Category: Spiritual

https://click.messages.odb.org/?qs=327ea656f50da6d67ca70a38ed734a4ec01f0bfb01b81e9f097aee99ba1e031fbda88b2f40a097ab32f744a2d5b311c8271d8f7432c3aefe00c37304b2c8b3a3

Click the above link to May 25 reading from My Utmost For His Highest.

The classic book today explaining “the good is always the enemy of the best” is John Bevere’s “Good or God: Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough.” These days the terms good and God seem synonymous. We believe what’s generally accepted as good must be in line with God’s will. Generosity, humility, justice, — good. Selfishness, arrogance, cruelty —evil. The distinction seems pretty straightforward. But is that all there is to it? If good is so obvious, why does the Bible say that we need discernment to recognize it? : Good or God” isn’t another self-help message. This book will do more than ask you to change your behavior. It will empower you to engage with God on a level that will change every aspect of your life. Go forth so empowered! merlin

with Anne Graham Lotz

May 13 Evening

My heart pants, my strength fails me.

Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is over whelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. When I am weak, then I am strong.

When [Peter] saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched our His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” <> In you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.<> He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. <> The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. <> [Be] strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power.

Ps. 38:10; Ps. 61:1-2; 2 Cor. 12:9-10; Matt. 14:30-31; Prov. 24:10, Isa. 40:29; Deut. 33:27; Col. 1:11

Available online at numerous sites. Please also consider May 14 Morning for “The fellowship of His sufferings.” as these readings offer a much needed perspective for moving forward after the prior Beth Troyer blog. I highlight these in followup to this devotional originally compiled by Samuel Bagster (1772-1851) family of London, England during their daily family devotions.

Now, for the rest of the story:  It was Jonathan, their tenth child, who was mainly responsible for the idea and the method by which Daily Light was compiled while he himself was a husband and a father. In preparing for daily family worship, Jonathan selected a Scripture text that the family joined together in prayer and were asked to illustrate by further applicable Scriptural texts. He was editor and his daughter Anne assisted. The resultant  Scriptural texts “were carefully considered, discussed and arranged by common consent of all those present, after which the manuscript would be laid aside for prayer and meditation to see if there would be any guidance for further improvement. Sometimes it would be weeks before it was felt that the reading for a particular day could not be improved and then sent to the printer. Each day for two years the readings were compiled, corrected, and improved in this way.

I contrast the above family’s lifestyle and culture to mine. Oh, how the Mighty in the Land (planet earth) have fallen! “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their selfish (wicked) ways, THEN will I hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin (iniquity) and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. Honestly, I’ve experienced and can testify to the “forgiveness,” segment but this “heal their land” phrase for our planet today is far beyond my infantile comprehension of God’s judgement via His grace and mercy.

Reiterating Beth Troyer’s final two paragraphs in her Section 10 (not eight as stated yesterday!) consider “passing over the free will of an individual for the believed benefit of many is not something God ever taught. If an individual chooses to sacrifice themselves, that is different. But forcing that choice on others is the farthest thing from “loving our neighbor as ourselves.” Jesus never disregarded what was best for the individual as a clause on how to love our neighbors. Even for the greater good is no validation for us to demand that people do what we think is right. Jesus is truth. He made a way for us to be saved from sin. This is the greatest (opportunity for) good humanity has ever (been offered to be) experienced. And yet He never lied. He never coerced or manipulated or tried to control anyone. Imagine, the greatest good, the gift of heaven, and still He never forced it on anyone! (And neither should we!) The truth is clear. It is straightforward. You can take it or leave it. It’s not about control. You certainly don’t have to base things on lies to get the truth out. The end never justifies the means if the means are based in lies, and I refuse to live by lies!”

Go Forth in His Presence Inspired Serving and Loving Humanity! merlin

THE REVERSAL OF OUR DESIRES GONE AMUCK IS ONLY ACCOMPLISHED BY:

Seeking forgiveness at the Cross from King Jesus by submitting our heart, mind & soul for the cleansing of all our past FEARS, FAULTS, & FAILURES thereby invoking God’s sustaining power into our reality (our real time presence) by re-aligning our desires with His gifts to all Christ Followers known as the Fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, & Self Control.

        In coaching language, perhaps we can begin by “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13-14), by He exchanging our fears, faults & failures  into an abiding faith of His ultimate provisions, elevating us to assist all those we meet by inviting them into His Presence, empowered by Holy Spirit, demonstrating the Fruits of the Spirit, and the satisfaction of witnessing their becoming the best possible version of themselves.  

Yesterday after church I began writing a conclusion to a coaching exercise wherein persons are given nine minutes to list the top ten fears, faults, and failures that are holding them back from becoming the best possible version of themselves. They are allowed three minutes for each. The two paragraphs above were designed to focus on the undergirding needed to accomplish such best possible versions.

Clinical diagnostic writings for a universal audience usually couch their encouragements and admonitions by such sterile unoffensive paragraphs as the following, perfectly acceptable and understandable to persons unfamiliar with living their life by faith.

