Peace

     "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of The Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in him will I trust.  Surely he will deliver you from the fowler's snare and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover you with his feathers,  and under his wings shall you trust.  His truth shall be your shield and your buckler."  Psalms 91:1-4


     Don't you sometimes feel like you need a place to hide?  I know I do!  The world that we live in has so many reasons to stress and worry and fear.  I used to have a recurring dream where I would look out the window and see a tornado headed toward me.  I would look again, and there would be three tornadoes, all bearing down on my home.  So I would grab my kids and take them into a hiding place where we would be safe from the tornado.  It was not a scary dream, as you might think.  Instead it was exciting, because I always seemed to know we would be safe.
     The scripture above tells us that God has a hiding place where we can dwell, where he will protect us in his very shadow, and beneath his wings.  Sometimes, though,  I seem to choose to dwell elsewhere:  places like fear, anger, and unforgiveness.  Places that are right in the path of the tornado. 
In order to dwell in God's secret place, I have to leave the place that I am dwelling, and put my trust completely in Him.
     So, if you find yourself in a place where you really don't want to be,  if storms are headed toward you from all directions, grab your kids and head for the cellar!  God's shelter may not take away all your problems, but he is able to still the storms in your spirit. 

Have you been deceived? IV

  When I finished the previous part of this series, I asked this question: Why do Christians shoot their wounded?   How can we help, and not kill?
   I heard a testimony about a man who went to a battlefield, shortly after the battle was over.  The wounded had been removed, but the dead were still there.  He said,  "It was the worst thing, I ever saw!" Dead souls.  The worst sin is self-righteousness, because it kill's.
  I feel led to make something clear.  If I were asked where do I get the material that I write,  I would tell you from the Holy Spirit, my education consists of  11 years of school.  I have held offices  in a  church as  councilman one two year term.  I have been a  layman all my life   I have  no  highly sought qualification, but I have the Holy Spirit, and I write what He leads me to write.  One day Pat  said you are a  author, the though scared me! I hated English!  No qualifications,  just a dropout, but led and inspired by the Spirit.  The other thing I want to mention, I don't receive pay from any church, or person for this work, but God pays me well.  No agenda, but a faithful servant, with faults.  This is not a easy place for me, because when I am led to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, I could offend some,  but just remember, I am the messenger, not the message.
  I want to go deeper into my situation with alcohol.  I was sober for 35 years, so some would ask how I could take a drink after that long.  I was sober, but the desire to drink was still present.  I would go out to dinner, and see others have a drink, and wonder why can't I?   Not only did I wonder why couldn't I, but why do they have to drink.  Two frames of mind, self-pity, and self-righteousness,  but notice the word self is the first in both situations:  man- made frames of mind, not the mind of Christ.  God used me during this time, but He didn't want self to be a part of the problem I had.  I want to put the litmus test to work here.
  One day I was talking to The Lord , about my deliverance from alcoholism, and I was asking what was different this time?  "I took away the want- to!"  How do I know that's true?  I was having a cup of coffee, and for a split second I saw myself at the foot of The Cross, and the name JESUS in capital letters, no club, no 12 steps.  I went to a few meetings, but never could I quit.  I went to Jesus many times, and didn't have victory.  I wanted it,  but the time wasn't right.
  Have you ever wondered why God's time isn't the same as ours?  I believe more now than ever, that we need to come to the same point as Popeye,  "I's Had All I Can Stands, and I can't stands no More!!!!!"
  Popeye went for spinach, but I went for The Finished Work of The Cross.  As I was at The Foot of The Cross, I saw something I had never seen before.  I couldn't take any credit for my sobriety, all my efforts, all my hard work at it, just like Cain.  The wrong way! I had been deceived!  When I placed my faith in the right place, The Lord, and His blood sacrifice, the Holy Spirit did His work.
  What a difference!  The want- to is gone.  I now can be around drunk people, and I don't wonder why me,?  This point has to be made: I love the souls I work with, but I hate the sin of alcoholism, not the disease. ( I don't believe even for a second that alcoholism is a disease!  My personal opinion.)  The blood of Jesus was shed for sin.  Behold the lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world John1:29 (KJV)  I love each and every one of you, and Jesus loves you too, and this too is the truth. 





