Significance of Sukkot

/in /by

Deuteronomy 16:16 states: Three times a year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread,(Passover) at the Feast of Weeks, (Pentecost) and at the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

Exodus 23:14–17 Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to Me.15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before Me empty-handed.16 Also you shall keep the Feast of Harvest [Pentecost], [acknowledging] the first fruits of your toil, of what you sow in the field. And [third] you shall keep the Feast of Ingathering [Booths or Tabernacles] at the end of the year, when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field.17 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. 

Significant events occurred during two of the three mandatory feast days – of God’s Biblical Calendar: Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover = Jesus was crucified, and resurrected. Feast of Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks or Pentecost  = Jesus Baptized His Followers in the Holy Spirit and Birthed the Church.

What significant event could happen around the Feast of Tabernacles-Sukkot? Like Passover and Pentecost, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. The holiday commemorates the 40 year period the children of Israel wandered in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Sukkot also celebrates the harvest, and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, the Festival of Ingathering. During the days of Jesus’ ministry on earth, Sukkot, was celebrated through sacrificing 70 oxen, corresponding to the 70 nations, and praying for peace and harmony among all the nations of the world. As a religious Holy Day – it follows the Feast of Trumpets, 10 Days of Awe, and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The time of judging yourself, confession of sin and repentance, becomes a time of celebration at Sukkot. Lev. 23:42-43 You shall dwell in Sukkot for seven days…So that your future generations shall know that I had the children of Israel live in Sukkot when I brought them out of Egypt. Today the Jewish people around the world build temporary shelters to participate in this Holy Day. During this 7-day event – families will eat and sleep in their sukkah.

Hebrews 11:13-16 states: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. NKJV

Sukkot or Tabernacles reminds us we are only passing through this life. This earth is not our home – Jesus is. All followers of Jesus, are strangers and pilgrims in this land. We are looking forward to a Heavenly City – actually seeking it out, desiring, and longing for it. And why shouldn’t we? Have you ever stopped to think that most of us will be forgotten after just three generations. No one will really know who we were. My Dad has done extensive genealogical research on our family. He has traced our roots all the way back to the highlands of Scotland. He has the names of ancestors going back all the way to the 1600’s. I know many of their names. But guess what? In reality I have no idea who they were. Nobody does – but Jesus. Jesus has our names written in the Palm of His Hand (Isa. 49:16); He has the hairs of our head numbered (Mt. 10:30); He saves our tears in a bottle and records them in a book (Ps. 56:8); He saves our prayers in a bowl (Rev. 5:8); He records in a book when we have conversations about Him (Mal. 3:16) He knew us before we were born (Jer. 1:5). I’ve said it often: What gift do you give a rich man who owns everything in the world? The one thing He doesn’t have: you. You are God’s Treasure, His pearl of great price, and His lost coin. My Mom still has my baby book. If my Mom thinks I am that special to save a scrap book of memories about me – how precious is it that we have a God Who hasn’t just saved our baby footprints and handprints? He has saved every trace of who we are – from beginning to new beginning. Remind yourself of these things during these seven days.

Happy Sukkot! (Hag Sameach, or Chag Sukkot Sameach)!

/in /by

Throughout the years of ministry I have sought to teach followers of Jesus their Hebraic roots and their relevance for today. Often, and ignorantly, I will hear statements like, “We are not under the Jewish Law” or “Are you trying to “Judaize” us?” or “Are you trying to make us Jewish?” Their comments expose an ignorance of God’s Word and the inadequacy of their partnership with the Spirit. (He really is our Teacher)

Born-again, followers of Jesus believe the Bible is God’s Inspired, Authoritative Word. It is the bedrock, and foundation of the things we believe and practice. With that in mind, we hold the tension between no longer being bound by the Old Testament Law – and our freedom purchased from it by Jesus’ sacrificial, Blood. Yet, though we have been set free from the keeping of the feasts, festivals, sacrificial law, and dietary restrictions – there are principles contained in its teachings that still apply. (The Ten Commandments are part of the Law. Yet, we still practice their teachings) Case in point, true, born-again, followers of Jesus believe He is returning to earth to reign a 1000 years. We believe this because Jesus taught it, and Old Testament prophets affirmed its inevitability. Regarding this time the prophet Zechariah wrote: Zechariah 14:16-19 And everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths.17 And it shall be that whoso of the families of the earth shall not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, upon them there shall be no rain.18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up to Jerusalem and present themselves, upon them there shall be no rain, but there shall be the plague with which the Lord will smite the nations that go not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.19 This shall be the consequent punishment of the sin of Egypt and the consequent punishment of the sin of all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

During the Millennial (1000) Year Reign we will observe and keep the Feast of Sukkot, (Tabernacles, or Booths) and make pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts. (All followers of Jesus look forward to that wonderful day) During the month of September or October, a sukkah, or temporary shelter is erected in front of the entrance to our church. And over the years, Crystal Brown, and others have gone about the business of decorating it – for all to see. We do this as a testimony of our belief that Jesus is returning to earth – to tabernacle, or make His permanent home with us. John alludes to this in his gospel account: And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. John 1:14 AMPC

Identical Twins

/in /by

Malachi 1:2-3 I have loved you, says the Lord. Yet you say, How and in what way have You loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? says the Lord; yet I loved Jacob (Israel),3 But [in comparison with the degree of love I have for Jacob] I have hated Esau….

The idea of twins that are opposite in nature is familiar in the Bible. Although twins, Jacob and Esau could not have been more different. Ultimately, as adults, they took very different paths in life, and Jacob became the father of God’s people while Esau became the father of Amalek – the nation designated by the Bible as God’s archenemy. The twin goats on Yom Kippur are meant to remind us of Esau and Jacob. The message of the twin goats is that while their appearance may fool men, there is no fooling God. He only determines their appropriate fate. “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). On Yom Kippur, we have an incredible opportunity for forgiveness. But in order for that to happen, we must admit our errors and resolve to be better. We can only do that if we are willing to uncover our greatest shortcomings and confront our hidden vices. We can fool others and even ourselves, but there is no deceiving God. Yom Kippur is a time to come clean. We need to take an honest look inside the places that only we can see. We have to determine where we have gone wrong and make amends. Only then can God cleanse us of our sins.

Through Jesus we are no longer under obligation to observe most of the Feasts and Festivals (Sukkot or Tabernacles will be celebrated during the Millennial Reign of Jesus). The Old Testament sacrifices were never enough to rid the people of the stain of sin and guilt from their hearts, nor did they have the power to change hearts. Hebrews 10:1-10 echoes this thought: For since the Law has merely a rude outline (foreshadowing) of the good things to come—instead of fully expressing those things—it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars].2 For if it were otherwise, would [these sacrifices] not have stopped being offered? Since the worshipers had once for all been cleansed, they would no longer have any guilt or consciousness of sin.3 But [as it is] these sacrifices annually bring a fresh remembrance of sins [to be atoned for], 4 Because the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to take sins away.5 Hence, when He [Christ] entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me [to offer];6 In burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight. 7 Then I said, Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God—[to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book.8 When He said just before, You have neither desired, nor have You taken delight in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings—all of which are offered according to the Law—9 He then went on to say, Behold, [here] I am, coming to do Your will. Thus He does away with and annuls the first (former) order [as a means of expiating sin] so that He might inaugurate and establish the second (latter) order.10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One). AMPC

What does this mean for you and I? Romans 3:23-25 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. 24 [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, 25 Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment. AMPC

Jesus made atonement for our sins – making us one with God in a Moment! Jesus’ perfect sacrifice has reconciled all of us, who were enemies of God, to being rightly related to God. Jesus has made peace between God, the Father and all those who are willing to receive and trust God’s Gift of His Son. Paul reminds us that because of Jesus reconciling us to God you and I have been given a ministry and mandate to seek out others who need Jesus’ Atonement and be reconciled to God: 2 Corinthians 5:18 states: But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. AMPC

Today we are reminded to give thanks for all the wonderful blessings Jesus’ Atonement has secured for us; to be reconciled to God through repenting of thoughts and actions that are an offense to God; to be reconciled to others, making a fresh commitment to seek to bring others into harmony with God (it’s our ministry). Set aside time today to seek God and draw near to Him, and as a reminder realize this is the day we are to Come Up Here in order to enter His Throne Room to worship, and seek Him for what is to come for the new year. Remember Jacob was the one who wrestled God for the Blessing and the Birthright. Those who wrestle with God, for more of God, are the “Jacobs” He loves.

Happy Yom Kippur or G’Mar Chatima Tova

/in /by

What is Yom Kippur? The Bible refers to it as the Day of Atonement or becoming “at-one-in a moment” with God. An article on the website of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews reminds us, in more detail, why Yom Kippur was instituted by God. It states: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year and is the culmination of the High Holy Days. In 2025, the observance of Yom Kippur starts at sunset on October 1 and concludes on the evening of October 2. In Jewish tradition, Yom Kippur marks the final opportunity to repent before God before the Book of Life is sealed for another year. This day marks the culmination of the High Holy Days or Ten Days of Repentance, which began ten days earlier with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year or, as the Bible describes it, the “Sabbath of Sabbaths.” The Bible states, “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance” (Leviticus 16:29–32).

