Distorted!

Distorted!

Was reading an article yesterday and it reminded me of those few trips to see the Carnival. Now I was never fond of them and we only went when my dad could go with us. On one event though we went without my father to this Carnival and on this specific thought process I thought of the Hall of Mirrors. It was a group of mirrors distorted to make you look somehow different as you stood before them.

You could start at one end of this great hallway and see yourself as the very tall person or the very short one. You could see yourself somehow heavy and then very lean indeed! You could see your head the size of a watermelon or as such and then your feet could appear as the very big compared to that of a clown’s feet!

Distorted!

Reality is not seen in the Hall of Mirrors. It is the humorous self-reflections or the oddity of a person or even the scary of that same one. And what bad picture do we have of ourselves? I heard this gentleman mention that a friend of his always had the Judges 2:15 in mind. He believed that it was appropriate to his life  ….”Wherever they went, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil…”

Now this was not his life verse, but it certainly impacted his thinking. The truth is that God can get angry with His people. And it is revealed when they deliberately and highhandedly disobey him, and not when they struggle.

Psalm 118:6-7 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”

We are to remember that God sent the Son of His love in a great love to save the human race. And not all will receive His Son, but He is ever pleased to make intercession for those who follow Him. A lady we know who had an accident some months ago trying to get in her house. She had mis-stepped and found herself on the floor. And within all the chaos with a trash container she has found God still loves her. She knows He is looking out for the good for her because she loves Him. ( her own words) She continues to heal up this day!

 

A Hall Of Mirrors: seeing oneself in all the different mirrors and so distorted and misshapen, but God’s Word is the perfect law of liberty. James 1:23-27....NKJV.... 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 27 Pure and un-defiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself un-spotted from the world. 

Now the reflection of a mirror will tell you to comb your hair or it might recommend your getting a quick shave in before leaving for work. ( you can read your face on that mirror for it regards your present look indeed)  Reading the Bible is simple. We read but should know what it speaks to our heart. We should not quickly forget what we read nor what the pastor taught this last Sunday. Living as if we are already perfect does not make you perfect. Understanding that you and I live by His word, to abide in that word and move to be more like His image propels us in His power, love and peace! I like the perfection mentioned in the new testament. It reveals perfection or perfect as teleios from the numbering 5046 in the Strong's. It is the end, as finished, the complete, perfect. It is applied to a person or persons, signifying it the absolute soundness. It includes the idea of being made whole. For believers, it denotes "maturity". 

As the new man in Christ Jesus, we act like Him, gazing into His result as He lived on earth but now lives in heaven and our hearts. This is a true freedom. It is far from human traditions and any carnal reasoning. We benefit from what He spoke to His disciples and to us! We must look to our spiritual man. We must favor His outcome to be the image of God Himself. We will never be god, but we are to imitate Him who CREATED us with and for a purpose.

God planned for Adam and God saw the glory on him. But Adam decided to listen to others over God and changed that glory for sin and the devil. So God sent His Son Jesus, the glory to be presented to mankind and see God’s will on earth as He planned in heaven.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes the servant-hood and the sacrifice of Jesus.  IN Mark He faces those with hardness of heart and unbelief. All the way to the cross on Calvary, Jesus carried burdens. He was seen and is seen as the long-suffering servant. The sacrifice presented by the face of an Ox: Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. Knowing Jesus represented His Father in heaven, the foundation of truth was seen. Seen by those with a willingness to lay down the world’s demands and receive God’s, we see Jesus is Identified in His confessions: Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God. “Get behind Me Satan! For it is written you shall worship the LORD your God & Him only you shall serve.” “It has been said, You shall not tempt (test) the LORD your God.”

Will we worship the planks that make-up the platform of that which we want or do we look for the beams that made up the Cross that held the Man of Sorrows? Many speak Jesus died on a tree with a small plank at His feet. I believe small planks would not hold a healthy man in His prime as Jesus was and is!

In the Gospel of Mark: Jesus emphasized His authority as Teacher: Mark 1:22 & they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority & not as the scribes. The “scribes” were known for repeating what others had said. It was both the substance & the manner of the Lord’s teaching that was different from what the scribes gave or represented!  Jesus strongly condemned them: Mark 12:38-40 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 “the best seats in the synagogues, & the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widow’s houses, & for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

 

Jesus Gives Warning of TRUE Defilement from an Attitude of the heart: Mark 7:14-23  When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, & understand: 15 “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. 16 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” 17 When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him. 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, & is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” 20 & He said, “What comes out of man, that defiles a man. 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within & defile a man.”

