Today's Burden

Does anyone, in today's church, talk about the wonders of our Lord or do we say, "Hush! We must not

make mention of name of the LORD (Am. 6.10)."

O, Living God, help me to fear thee. Help me to know thy fear. I will fear no other.

Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread

(Is. 8.13).

In these perilous times, I find myself drawing ever so much nearer our LORD. Indeed, I should tremble, as I see so many simply getting used to the noose the Prince of the Air draws about our necks (that metaphor comes from a fellow truck driver who knows not the LORD). There are so man Christians and non Christians alike, who are engrossed in the world, are getting used to the loss of freedoms and the trampling of the Constitution.

Our Constitution, nation and freedom therein is from God and for the proclamation of the Gospel. Check the quotes of the founding fathers. That is what the United States became a nation for. The enemy took liberty to slip in with his chief spirit, Greed and cause all manner of perversion (that's just a side note).

Let me ask, are you aware of the perilousness of the times? Do you realize we have an enemy or are you just waiting for the rapture and trust God will keep you?

What about that truck driver and others like him? I will witness to him and spend significant time in intercession for him.

Surely, there are people in your sphere of influence I trust you are interceding for and when they least suspect it, you will give them a word which will burn in their hearts leading them to repentance and belief in the Gospel.

O saint reading this post, the last statement refers to you who know and are aware of the time. I'm, in effect, preaching to the choir. Maybe more correctly, I'm one of the congregation preaching to the preacher.

I just started writing a word to encourage those who are lukewarm, yet I know such a word goes unheeded, at least in Connecticut.

So I encourage you, beloved, keep seeking God, let Him be your fear, let Him be your dread. As such, you will have no fear of man nor the perilousness of the times. Pray for me to be instant, in season, out of season when those unsaved men complain about the noose tightening. Then I can be there with a word from heaven, when they least suspect. Faith will come by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. They simply need Almighty God.

Here's a quote I find appropriate to today's burden:

The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the power of our enemies restrained. The Lord, who will be a Sanctuary to those who trust in him, will be a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence, to those who make the creature their fear and their hope. If the things of God be an offence to us, they will undo us.

- Matthew Henry

Ultimate Reality

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Pa. 103. 1,2)

Today, we're almost past the holidays. We head into the time when the worldliness of day to day living can become wearisome: Work, bills, auto repairs, those things reminding us we are on the earth, more bills, etc. We can say, "it is the dead of winter and I sense the pressure of a world against me."

I make no escape from reality or responsibility. I prefer to look to whom is the ultimate reality. To do otherwise is idolatry. Dare I be consumed in the mundane when God commands us to seek His face (Ps. 27.8)? God declares He is God, "beside me I know no other Savior (Is. 43.11)."

The Psalms is a book rich, among other things, in theology. We read of His might:

For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD (Ps. 89.6)?

He is a God to be feared and revered:

God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him (Ps. 89.7).

He is immutable:

For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth (Ps. 119. 89,90).

He is holy:

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel (Ps. 22.3).

Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever (Ps. 93.5).

With such a wonderful God, we must say:

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Ps. 118.24).

The Altar of Incense

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (Ja. 5.16).

As I read passages on prayer, I recognize what great power we have therein. Yet I find it quite difficult to get to the place of fervent prayer. It makes so much sense (difficulty in prayer). Prayer deals utter defeat to the devil. If he can keep us from effectual, fervent prayer, we are diminished in damaging his efforts. When I pray diligently in secret, those seasons of prayer shared with such mundane activities as jogging, walking the dog, processing firewood, making breakfast, etc. are so much more meaningful. Quite simply, also, diligent, fervent prayer in private is underscored by the most powerful prayer I have with Linda.

Prayer in a believer's life is offered on a heavenly altar. That prayer ascends as incense to our Lord. Shouldn't we keep much incense continually ascending before Him?

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

⁴And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

⁵And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake (Re. 8.3-5).

I would like to be responsible for an appreciable amount of incense in that golden censer.

