Peace to Your House no. 8

How would I discern the waywardness of my heart?

Lord, forgive my hidden flaws whenever you find them.

Keep cleansing me, God,

and keep me from my secret, selfish sins;

may they never rule over me!

For only then will I be free from fault

and remain innocent of rebellion.

So may the words of my mouth, my meditation-thoughts,

and every movement of my heart be always pure and pleasing,

acceptable before your eyes, Yahweh,

my only Redeemer, my Protector.

Psalms 19:12-14 TPT

Daily I will worship you passionately and with all my heart.

My arms will wave to you like banners of praise.

I overflow with praise when I come before you,

for the anointing of your presence satisfies me like nothing else.

You are such a rich banquet of pleasure to my soul.

I lie awake each night thinking of you

and reflecting on how you help me like a father.

I sing through the night under your splendor-shadow,

offering up to you my songs of delight and joy!

Psalms 63:4-7 TPT

Yahweh is my strength and my wraparound shield.

When I fully trust in you, help is on the way.

I jump for joy and burst forth with ecstatic, passionate praise!

I will sing songs of what you mean to me!

You will be the inner strength of all your people,

Yahweh, the mighty protector of all,

and the saving strength for all your anointed ones.

Save your people whom you love, and bless your chosen ones.

Be our shepherd leading us forward,

forever carrying us in your arms!

Psalms 28:7-9 TPT

So from now on we regard no one from a human point of view [according to worldly standards and values]. Though we have known Christ from a human point of view, now we no longer know Him in this way. Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].

2 Corinthians 5:16-19 AMP

There needs to be a change in the way we live if things on earth are going to get better. And that way has nothing to do with economic theories, political ideologies, government policy, or legal reform. We have to change our hearts, our minds, and our souls in order to be that justice and righteousness in the world. It’s nice to want our government to change, it’s nice to believe that folks will just start having our best interests in mind, it’s nice to think that folks will do the right and proper thing for humanity, however, we have to first start living by that example.

I asked a series of questions yesterday that I think get at the root of what it means to be righteous and just. We need to be open to the ministry of the Son while he was here on earth. Christ was totally dedicated to putting the community before life, before wealth, before family, before everything BUT the Almighty. And that is the example that the New Testament should be teaching us. That the only reason we have anything here on earth is through divine mercy.

Too often do we see that the evil and destruction of this planet is those that put their neighbors at a disadvantage to the betterment of themselves. They pollute, they cheat, they steal, they lie, and they do it all for their own glory and power. These folks are not leaving the world better than they found it. They are leaving this world as a mess and making things worse for everyone.

The only way to change our situation is to change our focus. To live a life that is aligned with the values of Christ. Because if Christ is truly the example that I follow, then it should be rather easy for others to see and know. Folks shouldn’t have to guess that I am a Christian. My works and words should declare that on their own. And we do that by worrying more about those folks that are in need, those folks that are vulnerable, those folks that are hurting and need righteousness and justice. Who else is going to show that to them BUT Christians?

Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyNepheshMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin

Peace to Your House no. 7

But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. These things, my brothers, should not be this way [for we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His precepts].

James 3:8-10 AMP

A voice says, “Call out [prophesy].”

Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”

[The voice answered:] All humanity is [as frail as] grass, and all that makes it attractive [its charm, its loveliness] is [momentary] like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;

Most certainly [all] the people are [like] grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever.

Do you [who worship idols] not know? Have you not heard?

Has it not been told to you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth [the omnipotence of God and the stupidity of bowing to idols]?

It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

[It is He] who stretches out the heavens like a veil

And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing,

Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless).

Scarcely have they been planted,

Scarcely have they been sown,

Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,

But He merely blows on them, and they wither,

And a strong wind carries them away like stubble.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth

Does not become tired or grow weary;

There is no searching of His understanding.

He gives strength to the weary,

And to him who has no might He increases power.

Even youths grow weary and tired,

And vigorous young men stumble badly,

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]

Will gain new strength and renew their power;

They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];

They will run and not become weary,

They will walk and not grow tired.

Isaiah 40:6-8, 21-24, 28-31 AMP

“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear and the terror of you shall be [instinctive] in every animal of the land and in every bird of the air; and together with everything that moves on the ground, and with all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I give you everything, as I gave you the green plants and vegetables. But you shall not eat meat along with its life, that is, its blood. For your lifeblood I will most certainly require an accounting; from every animal [that kills a person] I will require it. And from man, from every man’s brother [that is, anyone who murders] I will require the life of man.

“Whoever sheds man’s blood [unlawfully],

By man (judicial government) shall his blood be shed,

For in the image of God

He made man.

“As for you, be fruitful and multiply;

Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

Genesis 9:1-7 AMP

A lot of folks have their own idea of what being a Christian and following God entails. I mean look at all the variations and divisions and varieties and flavors of Christianity around us. And then factor in all the other religious ideas out there . . . it’s staggering. All these answers and solutions just sitting out there that all seem equally valid at first glance. I don’t spend my time at one church listening to one person tell me what to believe. I am lucky enough to have three churches within walking distance of my home and a few more within biking distance and several more within driving distance and several more within cyber distance. And that gives me the opportunity to hear a lot of different folks teaching a lot of different things about the Word of God and it gives me plenty of things to go home and read on my own.

Do I agree with everything I hear people say about what they read in The Bible? Nope. I have watched too many folks go down the wrong rabbit holes and get turned aside to focus on too many bad ideas and to behave poorly within and without a church structure to support them. Relying on other folks for your salvation is just like relying on someone else to free you. That is never going to happen.

BUT the great thing about God is that it doesn’t matter how right or wrong the person is teaching or preaching, God always finds a way to use that person to further understanding. And sometimes that understanding is that you need to figure some of this stuff out on your own. And there isn’t a lot you really need to understand.

I like Bible study. BUT I am a nerd for language and reading and metaphor and symbol and archetype and discovery. That doesn’t mean you need to do that in order to be a good Christian. I have yet to see a commandment about becoming a bookworm for God. As far as I can tell, you have to love God and your neighbor. And if you love God, then you are going to do things to show that like reading about God and talking to God and living a life that God would want you to live. And that leaves a lot of difference in walks.

Is my walk your walk? Nope. BUT you do need a walk if you’re going to say you are a Christian. We can disagree on being vegan, kosher, vegetarian, paleo, and any other sort of eating guidelines BUT we can’t disagree on the basic understandings that God puts forward throughout The Bible. We are to love and have a relationship with God. It is kind of difficult to have a relationship with folks you ignore. It is rough to establish a relationship if you meet twice a year. It is rough to maintain a relationship with someone you see once a week. BUT only you know your walk like only I know my walk.

So, I am involved in a lot of teaching. I am involved in a lot of reading. I am involved in a lot of praying. And that is where my walk continues. Will the end of summer slow some of that down? Of course. Will the end of summer change my relationship? Nope. So, how is your relationship?

Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyNepheshMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin