Archive for August, 2014

Hugs . . .

Posted: August 29, 2014 in Shared Thoughts, Wake Up!
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??????????Are you a hug-giver or a hug-taker?

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” Then Jesus took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.

What a wonderful passage showing the gentle love of our Savior as He received the little children with hugs and then blessed them. Surely it is evident Jesus was without a doubt a hug-giver. But does that automatically make the little children hug-takers? The answer is no of course, for most often they trustingly hug back echoing the affection they’re given.

Children need hugs, we all do. But why hugs? Perhaps it is the very first embrace in life, as a newborn baby naturally clings to its mother and she hugs the infant in a warm embrace that affirmably assures the child instinctively of the mother’s love and commitment.

Children run to their mother, father, grandmother and grandfather for hugs of comfort and assurance because they have already experienced the undying love and commitment that has selflessly been invested in them since birth. Nothing feels better than being hug from one who has consistently been there giving of themselves freely, investing their time, labor and love in you. There is hardly a greater pleasure than embracing a child, son, daughter, spouse, or parent, and to hug them and feel the flow of mutual love and gratitude for just being there . . .  over and over, again and again and again.

But if it was not for the consistency and proven dependability, hugs would be worthless. For what basis for comfort would there be in a hug when the passage of time doesn’t reinforce the reliability in one’s love and actions to those they hug? Perhaps a better question, why would they even want to hug? The sad answer lies in the fact that there are hug-givers and hug-takers. An embrace from hug-givers affirms what is already known to those they hug, it overflows with significance, conveying love and security to those they embrace.

Hug-takers however, are often people full of good intention but never quite seem to be able to be there when really needed. Their biggest distraction in life is themselves; always being driven, moment to moment by what is important to them. They almost always mean to be there for you, but can’t because other more important things usually come up: things that affirm to others that “you’re not the most important thing in my life right now.” Occasionally they take a moment out of their own time to deceive themselves into thinking they are giving affirmation of love and hug others, but in truth they are taking a hug from another, trying to find that comfort and assurance they only remember.

Sadly, hugs can be like slack sails with no real wind in them, just yesterday I was told by a friend how when someone they care for hugs them it is just empty, “there’s nothing there.” Hugs can never affirm what your history negates and all the good intentions in the world are worthless, unless you are paving a road to hell. Never forget, faith works by love and love is faithful. True love is said to never fail, but should it fail, it is quick to repent and make amends, shoring up what was breached in its moment of neglect.

But sadly, hug-takers are some of the most selfish people out there, hugging others only trying to convince themselves how much they really do care, while their own inactions cause the one being hugged to stand back in bewilderment. Don’t deceive yourselves, if the “love” you feel doesn’t benefit to others, it really isn’t love.

Some people just need to wake up and do the right thing and realize what truly is important to Jesus.

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

Those in Lot’s fellowship…

Posted: August 25, 2014 in Shared Thoughts, Wake Up!
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Brothers and sisters, why do you think Abraham thought he could appeal to God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there were fifty righteous men in the cities? Most people tend to think it was just “righteous Lot” who was living there vexing his soul among all those vulgarly wicked and profane sodomites. But do you really think Lot would live there alone if there were no other professing “believers” living there? When Ezekiel was sent to reprove Israel, God declared that, “As I live says the Lord Jehovah, Sodom your sister, she nor her daughters has not done as you have done, you and your daughters.” Surely you wouldn’t think that there were no professing believers in Ezekiel’s days? Why then do we tend to dismiss the idea there were other “believers” in Sodom?

No, there were religious people all over the land, many just like those in Ezekiel’s day who were boasting in their arrogance to be God’s chosen people, prophets and priests and faithful followers of Jehovah, the called out ones, or so they thought. They were as surprise as will be so many when they too cry out “Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name cast out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?” Only to hear the Lord reply, “I never knew you! Depart from Me, you who live working lawlessness!”

No, righteous Lot was alone only in his righteousness, many were there claiming to be the believers in the living God. It was that reason Abraham asked God, “Perhaps there are fifty righteous within the city. Will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are in it?” and yet the longer Abraham thought about the “believers” dwelling in Sodom and the surrounding cities, he began to go lower and lower in asking God till he said “Oh do not let the LORD be angry, and I will speak only once more. Perhaps ten shall be found there?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.”

