This is a very good question for each of us to ask of ourselves. Who is the Lord? Is He my Lord (Master)? Is He big enough, in my eyes, to solve and be the solution to any, and all, of my problems? Is He strong to me? Is He mighty to save? Is He Great and Greatly to be praised in my life? Or are my problems bigger and without solutions?
Jesus was alone, but the plan was not that He remain alone in His plight, nor in His victory! He was the firstborn of many brethren, any and all who are called and chosen and choose can share in that slavation!
He did the hard part, kind of like a first baby being the first and hardest in all areas.
He opened the womb of the church and now any of us who decide to bear His name can not only be saved, but are designed to accompany God in His earth plans!
God, the Father cannot be a Father without sons. We are His sons and daughters. We are who He created that He’d have lovers and friends and not be alone. He designed man in His own image and said it was not good for man to be alone, and so He created a helper for man. God also has helpers in us, if we will to do His good pleasure.
How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? We go our own way, choose our own way of being and doing life and we refuse His ways as our own!
People are not realizing how much even the church is grieving the Spirit, when they love and serve the Father and Son, and will not receive the Spirit participating with Him receiving His gifts. It is serious stuff to reject God.
If we receive Him, He receives us, if we reject Him, we too will be rejected. If we confess Him before men, then He also will confess us before his Father in the day when we need to be covered.
God treats us as though we do not belong to Him when we reject Him. It is our choosing. We bring that distancing on ourselves.
We’d like our cake and to eat it also. We want to be able to do what we want, when we want it, and have God right by our side almost as our humbled unconditionally loving serving God. We must ask again, Who is God (to me)?
Do I live the way I want and expect His blessings no matter what and if they don’t come I whine and complain and do not understand it?
Or am I willing to obey Him at all cost to my own lifestyle choices? Can God tell me no?
Am I willing to change my ways of life to take all of His ways of life in? How great is He to me? Do I serve Him or in my eyes does He serve me? This sounds absurd on paper, but this is how Christians (in America anyway), arrogantly live! Do I serve Him or do I expect Him to serve me?
When I get a revelation of His greatness, there is no question who serves who.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Isaiah 62 Today's Daily Bread & Lena's Journalin' too
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Isaiah 62
Isaiah's Prayer for Jerusalem
1Because I love Zion, because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
2The nations will see your righteousness. Kings will be blinded by your glory. And the LORD will give you a new name. 3The LORD will hold you in his hands for all to see—a splendid crown in the hands of God. 4Never again will you be called the Godforsaken City F126 or the Desolate Land. F127 Your new name will be the City of God's Delight F128 and the Bride of God, F129 for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his own. 5Your children will care for you with joy, O Jerusalem, just as a young man cares for his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
6O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the LORD day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. 7Give the LORD no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth. 8The LORD has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: "I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and wine. 9You raised it, and you will keep it, praising the LORD. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine that you have pressed."
10Go out! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see. 11The LORD has sent this message to every land: "Tell the people of Israel, F130 'Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.'" 12They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the LORD. And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken.
FOOTNOTES:
F126: Hebrew Azubah, which means "forsaken."
F127: Hebrew Shemamah, which means "desolate."
F128: Hebrew Hephzibah, which means "my delight is in her."
F129: Hebrew Beulah, which means "married."
F130: Hebrew Tell the daughter of Zion.
Have you ever loved someone so much that you will not give up on them until you see God in them?
That is a love beyond human feelings. That is the love of God. Do you know God does not give up on giving us offers to love and serve Him, until the day we die or we just tell Him flat out NO? This is how He is after His promised bride. He loves her, the church, with an everlasting love. He doesn’t ever let go of the hope that she will also love Him in return.
How much do you love who God loves?
I love the promise here of a new name!
Old names aren’t always so good. Think names as being reputations. What have people related to your name, related your name with? When your old name is spoken in their hearing, what is said or is there an underlying tone or attitude expressed in the hearing of your name? If not so good, it’d be wonderful to be given the opportunity of a new name, wouldn’t it?
His name on us, is our new name. It was given to us freely, free because our free wills can choose it or not, but it is not without cost. In fact to wear His name on us, will cost us our lives. He gave all and our reciprocation is giving all in return. It is the only appropriate response!
Many professed “Christians” want all of God’s blessings, which many also count as His love. His love is always there, His blessings may not be. When we give to Him, His blessings come. It is the giving/receiving principle in action. He gave, we respond, we give, He responds. This is the cycle of blessings. His love is there if we never give any part of our life. He still gave us all of His.
Why is a wife given or a bride taken? I’m not speaking of human cultural ideas about the need for companionship, or physical attraction or chemistry, or sexual desire to be fulfilled.
She is His helper, His other piece, His way to make more of them, to have and raise children and grandchildren with, to demonstrate being one and the result of oneness with.
He’s not alone with her, not left alone, not counted alone. She is His joy, the one He gets to lavish His love upon, giving Himself to.
Are we, as a church, getting ourselves and our homes ready for God’s chosen beloved bride to return to Him and be in our fellowship and tutelage? Are we moving mountains for her, because we know how important she is to Him? Are we willing to be seen, even scrutinized, so He may be seen in and through her, pure and holy? Is she able to be undefiled by someone looking into our lives? Are we willingly being undefiled by worldliness, so we can touch His with no agendas or hopes of putting in and on her who we are naturally speaking?
Do we expect His examining eyes to come our way and look into the motivations of our very souls?
Can we allow the fire of His eyes to purify us inside out? Even judge us now, that we’d pass judgement later on with flying colors? Or do we shun that word?
It is always up to us.
And what we believe.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Isaiah 62
Isaiah's Prayer for Jerusalem
1Because I love Zion, because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
2The nations will see your righteousness. Kings will be blinded by your glory. And the LORD will give you a new name. 3The LORD will hold you in his hands for all to see—a splendid crown in the hands of God. 4Never again will you be called the Godforsaken City F126 or the Desolate Land. F127 Your new name will be the City of God's Delight F128 and the Bride of God, F129 for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his own. 5Your children will care for you with joy, O Jerusalem, just as a young man cares for his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
6O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the LORD day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. 7Give the LORD no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth. 8The LORD has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: "I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and wine. 9You raised it, and you will keep it, praising the LORD. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine that you have pressed."
10Go out! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see. 11The LORD has sent this message to every land: "Tell the people of Israel, F130 'Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.'" 12They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the LORD. And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken.
FOOTNOTES:
F126: Hebrew Azubah, which means "forsaken."
F127: Hebrew Shemamah, which means "desolate."
F128: Hebrew Hephzibah, which means "my delight is in her."
F129: Hebrew Beulah, which means "married."
F130: Hebrew Tell the daughter of Zion.
Have you ever loved someone so much that you will not give up on them until you see God in them?
That is a love beyond human feelings. That is the love of God. Do you know God does not give up on giving us offers to love and serve Him, until the day we die or we just tell Him flat out NO? This is how He is after His promised bride. He loves her, the church, with an everlasting love. He doesn’t ever let go of the hope that she will also love Him in return.
How much do you love who God loves?
I love the promise here of a new name!
Old names aren’t always so good. Think names as being reputations. What have people related to your name, related your name with? When your old name is spoken in their hearing, what is said or is there an underlying tone or attitude expressed in the hearing of your name? If not so good, it’d be wonderful to be given the opportunity of a new name, wouldn’t it?
His name on us, is our new name. It was given to us freely, free because our free wills can choose it or not, but it is not without cost. In fact to wear His name on us, will cost us our lives. He gave all and our reciprocation is giving all in return. It is the only appropriate response!
Many professed “Christians” want all of God’s blessings, which many also count as His love. His love is always there, His blessings may not be. When we give to Him, His blessings come. It is the giving/receiving principle in action. He gave, we respond, we give, He responds. This is the cycle of blessings. His love is there if we never give any part of our life. He still gave us all of His.
Why is a wife given or a bride taken? I’m not speaking of human cultural ideas about the need for companionship, or physical attraction or chemistry, or sexual desire to be fulfilled.
She is His helper, His other piece, His way to make more of them, to have and raise children and grandchildren with, to demonstrate being one and the result of oneness with.
He’s not alone with her, not left alone, not counted alone. She is His joy, the one He gets to lavish His love upon, giving Himself to.
Are we, as a church, getting ourselves and our homes ready for God’s chosen beloved bride to return to Him and be in our fellowship and tutelage? Are we moving mountains for her, because we know how important she is to Him? Are we willing to be seen, even scrutinized, so He may be seen in and through her, pure and holy? Is she able to be undefiled by someone looking into our lives? Are we willingly being undefiled by worldliness, so we can touch His with no agendas or hopes of putting in and on her who we are naturally speaking?
Do we expect His examining eyes to come our way and look into the motivations of our very souls?
Can we allow the fire of His eyes to purify us inside out? Even judge us now, that we’d pass judgement later on with flying colors? Or do we shun that word?
It is always up to us.
And what we believe.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Lena Journals to Isaiah 61 Tonight :-)
What makes Christians different? Hopefully, it’s the spirit of the Lord that is in us. We have a human spirit, this is the life in us. When we receive Christ and the Holy Spirit, we become one with God, and His Spirit fills us up, causing us to be like He is in earthly bodies.
Jesus, was God, and He came to earth, was filled with the Spirit on earth and walked on earth as both man and God.
He was an example for us and left us telling us to do as He showed us to do, not by our own might or super human abilities, but by the empowerment of the Spirit of God made available to all, who receive Him willingly.
The keys here are receive, which must happen through faith, and willingly.
God is a gentleman in nature and does not force Himself or His will on us ever.
Do you know the Lord has appointed each human to be anointed and to preach? Each and every human alive has this Divine appointment and opportunity while on earth, in this earth suit body.
Do you know we each have good news for the poor, comfort for broken hearts and release for those held captive at the enemy’s will?
Do you know Divine favor is available to each of us? Supernatural favor no one can ever earn on his own?
Have you ever been in mourning? Are you still there? Do you know you can and should let go and that God’s way is to release those who have already had their time here? To hold one’s self to a person who has passed on is dangerous to one’s health and therein lies the breeding ground of death, which will try to attach itself to the willing to sympathize with it? There needs to be beauty come out of ashes. That is God’s design, that that which could cause us the most terrible type of earthly pain, would not be able to harm us or separate us from God’s love and knowing it personally. That neither death nor the pains or circumstances of life could take us away form His joy and doing His work until our end of days come.
There are actually people who die, yet are still alive, when others do die. This is tragic and we allow or disallow something such as death to steal our purposes away from us.
The world and culture teaches us that death is supposed to sting and we are supposed to mourn for a long time and not get over it, etc….This is not kingdom of God culture! Jesus piad to remove the sting of death form those who give it all to Him!
Those who choose (and it is a choice) joy, rather than to mourn will be like strong, mighty, and firmly planted growing trees.
Those who choose to live when death prematurely offers itself to us, will rebuild ancient ruins!!! Man that is huge. That’s like making something glorious out of what is not even apparent!
We’re really talking about generational relationships here, not just physical buildings!
Seriously. This is what is most serious in God’s heart’s desire. Relationships of old mended, and made all new!
He doesn’t care about buildings unless people can gather unto Him to glorify Him in them.
The Lord, the bridegroom, with great anticipation, awaits those who’s hearts are all for Him, who choose His ways above their own ways. They could choose their own, but they choose His instead, cause they want to!
What makes Christians different? Hopefully, it’s the spirit of the Lord that is in us. We have a human spirit, this is the life in us. When we receive Christ and the Holy Spirit, we become one with God, and His Spirit fills us up, causing us to be like He is in earthly bodies.
Jesus, was God, and He came to earth, was filled with the Spirit on earth and walked on earth as both man and God.
He was an example for us and left us telling us to do as He showed us to do, not by our own might or super human abilities, but by the empowerment of the Spirit of God made available to all, who receive Him willingly.
The keys here are receive, which must happen through faith, and willingly.
God is a gentleman in nature and does not force Himself or His will on us ever.
Do you know the Lord has appointed each human to be anointed and to preach? Each and every human alive has this Divine appointment and opportunity while on earth, in this earth suit body.
Do you know we each have good news for the poor, comfort for broken hearts and release for those held captive at the enemy’s will?
Do you know Divine favor is available to each of us? Supernatural favor no one can ever earn on his own?
Have you ever been in mourning? Are you still there? Do you know you can and should let go and that God’s way is to release those who have already had their time here? To hold one’s self to a person who has passed on is dangerous to one’s health and therein lies the breeding ground of death, which will try to attach itself to the willing to sympathize with it? There needs to be beauty come out of ashes. That is God’s design, that that which could cause us the most terrible type of earthly pain, would not be able to harm us or separate us from God’s love and knowing it personally. That neither death nor the pains or circumstances of life could take us away form His joy and doing His work until our end of days come.
There are actually people who die, yet are still alive, when others do die. This is tragic and we allow or disallow something such as death to steal our purposes away from us.
The world and culture teaches us that death is supposed to sting and we are supposed to mourn for a long time and not get over it, etc….This is not kingdom of God culture! Jesus piad to remove the sting of death form those who give it all to Him!
Those who choose (and it is a choice) joy, rather than to mourn will be like strong, mighty, and firmly planted growing trees.
Those who choose to live when death prematurely offers itself to us, will rebuild ancient ruins!!! Man that is huge. That’s like making something glorious out of what is not even apparent!
We’re really talking about generational relationships here, not just physical buildings!
Seriously. This is what is most serious in God’s heart’s desire. Relationships of old mended, and made all new!
He doesn’t care about buildings unless people can gather unto Him to glorify Him in them.
The Lord, the bridegroom, with great anticipation, awaits those who’s hearts are all for Him, who choose His ways above their own ways. They could choose their own, but they choose His instead, cause they want to!
Isaiah 61 Today
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. F123 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favor has come, F124 and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, F125 he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed. They will revive them, though they have been empty for many generations. 5 Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. 6 You will be called priests of the LORD, ministers of our God. You will be fed with the treasures of the nations and will boast in their riches. 7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy. 8 "For I, the LORD, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. 11 The Sovereign LORD will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, filled with young plants springing up everywhere.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F123: Greek version reads and the blind will see.
