On a Mission to Knowing-Growing

Earlier this week someone began reading from the Bible the assignment God gave to Samuel for him to go to Jesse and anoint the new king of Israel. This time it struck me how much Samuel was told to the detail of this, but he was not given the most important part; who that king would be until God Himself declared him. God didn’t immediately tell him it would be David.

Samuel was told specifically that it was a son of Jesse and God even gave specifics about Jesse that Jesse was a Bethlehemite. But, God doesn’t say David. God gives Samuel words to say and what to bring for a sacrifice in order to secure his safety and how to organize a gathering to anoint the new king. But, He doesn’t say it’s David.

God gave plenty of help and direction, but He withheld the specific of who it would be. God had learning planned. He was allowing Samuel, Jesse and us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD. We get to see God’s heart compared to our own as we go one after the other with Samuel and Jesse, to the place of learning and knowing the grace and love of God. As each son is brought forward, God shows us how we don't see the way He does. We have a tendency to qualify people based on our impression of their credentials and disqualify people who seem to not have earned it outwardly. God doesn’t want us to fall from our own steadfastness; our own thoughts of what is the right way, but yield to what is His right way.

God desires us to grow; to grow in the grace and knowledge of Him.

In this example we get to learn what God looks at. He looks inwardly by His Spirit. He is looking into ours. It isn’t our accomplishments that we have done outwardly either, it is what we are inwardly in relation to Him. And in David He is so pleased that at the time of acknowledgment and anointing, God’s Spirit “rushes upon him and does not leave.”  In such an outwardly unlikely king, he is graced by the Spirit of God.

The LORD has Samuel on this mission to go through the process of growing and seeing His grace. He gets to learn and grow in this knowledge of it. A quick answer to who the king would be at the beginning would have fallen away as mattering much to us, just as maybe you hadn’t held onto the information that Jesse was called a Bethlehemite.

A quick full answer sometimes loses its impact. There is impact there in that quick bit of information and we don’t often look at it because we hadn’t processed through it first. We usually recognize it in David. Jesus is to be born from the house of David and Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem. It started with David’s father, Jesse, a Bethlehemite. But, I’m sure you remember the part of this story more in the realization of God’s choice in David better, because He purposed that learning to be one to grow in His grace and knowledge of Him learning at how much He looks toward the heart and not at just a little boy. You also may see how you too would have thought it would have been one of the older and more established and “ready” sons to be king. We get to grow through the process that led up to the answer.

How many times has God sent His people somewhere, but doesn’t give them all the answers up front? He knows the answers and what will come. But, His withholding is for our growth in the grace and knowledge of Him. God is very much a method teacher.

 Finding oneself going in a direction that the LORD has led you in, but you haven’t reached the place of its fulfillment is the education of growing in His grace and knowledge.

 It happened to Samuel, to Jesse and to all of us that reads it. It happened to the Israelites that were led out of Egypt towards the Promised Land. It happened to Peter in the full on forgiveness of his own forsaking of the One Who never forsook him. And days later Jesus rose again and immediately visited Peter. Then, following the personal visit from Jesus risen, out bursts Peter in the boldness of the gospel. Peter grew in grace and knowledge of his LORD Jesus Christ.

As you study the Word of God, we begin to know it better and revelation often comes as we are now able to process in reverse. We look back at what God said especially in Isaiah for example, and see the power in the prophecies. God reveals Himself in the process of our learning and in that we are growing in grace and the knowledge of Him. Best Teacher ever! He reveals when He knows it's time.

2 Peter 3:17-19 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

The text of David anointed as king. 1 Samuel 16

Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 

6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest,a but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.


A quote from Alexander Pope ~ “Some people will never learn anything, for this reason, because they understand everything too soon.”

 

 

Loved Into Existence

 

 

(From prayer time this morning)

Have I not been in your presence since My intention of My conception of you? Your life is of My desire. Your life is what I had loved into existence for man to know you too.

You bring to those around you parts of Myself that no one else can; your laughter, your joy, your hope and your faith. They are my being in you. See the way you are made. These are the things of the Father. Your whole being is of Me and you carry the Promise of eternal life with Me.

