TWO QUESTIONS THAT HELP PUBLISHED BY Trust Management Services August 2019 Second Edition Edited & Reformatted This “Second Edition” has been adapted for flipbook presentation and includes revisions and additional materials.
FORWARD As you read through these short chapters, you will be challenged to understand the difference of just sitting in the pew “waiting for your bus to Heaven” or asking the Holy Spirit if He will teach you to drive. Of course, you will have to know the destination, if you are going to drive. If just sitting and waiting, you may not even get on the right bus. We hope you take on the challenges put forth in these pages. Relevant Scriptures are provided, and uniquely designed examples will stimulate your thoughts and future actions. Don’t be a victim of “Church as Usual.” Don’t be one of the ones that Christ spoke about: “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:19-21 Find your place in the Kingdom on earth.
INTRODUCTION Imagine if Jesus asks you these questions: • Do you know, that it's not about how good you are? • It's simply: I died for you - will you live for me? A casual response could be 'so what?\" However, taken together seriously, these questions can change our thinking about “being good\" and challenge our commitment to the Kingdom. An honest response lays bare our soul as to our true relationship with God. Revelation of their significance reveals a vision of where we could be in Christ and can become a life changing experience. While exploring the opportunity, keep in mind there is a huge difference in doing good, and thinking of oneself as being good. Starting with a mother motivating a child with “if you are good, I’ll give you a cookie,” it can become a twisted concept in church (by Satan) where religious pride works contrary to doing good. If the enemy can keep Believers focused on their short-comings or obsessed with how they appear to others, their effectiveness in the Kingdom of God will be extremely limited. Conversely, when Believers become set free, their potential in the Kingdom becomes limitless. According to Matthew 7:21-23: Many church-goers are deceived about their standing with God. The commentary relating to these verses in the Blackaby Study Bible (NKJV) states, “Eternal life is not dependent on whether you know Christ, but whether He knows you…” It’s about His goodness working within us: His Spirit will take up residence within you. You will be filled and fulfilled by His Spirit. Your life will reflect (mirror) His Holiness. You will hear and respond to His will - obedient. Religious activity will not substitute for righteousness.
WHAT’S UP? So, what’s up with “it’s not about how good you are?” Surely, it’s OK if church-goers have all of God they need. They put their “Ticket to Heaven” in a safety deposit box years ago; mistakenly thinking, “I’m good!” Now, I can sit in a pew and wait for the bus. Wrong Thinking: If Jesus paid for all my sins, I am free to do as I please. I go to church and I don’t owe anybody. Nothing more could be expected of me. I’ve got my ticket to heaven. So, I’m good! That Second Question: This is not someone else telling you about what Jesus did. It is a matter of having a personal conversation with Him: It's simply, I died for you - will you live for me? Will “I” live for you, Jesus? (That sounds like a commitment!) Do you really believe that Jesus left heaven, was born as a human, lived a life without fault, demonstrated good, suffered terribly and died to provide me a path of redemption from sin? Undoubtedly, we show the depth of our belief by the degree of gratitude and our eagerness to share Jesus with others. This is the indisputable barometer that measures our personal Christianity.
Having been redeemed at a great price, surely, we have a place in the Kingdom on earth, not just in heaven. God designed each of us for a specific destiny. So, to be effective in this Kingdom on earth, we first acquire spiritual knowledge of both God and our enemy. Then, we can use the awesome tools given to us to accomplish our destiny. PRIME THE PUMP There’s an old story about a thirsty traveler wandering in a very dry place, who comes upon a chapel with a surprise inside. The first thing noticed is a canteen marked “water,” just what was desperately needed at this time. But there beside the canteen was an old hand pump and a hand-written note. The note read, “Don’t drink the water. Use it to prime pump.”
What a dilemma! There’s water enough to satisfy the immediate need. However, the intriguing note offers prospects of a lot more, but what if that old pump doesn’t really work? Then, the water would be wasted. Surely there would be more provision somewhere else, if desperate again! Lo, the traveler drank the water in the canteen, and left – left nothing for the next wanderer. This example is much like the behavior of free-spirited church-goers. They come in need to acquire enough knowledge and grace to soothe their pain. However, not realizing that a little knowledge is certainly no match for an enemy that kills, steals and destroys. They feel good about their religion, never knowing true freedom. So, they won’t seek more until the next crisis. Who will pay the price for the lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6)? (Through spiritual discovery, individuals increase their awareness of the nature of God and the tactics of the enemy. These writings are not meant to be a doctrine, rather challenge Believers to discover the mysteries beyond church as usual. Thereby, both individuals and the whole body becomes stronger in its mission by the collective entropy.) READING GUIDE
INTRODUCTION 5 KNOW OUR ENEMY 8 KNOWLEDGE OF GOD 17 OPEN GOD’S GLORY 31 DISCOVERING OUR DESTINY 37 LIFE APPLICATION 43 CHURCH & STATE 56 LAST WORD 66 APPENDIX 71 KNOW OUR ENEMY The admonition “we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with spiritual wickedness in high places” is all but lost in an intellectual world that is focused on physical realities, rationalization and inadequate teaching. Today, the power of the spirit realm has been downgraded by society. It has been moved from reality to fantasy, which has made spiritual attacks upon the unsuspecting much easier than ever before. This also explains why Christians in third world nations demonstrate much more faith than those which rely primarily on intellect. Scripture warns us of an enemy that seeks to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10)! However, the modern Christian community has a serious deficiency in spiritual knowledge, specifically regarding our enemy. How can Christians protect themselves from attacks, if we are not aware of enemy’s presence and how that enemy operates? Vulnerability is obvious to the enemy when this subject of the demonic is generally absent from church curriculums. Spiritual Enemies: John 10:10 warns up about our enemy’s mission is to capture humanity and enslave it. Moreover, Satan was defeated by Jesus, but he and his millions of demons have not surrendered. If you need proof of his current activity, consider 42 million babies murdered yearly, under the euthanasic
mask of convenient choice. Consider the tens of millions of humans killed in tribal wars. Or, this last year 7.6 million people died of cancer worldwide. Presently a child dies of Malaria every 30 seconds in Africa. 7,500 people were trafficked in the United States last year, and an estimated 800,000 are trafficked worldwide each year. There can be no doubt we have a roaring enemy whose intent is to destroy mankind. Testimony of Scripture: Demons enter and control people Matthew 8:28-34 Satan is the head of demons Matthew 12:24 Satan tempted Jesus Matthew 4:11 Demons cause madness Luke 8:26-36 Demons can cause injury Mark 9:14-26 Demons believe in God James 2:19 Demons know about Jesus & His missions Luke 4:41 Demons fear judgement Matthew 8:29 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Common Sense: If you doubt the reality of these accounts, then you are saying these Scriptures are false, and Jesus was a lunatic. A third of the angels forfeited their place in heaven to follow Satan –an army far larger than the population of mankind. If you think demonic activity has passed, and does not affect Christians today, then you are naive and deceived. Have you given any thought to what these powerful being are doing right now? Do you think they are playing cards and watching sports? Or are these demonic beings carrying out horrific plans of destruction? Are we to be naïve victims? Jesus gave us an opportunity to be redeemed from our sin, and the Holy Spirit is here to provide comfort and equip us with truth and power. This all begins with the first step in defeating the enemy, “AWARENESS.”