For example, consider the following definition of The Higher Force. “The higher force that drives all of life expresses itself in relentless Forward Motion. The only way to connect to this force is to be in forward motion yourself. But to do that, you must face the pain and be able to move past it. The reversal of desire lets you do this. Once the tool connects you to the force of Forward Motion, the world is less intimidating, your energy is greater, and the future seems more hopeful.” Derived from the book “The Tools” by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels

Appropriately, the mantra for the above definition is “Bring it on, I love my fear, my fear sets me free.” And believe me, this system is performing well, and I am very glad it is, because there are literally billons today paralyzed by their fears, faults and failures, living impoverished lives.

However for me, as I was basking yet on Pastor Carl’s sermon several hours prior, that I’ve retitled “Being a Worshipful People,” with his 4 bullets being 1.) Called (bringing God joy); 2.) Confusion (having no other gods before me); 3.) Clarification (comprehending who God is & who we are); 4.) Consequences (how worshipping God transforms us – So, how will I worship next week?); I was eventually drawn to Robert’s writing’s, having just completed a writing assignment for a friend of mine about the life and times of Robert Rogers. So this 3000 word document is my off the cuff summary today of his 26000 word book Rise Above: How God Can Heal Your Hurts and Overcome The Worst, a likely primer for Christian leadership including pastors, SS teachers, coaches, mentors, counselors, etc.

 Robert lost his wife and four children August 30, 2003 in a flash flood on Kansas Turnpike at mile marker 116 when a seven foot wall swept their van off the road drowning them all except him. I have also produced two summaries of his first book “Into the Deep: one man’s story of how tragedy took his family but could not take his faith.”  

Actually, the lights really went on when I realized Robert’s mantra for Rise Above was simply so on target for this coaching exercise, that regardless whatever our fear, fault, or failure may be, we as Christ Followers, are called to worship Him by: “Face It, Embrace It, Replace it;” all under the auspices of God’s divine healing according to scripture, and the removing of “me” in the equation and depending more on “Him.”

In a straightforward and practical way, Robert Rogers strove to answer how to Rise Above on our road to freedom and recovery. What follows below is virtually all in Robert’s words taken verbatim from the book.

1^st Step to Rise Above: Face It.  Yes, admit it happened. Even T.S. Elliot said, “The only way to alter the past is to accept it.” So accept it. Don’t pretend it never happened. Rather than tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big God is. Joy and misery are both options. Just as no one can make you happy, neither can anyone make you miserable. It’s up to you. Choose life. Choose joy.

To choose life means to surrender the past. For new growth to come forth, a death must often occur first, just as the birth of spring follows the death of winter. “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives.” (John 12: 24) Through your agonizing death experiences, God can bring forth abundant life.

Just as Noah chose to build the ark, we also need to fortify the ark of our faith, requiring we first accept Him as our Lord, fostering our faith daily through a deepening relationship with God and His Word. Yes, it may cause us some additional pain to FACE IT! However, realize the pain of regrets weighs tons. If you don’t face it now, you will likely regret it exponentially and immensely more forever. God wants to release from the pain and power of your past. So, “let all who are discouraged take heart.” (Psalm 34:2) Choose life. Take heart. Choose to FACE IT!

When we refuse to face and deal with issues, then negative consequences  – from our actions or inactions – can hurt even those around us, in ways we might never fathom.  Conversely, when we choose to face a situation and tackle it with God’s grace, then we can give Him liberty to work through our mess and bring forth divine mercy and healing amidst it all.

2^nd Step to Rise Above:  Embrace It.  Yes, dive in head first. Jesus surrendered to the cross to which His Father had appointed Him. He embraced it. So should we. In the profound words of St. Augustine, “Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending.” In order to Rise Above, you must first descend below and utterly Embrace It.

 “Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” (Psalm 23:4) I no longer live in fear since the forgiveness of Christ at the foot of the cross swept thru my mind, body, and spirit freeing me from all past encumbrances, addictions, unforgiveness, hostilities, profanity, perversions, etc.

Until we get to Heaven, pain is a part of life in a broken world. So Embrace It enthusiastically, and “don’t be surprised by the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad – because these trials will make you partners with Christ in His suffering.” (I Peter 4:12-13) He will not permit you to be stretched beyond your breaking point. “But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you a way out.” (I Cor 10:13 GNT) God will indeed make a way when there seems to be no way.

Character and faith are forged in the fiery furnace called suffering. Just as muscles don’t strengthen from laziness and lethargy, so our faith is fortified by exercising it diligently as we embrace the daily struggles of everyday life. Although these confusing paths are often thorny and rocky, trust God that His ways are indeed right. “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.” (Isaiah 50:10) He has you right where He wants you, for your greater good, and for His greater glory and honor. You may never fully understand or make sense of it, this side of Heaven. “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything in perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me completely.” (I Cor 13:12) We don’t see the full picture now. If we could, we probably wouldn’t like it or couldn’t handle it. Trust God to reveal just enough to illuminate your next step.

