Tag: stop

“Stay Safe.”

“Stay safe!” Multiple urgent warnings, minute upon minute reporting, and hour upon hour projections come our way when satellite images prove a storm is near.

Plans are made to prepare.

Well, there’s a storm on the horizon. Haven’t you heard?

Are you in search of proof? A visual image?

The Bible recorded a “test” for Jesus when the religious leaders asked Him for a “sign from heaven.”

Jesus answered,
“When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Jesus, not so “mild and meek,” continued,

 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” 

Jesus then left them and went away (Matthew 16:2-4).

The sign of Jonah? (Does this indicate the Bible account is actual and not a fairy tale. This is the only sign we get, according to Jesus.)

I see five pictures in this “sign of Jonah,”

Five Pictures:

  1. Jonah disobeys God and runs in the opposite direction. (We all have disobeyed God and run in the opposite direction, Romans 3:23).
  2. Jonah’s rescue: A great storm and realization. “Throw me overboard,” cried Jonah. (When we “see” our waywardness brought a storm.)
  3. God’s grace and salvation is given through a very large fish who swallows Jonah. (“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is . . . )
  4. Three days of revelation for Jonah to bring about repentance. God gave life to Jonah, undeserved, unearned favor. (“. . . the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 6:23.)
  5. Regurgitated resurrection life in Jonah and a call to obey God for hope and peace!

We see 1. A storm. 2. A gracious whale. 3. Hot revelations and repentance. 4. A resurrected life.

This is all we get, minus the gracious whale. Instead, when we believe, we’re received and accepted by a gracious Lord Jesus.

He’s the only safe place for you and me and all the people of the world, today. Jesus, He’s the Rock we can stand on. He never changes.

To be saved, or un-saved, this is the “safe” question:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” Matthew 7:24-27, NIV.

There’s a storm coming. Make wise plans. God’s report is 100% accurate!

The Light in Darkness. Always, God’s Holy Word

Christians must know the LORD and His Word more and more. We must Know HIM to have armor to stand against the schemes of the enemy, and having done all, to stand!

Read the Warnings. God has spoken:

“Don’t be misled;

remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it:

a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!

If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death;

but if he plants the good things of the Spirit, he will reap the everlasting life that the Holy Spirit gives him.

And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” (Galatians 6:7-9).

As Christians, when we’re confronted with a pointed finger telling us we are oppressors, arrogant, ignorant, and defensive because of our faith in the Holy Word of God, we must stand our ground, in love (as the Lord gives us His Spirit, as we continue to walk in His grace and power),

and we must speak our heart’s desire: To please the Lord and to obey His Holy Word. What does God’s Word say?

“Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many” Hebrews 12:13-15.

Also, this is the heart of the Christ follower,

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.

If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord” Romans 12: 17-19.

And in this day of debt-free living, as believers in the risen Lord, we are exhorted:

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

(The Day Is Near) And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” Romans 13:8-14.

Thus saith the LORD.

“Today.”

“Today.”

Can we hear the warnings and instruction from the Lord and walk in it?

“Dear Lord, help Your people, God’s people, red, brown, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in Your sight, fill us with Your Spirit that we might glorify You in this noisy, dark world. In Jesus name. Amen”

What are we listening to? Fear? or God’s Voice? Let’s STOP and hear:

“Trust Me now.” I hear a still small voice speak. “Trust.” When the waves are huge, and blinded eyes can’t see.

“Trust Me.

Put on faith’s glasses, take off  fear’s clouded goggles, and . . .
B-R-E-A-T-H.

Don’t panic.

Remember, I walk on the turbulent seas.”

Don’t caress thoughts that are sharp and dark. Don’t linger in pits of past regrets—STOP.

Speak instead, faith thoughts.

Let—suffer, allow, the Holy Spirit to sing in your heart.

So I open the Hymn book at the Spirit’s prompt.  It opens, Doxology, page 1:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

And I think right away,

“Oh God, how can You patiently watch my faith so quickly, fly away?

With an envelope from the mail. With a headache in the morning. With the world’s events spinning. Each and everyday, dear Lord, You watch my faith take flight. As if it’s always night, and never day.

Oh God,  . . .

lead me to P-R-A-I-S-E.”

So I turn in the hymnal to Page 2. If only I could always remember this hymn proves time and again to be a “faint heart’s” rescue.

Fanny Crosby, though blind, could see. Spiritually, her words help my weary heart sing:

All the way my Sav-ior leads me; What have I to ask be-side? Can I doubt His ten-der mer-cy. Who thro’ life has been my guide?

Heav’n-ly peace,

di-vin-est com-fort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell For I know what-e’er be-fall me,

Je-sus do-eth all things well;

All the way my Savior leads me;

Cheers each winding path I tread.

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living bread:

Tho’ my weary steps may falter, And my soul a thirst may be,

Gushing from the Rock before me, Lo! a spring of joy I see;

Thank you Fanny for your pen and song. My eyes are lifted from the earth to the Son.

All the way my Savior leads me; Oh, the fullness of His love! Perfect rest to me is promised In my Father’s house above . . .

Will you join me in entering God’s rest? Can we seek accountability to trust.
We can rise above earthly trials. Trusting that our Savior leads the way.

And while we wait, we praise our Savior. And He fills our hearts and minds with His peace.

We like sheep, irritated and butting heads. Quick, run to the Shepherd for anointing Oil. Remedy, at last!

Sheep! Stop!

Stop being offended by every gnat, and mosquito, and “baa” from  every other sheep in your path. Run to the Good Shepherd. He has anointing Oil to allow you to have peace, wisdom, direction, and rest.

We are as sheep just as the Chief Shepherd has proclaimed. Oh, the pests that swarm around our heads and irritate us sheep greatly. But the Good Shepherd, He is calling, “Today.” “Today.”

