JOEL 2...

A Call to Repentance

 12 That is why the Lord says,
      “Turn to me now, while there is time.
   Give me your hearts.
      Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,
      but tear your hearts instead.”
   Return to the Lord your God,
      for he is merciful and compassionate,
   slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
      He is eager to relent and not punish.
 14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve,
      sending you a blessing instead of this curse.
   Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine
      to the Lord your God as before.

Isaiah 58...A Calling Out to Those Who Say They Believe...

Isaiah 58

" ' Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. " Why have we fasted, they say, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?" ' Yet on the day of your fasting you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You can not fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sack cloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?"[58:1-5]

God is addressing the essence of his people's heart and actions apart from mere appearances...

He begins by declaring that His people are in rebellion even though they appear, to the natural eye, to be living rightly... seeking him...eager to know his ways...humbling themselves... 

In reality, they may give the public appearance of righteousness, but behind closed doors and in their hearts they dishonor Him and chose their own way...

" A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" kind of thing... 

" A form of godliness but denying its power [2 Timothy 3]" reality...

Putting on an air of being one thing while truly operating and thinking as another...

What we are on the inside is the reality- no matter what we portray on the outside....

This is God's desire for His people...that we live " righteous, inside -out" lives...

Lives that display His splendor and His glory from the inside-out. 

This is not religion but, relationship!

The way we do life...

When we align ourselves with God and righteous living, here's the picture and the promise...

" Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the chords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here I am. 

If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise up in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 

The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. 

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will finds your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken."[Isaiah 58: 6-14]

Seeking after God -a pure desire; evidenced in our heart motives and actions, to know the more of Him...

A steady diet of denying our own flesh and esteeming and serving others...

The essence of following "The Way"...and as we do;  

Our sphere of influence will grow, we will have favor with God and man, health, protection and provision...He will perfect everything that concerns us [Psalm 138:8] and establish us in every way[Psalm 90 & 91]!

Rise up, Beloved...follow "The Way"!

Taste and see that the Lord is good! 

He longs to sing over us...the question is -will we allow Him to?

Complete Provision...Blessing in the Hard Place...

The "Valley of Achor"...a place of hope, blessing and complete provision?

The "Valley of Achor"; according to definition, represented trouble. It is believed to be the place where the "sin of Achan" occurred and brought calamity upon the Israelites(Joshua 7). The expression "Valley of Achor" became proverbial for hardship in jewish tradition for this reason.

But, here in the following scripture we find something very different being associated with the Valley... it speaks of hope, refreshing; even blessing...

Hosea 2 :14-15

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt."

This was a word from the Lord brought forth through the prophet Hosea of the Old Testament. In it, He [the Lord] makes it known that HE leads and allows the "deserts" in our lives. Not only does he lead us there; HE is present with us in that place - speaking life into and through the circumstance... 

The idea is that Father God is at work to will and to act according to his good pleasure and can bring joy and hope in the midst of a trial. The place of calamity has the potential to become a source of blessing! When he leads -he intends it for a life-giving purpose. 

He brings us into the hard place - the place we would not bring ourselves - to take us to the next level with Him - to get glory for Himself and position us for what it is He wants to accomplish next.  The only requirement on our part is an obedient and surrendered heart willing to hear and receive.

 In that posture, the hard places in our lives become places of growth and renewal- places of fresh perspective, reignited passion and "face-like-flint" purpose.

I like to call it the "lemonade from lemons" moment. The sweet spot in what should be a very sour place. All of God's goodness, grace, love, compassion and mercy come pouring out on you and you experience what it is to rise up and call this place blessed because you have "seen the Lord", sensed His touch and maybe even been given a glimpse of His divine purpose for allowing you to be found in the hard place...WOW!

This, my friend, is the ebb and flow of a vibrant love relationship with the Creator of the universe. It is the place of purest praise and adoration- born out of deep gratitude and absolute trust!

Out of what should be death comes a wellspring of life and sweet relationship...

Next time you find yourself in a "Valley of Achor" - look for the "lemonade stand" and drink deep! 

Your Father's love for you is an amazing thing... he is intent on transforming you into the image of His son and knows exactly what it will take to bring you there... press into Him and push through the valley together! He WILL open up the portals of heaven and blessing WILL rain down upon you! 

BE ENCOURAGED, my friend - your God is near!

Just a thought...

Why do we do what we do...what's our motivation? The whirlwind and marketing maddness of the "Holiday" Season...our falling prey to it...

