Through the Grays

Matthew 5:37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

James 5:12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

In a world full of duplicity and two-footed stances, double-speak and forked tongues – many go gray in matters of utmost importance and necessity. And though society is by choice this way; the Christian is not to straddle the land and sea, attempting each foots planting in opposite and opposing directions.

Oh, the plight of the Gray’s Mr. Nod Yes – N – No

and his wife May-Be-So.

When it was time come or to go

They cannot decide whether to travel to or fro.

It is a dangerous time to not know the Way

For if you don’t – one trod through the grays

Nor then or now at their days end

Will they be standing true, but just in pretend.

The one of fences and canyons decisions

Snare of man, in fear brought on them derision.

For they were not fit for hell nor heaven

And the evil one baked them through with leaven

No black or white, yes or no,

but it was always perhaps or maybe so

So back and forth they travelled for years

Sullen and sorrowful a life of tears

They, never a distance or destination made very far

As the rut they rough shod started in the middle par

From one side returned to the other next

Only a mile with which step mor vexed.

They settled center unchanged and stale

Sitting still in life through gray veil

No difference they made, nor boat they did rock

Moderate and agreeing what each passer by spoke

Dying and fading there through the gray

Never making mark, other than the same trip each day.

Telling everyone what each one want to hear and to say

Through gray veil there grave stone stands to this day.

One day, in a time of past memory, days standing before the Chasm of Compromise, were Yes – N – No and May -Be So’s sons, named Easy Going and his  two brothers Af-firmation and Double Mind. Their friends, Resolved and Unswerving of the family Determination were also standing on the precipice of the divide before them. On the chasm’s one side, known as Confirmation Cliff; and on the other was Tolerance Talus. In the vast span, hovering steeply over the gorge’s swift Abysmal River was a thin but sturdy wooden bridge, comprised of solid true oaken square cornered planks with imbedded jeweled treads, to prevent slipping off to the left or right. It was suspended by pure cordage strengthened by threads of gold and silver. This narrow bridge was named after its builder – Prudence Wisdom’s Crossing.

Just a little further down Chasm was a much wider bridge, it was not suspended like the other, but had a base of sand with one triangular column placed right in the middle of Abysmal River. Upon the column was a round shale flat stone balanced yet teetering just a bit. Someone years ago tried to sure up where the pinnacle met the platform with green wood sticks that flexed when anyone walked upon it to cross the Chasm of Compromise. The broader bridge was likewise named after its builder – Perfidy Middleton’s Overpass.

The fear of Abysmal river below and the Chasm of Compromise’s sheer sides seemed to thicken the air about them. The size and width of Perfidy Middlestone’s Overpass allured Easy Going, Af-firmation and Double Mind – while at the same time the mere prospect of the slim suspended bridge caused a fright of shiver at the sight of Prudence Wisdom’s Crossing. Yet little did they know that appearances and accommodations wide are treacherous and tippy.

Resolve and Unswerving were made of sterner stuff, and decided to not let these things effect the direction they set out to go. For you see, just across the Chasm Compromise was a place settled, restful and refreshing. It was called Integrity Meadow. A place of all good things – for that those who walk that way will never be kept from.

Sadly, as Easy Going, Af-firmation and Double Mind set out to cross Perfidy Middlestone’s Overpass from Confirmation Cliff, it began to slant down with their weight. So, they hastened to the middle and noticed that the round shale flat stone settled out. They then attempted to move towards Tolerance Talus and down again the shale flat stone tippled about and they ran back to the middle. To this day they have been stuck out there, fearful of Abysmal River, afraid of going towards Confirmation Cliff or Tolerance Talus…. Oh many called out to them, some attempted to remind and persuade them to finish the course and cross in courage – after all they did make it across to the middle, and if the fear did not overcome them, could have steadily and speedily moved on, though with terrible difficulty.

