It's sort of interesting to note that the only way to have an actual dream is to go to sleep. We must sleep to dream.
To be able to sleep, one must "let go". It takes letting go of this reality, in a sense. In other words, we have to let go of the "here and now" to allow our thoughts (or our spirit) to go somewhere else.
I think that may be the reason why so many of us find it difficult to sleep. We're exhausted, in desperate need of a good, deep sleep to rejuvenate us. Yet, we can't sleep. Our brain won't allow it. Or, our thoughts won't slow down.
It just seems that, although we do sleep, it takes longer than it should for us to fall asleep; deep sleep alludes us and we feel unrested when we awake. Waking up again is so difficult, yet it's also difficult to fall asleep.
The reason, I believe, that we have sleep problems is . . . technology.
This is just a theory of mine, but I do believe that we can trace most of our sleep problems to technology. And, when I say technology, I am including electricity along with computers, laptops, Ipads, Ipods, Smart phones and all that.
We have to look at electricity first and think about how much life has changed since the advent of electricity. Wires pass through the walls of our houses and apartments carrying exciting vibrations. Bright light sneaks through the cracks of our curtains and under our doors at night time. More vibrations.
It's night time. But, where is the night? Where is the dark? It's not really dark, so how can our brains know that it is really night time, time to sleep?
Perhaps that phone charger is only putting off a teensy bit of light. But, it is light.
Now, to address the bigger problem which is all-encompassing: computer technology. Ouch. If you're like me, you don't like to admit how much time you spent on your computer today. It gets away with me. Before I realize it, I've got TB (tired bum) from sitting so long on my laptop. Yike! The sun is going down! Don't tell me another whole day has gone by.
But, it has. The day is spent. The sun has gone down. But, my brain is firing messages back and forth like lightning in an electric storm. It's buzzing like a hive of bees getting ready to swarm.
If I'm outside during the day, the people I encounter are either on their phone, on their Ipad, plugged into their Ipod or sitting at a computer or laptop. And, I'd have to say, "Without exception."
You know it's true.
Even reading the Word, we use our gadgets. We certainly don't read a big old Bible by candle light anymore. If we have a "hard copy" of the Bible, it's usually a 3x5 or a 4x6. And there's nothing wrong with that. Even if it's a 1x1, the Word is the best publication to carry around.
Like "ET", we get loads and loads of "input". We're constantly firing on all-cylinders and multi-tasking. And, we can't seem to stop! When it comes to our "electronic lives", self-control has flown out the window. Along with all the time in our day.
Just one more message. Oh, one more phone call is all. Just this text and I'm done. Oh, I forgot about the 'so-and-so' and I have to tell 'So-and-So' about the 'such-and-such'. What time is it? What? It can't be! I have to get up at 7 tomorrow.
So, we reluctantly shut it all down. The screens go black. But, our brains are still humming with messages lit up and flying along the highway of our neural passages.
What about this message? What about that piece of information? What about that picture? Wasn't it funny? What did that mean? Why is it like that? Do people really say that about that? Try to sleep. Try to sleep. Try to sleep. Ok, I should pray over my dreams.
Yes, we try so hard to calm down. We even listen to some soothing Christian music. And that helps a lot. But, falling to sleep takes a lot longer than it should and waking up does too.
One hundred years ago, who would have thought that sleeping would become such a problem for so many? Most people worked long, hard hours with little time to spare. Falling asleep at night was probably the least of their problems.
Nowadays, the days seem shorter. It's a different world. That's easy to see. And, there are pros and cons.
But, we need to sleep and we need to dream. It's a necessary part of our spiritual lives. When else does God have the chance to speak to our hearts and minds without interruption?
Dreams are important. They can be messages from God. They can be prophetic. So, we should really try to remember them.
I had a powerful dream the other night. It was powerful in that it seemed to last a long time, seemingly all night long. That's why I was able to remember it. And it was a very drastic sort of dream,which made me think it could be a warning about something in my own life.
I dreamt a snake had appeared under the floor of our big house. The snake was long and thick. It seemed to go on and on and on... It was coming up through a grate in the floor and traveling around the house through the heating ducts.
Since it came up into my bedroom through the grate in the floor, I decided I had to move to another room to sleep because it would probably crawl into my bed while I was sleeping. So, I moved to another room. But, I realized that room also had a grate and even if I covered it, the snake would be able to push through if it wanted to...
When I woke up, I told my sister the dream but I told her, "I know it's not a real snake. It represents something." And that same day, I found out what the snake was.
I got a computer virus on my laptop. It was a scam, but for most of the day, I thought I had a huge problem. After making two phone calls and listening to an agent go on and on about how he had to save my computer, I discovered they were going to charge almost $100 for this "huge problem" to go away. I was told it had traveled through all my files, threatening to destroy them, gain access to my banking information and on and on.
That's when I realized, "This is the snake." So, I laid hands on my laptop and prayed for the Holy Spirit to rebuke the devil.
Although it caused me some stress and worry, it turned out to be an invisible snake after all. I was told by a nice young lady that there was a scam going around and that I shouldn't pay anyone to get rid of the "virus". And, in the end, it all just went away as if it had never existed in the first place.
Come the end of the day, I felt as though I'd done battle with a very long . . . snake.
Why was there a large house in my dream that the snake was entering into?
Well, it turned out the "virus" came in through a site I went to to watch "Downton Abbey". Now, that's a big house, isn't it?
I don't know about you, but I've decided to limit my tech time by setting a schedule. And to turn off my laptop a couple of hours before bed-time. If possible.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
God Wants Lots of Nothing
How to come into the presence of God?
