FLINCH

THE meaning of Flinch: to jerk with nervous movement
to  shudder
In the Strong's concordance: sug...(soog)....means to backslide, backslider, turn away, turn aside, move away from............and the primitive root is; properly, to flinch........to go back......and as they put it in translation is "to retreat." In the Exhaustive Concordance......is to apostatize........to abandon, turn away from God
In the Englishman's Concordance is listed as :(5472) and has 14 occurrences. (Psalm 53:3, Psalm 78:57, Zephaniah 1:6,  and of course Proverbs 14:14.

So looking into this word, finding "Flinch", I thought of the card game. It was in 1963 that the card game was brought back ....by Hasbro. And it was a game indeed of twists and turns, when playing with people who desired to win and do it quickly. It is numerical, it is played in sequence and it is never over quickly. Just go ask anyone who has ever played it!

Proverbs 14:14 says this:
Amplified Bible.
The backslider in heart [from God and from fearing God] shall be satisfied with [the fruit of ] his ways, and a good man shall be satisfied with [ the fruit of ] his ways [ with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts and in which he delights].

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. 5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
NKJV

If we continually walk into the love of God and into the patience of Christ, I believe there would be no backsliding, no Flinch ever, in knowing God and His love. Ah, but the optimum word here is perseverance as Christ had in His walk.

In referring to the game Flinch, the object was to get rid of all one's cards. Each player was to receive 10 cards faced down, and that was their stockpile. The dealer then would deal out five more cards and they were the "hand" cards. Each player viewed their hand cards......then another group of cards was dealt out in "five's". The player then turns over his/her top card.......places it in the middle of table....and must be a number "1" and so forth around the table. If the 1st player played a card other than a "1" like maybe a "2"....it is placed in the middle........face up for all to see. Then everyone plays their turn, but ultimately a "1" must be played at the beginning.

 Then next player goes........and has to place a "2" on the "1" on the table. If the card not used and is placed with face up, then it should be used as the game continues, and if the owner of the card fails to recognize it's time of use, the other's will yell "Flinch".

Yes, it was about order, maintaining cards in the Stockpile, in your hand and what others were putting down. There was a lot of talking, lot of sweating, and some nervousness. One would speculate they would win with no doubt.  I remember playing it a few times and then I was done with it! No one should get so worked up over a card game, right?

Monopoly was not even a thought I would consider ever. If I had to play with my Mom, she always wanted Park Place and Marvin Gardens. She had such strategy and usually had the "get out of jail" card always in hand! She was a real champion in playing that game for certain.

Our knowing God is a lot like that. In respect to having Jesus as our Lord, we are given His Word and His thoughts. But do we heed them. In playing any action type card game, even like Yatzee, one needs the full attention on the card game at hand. Any player can change the whole game and move in a total different direction!

So, we must know that what we do in accordance with other believer's will certainly change for the "good" when we are all going the same direction, right? If our heart's thoughts are of the.... good man shall be satisfied with [the fruit of ] his ways [ with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts and in which he delights].

Can you imagine being prompted by your heart that is good and which we can delight for the "good"?

In seeing the power of God's Word in our lives it can keep us on the straight and narrow road (pathway) we are to walk.  So, our focus is to be on God and hold in that position. It is about knowing that God's Word will run swiftly and be glorified, when we look with the eyes of faith.

For we see from Proverbs 14:14, that of the one who flinches and moves away from God....is abandoning God. He no longer holds God in reverence. No not a good place to be in when knowing someone like Him and of His love and mercy that gives comfort and then move away from Him.

2 Corinthians 4:11-18

11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.   NKJV
In 2 Corinthians we are told not to lose heart. If we have "believed" we are to tell others, remain in the Word, and other's often of God's faithfulness. But if we ourselves do not walk in faithfulness to another, how can anyone know what it looks like, right?

In seeing the power of God's Word in our lives can keep us on the straight and narrow road (pathway) we are to walk.  So, our focus is to be on God and hold in that position. It is about knowing that God's Word will and look at that which concerns those "later days" which seem to be occurring right now. In Jude 3-4 we are told about apostasy.

Yes, Apostasy is mentioned in the Bible, and it is recognized as that which leaves the doctrine of truth and follows heretical teachings, and abandons their faith in Christ.

Jude 3-4

3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.  NKJV

Certain men who have crept in, are those who will lead others into apostasy and away from God and abandon Jesus, the Savior.

