This is the day this is the day/ that the Lord hath made that the Lord hath made/ I will rejoice I will rejoice/ and be glad in it and be glad in it/ For this is the day that the Lord hath made/ I will rejoice and be glad in it/ This is the day this is the day that the Lord hath made....
God is good all the time. Everybody Happi-ee?
Today is a good friends birthday a huge shout out to Tanya M. Thank you for all you do in this world and the spiritual. Could never say enough about this wonderful woman of God and pray everyone has the opportunity to have prayer warriors and prophetess' in their lives as well.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
John 14:27
It has been a busy and hectic last few days. I have ridden a roller coaster of emotions, from the highs of victory and joy to the lows of defeat and despair. I imagine the entrenched solider suffering the same mental and emotional struggles in the midst of battle. One step forward, two back; two forward, one back. In the heat of the moment you elate in a minor victory only to turn and face another, even stronger, enemy who stripes from you the joy of that previous overcoming. In this place time is not counted by the passing of the sun but by the high and low points of your struggle. When you triumph you cower in fear trying to clutch that triumph to your chest knowing that they are coming to cast you down again. You are called a mighty man but don;t feel like much of anything. The spirit of Gideon is upon you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was quoted as saying "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." When I read this quote today I got indignant. I understand RWE was a humanist who believed in the singular power of man to be the end all of consciousness but to know a man who spent so much time observing nature around him and he still couldn't grasp the knowledge that there was more to life than his own. Who can bring themselves to peace? Who has the power to deliver themselves from the pit of despair? I hear some say "Well it is a matter of the will." But it is not for all good things come from above.
"Peace I leave with you my peace, my peace I give unto you; not as as the world (man/ man's will) giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, Neither let it be afraid."
This verse is my consummate companion throughout the rest of this trial. I will read it daily and rest in the peace He gives. There are moments when we must recognize that we don;t have the power. That the only answer is to trust in the Lord with all our mind and heart, even when it seems hopeless.
God Bless.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was quoted as saying "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." When I read this quote today I got indignant. I understand RWE was a humanist who believed in the singular power of man to be the end all of consciousness but to know a man who spent so much time observing nature around him and he still couldn't grasp the knowledge that there was more to life than his own. Who can bring themselves to peace? Who has the power to deliver themselves from the pit of despair? I hear some say "Well it is a matter of the will." But it is not for all good things come from above.
"Peace I leave with you my peace, my peace I give unto you; not as as the world (man/ man's will) giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, Neither let it be afraid."
This verse is my consummate companion throughout the rest of this trial. I will read it daily and rest in the peace He gives. There are moments when we must recognize that we don;t have the power. That the only answer is to trust in the Lord with all our mind and heart, even when it seems hopeless.
God Bless.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Matthew 15:13-14
KJV: 1Corinthians 6:9 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind."
Leviticus 18:22 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is an abomination"
and Leviticus 20:13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them hath committed a an abomination"
My question is to the churches that advocate this lifestyle by acceptance; If the God you believe in says these people are unrighteous and they can't inherit His kingdom and they are living in sin, How can they lead others from sin and to the inheritance of the kingdom of God (Salvation)?
I believe this is a clear case of the blind leading the blind and both shall wander into destruction.
Matthew 15:13-14 "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be uprooted...They be blind leaders of the blind....both shall fall into the ditch"
I do not hate any person. I hate the devil as I am sure you all do and I hate the spirits that catch people and will take them to hell, as I am sure you all do. There is a freedom and salvation from sin through the name that is the only name given for salvation, Jesus. Homosexuality and all forms of sexual sin is not a disease or mental ailment it is sin that is controlled by a spirit as all sin is and, just like all of us who have sinned and come short of the glory of God, there is a redeemer for the sin and sinner. Jesus.
God Bless
Leviticus 18:22 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is an abomination"
and Leviticus 20:13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them hath committed a an abomination"
My question is to the churches that advocate this lifestyle by acceptance; If the God you believe in says these people are unrighteous and they can't inherit His kingdom and they are living in sin, How can they lead others from sin and to the inheritance of the kingdom of God (Salvation)?
I believe this is a clear case of the blind leading the blind and both shall wander into destruction.
