Just Logic

There are few things as important as being motivated by wanting to do well. Life can, in its unending ascent toward the end of life, pass is by so quickly. Our capacity to feel, to know, and to simply grow, is not, though some would say otherwise, is not diminished with age, but rather it is sharpened. Early on in life one’s view of life consisted of his own surroundings and his own feelings. As we mature (Which is NOT the same as someone aging.) we slowly begin to recognize others, and their feelings, attitudes, and surroundings. This process creates within us the capacity to love others and put them above ourselves. The same is true with life and its relationships as it is with God. As we grow with God we begin to put Him first, we begin to feel as He feels, we become aware. Every time we have a great experience with God, and we know Him to be close to us, we get just a small glimpse of the infinite God. We look at these experiences and think, what more could there be? And yet what we must recognize is that we are never going to get to the point where there is an end to God. John Piper tells us that God is the only thing that can satisfy us. This is true. We will never be absolutely satisfied to the point until we have ALL of God. Then your question is, if all of God is the only thing that will satisfy me, how I will ever be satisfied. It would seem as though God is letting my appetite swell and my hunger to grow only to provide me with more hunger. Seems like a form of torture. What we do not recognize is this. God is Omnipresent. For Him to be Omnipresent He would have to be in His complete fullness in every single place at the same time. That is, His being Omnipresent doesn’t mean that He is so huge that He covers everything, it means that He is literally everywhere at the same time in His complete fullness. If I step to the right, All of God is there. If I step to the left All of God is there. Having explained that, I can explain the unsearchable God’s satisfying you, and yet keeping you hungry. Every experience with God, every time we are in His presence, we are experiencing all of God. But like a child, we are not aware, not able to wrap our minds around God. As we mature; however, we even as a child matures, becoming more aware of God. He gives us All of Him; it is up to us to grow, and to become aware of all of Him. How do we grow you might ask. This is simple. Even as the young child puts others first, when we begin to put God first and be obedient to Him, then we will grow. There is not enough Bible you can read, and not enough praying you can do that will replace being obedient to God. So, I encourage you to begin to listen for Hs voice and to be obedient to that voice so that you become aware of God even more.

An Authentic Christian Loves

[Mat 5:44 KJV] – But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

[Mar 12:30 KJV] – And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.

[Mar 12:31 KJV] – And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

[Mar 12:33 KJV] – And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love [his] neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

[Rom 12:9 NLT] – Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.

[Rom 12:10 NLT] – Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

[Rom 13:8 NLT] – Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God’s law.

[Rom 13:10 NLT] – Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.

[1Cr 13:1 NLT] – If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.

[1Cr 13:2 NLT] – If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody.

[1Cr 13:3 NLT] – If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.

[1Cr 13:4-8 NLT] – Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever…

[1Cr 13:13 NLT] – There are three things that will endure–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love.

[1Cr 14:1 NLT] – Let love be your highest goal….

[1Cr 16:14 NLT] – And everything you do must be done with love.

    If I was a betting man, I would bet that you didn’t read half of those verses. But, for this subject, which is very dear to a dear brother of mine, I thought that it was important that I give you a great deal of scripture. Love is broad, love will defy logic, and yet is logical. John tells us that God IS Love. We must love one another. We must love one another with a passion that goes beyond what they do or say. A brother pointed out to me that we do not treat each other in the Church as the family members that they are. Sister so and so, who always has that hat on that irks you, is your sister. She is your support and you support her, whether you know it or not. You cannot function properly without her. We are a body, and she just might be the liver, and you can’t live without your liver. You need her, and so does every other person who has come to know Christ. That is the perspective we should have. My brother also pointed out to me that when we gossip or backbite it is just as if someone had an autoimmune disease.