Does the season for you really communicate to those around you the "hope that is within" our do we just look like the masses? 

Frenzied, exhausted, stressed out and ungrateful... 

I know I found myself in this category this year and wondering how I got here...

The simple answer is FOCUS...more to come on that...

May we fix our eyes on the author and finisher of our faith and learn what it truly means to hear and be lead by his voice...so loudly that it drowns out the noise!

A Believer's Responsibility...

Psalm 34 talks about Father God's deliverance,redemption and provision but, it also covers a few things that are up to us as believers...

The scripture says, " I sought the Lord,and he answered me..."(34:4); "Fear Him and He delivers..."(34:7); "Taste and See that the Lord is good...[take refuge in Him and be blessed]"(34:8); "...seek the Lord lack no good thing" (34:10)My responsibility followed by Father God's response to me doing what His word tells me to do...

"Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it" (34:13-14). "[He]...saves those who are crushed in spirit"(34:18). "The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him" (34:22).

Believer's Responsibility:

-Seek Him; pursue relationship -make time for getting to know Him on a deeper level than you know Him now.

-Look to Him; learn from His word how you should order your life.

-Fear him (reverence/respect) give Him the honor and glory He's due in every area of your life.

-Take refuge in him - come to him when your hurting or have a need.

-Be an active participant with Him; observe what he's doing and get in on it.

-Keep your tongue in check; speak only what is truth(the grapevine is definitely out on this one).

-Live righteously; pattern your behavior and the choices you make on the absolute standard of His Word. [NOTE: this is not perfection but, it is a life surrendered to Him; seeking to honor Him in every way.]

-Seek peace...pursue it (when others around you are "stirring the pot"; you be the one to diffuse the situation)

God's Response in Our Obedience:

-He answers our prayers.

-He delivers us from trouble and fear.

-He releases us from guilt and shame (no condemnation).

-He encamps around us(protection).

-He blesses; makes every provision (we lack no good thing)[NOTE: not necessarily everything we want but, definitely everything we need -BIG DIFFERENCE].

-He saves and redeems us (the bible say he is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life and the only WAY to relationship with Father God - John 14:6)[no other option]

He is faithful! By virtue of His character and very nature; he can be and do nothing less.

Our faithfulness is proved by our pursuit of Him and our obedience to follow His way. He delights in responding to us and His way is always perfect and perfectly timed!

Be encouraged, my friend! Your God is passionate for you so, be passionate for Him! 

LIVE IT LOUD! 

Which Will You Choose...

I plan on posting a lengthier thought later but, here's a little something for now...

Fear the Lord, you his saints, there is no want for those who fear him... Psalm 34:9

Fear Him -reverence, respect- put Him in first place...order your life around His word; His way of doing things and you will have everything you need - no matter what the circumstances surrounding you...

So really the question is who & what are you going to trust in?

 

...that which is temporal; which will be consumed- that cannot produce any lasting fruit in your life, not to mention peace in a crazy time; nor provision on the level really needed  - 

OR that which is eternal- life giving, peace assuring, security and full provision - lasting beyond this earthly existence? 

The choice is yours to make...weigh it, mull it over, consider it... but, MAKE IT! 

Don't be lukewarm you can not have it both ways...

Timely Word...

Psalm 37

" Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. TRUST IN THE LORD AND DO GOOD; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. COMMIT YOUR WAY TO THE LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

BE STILL BEFORE THE LORD AND WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM; DO NOT FRET when men succeed in their ways; when they carry out their wicked schemes. 

REFRAIN FROM ANGER AND TURN FROM WRATH; do not fret - it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright, But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 

Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever. 

IN TIMES OF DISASTER THEY WILL NOT WITHER; IN DAYS OF FAMINE THEY WILL ENJOY PLENTY. 

But the wicked will perish: The Lord's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish - vanish like smoke. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. 

I was young and now I am old, yet I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN OR THEIR CHILDREN BEGGING BREAD. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

TURN FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; THEN YOU WILL DWELL IN THE LAND FOREVER. FOR THE LORD LOVES THE JUST AND WILL NOT FORSAKE HIS FAITHFUL ONES.

They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. 

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. 

The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; but the Lord will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial. 

WAIT FOR THE LORD AND KEEP HIS WAY. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I look for him, he could not be found.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him." 

A word, I believe, the Lord is bringing to the forefront for those who are truly his - may your heart be encouraged,your spirit vigilant and your eyes wide open in the days to come!

His grace and His Peace to you!