These are cunning men, much like a lawyer would be in a court of law. An attorney is one appointed for another pertaining to legal matters and/or business matters.
Another definition I saw was this: one legally qualified and licensed to represent a person in a legal matter that pertains either to a transaction or lawsuit.
But this person works against God in the area of God's Word. He twists it to suit his own lust and ambition. This person views he has his license to practice in God's name. But he holds none of God's thoughts or purposes.

Paul referred to those cunning men who crept in......according to 2 Corinthians 11.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.  NKJV

So Paul gives a clue into what one will look like. We see then, a person who is like satan, transformed but still creeping around and into places, to give their thinking of the ungodly under the guise of a righteous person. Paul is teaching that Apostates will still look good on the outside. They are not wearing some devil suit! Titus wrote this:

Titus 1:15-16

15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. 

NKJV

And the Amplified says this: Titus 15-16.....To the pure [ in heart and conscience] all things are pure, but to the defiled and corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are defiled and polluted. 16 They profess to know God [ recognize, perceive, and be acquainted with Him], but deny and disown and renounce Him by what they do; they are detestable 

and loathsome, unbelieving and disobedient and disloyal and rebellious, and [they are] unfit and worthless for good work (deed or enterprise) of any kind.

Continuing with Jude:

Jude 8-15
8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

From verse 8, the apostates are the "rebellious" and ignorant about God, from verse 10 they have corrupted speech and critical overtones.

12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."  NKJV

Jude 16-19
16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
NKJV

From verse 16, they are the grumblers, the complainers, walking to their own lusts. they speak with arrogant words, verse 18 Mock God, verse 19 worldly minded and they DO NOT HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Some speaking in arrogance are of a haughty spirit, they are the self-important, and puffed-up!

1 John 2:18-20

 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.   NKJV

John told us this in 1 John 2:18-20 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." 

But we have an anointing from the Holy Spirit.

We should be coming out against apostasy! The Lord gave me this so directly to write about and I am determined to pray that all apostasy will not advance toward the "saints of God". We must pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We are to be the willing, to stand against such grumblers, complainers who will mock God at any turn. The Bible is straightforward in truth...........and if we will not stand against apostasy, what does that make us? For many saints could be in the pathway of that which creeps in silently, like a snake, and sounds good, but is the twisted and becomes the perverse, making demands in their own natural way of thinking and doing which has nothing to do with God!

Galatians 6:7
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
NIV

Unlike the card game, the Word of God always directs us to His plan of redemption for all. It is in and by His love for mankind. That card game goes back into the box as does the Monopoly game. When every opportunity is played and time has come and gone, all goes back in the box. It is played in our efforts and our own plans. If Jesus lingers on His return, we will all enter a box. We will be put away. Like that game, anything of skill or strategy goes into a box and will be forgotten till time to play again, if that time arises to do so. How we acted and what we regarded as truth will determine our outcome.

We are to ask the Holy Spirit's guidance and direction in every step, in every day  calling on His wisdom so that we continue to move and have our being in Him. For if it is not in Him, then you or I are ruling our own life! If Jesus is Lord, then we will know His hands formed us in those moments of hearing His Word. We when recognized the refreshing and the being filled by Him. We will know His hands that walked us through torment and trials.  For after all the refreshing and the molding of His hands in who we are becoming, we will inevitably go through the fire. We will know His hands that delivered us and will take us to glory. We will know His hands that hung His body for all to see, and in that pain, through bloody, torture and inhuman arrogance against His person, mankind was saved. And it is in His hands that He will continue to lead us home.
Psalms 111:7
7 The works of His hands are truth and justice;
All His precepts are sure.    NAS

In reading any documents, any writings on the Word of God, anything that has to have your signature on it, always pray first for the Lord to lead you away from the "false". Ask Him to lead you by His Holy Spirit and to reveal anything that has been twisted and given as lies against Jesus and His Father, our God of heaven. Ask Him to show you what lies are against His holy Word of truth!
Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. Amen.

Keep awake and watch, for our Lord's return is growing near.


You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

Leadership: A Challenge to Grow

Man, woman, or child all have the potential to continue to grow as leaders!
There are many called to leadership. It is apparent at times to see some kind of leadership in young children and how they will tell other children what to do and when to do it. But the leadership I write about is that which influences others. You may tell me that you are the President of the Women's Committee for such and such........and that means nothing to me. I will be more influenced by what problem you have solved for that committee or what you have accomplished to lead others by your influence.

A leader is faithful to what they have been given. A leader always looks out for the team!
Leadership always involves us being problem solvers.
Thinking of it as our assignment, we are called to solve someone else's problem.