Jesus was proclaiming the Kingdom of God: it was the age of salvation and there was no distortion. Calling the multitude to Himself, he wants to clearly state that it is the heart and the will where ungodly thoughts, words, desires and motives spring from and the disciples were to have hearts filled with the words Jesus gave them. And we know that Jesus pointed to the disciples as those with the spiritual dullness: Spiritual insensitivity builds through this section of Mark 6:7 to Mark 8:26! Here in  Mark 6:7-13 Jesus sends out the Twelve disciples, His instruction to them was concerning their provisions and their public acceptance or rejection, then sent them on their mission delegating His power to them.

Mark 6:7-13 NKJV  And He called the twelve to Himself and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff---no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts-----9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10 Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

The disciples imitated John the Baptist and Jesus. They received instruction and went. They took a money bag. And they had money in the money belts. They always had what they required when ministering God’s word. Do you?

Distorted! Do we look to Jesus and see our way? Do we walk in this world and see the end coming to us? Will we announce who God is to us and move? Or will we cower and speak nothing to a dying world?

Elohim, the Creator of heaven and earth…who crowned us with glory and honor. He is might and strength.

El Shaddai, the God Almighty of Blessings…who nourishes and supplies. The all-Bountiful One and the All-Sufficient one, we bless His name.

Adonai, our Lord and Master, the completely Self-Existing One, always present, revealed in Jesus Who is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hallowed be His name.

Jehovah Rapha, our Healer, and the One Who makes bitter experiences sweet. He is the One who sent His Word and healed us. He forgave our iniquities and healed all our diseases.

Jehovah Nissi, our Victory and our Banner….our Standard! His banner over us is love.

Jehovah Shalom, we bless His Name. He is our PEACE. That peace which transcends all understanding, which garrisons and mounts guard over our heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Jehovah Rohi our Shepherd and we shall not lack any good or beneficial thing.

No Distortion here: God is Him whom we worship and adore: El-Elyon, the Most High God Who is the First Cause of everything, the Possessor of the heavens and earth. He is our Everlasting God, the Great-God, the living God, Faithful God, Merciful God, Mighty God, Truth, Justice,  Righteousness and Perfection. ( we are made perfect for we are the mature in the Lord.) We are the healed, made whole, with nothing lacking in our lives, for He loved us first and loved us best of all. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the whole world. Amen and Amen.

 

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That YOU MIGHT Have PEACE Through THE STORM

Isaiah 53:4-6
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
NKJV

Jesus paid a high price for us having died for our sins (iniquities) and such bruising that brought to us His peace.

The New Living Bible states this:

Isaiah 53:4-6

4 Yet it was our grief he bore, our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, for his own sins! 5 But he was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed-and we were healed! 6 We-every one of us-have strayed away like sheep! We, who left God's paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one of us! 

TLB

Mark 14:34
34 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch."
NKJV

In Jesus' last hours before crucifixion, He intimated with His heart how His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Thinking on His life, He carried much love, but got hatred, hardness of heart and much unbelief. He had sorrows that brought Him to prayer in those last hours of life. Yes sin brought sorrow to Him. He was impacted to such a degree that He was sweating drops of blood. Seeing those that He came to, reject Him, and experience such pain in knowing, those He came to save would reject Him even to His death.

Sorrows that weighed Him down, yes beaten for our sake's, that we would have peace. It is those who believe, who receive Him as Savior that will have this "kind of peace". "But how, Shelley? How could He have peace?"

John 14:25-31
25 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
NKJV


Jesus had peace that only the Father could give Him. He speaks of peace that He would leave to us, not as the world gives, for that is chaos, but as the Lord gives us courage in our hearts. Then immediately we go into John 15 and He talks about abiding in the Father and in Him. He talks of the Holy Spirit. See below:

John 15:20-27

 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'  

26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. 

NKJV

Jesus had the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit for He came upon Him when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. Jesus had experienced the hate of those who were reviling Him because He spoke of their sin. As Jesus is, was and is to come ........He bearing witness of truth from the beginning, we too, must bear truth. We are to abide in Him and the Father and hear the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives when saved.

Isaiah 52:13-14

13 See, my Servant shall prosper; he shall be highly exalted. 14 Yet many shall be amazed when they see him-yes, even far-off foreign nations and their kings; they shall stand dumbfounded, speechless in his presence. For they shall see and understand what they had not been told before. They shall see my Servant beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know it was a person standing there. So shall he cleanse many nations. 

