Throughout the centuries, there has always been an onslaught against the true word of God. But none has been so explicit and brazen as has been done in the last century. WE have watered down and repackaged the good news of Christ so that it can be digested by the masses. The problem is- we need to convey the original and true message of Christ.

Men have so twisted the word that true believers when they hear a new heresy cannot help but exclaim…”eh”. The disinformation and misinformation being spread does not only emanate from the news media and news outlets, it also resides in the CHURCH. What!

The enemy doesn’t really care if you have religion. The TRUTH is the deadly thing. But what is TRUTH? Exactly!

We are fed so much information that our minds and spirits are literally in a fog. But in reality, it is the same deception that originated in the garden of Eden. The simple “not” changed the entire picture and perception for Adam and Eve. The game plan of the enemy is confusion. But to also convince us that the confusion is not really confusion but is actually the truth. … EH?

So here we are…2016.

1. We have laws in the land that tell us that a man can be a woman and a woman can be a man because it is really based on how we perceive ourselves rather than the laws of nature which determined our gender. In other words… God made a mistake.
2. We have leaders that tell us ” don’t believe those who say they want to eradicate us from the face of the planet… they are just words that have no meaning.” Instead we should fear those who say no or who stand up to these leaders. In other words- put your common sense away and lower your defenses. The leaders know best. In other words.. Trust in the leaders and not in God.
3. The integration of the religions because as they put it…”many paths lead to God”. Many religious leaders are trying to push an agenda that dilutes the actual word of God and fundamentally change it by 1) actually changing the words and meaning 2) changing and merging the name of God into other peoples religion 3) allowing strange ideas and fires of darkness to manifest in the church and therefore deceive the masses. In other words, let us reason together without the word of God.
4. The list goes on and on …

2 Cor 2:17: For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God.
kapēleúō – properly, to act as an unscrupulous merchant, i.e. “a huckster” who profits by “peddling the Word of God” for personal gain. 2585 /kapēleúō (“peddler”) is only used in 2 Cor 2:17 – of people “marketing the ministry” (the Word of God) for fast gain.

When we begin to believe the repackaged gospel, we are in trouble. John 5:39-40 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English) says “Search the scriptures, for in them you hope that you have eternal life, and they testify concerning Me, And you are not willing to come to me that eternal life may be yours.” Clearly we need to understand that God is who He says He is and His ways are His. We are not to dilute and change the message for gain whether it is political, economic, social or spiritual gain. Let us get back to the actual message- read the Word given to us and ask God to make our crooked paths straight.

The TRUTH is Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMASHIACH) and Him revealed. John 14:6 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English) says “Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone.”
Let us seek out the Lord and shake off the garments of confusion, holding steadfast to the fact the Christ is the way. Read the closest translation of the scriptures to the the original language to get the meaning and reject the additions and the things that seek to divert from the true gospel. Be sober and vigilant moreso in these days because the master manipulator is out to deceive as many as he can.

DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT COMES IN THE NAME OF THE CHRIST. Mark 13:6   (Aramaic Bible in Plain English) “For many will come in my name, and they will say, ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD’, and they will deceive many.”
But the Lord has not left you defenseless. Psalm 119:105 (NET Bible) says this “Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path. ” Seek out His word daily that He may guide you through in these perilous days. Amen

“Born for a reason, live for a purpose, die for a cause” Tavis L. Morris.

John 18:37 (NET Bible) Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason, I was born, and for this reason, I came into the world–to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

REASON

Each one of us is in this world for a reason.It is not by coincidence that you are you and that you were born into this world. Just to make it through conception and through the gestational period in the womb and then to be birthed -it is a miracle that we are here. SO many things could have gone wrong to prevent us from being here. But HERE we are and we have a reason for being here.

One thing we must understand.. IT IS NOT BY CHANCE! We were created and exist and continue to exist because there is a reason bigger than ourselves, bigger than our perception, bigger than our understanding. And to understand this reason, we must get on the frequency that clarifies our understanding and enables our perception. That frequency is linked inextricably to GOD. He is the one who ultimately defines us, refines us and aligns us to our reason and to our purpose.

Frequency – the majority of us have cell phones. Have you ever wondered how we can use our cell phones to access a transmission frequency that ultimately helps us to communicate? What if we were to get on the transmission frequency where God is always speaking. Wow – to hear HIS voice -literally that would be HUGE!