God wants nothing between Him and me. He wants me to get everything out of the way. He wants lots of nothing.
That's not always an easy task to perform. It takes getting quiet. It takes letting go. We have to let go of all of our worries, fears, stress and activities of the mind. It takes TIME.
In a way, giving up our time and allowing God to have our time is a big sacrifice. By giving up some of our precious time to the Lord, it's letting go of the ownership of our time, which is, in essence, our life. Isn't it? Our lives are made up of time.
So, to come into the presence of God, we have to:
1. STOP - Quit trying to figure everything out with our own minds, our own figuring and calculating.
2. LOOK UP - Get our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances.
3. BE QUIET - Sh-h-h-h-h-h-h.
4. LISTEN - God has plenty to say. After all, it's His universe and He has the plan.
5. RECORD WHAT YOU HEAR - Writing it down is a great way to assimilate what God has told you.
How to receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
The scripture says that God wants us to come to Him with a pure heart. But, I think we often see "pure" in a self-righteous way, thinking that we can make our own hearts pure.
Well, we can't. We cannot. Only God can make our hearts pure. And even then, they won't stay pure because we humans are constantly sinning. Anyway, being pure is not even really the goal. Hard to believe? That's because we are conditioned to think of purity as a goal to achieve instead of a letting go of our own plans, ideas, thoughts and reasoning.
Ok, so here's how I see purity of heart.
Yes, we should ask God for forgiveness. That's true enough. (By the way, we should ask Him to forgive us for all the sins WE DON'T KNOW WE ARE GUILTY OF because, there are plenty. We are ALL blind to our sins. Besides, it is impossible for us to be good or anything like "good" or "pure" of ourselves. That kind of self-made goodness is called "self-righteousness" which, as it happens, is THE BIGGEST SIN OF ALL in the eyes of God. It's SO bad that God calls it filthy rags or menstrual rags. So, do we really want to hold up our filthy rags to God and show him how "good" we are? I don't think so.)
As far as purity goes, I'd say the only way to really get purified is to get filled with the Holy Spirit that cleanses all our sins and spend time in the presence of God. Only God knows what purity is. But, I'd say that purity is LETTING GO. Letting go of everything. Not just the stuff we see as bad, but EVERYTHING.
If we let go of it ALL, it will create a vacuum that God can fill with HIS purity and goodness and power and love and the things that are truly godly.
To get filled with the Holy Spirit:
1. Confess sin and ask for forgiveness - May I suggest not to make long, long lists of sin? God knows what our sins are better than we know.
2. Praise God! - Praising the Lord brings down the Spirit of God.
3. LET GO - speaking in tongues is a great way to empty the mind of confusion. Sometimes our tongues are a confusion, but, the longer we speak, the clearer the meaning of the tongues becomes. There can be messages that come through in our tongues that God can interpret for us. Allowing our spirits to cry out to God without constraint is a wonderful release.
4. ASK - Ask God for His Holy Spirit. You won't be disappointed.
5. Thank Him in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen.
God wants nothing between Him and me. He wants me to get everything out of the way. He wants lots of nothing.
That's not always an easy task to perform. It takes getting quiet. It takes letting go. We have to let go of all of our worries, fears, stress and activities of the mind. It takes TIME.
In a way, giving up our time and allowing God to have our time is a big sacrifice. By giving up some of our precious time to the Lord, it's letting go of the ownership of our time, which is, in essence, our life. Isn't it? Our lives are made up of time.
So, to come into the presence of God, we have to:
1. STOP - Quit trying to figure everything out with our own minds, our own figuring and calculating.
2. LOOK UP - Get our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances.
3. BE QUIET - Sh-h-h-h-h-h-h.
4. LISTEN - God has plenty to say. After all, it's His universe and He has the plan.
5. RECORD WHAT YOU HEAR - Writing it down is a great way to assimilate what God has told you.
How to receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
The scripture says that God wants us to come to Him with a pure heart. But, I think we often see "pure" in a self-righteous way, thinking that we can make our own hearts pure.
Well, we can't. We cannot. Only God can make our hearts pure. And even then, they won't stay pure because we humans are constantly sinning. Anyway, being pure is not even really the goal. Hard to believe? That's because we are conditioned to think of purity as a goal to achieve instead of a letting go of our own plans, ideas, thoughts and reasoning.
Ok, so here's how I see purity of heart.
Yes, we should ask God for forgiveness. That's true enough. (By the way, we should ask Him to forgive us for all the sins WE DON'T KNOW WE ARE GUILTY OF because, there are plenty. We are ALL blind to our sins. Besides, it is impossible for us to be good or anything like "good" or "pure" of ourselves. That kind of self-made goodness is called "self-righteousness" which, as it happens, is THE BIGGEST SIN OF ALL in the eyes of God. It's SO bad that God calls it filthy rags or menstrual rags. So, do we really want to hold up our filthy rags to God and show him how "good" we are? I don't think so.)
As far as purity goes, I'd say the only way to really get purified is to get filled with the Holy Spirit that cleanses all our sins and spend time in the presence of God. Only God knows what purity is. But, I'd say that purity is LETTING GO. Letting go of everything. Not just the stuff we see as bad, but EVERYTHING.
If we let go of it ALL, it will create a vacuum that God can fill with HIS purity and goodness and power and love and the things that are truly godly.
To get filled with the Holy Spirit:
1. Confess sin and ask for forgiveness - May I suggest not to make long, long lists of sin? God knows what our sins are better than we know.
