Cutting

I am a boy, so how do I know? Thats the problem, isn’t it? This weekend, I came face to face with a lovely young girl. She has great Christian parents; parents who try hard to find a solution to her pain. Parents have tried everything to alleviate the pain.

I came face to face with the ‘pain’ I saw the pain (manifested in scars on her arms), I sensed the pain, read it in her eyes, and yet I struggled to understand the pain. If I could only understand the pain, perhaps I could ‘reason’ it away?  Thing is, this is what we all think. If I could understand the pain...well, bottom line is thats not true. You can never understand the pain, and even if you did, the pain cannot be reasoned away. What is the solution? I want to say :”Love, acceptance and more love”. I fear those words have been used both as weapons and cover ups for so long, that most girls are beyond mere words. I suspect what these gils need is some real action.

Problem is, I am probably the least equipped male on the planet to deal with this issue. I do not know what the solution is, but I am keenly aware that this is a growing problem amongst our youth. Maybe we need more real youth ministers? Honestly, I don’t know if thats the solution either. Why are so many christian girls happy, well rounded and others in a mess? Sometimes the same girls co-exist in one church. You have the cutters, and the content girls in the same youth program. Figure that one out!

For me, this indicates that the real problem is way bigger than a youth ministry program. It suggests that the problem is multi faceted. Homeschoolers have the problem as do girls in normal schools. S, our education system is not to blame. Fair enough, home schoolers are generally more confident, more socially adept, more mature, but still home schoolers are not immune to this phenomenon. It could be generational curses, but then we blame generational curses on everything we can’t get a handle on.

I really do not know the cause (besides the obvious fact that it is pain based, but why cut yourself? In my youth, we did drugs, vandalism, partied and got smashed.) There is something angry in our youth. Our youth are angrier than any previous generation that I have encountered. Their expression is more apt to violence even if it is self inflicted violence. I just know that some body somewhere will blame this on the violent video games...but thats too easy. No, cutting is serious. There is no quick fix (that I am aware of). We do need to discover the root of this illness and treat it before we loose a generation of young girls.

Is Change possible?

A good friend of mine asked this question. The simple answer is ‘yes’ change is possible. The correct question is :”Can I afford to be a pioneer for change?” The correct question will solicit the correct response.

A little background is in order. I love youth, I really have a heart for the youth. In all honesty, I am somewhat of a youth whisperer. I have worked with youth in many different capacities, and have always seen change. So, why don’t I work with youth full time? The answer is complicated.

Youth ministry by its very nature requires maverick thinking. Senior pastors are generally staid, conservative and cannot afford to rock the boat too much. If you rock the boat, your biggest financial supporters leave, and then you struggle to keep things afloat. I personally work 3 jobs, but thats because I rock the boat. If I played nice with the religious people, I would have a very large church...but because I like to rock the boat, I have to work several jobs just to keep food on the table, and clothe my family.

Now, great youth pastors live to start a revolution. Parents generally don’t want their kids involved in a revolution. They want nice conformed kids. Unfortunately, kids of every generation and social economic bracket want to be a revolutionary...even if it just in their thinking! There is plenty of time to grow up, conform, get a mortgage and live in suburbia. Most kids I know want to change the world, climb a mountain, fall in love and be loved. Personally, I will settle for changing the world, or maybe just my neighborhood?

So whats the deal? Simple really, I too am a revolutionary at heart. The cost of keeping the mortgage in date, feeding the family, and keeping son in private school is 3 jobs. I could compromise my theology and play the exhortation game, build a large church, but how do I look my son in the eye and tell him to be true to his beliefs even as I am compromising theology to ‘play nice with the adults’ who pick and chose what verse they believe?

My integrity is not for sale. So, I do not place nice, instead I work 3 jobs to support my honesty and belief system. That and I am a revolutionary who wants to climb a mountain one day. 

Back to youth ministry - thing is there is no money in youth ministry. You cannot afford to feed your family by being a full time youth pastor WITHOUT the financial support of partners, churches, and or people who believe in your ministry. Most smaller churches have pastors working full time outside the ministry just to pay their own church bills. In other words, there is simply no extra money to support a revolutionary youth ministry.

