“The unjust conceives iniquity in his heart, there is no fear of God before his eyes. He is unwilling to see his sins forgiven, or to hate them. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit, he is unwilling to do good. He devises mischief upon his bed, he walks in a way that is not good, that he may do evil.” Psalm 36:1-4 Lamsa translation . Have you met him? How did it happen to him? Easy, he simply followed the way of a human being. I saw this expression on a person’s sweatshirt: “Be better Human Beings.” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… Forgive me for laughing. This person has likely adjusted their soul to our Psalm 36 man: alarm free-living “Consciousness of sin” free-living. “Hatred for sin” free-living. God free-living. Mischief > evil. These do not understand the concept of “weight.” First,…
Category: <span>Healing Cross</span>
Three notable “darkness” events happened in Bible history. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.” Exodus 10:21-22 Next one occurred at the Crucifixion of Christ. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.” Matthew 27:45 A third was predicted by Joel: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.” Joel 2:31 But, God sends encouragement: Isaiah 45:7a teaches “I form the light, and create darkness.” and Psalm 139:12 adds “Yea, the darkness hides not from thee; but the night shines as the day: the…
The downhearted must find grace to help in time of need. — a lash or rope to frap a floating boat to a secure dock. Boats can be carried by wind or current and so the soul of man. Hebrews 4:16 speaks of a grace to help “let us retain our acknowledgement.” — of what? Of our permanent attachment to our High Priest and our God. Hebrews 4:14 teaches. How? By realizing the nature of our High Priest, and what He has done. He is of sympathy with our feebleness — He knows our form of conception, He remembers us as “dust.” He was pierced — thrust into our abject human sphere to taste all, including death; and so identifying in utter compassion, with our broken souls. Our time of need aligns itself not just with failures, lapses, or sin. No, it can mean for us a daily essential, a coming…
Jean Valjean, a vagabond in the classic “Les Miserables” was a just released prisoner in midlife. “Nineteen years in French prison have left him rough and fearless. He walked for four days in the Alpine chill of nineteenth century southeastern France, only to find that no inn will take him, no tavern will feed him.” Max Lucado tells the story in “Grace.” “Finally he knocks on the door of a bishop’s house. Monseigneur Myriel is seventy five years old. Like Valjean he has lost much. The revolution took all the valuables from his family, except some silverware, a soup ladle, and two candlesticks.” “Valjean expects the religious man to turn him away. “ “But the Bishop is kind. He asks the visitor to sit near a fire.” “He explains, ‘This is not my house, but the house of Jesus Christ.’””… They dine on soup and bread, figs, and cheese with…
“Sin does not overcome the blood; it is the blood that overcomes sin.” Lewis Sperry Chafer Sin comes touting a broad range of particulars, all originating from the ugly self-life of man’s cursed nature. Sin weighs in as big, monstrous, hideous, shocking, diabolical, subtle, sleazy, rebellious, or a thousand other dank and dark labels. Go ahead, name them all. Sin abounded.(pleonizo). It increased as the law stealthily came along side to do it’s magnifying function, blowing up the picture of dread for all to see — sin just got uglier, filthier, more and more “unforgivable.” Friends, every self-righteous bone in every human body has just gone into “judge em” mode; fully, violently, quickly! Off with their heads, they deserve to die! Then weighing-in, we see the precious shed blood of Christ; big, great, strong ?– excelling in power ? No, Jesus was “crucified in weakness.” He despised the shame. The “rich”…
How does Joy fit into the scheme of Christian living? “.. on March 18 Mr. Chollet locked the garage door of his New Hampshire house, climbed into his BMW, and turned on the engine. He left behind a note that read, “Please forgive me, but the thought of going through the torture of living is just too much to bear.” “Some successful entrepreneurs have a fear that they won’t be able to reproduce or sustain earlier achievements. Gerald Kraines, a psychiatrist who treated Chollet, said, “They’re on a treadmill where they can never savor their success, because they have to keep working harder. Many Christians feel the same way. They think that they must keep working harder for the Lord and forget to spend time with Him.” ministry127 Nehemiah 8:10 tells us: “neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” They were rebuilding, and saw favor…
Self-Esteem, a much overused designation, finds its roots in cultural thinking. Earnest Becker, in his book, “The Birth and Death of Meaning,” addresses the subject: He says, “…when people do not have self-esteem, they cannot act, they break down.” “When the inner-newsreel begins to run consistently negative images of one’s worth, the person gives up.” “When the child poses the question, ‘who am I,’ he is really asking…that he be recognized as an object of primary value in the universe. Or, “where do I rank as a hero?” Becker says that sibling rivalry is common and also ‘competitiveness’ due to the drive for self-esteem. But, here comes an exposing, glaring, fact based on all said so far, “Cultural-heros have to have available to them some kind of heroic action system in which to realize their ambitions, and this symbolic system is what we call ‘culture.’” “Culture is a structure of…
John was beckoned to “come up hither” as he saw a door. The voice was like a trumpet. Immediately, in the spirit, John saw the throne. He saw a person, Jasper and Sardius stone emanated from the person, red, justice and pure white, holiness. A rainbow of emerald encompassed all, mercy. Green surrounded the throne, a lifting to new beginnings. All things are made new! Justice, our understanding and ability to differentiate; Purity, our foundation for wisdom, both rest in a brand new existence, to which we are birthed as mercy upholds it all. John discovered the above life. Free from Law’s judgement, one of condemnation, we find our discernment of fleshly deeds, leads now to “no condemnation,” through mercy. Yes the Law brought a sting, but sin died, so went the sting. Justice now guards the soul from all inhibitors preventing practical mercy’s life giving. Holiness, freedom from the…
Peter fished: “Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. Matthew 4:18 He walked on the water: “Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. Matthew14:28-29 He spoke well: “Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 He rebuked the Lord: “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” Matthew 16:22 He queried Jesus: “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Matthew 18:21 “Behold, we have forsaken all,…
J.B. operated as a spy of the K.G.B. in America during the cold war. A brilliant intellect, J.B. was especially chosen, trained and then sent. In America his skill developed in his ability to merge unsuspected into society; he worked, attended university, married and parented a child. At a time when J.B. would be recalled to his homeland, he discovered a problem: he had fallen head over heals for his newborn daughter. The love for her grew so great during her early years that he refused to go back; he made up a brilliant excuse, and stayed. This man, whose testimony is heard in churches, was later introduced to Jesus Christ, whom he received gladly. Love did it. Can we underestimate the dynamite called love? Bursting forth on the stoic intellects of men and women, love, in all of its purity, excitement, joy and exchange, overpowers the heart and soul,…