2. Praise God! - Praising the Lord brings down the Spirit of God.
3. LET GO - speaking in tongues is a great way to empty the mind of confusion. Sometimes our tongues are a confusion, but, the longer we speak, the clearer the meaning of the tongues becomes. There can be messages that come through in our tongues that God can interpret for us. Allowing our spirits to cry out to God without constraint is a wonderful release.
4. ASK - Ask God for His Holy Spirit. You won't be disappointed.
5. Thank Him in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Practise Prayer
Never stop praying. You can pray all the time, anywhere, everywhere, no matter what else you're doing. It's free. It's your life-line. And prayer can change your life.
Prayer doesn't need to be complicated, poetic, dramatic, eloquent or even grammatically correct. Quite often, all I say is,
"Thank-You, Jesus." Because that expresses what's on my heart at the time. I'm thankful for life, for good health, for strength, for the ability to tie my shoes.
I believe that God hates to be ignored.
I'll often mention His name and sometimes when people hear the name of Jesus, they think I'm using His name in vain. Ha. That's how programmed we are by religion. If you think about it, it may be one way the devil has of stopping us saying the name of Jesus. It's easy enough to say "God" and everyone does it. "God" is ambiguous or vague. It could be any god. But, when we say "Jesus", there's an incredible, indescribable power that extends out of the sound of those syllables.
JESUS!
Now, look at His entire name: JESUS CHRIST.
What do you envision? Do you see a man covered with blood hanging on a cross? Well, to hang on a cross was a CURSE. It says so right in the Bible.
"Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." Galatians 3:13
Actually, wouldn't it be more cursed to ignore Jesus? We would be cursed if it weren't for Him. So, to speak to Him all day, every day is to keep the connection strong. That way, whenever He wants to tell us something, our ear is already attuned to His voice.
If I had one piece of solid GOLD advice, it would be, "NEVER STOP PRAYING." or, in other words, "NEVER STOP TALKING TO JESUS."
Talk to Him ALL the time about EVERY LITTLE THING. Ask Him questions. Any questions. Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know?
I used to ask a lot of questions when I was a little kid. I was FULL of questions, as most little kids are. But, what happened was, I would get either NO answer or else, really STUPID answers. I hope other little kids don't experience this but, in my case, the adults and older kids around me used to enjoy keeping me in the dark. It was as if knowledge was a deep, dark mystery that they were hiding from me and that's how I felt. So, I decided to find out the answers for myself. I went to the library.
Of course, nowadays, one only needs to go to the computer. It's all there at the touch of a button.
Yet, there remain some DEEP, DARK ANSWERS that are not readily available online. Those are the ones that can only be gotten by digging deeply into the mines of Heavenly Knowledge through PRAYER.
Prayer doesn't need to be complicated, poetic, dramatic, eloquent or even grammatically correct. Quite often, all I say is,
"Thank-You, Jesus." Because that expresses what's on my heart at the time. I'm thankful for life, for good health, for strength, for the ability to tie my shoes.
I believe that God hates to be ignored.
I'll often mention His name and sometimes when people hear the name of Jesus, they think I'm using His name in vain. Ha. That's how programmed we are by religion. If you think about it, it may be one way the devil has of stopping us saying the name of Jesus. It's easy enough to say "God" and everyone does it. "God" is ambiguous or vague. It could be any god. But, when we say "Jesus", there's an incredible, indescribable power that extends out of the sound of those syllables.
JESUS!
Now, look at His entire name: JESUS CHRIST.
What do you envision? Do you see a man covered with blood hanging on a cross? Well, to hang on a cross was a CURSE. It says so right in the Bible.
"Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." Galatians 3:13
Actually, wouldn't it be more cursed to ignore Jesus? We would be cursed if it weren't for Him. So, to speak to Him all day, every day is to keep the connection strong. That way, whenever He wants to tell us something, our ear is already attuned to His voice.
If I had one piece of solid GOLD advice, it would be, "NEVER STOP PRAYING." or, in other words, "NEVER STOP TALKING TO JESUS."
Talk to Him ALL the time about EVERY LITTLE THING. Ask Him questions. Any questions. Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know?
I used to ask a lot of questions when I was a little kid. I was FULL of questions, as most little kids are. But, what happened was, I would get either NO answer or else, really STUPID answers. I hope other little kids don't experience this but, in my case, the adults and older kids around me used to enjoy keeping me in the dark. It was as if knowledge was a deep, dark mystery that they were hiding from me and that's how I felt. So, I decided to find out the answers for myself. I went to the library.
Of course, nowadays, one only needs to go to the computer. It's all there at the touch of a button.
Yet, there remain some DEEP, DARK ANSWERS that are not readily available online. Those are the ones that can only be gotten by digging deeply into the mines of Heavenly Knowledge through PRAYER.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
CHRISTMAS
Is the celebration of Christmas a good thing or a bad thing? As born-again Christians, should we celebrate Christmas?
There are probably two different ways to look at this: It's a time of year where we can freely talk about the birth of Christ and use it to win souls to the Lord. But, it's also a time of year that has been exploited dramatically by the commercial system to the extent that there is a shopping FRENZY taking place for the entire month of December, especially the last two weeks.
Jesus said, "By your traditions, you have made the law of God of no effect."
Paul said, "All things work together for good to them that love God..."
Let's face it: we are NOT going to be able to stop Christmas. It is deeply ingrained in our culture. But, more importantly, it is a cash cow that most businesses depend on for a large portion of their annual revenues. So, Christmas is probably here to stay. It will be celebrated come what may. Even though it may be "politically incorrect" to actually say, "Merry Christmas", it will continue to be the year's biggest holiday.
