the words given by one Shepherd], my son, be warned.  Of making many books there is no end [so do not believe everything you read], and much study is a weariness of the flesh.  All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good or evil." (Jer. 12:11-14) This is something that we sometimes tend to do as believers, read too many books on improving our selves and too many dvd's on too many teachings.  Simplifying our lives would be the best thing for us to do.  I am of the mindset that if I could do some of the Word, and do it good and work on perfecting my walk in the Word of God, that would be time enough for me.  How about you?  I mean, every time that we get together and fellowship as a body of believers we are building on to our foundation and growing up.  I am just trying to get the heart and mind of Christ, thereby changing the mind that I have.  I am becoming free of entanglements so that I can fly.  Eagles can't soar if they are heavily weighed down, and we are eagles or eaglets, depending on our growth.  Let's try and learn the Word of God, if it is not in the Word then it really isn't eternal, it is a temporal thing.  I am working on fearing God and living a life that worships Him and I know that as I do this, He is working in me to bring the changes that is necessary to adjust my life to His will.  Of course I work with Him as His Word reveals to me the ways that I need to comply, bend, or yield too.  It is simply a choice to do what He says then stay in His Word and Presence and I will follow His steps, out of sheer love, admiration, and fear or reverence for Him.  Remember Hebrews 12:1-2; "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.  Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne."  Weight means whatever is prominent, protuberance, bulk, mass; hence a burden, weight, encumbrance.  A weight could be anything that is slowing us down, our attitudes, our emotions, people that makes us stumble, too much studying and not enough doing the Word, over-complicating our walk with God, keeping our focus on others, the list is endless of the weights that could slow us down.
     You can't run and look around at others, you can't fly and carry others.  That's why we are told to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.  That is Philippians 2:12, the amplified version reads this way; "Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ."  Isn't that enough to do without adding more to our growing.  We have to lean our entire personality on God's Word and not trust in our selves and our wit, insight, or our wisdom.  God's Word has got to be the final say so for you and I, or else we will be found leaning to our own understanding.  You remember where that got us right, needing a Savior?  Let's simplify and do the Word we know!"
 
Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
     "Take your stand, indolent women!  Listen to me!  Indulgent, indolent women, listen closely to what I have to say.  In just a little over a year from now, you'll be shaken out of your lazy lives.  The grape harvest will fail, and there'll be no fruit on the trees.  Oh tremble, you indolent women.  Get serious, you pampered dolls!  Strip down and discard your silk fineries.  Put on funeral clothes.  Shed honest tears for the lost harvest, the failed vintage.  Weep for my people's gardens and farms that grow nothing but thistles and thornbushes.  Cry tears, real tears, for the happy homes no longer happy, the merry city no longer merry.  The royal palace is deserted, the bustling city quiet as a morgue, The emptied parks and playgrounds taken over by wild animals, delighted with their new home.  Yes, weep and grieve until the Spirit is poured down on us from above.  And the badlands desert grows crops and the fertile fields become forests.  Justice will move into the badlands desert.  Right will build a home in the fertile field.  And where there's Right, there'll be Peace and the progeny of Right: quiet lives and endless trust.  My people will live in a peaceful neighborhood— in safe houses, in quiet gardens.  The forest of your pride will be clear-cut, the city showing off your power leveled.  But you will enjoy a blessed life, planting well-watered fields and gardens, with your farm animals grazing freely." (Isa. 32:9-20) This passage deals with a warning [from God to His people through the prophet Isaiah] of coming tough times, but with a promise of His provision for those who are faithful to Him.  Also the message is for God's people to stop being so self-centered, materialistic, and worldly, and to cry out for Holy Spirit to be poured out from above.  Today, the Lord was speaking to me about His Church and the entanglement of the love of this world.  I was led to read this chapter in Isaiah.
     Indolent means lazy.  Synonyms are idle, inactive, lackadaisical, listless, slow, lethargic, shiftless, and sluggish.  Indulgent means self-pleasing, self-gratifying, catering to one's own moods or whims, extravagance and excess for one's desires.  We are going to have a wake up call to get our attention once again focused on the Kingdom and our eternal life and not living only for temporal pleasures.  We must get back to loving each other in the house.  Every earthly parent will not allow their children to squabble and fight, how much more does God, our heavenly Father want peace in His house?  We have been trying to run this race with our minds bogged down, with our stuff on our backs, carrying the cares of this life, and full of all kinds of emotional impediments.  "Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win! (1 Corin. 9:24)  "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.." (Rom. 12:10) “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat?  What will we drink?  What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.   Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Mtt. 6:31-33)   
     Our stand, or our position should show how determined we are to do what God has commanded.  We are to turn our face to the wall and begin to pray, joining the true watchmen, who never cease to pray and intercede.  We must preach the uncompromising Word of God, not popular and appeasing words that tickle men's fancy.  We must stand, and having done all, stand therefore having our loins girded about with truth!! (Ephes. 6:12-13) This will help us to be aware of the trickery or the wiles of the devil, but most of all it will keep us in line with the Spirit, Who is leading us in all truth.  That is why, no matter what goes on in the world we are promised to be in peaceful neighborhoods, safe houses, and quiet gardens.  "God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. You can go to him for protection.  He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies.  You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.  You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day.  You will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark or terrible suffering that comes at noon.  A thousand people may fall dead at your side or ten thousand right beside you, but nothing bad will happen to you!  All you will have to do is watch, and you will see that the wicked are punished.  You trust in the LORD for protection.  You have made God Most High your place of safety.  So nothing bad will happen to you.  No diseases will come near your home.  He will command his angels to protect you wherever you go.  Their hands will catch you so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.  You will have power to trample on lions and poisonous snakes.  The Lord says, “If someone trusts me, I will save them.  I will protect my followers who call to me for help.  When my followers call to me, I will answer them.  I will be with them when they are in trouble." (Ps. 91:3-15; Easy To Read Bible) We are going forward into our victory with power and a single purpose.  We will walk in the fullness of our freedom, being delivered, whole, sound, full of faith, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit!
 
Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
     "When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Pro. 16:7 Amplified Bible)  I would like to share a little about living our lives pleasing the Lord, especially and regardless of whether others are pleased or not pleased with you!  You know as well as I do that you can please some of the people some of the time, but you will never please everybody all of the time.  So, to simplify our lives, we should strive to please God, if some people are blessed as you do, great, if some are not, so be it.  This verse promises that when my life pleases God, then He [God] will make my enemies be at peace with me.  Please is to act to the pleasure or satisfaction of another's will {in this case, God}.  After all isn't that what we truly want to do, to be well pleasing to our Father.  "That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition]." (Col. 1:10; Amplified Bible) Is that your heart's desire to please God in all things?  If it is, then you will do His Word when nobody else will, and your motive will not be for the praise of men or, even, despite the criticism.  When your good is evil spoken of, you will walk on, for you are looking for your reward to come from God.
     When this is our heart, then God will make [to cause to exist, to bring about, to cause to be or become], our enemies be at peace with us.  Peace here means a cessation of war; a treaty, truce, or neutrality.  Enemy is one who seek the injury, failure, or overthrow of a person to which he is opposed to.  Your enemy may not even know why they're at peace with you, because God is going to "make" them!  I like the sound of that, don't you?  What we must do is have the desire to please Him and He aids us and assist us to fulfill it with His grace [God's ability over and upon our inability].  Here is the picture of grace; "[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." (Phil. 2:13; Amplified Bible) Simply put, it is God who is working in us.  He helps us want to do what pleases him, and he gives us the power to do it.  Declare with me, "I will please God and I will have cessation of war from my enemies."