As I pointed out before, without love, we do not have the proper motive for doing things. Love must be the motivation for everything. If you have a gift of healing, your motive must be that you love them, and if you aren’t sure that it is, you are functioning out of your flesh rather than your Spirit. This is something the people, especially in the Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement, have had to deal with. There have been little revivals that have made no significant change to society or the Body, except to bring harm and scandal. Why did this happen? Because the people involved were not functioning out of love. They were functioning out of the acclaim that they wanted to bring to themselves.

However, the greatest manifestation of love is to value someone else’s life above your own.

[Jhn 15:13 KJV] – Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

    This doesn’t just mean that you should die. This means that you should lay your whole self down, that you might give yourself wholly to God, and to His purpose in this world, namely to win souls. We must lay down what we think people will think of us, and what we think of ourselves, in order to truly go out and make disciples. We do not have, in these last days, the luxury of thinking of ourselves. We do not truly love if we don’t think of others, and of God, above ourselves. I want you to realize that there is a world that is looking for hope, truth, purpose, and we have those. We have hope in Glory, we have THE TRUTH, and we have Purpose. The unique thing about the Christian walk is that it these qualities, hope, truth, and purpose, have the ability to be duplicated in the lives of others. Our Purpose, namely, God’s plan in this world, the salvation of others, is quite obviously “duplicatable.” The hope we have, is duplicated by that process. And the truth that we have is shared through God’s word, and Jesus coming into the hearts of believers. Question, is selfishness an example of love? Of course not. But, if we hold back the love, the peace, the joy that God gives us, are we not being selfish? If we, for our own fears, doubts, and insecurities, are not sharing this gift with others, is that not selfishness on such a massive scale that it is unbelievable? There is a whole world waiting for you to say one word. There are millions of people who, as you are reading this, living in despair. There are people who are in darkness, and their soul is crying out, “Where is the light! I have looked these highs that drugs can bring, I have looked to the temporary pleasures that sex can bring, and I have looked for love from friends and family. Where is the light? Will someone show me? You stand there, with a beacon of light, so bright it can fill the entire world and yet burn just as bright, but you cover it. You cover it in a façade of your fitting in. You cover it in your fear of rejection. You cover it in your dress, your actions, your demeanor, and your words. All it would take is just a glimmer of this light inside of you to break through their darkness. All it would take is for you to begin to live your life not minding those things which are temporal, but mindful of those things which are eternal. Yet you won’t. You won’t because you do not love them. You will not lay down your life. Can I give you some courage?

[Mat 10:39 KJV] – He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

[Mat 16:25 KJV] – For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

[Mar 8:35 KJV] – For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

[Luk 9:24 KJV] – For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

[Luk 17:33 KJV] – Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

[Jhn 12:25 KJV] – He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Will you gain your life?

    Alright, this is to all my Pentecostal cohorts. Baptists and others may read on, but it really is just about Pentecostal issues… Kind of like that bumper sticker you see on Jeeps, “It’s a Jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand.” So, I welcome those who are curious about the “Pentecostal Thing” to listen in.

    So, this is how I am going to do it. I am going to title each part of this blog with a statement that we Pentecostals use. Then I am going to say what I think about it. Read the whole thing, you can get through it.

    ”This is my anointing”

    This one is going to be short and sweet. I am glad you are so anointed. So you can heal, set free, and deliver? That is not your anointing, IT IS GOD’S! You aren’t owner of the anointing and gift that God has given you, you are a STEWARD! You can’t just take ownership of it, it isn’t yours. Who is getting the glory when you think and say that! Let me tell you, it isn’t God! And don’t play around with the anointing. Don’t just be obedient and use the gifts and anointing that God has given you when it is convenient or when people are watching. Get over yourself, and be obedient to God. And don’t just expect people to be in awe of your awesome anointing. I hear people who have been used in the gift of prophecy say that’s my anointing, and I just think, “Yeah, and God used a jack-ass to get His message through to the prophet in the Old Testament; glad you are SO anointed.” IT IS NOT, and I repeat, NOT your anointing. Also, you don’t get any fringe benefits with being anointed. You just get the option of yielding or not. Don’t expect a great ministry taking in millions of dollars from your great anoint. NO ONE OWES YOU ANYTHING! If anyone owes anyone, you owe God for choosing to use you.