But, should we partake of it? After all, it certainly isn't the birthday of Jesus Christ, is it? It's not His birthday, at least, not that we know of. The holiday was handed down to us from pagan worshipers and the Christmas tree was one of their traditions that Christians "stole".
For me, I do like the "atmosphere" on Christmas Day. That's not to say that I am not deceived by a sense of false "peace on earth and goodwill to man" which is quite possible. But, for me, it's the only day of the year (and possibly month of the year) when the Christmas carols are being played and sung. And I just love the Christmas carols.
Many of these songs were written by true, on-fire believers who poured out their hearts to worship our Lord. So, if nothing else, just the fact that the air-waves are carrying messages of worship to Jesus, makes it a glorious time of the year. And I think this also brings down the Holy Spirit, making the message of salvation available to all.
The flip side of this is that, in developing nations, Christmas is merely a day to give gifts, put up a tree, eat a nice dinner and decorate your house with pretty lights. But, still, this really does set the stage for them to eventually reach an understanding of what the birth of Christ is all about, don't you think?
In Malaysia, even the non-believing Hindus and Muslims like to celebrate Christmas. They get excited if you give them a Christmas card! It's just because it's so "Western" and such a cute souvenir. Then, of course, you have the Christians in Malaysia that try to follow all the traditions of the holiday. Why not? Yes, we stole the "day" from the druids or whatever and it's a "harvest celebration" or something, but, so what? Christians use a LOT of stuff that once belonged to the devil.
Don't tell me that shopping malls, coffee shops, restaurants, hair salons, toy shops and so on are off limits to Christians. Most believers, including myself, enter these establishments without any concern whatsoever. AND, when we do, we usually don't go around singing about Jesus, do we? But, at least on Christmas, WE DO. At least, I do. I don't know about you.
As in all things of this world, Christians must RISE ABOVE. Folks, we have to realize we LIVE on the devil's territory! This world is the devil's domain and most people in this world are under the devil's control!
Is that hard to believe?
It's sad for those who are deceived. But, it's true. He has most of the world duped. Most of the people in this world are walking around in a daze, following their nose to eternity, not knowing that there is a way OUT. God has a PLAN for our lives.
So, what about Christmas? WHAT SHOULD WE DO? Here's my suggestion:
"Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory of God."
"Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world..." John 15:19
Just like with everything else that we see going on around us, Christmas can be used for God's glory. If we can go shopping for groceries and come out without demons crawling all over us, I think we are strong enough to get through the Christmas season unscathed. It's really a position of our hearts. And if I say, "Merry Christmas" to someone, I mean it and hope they do have a great time AND come to know the Lord if they don't already. You know what I mean? All things work together for our good.
More and more the darkness deepens. More and more we will be faced with choices about what's really important and what our priorities are in this life. We must be guided by the Holy Spirit step by step because there are many pits and cliffs out there and traps of the enemy. He is SUCH a drama queen. He's mostly all bark and no bite. He's just something to AVOID. And rebuke. But, let's not allow HIM to steal back Christmas.
Maybe, he already has. Christmas has become nothing be a shallow, foolish materialistic orgy for the majority of the world. Santa Claus takes front and center stage with his silly elves. He's one to avoid, for sure. I wouldn't allow any of my kids to sit on his lap. That's the dark side of Christmas.
And shopping is ridiculous. You're supposed to buy a gift for everyone and although it's a nice thought, the whole tradition has caused many to go bankrupt! It's like an obligation that we didn't ask for and didn't want but if we didn't do it we'd feel really bad. It's such a pain! We have to go out and spend, spend, spend money that we don't have to get gifts that will probably not even be appreciated. Then we have to accept gifts that we probably don't need or want in some cases. So, THIS part of the "tradition" of Christmas can be very annoying and it may take extra effort to stay in the spirit and on the right track.
Again, whatever we do should be to the glory of God. If we pray about what gift to buy (or make) and what message to write on that Christmas card, God could even use THAT to His glory.
So, Christmas is a holiday, that used to be used to glorify God in the Christian world. Like Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" about Scrooge, the miser who had a change of heart, it was a wonderful time of the year when people made merry with their friends and family. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
The mother would sit down with her children and read them the story of the birth of Jesus out of the Bible. THAT'S A GREAT TRADITION. And if things were kept simple and unadulterated, it would be fine. But, of course, these days, it's all about the latest gadgets and best gifts under the "tree". It almost seems that Christmas is going back to being a Pagan holiday full of materialism, overindulgence, and drunkenness.
It's a fine line to walk to try to be a good example of a true Christian during a holiday that makes so many of us look like hypocrites. GOD HELP US. It really is an obstacle course and what little of Jesus is still infused into it, we should dwell on that side. After all, we are the light of this world. When all is dark, we will shine even brighter. So, as Tiny Tim said,
"God bless us, every one." (Except for the devil's crowd, eh?)
There are probably two different ways to look at this: It's a time of year where we can freely talk about the birth of Christ and use it to win souls to the Lord. But, it's also a time of year that has been exploited dramatically by the commercial system to the extent that there is a shopping FRENZY taking place for the entire month of December, especially the last two weeks.
Jesus said, "By your traditions, you have made the law of God of no effect."
Paul said, "All things work together for good to them that love God..."
Let's face it: we are NOT going to be able to stop Christmas. It is deeply ingrained in our culture. But, more importantly, it is a cash cow that most businesses depend on for a large portion of their annual revenues. So, Christmas is probably here to stay. It will be celebrated come what may. Even though it may be "politically incorrect" to actually say, "Merry Christmas", it will continue to be the year's biggest holiday.