Psalm 139:15-17  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!



Under A Shroud

 

“Under a Shroud.” This was the response the LORD gave when I was praying for someone and I was concerned that they had seemed to have lost some of the joy of the LORD. The smiles had faded despite Biblical pursuits and study.

A shroud? I looked up the definition. It was defined as “Jewish grave clothes.” It is attire placed on a deceased body.  Jesus was known to have been wrapped in grave clothes. You may have heard of the shroud.  Shrouds are a mostly Jewish custom.

This is an awareness for us.

 Many Christians are being drawn to Biblical study in Hebrew ways of old because it is the roots for Christianity. God is making a powerful move to link us and understand it as He draws Jew and Gentile together.  Some are getting tangled up along the way and are becoming encumbered in Law and losing the vision of the grace that first drew them to Him.  Others aren’t necessarily in that area of study, but linger in the death of Christ because of their sin. Their faith remains shrouded in the death. They don’t know how to move past the funeral.

The death is vastly important. It is the display of God’s love and simultaneous Holiness. The wages of sin is death. The Law revealed to us just how sinful we are, but it also delivered a grace that could only come from God. The outpouring of love amidst His holiness flows like a river throughout His ways in the Old.

When focus becomes Law minded, it is easy for our mind to start to focus on the rules and focus less that the rules were about love for God and each other and we begin to operate toward self-righteousness.

 We’ll die trying.

 As much as we try to own our sins and mourn what we did to Jesus, we again come into self. We need to know this; He planned His death. He fulfilled it and it was written and prophesied thousands of years before we were even born and started to sin. We need to see Him!  It can’t be said enough. He died because He FIRST LOVED US!

We need to see His love! We need to see His resurrection! We need to face His grace and glory with our faces uncovered.

He rose!

 He did His incredible thing for our freedom out of  His love so that we could be born again.

 Like Him!

Our death or dying is so that we may live is a dying to our old life’s ways of self-focus. Self focus  leads to sin. Dying to sin is what we do when we live God-focused and grace-focused and gospel-focused. Sin loses its power over us in His power.

The good news!

New life in Christ! He is a redeemer! He is God! There is a song, “My Redeemer Lives!”  If we are born again and living a new life in Christ, we shouldn’t be living in grave clothes. He says we are clothed in His righteousness in Isaiah 61:10-11 

10.I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

to sprout up before all the nations.

 

The power and influence for the Kingdom of God came following His resurrection and to man now redeemed, for His Holy Spirit to be for all who will wait on Him for it. His death caused the disciples to hide in the covering of  a house in fear until they received word that He had risen.  From there was the explosion of a people moved to move for His Kingdom without fear and without glumness.

So much was their desire to live for Him that they were willing to die for Him in order to make Him known and to not forsake Him. We needed to see death to life. We needed to see sin and death conquered. His Spirit brought that strength to us so that we are empowered by His righteousness to sprout up and follow Him, rejoicing and giving Him praise. 

Our studies are good as we dig back to our foundation and better comprehend His Holiness, but the flowing waters of His grace is what keeps us moving in His freedom and love. Be attentive in those Hebrew studies to see His love multiplied over again by His frequent manifestations of Himself, His Words through His prophets and His graces extended after every mess up as hearts  returned to Him. His grace is everywhere in the Old Testament. His resurrections in fresh starts and redemptions by His love are present right alongside His people.

The Light of His countenance upon us shines brightly for all the nations to see when we come out from under the shroud.

Luke 20:38  “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."

Ladies and Gentleman



Several months ago a phone call came to me that was quickly diverted into a confrontation challenging me as a woman with his belief that women should not be leading or “teaching” any Biblical information to men.  The challenge for me was that his comment did not resonate as truth with my spirit, but it did resonate with some past teaching or behaviors in some church-life where I too, had heard it, but had to let it drop by the way-side when I knew what God called me to do.  I was in more fear of not obeying God than man and went to the places He called me.

That phone call led me into a thorough amount of research and study that I did in the Bible as if I was holding onto the LORD’s hand in Spirit as I was led from Old Testament through New  Testament as well as looking into historic events when it seemed to be contradicted in a couple of verses. The research was nourishing to what was already set on my heart. Peace and strength were given in His Word and the evidence of God’s persistent use of women in ministry was woven throughout.

If you have some struggles with whether or not women should be in leadership roles or, if you as a woman, have felt led by His Spirit and you held back or if you felt like you, as a man, should invite a woman into that kind of position, but again, held back, this may help you.  Today I received this link that has several lessons on the matter that go completely through the scriptures that His Spirit led me through when I researched the work.  He’s teaching it in the same way the LORD revealed to me as I read it. Pastor Jerry Dirmann from The Rock, a Foursquare church in Anaheim, Calif. did a series that you can find in this link listed on Life and Liberty, “Women in Ministry Series.”   

This teacher goes further than I saw in that he sees that the barring of women to serve as God has gifted and called in leadership has been one of the worst tactics Satan wove in misinterpretation and written into the doctrines of man.

Session 2 addresses the most often cited verses in 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Corinthians 11. 

In addition to what I found in 1 Timothy, Paul was writing to Timothy who was in Ephesus. The people in Ephesus had a religion where the priests were women and the source of their religion is that they worshipped a goddess and part of the worship was over her virginity. This is where the weight of instruction from Paul to have Timothy teach to them there that a woman's salvation is in child-bearing when Christ was born of a woman from where Salvation came.

Feel free to share this with anyone you may know that may be blessed or encouraged or is looking for direction. The sessions are lengthy, but packed with great information.  It took me a long time to go through this scripturally on my own, so this is a blessing to have it all in one spot for you.

In the Beginning I Found Prosperity

 

 

When we believe we can earn what the LORD gives and that somehow now, we deserve it; that eliminates grace. When we think we should live in squalor as payment for our sins and suffer to make us worthy enough of Him; that also eliminates grace.

Earthly squabbles over the message of God’s will for us to prosper and be well is amped up in my Facebook world. It’s like my siblings fighting and I’m the youngest thinking, “But Dad really does love us and wants to take care of us.” I’m hearing arguments about my brothers and sisters in the family of God that are Bible teachers professing such things as God’s blessings and prosperity.  I don’t understand why Christians are giving verbal persecution of brothers and sisters in Christ for saying that God desires us blessed? Or why they seem to think we can only really worship God if we have some lashes on our own back and live in lack? Wouldn't that be an abusive Dad?

God’s will is not that, but the world will persecute us.  There is a difference. God isn’t the one with the whip unless it’s at the ones in the Church misrepresenting His grace and goodness and keeping them from coming to Him in the fullness of His love and by what He GIVES and who He is. It’s what Luther promoted. He was anti–penance and pro- grace.

The money changers were making the people exchange their money offering to the “old money” or currency from the past. Not only were they making people exchange it to the old way, but they were trying to profit from it themselves by making worshippers lose some of what they have and pay for what is old.  Jesus made a whip out of cords and drove out those who were making it harder to worship and robbing from what the people had. He chased off the sacrificial animals they were selling, too. He said it was to be a house of prayer, not a business. They were taking and trying to profit from what is freely given, what is theirs to do in relationship with Him without payment and receive His presence. Free. Because of Him. Because of God’s Grace and Love. Matthew 21:12 and John 2:14.

.Jesus had come.

The heart of God and His giving is at the very beginning.  

The big one: Genesis 1:27  He made us in His image.

28 “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.

29 Then God said, “I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. –Notice how it is from the trees and fruit that bore fruit and would produce more by its seeds. It is the blessing of more and of life.

31 God saw all that He made and it was very good.

Chapter 2 speaks of the streams that came up from the earth and watered it. It is like the living waters of grace out of the rock. It lists the first river in verse 11 that winds through the garden as Pishon. Some interpretations of the meaning of Pishon is to spring up and disperse. It goes on to say the river winds through the land of Havilah where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.)

God placed man in an incredible place of blessing, provision and it was “very good.” It was about blessing, fruitfulness, increase, power to subdue and rule (not each other, but the animals), food provision all over the earth and good gold. It was given.

Our hope for glory is what He is going to provide in His presence. Why do people believe others should not teach that He desires us to flourish, grow and be blessed? He says in the world we will have tribulation, but take heart, because He has overcome the world.  It is in the world we live that gives suffering, persecution and drives us to carry our own cross because we won’t deny the Father. 

It is to the magnitude that Jesus left the splendor to be one with us to the lowest of this earth. Humble and serving to come into the difficult and painful place of our sin infested world here to provide for us a way out while we are here. He came as a way to have His joy in all circumstances, His presence, and to understand His love to bless us in whatever ways He will.  Did He not provide a coin to pay taxes in a fish’s mouth? Did He not provide more than enough food?  Did He not heal, drive away demons, and raise people from the dead here on earth?

He brought the Kingdom to us. He paid the penance of sin so we didn’t have to.  Why are Christians verbally beating people for believing in His goodness? For believing in the different ways that He blesses and gave His gift of grace? Did the LORD not multiply and double all the wealth that Job had following the suffering that Satan was permitted to bring upon him? Did He not give the Hebrews the wealth and plunder from Egypt when He delivered them out of bondage?

We can’t think that allowing Satan to have his way with us in lack, poverty and illness brings glory to God. What brings Him glory is loving God and blessing Him no matter what the world tries to put on us.  Because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. Let’s not heap with Satan accusations on believers of Jesus; that they are ungodly for believing in various ways of God’s prosperity when the Word of God begins with prosperity.

 God’s objection to wealth is when we become dependent on it instead of Him, hoard it or we do unholy things to obtain it. Making wealth a greater love and keeping it instead of following God is lack; as Jesus told the rich man that the one thing he was lacking and what needed to be done for him to be a true follower of His was to let it go and give it to the poor and then he will have treasure in heaven. Mark 10:21. Jesus saw what needed to be corrected in his heart. Jesus also looked at him with love. But, the actions to correct it made the man sad because he loved his riches more.

The promise of prosperity comes to every believer as Jesus said to the thief next to Him on the cross, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  Luke 23:43

“So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!”

~ Martin Luther





Depth of Field

 

 

 

 

 

A woman died who was close to my age. Cancer. She left a husband, some children at home and a grandchild. She loved the LORD and sought healing over and over again. She could recite scripture like no one I had known.  When I prayed for her, words would spark up a Bible verse that would affirm it and she would softly say the verse aloud. Verse after verse came to her mind. She, when healthy, served in countless ways and did so much good for this world. Then, she brought serving in her death. She said to me, “I have shown my children how to live, now I am showing them how to die.” As her body weakened, her spirit strengthened.

When her body did die, it was heartbreaking. None of it seemed right. What could possibly be good about this, LORD? I wept through tears as I asked Him,” WHY?!”  In my grief I suddenly saw a stage prop of a cloud.  It was cut-out, man-made, crude and only two dimensional.  It was an imitation of a cloud for an act or portrayal of life on a stage. 

As soon as I saw that cloud the vision cut to a different one. Out at the end of the horizon were real clouds. There was a massive forming cloud, beautiful, multi-dimensional and blossoming as if it were in the process of creating something new. It billowed in light and motion, overwhelming me by what was incredibly beautiful and real to the contrast of the cut-out, flat, cloud, sitting on a dusty stage floor.

 

The vision gave a depth of insight that I could have never attained on my own. God revealed how temporal this life is here on earth, like a play. It is a moment that has representations of what is real, true, deep and immense, but displayed with and in earthly representation things that physically have little dimension by comparison to the depth of His Spiritual life. 

Who she is now and where she is; is much more real, amazing and alive than ever before. Her life there is an incredible birth of life, spirit, purpose and belonging in comparison to what is so limiting, temporal and decaying here.

How she lived here had an audience.  We cheered for her and we felt the sorrow when the curtain closed, but she walked off into what is real life.