PURPOSE

The reason for our existence is intertwined with our purpose. It is our mission. What exactly were we sent to do? Why did we make it through all the trials, the setbacks, the attacks, the things that sought to end our lives…. WHY? It is because our mission is not yet fulfilled.Our journey through life must be to discover our mission. Many times, we walk through life in fog… either not knowing our mission, not really caring or so confused by our existence that we miss reaching our full potential.

The definition of purpose is “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists” (oxforddictionaries.com).

Life itself becomes meaningful when we understand our purpose. There are many purposes that occupy our daily life….social, occupational, communal…. but the larger purpose, the one that ultimately defines us is the MISSION. As we seek our Maker, the one who created us in HIS image and likeness, we will find out the mission that the enemy of man seeks to hide from us. It is like a treasure hunt, with clues laid out for us along our journey through life. But the beauty of it all is this- GOD has a way of helping us achieve that mission. How much clearer that mission would be if we can get on the frequency where God is speaking on so that we can hear His voice.

We also have a written manual- the BIBLE- where we can find answers and a GPS guide through the fog. He did not leave us clueless and unarmed.

CAUSE

We are born and we die. It is a fact. It is the law of life on the earth. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Gravity pulls things back to the earth. Death is the expected end to all of us.

With that in mind- our end is also tied to our reason and our purpose. Sometimes some of us meet that end too early or without really understanding our mission.To avoid this we have to be sober, and vigilant and do not live in a spiritual, mental and physical fog. We need to wake up and seek GOD to understand our mission and get aligned with God’s plan and purpose for our lives.

Let us seek to get on God’s frequency; seeking Him to reveal to us our mission and asking Him for direction daily as we seek to accomplish our purposes in HIM.

Matt 6:33 says “But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

CLARITY OF VISION,  STRENGTH OF PURPOSE AND FERVENT DESIRE FOR DESTINY- LET IT ALL BE IN AND THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR AND LORD!

In the 21st Century, many of us have forgotten or do not want to dwell on the fact that there is a spiritual realm just as real as the physical realm. We live through our natural eyes, ears and the senses of taste, touch and smell. We rarely if ever pay attention to the spiritual unless there is a spiritual awakening to seek after God. In addition, there is great spiritual blindness even among those who claim to be spiritual.

I say this primarily because of the reign of the spirit of murder among and in us. If we look at the world today, there is such great violence against humanity, against the innocent, against the helpless, against each one of us – such violence that it rips out your heart. Weeping and tears fill our world as the blood flows. We see such devastation in the name of power, religion, politics- just plain evil.

I understand that the beliefs and convictions of many vary from region to region but there is one common denominator- we are humans. And as humans, we are driven by the same desires of love, hope and faith. We may ultimately have different ways of expressing these, but human kindness and love, compassion and hope, faith in the hope that we can live in peace and see our families grow is a common denominator all of us- sometimes even the worst of us.

Reflecting on the words of Jesus in Matt 5:21-25 (NET Bible) –“You have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’ But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says ‘Fool’ will be sent to fiery hell. So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift. Reach agreement quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny!

This scripture clearly indicates where murder originates… IN OUR HEARTS. The fire of murder is stoked by our perception of the world around us, by perceived wrongs, by anger and it is all the ammunition that the spirit of murder requires to take root. When Cain was angry at Abel, God told him in Gen 4:6 (NET Bible)- Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.”

Anger provides an entrance to a spirit that seeks blood. It requires a blood sacrifice for appeasement. Many times throughout the ancient world, we see the ancients perform blood sacrifices to appease the gods- even to the sacrifice of their own children. In our modern world, we sometimes balk at this apparently ignorant and foolish act and tell ourselves that we know better.

But the human heart remains vulnerable to these spirits whether we live in the ancient world or in modern times. We see the murders in war and are horrified. We see the genocides, homicides and honor killings and ask ourselves- what really defines us to commit these acts? For those walking in a spiritual fog- we can somehow rationalize that they need to be awakened to understand the monstrosity of their actions.

But we also we see it among the very people who say they are spiritually awakened. Among those who say they follow Christ. If we do not take heed to the words of the Master, we fall prey to the very spirit that rules those who do not follow the Master.

