His mystery, His majesty
His might upon the throne
the thunderstorm of praises born
engulfed in Him alone
thick rolling clouds His glory shrouds
approach we on our knees
then bursting light around Him bright
across deep crystal seas
How can it be that we don't see
how awesome is that place
explosions of emotions
in the center of His grace
by faith we'll know it tells us go
approach with godly fear
to lay it down and throw our crown
such is the atmosphere
And gathered by the brilliant sky
vast armies of the Lord
with elders near who lead a cheer
The Savior be adored
gold trumpets blown the seeds are sown
fall all before our King
He's placed inside where once was pride
new songs for us to sing
We will be dressed in garments blessed
by blood shed once for us
time standing still in His great will
no need to make a fuss
and I will wait for Him to state
that righteousness prevailed
then raise a shout with those about
PRAISE GOD! HIS GLORY HAILED!
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Clay Pots
She lived as a clay pot
away from the pain
of people who hurt her
who all said the same
you'll never be happy
I'm better than you
just stay where you are
while I paint you deep blue
She stayed there so quiet
up high on that ledge
just watching life passing
while close to the edge
but one day a door slammed
her pot tottered round
it fell away quickly
and smashed to the ground
Sharp pieces were scattered
they flew everywhere
some cut her quite deeply
since life wasn't fair
then boots trampled over
and ground those to dust
which lay there a moment
then swirled in a gust
This brought bitter tears
which filled up her room
turned dust into clay lumps
not minutes too soon
scraped up by a potter
laid sure on his wheel
who formed a new vessel
of wondrous appeal
Now He is the potter
and we are the clay
we're formed with a purpose
though life has its sway
He'll bear all our burdens
and heal all our woes
assures us great beauty
from head to our toes
away from the pain
of people who hurt her
who all said the same
you'll never be happy
I'm better than you
just stay where you are
while I paint you deep blue
She stayed there so quiet
up high on that ledge
just watching life passing
while close to the edge
but one day a door slammed
her pot tottered round
it fell away quickly
and smashed to the ground
Sharp pieces were scattered
they flew everywhere
some cut her quite deeply
since life wasn't fair
then boots trampled over
and ground those to dust
which lay there a moment
then swirled in a gust
This brought bitter tears
which filled up her room
turned dust into clay lumps
not minutes too soon
scraped up by a potter
laid sure on his wheel
who formed a new vessel
of wondrous appeal
Now He is the potter
and we are the clay
we're formed with a purpose
though life has its sway
He'll bear all our burdens
and heal all our woes
assures us great beauty
from head to our toes
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Valentine's Day
There was, see, this alligator
who liked to sun itself by day
and wait for splashes by night
which is why, besides the blasted heat
I'm not trolling around in the Everglades
while frigged February winds
rake across our glazed asphalt roads
on a dreary mid-February day
just like the last and prequel to the next
She came down to visit one July
when I was working Florida
having talked her parents into a long drive
so they and the youngins might spend a few days
and she could surprise me with a knock on my door
and we could drive around Ft. Lauderdale being silly
or walking barefoot by the water's edge
making memories more durible
than an alligator purse
who liked to sun itself by day
and wait for splashes by night
which is why, besides the blasted heat
I'm not trolling around in the Everglades
while frigged February winds
rake across our glazed asphalt roads
on a dreary mid-February day
just like the last and prequel to the next
She came down to visit one July
when I was working Florida
having talked her parents into a long drive
so they and the youngins might spend a few days
and she could surprise me with a knock on my door
and we could drive around Ft. Lauderdale being silly
or walking barefoot by the water's edge
making memories more durible
than an alligator purse
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
When We Left The Catholic Church
I have another blog which is called - For Ex-Catholics Only. Usually I post essays from my You Done Say What blog which apply to Catholicism but here one I just wrote that is going the other way.
Our assistance pastor at St. Francis de Sales (born somewhere in South America) always preached very passionately. I remember one Easter mass (Easter being the most crowded) when he chided those poor visitors, "To all of you here who only attend mass twice a year - HAPPY EASTER, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TOO!"
During another summer Sunday mass the good father was getting himself worked up about nuclear disarmament. It was somewhere in the middle of this non spiritual blah blah that the thought entered my brain that change of any substance in Catholic doctrine was simply not going to happen. The vested interests in the bureaucracy of the Catholic Church would make it almost impossible for the Holy Spirit to blow through and enlighten either staff, cardinals or popes. Even if a pope ended up believing just like me no doctrine would be revised.
Although Jackie and I had been theologically moving away from Catholicism for a dozen years I had always felt that perhaps our presence there would be beneficial, representatives of a change that might one day work itself up to affect higher regions of the Church. I realized at that moment how naive I had been.
A second thought made it's way forward. Some of our children were getting to the ages where they would be learning more about Catholic doctrine at the parish school they attended. It didn't seem right for us to send our kids to a Catholic school, or have them hear a Catholic sermon, and then have to debrief them once home to counter any doctrine that we did not agree with.
Jackie and I talked about it later that afternoon and decided to enroll our children that fall in the public school system and to immediately look for another church, which was not easy since we had never even been to a Protestant service except for weddings or funerals. Now the only time we go to mass is for - weddings and funerals.