Deep State: At the top of the evil agenda, the Deep State is the modern manifestation of supreme evil against mankind. The Deep State is not so simple as a group of bureaucrats that oppose the elected President. It is far more powerful than just political influence. Yet, the Cabal at the top is much smaller than one might think. The core consists of only a few hundred globalist who direct their diabolical scheme to create a new world order. Of the Deep State’s objectives, the one most critically important is to “destroy religion, especially the Christian religion, and establish a one world religion (Luciferianism).” Secondly, the Deep State works through education and entertainment (schools, movies, television, sports, advertising, etc.) to keep people’s perception of events to a level of a 13-year-old or less. This applies evenly from grade school to big league colleges. In this way, the “self-elevated demigods” control the values, notions and taste of the mass of people, creating an affective system to manipulate people’s behavior. Not surprisingly, demonically controlled underlings have been selected by the Cabal to carry out their plan. These ideologs and hirelings are made up of selected politicians, media management (six media companies that shape the news for the USA), and board members of major corporations. Their minds have been systematically programmed to a mind set and is reinforced by their apparent success – all to respond predictably to the Cabal’s agenda. Winning Paradigm: In WWII, General George Patton commanded the Third Army during the North African Campaign. This battle came down to having to defeat General Rommel’s 15th Panzer Tank Division, that was far superior to the American forces. However, General Patton successfully won this major campaign because of his strategy in positioning, allocation of supplies, and knowledge of his enemy’s tactics. His army inflicted 10 time more causalities than they suffered. If America had not had the quality of leadership, like General Patton, and the dedication of highly trained fighting men in all the services, our nation would have been lost.
So, this is a paradigm (spiritual pattern) for what Christians must do to defeat our spiritual enemy. General Patton type leaders are needed to waken the Christian community and begin training Kingdom Warriors how to train others to stand against the wiles of Satan. Soft spoken and easy going won’t get the job done; it takes a warrior. HOW DEMONS FIND US Gloryman’s Revelation After years of proudly believing that demons could not bother me (after all I was a born-again Believer), I finally faced the truth. Alas, I finally faced the truth that demons had influence in my life, and that I had no idea how to deal with them. My First Lesson: Once I had opened myself to God’s fathering, He showed me a vision of a very voracious wolf, and asked, “How does a wolf find you in the woods? How wolves track their prey in the woods is very much like how demons find their vulnerable victims. I contemplated this serious question. Then, the answer came. “It doesn’t see me; the wolf relies on its keen sense of smell to find me.” The flesh of my physical body has a smell, whereby canines, with their extraordinary sense of smell, can readily trace my whereabouts as well as distinctly differentiate me from other people. Similarly, to the way a wolf can find me in the woods, a devouring spirit (demon) smells flesh as a spiritual scent and can identify my unique vulnerability. It knows where I have been and can find me even in a hiding place.
God does not desire you to be ignorant and devoured. God wants to educate Believers about demons – not only to protect ourselves but to help others. We need to comprehend totality of our vulnerability, it’s the first step toward eliminating the demonic influence in our lives, freeing ourselves to demonstrate more GLORY in the earth. REPENTANCE: Better to sanctify the soul and destroy my idols, rather than be prey for the demons. JEZEBEL & AHAB Stronghold of Evil Spirits • Jezebel: Pleases herself by dominating others • Ahab: Manipulates by being a self-center victim • Elijah: God’s Prophet who boldly stands Jezebel Spirit: The Jezebel spirit is characterized as a perverted female personality (not always female biologically) that does not give, but always takes. She seeks only relationships that she can control and dominate. The literal translation means “without cohabitation.” Beginning in flirtation leading into seduction, often the Jezebel Spirit takes on a goddess personality, usually using sexual passion to dominate and control, then withholds intimate affection to punish her victim. However, she can briefly pretend to be “servant-like,” to gain influence and obligation. Other descriptive words may include distrust of men in general; in constant agitation; aggressive; stubbornly determined; controlling; power-hungry; manipulative; unrepentant and deceitful. Ahab Spirit:
Ahab is a manipulative spirit too, but it is more passive than aggressive. It fits into either a male or female personality. The Ahab Spirit will take on the role of a victim in response to an aggressive spirit. This often manifesting as “poor me.” It may be rooted in intentions of peace making or the avoidance of conflict. Ultimately this spirit leads to disregard for others, isolation, self-serving and ultimately to narcissism. God’s Judgement: Elijah prophesied the extermination of Ahab and his entire family. Ahab, son of Omri, did \"more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him\" (1 Kings 16:30). When Ahab repented, however, God let him live and postponed the punishment (1Kings 21:17-29). Jezebel did not repent, and justly the dogs fought to eat her flesh by Jezreel's wall (1Kings 21:23). Consequences: Demonic influence often begins through gradual perversion of natural feelings. Without the Spirit of God being brought to bear, demons can get complete control of a person’s life (Believers/Non-Believers) and furthermore, will attempt to entrap others. A combination of two or evil spirits constitutes a “stronghold”, such as Jezebel and Ahab, and can create monsters such as those who ruled Israel (874–853 BC). War Against Evil: Israel was blessed by Elijah, who was strong in spirit and stood against the evil of that time. However, as Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Paradigm, reveals those same evil spirits are thriving in the politics of the United States of America today. Too often churches have hidden inside its walls and disregarded this evil that prevails. It is time for warriors to take their place on the battlefield for the Kingdom on earth. COMMENTARY Jezebel and Ahab Reference: II Kings 9 - By Dan No doubt Leonard has personally encountered demonic spirits as the detailed characterization of Jezebel and Ahab reveals. To broaden that
teaching, He invited me to elaborate on some of my experience as a pastor regarding demonic influences common to church. First, we both emphasize that the person exhibiting demonic behavior is a victim who has fallen into a snare for which an invisible perpetrator is to blame. Foremost remembering, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesian 6:12). You may be able to identify others who have such influences working in them. But, be forgiving toward the person and direct your warfare toward the dominating spirit. You might find a demonic influence in your own life, and it will take a strong will to eliminate it. The stronger will prevails. Be prepared for a battle, for it will take persistence to overcome. Demonic spirits will try to deceive you. They have plenty of time to “wait you out” or present “new-faces.” For example, a seditious Ahad may flip to a role of a “poor me” victim. When Jezebel was to face Jehu the new King, she adorned and positioned herself to look down upon him, but still was cast down by two or three – paradigm for spiritual warfare. The final manifestation may be a murderous spirt, like that of Jezebel devising a murder to appease her husband’s greed and envy. While such strong demonic dominance of a person may take years before gaining full control of their unsuspecting victims, there are in the meantime indicators of their work in progress. In a lesser developed form, it can manifest as the church gossip to appease the “I’m better than you,” bitterness. Some may claim to be doing the Lord’s work as they run people out of church in religious pride and haughtiness. Invite them in, then beat them up. These things happen too often in the churches of our land. The influence of an Ahab type spirit is like Jezebel in many ways. It may cause the same type of issues in a church. People get ran off, but not directly, they get offended in a less obvious manner. The intent is still to make themselves feel justified at others expense. They spend time before and after service talking to a select few that they can influence. When it is time to attack, there is much division. This spirit will yield to others that appear to be stronger wherever they may be. If you notice, in II Kings, Ahab watched as Elijah took care of business. He was ready to yield to whatever the majority said was right.