Matthew 15:13-14 "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be uprooted...They be blind leaders of the blind....both shall fall into the ditch"
I do not hate any person. I hate the devil as I am sure you all do and I hate the spirits that catch people and will take them to hell, as I am sure you all do. There is a freedom and salvation from sin through the name that is the only name given for salvation, Jesus. Homosexuality and all forms of sexual sin is not a disease or mental ailment it is sin that is controlled by a spirit as all sin is and, just like all of us who have sinned and come short of the glory of God, there is a redeemer for the sin and sinner. Jesus.
God Bless
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Romans 3:18
Joshua P Ladd/... well I wouldn’t list Eros in the list of love
Joshua P Ladd/... Eros is a matter of biology not love
Joshua P Ladd/... now do you have to be romantic to maintain love? yes
Tristan M Gray/... in marriage, it’s the unity of souls as well
Tristan M Gray/... its just fornication outside of marriage
Joshua P Ladd/... but as a sub category not an initial category of love
Tristan M Gray/... I just learned it in counseling
Joshua P Ladd/... so I would place probably: Agape and philio as prime catergories
Joshua P Ladd/... then sub categorize Eros under marriage
Joshua P Ladd/... it is a desire of the physical man to have Eros in order to maintain marital bliss
Joshua P Ladd/... so more of a biological sub category in my opinion
Joshua P Ladd/... so not "love" directly lol otherwise all Eros would be considered love and many have physically been romantic and used Eros to satisfy themselves but not been in love
Joshua P Ladd/... where as you couldn’t separate love and agape or love and philio
Tristan M Gray/... the 3 main reasons for failing Christian marriages are sex, money, and backsliding, that’s what I heard
Joshua P Ladd/... all related to selfishness
Tristan M Gray/... and surprisingly sex was top of the list
Tristan M Gray/... true
Joshua P Ladd/... none directly related to love it’s when you get your eyes of true love (God) and get your focus on the self that a relationship disintegrates
Tristan M Gray/... definitely
Tristan M Gray/... got to have God first, but has to have a balance as far as time for sure
Joshua P Ladd/... So you would ask. "Why then are their relationships in the world that last as long as they do or forever even though both would acknowledge they don’t believe in God etc.?" Well you would have to look at the individuals in these cases. I think the first thing to do is acknowledge that these relationships are becoming far less common as the world makes a marked turn towards social selfishness. However the reason these relationships work out I believe if you were to study them would be the simple fact that these relationships are mutually beneficial to the selfish necessities of the individuals. Each member of the couple gives to the other what they need selfishly. SO would you categorize this as "Love" no I wouldn’t look at a company and say they work so well because they love each other or they have so much business because they love their customers no I think it is a basis of Selfish give and take as long as you are supplying the needs physically of your counterpart you are in a mutually benefiting relationship that has no necessity to end
Joshua P Ladd/... the world would call this love but if that mutual relationship sends both parties to hell in the end because it supported the physical selfishness of the party to never have a necessity of God or prompt the drive to seek God and heaven then that relationship is not love it is selfish. What have you gained if you gain the whole world (or find the one that satisfies your flesh) but lose your soul??
Joshua P Ladd/... Roms 8:13 for if we live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. This doesn’t negate the necessity of Eros in marriage but it does help us understand that if our first focus isn’t on true love “For God is love” then we are doomed either in this life or the next. Our whole focus in love shouldn’t be on the Eros but on pushing each other to a closer relationship with the Lover of our souls.
Joshua P Ladd/... I would make the same relation with parental love. The honor of being a parent satisfies an under lying part of humanity but if we aren't as believers of heaven and hell doing all we can to get our children into heaven, perhaps that includes going to church and displaying the life of a Christian even when we don’t feel like it or consider ourselves backsliders, can we say those parents are in "love" with their child? Yes all parents make mistakes and all humans are responsible ultimately for their own salvation but a parent who believes in the after life has a big question to ask. Do I love my child or do I just have them to gratify my own selfish needs?
Joshua P Ladd/... Being a parent, husband, wife, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, friend, etc. has eternal implications and we all share the burden of either succumbing to our selfishness or living in love with those people we have
Monday, October 10, 2011
John 1:3
Creation. The word sparks controversy across the spectrum of society from politics and education to science and even religion. The great struggle between the belief that life was created as opposed to the theory of an evolving universe has become a hot button issue in all walks of life.
The Higgs Boson (God Particle)
In the Beginning there was nothing. Then for some reason , postualtions of several theories exsist including particle or matter collisions, energy acceleration, etc., a stellar explosion occured creating enough energy to bring into being masses and shoving those masses apart to seed and populate the universe. Yes the theory of the Big Bang is alot more technical than this simple explanation but in general this is the concept of the beginning of the universe by those who accept the theory of evolution.