But, should we partake of it? After all, it certainly isn't the birthday of Jesus Christ, is it? It's not His birthday, at least, not that we know of. The holiday was handed down to us from pagan worshipers and the Christmas tree was one of their traditions that Christians "stole".
For me, I do like the "atmosphere" on Christmas Day. That's not to say that I am not deceived by a sense of false "peace on earth and goodwill to man" which is quite possible. But, for me, it's the only day of the year (and possibly month of the year) when the Christmas carols are being played and sung. And I just love the Christmas carols.
Many of these songs were written by true, on-fire believers who poured out their hearts to worship our Lord. So, if nothing else, just the fact that the air-waves are carrying messages of worship to Jesus, makes it a glorious time of the year. And I think this also brings down the Holy Spirit, making the message of salvation available to all.
The flip side of this is that, in developing nations, Christmas is merely a day to give gifts, put up a tree, eat a nice dinner and decorate your house with pretty lights. But, still, this really does set the stage for them to eventually reach an understanding of what the birth of Christ is all about, don't you think?
In Malaysia, even the non-believing Hindus and Muslims like to celebrate Christmas. They get excited if you give them a Christmas card! It's just because it's so "Western" and such a cute souvenir. Then, of course, you have the Christians in Malaysia that try to follow all the traditions of the holiday. Why not? Yes, we stole the "day" from the druids or whatever and it's a "harvest celebration" or something, but, so what? Christians use a LOT of stuff that once belonged to the devil.
Don't tell me that shopping malls, coffee shops, restaurants, hair salons, toy shops and so on are off limits to Christians. Most believers, including myself, enter these establishments without any concern whatsoever. AND, when we do, we usually don't go around singing about Jesus, do we? But, at least on Christmas, WE DO. At least, I do. I don't know about you.
As in all things of this world, Christians must RISE ABOVE. Folks, we have to realize we LIVE on the devil's territory! This world is the devil's domain and most people in this world are under the devil's control!
Is that hard to believe?
It's sad for those who are deceived. But, it's true. He has most of the world duped. Most of the people in this world are walking around in a daze, following their nose to eternity, not knowing that there is a way OUT. God has a PLAN for our lives.
So, what about Christmas? WHAT SHOULD WE DO? Here's my suggestion:
"Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory of God."
"Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world..." John 15:19
Just like with everything else that we see going on around us, Christmas can be used for God's glory. If we can go shopping for groceries and come out without demons crawling all over us, I think we are strong enough to get through the Christmas season unscathed. It's really a position of our hearts. And if I say, "Merry Christmas" to someone, I mean it and hope they do have a great time AND come to know the Lord if they don't already. You know what I mean? All things work together for our good.
More and more the darkness deepens. More and more we will be faced with choices about what's really important and what our priorities are in this life. We must be guided by the Holy Spirit step by step because there are many pits and cliffs out there and traps of the enemy. He is SUCH a drama queen. He's mostly all bark and no bite. He's just something to AVOID. And rebuke. But, let's not allow HIM to steal back Christmas.
Maybe, he already has. Christmas has become nothing be a shallow, foolish materialistic orgy for the majority of the world. Santa Claus takes front and center stage with his silly elves. He's one to avoid, for sure. I wouldn't allow any of my kids to sit on his lap. That's the dark side of Christmas.
And shopping is ridiculous. You're supposed to buy a gift for everyone and although it's a nice thought, the whole tradition has caused many to go bankrupt! It's like an obligation that we didn't ask for and didn't want but if we didn't do it we'd feel really bad. It's such a pain! We have to go out and spend, spend, spend money that we don't have to get gifts that will probably not even be appreciated. Then we have to accept gifts that we probably don't need or want in some cases. So, THIS part of the "tradition" of Christmas can be very annoying and it may take extra effort to stay in the spirit and on the right track.
Again, whatever we do should be to the glory of God. If we pray about what gift to buy (or make) and what message to write on that Christmas card, God could even use THAT to His glory.
So, Christmas is a holiday, that used to be used to glorify God in the Christian world. Like Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" about Scrooge, the miser who had a change of heart, it was a wonderful time of the year when people made merry with their friends and family. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
The mother would sit down with her children and read them the story of the birth of Jesus out of the Bible. THAT'S A GREAT TRADITION. And if things were kept simple and unadulterated, it would be fine. But, of course, these days, it's all about the latest gadgets and best gifts under the "tree". It almost seems that Christmas is going back to being a Pagan holiday full of materialism, overindulgence, and drunkenness.
It's a fine line to walk to try to be a good example of a true Christian during a holiday that makes so many of us look like hypocrites. GOD HELP US. It really is an obstacle course and what little of Jesus is still infused into it, we should dwell on that side. After all, we are the light of this world. When all is dark, we will shine even brighter. So, as Tiny Tim said,
"God bless us, every one." (Except for the devil's crowd, eh?)
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Two Deceptions
There are two deceptions that will be gaining more and more influence as we near the end:
Other deceptions, like the Mark of the Beast, the Antichrist and the One World Government are all pretty apparently evil in the eyes of most Christians, I think. But, the two I'm mentioning here are much easier to slide by the untrained eye.
So, all of us, who love Israel, love Jerusalem and even celebrate Jewish holidays may be very tempted to go ahead and join Israel to worship their god in their new temple soon to be rebuilt. They will open their doors to everyone.
Believers in Christ worship the God of Israel. Unfortunately, not all Israelites worship the God of Israel. In fact, Jesus said that they worship the devil, believe it or not. Therefore, we must be cautious about how closely knit we should become with the unbelieving Jews. The thing is, they are going to build a temple to their "god", not to our God.
