Gen 4:11- “If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And you shall be its desire, and you must rule over it.

The enemy always begins on the outside because he cannot enter unless you invite him in. Like the wolf in the fairy tale, he cries ‘little pig, little pig- LET ME COME IN”. Unlike the smart pig who says “Not by the hair of my chiny, chin, chin”- people actually say- please come in, have a seat- let me hear your side of the story.

When we entertain the voice of deception and the lies, the beast begins to transform us into being more like him. It doesn’t take a full moon for the werewolves in us to come out. All it takes is an open heart and receptive mind to the whispering of the enemy to transform our beings into agents of darkness.

We can label ourselves with any label, if the content of our hearts is toxic, we will manifest that poison. Hence, God warns us in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

First submit, then resist. The enemy, like electricity, will take the path of least resistance. In other words, he is not patient. His impatience and his anger will be strong enough to try to take the easiest path to success. And if we entertain him, we give him that access.

One thing I have learned this week is that when the enemy tries to come in to whisper words of the past, I remind myself that while he may have controlled my past, GOD is my future and my destiny.

When he tries to bring words of hate and torment based on what others have done, said or neglected to do, I remind myself that the WORD of God is true. That as a follower of Christ, I am surrounded by the blood of Yeshua and encompassed by His Love. He alone is my righteousness and hence I should be “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” 2 Cor. 10:5.

True warfare is not only about taking territory on the outside. It is also about taking back the territory in us so that we may live a victorious life and be able to resist the devil daily. It begins when we realize that we must die daily.….not just words but dying to will, self, old beliefs and the witchcraft of our customs in this age and society. It begins simply with us saying YES to God and No to the beast crouching at our door.

Almighty Warrior-

Had I seen you instead of me,

Had I sought You instead of the mirage of pride and self

Had I known You, had I understood it was YOU,

I would have been sooner delivered.

It was You who stood by me, who birthed me, who nurtured me.

Who gathered me in Your Arms in my darkest hour and guarded me on the hilltops

You who delivered me from darkness into Your amazing light.

Show me the way O living God

Usher me into your Presence- that I would know you always- my King.

Every single day I am bombarded by information. While I am certainly glad for the news and the on-time information, much of it are opinions, disinformation, and just plain lies. I have a smartphone….like many other people ..and it seems that I am tracked all the time. If I search for a rug, I am bombarded by advertisers selling rugs.

I just want a few minutes to think. STOP.. my mind cries out. ENOUGH.

How about a few minutes to hear me. To think. To meditate on something other than what others want me to think.

I am a sheep among wolves. So I have to make some changes in my lifestyle.

1. Awake early and take a few minutes- maybe an hour to focus and get direction from my Maker for the day.
2. Avoid the noise …some are unavoidable, work, family, friends. But I have to control and coordinate in my favor.
3. Take one step at a time and breathe.

Let His word lead us to REST in Him always.

Ps 37:7-8 says “Be still before Adonai; wait patiently till he comes.
Don’t be upset by those whose way succeeds because of their wicked plan. Stop being angry, put aside rage, and don’t be upset — it leads to evil.” (CJB)

Ps 23:1-3- “Adonai is my shepherd; I lack nothing.  He has me lie down in grassy pastures,
he leads me by quiet water,  he restores my inner person. He guides me in right paths
for the sake of his own name. ” (CJB)

Ps 62: 6-9: “ My soul, wait in silence for God alone, because my hope comes from him.  He alone is my rock and salvation, my stronghold; I won’t be moved.  My safety and honor rest on God. My strong rock and refuge are in God.  Trust in him, people, at all times; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” (CJB)

Isa 40:28-31: “Haven’t you known, haven’t you heard that the everlasting God, Adonai, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow tired or weary?
His understanding cannot be fathomed.  He invigorates the exhausted, he gives strength to the powerless.  Young men may grow tired and weary, even the fittest may stumble and fall;  but those who hope in Adonai will renew their strength, they will soar aloft as with eagles’ wings; when they are running they won’t grow weary, when they are walking they won’t get tired.” (CJB)

My prayer is that we find rest in the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of a generation that suffers from information overload and a host of noise frequencies. We have to learn to tune in to that which is really relevant and productive and to tune out the things that distract. Amen

Is it possible to praise God when the music does not sound right- when the note is not in tune and when the voices do not blend? When the sound is disharmonious – even grating to natural ears?

WE all want to be in the place where the praise lifts us up to a high place but we so dislike to be where the praise sounds just like noise.