Resolve and Unswerving, face the fear of the Abysmal River and found the sure-footed bridge of Prudence Wisdom’s Crossing a settled and steady traverse to Integrity Meadow. Though the mist of Abysmal River touched their noses and wet their brow, the winds of the waves of Opinions Ocean, the source of the Abysmal River, swept at the bridge…. The golden silver threaded cordage sturdied the jewel laden planks, and the planks laden with jewels steadied Resolve and Unswerving s feet. After the Chasm of Compromise was crossed, Confirmation Cliff and Tolerance Talus were behind them, just up ahead was Integrity Meadow.

Now – you may or may not like an allegorical story that is presenting spiritual truth…. But the lessons contained within this parable of truth and its Biblical realties are hard to miss….

Each one of us have face the challenge of compromise and pleasing others above God. Some fail and end up stuck or in an abysmal place of living without integrity – any everyone around them knows it. Others stay the course, mean what they say, and are listening to the evil one, but rather come to living in a good place, known for honesty and integrity. The passages of Scripture above remind us the need to not be double minded, have double standards, and not to tell everyone what they want to hear…. If more Christians stood this way, and especially in the Truth of God’s Word and what He wants – their reputation and witness would bring many to that same place. Remember the truth is narrow and the narrow gate is the way to God, and Jesus is that gate, and the narrow road is to walk in His truth.

             As I was driving home the other night, I turned the radio on and heard a pastor say we need to “watch our lives closely.” The words wont be exact, but he asked a question along these lines, “Are our eyes, as Christians, opened? Are we paying attention and watching our lives closely or are we walking next to a cliff with our eyes closed?” He said as Christians, we have to be watching our lives closely. I only caught the end of his talk. He was talking about the book of 1 Timothy, but I really didn’t catch anymore than this. It has been something I’ve been pondering since. From this, to Daren’s sermons that are opening our eyes to wordly issues and demonic influences our lives  which is teaching us discernment, to Ronda Coopers talk that hasn’t left my mind about our witness and what that truly is like. Then, studying in Isaiah, ch 30, versus 15-17 really stood out. In context to this before I share the versus, Isaiah at the beginning of ch 30 is talking about Judah and they were to not go down to Egypt for Egypt’s help and the “stubborn children did”. They made an alliance, but not with the Spirit of the Lord. They didn’t ask for the Lords help, but instead they trusted in mans help and Pharaoh’s protection. 30 vs 7 says Egypt’s help is worthless and empty, therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.” Then as the chapter moves onto vs 8, It is titled a rebellious people. Ch 30 vs 9 says “for they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; (vs 10) who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to he prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak t o us smooth things, prophesy illusions, (vs 11) leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy one of Israel.” (vs 12) Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth or to dip up water out of the cistern.” 

Now onto vs 15 – 17 of Isaiah ch 30. “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and , “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill. 

My David Jeremiah study bible had a very good “for reflection” piece on vs these versus that I wanted to share with all of you. It is titled, “In quietness and strength.” “Sometimes God lets us run the course of our own self- sufficiency until we have proven not only to ourselves, but to everybody else that we cannot do it on our own. Then He says to us in the soft voice of Isaiah, “In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Another translation for quietness and confidence would be “Utter trust”: Quietness + Trust = Strength. It is not the world’s formula; it is God’s. 

Quietness means “cessation from activity.” God wanted His people to regroup,  to come to Him, to seek Him in the solitude of their hearts, and to receive His guidance. Our fatal tendency is to think we become strong by exerting ourselves and striving hard after things. But God says this is not the way to achieve strength. The inward fortitude needed to face life’s difficulties comes only as we open our hearts to Christ in the quiet moment, ceasing from activity and letting Him supply guidance, confidence and direction as we reflect on His word.”

If we continue reading on in ch. 30, Isaiah talks about the Lord being gracious and says how the Lord will have the final judgement on the enemies of the Lord’s people. But, sometimes I wonder (talking to myself here as well) how often do we miss the Lord’s warning and guidance. He told the people “Do not go down to

Egypt!” but to trust and rely on Him….what did the people do, they went to Egypt for help. They rebelled.  Then Isaiah shares that since they rebelled, the Lord was going to let their pursuers purse. And following that, the Lord says “in returning” which also means repentance. He calls us to repent and in repentance and rest and quietness and in trust you shall be saved!!! Everything is listed so clearly. Yet, how often do we do the same thing as the people of Judah? We are threatened by something and we turn to other humans and peoples and things to save us, instead of turning to the Lord. I know we are humans, and we will screw up. Praise the Lord for his grace and mercy so we can repent and turn back to him. But do we always do that? Or do we stay stubborn and rebellious? Are we watching our lives closely and noticing when we screw up? Are we keeping our eyes opened to our witness as a Christian or are we just filling the pews on Sunday morning and calling it good enough? Are we being watchman on the wall as we’re commanded and going out and making disciples as we’re commanded? Or are we walking on the edge of the cliff with our eyes closed?  

That’s where rest, quietness, trust come in. If we are being still in the Lord, studying His word, ceasing from activity and letting Him supply guidance, We will find all these answers to all these questions. The answers to life are in His word and they couldn’t be any more plain as day. 17 verses in Ch 30 of Isaiah give us so much wisdom right there. Plus you have Proverbs, Revelation, James, Jude, Job, Ezekiel etc. All 66 books of the bible are filled with His unending wisdom that He so simply and graciously given us. If we would always and in every situation, in everything look to Him wouldn’t that make so many of our situations that we put ourselves into, that much simpler? No, I’m not saying the Christian walk is “easy or simple.” It is difficult. There are spiritual battles to fight every day. Satan is constantly trying to lead us away from the path of the Lord’s. Satan wants to win.  And the more we profess God’s truth, the more people we lead to the Lord and the more we put God into every situation, the harder Satan is going to fight. BUT,  the more we open our hearts and minds to the Lord, the more we allow God in, the more we learn about God, the more wisdom of His we take in, won’t that ultimately make our fights easier? Or least make our battles more “peaceful?” Won’t it cause us to be less rebellious and stubborn? Won’t it cause us to have more discernment so we don’t make the mistakes like the people of Judah did? Yes and Yes and yes! over and over again. In this hustle and bustle lifestyle we’re in these days, it is so easy to fill our days up and not give the Lord the time of day. I’m guilty of it more often than I care to admit. But, the days I do sit down and dive into God’s word for more than a quick 5 minute daily devotion, those days are the days where I find the Lord working. Those are the days that I ALLOW God to work. Because very often, the Lord wants to work in our hearts and change us, but we’re too stubborn to let that happen. Or we’re too busy to let Him in. 

So, as the rambling here comes to a close. I hope this encourages you to want to spend a little more quiet time each and every day with the Lord. I pray we can give him more than 5 minutes. There will always be something else to do, but we won’t get any time back. And if we’re “too busy” in this life that the Lord has so graciously allowed us to have, to spend time with Him, then can we truly expect Him to “have time for us.” We tend to make life more difficult for ourselves than necessary and if we gave the Lord the time of day, how different could situations and our lives as a whole really be? So, let’s make sure we are watching our lives, witness, discernment very closely and if you’re going through a point in time where don’t feel very close to the Lord, ask Him to put the fire for Him back in your heart and with asking him that, diving into His word and talking with Him in the quiet and stillness, I know that fire can be re lit. 

In the Lords precious name. 

~Makayla Nepp

    Food For Thought by Jeanette Cory

      I just want to share some pages out of my daily devotional, God Is Faithful by David Wilkerson.  These are just a couple that spoke to me that I like to reread from time to time.  I hope they bring you a blessing in some way.

The Lord’s Mercies Never Fail

     The Bible Tells us that the Lord is no respecter of persons. Because He does not show favoritism –because His promises never change from generation to generation—we can ask Him to show us the same mercies He has shown His people throughout history.

     The Lord’s mercies never fail, and every believer has examples of His past mercies.  So, when you fear you may have sinned too often against the Lord’s mercy-when you think you have crossed a line and God has given up on you; when you are discouraged, cast down by failure; when you wonder if God is putting you on a shelf or withholding His love from you because of past sins-lay hold of this truth with a truly repentant heart: God changes not.

     Bind God to His Word.  Write down every remembrance you have of what He has done for you in past years.  Then go to Scripture and find other instances of His “mercy precedents” with His people.  Bring these lists before the Lord and remind Him: “God, you cannot deny Your own Word.  You are the same yesterday, today and forever.

     Often we rush into God’s presence unprepared, making our requests passionately, but we wilt because we approach Him with only emotion.  We must be prepared with our grasp of His Word to us.  We know the Son, so we can stand before the Judge and bind Him to His own arguments: “Father, I have nothing to bring You but Your own Word.  You promised that I would be complete in Christ, that You would keep me from falling and that Jesus would be my intercessor.  Oh, Lord, have mercy and grace on me now, in my hour of need. Amen!”

     I truly believe that God is wonderfully blessed when we approach His throne with this kind of boldness, binding Him to His own Word.  It is as if He is saying to us, “Finally, you got it.  You see what I want you to have.  You bless Me!”

A Pleasing Walk

     The apostle Paul taught the Colossian church: “Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”(Colossians 1:10).

     What is required for a pleasing walk?  Paul says: “Put on therefore, as the chosen of God, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, whoever has a complaint against another; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you”(3:12-13, my paraphrase).

     Paul is telling us:  “Here is my word to you in these critical times.  In light of the hard times you know are coming, you are to measure you walk with the Lord.”

     We must therefore ask ourselves: “Am I becoming more like Christ?  Am I growing more patient, or quick-tempered?  Kinder and gentler, or meaner and more argumentative?  More tender and forgiving or less, holding on to grudges?  Do I put up with the weaknesses and faults of those near to me, or do I always have to be right?  Do I criticize or offer encouragement?”

     According to Paul, in light of the coming hard days it does not matter what works you accomplish or what charitable deeds you do.  No matter how generous you are to strangers, no matter how many souls you bring to Christ, this question remains:  Are you becoming more loving, patient, forgiving, forbearing?

     Examining your walk with Christ means looking not so much at what you are doing, as at who you are becoming.  Such a walk will not come about by self-determination, merely saying, “I am going to become that kind of believer.”  Rather, it happens by the work of the Holy Spirit-through faith in His Word.

Tested By Falls And Failings

    When I speak of tests and failings, I’m not talking about Christians who fall back into old sins and turn back to the world.  Those aren’t tested believers-they are believers who face a shipwreck of faith. 

     Peter warned, “Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked”(2 Peter 3:17).  Peter is warning believers who are set on following the Lord and are growing in holiness.

     Maybe you have fallen in spite of all the progress you have made with the Lord.  If I asked what caused your fall, you might answer, “I was provoked by my own family and I blew up.  I can’t understand it.  I thought I was becoming sweeter, a little more like Jesus.  But somebody just pushed the wrong button and I lost it.”  If I asked why, you might try to explain, “I’m only human.  How much am I supposed to take?”

     It does not matter that you were provoked or even that you were in the right.  The provoking simply proved you need deliverance.  Scripture says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor [fighting}, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice [grudges]” (Ephesians 4:31).

     God is going to keep testing you until you say, “I have a spirit that has to go.”  You will see no growth in Christ, no peace at home or on the job, until you can say, “You’re right, Lord-take it out!”

     If you are being tested in this area, or any other area, you may also be feeling unworthy, thinking, “How much ground have I lost?  Does the Lord still love me?””

     Dearly beloved, if you have truly repented, you have not lost any ground whatsoever.  God puts His loving arms around you and says, “I allowed that to happen so you would see what is in your heart.  You are making progress- and that pleases Me.”

The Ultimate Test of Faith

     There comes a time in the life of every believer-as well as in the Church-when God puts us to the ultimate test of faith.  It is the same test Israel faced on the wilderness side of the Jordan.

     This test is to look at all the dangers ahead-the giant issues facing us, the high walls of affliction, the principalities and powers that seek to destroy us-and cast ourselves totally on God’s promises.  The test is to commit ourselves to a lifetime of trust and confidence in His Word.  It is a commitment to believe that God is bigger than all our problems and enemies.