    ”Pray for so and so, she just started living with this other man, and I heard that she was selling herself on the street, and that she was taking drugs, and….”

    How dare you! HOW DARE YOU! Let me get a definition for you. Gossip: Talking about someone, good or bad, without their knowing it. You got it, ABOMINATION, which those who gossip and spread dissentions among the brethren are, according to Proverbs 6:16-19. I trust that I do not need to explain the damage gossip can do.

    ”Give a dollar, get ten dollars.”

    I have, in many blogs, explained my position on this. I will not do so again. If you are foolish enough want a blessing from your obedience that is temporal and won’t last long, be my guest. But when my treasure is in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal; and yours is being consumed on this earth, don’t come running to me.

    ”The world won’t really understand the Spirit.”

    I really don’t know about this one, hmmm, let’s ask Paul, Peter, John, James, and, well, Jesus. Yeah, I think that the world got it, and was even converted from it. We cannot continue to sacrifice the Holy Spirit’s moving for perceived public opinion. If we truly stood on what we believed and practiced it, there would not be as much flak for our beliefs. But if you don’t truly believe something, how are you going to get others to believe what you do? We have come to the point where that we are more worried about what the world thinks, instead of being worried about the millions – no billions – of souls that are waiting for a savior. Prophets, get out of the Church and get into all the world. Those with the gift of healing, GET OUT OF THOSE DOORS! Those with a word of Knowledge, Go; don’t just rot in a pew. These gifts are not for us, they are for the world. Yes, that is what I said, these gifts aren’t for believers, The gifts of the Holy Spirit are for those who don’t believe.

But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

We do not have the privilege of deciding where we want to exercise the gifts that God has given us. These gifts have ONE purpose, that we might have the power to be a witness. Get out of those pews, there is a world crying out.

    ”I need a word. I want a word from the Lord. I want a prophet to call me out.”

    Lazy. What you are essentially saying is you want someone else to seek God for you. That is it right, I mean, if you would seek God He would speak to you, so why do you need a prophet to? I challenge you to seek God. I understand there are times when the heavens are brass, and you just can’t hear from God. I have been there, and I have received a word in those times. But, I am talking about those times when there is a window open in heaven, and all you must do is call. Sure, it may take some time in the Presence of God to get your flesh out of the way long enough for you to hear His voice, you may even have to push the plate away for a day or two, but isn’t it worth it? For us to hear that still small voice say, “peace.” What a privilege. What an honor that the King of the Universe would speak to me. Just set aside some time and get into His Presence and ask Him to speak into your life. Just listen, and in the calm and the quiet, you can hear Him speak.

I realize that I have been harsh, but Paul said, “Shall I come to you with a rod of correction, or with love and in a spirit of gentleness?” I just want you to understand my heart towards this movement. I have been in a dry church and I have been in a church where the river flows. We must begin to realize our purpose. We must allow ourselves to become insignificant compared to the Purpose of God. We must do this, or we will miss the chance to save billions. You are the key to the salvation of this world.

An Authentic Christian Obeys God
[Acts 5:29 KJV] – Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.