F124: Or to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.
F125: Hebrew in Zion.
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. F123 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favor has come, F124 and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, F125 he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed. They will revive them, though they have been empty for many generations. 5 Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. 6 You will be called priests of the LORD, ministers of our God. You will be fed with the treasures of the nations and will boast in their riches. 7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy. 8 "For I, the LORD, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. 11 The Sovereign LORD will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, filled with young plants springing up everywhere.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F123: Greek version reads and the blind will see.
F124: Or to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.
F125: Hebrew in Zion.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Isaiah 60
1 "Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the LORD is shining upon you. 2 Darkness as black as night will cover all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD will shine over you. 3 All nations will come to your light. Mighty kings will come to see your radiance. 4 "Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. 5 Your eyes will shine, and your hearts will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands. 6 Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. From Sheba they will bring gold and incense for the worship of the LORD. 7 The flocks of Kedar will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. In that day I will make my Temple glorious. 8 "And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel, like doves to their nests?
9 They are the ships of Tarshish, reserved to bring the people of Israel home. They will bring their wealth with them, and it will bring great honor to the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he will fill you with splendor. 10 "Foreigners will come to rebuild your cities. Kings and rulers will send you aid. For though I have destroyed you in my anger, I will have mercy on you through my grace. 11 Your gates will stay open around the clock to receive the wealth of many lands. The kings of the world will be led as captives in a victory procession. 12 For the nations that refuse to be your allies will be destroyed. 13 The glory of Lebanon will be yours ? the forests of cypress, fir, and pine ? to beautify my sanctuary. My Temple will be glorious! 14 "The children of your tormentors will come and bow before you. Those who despised you will kiss your feet. They will call you the City of the LORD, and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 "Though you were once despised and hated and rebuffed by all, you will be beautiful forever. You will be a joy to all generations, for I will make you so. 16 Powerful kings and mighty nations will bring the best of their goods to satisfy your every need. You will know at last that I, the LORD, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel. F122 17 I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. Peace and righteousness will be your leaders! 18 Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end. Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there. 19 "No longer will you need the sun or moon to give you light, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and he will be your glory. 20 The sun will never set; the moon will not go down. For the LORD will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. 21 All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory. 22 The smallest family will multiply into a large clan. The tiniest group will become a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will bring it all to pass at the right time."
FOOTNOTES:
F122: Hebrew of Jacob.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Isaiah 60
1 "Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the LORD is shining upon you. 2 Darkness as black as night will cover all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD will shine over you. 3 All nations will come to your light. Mighty kings will come to see your radiance. 4 "Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. 5 Your eyes will shine, and your hearts will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands. 6 Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. From Sheba they will bring gold and incense for the worship of the LORD. 7 The flocks of Kedar will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. In that day I will make my Temple glorious. 8 "And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel, like doves to their nests?
9 They are the ships of Tarshish, reserved to bring the people of Israel home. They will bring their wealth with them, and it will bring great honor to the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he will fill you with splendor. 10 "Foreigners will come to rebuild your cities. Kings and rulers will send you aid. For though I have destroyed you in my anger, I will have mercy on you through my grace. 11 Your gates will stay open around the clock to receive the wealth of many lands. The kings of the world will be led as captives in a victory procession. 12 For the nations that refuse to be your allies will be destroyed. 13 The glory of Lebanon will be yours ? the forests of cypress, fir, and pine ? to beautify my sanctuary. My Temple will be glorious! 14 "The children of your tormentors will come and bow before you. Those who despised you will kiss your feet. They will call you the City of the LORD, and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 "Though you were once despised and hated and rebuffed by all, you will be beautiful forever. You will be a joy to all generations, for I will make you so. 16 Powerful kings and mighty nations will bring the best of their goods to satisfy your every need. You will know at last that I, the LORD, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel. F122 17 I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. Peace and righteousness will be your leaders! 18 Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end. Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there. 19 "No longer will you need the sun or moon to give you light, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and he will be your glory. 20 The sun will never set; the moon will not go down. For the LORD will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. 21 All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory. 22 The smallest family will multiply into a large clan. The tiniest group will become a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will bring it all to pass at the right time."
FOOTNOTES:
F122: Hebrew of Jacob.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Lena Journals to 1 Kings 19 Today
It is interesting how Ahab’s heart must have been overtaken as it was bent towards evil. He saw the contest of the Lord vs Baal and then he saw the heavens open up and rain pour out upon dry lands where famine had prevailed and still he had no regard for God’s messenger, thus no regard for God nor His word.
This leads each of us to ask ourselves, what all have we seen by the Might of the Lord our God, yet we still have not turned our hearts to be given wholly and completely over to His will and plan?
Faithful church goers have the greatest challenge of all, for they see so much. Seeing so much of God’s works on a day to day basis and hearing so much of His word and testimony of others is what The Lord wants every member of His body to do and be a part of, yet there is a maintenance of faith and trust that each congregation member must put themselves into continually. That of staying thankful in all things. That of praising God outwardly regularly (keeps the pride level down), and entry into service of others. The most important portion of all for the maintaining of one’s faith is being a doer of the words we hear regularly. If we do not make a plan and do God’s words, we’ll become calloused to them and to God. We’ll step into deception and we may see the works of God’s mighty hand and yet not believe Him.
Remember the Bible was written and translated and given us so we’d hear and learn and not have to have the personal experiences with the service of evil, ourselves. Israel was in bondage and slavery, were miraculously freed, fed, clothed, etc. and then they murmured and complained against God and His leaders. How much complaining of leaders or church order or disorder have you been a part of lately? That’s another red flag warning for complacency and deception. The Bible says give the devil no place. When it was giving us that “advice”, it was speaking to church members. If we give an inch the enemy would gladly take a mile and can ruin the very one’s he’s after, those who look most like the One he hates!
As for the complaining against leaders, we can easily fall into agreeing with what someone sees as wrong and shares with us. Watch out though, it is a trap! Jezebel awaits the devouring of any and every leader “she” can. She looks to make congregations of complainers out from congregations, by sharing news, gathering the discontented, causing them to agree together and thus she puts her sword into the heart of churches everywhere.
Guess what?
Churches are full of imperfect people, who live under the grace and mercy of God and are forgiven, repenting and learning and growing. There is NO perfect church. It is no news that something may be wrong at your church! Do you love, serve and trust God? Do your leaders? Can you extend grace, peace, support and intercession their way, not allowing the enemy to have any footholds in your house of God? Can you serve them in love even in their humanness? Is the point of being there to serve perfected people? Or to grow in the Lord, trusting Him in all things? Can you entreat men or women of God as ones who care about their end and the condition of the church body they lead, in order to build up and preserve their own faith, or are you one willing to tear down what was built this far?
These are questions, we as congregation members, should ask ourselves.
Some may say, well, what if…..? I’ve seen God come in to a healthy congregation and take the pastor out, not because there was murmuring amongst the members about Him, nor because man made sure he was put out, but because God saw the secret sins and chose to expose them, for the benefit of a faith filled congregation of people. The revelation hurt badly, but the congregation was not as divided as when the enemy divides it out!
Don’t you think that God knew why Elijah thought he was running away? Of course. That is the same type of questioning the Lord had for Adam. He wanted the man to look at what he was doing and why.
In all things do we know who God is? Many a time we see the enemy as huge, magnificent, larger than life and especially big in present circumstances, but do we know who the Lord is? Have we seen Him and the works of His hands? Do we remember Him? Or are we so deceived into thinking the evil after us is greater than the God in us?
Did you notice the Lord showed Himself to Elijah and then asks the question again, only to hear Elijah repeat his first perception of the circumstances? I noticed I do the same thing. I come to church with a whirlwind of problems that my mind tells me are huge. We have a God inspirited service and the answers for my situation are right there, then I leave, go home and begin to think as I was thinking before I was a part of the awesome and glorious service!!!
It looks like Elijah was not allowed by the Lord to go on further than this place after he did not change his perception of how big the enemy was. It looks like he was about to be replaced. It appears the Lord was graciously angry.
All of us are in this place where we could choose to stay at the place we’ve grown to, happy that we even got this far, or we can go on to where God has for us to go. God always has more for us to do and more for us to learn, as long as we are alive, we would be the ones who say, it is enough. There’s always more in His heart for men to participate with Him in and do, the deal with Him is it is all optional to us, we do not have to do anything. He sometimes won’t even tell us what it is, or what would be ahead for us, if He sees we have our own agendas and are unwilling. He’s looking for hearts after His will and open to Hs ways.
God needed a man who would do double what Elijah did. You’d think if Elijah made God angry God would just turn away form Him, but God used Him to train Elisha up to the place he presently was at and then God would take over after this to lead Elisha further than Elisha went. This should be the way with our seed, naturally and spiritually speaking. We should expect them to grow beyond our willingness. The best though would be for us to stay willing and grow as large as we can in Christ during the days of earth we have left, and still watch our children take off after us and go further.
When Elijah came to Elisha what was Elisha doing? Plowing a field. He wasn’t formally in Bible school or ministry yet, but he was doing the work of the Lord spiritually speaking. He was working, he was not idle, he was plowing a field, supporting his family, a business owner with twelve teams of oxen! 12 is a very significant number Biblically speaking. It is about the government of God’s kingdom. Elisha was living inside of kingdom principles already!
Has anyone godly ever asked you to follow them as they follow Christ? Have they ever asked you to grow and do more than what you already feel are the good things you presently do that are helping work the kingdom? That is how it is, it is not that God doesn’t recognize what it is we are presently doing. He’s always calling us to more growth, for this journey is an eternal one. Elisha could have responded, hey man, look, I already get it, am already working it, already know right and wrong, am already involved in church, and am doing all I know, what else do you want from me? But no, he heeded the call of God without even knowing he was chosen by name by God! God was using a man to tell Elisha of his call if he’d take the offer. It was up to him, he did not have to, neither do we.
Elisha left all the good stuff he knew and was already doing and ran after Elijah. Many a time we consider what God has offered us and then when we go back to the house or to see what all we may be leaving behind, we reconsider. I’ve seen this over and over again, more than not. We get overwhelmed by what we’re leaving and the unseen world we’d be heading into does not seem as real or as rewarding or as secure. We’ve entered the test of “want to’s”. God will allow us to stay where we are. That is the hard part of all of it. He’s not forcing us, He’s just seeing if we “want to”.
Elijah’s reply to him was so key. Elijah was not going to push or pull him, he just said, go ahead go back, just consider what I just invited you to, from the Lord.
Elijah killed what he’d been involved in, he let it die! That way there was nothing left for him to look back to, after he made his decision, if there was any pull at all in the future to go back again, if anything ahead ever got hard etc, he may turn to look, but he made sure nothing was there to see, no desire other than following the call of God was in his vision. He had to do that, God would not remove any of it for him, that was the test he himself would have to pass through the strength of Christ if he so chose to.
He was a landowner, a boss, a successful business man, now he was leaving all that to be a servant, an assistant! Wow!
It is interesting how Ahab’s heart must have been overtaken as it was bent towards evil. He saw the contest of the Lord vs Baal and then he saw the heavens open up and rain pour out upon dry lands where famine had prevailed and still he had no regard for God’s messenger, thus no regard for God nor His word.
This leads each of us to ask ourselves, what all have we seen by the Might of the Lord our God, yet we still have not turned our hearts to be given wholly and completely over to His will and plan?
Faithful church goers have the greatest challenge of all, for they see so much. Seeing so much of God’s works on a day to day basis and hearing so much of His word and testimony of others is what The Lord wants every member of His body to do and be a part of, yet there is a maintenance of faith and trust that each congregation member must put themselves into continually. That of staying thankful in all things. That of praising God outwardly regularly (keeps the pride level down), and entry into service of others. The most important portion of all for the maintaining of one’s faith is being a doer of the words we hear regularly. If we do not make a plan and do God’s words, we’ll become calloused to them and to God. We’ll step into deception and we may see the works of God’s mighty hand and yet not believe Him.
Remember the Bible was written and translated and given us so we’d hear and learn and not have to have the personal experiences with the service of evil, ourselves. Israel was in bondage and slavery, were miraculously freed, fed, clothed, etc. and then they murmured and complained against God and His leaders. How much complaining of leaders or church order or disorder have you been a part of lately? That’s another red flag warning for complacency and deception. The Bible says give the devil no place. When it was giving us that “advice”, it was speaking to church members. If we give an inch the enemy would gladly take a mile and can ruin the very one’s he’s after, those who look most like the One he hates!
As for the complaining against leaders, we can easily fall into agreeing with what someone sees as wrong and shares with us. Watch out though, it is a trap! Jezebel awaits the devouring of any and every leader “she” can. She looks to make congregations of complainers out from congregations, by sharing news, gathering the discontented, causing them to agree together and thus she puts her sword into the heart of churches everywhere.
Guess what?
Churches are full of imperfect people, who live under the grace and mercy of God and are forgiven, repenting and learning and growing. There is NO perfect church. It is no news that something may be wrong at your church! Do you love, serve and trust God? Do your leaders? Can you extend grace, peace, support and intercession their way, not allowing the enemy to have any footholds in your house of God? Can you serve them in love even in their humanness? Is the point of being there to serve perfected people? Or to grow in the Lord, trusting Him in all things? Can you entreat men or women of God as ones who care about their end and the condition of the church body they lead, in order to build up and preserve their own faith, or are you one willing to tear down what was built this far?
These are questions, we as congregation members, should ask ourselves.
Some may say, well, what if…..? I’ve seen God come in to a healthy congregation and take the pastor out, not because there was murmuring amongst the members about Him, nor because man made sure he was put out, but because God saw the secret sins and chose to expose them, for the benefit of a faith filled congregation of people. The revelation hurt badly, but the congregation was not as divided as when the enemy divides it out!
Don’t you think that God knew why Elijah thought he was running away? Of course. That is the same type of questioning the Lord had for Adam. He wanted the man to look at what he was doing and why.
In all things do we know who God is? Many a time we see the enemy as huge, magnificent, larger than life and especially big in present circumstances, but do we know who the Lord is? Have we seen Him and the works of His hands? Do we remember Him? Or are we so deceived into thinking the evil after us is greater than the God in us?