As a leader for prayer meetings, I spend time searching scriptures, reading & studying, and praying for the Lord's plan for each meeting. My hours vary daily on the amount of time I spend, but I rarely go a day without searching the scriptures for something the Lord has given me in my thought process.
As I do, I prepare in praying over the Prayer Meeting and those attending. I pray and expect women to go away with a nugget from God's truth and to be encouraged to pray in their homes, on the job, in the car or in the quiet time with the Lord!
Like Jesus, our days can be very busy. He was teaching, traveling and also preaching. He had time to mentor those who wanted to learn. Jesus always went to the quiet place to spend time with His Father. Jesus, I believe, came away from that prayer time, being refreshed and rejuvenated. Jesus showed a diligence to continue to seek the Father for His plan and purpose for His life.

Leaders are those who walk in integrity. Jesus always spoke and did what He saw His Father speak and do. Those who truly desire your success will always deal with you in truth. If anyone does lie to you, understand that it may take weeks, months or years, but it will surface. We are told in Proverbs 28:13....that "he that covereth his sins shall not prosper."

Communication is always key to being a good leader. A leader will always reach out to others. Many times people stop trying to connect with others just because they have the fear of rejection. But our dream is greater than any rejection. When finding that fear thing appearing, it is time to find that one person who desires to grow. In our communicating with others, we should be looking for those who go beyond their own skill, talent and ask questions about why you do what you do!
Today, make a plan to communicate with others. Send them a note, or write an email and give them an encouragement. Make a plan to touch someone's life and make a difference. We may not know they are going through something, but it may be just the word, or scripture they need to make it through the day and actually see the Lord in you.

When thinking of a Leader, I always think of champions. When you think of world champion boxers, they spend much time with the opponent within a confined area. My dad loved boxing and when I was a child, we watched it every Saturday night. Wow, that takes me back! It was not till the Rocky movies came out that I saw the real life fights and battles of a boxer. Although this was a movie, I could see how the two things had to work together. One thing I saw was the discipline to exercise, and have the morning workouts plus hours of running. Ready to sign up for that program? A boxer has much to prepare for not only training his body, but to face the opponent. The boxer could not hurry his program. It was a step-by-step plan to get to participate in the championship event!
When our daughter and son-in-law were expecting their first baby a few years ago, our son-in-law called our daughter "the champion" and sometimes just "champ"! I really thought that was awesome and although some may think it unusual, I think how appropriate it was at the time. Our daughter was preparing herself for the birth of a baby. She prepared in excellence in eating the right foods, and exercise. She got her rest and she traveled less often to prepare for the birth. She showed passion and desire to see that this baby got the right start in life. She got the Bible on CD and such other teachings, so the baby could hear the Word of God. Even today, I think our grand-daughter knows God to sound a lot like Johnny Cash. Our daughter planned with passion that empowered her to go the distance. At birth time, and a C-section ordered, our daughter had no birth pains, although her body was registering birth pangs on the Dr.'s equipment, she felt no pain! Our daughter put out the honest effort to trust God and His Word. As she put forth to care for her unborn child, God went ahead of her to prepare the way with no pain for her to experience. Today, our grandchild is a few years older, and loves to sing worship to the Lord. She gathers with family to pray for others. From the day of conception, she was planned on and  today, her parents teach her daily how to lead!  She still hears her dad call her mom "Champ".I believe she has a good start, yes a good foundation, on that leadership program. I believe she will be a problem solver.

Leaders will know their opponent. They will know when to avoid conflict and when to address a situation. In conflict, the flaws are revealed, but in dealing with others, we always look for their potential. What has God placed in them? What is God's desire for them and especially if they truly love the Lord with all their heart?
Leaders will know when to confront and when to rise above those who are critical. When Jesus was being prepared for His crucifixion, He was silent. Matthew 26:63...states "but Jesus held His peace." Like Jesus, we would do well to refuse the critics.

Like Jesus, we as leaders are to teach others. Activate the gift in you and use it for the kingdom of God. It  is important that you mentor someone today. Teach your children, and find those who stand out in the crowd, who love the Lord, and would excel in the excellence of the Lord. Mentor and instruct a teenager, a friend, or an employee. Jesus was the Master Teacher! He needed NO microphone, but He taught. He motivated them to come out, He gave them instruction in relationships and how to lead others.
Spend time today and find those you can nurture in their vision. We can all grow and mature in leadership.
I was inspired by my son-in-law when he spoke the words of "champion" and I speak them to you today.
I call you out to mentor those God has placed around you.
Who are you encouraging and teaching today?
What are you doing to prepare someone to succeed?
Just like the lamp needs to be plugged in to the light the living room, you need to connect. Seize the day and create that connection............that causes someone else to succeed in leadership!

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV)