My faith? Well, its a personal thing...

This blog is part 1 of 3 parts.
1) My faith - its a personal thing...
2) I Don't Know...(part 1)
3) I Don't Know...(part 2)

So here is the beginning of this 3 part blog.

I was reading a little bit of the life of David.
And reading between the Psalms which David mostly wrote
and the book of Chronicles and kept coming up with words
of 'saved' and 'salvation' or 'delivered'.

Reading many chapters and verses like this one:

1 Chronicles 16:23
Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day

and focused on the part 'proclaim His salvation day
after day'

And the HOLY SPIRIT said to me: "David's idea of
salvation and your idea of salvation are 2 DIFFERENT THINGS!"

I was stunned for a couple of moments, thinking about
what I just heard.

And started thinking about 'Salvation' and 'Saviour'
because David wasn't thinking about GOD saving him in the way
of, David's sins were forgiven and that he was
going to heaven when he died.

Being a covenant keeping Jew, he knew that his
sins were covered (by proper sacrifices accepted
by the LORD) and knew that he was 'safe' when he
died (no fear recorded in Old Testament saints
nearing death). They knew they were destined
to be in Abraham's bosom. Job said (who spoke
and lived before David) even though I die, in
my flesh I will see GOD. Job 19:26

David would already know what Abraham, and Moses said.

He wasn't thinking that his sins were forgiven and
that he was on his way to heaven (although he was
for sure forgiven and on his way to heaven.)

What David was talking about and what the entire
Bible is talking about, is the truth that the LORD
is a personal SAVIOUR!

A deliverer, a daily - every need personal SAVIOUR.

When you see HIM daily provide, heal, 'come through'
you can proclaim HIS SALVATION day after day!

We realize that:

Yes, HE forgives ALL your sin
Yes, HE makes a place for you, with HIM when you die
But one that is personal.
One that carries your trouble and delivers you from them.

All your troubles, all your fears.

Psalm 34:4
I sought the LORD, and he heard me,
and delivered me from all my fears.

The LORD then spoke to me and said; "Do you think HE
is a incomplete Savior? or Part-Time Saviour?

Until you realize everything is by GRACE alone (and you
are unfit in and of yourselves by doing anything to make
you right before GOD).

Everything comes to you by GRACE (God's love to you
though undeserving that you and I are).

Then the next step is FAITH, to see HIM as a personal GOD, one
that is 'with you in trouble'.

He is not a 'far away' GOD, not knowing your situation.
see Romans 10:5-10
HE is close, with you, in you!

HE does all this, because HE wants to be part of your/HIS life!

Like what kind of mother/father would not want anything to
do with their children's success or trouble?

In a good marriage, does the wife want nothing to do
with the 'ups' and 'downs' of her husbands life?

Wouldn't mother do whatever she could to protect, feed,
provide, love, nurture, her baby?

That is where the LORD is trying to get his kids to understand.
HE is a present GOD, ready to deliver, ready to save!

A daily GOD, one that comes with fresh manna everyday.
Can you trust HIM to see you through your troubles of today only?

Psalm 91:15
He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be
with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

2 Corinthians 1:4
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can
comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves
have received from God.

This is the 'key' to great faith its knowing your deliverer!

Please read the next (2) posts "I Don't Know" Part 1 & Part 2
in connection with this post to get my complete thought on this topic.

I Don't Know...(part 1)
I Don't Know...(part 2)

A Church History Lesson (you've never heard before)

This is a quote by Rev. Sam Pascoe.

Its a short history of the CHURCH and it goes like this:

Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship,
it moved to Greece and became a philosophy,
it moved to Italy and became an institution,
it moved to Europe and became their culture,
it came to America and became an enterprise.

All Church is, is a by product, an overflow of believers
in fellowship with each other and their LORD!

The thought goes then, that if it has become an enterprise
(a business) but we know from scripture its really a body.

Any body that is a business is a prostitute.
The Old testament is 'chock full' of references GOD
uses to Israel of entering into prostitution. The entire
story of Hosea and his prostitute wife Gomer shows GOD's
relentless love for HIS own to enter into a love rest with
their GOD.

The Jews continually (as we do, them as our examples) fall
into spiritual prostitution.

We've exchanged our access 'to Abundant Life' for selling
sermons and teaching and give and receving tithes. Huge
'christian' businesses, doing their business just like the world.

What is highly esteemed in men's eyes,
is detestible in the eyes of GOD! Luke 16:15

Then this scripture takes on deeper meaning:

1 Corinthians 6:15
Do you not know that your bodies are members of
Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ
and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

JESUS Multiplies Food (another miracle) for Children in Uganda

We know that JESUS fed the 5,000 and 4,000 with a few loaves and fish.

These 2 JESUS stories, have a message of GRACE to them, which LORD willing will
share at a later date.

But here was a recent feeding miracle again.

Follow the link:

Click Here!

CHOOSE! (if you don't choose - you've chosen).

Its a choice walking in the sin nature or walking in the SPIRIT.
Walking by what you see or judging things by what you don't see?

If your life consists of only making decisions on what you see,
then you are no different then the world.

1 Samuel 16:7 (New International Version)
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance
or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look
at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

We with JESUS in us and for us, judge and decide on what HE says,
and shows us - not by what we see.

What you see is temporary, what you can't see is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

As Peter only saw JESUS then he (Peter walked on water) when he saw the wind and waves he began to sink? Peter Youngren once said "what does wind and waves have to do with walking on water? Does that mean on a peaceful tranquil day (without waves) you can walk on water?" (Matthew 14:30)

The point is choose what you are looking at..
Choose JESUS, Choose HIS LIFE Deuteronomy 30:19

Did your life all dramatically change instantly when you got married?
Or did it change dramatically over time living the married life?
Did you read books and study (making your spouse an experiment) a topic to learn?
Thats what we do in the church building, we build doctrines
explaining GOD yet never throwing them all away, and
just letting GOD be OUR GOD!

A personal JESUS with us everyday and helping us in every need - EVERY NEED.

You chose the married life, (if you are married) and didn't know all about
it, taking it by faith in love.

When I was a younger guy dating, we would send 'love letters'
to each other, because we couldn't be together as much as we liked.
I would look forward in reading what she wrote and happily wrote back.

But when we got married, we don't write love letters or read them anymore.

I've got her now! Not the letter but the Spirit - the real her!
She is way better 24 hours per day then the letter received once
or twice per month.

Faith works through love! (or expresses itself through love.)
see Galatians 5:6

When anyone in our family starts to get doubtful, crabby, irritated,
angry (the kids or me) we often say - get back to JESUS and
HIS LIFE - choose, because you have chosen to live by circumstances
and what you see and hear by your senses and not by what HE has promised.

Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have
their senses trained to discern good and evil.

We often say around our house 'Remember who you are'.

We walk by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

This is the challenge.

Do you see Goliath?
Do you see your mountain?
Do you see the wind and the waves?

Or do you see JESUS and HIS promises?

Faith takes a step in love (where it can't see) based on nothing
you can logically explain but knows when it gets there its going
to be accepted (because of love).

Hebrews 10:36
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,
you will receive what he has promised.

It doesn't take perseverance to walk in the sin nature (walk anyway you want).
It doesn't take perseverance to do what the world does and run after all the benefits they sell you.
It doesn't take perseverance to judge things 'as you see them'.

It does take perseverance to believe what HE says despite what you see.

Seeing the invisible and ignoring the obvious.

GOD who calls the things that are not as though they are!

Romans 4:17
the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not
as though they were.

I will end with this famous act of faith by Abraham and indeed he is called
the father of faith.

Romans 4:18-20
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."

-Amen

Running Frantic Or Seated On A Throne?

Ephesians 2:6

And GOD raised (past tense) us (you and me) up with CHRIST and seated (past tense) us with HIM in the heavenly realms in CHRIST JESUS!

The highest level of faith - is rest!
Kings resting on their thrones, in complete authority aren't frantic they are reigning!

Here's is what the LORD was showing me (this morning).

In Matthew 20 verses 20-28 there is an unusual encounter. This mother is asking JESUS that her boys sit at HIS right and left in the kingdom.

You see just earlier in Matthew 19:28
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

So her request a chapter later, which was probably like a few days at most later, doesn't seem so out of line - or was it?

Matthew 20:20-21
Then the mother of Zebedee's sons (James and John) came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. (the 3 of them; mom and 2 sons, kneeling to JESUS).
"What is it you want?" he asked.
She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

The mother's and son's request is our own sinful nature (pride) that wants to sit on thrones of power and honour.

The devil longs to be worshipped (Matthew 4:8-9) and so does our fallen, dark, sinful nature (which is really the devil's nature) that CAN NOT be redeemed or saved it can only be put to death - crucified! Because its good for nothing!

That's the part of us that says "ME" (lust, self loving self)
not "you" (love, self loving others).

The mothers and boys request was based on the fact that they were following JESUS and gave up much to do it (see again Matthew 19 :27). Peter saying that 'we (all the disciples) gave up everything to follow you (JESUS).

Those relying on their own good works, abilities (things they do as Christians) believing that by doing all the right things (going here, giving there, doing this and doing that) all religious, routine. Just like the disciples, they too gave up everything and went here and there with their MASTER - right?

Paul later said in 1 Corinthians 13:3
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,but have not love, I gain nothing.

I do all this, and deserve to sit on thrones, deserve to have HIM answer my prayers.
But never accepted the fact that you and I of ourselves are 'scum bags' deserving death and the good works we do, GOD thinks of them as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6
Not to gross you out but the original idea of the filthy rags (which is our good things we do) is a menstrual cloth.

Here is the catch that cuts us off GRACE.
Because GRACE can NOT be EARNED! That is what you call a wage.
When you get paid for a weeks work, you don't ask your boss for your pay and thank him for being so giving and you so un-deserving because its a wage. If you worked it, then its yours 100%.

The only wages we expect for our efforts is DEATH! Romans 6:23
But the FREE GIFT (GRACE) from GOD is eternal life and this life is in JESUS. Romans 6:23

Here you have 2 ways : wage and grace.

JESUS said to the 2 boys and their mother " You don't know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup I'm going to drink?" Matthew 20:21

Its only through death that resurrection comes.
Its only through humility that honour comes.

These disciples would learn later that self effort and legalism, law following, rule keeping is all self effort doesn't get them sharing HIS throne!

What you kill in the power of the SPIRIT
then you reign over it - sharing in the Throne Life!

Its for those called over comers!


1 John 5:4
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 John 5:5
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Revelation 3:21
The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

1 John 4:4
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

What you put to death by the SPIRIT (you make a choice) then you (JESUS in you) rules over it! Sin doesn't master you no more - you (JESUS in you) masters sin!

Romans 8:13
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

Bow to JESUS, and realize you've got nothing (but HIM) and let HIM teach you the way of the SPIRIT.

Want to walk in the SPIRIT?

Its easy! (as long as you have JESUS in you) then its easy...

How?

Choose.

See about this Throne Life (SPIRIT controlled life in my blog) CHOOSE

Nobody Is Going To Say "Pass the Salt"

If you are in CHRIST and CHRIST is in you (by faith) that is what a Christian is.

Then nobody is going to ask you to Pass the Salt or Turn on the light!

Why?

Because JESUS already said you were 'salt' and 'light'

We explained this to our two boys like this:

They are both Canadian/ Finnish background, boys.
We said, (to teach them this lesson)
"Ok listen here, you two are going to try and start to act like
Finnish boys!"

They looked puzzled, as I thought they would.

You can't try to act like a male if you are a male. You can't act
Canadian if you are Canadian.

Matthew 5:13-14
JESUS said: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt
loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no
longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."

It works kind of like this:
The sun is the greater light and the moon the lessor light.
The moon only reflects the sun.

And that is the same with you.

You don't try to be the moon, if you are the moon.
Salt doesn't try to be salt - it is salt!

JESUS in this story is like the sun (greater light) and you the moon
relfecting HIS brilliance and light.

And so with you, you are light, you are salt.

You don't try to be something you already are!

So, Let your light shine - because it already does.

Thoughts on Thoughts

Thoughts are like advertisements.

Each 'ad' tries to persuade you to 'do business' with either of the 2 companies.

2 Companies you may ask?

GOD's business or the devils business.

These thoughts come at you like TV commercials or walking down a busy street or trade show with people trying to hand you promotional flyer's.

The thought triggers your mind to choose who you are going to do business with.
Are you simply going to believe the thought or not.

When you do, it will lead you down a list of 'more offers'.

Keep in mind (pun intended) that GOD's thoughts are about you (positive) and
HIS intention is to 'teach' and 'help' (like a good mother or father) but the devil makes his offer or 'ad' to you as 'temptations' because GOD tempts no one!

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does HE tempt anyone; James 1:13

In a war, the enemy will attack your communications (to hinder the giving and receiving orders) and that is what the devil will do.

