Rise And Shine

"At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." - Daniel 12:1-3 ESV

Are we numbered among the wise of our generation? We can be. God talks about two things. The wise will be like the brightness of the expanse (Raqiya - Strong's H7549 - translated firmament in the KJV) and then those who turn people to righteousness will be like stars in that expanse.

I'm not sure of the roots of the phrase, 'Rise and shine!' but this passage seems to speak that way. There is going to be a group of people who wake up on the wrong side of the bed but there will be others that are like blue sky during the day and clear open Heavens at night because they connected with people in grace. They shared. It wasn't personality. It was prayer and wisdom. It was love. God used them to 'turn heads' because they spoke of a beauty from eternity past that became the subject of their conversation. They had a story that stretched from horizon to horizon.

I don't always feel like sharing my faith. Some days I just want to put in my eight hours of work and then go eat a sandwich.

One day we are all going to 'wake up' and find out first hand the result of how we lived our lives. It won't be about God patting us on the back or wagging His finger. There will be a ceremony in Heaven because God does everything decently and in order but It will be a wattage issue. The light of God will either be streaming from our hands and person or it won't be. We will look at people and know something right off the bat about how they lived their lives because of the brightness. At that point our decisions about this life will be over. There is a limited window of opportunity and the choices are ours to make regardless of circumstances.

If we know this truth we can be awake in the moment. Priorities come into focus. The sandwich doesn't seem as important. The people waiting in line become important.

Let's shine together.

"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." - Luke 6:45 ESV

Let's share the gift of God that gives the gift of righteousness. Let's be ready to talk about Jesus. Our feelings will line up behind our will if we exercise our will in alignment with truth.

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Fear Holds Back Maturity

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." - 1 John 4:18 ESV

The word 'perfected' is our finished work word teleioo (Strong's G5048) which speaks or being brought to maturity or ripeness. Fear holds us back. Fear means we are held back from a full understanding. Fear has nothing to do with, 'It is finished!'. It is related to punishment.

Punishment links us to the past. It holds us in our past actions.

Fear is the Devil's parenting style. Love is God's parenting style. One brings a child to maturity and the other keeps a child immature and in bondage as long as possible.

"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." - John 8:44 ESV

And he must lie to keep his power base. No one can finish the race. No one can become ripe or mature because if they do then they become a competitor to the ego of the accuser. They might become top dog... that can never happen.

Wow.

Love has nothing to do with punishment. Perfect love rejects fear as a motivator. It not only refuses to use it as a tactic it publicly has it removed from the room in front of the one it loves.

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:16 ESV

"The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!' And he said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.' " - Luke 10:17-19 ESV

We who believe are welcome before God's throne. Our past is gone but fear is not welcome. Fear was thrown down like lightning from Heaven.

Know Jesus. No Fear.

Hallelujah!

What about our presence? Is fear welcome? Is it a tool to be used to bring others to maturity or is it ushered out the door?  

Love says, 'You will grow strong and tall and I want that for you. Be who you are before God with your head held high. Don't say you haven't failed but don't let that failure keep you in bondage.'

"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." - Genesis 17:1 KJV

Yes. Walking before God is what will perfect us. Love has brought us into perfection and will produce maturity in us.

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The Plan Is Revealed In The Group

God has a plan. You and I are in that plan. Those who know Him and those who don't are in that plan. Jesus is at the center of the plan and everything else revolves around Him.

"Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, 'Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.' But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor." - Micah 4:11-12 ESV

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will," - Ephesians 1:7-11 ESV

"To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord," - Ephesians 3:8-11 ESV

In this age God's plan is being revealed in clarity through the Church and the pursuits of the Church. You may say that is a narrow statement. Can't we just be believers and know God. Of course we can but will we see God's plan unfold before us or behind us? God used and uses the Church to reveal His wisdom (knowledge in action) to the angels.

I am not talking about the Church as an institution. I am talking about body life. A dynamic of believer interaction that is mystical and forms with and around Godly shepherd leadership where the Book is opened and life is revealed.

"Oh, Now I see... that was God's plan! This happened and that happened..." Outside body life we get hints of what was.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 ESV

For 'those' (plural) who are called... not just 'me' who is called. Us. It is 'us' who are called and when we are immersed we see that in spite of tremendous hardship this principle hold true and we can live in and expectation of it's reality in our own life.

God has a plan. It is a plan for 'us' where God is thinking of 'you' and loving 'you'.

Radio, television and internet ministries are great but It is my conviction that we can't be pastored by a radio preacher unless we can fellowship with others who heard the same message. Otherwise we just get the crumbs of the meal. They might be tasty crumbs and crumbs are something... but not the fullness.

I heard the radio and followed it to find a group of people.