TLB

In looking back to chapter 52, we find that the Savior, Jesus was beaten and bloodied, and so disfigured one would scarcely know Him as a person. No, you could not hang that picture of the crucified Savior on your dining room wall.

No, man had no peace till Jesus came. Now Israel could have experienced that peace many times, as they either collectively joined together in giving praise and honor to God, and obeying His commands. But on the whole, as for the man who lives on this earth, peace was left in the Garden of Eden. That relationship with the Father and His guidance was changed when Adam followed the LEADING OF HIS WIFE EVE! We must keep to the order God has planned for His children.
Where there is no order, then chaos ensues!

That peace was something that comes from God. And it was sent through His Son Jesus. We the wounded and the polluted by our sinful nature, were made "whole" complete with nothing missing, nothing broken in our lives when confessing Jesus as Lord of our lives!

He was the bruised, the oppressed, the One who was beaten beyond any recognition showed us how corrupt the flesh nature really was according to God and His standards. Every wound of my heart or yours was taken by Jesus. Every hurtful word or hateful abuse was first taken by the Lord. In all that battered, bloodied and disfigured body He carried the hurt that occurred in my heart and yours first.

That peace Jesus obtained was by violence. It was that violence that takes the life. Looking back to Noah and the flood, we see the rain becoming a flood that would take a violent force against any who remained within those flood-driven areas of the land. It was those who were in the Ark who remained dry within that Ark which rode upon the water of the flood, who would ultimately live to start again.

How could He, Jesus remain so faithful to God to do the thing needed for man-kind? He remained in God Himself. "Yeah, Shelley, but Jesus was God. Yes, but Jesus did not call down those legions of angels to assist Him, did He?"
He is the true Christian. And the way we should walk today is in those steps He took while He walked this earth. When we remain, abide in His teachings and His ways, we find that peace, which fights against any chaos in our lives, and keeps us secure in the shadow of the Almighty God!

Psalm 91:1-2

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High 

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust." 

NKJV

Abiding in Jesus, we find the same peace He held. He walked, not cutting Himself off from the synagogue or from those leaders who were there at that time, like the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus could face them, and walk away victorious because of His strengthening relationship with His Father God. The more time He spent in prayer and the Word, the more He gained the authority to speak peace into His situation. Jesus remained faithful to God and kept no sin in His heart. He was the ultimate sacrifice!

1 John 3:8

 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

NKJV

The more we learn how Jesus walked each time, the further into more peace and into that strength we move, and that peace can only come from God. It was not by separating Himself from that which He had to do.
Likewise we must not refuse to do that which seems hard, or anything the Lord would speak to us to do!  We must continue to walk with those God has placed around us, and speak to those we must speak to and with, we find, when a "storm" does come, it is one that we call that peace of God, to see the chaos removed. Jesus addressed each question and presented them with questions that ultimately pointed back to God the Father.

What authority do we carry when walking through this journey of life? What amount of authority can be seen when facing an enemy we have never met before? The only authority that counts is that which is from God, and remaining in Him, and staying away from sin will mark the path we walk, abiding in Him, and seeing those waves grow calm. It is staying away from sin, for any that darkens the doorway of our lives must be repented of and move on in God's Word and plan. In reflecting on God's plan, and the Redemption through His Son on the Cross, we each are brought back to this "one thing".  Do we really want more of the Jesus Who was the crucified for us or are we happy with the one who man depicts from the painting of the Cross on our living room wall? For many years, when our daughter was still young, we too, had the picture of the crucified Christ, the one with eyes looking to heaven and with the halo around his head. One could see this man's face, the wound on his side and the nails through hands and feet. But it was not till the 1990's that we actually heard how Jesus was crucified. I learned a lot about the weapons used in that day and yes of the cat o' nine tails. You know those leather strips held broken glass and metal pieces in their length and you had nine of them.  When I understood those passages, that though a man, no one could see His visage. NO one would know what He really looked like because of the massive damage done to His body and face. Yes, what Jesus did that day was to die for us, and in His resurrection from the Dead, we gained full legal rights that were PAID IN FULL! TODAY, we have rights to healing, to being whole in our bodies, to being whole in our minds and our emotions and to live in peace all of our days.