[Exodus 19:5 KJV] – Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine:
[Deut 11:27-28 KJV] – A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
[Deut 13:4 KJV] – Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

We all are familiar with this precept, but do we really understand what it means to “Obey God”? We would all say that it is sin, whether it is with our mouths, with our minds, or with our actions, when we disobey God. But, I put this to you. Are you disobeying God if your motive for doing it is wrong?
[Psa 40:8 KJV] – I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.
[Psa 119:70 KJV] – Their heart is as fat as grease; [but] I delight in thy law.
[Psa 119:77 KJV] – Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law [is] my delight.
[Psa 119:92 KJV] – Unless thy law [had been] my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.
[Psa 119:97 KJV] – MEM. O how love I thy law! it [is] my meditation all the day.
[Psa 119:113 KJV] – SAMECH. I hate [vain] thoughts: but thy law do I love.
I believe that if we do not truly love the Law of God, and make obedience the reason for obedience, then we are sinning. The Psalmist delighted in the Law of God, and simply loved to do the will of God. He could not live without the law of God. Now, I want you to understand this, so I am going to throw some more scripture at you, to get this.
[2Cr 3:6 NLT] – He is the one who has enabled us to represent his new covenant. This is a covenant, not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life.
[Romans 10:5 KJV] – For Moses described the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
This is important for you to grasp. You cannot be an effective Christian unless you are obedient. Do NOT take this verse out of context and say that you don’t have to obey the verses that talk about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and orderly services. That is not what this verse is saying. I believe that it is talking about the heart, and the motivation behind what we do. If I pray more because I want to prophesy, what is my motive? My motive, if I am not called to it, is my own flesh. What is our motive for obedience? That is the question. For many it is because they are afraid of God’s displeasure, that they will miss out on something that God has for them, or that they don’t want to miss out on a blessing. Our motive for obedience should be that we simply love God. Our motive should be that we want to seek God. Our motive should be that we hate evil. Our motive should be love. Paul, when discussing the difference between the Spirit and the Law, seems to indicate to me that there is not so much a difference in our actions, but rather in our motive. For example, I wouldn’t steal because the Bible tells me not to; however, the Spirit which lives inside me has changed my carnality, and I won’t do it. When we do something just because we have to, it becomes cumbersome, and we don’t enjoy it. It brings death. However, when we do something because we love to do it, then it brings life. This is the way it is with obedience. We must count it all joy to obey God, even when it isn’t popular.

    This blog, originally was one. I decided that it is important that you actually read it, and because of its length, I have decided to break it up in parts. This is part one.

    I was watching a documentary on Thomas Trask, the former General Superintendant of the Assemblies of God. In this video, Thomas Trask makes this statement, “There is a world outside our church doors, that are waiting to see an authentic experience.” That struck a chord in my spirit.

    Are we authentic? Are you authentically Christian, or do you just claim to be? The question that we are always behooved to ask is simply, “Do you know Him”? I see many Christians, myself, at times, included who do not meet up with the definition of an authentic Christian. I want to address a few of these.

An Authentic Christian Seeks God

[1Ch 16:10 KJV] – Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

[1Ch 16:11 KJV] – Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

[1Ch 22:19 KJV] – Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.

    Do you seek God? Most would probably say that they do, but do we really? If you can’t find your keys, what do you do? You look and look, because it is a necessity, something that is such a basic need that you cannot go without it for more than a day. Your keys allow you to get food, to go to work, and to go places. When we are seeking God, He becomes a basic need. He becomes the only thing that matters. He becomes our source of life, our only goal, not just a goal or even a main goal. When we seek God we seek simply to be what He wants us to be and nothing else, because nothing else matters. When we seek God, He becomes the object of our affection, the only thing that we can see. Imagine with me, if you will, a road. This road is lit, but only on the road. On either side of the road is darkness full of dangerous creatures. The road, although straight, has hills and valleys. In the distance, you can see a sign, a mile marker if you will. You know the destination, but it is far away. If you walk into the darkness, you may never find your way back and there is the danger that you will become trapped by these creatures and will have to fight them off and find your way back to the road. If you look away from the path into the darkness, even for a moment, you risk becoming ensnared by the wiles of the creatures. But if you keep your eyes on the road, you will reach your destination. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit. And this is what it means to seek God.