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
     Quite often we forget that whatever we do in the Kingdom is for our good and growing and because of our love for the Father.  "Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.  None of this going off and doing your own thing.  And cultivate thankfulness.  Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house.  Give it plenty of room in your lives.  Instruct and direct one another using good common sense.  And sing, sing your hearts out to God!  Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way". (Col. 3:15-17; Message Bible) 
     We must live peaceable lives, not creating or stirring up drama, {the enemy will do his job}.  From verses 18-22, the Word covers our stations in life and tells us how to keep peace and how to live our lives for God in word and deed.  "Wives, be subject to your husbands [subordinate and adapt yourselves to them], as is right and fitting and your proper duty in the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives [be affectionate and sympathetic with them] and do not be harsh or bitter or resentful toward them.  Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.  Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or fret your children [do not be hard on them or harass them], lest they become discouraged and sullen and morose and feel inferior and frustrated.  [Do not break their spirit.]  Servants, [those who work for someone else] obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not only when their eyes are on you as pleasers of men, but in simplicity of purpose [with all your heart] because of your reverence for the Lord and as a sincere expression of your devotion to Him". (Amplified Bible; Col. 3:18-22)  Doing right and simply obeying God's Word with our words as well as our deeds, is what He is after.  In this modern day world our purposes can become blurred and even abolished, because we can easily write God's Word off as being out- dated.  We see children all the time who disobey; in the stores, at school, at church, and at home.  We see husbands who don't love their wives, and wives who don't submit, and employees who never do what their employer's require.  These were moral values that at one time were taught at home, schools, and churches.  But now we are to timid to broach these subjects.  God's Word is ageless, so it is always the final say-so in a Christian's life.  The reason we obey is out of a sincere expression of devotion to Him.  Devotion is profound dedication, consecration, earnest attachment to a cause or person, etc. loyalty, commitment, and dedication.  The opposite of devotion is apathy, indifference, and negligence.  We should never feel like it doesn't matter if I do the Word of God or not.  Everything we do or say should be in light of whether it is pleasing to God or not.  
     "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.  But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done.  For God has no favorites". (Col. 3:23-25; NLT) In other words you will reap what you sow, God is not mocked.  He doesn't play favorites, whoever chooses to do His Word from a sincere devotion to God, this person will be rewarded [compensate, honor, recompense, pay, give prize] Paid back for not doing His Word, doesn't sound inviting!  We must not become the kind of people who act like we want to do the Word, but only if it is for our own advantage.  "As for you, son of man, your people who talk of you by the walls and in the doors of the houses say one to another, every one to his brother, Come and hear what the word is that comes forth from the Lord.  And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as My people, and they hear the words you say, but they will not do them; for with their mouths they show much love, but their hearts go after and are set on their [idolatrous greed for] gain.  Behold, you are to them as a very lovely [love] song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument, for they hear your words but do not do them." (Ezek. 33:30-32) Let's not deceive ourselves, by a pretense of doing the Word.  Make up our hearts and minds that a God who created this whole universe, surely knows what is best for us and trust that as we do His Word out of our sincere devotion for Him, He will reward us.  He is a good Father!

Love,
Pastor D.

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,

     "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Ps. 42:11) This is where I have been pausing and meditating on for quite awhile, or at least one of the places.  As we grow up in the Word of God, all of us get the understanding that God doesn't want us to worry or fret about our 'tomorrows' or even the outcomes of 'today'.  When He says something two or more times in His Word it is to confirm the importance of it and make it another concrete block in building and establishing it in our mind and heart.  "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (Phil. 5:7)  "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil. 4:6)  Careful and care means to be anxious, to be troubled with cares; to seek to promote one's interest, troubles that cause distractions.  The last part of the definition is what usually happens with cares, they cause us to be distracted from what God is doing, by focusing our attention upon the troubles.  That is why the Psalmist was crying out also.  Too many troubles were distracting him from focusing in on praising God.  Here is the same verse in the Message Bible: "Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?  Why are you crying the blues?  Fix my eyes on God— soon I'll be praising again.  He puts a smile on my face.  He's my God."(Ps. 42:11) Our focus begins to be shifted to the problems, rather than God, which affects our 'health of our countenance'.  Health here denotes salvation, deliverance, welfare, prosperity, and our victory.  Countenance is our face, our presence, our expressions and our person [our appearance, our composure, and our behavior].  You know the drill; focusing in our problem, creates more anxiety, which adds to how we see our self, which takes away from our deliverance, victory, prosperity, and our welfare.  Making our deliverance be far off. But if we tweak it, and put our focus on God, fix our eyes on Him with our praise, we will get the victory, the deliverance, the welfare, and the prosperity that we need.  That is how the Psalmist got his deliverance: "When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you, From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar."  Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.  Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."(Ps.42:6-8) So let's follow the example and remember and rehearse how good God has been to us and praise Him for it!  Which will affect our countenance, our presence, and our behavior.  We will be joyful, peaceful, loving, overall the pleasant people of God that we are called to be.  
 
Love,
Pastor D.