The Yom Kippur Goats: “Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats — one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.” — (Leviticus 16:7–8) Today, Yom Kippur is marked with a day of fasting and worship in the synagogue. However, when the Temple stood, the people observed an elaborate service, culminating when a red thread representing the sins of Israel would miraculously turn white when they were forgiven. The service that once took place in the Temple was based on the commandments regarding two goats. Today, we only read about that service; however, it is imperative that we understand the meaning behind this ritual. Once we do, we can still benefit from the message. The Bible instructed the High Priest to select two goats and then cast lots to determine each one’s fate. By way of the lots, God would determine which goat would be consecrated to Him and which would become the scapegoat sent into the desert to die. The commandment required that the two goats be identical in appearance, size, and value. These goats would look like twins – the same on the outside – but their destinies would be completely different.

Identical Twins: 2000 years ago mankind’s Identitical Twin, Jesus, came to earth to die in our place, as our substitute. In Matthew 27:15-17, 21-26 the Apostle records an interesting “coincidence”: Now at the Feast [of the Passover] the governor was in the habit of setting free for the people any one prisoner whom they chose.16And at that time they had a notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas. 17So when they had assembled for this purpose, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to set free for you, Barabbas, or Jesus Who is called Christ?…Again the governor said to them, Which of the two do you wish me to release for you? And they said, Barabbas! 22 Pilate said to them, Then what shall I do with Jesus Who is called Christ? 23They all replied, Let Him be crucified! And he said, Why? What has He done that is evil? But they shouted all the louder, Let Him be crucified! 24 So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but rather that a riot was about to break out, he took water and washed his hands in the presence of the crowd, saying, I am not guilty of nor responsible for this righteous Man’s blood; see to it yourselves.25 And all the people answered, Let His blood be on us and on our children! 26So he set free for them Barabbas; and he [had] Jesus whipped, and delivered Him up to be crucified. – Obviously it was no coincidence that Jesus, the True Son of God, took the place of Barabbas. Why do I say this? Barabbas’ name translated from Aramaic means, “son of the Father.” But note one more interesting detail in verse 25: Let His blood be on us and on our children! At Yom Kippur the blood of the sacrificial goat was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, in front of it, and on the horns of bronze altar….in the outer court. (Where was the Ark of the Covenant supposed to be? In the Temple in Jerusalem) Where was Jesus sacrificed? Outside the city gates of Jerusalem. On the “horns” of a cross.

Jesus, our Identical Twin, and Scapegoat, took the place of us goats preparing a way for us to be reconciled to the Father. On this day we celebrate the sacrifice He paid on our behalf 2000 years ago, at Passover. Remember His Sacrifice that made all who will trust in, and receive it – the righteousness of God! From Goats, to sheep, to the righteousness of God! How? Because His Blood is on us! It’s time to give thanks and overflow with it throughout the day.

Rinse, Repent, or Repeat

/in /by

Habakkuk 1:4,12 Therefore the law is slackened and justice and a righteous sentence never go forth, for the [hostility of the] wicked surrounds the [uncompromisingly] righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.…12 Are not You from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed [the Chaldean] to execute [Your] judgment, and You, O Rock, have established him for chastisement and correction.

In 612 B.C the Chaldeans conquered the Assyrians overthrowing its capital, Nineveh, of Jonah fame. This occurred approximately 138 years following his famous , five word sermon. Why is all of this significant? The prophet of God was crying out to God regarding Israel’s injustices, and unrighteousness. What was God’s answer to Habakkuk’s prayer? He sent the armies of the Chaldeans to execute His judgment, chastisement, and correction. Hebrews 12:5-10 My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him; 6 For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.7 You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline? 8 Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all].9 Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live?10 For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.

It took me a long time to figure out that when I went on a fast to pray and seek God that what happened next was His response to my prayers. What usually happened next? Trials, testings, difficult people, and circumstances that would expose my sin. Before I understood this I usually responded by allowing these distractions to shift me farther away from Jesus (the original target). Often I would blame the person or circumstance eventually shifting the blame to the Lord for allowing these things. Since then I have begun to notice that what surfaces is God’s mercy disciplining me to repentance, and humility. When we reject His discipline we get to repeat the lesson. If we fail to rinse and repent we will simply end up rejecting and repeating. In the meantime are we getting better or bitter? Are we using the difficulty as a stepping stone to ascend into the Presence of Jesus or are we stumbling over the offense, falling away from the Lord? Hebrews 12:14-15 Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.15 Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it. Foresight is defined as: the ability to predict, imagine, or anticipate what might happen in the future and to use that knowledge to plan actions accordingly. It involves looking ahead, gathering information about the future, and preparing wisely for potential developments, problems, or opportunities. When we aren’t able to recognize the discipline of the Lord the chances of developing a root of bitterness multiplies exponentially.

Cramming for the All-Nighter or a Delighter in the Day of the Lord?

/in /by

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?

Since our heart, or soul, is deceitful above all things it most definitely can deceive us into believing we are believing and trusting in Jesus – when in reality we are really trusting ourselves. Our soul has the potential to deceive us into believing we are worshipping, serving, and obeying Jesus – when in reality we are simply serving ourselves. For this reason we seek God. Not only does Scripture repeatedly exhort us to seek God, it provides us with appointed holy days designed purposefully to readjust our focus (if the Christian believes all the Word of God – including the Law – is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness – see 2 Tim. 3:16-17) to return to the true center of the universe: God Almighty! (Not SELF) Many of us have participated in the month of Elul’ focus on confession, repentance, and seeking God but now the focus narrows as we approach the highest of all holy days: Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur begins on Wednesday, October 1 concluding Thursday October 2, 2025. This is considered the highest of all holy days on God’s Biblical calendar. Why? The fall festival of Sukkot (or Tabernacles). Sukkot is a prophetic signpost alerting Jew and Christian when the Messiah is coming to “tabernacle” with mankind. Our Father, in His mercy and love, provides us with an opportunity to prepare to appear before Him. Monday, September 22, alerted us to the 10 Day countdown (the number ten being a prophetic symbol of judgment) to prepare for Yom Kippur and ultimately, to prepare for Jesus’ Return. Now I did not believe the church was about to be raptured on September 23, 2025. If I had of known when this was about to take place it would put me above Jesus (Who said He didn’t know the day the Father appointed – see Mt. 24:36).

Why does any of this matter? Let me explain it this way. I used to be a horrible student waiting till the last minute to cram for a test. In truth I hadn’t learned a thing. Quite simply I was doing what ever it took to pass the test and continue in my ignorance. Yet Matthew 24:42, 44, 46 states: Watch therefore [give strict attention, be cautious and active], for you do not know in what kind of a day [whether a near or remote one] your Lord is coming….. 44 You also must be ready therefore, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him…. 46 Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing.

In other words don’t be waiting the “night” before to prepare for the test. Live a lifestyle of learning. Jesus provided us with another parable to alert us to what we should be doing: Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish (thoughtless, without forethought) and five were wise (sensible, intelligent, and prudent).3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them; 4 But the wise took flasks of oil along with them [also] with their lamps. (Matthew 25:1-3)

The oil in this parable is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Wise virgins didn’t wait till the last minute to prepare for the return of the Bridegroom. They had spent their time collecting extra oil. How do you get more of the Spirit? It’s no coincidence that Jesus spent some of the final days of His earthly ministry in a place called Gethsemane. The Garden of Gethsemane was where Jesus prayed through to the Father’s Will regarding His crucifixion and resurrection. Here Jesus gathered extra Oil from the Spirit for the biggest test of His life. It’s no coincidence that this garden is where olive presses manufactured the oil sed to anoint kings and priests. Jesus wasn’t spending the night before the “test” cramming for extra oil. His entire life had been pressed in surrender to the Father’s Word and Will. Through His submission and obedience He had been gathering the Oil of the Spirit. He was a true “learner” of His Father in every way – not waiting till the last minute to regurgitate information He thought the Teacher wanted to hear. (See Hebrews 5:8-9) Jesus not only mastered the course laid out before Him He received His doctorate in order to teach others His Ways.

Somebody’s Watching You

/in /by

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,...

There was a popular song back in the 1980’s titled: Somebody’s Watching Me. The lyrics question: Who’s Watching Me? 1 Peter 1:10-12 states a surprising fact about who’s been watching: The prophets, who prophesied of the grace (divine blessing) which was intended for you, searched and inquired earnestly about this salvation.11 They sought [to find out] to whom or when this was to come which the Spirit of Christ working within them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow [them].12 It was then disclosed to them that the services they were rendering were not meant for themselves and their period of time, but for you. [It is these very] things which have now already been made known plainly to you by those who preached the good news (the Gospel) to you by the [same] Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Into these things [the very] angels long to look!

Did you catch the last phrase in verse 12? Into these things [the very] angels long to look! In this passage Peter writes that the prophets didn’t really understand what they were writing about and longed to understand. But not only did the prophets want to know, angels wanted a peak. In fact there is a special classification of angels called Watchers. Daniel 4:13 states: I saw in the visions of my head [as I lay] on my bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. In fact Paul states in 1 Cor. 4:9: For it seems to me that God has made an exhibit of us apostles, exposing us to view last [of all, like men in a triumphal procession who are] sentenced to death [and displayed at the end of the line]. For we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater] with both men and angels [as spectators].

