Category: Spiritual Rhema… Sparks from the Anvil!

YOU ARE INVITED!

David Wilkerson Today FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2010 COMING TO HIS TABLE An old gospel song has profound meaning for me. It says, “Jesus has a table spread / Where the saints of God are fed / He invites his chosen people, come and dine.” What an exciting prospect: The Lord has spread a table in the heavenlies for his followers! Jesus told his disciples, “I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom” (Luke 22:29–30). Hungering for him means that, by faith, we also are seated at this table. When the apostle Paul instructs, “Let us keep the feast” (1 Corinthians 5:8), he means let us understand clearly that we have been assigned a seat in the heavenlies with Christ at his royal table. Paul is saying, “Always show up. Never let it be said your seat is empty.” The sad truth is that the church of Jesus Christ simply does not comprehend what it means to keep the feast. We do not understand the majesty and honor accorded us by having been raised by Christ to sit with him in heavenly places. We have become too busy to sit at his table. We mistakenly derive our spiritual joy from service instead of communion. We do more and more for a Lord whom we know less and less. We run ourselves ragged giving our bodies and minds to his work, but we seldom keep the feast. The one thing our Lord seeks above all else from his servants, ministers and shepherds is communion at his table. This table is a place for spiritual intimacy, and it is spread daily. Keeping the feast means coming to him continually for food, strength, wisdom and fellowship. Ever since the Cross, all spiritual giants have had one thing in common: They revered the table of the Lord. They became lost in the vastness of Christ. They all died lamenting that they still knew so little of him and his life. Our vision of Christ today is too small, too limited. A gospel of “vastness” is needed to overcome the complicated and growing problems of this wicked age. You see, God does not merely solve problems in this world—he swallows them up in his vastness! Someone with an increasing revelation of Christ’s vastness need fear no problem, no devil, no power on this earth. He knows that Christ is bigger than it all. If we had this kind of revelation of how vast he is, how boundless, measureless, limitless and immense, we would never again be overwhelmed by life’s problems. Paul is an example to us. He was committed to having such an ever-increasing revelation of Christ. In fact, all he had of Christ came by revelation; it was taught to him at the Lord’s table and made truth to him by the Holy Spirit. Remember, it was three years after his conversion before Paul went to spend time with the apostles in Jerusalem, and he stayed with them only fifteen days before continuing his missionary journeys. He later said, “By revelation he made known unto me the mystery” (Ephesians 3:3). The Holy Spirit knows the deep and hidden secrets of God, and Paul prayed constantly for the gift of grace to understand and preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). The Lord is looking for believers who are not satisfied with sifting through all the conflicting voices to find a true word. He wants us to hunger for a revelation of him that is all our own—a deep, personal intimacy. http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/devotions/2010/coming-to-his-table

It would seem that this sad state of affairs is even more true today, than ever before; as people today are much too busy with their own lives, doing their own thing, to be concerned about the things of God.

Most today, it would seem anyway, though they talk about God often, and many are religious, and some even attend church once in a while, but few there be that really know and love God… for even Jesus says, “To love God is to obey Him!”

I believe it was Saint Augustine who once said, “To know Jesus is to love Him; and to love Him is to want to serve Him.”

I believe it was also Augustine who said, “Love God with ALL your heart, mind, and soul, and do as you please;” meaning anyone who truly understood the supreme sacrifice and awesome love, which God bears for ALL His beloved children, they would never intentionally hurt Him!

I remember this story that was once told me about this man who was homeless, and lived in the streets of this particular town.

The lord of the town took pity upon him, and went down and picked him up out of the gutter; and brought him to his mansion to live, as a member of his family.

He cleaned him up and made him his adopted son, and invited him to come sit at his table.

This man was so grateful for this obvious demonstration of love and kindness that was being demonstrated towards him, that even though he possibly didn’t understand all the rules of his new home, he was very careful not to track mud into it; and he bent over backwards always to please his master, out of his love and gratefulness for all his master’s kindnesses towards him.

Likewise, this is our situation, whether we realize it or not.

God has invited us to come sit at His Heavenly Banqueting Table with His Son, Jesus Christ; and God forbid that we should be too busy with our own affairs and our own lives that we ignore His gratious invitation, as so many did in the above parable.

The wedding garment, by the way, that the one man failed to have on, is the Righteousness of Christ, provided when we accept by faith His atonement on Calvary’s cross, for the forgiveness of our sins.

This man obviously was trying to get in by some other way, other than through Jesus Christ… perhaps he didn’t think he needed a Saviour!

As a side note, we have had two presidents whose views on the Bible and the Christian faith show a marked ignorance in both the Bible and the Christian faith. 

Obama has been recorded mocking the Bible and the Sermon on the Mount; and also has been recorded as saying Muslims and Athiest can go to heaven.

Former President Bush, who though he also claims to be a Christian, has said much the same thing as Obama; when he says that all faiths lead to and have a belief in the same God. The Bible clearly says otherwise.

The words of both of these men stand in stark contrast to the words of Jesus Christ, who said that “He was the ONLY Way, the Truth and the Life; and that no one can come unto the Father, except through Him!” (John 14:6)

Let us not take this offer for granted, and miss our only opportunity for forgiveness and reconciliation back into God’s family!

Make no mistake, but that your only opportunity to avail yourself of this awesome gift and privilege is in this lifetime, between your entry into the world, at birth; and your departure, at death.

This means that for every individual, who has yet to commit their life to Jesus Christ, and be Born-again, their window of opportunity is getting narrower with the passage of each day; and there is no opportunity beyond this life for them to be reconciled to God!

Listen up people, do not take this for granted; and put off until tomorrow something you need to do right now; for tomorrow is not guaranteed to any one; and the truth is every breathe we take, and with every beat of our heart, it is all only by God’s grace.

So don’t be so self sufficient and prideful to think you don’t need God!

God created you, and He has provided you with your life and all that you have; but His purpose for doing so was always to have communion with each and every one of His Kids… including you, because He loves you!!!

This estrangement that happened as a result of SIN, which is our nature by the way, which is characterized by our independence and our tendency to want to do our own thing, and be the masters of our own destiny, all of which by the way we inherited from our father Adam… and let me be very clear here, because if a person is unrepentant (meaning they don’t change this way of thinking) and if they keep this independent attitude, it will bar them from God’s Kingdom forever. and they will find themselves in the same situation as the man in the parable (above) who didn’t have on his wedding garments!

