The Book of the Law: Meaning, Purpose, Results, and Freedom…

Today’s Word with Joel & Victoria (yes, Joel Osteen, in my inbox, every day, encouraging me, reminding me, and teaching me more about the Word of God… get over it…) was taken from Joshua 1:8 (NIV), “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

The actual daily devotional was very inspiring, about complaining about unexpected obstacles or overcoming them, expecting the worst because of the past or a better future from God, dwelling on worry or on God promises, feeding your fear or your faith, etc… and while that is a part of what I need to sustain me, to remind me daily that no disaster is permanent, that success is a process, etc… something else hit me from that scripture: the purpose of the “Book of the Law”…

Something that I already kinda half understood academically just really HIT me, set me a little freer, and I hope it does the same for you. There is NO difference between the role of God’s law in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. That’s right, I said that before Jesus and after Jesus, the role of the law NEVER changed. The problem is that before Jesus, man did not understand the role of the law in the first place, so He came to clarify it, but many of us still don’t quite understand what’s going on, and I just recently had an extra part of the puzzle solved in my mind.

Many of us have believed for a long time, at least I have, that at least in the Old Testament days, fulfillment of the law determined a person’s relationship with God. The more of the law somebody fulfilled, the more God loved them, forgave them, and accepted them. Would you agree that is what most Jews believe and that is what most Christians believe was true at one point? Some Christians even believe and teach this legalism now, the idea that God does not love some people as much as others, because some people fulfill less of His laws. “If you increase how much of the law you fulfill, you increase how much God is pleased with you, otherwise He doesn’t love you as much as so-and-so…”

Do you see a few problems with that EVER being true? It reduces God to our level, relatively satisfied by a little bit more here and there from one person than from another. The truth is that He is absolute, so following the law would only please God if it was followed 100% perfectly, which we cannot do in our own strength. If whether God loves somebody ever depended on how much we do, we would be forever chasing something impossible to fulfill by ourselves, pursuing our Father’s approval without hope. Furthermore, God’s love for us would be less than perfect.

You will find that people who believe this way about the purpose of the law are the most miserable religious people, because they cannot overcome their flesh by themselves but are desperately struggling to be “good enough” for themselves, their spouses and other family, their peers at church, school, and work, and ultimately, God and Heaven. And the ones who realize they cannot become “good enough” but do not learn the truth give up altogether and become some of the most “backslidingest” sinful people we meet.

So then, we are usually taught that when Jesus came and made His own blood covenant with us, introducing us to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ instead of the law of sin and death, the “old law” was completely nullified. This idea makes no sense, because it would indicate that since Jesus, nobody has to do anything to improve their life at all, because “all” has been fulfilled… yeah, right!

The next most popular ideology is a little more true, that all will be fulfilled at the end, at which point the law will be void, but in the meantime the law is still valid to show us our imperfection in light of God’s holiness. I agree that not a fraction of the law will pass away until ALL is fulfilled in the end, and I agree that the law still serves the purpose of showing us our sin, but what more has been its role since the beginning and is it completely useless now?

Every commandment, law, and principle that God has ever given us has been for our benefit, for a preferred result if we follow it compared to the result if we do not. The preferred result of following the law is not that of a right relationship with God, because that was broken by us and could only be restored by God Himself. Therefore what God gave us in Jesus Christ is a restored relationship. But depending on which laws are followed, better results for our lives NOW are evident inside the given law. For example, you shall not murder, because if you murder, you stand a higher chance of being murdered. You shall not commit adultery, because if you do, you are less likely to find fulfillment or security in any romantic relationship. You shall not steal, because if you do, you are more likely to be stolen from. Etc… etc… etc…

The law can improve our circumstances but not how God sees us. The difference between Heaven and hell now is not that those going to hell are going because their original imperfection and transgressions of the law hold them back from God. Jesus’ sacrifice paid for everybody’s original sin that was not their choice and for everybody’s choices that would have held them back from God because they could not make up for them. Those who will die and remain eternally separate from God are going to do so for only one reason, the only unforgivable sin: blasphemy of the Holy Spirit by choosing to reject Him. Those going to Heaven to be eternally with God accepted His free forgiveness and love; those going to hell did not.

God loves and forgives EVERYBODY guilty of original and perpetual sin, ie. EVERYBODY, but He will not forgive anybody who does not accept the fact of their original imperfection and the forgiveness through sacrifice that was necessary. His love alone does not get us to Heaven; we have to love Him back. So accepting the Holy Spirit, salvation, fixes the eternal relationship issue, and that’s a simple choice. As for the rest of your life getting better, that has NOTHING to do with whether God loves you or whether you love Him back; every area of your life except your eternal destination has only to do with which of His laws you live by, and after showing us our need for His grace, that is all God’s law was ever for in terms of our fulfillment of it.

So be at peace that if you accept the Holy Spirit and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, by grace through faith you ARE saved. If you reject the Holy Spirit and the truth He reveals, you cannot be saved. That is your choice, not Adam and Eve’s and not your society’s, your parents’, the media’s, the governments’, your environment’s, your church’s, or anybody else’s. Your further choices, saved or unsaved, involve how much of the law you follow because you WANT the results of doing so, and that alone determines in which areas and to what extent you prosper and succeed.

Now may you never again be concerned that God might not love you or think that He loves you more or less than anybody else according to His law, but may you confidently pursue your destiny, loving His law and following it in proportion to the consequences you desire.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

God’s Most Important WORD

This is pretty much my response to religious criticism of The Shack by William P. Young, and it applies to any other controversy in the church too.

There is God, and then there is His Word. His Word was in the beginning, His Word is written down, and His Word is spoken into the hearts, minds, and spirits of His children by the Holy Spirit. Only the logos, the Word become flesh in Jesus Christ, was with Him and was Him (John 1:1). The “other two” Words of God always agree, never contradict, but they are not the very essence of God Himself; they are merely expressions of Him. Again, only the original Word which was in the beginning, eternally with God, actually IS Him. The Bible and what is spoken to us by the Holy Spirit are still His Word, inerrant and infallible; they are simply not Him, still more academic than they are applied. They are of utmost importance in the life of a believer, far more important than any other writings for comparison of facts and opinions, ideas and solid truths. Just don’t forget that although all of the Bible is God’s Word, the Bible is not ALL OF God’s Word, and neither is an answer to your prayer ALL OF God’s Word, but Jesus Christ, to whom there is a lot more than just written and spoken words, IS all of God’s Word.

He is far more than a theological degree and a lifetime studying doctrine will ever give you. He continuously reveals more inside His followers than the Bible could possible contain; just as the Apostle John admitted that his book could not contain everything Jesus did, how could the Bible or our individual prayers reveal all that there is to God? The culmination of His complete revelation of Himself to humanity is in Jesus Christ, facilitated by the Bible and the Holy Spirit in every believer, revealed corporately across the world. The Shack is just one of God’s children putting into a fictional story how God has relevantly revealed Himself to one person. And although there is content in that story that is not directly attached to a Bible passage and which may not make sense to your prayer life either, neither does its content contradict the Bible or what God says to people. Question your “convictions”, whether they are anything more than learned opinions, as much as you question other people.

No, one cannot build his or her spiritual life on the Shack alone, and let’s even say that every word of it were complete nonsense, like Harry Potter or the Golden Compass; would that mean a religious group or institution should forbid you to read it? It would be dangerous to read any book other than the Bible in order to rely solely upon it for revelation of God in your life or to read any book other than the Bible without using the Bible and the Holy Spirit (as well as the corporate understanding of other true Christians in your life) to filter its contents, but it is just as dangerous to blindly, ignorantly shun a book completely just because somebody else didn’t approve of it. How will you know how to respond to the issues in question, other than by reciting what a preacher or piece of literature says about it? Too many Christians already negate things simply because somebody else said it’s bad, like the Matrix for example, but there may also be some good to take from it. Even if not, an army of people who don’t know Jesus Christ well enough to spot the differences for themselves is as much good as any army of faithless or self-righteous religious people. The ultimate filter is a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have that, you will know that you do not HAVE to watch or read Harry Potter, the Golden Compass, the Matrix, the Shack, etc… but that you MAY if you have interest in it or wish to discuss it in relation to God and His Word, without being afraid that it might get the better of you without your will being involved and/or that you should just trust “those who know more than you”. That way, you are truly free in Christ to know what is good and perfect or what is permissible but not edifiable, and you are not ignorant or stupid. You may decline conversation or only discuss concepts brought to you, but you will never have to say “I didn’t read or watch that because I was told…” You might still edify or condemn things, but no longer so that people just take your word for it whether or not they know why.

After all… it is even dangerous to read the Bible and to pray without EVER seeking and eventually having a personal relationship with God through the personally revealed Word of God in Jesus Christ. Granted, everybody reads or hears the Bible and/or prays without already understanding who Jesus Christ is in relationship to them, but those who perpetually read and teach the Bible without knowing God’s Word Jesus Christ are more dangerous than all of the satanists in the world combined, because they lull people into a false sense of security in partial truth.

Did you ever consider how it is possible to know what God has written down for us and even to know what God speaks to us but still to not know God? Because again, the only Word of God that IS Him is not His graphe (Scriptures) or His rema (spoken Word from the Holy Spirit) but His logos (Jesus Christ Himself). Jesus Christ WAS and IS the person of what is written and spoken from God. And I know that I repeat myself, because repetition is the key to learning.

Here’s how you can know that people can know the precepts of the written and spoken words of God without grasping the concept of HIM and His living Word: Pharisees. Literally, a Pharisee was simply a “Guardian of the Law”, but because of the condemnation, doubt, fear, guilt, and unbelief of the historical Pharisees, their name has come to represent everything Jesus showed them to be deep down inside, i.e. hypocrites, murderers, sons of the devil, whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones, wolves in sheep’s clothing, vipers, etc…

In this sense, Pharisees were around before the law and are still around today, attacking everything that does not fit into their understanding. They are inside and outside of the church, those who look good on the outside in some way but try to justify themselves by that somewhat positive appearance and by their profound head knowledge (of theology or philosophy, for example) rather than humbly seeking God with a pure heart. Whether they use atheism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, pantheism, etc… or even Christianity, they put more of a burden on people than they lift off and elevate their own strength and understanding above the One True God being the only Redeemer and Saviour. They focus too much on the outside, which is comfortable, easy, and falsely reassuring to them, and not enough on the inside, which requires discernment, patience, and wisdom, and is still not fully knowable in this life, which is where faith fills in the blanks.