Decades ago I was going through some very difficult circumstances and a prayer mentor said to me: you are on display for the angels. I didn’t truly understand what he was referring to. Now I have a little more revelation regarding its meaning. You see angels cannot receive salvation through Jesus. They see the Godhead in all their Glory from the other side of timeless eternity. What they have never experienced is what every blood, bought saint of Jesus experiences everyday: Grace, forgiveness, faith in the unseen as if it is seen, and much more. The amazing thing about all of this? They marvel at the mystery of it all: God’s Mercy, Grace, Love and Kindness – towards creatures like us. Mind you, creatures they have been sent to serve. Creatures of weakness, and foolishness, displaying the Power and Grace of Almighty God. This is what caused the devil to stumble. He became offended at God’s Grace, and inheritance being shared with lesser mortals.

Has a miracle often caused you to praise and worship God? Often those miracles are administered by angels sent to serve you and me. Those miracles cause us to worship and marvel at God’s Grace and Goodness. But guess what? When angels observe you and I struggling, and fighting to believe and trust in the unseen as if it is seen. When they see us giving thanks through difficult circumstances, praising and worshipping the Father and Jesus as if we were there – we become their miracle. You are God’s miracle and you cause Heaven and Earth – Angels and Creation – to worship the Creator. So stay alert. You are being watched as God’s trophy of Grace. You are amplifying the Worship and Praise in Heaven.

Happy Rosh Hashanah or Shanah Tovah!

/in /by

Shanah Tovah in Hebrew translates to, “Good Year!” and is a common greeting for the Biblical New year. Referring to the Christian Women for Israel article its writer states: “…the Jewish world will step into the year 5786. In Hebrew, this year is written Tav–Shin–Peh–Vav(תשפ״ו). Each letter carries meaning: Tav is covenant and completion. Shin is fire and refining. Peh is the mouth and proclamation. Vav is the nail or hook that connects. Put together, they point to a year of truth spoken boldly, promises fulfilled, and heaven and earth joined by God’s hand.”…“The feasts of the Lord are not only markers of Jewish history but signposts of God’s covenant promises. Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, calls God’s people to repentance, awakening, and readiness. When that ram’s horn is sounded, heaven’s calendar turns a page. Should we not pay attention when God Himself declares a new season? This is the year of Vav. In the Bible, Vav is the small stroke that says “and.” It is the hook that held the Tabernacle together. It joins heaven to earth. In 5786 the Lord is joining what we prayed with what we see, what He spoke then with what He is doing now.“

When I read these words I am reminded of a powerful promise in Isaiah 43:18-19:  Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old.19 Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 5786 is the promise of a new beginning, a chapter break. What is a chapter break? A chapter break is a pause in a story, typically marked by a symbol like three asterisks, or a blank line, that signals a transition to a new section of the text. It serves to indicate a shift in time, location, or point of view, or simply to give the reader a moment to pause and reflect before continuing the narrative. Chapter breaks are a tool for controlling the story’s pacing, building suspense, and creating structural shifts like moving from one act to another in a narrative arc. 

Rosh Hashanah means, Head of the Year, and is a two-day celebration of the creation of the world marking the beginning of the High Holy Days, a period of judgment and repentance leading up to Yom Kippur. Key traditions include blowing the shofar (ram’s horn) to awaken the soul, and eating apples dipped in honey for a sweet new year. Is this what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote: Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light.15 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),16 Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.17 Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit. (Ephesians 5:14-18) The Famous Scottish Preacher of the Hebrides Island Revival of Lewis, Duncan Campbell, once stated: “Suddenly an awareness of God would take hold of a community, and, under pressure of this divine presence, men and women would fall prostrate on the ground, while their cry of distress was made the means of God’s hand, to awaken the indifferent who had sat unmoved for years under the preaching of the Gospel.” Awakening to an awareness of God do you hear the trumpet? How spiritually blind and deaf do you allow yourself to become to the One and only True, God – Who is everywhere? He is the Word! Implying He speaks. Are you awakening to the Sound of His Voice? Are you on fire, and rocketing forward?

God: “Happy New Years Eve!”

/in /by

Today is the last day of 5785 – the Year of Faith, or more like the Year of Fight, as in “Fight the good fight of faith!” Hebrews 11:1 states: Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Regarding the unseen Romans 4:17 states: As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.

On our new year’s eve many people stay up late to welcome in the new year, and say good bye to the old. However with God’s New Year many people, along with His prophets, will spend time seeking the Lord inquiring about His plans for His new year. Eph. 3:17 states: May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,…Since this year has been a year of Faith what have you been building through your faith? What is Faith? Faith is an alignment or agreement with the physical and spiritual world. We practice faith everyday in the physical world. What am I referring too? Presently I am typing this message expecting – by faith – that what my brain is discerning from the Lord will make it to the keyboard of the computer through my fingers. Then, by faith, I expect that the computer will be able to process the information being sent electronically to the computer and will interpret it correctly in order to post it to an internet site millions of miles away that you will be able to receive via an email message. Faith is practiced when we start our cars, use the brake or accelerator, cross bridges, and drive along side and towards other drivers, who we are trusting, and believing, to follow the laws, stay in their lane, brake at an appropriate time, etc. In fact, it seems we have more faith in the physical realm than we do in the spiritual although the spiritual realm is more real and consistent.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Recently I received an email from Wanda Van Linde forwarded me an article from Christian Women of Israel which stated that 5786 will be a year of connection. Connection to what? Connection to what He has promised! 2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Faith is the substance of the things we hope for. Maybe that’s our problem. We haven’t trusted the God of the Word to speak to us through His Word, and His promises. Because we haven’t trusted His Word we are ignorant of what to hope for; what to put our hopes in. Without hope there is no conviction of the reality of the unseen as if it’s seen. God is perfectly confident in His Word knowing that what He speaks will manifest, and has already manifested into reality.

Do you have that hope? Do you have that confidence? Is Jesus, through your faith, [actually] dwelling, settling down, abiding, making His permanent home in your heart? Is your faith giving life to the dead things in and around you – bringing them to life? Are you claiming the promises of His Word, and meeting the conditions of those promises?

The Investment

/in /by

Psalm 18:1 I love You fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength.

Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him.

Psalm 18:49 Therefore will I give thanks and extol You, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name.

What do you give a rich, and wealthy man who owns everything in the world? David gives us a clue in Psalm 18. In verse one David gives the Lord love, in verse 30 he gives Him faith and trust, and in verse 49 he gives Him thanks, and praise. Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus warns His listeners against focusing on laying up treasures on earth. Instead He exhorts them to invest in Heaven, Eternity, and Eternal things. David reminds us what some of those eternal things look like. Yet there’s one more investment that He desires. Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and a vast host appeared which no one could count, [gathered out] of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. These stood before the throne and before the Lamb; they were attired in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

People are His treasure. More specifically their trust, adoration, and love. How can we lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven? By investing in the lives of others; especially those of the nations. They are His treasure. Why wouldn’t that be the case? He paid the ultimate price with His life so that we could live with Him as His Treasure. We are His crown and the jewels that sparkle from His crown. He laid up for Himself treasures in Heaven. (Essentially Jesus practices what he preaches).

2 Corintians 13:5 states: Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected? If you are living in faith you are investing faith in Jesus, and in His Word. You are coming into alignment and agreement with His Love by loving what He loves. Your life of faith, and love, is an expression of your thanks, and praise – the highest form of all worship. (Worship really is more than a song or posture) Jonah’s heart hardened when God desired to share with him an eternal treasure – the redemption of the people of Nineveh.

What are you investing in Heaven, in Eternity, in Eternal things? Remember people were created for eternity. People are an eternal commodity. Who and what are you serving? Who and what are you investing in? Are you a Jonah or a David?

The Love Bank

/in /by

Psalm 18:6 In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears.

Strangers have no deep conversations, or self-disclosures. You might pass one on the street or when driving by them in a car. You may wave, or even say, Hello, but that will be depths of your efforts. Acquaintances on the other hand can have some small talk and possibly discuss things that are centered around commonalities: “How’s the weather? How about those Panthers? Fall is approaching. The Sun is rising later and going down earlier. I’m having a hard time waking up.” Neighbors, and Co-workers will have conversations around shared experiences, and their connection will grow. You know each other’s names. You know your spouses names, kids names, or each others grand kids names. Friendship, on the other hand, switches everything from impersonal to personal things within our heart. Trust is the key. The trust grows because we have an affinity towards one another.

What changes all of these things? What moves the emotional walls and barriers we’ve erected and allows people to have access to the real us? Need, desperation, vulnerability, transparency. Sadly, all the relational categories listed above mirror relationships that people have with God. Do we know God’s heart? Does our relationship with Him resemble a stranger, an acquaintance, neighbor, or someone you’re wedded too? Does your relationship with Him consist mostly of your mind or is it one of the heart? Do you know His heart? The deeper the relationship the deeper the communication. How much I tell you about my heart will be based on our history, our commitment, and how much you share. Relationships only thrive in commitment. Do you know Him well enough to detect which aspect of the Godhead is talking to you, working in your life, drawing you? Are you so intimate with the Godhead that you know the work of the Father, or the unique work of Jesus, or the Spirit? This morning as I was seeking to have communion with Him something dawned on me that I had never thought about. My relationship to the Father is one of being His son. My relationship to Jesus on the other hand makes me His brother. But guess Who comes alongside me like a Friend showing me Jesus, teaching me the Word, reminding me of what’s in the Word, praying through me, and feeding me? That’s my Friend the Holy Spirit. Do you know Him like that?