Although our parents were great about our change of religion, accepting it was still a little difficult for my mom and dad and especially for Jackie's mom. Catholicism is as much a cultural thing as it is a belief system and we think they felt like we were not only rejecting Catholicism but in a sense them as well.
When Jackie's father died and her mother got older she would have these episodes where tension would build up in her over a few months, come to a head over nothing, she would blow her top and go crazy, her tension would be released and she would then forget anything she had said when she blew up. She was then good for another 4 to 6 months before the process repeated and she blew again.
The interesting thing though is that when she would get like this, just before going off, she would be looking for a fight and would bring up religion. Jackie would not bite but it was obvious that mom was still holding on to something that had hurt her. Religion would be brought up after she exploded and she would use phrases such as; "So you think your father was stupid?"
No, we didn't think our parents were stupid. My mother was very smart and was a convert to Catholicism and my dad was the smartest man I knew. My mother-in-law was very sharp and an amazingly intuitive woman and my father-in-law, a convert to Catholicism, was extremely bright, blessed with many gifts of the Holy Spirit and was my chief spiritual mentor. He taught me how to read and love Scripture and laid before me a sound and well built foundation in the Christian faith.
How he could have converted to Catholicism when he didn't believe in apostolic succession, praying to Mary or the saints, transubstantiation, holy days of obligation, the teaching magisterial of the Church and on and on and on is a mystery to most of his kids who like us later left the Catholic Church. I have my ideas but will not speak for him.
He did have a great desire to celebrate communion as a solemn and sacred act and believed that the elements through the faith of the recipient did become Christ's actual flesh and blood He believed that the Holy Spirit should be able to move in a powerful way through those who were ordained and that although infant baptism did not bring about salvation it did offer advantage and spiritual protection from the evil one for the one being baptized.
Personally neither Jackie nor I miss the mass one bit. References to Mary and the saints make us uncomfortable in our spirit because we see that as a carry over from the adoption of certain forms of paganism very early in Church history. When we do attend mass for a wedding or funeral we skip receiving communion because the Catholic form, apart from our theological understandings, also makes us feel uncomfortable. This doesn't mean we don't love the people or respect the office of the priest or don't enjoy singing praises to God or reading out loud from Scripture. But we have moved far apart.
If you have recently left the Catholic Church it sometimes can be difficult to find a church where you and your family will be comfortable. You many need to move around a bit until you find a good fit. There are bad churches that have abusive pastors or abusive theology that is legalistic and I pray you will be able to discern them right away.
Look for a place that preaches from the Bible and sees the Word of God as the ultimate source for truth. Find a place where the Holy Spirit is free to move. Desire a place where you can be lost in worship. Treasure a place where your children can grow in faith and be lead to serve. Respect a place which supports and sends out servants to proclaim Jesus. Get healed and get involved. And keep loving your Catholic family and friends.
Our assistance pastor at St. Francis de Sales (born somewhere in South America) always preached very passionately. I remember one Easter mass (Easter being the most crowded) when he chided those poor visitors, "To all of you here who only attend mass twice a year - HAPPY EASTER, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TOO!"
During another summer Sunday mass the good father was getting himself worked up about nuclear disarmament. It was somewhere in the middle of this non spiritual blah blah that the thought entered my brain that change of any substance in Catholic doctrine was simply not going to happen. The vested interests in the bureaucracy of the Catholic Church would make it almost impossible for the Holy Spirit to blow through and enlighten either staff, cardinals or popes. Even if a pope ended up believing just like me no doctrine would be revised.
Although Jackie and I had been theologically moving away from Catholicism for a dozen years I had always felt that perhaps our presence there would be beneficial, representatives of a change that might one day work itself up to affect higher regions of the Church. I realized at that moment how naive I had been.
A second thought made it's way forward. Some of our children were getting to the ages where they would be learning more about Catholic doctrine at the parish school they attended. It didn't seem right for us to send our kids to a Catholic school, or have them hear a Catholic sermon, and then have to debrief them once home to counter any doctrine that we did not agree with.
Jackie and I talked about it later that afternoon and decided to enroll our children that fall in the public school system and to immediately look for another church, which was not easy since we had never even been to a Protestant service except for weddings or funerals. Now the only time we go to mass is for - weddings and funerals.
Although our parents were great about our change of religion, accepting it was still a little difficult for my mom and dad and especially for Jackie's mom. Catholicism is as much a cultural thing as it is a belief system and we think they felt like we were not only rejecting Catholicism but in a sense them as well.
When Jackie's father died and her mother got older she would have these episodes where tension would build up in her over a few months, come to a head over nothing, she would blow her top and go crazy, her tension would be released and she would then forget anything she had said when she blew up. She was then good for another 4 to 6 months before the process repeated and she blew again.
The interesting thing though is that when she would get like this, just before going off, she would be looking for a fight and would bring up religion. Jackie would not bite but it was obvious that mom was still holding on to something that had hurt her. Religion would be brought up after she exploded and she would use phrases such as; "So you think your father was stupid?"
No, we didn't think our parents were stupid. My mother was very smart and was a convert to Catholicism and my dad was the smartest man I knew. My mother-in-law was very sharp and an amazingly intuitive woman and my father-in-law, a convert to Catholicism, was extremely bright, blessed with many gifts of the Holy Spirit and was my chief spiritual mentor. He taught me how to read and love Scripture and laid before me a sound and well built foundation in the Christian faith.