 “You must accept whatever situation the Lord has put you in, and continue on…” (I Cor 7:17) Don’t stay stuck in your scars or paralyzed by your pain. If you do, you’ll remain ineffective for God. If God brought you to it, He’ll bring you through it. Don’t stay parked in the valley. Keep walking, keep trusting, keep thanking, keep moving. It’s hard to steer a parked car. Keep your vehicle, your life, moving forward. Then at least God has a chance to guide you in the right direction. If you remain immobilized, God can’t very well direct your paths.

Robert Rogers tells how his father often reminded and motivated him as a boy with the words “getting started is half done.” Even now the same principle still guides him. He rarely ever feels like climbing on his stationary bike; however if he just begins to pump those blasted pedals, he finds that he can then commit to thirty minutes. The first step is always the hardest. The same is true with embracing it.

Try to imagine the impact to human history if this one man – Joseph – had grown bitter in prison and wasted his time, wallowing in his pity. “Until the time came to fulfill his word, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.” (Psalm 105:19) Joseph embraced that difficult time of testing with a good attitude and allowed God to develop him. He could have taken the easy road and complained indefinitely. The high road requires being “thankful in all circumstances” (I Thess. 5:18), regardless of how unfair. Jesus, too, was wrongfully accused and betrayed by those closest to him. Yet, He never complained. Instead, He embraced suffering, torture, and even death on a cross. And as with Joseph and Jesus, realize the attitude you assume inwardly, you also display outwardly, exerting a profound and lasting impact on countless others, often in unimaginable ways. They are watching to see how you respond. Remember, only God knows how long your difficult season of embracing may last. Joseph spent upwards of twelve years in prison. “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.” (Ecl. 3:1) Bask in that agonizing season. Don’t try to cut it short. “For God has made everything beautiful for it’s own time.” (Ecl. 3:11)          

In preparation for the 3^rd Step, Replace It, as with the Israelites going into their wilderness to worship, so must we worship while Facing and Embracing. “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” (James 4:8) Robert’s words verbatim “ Offer your tears up to Him as the woman did at Jesus’ feet. Just as she held nothing back, but poured every ounce of expensive perfume upon Jesus, don’t hold onto your loss or loved ones. Offer them up to God as your gift back to Him. Our loved ones came from God. They belong to God. Don’t try to cling to the past. Don’t try to continually love your lost ones back as they were. Love them now as they are, where they are.

When she fully emptied and exhausted her perfume, this dear woman didn’t stop there. She offered her tears to Jesus. Do the same. Don’t hold back. Jesus was so taken by her gift He called it a “beautiful thing” and declared that, “wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” (Mark 14:6,9 NIV) God used her tribulation and sinful past for repentance and transformation. Your tears, too, can be a “beautiful thing” when you embrace them and offer each one to God as your priceless gift. Like this woman’s supreme sacrifice of costly ointment, the fragrance of your precious tears offered in worship to God can change the atmosphere all around you. Similar to your deeds, your testimony may be told for countless generations to come, impacting many people, helping them Rise Above.” “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Rev 12:11 NIV)

Never waste a wilderness journey. When you are brought to nothing, then God can do something with your life beyond anything you can possibly imagine, if you invite Him. Much like the woman with the shattered alabaster box, sometimes we have to allow God to crush us in order to exude the sweet fragrance within us. You may never know what God has planted within you, until you’re first broken, then prepared for worshipping Him, enabling your service to Him is not only Replaced, but also Released into the lives of others, preparing us for the satisfaction of witnessing others becoming the best possible version of themselves in His Kingdom.

3^rd Step to Rise Above: Replace It. Yes, God has a marvelously divine exchange program. Right now, ask God to replace your pain with praise, your despair with joy,  your ashes with beauty. He can and He will. Pray boldly to God. Blend the passion of your pain with the power of His Word. As miserable as your past was, pray that God will return at least as much goodness to you. “Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.” (Psalm. 90:15)

Let God replace who you were, with now, who you are in Him. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away ; all things have become new.” (II Cor 5:17 NKJV)

Mary Englebreit says “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, then change the way you think about it.” Adjust your thinking and let God renew your mind. Ask and allow Him to alter your thought patterns, “for we have the mind of Christ.” (I Cor 2:16) Intentionally “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (II Cor 10:5 NIV)

Realize some people are so traumatized by their past that they never replace yesterday’s sadness with today’s promise of joy. Understand your past can either be a hitching post you never leave, or better, a guidepost to help direct the remainder of your life.

Even if you’re trudging through the valley, still bask in the glory of His Presence. It will transform your attitude and your very countenance. “Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.” (Psalm 34:5) Gaze upon God for your source of help. In doing so, you will become more like Him.