Years ago Jackie and I read a book entitled, His Needs, Her Needs. The author, Willard F. Harley, Jr. proposed a very practical tool in developing greater intimacy with your spouse. The tool? The Love Bank. Based on his needs, and her needs, spouses are either making deposits in the “Love Bank” or withdrawals (not to be confused with the Love Shack). Question is, Are you making deposits or withdrawals into God’s Love Bank? Obviously He doesn’t need anything but He does love us, and nothing can change that love –but are we investing in knowing Him? In this season of Elul do you have anything you need to change your mind or lifestyle about?

(For More On Intimacy with Jesus look for John Paul Jacksons’ ministry, Stream’s Ministries International. He discusses this topic in greater detail)

Happy Anniversary!

/in /by

Psalm 18:6-9 In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears.7 Then the earth quaked and rocked, the foundations also of the mountains trembled; they moved and were shaken because He was indignant and angry.8 There went up smoke from His nostrils; and lightning out of His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. 9 He bowed the heavens also and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.

In this passage, which coincides with Jonah and this month of Elul, God does something amazing: “He bowed the heavens…and came down…” Psalm. 18:9

Jewish rabbis believe that during the season of Elul the King is in the field, and God is considered most accessible, allowing for personal meetings. God is seen as making Himself available to His people in their everyday lives – like a King visiting His subjects in the fields. Unlike other times when God may seem distant or require formal protocols to approach, during Elul, He is considered accessible and approachable. The season of Elul precedes the most momentous of events for Israel – the Giving of the Law. God came down to Israel, and gave them a “ketubah,” or marriage covenant, inviting them under the “chuppah” (hoopah), or wedding canopy of the Cloud of His Glory – to be wedded to Israel, and Israel wedded to God.

In the love story of Boaz and Ruth, Boaz goes out in the field and sees Ruth gleaning at the edges of his field. It is here that she gains his favor and he becomes her Kinsman Redeemer. What’s a kinsman redeemer? The kinsman-redeemer is a male relative who, according to various laws of the Pentateuch, had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need. The Hebrew term (go el) for kinsman-redeemer designates one who delivers or rescues or redeems property or person. (Got Questions.org)

The season of Elul should be your wedding anniversary with Jesus. This should be a special time of intimacy, and remembering the One Who came down from His Throne to meet you where you were. This should be a special time of gleaning in His field of Intimacy in and through the “Barley”- Grain of His Word. Barley grain was the poor man’s grain that made the poor man’s bread. In Revelation 3:18 Jesus exhorts the wealthy Laodiceans to do something strange: ...and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. What does this mean? Vines Dictionary gives the following definition for the Greek word for eye salve: primarily a diminutive of (the Greek Word) kollura, and denoting “a coarse bread roll”. Coarse bread? Coarse bread is barley bread; the poor man’s bread.

Communication is the key to starting a friendship, nourishing companionship, and developing intimacy. In this season of seeking the Lord how would you rate your intimacy with the Lord? Stranger, Acquaintance, Friend, or Spouse (your wedded to Him). Are you poor in spirit, hungering for more intimacy with Him? Or have you been blind to His coming near? Are you strangers sharing the same house?

Sinking in Life? Go to the Rock

/in /by

Psalm 18:1-6 I will love You, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my Rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from my enemies.4 The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

Jonah is sinking to the bottom of the ocean, stuck in a fish, utilizing the imagery of a Psalm that compares God to a Rock. Psalm 42 utilizes the same imagery: I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Psalm 42:9) It would appear from Jonah’s perspective that a Rock was the last thing he needed. But this Rock was no ordinary Rock. The Apostle Paul alludes to this Rock in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.  The Rock followed them? The Rock gave water to those who were thirsty? Numbers 20:7-11 gives us some more insight: Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

This was the second time Moses had been invited by God to miraculously provide water from a rock. In the first account Moses struck the rock according to the Lord’s command. But in the second account he was commanded to speak to the rock. Jesus, the Rock, was broken in half to provide “water” for our forgiveness, and cleansing from sin. Yet, the second time, God provided the water of the Holy Spirit from Jesus’ side to reconcile us to Himself, as His Bride. The letter of the Law strikes the Rock, but the Spirit of the Word gives Life.

In this season of Elul – repentance, and seeking God, have you substituted the Rock of Jesus, with the rock of the commandments – the Law? Is the Spirit of the Rock yielding the Life-giving Water of the Spirit into the waters of life that seem to be drowning you, swallowing you whole? Do you find yourself crying out for the Rock to be your salvation from that which is drowning you? Are you praying with Jonah, Lord spit me out of this deathly existence?

This Is Water

/in /by

In the book of Jonah the author alludes to two distinct Psalms: Psalm 18, and Psalm 42. He prays: For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all Your waves and Your billows passed over me. (Jonah 2:3) Psalm 42:7 states:[Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me. What’s ironic about Jonah’s usage of this psalm is Psalm 42:1-2 states: As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (NKJV) Why is that ironic? Jonah is surrounded by water but thirsts for God.

In 2005, David Foster Wallace addressed the graduating class at Kenyon College with a speech that became a best selling book. His commencement speech titled,“This Is Water” began with the following parable: There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What is water?”

How could the reality, and conscious awareness of an encounter with God in Jonah’s past, exceed the realities of the horror of being swallowed by a great fish, sinking to the depths of the ocean, and facing certain death? How do you become so conscious of God that you compare Him to that which could kill you? You pray that you become conscious of your unconsciousness. Have you ever been fishing and observed how the fish “pants,” or “thirsts” for water? Water is the air it breathes. Have you ever been trapped under water, your mind screaming to breathe air?

David Foster Wallace nearing the end of his commencement speech surmised: The capital-T Truth is about life BEFORE death. It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over: This is water. This is water.

When I was a child there were two places I could count on experiencing God: lying down on the floor of the woods in the leaves, and sitting on a sand dune watching the ocean waves crash to the shore. What was the core ingredient? Peace, and an awareness that I was not alone. Even though I had not been born-again spiritually I knew there was more to life than the air I breathed. He was in the air, and in the water. In fact, HE IS. All that is required is a child-like anticipation. You just have to be still enough to know it. Aware of the “capital-T Truth.” The fish in David Foster Wallace’s parable had lost the wonder of being suspended in a substance they were never conscious of. You and I are suspended in the Presence of the God Who suspends the universe in His Hand. We are the fish. Don’t be suspended by the water but be suspended by the Presence of God. Want His Reality like a fish panting for water, or a drowning human screaming for air.

During this season of Elul very few of the people swimming around you have taken the time to be still and listen. How many times have you missed your time with God? How many times have you missed walking with Him through your garden and His? Jonah was surrounded by water but it was salty, undrinkable water. Is the missing ingredient in your quest for thirsting for more of God more salt in life?

Letting Go

/in /by

Jonah 4:4 Then said the Lord, Do you do well to be angry?

There was a young man that attended school in a large north-eastern city. In his studies he fell in love with eagles. He read, and watched anything, and everything about eagles. The more he studied the more he loved eagles. He promised himself when he graduated he would travel out west to observe the eagles in the wild. Finding a job teaching, he saved his money, planning for a summer eagle watching excursion. When the time arrived he booked a flight to an area where eagles were often spotted. Renting a jeep, he packed his camping gear, and off he went in search of eagles. Talking to locals he scouted out an area to set up camp. With his binoculars, and telescope in hand, he hiked to an area near the cliffs where eagles were reportedly seen. Yet, he failed to spot even one eagle. On his last, and final day, he exclaimed, Eureka, as he spotted an eagle soaring high in the sky. Awestruck, he watched as the eagle soared high above the clouds eventually gliding to a nest nestled in the crevices of some nearby cliffs. Keeping an ever, watchful eye on the nest, he was astounded as the eagle leaped into the air performing a steep dive, maneuver towards an unseen target on the ground below. Hurtling to the earth with great speed the eagle disappeared beneath the tree line. In a few minutes the eagle rocketed up from the ground soaring high into the sky clutching something unrecognizable in its sharp talons. Unfortunately, the thrill of this sight was short-lived as the young man observed the beautiful eagle suddenly going limp, spiraling, downward from its heights, catapulting to the ground. Startled, the young man began running to the area where he had last seen the eagle fall. When he arrived he was shocked, and surprised to discover the eagle was dead. The young man wondered what could have caused the eagle’s death. As he turned the eagles carcass over he was dumbfounded to discover the answer. Attached to its chest was a dead weasel, its claws dug deeply into its heart. It seems the eagle had swooped to the ground to capture its prey in its sharp talons only to lose the battle in its dizzying ascent. As the weasel fought back the eagle had refused to let go losing its heart in the process. 

Jonah chose unforgiveness over letting go of the offenses he had towards the Ninevites and in the process lost his heart. What are the “weasels” in your heart digging themselves into your ascent toward God? Are they worth losing your heart and plunging to an earth bound death of an existence? Let it go. Release them, or release it, from the debt you think they owe you. Don’t let the “weasels” of life remove you from heaven’s realms.