Jesus Christ is both Lord and Saviour… do NOT leave home without Him!!!

Shalom,

Skip Barland

“Run with endurance the race that God has set before you”

(Hebrews 12:1)

Here’s the point: In this race that God has placed us in, called life, it is not necessary to cross the finish line first to receive the prize. The prize is Jesus Christ, and all that is necessary for us to win this race and receive our prize is that we not quit, and we stay in faith!

My thanks go out to Manna Ko today for posting the above video on her Facebook page.

It is an excellent illustration of what the above verses of scripture are talking about.

How God has placed each of us in a race; and as the Apostle Paul said, for us to run this race we must discipline our bodies, and build our strength and endurance, that we may persevere and win the prize.

This prize however is the same prize that Jesus spoke of in the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, spoken here as wages; where this landowner goes out in the early morning hours to hire laborers for his field, and they agree to work for a denarius a day.

He then goes out about 9 am and when he sees others standing idle, he says to them, “Go into my vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.”

Once again at noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

Then at five o’clock that afternoon he went into town once again and saw some more people standing around; and so he asked them, “Why haven’t you been working today?”

They replied, “Because no one hired us.”

The landowner told them, “Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.”

Then on that evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first.

When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage.

When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more; but they, too, were paid a day’s wage.

When they received their pay, they protested to the owner saying, “Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.”

The owner of the vineyard answered one of them, “Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage of one denarius? Take your money and go.”

“If I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you, is it against the law? Can I not do what I want with my money?
Should you be jealous because I am kind to these others?”

You will note that it was only the laborers who were hired first who went into the field to work only after agreeing on a wage of one denarius a day; the rest went in faith, because the master said “He would give them what was right.”

And as the Bible also says, “Those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

We can learn from these stories that God’s ways of doing things and thinking are very different from the world; and if we are going to be His disciples the Bible clearly says that we have to learn His ways, and even it says we are to put on the mind of Christ.

How that happens is that we make choices when confronted with trails and challenges in our life; and we do this after our having meditated upon God’s Word, where we acquaint ourselves with His ways of doing and thinking, as the Holy Spirit rewrites our internal software, our source code for our lives; and replaces the sin ridden, virus infected, software of the world.

This experience cannot be had or learned vicariously, but it must be experienced and lived out in our life, as we persevere through the fiery trials of our life.

In the same way you cannot learn to swim by watching a movie or reading a book; you have to jump in the water!

Life is like that, and the challenges for the child of God, we will soon find out, are all prearranged and really they are a setup; and this is true whether it is good things or bad things that have happened to us.

We can learn this lesson from the story of Job, in the Bible, where Satan comes before God, from wandering to and fro in the earth; and God says to ole ‘slue foot,’ “Have you considered my servant Job?”

To which Satan answers, “You have built a hedge around his life, and I can’t get to him; you remove the hedge, let me at him, and then see how faithful he is!”

So we can learn from this that even though Job lost everything, it was Satan who is the destroyer who attacked Him, but God allowed it, for a reason; and so it is with us.

The reason is to train us and build us up, in preparation for the destiny God has prepared for us, in His service; and to mold us also into the image of Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Bible even says of Jesus (in Hebrews 5:8) that He learned obedience through the things He suffered… and so should we expect any different in our life?

There is a saying that is often used in gyms that says, “No pain, no gain;” and that is true in our spiritual walk as well.

We must understand that whatever challenges we face in life, and as much as we cry and holler for God to save us and rescue us; what God wants to see first, and mind you He watches us closely in order to monitor our reaction, is what is our attitude while in the fire? Who or what are we looking to as our Source and what truly makes up our foundation? Is it made of silver and gold, or wood, hay, and stubble?

Have we constructed our house on solid rock, or on shifting sands?

The outcome will determine the material that was used, and whether we persevere through the fiery trails, or are washed out by them… it all will depend on whether we followed the instructions of our Lord and obeyed Him, or not?

And here is the point, as illustrated in the above video; when we fall, and rest assured we ALL stumble and fall in this race; we don’t stay and cry there in that fallen place, we get back up as this runner did, and we get back into the race, because the goal is to cross the finish line; and as we will note in the video, it was his dad who came and helped him to cross; and so will our Heavenly Father do for us!

Just remember that life for God’s children is a setup, from start to finish, and as long as we remain in the race, in faith, and don’t quit, we are all assured of winning our prize! Selah

Shalom,

Skip Barland

“Our Father in Heaven already knows what things we have need of”

And Jesus says: In Matthew 6:25-34 Do Not Worry 25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]? 28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The illustration of prayer that our Lord used here is one of a good child who is asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him (seeMatthew 5:45 ). Never say that it is not God’s will to give you what you ask. Don’t faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your fellow students? Are you a “good child” in those relationships? Do you have to say to the Lord, “I have been irritable and cross, but I still want spiritual blessings?” You cannot receive and will have to do without them until you have the attitude of a “good child.” We mistake defiance for devotion, arguing with God instead of surrendering. We refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God’s child among my relatives and friends? (see Matthew 7:12 ). I am a child of God only by being born again, and as His child I am good only as I “walk in the light” ( 1 John 1:7 ). For most of us, prayer simply becomes some trivial religious expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong— a friendship, an unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then Jesus says, regarding His children, “Everyone who asks receives . . .” ( Matthew 7:8 ). http://utmost.org/

So the question is, are we facing problems today and are wondering why the heavens have turned to brass concerning our prayers?

Are we wondering why our prayers seemingly have gone unheard and unanswered by God?

Could it be, as is pointed out in the above devotion, that there are certain areas of our life that we have stubbornly refused to deal with?

One thing that becomes plain for all to see, as we study the examples of scripture, which by the way we are told in 1 Corinthians 10 have been written for our example and for our edification, is that God will often test us to see if we will obey him or not; and He often does this while we are under pressure.

He certainly did this with the children of Israel, when He allowed them to suffer lack in the desert; and likewise God will not graduate us to the next level either until we learn our lesson where we are, and are obeying… or like the children of Israel, we also will go in circles, repeating past problems and trials, until we learn to submit and obey where we are.