If you need a blessing, healing, or joy, then take the first step and sow it. Life is all about seedtime and harvest. You have to plant good seeds in order to reap a fruitful harvest. What I discovered from giving my life away is that the more you surrender and relinquish, the freer you become. Travel light on this planet. Heaven is our home, not earth. “Whatever you keep dies with you. Whatever you share lives on.”

Truth is, many people are not ready to live again because they are not ready to die. Don’t permit death to paralyze you. Fear of death doesn’t have to hold you back. Jesus’ resurrection broke “the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves in the fear of dying.” (Heb 2: 14-15) Don’t live in fear. Live in faith. Dwell in Christ. I was taught FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is faith in reverse.

Out of your story, God can bring great glory. From your mess, God can bring forth a mighty message. You can choose to let God turn your mess into a miracle, your misery into ministry, and your test into a testimony. The choices are yours. You can choose death or life, curses or blessings, trials or triumph, tragedy or charity, mishaps or miracles, tribulation or transformation, whining or worshipping, adversity or advantage, disability or opportunity, pain or growth, mourning or gladness, complaining or rejoicing, griping and grumbling, or gratitude.

“I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.” (Jer. 31:13)

You can choose resentfulness that turns rancid or mourning that turns into dancing. You can flip what happens to me, to what happens within me. You can choose to be pitiful or to be prayerful; to be sour or reflect the Savior. You can run to the TV or to the Almighty, run to the world or to the Word, run to the iphone or Thy Throne, run to Facebook or to the Good Book. You can choose to lose or win, to cower in pity or conquer through praise, to be resentful or be grateful, to wallow in self-pity or worship in His Presence, to be overwhelmed or to overcome, to remain stagnant in pain or to rejoice in praise, to descend below or Rise Above.

“And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” (I John 5:5)

You choose.

“You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.” (Psalm 71:20-21)

I suggest sometime soon you slowly savor the richness of this I Corinthians 15 passage from The Message translation.

[1-2] … Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time— this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I’m assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you’re in this for good and holding fast.)

[3-9] The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me. It was fitting that I bring up the rear. I don’t deserve to be included in that inner circle, as you well know, having spent all those early years trying my best to stamp God’s church right out of existence.

[10-11] But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to let his grace go to waste. Haven’t I worked hard trying to do more than any of the others? Even then, my work didn’t amount to all that much. It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it. So whether you heard it from me or from those others, it’s all the same: We spoke God’s truth and you entrusted your lives.

[12-15] Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it-if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ-sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.

[16-20] If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

[21-28] There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ. But we have to wait our turn: Christ is first, then those with him at his Coming, the grand consummation when, after crushing the opposition, he hands over his kingdom to God the Father. He won’t let up until the last enemy is down-and the very last enemy is death! As the psalmist said, “He laid them low, one and all; he walked all over them.” When Scripture says that “he walked all over them,” it’s obvious that he couldn’t at the same time be walked on. When everything and everyone is finally under God’s rule, the Son will step down, taking his place with everyone else, showing that God’s rule is absolutely comprehensive-a perfect ending!

[29] Why do you think people offer themselves to be baptized for those already in the grave? If there’s no chance of resurrection for a corpse, if God’s power stops at the cemetery gates, why do we keep doing things that suggest he’s going to clean the place out someday, pulling everyone up on their feet alive?

[30-33] And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I’d do this if I wasn’t convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? Do you think I was just trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it wouldn’t be the end of me? Not on your life! It’s resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that under girds what I do and say, the way I live. If there’s no resurrection, “We eat, we drink, the next day we die,” and that’s all there is to it. But don’t fool yourselves. Don’t let yourselves be poisoned by this anti-resurrection loose talk. “Bad company ruins good manners.”

[34] Think straight. Awaken to the holiness of life. No more playing fast and loose with resurrection facts. Ignorance of God is a luxury you can’t afford in times like these. Aren’t you embarrassed that you’ve let this kind of thing go on as long as you have?

[35-38] Some skeptic is sure to ask, “Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this ‘resurrection body’ look like?” If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a “dead” seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don’t look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.

[39-41] You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies-humans, animals, birds, fish-each unprecedented in its form. You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies-sun, moon, stars-all these varieties of beauty and brightness. And we’re only looking at pre-resurrection “seeds”-who can imagine what the resurrection “plants” will be like!

[42-44] This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body-but only if you keep in mind that when we’re raised, we’re raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that’s planted is no beauty, but when it’s raised, it’s glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural-same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!

[45-49] We follow this sequence in Scripture: The First Adam received life, the Last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. Physical life comes first, then spiritual-a firm base shaped from the earth, a final completion coming out of heaven. The First Man was made out of earth, and people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly. In the same way that we’ve worked from our earthy origins, let’s embrace our heavenly ends.

[50] I need to emphasize, friends, that our natural, earthy lives don’t in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very “nature” is to die, so how could they “naturally” end up in the Life kingdom?

[51-57] But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die-but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes-it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true: Death swallowed by triumphant Life! Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now? It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three-sin, guilt, death-are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!

