Sheep Food

  For anyone who has grown accustomed to reading my daily messages, I just wanted to let you know all is good here, I am fine and nothing is wrong.  I simply have felt a compelling to pause for a moment, if you will; call it a 'holding pattern' or whatever.  For how long? I am unsure.  I'm still up early...feeding on His word and know better than to try doing something like this on my own. In the meantime...keep pressing in...keep studying...keep listening for His voice (John 10:27). And most importantly...make sure you are abiding in Him. (John 15:1-8; 1 John 2:3-6; 3:4-10). If there is more than I feel compelled to share, I am confident I will not have to be told more than once. :- ).

  Let’s start out today with some insightful words from James: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (1:2-4 NLT). You might also jot down Matt. 5:48. If you read further down, we are told that the man who “endures (or perseveres) temptation is blessed... and they will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12). And what did Jesus say those who actually love Him...will do (John 14:15)? Can I just tell you how much easier it is to actually do this...when you are truly ‘abiding’ in Him? (1 John 2:3-6). Can anyone tell me why we have ‘lowered the bar’ to such a place where we indoctrinate new ‘believers’... that they will always ‘remain a flawed, human sinner who is saved by...

  If/when you get stung by a bee or wasp, you know to get that stinger out sooner than later. The same with a wood splinter, because the longer you let it stay buried under the surface of your skin, the more prone you are to allowing infection setting in... which usually won’t lead to a loss of life or limb, but it sure can hurt like the dickens for a while. Do you remember those old movies where the approaching enemy would launch a flaming arrow or spear that would land atop a thatch roof...and the flames would quickly spread engulfing the home, or maybe other buildings within the castle walls? Smart folks had pails and barrels of water ready to douse those flames in times of such ‘conflicts’. Or how about when ‘uninvited guest’ make an entry into your home, be it rodents, flying insects or reptiles; and yes...even ‘squatters’. I’ve never understood that law that is on the books in some places...where a complete stranger can make their way into a person’s home on their own, and t...

  [This message today will make little sense to you if you missed yesterday’s post; just saying.] It has been written that it’s the ‘little foxes that spoil the vine’ (Song of Solomon 2:5). Funny, is it not... how we tend to overlook or dismiss those ‘little sins that so easily beset us’ (Heb. 12:1) when we are told that even a ‘little leaven can leaven the whole loaf’? (1 Cor. 5:6-7). Friends, I will continue to make the case that we have been lulled into a false sense of security, if not a ‘deep sleep’ when it comes to dealing with all ‘sin’ and ‘deeds of the flesh’ in our lives, as if God is not that serious about us being ‘perfect’ or ‘holy’(Matt. 5:48:1 Pet.1:15-16). King Saul made a tragic decision to believe the same thing...and he paid dearly for it (1 Samuel 15). Paul gave a somber warning in 2 Cor. 7:1 that we would do well to not only know and memorize, but to act upon. As I heard years ago, God did not give us His word to ‘analyze’; He gave us His word to ‘do’! I sh...

  Paul was very ‘matter of fact’ when he wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians that they would do well to forgive a repentant brother in their midst…’lest Satan take advantage of them…’ (2 Cor. 2:10-11). He had no qualms in warning the believers there of this spiritual foe who was seeking an advantage to find his way in to do what he does best – ‘steal, kill, and destroy’ (John 10:10). It was then, and should be for all of us today… a continuing reminder that you see in other places throughout scripture to the danger this ‘enemy’ poses (Matt. 12:43-45; 25:42-44; Eph. 4:27; 1 Pet. 5:8). And let’s not forget that last line of an assumed fact that Paul shares: “…for we are not ignorant or unaware of his schemes and devices…” Paul would also write to the church at Ephesus reminding them to make use of this spiritual ‘armor’ that God had provided for us…’in order to stand against and be protected from the various ‘schemes and devices’ of this ‘devil’ (Eph. 6:11). Have you eve...

  “Do you want to be made well?” It was one of the most pointed, direct questions ever asked by Jesus (John 5:6). Then came the command: “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” {8}…’and immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked’ (9). I cannot stress enough the importance of that word ‘immediately’ that is recorded there in scripture. It did not take this man who had been infirm for 38 years …a ‘running start’ along with years of therapy to begin doing what he had been created to do…which was to walk uprightly on both legs. Walk…uprightly. What about you? Do you…want to be ‘made well’…so that you too…can ‘walk uprightly’…before God? Can you even imagine a scenario where someone would not want to be made well? What on earth could possibly be a reason for resisting or even refusing to say ‘yes’ to such a question? Well, the answer to that might not shock you because when we get honest with ourselves, we can discover that we actually ‘love’ darkness more than we love ...