Now, what does this all have to knowing and/or loving God’s Word at all? Wasn’t it part of the Pharisees’ hypocrisy that they truly hated God’s Word in spite of their title? No, not at all, but that is a fallacy most of us have grown up with. A spiritually pharisaic “Christian” leader, including many of those we respect in the evangelical church, may well LOVE and teach people to love the written Word of God (Gospel, law, letters, prophets, and wisdom). They may also LOVE and teach people to love the spoken Word of God to our hearts. But because this knowledge must be on their terms in line with what they were told and have believed and understood so far, when somebody applies, eats, sleeps, lives, and breathes the embodiment of that Word (who is Jesus Christ), when somebody in love with God looks different from their preconceived religious stereotypes and lives a little too much like the Kingdom of God, an abundant and free life, they turn on that person with hatred and/or jealousy, often trying to label THEM blasphemous, heretical, pharisaic, subversive, etc…

They truly LOVE the written Word of God, the Bible, many of them honestly believing (as I do) that it is the only incontrovertible written source of the person and principles of God, of which all other Christian writings are only a sample. They truly LOVE to pray and to hear God speak to their hearts, minds, and spirits. But they HATE living it out, which is why the most popular local Baptist preacher is often the poorest and most obese, for example. Their knowledge ABOUT the person of God overrides in their minds any need to know the Word Himself AND to live by His principles, which make rich and healthy.

It just scares some people to see Jesus Christ, the Anointed One of God, LIVED OUT in a person today, unfazed by problems and free from worries about food, drink, housing, clothing, finances, etc… Because all of those things come and overflow when one focuses on God’s Kingdom and righteousness and gives and sows habitually and hilariously, their presence in another person reveals the absence of obedience in their lives. It intimidates them in their lack of faith to see somebody who actually looks like Jesus. Because of their disobedience, iniquity, and selfishness, such a person MUST be a fraud… they hope.

And wasn’t Jesus the only one like God? Yes, indeed He WAS, until He bore HIS cross, beat imperfection, death, and hell, rose from the dead, and sent the Holy Spirit to live in you, not just to talk to you and explain God’s written Word but to make you LIKE God’s living Word, as was the intention of God’s image in us in the beginning. That’s where your power lies, in letting the Holy Spirit mold you into the image of Jesus, to the point that although it is not about you, you are thinking, speaking, and doing as Jesus did when He walked the Earth. Do you want that? Then ask Him for it, and when you see somebody who looks like Jesus, don’t think it’s them, but don’t think it’s necessarily untrue either. You might just be attracted to them in spite of their humanity and remaining faults, because… there is something about the Anointing, the Christ, that they have all over them.

To me, William P. Young has woven this and more into a fantastically gripping story, a great personal depiction of God that does not contradict the Bible but complements what the written and spoken Words of God have grown in one man in order to help him overcome the issues of his background. I believe the secular world will accept and be witnessed to by his imperfect but raw, real narrative. It is not infallible, but when any man bares his personal understanding of God, he willingly makes himself vulnerable to serpents and wolves. Whether you read it or not, just don’t be one of those morons. It won’t help you or anybody else to be a critic, even if by some chance you might be correct in some of your criticisms. It won’t grow you or your target, and you certainly won’t have a statue erected in your honor, along with everybody else who remained as conservative as they knew how to be and never gave or opened themselves fully to anybody.

The great news is that no matter what the past has held or what the present holds… YOU alone decide whether you allow, cease, deny, have, maintain, receive, or reject Pharisaism or God’s Kingdom and Righteousness in your life. I pray that we all become more open to self-criticism in the name of our personal revelations of Jesus Christ that nobody else understands, I pray that we allow even if not agree with every detail of those who are not in a box and do not seem real or right to us, and I pray that we all hurry up and lose those “friends” that won’t stick by us (if they are going to stab us at some point anyway) and become alienated from unhelpful people as an expense of long-term success, because there just might be some truths that they don’t know, and if they aren’t willing to learn, why care?

More to come on what Jesus did and was so that we don’t have to.

The Promise of Purpose and the Power of Prayer

Favorite Quotes From 8 Books Of The Old Testament

Genesis 1:26-28 – In God’s Image, We Rule over the Earth

            Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 9:5-7 – Since the fall, we are Still In His Image

            “Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man. As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

Genesis 9:8-13 – Never Again Will Water Destroy the Earth (Noahic)

            Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; And with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.”

Genesis 12:1-3 – All Families Are Blessed Through Faith (Abrahamic)

            Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Exodus 19:5-6 – We Are Royal & Priestly Through Obedience or Sacrifice (Mosaic)

            “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

2^nd Samuel 7:10-13 – Jesus Establishes an Everlasting Kingdom (Davidic)

            “I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

2^nd Chronicles 7:13-14 – God Changes Circumstances When His People Pray

            “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Psalm 37:4 – Focus on God’s Ways; He Supplies Everything Else

            “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Proverbs 13:22 – Material Well-Being Is Intended For the Righteous

            “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – God’s Intentions Are Well-Being, Future, and Hope

            “I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

Malachi 3:10 – Give At Least A Tenth to God; He Will Provide Endless Blessings

            “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”

Favorite Quotes From 8 Books Of The New Testament

Matthew 6:33 – Be Satisfied by God’s Ways; He Provides Your Desires

            “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 10:7-8 – Jesus Told Twelve, Do What I Did

            “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

Matthew 21:21-22 – Believe and Speak; It Will Happen

            And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Mark 11:24 – Believe God Has Answered Before You See It; You Will Have It

            “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”

Luke 6:38 – It Is Biblical To Expect To Receive After Giving

            “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Luke 10:1-11 – Jesus Told 70, Do What the Twelve Did

            Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

            And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. Whatever city you enter and they receive you; eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’”

Luke 17:20-21 – God’s Kingdom Is Inside Every Believer

            Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

John 14:12-14 – We Are Supposed To Do More than Jesus

            “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

Ephesians 1:3; 2:4-6; 3:10 – God Blesses, Seats, and Uses Us in Heaven

            1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

            2:4-6 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, 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.”