But there are many conundrums that arise when one tries to study deeper into this theory. One of the largest issues physics had to answer was the exsistence of mass in the particle universe. In 1964 three physists, including one Peter Higgs, presented seperate papers that presented theories as to how after the big bang the particles were drawn together in a cohesive manner that allowed the formulation of mass giving all matter the ability to evolve into greater and greater mass until we have now adays the life supportive properties of cohesive atoms. Higgs called the neccesity of this mechanism "an essential feature" to support the theory under consideration.
From his presentation of this mechanism there quickly developed a theory of the "Higgs Boson" or the particle that drew together the neccesary parts of an atom and gave them mass (cohession). This particle was considered the "God Particle" because it gave science the ability to explain the inconsistencies in theoretical physics i.e. the missing cohessive force for atoms. "This field is analogous to a pool of molasses that "sticks" to the otherwise massless fundamental particles that travel through the field, converting them into particles with mass that form (for example) the components of atoms." (Wikipedia.com "Higgs Boson") 40 years after his proposal of the God Particle, however, this particle remains the one elementary or neccesary particle in the standard model that has not been seen yet.
This lack of evidence has thrown the physics world into a troubling quandry because the lack of the Higgs Boson would create a voisd once again for an explanation of many theories of evolution and throw, once again, a shadow of uncertainty, atleast in the minds of those that accept this theory as truth, over the Big Bang model of evolution.
A convening of minds have brought, the heads of todays three top physics labs, together in Geneva for a press confrence on the this matter and others. And current trials at these labs have prompted these heads to make the statement that they will definitively, within, 12 months establish whether the Higgs Boson is a reality or false theory. The reason for this belief is because if this particle exsists it has to be visible on a certain feild of sight that their current tools have the ability to measure so if it is not on that feild of measurment it does not meet the requirements for it to exsist and hence is not real.
Peir Oddone, head of the KEK lab in Japan went on to make the statement that:
"Whatever happens, the Standard Model(of the Big Bang) does not just fall off the table," said Oddone. If there were no Higgs, then another mechanism producing the same effect -- without which life would have been unthinkable
John 1:1. In the beginning was teh Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning wiht God. 3. All things were made by Him: and without Him was not anything made that was made. 4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.__10. He [the Word and Light] was IN the world, and the world was made by Him [the Word and Light, who was in the world, who was God in the beginning]__14. and the Word [God] was amde flesh [Jesus], and dwelt among us [humanity]...the only begotten of the Father [the man Jesus].
For physists and Science the fate of their faith rest upon the constant theories presented of unknown, unseen, unliving variables. A fountain of untested iknowledge that continually brings to surface the revelation that there is somethign more than what they can see. For Christians that unseen force that creates and holds together the very exsistence of the universe is God; "No man hath seen God at anytime". Unseeable but fully knowable. Paul preached on mars hill once proclaiming the unseen God they worshipped had come to them In a fleshly temple, beared by the witness of Jesus Christ, the final Adam, or man, that died for their sins. The same message still resounds across the universe.
Science YHWH is that unknown cohessive particle that holds all together that is in all and through all. Unseen but fully knowable by the witness of your saviour Jesus Christ who bore in him the fullnes of the Godhead who was innocent of all sin but bore your sins to die that you may live. God is alive through those that believe on Jesus and call to His name and do as he directed repent and be baptized int eh name of your salvation Jesus who is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, your Kinsman (brother) redeemer (saviour). That message is still relevant it simply looks for a voice to echo through. The bold will stand for Chruist and proclaim His message of salvation.
You can keep running from the belief or be to scared to admit that there is intelligent life in the universe that takes an on going interest in humanity so much so that it continues to interact on a parellel interconnected level or you can realize that in the finitude of the universe there is a presence of the infinite and the WORD was the mechanism by which all things were made and nothing was made that was not made by it.
God Bless.
The Higgs Boson (God Particle)
In the Beginning there was nothing. Then for some reason , postualtions of several theories exsist including particle or matter collisions, energy acceleration, etc., a stellar explosion occured creating enough energy to bring into being masses and shoving those masses apart to seed and populate the universe. Yes the theory of the Big Bang is alot more technical than this simple explanation but in general this is the concept of the beginning of the universe by those who accept the theory of evolution.