    It has been one of those weeks where that you don’t see any purpose except to make you stronger. One of those weeks where the only thing standing in the way of you and backsliding is the fact that you are just plain dependent upon God, and it is a shame to waste all the time you put into the relationship. I am not in the mood to address the religious people who have never had a breakdown; but that might just be because they have not done anything useful for the kingdom of God anyway, and the devil and his minions don’t feel the need to waste their time on you. That is the nicest way I can put it. But for those Christians who have had a meltdown, I am here to give you hope.

    Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me. Revelation 3:20

    No, that is not from the Gospels. It is from Revelation. Here Jesus is addressing the Laodicean Church. This verse, I believe, from its context is not just addressing the unbeliever, but also, and more directly, the Church. This is the Lukewarm Church. Jesus, I believe was telling them that He was waiting on them. They asked Him to do something in their lives, but they didn’t let Him in to do it. Have you ever asked for God to do something in your life? Well, I have, and unfortunately there have been times when God didn’t answer. You know what, I think that most, if not all, of those times that He “didn’t answer” were from the fact that I didn’t give Him the opportunity to move. Don’t wait for God to do something, just let Him do it. Leave it there, don’t try to carry that weight, just leave it there, and He will take care of it. You have to give it to God in order for Him to carry it. Today I was in church, and I halfway hoped that someone would call me out and give me one of those, “hold the fort” words. I felt as if God was distant, that He didn’t care. Can I be honest with you? The only reason I kept on going is because there really wasn’t a viable alternative. I thought, I need a move of God. I asked God to move. Then I realized how stupid I was being. I wanted God to be close, to be near, to be present, and yet I hadn’t set aside the time to pray, to just get in His presence. So, here is some advice when you feel as though you are in the worst desert you have ever been. Take an hour, if your church allows people to come and pray, go there, or just send the kids to a neighbor, shut off the phone, kick your spouse out, and spend that time with God. He is knocking, He desires a relationship, He is waiting on you to let Him in and He will fellowship with you. For those religious people who have to pray like “OH GREAT AND MIGHTY ETERNAL LORD OF THE UNIVERSE, HAVE MERCY ON ME FOR COMING INTO YOUR PRESENCE, AN UNWORTHY SINNER!” You know what, He is the great God, the ruler of the universe, the Eternal King, but He is your father. For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! You are His son. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ

    Here is what I am trying to say, Jesus died to set you free from sin, and to allow you to have a relationship with every member of the Godhead (Blog on the Triunity coming soon.). He is your Friend, He is your King, He is your Father. Just talk to God. There are times when I have to approach God with the proper procedures, but in those times when I just need God. I will simply tell Him “Hey God, I need some help here.” So, talk to God. And don’t spend all your time talking, I used to wonder why I didn’t hear God’s voice, but I realized that I talk WAY too much, and He can’t get a word in edgewise. So spend some time listening.

    But, I was writing about a move of God. This is my advice as succinctly put as is possible. Don’t wait for a move of God, have a move of God. If you need God to be there, then just have a move of God. If you are in the middle of Wal-Mart and you don’t have the money in your checking account to pay for those groceries you bought. Go out to your car and have a Holy Ghost fit if you have to, just so you can get the weight of this off you. Or, in those times when you feel alone, lost in this wilderness of life, and you need someone to talk to. Just talk to God. Sometimes we feel as if God is so far from our situations, and we don’t think that He can even know, much less care. I want you to remember, he is Jehovah Shammah (The Lord is There). He is there when your car won’t start. He is there when you feel alone. He is there when you just lost a friend. He is there when you are diagnosed with cancer. He is there when you can’t find anybody else. He IS THERE! He is right where you are, and He is knocking; He is waiting for you to open your heart and let Him put His love there. He wants to be the Balm of Gilead. He wants to heal the scars this world has inflicted upon you. Just let Him in.

    That is my advice.