     Our heavenly Father is not looking for a faith that deals with one problem at a time.  He is looking for a lifetime faith, a lifelong commitment to believe Him for the impossible.  This kind of faith brings a calm and rest to our soul, no matter what our situation.

     Our Lord is loving and long-suffering, but He will not allow His people to dwell in unbelief.  You may have been tested time after time, but now the time has come for you to make a decision.  God wants faith that endures the ultimate test, a faith that will not allow anything to shake you from trust and confidence in His faithfulness.

     We simply cannot conjure up faith.  We cannot create it by repeating, “I believe, I really believe.” No, faith is a commitment we make to obey God.

     As Israel faced Jericho, the people were told not to say a word but simply to march.  In short, God asked one thing of the: to obey His Word and go forward.  They did not whisper, “Help me to believe, Lord.”  Instead, they simply obeyed.

     That is faith.  It means setting your heart to obey all that is written in God’s Word, without questioning it or taking it lightly.

     Satan is displaying great power, and hell is unleashing all its fury on this generation.  The enemy’s strongholds are much more fortified, powerful and entrenched than in past generation.  Without a doubt, Satan is becoming better known, less feared and more accepted.

     A basic Bible school knowledge of Christ will not be enough in this final war.  Knowing about Him is not enough-we need to seek for a greater revelation of Him from the Holy Spirit.  That requires one to spend much time at His table sitting in His presence, hearing His voice, waiting on Him for divine wisdom.

This apostacy will come from within and without the body of Christians…. It will have a political element along with a spiritual defection in combined force. And it will be first before Christ comes again.

If you are in a bit of doubt and disbelief that this “sign of the times” that is to be understood is not upon us, well – just look at the upheaval of unbiblical teachings rising amongst denominations of Christianity, look at the rise of sin unrepentant by individual Christians and groups of believers, look at the political problems literally “plaguing” societies, countries and the world as a whole, look at the focus on the physical, nature and man, look at the economic shifts, inflation and lack of product, look at the rate of Christians divorcing, cheating, lying, gossiping, accepting sin, embracing worldly ideology, even look at the lack of standing for truth, look at the corruption of leadership in the church universal as a whole, look at the family decay, look at the deception and propaganda, look that the lack of masculinity and the lack of taking care of their immediate family’s needs, look at the sexual perversion and human trafficking, look at the conflicts creating controlled chaos, look at the rampant self-centeredness and narcissism, look at the level of laziness coupled with inability of self-control, look at the demonic doctrines and mingled witchcraft in so called Christian groups, look at the missing morals among believers, look at the unclean spirits increasing in the lives of so many Christians, look how love is growing cold, look at the increase of followers of Christ scoffing about His return, look at the apostacy all around us….

Can you imagine living in today’s times and not knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  I know I can’t.  Many go to church Sunday after Sunday and are never preached to about the book of Revelation, end times or what it means to be born again and have that personal relationship Jesus Christ.  What a difference it makes when you know what the future holds for believers.  We know that God defeats Satan, and we get to spend eternity with God in the most beautiful place most can’t even imagine.  Anxiety, worry, discouragement, despair and fear, weighs on the shoulders of many that don’t have faith in Jesus Christ.  People are lonely and scared and don’t understanding what is happening in the world.

If we have faith in Jesus, we don’t need to be uncertain or worry about what the future holds because we know exactly what the outcome is going to be and that is what gets us through these times of uncertainty.

John 10:10

The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy.  I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

The thief takes life, but Jesus gives life.

Proverbs 12:25

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious in anything but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.

Matthew gives us seven reasons not to worry!

• The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details for your life.
• Worrying about the future can make us so focused on work that we fail to attend to what is most important.
• Worrying is more harmful than helpful.
• God does not ignore those who depend on him.
• Worrying shows a lack of faith in and understanding of God.
• Worrying keeps us from what God wants us to pursue.
• Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.

Everyone has worries, but Paul’s advice is to turn our worries into prayers.  When you start to worry, stop and pray!