How Do You Catch a Monkey?

/in /by

Pay close attention to the following passages taking note of any recurring theme: Jonah 4:2 O Lord, is not this just what I said when I was still in my country? Jonah 4:3 Therefore now, O Lord, I beseech You, take my life from me,…Jonah 4:5 …he made a booth there for himself…..Jonah 4:8 …It is better for me to die than to live….Jonah 4:9 And he said, I do well to be angry.

In these passages of Scripture who is the center of Jonah’s world? My country, My life, booth for Himself, better for Me, and I do well?! Jonah is the center, not God.

Years ago the Lord was leading me to surrender all of my excuses at His feet – yielding to Him as my Lord. He led me to kneel before Him, and pray aloud in the secrecy of my bedroom. I got down on my knees but I refused to pray aloud. After several minutes I gave up taking a seat at the edge of my bed. In the midst of my battle of final surrender this thought came into my mind: Robert Who owns everything? I reasoned, God owns everything. When I die I am taking nothing with me. I responded to the question: God owns everything! In an instant the next thought was: Get down on your knees and give Me what already belongs to Me. And I did. Guess what? The surrender doesn’t begin and end at one place in time. As long as you exist in time the surrendering continues. I chuckle when people get all worked up over thinking, and declaring with ardent zeal things like: It’s my house, my car, my job, my kids, my life, my time. No. They really are not. You are just marking time borrowing some things while you are occupied with the distractions of life.

Crazy question: How do you catch a monkey? You put a banana in a pot with an opening just big enough for the monkey to put his fist through. Chain the pot to a tree and watch what happens next. The monkey thrusts his hand into the jar, and grabs the banana. But now he has a problem. His fist, tightly clenching the banana, will not fit through the opening in the jar. The only way he can free himself is to let go of the coveted prize of the banana.

What have you been clinging too tightly to? What person(s), or possession(s) have you been gripping too tightly? Have you become confused about Who gave you the strength, and blessings to have those things? Have you become confused over Who all these things belong too? Do you need to surrender them to Him anew? Who or what owns you?


Missing the Mark

/in /by

Jonah 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

In 1980 “It’s Hard to Be Humble” was a song written and recorded by Mac Davis that became an international hit. Here’s a sample of the lyrics: “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble, When you’re perfect in every way, I can’t wait to look in the mirror, Cause I get better lookin’ each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man, Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble, But I’m doing the best that I can. I used to have me a girlfriend, But I guess that she couldn’t compete, With all of them love-starved women, Who keep clamoring around at my feet. Well, I could probably could find me another, But I guess they’re all in awe of me (oh, man), Who cares? I’ll never get lonesome, ‘Cause I treasure my own company…”

Humility is like a slippery fish an angler sought to contain once he landed it in his boat. Oswald Chambers once remarked: “The way we continually talk about our own inability is an insult to the Creator. The deploring of our own incompetence is a slander against God for having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining in the sight of God the things that sound humble before men, and you will be amazed at how staggeringly impertinent they are.” 

On the one hand we observe Jonah exemplifying what humility is not. On the other, we observe the Ninevites defining what it was, is, and always will be. William Temple, in his book titled, “Christ in His Church” defined humility by stating: “Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all.” Jonah had no idea Who and what he was symbolizing through his three day imprisonment in the belly of a great fish. Nor was he aware of Who was with him as he emerged resurrected from the abyss. Although Jonah was ignorant of the Resurrected One the people of Nineveh encountered Him in conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. In that moment of encompassing awe the only thought they had of themselves was of a great need to go as absolutely low as they could – physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. Their entire lifestyle had been altered. In effect they were thinking only of God centering all their time around Him. Isn’t this what prayer and fasting is? It’s not going on some kind of freakish diet of self-abasement. It’s a pursuit of His Presence that seeks whole-hearted surrender, and passion for the manifest Presence of God. It’s a centering of all time, and activities around the Godhead: Father, Son and Spirit. It’s listening, watching, and obeying.

Isn’t it strange that the only hint of Jonah’s confession of sin was in his yielded obedience to God’s assignment? He never confessed his sins and in the process failed to recognize his sins focusing on the sins of others – namely Nineveh’s. Similar to the angels in the parable of the wheat and tares we often become consumed with pulling up the tares of sin in others rather than focusing on the Sower of the good seed. He is humility. Rather than seeking to appear humble why don’t we seek the Emptied One Who didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped? Why not confess missing that MARK – Who is the MARK?

Price of Faith

/in /by

Jonah 3:5-9 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

Over the years I have had people come to me asking how they can get God to answer their prayers. Now mind you, they are not praying to win the lottery, have a bigger house, or nice car. No, they are praying for things that God really does want to respond to. But there’s a process. Typically I ask them, How bad do you want your prayer to be answered? After hearing their reply I have them read the following passage: Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:23-29)

The Disciples asked Jesus why they didn’t have the power or authority to cast the demon out? His answer implied that there was a price to “pay” for that kind of power and authority. What was the price? Prayer and fasting. Some scholars say that Jesus’ statement is even more profound than this. They teach that the implications behind what Jesus is saying refers to a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. From this account we could also surmise that an additional ingredient needed for prayer to be answered is a faith that moves you. It can be a faith that moves you to tears, or some action. But action is involved.

Paradoxically the pagans of Nineveh had more faith than the prophet of God. They took action. How can it be that the pagans had more faith than Jonah? It’s not like he lacked examples from the Old Testament. His ancestor Abraham heard of God’s plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and lost no time in praying and pleading for God to spare the lives of the people. Not Jonah. In Jonah 4 he builds a shelter in the shade to watch and see if God would destroy the people of Nineveh. He doesn’t intercede. He doesn’t ask God for mercy. He watches, waits, and longs for their destruction.

For those seeking God through this time on god’s Calendar called Elul or faith moves us to reconnect to God. To draw near to Him through repentance. We have been confessing our sins, and repenting. But the question remains: Do the pagans, lost people, witches, satanists, new agers, Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Jews, Buddhist, or Hindus – have more faith than you? Is there more demonstrable action regarding their faith in comparison to yours? Has your faith moved you to pray with tears like the father with the demonized son, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Romans 10:17 states Faith comes by hearing. Do you need to repent of having your ears closed to the Word of the Lord?


Drowning Man Found

/in /by

Jonah 2:6-7 .…Yet You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted upon me [crushing me], I earnestly and seriously remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple.

Do you remember the process you went through to truly surrender to Jesus? Can you recall who you were before you were born-again? If you believe that salvation is a one, and done event it’s easy to forget who you were before surrendering. But, if you believe that you are in the process of being saved from your sinful, self-centered, rebellious self you have plenty of times to recall what and who the Lord is presently saving you from. When Peter preached at Pentecost in the Book of Acts he said in Acts 2:21 And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord—Christ] shall be saved. The Greek word picture for the word “call” comes from the idea of someone drowning. In their ignorance they were lured to the waters for some fun. Before they knew it the sand beneath their watery playground had dropped off dramatically, terrifyingly revealing they were over their head. Frantically thrashing about, attempting to stay afloat, the terror grips them as they know all too well they cannot swim. In their thrashing they scream out in desperation, Help! Help! Someone save me. From the beach a Savior sees their predicament and plunges head first into the watery grave to save them. Are they saved when they become conscious of His efforts? Are they saved when He reaches them; saved when He wraps His arm around them to tow them back to shore? No they are not saved till their feet become firmly planted on Heaven’s shores.

Can you recall the times in your life when you were drowning and you finally called on the Lord to save you or has life dulled your memories? In Jonah’s prayer, attitude toward God’s mission, anger, and judgments towards the people of Nineveh – you can quickly detect he had forgotten what he had been saved from, and the process of salvation he was still involved in (God didn’t send Jonah to Nineveh because He was fresh out of prophets). Jonah neglected to realize that God’s mission was not only the salvation of Nineveh but also, his own. The task was intended to save him too!

As you have responded to the call of God to seek Him have you become like Jonah forgetting all the Lord has saved you from and what He is in the process of saving you from now? Have you been irritated, and annoyed at an assignment He has you in – a difficult person, or situation – that you haven’t realized He’s using to save you? Have you become like Jonah not overflowing daily for His great salvation? Can you recall all His salvation benefits declaring them by name? When’s the last time you gave thanks and remembered?


The Great Offense

/in /by

Douglas A. Knight; Amy-Jill Levine: The Meaning of the Bible – What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us: ‘The fictional nature of the story of Jonah is indicated not only by the “great fish” that swallows the prophet and after three days vomits him up on dry land or by the exaggerated rhetoric (the word “great” occurs fourteen times), but also by the city’s surprising repentance: the entire population, and the cattle, repent after hearing a five-word (in Hebrew) sermon.’

Let’s face it there are many things in the Bible that offend our sensibilities and reason. But at the root of them all is an exposure of faith, or the lack thereof. Better yet, what is being exposed is what we truly trust. It’s one thing to believe, and quite another to trust it to be true. We flippantly state we believe God’s Word to be true but Jonah lays bare our heart. Is it simply a fictional story, a children’s fairy tale, or was Jonah a real-life individual? Did this event really occur?

Jesus thought so. Luke 11:32 The men of Nineveh will appear as witnesses at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, here is more than Jonah.