But God is where He wants to be. And life is not perfect!

SO in the imperfections of our lives, let the imperfect notes rise up to praise a wonderful God- if we can see that our whole life is but a praise to Him. It is not perfect- but is it true. He is Truth.

Let us think outside the box of our worship experience- and know this – every breath that we breathe- let it be to worship the Living God who loves us- discord and all. In it and through it all- we close our eyes and just worship him. The power of true worship dispels all chaos- even when it is around- it is God who matters. See HIM as He is.

WE are the instruments of praise. We are God’s masterpiece. We are the ones who echo His grace and purpose. Every step- every breath- every move— let us praise God with our every fiber in our beings.

Amen!

We invite generational spirits and other demons into our lives by experimenting with drugs and other forms of the occult and then we nurture them by our hellish attitudes of anger, hate, gossip and lies.

It is time to put the toxic things in our lives under the microscope of the word of God and cleanse ourselves with the Word. We need to de-toxify our spirits and stop nurturing the things that separate us from the Living God.

John 14:6 (NKJV):  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”.

The truth has always borne a tip as a spear. It appears to us who in darkness as an ember that could possibly lead us away from the darkness, but yet many of us turn away in distrust having become used to the darkness around us.

The marketing of evil is so prevalent, so organized, that from the days in the garden of Eden where the evil one took his marketing campaign to a listening ear to implant the idea that “God has not said you will surely die”, the idea that there will be no consequence for the disobedience except reward – “you will be as gods”. From then to now, there has been a campaign to thwart the entrance of truth, to mock it, to ridicule it, to crucify it.

Truth is and will always be the way to release from the prison of darkness that seeks to not only destroy the body, but the mind and the soul. 

Matt 13:9 (NKJV): He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Today, the ambassadors of truth are targeted and branded as the world’s enemies. So where does that leave us who are ambassadors of Christ, the one who is Truth and who was mocked, ridiculed and crucified? As followers of Christ, we cannot fear the world nor its evil. We also cannot appease them by watering down the truth. We have to understand, that LOVE is the reason Truth became flesh and walked among us. So why are we, the messengers of the Truth, uncomfortable to speak the truth?

Truth will always be the tip of a spear, making the listeners uncomfortable as it seeks to bring listeners to understanding. It is uncomfortable!

And God can use whomever He pleases. He is not confined to the church as some would have us believe! Dare I say it? He has raised up men and women outside of the traditional church! Why? Because some in the church have become so politically correct, that the fear of displeasing the crowd has displaced their message of truth. It has become diluted.

Matt 8:13-15 (NKJV): And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples^[a] had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

The leaven of the Pharisees is fear of the truth by clinging to traditions  and status quo (religion). Anyone who challenges them must die.

John 11:46-50 (NKJV): Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,  nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”

The leaven of Herod is disregard of the truth and when confronted with the truth, he then pursues that which will protect selfish ambitions and that which extinguishes and kills the truth (politics and political ambitions).

Matt 2:16-18 (NKJV): Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

“Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter.” (Rabbi Harold Kushner)

Life is a journey. It is not static (although sometimes, you really feel as if nothing changes, have changed or will change). But as time continues to march forward, and the earth turns on its axis, as the movements in the universe continue in spite of our inability to grasp the vastness, the enormity of outer realms, our bubble also changes. We born, age and we die. We are like travelers trapped in time and the confines of fleshly existence, mired in a world overflowing with pain, evil and hate. Can we imagine God being one of us?

As we ponder these things, thoughts of our purpose, reasons for existence and life itself splash across our consciousness like torrents of cold rain. How can we make an impact to the world around us? How can we change the world? How can we make a difference before our time is up?

It starts with us doing the small things, little action, and moving forward step by step to make a difference. As we move on in our journey towards destiny, let me encourage you to “finish well”.

Lao Tzu (Chinese philosopher) said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

 “Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step in your life. “I do my best thinking on the move – not sitting. You’re supposed to leave footprints in the sands of time.” John C. Maxwell

The Bible (KJV)

Galatians 6:9 – And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Philippians 3:14 – I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 4:7 – I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith:
Hebrews 12:1 – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Let us not concentrate on the things we have tried and failed at- but let us look towards the future and look for opportunities to help others. Let us make the decision today to reach for the higher goal- to finish the work and to finish well.