[58] With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing that you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

Rather crucial today, all things considered,

that “we have our ducks in a row.”

Quoting a good friend without permission!

Utmost for His Highest April 7, 2022

“He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (Mark 9: 9)

As the disciples were commanded, you should also say nothing until the Son of Man has risen in you – until the life of the risen Christ so dominates you that you truly understand what He taught while here on earth. When you grow and develop the right condition inwardly, the words Jesus spoke become so clear that you are amazed you did not grasp them before. In fact, you were not able to understand them before because you had not yet developed the proper spiritual condition to deal with them.

Our Lord doesn’t hide these things from us, but we are not prepared to receive them until we are in the right condition in our spiritual life. Jesus said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12) We must have a oneness with His risen life before we are prepared to bear any particular truth from Him. Do we really know anything about the indwelling of the risen life of Jesus?

The evidence that we do is that His Word is becoming understandable to us. God cannot reveal anything to us if we don’t have His Spirit. And our unyielding and headstrong opinions will effectively prevent God from revealing anything to us. But our insensible thinking will end immediately once His resurrection life has its way with us.

“…tell no one…” But so many people do tell what they saw on the Mount of Transfiguration  – their mountaintop experience. They have seen a vision and they testify to it, but there is no connection between what they say and how they live. Their lives don’t add up because the Son of Man has not yet risen in them. How long will it be before His resurrected life is formed and evident in you and me?

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers:

“We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.”

The question on the table now begging to be asked as we approach Easter and witness the re-awakening renaissance that is spreading across our country and around the world, who or what am I committed to now? Has Christ yet arisen in me? Is there any fact checking verifiable proof that there is a connection between what I say and how I live? No secret to many of you that I for years was simply an obnoxious noisy gong or clanging cymbal (I Cor. 13:1) having seen a vision and testifying to it, but without a oneness with His risen life. Therefore, I was chasing more out of the kingdom than attracting any in! For as was said above, until the life of the risen Christ so dominates you that you truly understand what He taught while here on earth, you’re simply an appliance that is not plugged in; looks good but not useful as intended.  But then, once so dominated, or plugged in, you’re simply amazed you hadn’t grasped the truths earlier… And you’ll soon transition to becoming fearless, ready then for service because you are plugged in and empowered.

Go Forth Today Enjoying Your Identity In Christ Being Simply Present-In-The-Moment,

to Dispense His Love Among All You Meet>>>>> merlin

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ… II CORINTHIANS 5:10

On this beautiful spring morning here in Ohio, how about considering a Spiritual Spring Tune-up , or perhaps, even a Spiritual Spring Housecleaning? You know, just for greater efficiency, clarity, focus, restoration, and absolutely NO, greater peace and harmony in your camp is not selfish!

I simply must share yet before the Utmost reading a “profoundly secular” quote from the notorious Oscar Wilde that may well ought be another motto for “Life Long Learning Christians” continually seeking the relevancy of the Gospel in our culture. “It is what you read when you don’t have to, that determines what you will be (do) when you can’t help it.” Heard on the 9 PM Sunday night Hallmark movie. Perhaps a combination of errors to inflict truth!

Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. 

Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. 
One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.“If we walk in the light as He is in the light…” (I John 1:7). 
For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. (Ouch, though so true!) The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.

This reading is so profoundly simple and true. Enjoy getting rid of the cobwebs you’ve accumulated during the chaos and enjoy living in the Son Shine today and always.

I keep being inspired by today’s prophetic voices such as this one and Jamie Winship, and a few others, calling out to us in our wilderness of declining enrollments, attendance counts, etc. about this CM renewal being re-birthed again during this plandemic, much as was organized against the tyranny of the British during the Revolutionary War Days. Winship goes on to say that this CM will eventually influence the majority as did Jesus’ 12 Disciples in 300 plus years to the re-organization of the Roman Empire… and how that was actually the seeds for the original “institutional church” that then blossomed into the Dark Ages and beyond… And, here we are again today, with yet another form of the original “institutional church?”

And you say history isn’t interesting? Especially today now with scientists admitting the galaxies are actually expanding? ( See Eric Metaxas book Chapter One of “Is Atheism Dead?”) And we thought our parents and grandparents saw it all? They didn’t witness a smidgen compared to what is in store for us! The only challenge for most of us is that we’ll have to get out of our comfort zones now and begin to pay attention to all the information and all the revealing signs happening around us. Or you will simply miss out. Perhaps rather like the five wise and the five foolish virgins. The door will be closed and the words “Do I know you?” will be heard. Major ouch! So close but yet so far!

Beware of spiritually sloppy perspectives! Perhaps you can begin by checking out this Clapham resource.

The following was a blog post by Mike Metzger, Pres. of the Clapham Institute.

The British historian Arnold Toynbee believed civilizations could be renewed because they have a spiritual dimension. It’s manifest in the “creative minority.” What’s that?