The Old Testament writer of the book 2 Kings thought Jonah existed: Jeroboam restored Israel’s border from the entrance of Hamath to the [Dead] Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonahson of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher. (2 Kings 14:25)

Scripture is very clear regarding the connection between Jesus and the Word revealing the relationship we truly have with Him. The Word is the mirror of that relationship revealing what we value, love, and trust. Another obvious connection to the Word is that of the Holy Spirit. You can’t see Jesus apart from the Spirit, and the Word, nor can you truly grasp the message of the Word apart from the Spirit. What’s infinitely scarier is the fact that the Letter of the Law kills. In other words you can know the word but not know the WORD. To be so close and yet so far from eternal life.

Franklin Graham, recounts in an article in Charisma Magazine a struggle his father wrestled with Seventy-six years ago, a pivotal time in Billy Graham’s life. A young preacher friend had been questioning whether the Bible was truly and entirely the authoritative Word of God. The issues this preacher raised began to trouble Billy. Although he never doubted the truth of the Gospel, he wrestled over whether he could fully believe everything the Bible teaches. He even started wondering if his questions might cause him to give up preaching. He took his struggle with him when he traveled to San Bernardino, California, where he was scheduled to speak at Forest Home Conference Center, and then begin a citywide tent crusade in Los Angeles a few weeks later. Late one night at Forest Home, discouraged and unable to sleep because of the burden that filled his mind, he got up and went out into the moonlight for a walk. In the nearby woods he came upon a tree stump, and he opened his Bible and laid it on the stump. Then he poured out the agony of his heart to God. He knew the matter had to be resolved one way or the other. Finally he knelt in the shadows by the stump with the Bible open before him and prayed, “Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word—by faith! I will believe this to be Your inspired Word.” At that moment, he later said, he felt the burden lift and sensed the freedom and power of the Holy Spirit in and around him.

If you are participating in the month of Elul’s emphasis upon seeking to connect to Jesus through confession, and repentance then you are manifesting what you truly believe about Jesus and His Word. Your seeking is a mirror of your faith, and trust OR a mirror of unbelief, and distrust. Do you need to settle the issue of the Word of God in your life? Do you need to confess your unbelief?

Manifestation and Multiplication

/in /by

Revelation 19:10 The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy. What is prophecy but the manifestation of spoken words becoming a reality. Jonah had heard the testimony of God’s miracles to the patriarchs, the Exodus, the conquest of the Promised Land, the Word of God, the exploits of the prophets – and yet the pagans had more faith than him. How can that be? How can you be a prophet and not manifest the Word you have seen come to pass over and over?

What we should be asking is, How is it that I know these things and more? I mean, we even have the Resurrected Jesus, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the exploits of the Apostles, the New Testament Church, the completed book of the Bible (in a language we can read and understand) and the saints who have gone before us. Yet, is the fullness of Jesus manifesting through us or are we simply manifesting more of us? Are you becoming a manifestation of Jesus’ Testimony? Are you manifesting Jesus’ testimony in others?

After 11 days of repenting I am becoming apprehensive that maybe I’m being too hard and we need some encouragement. Oswald Chambers coined a term in his most famous of all Christian devotional classics. What was the term? Amateur Providence. Oswald states: One of our severest lessons comes from the stubborn refusal to see that we must not interfere in other people’s lives. It takes a long time to realize the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God’s order for others. You see a certain person suffering, and you say — “He shall not suffer, and I will see that he does not.” You put your hand straight in front of God’s permissive will to prevent it, and God says — “What is that to thee?” If there is stagnation spiritually, never allow it to go on, but get into God’s presence and find out the reason for it. Possibly you will find it is because you have been interfering in the life of another; proposing things you had no right to propose; advising when you had no right to advise. Ouch! The psalmist exhorts the worshippers of Israel: Kiss the Son lest He be angry with you. John in the Book of Revelation adds He has a double-edged sword extending from His mouth. You Kiss the Son and you are going to bleed. It’s going to hurt. Do you desire a closer walk with Jesus? He burns with fire, and is long-suffering. The closer you get the more you become acquainted with His suffering.

What would you need to change your mind about today? What in you is not in alignment with Him, His Word, and His Will? How is it even possible to align with Him? Do you still desire more of Jesus? Why or why not?

Read My Lips

/in /by

Some may remember when President George H.W. Bush, Sr. was lambasted for a campaign promise during the 1988 Republican National Convention bid for the presidential nomination. What was the now infamous promise? Read my lips. No new taxes. The Democrats never let him forget that one. In the book of Jonah we discover that History repeats itself.

Jonah 1:9, 14-16 And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear and worship the Lord, the God of heaven, Who made the sea and the dry land.…Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship to the land, but they could not, for the sea became more and more violent against them.14 Therefore they cried to the Lord, We beseech You, O Lord, we beseech You, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.15 So they took up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.16 Then the men [reverently and worshipfully] feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

What’s wrong with this picture? Jonah states he reverently fears and worships the Lord – while running from Him in disobedience. The pagan, unbelievers fear God, pray, and quickly obey God. Amos 5:23-24 shines light on the contradiction: Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not listen to the melody of your harps.24 But let justice run down like waters and righteousness as a mighty and ever-flowing stream. Interestingly enough, Amos lived during Jonah’s life time. What else did Amos say? 18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light;…20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light? Even very dark with no brightness in it? While Amos is preaching to Israel, Jonah is longing for the Day of the Lord to destroy the people of Nineveh. Can you see the wickedness in this? As I write this there are those in the Body of Christ longing for the rapture to come in September 2025. Why is that a problem? There are approximately over 3 billion people who have never heard the Gospel and we’re wanting to get raptured?

In Jonah 1:9,14–16 – Jonah chose to give lip service to God rather than truly fearing, and worshipping God ~ as compared to the pagan sailors who truly feared, reverenced, and worshipped God through obedience. Why do we need to seek God? Why do we need repentance? Years ago a pastor remarked that he was evangelistic yet didn’t think we needed missions because the American Church had done such a spectacular job of reaching the nations. Can you see the contradiction? I’m evangelistic but I don’t believe in evangelizing the nations? Keith Green wrote a song years ago titled, Asleep In the Light. It was poignant then and even more so now. Soak this in as you seek the Lord with repentance: Do you see? Do you see? All the people sinking down? Don’t you care? Don’t you care? Are you gonna let them drown? How can you be so numb? Not to care if they come, You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done, “Oh, bless me, Lord, bless me, Lord”, You know, it’s all I ever hear, No one aches, no one hurts, No one even sheds one tear, But, He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, And He cares for your needs, And you just lay back and keep soaking it in, Oh, can’t you see it’s such sin? ‘Cause He brings people to your door, And you turn them away, As you smile and say, “God bless you, be at peace”, And all Heaven just weeps, ‘Cause Jesus came to your door, You’ve left Him out on the streets, Open up, open up, And give yourself away, You see the need, you hear the cries, So how can you delay? God’s calling and you’re the one, But like Jonah, you run, He’s told you to speak but you keep holding it in….

Stubbing Your Toe

/in /by

Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry. Jonah 4:4 Then said the Lord, Do you do well to be angry?Jonah 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Do you do well to be angry for the loss of the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die! – Do you perceive a theme in the above?

Have you ever stubbed your toe while walking barefoot or in flip flops or sandals? That’s how Jonah felt when he realized God was going to have mercy on the Ninevites. Jonah 4:2 states why he was angry: That is why I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger…. Why was Jonah angry? Because God is slow to anger. Jonah believed God should release hell fire and destruction on Ninevehs’ inhabitants. Jonah failed to ask what he deserved from God.

Behind Jonah’s anger is a deeper issue. Jesus warned of it in the Last Days: And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred. (Matthew 24:10) Did you catch it? In the Last Days many will be offended, distrust, and pursue one another with hatred. Matthew adds: …will stumble and fall away. Why is that interesting? 1 Peter 2:7-8 records: Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. (NKJV)

This passage reveals the roots of offense: (a) They cease trusting God; (b) God is no longer precious. In other words He is not valued, honored, revered or respected. If you value God’s Presence you know you cannot remain in offense because offense is rooted in judgment, and unforgiveness. You cannot abide in His Presence and remain unforgiving and judgmental; (c) All these things lead to disobedience. In fact an offended Christian reflects a disobedient Christian. Because they don’t trust God, and He is not valued or revered, they quit being obedient. Jesus said if you loved Him you would trust and obey Him. (Show me an offended Christian and I will show you a disobedient Christian); (d) Naturally, when you factor in all the above it leads to a person stumbling spiritually, eventually falling away from God altogether. (Worse case scenario? They will create a god in and after their own image deceiving themselves into more deception and lies)

Psalm 119:165 adds: “Great peace have they who love your Law (Instruction) and nothing shall offend them.” If you love the Law – you love His Instruction. If you love His Instruction – you love His Word. If you love His Word – you love Him because He is the Word. If all of the above is true eventually you become unoffendable. On this ninth day of Elul (season of seeking God, connecting to Him, meeting Him in the dust to change your thinking about sin) take the time to ask yourself the following:

Are you or have you been offended by anyone or anything? This can be government leadership, institutions, church, denominations, family members, etc. Have you judged any of the above as deserving punishment? When you talk about any of the above do you find yourself becoming angry? If you need to make a list and release them one by one.