How he could have converted to Catholicism when he didn't believe in apostolic succession, praying to Mary or the saints, transubstantiation, holy days of obligation, the teaching magisterial of the Church and on and on and on is a mystery to most of his kids who like us later left the Catholic Church. I have my ideas but will not speak for him.
He did have a great desire to celebrate communion as a solemn and sacred act and believed that the elements through the faith of the recipient did become Christ's actual flesh and blood He believed that the Holy Spirit should be able to move in a powerful way through those who were ordained and that although infant baptism did not bring about salvation it did offer advantage and spiritual protection from the evil one for the one being baptized.
Personally neither Jackie nor I miss the mass one bit. References to Mary and the saints make us uncomfortable in our spirit because we see that as a carry over from the adoption of certain forms of paganism very early in Church history. When we do attend mass for a wedding or funeral we skip receiving communion because the Catholic form, apart from our theological understandings, also makes us feel uncomfortable. This doesn't mean we don't love the people or respect the office of the priest or don't enjoy singing praises to God or reading out loud from Scripture. But we have moved far apart.
If you have recently left the Catholic Church it sometimes can be difficult to find a church where you and your family will be comfortable. You many need to move around a bit until you find a good fit. There are bad churches that have abusive pastors or abusive theology that is legalistic and I pray you will be able to discern them right away.
Look for a place that preaches from the Bible and sees the Word of God as the ultimate source for truth. Find a place where the Holy Spirit is free to move. Desire a place where you can be lost in worship. Treasure a place where your children can grow in faith and be lead to serve. Respect a place which supports and sends out servants to proclaim Jesus. Get healed and get involved. And keep loving your Catholic family and friends.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Our Helper
In John's 14th chapter Jesus tells His disciples that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him and thus they should be able to see the Father through Him.
Jesus says that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus name we will receive so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Indeed because it is His desire that the Father be glorified in Him we should be able to do greater works than even those that Jesus did during His ministry here on earth. He goes on to say that if we ask anything in His name He will do it.
Jesus then says two more interesting things.
If you love Me
you will keep
my commandments.
And to give us the means to keep His commandments and to do the works that will glorify the Father;
I will ask the Father
and He will give you
another Helper
that He may be
with you forever
That is
the Spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive
because it does not see Him
or know Him
but you know Him
because He abides with you
and will be in you
After John's baptism the Father spoke from heaven, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and Jesus began His ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. During His ministry He breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples for the purpose of ministry, sending the 70 and the 72 out to heal and to cast out evil spirits.
Thus the Holy Spirit "abides" with them, but not yet in them. It could not yet be in them because Jesus had not yet gone to the cross to pay the price for the sins of man which separates us from God. Until reconciled to Christ by his shed blood the heart of man was not able to be a fit temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in.
For the Holy Spirit to be "in" them (and us) Jesus also needed to rise from the dead, ascend to heaven so that He could send what He describes as "the Helper".
Jesus explains this in John 16: 7-16
But I tell you the truth
it is to your advantage
that I go away
for if I do not go away
the Helper will not come to you
but if go
I will send Him to you
And He
when He comes
will convict the world
concerning sin
and righteousness
and judgment
Concerning sin
because they do not believe in Me
And concerning righteousness
because I go to the Father
and you no longer see Me
And concerning judgment
because the ruler of this world
has been judged . . .
But when He
the Spirit of truth
comes
He will guide you
into all truth
for He will not speak
on His own initiative
but what ever He hears
He will speak
and He will disclose to you
what is to come
He will glorify Me
for He will take of Mine
and will disclose it to you
All things that the Father has
are Mine
therefore I said
He takes of Mine
and will disclose it to you
Jesus says that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus name we will receive so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Indeed because it is His desire that the Father be glorified in Him we should be able to do greater works than even those that Jesus did during His ministry here on earth. He goes on to say that if we ask anything in His name He will do it.
Jesus then says two more interesting things.
If you love Me
you will keep
my commandments.
And to give us the means to keep His commandments and to do the works that will glorify the Father;
I will ask the Father
and He will give you
another Helper
that He may be
with you forever
That is
the Spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive
because it does not see Him
or know Him
but you know Him
because He abides with you
and will be in you
After John's baptism the Father spoke from heaven, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and Jesus began His ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. During His ministry He breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples for the purpose of ministry, sending the 70 and the 72 out to heal and to cast out evil spirits.
Thus the Holy Spirit "abides" with them, but not yet in them. It could not yet be in them because Jesus had not yet gone to the cross to pay the price for the sins of man which separates us from God. Until reconciled to Christ by his shed blood the heart of man was not able to be a fit temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in.
For the Holy Spirit to be "in" them (and us) Jesus also needed to rise from the dead, ascend to heaven so that He could send what He describes as "the Helper".
Jesus explains this in John 16: 7-16
But I tell you the truth
it is to your advantage
that I go away
for if I do not go away
the Helper will not come to you
but if go
I will send Him to you
And He
when He comes
will convict the world
concerning sin
and righteousness
and judgment
Concerning sin
because they do not believe in Me
And concerning righteousness
because I go to the Father
and you no longer see Me
And concerning judgment
because the ruler of this world
has been judged . . .
But when He
the Spirit of truth
comes
He will guide you
into all truth
for He will not speak
on His own initiative
but what ever He hears
He will speak
and He will disclose to you
what is to come
He will glorify Me
for He will take of Mine
and will disclose it to you
All things that the Father has
are Mine
therefore I said
He takes of Mine
and will disclose it to you
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
The Root Of Bitterness And Radical Feminism
Strengthen the hands that are week and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb that is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
Pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up makes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. (Hebrews 12: 12-17)
Jackie and I attended a large independent Charismatic church in Grand Rapids for about 7 years. The worship was consistently good as was the preaching, which always offered sound biblical teaching, laying a foundation for everything from finances to living a Spirit-filled life.
The pastor, apart from being spiritually gifted, was also a great communicator. We enjoyed our time there and I personally gained a lot from his teaching. However he did seem to cover what he thought important to share over a three year period. In our 4th year I realized that we had gone over this stuff before. Year 7 started round three and, although we left because one of our son-in-laws obtained a ministry position at a church back in Holland and we wanted to support him, 3 times hearing the same sermon is sometimes one too many.
One of the sermons Pastor Duane preached was on the root of bitterness. He had a favorite saying about being bitter and unforgiving and, whether it originated from him or someone else, it provides a wonderful and truth filled picture of their effects. I have used it a number of times myself to offer advice to people I have conducted driving tests for after hearing their sad stories.
"Being bitter or unforgiving is like drinking poison - and then expecting the other person to die".
All of us have been or have felt like we've been wronged or abused in some way by another. It might be as simple as a harsh word, an unloving comment or an actual or perceived snub, or it might be something much worse like having been sexually abused, injured or rejected by one we love. These things may happen to ourselves or to someone we love. Our natural human reaction is not to forgive and let it go but rather to hold on to it and to try to figure out someway that the other person can know or experience how much they have hurt us.
Thus bitterness establishes itself inside us and it will remain and grow and attract other bad spiritual feelings that go with it unless it and them are dealt with. One sad thing is that rarely does the offender realize how much pain they have inflicted on us. Our bitterness does not hurt them one iota.
A second sad thing is that although our bitterness does not hurt them it surely hurts us. Bitterness and unforgiveness are underlying causes of many physical as well as mental illnesses (read again the opening Scripture). And it is a prime entryway for attacks from evil spirits. Bitterness in fact is considered to be a spiritual principality that attracts other evil spirits. Consulars say that if you find one you will almost always find the others.
There is a progression of these spiritual strongholds, each one more serious than the other, that arise from the root of bitterness. Henry Wright in his book - A More Excellent Way - identifies seven evil spirits that are under and answer to the spirit of bitterness.
The first is Unforgivness and it produces a record of wrongs. Without forgiving we are diligent to hold onto this record.
The second is Resentment. This is when we keep going over and meditate upon the record of wrongs. Interestingly the byproduct of Bitterness, Unforgiveness and Resentment is Fear. It may manifest itself right away or much later but fears such as fear of man, fear of failure, fear of rejection and fear of abandonment often cause in us the desire to withdraw.
The third is Retaliation, which is finding ways to get back at the person who has wronged us. We want them to pay and by doing so then we can get even.
The fourth stronghold is Anger. Here let me say that I've seen the progression described by a women writer as follows: Bitterness leads to anger, anger leads to demands, then comes slander, then in an effort to justify our feelings we try to get others to agree with us, and finally that leads to the desire to harm our offender.
The fifth stronghold is Hatred. Hatred leads to the feeling that there is not room enough for both of us.
Hatred will then lead to Violence, which is the thought that the other person needs to experience the pain that we've felt and needs to know that they are hated.
This finally leads to Murder. Murder does not necessarily mean killing the other. It can also mean the attempt to destroy the other by verbal abuse or character assignation.
Just to repeat one point here. If we find in someone strong feelings of hatred, revenge, slander, violence, resentment and anger we almost certainly find bitterness and unforgiveness at the core.
The solution then is forgiveness. It says in Ephesians 4: 31-32
Let all bitterness and wrath (violence) and anger and clamor (making demands) and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you.
Neil Anderson, who created the Freedom In Christ seminars through which many thousands have experienced relief from spiritual bondage, says that forgiveness is not merely forgetting the offense we have experienced. Forgiveness is a choice, a decision of our will.
This goes against our sense of what is right and wrong because we want revenge for the things that we have experienced. But God in Romans 12:19 tells that that we are never to take our own revenge. Never take your own revenge my beloved but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay" says the Lord. And he describes it like this. If we never let the other person off the hook then we will always be "hooked" to that person. Until we let go of our anger and hatred the other person will still be hurting us. To be free we need to forgive the other person from our heart.
Anderson also says that forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another's sin. Since we are going to have to live with the consequences anyway our only choice is whether we will do so in the bondage of bitterness or in the freedom of forgiveness. "No one truly forgives without accepting and suffering the pain of another person's sin."
We think this is unfair and wonder where is the justice. But here is the wonderful news. This is exactly what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Unlike the sins of others against us, our own sins have eternal consequences. Yet without desiring for us to suffer for them, to hold these always against us, He took them upon Himself and bore the suffering and shame for us.
Anderson says that we can't wait until we feel like forgiving or we will never get there. Anderson says that forgiveness comes from the heart and that we need to ask God to bring the hurts and the pains out to the surface to be confessed or else our emotions will never be healed. And lastly Anderson says that forgiveness is choosing not to hold someone's sin against them anymore, to let go of the past and to put away any desires for revenge.
Forgiveness does not mean that we need to put up with future sin or the abuse of others We need to learn how to take a stand against sin while continuing to exercise grace and forgiveness toward those who are hurting us.
The second part of this post relates to the first in that I am constantly seeing outward expressions of bitterness, anger, hatred, resentment, unforgiveness and to listen to Madonna, the desire for violence, expressed throughout radical feminism. I say radical feminism because there are major areas that most of society will agree are universal. Those being equal opportunities for education, advancement, equal pay for equal work, dignity and respect.
Radical feminism however as an offshoot of Marxism carries with it in it's desire for "equality" a classless economic system as well as a sexually classless social system.
Marxism sought for the elimination of private property and to do that there needed to be a revolt of the underclasses to overthrow the oppressive classes at the top. The state then would control all means of production and distribute to all based, not on their merit, but on their need.
Radical feminism decided that society was also patriarchal in that men considered women and children to be property. To achieve a non-patriarchal society the state needed to make these things happen:
- Make divorce easy.
- All women should work outside the home.
- The state should provide free 24 hour day care.
- The state should provide free contraception.
- Births outside of marriage should be socially acceptable.
- Eliminate religion because religion promotes the family.
- Eliminate sexual classes and sexual differences.
- Seize control of reproduction.
- Women should be in control of their own bodies (a child in womb is not a real person, only part
of a woman's body).
These goals (and some much more radical) were established by the founders of radical feminism over 50 years ago and we all know how far they have advanced.
The root problem here spiritually is radical feminism's rejection of the Fatherhood of God. And here is where I see the conflict that many women are having who harbor bitterness and unforgiveness because they had fathers or husbands or boyfriends who did not properly love or support them, or they were abused sexually or emotionally, or were denied rights or treated unfairly because of their sex, or experienced rejection because of their looks or personalities, on and on and on.
The lie of the evil one is that he projects upon the Father and thus blames the Father for the hurts that others have done against us.
Here is a list that Anderson provides of the lies of the evil one and although they apply to all they also seem to speak directly to the hurts that most women have. He suggests to go over each one and then renounce those lies. Here is his list, each with a Scriptural reference that counters the lie.
I renounce that the Father is . . .
distant and disinterested (Psalm 139: 1-18)
insensitive and uncaring (Psalm 103: 8-14)
stern and demanding (Romans 15:7; Zephaniah 3:17)
passive and cold (Isaiah 40:11; Hosea 11: 3-4)
absent or too busy for me (Hebrews 13:5; Jeremiah 31:20)
never satisfied with what i do, impatient or angry (2 Peter 3:9; Exodus 34:6)
mean, cruel or abusive (Jeremiah 31:3, Psalm 18:2)
trying to take all the fun out of life (John 10:10; Romans 12: 1-2)
controlling or manipulative (Hebrews 4:15,16; Luke 15: 11-16
condemning or unforgiving (Psalm 130:1-4; Luke 15: 17-24)
nit-picking, exacting or perfectionistic (Romans 8: 28-29; Hebrews 12: 5-11)
God is His love and wisdom has a plan for each of our lives. Part of that plan is to provide forgiveness to us through what Jesus already did on the cross. Part of that plan is for us to freely worship and love the Father because He is good, and holy and worthy to be praised. Part of that plan is for us to live an overcoming life where we can be freed of the hurts and pains and the accusations that come from the world and the evil one. And part of that plan is for us to constantly seek Him, trust Him and to live our our lives in the order that he has established for us.
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, what are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing and things like these.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5: 19-25)
Pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up makes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. (Hebrews 12: 12-17)
Jackie and I attended a large independent Charismatic church in Grand Rapids for about 7 years. The worship was consistently good as was the preaching, which always offered sound biblical teaching, laying a foundation for everything from finances to living a Spirit-filled life.
The pastor, apart from being spiritually gifted, was also a great communicator. We enjoyed our time there and I personally gained a lot from his teaching. However he did seem to cover what he thought important to share over a three year period. In our 4th year I realized that we had gone over this stuff before. Year 7 started round three and, although we left because one of our son-in-laws obtained a ministry position at a church back in Holland and we wanted to support him, 3 times hearing the same sermon is sometimes one too many.
One of the sermons Pastor Duane preached was on the root of bitterness. He had a favorite saying about being bitter and unforgiving and, whether it originated from him or someone else, it provides a wonderful and truth filled picture of their effects. I have used it a number of times myself to offer advice to people I have conducted driving tests for after hearing their sad stories.
"Being bitter or unforgiving is like drinking poison - and then expecting the other person to die".
