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Burning With Zeal, Sons of God, Volcanos and Earthquakes

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Micah 1:2 Hear, all you people; listen closely, O earth and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be witness among you and against you, the Lord from His holy temple.

What is going on? Have you read some of the headline news regarding global, seismic events? Scientists Give LAST WARNING as Mount Rainier Triggers a Chain Eruption Across the Cascades; Russia earthquake has caused a ‘parade of volcanic eruptions’; Scientists warn one of world’s supervolcanoes is awakening: ‘It will plunge the planet into chaos’

Why are these volcanoes and earthquakes being triggered around the world? Romans 8:19-22 states that there is a connection between mankind and earth: For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].20 For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it—[yet] with the hope21 That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children.22 We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now. Nature, earth, and all creation is linked to our freedom, as the manifest sons’ of God.

Jesus used nature as a sign symptomatic of His Return inMatthew 24:7-8: For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;8 All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish]. Are the earthquakes and volcanoes increasing because the birth pangs, or spiritual contractions of all creation are hearing the Voice of the Lord, the Living Word of God approaching? Question is, Are we listening?

Seven more signs are listed in Matthew 24:10-14: 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.11 And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error.12 And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity,13 But he who endures to the end will be saved.14 And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end. What are the seven signs? Offense, Distrust or Unbelief, Falling Away from Jesus, Deceit, Love Grows Cold, Multiplied Lawlessness, AND the Gospel being preached to the whole world.

1 Peter 2:7-8 states: To you then who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is true], The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone,8 And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God’s] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do. What is Peter saying? A similar thing that Jesus is saying: To the believer – the one trusting in Jesus, and obeying His Word – Jesus is Precious. They love and adore Him. But to those who are not trusting, who do not consider Jesus and His Word Precious, they are getting offended; they are stumbling over the offenses; they are falling away from the Lord. Their love for Jesus, His Word, and others is growing cold. They have forsaken what they were destined and appointed to do. To become sons of the Living, Most High God! To become little Christ’s – little anointed ones running with His Vision; His mission. Is that the point that Jesus is making to the Laodicean church? So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]. (Rev. 3:19) Another way of stating burning with zeal is to say you are boiling hot. Jesus is the Burning Man and those who draw near to Him will burn with His fire. Is this why earthquakes and volcanoes are increasing?

The Burning Man’s Approach is nearing and repentance begins with changed minds. Is your mind changing or have you been digging in your heels to an earth that is already shaking; already changing preparing to erupt? The sons of God are about to be revealed and the earth knows it. Question is: Will you be counted among their number? Are you listening?

Seven Second Memory

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On March 27, 1985 Clive Wearing, an acknowledged expert in early music at the height of his career with BBC Radio, contracted herpesviral encephalitis, a herpes simplex virus that attacked his central nervous system. Wearing developed a profound case of total amnesia as a result of his illness. Because of damage to the hippocampus he is completely unable to form lasting new memories. His memory of events lasts between seven and thirty seconds. He spends every day ‘waking up’ every 20 seconds or so, ‘restarting’ his consciousness once the timespan of his short-term memory has elapsed.

In the book of Philippians 3:13-14 the Apostle Paul describes a spiritual form of amnesia when he writes: but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. AMPC

Jesus encouraged this amnesia in regard to our own lives when He exhorted His followers: And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]. Luke 9:23 AMPC

In 2002 the BBC released a documentary about Sigmund Freud titled, Century of the Self. As I googled this title other options emerged: A Journey to the Center of Self, the Center for Self-Actualization, the Center for Self, How to Center Yourself, etc., etc. Whether it’s a century or a day, the journey to being centered in our selves doesn’t take long requiring no money, or psychological experts. You don’t have to travel to Tibet or get on the Marrakesh Express to discover Nirvana. All it takes is a look in the mirror. The true cosmic shift comes when you lift up your eyes, center in on the moment, becoming a “there you are” human being (instead of human doing). For some that takes a journey of a lifetime but others have looked upon Jesus. Time has stood still and all of a sudden the World of “Me” is not that important. All of a sudden you develop Holy Ghost Amnesia forgetting what is behind and straining towards what’s ahead. And in the midst of the journey you begin seeing “human do-ings” searching to become “human be-ings” again. Imagine being given the Grace to forget ALL that’s behind. All the hurt, offenses, regrets, pains and failures. Imagine praying for the Grace to see others forgetting what is behind, forgiving, and releasing others from the debt we think they owe us. Imagine being a “there you are” person – instead of a “here I am” person. Imagine, looking in to a person and seeing the treasures God sees. What would happen to our self-centered world? Would we find ourselves – “human be-ings?” Try this experiment all week.