Secondly, if I am going to support a youth ministry, you better believe that my youth are the first to benefit by having a full time Youth Pastor on staff. Thing is, the very best youth pastors are snapped up by the larger churches who can afford the big salaries. What about the smaller churches?Well, they face the inevitable problem of senior pastor is actually a youth pastor walking the line of fulfilling two positions. Alternatively, the senior pastor hires a part time youth pastor who is just hanging around for his big break and then he is off to the bigger church.

Is change possible? Yes it is, the correct question is :”Can I find enough people who really want to see change?” The answer is - I doubt that. You see, most pastors are struggling just to pay their own staff, never mind support the work of a revolution...as much as I would love to. Perhaps if I took a 4^th job?

Fixing healthcare?

I am bold enough to suggest that I may have a workable solution for the healthcare mess. First of all, I do not advocate for a bigger government. I prefer the freedom to choose whether I want a healthcare insurance or not. That is really not up to the government or anybody but the individual.

That said, I do have the following suggestions:

1. Reduce the cost of education by slashing the profit margins. Colleges simple charge what ever they like (result of greed, capitalism let run amok). I am all for a College making a profit, but there profit margins are way too high.
2. Make state run hospitals and clinics available. This will introduce some healthy competition and make healthcare more affordable. 
3. I would also suggest that the Government legislates how much profit the hospitals can make. Same should happen with pharmaceutical companies. I understand that research is expensive, but by now a box of aspirin should not be costing around $4.00 either.
4. I would also go so far as to say that every doctor should volunteer a measly 40 hours per month at a local clinic. This will put excellent healthcare n the reach of the lower economic bracket. 
5. Finally, I would get schools and churches on board. Schools should spend more time educating kids on nutrition and basic sanitation. Take candy vending machines out of the schools, and replace that with fruit and vegetables.
6. If we were to train up some of our unemployed (for free) as nurse practitioners we would expand our healthcare, reduce unemployment and improve our economy.
7. Finally, we could import more medical professionals through an immigration program. Medical professionals who want to immigrate to the USA, can get a Medical Visa, provided they work for 5 years at a local hospital or clinic sans the exorbitant salaries.

I know this is a pretty far out idea. I also doubt it will get any positive attention. The one freedom I love about our country, is that even a nut like me is free to express yet another crazy idea.

It is written

The enemy came to test Christ in the wilderness. Jesus replied with :”It is written…” Even Jesus was tempted, but His response speaks volumes to modern day believers. He had not only been taught what the Scriptures say, but He ha memorized enough of scripture to deftly wield the sword of the word of God. 

Strange thought really. The Word of God had to memorize scripture just like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us, He did not respond with an opinion, or context, or this is what God means. Instead He replied :”It is written…” There was neither room for argument nor discussion. While it is important to understand context, and culture, Christ saw more value in hitting the thief between the eyes with the :”It is written…”

Modern day theologians spend an a great deal of time studying context, culture and meaning behind the words. Jesus on the other hand was more of a Thus saith the Word. People are often heard saying things like :”I do not follow a man.” My response is invariable, really, so who do you follow? A demon? Jesus is a MAN. He is seated at the right hand of the Father in His human form.

So, the Living Christ, who is a man of flesh and blood in heaven, used the written word to defeat temptation of the flesh. What more do we need?

Joy is a mindset, not a condition

Emotions are so fickle, subject to change. There is a saying in kentucky, if you don’t like the weather, stick around, it will change, normally within the hour. Emotions are similar, subject to change, just like the weather. Despite the fickle nature of our emotions, so many people live their lives out as an extension of their feelings. Feelings are not what we should be making decisions upon, yet so many do just that. We open our mouths and say exactly what we feel, and thats okay. In fact, we encourage people to express their emotions, and we all get on board and justify that person for sharing their emotions.

Thing is, emotions are not abstract objective gauge of reality. Emotions are filtered through your preconceived ideas, your own physical condition, your hormones, your thoughts and your reality.