All of us have been or have felt like we've been wronged or abused in some way by another. It might be as simple as a harsh word, an unloving comment or an actual or perceived snub, or it might be something much worse like having been sexually abused, injured or rejected by one we love. These things may happen to ourselves or to someone we love. Our natural human reaction is not to forgive and let it go but rather to hold on to it and to try to figure out someway that the other person can know or experience how much they have hurt us.
Thus bitterness establishes itself inside us and it will remain and grow and attract other bad spiritual feelings that go with it unless it and them are dealt with. One sad thing is that rarely does the offender realize how much pain they have inflicted on us. Our bitterness does not hurt them one iota.
A second sad thing is that although our bitterness does not hurt them it surely hurts us. Bitterness and unforgiveness are underlying causes of many physical as well as mental illnesses (read again the opening Scripture). And it is a prime entryway for attacks from evil spirits. Bitterness in fact is considered to be a spiritual principality that attracts other evil spirits. Consulars say that if you find one you will almost always find the others.
There is a progression of these spiritual strongholds, each one more serious than the other, that arise from the root of bitterness. Henry Wright in his book - A More Excellent Way - identifies seven evil spirits that are under and answer to the spirit of bitterness.
The first is Unforgivness and it produces a record of wrongs. Without forgiving we are diligent to hold onto this record.
The second is Resentment. This is when we keep going over and meditate upon the record of wrongs. Interestingly the byproduct of Bitterness, Unforgiveness and Resentment is Fear. It may manifest itself right away or much later but fears such as fear of man, fear of failure, fear of rejection and fear of abandonment often cause in us the desire to withdraw.
The third is Retaliation, which is finding ways to get back at the person who has wronged us. We want them to pay and by doing so then we can get even.
The fourth stronghold is Anger. Here let me say that I've seen the progression described by a women writer as follows: Bitterness leads to anger, anger leads to demands, then comes slander, then in an effort to justify our feelings we try to get others to agree with us, and finally that leads to the desire to harm our offender.
The fifth stronghold is Hatred. Hatred leads to the feeling that there is not room enough for both of us.
Hatred will then lead to Violence, which is the thought that the other person needs to experience the pain that we've felt and needs to know that they are hated.
This finally leads to Murder. Murder does not necessarily mean killing the other. It can also mean the attempt to destroy the other by verbal abuse or character assignation.
Just to repeat one point here. If we find in someone strong feelings of hatred, revenge, slander, violence, resentment and anger we almost certainly find bitterness and unforgiveness at the core.
The solution then is forgiveness. It says in Ephesians 4: 31-32
Let all bitterness and wrath (violence) and anger and clamor (making demands) and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you.
Neil Anderson, who created the Freedom In Christ seminars through which many thousands have experienced relief from spiritual bondage, says that forgiveness is not merely forgetting the offense we have experienced. Forgiveness is a choice, a decision of our will.
This goes against our sense of what is right and wrong because we want revenge for the things that we have experienced. But God in Romans 12:19 tells that that we are never to take our own revenge. Never take your own revenge my beloved but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay" says the Lord. And he describes it like this. If we never let the other person off the hook then we will always be "hooked" to that person. Until we let go of our anger and hatred the other person will still be hurting us. To be free we need to forgive the other person from our heart.
Anderson also says that forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another's sin. Since we are going to have to live with the consequences anyway our only choice is whether we will do so in the bondage of bitterness or in the freedom of forgiveness. "No one truly forgives without accepting and suffering the pain of another person's sin."
We think this is unfair and wonder where is the justice. But here is the wonderful news. This is exactly what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Unlike the sins of others against us, our own sins have eternal consequences. Yet without desiring for us to suffer for them, to hold these always against us, He took them upon Himself and bore the suffering and shame for us.
Anderson says that we can't wait until we feel like forgiving or we will never get there. Anderson says that forgiveness comes from the heart and that we need to ask God to bring the hurts and the pains out to the surface to be confessed or else our emotions will never be healed. And lastly Anderson says that forgiveness is choosing not to hold someone's sin against them anymore, to let go of the past and to put away any desires for revenge.
Forgiveness does not mean that we need to put up with future sin or the abuse of others We need to learn how to take a stand against sin while continuing to exercise grace and forgiveness toward those who are hurting us.
The second part of this post relates to the first in that I am constantly seeing outward expressions of bitterness, anger, hatred, resentment, unforgiveness and to listen to Madonna, the desire for violence, expressed throughout radical feminism. I say radical feminism because there are major areas that most of society will agree are universal. Those being equal opportunities for education, advancement, equal pay for equal work, dignity and respect.
Radical feminism however as an offshoot of Marxism carries with it in it's desire for "equality" a classless economic system as well as a sexually classless social system.
Marxism sought for the elimination of private property and to do that there needed to be a revolt of the underclasses to overthrow the oppressive classes at the top. The state then would control all means of production and distribute to all based, not on their merit, but on their need.
Radical feminism decided that society was also patriarchal in that men considered women and children to be property. To achieve a non-patriarchal society the state needed to make these things happen:
- Make divorce easy.
- All women should work outside the home.
- The state should provide free 24 hour day care.
- The state should provide free contraception.
- Births outside of marriage should be socially acceptable.
- Eliminate religion because religion promotes the family.
- Eliminate sexual classes and sexual differences.
- Seize control of reproduction.