The depth of field of the scope of what is in our horizons and having that in focus has brought a far deeper view into God’s Word and an incredible joy to what is at the end of this field of life in Christ here. Its depth has brought powerful prayer and faith into Who He is and what He does. Those kinds of prayers from what is of His Kingdom into these temporary, two-dimensional things of this life bring His power and depth and life that He can unleash into us for all of eternity.

 He can provide clarity of vision in the midst of a prayer of brokenness and bring hope and joy in the images He can place into our mind’s eye.  Just like that! The spiritual power of Him to pop that into an earthly mind is a moments’ doing for Him and a complete change of vision and focus for me.

It is a vision to look to the things not seen and to see the things that are seen among us as temporary. It is recognizing glory in the fields of this life and the full dimensions of spirit in eternal life.

We are spiritual beings and for now, we have a body.  Looking to fullness of life is looking to its eternity and what it took in Jesus/Yeshua to bring us into such a pure and perfect place of eternal life.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

 





Trying to Survive Christmas? Try Again

Trying to survive Christmas has been a phrase I have heard and one I have let myself succumb to in past Christmas’. My only peace and joy seemed to happen when I finally settled into the church pew for the Christmas Eve service after all of the shopping, baking, dinner making, wrapping and whirling up a bedazzled day of joy that was finally ready to come in the morning.

I had missed it. 

I had missed the peace up until that time and had lost a lot of joy. 

The place of peace has always been in the presence of Jesus. Sure, I’d think about Jesus, but I wouldn’t consider His presence or even imagine He was keeping up with my fast pace.  He was there at all speeds and I often only noticed when I reached the finish line.

This year, He has opened my eyes to Him and His peace now.  I had been doing it wrong.  The weekly advent to Christmas gives a periodic stop to think of Him, but sometimes the schedule seemed to get in my way.  It was one more thing to have to do.  Instead, He has met me in morning time in prayer and evening and throughout the day, every day. He has been with me in times of shopping when I ask Him to show me what is best to get and I am finding things miraculously available or even a sale.  I am seeing Him in the process. I am seeing Him in the ingredients of baking, in the ingredients of foods that He provides.  I am seeing Him in the loved ones in my life for whom I desire to give a gift of my love to them.  It isn’t a check off of my list this year.

There is peace and with that is joy. 

Considering the ways of His peace, it always came in His presence.  Isaiah 9:6 prophecies of the peace of Christ.  

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

A lot of people have troubled hearts as they try to get it all done and frankly…over with. Some are afraid their gifts won’t be nice enough or afraid they don’t have enough money or are afraid of relationship dynamics or being alone.  Jesus leaves us with his peace.  His peace isn’t as the world gives, not in perfect gifts or money spent or being in the perfect setting which is impossible in this world.  But He leaves us with His peace.  It’s in His presence of Him of being in Him and knowing that what really matters is what He has given.  It is enough and so much more.  Walking in that gift and being aware and thankful for it is like a blanket of comfort that calms even the fussiest child.  He’s here and He’s got this and what is lasting is what He gives. 

That’s when the joy comes.  When peace is found there is joy.  The fears fall away and the troubles lose their power.  The gift of peace is a gift from Jesus; from His life to us.  That is the perfect love of His.  In that perfect love, it casts out all fear. No one can out-give Jesus and when we walk in the graces of His gifts and His love, it can make this season one of peace, joy and good will to all the people. If we release our ideals of a worldly view of a perfect Christmas, fear falls away, troubles cease to matter, unreal expectations of others won’t allow disappointment to rule.  Give and release those loved ones to Him in prayer.

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Take heart, He says.  Be in His peace.

Be in the awareness of His presence and gift of peace. Look to Him, see Him, trust Him and enjoy Him.  This is a season that the angels proclaimed that the presence of Jesus being born among us, present with us, is great joy to ALL people.

The simplest way to acknowledge Him is saying thank you. We say thank you for a gift given.  It’s a great way to start.  Every moment of every day He gives.  Hold out your hands and recognize the gifts He is giving and receive your Christmas gifts from Him. He lets us open them now.