            3:10 – “So that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.”

1^st Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Never Stop Rejoicing, Praying, and Praising

            “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

James 4:1-3 – Envy and Lack Only Happen When You Do Not Ask or Ask Selfishly

            4:1-3 – “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

James 5:13-16 – Effective Fervent Righteous Prayer Heals and Restores

            5:13-16 – “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

3^rd John 2 – Apostle John’s Inspired Prayer Was for Complete Prosperity and Health

            “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”

What or Who Makes Your Baby Leap?

Firstly, it will be important to bear in mind during this thought that just as Mary was freed physically and spiritually to be the mother she needed to be, Christians are likewise no longer limited by their flesh as they were when governed by the law of sin and death, but rather are set free and empowered by the law of life in Christ Jesus to achieve whatever God commissions them to. Although some commissions are general for everybody, many are individually assigned, and you must know that you were tailor-made and can be anointed to attain whatever God designed you for. No longer should a child of God feel that imperfect emotional, spiritual, material/physical, and mental factors have any bearing whatsoever upon their decision-making or even WOULD have any influence if they were different. Too often we are intimidated by the weaknesses of our flesh, even though those shortcomings were defeated at Calvary, because fear or intimidation is Satan’s preferred weapon against the saved, even supposedly righteous doubt or guilt concerning the temptations of the material world. If they are a factor, that is the fault of somebody considering them a factor.

Beloved Christians, when it comes to the things you desire, so long as you delight yourself in the Lord (Psalm 37:4) and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), when it comes to the desires of your heart and the things of this world that concern you, get in the “new Adam”, Jesus Christ! He makes us more like the originally perfect Adam, bettering the desires of our hearts and restoring our abilities to create and have dominion over all that God created us to rule over and use in the world, using the perfect administration of all emotional, spiritual, material/physical, and mental resources.

Now, Mary had just found out from the angel Gabriel that the Holy Spirit was about to go to her, the power of the Most High would overshadow her, and she would conceive and bear a holy Child who would be called the Son of God. She went to visit her sixth-months-pregnant relative Elizabeth, and “when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (verse 41 from Luke 1:26-45).

Have you ever even had a real encounter with God? Has an angel greeted you, assured you that you should not be afraid, and confirmed that you have found favor with God? Remember that an angel is a messenger, spiritual or physical. Remember also that every true messenger of God brings comfort, not fear. Remember that nobody has found favor with God through their own personality or righteousness, but if you believe ON Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have found favor with God through faith!

Has the power of the Most High overshadowed you yet, or are you still “in control” of every detail of your life? That is not genuine control, because there are plenty of choices and circumstances that are completely out of your hands and always will be, but are you still in a position where you have not really let go of the authority, the final decision-making power, and turned it over to God? Remember that God’s thoughts are not ours and our ways are not His because His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), that He wants the best for us and nothing harmful (Jeremiah 29:11), that He can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20), and that He wishes we have absolute prosperity in all things as our souls prosper (3rd John 2), which is why there is never a reason to be afraid of His message or messenger of any kind.

Alas, we do not naturally want the best for ourselves but usually something to ease the pain, require less patience, and produce temporary pleasure. We want easy, immediate, short-term gratification; God wants a process, including bumps along the way, that leads to long-term satisfaction. Pregnancy itself has plenty of bumps, and I hear the last stretch is agonizing, exhausting, often extremely long, and… by far the most rewarding ordeal a woman can go through. For Mary, there was extra embarrassment at first, and later a life of sorrow when her physical son and God’s spiritual Son, was persecuted unto death. But as much as Mary is not to be prayed to or specially revered, she is deservedly the most respected woman of all time, even more so that Eve, the mother of everyone living.

So what is your “holy Child”? Every person has desires and dreams, and many of us (all who respond favorably to the faith of which God freely gives everybody a portion) are divinely visited at some point in some way, e.g. via acquaintances, Bible passages, dreams, prayers, or sermons, with a message that we are to “give birth to”, bring into this world, something amazing, of eternal value, something impactful to the lives of others, which will in turn also reward us appropriately. But instead of joyfully responding with “What do I do next, Lord?” we often get scared, start reminding God and explaining to Him why we cannot. Or sometimes we do the opposite and try to take “control” and act like if we have been given special instructions, then by God we will take it into our own hands to get the job done. This is why, by the way, so many ministers burn themselves out. I can almost guarantee that when a frustrated, worn out minister of the Gospel was initially called into ministry, instead of responding “Here I am; send me!” they responded “Here I am, I will go!” i.e. they did not ask for God’s anointing to match His calling on their lives. He can tell us which play to run, but what does He know about actually running it, eh? Well, there are bigger things to accomplish than maintaining our egos, so let us not forget the inadequacies we have by ourselves, but let us remember the restoration to His image God gave us in Christ!