Did you notice the Lord showed Himself to Elijah and then asks the question again, only to hear Elijah repeat his first perception of the circumstances? I noticed I do the same thing. I come to church with a whirlwind of problems that my mind tells me are huge. We have a God inspirited service and the answers for my situation are right there, then I leave, go home and begin to think as I was thinking before I was a part of the awesome and glorious service!!!
It looks like Elijah was not allowed by the Lord to go on further than this place after he did not change his perception of how big the enemy was. It looks like he was about to be replaced. It appears the Lord was graciously angry.
All of us are in this place where we could choose to stay at the place we’ve grown to, happy that we even got this far, or we can go on to where God has for us to go. God always has more for us to do and more for us to learn, as long as we are alive, we would be the ones who say, it is enough. There’s always more in His heart for men to participate with Him in and do, the deal with Him is it is all optional to us, we do not have to do anything. He sometimes won’t even tell us what it is, or what would be ahead for us, if He sees we have our own agendas and are unwilling. He’s looking for hearts after His will and open to Hs ways.
God needed a man who would do double what Elijah did. You’d think if Elijah made God angry God would just turn away form Him, but God used Him to train Elisha up to the place he presently was at and then God would take over after this to lead Elisha further than Elisha went. This should be the way with our seed, naturally and spiritually speaking. We should expect them to grow beyond our willingness. The best though would be for us to stay willing and grow as large as we can in Christ during the days of earth we have left, and still watch our children take off after us and go further.
When Elijah came to Elisha what was Elisha doing? Plowing a field. He wasn’t formally in Bible school or ministry yet, but he was doing the work of the Lord spiritually speaking. He was working, he was not idle, he was plowing a field, supporting his family, a business owner with twelve teams of oxen! 12 is a very significant number Biblically speaking. It is about the government of God’s kingdom. Elisha was living inside of kingdom principles already!
Has anyone godly ever asked you to follow them as they follow Christ? Have they ever asked you to grow and do more than what you already feel are the good things you presently do that are helping work the kingdom? That is how it is, it is not that God doesn’t recognize what it is we are presently doing. He’s always calling us to more growth, for this journey is an eternal one. Elisha could have responded, hey man, look, I already get it, am already working it, already know right and wrong, am already involved in church, and am doing all I know, what else do you want from me? But no, he heeded the call of God without even knowing he was chosen by name by God! God was using a man to tell Elisha of his call if he’d take the offer. It was up to him, he did not have to, neither do we.
Elisha left all the good stuff he knew and was already doing and ran after Elijah. Many a time we consider what God has offered us and then when we go back to the house or to see what all we may be leaving behind, we reconsider. I’ve seen this over and over again, more than not. We get overwhelmed by what we’re leaving and the unseen world we’d be heading into does not seem as real or as rewarding or as secure. We’ve entered the test of “want to’s”. God will allow us to stay where we are. That is the hard part of all of it. He’s not forcing us, He’s just seeing if we “want to”.
Elijah’s reply to him was so key. Elijah was not going to push or pull him, he just said, go ahead go back, just consider what I just invited you to, from the Lord.
Elijah killed what he’d been involved in, he let it die! That way there was nothing left for him to look back to, after he made his decision, if there was any pull at all in the future to go back again, if anything ahead ever got hard etc, he may turn to look, but he made sure nothing was there to see, no desire other than following the call of God was in his vision. He had to do that, God would not remove any of it for him, that was the test he himself would have to pass through the strength of Christ if he so chose to.
He was a landowner, a boss, a successful business man, now he was leaving all that to be a servant, an assistant! Wow!
1 Kings 19
Elijah Flees to Sinai
1When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had slaughtered the prophets of Baal. 2So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: "May the gods also kill me if by this time tomorrow I have failed to take your life like those whom you killed."
3Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4Then he went on alone into the desert, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."
5Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, "Get up and eat!" 6He looked around and saw some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, "Get up and eat some more, for there is a long journey ahead of you."
8So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, F78 the mountain of God. 9There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.
The LORD Speaks to Elijah
But the LORD said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10Elijah replied, "I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."
11"Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14He replied again, "I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."
15Then the LORD told him, "Go back the way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18Yet I will preserve seven thousand others in Israel who have never bowed to Baal or kissed him!"
The Call of Elisha
19So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with a team of oxen. There were eleven teams of oxen ahead of him, and he was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and walked away again. 20Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, "First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!" Elijah replied, "Go on back! But consider what I have done to you."
21Elisha then returned to his oxen, killed them, and used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the other plowmen, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.
FOOTNOTES:
F78: Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
Elijah Flees to Sinai
1When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had slaughtered the prophets of Baal. 2So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: "May the gods also kill me if by this time tomorrow I have failed to take your life like those whom you killed."
3Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4Then he went on alone into the desert, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."
5Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, "Get up and eat!" 6He looked around and saw some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, "Get up and eat some more, for there is a long journey ahead of you."
8So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, F78 the mountain of God. 9There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.
The LORD Speaks to Elijah
But the LORD said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10Elijah replied, "I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."
11"Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14He replied again, "I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."
15Then the LORD told him, "Go back the way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18Yet I will preserve seven thousand others in Israel who have never bowed to Baal or kissed him!"
The Call of Elisha
19So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with a team of oxen. There were eleven teams of oxen ahead of him, and he was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and walked away again. 20Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, "First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!" Elijah replied, "Go on back! But consider what I have done to you."
21Elisha then returned to his oxen, killed them, and used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the other plowmen, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.
FOOTNOTES:
F78: Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Lena Journals to 1 Kings 18 Today
I find it awesome that in the midst of what seems such gross darkness, there is the light of the Word of God found in obedient representatives. In a wicked kingdom, where people are not serving God Most High and were predominantly loving themselves and the ways of their own choosing, there was still a voice. A voice in the community, a voice in the palace. A voice of love, of obedience (Obadiah =’s obedience) available to speak, if someone was willing to hear it.
Willingness to hear (which also means obeying, these are one in the same) this is key to how much the Word of the Lord is being spoken through his messengers. How much are even the people of God willing to hear His words? How much are, we the people of God, seeking to learn and come to know the spirit of Christ through the word of God? If there is no desire there, there is a famine for His words, for His spirit. There will be a famine for hearing and for knowing and doing. Is there anyone tired of being dry, left to his own ways, or are we content as we are, without any spiritual life? Have we been deceived, because we are still alive physically, into thinking that the life of God, even without obedience to His word, is in us?
The more we become willing to hear with intent to apply everything we hear, as though we’re a college student studying for exams, the more will be given us to learn and do. The less we do, the less we get opportunity to do. We even shut our spirits down from receiving from His fountains, because we welcome Him, invite Him, through our responses to His words. If no response, then no reciprocal response, because there was an unwelcome, a quenching of His passions.
Obadiah actually fed and gave water to God, that was his faith response to words he’d heard. He gave God what God wanted for His people. He fed and nourished the plan of God.
This is what prayer is about. Being a voice for God, nourishing His will, telling Him we agree and are making a plan to do what His will is, it is placing our trust and faith reliance on Him in response to His words we’ve heard.
Today there is a call to prayer for our nation and the church, the body of Christ, within the nation, a prayer time where many people all over the nation pray all day and fast to show God we want rain, we want His passions flame, His consuming of us fire, there is a voice in the “palace”, a people who love with plans of action and are willing to even be changed in order to do His will. A people willing to stand and risk their own lives to show His.
If God be God, then serve Him, if the ways you’ve been living, if your own ways are working, you being your own god or goddesses are where it truly eternally works, then serve them.
There is a difference in us being protected inside of what we choose to do, and in doing what God has initiated. I hear so many people make plans and then pray that God blesses their self made, self motivated and initiated plans and later on, if things go wrongly, they blame God and are angry at Him, because the blessing of God was not there.
Notice Elijah ran form Ahab and hid from Jezebel when God did not yet present him there in their presence. He was not arrogantly “trusting” God and that he was always divinely protected and just went to stand before Ahab at his own whim and initiative. He followed the voice of the Lord, within that voice, he found there was safety and Divine protection. He was facing his enemy today, because God told Him to, told him it was time to. Some people tell me “in the Lord’s timing” I’ll have this or that, or be healed…The Lord’s timing is about what He wants done, it’s not about illness. It is time now for illnesses to leave us so we can do the will of God when and how He wants it done! If He says do it, check in, it may very well be the time to.
Has anyone ever counted you as a spiritual troublemaker against evil? The devils in the world should be saying that about the church. The church should be in position to do some harm to the kingdom of darkness on a daily basis.
Refusal to obey the commands of God bring “troubles”. Having troubles is a good time to check in on the obedience gage.
Many times disobedience is based on faltering between two opinions. Opinions DO NOT matter in the kingdom of God. His word does and whatever my opinion is should be moved to become one with His word.
How much strength, energy, money, time, and even blood, have we given to our own opinions and to other gods? The very first of even the 10 commandments states there shall be No other gods before Me! Other gods are whatever else we feed or feed on, that take the time God could have from us in prayer, worship, study of the word, and fellowship with his body. It includes our opinions that exalt themselves and say to us, we are excused somehow from doing that commandment. We say to ourselves, the word must apply to the other 99% of the body of Christ, but somehow we get excused from it. That kind of thinking is definitely a red light alert – another god is here right now to serve if we want to, we can, if we don’t want to,
We need to rise up and dis-invite him through purposeful changes we make. We take our thoughts and opinions captive and tell them what we’re gonna do about making an adjustment to obey the word of the Lord, and we’re Not excused and we do not allow ourselves the luxury of exalting ourselves above God to have an excuse to not serve Him his way.
See many of us serve Him our way and want Him to be happy and pleased with it. When we first come into the kingdom, He somewhat accepts that, it is infantile behavior, but it doesn’t last, because we are to grow up and mature into a love that obeys God’s word at all times.
This is what made a contest this day, Excuses and opinions. Baal was ruling there in ISRAEL. In Israel Baal was being invited, by people’s excuses and their following their own opinions and serving God their own ways, expecting God to be happy with what they decided to give him! That kind of living in the church causes a famine to happen to the whole land. It’s not just one house that is judged and affected, it is the whole land that bears the curse of a disobedient church!
Today is a day to say, I see that Lord, and I’m sorry. I’ll change and repent! You are God, I am not and I apologize for thinking I had excuses.
You do realize some excuses stem from lack of belief in ability? Yet when God asks us to do something, He is rarely ever basing His request on our abilities, But His life in us and our trust in Him to live and grow in us and to use our faith as co-workers together. Prayer is co-working. We find out what God wants and speak it into the atmosphere of the earth, creating a new world as He first created ours. With Adam He gave power to men to create their world through words. Prayer is releasing creative words as God deems we release them. One must be a student of the word to do that, and know Him in and through His word.
Those truly repent …. they fell on their faces and cried out, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
Those who preach a message saying of it’s ok to do such and such with so and so, it’s ok to live in sin, and excuse yourself from obeying the voices of the Lord in the earth, God still loves you and He’ll understand…these are prophets of Baal, prophets of compromise. There is fire coming to spirits of compromise and to their disciples. Our God is a consuming fire! He is Holy, righteous, just and true!
Are you the type of servant of the Lord who sees stuff no one else sees? A visionary? Not a dreamer, who has goals they’d like to accomplish, But a person who sees the will of God before it appears and will bow down like a woman in birth praying and watching till it happens?
Wow! This is the behavior of those who are like Christ, they see ahead into the realm of God’s will, inquire of what He wants now, in our day, and then presses into the heavenly realm being that very desire to earth through prayer and obedient actions. Expecting what He wants to come and not giving up until it does.
How strong is God’s power in you? As much as we trust Him, enough to rely on, and obey Him is as much as He’s allowed to manifest in and through us.
Join believers all over the nation, Bow down and Pray Today!
I find it awesome that in the midst of what seems such gross darkness, there is the light of the Word of God found in obedient representatives. In a wicked kingdom, where people are not serving God Most High and were predominantly loving themselves and the ways of their own choosing, there was still a voice. A voice in the community, a voice in the palace. A voice of love, of obedience (Obadiah =’s obedience) available to speak, if someone was willing to hear it.
Willingness to hear (which also means obeying, these are one in the same) this is key to how much the Word of the Lord is being spoken through his messengers. How much are even the people of God willing to hear His words? How much are, we the people of God, seeking to learn and come to know the spirit of Christ through the word of God? If there is no desire there, there is a famine for His words, for His spirit. There will be a famine for hearing and for knowing and doing. Is there anyone tired of being dry, left to his own ways, or are we content as we are, without any spiritual life? Have we been deceived, because we are still alive physically, into thinking that the life of God, even without obedience to His word, is in us?
The more we become willing to hear with intent to apply everything we hear, as though we’re a college student studying for exams, the more will be given us to learn and do. The less we do, the less we get opportunity to do. We even shut our spirits down from receiving from His fountains, because we welcome Him, invite Him, through our responses to His words. If no response, then no reciprocal response, because there was an unwelcome, a quenching of His passions.
Obadiah actually fed and gave water to God, that was his faith response to words he’d heard. He gave God what God wanted for His people. He fed and nourished the plan of God.
This is what prayer is about. Being a voice for God, nourishing His will, telling Him we agree and are making a plan to do what His will is, it is placing our trust and faith reliance on Him in response to His words we’ve heard.
Today there is a call to prayer for our nation and the church, the body of Christ, within the nation, a prayer time where many people all over the nation pray all day and fast to show God we want rain, we want His passions flame, His consuming of us fire, there is a voice in the “palace”, a people who love with plans of action and are willing to even be changed in order to do His will. A people willing to stand and risk their own lives to show His.
If God be God, then serve Him, if the ways you’ve been living, if your own ways are working, you being your own god or goddesses are where it truly eternally works, then serve them.
There is a difference in us being protected inside of what we choose to do, and in doing what God has initiated. I hear so many people make plans and then pray that God blesses their self made, self motivated and initiated plans and later on, if things go wrongly, they blame God and are angry at Him, because the blessing of God was not there.