But there are many conundrums that arise when one tries to study deeper into this theory. One of the largest issues physics had to answer was the exsistence of mass in the particle universe. In 1964 three physists, including one Peter Higgs, presented seperate papers that presented theories as to how after the big bang the particles were drawn together in a cohesive manner that allowed the formulation of mass giving all matter the ability to evolve into greater and greater mass until we have now adays the life supportive properties of cohesive atoms. Higgs called the neccesity of this mechanism "an essential feature" to support the theory under consideration.
From his presentation of this mechanism there quickly developed a theory of the "Higgs Boson" or the particle that drew together the neccesary parts of an atom and gave them mass (cohession). This particle was considered the "God Particle" because it gave science the ability to explain the inconsistencies in theoretical physics i.e. the missing cohessive force for atoms. "This field is analogous to a pool of molasses that "sticks" to the otherwise massless fundamental particles that travel through the field, converting them into particles with mass that form (for example) the components of atoms." (Wikipedia.com "Higgs Boson") 40 years after his proposal of the God Particle, however, this particle remains the one elementary or neccesary particle in the standard model that has not been seen yet.
This lack of evidence has thrown the physics world into a troubling quandry because the lack of the Higgs Boson would create a voisd once again for an explanation of many theories of evolution and throw, once again, a shadow of uncertainty, atleast in the minds of those that accept this theory as truth, over the Big Bang model of evolution.
A convening of minds have brought, the heads of todays three top physics labs, together in Geneva for a press confrence on the this matter and others. And current trials at these labs have prompted these heads to make the statement that they will definitively, within, 12 months establish whether the Higgs Boson is a reality or false theory. The reason for this belief is because if this particle exsists it has to be visible on a certain feild of sight that their current tools have the ability to measure so if it is not on that feild of measurment it does not meet the requirements for it to exsist and hence is not real.
Peir Oddone, head of the KEK lab in Japan went on to make the statement that:
"Whatever happens, the Standard Model(of the Big Bang) does not just fall off the table," said Oddone. If there were no Higgs, then another mechanism producing the same effect -- without which life would have been unthinkable
John 1:1. In the beginning was teh Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning wiht God. 3. All things were made by Him: and without Him was not anything made that was made. 4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.__10. He [the Word and Light] was IN the world, and the world was made by Him [the Word and Light, who was in the world, who was God in the beginning]__14. and the Word [God] was amde flesh [Jesus], and dwelt among us [humanity]...the only begotten of the Father [the man Jesus].
For physists and Science the fate of their faith rest upon the constant theories presented of unknown, unseen, unliving variables. A fountain of untested iknowledge that continually brings to surface the revelation that there is somethign more than what they can see. For Christians that unseen force that creates and holds together the very exsistence of the universe is God; "No man hath seen God at anytime". Unseeable but fully knowable. Paul preached on mars hill once proclaiming the unseen God they worshipped had come to them In a fleshly temple, beared by the witness of Jesus Christ, the final Adam, or man, that died for their sins. The same message still resounds across the universe.
Science YHWH is that unknown cohessive particle that holds all together that is in all and through all. Unseen but fully knowable by the witness of your saviour Jesus Christ who bore in him the fullnes of the Godhead who was innocent of all sin but bore your sins to die that you may live. God is alive through those that believe on Jesus and call to His name and do as he directed repent and be baptized int eh name of your salvation Jesus who is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, your Kinsman (brother) redeemer (saviour). That message is still relevant it simply looks for a voice to echo through. The bold will stand for Chruist and proclaim His message of salvation.
You can keep running from the belief or be to scared to admit that there is intelligent life in the universe that takes an on going interest in humanity so much so that it continues to interact on a parellel interconnected level or you can realize that in the finitude of the universe there is a presence of the infinite and the WORD was the mechanism by which all things were made and nothing was made that was not made by it.
God Bless.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Today we sailed on.
Today we sailed on.
The only way to understand this post buy Tuesday night's CD "Sail On" from the Rock Church. The more you listen to it the more it will change your life. Truly a monument in the Spirit.
The only way to understand this post buy Tuesday night's CD "Sail On" from the Rock Church. The more you listen to it the more it will change your life. Truly a monument in the Spirit.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Matthew 28:19
Like the song "Amazing Grace" this poem has left an indelible mark on my spirit and echoes the chorus of all those who go out in the world to save lost souls and mission the field. It has changed my life and outlook on faith in soul-winning.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations," Mt 28:19
The Cross in the Wilderness
Mrs. Felicia Hemans 1845
Silent and mournful sat an Indian chief,
In the red sunset, by a grassy tomb;
His eyes, that might not weep, were dark with grief,
And his arms folded in majestic gloom;
And his bow lay unstrung, beneath the mound
Which sanctified the glorious waste around
For a pale cross above its greensward rose,
Telling the cedars and the pines that there
Man's heart and hope had struggled with his woes,
And lifted from the dust the voice of prayer.
Now all was hushed-and eve's last splendor shone
With a rich sadness on the attesting stone.
There came a lonely traveller o'er the wild,
And he, too, paused in reverence at that grave,
Asking the tale of it's memorial, piled
Between the forests and the lake's bright wave;
Till, as a wind might stir a withered oak,
On the deep dream of age his accents broke.
And the gray chieftain, slowly rising, said-
"I listened for the words, which, years ago,
Passed o'er these waters. Though the voice is fled
Which made them as a singing fountain's flow,
Yet, when I sit in their long faded track,
Sometimes the forest's murmur gives them back.
"Askest thou of him who's house is lone beneath?
I was an eagle in my youthful pride
When o'er the seas he came, with summer's breath,
To dwell amidst us, on the lake's green side.
Many the times of flowers have been since then-
Many, but bringing naught like him again!
"Not with the hunter's bow and spear he came,
O'er the blue hills to chase the flying roe;
Not the dark glory of the woods to tame,
Laying the cedars, like the corn stalks low;
But to spread tidings of all holy things,
Gladdening our souls, as with the morning's wings.
"Doth not yon cypress whisper how we met,
I and my brethren that from earth have gone,
Under it's boughs to hear his voice, which yet
Seems through their gloom to send a silvery tone?
He told of One the grave's dark bond's who broke
And our heart's burned with in us as he spoke.
"He told of far and sunny lands, which lie
Beyond the dust wherein our fathers dwell:
Bright must they be! For there are none that die,
And none that weep, and none that say 'Farewell!'
He came to guide us thither; but away
The Happy called him, and he might not stay.
"We saw him slowly fade-athirst, perchance,
For the fresh waters of that lovely clime;
Yet was there still a sunbeam in his glance,
And on his gleaming hair, no touch of time-
Therefore we hoped: but now the lake looks dim,
For the green summer comes-and finds not him!
"We gathered round him in the dewy hour
Of one still mourn, beneath his chosen tree;
From his clear voice, at first, the words of power
Came low, like moanings of a distant sea;
But swelled and shook the wilderness ere long,
As if the spirit of the breeze were strong.
"And then once more they trembled on his tongue,
And his white eyelids fluttered, and his head
Fell back, and the mist upon his forehead hung-
Knowest thou not how we pass to join the dead?
It is enough! He sank upon my breast-
Our friend that loved us, he was gone to rest!
"We buried him where he was wont to pray,
By the calm lake, e'en here, at eventide;
We reared this cross in token where he lay,
For on the cross, he said, his Lord had died!
Now hath he surely reached, o'er mount and wave,
That flowery land whose green turf hides no grave.
"But I am sad! I mourn the clear light taken
Back from my people, o'er whose place it shone,
The pathway to the better shore forsaken,
And the true words forgotten, save by one
Who hears them faintly sounding from the past,
Mingled with death-songs in each fitful blast."
Then spoke the wandered forth with kindling eye:
"Son of the wilderness, despair thou not,
Thou the bright hour may seem to thee gone by,
And the cloud settled o'er thy nations lot!
Heaven darkly works-yet, where the seed hath been
There shall the fruitage, glowing yet, be seen.
-----------
"Deem not the words of light that here were spoken,
But as a lovely song, to leave no trace:
Yet shall the gloom which wraps thy lovely hills be broken,
And the full dayspring rise upon thy race!
And the fading mists the better path disclose,
And the wide desert blossom as the rose."