Seriously consider this, you who so confidently profess to be serving God, for out of Abraham’s appeal to God to spare the cities for fifty righteous, only one was led out. That was a speculated “fifty,” out of how many though that was professing faith? Abraham knew they were not all serving God, that many had deceived their own selves into thinking they were righteous, so fifty had to be a conservative number to start with. Then, knowing the holiness of God, Abraham began to whittle the numbers down till he reached ten, only a mere ten and God still said He would have spared the cities. And yet it was only righteous Lot who came out from among them, with his wife looking back perishing. Do you understand the math concerning this? Only 2% of Abraham’s original conservative number was saved.

1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

 How is it men don’t fear God?

America Series Part 5 – Daniel’s Seventieth Week

Posted: August 23, 2014 in America, End Times, Prophecy, Shared Thoughts, Study!, Uncategorized
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To download article’s MP3 file:  1. Click on this link  2. Right click on page  3. Select “save as”

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And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

This is the only “seven year” scriptural reference I know of that is used foundationally for the complete duration of the “seven year tribulation” with the perceived division being “in the midst of the week” when, according  to popular understanding of the doctrine, the antichrist does away with the animal sacrifices that were reinstated in a rebuilt temple.  There are however, many scriptural references to “seven years” –

  1. The two periods of seven years which Jacob labored for Rachael and was given Leah instead, then the next seven years for which he indeed received Rachael.
  2. The seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine with Joseph in Egypt.
  3. The seven years of famine under David and Samuel.
  4. The seven years of famine with Elisha.
  5. The seven years of burning weapons after the war with Gog and Magog, (which if there is a seven-year tribulation immediately before the return of Christ, this war needs to take place before it then.)

Since seven years divided by two equals three and a half years, it must be acknowledged that there are also several three and a half year periods in scriptures referred to as “time, times, and half of time,” or periods of 1260 days, 1290 days, and 1335 days. With all these segments of time recorded in scripture, it is not surprising there has always existed a curiosity as to what these times meant and when would they occur. However, it is astounding the extreme lengths some have labored to prove they know the dates of these times and when they will occur, when scripture clearly states the revelation for some of them are sealed until the end.

I am personally persuaded that to assume these three and a half year periods mentioned must be referencing to either the beginning or end of the tribulation period,  would be as imprudent as believing all the previously mentioned seven-year periods were the same. Clearly a simple reading of them all brings a quick dismissal of such nonsense. Therefore caution must be taken when asserting things from scriptures, for history shows it isn’t hard to earn the title of “false” teacher or prophet.

However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t consider such texts in light of history and prayerfully seek understanding through the Holy Spirit’s illumination. We must be students of God’s word, for perhaps the greatest reward of persistent prayer and seeking to prove all things, will be the avoidance of being carried away by the flood of false doctrines that the Holy Spirit warned would be promoted abundantly by demons through arrogant men thinking themselves to be something they are not.

True understanding is given by direct commandment of God who tries the hearts of men. It is never the product of clever men being able to calculate their way through hidden codes in scripture; Harold Camping’s date setting errors should be a sufficient warning to any aspiring date setter. But that doesn’t mean we cannot know the times in which we are living. (more…)

Black and White

Posted: August 22, 2014 in Shared Thoughts
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Black and White.

There is a sharp and blaring contrast that divides the blackness of the deceitfulness of sin from the bright white of truth which alone serves as a sure foundation for virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, kindness, godliness, and charity, or the defining characteristics of true and living righteousness which comes through faith in, and faithfulness to, the living God. For faith without faithfulness is merely a personal deception.

When men fail to see the sharp and distinct line, which is unmistakable to the seeing, it is for one of two reasons. Either they are ignorant or they have allowed their own hearts for self-serving reasons to mingle the two together. Like it or not, only in Truth can men truly be free. But that becomes the defining point of when, where, and why evil in the hearts of men compel them to reject the truth of what freedom is, triggering in them a desperate need to redefine it into something it is not. (more…)

Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it…

Posted: August 4, 2014 in America, End Times, Wake Up!
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A message the Lord gave me to share in open assembly. 