Notice Elijah ran form Ahab and hid from Jezebel when God did not yet present him there in their presence. He was not arrogantly “trusting” God and that he was always divinely protected and just went to stand before Ahab at his own whim and initiative. He followed the voice of the Lord, within that voice, he found there was safety and Divine protection. He was facing his enemy today, because God told Him to, told him it was time to. Some people tell me “in the Lord’s timing” I’ll have this or that, or be healed…The Lord’s timing is about what He wants done, it’s not about illness. It is time now for illnesses to leave us so we can do the will of God when and how He wants it done! If He says do it, check in, it may very well be the time to.
Has anyone ever counted you as a spiritual troublemaker against evil? The devils in the world should be saying that about the church. The church should be in position to do some harm to the kingdom of darkness on a daily basis.
Refusal to obey the commands of God bring “troubles”. Having troubles is a good time to check in on the obedience gage.
Many times disobedience is based on faltering between two opinions. Opinions DO NOT matter in the kingdom of God. His word does and whatever my opinion is should be moved to become one with His word.
How much strength, energy, money, time, and even blood, have we given to our own opinions and to other gods? The very first of even the 10 commandments states there shall be No other gods before Me! Other gods are whatever else we feed or feed on, that take the time God could have from us in prayer, worship, study of the word, and fellowship with his body. It includes our opinions that exalt themselves and say to us, we are excused somehow from doing that commandment. We say to ourselves, the word must apply to the other 99% of the body of Christ, but somehow we get excused from it. That kind of thinking is definitely a red light alert – another god is here right now to serve if we want to, we can, if we don’t want to,
We need to rise up and dis-invite him through purposeful changes we make. We take our thoughts and opinions captive and tell them what we’re gonna do about making an adjustment to obey the word of the Lord, and we’re Not excused and we do not allow ourselves the luxury of exalting ourselves above God to have an excuse to not serve Him his way.
See many of us serve Him our way and want Him to be happy and pleased with it. When we first come into the kingdom, He somewhat accepts that, it is infantile behavior, but it doesn’t last, because we are to grow up and mature into a love that obeys God’s word at all times.
This is what made a contest this day, Excuses and opinions. Baal was ruling there in ISRAEL. In Israel Baal was being invited, by people’s excuses and their following their own opinions and serving God their own ways, expecting God to be happy with what they decided to give him! That kind of living in the church causes a famine to happen to the whole land. It’s not just one house that is judged and affected, it is the whole land that bears the curse of a disobedient church!
Today is a day to say, I see that Lord, and I’m sorry. I’ll change and repent! You are God, I am not and I apologize for thinking I had excuses.
You do realize some excuses stem from lack of belief in ability? Yet when God asks us to do something, He is rarely ever basing His request on our abilities, But His life in us and our trust in Him to live and grow in us and to use our faith as co-workers together. Prayer is co-working. We find out what God wants and speak it into the atmosphere of the earth, creating a new world as He first created ours. With Adam He gave power to men to create their world through words. Prayer is releasing creative words as God deems we release them. One must be a student of the word to do that, and know Him in and through His word.
Those truly repent …. they fell on their faces and cried out, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
Those who preach a message saying of it’s ok to do such and such with so and so, it’s ok to live in sin, and excuse yourself from obeying the voices of the Lord in the earth, God still loves you and He’ll understand…these are prophets of Baal, prophets of compromise. There is fire coming to spirits of compromise and to their disciples. Our God is a consuming fire! He is Holy, righteous, just and true!
Are you the type of servant of the Lord who sees stuff no one else sees? A visionary? Not a dreamer, who has goals they’d like to accomplish, But a person who sees the will of God before it appears and will bow down like a woman in birth praying and watching till it happens?
Wow! This is the behavior of those who are like Christ, they see ahead into the realm of God’s will, inquire of what He wants now, in our day, and then presses into the heavenly realm being that very desire to earth through prayer and obedient actions. Expecting what He wants to come and not giving up until it does.
How strong is God’s power in you? As much as we trust Him, enough to rely on, and obey Him is as much as He’s allowed to manifest in and through us.
Join believers all over the nation, Bow down and Pray Today!
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
1 Kings 18
The Contest on Mount Carmel
1After many months passed, in the third year of the drought, the LORD said to Elijah, "Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!" 2So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria. 3So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah was a devoted follower of the LORD. 4Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had hidden one hundred of them in two caves. He had put fifty prophets in each cave and had supplied them with food and water.) 5Ahab said to Obadiah, "We must check every spring and valley to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules." 6So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7As Obadiah was walking along, he saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and fell to the ground before him. "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?" he asked.
8"Yes, it is," Elijah replied. "Now go and tell your master I am here."
9"Oh, sir," Obadiah protested, "what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab? 10For I swear by the LORD your God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time when he was told, 'Elijah isn't here,' King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim. 11And now you say, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here'! 12But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the LORD all my life. 13Has no one told you, my lord, about the time when Jezebel was trying to kill the LORD's prophets? I hid a hundred of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water. 14And now you say, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here'! Sir, if I do that, I'm as good as dead!"
15But Elijah said, "I swear by the LORD Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab today."
16So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet him. 17"So it's you, is it—Israel's troublemaker?" Ahab asked when he saw him.
18"I have made no trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the LORD and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. 19Now bring all the people of Israel to Mount Carmel, with all 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who are supported by Jezebel."
20So Ahab summoned all the people and the prophets to Mount Carmel. 21Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent.
22Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only prophet of the LORD who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. 24Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!" And all the people agreed.
25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood."
26So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal all morning, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced wildly around the altar they had made.
27About noontime Elijah began mocking them. "You'll have to shout louder," he scoffed, "for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or he is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or he is asleep and needs to be wakened!"
28So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. 29They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no reply, no voice, no answer.
30Then Elijah called to the people, "Come over here!" They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. 31He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, F75 32and he used the stones to rebuild the LORD's altar. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons. F76 33He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood." After they had done this, 34he said, "Do the same thing again!" And when they were finished, he said, "Now do it a third time!" So they did as he said, 35and the water ran around the altar and even overflowed the trench.
36At the customary time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, F77 prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself."
38Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch! 39And when the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried out, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
40Then Elijah commanded, "Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don't let a single one escape!" So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.
Elijah Prays for Rain
41Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go and enjoy a good meal! For I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!"
42So Ahab prepared a feast. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and fell to the ground and prayed. 43Then he said to his servant, "Go and look out toward the sea." The servant went and looked, but he returned to Elijah and said, "I didn't see anything." Seven times Elijah told him to go and look, and seven times he went. 44Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, "I saw a little cloud about the size of a hand rising from the sea." Then Elijah shouted, "Hurry to Ahab and tell him, 'Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don't hurry, the rain will stop you!'"
45And sure enough, the sky was soon black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. 46Now the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.
FOOTNOTES:
F75: Hebrew each of the tribes of the sons of Jacob to whom the LORD had said, "Your name will be Israel."
F76: Hebrew 2 seahs [12 liters] of seed.
F77: Hebrew and Israel.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
1 Kings 18
The Contest on Mount Carmel
1After many months passed, in the third year of the drought, the LORD said to Elijah, "Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!" 2So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria. 3So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah was a devoted follower of the LORD. 4Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had hidden one hundred of them in two caves. He had put fifty prophets in each cave and had supplied them with food and water.) 5Ahab said to Obadiah, "We must check every spring and valley to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules." 6So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7As Obadiah was walking along, he saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and fell to the ground before him. "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?" he asked.
8"Yes, it is," Elijah replied. "Now go and tell your master I am here."
9"Oh, sir," Obadiah protested, "what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab? 10For I swear by the LORD your God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time when he was told, 'Elijah isn't here,' King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim. 11And now you say, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here'! 12But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the LORD all my life. 13Has no one told you, my lord, about the time when Jezebel was trying to kill the LORD's prophets? I hid a hundred of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water. 14And now you say, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here'! Sir, if I do that, I'm as good as dead!"
15But Elijah said, "I swear by the LORD Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab today."
16So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet him. 17"So it's you, is it—Israel's troublemaker?" Ahab asked when he saw him.
18"I have made no trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the LORD and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. 19Now bring all the people of Israel to Mount Carmel, with all 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who are supported by Jezebel."
20So Ahab summoned all the people and the prophets to Mount Carmel. 21Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent.
22Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only prophet of the LORD who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. 24Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!" And all the people agreed.
25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood."
26So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal all morning, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced wildly around the altar they had made.
27About noontime Elijah began mocking them. "You'll have to shout louder," he scoffed, "for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or he is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or he is asleep and needs to be wakened!"
28So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. 29They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no reply, no voice, no answer.
30Then Elijah called to the people, "Come over here!" They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. 31He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, F75 32and he used the stones to rebuild the LORD's altar. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons. F76 33He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood." After they had done this, 34he said, "Do the same thing again!" And when they were finished, he said, "Now do it a third time!" So they did as he said, 35and the water ran around the altar and even overflowed the trench.
36At the customary time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, F77 prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself."
38Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch! 39And when the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried out, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
40Then Elijah commanded, "Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don't let a single one escape!" So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.
Elijah Prays for Rain
41Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go and enjoy a good meal! For I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!"
42So Ahab prepared a feast. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and fell to the ground and prayed. 43Then he said to his servant, "Go and look out toward the sea." The servant went and looked, but he returned to Elijah and said, "I didn't see anything." Seven times Elijah told him to go and look, and seven times he went. 44Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, "I saw a little cloud about the size of a hand rising from the sea." Then Elijah shouted, "Hurry to Ahab and tell him, 'Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don't hurry, the rain will stop you!'"
45And sure enough, the sky was soon black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. 46Now the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.
FOOTNOTES:
F75: Hebrew each of the tribes of the sons of Jacob to whom the LORD had said, "Your name will be Israel."
F76: Hebrew 2 seahs [12 liters] of seed.
F77: Hebrew and Israel.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Lena's Journalin' to Acts 2 Today
There was a sound from heaven, as a huge breath of wind, it filled the place where they were standing…it settled on each of them….everyone there was filled with this heaven to earth gift of God Himself…they spoke differently than they would have without His power in them, as He gave them the ability to.
Yesterday I wrote of God being Three Persons, all to acknowledge and to receive.
Do you know we, created in the very image and likeness of God, are also three parts in one person? We are spirit, soul and body. If we are left to our own, we’ll do what we know to do, but we’ll do it with our inborn senses and from experiences we’ve had. There’s far more than being an intellectual, who sees the world intellectually. We are to use our minds, to come to know God. Now what about the main parts of our beings, the spirit man? He is dead in trespasses and sins without being made spiritually alive by the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice. Once alive, he is spiritually aware and able. His spirit man filled with the spirit of God can think and act beyond his own experiences or knowledge.
This ability is available to each believer, whoever wants to be full of God, can. People they could never understand the culture of, will have a bridge built between them by the spirit. Ancient Religious walls of complacency and compromise, will come falling down because of His supernatural power.
He’ll show Himself strong through individual human beings, a sign and a wonder of Him in the earth realm. His kingdom will be able to come through men, women, and children all over the world at the same time.
Anyone, who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved.
Calls upon, means – come’s to walk with in covenant from now until the end.
Anyone who makes a lifelong commitment to be a kingdom of God citizen representative, while on earth, will be saved in eternity, when we will give our accounts for how we lived now and what we chose to do that was important to God, we’ll stand holy and complete.
How can humans choose what God wants? We don’t think this way on a day to day basis, we naturally think about what we want, everyday we wake up, the plan of each day is about us, unless we bypass self thinking by being filled with spirit life.
He’s gonna use humans beings, the one’s given authority on earth since Adam. The one’s with delegated authority through the freewill divvied out to each man, to overcome evil with right living, right decisions led by spirit power and anointing. He’s gonna have His way against the veil cast down here long ago. He’s gonna show Himself through those who choose His ways and will, when the evil would not, the godly will, through the power of the Holy Spirit alive in them.
Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles F12 —all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!"
Pray for our Nation and the Nation of God within each Nation tomorrow, there is a call to prayer 07-07-07!!!!
Be there, wherever you are……
Yesterday I wrote of God being Three Persons, all to acknowledge and to receive.
Do you know we, created in the very image and likeness of God, are also three parts in one person? We are spirit, soul and body. If we are left to our own, we’ll do what we know to do, but we’ll do it with our inborn senses and from experiences we’ve had. There’s far more than being an intellectual, who sees the world intellectually. We are to use our minds, to come to know God. Now what about the main parts of our beings, the spirit man? He is dead in trespasses and sins without being made spiritually alive by the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice. Once alive, he is spiritually aware and able. His spirit man filled with the spirit of God can think and act beyond his own experiences or knowledge.
This ability is available to each believer, whoever wants to be full of God, can. People they could never understand the culture of, will have a bridge built between them by the spirit. Ancient Religious walls of complacency and compromise, will come falling down because of His supernatural power.
He’ll show Himself strong through individual human beings, a sign and a wonder of Him in the earth realm. His kingdom will be able to come through men, women, and children all over the world at the same time.
Anyone, who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved.
Calls upon, means – come’s to walk with in covenant from now until the end.
Anyone who makes a lifelong commitment to be a kingdom of God citizen representative, while on earth, will be saved in eternity, when we will give our accounts for how we lived now and what we chose to do that was important to God, we’ll stand holy and complete.
How can humans choose what God wants? We don’t think this way on a day to day basis, we naturally think about what we want, everyday we wake up, the plan of each day is about us, unless we bypass self thinking by being filled with spirit life.
He’s gonna use humans beings, the one’s given authority on earth since Adam. The one’s with delegated authority through the freewill divvied out to each man, to overcome evil with right living, right decisions led by spirit power and anointing. He’s gonna have His way against the veil cast down here long ago. He’s gonna show Himself through those who choose His ways and will, when the evil would not, the godly will, through the power of the Holy Spirit alive in them.
Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles F12 —all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!"
Pray for our Nation and the Nation of God within each Nation tomorrow, there is a call to prayer 07-07-07!!!!
Be there, wherever you are……
Acts 2 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Acts 2
The Holy Spirit Comes
1On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection, F6 the believers were meeting together in one place. 2Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. 3Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, F7 as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
5Godly Jews from many nations were living in Jerusalem at that time. 6When they heard this sound, they came running to see what it was all about, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7They were beside themselves with wonder. "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee, 8and yet we hear them speaking the languages of the lands where we were born! 9Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya toward Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!" 12They stood there amazed and perplexed. "What can this mean?" they asked each other. 13But others in the crowd were mocking. "They're drunk, that's all!" they said.
