Dude, I always feel better when I eat right…

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A tale of two kingdoms…

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith…”
(1 Timothy 4:1)

There is a book called KINGDOMS IN CONFLICT by Chuck Colson.  Among other things, it chronicles the rise of the Nazis in pre-World War 2 Germany.  It seems hard to imagine that the Church could be so uncaring, as so many bad things were being done to the Jews by their government and culture.  But this attitude of the Church did not happen overnight.  Little bit by little bit, the political and cultural machine put pressure on Christians, every day.  It never let up.  Every week there where a few more things that Christians had to either take a stand against, or decide to merely co-exist and get along.  And the more that a person went with the flow, the harder it was the next day to break out of that momentum.

I am not saying that we should be confrontational jerks who needlessly create controversy. But for most of us, that is not a problem anyway. Most Christians in America tend to err on the side of passivity and avoiding any real conflict. The media likes to point out the militant, insensitive few, but that is a very skewed, misleading presentation of the average Christian. But we are called to lovingly, persistently invade the culture and communities around us and make a difference. And that cannot happen if we are the same as everyone around us.

That is why, everyday, we must re-connect with Jesus and the truth of the Bible and the call to the Great Commission – and the call to die to ourselves and to the world system, and to follow Him.  Because if we don’t, our end will be no different than the world’s.

“Come out of her [Babylon], my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;” (Revelation 18:4)

 

The need for Fire…

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:12)

Indifference is spiritual entropy.  It is the heat death of the heart (to use a physics term).  And the best way to overcome it is to PURSUE MORE FIRE!!!

Jesus said we are to abide in Him — in other words, to stay or live in Him — not to be occasional visitors, but to pay the price for ongoing intimacy.  And this is the only way we will be able to survive spiritually in the days to come.  But for those who are willing to “dwell in the secret place of the Most High”, the burning glory of His Presence will be more than enough to overcome all obstacles that the world and the enemy can throw at them.

“His eyes are like a flame of fire…” (Revelation 19:12)

No secrets…

One of the simplest, most profound, most transforming revelations I have received in my life is that I am never alone, and that because of this, I can have no secrets.

It makes a huge difference when you’re thinking you might do something like look at porn in “secret” or formulate a lie in your mind in “secret”, if you are also aware that at that same moment, the eternal, omniscient, Living God who created you and bled for you is with you and aware of absolutely EVERYTHING.  The idea of “getting away with it” becomes hilarious foolishness, as your plans are revealed and consumed by the Light of His Presence.

And when you finally, really “get it” — when it really sinks in that deception is not an option — then an incredible weight is lifted off of you — and you begin to experience true, lasting peace and rest, as that scheming, lying part of you realizes it has nowhere to go…and just dies…even as something else glorious begins to flow in and take its place.

And I believe that as you enter into this reality with your whole heart — as you really walk in “the fear of the Lord”, then God begins to reveal to you the deep things of His own heart…

“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him,”
(Psalm 25:14)

JOYFUL JOYFUL!!!!!!!!

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of Glory, Lord of Love!
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,
Opening to the sun above!
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,
Drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the Light of day!

The true purpose of Lent…

Here’s a very short little video I made
that expresses my thoughts about the season of Lent.  Enjoy!

An old magician’s trick…

“…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)

There is an old magicians’ trick called misdirection.  With it, a magician distracts his audience and gets them to focus on something unimportant (perhaps with his left hand), while he is setting up the real trick with his right hand.  And then — du-du-duuuuhh!!! — the bunny appears, seemingly from nowhere. (OMG, DID YOU FREAKING SEE THAT??!!)  Wikipedia defines this as a form of deception.

Dude, in the same way, the “old magician” is still up to his old tricks.  And distraction is one of his fave things to do.  Sometimes I call it “the tyranny of the immediate.”  Let’s say that I have decided to spend more time with Jesus.  And then all hell seems to break loose and many things “just have to be dealt with.”  Or maybe I get pulled once again into the vortex of Facebook for an hour or more.  And before I know it, a week has gone by and I have spent little or no time with the Lover of my soul — the One who created me from nothing and redeemed me with His own blood.  And what is my excuse?  Uh…well…stuff happens.

“…the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)

What an amazing time to be alive!  What an incredible adventure is unfolding in our cities and across the planet!  Aslan is on the move!  As the Light and darkness intensify, and as we prepare for the Son of Man to return, God is desiring to pour out unparalleled anointing and blessings to those who are paying the price to really know Him.  What a tragic thing it would be to look back on this time and realize that, like Esau, we traded away our amazing inheritance for a bowlful of unsatisfying sludge and distraction.