Transcript-

In the beginning of your message, the Lord put this… brought this to my heart. Being a husband and being a father, loving my wife and kids, loving my friends, loving my pastor, this passage has always struck me, motivated me to prayer. Ummm,

(I’m reading from Ezekiel 14)

The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,

Son of man, when a land sins against Me by traitorous betraying, then I will stretch out My hand on it, and will break the staff of its bread, and will send famine on it, and will cut off man and beast from it.

And though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver only their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord Jehovah.

If I cause destroying beasts to come through the land, and they spoil it so that it is deserted, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts,

though these three men were in its midst, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters. They only shall be delivered, but the land shall be deserted.

Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it;

though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.

Or if I send a plague into that land, and pour out My fury on it in blood, to cut off man and beast from it;

though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter. They shall only deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

For so says the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send My four evil judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the destroying beast, and the plague, to cut off man and beast from it.

Yet, behold, there shall be left a remnant in it that shall be brought out, sons and daughters. Behold, they shall come out to you, and you shall see their way and their doings. And you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I brought on Jerusalem, for all that I have brought on it.

A brother  asks – What passage was that?

William – Ezekiel 14:12 to the end.

God will provide our needs, you said that. You talked about tribulation; you talked about God’s faithfulness and God will provide for us when the time comes… But God is providing for us.  It is fooling… it is foolishness to think that we need to wait till the sword comes and that God’s going to provide. God is providing now.

People in the congregation say “Amen.”

William – Today… we are told in the book of Ephesians “that having done all to stand.” Are we doing all…to stand? Because it is coming. We… you… do all now to stand? We have… I’ve heard it, and, and, I hope I am saying it in the right spirit. You know, God’s put it on Albert’s heart to talk about preparing, and he has prepared. And there are other’s that I know that are preparing. Because God is providing now that preparation for what is coming. God sends His the prophets. God sends His word and says I will do nothing except I reveal it first through my servants the prophets.

And that is the time you receive what God is saying, and you take the time to prepare, first and foremost spiritually. And mentally to prepare you for what’s coming so that you’re not overwhelmed by sudden fear… but also in the practical. Because we have that little warning there, with the five foolish virgins that come to five wise ones and say, “Give us of yours, because our lamps are gone out.”   And they turn around saying to those who had opportunity, who had time to prepare spiritually, emotionally and practically, “Uh-uh, no, not so. Go and buy from them that sell lest we don’t have for ourselves.”

God is speaking to all His people, “Prepare, prepare, prepare, spirit, soul, and body.” To stand in righteousness, to give heed because the God of gods who is righteous and just and has given everything we need now to prepare. And we need to prepare first and foremost in righteousness and repent, and to be the redeemed of the Lord and to let Christ come forth. But faith without works… in that you’re not preparing beyond that to the body, to everybody.

We are the body of Christ, and we need to discern those that are the body of Christ. And we need to let charity move forth beyond words, beyond the walls of the church into true commitment to each other, to stir us up.

This is the word of God today (pointing up towards the pastor), and my prayer is that God’s people lay hold of it, and put actions to it.

 

Love and Honor

Posted: August 3, 2014 in Shared Thoughts
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Which is more important, to feel you are honoring the Lord, or for Him to feel He is being honored? Likewise, which is more important, for us to feel that we love the Lord, or for Him to know He is truly loved? Let’s take this one step further, by adding to our considerations what Jesus also said about faithfulness.

Luke 16:10, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

Now based upon Jesus’ words, if when we are being faithful in the least, that discipline will remain constant into our being faithful in greater things; it then seems obvious that the opposite would be true. No, I am not simply repeating what Jesus said, I am working this principle backwards, from the greater down to the least.  For if men are unfaithful in the greater things, then they are without a doubt being unfaithful in the least of things.

Therefore, if men are failing to honor God, they will surely be failing to respectfully honor men. Once again likewise, if they are failing to love God they will be miserably failing at loving other men. Now that doesn’t mean they are going to be aware of it, at least not be facing it head on in the mirror so to say. For we have a way of lying to ourselves, especially about love. (more…)