Deadly Silence

/in /by

Jonah 4:5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city, and he made a booth there for himself. He sat there under it in the shade till he might see what would become of the city.

A young man applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, noisy office. In the background a telegraph clacked away. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man completed his form and sat down with seven other waiting applicants. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. Why had this man been so bold? They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They took more than a little satisfaction in assuming the young man who went into the office would be reprimanded for his presumption and summarily disqualified for the job. Within a few minutes the young man emerged from the inner office escorted by the interviewer, who announced to the other applicants, “Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has been filled by this young man.” The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and then one spoke up, “Wait a minute–I don’t understand. He was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair.” The employer responded, “While you have sat there the telegraph has been ticking out the following message: “If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.”

Like the young man applying for the Morse code operator position Jonah had heard the Word of the Lord, and he was the only one who heard it. Unfortunately several times he had ignored the Word of the Lord. To make matters worse he was designated God’s Messenger and still failed to deliver the message. He chose silence and the death of his neighbors rather than opening his mouth in obedience to the Lord. When he opened his mouth he did it begrudgingly hoping that God would destroy them.

2 Corinthians 3:2-4 [No] you yourselves are our letter of recommendation (our credentials), written in your hearts, to be known (perceived, recognized) and read by everybody.3 You show and make obvious that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, not written with ink but with [the] Spirit of [the] living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.4 Such is the reliance and confidence that we have through Christ toward and with reference to God.

What have people been “reading” from your life? Would the apostles be as confident in us as they were in the Corinthians? Is it obvious that we are a letter from Jesus? What needs to change in your life for this to be true?

Jnh.1:7 – Jonah chose to be silent regarding God’s Word, and His judgment of all who rejected Him and His Truth. Was there ever a time in your life you chose to remain silent when you should have shared Jesus? Do you live more for the applause of men or the applause of Heaven? How many lives have been lost due to your silence and mine? What will the history books judge about Christians who remained silent as over 63 million babies have been aborted since 1973?

Jnh. 1:9-12 – Pagan Sailors had more trust in God’s Word, prayer, and messenger than Israel. Do satanists and witches have more confidence in the prayers of the saints? Do Muslims fear the prophecies of the coming Messiah more than you? Do atheists and agnostics have more faith in God’s Word than you? (why are they afraid to have the 10 Commandments posted in public schools?)

    A Sleeping Narcissist

    /in /by

    Jonah 4:9-11 And God said to Jonah, Do you do well to be angry for the loss of the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die!10 Then said the Lord, You have had pity on the gourd, for which you have not labored nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons not [yet old enough to] know their right hand from their left, and also many cattle [not accountable for sin]?

    All Jonah cared about was himself and his comfort. His self-centeredness went so deep that he turned a blind eye to the possible deaths of 120,000 children. What’s really interesting regarding this passage is that God not only cared for the cruel Ninevites, and their children, He also cared for the cattle that would die if He brought judgment and destruction. But not Jonah.

    In the 1980’s the psychological designation of narcissus began to pick up popular, cultural steam as it entered pop psychology designating someone we used to categorize as self-centered. Sunday, August 24 I googled the question: What do you call someone who stubbornly refuses to change their behavior? I was surprised by one of the articles I discovered. It stated: “People with narcissistic personality disorder are extremely resistant to changing their behavior, even when it’s causing problems.”

    What is repentance? Change. First it begins with an acknowledgement that you have missed God’s Perfect Way of Love. Next it culminates with a change of mind which leads to a change in lifestyle. Elul is a time of conversion and repentance in order to seek God.

    Jnh. 1:5-6 – Jonah refused to have his mind changed – refused to be teachable – regarding his responsibility for his neighbors. How many messages have you heard, repeating the same theme, that you have refused to change your mind, behavior, actions or attitude about? Are you Christ-centered or self-centered in your lifestyle and actions? Is it possible to be a follower of Jesus and still remain a narcissist? Are you teachable? Is your thinking aligning more with the truths of God’s Word and the example of Christ than the lies of this world and popular culture? Has your thinking and lifestyle been changed to be more in line with Jesus and His Word in the past year or would others state you have remained relatively the same?

    Jnh. 1:6; 2:1-2 – Jonah had become faithless in prayer – choosing sleep over praying for his neighbors. Jesus told Disciples – Followers of Jesus – to watch and pray. Would you characterize your spiritual life as watching and praying? Do you watch and pray with Jesus? Do you have a daily quiet time with the Lord? Do you sleep while a small minority remain faithful in prayer? Are you sleeping while third world countries and believers are spending sleepless nights in prayer? Are you spending time in leisure while brothers and sisters around the world faithfully pray as they face the threat of death, rape, persecution, torture, beating and imprisonment? What does your prayer life reveal about your faith?

    Pitch Black

    /in /by

    Jonah 2:4 But the Lord sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a violent tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken.

    How many of you know that when a storm breaks out on the ocean it becomes pretty dark? Now imagine being Jonah in which the storm looks dark, and angry. Most likely the sun is obscured from his view. Now multiply that darkness by being throwing into the ocean depths in which you begin sinking down out of what little light was available to you. Finally, let’s add to your darkness a fish that engulfs you – whole. But wait. It becomes worse. You are alone without God because you have been fleeing from His Presence. That’s a tangible darkness – thick and unending (like being in a cavern when they turn out the light).

    What do you do? Psalm 119:130 The entrance of Thy Words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. That word simple can mean foolish or open-minded. Our culture has been engulfed in darkness by being so open-minded their brains are falling out. Sadly, many have yet to recognize they are drowning in destruction, sinking into a hell that will never spit them out. What’s greater than a lost person’s darkness? The darkness of being a so-called follower of Jesus, and not living up to who He created you to be. The good news is Psalm 119:130. Jesus’ Light comes through the entrance of His Word. His word can enter any situation when you break agreement with what has plunged you into spiritual darkness. Simply by confessing where you have missed His Way and His Word – His Vision for mankind – you come back in to alignment harmonizing with the One Who (according to the rabbis) sung you into existence.

    How did Jonah loose the Light of God’s Word into the darkness of His situation? Acknowledging God’s existence, and inadvertently confessing where He had walked away from God. Strangely, Jonah never seems to recognize his own glaring sins. What were some of the sins of Jonah that we share in?

    Jnh. 1:5-6 – Pagan sailors feared God’s judgment more than Jonah. Many of the parables of Jesus, and 1 Corinthians 3 makes it clear that our works will be judged by fire. Paul simply asks in 1 Corinthians 3, Don’t you know that you are a temple of God and you will be rewarded or possibly lose your reward – in the Final Judgment? Scripture reveals in the book of Revelations Jesus will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Why are they crying? Do unbelievers fear God’s Judgment more than you? Do unbelievers fear the Scrutiny of God’s judgment more than you? Sure, they talk a good talk until they know eternity approaches. What about you?

    Jnh. 1:5-6 – Jonah chose apathy and complacency over the spiritual condition of Assyria and Nineveh. Do you have an apathetic and complacent view regarding those around you who may spend an eternity in hell? Do you pray regularly for the lost? Do you engage people in conversations regarding eternal matters or does fear of man silence your voice? Do you fear man more than you fear God?

      How Low Can You Go?

      /in /by

      Jonah 2:1, 5-6 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly,…The waters compassed me about, even to [the extinction of] life; the abyss surrounded me, the seaweed was wrapped about my head.6 I went down to the bottoms and the very roots of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever. Yet You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, O Lord my God.

      You don’t get much lower than being surrounded by the abyss and traveling to the bottoms of the mountains. But that’s how low Jonah was lodged in the fish’s belly. How many of you have been there? Isolated, alone, and feeling like the only thing you have left is God (and even that doesn’t feel like enough). The interesting paradox is you are not alone. Others are feeling alone, and that God has abandoned them to their circumstances. Yet Scripture says that is precisely the place He can be found: Isaiah 57:15 “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

      What does it mean to be contrite? It means that you feel like you have been crushed, broken, cast down, and made to feel very small. The word lowly implies you have gone as low as you can go, or to humble yourself. Interestingly the Hebrew word for lowly finds it reference to a mountain. How does a mountain become low? The implication is, physically speaking, from an earth bound perspective a mountain is about as high as you can get. For that mountain to be humbled it would have to be leveled, scraped from the earth, sifted, and its debris leveled.

      How do you get delivered from the belly of this world system that seeks to chew, devour, and spit you out? Seek for and meet with God. Not in the heights of Heaven but in the depths of your earth. You see you are a son or daughter of Adam. In other words you are but dust. The good news is this is the very place Jesus kneels to make you new. The Hebrew word for bless implies kneeling before, or bending low in order to impart favor, grace, and prosperity. Picture that: The Creator of the Universe kneels before you to impart Grace. What does this mean? If you want to meet with the Godhead you have to join Him in the dust of that which is out of alignment, and harmony with His Holiness (otherness, uniqueness, separateness from all that is average, normal, and expected) In other words you have to acknowledge where you have sinned, or broken agreement with Who He is and God’s original design.