In the light of God's Word, is our decision today going to be one in the tradition of men or is it in an expectation of learning about what was gained for us at the Cross? Will we sincerely go by the Word of God and remind ourselves of the day at the Cross, the day at Calvary when everything became dark at noonday?
Many years ago, I went with my parents to Carlsbad Caverns. It was a length of hours to make this tour deep into those caverns made by all that rivers of water so many years ago. At one point, I believe it was the one cavern room called the Garden of the Gods that we gathered or huddled together, that the guide said the lights would be shut off. Our small group of about 35 people, experienced a depth of blackness that day I have never forgotten. The lights were off for only some twenty seconds, but that blackness certainly felt like it enveloped us all in one instant. No one moved from the place where they stood, and the coolness of that depth, deep in those caverns, certainly made one "feel so small and insignificant". I wondered if those who watched Jesus die on the Cross felt that darkness at midday. (or noonday) I wonder if they were enveloped in such darkness that their emotions took them to depths of such despair that all they had done to Him, all that they spoke to Him, and now standing so close and could not touch or speak a word!

Luke 23:44-46
44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' "
NKJV

Will we seek that which brings life or just continue to seek man and his mental knowledge. For the image of the man on the Cross in most cases, is one seen as from man's own mental image. But the image our Father wants us to recall is the one that depicts His Son WHO went to the Cross for a dying world! Our taking up the Cross daily is reminding ourselves that we too, must die to the things of the world and to have a walk that is in the image of Jesus Christ the victorious ONE!

Taking selfishness to the Cross, we are choosing to seek to find our place, and that peace in Him. Those fancy homes and cars and high-paying jobs certainly look good, and sound good but in the long run are like that which is built on the sand. In the end, all was just a fancy castle built out of sand and nothing more.

 Our identity is in Him and in Him alone! For it is truly how we are to live, move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)  Apart from Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) We are not to be those distracted, for surely in this world people will have tribulations and trials, but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For Jesus overcame the world. He deprived it of power to harm us. (John 16:33)

 Luke 1:76-79
76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people 
By the remission of their sins, 
78 Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace."  
NKJV

Father God, we are not of the world according to John 17:11,14............we have come to the Kingdom of God, so we do not operate in this world's system. We neither talk or act like the world.
We know we can have tribulations but Jesus overcame the world. Today, we receive His strength, His peace and that power of the Holy Ghost to walk through with our heads held high. We will not be the cowering and wondering what we will do next, but our choice today is finding our place in YOU.  Today Holy Spirit guide us out of any stress related problems and into Your peace and joy. Help us to see the process and the time it will take us to gain that authority for we know we have it all now, but getting that past from our minds will take some work and much time. Your grace is sufficient.
We understand that an "excellent" life begins with that excellent thought life and attitudes. As all fruit has a root,  the root of our actions is our thoughts, words from thought, our emotions (moods) and those which can take root. Help us to get excited about taking part in dealing with that thought life, and to pay attention to that which comes out of our hearts. You our Father desire truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6). Help us to see that which is of benefit to us in this life walk.
Today, we pray to be those who will pay attention to that thought life, to our words, those moods and attitudes that are rooted in it. Holy Spirit we loose You into this situation of our thought life. Help us to have and keep that purposeful heart that maintains a godly attitude. Help us to speak only those godly words for life. "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8) Father YOU seek the pure in heart, and YOU are surely the expert in removing the worthless things while making sure the process is retaining the things of value. Our commitment is to face YOUR truth and allow change to come to us in Jesus' name. Amen.


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Is the World Dressing our Children?

Saw this most thoughtfully given encouragement on Tuesday the 13th of October. I usually am writing in the afternoon after my workout time. I had tuned to hear some praise and worship and missed the channel entirely. I had somehow picked the channel up one from the channel I frequent for worship. I tuned it on....raised the volume to hear.......and then went to the kitchen and ....got my ice water!  I was captured what this woman was speaking about the world dressing our children.
Of course, she was speaking of this coming Halloween Eve. She spoke of the importance of showing our children and grand-children that they are more than what movies can depict for them to be or become. This woman, probably a grand-mother today spoke on that which has been directed at our children and grand-children. Although she did not mention the title, you knew of what she spoke about.  She, a Jewish woman with the Hebraic heritage spoke how children, particularly girls need to know about the real Queen in the Bible. She immediately spoke of Queen Esther and how her normal life was forever changed when God showed up. The name of this Christian show was Rabbi Lapin on CTN.