- Women should be in control of their own bodies (a child in womb is not a real person, only part
of a woman's body).
These goals (and some much more radical) were established by the founders of radical feminism over 50 years ago and we all know how far they have advanced.
The root problem here spiritually is radical feminism's rejection of the Fatherhood of God. And here is where I see the conflict that many women are having who harbor bitterness and unforgiveness because they had fathers or husbands or boyfriends who did not properly love or support them, or they were abused sexually or emotionally, or were denied rights or treated unfairly because of their sex, or experienced rejection because of their looks or personalities, on and on and on.
The lie of the evil one is that he projects upon the Father and thus blames the Father for the hurts that others have done against us.
Here is a list that Anderson provides of the lies of the evil one and although they apply to all they also seem to speak directly to the hurts that most women have. He suggests to go over each one and then renounce those lies. Here is his list, each with a Scriptural reference that counters the lie.
I renounce that the Father is . . .
distant and disinterested (Psalm 139: 1-18)
insensitive and uncaring (Psalm 103: 8-14)
stern and demanding (Romans 15:7; Zephaniah 3:17)
passive and cold (Isaiah 40:11; Hosea 11: 3-4)
absent or too busy for me (Hebrews 13:5; Jeremiah 31:20)
never satisfied with what i do, impatient or angry (2 Peter 3:9; Exodus 34:6)
mean, cruel or abusive (Jeremiah 31:3, Psalm 18:2)
trying to take all the fun out of life (John 10:10; Romans 12: 1-2)
controlling or manipulative (Hebrews 4:15,16; Luke 15: 11-16
condemning or unforgiving (Psalm 130:1-4; Luke 15: 17-24)
nit-picking, exacting or perfectionistic (Romans 8: 28-29; Hebrews 12: 5-11)
God is His love and wisdom has a plan for each of our lives. Part of that plan is to provide forgiveness to us through what Jesus already did on the cross. Part of that plan is for us to freely worship and love the Father because He is good, and holy and worthy to be praised. Part of that plan is for us to live an overcoming life where we can be freed of the hurts and pains and the accusations that come from the world and the evil one. And part of that plan is for us to constantly seek Him, trust Him and to live our our lives in the order that he has established for us.
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, what are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing and things like these.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5: 19-25)
Saturday, January 21, 2017
The Prophetic Importance of 2017
In October of 2014 I wrote a post about the good possibility that something very major will happen in relation to the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem (and by association to the Christian Church) in the year 2017. Check it out HERE. Critical dates for Israel in the past include 70 AD, 1517 (500 years ago), 1897 (120 years ago, 1917 (100 years ago, 1947 (70 years ago) and 1967 (50 years ago).
Just to briefly touch on the 1967 date - It was in June of that year during the Six Day War that Israel gained control over the entire city of Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. At that point God had given complete control over the entire city of Jerusalem, including the ancient site of the Temple Mount, back to Israel. However, not trusting God and worried about Muslim and Arab reactions Israel returned control over certain parts of Jerusalem including the Temple Mount to them.
Early in January of this year, 2017, the United Nations passed article 2334 which basically states that Israel has no rights to any parts of the West Bank and Golan Heights and no historic claim to Jerusalem. The United States in the past has always vetoed similar resolutions but this year was different. There were indications that the outgoing Obama administration was actually involved behind the scenes to create the resolution. When it was time to vote the United States abstained, thus allowing for the first time one of these resolutions to pass.
Last week 70 nations (there is that number again) meet in Paris for a "Peace Summit" in the attempt to force Israel to return to it's pre-1967 borders, borders that were not then or now defensible. Or in other words, without anything in return including security concerns they were trying to figure out a way to force Israel to give up the West Bank, the Golan and control over Jerusalem.
Just before the meeting began President Elect Trump voiced his displeasure with the gathering. Taking a clue from this The United Kingdom refused to participate. Many of the other main players then realized (despite the attendance of outgoing Secretary of State Kerry) that the one country (The USA) most able to enforce any agreement was not going to do so. The summit basically fizzled out.
Apart from the concurrence of dates listed above there are many other reasons to get excited for what may happen prophetically this year. If you have the time it would be well worth it to check out Daniel Matson's web site http://watchfortheday.org/ . There are many great articles there but especially check out the ones that talk about the The Sign Of The Woman.
In Revelation 12: 1-2 it says:
A great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown with twelve stars: and she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
The chapter then goes on to talk about a second sign in the heavens about a great red dragon which waits to devour the child.
The sign that appears in Revelation is symbolic of Joseph's dream found in Genesis and that lets us know that the identity of the women is Israel. But what is really interesting is that this sign also refers to an actual arraignment of stars or constellation that the ancient world was well aware of.
The constellations all seem to move during the seasons in relation to our position on Earth and into and through these star formations move planets, comets and meteor showers. Each constellation has a certain meaning assigned to it as does each planet. The position of the constellations and planets both past and future are all on computer. Thus someone can study the star charts back in 2 BC or look ahead in time to this September.