This one is a biggy, are we harboring unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts, and are justifying those feelings and hanging on to them because of something we have suffered from our past?

If we are, then we are ignoring the scriptures that tell us to NOT allow the sun to go down on our anger, least we give a foothold to the enemy in our life!

For those who are married, examine yourself to see whether you are honoring your covenant relationships, as you once vowed to do with your husband or wife, whichever the case may be, which you vowed before God to do until death do you part?

Ask yourself whether you are doing what the scripture says to do, when it says to submit first to God and then to each other in the marriage relationship?

If you are wanting God to keep His covenant relationship with you, to forgive you and extend grace to you for your mistakes and trespasses, should not you also do likewise and extend the same to your covenant partner?

We don’t want to be like the rich servant who owed his master a lot of money, and when he was released from his debt and forgiven, this ungrateful servant then turns to one who owed him a much smaller amount, and refused to do the same.

Truly as the Bible teaches in more than one place, that we cannot be forgiven of our trespasses and sins, unless we first learn to release and forgive others of their trespasses and sins against us.

These are all things that must be considered, because before we can call ourselves disciples of Christ, and before we can even say that we love God, we must first (as Jesus himself said) show that we do by the way we honor and obey His Word… trusting and obeying Him with ALL our heart, and not leaning upon our own understanding.

Christianity is a process or pilgrimage, if you will, that takes us through many different experiences and challenges; and the purpose for this is so that we may be molded into the image of God’s Son; that we may learn to discern and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit; and put on the mind of Christ… meaning that we begin to do and act in our situations as we learn to do in God’s Word the Bible, in all the many examples that are given there; and that we should in all things learn to walk and do as Jesus did in His earthly ministry.

That is the goal from God’s perspective, and it had better be our goal as well! Selah

Shalom,

Skip Barland

When all else fails and we are at the end of our rope, this is where God begins!

David Wilkerson Today MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 2010 A PERFECT HEART IS TRUSTING The Psalmist wrote, “Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded” (Psalm 22:4-5). The Hebrew root word for trust suggests “to fling oneself off a precipice.” That means being like a child who has climbed up into the rafters and cannot get down. He hears his father say, “Jump!” and he obeys, throwing himself into his father’s arms. Are you in such a place right now? Are you on the edge, teetering, and have no other option but to fling yourself into the arms of Jesus? You have simply resigned yourself to your situation, but that is not trust; it is nothing more than fatalism. Trust is something vastly different from passive resignation. It is active belief! As we hunger for Jesus more intensely, we will find that our trust in him is well founded. At some point in our lives we may have thought that we could not really trust him—that he did not really have control over the big picture and that we had to stay in charge. But growing closer to him and getting to know him better changes that. It means that we do not just come to him for help when we are at the end of our rope; instead, we begin to walk with him so closely that we hear him warning of the trials ahead. The trusting heart always says, “All my steps are ordered by the Lord. He is my loving Father, and he permits my sufferings, temptations and trials—but never more than I can bear, for he always makes a way of escape. He has an eternal plan and purpose for me. He has numbered every hair on my head, and he formed all my parts when I was in my mother’s womb. He knows when I sit, stand or lie down because I am the apple of his eye. He is Lord—not just over me, but over every event and situation that touches me.” A perfect heart is also a broken heart! The Psalmist David said, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite [crushed] spirit” (Psalm 34:18). Brokenness means more than sorrow and weeping, more than a crushed spirit, more than humility. True brokenness releases in the heart the greatest power God can entrust to mankind—greater than power to raise the dead or heal sickness and disease. When we are truly broken before God, we are given a power that restores ruins, a power that brings a special kind of glory and honor to our Lord. You see, brokenness has to do with walls—broken down, crumbling walls. David associated the crumbling walls of Jerusalem with the brokenheartedness of God’s people. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart…. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness” (Psalm 51:17–19). Nehemiah was a brokenhearted man, and his example has to do with those broken walls of Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2:12–15). In the dark of the night, Nehemiah “viewed the wall.” The Hebrew word shabar is used here. It is the same word used in Psalm 51:17 for “broken heart.” In the fullest Hebrew meaning, Nehemiah’s heart was breaking in two ways. It broke first with anguish for the ruin, and second with a hope for rebuilding (bursting with hope). This is truly a broken heart: one that first sees the church and families in ruin and feels the Lord’s anguish. Such a heart grieves over the reproach cast on the Lord’s name. It also looks deep inside and sees, as David did, its own shame and failure. But there is a second important element to this brokenness, and that is hope. The truly broken heart has heard from God: “I will heal, restore and build. Get rid of the rubbish, and get to work rebuilding the breaches!” http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/9632

Kathryn Kuhlman always used to say “God is not looking for golden vessels, and nor is He looking for silver vessels, only yielded vessels!“

Well how are we doing on that score, when it comes to our TRUSTING God?

This is very important, because whether or not God can use us, as He would like, depends on our level of maturity in Him, our intimacy with the Holy Spirit, and our willingness to obey Him; also it depends on our heart relationship with Him (whether we truly love Him, have Him first place in our life, and are truly called according to His purpose).

Even Jesus makes reference to the importance or our trusting Him, and whether or not we have ulterior motives:

John 2:23-25

The Discerner of Hearts

²³ Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.²⁴ But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew human nature. ²⁵ No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like.

Question: Can Jesus trust us?

Can He rely on us to obey His Word and not rely on our own understanding?

When we are under pressure how are we apt to react? Do we react according to our flesh, or according the counsel of God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Why do you suppose the military has boot camp and advanced training for SEAL unites and Special Forces?

It is to teach these men how to deal with pressure, and not to be compromised by external forces… to keep their eye on the ball!

This ability to trust and have faith in God in every situation, though it may come easy for children, it is generally a bit harder for most adults, especially if we have been hurt in the past and have been let down by people (such as parents, relatives, friends, and etc) who have used us; or maybe even have abused us (either emotionally or physically, or both).

In order for us to appreciate what God has for us, what His destiny and plans are for us, it helps if we first understand the nature of our relationship with Him, in that we have a Blood Covenant with Him.