Again, what about your baby? Who should you get around more often that makes the baby leap in your womb? Who makes the thing that gives your life meaning and purpose rise up inside you? Who motivates and excites you rather than discouraging you about your potential? Or who do you get around too often that quenches, squashes, and stifles your dreams and goals? Get around the anointed, who remind you of God’s ability to equip and of the strength of Jesus inside you. Get around those who encourage you and would only ever criticize you, even constructively, if you ask for their criticism. Get away from those who walk according to the flesh and think only of possible condemnation, doubt, fear, guilt, and unbelief.

Make other people’s “babies” (ambitions, dreams, and goals) leap inside them, and never hold people back from their convictions unless directly contradictory to God’s written Word, because how would you know what God has spoken to them privately if it does not obviously conflict with the Bible?

Finally, John 20:21-23 says, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.’” Release; do not retain! You are forgiven; you are free! Now go freely and forgive!

On Authority

I. Who Has It?

All of US have it. Who is US? The Apostle John was a believer in the Lordship and Salvation of Jesus Christ, the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven being more significant and more sovereign than that of Earth. If you read the New Testament’s letters and the book of the Revelation to John and want to be a part of the family of God and so receive that instruction and wisdom, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ unto repentance and forgiveness, that is what you are, a child of God and joint heir with Christ.

Therefore: Revelation 1:6 tells US, “He has made US to be A KINGDOM, PRIESTS to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

II. What Is It Over?

It is the spiritual authority of every Christian believer to distinguish and direct every spirit. This is most important before attempting to direct spirits (addressed under Where Is It):

Regarding the distinction of spirits, John said in 1st John 4:1-6, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the anti-Christ, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Regarding how one knows for sure that they are saved and therefore are in agreement with the Holy Spirit, Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

A. In other words, spirits from God (the Holy Spirit, angels / messengers, and the spirits of humans whose wills are aligned with God’s) all agree and testify that:

i. Jesus Christ came in the flesh:

Yahshua (Jesus / Iesous) means Yahweh who Saves, so God Saves us in Jesus
Moshiach (Messiah / Christ) means Anointed One (Smeared with the Holy Spirit)
Born of a virgin means that Jesus had no sin passed to Him from a human father

ii. Jesus as Lord:

He is the Word of God (John 1:1), by and through whom all was created (Colossians 1:16-17 & Genesis 1, God’s Word created all), so He is the embodiment of the Bible
He is the Son of God, heir of all fullness and preeminence (Colossians 1:17-19), so He is the head / leader of the Body of believers
His name is above all names, Philippians 2:9-11

iii. Jesus risen from the dead:

He is the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15), the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:15), because He is the heir of God’s Kingdom, the only one to have divested, emptied Himself of all glory, then laid down His life carrying sin that was not His, descending and then walking victorious and glorified up from and out of the grave, beating all imperfection, death, and separation from God. No angel in heaven has been His equal or superior, as Hebrews 1:6 says, “And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘And let all the angels of God worship him.’”

He is Sacrifice, therefore He is Savior, therefore He is Sovereign.

B. By the way, if any of the following ideas are believed and taught as opposed to the above biblical truths, the spirit behind them is that of anti-Christ rather than that of Christ and of God:

i. Jesus did not embody Yahweh who Saves
ii. Jesus was not smeared with the Holy Spirit, i.e. His works were evil or fake
iii. Jesus sinned or condoned sin
iv. The Word of God is sometimes subject to some people’s approval
v. The Church (the true, universal body of Christ) is not always priority #1
vi. Some things can overcome even the strongest Christians
vii. Jesus did not die, or He did not die for ALL people
viii. Jesus cannot save ALL of the repentant from ALL of their sin
ix. Jesus did not defeat ALL sin, death, and separation from God
x. In other words… you are not and cannot be COMPLETELY free!

All of the above are 100% false and come from the spirit of anti-Christ.

III. Where Is It Used?

It is used both on Earth and in Heaven. Here comes the ability to direct the spirits, both angelic and demonic, for the appropriate reasons. To all of those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God:

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus said to Peter and those like him, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

In Matthew 18:18-20, again Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

IV. When Is It Ours?

Ever since Jesus came and sent us.

Matthew 10:5-8, “These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: ‘Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.’”

Mark 6:7,12-13, “And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits… They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.”

Luke 9:1-2 says, “And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.”

But these are only the twelve, right? And we already know that Jesus released twelve sent ones (apostles) to do all that He did… but all that ceased when John died, right? Here is the kicker, when six times as many are sent out with the same authority not long later:

In Luke 10:1-2, Jesus “appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”‘”

In Luke 10:17-20, “The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them, ‘I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.’”

V. How Is It Done?

Arm yourself with truth, righteousness, the good news of peace, faith, salvation, the Spirit, the Word of God, always praying in the Spirit, and watching with perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:13-18) and you will face but overcome many, many struggles.

In Ephesians 6:11-12, Paul said, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

VI. Why Is It Needed?

In Ephesians 6:12, Paul said, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Christians and non-Christians alike far too often tend to think that it is our external circumstances and our actions that we should fight to improve, after which we will feel and think better. But it is the attitudes of our mind that God wants to renew, our thoughts that He wants us to take captive, and spiritual warfare that He wants our time and energy focused upon, after which our circumstances and our actions will fall into place.

It’s so much more important than anything else that our names are recorded in Heaven, but it’s also fun to know that the demons know who we are in Christ and tremble. Now go kick some demon butt and turn your environment upside down.

SHOW & TELL: Good News = Word + Power + Holy Spirit + Conviction = Results

1st Thessalonians 1:5 says “…for our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…”

Too many individuals, families, churches, and communities are operating without one of the four key elements in this equation. One can attempt a life without this combination, but if so there will be little if any results and no lasting good news.