Lets be real for a minute. Your reality is totally different from my version of reality. We may share the same space, work at the same building, but we both experience life in a different manner. You may be happy when you get a paycheck, or that promotion, but after a while the effects of that paycheck wear off, and you are faced with lack. Lack, whether perceived or simply implied by the fact that somebody has a new car, and your is last years model, affects your disposition. Your emotions can very well be tied to the status of your car, your title at work, your bank balance, your son’s report card, or your wife’s new book. As a result, you are not really happy within yourself. Your happiness can be snatched away as simply as a thief comes in and steals your car, your boss sells out his company, and you get fired, your wife’s latest book tanks and your son fails spanish. What has happened to your happiness? In one week, your happiness fell apart, like your wife’s book sales, or your son’s spanish. 

Joy on the other hand is a state of mind, based upon a rational decision that you made when you encountered the supernatural Christ for the first time. When you meet the Christ for the first time, really meet Him, have an intimate conversation, you realize that true JOY is an inner condition, a peace if you like. I prefer to describe it as the Promised land that was so elusive for the Israelites, and modern Christians alike. The promised land is known colloquially by a different term - JOY. Unspeakable Joy. Joy that transcends human understanding, goes beyond your bank balance, is not tied to your emotions, job title, model of car you drive or your wife’s book sales. You see, Joy can never be taken away from you. Its a real place that you go to when your emotions indicate that the winds of change are blowing, your car is now 2 years old and you still owe on it, where as your neighbor has the latest model, you still owe on a 2 year old model. Joy is that promised land, that place where I reside in.In the promised land, the cares of this world cannot touch me, sickness is far from my dwelling, and stress is not allowed to exist. Love abounds, and I live off the fruit of the Spirit.

I have plenty of space in the promised land, as so few Christians ever cross the Jordan river and take their place in Joy. So what is the Jordan river?

The Jordan river is where Joshua led the people to take on Jericho. A walled city stood between them and their promised land. A walled city, with walls so high that the people could not see over, the land looked undefeatable. Interestingly enough what brought the walls down was the praises of the believers. God said He inhabits the praises of His people.

To defeat your enemies, most of which fight on the battlefield of your mind, you need to bring in the Big Guns...loud Praise. God inhabits the Praises of His people. Its the loud praise that defeats the enemies of God. Believers that engage in Loud Praise destroy the enemy of their God. Take the Promised land today - Shout to the Lord all you people’s.

Our Church - Dispensation Theology

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Kentucky Bible Study Examiner: Laying on of hands

Kentucky Bible Study Examiner: Laying on of hands

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Kentucky Bible Study Examiner: Laying on of hands

Kentucky Bible Study Examiner: Laying on of hands

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Kentucky Bible Study Examiner: Warning - not for the religious

Kentucky Bible Study Examiner: Warning - not for the religious

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Kentucky Bible Study Examiner: Role of storms in your life

Kentucky Bible Study Examiner: Role of storms in your life

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Spiritual Realm

This is the second part of a series titled Spiritual Laws 101. The spirit realm is often seen by mainstream church as flaky, weird and sometimes not even touched by the western Church. In my experience in Africa, the spiritual realm is discussed more openly and a such its not a taboo subject from the pulpit.

The Spirit Realm is a vitally important aspect of our walk as believers. We are created in the very image of God (Genesis 1:27). God is first and foremost a Spirit. It is in this image that we are created. Our spirit man inhabits a physical body with a mind. The mind is most likened to our soul-man. The mind I the seat of our emotions, thoughts, feelings experiences etc. Our mind is a battlefield. Sin is first conceived in the mind. You think before you act (most times) and this is where sin originates. Joshua 7:20-21 Achan saw gold and silver and coveted them. There was a thought process before the action. In Genesis 3:6 Eve ‘saw’ the fruit after hearing about the fruit from the snake. Sin was entertained in the mind before the action took place.

From both the aforementioned examples we see a similar pattern. The eyes saw an item that was not allowed.  Lust is defined as an “intense desire”. In both cases we see the results of this intense desire.