Historians have long differed on whether civilizations can be restored. Oswald Spengler, a German historian, said no. They are born, grow, and then age, decline and die. No exceptions. Toynbee disagreed. Civilizations have a spiritual dimension, visible in the creative minority. It can renew a society.

In 2004, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) said Europe’s renewal depended on the creative minority. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks noted this in his 2013 Erasmus Lecture, saying America’s renewal depends on the creative minority. He cited the sons of Judah as history’s first creative minority, which raises a question in my mind.

Why only a minority?

The answer lies in the nature of paradigm shifts. Thomas Kuhn coined paradigm shift in his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. He described how the scientific world shifted from Ptolemy’s geocentric (earth-centered) model of the universe to Copernicus’ heliocentric (sun-centered) formulation. It wasn’t easy, for a scientific community is rightly based on a set of received beliefs. Kuhn wrote that these beliefs exert a “deep hold” on the mind, forming an “assumption that the scientific community knows what the world is like.” Scientists take great pains to defend that assumption, often suppressing novel views “because they are necessarily subversive.”

Copernicus’ De Revolutionibus was subversive. But it wasn’t novel. Aristarchus of Samos had proposed a heliocentric model centuries before. But it hadn’t caught on because Europe was drawn to Hellenistic thinkers like Aristotle and his earth-centered model. Copernicus’s system upended Aristotelian physics and Ptolemy’s system. If Copernicus was correct, Ptolemaic scientists were wrong. Their jobs were at risk.

I know it sounds base, but this is why most folks resist disruption. It can cost you your job. Only a few are willing to run that risk. We see this in the Copernican Revolution. De Revolutionibus first appeared in 1543. But it was the works of Kepler and Galileo (1609–10) 70 years later that produced a paradigm shift. Before then, probably no more than a dozen converted to the Copernican model. They were the creative minority.

Uber is a recent example of a paradigm shift. It’s upending the taxi business. London’s Black Cab drivers are resisting, defending their turf. We’re talking livelihoods here.

Another example is our shift into a post-Christian age. It’s similar to the Babylonian exile, with churches becoming outsiders in Western society. The root of the problem is Western churches relying on Hellenistic ideas like Aristotelian rationalism. Think right, act right. That gave us the Enlightenment. It exerts a deep hold on the minds of church leaders who often taking great pains to defend their views. They resist what might prove subversive, such as neuroscience upending the Enlightenment take on human nature.

I witness this in meeting with seminary leaders. When they learn how findings from neuroscience upend their Enlightenment educational model, they routinely tell me “We can’t change. We’d lose our financial patrons.” Ministry leaders tell me they’d lose their foundation funding. Pastors tell me they’d lose some of their congregation. Can’t go there. I might find myself out of work.

The good news is that Toynbee was right. All civilizations have a spiritual dimension. When a nation faces a problem that threatens its continued existence, a small group of leaders comes up with an innovative solution. If the Babylonian exile is a precedent for our post-Christian age (I think it is), a few Christians—modern-day sons of Judah—will step up as the creative minority. They will place themselves at the service of their neighbors, seeking their flourishing. They are the hope for the Western church.

What is the Clapham Institute?

Clapham Institute’s mission is resourcing Christians for the next 50 years.

We’re developing resources for your kids. And their kids. And their kids.

Our resources include blogs, podcasts, books, and short videos. We also offer tailor-made planning, consulting, mentoring, and advisory services. We offer these online or in-person.

But why 50 years? Simple. The resources developed by the American version of evangelical Christianity over the last 50 years are ineffective. They’re based on the American interpretation of the Enlightenment.

This interpretation is over. It was popular from 1800 to 1815. After that, behavioral studies began undermining its assumptions. By 1900, the American interpretation of the Enlightenment was over.

The American version of evangelical Christianity hasn’t paid attention to that. It began in the early 1800s, feeding off the American interpretation of the Enlightenment. But the American version of evangelical Christianity is anti-intellectual, so while it was popular after 1815, it didn’t see what was coming.

It didn’t see how the American version of evangelicalism, based in this Enlightenment, is undermining itself. It doesn’t see that it’s coming to an end.

Clapham Institute does.

We see it in the rise of religious nones, the fastest-growing percentage of the US population. Nones imagine Christianity as “been there done that.” The American version of evangelical Christianity offers few if any effective resources for impacting this population.

We see it in the rise of exiles. They’re Christians who have given up on the American version of evangelical Christianity. Exiles live their faith outside the evangelical church.

Clapham Institute’s resources are effective because they’re based on assumptions predating the American version of the Enlightenment. In the conservative Christian tradition, we last see these assumptions operating in the Clapham Sect that helped abolish the English Slave Trade.

That’s why Clapham Institute is named after the Clapham Sect.

Who is Mike Metzger?

With over 40 years of ministry experience, Dr. Michael Metzger is a recognized leader in translating the gospel for a post-Christian age. He did this as a campus minister, church planter, pastor and, since 2002, as the Founder and President of Clapham Institute, based in Annapolis, Maryland.