Peter Preaches to a Crowd
14Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15Some of you are saying these people are drunk. It isn't true! It's much too early for that. People don't get drunk by nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel:
17 'In the last days, God said, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy.
19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred, before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
21 And anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' F8
22"People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth by doing wonderful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23But you followed God's prearranged plan. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and murdered him. 24However, God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life again, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25King David said this about him:
'I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26 No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! My body rests in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead F9 or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence.' F10
29"Dear brothers, think about this! David wasn't referring to himself when he spoke these words I have quoted, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David's own descendants would sit on David's throne as the Messiah. 31David was looking into the future and predicting the Messiah's resurrection. He was saying that the Messiah would not be left among the dead and that his body would not rot in the grave.
32"This prophecy was speaking of Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, and we all are witnesses of this. 33Now he sits on the throne of highest honor in heaven, at God's right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,
'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in honor at my right hand
35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.' F11
36So let it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah!"
37Peter's words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"
38Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles F12 —all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!"
41Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church—about three thousand in all. 42They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer.
The Believers Meet Together
43A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. 45They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. 46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.
FOOTNOTES:
F6: Greek When the day of Pentecost arrived. This annual celebration came 50 days after the Passover ceremonies. See Lev 23:16.
F7: Or in other tongues.
F8: Joel 2:28-32.
F9: Greek in Hades; also in 2:31.
F10: Ps 16:8-11.
F11: Ps 110:1.
F12: Greek to those far away.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Acts 2
The Holy Spirit Comes
1On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection, F6 the believers were meeting together in one place. 2Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. 3Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, F7 as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
5Godly Jews from many nations were living in Jerusalem at that time. 6When they heard this sound, they came running to see what it was all about, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7They were beside themselves with wonder. "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee, 8and yet we hear them speaking the languages of the lands where we were born! 9Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya toward Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!" 12They stood there amazed and perplexed. "What can this mean?" they asked each other. 13But others in the crowd were mocking. "They're drunk, that's all!" they said.
Peter Preaches to a Crowd
14Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15Some of you are saying these people are drunk. It isn't true! It's much too early for that. People don't get drunk by nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel:
17 'In the last days, God said, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy.
19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred, before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
21 And anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' F8
22"People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth by doing wonderful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23But you followed God's prearranged plan. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and murdered him. 24However, God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life again, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25King David said this about him:
'I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26 No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! My body rests in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead F9 or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence.' F10
29"Dear brothers, think about this! David wasn't referring to himself when he spoke these words I have quoted, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David's own descendants would sit on David's throne as the Messiah. 31David was looking into the future and predicting the Messiah's resurrection. He was saying that the Messiah would not be left among the dead and that his body would not rot in the grave.
32"This prophecy was speaking of Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, and we all are witnesses of this. 33Now he sits on the throne of highest honor in heaven, at God's right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,
'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in honor at my right hand
35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.' F11
36So let it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah!"
37Peter's words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"
38Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles F12 —all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!"
41Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church—about three thousand in all. 42They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer.
The Believers Meet Together
43A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. 45They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. 46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.
FOOTNOTES:
F6: Greek When the day of Pentecost arrived. This annual celebration came 50 days after the Passover ceremonies. See Lev 23:16.
F7: Or in other tongues.
F8: Joel 2:28-32.
F9: Greek in Hades; also in 2:31.
F10: Ps 16:8-11.
F11: Ps 110:1.
F12: Greek to those far away.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Lena Journals to Acts 1
Let’s speak about the Third Person of God.
The Holy Spirit.
He is God.
God is Three.
God is One.
That means when we obey God, we obey All Three Personages, right?
Or do we just obey God the Father’s word? Or God the Son’s words?
If we do not receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which is the Third Person of the God-head, that Jesus left here to come live in us and that Jesus commanded believers everywhere in all the world to receive, we’ve disrespected and disregarded the Third person Of God Himself!
Many churches are struggling in our day, because they have not welcomed, but have rather quenched Him. In not inviting Him, He is rejected. Jesus said if we don’t receive Him, we reject Him. There is no middle road with God. All in, not mixed up with the world, or all out.
This is serious in our day, serious!
Rejecting God, leaves one’s with only one eternal option.
The Spirit was given to human men so they could represent God well, by looking and acting as He does.
That cannot be accomplished by good deeds ever. It is an inward supernatural work of those who have willfully invited His Spirit into their natural beings. Humans are not good alone, not righteously or eternally good. With Him, all is possible. With Him is life.
Baptized, is covered in every area. Saturated is a better definition. It starts with being filled, then one must continually welcome and stay full and filled with the presence of God at willful welcome. One day a friend can be welcomed and another day not, each day is different. Today is the Holy Spirit welcomed in your life, to speak to you, change you, make you a new life image of Christ?
God is expecting us to come together with others who welcome His Spirit with whole hearts of love. He is waiting to pour His presence upon a bunch of people all desiring all of Him, Father Spirit and Son.
It was a command of Jesus the Son, not an option among believers to receive Him.
To have God alive in each person who invites Him to be. In the OT God choose. In the NT God told us how to choose, we choose or not.
The Holy Spirit.
He is God.
God is Three.
God is One.
That means when we obey God, we obey All Three Personages, right?
Or do we just obey God the Father’s word? Or God the Son’s words?
If we do not receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which is the Third Person of the God-head, that Jesus left here to come live in us and that Jesus commanded believers everywhere in all the world to receive, we’ve disrespected and disregarded the Third person Of God Himself!
Many churches are struggling in our day, because they have not welcomed, but have rather quenched Him. In not inviting Him, He is rejected. Jesus said if we don’t receive Him, we reject Him. There is no middle road with God. All in, not mixed up with the world, or all out.
This is serious in our day, serious!
Rejecting God, leaves one’s with only one eternal option.
The Spirit was given to human men so they could represent God well, by looking and acting as He does.
That cannot be accomplished by good deeds ever. It is an inward supernatural work of those who have willfully invited His Spirit into their natural beings. Humans are not good alone, not righteously or eternally good. With Him, all is possible. With Him is life.
Baptized, is covered in every area. Saturated is a better definition. It starts with being filled, then one must continually welcome and stay full and filled with the presence of God at willful welcome. One day a friend can be welcomed and another day not, each day is different. Today is the Holy Spirit welcomed in your life, to speak to you, change you, make you a new life image of Christ?
God is expecting us to come together with others who welcome His Spirit with whole hearts of love. He is waiting to pour His presence upon a bunch of people all desiring all of Him, Father Spirit and Son.
It was a command of Jesus the Son, not an option among believers to receive Him.
To have God alive in each person who invites Him to be. In the OT God choose. In the NT God told us how to choose, we choose or not.
Acts 1 Today's Daily Bread
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Acts 1
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1Dear Theophilus: In my first book F1 I told you about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2until the day he ascended to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit. 3During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. 5John baptized with F2 water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
The Ascension of Jesus
6When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?"
7"The Father sets those dates," he replied, "and they are not for you to know. 8But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. 10As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. 11They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!"
Matthias Replaces Judas
12The apostles were at the Mount of Olives when this happened, so they walked the half mile F3 back to Jerusalem. 13Then they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here is the list of those who were present:
Peter,
John,
James,
Andrew,
Philip,
Thomas,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Simon (the Zealot),
and Judas (son of James).
14They all met together continually for prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
15During this time, on a day when about 120 believers F4 were present, Peter stood up and addressed them as follows:
16"Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided the Temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. 17Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us."
18(Judas bought a field with the money he received for his treachery, and falling there, he burst open, spilling out his intestines. 19The news of his death spread rapidly among all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means "Field of Blood.")
20Peter continued, "This was predicted in the book of Psalms, where it says, 'Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.' And again, 'Let his position be given to someone else.' F5
21"So now we must choose another man to take Judas's place. It must be someone who has been with us all the time that we were with the Lord Jesus—22from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus' resurrection."
23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. "O Lord," they said, "you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 25as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs." 26Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven.
FOOTNOTES:
F1: The reference is to the book of Luke.
F2: Or in; also in 1:5b.
F3: Greek a Sabbath day's journey.
F4: Greek brothers.
F5: Pss 69:25; 109:8.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Acts 1
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1Dear Theophilus: In my first book F1 I told you about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2until the day he ascended to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit. 3During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. 5John baptized with F2 water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
The Ascension of Jesus
6When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?"
7"The Father sets those dates," he replied, "and they are not for you to know. 8But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. 10As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. 11They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!"
Matthias Replaces Judas
12The apostles were at the Mount of Olives when this happened, so they walked the half mile F3 back to Jerusalem. 13Then they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here is the list of those who were present:
Peter,
John,
James,
Andrew,
Philip,
Thomas,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Simon (the Zealot),
and Judas (son of James).
14They all met together continually for prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
15During this time, on a day when about 120 believers F4 were present, Peter stood up and addressed them as follows:
16"Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided the Temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. 17Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us."
18(Judas bought a field with the money he received for his treachery, and falling there, he burst open, spilling out his intestines. 19The news of his death spread rapidly among all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means "Field of Blood.")
20Peter continued, "This was predicted in the book of Psalms, where it says, 'Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.' And again, 'Let his position be given to someone else.' F5
21"So now we must choose another man to take Judas's place. It must be someone who has been with us all the time that we were with the Lord Jesus—22from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus' resurrection."
23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. "O Lord," they said, "you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 25as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs." 26Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven.
FOOTNOTES:
F1: The reference is to the book of Luke.
F2: Or in; also in 1:5b.
F3: Greek a Sabbath day's journey.
F4: Greek brothers.
F5: Pss 69:25; 109:8.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Lena Journals to Joel 2 Today
Anyone wonder why the Day of the Lord would be a day of thick darkness and gloom?
The Bible tells us to one man the presence of the Lord is glorious and to another it is terribly horrendous. What causes the same God to have two different effects on people?
The answer is found in the state of the man’s soul.
The #1 question of and for all time is, how have we acknowledged Jesus and His freely given sacrifice? Do we acknowledge it casually, like we would a picture on a museum wall, shaking our head and smiling at how nice it was? Or do we live for what He did, spreading it’s good news through all eternity, changing every part of our lives for it’s message?
To one darkness and doom, to another light, life, and love, eternally.
Behold the goodness and the severity of God.
There is so much in the unseen realm yet to see, yet to behold, and be revealed.
I often wonder as I watch movies in our day, if the movie makers have been given a glimpse, so they can pass a hint along to us, of what is REALLY here among us and more real in this world than what we do see? If we saw it or knew of it, because our spiritual perceiver was in tuned and our spiritual filter was washed clean, we’d see it come into focus, realizing even the warfare for souls?
What is fear? Faith perverted. Faith in what is evil and damned, rather than what is Good and God and eternally sound.
Faith in God is what moves and pleases God.
Every Christian who has volunteered or been recruited by the spirit of God, is a soldier in the army of God. The thing is, we’ve not settled ourselves into a life led by the spirit of Christ, which has been given us to live in us, we’ve not heeded His direction, lead, and call. If we were listening, we’d do what He says when He says it and we’d be in rank, assembled and powerful.
We’d be earth movers and shakers. What is wrong would be made right, by a unified example.
What causes the shift, from a sloppy willful army and a ranking positionally engaged readied one? The will of each man to do His good pleasure walking a walk of faith in His will.
An army assembled to do His will on purpose is a powerful force in an earth where independence and pride and self seeking have ruled. It would cause the earth to shake and quake as it would be such a pivotal positional change.
Who can endure the day of the Lord? Those who are the Lord’s, know and live as though they belong to Him. They are wholly His, so much that they are reproductions of Him, no longer alive to self ways and seeking, but all in for the promotion and exemplification of His ways. Those who look like Him, are as He is and are covered by the Blood of the Lamb covering all of their shortcomings in obedience to His will, These who live and walk as He does and would, will be preserved in that day.
Turn to Me now, while there is time. How many know when their “time” is? When is now for each of us? Now.
It is not good to look besides us, to others. If we do that we could possible save a few, who are really intent on Him anyway, but we could also lose our own souls. One must start the judgment in their own houses, their own temples of the Most High God.
This Saturday- a Call 07-07-07, a Call to prayer for a nation, all day long, a fast, a time that is now, a time for an army to assemble, a day of the Lord. Nashville at Titan Stadium, A people assemble to make a statement to the principalities, powers and mights and to God Most High to know there is an army who want to be all His, Prayer on this day can also be at home or at church too. How much is His kingdom important to us? Enough to stop what we are doing and go, assemble, and pray? Yes!
Are any saddened by the state of the church? The rumors about her, the gossip she endures, the marks she’s taken from the world and from believers discontented? Pray.
Do you realize God has provided His food to nations and some are still starving? It is His word sent to nourish us and satisfy us and we won’t have it, don’t make place or time for it. Now is the time. Let not there be a famine for the word of God given an unthankful people who had it’s opportunity and did not take it! Read and study the Word of God, make room for it-Him, today.
If we will read and study to apply it, we will change lives, beginning with our own.
If we pray for our nation TODAY God will save our land!
If we humble ourselves and interceded for those who do not choose or do not know, we may save a people from eternal doom. Is that important to us? It is so important to Him and we are the means in which it happens here for Him.
We want the blessing s and the signs and wonders, we want to see God. Everything that is seen was birthed into the natural realm by a mother in the spirit who saw before she saw. The church is the mother of the birthing of, kingdom signs and wonders, she sees them and the way to them happening before they are here. She positions herself to bring forth what her husband planted in her and what God has developed in her willing womb.
Prayer IS THIS position for the church!
We may never see the blessings or signs and wonders if we’re unwilling to pay the price of a sanctified life and pray.
The Bible tells us to one man the presence of the Lord is glorious and to another it is terribly horrendous. What causes the same God to have two different effects on people?
The answer is found in the state of the man’s soul.
The #1 question of and for all time is, how have we acknowledged Jesus and His freely given sacrifice? Do we acknowledge it casually, like we would a picture on a museum wall, shaking our head and smiling at how nice it was? Or do we live for what He did, spreading it’s good news through all eternity, changing every part of our lives for it’s message?