I've noticed a few things about most houses of worship, lately. There are neither altar nor encouragement to pray. I believe the altar is symbolic of the furniture in the holy place where our prayers are offered as incense, a sweet smelling savor to our Lord. Prayer is not effectively encouraged nor taught by those whose lives are not immersed therein. Should time with our Lord be not compromised, indeed, recognized and practiced as the most important activity in life? Sadly, I find few who share that belief. Truly, what better thing can there be than an audience with the Most High God? Hence, we no longer see the altar existent in many churches. Neither do we hear messages burning from the heart concerning prayer.

There is, however, an altar our Lord put in your heart. That altar is in the holiest place and in heaven too.

Beloved, walk in the Spirit (stay on the mercy seat, underneath the protection of His wings) and ye will not do the deeds of the flesh.

Thorn in the Flesh

In 1993, I was gathering firewood, in the rough, off the edge of my lawn. Eventually, in reaching down, I would get a pricker in my finger. Tough as I am, a few of those by the end of the day caused me to not ignore them. After extracting them, I thought, so small a piece of wood, lodged where it ought not, caused so great a discomfort.

I knew God had a prophetic message concerning this beyond the wisdom of wearing gloves though I was unable to articulate it.

²I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

³And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

⁴How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

⁵Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.

⁶For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

⁷And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

⁸For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

"Of such an one I will glory . . .(v. 5a)"

This is where I run into problems: Thinking too much of myself, even glorying in the work God has done in me leaves me open for the attack of the enemy. I must quickly catch my error and focus on the Mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Paul catches himself and writes, ". . . yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities (5b)."

Paul was caught up into the third heaven and, no doubt, saw glory, perhaps his own. Consider how unthinkable it is for a man in Christ to utter such things. The glory of Christians to come belongeth not to us now. What belongs to us now is life on this terrestrial plane while seeking Him who is Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes.

Should I seek after my own glory, comfort and gratification, I should, in God's infinite mercy, become more aware of the weakness of the flesh as the discomfort of something of the world lodged therein.

Things of the world have no place in my flesh. Seeking the glory, gratification, and comfort of the world have no place in the life of the spiritual man.

We will be glorified. That is a promise. We are to seek not our glorification but the glory of God. In seeking God's glory, we begin to see His goodness. We begin to see His mercy and everlasting kindness.

Though the flesh desires to glory, we are always brought back to the weakness of it in comparison to the goodness and mercy of God. That is our place as we learn to reign with Him. We are with Christ in the School of Prayer (I refer you to the work of Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, 1887) as long as we stay on the mercy seat.

The cross! The place the Prince of Glory died. 'Twas there my sins were crucified. Then buried He with all my sin. From the grave He arose leaving thence my sin. The cross and mercy seat are the place where I receive mercy and grace to help in a time of need. Over the mercy seat, with wings out stretched are the cherubim that cover.

Should I depart from the mercy seat, it would be to glory in my flesh. Yet I am purchased by God and will be brought back to the mercy seat, if indeed, by the messenger of Satan. The lesson is painful, a thorn in the flesh, yet because of God's grace I may return to the mercy seat and abide under the covering of His wings.

He Attends our Prayer

But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me (Ps. 66. 19, 20).

God does not turn the prayer away of those who pray according to His will. We have the promise of having the mind of Christ. Our thoughts will be as His very own thoughts as we seek His face, behold and draw nigh unto Him. Our affections will be as the affections of Christ and thus, we will pray for those things He would pray for.

The Bible tells us the Holy Spirit maketh intercession for us in groanings which cannot be uttered. We are further told Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us. So as we attempt to draw close to God, He is perfecting our prayer by the Holy Spirit, interceding for us and transfiguring us into His likeness and glory.

Thus, He attends to our prayer in mercy. He will not turn our prayer away for we have become unified with Him.

The Cross be Gain

All I owe

to Him who died

who saved my soul

Christ crucified

No Saviour known

but Jesus Christ

I'll take the cross

for He's my life

the world be loss

the cross be gain

Jesus my Lord

who bore my pain

And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and [in his] Father's, and of the holy angels. (Lk. 9.23-26)?

Let my motivation, O Lord, be correct. May I be crucified with you and truly live. I take up not my cross to obtain heaven, but because thou has written my name in glory, I take up my cross. You lead me, O Lord, to serve you for I, of myself, know not how to serve you. In me, I have no good thing. Thus, service of my own contrivance is fleshly work and certainly dead.

Since what is in me is no good, I need the cross and must die daily. As I crucify the flesh, you, O Lord, take over causing me to become more like you.

Thank you, Lord, for your Word and your Holy Ghost who dwells in me.

We Must Bless the Lord

Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest (Mt. 21.9).

I was greatly blessed, one day, to pray with Pastor David Davis. What a man of prayer! The Lord works mightily through those vessels who allow Him.

Of the things he said, "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near (Mk. 13.28)"

The fact is the tree, Israel, has put forth leaves, her branch is tender and there is fruit thereon. In Israel and all over the Mideast, men are shouting, "Hosanna to the King!"

That is a fulfillment of prophecy in particular. Now the Lord tarries only that more may be saved and enter into His Kingdom. We, therefore, must do all He will lead us to do, yea, even plead with Him, the Almighty King to cause us to do His will for His Kingdom to come. My prayer is for the salvation of those around me. "Help me, O God, to intercede for all those I see and speak to. It is your business, O Lord, to answer prayer and see to it the angels are dispatched to minister to those for whom I pray. Father, you are the One who draws all men to Jesus, so I ask you to draw those whom I have prayed for unto the Lord Christ. It is your will, Heavenly Father, none should perish but all come to righteousness. I have prayed for them and you promised to give me whatsoever I ask in prayer. I believe you have given them as my inheritance for you said, 'Ask of me and I shall give unto thee the heathen for thine inheritance.' Thou, Almighty God, will work all things together for the good of them that love you and are called according to your purpose. Use my voice, words, and acts to win the lost for thee. May all those I pray for proclaim, 'Hosanna, in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

C.T. Studd wrote, "I met with a track written by an atheist. It read as follows: "Did I firmly believe, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, religion would mean to me everything. I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought, and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I should labour in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of Eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life of suffering. Earthly consequences should never stay my hand nor seal my lips. Earth, its joys and its grief's, would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon Eternity alone, and on the Immortal Souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable. I would go forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season and my text would be, "WHAT SHALL IT PROFIT A MAN IF HE GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD AND LOOSE HIS SOUL?"

I asked the question of a church, “How can I be a blessing?” I pray, “Lord, help me be a blessing to your Church?” This morning, as I awoke singing, “Glory to the Lord God Almighty, the earth is filled with your glory,” I thought, “We are to bless the Lord. How can we be blessing to the Lord?” We are to sing, “Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord.” Yet that statement comes from Jesus’ prophecy about Israel, which is now being fulfilled. That thought brings me to the scourging tract above.

Once again, my question, “How shall I bless the Lord?”

The most perilous journey

The most perilous journey is that which is embarked upon from a neglected or non existent prayer closet.

The enemy will stop at nothing short of keeping men from the prayer closet.

The enemy may suggest you should depart for a time and approach such an important matter with a fresh mind.

He may convince you that prayer is best approached later in the day. Certainly, when that time arrives, there are too many matters that must be attended. Prayer is best done when all is quiet and relaxed. When bed time arises, tiredness will do prayer no justice. Prayer would be better accomplished with a fresh mind in the morning.

The enemy had successfully convinced me to stay away from the prayer closet for 14 years.

That was the most perilous journey.

It was God's grace and mercy I had not been killed in that time. Indeed, I had several brushes with death. I nearly lost my family and everything I owned. Certainly, I lost my integrity.

God, who loved me, in spite of me, humbled me.

In humility and contrition, I may now frequent His presence. That is the most important thing to me . . . His presence.

Don't neglect the prayer closet. Doing so sets one on the most perilous journey.

Thy Precious Blood

Thy precious blood

that crimson flood

cleansed me within

of vilest sin

Nailed to the tree

Thou cursed of me

And there crucified

Thy blood applied

Praise Jesus' name

His matchless name

Lamb on the throne

whose blood atoned

We can draw nigh

His pierced side

Fire Upon the Altar

The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out (Le. 6. 13).