Many blessings to you all,  

Melissa

Then seizing him (Jesus) they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.

A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Just as he was speaking the rooster crowed.

The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the words the Lord had spoken to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.

And he went outside and wept bitterly. Luke 22:54-62

Three questions came to mind after reading this:

• What does it mean to weep bitterly?
• How does weeping bitterly affect us?
• Have you ever?

When the Lord looked directly at Peter; it was not an ’I told you so moment!’ but it was with sorrow: because Jesus looked into Peter’s face and witnessed Peter’s realization of what had just happened.

He knew Peter’s heart. He knew the struggle Peter had with quick decisions and to encourage Peter he had told him: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22: 31-32

He knew that Peter would stumble; he knows the hearts of all men.

Some will stumble and fall and get up, some will stumble never to get up again; there is nothing about a man that will take the Lord by surprise.

It is to each of us; as we come to see who we are, and of how we have been molded by the world and of how we react to it; well, that comes as a surprise to each of us! But with our now being in the Lord and learning his ways; we see how far we have really fallen, and how far we have come, and how far yet to go on our path in attaining a life of holiness and righteous.

John writes: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

“Yes Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?”

He answered, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?”

He said, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” John 21:15-17

So much has happened since the night of Jesus arrest, since the night when what had been told to Peter of himself  by the Lord had come true, and despite Peter’s ‘good’ intentions he had fallen in the moment of truth and when the cock crowed after his third denial of knowing Jesus: Peter would look up to see Jesus looking at him and in that instant he knew he was not the man that he had believed himself to be, and facing that reality, and finding himself weak by betraying the one he loved because of his pride: he went outside and wept bitterly.

This was more than just being proven wrong, this was intense, painful, distressing and when we come to see ourselves as Jesus has seen us, and when we look into Jesus face, do we or are we like Peter and melt finding ourselves in sorrow and tears when we see beyond who we think we are and come face to face with who we are!

We aren’t busted, but we have witnessed a revelation!

 With the Lord there are no ‘got cha’ moments: only moments of revelation; meant to cleanse, to awaken, and to transform us.

There were no words that could form on Peter’s lips, there was no comfort in that moment, and when he got outside he wept bitterly. He was seeing himself: maybe for the first time: face to face.

Have you ever wept bitterly?

I have, many are the occasions and like so many other experiences with the Lord, as hot and burning as the tears were, they were cleansing and part of the refining process. So great has been the pain that has accompanied those tears that when their passing was completed; I often found myself physically drained and that I had not the strength to rise immediately, and so I sat there or laid there, contemplating what had just happened, thinking about what had just been revealed to me.

Without these windows of opportunity ( to grow) we can come to be complacent,  and stagnant; because we do not see ourselves as we are, as the Lord sees us now before we have truly and completely given ourselves over to him and we miss the opportunity to see what we can be: more like him; and a bit so every day.

Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith may not fail, not that he wouldn’t fall – but that his faith wouldn’t fail.

He knew Peter was going to fail this test because he continued to tell him: “and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Peter would be tried and tested and would continue to grow stronger in his faith after each testing; whether standing through it, or rising up after a fall.

We do not know how the Lord will use each of us, or where he will send us; but if we will let down our guard, bridle our pride, take every thought captive; we may not need to spend as much time weeping bitterly for the things we say and do.

Have mercy on me O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not caste me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will turn back to you. Psalm 51:1-2, 10-13

A prayer of David that we can be sure that Peter had heard, and knew, and now he had lived it!

Jesus prayed that Peter’s strength not fail. Peter would give the rest of his days preaching (proclaiming) the gospel message) because he truly loved the Lord and even through his many short comings: he was used by God and through his message helped many transgressors and sinners to come find their way to the Lord and to know the ways of the Lord. His words would strengthen and encourage the brethren and he was a light in the world; just as you and I are called to be.

Never count yourself out, only a closed heart can do that and if you are willing the Lord will use you to strengthen and encourage the brethren and to help lost sinners to find and come to know the Lord.

Our stories – because of him help the blind to see, the deaf to hear and because of him; lives are changed!!