Demonic forces may create a spiritual infirmity that is revealed as physical or emotional abnormality. Allow me to mention a few of these possibilities. The conflict within a person caused by a Jezebel spirits may manifest as anxiousness without being able to identify the cause. This may lead to stress headaches or even to a heart-attack. Please understand that this does necessarily mean you are possessed. You have been seduced by taunting spirit that influenced your state-of-mind and behavior. Look to the light in these instances. Don’t do like Jezebel did and try to hide yourself and turn to the darker side of life. time. It is not something that just happens in one-day. Beware, it may present itself as “personal-growth.” You may hear comments on how a person saw themselves in the past. And now believe that they are a new and improved version that has gained great strength No one will push them down again! Actually, they have become weaker and the demonic influence stronger. Other than the obvious entertainment value, the purpose of demonic torment is to turn the victims away from God, and indirectly cause destructive influence within a sphere of influence. Jezebel and Ahab were able to discredit the God of Abraham and influence Israel to sacrifice their children to an idol. Today’s the idol demanding the blood of innocence is abortion for selfish convenience.” The effects of this influence may cause less identifiable issues such as depression, confusion, and nervousness. Notice that these spiritual influences are revealed over time. It is not something that just happens in one-day. WICKEDNESS OF PRIDE Dressed up nice, but wicked. Offense: When a Believer feels wounded or treated unjustly, he may take offense, which results in distorted perceptions and attitudes about others. Often this will result in losing interest in church and becoming hateful.
Religious Pride: As a person turns away from unrighteous behavior, he begins to feel good about conformance to the rules. However, pride and religion can easily become an evil stronghold. It manifests as “church police” or “I am better than you.” Proverbs 6:16-19 states explicitly 7 things that God hates. Six of these, perhaps all 7, apply to the sin of gossip for it has a spirit of murder in it. Thinking I’m “better than you” is judging others. Gossip: Proverbs 6:16-19 states explicitly 7 things that God hates. Six, and perhaps all 7, apply to the sin of gossip for it has a spirit of murder in it. It has been said that a political group wanted to survey why so many people do not vote. A volunteer survey taker began with a homeowner. The survey taker asked, “Why do you think so many people don’t vote?” The homeowner just shrugged his shoulders. Trying to solicit a verbal reply, the surveyor asks, “Do you think the greater problem is ignorance or apathy?” The response was, “I don’t know, and I don’t care!” Our Creator has similar problems with church-goers and their issues with pride. Suppose a messenger of the Lord asks, “Which is the greater problem in the church: offense, religious pride, or gossip?” Would the answer be, “I don’t know, and I don’t care!” \"Ignorance is not a simple lack of knowledge but an active aversion to knowledge, the refusal to know, issuing from cowardice, pride or laziness of mind.\" - Karl Popper
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD It is known that in the physical world light always expels darkness. Scientifically speaking, darkness is the absence of light. The North Star, a visible pinpoint of light, has guided global travelers for thousands of years from 323 light years away. Even a small amount of light pushes back darkness; the human eye can see a burning candle from 2 miles away. “Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Search this Scripture out! Provision for Redemption: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17).” Jesus’ heart beat says, “none should perish; none should perish; none should perish” and teaches us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).” THE WILL OF GOD We share in His Purpose I prayed, Lord, “Do something that I want)!” But God responded: “That’s not my job. Why did you think it was?” • One might say, we know that God is not our butler. However, it sure is tempting to call upon Him. Afterall, nothing is beyond His power; God can do anything. • This is where things break down. It is never a question of does God have enough power. The first question: Is it God’s will? • Now, we are halfway to the truth. Just because God “can do” something does not mean He “will do” it. Moreover, He gave us the free will.
• Next comes the argument, “What about a child with a terminal illness?” It is surely God’s will for the child to be well, yet the child may die. In my personal life I have been faced with such a conundrum. • Suppose an enemy of our nation, smuggles a tactical nuclear weapon onto a barge going up the Mississippi to Memphis. Detonates the device killing 5 million people. If God has the knowledge and power to stop it, why didn’t He? • Presuppose an old lady, who was open to her gift of spiritual discernment, had a dream about the barge and call the FBI with the location and registration number. The FBI is obligated to check and then stop it. Did the lady, FBI or God prevent the disaster? • A teenager is involved in a horrific traffic accident, and he is the only person to survive. Unnoticed in the situation is a grandmother who prays for God’s protection. • See: The Holy Spirit is powerful, enough to raise Jesus from the dead. God’s will is always for goodness to prevail. The third element that makes divine intervention possible is mature Christians, who are actively in agreement with God’s will. • Faith is far more than wishing. Learning to establish a solid partnership with both God and the Holy Spirit becomes a key to “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done…” Jesus would have all Christians know: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father (John 14:12).” Jesus went on to say, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you (John 14:26).” “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: (John 16:22).” A mature Christian addressing the Throne to confirm God’s will and acting with the power of the Holy Spirt creates GLORY (the manifestation of God’s will)! Verify this through personal study of John 16:13-15.
“GOD IS IN CONTROL” Sanctuary or Perilous Deception Who would believe that when one becomes a Christian their troubles would end? There is a wonderful loving God who has the authority and willingness to remove all obstacles in their life. Is there belief that He will do so at their command? Such a concept of heaven on earth would exempt them from all responsibility and allow them to live in a sanctuary of protection from all the wiles of Satan. Of course, only the un-discipled could have such an expectation. Nevertheless, many Christians deeply believe they honor God by proclaiming “God is in control”. They are indeed correct in recognizing the all-powerfulness of the Creator of the universe and that is certainly their intent. Unfortunately for these believers, this distortion of the “Sovereignty of God” provides a subtle contradiction of God’s plan for mankind and an open door for a perilous deception of minimizing the effectiveness of Christians by diverting responsibility to God. I was first startled into this realization by the comment of a person puffing on a cigarette arrogantly saying, “If God wants me to quit smoking, then God will take away the desire.” One might as well ask, if God is in control, why does “Pro-Choice,” the euthanasic mask for the murder of babies, and other obvious manifestations of evil exist? Is God or man responsible? Looking deeper, we discover error lies in the assumption that God has or wants absolute control over everything at every moment. Such ill-fated thinking does not give proper place to the fundamental purposes of man: 1. We were created to “choose” to respect and to fellowship with our Creator. The Scriptures present clearly the vital element of “choice” from the garden to the resurrection and beyond. 2. Holy Spirit, man has been given commission and tools to bring forth the Kingdom on earth. Of course, this requires Christians to become equipped and seek their place on the battlefield, where all things can work together for good.
Like a good father that allows his child the freedom to choose, in hope that the child will choose well, God has given us free will. In doing such, He has not abandoned us; His ministry is always available. Foremost, God grants us more power and favor as we align our soul with His perfect will. When we, in faith, choose to do rightly, it fulfills true fellowship with Him. Jesus and the Holy Spirit have obediently subjected themselves to the will of the Father, and the Father has voluntarily given of Himself to His children …so there is no need to beg God to do something; He has made all provision already. Rather, we are to, through study and prayer, seek Knowledge of God and exercise faith accordingly. Thereby, His Kingdom comes, and His will is done in the manifestation of His GLORY! GOD’S WORD The first source of inspiration is God's Word, a most extraordinary tool of Christianity. The Holy Bible is a written record of God's interaction with mankind from Adam and Eve to Jesus' first Apostles. It contains the spiritual battle plans to claim God's Kingdom. Furthermore, Scripture has wisdom for every situation, and it can bring peace to a tortured soul.
a light unto my path ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... Romans 3:23 Jesus answered, \"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.\" John 3:5 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:6 Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
LESSON FROM THERMODYNAMICS Measure of Spiritual Energy Entropy: Scientific term for a measure of the energy present within a system Church: Christian Community of Believers Closed System: Nothing New Enters Open System: New Input Allowed Checking Entropy Level: Entropy of Church is not measured in the comfort of fine dinners or level of entertainment. Rather, Angels measure outreach to the lost with the hope of Glory and the development of spiritual strength within its domain. What to Do with Spiritual Energy: As all mankind has been given a measure of faith, sufficient to embrace the grace of redemption, so has each Christian Community of Believers been given a measure of spiritual energy. How that energy is managed is their eucharistic epistle (record of demonstrated thankfulness) unto God. A closed system of Social Doctrine says it has all the knowledge needed. Plans are made as to how to spend that spiritual energy and preserve their church. With time, those that are hot cool, and those who are cold warm. Finally, the entire community becomes lukewarm and nothing moves – low entropy. Creative Doctrine (Open System) invests spiritual energy into exploring greater knowledge of God. Thereby, more Spirit is entrusted to a body of believers for their edification and outreach. Some become creatively inspired (anointed) and move in new venues of Glory – high entropy. Some church-goers are mere consumers of grace, while others are contributors to the growth of the Kingdom. After accessing the entropy of church, can there ever be “church as usual?” (Reference 3rd Chapter of Revelations) Personal Awakening:
For many years I mistakedly thought that God was in heaven watching His creation and withholding judgement of His creation. Only occassionaly did He intervene in the affairs of mankind. As I sought to know more about the nature of God, I realized that He was continually involved with those who sought Him. Finally, thinking, “I’m good” was cast aside and set free of that religious pride, I began to know that I was to mirror the glory. For several years now, the following footnote has accompanied my emails: “The struggles of health, finance and relationships in our lives today are insignificant when compared with the GLORY that God has prepared for us in His Kingdom on earth. Let us rejoice and focus upon fulfilling the opportunity that He has placed in our time. For all the resources of creation eagerly and earnestly wait in expectation for the sons of God to take their place in the field.” - Reference to Romans 8:18-19
HEARING FROM GOD Learning the Character of God By Dan When we talk about speaking to God, it is one thing. We know we can speak to God, but how do we get God to speak to us? To take a look at this we will need to consider a few facts. You may or may not have considered these facts in the past. You may even wonder if God has ever spoke to you. We can start this process all the way back to the Garden of Eden. God spoke to Adam and Eve on a daily basis. Even though they were able to speak to God and for God to speak to them on an individual basis, there were still a time that they were able to consider other options. One option was to only listen to God and what he had to say. And the other option was to listen to the devil or other influences and make a decision based on the other influences. Even considering these facts, they always knew what God wanted. He always made that very clear to them of what he expected out of them. We have many other examples that are in the Bible of people knowing what God wanted but choosing the alternative. We also read of Prophets that God spoke directly to more frequently. He could have spoken to other people individually, but he chose to speak to one and have that person speak to others. However, we also can read how an angel spoke directly to the parents of Samson. It would seem as if God had favorites to speak to and others that he chose to be silent. However, on Mount Sinai he spoke to everyone. At that time there is a choice made that God not speak to everyone but to speak to an individual and have that individual speak to everyone else. We all know that person as Moses. We see that his first choice was to speak to everyone as he did with Adam and Eve, but the people chose to have him speak to an individual and the individual speak to the group.
You may say, this was not my choice. This is why we note that Jesus came to earth. He came so that we can have a relationship with the Father. Not through an individual, but as an individual. We still have the choice to make. Do we want God to speak to us through the Holy Spirit, or do we want to have him speak to others and we get the message secondhand? If you would like to consider the Holy Spirit speaking to you as an individual, then there are some things that you will want to consider. Anytime we want to have a relationship with the father we must recognize Jesus as his son. If we do not recognize Jesus as being his son, then we fail to give credit to Jesus for making it possible. It was by his sacrifice that has given us the ability to have a relationship through the Holy Spirit. It was after this sacrifice that we became children. We became children of the living God. By being children, we have a different relationship and responsibility to the Father and his work. As an example, you may have grown up on a farm. If you did not grow up on a farm you probably heard stories of people that did grow up on a farm. How they worked every day, and the work was always guided by the owner of the farm, which was most of the time the parents. The husbandmen determined what would happen on the farm and who would be responsible for different details. These responsibilities were often divided up by the experience and abilities of the children. The husbandmen would never do anything to put these children in danger, but what often encourage and allow them to gain new skills. Even though the children had to work every day, there was not negotiations for wages. It was understood that everyone works together to accomplish the goals of the husband’s been, and their wages were his protection, love, relationship, and food. When anything was beyond these basic items, it was considered a gift. In our Christian life we work for our father in a place that he terms, the Vineyard. It is mentioned in our Holy Bible, when Christ was twelve years of age and separated from his parents and found in the temple, his response was “How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 KJV) Let’s also keep in mind that he was in Jerusalem and in the temple. He was speaking to wise men, both
hearing them, and asking questions. The point I would like to make is that even at a young age Christ was concerned about his Father’s business. Do you know what your responsibility or work in your life that pertains to your Fathers business? What is our Father’s business? Is his biggest concern that you are comfortable? Not all work makes a person comfortable. Many times, we refer to it as a labor. In the United States we even have a day set aside as a holiday for all those at labor. What are we to learn from all of this? Are my hopes that we would better understand who we are working for? Not only who we were working for, but why we are working. If we do not understand who we are working for and why we are working the probability of us being successful in our relationship with God is small. Maybe another example would further my explanation about hearing from God. Let’s go back in her mind to when we were a child. We were obviously present when we were born, but probably do not remember the event. Many will say it’s because we were being born and it was so traumatic that are mind erased it from our memory. I would like you to consider another option. Maybe it is because we had nothing to reference the event to. It was the beginning. When we were born into the family of God, we may not have had very many experiences to reference. When we go to church, we would see people talking, singing, preaching, and even giving a heartfelt testimony about an experience. Of course, many of these seem very odd. Especially, if they were delivered with a passion that was felt and not just heard. This passion that they had may have been something different than what you had experienced in the past. How did they get this passion? Where did it come from? Is it available for me? Am I to think that the passion came from God or from the spirit of the person delivering the message? I think we get to the point to ask a question, “DO I KNOW HIM?” I have said recently in sermons, it would be a terrible thing to get to heaven and God announce a gathering at the throne and you ask, “Who was that speaking?” Shouldn’t we know his voice? If we do not know his voice, then who is advising us on our daily walk?