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
     Someone asked me recently about the statement that many of us quote when we talk about making changes, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".  It is after all a quote from a man, most people attribute it to Albert Einstein, but really no one knows.  It is quaint and sounds insightful, but it is not scriptural.  We know as Christians, our faith is quite often doing the same thing over and over, according to the Word of God until the change manifest itself.  It is called endurance, patience, or longsuffering.  It is a fruit of the Spirit that we must develop or grow in, it is also one of the traits of God's unconditional love that we must develop and grow in.  As Christians we have to become constant in our walk with our Lord.  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23; KJV) "Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.  It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.  Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].  It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.  Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]." (1 Corin. 13:4-7; Amplified Bible) These are those things that a quaint quote doesn't hold any power over.  "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." (Ps. 119:160)  We must do these things over and over again and expect change in us.  Develop is to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of; bring to a more advanced or effective state, to cause to grow or expand.  Grow means to come to maturity, gradually or by degrees, to develop by a process.  Degrees, gradually, and process are done over time and it is done over and over again until it is developed or grown.
     This is important as we grow, for we are wheat that grow in the midst of tares, therefore we must be able to be patient and longsuffering as we wait the harvest.  "Another parable He set forth before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed also darnel (weeds resembling wheat) among the wheat, and went on his way.  So when the plants sprouted and formed grain, the darnel (weeds) appeared also.  And the servants of the owner came to him and said, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  Then how does it have darnel shoots in it? He replied to them, An enemy has done this.  The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and weed them out?  But he said, No, lest in gathering the wild wheat (weeds resembling wheat), you root up the [true] wheat along with it.  Let them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather the darnel first and bind it in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my granary." (Mtt. 13:24-30; Amplified)  We are approaching a climatic separation between the wheat and the tare, the genuine seed of God [wheat] and the tare [weeds that look like the seed of God].  We are encouraged to be longsuffering and continue to develop and grow even with the tare, until that harvest comes.  Longsuffering is steadfastness, constancy, and maintaining, perseverance, unchanging, uniformity, and regularity, doing the same thing over and over again.  So, saints we must keep doing the Word by faith, over and over again, until our Lord and Savior returns for His own.  We are almost at the end of this book!  "The Angel continued, "Don't seal the words of the prophecy of this book; don't put it away on the shelf.  Time is just about up.  Let evildoers do their worst and the dirty-minded go all out in pollution, but let the righteous maintain a straight course and the holy continue on in holiness."   "Yes, I'm on my way!  I'll be there soon!  I'm bringing my payroll with me.  I'll pay all people in full for their life's work.  I'm A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion." (Rev. 22:11-12 Message Bible)
 
Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear/Hearts to Obey

Good morning,
     Okay, for the past two weeks I have attempted to put this vision on the blog, but I have been stopped by my computer losing it.  We all understand that when we are entering our 'promised land' that there are giants there.  They are allowed by God, yet sent by the enemy to try and dissuade us from entering in.  His objective is to discourage us from going any further, he talks deceptive lies and shows up in various ways of distractions, to keep our minds from being fixed on God.  We have to speak to the giants in our land, as David did before he became king.  The giant was sent to try and bring fear to block his destiny.  Remember Joshua and Caleb they encountered 'giants' in their promise land blocking them from entering in.  Giants are insurmountable and impossible odds, or situations that speak to us fear, doubt, and confusion.  We must take our slingshot fill it with the 'rocks' (God's Word) and run towards the giant!  Here is the vision.
     I saw a person that was covered with the glory of God all around them.  Her protection was obvious to me as I looked.  Then as she begin to lift her hands up to worship the glory begin to grow stronger, until I could not even see her features.  She continued this way throughout the day, but there was a moment that there was words spoken to her and a small opening appeared in the glory.  I watched as my vision cleared and I could see small spirits throwing something at her.  They did resemble darts, with one exception, each dart had small drills on the end of them.  They were being thrown at her on a constant basis, only when she let her hands down and stopped worshiping God were they able to penetrate the cloud of glory.  Little by little the attack became stronger, so much so that  the cloud was under great assault, the enemy was trying to strip her of her covering, and she begin crying.  Tears of sorrow streamed down, they almost seemed as if they were acid, for the power of her sorrow overwhelmed the cloud.  I knew that if she continued under this unrelenting attack, she would not last very much longer.  I saw her muster up her voice, and out spilled scripture after scripture of her salvation, her privileges, her benefits, all that she knew, but had allowed this spirit of confusion to speak to her.  As she cried I saw a greater cloud begin to well up from within her, and at the same time there appeared another cloud from the atmosphere, it engulfed her until this time she was completely covered and unnoticeable.  There appeared angels with great force that came and lifted her up higher than the forces that were trying to break in, they begin to give her an infusion of strength!  Then I heard a Voice say, "Enough, this child is covered by My Word and generations of prayers that were spoken over her.  I Am bound by My Word to these generations as well as to her words.  This has come up as a memorial and incense!  I will now cover her with My wonders, and My ability.  All will be done for the increase of Our Kingdom." 
     That was it, and I immediately went and meditated on these two verses.  "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts." (Hagg. 2:6-7) The other verses are found in Psalm 91:1-7;"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.  A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."  All that was left with me was a knowing, that no matter what it looks like or feel like, as long as we chose to stay under God's protective Word and His love and try to live our lives for Him, there is guaranteed help from on high.  We will recover our strength and all that has been stolen.  Keep on to God's unchanging hand.  God is faithful to His Word and His promises.
  
Love,
Pastor D.