This Blood Covenant is a marriage between Christ and His Church, that is not based on emotions or feelings, which vary up and down with each passing day (depending on our circumstances) but it is based on commitment, upon Agape (LOVE), and upon GRACE (unmerited favor), where each party to the covenant vows to dedicate the rest of their life, and give to their covenant partner all they have and the best they have, in order to benefit their Covenant Partner; and even if the other party fails to carry their weight, the other will carry them until they can.

This is what every marriage is to be like, and we each can thank God for this is exactly God’s commitment to us, in that truly (and this is true of all of us), in that we each blow our end of our covenant with Him every day; nevertheless, Jesus is faithful to carry us (as His covenant partners) every single day, or else we all would be up the creek without a paddle!

This Blood Covenant is a life long contract, that lasts until death do you part, and it is so sacred that under many cultures, even today, and this was certainly true in ancient Israel, that to break this Blood Covenant was a capitol offense.

The model and often the training ground in learning to trust, to love, and to extend grace and forgiveness, is found in the marriage relationship, between a husband and wife, as this is a model of the same covenant relationship which we have with God.

However, for those who have been abused in the past, God understands that it takes some time to get them to trust again; and the way God does this, is first by letting us know that whatever has happened in our past, whether by family or friends, and however we have been hurt or let down, God is NOT like that!

Secondly, God will enter into our circumstances, our trials and tribulations, if we let Him (and this includes situations and problems within family and marriage relationships as well), in order to teach us how to not be anxious (regardless of what we face); to petition God, and to trust Him, according to His Word, and to pray and supplicate before Him, even while in the midst of the fire and adverse circumstances, and to cast the whole of our lives upon Him, die to ourselves, and our understanding, and believe only what God says and has promised… this is what faith is.  And the Bible says that unless we have this kind of faith we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6).

So again, I ask the question, look at yourself in the mirror (which is a metaphor for the Bible) and ask yourself how are you doing?

God will allow challenges in our life, where you live, and also (for those who are married) even in your marriage, in order that we might learn that in spite of what comes against us in the natural, God is faithful to His Word; and that if we would but TRUST Him, and have FAITH in Him, that we can truly cast the whole of our lives and ALL our circumstances upon Him, and jump into His arms, all the while knowing that He will never let us down!

How do we get there? We need to start today, with today’s problems, and begin to apply these principles to how we deal with our every day problems; and above all, we need to do this regardless of our circumstances or what we may feel or think, in the natural.

The point is, we don’t give up on Him (Jesus), and even when we stumble and fall (as will happen often), we have but to repent, confess to God our mistake, as the Blood of Jesus covers ALL our sins (past, present, and future), and then we just get back up and put ourselves back in the race. Because you see, to win this race (called life) you needed cross the finish line first, to win this race all you need to do is just don’t quit, and remain in faith!

Let’s now take a look at this subject of trust, as it relates to God’s Word and our confession.

What does the Bible have to say about the POWER of words and the confession of our tongue?

• Matthew 15:18, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.”
  
• Matthew 12:36, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.”
  
• Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear”
  
• Colossians 3:8, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”
  
• Proverbs 16:24, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
  
• Proverbs 13:3, “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”
  
• Proverbs 21:23, “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”
  
• James 1:26, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
  
• Proverbs 10:19, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”
  
• Matthew 12:37, “For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.”
  
• Proverbs 17:9, “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”
  
• Proverbs 15:4, “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
  
• Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
  
• Matthew 12:34, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
  
• John 8:31, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”
  
• John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
  
• Proverbs 17:27, “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”
  
• Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
  
• Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
  
• Romans 10:8, “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim).”
  
• John 8:31-32, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”
  
• John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
  
• Matthew 5:1-48, “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth…”
  
• Proverbs 29:20, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
  
• Proverbs 17:28, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”
  
• Proverbs 15:2, “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.”
  
• Proverbs 14:1, “The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands (and with her mouth) tears it down.”
  
• Proverbs 16:23-24, “The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
  
• Psalm 118:17, “I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.”
  
• Romans 4:1-25, “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…”
  

• Proverbs 18:20-21, “A man is filled with what comes from his mouth and is nourished by what his lips provide. The tongue has power over life and death, those who like speaking will eat its fruit”
  

• Romans 10:10 says, “By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness; by confessing the faith with your lips you are saved” – After you have believed in your heart, it is necessary to engage your mouth to confess your salvation or else you will forfeit it. The leper in Mark 1:40-45 only needed the Lord to make one pronunciation. All Jesus needed to say was “You will, be clean,” and if he had refrained from saying it, the man would have died a leper.
  

  In Mathew 8:5-13 the centurion wanted Jesus to say just a word for his servant to receive his healing.
  

Listen up folks, if God used His words to create the world and all the planets, the vast expanse of space, and all that is in it; and if we are created in His image and after His likeness, then our words also create the world that we live in… so use them wisely!!! Selah

Shalom,

Skip Barland

Greater are them who are with us, than whatever or whoever opposes us…

“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways”

(Psalm 91:11)