    Catchy title ‘eh?; well, it doesn’t do what I am going to talk about justice. I want to talk a little about grace, a little about mercy, a little about providence, a little about judgment, and finally a LOT about God. May I tell you my passion, it is for every man, woman, and child to KNOW God. Many hear of God, and know about God, but they don’t KNOW Him. If we are to truly walk in the Spirit, we must be so intimately connected to God that we can anticipate what He would do. This state of knowing goes beyond WWJD (Although I love the idea.). But that is simply an aside, a soliloquy. I am getting to the meat.

Numbers 9

THE LORD said to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, Let the Israelites keep the Passover at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month in the evening, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and ordinances you shall keep it. So Moses told the Israelites they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month in the evening in the Wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the Israelites did. And there were certain men who were defiled by touching the dead body of a man, so they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to [Moses], We are defiled by touching the dead body. Why are we prevented from offering the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites? And Moses said to them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of touching a dead body or is far off on a journey, still he shall keep the Passover to the Lord. On the fourteenth day of the second month in the evening they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it until the morning nor break any bone of it; according to all the statutes for the Passover they shall keep it. But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, yet does not keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from among his people because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear [the penalty of] his sin. And if a stranger sojourns among you and will keep the Passover to the Lord, according to [its] statutes and its ordinances, so shall he do; you shall have one statute both for the temporary resident and for him who was born in the land.

    I want to take a few verses and apply them. Let the Israelites keep the Passover at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month in the evening, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and ordinances you shall keep it. I am going to have to ask you to be a bit open minded with me here for a second. These verses not only tell us about the Passover and its regulations, but it also tells us about God’s character. So bear with me.

    There is an appointed time for all of us to do something. By faith we understand the ages to have been prepared by a saying of God, in regard to the things seen not having come out of things appearing; (Hebrews 11:3 Young’s Literal Translation.) This tells me that God has already planned everything out. For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord… This also tells me that God already knows what is going on. But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased. Is that proof enough, or do I need more. God knows what is happening in your life, He knows what is going to happen, and all that has happened. He is Jehovah Samma (The Lord is there) and He knows you. This is my point. There is an appointed task that is to be done at an appointed time, and according to Jeremiah 29:11, as long as we are seeking Him we will find Him. So, if you have a promise that God has given you, don’t worry about its coming to pass. As long as you are serving Him, He will bring it to pass. I actually could go on here and talk about false prophets, but that is another blog.

     And there were certain men who were defiled by touching the dead body of a man, so they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to [Moses], we are defiled by touching the dead body. Why are we prevented from offering the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?
And Moses said to them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of touching a dead body or is far off on a journey, still he shall keep the Passover to the Lord. On the fourteenth day of the second month in the evening they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it until the morning nor break any bone of it; according to all the statutes for the Passover they shall keep it.

    Have you ever messed up? Has life become difficult, and you didn’t keep the faith. I have. There have been times in my life when I have become so angry at God that I didn’t see the value in serving Him. I didn’t see how He had ever done me any good. —-I said it, and I am not taking it back! If you religious folks who never had a problem and were simply delivered from diet coke at the age of 13, and don’t think that I should have said that to my blog readers, well, we can talk, leave a comment and I will get back to you!—- I found out something in those times. I realized who He was. I realized what he means to me. I found that He is truly my Father. I have come back to Him, like the prodigal son. But, what about those promises? What about those things that God has promised me. In that missing time, I have undergone the “Numbers 9 Experience.” A promise delayed, but still a promise that He will keep. I want to give you hope that God’s grace is sufficient in all things. I want you to understand, you must live holy, you must be righteous. I want you to know that God has a plan for your life, and if you walk with Him, you will find that He has done a better job than you ever could. For us to reach our potential in God, for us to “Go behind the veil” we must be holy. However, I want you to also know that the promises that God has given you have not faded with your faith. Do not ever say “Well it’s too late, I have missed it.” No you haven’t, you are just in the Numbers Nine Experience. God has not given up on you, don’t you give up on Him. There is still time. If you have a breath left in your lungs, God will use it. Don’t give up.