      Susanah Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley, was once asked to define sin. She defined it as: anything that weakens one’s reason, impairs their conscience, obscures their sense of God, or diminishes their interest in spiritual things. Essentially, anything that gives the body undue influence over the mind, even if seemingly innocent, is considered sin. Interestingly enough you can actually find a list of things to confess simply by reading the book of Jonah. If you want to seek Jesus in order to meet with Him you have to meet Him in the dust of confession, agreeing with Him about where you have broken agreement.

      May I encourage you that during this season of repentance and seeking God that you commit to pray daily the prayer of Jonah for forty days, identifying with Jonah, and his many sins? Here are a few of Jonah’s sins you may need to confess:

      Similarities Between Jonah and Us:

      1. Jnh.1:1-3 – Jonah Seeks to run in disobedience from the Word of the Lord – ignoring it. Are you presently obeying all you know from the Word of God, or from His revealed will? Was there something preached yesterday you experienced conviction and correction that you need to put into practice today?
      2. Jnh. 1:3 – Seeks to pay a price to flee from God’s Presence , serving God, and others. Are you seeking God’s Manifested Presence and if so do seek to remain, or to abide? Are you currently, and actively seeking to serve God in personal worship, praise, thanksgiving and prayer on a daily basis? Are you currently serving others in your church or have you been more consumer oriented, centered in yourself, your wants, likes, and dislikes?

      Stuck in the Mud

      /in /by

      Jonah 2:6 But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. What pit was Jonah referring? The belly of the great fish or the spiritual condition that led to the belly of the fish? Jonah 2:6 echoes Psalm 40:2. Psalm 40:2 states: He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. What is miry clay? muddy, boggy or swampy soil conditions; deep, wet, sticky earth that is difficult to move through; damp, and squishy earth; wet spongy earth that is difficult to navigate or escape.

      Once Jackie and I were spending time with some good friends, Mark and Valerie Nelson, on an island in the Chesapeake Bay. Valeries Dad took us out in his boat to check on his crab pots near some of the marshy areas in the bay. Unfortunately we became stuck in the shallows and there was only one solution to getting unstuck. Get out of the boat and push it into deeper water. Thankfully Mark had the presence of mind to recommend we remove our flip flops before plunging over the side of the boat. Why was that a good thing? When we jumped out of the boat we sunk knee deep in slimy, squishy, stinky mud. The flip flops would have become a permanent possession of what the Psalmist referred to as miry clay. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing miry clay you know that it is difficult to walk and navigate through. (As the Nelsons and the Shaws soon discovered). For you see we had to lift our knees near our chests to simply get them unstuck from the muck (and oh, how delightful we smelled). Each step required considerable effort and after several steps we dislodged the boat.

      Why do we need to seek God? Life’s circumstances quickly lead us to being swallowed up in its’ grip causing our lives to begin to stink with the miry clay of this world system. Like Jonah, the big fish of life begins swallowing us whole, digesting, and reducing our lives to a living waste.

      Initially, it seemed strange to discover that at the height of Jewish repentance their go-to book in the Bible was, and still is, Jonah. It was strange until I began meditating realizing that I too had been swallowed by a great fish. That I too had become stuck in a pit, and in the miry clay of the Babylonian, Jezebel world system. It had taken its toll. The awareness of my spiritual plight grew as I prayed Jonah’s prayer. As I prayed my mind protested, How does this apply to me? I’m not like Jonah. I haven’t run from what God commanded me to do. I’ve not jumped ship, gone AWOL, or UA from my responsibilities. I’m not derelict in my duty, nor have I deserted my post. All of that sounded good till the Lord broke through my protest asking, What are you standing on Robert? Are you standing in humility, and obedience? Are you fighting the good fight of faith? Is your life marked by a constant changing of your thoughts to conform to My Word and the Spirit? Has your love for the lost and prodigals become like Jonah’s? If you love Me why don’t you obey Me without question? (For obedience is Jesus’ love language) When was the last time prayer wasn’t a chore or labor?

      After the smoke cleared from the fires of my conviction I realized that the book of Jonah was indeed a great guide for leading us to repentance. Yesterday’s blog asked, How do we go about seeking the Lord? Today revealed part of the answer. Humble yourself. Humble yourself admitting you have need of Jesus and you have not arrived in all that you have ascertained of Him.

      “We leak!”

      /in /by

      James 4:7-8 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

      The Jewish month of Elul begins today, Monday, August 25 and extends to September, 23, 2025. What significance does that have for us as followers of Yeshua? Elul prepares the Jewish people for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (Monday, September 22 – Wednesday, September 24, 2025 or according to God’s Calendar then year 5786). This new year is followed by a ten day period of prayer, self-examination and repentance. It is the custom that during the month of Elul, the celebrations of Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur that a shofar (ram’s horn) is blown indicating that it’s time for the spiritually complacent, those who have fallen asleep spiritually, are needing to wake up. Is this what Paul had in mind when he wrote: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”? (Eph. 5:14) Some may be tempted to say, Well that’s simply legalism; an Old Testament practice. Why do we need to seek God when we already have Him living in our hearts? Which, on the surface, appears to be a good question. Yet, they totally discount the New Testament Scripture that exhorts the same. It’s interesting how we have a selective process of reading Scripture. We often look for the things that support our opinions rather than allowing the truth to change us and lead us to change our thinking and way of living. Case in point? James 4:7-8 was written as an exhortation to the church; people that were followers of Jesus. What did James exhort them to do? Submit, and draw near to God, resist the devil, cleanse your heart, etc. Why would these people, who have Jesus living inside, are temples of the Spirit, have forgiveness of sins, and have been declared that they are not guilty, need to seek after God? For the same reason that “these” people have left Jesus outside of His church service – knocking trying to get in, have become lukewarm in their love and zeal for Jesus, and His Word, have become hard-hearted, and the list just keeps on giving. C.H. Spurgeon was once asked, Why do we need to keep asking to be filled with the Spirit? His response? “We leak!”

      I guess a more pertinent question would be to ask, Do you believe Jesus is about to return at any time? Do you believe He will come and tabernacle with us? (indicating the time of year He is planning on returning – the Feast of Tabernacles) Your answers to these questions results in a follow up question: Do you desire to have Jesus say to you, Well done, My good and faithful servant? or Depart from Me I never knew you? Many would say, But I know Jesus. To which I would reply, Are you making Jesus known? Any of us who claim to know Jesus would be about the business of making Jesus known. Any one of us who knows Jesus would be demonstrating their love and gratitude through uncompromised obedience, submission, and surrender to His Spirit and Word. Any one of us who truly knows Jesus would be living a lifestyle of having their thinking, and lifestyles changed to conform more fully to His example and word.

      Renewing our seeking after the Presence of Jesus calls us back to True Center of Who we have drifted from. In other words, We leak! Now the question becomes, How do you seek after Jesus? What does that look like in a follower of Jesus’ life?

      The Stance of the Gospel of Peace

      /in /by

      Nahum 1:15 Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,
      perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; he is utterly cut off.

      The root meaning for the root word “good tidings” especially pertained to military encounters whose messenger was fresh from the field of battle. The news that would be brought regarding the battle was the good news of victory. The prophet Nahum refers to the “wicked one.” The New Testament equivalent for this word is Belial. Paul refers to it in 2 Cor. 6:15: What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? NIV Paul is using this name to refer to satan.

      What’s the good news of Nahum? Belial, the wicked one, has been utterly cut off. How is he cut off? By the message of the Good News. What is the message of the Good News? For us as believers in Jesus it’s all about the His Blood. But how is this Good News Activated? It’s in the feet of those who proclaim peace or shalom. Paul refers to this in Ephesians 6:15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. The messenger stands on Peace and in Peace. That is their warfare because their trust is in the Prince of Peace. This is how they fight the Good Fight of Faith.

      A stance is everything in fighting. It’s your foundation and base. If your foundation, or base, is out of balance you will surely fall. If your foundation, or base, is out of balance neither your offense nor your defense will be effective because the enemy already has you off balance. We overcome our enemy by the Good News of the Blood and the Peace that Good News brings. Revelation 12:9-11 (911!!!) reminds us: And the huge dragon was cast down and out—that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him.10 Then I heard a strong (loud) voice in heaven, saying, Now it has come—the salvation and the power and the kingdom (the dominion, the reign) of our God, and the power (the sovereignty, the authority) of His Christ (the Messiah); for the accuser of our brethren, he who keeps bringing before our God charges against them day and night, has been cast out!11 And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing].

      That Blood works because of the One Who sacrificed His Life that we might live. Yet it’s only activated in those who do not cling to life but face death head on. The Apostles were always facing death and Paul reminded us of it: Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.37 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 8:36-39)

      Yet in the midst of their for Jesus, to themselves, and for others, they became more than conquerors and gained a victory. This is why Paul reminded the Ephesians: Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. (Eph. 6:11) He repeats this topic of standing in verses 13-14: Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].14 Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth….(Eph. 6:13-14) The conclusion? Tighten up on the Truth, the Gospel, the Blood of Jesus. Know what His Blood and Gospel has secured and fight the Good Fight of Faith knowing that Resurrection Life awaits those who gladly lay down their lives for the Reward of the Lamb and for His suffering! The Battle is won by the proclamation of what His Blood has done. When you feel defeated and discouraged begin to remind the enemy what Jesus’ Blood has done and proclaim it aloud never forgetting your stance is everything. Remember your stance is everything.