Eileen Fisher: I Want to Place Upon You Divine Appointments The following corporate prophetic word was given by Eileen Fisher on August 3, 2010 during her weekly Prophetic School of the Holy Spirit meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado: I heard the Lord say, “I am looking for empty vessels—that feel empty of themselves. They even feel empty of dreams, hopes, plans and purposes. For I have shaken that which could be shaken even unto the foundation of the earth—I have shaken out dreams of the soulish realm, I have shaken out dreams and visions that came man to man, and I was making room—room for a wineskin that could be poured out and poured into. “For I have seen hearts that have been broken over and over and over, and left bleeding with no understanding with why. And yet I have counted the tears, I have shared in the size and I have felt the hearts that have felt that they have been shattered to where the pieces have been tossed to the North, South, East and West—impossible to come together again—except by My Spirit. “For in My Word I have spoken that all things are possible with Me—so tonight I would come and I would rest My hand upon each head, and My other hand I would place upon your heart, and I would command the wind of change to come, to blow in every piece from the North, South, East and West. For have I not said in My Word I have come to heal the brokenhearted, to set the captives free, to proclaim liberty? “I Am Pulling You Out of Chasms of Fear Where You have Hidden Away in Unbelief and Doubt” “I am pulling you out of chasms of fear where you have hidden away in unbelief and doubt, fearful that I would come and judge you, that I would place disappointment and shame upon you, that I would exchange your broken heart and leave you with a broken spirit. No, I have come to take your spirits and set them free; I have come to heal your hearts, that they could not only give love but receive love. Have you not remembered in My Word that God is love? Let My love flow, receive it into your hearts, receive it just as you received salvation in faith; believe it, reach out for it, go beyond your understanding and come into the Spirit and let My Spirit exchange disappointment tonight. “For I want to take off of you disappointment and I want to place upon you divine appointments. For I want to rearrange your schedules, I want to rearrange your plans, your vision, your purposes—I want to even recall your callings and call you in a new name. I want to place you at a higher level; I would not allow you to suffer in the soulish realm when I have grace and the anointing to cause you to rise up into the spiritual realm. For My grace I would place upon your feet, for you will not lose ground but you will claim ground, ground that has been robbed and stolen. “I Have Boxed You In with Goodness, Mercy, Kindness, Gentleness and Compassion” “You will see My Spirit come as one who tills the very ground, tills it with the moisture from your tears, as He goes behind you taking the soil and molding the future to place in front of you. For I am the Alpha and the Omega. And just as David said, ‘Where can I run from Your presence?’ I would declare over My own, ‘Nowhere.’ For I have boxed you in with goodness, and mercy, and kindness, and gentleness and compassion, and every wall that you run into will be the wall of grace that I have placed there, for you are about to see grace poured over you—grace poured into your families, grace released back into your nation, and you will stand in awe and you will say, ‘Truly is He not only a God of grace but a God of power.’ “For I am calling aside My own to be renewed, to be refreshed. To those who are battle-fatigued, I would say come off the battlefield and lay on the bridal gown. And when I say, ‘Lay on the bridal gown,’ I mean speak to your position in Me; pick up the armor, but put on the gown of righteousness, for when you come into that gown of righteousness, you come into who you were called to be—right-standing, right authority, right-mindedness, rightly called, and rightly positioned. I would say to you, My people, ‘Claim holy ground.’ For tonight I speak to each one of you and I say your body is the temple of My Holy Spirit, your body is My holy ground, and now I would have you stand, claim and worship on holy ground.” Eileen Fisher Eileen Fisher Ministries Email: Eileen@eileenfisher.org

In the heat of battle often the forces that oppose us seem overwhelming. What comes to mind is the account in 2 Kings, where Elisha was faced with overwhelming problems, in that an entire army had come to capture him.

2 Kings 6:8-23

The Blinded Syrians Captured

⁸ When the king of Syria
was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.”

⁹ But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near that place, for the Syrians are planning to mobilize their troops there.” ¹⁰ So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there.

¹¹ The king of Syria
became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”

¹² “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”

¹³ “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”   And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.”

¹⁴
So one night the king of Syria sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

¹⁶ “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”

¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

¹⁸ As the Syrian army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.

¹⁹ Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria.

²⁰ As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.

²¹ When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?”

²² “Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.”

²³ So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Syrian raiders stayed away from the land of Israel.

Since we have the better covenant, with Christ; and since we have the Holy Spirit living inside us; since our sins are forgiven and washed clean (white as snow) through the sacrifice and shed blood of Jesus; and also since Satan (the accuser of the brethren) has lost his leverage over us because of the work of Christ as our Passover Lamb; why should we also not have the same resources and benefits to aid us in our battles, and in our time of need, as happened under the Old Covenant.

In the above account we learn that Elisha supernaturally got the battle plans that were being discussed in the secret chambers of the enemy’s camp.

Question: could we not also use that same advantage and that level of knowledge and wisdom in our government today, and also in our personal battles that we all are fighting these days?

Of course we could, and why not… why shouldn’t we expect that and more, since as the Bible says, we do have the better covenant?

Why should we not also have the same protection of these angelic forces of God to back us up and guard our path, especially since the Word promises as much, and even tells us to expect it by faith?

How do we get to that place where we know that we know that God has our back, and that there truly are no trials nor temptations, nor obstacles in our path, placed there by the enemy, that is greater than the forces of God that back us up… but here’s the secret, we have to have faith; and we have to believe in God’s Word, more than we do our circumstances, our doubts, and our feelings… and therein is the rub!

The way we get to this place of faith is by having it tested and tempered while under fire; and by our also having to experience the heat of the fire.

Just as what happened with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the three Hebrew young men who were captured by King Nebuchadnezzar, and were being required to bow to his image.

Listen to their response, given in the Book of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, in the face of certain death, and learn what faith looks like under fire.

“King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up.

So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.”

“Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

“Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace.

But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”

“Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?

Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

You will note that God did not keep them from the fire; and also neither did they have any assurance prior to being thrown into the fire that God would rescue them.

Quite the contrary, they had already resigned themselves to the worse possible scenario, and had totally put their lives, by faith, into God’s hands; and whether He saved them or not, they had totally resigned themselves to never allow this command to worship this image to compromise their stand and to offend their God.

Jesus puts it this way, when He says: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24)

Let us learn to lay hold of every opportunity, in our current trials, to trust God; as we understand that there is no trial nor temptation that we face in life, but such is common to all men; but God is faithful, in that He will not suffer us to be tempted beyond our ability to withstand the pressure (as He knows our breaking point), but along with that test, His promise is to provide a way of escape.

My point is, if we fail to learn our lesson, if we fail to gain endurance and perseverance in our trials, and if we fail to exercise our faith in these lesser trials and tribulations, then how can we hope to face the more severe ones, that I believe are coming?

Jesus has warned us that a “Time of Sorrows” is coming upon the world, that would precede His return to earth; and that it would be the worse time that this world has ever seen in the past, nor will ever see in the future!

Look around you, folks, read your Bible, look to the news, and understand that we are living very close to those times that have been predicted by our Lord, that would precede this “Time of Sorrows;” as the signs that our Lord gave us that would mark His Second Coming are today happening all around us!

We cannot be of a divided mind, and neither can we serve two Gods.

We have a guy in the White House today, who though he calls himself a Christian, he also champions the cause of Islam and of Allah, which is a demon god; and is not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

We also have many people in our country who claim to be Christian, but who are also serving the god of Mammon, the name of another demon god; and are much more interested in maintaining their status quo, and their economic stability and comfort, than they are about being about our Father’s business; and whether they know it or not, they have made Mammon their god.