It truly is not about you and me, but about him; and life in and through him – He, is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sit with him awhile, listen closely to what he shares and be ready to give the answer:

__________, do you truly love me?

__________, do you truly love me?

__________, do you love me?

__________, Feed my sheep.

Wept Bitterly

Through Their Message: By Ronda Cooper

A good friend of mine and a brother in Christ shared a verse with me recently that got my heart and mind’s attention. The reason – in our Adult and Youth C.E.D. (Sunday School) Class we have been discussing the walking in the desert with God and I am convinced the Holy Spirit primed me for the second round of a desert walk that the prophet Hosea was told to tell Israel…. From his own personal desert in his prophetic marriage to Gomer and the lessons the LORD was revealing to them through seeing it played out.

Before I give you the verse – I want to remind you – sometimes people don’t get it until they have to go through it and the wise see from what others go through…. In other word terms most don’t learn from others mistakes, and most have to learn it the hard way. That is why God says through Stephen “you stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit”. (Acts 7:51)

The good news is “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5) and another piece of good news is that “…these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

Now onto Hosea’s desert verse:

Hosea 2:14-15  “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a Door of Hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

Let’s do a little word study to get the gist of the passage as a whole, then the breakdown and application of it to our lives will bring the water in the desert.

allure = pâthâh: to open, be make roomy, to make simple, entice, flatter, persuade

wilderness = midbâr:  driving, a pasture, open field where cattle are driven, a desert; it also means speech, south.

vineyard = kerem: a garden or increase of vineyard

speak = dâbar:  to arrange, to speak, to subdue, answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give,                             name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think,                                  use [entreaties], utter

tenderly = ‛al lêb: upon the heart, comfortably with care, courageous, broken, kindly, understandingly, willingly

Valley of Achor = ‛êmeq ‛âkôr:   a vale, dale or broad depression of stirring disturbed troubled roiled affliction

Door of Hope = pethach tiqvâh: opening, gate, entrance way, entering in plus bind, collect, gather together,                                                             attachment, expectancy, thing that I long for, patiently, wait for and upon

I am going to give you space until you come into a desert place and then I speak to you from my broken heart to your yours… After your I speak love to you in the desert I will make a gate to a garden full of future hope out of the depressed valley of affliction you have been in. Let’s go back to the place of first love where we promised to each other when I brought you out of Egypt.

One must go through the desert of affliction and valley of trouble to….

know of the broken heart of God caused by our broken heart and…

One will receive a garden that they can enter in the midst of the desert in the low valley of ones life with….

God restoring the love and relationship for a future hope with him…

What valley of disturbance and trouble are you afflicted in that God wants to turn into the gate of a garden He has promised for you?

What would it look like if you let God drive you into the desert and bring you through it into then vineyard of newness?

What part of your first love of God needs to be revisited and revived in order for the door of hope to be cleared of the vines and open the door of your heart to the hope of the Lord with you again?

Oh – the days of the desert’s walk

that burn the soul and heart’s are broke

through the valley of sorrows pain

onto the time of God speaking again

with tender care and love to come

our renewed vow and His faithfulness shown

what hope lies beyond the door

a garden full of hope of future’s more

back to first love’s place of meet

I bow in restoration at Jesus’ feet

Oh – the days of desert’s walk

make heart’s on fire and souls unbroke

Come desert and valley and garden to

Because of Jesus, I can stay forever true

Walking with the Lord in the Desert,

Going Through the Valley for Jesus,

Getting to the Garden of Hope in God,

First Love Restored, Revived, Renewed,

Remember God Loves and I Do to!!