To whom much is given- much is required. Jesus instructs us as to why we need to pay attention to the condition of our heart- Matt 5:13-16 (NET Bible)- “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people. You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

If we are the salt of the world- we season, we flavor, we succinctly change the nature of the those around us by being different. But if we harbor the same attitudes, the same strongholds of those around us and if we nurture hate and anger in our hearts to commit spiritual murder of our brethren- then we have certainly lost our savor.

Change begins at  heart of those whose destiny is to change others so that they can be spiritually awakened. But if we continue to harbor the spirit of murder- continually defend it and secretly feed it- then the monster will show itself and has shown itself. Everyday, we have to deal with the spirit of murder. We long for deliverance, to escape the onslaught of the spirits of this world. LET US REMEMBER THIS- FOR DELIVERANCE TO COME- WE NEED TO CAST OUT THE SPIRIT OF MURDER IN OUR LIVES. Jesus has pointed out how to do this- He gives us a roadmap.

1. The Lord’s prayer specifically tells ” Forgive me as I forgive those who sin against me”Matt 6:12 (Deal with it the heart first)
2. Then follow through “go and be reconciled to your brother ” Matt 5:24 (Be proactive- seek to make things right. Don’t let it sit and fester. Doing nothing brings about corruption of the mind.
3. “Reach an agreement” Matt 5:24- If we have to humble ourselves in order for reconciliation to suck out the poison of anger- then we have to do it. We cannot allow the toxins of hate and unforgiveness to permeate our heart. Whatever the offence- it is not worth losing the ability to be the “salt of the earth”
4. Fasting and prayer- this is certainly intended to de-tox our spirits.
5. Use the sword of the Spirit- Eph 6- which really is two edged- the word of God and praying in the Spirit. We need to fight! Not with carnal weapons but with the weapons God has given us and they are certainly different from our natural understanding. DIFFERENT is the key word.

Let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and learn the methods of warfare against the kingdom of darkness. It is not a physical thing that we can use our five senses to fight. The war we fight is a spiritual war requiring spiritual weapons. Let us deal with the spirit of murder first in our lives, and then around us- ONLY THEN will we experience true deliverance.

My oh my. How the plot has thickened in the presidential race and the true colors of those who run this country has been revealed. While the politics of evil has been masked in sweet words and rhetoric aimed at blinding the eyes of the masses by spinning story after story, headline after headline  that the truth cannot seem to rise up- the real story has finally emerged. It is not about Donald Trump so much as the waves of attacks and the criticism of him and his followers that is the real story.

So much time is spent on stopping this man -it makes you wonder ….REALLY? Are the American people so easily beguiled that they will fall for any conman? The problem is that the elite and those in government has conned the population so long that it is incomprehensible that someone else should speak the truth. The coup d’etat of the outsider is feared so much that those in power will do anything. Now Mr. Cruz- the pretender, supposedly a champion for the downcast,  cannot seem to dust off himself the fact that he is in league with those he has condemned and railed against- a mark of a hypocrite I think- where the end justifies the means. Ah and Mr. Kasich- how he is hoping that the stage will not implode beneath his feet. Both aiming now for the GOP elite to pick them at the convention. Cruz, Kasich platform- another loser combo being proposed by the GOP establishment.

In the days to come, we shall soon see the true colors of they that run this country. They seem to be shouting out- “Hey you minions of America- you think you have a say but you don’t. You think you have a right to rule this country- you don’t. Do you not realize that the American Republic has long ago been hijacked by those who rule – the moneyed bigwigs? You cannot and will not ever be able to have  say.  We will have our way and guess what minions- you lose again.”

They continue to taunt us. They continue to wage war on our minds. They continue to bleed us in every way possible. But America will break free one last time. In the year of Jubilee, 2016, the slaves of politics, mind control and evil marketing, will be freed and mercy will rain down on us. We have been in bondage too long. Deliverance in one form or the other will come. It just has too.

So you wonder what the fracas is about. The attack on free speech and the hate filled rhetoric continues and it forces Mr. Trump to respond. When he does, he becomes the object of more hate. Isn’t what the Trump haters, the media and those whom they beguile very un-American?