On September 23rd, 2017 there will be an alignment in Virgo which has not happened for at least the last 3000 years. Virgo (the virgin) which has a crown of 9 stars will have three planets (which appear as stars) also in her crown (12 stars, which represent the 12 sons of Jacob, thus the 12 tribes of Israel, thus the nation of Israel). The moon will appear under her feet, the rising sun will also be in the constellation (which will actually make it difficult then to actually see the stars). The planet Jupiter (the King planet) will be present in the virgin's womb. I could go on but hopefully you are getting the picture. To see the actual charts check Matson's site, again listed HERE.
We are now in the Jewish year 5777. At sundown on September 20 begins the Jewish Feast of Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, also known as The Jewish New Year (starting 5778).
On sundown September 22, 2017, Jewish year 5778, which then includes all of the day until sundown of September 23, is the Jewish feast of Shabbat Shuva. What is that?
Shabbat is of course Friday evening through Saturday evening, the Jewish day of worship.The Shabbat Shuva celebrates the one Shabbat that occurs between the Jewish feasts of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and is celebrated by the blowing of the shofar. According to Jewish tradition, Shabbat is taken from a verse in Hosea which literally means "return".
So we will have a Jewish feast day on September 23, 2017,which features the blowing of a Jewish trumpet signifying return, the same day that there will be for the first time we know about a sign in the heavens of the woman mentioned in Revelation 12, clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, with a crown of 12 stars, and pregnant with a kingly man child.
I am not making any predictions of the rapture or anything else, but it will be very interesting to see what will take place this year. Keep watching!
Just to briefly touch on the 1967 date - It was in June of that year during the Six Day War that Israel gained control over the entire city of Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. At that point God had given complete control over the entire city of Jerusalem, including the ancient site of the Temple Mount, back to Israel. However, not trusting God and worried about Muslim and Arab reactions Israel returned control over certain parts of Jerusalem including the Temple Mount to them.
Early in January of this year, 2017, the United Nations passed article 2334 which basically states that Israel has no rights to any parts of the West Bank and Golan Heights and no historic claim to Jerusalem. The United States in the past has always vetoed similar resolutions but this year was different. There were indications that the outgoing Obama administration was actually involved behind the scenes to create the resolution. When it was time to vote the United States abstained, thus allowing for the first time one of these resolutions to pass.
Last week 70 nations (there is that number again) meet in Paris for a "Peace Summit" in the attempt to force Israel to return to it's pre-1967 borders, borders that were not then or now defensible. Or in other words, without anything in return including security concerns they were trying to figure out a way to force Israel to give up the West Bank, the Golan and control over Jerusalem.
Just before the meeting began President Elect Trump voiced his displeasure with the gathering. Taking a clue from this The United Kingdom refused to participate. Many of the other main players then realized (despite the attendance of outgoing Secretary of State Kerry) that the one country (The USA) most able to enforce any agreement was not going to do so. The summit basically fizzled out.
Apart from the concurrence of dates listed above there are many other reasons to get excited for what may happen prophetically this year. If you have the time it would be well worth it to check out Daniel Matson's web site http://watchfortheday.org/ . There are many great articles there but especially check out the ones that talk about the The Sign Of The Woman.
In Revelation 12: 1-2 it says:
A great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown with twelve stars: and she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
The chapter then goes on to talk about a second sign in the heavens about a great red dragon which waits to devour the child.
The sign that appears in Revelation is symbolic of Joseph's dream found in Genesis and that lets us know that the identity of the women is Israel. But what is really interesting is that this sign also refers to an actual arraignment of stars or constellation that the ancient world was well aware of.
The constellations all seem to move during the seasons in relation to our position on Earth and into and through these star formations move planets, comets and meteor showers. Each constellation has a certain meaning assigned to it as does each planet. The position of the constellations and planets both past and future are all on computer. Thus someone can study the star charts back in 2 BC or look ahead in time to this September.
On September 23rd, 2017 there will be an alignment in Virgo which has not happened for at least the last 3000 years. Virgo (the virgin) which has a crown of 9 stars will have three planets (which appear as stars) also in her crown (12 stars, which represent the 12 sons of Jacob, thus the 12 tribes of Israel, thus the nation of Israel). The moon will appear under her feet, the rising sun will also be in the constellation (which will actually make it difficult then to actually see the stars). The planet Jupiter (the King planet) will be present in the virgin's womb. I could go on but hopefully you are getting the picture. To see the actual charts check Matson's site, again listed HERE.
We are now in the Jewish year 5777. At sundown on September 20 begins the Jewish Feast of Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, also known as The Jewish New Year (starting 5778).
On sundown September 22, 2017, Jewish year 5778, which then includes all of the day until sundown of September 23, is the Jewish feast of Shabbat Shuva. What is that?
Shabbat is of course Friday evening through Saturday evening, the Jewish day of worship.The Shabbat Shuva celebrates the one Shabbat that occurs between the Jewish feasts of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and is celebrated by the blowing of the shofar. According to Jewish tradition, Shabbat is taken from a verse in Hosea which literally means "return".
So we will have a Jewish feast day on September 23, 2017,which features the blowing of a Jewish trumpet signifying return, the same day that there will be for the first time we know about a sign in the heavens of the woman mentioned in Revelation 12, clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, with a crown of 12 stars, and pregnant with a kingly man child.
I am not making any predictions of the rapture or anything else, but it will be very interesting to see what will take place this year. Keep watching!
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