Isaiah 64:11 says, "Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?"
The answer to the question is in Isaiah 65:2: "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good after their own thoughts; a people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;"
When the temple is rebuilt (which I believe will be very soon), the "Daily Sacrifice" will commence. Is it a good thing? Well, this is what God has to say about it:
"He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations." (Isaiah 66:3)
In other words: "He that kills an ox is as if he killed a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offers an oblation, as if he offered pig's blood; he that burns incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways and their soul delights in their abominations."
It's really going to make God angry! I mean WRATHFUL!
"Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not." (Isaiah 65:12)
The funny thing is that, when Jewish people read Isaiah, they see it from a completely different angle. They imagine that God wants them to build this third temple, but only God could have written the book of Isaiah in such a way as to allow them to be deceived by it. That's because they're not tuned in. In a sense, God wants them to be deceived as a punishment.
"I also will chose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them;" (Why?) "because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not." (Isaiah 66:4)
The book of Isaiah is constantly warning Israel and prophesying their punishment. I mean, Israel broke God's heart, so He is constantly lamenting their behaviour and begging them to return to Him. It's all throughout the Bible, even when Jesus was on the earth. The only people Jesus got mad at were the scribes and pharisees. The common people heard Him gladly, but the Sanhedrin called him Beelzebub and a devil! You'll notice Jesus changed his whole tone when He was talking to them, like a family feud, calling them fools. (Matthew 12:24) He said it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for them.
You don't have to believe that Jerusalem is Babylon the Whore, as I do. But, at least be warned. God is not going to be pleased with the new temple. He didn't ask them to build it. It's not the Lord's House. NO IT IS NOT.
The Lord's House is clearly described in the book of Revelation, the last two chapters.
the Holy City is called NEW Jerusalem and it's not made with human hands, folks. (Revelation 21:2 & 3) These two chapters, the last two of the Bible are dyno-mite. That's the REAL HIGH, the Happy Ending, the Grand Finale, and Just the Beginning!
The other "Great Deception" is the Catholic Church. Let's not forget what the Catholics did during the infamous "Inquisition" in Europe. Let's not forget how some Catholic monarchy in England behaved towards true believers.
The Catholic priests had a saying, "As a coin into the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs."
Not only did they make up the idea of a purgatory, but they proclaimed that you could buy your relatives OUT of it by giving LOTS of money to the church! There are too many false doctrines in the Catholic Church to enumerate here. Let it suffice to say, "Stay away from it." That's what I would do.
During the final hours of life as we know it on earth, the Catholic Church will rise in power and influence even more than they already are. We can see it happening already. Pope Francis has quite the following: sheep to the slaughter. And he will probably be the False Prophet who will enforce the Mark of the Beast. I could be wrong. I don't deny it. I don't mind being wrong. But, even if I am wrong, this guy is NOT to be trusted. He is only a human being. And we all know what human beings are.
All that to say, beware the Catholic Church, the Pope, and the new temple going up in Jerusalem.
- The Catholic Church
- The Jewish Temple
Other deceptions, like the Mark of the Beast, the Antichrist and the One World Government are all pretty apparently evil in the eyes of most Christians, I think. But, the two I'm mentioning here are much easier to slide by the untrained eye.
So, all of us, who love Israel, love Jerusalem and even celebrate Jewish holidays may be very tempted to go ahead and join Israel to worship their god in their new temple soon to be rebuilt. They will open their doors to everyone.
Believers in Christ worship the God of Israel. Unfortunately, not all Israelites worship the God of Israel. In fact, Jesus said that they worship the devil, believe it or not. Therefore, we must be cautious about how closely knit we should become with the unbelieving Jews. The thing is, they are going to build a temple to their "god", not to our God.
Isaiah 64:11 says, "Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?"
The answer to the question is in Isaiah 65:2: "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good after their own thoughts; a people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;"
When the temple is rebuilt (which I believe will be very soon), the "Daily Sacrifice" will commence. Is it a good thing? Well, this is what God has to say about it:
"He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations." (Isaiah 66:3)
In other words: "He that kills an ox is as if he killed a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offers an oblation, as if he offered pig's blood; he that burns incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways and their soul delights in their abominations."
It's really going to make God angry! I mean WRATHFUL!
"Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not." (Isaiah 65:12)
The funny thing is that, when Jewish people read Isaiah, they see it from a completely different angle. They imagine that God wants them to build this third temple, but only God could have written the book of Isaiah in such a way as to allow them to be deceived by it. That's because they're not tuned in. In a sense, God wants them to be deceived as a punishment.
"I also will chose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them;" (Why?) "because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not." (Isaiah 66:4)
The book of Isaiah is constantly warning Israel and prophesying their punishment. I mean, Israel broke God's heart, so He is constantly lamenting their behaviour and begging them to return to Him. It's all throughout the Bible, even when Jesus was on the earth. The only people Jesus got mad at were the scribes and pharisees. The common people heard Him gladly, but the Sanhedrin called him Beelzebub and a devil! You'll notice Jesus changed his whole tone when He was talking to them, like a family feud, calling them fools. (Matthew 12:24) He said it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for them.
You don't have to believe that Jerusalem is Babylon the Whore, as I do. But, at least be warned. God is not going to be pleased with the new temple. He didn't ask them to build it. It's not the Lord's House. NO IT IS NOT.
The Lord's House is clearly described in the book of Revelation, the last two chapters.
the Holy City is called NEW Jerusalem and it's not made with human hands, folks. (Revelation 21:2 & 3) These two chapters, the last two of the Bible are dyno-mite. That's the REAL HIGH, the Happy Ending, the Grand Finale, and Just the Beginning!