Even as Jesus warns us that: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Mammon).” (Matthew 6:24)

Our nation is in trouble, and I believe we have already been weighed in the balance (as happened to Belshazzar) and have been found wanting.

Our time is running short; and as I’ve pointed out before, with human nature being what it is, I totally believe that there will not be any national repentance, and nor will we have a massive turning back to God, unless there are some very serious, earth shaking calamities, on the order of Katrina and 9/11… and I believe that is what is coming.

It will not be to destroy us, however; and neither is God angry with us; but rather it is out of His love for us, that He will allow this attack of the enemy (who is Satan, aka – the Devil) on us in order to get our attention; and hopefully get all those who are currently sitting on the fence and are undecided, to decide for Christ… for as the Bible says, “God chastens them whom He loves!” Selah

Our part is to maintain our course; to put on our armor, and to be still and know God, and to know and experience the power of God, in the midst of every kind of problem and shaking that we go through.

God has already given us His Word that He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us; and that He will complete the work which He has begun in us, in route to our being molded and shaped, through our trials and tribulations, into the image of Jesus Christ!

The point being, until we are moving in sync with Him and are of the same mind as Him, we are not truly one with Him… and therein is the point for all of this… for us to be in sync with God; for us to have unending communion with Him; and for us to have the Mind of Christ!

The Bible tells us that even Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered (Heb 5:8); and can we expect any less!

Let us each, therefore, learn from the examples given us in Scripture, where we find that God often allows the enemy to present us with adversity, in various problems and situations, in order to raise up the men and women of God, and teach them how to do spiritual battle, and to overcome and contradict the powers that are coming against them. Selah

Shalom,

Skip Barland

Which one will it be?

The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . .” This literally means, “Blessed are the paupers.” Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character— things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, “Make a decision for Jesus Christ,” places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him— something very different. At the foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or excellence, then Jesus says to me, “Blessed are you, because it is through your poverty that you can enter My kingdom.” I cannot enter His kingdom by virtue of my goodness— I can only enter it as an absolute pauper. The true character of the loveliness that speaks for God is always unnoticed by the one possessing that quality. Conscious influence is prideful and unchristian. If I wonder if I am being of any use to God, I instantly lose the beauty and the freshness of the touch of the Lord. “He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” ( John 7:38 ). And if I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord. Who are the people who have influenced us most? Certainly not the ones who thought they did, but those who did not have even the slightest idea that they were influencing us. In the Christian life, godly influence is never conscious of itself. If we are conscious of our influence, it ceases to have the genuine loveliness which is characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring. http://utmost.org/

It would seem God’s value system is just the opposite from the worlds, as illustrated in the following verses, taken from Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount; and also in many other places we can find throughout the Bible.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

We can learn from these examples of Jesus that certainly God’s value system is much different from ours; in that the things we consider of little importance and consequence, God puts a lot of stock in.

I think all of this comes into better focus as we understand that the first symptom of this thing called “SIN“ which leads to separation from God is personal pride; and this is made evident by the first being who sinned against God.

The fall of Lucifer

Isaiah 14

¹² “ How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
¹³ For you have said in your heart:

‘ I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’

Our relationship with God starts with this phrase:

Not my will, but Thine be done!

Notice the difference between Satan’s “I will’s“ and the Lord’s own attitude in the garden of Gethsemane.

• Satan’s attitude was totally self-centered, prideful, and arrogant.
  
• The Lord’s attitude, even though He was facing a cruel death on the cross, was that of complete meekness and submission unto God.
  
• Three times Jesus prayed to His Father, saying, “NOT as I will, but as You will.”
  

It is equally important to notice what the Lord taught us about OUR attitude toward God’s sovereignty, when it comes to our understanding that in ALL matters concerning us, that He knows what’s best for us; and it is for us to trust Him, and to follow His instructions, and to follow the lead of Jesus, as we read in the Bible.

It is necessary that we learn that God is not a man that He should lie to us, He would never do that; and if we are to be pleasing to God, it is all important that we come to the place in our lives where we learn to trust Him with ALL our heart, and are not leaning on our own understanding.

This is where our relation with God begins, as was emphasized in the life of Jesus:

• In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us to tell our Father in heaven, “THY will be done.”
  
• If we pray with any other motive, other than absolute trust and faith in God, then we are falling into the same trap as Satan did, which is to make ourselves all important and self-centered, which means we are becoming puffed up with pride!
  

In life every day we are faced with decisions, and in each of these decisions there is a choice for us to make; do we react as Jesus would have us to react, in obedience to God, as we can learn from His example and from His instructions, as they are given to us in the Bible; or do we react in our old carnal nature, and follow and do as we always have, in doing what seems right in our eyes, with our understanding; which is most often motivated by totally self-serving and selfish reasons.

So the question is in each one of these TESTS, for that is exactly what they are, and as a covenant child of God we need to understand that God is watching us; and He is training us through all of life’s trials and tribulations that we are experiencing in the earth… and we can learn this lesson from what happened to Job.

Mind you however, that God is never the one who tempts us, or who causes bad things to happen in our life… and again we can learn this lesson as well, from the life of Job.

James explains it this way:

James 4

Submit Yourselves to God

¹What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ²You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?^[a]
6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”^[b]

It is how we face life’s problems, and the decisions we make while feeling the heat of the fire; these are the things that determine our spiritual growth and our maturity!

The road to salvation starts with REPENTANCE (which literally means to change the way we think); in other words it means that we no longer are following after the world’s way of doing things; and nor are we any longer submitting to those old habits of our flesh; but that we now, of our own free will and choosing, are allowing the Holy Spirit to direct and lead us through every situation that we face in life; and we do this day by day, step by step, 24/7… and when we mess up and blow it (as we will many times), then we repent, we learn from our mistake, and get right back into the race!

But if we insist upon doing things as we always have done them past, and are refusing to submit to the counsel of God, as found in His Operations Manual (the Holy Bible), then we can expect to be facing a repeat of the same frustrations and trials in the future, because God will not graduate us to the next level until we learn obedience and we are doing as we are instructed where we are today! Selah

Shalom,

Skip Barland

Being shaped, sharpened, and formed into the image of Christ, on God’s Anvil of Life!