  There have been many joyful experiences that I have been able to witness these past couple of years living near my two grandsons; and believe me when I say it has been a joy that has filled my heart and exceeded my wildest expectations. (Eph. 3:20). It really is like doing the whole parenting thing over again but it’s the ‘2.0 version’ with more benefits. IYKYK :- ). For example...the boys are at that age now where they want to ‘help Papa’ do things. Or, when they attempt to try something new, they are insistent that they do it by themselves; as in: “Papa, I don’t need your help. I do it myself!” And I’ll usually step back with a smile and watch them struggle until they say: “Papa...I need your help.” (anyone see where this might be going today?) This ‘walk of faith’ that so many of us embarked on years ago (or even recently for some), is indeed a ‘walk’ that centers around ‘following Jesus’, or so it was designed to be. And yet how many have continued to struggle, especially wh...

  So what exactly does it mean to ‘walk in the light as He is in the light’? (1 John 1:7) Let me first give you two good reasons as to why we should know this, let alone 'do it'... 1- If we are not walking in the light as He is...then we are not being washed, or cleansed by His blood; and I would hope you would understand the importance of that one aspect. And 2- we can actually be overtaken by the darkness, which is not a good thing (John 12:35). For those of you who would dispute that second point, wanting to claim that ‘no one can pluck us from the Father’s hand...please take note to whom that promise was given to in John 10:28- it was to “His sheep...who not only ‘hear His voice’...but they ‘follow Him’ (27). Why bother calling Him ‘Lord’...if we are not going to do the things He says? (Luke 6:46). I’ll give you the number one reason why so many sincere believers continue to struggle today with sin, discouragement, despair...and even ‘destruction’ (Hosea 4:6). They lack t...

  “...I have come that ‘they’ might have life, and that ‘they’ may have it to the fullest”. -Jesus (John 10:10) Well there you go- another *news flash* revelation moment for me today. Folks...I’m just here learning much of this along with the rest of you as we continue to dive into God’s word. Don’t ask me why, but I’ve always heard, read, and quoted that verse in John 10:10 as Jesus saying “I’ve come that ‘YOU’ might have life...”. But that’s not what He said. Read it again...He said that ‘they’ ... might have life. In fact, He repeats that personal pronoun, ‘they’, twice. And you only need to read at the start of that chapter to quickly discover who ‘they’ are that Jesus is referring to- it's those ‘sheep’...who hear His voice and follow Him out (3)...and then ‘enter the Door by Him’ (9). And did you catch that part there which states ‘those who enter by Him...will be ‘saved’”? Also, another small footnote here- it said in vs. 3 that He, (Jesus the Good Shepherd) “leads them...

  Do you really need me to tell you what you probably are already aware of, that there is much ‘darkness’ in the land today? And depending on what ‘world view’ you tend to have, you may see the source of that darkness through a different set of lenses that someone else. Perhaps your focus is on the political climate and divide we live in today, or the ever changing cultural shifts that are constantly ‘evolving’. Maybe you’re wired to look at everything through statistical and economic data...and have concerns. And then there is the ‘spiritual climate’ in which I personally tend to view more and pay closer attention to for a host of reasons these days. But one thing I have often observed when it comes to ‘darkness’: it can produce much anxiety, fear, and confusion in people. This in turn can oftentimes lead to irrational thinking, if not panic; because people who 'walk in darkness don't know where they are going', as Jesus once said (John 12:35). The prophet Isaiah spoke...

  I feel kind of sorry for people who have been ‘advised’ to steer clear of all those ‘old testament’ stories and writings of the prophets found in our Bibles. I only say that because Peter told us to be ‘mindful of the words spoken’ by those prophets of old...who spoke of these ‘last days’ (2 Pet. 3:1-3; Acts 3:24-26). I mean, when you think about it...what ‘scriptures’ do you think they were studying back in those early days of the church where Jesus was ‘opening their understanding to the scriptures’? It certainly was not the New Testament which had yet to have been written down. (Luke 24:32,45; Acts 17:11) It was Peter who stood up on the day of Pentecost to explain what the crowds were witnessing as the Holy Spirit fell upon the people...saying: “This is that...which was spoken by the prophet Joel...” (Acts 2:16). And Paul warned us to “beware...lest what had been spoken by the prophet Habakkuk come upon us”...in Acts 13:40. Sounds like what was written back then may have ...