Pastor Daren Lee Barnett

              A while back, the Pastor gave a very thought provoking sermon about how we, as the church, and the bride of Christ and about preparing ourselves for our wedding day. I went home and I thought about, “how does one prepare for such a glorious event?” It’s a little overwhelming to think that the “King of the universe has asked me to be His bride and that I’ve actually been chosen by His father to fill this role, wow! How exciting is that?” I can hardly wrap my head around it. The first thing I need to do, the most important thing, is to make sure that I accept His proposal! I certainly don’t want an opportunity like this to pass me by! Imagine, little old me, the bride of a Kind! And not just any king, “The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.” What an honor! And He told me that He has purchased for me the most beautiful gown that I could ever imagine, clothed in His very own righteousness, I want to be very careful and make sure that I don’t get it soiled before the wedding day. And invitations, I want to make sure and send out lots of invitations because I want all my family and friends to be there! I need to get busy because the big day is quickly approaching and I want to be ready! His Father is making all the arrangements for the banquet. He’s even giving us a week long getaway at a very luxurious resort (His Father is a very wealthy man). There’s even horseback riding there, how fun!

How well do I know this man that I’m about to marry? His friends all say that He’s a kind man, a loving man, a gentle man. I want to make sure that I’m spending time with him to get to know Him personally, to know His likes and His dislikes, so that I can be a good wife to him. (I think I’ll bring some fruit to the banquet because I know he loves fruit.)

Marrying into royalty is a bit daunting, after all, I’m just a plain old country gal with little to no experience in such things, sometimes, to be honest, I don’t even know what He sees in me, Bu He’s not the kind of man who’s impressed with status or standing, He loves me for who I am on the inside. But understanding my anxiety, His Father has even provided me with a wedding coach, a helper, who can instruct me in how to properly conduct and carry myself so I don’t appear foolish, and for this I am so grateful, because lets face it, I can be a little rough around the edges at times. I want to make sure that I’m playing close attention to Him so that I can learn how to speak properly and act properly. But I know that once the Big day arrives and I look into the gentle, loving eyes of my bridegroom, all my anxiety will fade away because I know He truly loves me and I feel such a peace whenever I am with Him. He even smells amazing! (Psalm 45:8) Which reminds me, I need to pick up some perfume because I want to smell good too (Psalm 141:2).

What a wonderful day it will be! The music, the flowers, the dancing, the wine (I’ve tasted the wine and it’s amazing). I can hardly wait! We’ll finally be able to move into that new house He’s been building for us (he’s a carpenter you know, and a very good one) so I’m sure it will be beautiful. And I’ll be able to start my new life with the man that I know I’m meant to be with, I can’t wait, It’s gonna be great!

I have been asked – on more than a few occasions “where do we stand up?”, “when should we stand up?” and “what should we stand up for?”….

Now, Before I give any thoughts or Biblical insights on this broad and heavy question, let me first ask my own questions in return: “what lines did the Lord draw for us?”, “when does the Lord say we shouldn’t we stand up?” and “what does the Lord say we should stand up for?”

I am convinced that if a believer is in their Bible on the regular – these questions are ten times easier to respond to – with confidence and conviction… but, if a Christian is only reading little morsels of daily bread, the milk and not the meat of the Word of God; it is harder to discern the things in which the Lord stood up for, the things in which Jesus drew the line, and when things should be stood up for.

First – a lack of knowledge is at the core of the issue of where, when and what to stand up for…. this insight comes from the following two passages of Scripture:

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” and

Isaiah 5:13 “Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.”

Second – where did Jesus stand up? He stood up in religious settings, civic settings and personal settings. There are so many passages I have limited it to three, with one passage for each – religious, civic and personal:

Luke 6:6-11  On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Here Jesus confronted religious folks about their persnickety interpretation of honoring the Sabbath that prevented the good that God intends to happen through its observation… they cared more for their rules than the people. Jesus stood up for proper understanding and application of the Word to the situation and in favor of the Spirit of the Law… bringing healing and life – “the letter of the law kills, but the Spirit brings life ” 2 Corinthians 3:6

John 18:33-37  So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world–to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Here Jesus, when questioned in the civic arena by Pilate, He called out Pilate and the people in their accusations without returning guile, but expressing truth. Jesus said His purpose was to bear witness – stand up to and for truth. Pilate simply followed the false narrative of the people in his line of questioning, and eventually acquiesced to the mob and ruled for Jesus’ flogging and death.

Matthew 8:23-27  And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”