I was studying Leviticus and came to the above Scripture. Verse 13 struck me. A solemn duty of those in leadership is to keep the fire fed. The fuel is wood. What relation that has to fear of God, prayer and worship, I don't yet understand. To be sure, those are choices; disciplines in which intellectual understanding and agreement, first, must be made. Perhaps academic intellect is as wood.

The important thing, here, is the fire's existence in our lives and Church. It is the responsibility of every believer to keep the Holy Ghost burning in his life. The only way to provide the correct fuel is our constantly praying, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." Seeking of the face of Christ and being transfigured from glory to glory as by the Holy Ghost. We must know His Word, we must do His will (to seek and to save the lost). We must believe we have the mind of Christ and let Him fill our minds with His.

As we keep focused on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, we are changed into His glory and image. The continuation of this discipline causes the fire to continually be fed with the wood of intellect (study), prayerful agreement with Christ, and godly determination.

Should we decide to resort to good music, skillful musicians, much academic teaching and good works without staying before Christ in prayer, fasting and repentance, the fire will go out. All programs, activities and services, no matter how loud we sing, no matter how we try to work it up will simply be dead. It will be our kindling with our own fire (recall Nadab and Abihu used strange fire before the LORD and were destroyed in the anger of the Almighty) which is not authorized. The fire must be started by God Himself.

Here is how to have the fire rekindled:

Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye [even] to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
			Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
			Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where [is] their God? - Joel 2. 12, 15-17 God, have mercy on me, as I write this message. I tremble before thee for this seems to hit those who are in leadership, those who I tried to submit myself to yet I have been frankly ignored and cast off as some annoying pest. I know your intentions for me, O God, that I am not a pest but one to exhort the Church and move your hand on the behalf of the Church and the lost. My prayer is for those in leadership to have that unhindered, uninterrupted, solitary time with you, in which they can gaze upon your face and be with you, obtaining that glow as Moses who dwelt in your presence. Right now, as I write, O God, post your angels about those saints I know and love who are in leadership of your bride, the Church, enabling them to be in your awesome presence. Please, O God, bless and provide for those ministries who are doing your work, esp. House of Life Ministry, The Smallest Seed, Times Square Church, Heinrich and family, Scott and family, Petra and her disciples and the pastors and ministers of the Church.

Thy face, O Lord shall I seek

With great urgency, I seek thy face, O God, for the sake of the Church who focuses not on thee but on things terrestrial. We, O God, must set our eyes on Jesus, the Author and finisher of our faith. It is no crime that we should be consumed with thee all day.

When thou saidst unto me, "Seek ye my face." Thy face, O Lord shall I seek. Lord, what greater thing is there we can put our focus on? There is none. Thou art God.

Thou, O God art the blessed and only potentate. The King of kings and Lord of lords.

Thou only hast immortality, dwelling in inapproachable light. Man cannot approach unto thee save by the blood of Jesus and the Mercy Seat.

To thee, O God, be honor and glory and power everlasting, amen.

I thank you, O God, for those in House of Life Ministry who are praying for my family and me. Post your angels about them. Abundantly bless them. Draw them into your presence and endue them with your power and grace.

I pray also for the Smallest Seed, Inc. O Lord, bless that ministry and all involved. Help them to draw nigh unto thee. Provide them with every good thing to do your will, I pray, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

O God, I Exult in Thee

In the last two weeks, I have been so thoroughly blessed in fellowship with saints and missionaries from Times Square Church. I am pleased, also for the presence of my son at Pastors' Prayer at Times Square Church and my ability to introduce him as my disciple. Lord, help me equip others to cause thy Kingdom to come.

This weekend I am visited by a precious sister who is in the U.S. for a brief time before returning to Durban, South Africa. To my wife and me, she is as having Jesus Christ, Himself, in bodily form, in our home. Little wonder, as she is the temple of the Living God.

How can I contain such blessing?

My prayer, O God, is to help your work in South Africa and around the world to the extent I am able.

For those who have been redeemed by those ministries I pray your complete blessing of grace and peace. O Lord, thank you for them as they pray for us.