To one darkness and doom, to another light, life, and love, eternally.
Behold the goodness and the severity of God.
There is so much in the unseen realm yet to see, yet to behold, and be revealed.
I often wonder as I watch movies in our day, if the movie makers have been given a glimpse, so they can pass a hint along to us, of what is REALLY here among us and more real in this world than what we do see? If we saw it or knew of it, because our spiritual perceiver was in tuned and our spiritual filter was washed clean, we’d see it come into focus, realizing even the warfare for souls?
What is fear? Faith perverted. Faith in what is evil and damned, rather than what is Good and God and eternally sound.
Faith in God is what moves and pleases God.
Every Christian who has volunteered or been recruited by the spirit of God, is a soldier in the army of God. The thing is, we’ve not settled ourselves into a life led by the spirit of Christ, which has been given us to live in us, we’ve not heeded His direction, lead, and call. If we were listening, we’d do what He says when He says it and we’d be in rank, assembled and powerful.
We’d be earth movers and shakers. What is wrong would be made right, by a unified example.
What causes the shift, from a sloppy willful army and a ranking positionally engaged readied one? The will of each man to do His good pleasure walking a walk of faith in His will.
An army assembled to do His will on purpose is a powerful force in an earth where independence and pride and self seeking have ruled. It would cause the earth to shake and quake as it would be such a pivotal positional change.
Who can endure the day of the Lord? Those who are the Lord’s, know and live as though they belong to Him. They are wholly His, so much that they are reproductions of Him, no longer alive to self ways and seeking, but all in for the promotion and exemplification of His ways. Those who look like Him, are as He is and are covered by the Blood of the Lamb covering all of their shortcomings in obedience to His will, These who live and walk as He does and would, will be preserved in that day.
Turn to Me now, while there is time. How many know when their “time” is? When is now for each of us? Now.
It is not good to look besides us, to others. If we do that we could possible save a few, who are really intent on Him anyway, but we could also lose our own souls. One must start the judgment in their own houses, their own temples of the Most High God.
This Saturday- a Call 07-07-07, a Call to prayer for a nation, all day long, a fast, a time that is now, a time for an army to assemble, a day of the Lord. Nashville at Titan Stadium, A people assemble to make a statement to the principalities, powers and mights and to God Most High to know there is an army who want to be all His, Prayer on this day can also be at home or at church too. How much is His kingdom important to us? Enough to stop what we are doing and go, assemble, and pray? Yes!
Are any saddened by the state of the church? The rumors about her, the gossip she endures, the marks she’s taken from the world and from believers discontented? Pray.
Do you realize God has provided His food to nations and some are still starving? It is His word sent to nourish us and satisfy us and we won’t have it, don’t make place or time for it. Now is the time. Let not there be a famine for the word of God given an unthankful people who had it’s opportunity and did not take it! Read and study the Word of God, make room for it-Him, today.
If we will read and study to apply it, we will change lives, beginning with our own.
If we pray for our nation TODAY God will save our land!
If we humble ourselves and interceded for those who do not choose or do not know, we may save a people from eternal doom. Is that important to us? It is so important to Him and we are the means in which it happens here for Him.
We want the blessing s and the signs and wonders, we want to see God. Everything that is seen was birthed into the natural realm by a mother in the spirit who saw before she saw. The church is the mother of the birthing of, kingdom signs and wonders, she sees them and the way to them happening before they are here. She positions herself to bring forth what her husband planted in her and what God has developed in her willing womb.
Prayer IS THIS position for the church!
We may never see the blessings or signs and wonders if we’re unwilling to pay the price of a sanctified life and pray.
Joel 2 Today's Daily Bread
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Joel 2
Locusts Invade like an Army
1Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem F3 ! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us. 2It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a mighty army appears! How great and powerful they are! The likes of them have not been seen before and never will be seen again.
3Fire burns in front of them and follows them in every direction! Ahead of them the land lies as fair as the Garden of Eden in all its beauty. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. 4They look like tiny horses, and they run as fast. 5Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops! Listen to the noise they make—like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of a fire sweeping across a field, or like a mighty army moving into battle.
6Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with fright. 7The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like trained soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. 8They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right place. They lunge through the gaps, and no weapon can stop them. 9They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows.
10The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. 11The LORD leads them with a shout! This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can endure it?
A Call to Repentance
12That is why the LORD says, "Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13Don't tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you. 14Who knows? Perhaps even yet he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this terrible curse. Perhaps he will give you so much that you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before!
15Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. 16Bring everyone—the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. 17The priests, who minister in the LORD's presence, will stand between the people and the altar, weeping. Let them pray, "Spare your people, LORD! They belong to you, so don't let them become an object of mockery. Don't let their name become a proverb of unbelieving foreigners who say, 'Where is the God of Israel? He must be helpless!'"
The LORD's Promise of Restoration
18Then the LORD will pity his people and be indignant for the honor of his land! 19He will reply, "Look! I am sending you grain and wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. 20I will remove these armies from the north and send them far away. I will drive them back into the parched wastelands, where they will die. Those in the rear will go into the Dead Sea; those at the front will go into the Mediterranean. F4 The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land." Surely the LORD has done great things! 21Don't be afraid, my people! Be glad now and rejoice because the LORD has done great things. 22Don't be afraid, you animals of the field! The pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with luscious fruit; fig trees and grapevines will flourish once more. 23Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil.
25The LORD says, "I will give you back what you lost to the stripping locusts, the cutting locusts, the swarming locusts, and the hopping locusts. F5 It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this. 27Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the LORD your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this.
The LORD's Promise of His Spirit
28"Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. 29In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike.
30"I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. 32And anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. There will be people on Mount Zion in Jerusalem who escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called.
FOOTNOTES:
F3: Hebrew Zion; also in 2:15, 23.
F4: Hebrew the eastern sea; . . . the western sea.
F5: The precise identification of the four kinds of locusts mentioned here is uncertain.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Joel 2
Locusts Invade like an Army
1Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem F3 ! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us. 2It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a mighty army appears! How great and powerful they are! The likes of them have not been seen before and never will be seen again.
3Fire burns in front of them and follows them in every direction! Ahead of them the land lies as fair as the Garden of Eden in all its beauty. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. 4They look like tiny horses, and they run as fast. 5Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops! Listen to the noise they make—like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of a fire sweeping across a field, or like a mighty army moving into battle.
6Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with fright. 7The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like trained soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. 8They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right place. They lunge through the gaps, and no weapon can stop them. 9They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows.
10The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. 11The LORD leads them with a shout! This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can endure it?
A Call to Repentance
12That is why the LORD says, "Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13Don't tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you. 14Who knows? Perhaps even yet he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this terrible curse. Perhaps he will give you so much that you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before!
15Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. 16Bring everyone—the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. 17The priests, who minister in the LORD's presence, will stand between the people and the altar, weeping. Let them pray, "Spare your people, LORD! They belong to you, so don't let them become an object of mockery. Don't let their name become a proverb of unbelieving foreigners who say, 'Where is the God of Israel? He must be helpless!'"
The LORD's Promise of Restoration
18Then the LORD will pity his people and be indignant for the honor of his land! 19He will reply, "Look! I am sending you grain and wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. 20I will remove these armies from the north and send them far away. I will drive them back into the parched wastelands, where they will die. Those in the rear will go into the Dead Sea; those at the front will go into the Mediterranean. F4 The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land." Surely the LORD has done great things! 21Don't be afraid, my people! Be glad now and rejoice because the LORD has done great things. 22Don't be afraid, you animals of the field! The pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with luscious fruit; fig trees and grapevines will flourish once more. 23Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil.
25The LORD says, "I will give you back what you lost to the stripping locusts, the cutting locusts, the swarming locusts, and the hopping locusts. F5 It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this. 27Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the LORD your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this.
The LORD's Promise of His Spirit
28"Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. 29In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike.
30"I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. 32And anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. There will be people on Mount Zion in Jerusalem who escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called.
FOOTNOTES:
F3: Hebrew Zion; also in 2:15, 23.
F4: Hebrew the eastern sea; . . . the western sea.
F5: The precise identification of the four kinds of locusts mentioned here is uncertain.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Lena Journals to Joel 1 Today
When the Lord gives a message to one man, guess what? Others can listen and learn and do what God told that one man to do. There is a principle in the word of God.
It’s called “Follow me. Do what I do, copy me, listen and learn”, rather than experience it yourself first.
A wise son learns from words of His own Father, rather than rebelling, not paying attention to, and doing it his own way first.
The whole entire Bible is about listening to words of wisdom and doing them to live.
So Joel hears a word from God that he shares w/ those of us who will hear and obey it, even today in the 21st century, and guess what?
We can listen to and obey it. God’s word is wondrous, it is eternal, and will never lose its power to save, heal, deliver and bless people.
It is the same yesterday, today and forever.
So what is the scripture saying TODAY to us?
That’s what Daily Bread is about.
Everyday we should make a place for it and we should run to God’s word to see what today’s plan is.
I heard a woman pray today and she said this, “Lord we don’t just want to survive on Your words today, barely survive, starve and survive!”
Do we? I wonder. Are we barely surviving spiritually speaking or are we feasting to grow and become strong in spirit?
How many of us read God’s word everyday, and then how many of us study it, or attend to it to get understanding of it each day in order to do more and more of it?. Do we study it in order to compare our lives to it, and see if we are lacking at all, and then get our lives in line to match it, even if it means discipline of the soul???
Those who really want to, come on and look with me today. Ok?
Are you a leader of people? If not, why not? If so, are you staying ahead? We all as leaders have that responsibility before God, if we’re not ahead then we’re not leaders.
But God so desires for each of us to lead, first our own spirit, soul and body, then help lead His Body, the developing growing maturing body of Christ.
It is NOT an option to learn enough of the Words of life, to give to our children. It is not an option to tell them and teach them God’s word. We must, this IS our life’s assignment. The only important one.
I’ve heard many a wife say I can’t talk to my husband about God, or I can’t talk to my kids about Jesus. I have to ask, and we all should be oh so willing to ask ourselves… WHY NOT?
What has happened in your relationship? It needs fixing and quick! We must become humble and if there is anything we can do to repair that, just do it before it is too late!
THAT is really serious. Get on the other side of that deal and look at yourself being very eternally sorry later on if they died without hearing or knowing of Him from your mouth and life.
Do you see what the world and following its ways has done to our households and families?
Dear ones WAKE up, this is such a serious time, which cannot be ignored!
If we do not live for eternal life and pass it on with passion, it will be gone for us, and for our children, neighbors, etc. Our opportunity will have passed. This cannot be. We must rise up and save our seed. God’s holy design and plan must be restored, a voice must speak, repentance must come for the lack of importance placed upon living a life holy before God. A life that is decisively all holy, not just some, as though it were salt on a potato!
Do you know what God wants most in life?
Souls, people saved eternally, and then raised up to save the earth from its eternal doom!
This is our living sacrifice daily to Him we offer up and this is His reward, and this is His due from us. It is our duty to the earth.
If one has not participated, one must repent and press God for a passion for the lost and for the rescue from eternal doom.
Please, Please, Please order online and listen to “Affabel” by John Bevere and or Read the Book “Driven by Eternity” Please!
In the USA we have it good, so good, or do we? We’ve been blind and deafened by our comfy cozy complacency. We have not realized eternal alarms have been sounding. It is so time to wake up. One must tune their ears to the sounds, must realize the seriousness of the call, must turn his head and heart towards what God is saying. For He is never ever silent, ever. One must press His ears into the word of God and heed the calls for righteousness and truth. Loving what is right, hating what is wrong, rather than tolerating what is ok and alright and acceptable in the world’s standards. Dear Lord, hell and people going there, is unacceptable!
Or is it?
To whom? Us?
Or Him?
When the will and passion becomes the same, that is when it happens! Now is the time TODAY is the day the Lord has made, are we rejoicing with angels over new life that we have witnessed has happened Today?
It’s called “Follow me. Do what I do, copy me, listen and learn”, rather than experience it yourself first.
A wise son learns from words of His own Father, rather than rebelling, not paying attention to, and doing it his own way first.
The whole entire Bible is about listening to words of wisdom and doing them to live.
So Joel hears a word from God that he shares w/ those of us who will hear and obey it, even today in the 21st century, and guess what?
We can listen to and obey it. God’s word is wondrous, it is eternal, and will never lose its power to save, heal, deliver and bless people.
It is the same yesterday, today and forever.
So what is the scripture saying TODAY to us?
That’s what Daily Bread is about.
Everyday we should make a place for it and we should run to God’s word to see what today’s plan is.
I heard a woman pray today and she said this, “Lord we don’t just want to survive on Your words today, barely survive, starve and survive!”
Do we? I wonder. Are we barely surviving spiritually speaking or are we feasting to grow and become strong in spirit?
How many of us read God’s word everyday, and then how many of us study it, or attend to it to get understanding of it each day in order to do more and more of it?. Do we study it in order to compare our lives to it, and see if we are lacking at all, and then get our lives in line to match it, even if it means discipline of the soul???
Those who really want to, come on and look with me today. Ok?
Are you a leader of people? If not, why not? If so, are you staying ahead? We all as leaders have that responsibility before God, if we’re not ahead then we’re not leaders.
But God so desires for each of us to lead, first our own spirit, soul and body, then help lead His Body, the developing growing maturing body of Christ.
It is NOT an option to learn enough of the Words of life, to give to our children. It is not an option to tell them and teach them God’s word. We must, this IS our life’s assignment. The only important one.
I’ve heard many a wife say I can’t talk to my husband about God, or I can’t talk to my kids about Jesus. I have to ask, and we all should be oh so willing to ask ourselves… WHY NOT?
What has happened in your relationship? It needs fixing and quick! We must become humble and if there is anything we can do to repair that, just do it before it is too late!
THAT is really serious. Get on the other side of that deal and look at yourself being very eternally sorry later on if they died without hearing or knowing of Him from your mouth and life.
Do you see what the world and following its ways has done to our households and families?
Dear ones WAKE up, this is such a serious time, which cannot be ignored!