I had tuned in today, but they were talking about those who cut themselves. It was very informative as well. But I was drawn back to yesterday's teaching on how we allow others to dress our "kids".
I also thought of Esther who was that young woman of courage. Although she was a stranger in that area, and had no living parents, she ultimately became Queen to an alcoholic, pagan king and saved a nation. Esther had Mordecai who raised her up after her parents death. She was one who faced a real enemy, never hurrying into anything, but taking time for fasting and prayer. She became the woman who acted on God's plan, even if it meant that she was going to perish. She certainly had the wisdom of God.

No, she did not turn anyone into an ice sculpture. She herself, encouraged those who were with her in facing an enemy who was not going to stop till he had seen the Jewish people annihilated. Serious things were going on in the land at the time of her life.

Where do we draw the line? Or should one be drawn.......to help our "kids" know they are more than that 45 dollar costume. How can we show them how we value them.........and teach them truth?

Now we certainly know  wardrobe styles change ..........for you certainly can tell that by looking in my closet and notice that right away. But I certainly do not dress as the world dictates.
I mean, if you look to Hollywood, most will not have much as covering anything that should be covered.
Now these are just my thoughts, but I am drawn back to some scriptures:

Proverbs 22:6
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.    NKJV

That "train up" means "chanak" narrow....discipline.......to dedicate. ( I think of the short amount of time one has in raising a child..........then they leave home.)

That "in the way" means a road......."a course of life".

Ephesians 6:4

4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.          NKJV

Of course this means to bring no wrath that you and your child participate in together, but bring that child up in training and admonition of the Lord. Teaching them that He is God in our lives, in our homes, circumstances, and those things we do throughout the year! It also means that the child will have reverence for God!
Admonish: to warn, to warn of wrong practices, to warn against danger

Music and certainly movies can play a role in what a child will think or do. If they are not brought up in the things of the Lord, they may look on the world as a harmless place to experience life. YIKES!

In the last thirty years, we can see darkness has taken the lead especially in October to lead people of all ages to dress up and present to others...... something they are not.
It is like at the recent "zombie" thing in Florida, and shot rang out...........one dead and several injured.
We can see some participate in things which bring no life. I am not sure why some think it is important to participate in such things. I know it bothered me when our daughter was young. And I was surely happy when it snowed on those days, because when it snowed, it was usually a blizzard. And you did not go out..........at all for anything!

What are we teaching our children when allowing them these things?

Well, Shelley, Jesus would not care about such. Did you ask Him about such things? What does the Bible teach us about dressing in things that are not bringing life to us? Well, Shelley, one can certainly dream. Yes, but what will our "kids" dream?

Jesus did not come to accommodate a culture, but He came to set up His kingdom. 

What if people got dressed up in those Dr. uniforms and went and fed the homeless?

What if teenagers got together...........made some sandwiches and went and fed the homeless?

What if we taught our "kids" to reach out to those "kids" who may not have that worldly costume to buy? What if we got together, made some stew, cornbread and fed like a neighborhood of people that night............instead?

Just thoughts here, remember.  I am just thinking what we could do differently to show people the "love" of Jesus.............in feeding them, bringing them a warm blanket or maybe some warm gloves. And talk about eternity with HIM!

What if we took that night and let others know about Jesus instead of worshiping the other?

What if we took our children or grand-children to visit the elderly in an old folk's home on that day? Well, Shelley that would scare my kids?    (and  queens with magic in their hands, ghosts, goblins, and witches don't) (the devil does not need a big "door" to enter your life and that of your children----all he needs is to get a foot hold into your home and family through one open area not guarded by God's word. He has had thousands of years to study mankind.)

Psalm 103:15-18

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 

16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

And its place remembers it no more. 

17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting 

On those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children's children, 

18 To such as keep His covenant,

And to those who remember His commandments to do them.   NKJV

What we allow our kids and grand-kids to do comes back to us. What seeds we sow, will produce a harvest!   When we are those who truly fear Him, then our children and their children are secure. Those who keep His commandments and do them. What did Jesus say?

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."    NKJV

      From the blog:  LEADING OUR CHILDREN BY GIVING THEM TRUTH  .......So when the

world sees us, do they see us as in the image of God our Father or of the world?

Hebrews 12:1-2....1  therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.   NKJV

That weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, can tangle one up in such a mess and delay God's plan for our lives.

"Well, everybody is doing it!" "Well. the pastor or the youth leader said the R-rated movie was okay to go see!"  "They think it has something to do with the Bible."  "Well, everyone else is going." 