Should we be expected to know the voice of the Holy Spirit? There are many people that can imitate the voice of other people. We see this out of comedians we see it as an occupation of some. Many people get very good at imitating others. Why would it be a surprise to us that the devil is very good at imitating whatever voice we like to follow? We see evidence of this confusion when we see that a person has gone into a church and shot many innocent people. They said that they thought it was God speaking to them. You may even ask yourself, why they would even consider such an act as being a direction of God or the Holy Spirit. I believe such acts are done because the person does not know the voice nor the character of God. We begin to understand the characteristics of God, we can begin to understand what he would not condone. This is a big dilemma that people have today in our society. They believe that prayers are made, and decisions are made so they can be comfortable instead of a labor for the work of God. These misunderstood characteristics of God cause many despicable acts within our society. I believe we would all know what acts I am referring to if I ask you to write them down. So, I do ask that you write them down. Write them down while keeping in mind the business of the father and his commandments to all men. You may not know much about God, but you probably do know his commandments. You may not reverence his commandments, but you still know them. When we deny God’s commandments, we deny our God Jehovah. Many say he has changed his mind about many things, but he says in Malachi 3:6 (KJV) “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” It is a good thing that God does not change concerning his lows and commandments. If it kept changing, no one would ever know what to believe. In order for God to be faithful to what he says he has to remain consistent. When you take the time to change what God Jehovah says, you are in essence making your own idol to serve. An idol is a God that you design, and you make, and you determine what the purposes for. I do not think many people want to be known for serving an idol. An idol is very idle because it can’t move or speak or go anywhere. It is directed by the one that fashioned it.
I believe the biggest issue with people not hearing from God is because they don’t think they are worthy to hear from him. When we became his children, we gained the opportunity to hear from him. We may never feel worthy, but we should feel that he loves us enough to speak to us. Christ said that he was sending the comforter to be with us and to direct us. He also said it was expedient that he would go away. This was in reference to a change in the spiritual realm. True believers in God’s word can be comforted and directed by the Holy Spirit. The confusion may come in and what we are expected to receive from the Comforter. (John 14:26,27 KJV – “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.) By these statements we can understand that we will be taught by the Holy Spirit and bring items to our remembrance so that we can spread the Love of Christ that is felt through the truth about God.” In an effort to know the truth about God, we must study some characteristics of God. When we were young, and our neighbor told us we could come over and play for a while, we questioned that they were telling us the truth or not. We felt better if we heard it from our parents with our own ears. We questioned this because it was out of character for our mother or father to advise our neighbor on something, they wanted us to do rather than to tell us directly. With the word parent or father, there are certain expectations. We learn when we read the Bible that God is faithful. This means he will do what he says he will do.
OPEN GOD’S GLORY Gloryman Find the key to opening your place in God’s Glory. Painful Birthing: By Leonard Ever since the Garden of Eden, the process of birthing children has been painful. Though I, being a male, have not had that direct experience. Nevertheless, I have had several surgical procedures without anesthesia and that has given me some basis of comparison. As I consider the essence of painful birthing in a much broader view, I realize that it was the most painful events in my life that brought me to dramatic change. Broken relationships, financial disasters, an infant son dying, a baby daughter losing two kidneys and personal betrayal have been some of my hard teachers. The tragedy of my infant son dying slowly from a rare illness is an example. As the many doctors and hospitals tried valiantly to save his live, our family nonetheless became devastated. The collateral damage affected the entire family for decades. The ineffectiveness of my religion left me in
depression. However, eventually the pain sent me looking for something more. The extraordinary calling to the world’s most primitive society pulled at me for 50 years. I seem to have wasted my talent on foolish things like a computer system to manage WWIII and getting rich schemes. After having betrayed my true self, finally, I went to Africa and was a part of an intact Tribe of Israel opening themselves to Jesus as the Messiah. In recent years, my health has been the focus of spiritual oppression (skip over that expression if you don’t comprehend that yet) or a latent genetic deficiency and environment issues for those who prefer a tangible cause. COPD, 7 figure medical costs and other complicating circumstances have worsened over the last five years and left me weak in body and soul. I have had time, mind and energy to do little more than write. Please, don’t feel sorry for me, that’s not the point. (I have many blessings and see much of the Glory of God.) So, celebrate with me for out that pain a great blessing has been birthed! The pieces have come together, and I can help light the way for all who would seek a deeper relationship with the Creator. I pray that this book helps many Believers to unlock their place in God’s Glory, and to find the key within the mystery, the Hope of Glory. The Hope of Glory: The word “in Christ” is specifically noted 94 times in the New Testament as a “key’ to glorious living. All these are significant, but let us focus on “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 The 7th Chapter of Hebrews speaks of a need for a new priesthood, a better representation of God’s will toward mankind, like Melchizedek. Specifically, this Scripture says, “… for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we
draw near to God.” This Scripture is foretelling of the Christ whereby we may draw near to the Farther (John 14:6). Let’s back up a bit, for a simple understanding. The mother and father of Jesus was not Mrs. and Mr. Christ. It certainly isn’t Jesus’ last name. Modern colloquial language has reduced the word to a slur. Such usage has forgotten the promise that we will be held accountable for every idol word (Matthew 12:36). Christ means “anointed one” or to be chosen for a holy task. In the original Greek, “Christo’s” translates to be anointed by God. Keep in mind, Jesus and Christ are two separate entities bound together by God. Hence the expression “Jesus Christ.” We must go deeper to get the fullness of Colossians 1:27. “God willed” for chosen seekers, even non-Jewish, to comprehend the hope of glory. Reviewing, Glory is the manifestation of God’s will on earth. Most importantly, “Christ in you” is to have the anointing of God, a destiny of His design, to dwell in you, as the Holy Spirit dwelled in Jesus. To have “Christ in us” is to have the Spirit of Truth and Power within, enabling our part in bringing God’s will to earth. To spend time meditating “the Hope of Glory” is beneficial indeed. Believers know who is the King of Glory. The problem is that they know not their place in it. Traditional View: Christians have always looked forward, to the blessing not yet seen, but God has promised. Christ is in our hearts, and we know that there is life beyond this earthly existence. It is said, “…enables us to endure the sufferings and groanings of this life with confidence and genuine optimism.” For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:24-25). In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:11-14). Timely Revelation: It seems the traditional attitude or view about “the hope of Glory” has been reasonable and applicable for two millenniums. However, in view of revelations in recent times, a deeper level of understanding has evolved. As J. B. Phillips terms God’s secret plan for the sons of men: “I myself have been made a minister of this same Gospel, and though it is true at this moment that I am suffering on behalf of you who have heard the Gospel, yet I am far from sorry about it. Indeed, I am glad, because it gives me a chance to complete in my own sufferings something of the untold pains for which Christ suffers on behalf of his body, the Church. For I am a minister of the Church by divine commission, a commission granted to me for your benefit and for a special purpose: that I might fully declare God’s word—that sacred mystery which up to now has been hidden in every age and every generation, but which is now as clear as daylight to those who love God. They are those to whom God has planned to give a vision of the full wonder and splendour of his secret plan for the sons of men. And the secret is simply this: Christ in you! Yes, Christ in you bringing with him the hope of all glorious things to come.” – Colossians 1:24-27 JBP “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God (Revelation 21:1-30).” “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).” It becomes a matter of opening to God’s Glory in one’s own life. Prophecy by Todd Bently:
I had a recent prophetic dream about the manifestation of the \"greater glory\" and of God's sons in 2019. In the dream, I was clearly shown how the Church will go from preparation to the manifestation of His greater glory! I knew in the dream that this year we truly will see sons and daughters revealed in His power as the manifestation of Rom. 8:19 is released in 2019! \"For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are.\" (Rom. 8:19) I heard the Lord say, \"Greater glory.\" When I started to think of all the stuff I'm familiar with regarding greater glory, the Lord said, \"No, I am speaking to you about how, in 2019, we are going to go from the Church being prepared, to the manifestation of the glory of God, to more and more people witnessing the surpassing 'greater glory.' The glory of God and the glory presence will be greater and more manifest with glory signs. We are going to see the increase of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. People are going to be talking about the cloud of glory and the unusual, extra- ordinary signs that come when the glory of God manifests.\" The Lord was speaking to me about a greater glory than I have known already in miracles, healings, signs, wonders, harvest and finances, and what to expect when going into greater glory in 2019. The manifestation of God's glory will begin to overtake every aspect of life and ministry and the person of Jesus will be the central focus of everything that we do in this glory! During a recent time of prayer about the greater glory, the Lord gave me another strategic key for the year: Focus. God gave me a word about how we have to be on guard right now because one of the greatest weapons of the enemy is distraction. Distraction is one of the weapons of spiritual warfare the enemy is using right now. The enemy is attacking many with the cares of this world that choke the Word, making it unfruitful. I said to the Lord, \"Lord, give me a word.\" and He said, \"Here is a word to use right now: FOCUS.\" It's a great weapon right now. Do not be overcome by distraction. Focus is key to vision! Everyone needs to pay attention to the Word of the Lord.
We will be revealed when the glory, which we have as joint-heirs with Christ, is revealed in us as sons. We will walk, as it were, compassed with mist and cloud (greater glory), but the splendor which will fall on us will scatter the deep darkness and: \"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we [His co-heirs] also appear with Him in His glory\" (Colossians 3:4, emphasis mine). Website: www.freshfireusa.com Published by Elijah List DISCOVERING OUR DESTINY By Leonard Pointers to Destiny: I was born in February 1945 just barely ahead of the “baby boomers.” I grew up on a dairy farm in Blount County, Tennessee. Older brother, older sister, and my parents were the principle characters in the first act of a continuing play. Looking back 7 decades, I am thankful for the advantages of country living that we shared, but also for the tough times, for it is all a part of who I am. An early childhood experiences that is still strong in my memory: It was a warm spring day in 1949, I worn a pair of brown shorts and was barefooted My Mother asked me to gravel a few Irish potatoes for supper. Quickly, I rounded up a bucket and then searched for something to dig with. I took an ice pick from the tool cabinet on the back porch and ran toward the vegetable garden. With the ice pick clutched pointing upward in my hand, I ran full speed past the milk house toward the potato patch. Suddenly, I stumbled, falling hard upon the ice pick. I rolled over to discover that the ice pick was stuck in my chest breastbone. Tried as I may, I did not have enough strength to pull it out. Blood ran down my bare belly from where the ice pick was sticking out. So, I walked into the house and said, \"Mom!\" My next task was trying to revive my fainted Mother lying in the kitchen floor.
The ice pick incident could be called a freak accident, or was it a divine intervention by a guardian Angel? I know what I believe. In later years, several times I have been very close to being killed including: a gasoline truck splitting between two cars on a narrow-curved road on a steep slope; in the bush of Africa a man in military uniform stepping from behind a tree with an AK47 rifle demanding money; and facing a head-on collision of an automobile about 20 feet away, closing at 120 miles per hour. Such events cause one to think are these things just lucky outcomes or is there a destiny that I have been prepared and preserved to accomplish? Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born… and the day you find out why.” Destiny or Coincidence: God so loved me, that He appropriated to me redemption by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. While I was yet spiritually dead, the plan of redemption is offered to me, that I may be alive in Him. Thereby, my Creator set before me an open door with a path that can lead to fullness of life and fulfillment of destiny. He calls me to choose. My life is not an accident or just a collection random events; I am designed by God for His specific purpose. Discovering that God has a plan for me is a great encouragement; coming into agreement with His purpose is the greatest challenge any human can embrace. From the virtually limitless combinations of genes, my Creator has chosen to make me unique from every other person in the world and adaptable to His purpose. He chose the geography, the slot in time, my parents and so on to give me experiences like no one else. These details have been planned me so that I would become uniquely qualified for my destiny. The Creator's design for me has a specific purpose that is as undisputable as looking at the workings of a watch and clearly see that the watch maker had an intention. The differences: I'm trillions of times more complex, and the watch has no choice.
Fortunately for me, God is not limited to the restraint of time; He steps forward and backward in time as He wills. Responding to each choice I make, He may step forward and see the consequences and make an adjustment in the provision for my destiny. My destiny is not like a clock that has been set once in motion to run for a lifetime. God is interactive in my life throughout the time that is allotted to me. His call is without repentance; however, my choices are not endless. The Creator, who is my spiritual Father, always foresees consequences of the path I am choosing. He continually makes provision for my needs, while ever calling me to my place in His design. Meanwhile, Jesus is continually my intercessor. Since the re-creation of the earth, the Holy Spirit has hovered over her as the guardian of goodness and to empower the will of the Father. The Spirit of God has been available to live within all Believers since the Day of Pentecost. I may ask Him for wisdom to see the vision and ask for the empowerment that is in agreement with the Father's will at any time. SECOND GIFT FROM GOD Awesome Gift for the Believer The first gift was a path to redemption from sin with privileges of an eternal relationship with God. Then, God sent a Second Gift to bring GLORY to life. Believers admire the Second Gift but seldom open it. John 3:16 proclaims, \"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.\" This is 1st Gift.
The 2nd Gift is an opportunity for Believers to partake in manifesting God's GLORY into the earth. For the purposes of this presentation, \"GLORY\" is defined as \"the manifestation of God's will in His Kingdom on earth.\" For about 15 years now, when in my presence someone commits to Christianity, becomes healed or is set free, a great joy wells up in my spirit and overflows with a shout - GLORY! When someone gives a testimony of such things, I shout. When a political situation dramatically changes to manifest the will of God, I shout GLORY. Every manifestation of the Glory of God is an opportunity to shout. For this author, it marks the on-going creativity of the Holy Spirit and allows me to give an audible exclamation point. I affirm that \"The struggles of health, finance and relationships in our lives today are insignificant when compared with the GLORY that God has prepared for us in His Kingdom on earth. Let us rejoice and focus upon fulfilling the opportunity that He has placed in our time. For all the resources of the earth (creation) eagerly and earnestly wait in expectation for the sons of God to take their place in the field\" again. Romans 8:18-19 Going beyond the excitement of observing the manifestations of God will, we are furthermore invited to participate. We can become a \"carrier\" of His GLORY. Herein, a Divine Partnership is laid out for Believers to discover their place as warriors in the Kingdom on earth. Whereby we can not only punctuate; we can participate instrumentally in bringing GLORY to life. In his last discourse to His Disciples, all the capability that the Father had given to Jesus was declared a Gift to His followers - a Gift to bring Glory to life. GLORY (manifesting the will of the Father) was proclaimed and demonstrated by Jesus. Hallelujah, that same Glory, unequivocal in Jesus' ministry, is attainable for Believers. Through an empowering partnership with the Holy Spirit we can do good works on earth and bring Glory to the Father.
It is an exciting prospect to partner with this awesome power, that gives comfort to our lives, reveals divine knowledge, brings healing, delivers from evil and performs miracles. Yet, such power can be intimidating to our flesh. Alternatively, having a \"free will,\" we may shrink from responsibility and fail to do our part. Most discouraging are the casualties of war on the road to actualization. In the ditch on one side are the \"name it and claim it\" who distract from the sacrosanct purpose of this Gift. Behind the starting line are those who \"deny rather than try\" fearing failure and say it's not for today. Alas, in the other ditch are the smug, lukewarm who member the Laodicean church. Not to be discouraged by those who failed to stay on the true path or the distracting notions of men, Believers are to be embolden with the truth and power with this Gift. However, to manifest a prodigious wave of GLORY, the church must first take correction, as well as individuals are to get their religious pride and self out of the way. Whereby, Believers are prepared as Kingdom Warriors for battle. The Second Gift and all its glory waits for us to choose.
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE Guest Author Bruce Koester Executive Director of Strong in Spirit Ministries Do you know that a recent survey found that 87% of Americans believe they were born for a reason; yet only 12% know what it is! Consider this golden nugget of truth - \"Legacy is greater than currency.\" And there is no legacy without knowing and living out your destiny! Pretty important stuff. So, start with this question - is it an alarm clock or a calling that gets you out of bed in the morning? If it's an alarm clock, then that's a pretty good clue you don't know what you're here to do yet! Now consider asking yourself these additional quality questions, 1. What matters most to you and why? 2. What have you been called to do with your life? What do you think you should do? 3. What gets you excited every morning and why? 4. What do you enjoy so much that you'd do it for free? 5. If you won the lottery, what would you do differently with your life? 6. What are you here to do? What legacy do you wish to leave on the planet? 7. Finally, ask yourself this question - \"Am I pursuing a job... a career... or a destiny?\" A job is just something that brings home the bacon and pays the bills for you - usually little if anything more. A career may be doing what you enjoy and are pretty good at. But neither a job or a career are necessarily your ultimate destiny on the planet. If you're living for your paycheck - for a job or even a career - but not for a destiny, you're not fully living yet. A destiny is the foundational reason and purpose you were put on the planet in the first place. So, which do you have - and which are you
pursuing - a job, a career, or a destiny? on the planet in the first place. So, which do you have - and which are you pursuing - a job, a career, or a destiny? For more information - http://www.stronginspirit.com Free will and determinism are like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you is determinism. The way you play your hand is free will. -Norman Cousins REAL LIFE APPLICATIONS VISION for RESTORATION Discovery of Spirit Gift By Daniel I attached a picture of the ceiling in my home. I had an experience that I am not sure I have ever had prior. The pictures will help me explain. We have the painters and a carpenter doing some painting and repairs in our house. The picture is one of the areas they are supposed to repair. This is where the story gets odd. This is my story. I went into the house after work last Thursday. I walked in and put up my coat and items as I usually do. I decided to check out the ceiling in our office area to see if it had been repaired. While the painters were at our home, we ask them to do a few additional repairs. One of the repairs was to fix the ceiling in our office. In years past, the previous owner had put the air conditioner in the attic. Over time the drains had stopped and caused water to drip on the ceiling and this is what caused the damage. Of course, you can see the split in the drywall where the drywall sagged and the one big water spot where the water had settled and eventually came through the drywall surface to leave a large ring. You can also see where they had tried to patch in the
low spots with extra mud and finish in the finish is very rough compared to the rest of the ceiling. After a busy day at work I went home as I usually do, and I passed through the office on my way to our kitchen. As I walk through, I noticed the ceiling was a little different. I turned around stood in my doorway, from where I took this picture and began to notice how nice the ceiling looked. I have done drywall and repair on houses in the past. About a week before this incident I had met with a local pastor and went over some repairs that he had done in his church. One of the repairs was a ceiling had been textured and he had stripped off all the texture and told me it was easier to strip off all the texture that was to try to match the texture in this type of ceiling. This caused me to pay close attention to the ceiling. I wanted to see if they had matched the old texture to the new texture during the repair. This is where things really got odd. When I looked at the ceiling it was repaired there was no water spot. There was no crack in the ceiling. There is no extra mud on the ceiling. And a finish was matched till I could not tell a difference in any of the finish. I was amazed, so I studied the finish to see if I could tell how they had matched the finish whether it was with a sponge or a broom or mop or how they had done this to match so perfectly. I could not tell any difference from the new repair to the old ceiling. When I looked at where the crack had been, the crack was gone. The only thing I noticed was at the crack it looked like it may be a little wet in the center. Other than that, it was great, and I was excited they were able to finish the ceiling to the point that you could not tell that has ever been damaged. My wife was feeding the horses and I went out and told her, \"I see they got the ceiling fixed today.\" She looked at me a little odd. I ask how they got all that done in a day. She said she did not know they got that done. I reassured her they did, and it looked really good, and I bragged on the guy for being able to This how the ceiling looked before. blend the finishes so well, and they even
got the painting done. She just looked at me and did not say anymore. I said we will have to go look at it. She agreed, I went back on in the house, passed through the office looked at the ceiling again and went on in for the evening. Two days later, I looked at the ceiling and it was just like the picture that is above. There had not been any repairs done to the ceiling. I was so confused, and I wondered about this happening. I did not know what this meant, but I knew it meant something. When I mentioned it to my wife, she said, I knew had it not been repaired. I was wondering what you are talking about. I told her I seen the ceiling fixed. I emphasized how I had spent time looking at the detail of the repair because I was amazed that it was so good. It wasn’t like I walk through and just took a glance at it I actually stood in my doorway and studied the different parts of the repair. I look specifically at the matching of the patterns, and the crack, and the matching of the old drywall in the seam. She looked at me a little on, I think maybe a little scared and a little amazed at the same time and wondered what this meant. I told her I was going to call my friend Leonard because he had had similar experience. I said he will point me in the right direction. It has been almost a week since this happened. I have called my friend Leonard, and we spoke about the instance. We soon got into a discussion of ‘seeing in the Spirit.” The repairman has started repairs and found that there is more problems of matching the offset and the bow in the drywall that they had originally anticipated. They are supposed to be back tomorrow to try and do the best they can. I have never had anything so vivid happened to me and my entire pilgrimage. I still wonder and am amazed that something so bizarre could happen to anyone. Others will probably think of many excuses or reasons to try to discount what I saw all. It may be different, if I was half asleep and it wasn’t the middle of the day when I had just gotten home from work. I anxiously await to see how the ceiling repair goes. I suspect I am anxious to see if it ends up exactly how I saw it prior to it being worked on. God has
many ways of teaching us. The only experience that comes close to this one is when I was baptized as a child. When I was lifted out of the water and looked at my surroundings a clear and bright new day appeared as the yellow faded away from the top of my vision to the bottom. I often wonder if everyone sees the world the same. As for me, I continue to learn and try my best to understand. I believe I saw my ceiling in a state of restoration. Is this like our lives that get stains and cracks and we need some repair or restoration. When we look at it, we see something that is in need of repair and we are somewhat ashamed of the sight. Others can come along and put in some extra mud and try to make us blend in a little better, but the evidence is still there of a misfortune. We were not supposed to be like this, but the influence of other’s decisions stained us like the water-spot in the picture. Before the water spot, the weight of the water pulled us apart from our original intent or destiny. Then the water spot comes through. We were influenced before we were able to realize what caused the “crack.” We are bowed, and we have been damaged. When we analyze our lives, we see that we have not been perfect. When others tried to fix us, they only made us look like what they thought we should look. However, they just leave us in this state and now we look worse than ever before. We may stay in the state of needing repair, or as we feel we need repair. Maybe, a diet or plastic surgery or some effective manner to change us quickly? We may want to look like the rest of the ceilings or friends. To our surprise, we have generated other errors beyond our original issue. (see the little water sot and the seam beyond the crack in the picture) When we are allowed to look at a situation or person through the eyes of the holy spirit, we cannot see the flaws. We see only a perfect match and no cracks or water spots. We also see that the entire surface is now, white, as it has been restored. We think of repair, and the Holy
Spirit does a restoration. There is a difference. One is done by works and the other is done by faith. I am still amazed on what I saw, versus what is there. God loves us and when he looks at us he very well may see something different than what we see when we look in the mirror or take time to review our relationships around us. This is what someone determined was the best process to fix the situation. Makes me think, “I know, let’s cut a big hole just to see what we can learn. We can fix it better if we understand the problem at a deeper level. “Will it work? Time and efforts will tell. Could this be a reflection of times past? Reference: 2 Kings 6:16-18 In a simple low-key manner, God has blessed this man with a discerning spirit, showing him a glimpse of the restoration that is coming. By writing the vision he is embracing it. SEEKING AN ANSWER By Dan As we go through life, we uncover many mysteries. We uncover these mysteries by working through a misfortune or because we seek an answer. I would like to review one of my teachings by the Holy Spirit in recent days past. A little history may help to understand. I run a business that employs over 80 people. I am pastor of a church that has attendance of around 40 people regularly. Doesn’t seem to be a huge congregation, but for this day and time in a very small community, it does not seem too small.
This is the month of December. Usually around the end of November, we have a huge Holiday party and include Thanksgiving and Christmas into one holiday. I consider both holidays to be religious holidays. Most people do not, but I still maintain that the giving of thanks was a commandment given by God back in the days of Moses. It was a tradition that the Pilgrims were well-aware of and took an action to fulfill. To me, it is another religious holiday that is set aside so that everyone has a chance to give thanks to their Creator. Nearing the end of a year, the stress level tends to elevate. It usually last for about 2 months because of the holidays and all the extra activities that people want me involved. This year, I became stressed for some reason. I have my own little tell-tell signs I watch to monitor my stress level. I monitored this year and it was getting extremely high. I did what most Christians would do, I began to pray. I said prayers for God to pull me out of this road that was leading to depression. Nothing seemed to be helping. I got to the point that I decided to take a nerve pill to see if it would help. I do not like to take pills. This may have helped, but I can’t really say it made any difference. I began to search at a broader level. I knew that if I didn’t get this under control, I was in danger of a stroke or heart attack. What was I to do? Well, I did what all good Christians do, I prayed more. Fast a little, pray a little, ask a little. These prayers got to the point to which I ask, “God, when are you going to get me out of this situation?” The reply I heard was this, “I did not know it was my job.” What a shock I got. Feelings got a little hurt. I refused to be offended, because this was the council from the Holy Spirit. I began to study. I started asking myself a few questions. You can feel free to use this self-questioning in your next dilemma, if you want. - What did he mean by that statement, “I did not know it was my job.” - Does this mean he has given me the tools to remedy this issue and I am not using them?
- If not his job, then whose is it? There is only one person left in this dilemma. - Why do I think it is his job to get me out? - Exactly describe what you want God to do. Exactly what do you want him to do? - Did you neglect something that got you into this mess? - Am I trying to blame God for my short comings? - Does this mean that my faith is lacking? Yes - Is this a message I need to study and tell others? Yes. - How should I begin to pray? (ask for council) o You have all the tools o He has the answers o Can you surrender to his council? After the reviewing of the situation, I realized I had work to do on myself. I did not need to ask God to change someone else to match what I wanted. I needed to slow down and appreciate what God was doing and analyze how he was working. God sent me some good friends to talk with. A couple calls from friends that were in need as much as I was in need, and time to realize what he had done. After consideration of all these items, I decided to pull myself out of the depressive state. Again, God was correct. He should not be expected to run to you at every little detail in life. It reminds me of a little baby and the expectations they put on their parents. When they are hungry – feed me. When I am wet – make me dry. When I am uncomfortable – comfort me. When I am scared – turn the light on. When are we going to turn the light on? When we are frightened or scared, lets focus on turning the light on the subject. This is an old saying in our family. “Let’s put a little light on the subject!” I did not know the real meaning of this statement. Perhaps they did not know either. However, now I understand what it means to put a little light on the subject.
Last statement I would like to make, “Council is Key.” If you are in a situation to where you are ready to give up because whatever you are doing is not working, then, give up and let God have a go at it. I am not saying to let Him do it, but how about approaching it in His way? That might work. Ask Him how and what and when you should move and when you should be still and see the salvation of your God. LEARNING TO LOVE GOD’S WAYS By Dan I often get a chuckle from people that just blurt out random thoughts. I have even given a code name to these people as RTG’s. I call them Random-Thought-Generators. The following is one of my topics that start at a random point and goes to other random thoughts. I have become a RTG and can now humor myself. It is healthy to learn to enjoy life and learn to love the unloved and those that are labeled to unlovable. You can learn to “laugh and make humor” at your pet peeves and things that irritate you. ☺ I once preached a sermon and said “liberty shuts down as fear increases.” How many times when you were a kid did you try something without any fear. As you got older, you became more fearful. As we get older, we should have less fear. In (Romans 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. In this verse we see that there is a bondage of corruption and a deliverance into liberty.) However, if we fear to experience liberty, we remain in corruption. Many have died seeking liberty. Liberty is will help us push fear away. Prayer is one thing, but the movement of God is another. The moving of the spirit is what causes things to happen in our life. When we pray, we are many times requesting something of God. I often think there is a big difference in prayer and praise. I have also experienced times where I just want to speak to the holy spirit and describe my feelings and my concerns. Sometimes it is healthy to go to the Lord and profess that you just want to talk. Not ask for anything but just tell your feelings and your view on a few
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