The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:17 says to put on the helmet of salvation. The Roman helmet was designed to cover the eyes and the ears, as well the head. The head, holds the mind, the soil where seed comes into be planted. The eyes and ears are the gates to the mind. These gates allow all kinds of seeds to come in. Generally the eyes/ears do not have any filters over them. The helmet of salvation is a filter that we are to place over our eye/ear gates to filter out any objects that may lead to sin being conceived in our fertile minds.

In the spiritual realm you cannot see with your physical eyes, and as such you don’t see believers walking around with helmets on! The helmet of Salvation is likened to the blood of Jesus. You are instructed to protect your eyes/ears with filters. Use the Blood of Jesus as a filter. Do not allow any lust to enter in and be conceived

Discourgement

Ezra 4:4 The people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah.

Isn’t it amazing that the people of the land, those of the world, often try and unfortunately succeed in discouraging the people of Praise? Judah is the tribe of Praise and Worship. Judah was known as the tribe of Praise. It never seems to amaze me how the people of the world try and discourage those who are not of the world. As the world goes into recession, so it tries to discourage those of us that understand the power of praise.

 

Ezra 4:5 the people of the world even hired counselors to discourage the praise. You see the world’s counselors are not those with true understanding and insight into the spiritual realm. Thus things of the spirit are often confusing and seen as flaky by those of the world. In fact, one politician referred to the spiritual people as holding on to their religion. I don’t know about you, but it is this so called religion that sustains me in times of need.

The world does not understand the spiritual realm and as such looks with disdain at spiritual people. One of the finest principals of the spirit realm is the effect of praise and worship. The book of Psalms records this: My God inhabits the praise of His people”. Interestingly enough it’s the praises that the world’s system hates the most. The reason the world hates what it does not understand, is because a lack of understanding is scary.

God encourages us to praise Him during times of need. This is exactly when we need to increase in praise, get deeper into worship. Let God’s presence sustain you during your time of need. Discouraging times are testing times. Testing times are there to see how we respond to the external pressures.

 Praising God in times of need is a powerful tool in the arsenal of the believer.

In my next article I will examine some more of the spiritual laws of the Bible…

The Daniel Delay.

What is the Daniel delay? This is a phrase that I have coined (maybe some else has come up with it before?), but allow me to explain the 'Daniel delay'. In Daniel 10:11-13 we read about the man Daniel who has an angelic encounter. If this occurred today, the man Daniel would have been labeled a cult leader, but as the bible days were more understanding of the spiritual realm there was less of this problem. Anyway, Gabriel says that from the moment Daniel prayed, his words were heard in heaven's courts, and an answer was sent. The prince of Persia withstood the angel Gabriel for 21 days...in other words the answer was delayed by an evil spirit who had dominion over the principality of Persia!

Gabriel goes onto to say that the angel Michael had to come and assist Gabriel, there by ensuring that Gabriel's message was delivered to Daniel. I call this delay in receiving an answer the Daniel delay. Original - no way, but then this blog is not about originality!

Is this perhaps the reason our prayers sometimes seem to be delayed before we have an answer? I know some theologians have suggested that God does not concern Himself with the minors details of mankind, and as such prayers are nothing more than good for our own sake. This is not true. Our prayers are answered immediately. Our prayers leave our mouth and immediately they are heard in heaven's Throne room, as it says in Daniel 10:12. It also says something very important that I have purposefully skipped over. In verse 12 it says :"from the first day that you set your heart to understand". The prayer was heard and answered from the first day that Daniel set his heart to understand. The prayer could not have been answered before Daniel set his heart to understand.

How many times did the Pharisees and legal buffs of the time period ask Jesus for a sign to demonstrate who he was? (Matthew 12:38) and Jesus replied in verse 50 :" Whosoever shall do the will of my Father...". To set your mind to understand is to gain understanding of God's Will.

John 14:10 Jesus said that he only speaks the Word of His father. he only does the actions of His father. Its no wonder then that everything Jesus declared came to pass without the Daniel delay? You see the Daniel Delay (maybe I can patent this phrase?) has no effect or bearing on modern day Christians who believe. Mark 16:17 says that these signs will follow those that believe. Do you believe? And what is it you believe?