Have you ever been in a place in your life, where no matter what you did, the anointing wouldn’t flow? If you have, let me tell you, I have been there, done that, got the t-shirt, wore it out. God actually just dropped this into my Spirit tonight, and I thought that I would share it. There are times when God wants to take us to a new place.
Imagine, if you will, a river flowing in a quiet valley, flowing as it has done for a long time. Winter comes, and for this particuar river, winter is the point at which it is lowest. The local water authority needs to get water to some people who are thirsty, they have run out of water. So they must divert this river. They begin construction. First they must stop up the water, so that it doesn’t flow into the construction site. But, they are building a new channel for the river. Now, maybe you are in a dry place, and you feel like the anointing cannot flow. Can I put this to you? Perhaps God is wanting you to go another way. Imagine again, a dry river bed, smooth as water and time can make it. In the middle of this dry river bed is a dam, that will make the current go another direction, and into the new channel. Beyond this point the river is contained, stagnant, not as sweet as it’s cool waters once were. Suddenly the river begins to flow, the dam that had stopped the river is gone. The river rushes to it’s old home, but is stopped. Crash, the water hits the dam. The river looks for another place to flow, and finds this rocky channel, where it has never been. There is no other way. Beneath the water, the rocks are crashing against the river. It is not as easy it’s previous home. However, this channel is deeper than it’s old home. And even though the rocks crash beneath it’s surface, and though at times rapids form, the river is still able to flow.
You know, God is our Local Water Authority, and sometimes He causes us to go through dry times, and then guides us into a place deeper than we were before. Not so that we can be comfortable, but so that He might meet the need of a dry and thirsty people.

Happy New Year. It is going to be awesome! My pastor preached a word about this year being a year of judgment and maturity. Very exciting! I believe that those who have turned grace into lewdness, as the bible says, are going to be judged for their iniquity. I believe that the veil that has been over this generation that has caused it to become lax, and without a purpose and knowledge of right and wrong is going to be lifted. I believe that God is going to take those who seek Him, and want to know Him, that He will bring them into His Light and they will see His face. Even as in the days of Joshua, prepare yourself for battle! God is getting ready to loose such a move of His Spirit, that we are going to just look in Awe of His Power. I believe that the Church is going to realize that God isn’t there to make your life better, He is there to turn your life around, and If you Let Him, He will do it. I believe that even in this time the we will know Him, and yea even See Him, for He shall be with us and Even In Us! I am so excited that God is going to move on our behalf and the things that bound us are going to be loosed from us. Get ready! I know I have been saying this for a long time, ever since I’ve known you, but the wheel is turning and the potter is at work! The vessels are going into the fire, and those who make it will be vessels of His Anointing, and those that don’t and yeild to this world, will be cast down and broken. I can’t wait for those who have preached a Gospel that has been watered down by the “It’s Alright, you were born that way” Club are going to be exposed for what they are, people without a purpose or a passion, or a heart after God. It is time for the Church to realize that we are to be Holy and acceptable before Him. It is time that the sins and weights that have trapped us in the same place for years need to be taken away, they must be. He has come to give us LIFE, He has come to give us HOPE, and even as John the Revelator in Revelations tells us of a Man out of whose mouth came a two-edged sword! The Word of God, will cut the flesh, it will hurt, but it is the method of healing in this Body of Christ. That is what is bubblin’ in my Spirit man. And that probably made you think that I am more crazy that ever! But, whatever, that is what I feel! I am ready for God to move! I am anxious! We must keep ourself pure and holy, or we will miss it.

Happy New Years!!!!!

    Well, good day or night to you. I am sure that I find you in good spirits, ready to receive a wonderful blog on tithing! As I am sure you are delighted to be convicted this day, I will simply proceed.