The other "Great Deception" is the Catholic Church. Let's not forget what the Catholics did during the infamous "Inquisition" in Europe. Let's not forget how some Catholic monarchy in England behaved towards true believers.
The Catholic priests had a saying, "As a coin into the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs."
Not only did they make up the idea of a purgatory, but they proclaimed that you could buy your relatives OUT of it by giving LOTS of money to the church! There are too many false doctrines in the Catholic Church to enumerate here. Let it suffice to say, "Stay away from it." That's what I would do.
During the final hours of life as we know it on earth, the Catholic Church will rise in power and influence even more than they already are. We can see it happening already. Pope Francis has quite the following: sheep to the slaughter. And he will probably be the False Prophet who will enforce the Mark of the Beast. I could be wrong. I don't deny it. I don't mind being wrong. But, even if I am wrong, this guy is NOT to be trusted. He is only a human being. And we all know what human beings are.
All that to say, beware the Catholic Church, the Pope, and the new temple going up in Jerusalem.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Insidious Lies
The most insidious lies are those that sound like absolute truth. They may sound kind and holy or "politically correct". THAT'S THE FIRST CLUE. Take this one for example:
"One of the greatest tragedies in mankind's entire history may be that morality was hijacked by religion."
At first glance, this may sound like an accurate statement. It's particularly appealing to "independent" or radical thinkers.
He says "tragedies" and that immediately alerts us to think, "Yes, what is the root tragedy of this life?" So we perk up and listen. It's like a buzz word. He also uses "hijacked" and that's a word that would set off alarms. But, let's take a look at the underlying meaning of what he's really saying.
What does he actually mean by "religion"?
I think, in most cases, religion refers to Christianity because that word was first used in the Bible. BUT, if he is referring to man-made or false religion, that's different. Even still, you have to ask,
"HOW can religion 'hijack' morality?" BECAUSE, "WHERE DID MORALITY COME FROM?"
By agreeing with his statement, he's sort of getting you to agree that mankind is BORN with morality living inside of him and that this was somehow taken over by religion. Or something like that... It's SUCH a confusing statement but, yet on the other hand, he says, "may be" thereby letting himself off the hook so that nobody can accuse him of making a false statement. It's almost a "legal" statement that you could take to court! I mean, the Devil is clever as all get-out. Which is why we need to stay one step ahead of him.
Ok, so let's look at the word: morality. What IS it? My dictionary defines it this way.
"Principles concerning the difference between right and wrong or good and bad."
In my humble opinion, only GOD knows the difference. So, in effect, you could change the word morality to GOD. God is the One who educated mankind on morality. And the Bible is the book that records "rules" or "guidelines" for morality. BUT, I do NOT like to call the Bible a religion. It's not.
Religion came from man's interpretation of God's book. In fact, Jesus Himself completely DENOUNCES RELIGION and hypocritical RELIGIOSITY. If you didn't know that, please go ahead and read Matthew 23. Even in Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7, Jesus makes it very clear that it's our motives that count and that obeying the law of the scribes and pharisees is just not enough. He was saying,
LOVE IS GREATER THAN THE LAW.
Therefore, true morality is true love. Nothing less.
If you said:
"One of the greatest tragedies in mankind's entire history may be that GOD and God's LOVE were hijacked by the DEVIL and his FALSE RELIGIONS."
Then, you have a MUCH more accurate statement. It's a tragedy that the devil has hijacked God. TEMPORARILY. But, NOT FOR LONG.
This is ALL an ILLUSION, folks. It's ALL an illusion of the devil!
NOT TO WORRY. All will be revealed. All will come to light! The TRUTH will prevail, make no mistake. Satan will not be permitted to continue his deceptions for much longer! His twisted take on reality will soon come into the full exposure of God's search-light!
Sorry for you, satan. You flimsy, sickly weak, miserable, wicked liar. Sorry for YOUR DESTINY. Satan KNOWS his destiny. Oh, yes! And, if you don't, here it IS right in Revelation 20:1-3. AHHH! Three of my FAVOURITE VERSES!
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled."
Read it and weep, Satan! And all you Devil-worshipers and Satan-lovers!
Now, speaking of Devil-worshipers, our dear Pope Francis (who I like to refer to as the "False Prophet") has spoken a few wide-spread insidious lies of his own that really sound like the truth! In fact they sound loving and kind and ever-so "humanist". (Putting my finger down my throat...) Here's one he came up with recently.
"You cannot insult the faith of others."
WHAT?
"Shake hands with the Devil! Be polite! Let him sit at the table with you! Listen to him! He has a LOT TO SAY."
Are you KIDDING ME??
Talk about an insidious LIE of the DEVIL!
Jesus insulted the faith of others. Elijah KILLED 450 false prophets. In fact, many people were killed by Israel just because they worshipped false gods. Paul must have REALLY offended others' religions! Not to mention all the apostles.
INSULT? Insult FALSE FAITHS? YES! YES, INSULT THEM! REBUKE THEM! Cast out devils! SET THE CAPTIVES FREE! Do you think those 450 prophets of Baal were "insulted" as Elijah KILLED THEM?
By saying, "You cannot insult the faith of others," the pope is putting himself above God and saying, "I know better than God." Well, if he is the false prophet I believe him to be, he sure is acting like it.
You know, I think that "may be" one of the greatest tragedies in the history of mankind is that a human being is respected as the "representative of God" who is merely a sinful human being and that people think the words coming out of his mouth are from God. THAT is a tragedy.