                  

Thorny Ground

     Jesus liked to teach by using stories to illustrate the point he was trying to make.  On one occasion, he told about a farmer planting seeds in various types of soil.  The one that caught my attention this morning was this passage:  "The thorny ground represents the hearts of people who listen to the Good News and receive it, but all too quickly the attractions of this world, and the delights of wealth, and the search for success, and the lure of nice things come in and crowd out God's message from their hearts so that no crop is produced."  Mark 4:18-19  TLB
     I can certainly identify with this!  In 1977 I listened to the Good News and received it.  I didn't exactly get caught up in the trappings of wealth, or the search for success, but I did get caught up in what I thought being a Christian was about:  the friendships we made with the people we met at church, the things we did together, and the fun we had.  I loved being a part of my church (and I still do!) and my family was at church  every time the door was open.  I served whenever, and wherever I could.
     But something was wrong with this picture:  yes, I was saved, but it was all about me, about me being saved, about me being as good a Christian as I could be.  I thought being a Christian was about me.  Oh, and Jesus, of course.  Oh, and possibly my immediate family.  What I didn't get was that being a Christian is also about bearing fruit.  And the reason I didn't get it is because I didn't study God's Word as I should have.  Jesus gave his life for us, and he told us to follow him, to do what he did.  That our life is no longer our own--we need to share it with others.
     Yes, after almost forty years of being saved, I think it is starting to sink in--and I am praying that I will be a seed that breaks through the thorny ground of MYSELF and bears fruit!
   
     

Have you been deceived? III

  Two men both worshiping God.  Abel took a lamb from his flock, and Cain took the labors of his hands.  The one didn't do anything but watched his sheep, the other labored hard to cultivate his fields, and harvest his crops,  surely The Lord would honor both of these offerings.  They were both doing Holy things in their sight, but when they offered their sacrifices up to God, only one was consumed by fire from heaven, Abel's.
  Religious activity, both good things, but God only honored one, the blood sacrifice.  Cain was so offended that God honored  Abel's sacrifice that he (Cain) killed his brother.  The first murder committed on earth was because of Religion.  One worshiped The Lord correctly, the other incorrectly, up to that point they got along, one was deceived.  He must have known the proper offering to make to The Lord, but he (Cain) chose to do it his way.  Why? Two things happened to Cain, that can happen just as easy to us.
  I drive a taxi on Friday, Saturday, and Monday night,  many of my clientele are drunk.  I have consumed my fair share in my life time, but now I don't drink.  One of the other drivers is quite critical about the drunks that he has to haul around.  Christian beware!  Because I don't drink, and The Lord delivered me,  my sobriety has nothing to do with my willpower, or ability to just say no.  I tried to do that and it didn't work.  One morning I woke up and all I wanted was a pint of vodka, and some orange pop.  I couldn't say no.  I had heard that Jesus died on the cross for my sanctification, and I needed some help.  I started to pray, "Oh God help me!"   That's all I said, hundreds of times over.  If I would have found a way to stay sober on my own, the same thing that happened to Cain would have happened to me.  When a drunk person would get into my cab, the first thought that would come into my mind would be. "Why don't you quit drinking, I did!!!"  It's called self-righteousness.  If I find a way to deal with sin other then The Cross of Christ, it automatically becomes works, and works automatically turn into self-righteousness.  The drunk needs to hear Jesus saves, and Jesus sanctifies. Some of the drunks are saved, and love The Lord, but caught in a trap, and don't know how to get out.  Why do we (Christians) so often shoot our wounded?

 to be continued