Shalom, welcome to October 10^th


><//>--------------------Thought for the Day

The friendships based in our favorite sins were a substitute for lack of something better. Many believers still do not realize what real fellowship could be. Fellowship based on sin has a fatal flaw. It is not based on a firm foundation. Most of it is on the surface. It is based mostly on the desire to use our companions for our own pleasure, and using others is a false foundation. Fellowships based in sin have been praised in song and story. The “cup that cheers” or that “passionate sexual relationship” had become famous as a means of companionship. But we, who are in the Lord, realize that the higher centers of our brains are dulled by excess food, drink, and pleasure, and fellowship cannot be on the highest plain. It is at best a substitute.

Do I see my fellowships based on sin in their proper light?


><//>--------------------Meditation for the Day

Extra Work

I am your Helper. At the end of your present path lie all these blessings. So trust and know that I am leading you.

   Step with a firm step of confidence in Me into each unknown day. Take every duty and every interruption as of My appointment.

   You are My servant. Serve Me as simply, cheerfully, and readily as you expect others to serve you.

   Do you blame the servant who avoids extra work, who complains about being called from one task to do one less liked? Do you feel you are ill served by such a one?

   Then what of Me? Is not that how you so often serve Me? Think of this. Lay it to heart and view your day’s work in this light.


><//>--------------------Prayer for the Day

Father, we pray that we may be still and know the You are with us. We pray that we may open our minds to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.


A Disciple’s Reflections: Sensing Our Spirit

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
– Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Beloved, let us share on becoming sensitive to our spirit over the flesh and on how we can achieve this sensitivity.  The verse above shares that there is a condition in which we can test and approve of what God's will is.  Let us see what must happen within us that we may then know God's will for us.

Allow me to use a personal experience as an example rather than preach as to what others should do.

I saw that it is written in Scripture that God would give us the desires of our heart.  In my naiveté at new-birth, I thought and expected that God meant to give me what I desired.  I held this belief until He showed me how corrupt and foolish the best of my desires really were.

It was then that I realized one of God’s greatest promises was in that offering.  God would tear out those flawed desires of ours that cause us to live in so much sorrow and vanity, as Solomon put it, and replace them with His worthy desires.

By placing all new desires in our hearts, He would be giving us the desires of our hearts, likened unto His own, and He would most certainly see those wonderful desires manifest through each of us, if we would only allow Him.

For those of us who are not afraid to have the knowledge of the truth, we can most certainly be set free.  Set free to see ourselves, and the circumstances we are in as God sees them.  The Lord reveals throughout His earthly journey how He desires our eyes and ears to be opened.  For this to be, we must take care not to measure anything spiritual or of God in the light of this world or this life.

We are told that all things are made new in Messiah, and it is in that newness we should view all things from new-birth on.  Marriage, relationships, work, careers, professions, friendships, acquaintances, our social life, yes everything should all be viewed in the light of the newness of our lives in Messiah.

In the light of this world our desires may seem reasonable, though we might not want them exposed to the entire world.  Hence, we so often hide ourselves from one another lest others know the desires of our hearts which we may prefer hidden from others.

We are living in a time when God is allowing great trouble on the earth. We see and hear of this turmoil each day in the newscasts. As the enemy attacks all those areas in which we had once felt secure, fear will grip the hearts of many.  This is written. Let us make no mistake, the entire earth is being shaken as we speak.  Our nation, the US is feeling this shaking even now.  This is a time when we will see that God has ordained that the US will be reduced in the eyes of the world in power, treasure, and esteem.

When we see events unfolding and those that are yet to come with earthly eyes, then fear will be the overwhelming result.  When we view all these events, no matter how terrible they may be, with the eternal eyes of our spirit in the knowledge of the truth there can be no fear, but rather, joy at the soon coming of the Lord.

We can mourn for all, as the Lord did on the outskirts of Jerusalem, as He wept for them to come to Him, knowing they would crucify Him instead.  Yes, even as we weep for the world and for Israel dwelling in the center of demonic oppression we can be calm, at peace, and even rejoice.  We can because we have the ability to see all things through God's eyes, our spirit's eyes.

Many of us have seen the movie "City of Angels" where an angel played by Nicholas Cage purposely falls from the heavenly realm so he can be with a woman played my Meg Ryan.  Leave it to Hollywood to make living as man so wonderful that an angel would fall just to live as one. 

Well, as ridiculous as this sounds to we who have the light of the truth in these matters, this is just what we do when we continue living by earthly, or worldly standards.  We are sacrificing our inheritance in the Lord for the perceived pleasures of this world that when we're in them turn out not to be so pleasurable in the end.  A person who lives in this manner has been deceived.

It is my deepest prayer that each of us be fearless in our walk with the Lord for He is worthy to be trusted.  Let us not see life through worldly eyes, for then we will live selfish and self-centered worldly lives believing them to be righteous.  

Truly, when we commit to the spirit, the Lord's way in all things, as an act of our will and carried out by the power of God in His grace, then all things in our lives, no matter what, will come together and make complete sense to us putting an end to all fear and confusion.  It is then that we shall agree with God in all areas of our lives:

Why would we wish to listen to any other voice?

Let us not be deceived.  All believers in the Messiah will live forever in paradise, but not all believers will inherit His Kingdom.

The cost of this way of living is greater than anyone could imagine.  For though all believers will one day meet in Heaven, only those who view this life and this world as vanity with spiritual eyes shall inherit God's Kingdom with the Lord.  Only those who pray for the desires of God's own heart, in all things, shall be blessed even in these Endtimes in which we are so privileged to be a part.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, forgive us for those times when we miss the point and continue living as though unchanged. Forgive us for those times when we have turned from you even if we didn't realize it and cling to the ways of this world. Paul was slain on the road to Damascus and then rebuilt him from the waters of his baptism up. The same is true with us, let us not be deceived.  Keep us open-minded, open-hearted, and open to the fresh winds of your cleansing Spirit blowing through our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.


Not as Unwise, but as Wise

"Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
– Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)

How often are we callous in the way we live our lives and, even more seriously, how often do we miss the opportunities that God has given us? Most of us simply make too many unwise decisions, as we are, by nature, motivated by the "evil" influences of these days. We know greed, vanity, pride, self-gratification, covetousness, prejudice, and lust, to name a few. Many times these influences take us away from the things that really matter, like the proverbial stopping to smell the roses or spending more time with our spouses, children and friends. Bottom line - we need to constantly evaluate our priorities and make better choices.

Beloved, time is finite and our lives are like a vapor (they can end in the blinking of an eye). Many of us have probably looked back over our lives and wished that there were things we had done differently. We might wish to have seized those opportunities that God had given us; made the most of our time. Maybe guarded our hearts more from the corrupting things of this world and taken the time to make a positive difference in other people's lives while being more thankful to God for His many blessings. We might have wished to have hugged more, cared more, shared more. The good news is, it is not too late to start right now. My hope is that we all will make the most of whatever time God gives us, today and everyday.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." – Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) 


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Please have a blessed day, be hopeful, be encouraged, and know you are not alone.

“God Calling” compiled by A. J. Russell.
"Twenty-Four Hours A Day" Hazelton – adapted.
Greg Candelaria writes Not as Unwise, but as Wise.
Barry Gray writes A Disciple’s Reflections