If it comes as a temptation (its not a GODLY thought)
Does it tempt you to doubt GOD's LOVE?
Does it tempt you to be afraid that you won't get GOD's provision?
Does it tempt you by telling you that GOD's isn't supplying a need, so you need to act (to get that thing that GOD isn't supplying).

Those 'ads' are not from GOD and James 1:13-15 tells us all those thoughts will do is lead us down a dark, downward slope - to kill us!

Its poison to your body and soul (mind, will, emotions)

The hard part in understanding is GOD's Voice is something good, helpful to you.
But the devils voice (temptation) is also (seemingly) good to you as well (but its a short cut) and its you doing it (not GOD).

See Abram knowing GOD was going to provide a son (eventually Isaac) but instead of waiting for GOD to provide through his wife Sarah, he got carried away in his own thoughts and took the short cut with Hagar.

Now JESUS talks in John 10 all about 'HIS sheep hear HIS voice and follow HIM'
(see John 10:4)

Ok, if you read John 10 you will see how thoughts come in and what to do about it.
This parable is full of teaching and deeper wisdom.

But here's the story,

JESUS starts off by saying "the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber (John 10:1)

We know who the thief is (the devil) according to scripture.
We also know who the gate is because that is JESUS (John 10:7)

Now only the owner, enters by the front door or main gate. Its only the thief that finds some other way to 'break in'. This is what JESUS is saying, these thoughts that break in and are not centred on the LORD HIMSELF are imposter's!

The gate is JESUS, the thoughts that come in that are consistent with HIM are HIM!
(or are from HIM) But HE is the living WORD! John 1

This is the meaning of this verse in 2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Ok, so if they don't match JESUS LOVE, or what HE is about - its wrong! Wrong for you. Dangerous for you.

Verse 3 says; " the watchman (that's your decision making process/ your will) opens the gate (allows JESUS to speak to you, encourage you, teach you - lead you).
'and the sheep listen to HIS voice. HE (JESUS) calls HIS own sheep by name and leads them out.'

GOD always wants to lead you into larger area's, greater pasture. More abundant life.
The devil only diminishes, through fear and lies he wants to take away.
Fear really only takes away LIFE. The devil wants to take away - deduct life, erode life.

verse 4 of John 10 "When HE has brought out all HIS own, HE (JESUS) goes on ahead of them, and HIS sheep (you and I) follow HIM because they know HIS voice.

In verse 7 JESUS tells us HE is the gate.
In verse 9 JESUS reminds us HE is the gate and that whoever enters through ME will be saved. Finding pasture.

JESUS says this incredible fact in verse 10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. "
also verse 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. "

Only LOVE lays down its life for another. There is no greater love John 15:13

What are you afraid LOVE (GOD) is going to do to you?
Why are you so fearful of 'nail pierced hands'?

The devil only comes in some other way and never through JESUS.
These are all in thoughts, many times per day and the temptation has one
goal, one objective and that is to divide.

Divide you from GOD'S LOVE (divide sheep from SHEPHERD)
Divide you from the love of each other (divide sheep from sheep).

Challenge your thoughts, many of them are not from GOD, but don't let that discourage you (your human like the rest of us), but know you know what to do.
Take those thoughts that undermine GOD's promises and word, and dismiss them because they only want to divide you (separate you from GOD and one another).

But you might think, what can separate me from the LOVE of GOD?

NOTHING!

But then how does the temptation separate me from GOD's Love (or the LOVE of GOD)?

It can't, but you can steer away from HIM (HE hasn't left you) but you wander away from HIS pasture, HIS LOVE, to lust (love turned inward) self loving self is lust.
Self loving others (is GODS LOVE).

Nothing on its own can separate us from GOD but ourselves (sin) can separate us from HIM.

Ever had an arguement with your parents or spouse? They don't leave you (but maybe at the time you wish they did) but in all seriousness, your fellowship is broken and the joy and benefit of living in love with each other is temporarily severed. And what does it bring? More sin, more trouble, more problems.

My mother has a saying the LORD gave her once - two words:
'Sin Complicates'!

The way I see it, is nothing can separate you from HIM but we can leave that safety of the pasture (where JESUS is leading) and puts us in wrong places and trouble. Does HE still love us - for sure!

Like a wayward child, does Mother stop loving him? Impossible!
What about the GOD who is LOVE? even MORE Impossible!(if thats possible).