Word – Words move ideas into reality. A thought has no effect on any other person or thing except the person thinking it until the person thinking the thought says it for themselves and others to hear. This activates faith. The faith we all have (everybody believes, confides, trusts in SOMEthing) is supernatural, and it only manifests itself when it is moved with words from the heart and mind into the natural realm. This is why people who put faith in misery and always dwell on and speak about miserable things remain miserable, whereas people who may even begin with the same circumstances but do not dwell on and speak about their negative experiences but focus on the future and speak about their dreams end up changing their lives. Words created the universe, and the Word of God redeemed fallen mankind; faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Many people, which is where I was for a long time, have power, the Holy Spirit, and conviction, but either negative or no words supporting their faith. This is a block, as is having the right words but no power, Holy Spirit, and/or conviction.

Power – According to Romans 1:16, the Gospel IS the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. In other words, if you have heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, you have the power, first to be saved and then to be further sanctified and grow into the likeness of God through Jesus Christ. The only thing prohibiting this power fully applied to somebody’s life is lack of the application of grace through faith in Jesus Christ unto repentance and continued faith after salvation. Everybody has been given a measure of faith, the gift of God, but it is up to them how they exercise it, grow it, and continue to use it daily in the right way. Once the Holy Spirit has drawn us and restored the choice of righteousness, we are reenabled to choose God or reject Him. Choosing Him releases the power of salvation, which can never be taken, and continuing to choose His ways after salvation releases the power of sanctification. If you are saved, you have power; the question is simply; (how) are you using it? You may think that if you have power from the Good News of Jesus Christ, how could you not have results? If the power is not activated by words, the Holy Spirit, and conviction. How does that work, ie. the Holy Spirit part? Does He not inhabit every child of God? Absolutely, the question is are you filled and anointed by Him, allowing Him free reign? It is a waste of one’s salvation in this life to have the right words, the apparent manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and conviction but to have no Gospel, the power of God unto salvation, as it is to have the power but not the right words, the continued genuine application of the Holy Spirit to every area of life, and/or conviction.

Holy Spirit – One cannot truly have the manifestation of the Holy Spirit without being saved, ie. without having the Good News, the power of God, and one cannot have the power of the Gospel and not have the Holy Spirit living within them, because every child of God has been born of the Spirit, baptized, indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. However, not every child of God is filled and anointed by the Holy Spirit by their own continued choice to ask for it and walk by faith according to the Spirit. There is a significant difference between saving faith and sanctifying faith. It is the same faith being used but one is applied minimally and the other is applied continually. As much as God knows the inner workings of our hearts and if somebody is not genuine in their repentance unto salvation, they are not truly saved just by vain repetition of a sinner’s prayer, there are many (unfortunately too many) cases in which people are genuinely saved but fall away in this life, not losing their salvation but the joy of their salvation. That is what some call backsliding or falling from grace, a genuine biblical concept not of slipping from God’s grasp as His child but of walking by sight, according to the flesh in spite of their heavenly life. Such a Christian does not lose power over sin but does not use power over sin. One cannot lose sonship in God’s family or heavenly citizenship, nor can one return to His judgment and condemnation, but a Christian not continually allowing the Holy Spirit to work bears no fruit, no results in this life until they turn back. To have the right words of faith, the power of God unto salvation, and even conviction but to lack the filling and anointing of the Holy Spirit is to forfeit profitable results in one’s life, as it is to attempt to have the manifestation of the Holy Spirit without affirming words of faith, the genuine Gospel power of God in salvation, and/or conviction.

Conviction – Guilt is the truth that there is a fault, but when the enemy uses guilt, he accuses us of negative thoughts, words, and actions, some that have happened and some that have the potential to happen that he is tempting us towards. The guilt the enemy provokes comes with an assertion that we are so badly broken that there is no hope. If guilt stops at guilt, it may be somewhat true and somewhat untrue, but it is very damaging. Conviction, as distinguished from pure guilt, has a few connotations. For somebody to be literally convicted, they must be arrested, held, tried, and found guilty, but the outcome of this conviction is still subject to a judge’s sentence, which could be pardon or punishment. Conviction involves but does not begin or end with guilt. From the Holy Spirit’s point of view, when God is pursuing somebody, He has to arrest us spiritually for the disobedience in our hearts and minds, hold us accountable, try our faith, and find us guilty of sin at first but depending on our response to God’s arrest, God’s custody, God’s grip, and God’s judgment, God’s sentence will either be condemnation for those who deny all and reject forgiveness or redemption for those who confess all and accept forgiveness. This defers the sentence to Jesus Christ, who has already paid our debt. This is the initial conviction of a lost soul, after which a second connotation is that experienced by a saved soul, no more able to result in eternal condemnation but in the outpouring or withholding of blessing in this life depending on whether corrective action is taken. God should be sought first again in response to the realization of our mistakes, through this heavenly reminder to return to a spiritual walk by faith. The third connotation of conviction is simply the passion of a believer, ie. not just the awareness that a situation is wrong with us (to bring about our salvation or further sanctification) but the continued awareness that more is wrong with someone or something we have influence over. In all senses, God uses conviction to reveal a negative truth and prompt a positive response, whereas the enemy uses pure guilt to reveal negative truth or even falsehood and continue a downward spiral. Conviction is revelation of grace through faith unto repentance, more repentance, or passionate revelation to a broken world in need of our Christlike influence as commissioned. Without continual conviction, even with the right words, the power of the Gospel, and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, problems do not get solved as quickly as they should. Neither do the lost get saved, the saved get set more apart, and famines, plagues, and wars get eliminated when there is passionate conviction but no appropriate speech, Gospel power of God, and manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