So by the cross they parted, in the wild
Each fraught with musings for life's after day,
Memories to visit one, the forest's child,
By many a blue stream in it's lonely way;
And upon one, midst busy throngs to press
Deep thoughts and sad, yet full of holiness.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations," Mt 28:19
The Cross in the Wilderness
Mrs. Felicia Hemans 1845
Silent and mournful sat an Indian chief,
In the red sunset, by a grassy tomb;
His eyes, that might not weep, were dark with grief,
And his arms folded in majestic gloom;
And his bow lay unstrung, beneath the mound
Which sanctified the glorious waste around
For a pale cross above its greensward rose,
Telling the cedars and the pines that there
Man's heart and hope had struggled with his woes,
And lifted from the dust the voice of prayer.
Now all was hushed-and eve's last splendor shone
With a rich sadness on the attesting stone.
There came a lonely traveller o'er the wild,
And he, too, paused in reverence at that grave,
Asking the tale of it's memorial, piled
Between the forests and the lake's bright wave;
Till, as a wind might stir a withered oak,
On the deep dream of age his accents broke.
And the gray chieftain, slowly rising, said-
"I listened for the words, which, years ago,
Passed o'er these waters. Though the voice is fled
Which made them as a singing fountain's flow,
Yet, when I sit in their long faded track,
Sometimes the forest's murmur gives them back.
"Askest thou of him who's house is lone beneath?
I was an eagle in my youthful pride
When o'er the seas he came, with summer's breath,
To dwell amidst us, on the lake's green side.
Many the times of flowers have been since then-
Many, but bringing naught like him again!
"Not with the hunter's bow and spear he came,
O'er the blue hills to chase the flying roe;
Not the dark glory of the woods to tame,
Laying the cedars, like the corn stalks low;
But to spread tidings of all holy things,
Gladdening our souls, as with the morning's wings.
"Doth not yon cypress whisper how we met,
I and my brethren that from earth have gone,
Under it's boughs to hear his voice, which yet
Seems through their gloom to send a silvery tone?
He told of One the grave's dark bond's who broke
And our heart's burned with in us as he spoke.
"He told of far and sunny lands, which lie
Beyond the dust wherein our fathers dwell:
Bright must they be! For there are none that die,
And none that weep, and none that say 'Farewell!'
He came to guide us thither; but away
The Happy called him, and he might not stay.
"We saw him slowly fade-athirst, perchance,
For the fresh waters of that lovely clime;
Yet was there still a sunbeam in his glance,
And on his gleaming hair, no touch of time-
Therefore we hoped: but now the lake looks dim,
For the green summer comes-and finds not him!
"We gathered round him in the dewy hour
Of one still mourn, beneath his chosen tree;
From his clear voice, at first, the words of power
Came low, like moanings of a distant sea;
But swelled and shook the wilderness ere long,
As if the spirit of the breeze were strong.
"And then once more they trembled on his tongue,
And his white eyelids fluttered, and his head
Fell back, and the mist upon his forehead hung-
Knowest thou not how we pass to join the dead?
It is enough! He sank upon my breast-
Our friend that loved us, he was gone to rest!
"We buried him where he was wont to pray,
By the calm lake, e'en here, at eventide;
We reared this cross in token where he lay,
For on the cross, he said, his Lord had died!
Now hath he surely reached, o'er mount and wave,
That flowery land whose green turf hides no grave.
"But I am sad! I mourn the clear light taken
Back from my people, o'er whose place it shone,
The pathway to the better shore forsaken,
And the true words forgotten, save by one
Who hears them faintly sounding from the past,
Mingled with death-songs in each fitful blast."
Then spoke the wandered forth with kindling eye:
"Son of the wilderness, despair thou not,
Thou the bright hour may seem to thee gone by,
And the cloud settled o'er thy nations lot!
Heaven darkly works-yet, where the seed hath been
There shall the fruitage, glowing yet, be seen.
-----------
"Deem not the words of light that here were spoken,
But as a lovely song, to leave no trace:
Yet shall the gloom which wraps thy lovely hills be broken,
And the full dayspring rise upon thy race!
And the fading mists the better path disclose,
And the wide desert blossom as the rose."
So by the cross they parted, in the wild
Each fraught with musings for life's after day,
Memories to visit one, the forest's child,
By many a blue stream in it's lonely way;
And upon one, midst busy throngs to press
Deep thoughts and sad, yet full of holiness.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Matthew 6:13
Yesterday was a good day then, all of a sudden, at the end of the day the enemy tried to slip some jealousy and doubt into my life. It’s funny because this is what he always tries to throw at me. The enemy understands our weaknesses. If we tend to have a problem with Lust he will do all in his ability to setup a situation to trap you in lustful sin and then guilt you out of the church. If you have an issue with trust he will setup a situation to test your trust then put bitterness in your heart to lead you out of the church. Let’s not lie, the enemy is good at what he does. It’s not a coincidence that you seem to always be in the cross hairs of whatever you already struggle over. It’s because he knows what it takes to get you down. But it’s not the getting down that kills you everyone gets down now and then.