Ephesians 1:21 Jesus has has been raise ABOVE every principality. There is no principality that is above Jesus - thus there is no possible delay in our prayers being answered anymore. Except for one minor but very significant concept. Have you set your heart to understand God's Will? Without praying in accordance with God's Will, God cannot give you your request. Thus we go without having our prayers answered, or so it appears to us. If God were to grant us every petition, it would be tantamount to a good parent giving his son a rattlesnake, just because he asked for it.

Once we get understanding of God's Will, and start praying in accordance with God's Will, then we will see the major results that Jesus spoke about. Jesus said, these signs would you do and greater. I have not seen the greater signs yet, but then I guess I have not seen the sons of God being unveiled yet either. I know its time is upon us.

Imagine if I were to pray for the ability to fly (it would save me time between meetings) and God gave me a set of wings out of my back (because that's how I prayed), I would then be forced to attend my meetings naked! Where would I get clothes to fit my unique form? So instead of getting my prayer answered in the way I prayed, God sent me finances to pay for an airline ticket, or better yet, some one gave me an airplane. But then I would have to learn to fly the plane, or hire a pilot. Thus I would now have to work my faith for the funds for the airplane, the hanger fees, the fuel, the staff etc. Rather just send me the finances to buy a ticket...I know where my faith is, and right now, a ticket is just fine.
There is no Daniel's Delay. The delay is in the manner and heart condition of the believer. Set your heart to understand God's perfect Will, give utterance without doubt and watch manifestation immediately. This is what the whole earth is groaning in anxious anticipation for...the sons of God who like Jesus do nothing that is not God's perfect will, say nothing that is not God's perfect will.

Can a Christian bear bad fruit?

Can a Christian bear bad fruit? What a wonderfully controversial question. There are s many varied and passionate answers to this question. on the one hand, an answer that is often quoted I the following:"How can a good tree bear both good and bad fruit?"

Problem with this answer is that people are not as simple as trees. We have personal and individual choice. In theological terms we have free will. A tree does not. Thus a tree has no choice but to bear the fruit of its seed. In the book of genesis, God said that the tree will bear according to its seed. An apple tree will bear apples, not pears...but we are seed, seed from a sinful man and despite that we can be reborn as seed from Christ.

When we are reborn, we take on a new righteousness, a new out covering. In the spirit realm, our spiritual man takes on new clothing, so to speak, nut our inherent nature is often left unchanged. Our fleshly side, our soul man needs to be renewed everyday. Romans 12:2 says to renew your mind. Out of your mind, you so often speak. As a man thinks, so is he. This to truly bear good fruit, patience, kindness, love et al, you need to renew your mind daily.

A Christian who has not renewed their mind daily, will often begin to reflect (through their words, actions) more of the world's nature (selfish, self serving, incorrect priorities) and less of God's nature.

To maintain fresh fruit we need a daily devotional time with our Creator. This daily time is similar to an oil change. if you don't have an oil change in your car every 3 months sludge starts to build up, and the car will begin to malfucntion over time. Oil changes for us need to occur more frequently than cars, preferably on a daily basis. We are told to crucify our flesh, I prefer to say that we should lay down our selfish nature everyday, and pick up our Lords' nature. This can only come through spending time in His presence every day before we do anything else.

In Matthew 6 the author says to seek ye the kingdom of God, but the small word we miss there is 'first'. See ye 'first' the Kingdom of God. it should be and should remain our first priority each and everyday. Without getting your daily oil change first thing in the morning, everything you do could be tainted with self.

Now the bible says that we sow seeds with out mouth. Do you really want to be sowing seeds that have not come through the filter of a new oil change that morning? Worse yet, we are told that we will be held accountable for every word that does not produce? Scary thought - makes me want to get an oil change and maintain my filter everyday.

God fruit requires a clean and Godly 'filter'. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will come once He has gone. Obviously this meant for us to get refilled daily...as we are leaking vessels, ministering day by day. Have you had your oil changed and refilled this morning, or are you running on yesterday's service?