If we do not live for eternal life and pass it on with passion, it will be gone for us, and for our children, neighbors, etc. Our opportunity will have passed. This cannot be. We must rise up and save our seed. God’s holy design and plan must be restored, a voice must speak, repentance must come for the lack of importance placed upon living a life holy before God. A life that is decisively all holy, not just some, as though it were salt on a potato!
Do you know what God wants most in life?
Souls, people saved eternally, and then raised up to save the earth from its eternal doom!
This is our living sacrifice daily to Him we offer up and this is His reward, and this is His due from us. It is our duty to the earth.
If one has not participated, one must repent and press God for a passion for the lost and for the rescue from eternal doom.
Please, Please, Please order online and listen to “Affabel” by John Bevere and or Read the Book “Driven by Eternity” Please!
In the USA we have it good, so good, or do we? We’ve been blind and deafened by our comfy cozy complacency. We have not realized eternal alarms have been sounding. It is so time to wake up. One must tune their ears to the sounds, must realize the seriousness of the call, must turn his head and heart towards what God is saying. For He is never ever silent, ever. One must press His ears into the word of God and heed the calls for righteousness and truth. Loving what is right, hating what is wrong, rather than tolerating what is ok and alright and acceptable in the world’s standards. Dear Lord, hell and people going there, is unacceptable!
Or is it?
To whom? Us?
Or Him?
When the will and passion becomes the same, that is when it happens! Now is the time TODAY is the day the Lord has made, are we rejoicing with angels over new life that we have witnessed has happened Today?
Joel 1 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Joel 1
1The LORD gave this message to Joel son of Pethuel.
Mourning over the Locust Plague
2Hear this, you leaders of the people! Everyone listen! In all your history, has anything like this ever happened before? 3Tell your children about it in the years to come. Pass the awful story down from generation to generation. 4After the cutting locusts finished eating the crops, the swarming locusts took what was left! After them came the hopping locusts, and then the stripping locusts, F1 too!
5Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! All the grapes are ruined, and all your new wine is gone! 6A vast army of locusts F2 has invaded my land. It is a terrible army, too numerous to count! Its teeth are as sharp as the teeth of lions! 7They have destroyed my grapevines and fig trees, stripping their bark and leaving the branches white and bare.
8Weep with sorrow, as a virgin weeps when her fianc‚ has died. 9There is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of the LORD. The priests are mourning because there are no offerings. Listen to the weeping of these ministers of the LORD! 10The fields are ruined and empty of crops. The grain, the wine, and the olive oil are gone.
11Despair, all you farmers! Wail, all you vine growers! Weep, because the wheat and barley—yes, all the field crops—are ruined. 12The grapevines and the fig trees have all withered. The pomegranate trees, palm trees, and apple trees—yes, all the fruit trees—have dried up. All joy has dried up with them.
13Dress yourselves in sackcloth, you priests! Wail, you who serve before the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God! There is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of your God. 14Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people into the Temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to him there. 15The day of the LORD is on the way, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!
16We watch as our food disappears before our very eyes. There are no joyful celebrations in the house of our God. 17The seeds die in the parched ground, and the grain crops fail. The barns and granaries stand empty and abandoned. 18How the animals moan with hunger! The cattle wander about confused because there is no pasture for them. The sheep bleat in misery.
19LORD, help us! The fire has consumed the pastures and burned up all the trees. 20Even the wild animals cry out to you because they have no water to drink. The streams have dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures.
FOOTNOTES:
F1: The precise identification of the four kinds of locusts mentioned here is uncertain.
F2: Hebrew A nation.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Joel 1
1The LORD gave this message to Joel son of Pethuel.
Mourning over the Locust Plague
2Hear this, you leaders of the people! Everyone listen! In all your history, has anything like this ever happened before? 3Tell your children about it in the years to come. Pass the awful story down from generation to generation. 4After the cutting locusts finished eating the crops, the swarming locusts took what was left! After them came the hopping locusts, and then the stripping locusts, F1 too!
5Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! All the grapes are ruined, and all your new wine is gone! 6A vast army of locusts F2 has invaded my land. It is a terrible army, too numerous to count! Its teeth are as sharp as the teeth of lions! 7They have destroyed my grapevines and fig trees, stripping their bark and leaving the branches white and bare.
8Weep with sorrow, as a virgin weeps when her fianc‚ has died. 9There is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of the LORD. The priests are mourning because there are no offerings. Listen to the weeping of these ministers of the LORD! 10The fields are ruined and empty of crops. The grain, the wine, and the olive oil are gone.
11Despair, all you farmers! Wail, all you vine growers! Weep, because the wheat and barley—yes, all the field crops—are ruined. 12The grapevines and the fig trees have all withered. The pomegranate trees, palm trees, and apple trees—yes, all the fruit trees—have dried up. All joy has dried up with them.
13Dress yourselves in sackcloth, you priests! Wail, you who serve before the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God! There is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of your God. 14Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people into the Temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to him there. 15The day of the LORD is on the way, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!
16We watch as our food disappears before our very eyes. There are no joyful celebrations in the house of our God. 17The seeds die in the parched ground, and the grain crops fail. The barns and granaries stand empty and abandoned. 18How the animals moan with hunger! The cattle wander about confused because there is no pasture for them. The sheep bleat in misery.
19LORD, help us! The fire has consumed the pastures and burned up all the trees. 20Even the wild animals cry out to you because they have no water to drink. The streams have dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures.
FOOTNOTES:
F1: The precise identification of the four kinds of locusts mentioned here is uncertain.
F2: Hebrew A nation.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Lena Journals 2 Chronicles 7 Today
Solomon means peace, wholeness, soundness, completeness. Is there peace in the Lord’s temple? Who is the Lord’s Temple, anyway? Where is that place of peace?
The Hebrew greet one another with “Shalom” stating a wish of wellness, and wholeness in the living temples of God Most High.
There are temples of God Most High in live form. Are there sacrifices being offered there to God continually? If so, what kind? Do they involve repentance, changes of heart and mind, and decisive humility? Becoming different than one started out to be, on purpose, as though we are an important course of life that we will be tested on, intent on passing the death or life test?
Fire changes the state of what it touches. It, many times, consumes whatever is in its pathway. Depending on the hardness of the object and the heat of the fire, fire changes, consumes, alters the present state of being of a thing.
Our God is a consuming fire.
The people themselves offered sacrifices, they dedicated themselves to the Lord. They stood and positioned themselves inside of the assembly of the righteous.
How much sacrificing is just too much to ask? The thing is God is not asking, He may be offering or telling us we can, or showing us how, but the amount is up to us and how full our love bank is.
Do we feel like God or His leaders are asking too much of us? That shows the condition of our hearts. He gave so much and still gives us all we need. This is a lifelong eternal relationship. We will never stop giving and sacrificing if we love God, and one another. It is a never ending relationship. There should be expected change on a continuous basis, and sacrifices galore offered daily in abundance, because of love.
Is our life dedicated to God or not? Have we given our lives, or not? How much of it, just what we believe He’s asked of us, or do we go beyond what is asked to what we can give? All for All. It says they dedicated themselves. One cannot do that because they feel they have to, the “have-to’s” would take away form the dedication of all.
Do you ever feel like “your altar” cannot contain the sacrifices you want to make? That you’d have to “build a bigger place to contain the God you see you are to carry, or the responsibilities you’d like to fulfill for Him?
There is always a place to increase your capacity for His Spirit in each of us and His will to be accomplished by and through us. It happens through steps of faith and of obedience.
Do you want to be burned up, and consumed? Fire will be the judgment of all men, either the eternal fire of hell or the cleansing power of God to change a life and make it pure. The fire one gives his own life to will not destroy him eternally, but will rather preserve him. The NT says it’d be better to enter eternity marred by fire than not go at all, yet one who gives his life a living sacrifice now will be as refined silver or fine gold, though tried by fire, not destroyed, not marred. All of this is up to us. If rebellious, then marred, if submitted to the process now, then cleansed and purified.
Jesus said no man takes my life, I give it up as a ransom for many. This should be our own lifestyles also. It may seem men are taking our lives, yet if our attitude is to give it up anyway, this is where we are submissive to the character development of Christ.
What have we planned to do? Pray more, worship more, go to church more? Are we accomplishing that, or have we procrastinated at doing it? Solomon (Shalom Peace) completed all he had set out to do for the Lord.
When we live this way, windows of heaven open up! God says to one who has set himself into a lifestyle of wholeness, “What do you want from Me?” He offers His resources and who He is on our everyday situations and circumstances.
If circumstances overwhelm a people, God is asking us a question to see how much of our whole hearts are in Him…..”Will you again give yourselves……in all your blessedness, and comfy coziness…….will you repent for the wrongs you did not even do……will you consider digging deeply and seeing if there’s any area at all that can still be swept clean in your own life……will you who have overcome so much and have gone so far submit yourself to My will…..my deep well??? Will you Pray for others, get down on your knees, fast, dress differently, even in shame to show the seriousness of what I call serious?” Will you?
A glorious, magnificent temple, a place completed, seems to need no more work done, except maintenance. IF one does not maintain what he has obtained, he’ll lose what he gained. The Lord is serious about taking what He’s given for granted. The relationship gained, must be honored and valued enough to guard and keep it. All positions given men, are given by God. These cannot be taken for granted, they can be given to another as easily as they were given us. God decides according our willingness to accept and walk out our responsibility before Him.
"As for you, if you follow me as your father, David, did and obey all my commands, laws, and regulations, then I will not let anyone take away your throne
The Hebrew greet one another with “Shalom” stating a wish of wellness, and wholeness in the living temples of God Most High.
There are temples of God Most High in live form. Are there sacrifices being offered there to God continually? If so, what kind? Do they involve repentance, changes of heart and mind, and decisive humility? Becoming different than one started out to be, on purpose, as though we are an important course of life that we will be tested on, intent on passing the death or life test?
Fire changes the state of what it touches. It, many times, consumes whatever is in its pathway. Depending on the hardness of the object and the heat of the fire, fire changes, consumes, alters the present state of being of a thing.
Our God is a consuming fire.
The people themselves offered sacrifices, they dedicated themselves to the Lord. They stood and positioned themselves inside of the assembly of the righteous.
How much sacrificing is just too much to ask? The thing is God is not asking, He may be offering or telling us we can, or showing us how, but the amount is up to us and how full our love bank is.
Do we feel like God or His leaders are asking too much of us? That shows the condition of our hearts. He gave so much and still gives us all we need. This is a lifelong eternal relationship. We will never stop giving and sacrificing if we love God, and one another. It is a never ending relationship. There should be expected change on a continuous basis, and sacrifices galore offered daily in abundance, because of love.
Is our life dedicated to God or not? Have we given our lives, or not? How much of it, just what we believe He’s asked of us, or do we go beyond what is asked to what we can give? All for All. It says they dedicated themselves. One cannot do that because they feel they have to, the “have-to’s” would take away form the dedication of all.
Do you ever feel like “your altar” cannot contain the sacrifices you want to make? That you’d have to “build a bigger place to contain the God you see you are to carry, or the responsibilities you’d like to fulfill for Him?
There is always a place to increase your capacity for His Spirit in each of us and His will to be accomplished by and through us. It happens through steps of faith and of obedience.
Do you want to be burned up, and consumed? Fire will be the judgment of all men, either the eternal fire of hell or the cleansing power of God to change a life and make it pure. The fire one gives his own life to will not destroy him eternally, but will rather preserve him. The NT says it’d be better to enter eternity marred by fire than not go at all, yet one who gives his life a living sacrifice now will be as refined silver or fine gold, though tried by fire, not destroyed, not marred. All of this is up to us. If rebellious, then marred, if submitted to the process now, then cleansed and purified.
Jesus said no man takes my life, I give it up as a ransom for many. This should be our own lifestyles also. It may seem men are taking our lives, yet if our attitude is to give it up anyway, this is where we are submissive to the character development of Christ.
What have we planned to do? Pray more, worship more, go to church more? Are we accomplishing that, or have we procrastinated at doing it? Solomon (Shalom Peace) completed all he had set out to do for the Lord.
When we live this way, windows of heaven open up! God says to one who has set himself into a lifestyle of wholeness, “What do you want from Me?” He offers His resources and who He is on our everyday situations and circumstances.
If circumstances overwhelm a people, God is asking us a question to see how much of our whole hearts are in Him…..”Will you again give yourselves……in all your blessedness, and comfy coziness…….will you repent for the wrongs you did not even do……will you consider digging deeply and seeing if there’s any area at all that can still be swept clean in your own life……will you who have overcome so much and have gone so far submit yourself to My will…..my deep well??? Will you Pray for others, get down on your knees, fast, dress differently, even in shame to show the seriousness of what I call serious?” Will you?
A glorious, magnificent temple, a place completed, seems to need no more work done, except maintenance. IF one does not maintain what he has obtained, he’ll lose what he gained. The Lord is serious about taking what He’s given for granted. The relationship gained, must be honored and valued enough to guard and keep it. All positions given men, are given by God. These cannot be taken for granted, they can be given to another as easily as they were given us. God decides according our willingness to accept and walk out our responsibility before Him.
"As for you, if you follow me as your father, David, did and obey all my commands, laws, and regulations, then I will not let anyone take away your throne
2 Chronicles 7 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
2 Chronicles 7
The Dedication of the Temple
1When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple. 2The priests could not even enter the Temple of the LORD because the glorious presence of the LORD filled it. 3When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the LORD filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying,
"He is so good!
His faithful love endures forever!"
4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the LORD. 5King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God. 6The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites who were singing, "His faithful love endures forever!" They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments King David had made for praising the LORD. On the other side of the Levites, the priests blew the trumpets, while all Israel stood.
7Solomon then dedicated the central area of the courtyard in front of the LORD's Temple so they could present burnt offerings and the fat from peace offerings there. He did this because the bronze altar he had built could not handle all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat.
8For the next seven days they celebrated the Festival of Shelters F30 with huge crowds gathered from all the tribes of Israel. They came from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north, to the brook of Egypt in the south. 9On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days. 10Then at the end of the celebration, F31 Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and happy because the LORD had been so good to David and Solomon and to his people Israel.