No, they are not!

What if God is calling you to go on a missions trip around the world? You will take what you gathered in your heart from the R-rated movie and take it overseas to minister with  you too! And what about the anointing, is it possible to not operate in that which God called you to do when we spend time in and with those R-rated movies? (Just think about Samson and the anointing he had)

"Well God wants us to have fun!"  Yes, but will the fun be at the expense of our souls and those we try to minister life to? We are not to copy the behavior and customs of the world. WE ARE NOT TO FOLLOW THE TRADITIONS OF MAN. WE ARE NOT TO BE RULED BY A CULTURE.  JESUS DID NOT COME TO ACCOMMODATE OUR CULTURE, HE CAME TO SET UP HIS KINGDOM. Our transformation is to be in the new person, the 'new man' God intended.

(Check out my blog: Trading Glory for Sorrows........and find out more about Samson and how he lost his anointing) 


Are we showing our children that it is okay to dress up as the superhero? I know I have seen a few here in the neighborhood. But do the children know that "it is not real" that it is just a form of someone else's imagination? Well, Shelley, it is okay to dress-up! Is dressing up for our tomorrow's, the equipped in God with His Word and declaring truth or are we dressing up as one: a man in women's clothing, or a woman in man's clothing, or................???

Yes, seems like a fine line indeed! What will we do with it?

In closing: I leave you with this thought from scripture!
Matthew 27:15-26
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him." 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!" 22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!" 23 Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!" 24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it." 25 And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children." 26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.    NKJV

Having nothing to do with innocent blood, the people chose the murderer Barabbas. In reading about Barabbas, we find that he was guilty of that which both the Romans and the Jews considered a serious liability, but because of the Jews hatred toward Jesus, they chose the perverse to let the Prince of peace die! Each day we choose either life or death. I heard recently that anyone who takes an offense against the Lord and His divinity are the carnal minded. They are those who have the carnal hatred against anything the Lord is speaking or doing. We saw it in the above passage. Those priests, scribes and Pharisees hated Jesus and they wanted Him gone, so they could continue their living what they thought was holy to God. They were so wrong!
In mid 2004, I was going up my staircase at home.........at been praying and seeking a title for a message for Jail Ministry........ALL I HEARD WAS "GIVE ME BARABBAS!" And the Lord led me through how the world always chooses that which is something they can live with. If they are the carnal, they will choose that which is also carnal.
Are rallying with the world? Are we the "conduit" for which the world can flow through us to our children, or are we the "conduit" for which God flows from our heart to those around us?
What these people chose, came on them and on their children as well.

Father, thank You for Jesus, the Son of Your love. You gave us life through Your Son who took on the Cross with joy in His heart. In all  that was going on, He saw us and saw this day. Show us what to do in these situations. Is it right to dress our children and their children in that which appears as a lie and something of someone else's imagination? You certainly desire us to dream dreams, and see them come to pass. But we also know they are those You planted in us from the foundation of the world. Help us to see where we might be missing something that is totally wrong for our "kids" to participate in this month. Help us to speak wisdom and receive light in anything that is dark with the Halloween Eve event. Truly our children are an heritage from the Lord and we know that YOU have a plan for their lives. They are our future. Help us to keep them safe when we should be guarding their eyes, their ears, and their hearts from anything that might be presented as the good but is really evil to our children.
Father, I think of the book of Amos and what he presented to the people. As the prophet, he was NOT there to infuse them with faith, with confidence or even in zeal... But ........ he was there to fill them with doubt about their lives. He had to show them by YOUR hand and Spirit that what they were doing was wrong and they needed to recognize it. Amos sowed seeds that brought doubt to them that  their future was not as bright as they had thought it was. And it certainly was not a secure future if they continued to walk the pathway they were going.

Are we too, becoming so lax, they we are those, who are not following You correctly? Are we in Your eyes, the "wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked".........as we see in the Laodicean church in Revelation?

Father, we surely want our "kids" to have a wonderful childhood but not at the expense of their souls. As the believer's, and those who seek Your plan, is our future looking bleak ........is it one where there is no hope ........but ONLYa testing?

For Amos surely announced that God was NOT WALKING WITH THEM!
Father, we surrender our lives and those of our children and their children to You. Have Your way in them, and may they have life everlasting.  Today we take heed to ourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made us overseers to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28) May we bring praise and glory to Your name forever. Amen.

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