And the sheep that hear His voice come for His anointing oil to be poured out on our heads.

Oh, the peace.

He speaks in gentleness. He is faithful. He is love and help. He is life. His way is true.

He brings relief.

The anointing oil, His Holy Spirit, changes us. This is the Good Shepherd’s remedy.

Now we can see and focus on Him and be filled with thankfulness.

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all,” Isaiah 53:6.

Oh, that we sheep who hear the Shepherd’s voice, never tire to tell others of His remedy and love. He sends us out, that we might bring others to Him.

And, perhaps they can see with their very own eyes, Goodness and Mercy that seem to follow us along. That we might multiply the sheep that seek to knock on God’s Door.

That the sheep will see Him as He is and not from their own thoughts anymore:

 He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth,” Isaiah 53:7-9.

We suddenly see “Who” is the “He.” And we realize He has faced every evil thing.

The anointing Oil changes us. The focus, now shifts from other sheep, to Him.

We realize, He does love us.

His anointing brings wisdom. And we continually discover, growing knowledge, understanding, patience and self-control.

He becomes Chief Shepherd by our own, personal invitation.

He is all that we need.

We are no longer irritated by the pests and the rest, as, together we follow and are led to green pastures. He brings restoration by refreshing Living waters.

He has a plan.

He gives us understanding to know Him more and more. His anointing heals the “annoying,” and our hearts see ever clearly:

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors, Isaiah 53:10-12.

And together, we follow Him closely, listening to His voice. We don’t hardly notice the mistakes and messes and irritating stresses. We’re changed. We’re better. As we simply allow the Shepherd to fill us and anoint us again and again.

And step by step, He’ll lead us,

until He calls us home to His house of Love. And we go on forever, rejoicing. Rejoicing in glorious praise, fully unified. All because Christ died.

And rose.

And sealed and anointed us with His Spirit of Hope.

In Jesus name, Amen!

We need each other

Truly my soul silently waits for God;

From Him comes my salvation.
 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved. 

Psalm 62
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

In all honesty, my soul waits for God. But silently? No, not always. At times it’s more like an ocean in a storm.

“I shall not be greatly moved,” David proclaims. Perhaps slightly moved he was because he continues his psalm:

 How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
 They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah

This is not a time of peace for David. Selah, or “pause and think quietly about it,” makes us consider for ourselves what these verses mean.

These thoughts of great trouble, confusion, and lies could be in regards to our own personal battles, or our family dynamics, dealing with people, or sickness and bills, or school, finances, or work, car troubles. Each of these can bring us down from a stable position.

The lies that come flooding in from the enemy, for me are:  “This is how’s it’s been, forever.” “This is how it will be forever.” “Nothing will ever change, this is all you have forever.”

The Word, a refuge. God speaks and instructs. What did David do?

He talks to his own soul. Psalm 62 proves to instruct me to do the same:

 My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;

I shall not be moved. Psalm 62:5,6.

David is changed. I’m sure his circumstances haven’t changed. But he has changed.

How?

His eye focus changed to the only rock and salvation. Right now, is there anyone else who needs some corrective glasses, like me. I must focus up, o-n-l-y. Not once and forever, but step by step, moment by moment:

 In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

Change is going on. my heart is being moved to increased faith. Satan has no victory. But the next verse caught me by surprise. It no longer uses the word me, or I, but your and us:

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

Pause and think quietly about this. “You people,” “your heart,” “God is a refuge for us.” We need community. We need each other.

We can all come together and agree, men, (women, all people,) will disappoint. We are all sinners. Not one is exempt from the fall. David writes:

 Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
 Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.

But together, if we remind each other to “look up,” and focus on God, we will not be shaken.

God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one according to his work. Psalm 62.

How we need to talk of His power and mercy. His faithfulness. His grace. We can wait on God, together. We will say to our souls:

wait silently for God alone,
For our expectation is from Him.
He only is our rock and our salvation;
He is our defense;

We shall not be moved.

Selah, We will pause and think quietly about that!

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24.

 

Dear World, Let Passion Week speak:

What’s on my mind during Passion week:
“Dear world, STOP. Look. Listen and hear the Father God, Creator of all natural beauty we see and enjoy,
the One Who is holy and just, truth, and all righteousness,
the One Who knows everyone by name.
The One Whose nature is unconditional Love.
STOP and look at the cross. Not the one around your neck, but the one that Jesus’ died.
Listen to Almighty God’s Voice:
‘My children, turn at once from running toward the lying thief that I sent my Son Jesus to rescue you from. Turn from believing lies that you can do it all on your own without Me.
I sent My Son. He is the the promised One.
His blood was shed, to cover each and all of your shame.
Admit your sins. Believe on Him. And Celebrate a new-born life, abundant and free.
And go and tell others. Be a witness for Me.'”
Oh, that the world would listen to the Father at this time.
This is what’s on my mind.
 Jesus found me when I was lost.
He gave His life . . . for my sin.
He offers hope and His Spirit that we might each day walk in the power of His resurrection. He didn’t hold back, so neither will I.
Take time to ask yourself this question, “What is my direction?”
Stop. Look. Listen, these are words Jesus prayed. Will you turn and trust in Him today?
 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 
 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—
 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.
Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them,” John 17:20-25.
It’s hard to stop. It’s a challenge to look. But God’s glory is revealed and our broken hearts are healed when we finally listen. He is the very definition of commitment!
It’s time to run with Jesus, and never again be deceived by the thief. This Passion Week, will you choose to believe? If so, make sure you let someone know.
May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—
 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity—Jesus
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him,” John 3:17.
Choose Jesus?  His passion is outstanding. In heaven is great celebration.
 
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