For the best and fullest results, use affirmative speech to agree with the positive words of God about you and others, be sure to work out your own salvation by grace through faith in the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven, pray for continual filling and anointed leadership of the Holy Spirit, running every decision by God so that He will be most manifest in your life, and after knowing that it is the Holy Spirit’s conviction that brought about your response to His power in the Gospel of repentance unto salvation and that it is the Holy Spirit’s conviction that continues to grow you in Christ daily and hourly, ensure that you remain passionately convicted to be a light shining in the darkness of the world and the lives of those around you. Following these guidelines, it will be impossible for there to be any area of life in which you are not greatly blessed. In Jesus name, Amen! Do you receive it today? I know you do. May the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you, fill you, anoint you, pervade your entire being, and may it remain so.

INSURANCE

In my will I will choose my decisions in advance

Not afraid of now and then you will be safe

Shelter from the rain is beating against the enemies are retreating

Under wings of angels and doves of peace and quiet keeps calm

Refuge from the avalanche of boulders and demons cannot come

Abide where the roots still the waters the plants, trees, and animals

Night times your rest not tossing and turning times and times seven again

Cover your mouth the words to your mother and father do not worry you

Even God is where your home lives and lives for ever again

A Word For Today

You look me in the eyes and see fear in your own. But my eyes are eyes of love, and the fear you have is fear of consequences rather than fear of me. If you love me, you respect me, and I will always tell you not to be afraid. Do not fear, do not fear, do not fear. Whatever would anger me is invisible to me; it is not there any longer, but it has been cast away, destroyed, and even the residue has been hidden. My eyes reflect what you see about yourself rather than what I see about you. Let me inside you, so that you see as I see and I see as you see. Fear be gone, and lack of understanding. Knowledge and wisdom of my thoughts, words, and deeds come and fill my child. Look through the Son’s eyes and you will never see the Father’s anger. The Father’s anger has been quenched by the justice delivered unwittingly by the enemy. I look you in the eyes and see love in my own.

How can I help you, that is my question? I know how I can help you, but where is your question? I know what you need and I know what you want, but what do you need and what do you want? I will not help you without your asking; how can I? I gave you authority over your life, and even when you threw it away, I restored the choice unto you by my Spirit; your spirit is now alive enough again to decide, so what do you decide? I am waiting, yearning to be the God you know I am, that benevolent God that you wonder why sits idly by through the famine and injustice and suffering I permit. I permit it because I permit you and enable you to fix your own problems and thus grow stronger. No, you may not snap your fingers and rectify the world’s wars and strifes and sadnesses, but neither may I by my character, name, personality, and reputation, without you acting and asking as I have requested and required. Voice those concerns as statements of faith, and use your resources to move as you can while you submit your pleas, and I will move you and move with you. Do not voice murmurings about what you wish, for your wishes remain wishes until you ask and believe that I fulfill them. Do not declare that because it is as you see, I must not be me. Say what I say that I see, and you will see what I say that I see. You hope and you want me to change things around you, but when you have not the faith to change yourself and believe me, there is no substance to your hope. Ask not how you can help me, what you can do to improve on my intentions, but ask how I can help you, what I can do to improve on your intentions. Yes, I can and want to do everything to perfect the world again, but I will not allow myself to respond to need but rather to obedience.

Who are you, young man, or who are you, young woman? What are you, whose are you, where are you going, when are you growing, why are you living, and how are you giving? What is the essence of your identity? I am the Lord, who brought you out of the mouth of hell, for you were designed in Heaven, for Heaven, by Heaven. So you identify yourself with Earth in error, for that which is corrupt is not your origin or your destiny, unless you declare it so. Remove yourself from what you do not desire the worst of and place yourself in what you desire the best of. For the best of Heaven is my plan for you, and I sincerely plead that you agree with my plan.

The words you speak make it no wonder that you are where you are. “I am this or that”, you declare with desperation disguised as humility, but the power in your words is like unto mine. I call into existence that which is not by saying that it is, and so you make yourself lower and lower by announcing that you are lower. Rather, make yourself higher and higher by confidently, not arrogantly, announcing that you are higher, for if you are becoming higher in your mind, it will not be false in your heart, soul, and body. Before long, you will ascend to the words you declare over yourself if there is no deception in your intentions but the desire for my Spirit to better you.

Acrostics for some of this year’s graduate-age folks we know – CONGRATULATIONS!