For the most part, it seems, O God, we are rejected by the church in Connecticut. You give me a word yet that word you give me, O God, is arrogantly despised. I am not too surprised, Jesus, as you told me I will receive from men the treatment you receive. The saints in NYC and Africa receive me as if I am you, in person. Bless your holy name, O God.

O God, I exult in thee.

Thou hast revealed thy glory.

In vessels of clay shalt thou be.

How wonderful thou art to me.

Lord, my God and King,

you set my heart to praise and sing

I wait on you who art most holy

Be still, my soul, for the Lord of Glory

I bow in worship, most righteous Lord

who for me, thy blood outpoured

my ransom bought upon that tree

there, you became sin for me.

Where you died, I died with thee

Sin has now no hold on me.

The mind of Christ given me

To walk in thy Spirit, truly free.

Not by flesh nor man's devise

But by the Spirit of the Lord

The Shadow of the Almighty

Four and twenty elders fall down before Him

He that sat on the throne

They worship Him that liveth forever and ever

Cast they their crowns before Him

Say they, "Holy,

"Holy, holy, art thou Lord God Almighty

"Which was and is and is to come."

Yehovah doth reveal His glory to those who frequent His secret place,

yea, those who abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Worthy is the Lamb

Who bled and died

Enduring the cross

Who bore our shame

Worthy is He who is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Deeper Things of God

I knew a man who wanted to draw so much nearer to YHWY as to be distressed with being confined to living in his earthly body on this terrestrial ball. Though reading the Word of God and listening thereto, prayer, fellowship with believers, ministry to others and worship effectively brings one into the presence of God, he still felt this carnal life to be a "ball and chain" preventing him from experiencing fully the presence of Christ.

A question he asked, as do all honest believers, "What is the Lord's will?"

The model of our prayer is, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done."

In answer, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pe. 3.9)."

In Psalms we read, "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession (Ps. 2.8)."

We are truly expected to ask of the Father: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive (Mt. 21.22).

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight (1 Jn. 3.22).

It seems pretty conclusive, we are to remain here as long as YHWY wills. While here we are to do our part that His Kingdom come. We are to do His will, while we have breath.

I knew a man who found no way of drawing nearer to Yeshua than to spend time in secret prayer and be led of the Holy Spirit to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ, who became our curse that we might live, to many at any opportunity made available.

In this he found the deeper things of God.

Depth and Root

A word of knowledge can only be received by one who has depth of root. Since the Word is a double edged sword, it will cut that which is on the surface. If there is too little root, the plant can no longer live after being cut.

The depth of a man's spirit is directly related to the unseen time of meditation on the Word and prayer in his life. A life of much time in secret prayer creates a depth in a man's spirit that cannot be attained through ecclesiastic activity, academic knowledge nor work related experience. Such a depth produces an undeniable aroma of Christ in a person.

Without the depth called for by our Lord, those in the ministry perform a great disservice in the Kingdom of God. A minister without depth must repent of the sin of being too busy. Many activities have trumped the prominent place Jesus must take in our lives. We call Him, "Lord." We either deny the true meaning of Lord or are simply disobedient to Him supplanting His lordship with our own concerns. After all, most Christians have made Him only a lord so no one will notice when one with much doctrinal knowledge makes him only a lord. It's like everyone wearing a ball cap for the same team. For too many years had I kept Jesus off the throne as Lord. How horrible a life without the wonderful presence of Christ.

Repentance is the only step for the churches now as the sin is allowing ourselves to be too busy to seek the face of Almighty God. Our Lord lovingly caused me to see the sin I had been blind to, repent and once again, seek His face as if my next breath depended thereon. His presence produces depth of root allowing us to receive more of His Word.

Godly Thirst

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God (Ps. 42.1).

In 1978, I had been brought to the Lord. I grew in the knowledge of the Lord. About 1995, I started to compromise my beliefs. In 2004, I had to realize I and the whole church had become lukewarm and were no longer the savour of life unto life to them that were saved nor of death unto death to them that were perishing. On February 21 & 22, 2005, I decided to fast and pray for two days for the nation, the Church and for me to draw near the Lord.