By the time they wake up to his deceptions, it may be too late!
I appeal to all Catholics when I say, "Catholicism is NOT of GOD."
The reason why it is SO DECEPTIVE is because it is SO CLOSE TO THE TRUTH. I mean, they even talk about Jesus. But, WHO do they PRAY to? That's the all-important factor, right there! WHO do they confess their sins to?
Praying to a statue is idol-worship. Praying to Mary is blasphemy. Confessing your sins to a human being will NOT resolve your sins to God!
If you ARE Catholic and you want to remain Catholic, at least steer yourself away from these false religious practices that have hijacked the Truth and Love of Jesus! Pray to Jesus directly. Confess your sins to Him. And do not ever bow your head to an idol made out of plaster. But, ideally, LEAVE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
The Catholic Church is partaking now of the biggest international deception in the history of mankind and will UNITE WITH THE ANTICHRIST to form a ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT. Come on, you KNOW ALL THIS! RIGHT?
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Look Up!
The sound of trumpets! A bright light in the sky! Angels appear! Then suddenly we see our Lord and King, Jesus! As the lightning shines from the east to the west, the entire heavens are lit up in glory! The whole universe stands still for 30 minutes in silence as Jesus Christ returns to earth to gather His elect!
Weightlessness! Our bodies are lifted swiftly into the air as the sky fills with others. Thousands! Clouds of human bodies that are transformed in the twinkling of an eye, all soaring towards Jesus!
Earth recedes! Heaven opens!
Streams of followers of Christ flow up from all around the globe and the whole world of unbelievers watches on camera, on computers, on TV's. It's a phenomena. It's a miracle and marvel. What does it mean?
Those left behind have little time to think because a huge earthquake sets the planet rocking and reeling! Fear grips those who have hidden themselves in underground bunkers and caves of the mountains. They scream in agony to the rocks,
"FALL ON US AND HIDE US FROM GOD'S ANGER AND JUDGEMENT!"
All that planning, all that storing up of wealth, preparing for catastrophe was a waste of time. Those who tried to save their lives have discovered their lives are LOST. Their souls are LOST.
Even still, they hear the voice of an angel warning them, instructing them on how to save themselves.
The angel announces in a loud voice:
"FEAR GOD AND GIVE GLORY TO HIM; FOR THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME: AND WORSHIP HIM THAT MADE HEAVEN, AND EARTH, AND THE SEA, AND THE FOUNTAINS OF WATERS."
Last chance! God's getting ready to pour out his Wrath. You've been warned. The two witnesses preached the Gospel to you for three and a half years but you didn't listen. You celebrated their deaths. Here's your one and only last chance to be saved from severe and dire judgement. ARE YOU GOING TO LISTEN?
Meanwhile back in Heaven:
God's children are rejoicing and celebrating. There's a huge party going on. It's a wedding feast! The wife of Christ has made herself ready. She is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Revelation 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Where is the Groom?
(He has some unfinished business to take care of. Having redeemed his bride from the clutches of the evil one, her Hero is going back to avenge her.)
He is sitting on a white horse; "and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." (Rev. 19:11-16)
Meanwhile on the Earth:
An angel is inviting all the fowls that fly in the skies to come to another supper! This is the Supper of the Great God and man flesh in on the menu! Yummy! (Rev. 19:17-18)
The question is: Do you want to eat or do you want to be eaten? Do you want to be invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb or do you want to BE supper?
Weightlessness! Our bodies are lifted swiftly into the air as the sky fills with others. Thousands! Clouds of human bodies that are transformed in the twinkling of an eye, all soaring towards Jesus!
Earth recedes! Heaven opens!
Streams of followers of Christ flow up from all around the globe and the whole world of unbelievers watches on camera, on computers, on TV's. It's a phenomena. It's a miracle and marvel. What does it mean?
Those left behind have little time to think because a huge earthquake sets the planet rocking and reeling! Fear grips those who have hidden themselves in underground bunkers and caves of the mountains. They scream in agony to the rocks,
"FALL ON US AND HIDE US FROM GOD'S ANGER AND JUDGEMENT!"
All that planning, all that storing up of wealth, preparing for catastrophe was a waste of time. Those who tried to save their lives have discovered their lives are LOST. Their souls are LOST.
Even still, they hear the voice of an angel warning them, instructing them on how to save themselves.
The angel announces in a loud voice:
"FEAR GOD AND GIVE GLORY TO HIM; FOR THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME: AND WORSHIP HIM THAT MADE HEAVEN, AND EARTH, AND THE SEA, AND THE FOUNTAINS OF WATERS."
Last chance! God's getting ready to pour out his Wrath. You've been warned. The two witnesses preached the Gospel to you for three and a half years but you didn't listen. You celebrated their deaths. Here's your one and only last chance to be saved from severe and dire judgement. ARE YOU GOING TO LISTEN?
Meanwhile back in Heaven:
God's children are rejoicing and celebrating. There's a huge party going on. It's a wedding feast! The wife of Christ has made herself ready. She is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Revelation 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Where is the Groom?
(He has some unfinished business to take care of. Having redeemed his bride from the clutches of the evil one, her Hero is going back to avenge her.)
He is sitting on a white horse; "and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." (Rev. 19:11-16)
Meanwhile on the Earth:
An angel is inviting all the fowls that fly in the skies to come to another supper! This is the Supper of the Great God and man flesh in on the menu! Yummy! (Rev. 19:17-18)
The question is: Do you want to eat or do you want to be eaten? Do you want to be invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb or do you want to BE supper?
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