“The people who most often make the biggest difference are the people who are first to step up and help.” “One of the great ironies of life is that if you give up your life, you gain it. If you help others, you benefit. If you lose yourself, you find yourself.” John C. Maxwell paraphrasing Jesus Christ- lay down your life for others.

The path to a significant life- John C. Maxwell

1. Set out “to make a difference” – You need this drive to attain significance.
2. Do “something that makes a difference” – Nurture and harness your capabilities and talents. Together, they empower your “sweet spot” or impetus to take action that accomplishes good for others.
3. Do “something with people who want to make a difference” – You stand a better chance of doing something meaningful if you form a partnership with others.
4. “Do “something at a time when it makes a difference” – Act with urgency and seize the moment to help someone else. Don’t confuse success with significance. Success means doing what’s good for yourself; significance means doing something good for others. Living a life of significance is real success.

Make every day your masterpiece.” John Wooden (basketball coach UCLA)

“I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I’m gone which would not have happened if I had not come.” Salman Rushdie

My dad passed into eternity on my son’s birthday. And I got a glimpse again into what awaits us all- the end of all flesh.

He arose that morning – a strong healthy man- and before the dew on the grass had vanished by the sun’s rays, his body was lifeless, his breath had gone and the vibrant, healthy man was a corpse.

What is this life? We work towards something- we know not what. We strive, we work, we want to provide for this life and in the end, life forsakes us without warning, leaving behind the ashes of what once was – a mirage. Plans come to naught. Hopes and dreams are dashed against the rocks of misfortune. Life is but vanity, fleeting and short. We all have an appointment date- a date to be born and a date to die. And both are accompanied by pain- pain to enter the world and pain to exit.

But as I travel forward, I am reminded that I am the sum of all my dad imparted to me, I am the sum of all those who imparted into me. I am richer for the conversations we had. While I am reminded of my loss of future memories, I am also reminded of the grace and beauty of those I do have.

And best of all I am reminded that I will see my dad again- for he is the arms of our Maker. The One who is the Resurrection and the Life. See you soon, dad.

2 Cor 3:17-18 (NET Bible) But if the ministry that produced death – carved in letters on stone tablets – came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it. For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory! Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness, and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective. But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds, but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The veil over our eyes, present since the fall of man, has always kept humanity  in a realm of darkness. We cannot see God. No matter how hard we try to get to him, we are blind. In our blindness we are chained. In a few days we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord. But from His birth, His own people could not see Him. He was born- contrary to what many believe the entrance of a Prince of should be,  not in a palace, not in a clean place, but in a filthy barn filled with animals and wrapped in rags. Swaddling clothes- a nice way to sanitize rags. Indeed, God walked among those who studied the scriptures and whose life was dedicated to religion and they could not see Him. He was crucified by the same people who days before shouted “Hosanna” to the the King. Why! Because of the veil of darkness that consumes us and directs our very lives.

For us today, especially in the western world, where our lives are overtaken by temporary pursuits, the veil over our eyes have been compounded by those who preach another gospel. One that is beamed via satellite across all nations. Where, the veil is so thick – one can only see blessings, wealth, prosperity and physical healing as the epitome of the Christian walk. In fact, this is so far from the truth- it borders on lies. It is as if the tempter has entered in and whispered in our ears, “Has God really said…”. We are a church weakened by our inability to see through the veil. We have an abundance of the “word” but our faith is still covered by a veil. We boast in our riches and tout that we work to enrich ourselves so that we can help others. Yet, we live in mediocrity, indeed lukewarm – so much that we are a bad taste in the Lord’s mouth. 

It is time for us to uncover our eyes and understand that Christ has called us to present ourselves a living sacrifice unto Him. While we do work to eat, let us not be consumed with daily living and needs, Let us keep our eyes on a returning Lord- He will only appear to those who are looking. The great falling away predicted in the last days will not come suddenly but it is like a drip, drip that slowly cracks our armor. It is here and now and we must take a stand- ‘ To live for Christ is to die daily to self”. Let us ask God to take away the veil of lies that has covered us for too long and to see and to hear the Spirit. It is time to put aside our childish behavior and stop dwelling in the carnal. It is time to allow the Holy Spirit to unveil our eyes that we might see Him and understand His purpose for our lives in this last hour. It is time to reject the foolishness of pride in earthly pursuits, especially that of wealth, honor and fame, and seek His face earnestly. Time to rise up, take the veil from our eyes and stand in full battle gear. It is time to fight the true fight of FAITH. Let us be unveiled in the Spirit as the true Bride of Christ. Amen