Take a look at yourselves haters, you are the ones who need to stop the ridiculous onslaught. And not only is it aimed at Mr. Trump- now his supporters are branded as stupid, low class and uneducated. How fun- to accuse and belittle others when they do not conform to your own idealogy. How un-American! The one who is fighting for America is rejected. The one who has amazing insight, which is proven over and over again to be correct. 9/11, Iraq, Paris, Brussels. And those who stick their heads in the sand and do nothing for us even though they could, rise up to say …oh NO!. NOT you!

Reminds me again of another person who was ridiculed and branded by the insiders. He wasn’t gentle to the insiders. He mocked them calling them “whitened sepulchers with dead men’s bones”, “generation of vipers”. Oh yes- many think of Him as docile. But He rocked the world back then with His radical thinking because He had the ability to see the establishment as it was and He called it out. So much so, that the establishment decided that the only way to deal with Him was to kill Him. They tried to demonize Him, to embarrass Him- calling Him names etc. Sounds familiar?

Whenever, a person tries to bring about real change, those who are entrenched in power will try to hold on to that power and seek to kill the messenger. Power is intoxicating and those who exercise power over others will do ANYTHING to hold on to that power no matter what and who it costs.

Let’s be real. It is not only about power. Real human beings are suffering  in our country and if we say we are a democracy, surely we should allow democracy to prevail. But the warfare, both physical and spiritual, against Mr. Trump shows that we have strayed far from being a democracy to rather being an elitist oligarchy with many strings and puppets at their disposal. Surely the people have a right to vote for whomsoever they choose- be it Mr. Trump or not. And surely the people should be allowed to think for themselves.

Mr. Trump is a voice crying in the wilderness. And the ones who hear his voice understand that it is time for a change. And if God allows it- real and meaningful change will come. And if not, then we will bear on our backs the burdens of the elite and the ruling class. We would be truly on our way to utter ruin. So prepare yourselves. Either way, after this election, we, as a country, will never be the same.

When fear becomes a coat that we wear, then we have nothing. Life as it should be, becomes an illusion. When men in their ignorance, in their selfish and many times opportunistic and hateful persuasions, seek to distill fear to us so that we may breathe in fear’s vapors, then who can we run to, where can we hide, how can we protect our children?

The innocent perish daily. This week, in the wake of the attacks in Brussels, in the memory of Paris, in memory of San Bernardino killings and in the memory of those lost in the genocidal wars being carried out in Syria, Iraq, and around the world, my prayer is for us, who are alive and witness these horrors,  to rest in the arms of One who is greater than fear.

During this week of the Passion, we remember His sacrifice. We remember the murder of our Lord, who signified purity, love and all that was and is good. Yet, He suffered so much. And the price He paid, is for this very reason- that in the midst of the fear being perpetuated on us- that we have a hope. He looked fear in its face and laughed at it. Fear had no hold on Him. He faced death, conquered it and rose triumphantly over it!

Fear wants us live in torment because life has always been fragile. These events just emphasize just how fragile it truly is. We understand life is but a vapor. We know that all we hold dear to us can be lost in a moment.What then should be our response? Simply this…. WE LIVE! Let us trust in the Living God. The One who made the heavens and the earth. He is able to see us through. And He has given us the blueprint to overcome fear.

And better yet, once we know the salvation of the Lord, our lives would be fueled by this scripture in John 11:25- “Yeshua said to her, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Resurrection and The Life; whoever trusts in me, even if he dies, he shall live.” (Aramaic Bible)

I pray His peace be on us as we meditate on His covering and know that in spite of the rampage of the spirit of fear, Our GOD has defeated fear and all its minions. He has given us a Hope that is greater than life. That though our bodies may perish, we have a hope beyond the grave. Let us seek after God that we may dwell in His presence in earth and in the promise to come. I am reminded of this promise in Psalm 91.

He who dwells 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 I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”

“This phrase was coined as a slogan during WWII as part of the US Office of War Information’s attempt to limit the possibility of people inadvertently giving useful information to enemy spies. The slogan was actually ‘Loose Lips Might Sink Ships. This was one of several similar slogans which all came under the campaigns basic message – ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives‘.” (phrases.org.uk)

I heard this phrase from a very respected pastor and often wondered pondered on the meaning. So many times, we fall into a trap of saying something and then wish we did not say it. An old proverb goes like this “Four things come not back: the spoken word, the spent arrow, the past, the neglected opportunity.”