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:" - Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV

God gave leaders but why did He give them and how are they used? He gave them to the body not just to us. He didn't give them to feed us knowledge. He gave them to build up the Church.

First we realize that God has a plan for our life. Things may seem haphazard but they are not that way to God. We can just stay there or we can go to the place where we get more definition. That place is where spirit filled like minded people are gathering under a covering that has a foundation in truth. A Church. A Bible Study. A prayer group. A youth group. An area meeting. It is in those places where God will reveal our gifting and give direction for what is next. Some of these places will only get a few things right in the Biblical dynamic but God will use them if they point to His Son. His Son Is the center of His plan.

When God brings us to a place that fires on multiple cylinders then watch out. It becomes a hot house for growth for a group of individuals that are knit together.

We can attack that dynamic or surrender to it. The place will make for an easy target. It is filled with flawed people and there are often barriers of different kinds to draw us away if we let them.

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - Matthew 18:20 KJV

Yes. He really Is. I have seen it again and again. We just draw near. We must be led but we also must be 'around' whatever that means for the season we are in and that may change from month to month or year to year.

Times away will always be seen in hindsight. Times in the midst can be experienced in the great fullness of the 'eternal Is' because the anointing is here to break our yoke of bondage.

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This Garden Will Be For Mustard Greens

"He said therefore, 'What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.' " - Luke 13:18-19 ESV

This whole dynamic describes God's kingdom at work in our lives. We take the small seed and plant it in our garden. Our garden is a place of careful cultivation. Then that seed grows to be huge in comparison to where it started.

"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!' And the Lord said, 'If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.' " - Luke 17:5-6 ESV

Mulberry tree leaves were used to feed silk worms. Maybe we think of the tree suddenly being shaken free of the ground and rising up into the air to fly off into the sea but perhaps when Jesus speaks of the mustard seed faith He is referring to the dynamic He explained a few chapters back when a man plants something small from God but full of multiplication life and reaps a far larger harvest. It is a dynamic that takes time into consideration. Over a course of months the tree would die, become a useless dead object taking up space and men would uproot it and cast it into the nearest dumping ground.

It speaks of an inner life cultivation also doesn't it. We become gardeners planting seeds in our inner life and reaping a harvest. We say this goes here and that goes there. We plant small seeds by faith and give our soul directions. Uproot the silk worm tree that we were using to weave garments and turn a profit. No, this garden will be for mustard greens that have nutrition and produce a large bounty that we can share with others.

"Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, 'Why could we not cast it out?' So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 'However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.' " - Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV

The cultivation of an inner garden overflows into the outer spiritual world. Demons obeyed Jesus. Jesus was a man with a cultivated mind. His Father's words and life were His meditation all day long. He prayed at night and starved out the weeds so they never took root in His thinking. When He said, 'Go' the demons went.

This is what the kingdom of God is like.

We believe small things filled with life. We plant God's words in our minds and then they grow tall and fragrant. Yes, The multiplying crop will attract the birds (a reference usually referring to fallen angels) but that is a dynamic that comes with the territory.

When we live this way nothing is impossible for us because we are not the ones doing the work. We don't make the small things grow. God's kingdom is just like that. He makes it grow. He kills the silk worm tree. We say the words but He does it. He moves the mountains and changes our inward terrain. It is His power that makes the spirit world obedient.

We are just gardeners looking for a crop and God Is faithful to give an increase.

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Some Past Presidential Prayers

Some Prayers of past Presidents to bless you this July 4th. May God bless America!

"Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the gospel; give me repentance from dead works; pardon my wanderings, and direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber, but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life bless my family, friends, and kindred." - A prayer from George Washington's prayer journal

"Pardon, I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept of me for the merits of thy son Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple, and compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense; and as thou wouldst hear me calling upon thee in my prayers, so give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God & guide this day and for ever for his sake, who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen." - George Washington

"Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." - Thomas Jefferson

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness." - Abraham Lincoln

"Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do by this my proclamation designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. And I do hereby request all the people to abstain on that day from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite at their several places of public worship and their respective homes in keeping the day holy to the Lord and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion. All this being done in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the divine teachings that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed." - Abraham Lincoln (One of several declaration made to proclaim a day day of 'Humiliation, Prayer, and Fasting')