    What is a tithe? A tithe is a tenth of your GROSS not NET income. Whatever God gives to you, you give a tenth back to Him. That means if God blesses someone to give you a car that is valued at $2000, baby, you better give $200 tithe! I said, typed or otherwise, it and I am not taking it back. If you get an extra coke at the McDonalds, tithe on it. Hey, you say I am extreme. Yes I am. Because God calls us to be obedient to His Word! Let me address an issue that people really don’t consider. If you leave money in your savings account, as you should, you will develop interest. That means that you have increased. That means income. That means you should tithe on it! Well, Aaron, what if I don’t have the money? God often tells us to do things that seem impossible. He said to Gideon, cut the army down. He said to Moses, Go before Pharaoh. He said to Joshua, march around that wall! But let me tell you something, if God says to do it, He will make the way. If it is a command of God, do not walk in fear, thinking that God isn’t going to make a way. That is the end of my encouraging statements, and I will begin to convict.

    So, isn’t it wonderful to be in the House of God? Don’t you just love being in His presence? I love going to God’s House. Well, this makes me think of a great story. You know, we had someone come over to our house, and he had a drink and sat down, and had something to eat. But he didn’t leave empty handed. He stole money from us. You know what; you have probably guessed where I am going with this. Will a man rob God? You go to the house of God, sit in that pew, bench, or chair, and drank in all of the spirit that you could leach off of those around you who have actually been on their face before God, because you didn’t think about getting on your prayer bones and seeking His face! But, then praise and worship is over, and it is time for the man of God to come up. He preaches until his guts fall out. You get fed. Offering time comes up, and you tip God. Isn’t that just like the kid who stole from me? He came to my house, and stole what belonged to me. In the same way, you come into the church, get all you can, and then steal from God! What would you do if someone came to your house and stole from you? So, you are not only sucking the church dry from your disobedience, but you are rebelling against the God who gave you the breath and the mind to make that paycheck! And don’t you even think about doing something like this. Your check was for $350.55 You move the decimal place over once, to get your tithe. $35.05. Don’t you even think about leaving off that fifty cents. My God! Round up baby. It would be a shame when you get to the pearly gates, for St. Peter to add up your tithes, and say you are thirty five dollars short. You ask why, and he shows you the record. Your not rounding up adds up. Can I keep going? Well you can’t stop me! You know what really makes me mad. Those people who want to use God’s principles to gain a fortune for their own selfish lusts. I want a new boat, so I am going to give, expecting a blessing. Can I tell you something. God will MEET ALL YOUR NEEDS. If you delight yourself in the LORD He will give you the desires of your heart. But let me tell you prosperity gospelist. What must be your desire? GOD! So, stop perverting the Word of God, which the Bible says is Jesus Christ our Lord. Money is a tool for evangelism, for provision, and when given in obedience, is worship.

     I would also like to address a somewhat smaller issue in the most succinct terms I can muster, as you are not going to want to be convicted anymore. In fact, you should probably come back for this part after repenting and getting your tithes together for this week. Here’s a question. Does your church have those little envelopes? I wonder what you mark when you write it in? If you are not giving a tithe, and you mark it that way, then You are not only disobeying God, but you are lying to Him!

    ³But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart that you should lie to and attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, and should [in violation of your promise] withdraw secretly and appropriate to your own use part of the price from the sale of the land?

        ⁴As long as it remained unsold, was it not still your own? And [even] after it was sold, was not [the money] at your disposal and under your control? Why then, is it that you have proposed and purposed in your heart to do this thing? [How could you have the heart to do such a deed?] You have not [simply] lied to men [playing false and showing yourself utterly deceitful] but to God.

    That is Acts baby! God don’t play around! Don’t you think that you aren’t lying. If it isn’t a tithe it is a tip, and that is an offering! Mark it as such.

    Well, I got a PS for you! You know, if you have to have a blessing on the way in order to obey God, then you need to check yourself!

    Well, I trust that you have gotten your tithes together, and are ready for Sunday!