One of the greatest test of a person’s integrity, maturity, and leadership ability is the ability to hold the tongue. Many organizations, friendships and relationships have been destroyed by the inability to curb the tongue. So let us be wise in our interactions with each other. If someone confides in us- let us have the personal integrity to curb our tongue and not repeat it to someone else. Doing so simply inflates our egos, assassinates the other person, and ultimately destroys relationships. Let us have the spiritual and moral control out tongues. Doing so displays wisdom. If we cannot do so, we need to fast and prayer for self control. Dean Briggs has a great book on this-“Consumed: 40 Days of Fasting, Repentance & Rebirth”

Always looking to the scriptures for reference, James 3 (NKJV) says it this way: –My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.  For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.  Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.  Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.  Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.  But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.  Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?  Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

I have been fascinated with heroes since my youth. I love the bible heroes. I love reading about the lives of men and women mentioned in throughout scriptures because for me, their lives gives insight to a Great, Almighty and Merciful God.

I remember as a child, I would save all my allowances and when I got enough I would literally run to the variety shop and ask for the comics of heroes displayed on a string that ran from one end of the shop to the other. Oh, I had decided which ones I had wanted for a long time. Standing and watching them while my mom made her grocery requests, I calculated in my mind how long it would take me to save for them and which one was priority. I was 6 years old at the time. Superman, Batman, Captain America, Daredevil, Fantastic Four- you name it, I read it. Give me comics as a present and I would be in my little heaven.

So, when Christ showed me the Way in my teenage years, and I began to search the scriptures, I was filled with wonder at the heroes of the Bible. Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Ruth, Samuel, David, Solomon, Daniel, Peter, Paul- men and women who, inspite of their areas of weaknesses, their “Kryptonite”, they eventually emerged victorious over the weakness to glorify God and to win the battle over self and evil.

Saul and David

This is a classic that I have always loved. There are so many lessons to be learned. Many times we read this and recognize in Saul – a man first chosen by God and then rejected because he sought to trust in himself rather than the God who called him. And then we see David, shepherd, psalmist, worshiper, giant slayer, warrior, king- a man after God’s heart.

The lives of both men have been topics of numerous sermons, books and other literature for years. Today, I wanted to draw our attention to perhaps a different perspective. And I want to start in the New Testament with the words of Paul, 1 Cor 1:27-19 (NKJV)- But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;  and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,  that no flesh should glory in His presence.“

Paul had a way with words. I want to focus on the word “chosen” which means according to Helps Word Studies -“speaking to a conclusion” – properly, to select (choose) out of, by a highly deliberate choice (i.e. real heart-preference) with a definite outcome (as with the destination of divine selection for salvation).”

So with this in mind, when Saul was chosen, he had these qualities according to 1 Sam 9:1-2 (NKJV) – “There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.”

Saul was chosen and the qualities listed are all physical- nothing about his heart. Then, according to 1 Sam 13:13-14 after Saul’s disobedience- “And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

This was the precept for  choosing of David. He was called “a man after God’s own heart”. What a declaration! David was chosen based on his relationship with God, his heart condition- not on his outward appearance or appeal. 1 Sam 16:7 (NKJV)-  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

What’s the point?

Many times people use the story of Saul and David to show how God finds someone else to replace a person who appear to be disobedient and rebellious to His commands even though he was originally “chosen”. While that may be generally be true- I have another thought on this story.

I think it also underlines the battle between the flesh and spirit, the carnal man and the spiritual man.

In the context of the ekklesia today, God desires that we should all be saved. Even though a person may fall at times, God wants us to be overcomers. Let us not reject people based on the premise that God rejected Saul. Let us reject the works of the flesh and embrace people, learn to see that God loves them in-spite of their faults. Isn’t that the whole point of this?  Let us not put up imaginary barriers between the haves and the have-nots, the so-called “chosen” and the “rejected”. God loves us in spite of ourselves. He wants us to overcome and to succeed.

So let us not use this story to elevate one person over another, to cast down someone because they don’t fit in our world and our box and our bubble- let us instead use this to understand the war between the carnal man and the spiritual man, the war inside us and let us strive toward having and knowing the heart of God – that we may be able to shine forth our light that a darkened world may know Christ.