In this role, Metzger developed accessible images and language for post-Christian cultures, especially religious “nones” and exiles. He’s served as a cultural analyst and mentor to emerging church leaders.

Prior to founding Clapham Institute, Metzger served on Cru staff, growing the ministry at Louisiana State University from a handful of students to over 300. In 1987, he founded Bay Area Community Church in Annapolis, Maryland. In the first five years, the church grew to over 500 congregants from an initial group of 18. According to a University of Maryland study, approximately 60 percent of the growth was due to people converting to Christ, many of them post-Christian.

In 1995, Metzger stepped away from the pastorate and began facilitating business and professional ‘open forum’ discussions throughout the Baltimore/Washington DC area. In 1997, he joined The Trinity Forum, developing Osprey Point Leadership Center, a 15-acre waterfront property on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that served as a gathering place for leaders. Metzger also consulted for several ministries in the United States and Western Europe, helping them re-frame their faith, as well as consulting for some of the world’s top companies since founding Clapham Institute in 2002.

Metzger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University (history), a Masters of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. He married Kathy Tipton in 1981. They have three adult children and nine – yes nine – grandchildren who are well-loved.

This was originally written and presented frequently by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, I think sometime during the 1990’s. A copy was attached on my lab incubator door since then and I am deeply appreciative of the wisdom it has provided me. This afternoon after listening to Carole Ward again in SS this morning, (see prior post) I felt compelled to tackle Nancy’s original document and perform some major editorial license slicing & dicing to prayerfully and hopefully enhance the effectiveness of her original message to us today.

And especially so, during this uniquely historical moment both politically and spiritually, no matter where we each find ourselves on this continuum of being proud vs. broken. I envision this document’s underlying message as an absolute necessary precursor for many of us to literally inhale in preparation for the numerous spiritual battle engagements Carole so aptly identified for the North American church throughout her 50:31 min. clip sent out in yesterday’s blog. I thank God that such frail faithful humans though remarkably Spirit empowered broken clay vessels, such as Nancy and Carole are speaking truth in such great darkness today. May we too, be so empowered by His light. And sooner than later.

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PROUD PEOPLE (PP)focus on the failures of others. BROKEN PEOPLE (BP) are overwhelmed with the sense of their own spiritual need.

PP have a critical, fault-finding spirit; they look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but conveniently ignore their own blemishes… BP are compassionate; they can forgive much because they know how much they’ve been forgiven.

PP are self-righteous, look down on others. BP esteem others better than themselves.

PP are independent & self sufficient. BP possess a dependent spirit seeking to join God’s work wherever needed.

PP maintain control at all costs; must be their way or else. BP surrender control aiding & assisting wherever God is at work.

PP have to prove they are right! BP are willing to yield the right to be right.

PP claim rights. BP yield their rights.

PP exude a demanding selfish attitude. BP are internally compelled by a giving sacrificial demeanor.

PP are self-protective of time, rights, and reputation. BP deny self so as to always elevate Christ.

PP desire to be served. BP are motivated to serve others.

PP desire to be a success. BP desire to help others become the best possible version of themselves.

PP desire to be recognized & appreciated. BP possess a healthy sense of their unworthiness and are thrilled to be used at all, always eager for others to get the credit.

PP on a good day, may think briefly what they could do for God. BP know they have nothing to offer God but their love and appreciation.

PP feel confident in how much they know. BP are humbled by how much they have yet to learn.

PP are always calculating their next selfish move. BP are not driven by selfish personal agendas.

PP keep people at arm’s length. BP risk being close to others by loving selflessly.

PP are quick to blame others and the ripples engulf us. BP accept responsibility; they can see their errors and are empowered to self-correct.

PP are unapproachable. BP are “easy to be entreated.”

PP are defensive when criticized. BP receive criticism with a humble open heart.

PP are concerned with being “socially respectable.” BP are only concerned with being a trusted ambassador for Christ.

PP are too often concerned with what others think. BP understand all that matters is what God knows and obedience to Him.

PP find it difficult to reveal or share their spiritual needs or desires with others. BP are quick to admit failure and seek forgiveness.

PP when confessing sin, deal only in generalities. BP can deal with the needed and relevant specifics of the sin.

PP are remorseful for sin when caught or discovered. BP are repentant for their sins and forsake them.

PP compare themselves with others and relish in the deserving of honor and recognition. BP only compare themselves to the holiness of God and their desperate need for His mercy and grace.

PP are blind to their true heart condition. BP celebrate walking in the Light of Scripture & Holy Spirit.

PP don’t think they have anything to repent of. BP possess a continual heart attitude of repentance.

PP are proud unbroken persons who don’t think they need revival but they are sure everyone else does. BP are humble broken persons who continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God and a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit.

Blessings as you GO FORTH LISTENING, DISCERNING, & PREPARING>>>>>mle

Carole Ward lives a life many would not believe is real. She dares to follow God and change nations one life at a time. Here is the story of one woman’s commitment to her God and to the love for His people.