The LORD's Response to Solomon
11So Solomon finished building the Temple of the LORD, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do. 12Then one night the LORD appeared to Solomon and said, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you. 14Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. 15I will listen to every prayer made in this place, 16for I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be my home forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here.
17"As for you, if you follow me as your father, David, did and obey all my commands, laws, and regulations, 18then I will not let anyone take away your throne. This is the same promise I gave your father, David, when I said, 'You will never fail to have a successor who rules over Israel.'
19"But if you abandon me and disobey the laws and commands I have given you, and if you go and worship other gods, 20then I will uproot the people of Israel from this land of mine that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have set apart to honor my name. I will make it a spectacle of contempt among the nations. 21And though this Temple is impressive now, it will become an appalling sight to all who pass by. They will ask, 'Why has the LORD done such terrible things to his land and to his Temple?' 22And the answer will be, 'Because his people abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead. That is why he brought all these disasters upon them.'"
FOOTNOTES:
F30: Hebrew the festival (also in 7:9); see note on 5:3.
F31: Hebrew Then on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month. This day of the Hebrew lunar calendar occurs in late September or early October.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
2 Chronicles 7
The Dedication of the Temple
1When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple. 2The priests could not even enter the Temple of the LORD because the glorious presence of the LORD filled it. 3When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the LORD filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying,
"He is so good!
His faithful love endures forever!"
4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the LORD. 5King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God. 6The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites who were singing, "His faithful love endures forever!" They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments King David had made for praising the LORD. On the other side of the Levites, the priests blew the trumpets, while all Israel stood.
7Solomon then dedicated the central area of the courtyard in front of the LORD's Temple so they could present burnt offerings and the fat from peace offerings there. He did this because the bronze altar he had built could not handle all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat.
8For the next seven days they celebrated the Festival of Shelters F30 with huge crowds gathered from all the tribes of Israel. They came from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north, to the brook of Egypt in the south. 9On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days. 10Then at the end of the celebration, F31 Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and happy because the LORD had been so good to David and Solomon and to his people Israel.
The LORD's Response to Solomon
11So Solomon finished building the Temple of the LORD, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do. 12Then one night the LORD appeared to Solomon and said, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you. 14Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. 15I will listen to every prayer made in this place, 16for I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be my home forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here.
17"As for you, if you follow me as your father, David, did and obey all my commands, laws, and regulations, 18then I will not let anyone take away your throne. This is the same promise I gave your father, David, when I said, 'You will never fail to have a successor who rules over Israel.'
19"But if you abandon me and disobey the laws and commands I have given you, and if you go and worship other gods, 20then I will uproot the people of Israel from this land of mine that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have set apart to honor my name. I will make it a spectacle of contempt among the nations. 21And though this Temple is impressive now, it will become an appalling sight to all who pass by. They will ask, 'Why has the LORD done such terrible things to his land and to his Temple?' 22And the answer will be, 'Because his people abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead. That is why he brought all these disasters upon them.'"
FOOTNOTES:
F30: Hebrew the festival (also in 7:9); see note on 5:3.
F31: Hebrew Then on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month. This day of the Hebrew lunar calendar occurs in late September or early October.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Lena Journals to Genesis 18
Abraham was a man sensitive to the plan of God and to who and what would be a part of the orchestration of that plan. It’s neat how he sits as a watchman, even in his “down time” as he sits he’s not ignorant of everything and everybody being a possible piece of the heavenly plan he’d found himself to be apart of. I’m sure he was also watching to guard the plans of God also, for they are eternal treasures and were valuable to him.
Do you ever sit and watch, expecting?
Do you look for people in your life that have a plan of God and a destiny they do not yet know of? Isn’t it the most exciting place in life to be able to show someone where they can find themselves in finding Christ? I love leading people to know Him and make Him known to all they know of in their own sphere’s of influence.
Abraham was quite the influential man. God so uses people who are willing to influence more than the average person.
I love how the spirit of the lord in the messengers say, “do all you have said you’d do.”
That’s BIG. How much have we told God we’d do for Him, for His kingdom? What kinds of kingdom participant promises have we made to God that we’ve not yet moved on, past the initial inspirational moment?
Now, is so the time to do what we’ve said we would do. Time to repent of procrastination and mistrust, or fear.
Repentance is, “I was not doing what I knew to do, but now I am”.
Easy, huh? Yes it is mostly a decision we make, and that can change a day and a destiny and make purpose much clearer.
How much are we serving God and His will?
Abraham jumped up and asked Sarah to make haste, and get something ready that would make God feel fulfilled, that would really satisfy God. Don’t sit on it and ponder whether or not you might consider doing something in God’s will, just get up now, sooner than now, if at all possible and do it.
Abraham himself served God.
What does “serve” mean?
“Wait upon”. Make sure what God wants is done. Making sure we each personally are doing that. Not that we are telling someone else to do all that is right, in serving God, but that we ourselves are doing the serving as examples of hearts of service.
Abraham was positioned outside of the tent, looking out, further than just where he was at the moment. He saw the messengers of God coming and arose to meet them. Sarah was in the tent, yes doing what she does as a wife and homemaker, yet we can get very involved in our day to day lives, so much that we are not looking beyond what we see in the sink. We look at what is and appears, rather than what could be the very desire of God for us to accomplish through us, using us as vessels of honor for His usage.
Abraham was a visionary, Sarah was barely able to see a goal.
Lift up your eyes, those who see vision, live. Those who see beyond, can serve God with a whole heart. They are looking for Him, so they prepare for His coming.
When we look down at what is, we can easily lose our faith, we are short and naturally sighted, we lose out on life, for what we see, brings death. Without seeing vision, people perish.
What do you see about your life, marriage, children, and grandchildren; spiritually and naturally speaking? Do you have generational vision that will save nations of people, who you may have some influence on? Or is it just about what you see yourself to be right now, barren, old, tired, past your prime, etc?
If you look up at Him, you’ll say, “is there anything… tiredness, age, barrenness, too hard for the Lord?”
Then you will answer. Absolutely not! Not one thing, nothing is too difficult for Him!
Do you stand in the gap for any of your family members who are living in gross darkness? Even if you do not speak with them, do you pray ferverently for their souls? Do you regularly ask God to save them?
Do you ever sit and watch, expecting?
Do you look for people in your life that have a plan of God and a destiny they do not yet know of? Isn’t it the most exciting place in life to be able to show someone where they can find themselves in finding Christ? I love leading people to know Him and make Him known to all they know of in their own sphere’s of influence.
Abraham was quite the influential man. God so uses people who are willing to influence more than the average person.
I love how the spirit of the lord in the messengers say, “do all you have said you’d do.”
That’s BIG. How much have we told God we’d do for Him, for His kingdom? What kinds of kingdom participant promises have we made to God that we’ve not yet moved on, past the initial inspirational moment?
Now, is so the time to do what we’ve said we would do. Time to repent of procrastination and mistrust, or fear.
Repentance is, “I was not doing what I knew to do, but now I am”.
Easy, huh? Yes it is mostly a decision we make, and that can change a day and a destiny and make purpose much clearer.
How much are we serving God and His will?
Abraham jumped up and asked Sarah to make haste, and get something ready that would make God feel fulfilled, that would really satisfy God. Don’t sit on it and ponder whether or not you might consider doing something in God’s will, just get up now, sooner than now, if at all possible and do it.
Abraham himself served God.
What does “serve” mean?
“Wait upon”. Make sure what God wants is done. Making sure we each personally are doing that. Not that we are telling someone else to do all that is right, in serving God, but that we ourselves are doing the serving as examples of hearts of service.
Abraham was positioned outside of the tent, looking out, further than just where he was at the moment. He saw the messengers of God coming and arose to meet them. Sarah was in the tent, yes doing what she does as a wife and homemaker, yet we can get very involved in our day to day lives, so much that we are not looking beyond what we see in the sink. We look at what is and appears, rather than what could be the very desire of God for us to accomplish through us, using us as vessels of honor for His usage.
Abraham was a visionary, Sarah was barely able to see a goal.
Lift up your eyes, those who see vision, live. Those who see beyond, can serve God with a whole heart. They are looking for Him, so they prepare for His coming.
When we look down at what is, we can easily lose our faith, we are short and naturally sighted, we lose out on life, for what we see, brings death. Without seeing vision, people perish.
What do you see about your life, marriage, children, and grandchildren; spiritually and naturally speaking? Do you have generational vision that will save nations of people, who you may have some influence on? Or is it just about what you see yourself to be right now, barren, old, tired, past your prime, etc?
If you look up at Him, you’ll say, “is there anything… tiredness, age, barrenness, too hard for the Lord?”
Then you will answer. Absolutely not! Not one thing, nothing is too difficult for Him!
Do you stand in the gap for any of your family members who are living in gross darkness? Even if you do not speak with them, do you pray ferverently for their souls? Do you regularly ask God to save them?
Genesis 18 Today's Daily Bread
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Genesis 18
A Son Promised to Sarah
1The LORD appeared again to Abraham while he was camped near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day about noon, as Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent, 2he suddenly noticed three men standing nearby. He got up and ran to meet them, welcoming them by bowing low to the ground. 3"My lord," he said, "if it pleases you, stop here for a while. 4Rest in the shade of this tree while my servants get some water to wash your feet. 5Let me prepare some food to refresh you. Please stay awhile before continuing on your journey." "All right," they said. "Do as you have said."
6So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick! Get three measures F60 of your best flour, and bake some bread." 7Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a fat calf and told a servant to hurry and butcher it. 8When the food was ready, he took some cheese curds and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them there beneath the trees.
9"Where is Sarah, your wife?" they asked him. "In the tent," Abraham replied.
10Then one of them said, "About this time next year I will return, and your wife Sarah will have a son." Now Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent nearby. 11And since Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah was long past the age of having children, 12she laughed silently to herself. "How could a worn-out woman like me have a baby?" she thought. "And when my master—my husband—is also so old?"
13Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Can an old woman like me have a baby?' 14Is anything too hard for the LORD? About a year from now, just as I told you, I will return, and Sarah will have a son." 15Sarah was afraid, so she denied that she had laughed. But he said, "That is not true. You did laugh."
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
16Then the men got up from their meal and started on toward Sodom. Abraham went with them part of the way.
17"Should I hide my plan from Abraham?" the LORD asked. 18"For Abraham will become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. 19I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the LORD and do what is right and just. Then I will do for him all that I have promised." 20So the LORD told Abraham, "I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are extremely evil, and that everything they do is wicked. 21I am going down to see whether or not these reports are true. Then I will know."
22The two other men went on toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham for a while. 23Abraham approached him and said, "Will you destroy both innocent and guilty alike? 24Suppose you find fifty innocent people there within the city—will you still destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? 25Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"
26And the LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake."
27Then Abraham spoke again. "Since I have begun, let me go on and speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28Suppose there are only forty-five? Will you destroy the city for lack of five?" And the LORD said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five."
29Then Abraham pressed his request further. "Suppose there are only forty?" And the LORD replied, "I will not destroy it if there are forty."
30"Please don't be angry, my Lord," Abraham pleaded. "Let me speak—suppose only thirty are found?" And the LORD replied, "I will not destroy it if there are thirty."
31Then Abraham said, "Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?" And the LORD said, "Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty."
32Finally, Abraham said, "Lord, please do not get angry; I will speak but once more! Suppose only ten are found there?" And the LORD said, "Then, for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it."
33The LORD went on his way when he had finished his conversation with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his tent.
FOOTNOTES:
F60: Hebrew 3 seahs, about 15 quarts or 18 liters.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Genesis 18
A Son Promised to Sarah
1The LORD appeared again to Abraham while he was camped near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day about noon, as Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent, 2he suddenly noticed three men standing nearby. He got up and ran to meet them, welcoming them by bowing low to the ground. 3"My lord," he said, "if it pleases you, stop here for a while. 4Rest in the shade of this tree while my servants get some water to wash your feet. 5Let me prepare some food to refresh you. Please stay awhile before continuing on your journey." "All right," they said. "Do as you have said."
6So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick! Get three measures F60 of your best flour, and bake some bread." 7Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a fat calf and told a servant to hurry and butcher it. 8When the food was ready, he took some cheese curds and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them there beneath the trees.
9"Where is Sarah, your wife?" they asked him. "In the tent," Abraham replied.
10Then one of them said, "About this time next year I will return, and your wife Sarah will have a son." Now Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent nearby. 11And since Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah was long past the age of having children, 12she laughed silently to herself. "How could a worn-out woman like me have a baby?" she thought. "And when my master—my husband—is also so old?"
13Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Can an old woman like me have a baby?' 14Is anything too hard for the LORD? About a year from now, just as I told you, I will return, and Sarah will have a son." 15Sarah was afraid, so she denied that she had laughed. But he said, "That is not true. You did laugh."
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
16Then the men got up from their meal and started on toward Sodom. Abraham went with them part of the way.
17"Should I hide my plan from Abraham?" the LORD asked. 18"For Abraham will become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. 19I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the LORD and do what is right and just. Then I will do for him all that I have promised." 20So the LORD told Abraham, "I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are extremely evil, and that everything they do is wicked. 21I am going down to see whether or not these reports are true. Then I will know."
22The two other men went on toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham for a while. 23Abraham approached him and said, "Will you destroy both innocent and guilty alike? 24Suppose you find fifty innocent people there within the city—will you still destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? 25Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"
26And the LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake."
27Then Abraham spoke again. "Since I have begun, let me go on and speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28Suppose there are only forty-five? Will you destroy the city for lack of five?" And the LORD said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five."
29Then Abraham pressed his request further. "Suppose there are only forty?" And the LORD replied, "I will not destroy it if there are forty."
30"Please don't be angry, my Lord," Abraham pleaded. "Let me speak—suppose only thirty are found?" And the LORD replied, "I will not destroy it if there are thirty."
31Then Abraham said, "Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?" And the LORD said, "Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty."
32Finally, Abraham said, "Lord, please do not get angry; I will speak but once more! Suppose only ten are found there?" And the LORD said, "Then, for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it."
33The LORD went on his way when he had finished his conversation with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his tent.
FOOTNOTES:
F60: Hebrew 3 seahs, about 15 quarts or 18 liters.
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