Jonathan Asbell
Jovial is the demeanor of when he
Opens his mouth to smile such a polite
Newness of face until the wind changes
And the dry, stale air he enters turns
To fresh, crisp dew, launching the life
Hidden inside those he humbly leads,
Away from average awareness of what is
Not, and unto a superior experience of
As well as a keen desire for what is great,
Still smiling, because it is this secret joy
Blossoming out of circumstance that would
Expect sorrow under normal conditions;
Lest he succumb to normality, he will keep
Living individually, setting the new normal

Beth Austin
Being the word that people need,
Ears to hear what the woman
Thinks out loud and smiles a
Happy face at the world
Around about the generation
Usually misunderstood has been
Standing up because she
Takes the Lord to every place
In which He seemed not to be,
Not until she walked in and told them

Codi Barnett
Counting up the maturity
Of those around who do not
Dare to dance as she does aloud,
In front of the world and the universe,
Begging for more out of life and love now,
And cursing the short-term outlook of people
Running from themselves but who cannot really;
Nothing can run for long or make life any longer except
Every bit of determination she has to find out why it is like
This, stretching her imagination and others, challenging many
To stop, look, listen, and think about the joy of parental responsibility

Jennifer Guice
Justice has been obtained in that
Everything is discovered when this
New method of understanding is
Now a mode of operation to her, whose
Innovating ways to capture on film
Far outweigh research into specifically and
Exactly what the world of fairness and truth
Reaches heights beyond imagination,
Guessing nothing but knowing and
Understanding who, what, where, when, why, and how
Is nothing hidden any more but she
Can now make sense of life and death,
Even as all doubt, fear, and guilt die because she lives

Lela Henson
Laughing off the anger and darkness from
Everlasting passing by the windows of
Loud and ancient ways of the flesh;
Actually making others come alive,
Her spirit grows inside her Father,
Empathizing with those who felt
Nothing to them or inside themselves,
Self-consciously wanting this hopeful
Open, innocent woman to draw them whole,
Nearer and clearer outside the walls they had built

Jeffrey McElmurray
Joyfully advancing in stages of his
Entertaining life for those he inspires to
Forward their potential into the
Future he will be a part of,
Randomly excelling and accelerating;
Exciting visions of fun times and
Youthful energy forced into those
Moving pictures with his whole heart, soul, and mind;
Confidence exudes from his partnerships with
Extreme passion stored up and
Loaded into everything creative;
More and more breakthroughs than
Understanding can rationalize,
Realizing every critic into a fan,
Rising above every obstacle,
And when it does not seem that special,
Yesterday was never like today is nothing like tomorrow

Ben Meade
Bound to succeed with
Everything he turns his mind to;
Nothing holds him back from so
Many ideas flowing through his heart,
Emotionally crafting each day as a new day of
Art and music and freedom and life and
Dreams never stop coming to life
Every time he wakes up decisively

TJ Raines
Timing lies heavy on the mind of this above average
Jock, who craves the future glory of
Running the ball across every line
And stylishly performing in every arena
In life, which will come in perfect timing, and
Never giving up, and not abandoning the
Energy of life, he will win and win more than
Some who hope without faith to keep them reliable

Laura Tompkins
Loving every minute of the life that grows
As she knows to laugh it all the way to the bank
Under the stars but in the heaven’s glory
Realm of fighting self no more and winning every time
Anything arises that cannot beat the spirit
To life because it already lives to see every day
One at a time in steps and stages and levels of
Magnificence, so that there would be no doubt
Poised above any longer her Head who is Christ,
Kindling a fire of purity in her created state,
Inviting a marriage of musical lyricism and
Nuance, for such a time as this,
Settling her meaning and purpose with Him

Amanda Whitlock
Artistically humming the tune of life,
Musically painting the days of today, and tomorrow
Adds no sorrow to the resources that seem
Never-ending, the growth forward to
Do anything and everything on the stage of
Angels who want to listen carefully and
Willfully with their heavenly ears, asking
Hello, is this one of us? And the answer
Is yes, because what once was miserable stands
Tall before the onlookers who follow and
Lean on God for more wisdom and guidance,
Only because this one whispered a vocal, instrumental
Calling to their souls and they found themselves
Knowing what was better and best

American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper – Stanislav Mishin

The following opinion article was written by a journalist in a country with a profoundly communist history. I do not agree with everything stated, but it is interesting to note that a man with a better perspective on Marxism than all of us combined would feel this way about the recent past, present, and foreseeable future of our country economically and politically. The article comes from http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-0

————————–————————–————————–———————-
It must be said that like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breathtaking speed, against the backdrop of a passive, hapless sheeple… excuse me, dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas than the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their “right” to choke down a McDonald’s burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our “democracy”. Pride blinds the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different “branches and denominations”, were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the “winning” side of one pseudo-Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the “winning” side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been record setting, not just in America’s short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breathtaking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, losses, and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look like little more than ordinary street thugs in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the sheer volumes. Should we congratulate them?

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American Congress (parliament). Again, Congress has put up little more then a whimper to their masters.

Then came Barack Obama’s command that GM’s (General Motors) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of “pure” free markets, the American president now has the power, the self-given power, to fire CEOs and, we can assume, other employees of private companies at will. Come hither, go thither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise that the American president has followed this up with a “bold” move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK’s Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism; it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our “wise” Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper…but a “free man” whimper.

So should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set “fair” maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Franks, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.
————————–————————–————————–———————-

Does he have his biases, and is he quite offensive in some ways? Absolutely, just like all of us, but this article, even with its insults (which are a refreshing change to the passive pacifism of wimpy Western “journalism”), is more of a warning than arrogant gloating. The question is, whether you think all of this is happening or not, IF choices arise between more governmental control and more individual control (even if you don’t like what all free individuals do), will you stand by and selfishly allow those who have built something to have it taken away from them by a dictatorship or will you defend the right to own what you own, others own what they own, and allow every individual to choose how charitable they are in their stweardship. I say I will be a good steward of what little I have so that I may be entrusted with more and be an example. Even if all wealthy people were ruthless and selfish, what’s theirs is theirs, and when they fail, it does not help the economy to bail them out, but it certainly increases the power of the government doing the bailing out.