To continue this metaphor, high mileage vehicles need more attention and services. High mileage vehicles time in Christ presence. High mil age Christians (aka mature Christians) should want more devotional time. A sure sign of maturity is the obvious need for more of Christ. A sure sign of an immature Christian is the "I can get by with attending 1 service a week" attitude. You probably don't change the oil in your car every three months either? Then you wonder why your car needs more repairs than your neighbor.

To answer the early question - can a believer produce sour fruit? The answer is 'yes'. Sweet fruit comes from a sweet nature. A sweet nature comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit, daily! When you start to feel yourself getting frustrated, impatient, that is a sure sign its time for an oil change. When you find yourself apologizing for what you said, and repenting for behaviours, you know your oil has expired. You are running on dry. When your life starts to break down, its time for an engine overhaul...or its time to seek ye first the Kingdom. Do a Romans 12:2 overhaul. Get into 'Joshua 1:8 workshop'. Place yourself in intensive care (praise and Worship service). Your fruit demonstrates your engine (heart) condition so clearly...what is your engine saying about your condition?

Israel and Islam the connection

Israel and Ishmael have a crazy connection, both coming from the same father, both having a promise from God, the one true God and yet Ishmael in the form of Islam has not only denied the one true God but they also hate their brother. Seems like a crazy connection to me and one which I would like to explore further.

I realize this is a controversial issue, but then that is what this blog is all about - getting beyond the politically correctness and dealing with the biblical issue at hand. To begin we need to go back to the book of Genesis 17:16. God tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son. In the next verse, Abraham cries out to god about the destiny of Ismael. We don't see this heartfelt cry in the verse as it is written there, but if we were to dig deeper and get into the oral traditions we find that the Rabbis include the tradition that Abraham cried out on behalf of Ishmael. God responds to this cry in verse 20 when He says :" I heard your cry concerning Ishmael". That in itself is sufficient to understand that Abraham did not just ask about Ishmael, but cried out!

Why would Abraham feel compelled to cry out on behalf of his other son? It seems obvious to me that Ismael's future as a son and therefore an inheritor of Abraham was at risk. Abraham obviously felt that Ishmael's inheritance was at stake here, especially with the mention of Isaac. This is something we miss in the written dimension especially when reading the bible from a gentile perspective. Inheritance is and was very important to a Jewish man of that time period.

God gives Abraham a promise that Ishmael with have 12 princes and a great nation will he become. This prophecy was fulfilled in 620CE when Islam pretty much dominated the known world for a season. This was the height of the rise of Islam.

The Torah uses the word 'princes' a word that can also be translated as to mean 'clouds'. Clouds can just as easily come together in a storm and then suddenly a wind will come along and blow them apart, scattering the clouds and effectively blowing away the storm.

It seems that hidden within this prophecy is the following gem. The clouds (princes) when they come together for a season will cause a mighty thunderstorm, but with the coming of the Holy Spirit (always manifests as a mighty rushing wind - see Acts 2:2), these clouds would be just as quickly blown away. In simple terms, there will be a season when the Islamic religion will rule a large portion of the earth (was this fulfilled in 620CE?) and then with the sudden outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28) this mighty gathering of clouds will be blown away by the Holy Spirit and the rightful heirs of the earth will be unveiled. (Romans 8:19).

Praying for an unsaved loved one

Praying for an unsaved loved one is always a difficult, gut wrenching prayer that is fast tracked up to heaven. The Lord has given us the perfect prayer for this deep and often emotional undertaking. I have personally experienced the results of this prayer being prayed faithfully every night over me while I slept soundly unawares of what was transpiring within the spiritual realm, the physical manifestation was unforgettable!!

I was saved by a supernatural personal encounter with Christ. I was not in a Church, attending an emotionally charged atmosphere with 1,00s crying out to God. I was simply walking along a sidewalk, minding my own business when the results of the most powerful prayer kicked into high gear - and I had an encounter with Christ. I fell to me knees and started to cry uncontrollably.

Some background first. I had signed up in a seminary school to 'prove that the Bible was untrue'. Unbeknown to me, my wife had been faithfully praying over me every night, never once confronting me about my lac of faith, no church attendance or doing any of the other things that most well intentioned wives do. She was just silently waging war - we don't wage war in the physical. 