It happens…

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’

Says the LORD of hosts.”

(Zech 4:6)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 THAT WHICH IS SPIRITUAL CANNOT BE DUPLICATED Here on the streets of New York City, you can buy a Rolex watch for fifteen dollars. As every New Yorker knows, these watches aren’t truly Rolexes. They are simply “knock-offs”—cheap copies of the original. There seems to be a duplicate for just about everything today. But there is one thing that cannot be duplicated and that is true spirituality. Nothing that is truly spiritual can be copied. The Lord recognizes the work of his own hands—and he won’t accept a man-made duplication of any of his divine workings. Why? Because it’s impossible for man to duplicate what is truly spiritual. That is the work of the Holy Spirit alone. He’s constantly at work doing something new in his people. And there is no possible way for us to reproduce that work. This is the big mistake of modern religion. We think if we merely impart knowledge of the Scriptures and biblical principles to people, they’ll become spiritual. But the fact remains—no person or institution has the power to produce spirituality in someone. Only the Holy Ghost does that. Very little of the work God’s Spirit does in us can be seen. This is why truly spiritual people rarely look for outward evidence of his work. Paul says, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (2 Corinthians 4:18). In the context of this passage, Paul is speaking of sufferings and afflictions. He saying, “No one knows all the things we face, except the Holy Spirit. And this is where true spirituality is manifested—in the crucible of suffering.” Those who submit to the leading of God’s Spirit—who face their afflictions confident that the Lord is producing something in them—emerge from their crucible with strong faith. And they testify that the Spirit taught them more during their suffering than when all was well in their lives. In all my years of walking with the Lord, I’ve rarely seen an increase in my spirituality during good times. Rather, any such increase usually took place as I endured hard places, agonies, testings—all of which the Holy Ghost allowed. At one point in his walk of faith, Paul said, “The Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me that bonds and afflictions await me” (see Acts 20:21–22). Indeed, throughout Paul’s entire life, his afflictions never let up. They just kept coming. “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17). According to Paul, our afflictions and difficulties produce eternal values in us. He’s saying, “The suffering we go through on this earth will probably last our whole lifetime. But that’s only momentary compared to eternity. And right now, as we endure afflictions, God is producing in us a revelation of his glory that will last forever.” http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/2010/08/that-which-is-spiritual-cannot-be.html

In these days and times, at least for many of us… and I believe this is becoming increasingly true for more people with each passing day… that life’s problems and challenges seem to be ramping up and on the increase. Can I hear an AMEN out there? 🙂

Did not God promise us in Hebrews 12 that in the last days that in route to our destiny and in preparation for eternity that we would of necessity have to experience and become an Unshakable Kingdom:

Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai—all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble—to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking message terrified them and they begged him to stop. When they heard the words—”If an animal touches the Mountain, it’s as good as dead”—they were afraid to move. Even Moses was terrified.

No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s—a homicide that cried out for vengeance—became a proclamation of grace.

So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time—he’s told us this quite plainly—he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered.

Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!

Hebrews 12:18-29 (The Message Bible)

So how does this happen? It happens when everything in your world gets shaken, right down to your foundation; when all your personal resources, your plans, your ambitions, your wants and desires seem to be on hold; and all that you formally looked to for security in the natural is now in disarray and is of no use to you anymore, or worse it isn’t even there.

Kind of like what happened to the children of Israel, in route to their promise land; where all of the sudden they found themselves challenged by a desert wilderness, where every day they were being trained to rely on God alone!

No longer was there an over abundance of life’s necessities, as they had before in Egypt; everything now, even the bare necessities of food and water were scarce and in short supply.

Now they had to live day by day, and trust God moment by moment for their very subsistence and survival; and their reaction was probably like yours and mine, until we learn (if we are wise enough to consult the Operations manual—The Holy Bible) that this is a test; it’s a set up by God to where we are being stretched and tried to see if we will obey God, or if we will follow our old habits and follow after our understanding and limited knowledge?

When under pressure, you can count on it, at least at first until we are trained and know better, we will most often react in our flesh at the first sign of trouble; and yes we will stumble and fall many times along the way (I do several times a day—more than I can count), and even this is necessary and is a part of our training, for we learn from our mistakes.

The test is, when you stumble, when you make mistakes, do you quit, or do you get back up and try again. In this case, practice makes permanent; but without the practice you are lacking in the experience that enables you to persevere and not quit.

It is here that we learn that God is there when all seems to be lost, and there is no visible sign, nor sight/sense evidence of His presence. It is here that we learn that God’s presence is assured and verified not by our feelings and circumstances, but ONLY by our faith and reliance upon His Word!

It is here also that we are taught to look to God alone and not to man as our source. For as we look to other people and to other things, as our resource, they will often prove to be unreliable and a vain hope at best; because people and things can fail you, but God is not a man that He should lie… and He NEVER fails!

However we can’t learn this by reading a book, not even by reading our Bible, though reading the Bible is necessary for it is there that we get our instructions, and learn what it is that we should expect and do.

But when it comes to our gaining perseverance and hope, these things come only by our having experienced the heat of the fire, and our having been put to the test.

Like what happened to the Children of Israel; where their wilderness experience, after having stumbled and made mistakes, and therefore having to go in circles for forty years, the result of the lack of faith and obedience of that first generation; when God was ready to give them another chance, and take them into the “Promised Land,” that was only the beginning; and if they thought it was hard in the wilderness, now they would be facing giants and fortified armies, and all of this would necessitate an even closer walk with God, and greater trust, reliance, and obedience!

Compare that with your experience, and ask yourself how are you doing?

What is it that you are looking to as your primary support system… is it God and His Word? Are you responding in faith and obedience to His Word, not leaning on your understanding, but doing what God instructs, even when you don’t agree, understand, or like it?

Unless you can answer in the affirmative to all the above questions, then just know that what happened to the Children of Israel, when they failed to obey, will also happen to us; and God does not mark on a curve, but only on a pass or fail bases!

So if we don’t learn our lesson on the first go-round, then we had better be prepared to go the test again, and go in circles just as the Children of Israel did until we learn; because God will not take us to the next level until we learn to be obedient and do as we are told where we are!

The next thing is, while we are on this journey, it is very important that we become intimately acquainted with our personal Guide, Comforter, Paraclete, and Friend… the Holy Spirit! This is very important because, as David is pointing out in the above devotional message, it is the Holy Spirit that both empowers and guides us while we are on this pilgrimage, and it is He who illuminates the way.

We are talking here about a person who is closer to each of us than our next breath, who lives inside of us; and is longing to have never-ending communion with us; but unless we take the time to be still, and to listen, and to learn to discern His voice, and His guidance, then we are without a light for our path.

It is the Holy Spirit who illuminates and gives us insight, understanding, and personal application into our lives, as we mediate upon God’s Word. The Holy Spirit is like the laser light to a film, that when the film is exposed to this laser light, the resulting image or photo is holographic, and three dimensional. It is the Holy Spirit who makes the Scriptures come alive; and when we do not know how to pray for a particular problem and need, it is the Holy Spirit who prays through us!

In short, the Holy Spirit is that part of the God Head who gives us the power, wisdom, and guidance we need to walk our path, and to live our life in a manner that is pleasing to God; it is also the Holy Spirit who is our chief instructor and guide along the way.

It is so sad that so many Christians have yet to learn this secret, that we can only successfully accomplished our assignment, and carry out the Great Commission to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in the earth, and to disciple all nations as we are empowered to do so through the Holy Spirit, and are in fact relying on him moment by moment, 24/7!

So with all of this in mind, let us each start out each day in sync with the one who is our Comforter, our Teacher and Guide; and let us allow Him to lead us, moment by moment throughout our day; for as the Bible promises in Proverbs 3, that if we acknowledge Him in ALL our ways, then He is directing our steps; but we have to do so by trusting with ALL our heart, and by NOT relying upon our own understanding!

This walk that God has placed us on is a faith walk, and the Bible says in Hebrews 11:6, that unless we walk by faith, then it is impossible for us to please God! Selah

Shalom,

Skip Barland

And Jesus said to his disciples:

A classic daily devotional Edited by A. J. Russell Empty Yourself Rely on Me alone. Ask no other help. Pay all out in the Spirit of trust that more will come to meet your supply. Empty your vessels quickly to ensure a Divine Supply. So much retained by you, so much the less will be gained from Me. It is a Law of Divine Supply. To hold back, to retain, implies a fear of the future, a want of trust in Me. When you ask Me to save you from the sea of poverty and difficulty you must trust wholly to Me.  If you do not, and your prayer and faith are genuine, then I must first answer your prayer for help as a rescuer does that of a drowning man who is struggling to save himself. He renders him still more helpless and powerless until he is wholly at the will and mercy of the rescuer.  So understand My leading.  Trust wholly. Trust completely. Empty your vessel.  I will fill it.  You ask both of you to understand Divine Supply. It is a most difficult lesson for My children to learn.  So dependent have they become on material supply they fail to understand.  You must live as I tell you. Depend on Me. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.  Psalm 4:8 www.twolisteners.org

Have we each counted the cost of following Christ, for if we have then we understand, from having read His Word, that the Christian life requires that we cease to be the masters of our own destiny, living as we choose; and that we relinquish completely unto the Master, our Creator God, ALL our perceived rights to our self; including all our will and ambitions, our ways and means of doing things; and that we pick up our cross (symbol of our death) and follow Jesus daily! And the way we do this is that we begin to reprogram ourselves by meditating on God’s ways and means at handling life, by mediating upon, and obeying His Word, as found in the Holy Bible.

In fact Jesus said that we cannot even begin to have a relationship with Him, and He and the Father will not make their abode with us, unless we begin here, by honoring and obeying His Word!

Anything less than that and we are practicing mere religion of man, which attempts to earn something the Bible clearly says comes only by grace, through faith; and that it is not of ourselves, but is a gift from God; and that is the salvation of our souls.

If you find yourself struggling in life, with certain problems and situations that always seems to arise; and if you seem always to be in the same predicament and pickle; then it just may be that the Lord is waiting on you to quit struggling, trying to save yourself, much as a lifeguard is trained to do.

You see lifeguards are trained not to just jump in and rescue a drowning person, unless he has a floatation device to throw to him, or her; and the reason is if he were to grab a drowning person, who is panicking and fighting the water, that drowning person would only pull the rescuer down with him.

So instead sometimes they have to wait until that drowning person is coming up for their last breathe; and have given up rescuing themselves, before he can save them.

Well I have found, and I believe the Scriptures support this, that God operates just like that.

Until we have let go and quit trying to save ourselves; until we have given up depending on our own understanding and our resources; often God will let us flounder and struggle, until we are finally willing to trust Him.

Really what I am describing to you here is the nature of what SIN is all about; and it is exactly that attitude that is found in each of us that has separated us from God to begin with, in that nature which we have inherited from our father Adam; a nature whose predisposition is to always assert our will above God’s; that goes crosswise against God’s original plan and purpose for our life.

Jesus died to provide a door of reconciliation and forgiveness; but that door requires that we each die to ourselves, meaning we cease living for ourselves, and we begin by FAITH to live for Jesus Christ! Selah

God has so much better things for us; but as long as we refuse to let go, and are hanging on to what we have; God cannot release His gifts, and He cannot begin to unfold our destiny in our lives.

God will not be a backseat driver in our life, and he will not operate inside of our little boxes either; and so if we insist on being in control, and of being the masters of our own destinies, doing everything our way, according to our understanding, then God will not stand in our way; He will appliage us, and He will let us continue down our own path… but understand this, the Bible says at the end of that path, there is nothing but eternal separation from God!

So this is God’s standing commandment for ALL of His covenant children, for all those who are pursuing fulfillment of their life, and are willing to first let go of their lives; and trust completely in God:

Proverbs 3:5-8

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

⁸ It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

So do you want to know what the secret is to an abundant life; and how you can enter into the Secret Place of the Most High?

Follow these instructions:

Psalm 91

¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² This I declare about the Lord:  He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

³ For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.

⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.
⁸ Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.

⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, ¹⁰ no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.

¹¹ For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.

¹² They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
¹³ You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.

¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.

¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

So there you have it, you now have your marching orders… so now go and do it!

Live long and prosper in Jesus Christ… and have a blessed life! 🙂

Shalom,

Skip Barland