Her journey and her story began by stepping out in faith when she prayed with a sincere heart, “send me where no one wants to go.” Although she was told repeatedly by US authorities and other organizations she would come back in a body bag, Carole through her faith in the power of God has been transforming lives in Northern Uganda and South Sudan for the Kingdom for the last fourteen years.

The Lord has since used her ministry to rescue countless children from the clutches of the rebel leader Joseph Kony, who had trained 30,000 of them to be used as soldiers, sent out on killing rampages against their own people. After being healed physically, spiritually and emotionally by the Lord, many of these, now grown, have become active members of Carole’s large ministry staff. She has been training godly men and women of Uganda and South Sudan to carry on as missionaries to their own people instead of relying on outsiders.

Carole was trained and led by the Holy Spirit to raise up national leaders instead of procuring more American missionaries. This is why Carole believes empowering the nation to heal itself is being done by portable Bible Schools, training centers and the establishment of hundreds of churches in even the remotest areas. Large revival meetings help spread the gospel across the regions, followed by dramatic miracles and healing everywhere.

Merlin now speaking, I first began listening to this 50 minute clip on the January 12, 2022, just prior to leaving for Shaker Square to celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary. We were planning to finish listening while driving up but in our haste we left our phone so it’s conclusion was postponed until we returned home…. and I have heard it at least 5 more times since. I spoke to Carole’s office in Bradenton FL yesterday seeking documents and just ordered a used copy of her book co-authored with Barbara H Martin titled appropriately “Send Me Where No One Else Wants to Go.”

This 50 min clip, (that you may need to rewind or back-up to start at the beginning) certainly changed my perspective of doing LIFE here forward in the time yet allotted me. Carole literally strips off many of our prejudicial quirky beliefs and convictions that we’ve accumulated to-date from our “experiences” offered as strategies proliferating even more published “cemetery” information (I credit Pastor Dr. Howard Hendricks) and their subsequent wide spectrum applications, with unfortunately, little if any, actual worthy NT Acts of transformation.

On Tuesday, I picked up my monthly allotment of books at Christian Aid Ministries in Berlin and just began Friday night reading one of my favorite authors, Gary Miller’s new book “Reaching America.” He does have a way with words making the point “On Sunday we talk as though we want seekers, but many times when they appear, we find their presence inconvenient.” Gary admittedly says the following three categories are too simplistic, but he very uniquely divides today’s seekers that may show up in church into three basic types: “Manny Ishues,” “Seekun Ttooth,” and “Indy Cided.” Sorry, these are sufficient fodder for their own blog so I suggest you get your own copy to capture his reflective definitions and perspectives.

I rather anticipate Carole’s perspective on this 50 min clip ( she has more… her 26 or 28 min clip is pregnant with teaching) will effect far more transformational spiritual changes than anything I’ve ever offered prior. As some are inclined to say, myself included, “I guess we’ll see” or more generic, “truth always prevails.”

Just consider the “Baptism in Love” possibilities though, to effect REAL change, not just here in Wayne-Holmes or KMC or even the Americas, but across the whole planet! Even gives this Tonga underground volcano tsunami greater perspective! Pay attention.

Blessings as you GO FORTH SEEKING TRUTH>>>>> mle

I’ve been on a vacation of sorts but I am still writing; its just I’m not at peace to publish what I’m producing. I’m learning even though being strongly motivated is a good position from which to to write, it may not necessarily be wise to share the document immediately or even ever. So I’ve been working tediously on several documents and I hear God saying “not yet, maybe never.” At first I was a trifle upset because like any creative person, I too get a rush from writing and even more when allowed to share it. But when God distinctly says “NO,” well, I try to obey. Already I realized the one document was strictly for my own maturity and to give me clarity on my position in political posturing, which is increasingly difficult to discern whether locally or nationally. In fact, the premise that personal reflective and expressive writing is psychologically healthy is the bottom line for much of Dr Jordan Peterson’s writings and speaking culminating in his recent book “12 Rules For Life” that I’ve not read yet.

So this post may well be my shortest to date. Instead of me writing, I am compelled to share a YouTube clip with you that I find quite disruptive to my sedentary form of Christianity. As I said to someone today, this 70 minute clip from a Fri AM worship service is likely one of the most interesting, complete, concise and accurate theological presentations of Jesus’s ministry I ever recall. Invest 70 minutes to listen and share your insights with your closest spiritual partner. And you should know his identity in Christ is being and serving as a “militant peacemaker.” For real! He challenges more than a few of our sacred cows throughout this clip as did Jesus during his ministry. The account’s final triumphant scene over Satan in the courtroom near the end puts all in perspective for me.

Because of the compelling message of this clip, I reactivated several of you who had over the past year “unsubscribed,” so forgive me if I offended you with this timely clip considering our media chaos. Rest assured, your unsubscribed status will be restored immediately after this post.

Blessings as you GO FORTH WITH A NEW VISION OF JESUS AND YOUR IDENTITY IN HIM….. Merlin