The biggest mistake most well wishing wives make is to try and convince their husbands about the Gospel, rather than praying the prayer of love. Most men are rational logical minded,and respond better to logic than emotional outbursts. You may have discovered that your emotional outbursts have an adverse effect on your unsaved loved one?

The correct answer is to hold your tongue and wage war in the spirit realm, the unseen realm. Once the eyes of his understanding have been opened, then he will see the logic all by himself. Let the power of God do the talking rather than your emotions.

Paul prayed this prayer in Ephesians 1:16-23. It took only 6 months for me to encounter the power of Christ. I went from unsaved heathen of note to spirit filled radically saved pastor in rapid succession. I devoured the word day and night. i could not (and still cannot) get enough of the Word.

You see, my lovely wife opened up the flood gates. She prayed and God answered her prayer, effectively releasing my destiny. It was catchup time and suddenly I had a whole lot of work to do, and to catch up. Perhaps you can give this prayer a go. Do not give up, keep knocking at this door. pray this prayer consistently...expect results. We walk by faith and not by sight. Expect resistance at first. The hotter the resistance, the closer you are to victory. The battle always gets heated right before it ends. That's when you have got to step up your praying.

Toxic emotions

Unforgiveness brings forth mistrust, stems from a lack of being able to forgive and forget. You carry unforgiveness around like a ball and chain, holding you back, dragging you back into a distant past trauma, a trauma that you won’t let go of. It holds onto you like a anchor, dragging at you, dredging up the past, bring tears hurt and most of all shame to the present. Guilt is often associated with the Unforgiveness, especially when betrayal is the root cause.

Often you have feelings that are uncontrollable. You hurt, and you want the other person to hurt too. Its not fair. What did you ever do to deserve this intense pain. You don’t want to let the pain go, afraid that if you do, you may let your guard slip and one day find yourself in the same predicament again. The pain is intense, the fear agony, gut wrenching fear that this may very well happen to you again. A fate worse than death.

 

Unforgiveness, brings with it a close ally, hurt. Hurt carries with it the fear of it all happening again. Hidden beneath all these emotions is a stowaway passenger known as bitterness. Bitterness creeps in all by itself silently stalking you, without the fan fare of its partner – anger. Bitterness is slimy, slinking in the dark reaches of your mind, silently striking when you least expect it.

SUDDENLY you wake up one day, a victim of the silent but deadly killer emotion known simply as bitterness. It bit you in the night of your anger, some where between anger turning to fear, before it became agony, somewhere when guilt struck. Hidden amongst all the intense emotions, the roller coaster ride of emotions, you were struck by the nastiest of all – bitterness. You awake, a victim of your emotions, the final chapter of betrayal, bitter, twisted and quite frankly a mess.

Bitterness, if left unchecked turns to a more physical problem. It has the effect of drying up the bones so says Proverbs 17:22. The Bible’s medicine to counter bitterness? A merry heart doth good like a medicine. Laughter is good for the soul, and very good, it would appear for the human body too. Scientists have discovered the excellent side effects for the body. Bitterness pollutes the blood, which in 23 seconds circulates through the entire body, spreading that toxic ‘waste’ throughout the body.

My suggestion to counter unforgiveness is to recognize the symptoms.  Recognize that  you are angry – and then express that anger without attempting to hurt the other person. Be open and honest with your emotions, without trying to ‘get back’ at the party that hurt you. The worst thing we can do is to deny the hurt. In our society we are quick to deny our pain, and pretend nothing is wrong. This suppression causes more pain, and releases a toxin into your blood. Deal with the problem upfront immediately, get it out in the open where it can do no more harm. Chances are the offending party did not even know they had caused offense!

DDeal with the issue before it leads to a release of toxins into the body, before bitterness creeps in. In a study conducted by Dr ML Menten (The Origin and Nature of the Emotions

B By George W. Crile Published by Kessinger Publishing, 2004 ISBN 1419176358, 9781419176357)

eEmotions (anger, fear) released unhealthy toxins into the blood stream during a lab experiment. Imagine how many toxins you have released into your blood stream…and within 23 seconds they are circulating throughout your entire body!