In the months following, even to the present, I have had an incredible thirst for the Lord. That thirst is only satisfied with His presence. At once, from private prayer, the study of His Word, and fellowship with saints who hunger and thirst after Him, I find great satisfaction.

My wife and I find ourselves as deep calling unto deep.

The Well of Eternity

My brother said to me, "God is deep and expects us to be deep, so let's be deep." This from someone who always had much to say about man's relation with our Lord, yet had a history of not sounding profound. Yet his statement has stuck with me, as driven with a pin, for many years. To this day, neither he nor I understand the full implications, though we tremble before God, who may cause us to understand and help others to come to such depths of knowing our Lord.

We have all been born into carnal life. Our first sound is to command satisfaction. We tend to crave satisfaction all our lives while our Lord commands us to take up that which will put a cruel end to all we believe comforting and satisfying. We have been born into a carnal life but we are called to pass into eternal life. A life which requires nothing less than despising all our worldly pleasure to enter the joy of our Lord.

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Mk 8.34).

Though our carnal lives must exist, we don't have to live in a carnal way. We are called to live in a spiritual way. We are called to ask of the Lord a new, spiritual life that exalts Yeshua and worships Him, as God, who must be approached and worshipped in the spirit. God is Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and Truth.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (Jn. 3.7).

If we are honest with ourselves, we must recognize our spiritual bankruptcy. A bankruptcy which causes thirst and hunger for the One, True God, our Maker. He calls us to come to Him and receive of Him the sustenance we require:
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Is. 55.1)."

So beautifully, Yeshua stated to a Samaritan woman the carnal water we drink provides temporal quenching while His water places a spiritual well within us:

"Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (Jn. 4.13,14)."

To have depth, I must have that infinite well within me producing limitless quantities of Living Water for myself and those I come in contact with.

Enter His Gates with Praise

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing (Ps. 100.2).

O God, my Saviour, my Helper
Lover of my soul.
Help me to praise,
Help me to sing,
Help me, Lord, to worship you.
The trees shall bow down in the hills and the fields.
The brooks and the streams thy honor doth raise.
The skies and mountains show forth their praise.
All creation worships your name.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name (Ps. 100.4).

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms (Ps. 95.2).

Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name (Ps. 100.4).

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God (Ps. 147.7):

You taught us to pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. O Lord God, how great is thy name. Yours is the name above all names. Every knee shall bow and tongue confess, Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father.

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Ex. 3.14).

I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (Jn. 8.24).

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (Jn. 8.58).

Yeshua, that holy name, Yeshua.
How can I do anything but worship thee
at the sound of thy name?
I lift up my heart to the sound of thy name
my soul makes her boast only in thy great name
Nothing of me shall get in thy way
when it's time to worship and pray

Today's Prayer

I am amazed at the goodness of our Lord. He who loves us most inspired these words: "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee (Je. 31.3).
"We love him, because he first loved us (1 Jn. 4.19)."
Our God has lavished His grace toward us.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself (Eph. 1.7-9).
His grace is not something we have to qualify or work for. His grace is freely given unto us. It is His divine pleasure to pour His favor out to us who have deserved exactly the opposite; it is, indeed, in spite of us.
How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast stored up for those who fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for those who take refuge in Thee, before the sons of men (Ps. 31.19).
It's a simple message: God is good. But what wonderful things happen in heaven and earth when those words proceed from the mouths of those who love Him. I love going to places where those are the initial words from the lips of His people.
Praise ye the LORD for He is good and His mercy endureth forever. Try saying that everywhere you go for 21 days and note the difference.
When you go to any meeting, proclaim, "Let all that hath breath praise the Lord."
It is obvious very few people care to acknowledge the Lord in speech, even at churches. Listen, the next time you go. See if anyone voluntarily extols the virtues of the Lord. When you notice the obvious start proclaiming that all who come praise the Lord.
This is my prayer today, "May my presence, actions and words express thy amazing grace, O God, thy goodness and thine everlasting love. Thou has sent the Holy Ghost to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. Let me be a pure vessel of your goodness, grace and love, O God, Most High."