Isn’t it God’s plan for mankind to be saved? Salvation, justification, being a child of God is available for all. Being chosen really is about each one of us reaching our destiny. God has chosen us while we were yet sinners. So now we know the truth, let us not use it as a club to batter others because we are “better” than them. Let us not use the most vicious weapon of the enemy- “slander”- to kill of those who we esteem to be rebellious, stubborn or just not walking in what we want them to walk in, or what we want them to be.

Everyone has their calling. Perhaps instead of slandering a person, we should pray for the person, instead of casting out, we seek to include, instead of being legalistic, we allow Holy Spirit to work in our midst. If we catch the vision of God- that He seeks out that which is lost, then we can surely make a difference in the world.

There is coming a new wave of God- a wave of release and of deliverance. We have been bound by lies of the enemy too long. We have allowed works of darkness to fill our minds and hearts with fear and anger, with delusions of grandeur and personal kingdom building under the disguise of building God’s Kingdom. We are simply called to give the message of love, hope, faith and salvation to as many as we can- to build each other up and to apply God’s healing to those around us.

Saul eventually murdered himself- he committed suicide. Unless we step out of the carnality of the ekklesia, we will keep murdering those around us, and with it the mission of God implanted in the spiritual DNA of every believer. BEFORE DELIVERANCE COMES WE NEED TO DEAL WITH THE SPIRIT OF MURDER WITHIN AND WITHOUT US.

Let us, in life’s journey- seek to be a “man after God’s own heart”. Let us seek to be heroes of the faith- God is looking out for us.  Amen

I came across this old woodman’s proverb while reading and thought how interesting to capture that much thought into one line.

While upright, the tree aspires to touch the sky. Tall, slender, attractive perhaps with beautiful green foliage.  Beautiful to the eye of the beholder. But if one were to try to measure the tree, the probability of coming up with an exact measurement is usually slim since this could be considered to be a moving target. Although with modern equipment such as laser technology, this probably could be done more accurately today. But back then, when felling a tree involved sweat equity and a few tools, measuring a tree, while it stood upright, was a daunting task.

It is usually true, that when we are in the valleys of life that, we truly see how small, how inadequate, how ineffective we really are. While we are on the mountain tops, perhaps of career success, financial success, family and other types of successes, we rarely take time to reflect on who we are.Sometimes we do, but usually the reflections lack a depth that come with falling on our knees in agony. Who has agony when they are successful? You hear about the agony of defeat, but not really the agony of success.

So my point is this. We, usually,  are best measured in the trials, the disappointments, the failures. Many times we look at these things despondently and perhaps fall into the trap of disillusion, discouragement and despair. Let us be reminded of a few things.

While it is human nature to feel rejected, lonely, heartbroken, despondent in the face of grief, illness, loss, fear, abandonment, war, strife, family crisis, financial and economic crisis, threats of annihilation and the list goes on- let us remember one thing-we are in  process. If we take a moment to reflect, we might come to the conclusion, that …”This too will pass”. Because, one of the greatest characteristics of humanity throughout any society, any age, is that we can hope.

It was once said that “Man can live about 40 days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope.”

Helen Keller also said “”Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence.”

HOPE is the great character trait embedded in each of us. And when we are down and being measured by all sorts of measuring sticks- it is the one thing that keeps us going. The psalmist says it beautifully in Psalm 23- (NKJV)

So despite being knocked down, trampled upon, beaten, abused, taken for granted- whatever the means to get us down, let us take comfort in the fact.

THIS IS JUST A PROCESS. IF WE CAN JUST UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS, WE WILL MAKE IT.

And, once we know this,  that the Master will never leave us, He is there with us every step of the way in the valley, we most surely will get to the end.

When I am down O Lord, let me reflect on the things you need me to learn. Help me to learn the lesson well that I may become a better person. Certainly, I am a work in progress. As noted in Jeremiah 18:1- we are but clay in the potter’s hand and He is in the process of perfecting us. The process involves being broken and put again on the potter’s wheel.

My prayer is this -“Give me strength and expand my hope as I am on this wheel of change- that I may know you, O Lord.”

Paul says it well in Phil 3:7-14 (NKJV) –But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us do the same. In the daily measuring process of our lives, let us press forward to our destinies in Christ.By the grace of Almighty God, the best is yet to come. Amen