     Makes you think perhaps its time to get a grip on the unhealthy emotions causing toxins to be released. Have you ever thought  of the astounding effect your emotions have on your health? Maybe we are finally beginning to establish that the word was accurate in so many ways, on so many levels.

 

Wall Street?

If only we could have had a window into the future we would have been spared the incredible turnabouts of the stock market. Even the most wizened professionals say they have never seen anything like it. In January of this year Barron's magazine advised its readers to concentrate purchases from its list of most secure and risk-free companies. At the very top of their suggestions for best performers for the coming year were Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and AIG. But of course neither Barron's nor Fortune nor Forbes had any idea that these pillars of capitalism, these bastions of financial strength, would soon collapse into bankruptcy or federal takeover. 

Another interesting fact is the following quote taken from the authors 

James Dale Davidson and Sir William Rees-Mogg, financial advisers and authors of Blood in the Streets.

"Even more mysterious is the strange tendency for major crashes to occur in the autumn, especially in October. For example, September 18, 1873; October 29, 1929; October 6, 1932; October 18, 1937; October 19, 1987; and October 13, 1989. Each of these dramatic results, among the largest drops ever recorded, occurred in the fall. The old view would be to argue that this is only coincidence, which of course is possible. Most likely some factor we do not now understand increases the vulnerability to selloffs in the fall."

What the world does not seem to grasp, or just plain does not know is that the Jewish New Year, or more accurately the Hebrew calender starts with a fall feast on the 30th September! During this season, God expects each and every man to bring an offering in, to focus our thoughts on our priorities for the upcoming year. The Day of Atonement (the feast following directly after Rosh Hashana) was fulfilled by Christ already...but the purpose of the fest remains. Its a season of when we are to refocus our thoughts. It is a season when there was Divine Judgement in the heavenlies. The Rabbis believe that during this season we ask God for His blessing upon our finances for the next upcoming year. 

However you believe, I am sure you will agree...this year end has forced many a banker, investment broker, investment advisor to refocus. Many a Christian will have to refocus their priorities as the season continues. For too long we have relied on the wisdom and knowledge of the world. We take investment advice from magazines, newspapers and stock brokers. Had you followed all that advice, your portfolio may be down right now. Had you sought Divine Advice, your portfolio may be looking healthy right now. There is only ONE creator - and He knows the markets and the market trends.

If we were to examine what the Word tells us about financial seasons, we would not be surprised at what happened last week on the stock markets.

Were you surprised?

Name of YHWH

The name of Yahweh is in actual fact spelt YHWH. We do not know for sure how to pronounce this name, because the Rabbis viewed the name as too holy to pronounce and so we have lost the correct pronunciation of this most Holy Name. We have modernized the Name to become Jehovah which is in actual fact a combination of YHWH with Adonai, thus adding the vowels of Adonai with the four letters of YHWH. This gives the name Jehovah, or translated :"The Lord God".

In the 18th chapter of the Gospel of John we see this major amount of soldiers armed with lanterns, torches and weapons coming to arrest Jesus. Obviously they were expecting to arrest a major man of war, not one peaceful rabbi teaching peace, love, and as such they were armed to the teeth. They come to the garden, and He asks them who are they looking for? They reply that they are looking for Jesus, and He answers in the most dramatic of manners with a simple:"I Am". The simple phrase is filled with such power, that the soldiers are slain in the spirit int he garden by the power inherent in this name. What is this Name?

This is the same name that God used when Moses asked Him:"Who are you?" in Exodus 6. God said, tell the people "I AM". 

I am indicates, that God is the God of the present tense. he is present now. He said He forgets our confessed (and repented sin). He forgets our past. God lives in the present tense. Hebrews 11:1 says that Faith is Now!! In Hebrews 11:6 we are told that without this faith, we cannot please God. It takes a now faith to please a Now God.  God is in the present tense. Fear is in the past tense. Fear is the opposite of faith and in reality is based upon your past experiences! Fear is past tense, faith is present tense. Where are you living?