"The two Houses of the National Legislature having by a joint resolution expressed their desire that in the present time of public calamity and war a day may be recommended to be observed by the people of the United States as a day of public humiliation and fasting and of prayer to Almighty God for the safety and welfare of these States, His blessing on their arms, and a speedy restoration of peace, I have deemed it proper by this proclamation to recommend that Thursday, the 12th of January next, be set apart as a day on which all may have an opportunity of voluntarily offering at the same time in their respective religious assemblies their humble adoration to the Great Sovereign of the Universe, of confessing their sins and transgressions, and of strengthening their vows of repentance and amendment. They will be invited by the same solemn occasion to call to mind the distinguished favors conferred on the American people in the general health which has been enjoyed, in the abundant fruits of the season, in the progress of the arts instrumental to their comfort, their prosperity, and their security, and in the victories which have so powerfully contributed to the defense and protection of our country, a devout thankfulness for all which ought to be mingled with their supplications to the Beneficent Parent of the Human Race that He would be graciously pleased to pardon all their offenses against Him; to support and animate them in the discharge of their respective duties; to continue to them the precious advantages flowing from political institutions so auspicious to their safety against dangers from abroad, to their tranquillity at home, and to their liberties, civil and religious; and that He would in a special manner preside over the nation in its public councils and constituted authorities, giving wisdom to its measures and success to its arms in maintaining its rights and in overcoming all hostile designs and attempts against it; and, finally, that by inspiring the enemy with dispositions favorable to a just and reasonable peace its blessings may be speedily and happily restored." - James Madison (Recommending a Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer - November 16, 1814)

"Finally, it is my most fervent prayer to that Almighty Being before whom I now stand, and who has kept us in His hands from the infancy of our Republic unto the present day, that He will so overrule all my intentions and actions and inspire the hearts of my fellow-citizens that we may be preserved from dangers of all kinds and continue forever a united and happy people." - Andrew Jackson

"Throughout our history Americans have put their faith in God and no one can doubt that we have been blessed for it. The earliest settlers of this land came came in search of religious freedom. Landing on a desolate shoreline, they established a spiritual foundation that has served us ever since. It was the hard work of our people, the freedom they enjoyed and their faith in God that built this country and made it the envy of the world. In all of our great cities and towns evidence of the faith of our people is found: houses of worship of every denomination are among the oldest structures. While never willing to bow to a tyrant, our forefathers were always willing to get to their knees before God. When catastrophe threatened, they turned to God for deliverance. When the harvest was bountiful the first thought was thanksgiving to God. Prayer is today as powerful a force in our Nation as it has ever been. We as a Nation should never forget this source of strength." - Ronald Reagan

It is my hope that as our nation progresses forward there would be more prayers to quote from this generation. Let's choose leaders that are humble before God and are not afraid of a little divine humiliation because they know the God of all grace.

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Lost People

Who is lost?

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'... Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'... And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.' " - Luke 15:4-6, 8-9, 31-32 ESV

Maybe the sheep doesn't feel lost. The coin doesn't feel anything. Then there is the son... Does he know he is lost?

The man misses his sheep. The woman misses her coin. The father misses his son. God misses us when we are gone. He says we are lost. We may not say that but He does.

We might say 'I was blind but now I see.' but it is God who says, 'They were lost but now they are found.'

Parents write notes that have their home address and put them on their children that say this little one belongs to us. Maybe it is on their backpack or sewn into their clothing.

Do we see that note on people? Are we looking for a note like that? They may say, 'I'm not lost. Things will get better.'

Sure.

Salesmen create a need in a potential customer.

Soul winners reveal the desire in God's heart. God thinks people who don't visit Him (because they don't know Him) are lost. I want to spend my days respecting people but believing God. I want to live on Earth with God's mind and imparting His perspective with words and actions.

Help us Lord to not go by appearances. Open our eyes to see what you see. You have a great desire for people that goes far beyond ours. Help us God. We don't want to live in vanity. You own all the riches of the world and say that people are lost. We want to seek what you are seeking.

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Spectators And Participants

I was thinking last night about being a spectator as apposed to being a participant.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV

We are spectators to salvation but participants in faith.

Believing is not a work. It is an orientation. Faith is the result of a paradigm shift in our thinking that gives us a viewpoint different than what we had before naturally. 'Paradigm Shift' is fancy term describing a simple idea. It is the change in thinking that happens when a person walks in someone else's shoes and sees things from a viewpoint that was closed to them before. The 'shift' part is what happens to them because of that new comprehension. They are moved and can't go back to what they thought before without the new viewpoint added to the mix.

Good theology declares correctly the things we should watch and the things we should participate in. The boundaries become clear to us. An ambassador must know the authority and responsibility her or she has. They are present in a foreign land for a defined purpose.

Wrong participation has different names. Interference. Meddling. Judging. Vanity.

By grace we now participate in God's love and enter into worship. We make righteous judgments as spectators of the cross. God participated in humanity to accomplish something wondrous.

We look on in awe of what He has done. It prompts us to raise our voices and assemble our instruments. We see that it is finished and that shifts us to a new place. It is not our power that brings us there. We see from God's perspective because He has moved us and shown us love in action.

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