The bible describes Satan as a roaring lion going to a fro in the world seeking whom he may devour. Ladies and gentleman this isn’t just your placid zoo type lion who is satisfied with setting around in the sun all day and being feed the left over’s. He is out there, using his voice as a weapon, searching out your destruction! I can just see him now a half starved ragged and mangy beast. One that looks near starved but his looks just belie the muscles that are beneath. Don’t take your enemy for granted he knows what he is doing. He has been doing it for eons. Skulking around the edges, watching the faithful saints of God, to see when and where he can pounce and if no situation presents itself trust me he knows how to lead you into a trap with that secret weapon of his, “Temptation”. It reminds me of the CS Lewis story “A Boy and His Horse”. In one part the hero and his Horse are fleeing from what sounds like two mighty lions flanking them on each side and corralling them towards an unknown destination. This is how your enemy is He knows how to use his voice and his tools to corral you into falling, that is why it is so important to remember the second to the last stanza of the Lord’s Prayer. “Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil.”
This is a two fold request. “Lord, lead us not into temptation. We need you too watch us and make sure we don’t get corralled into a situation that we can’t handle. But if and when the temptation comes “Lord, I’m praying deliver me from evil (or the evil one)”. For it will come saints. Believe that! I can’t stress hard enough the enemy knows what he is doing. Think about it. You think he just got up one day challenged God and got cast out of heaven taking all those angels with him? No way that isn’t how it happened. He was sulking around in heaven too. He was walking around the edges hiding his intents from the heavenly host (or so he thought, but God knows all) and planting seeds of doubt and deceit in the hearts of the angels and heavenly bodies that he could. He might have passed by an angel preparing to lift praises to God. This was an angel he knew. This is an angel that he had brought up in the worshipful host. This is an angel that had sat beneath him in the choir, learning and being lead by him. He whispers “You don’t have to do it that way. I know God said it needs to be done that way but let me show you a BETTER WAY .”
Hey saint there is no better way than God’s! Don’t you forget that. God has set His plans in motion and the devil is doing what he can to throw those heavenly plans out of alignment but you listen to God, brother. You remember He called you for just such a time as this sister. And He set you both up where you are to do His will not to let the enemy change your heart against Him. I’m telling you BE WARY of the enemies coming. You ask, “But how do I be war?” Pray saints pray!! Read the word! It’s all in the relationship! He said “My sheep know my voice.” You have to know His voice. You have to listen for it in those still sweet moments. Your going to have to strive for it in those beating storms and you’re going to have to have faith in His plans when it seems like things are going to come to an end and you think there may be a better way to get out of the storm.
When Jesus wanted to go across the sea to the other side He got the apostles together and they all got out to sea and what did Jesus do? He went to sleep! He knew where He was going. He had set a plan already. He was going to the other side and Bless God the apostles were going with Him. So when that storm arose He didn’t have to wake up, He knew where he was going already. The thing to watch is the reaction of the apostles. Had Jesus told them the plan? Had he told them who He was? Didn’t they know who they were with? Yes, Yes and a definitive YES! But what did they do when the waves got too big and they thought they were going to die? They stopped trusting the plan. They ran to the master shook Him awake and said “WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!” And when they lost faith in the plan and woke Jesus up He was faithful to calm the storm, but then rebuked them. “Where is your faith?” You see they started watching the storm the enemy had brought against them and forgot that He had already told them the plan. They were going to the other side! They fell to the temptation of doubting the word of the Lord.
Now they didn’t forget they had the Messiah with them, like you or I. But what happens when we go through a particularly rough storm in life? We look to heaven and go “God Stop it! I’m gonna die!” We didn’t forget where He was or who he was but you forgot He has a plan. Hey, buckle down saint you forgot that God said we’re going to the other side! He promised you your going to make it, so stop worrying about it. Yeah there are storms and there are temptations but God said we’re going to the other side, Hallelujah! There is power in the plan. There is an overcoming power in just knowing that we have a set course, an action plan, already set in motion and that is: We’re going to the other side! Hold on to that promise when the temptation hits you like a big wave and you feel like you can’t stand. Hold on to it when the storm come raging in and knocks you down altogether. The Bible says the righteous man falls down but gets up again, Amen. We’re going to make it! You’re going to make it!
Now they didn’t forget they had the Messiah with them, like you or I. But what happens when we go through a particularly rough storm in life? We look to heaven and go “God Stop it! I’m gonna die!” We didn’t forget where He was or who he was but you forgot He has a plan. Hey, buckle down saint you forgot that God said we’re going to the other side! He promised you your going to make it, so stop worrying about it. Yeah there are storms and there are temptations but God said we’re going to the other side, Hallelujah! There is power in the plan. There is an overcoming power in just knowing that we have a set course, an action plan, already set in motion and that is: We’re going to the other side! Hold on to that promise when the temptation hits you like a big wave and you feel like you can’t stand. Hold on to it when the storm come raging in and knocks you down altogether. The Bible says the righteous man falls down but gets up again, Amen. We’re going to make it! You’re going to make it!
The bible says resist the devil and he will flee, but it also says to flee temptation. We have to remember the devil and temptation are two different things. The devil is a beast that uses temptation, like his voice, as a tool to get you were he wants you. He takes time to develop a plan of attack. He finds out your weakness’, devises different moments and situations that will best trip you up, then he kicks his scheme into gear and heads at you with all he’s got. That plan he sets in motion is temptation. I’ve heard it called many things most commonly a “stumbling block”. The devil isn’t the stumbling block. It’s temptation that is the stumbling block. It’s not a stumbling hill or stumbling rock or something else natural, it’s a block. It’s something that has been prepared and ready for one purpose and one use and that is to trip you up and get you down to where the enemy can get at your throat for that kill.
He isn’t nice don’t you ever get lazy in this Christian race thinking that he isn’t waiting for that moment and planning for his temptation to trip you up. He is hot on your heels saint get to runnin’! And don’t you stop runnin’ till you get beyond those beautiful pearly gates. I’ve heard it said many times that it aint the fastest that wins this race but the steadiest and I know that the steady will make it but bless God I’m getting on the balls of my feet and barrelin’ down the runway better watch out slow saint of God cause I don’t only wanna get to heaven but I wanna get as far away from that hungry lion and his temptations as I can!
“But if you live that extreme for God you’ll burn out brother Ladd!” Did you forget that we have a plan? I told you we’re gonna make it bless God and that’s what I meant. I ain’t burnin’ out cause the more I sacrifice and let go of this world the more Jesus gives me in the Spirit to finish this race. The more I burn for Jesus the brighter I get brother! This ain’t no regular fire, saints, This is the HOLY GHOST fire and it’s shut up in my bones. It takes what you feed it and gives you more to burn and that much more in excess. He wants you runnin’, not lollygaggin’, along the way.
The scariest moments in my spiritual life came from when I was just moseyin along the Christian path takin my own sweet time. The closest calls I’ve had with losing the race were those moments when I figured I could just slow down and relax for awhile. “Oh I did outreach yesterday I ain’t gotta go today, someone else will.” “Oh I went to the altar and prayed with new saints last week I ain’t gotta go this week.” “Oh God knows I prayed yesterday for an hour I only gotta do a half hour today cause I need to call this friend of mine.” Hey young man, hey young lady, get your head in the game!! This isn’t a relaxin’ game folks, this is life or death-winner take all-get out and get gone-marathon were runnin’! There is no burnin’ out in the Spirit. There’s those that lose sight of the plan and start losing their grip but bless God if you put your feet on that track and your mind on the plan and your eyes on the prize you better be prepared not only to get to that finish line but to get to it with all haste!
Well I have another victory report to put in my pocket. Yes, I felt dull and lifeless last night and I felt the temptation to get angry and bitter this morning and I even had a lingering sense of drab and defeatism after prayer but as I was out and about doing the work of the Lord (runnin’ the race) He put a song in my head and it just kept playin and playin till I was singing it right out loud so people could hear me and I was filled with so much over whelming Joy it carried me right through the day and let me know that I was still in the boat. The waves were still there, but I was on the course of infinite possibilities and set sail for that Holy Shore
Monday, October 3, 2011
2 Chronicles 7:14
Revival! The word alone holds the imagination captive. REVIVAL! It is like the sounding of a war trumpet that echos across ancient valleys and bounds over celestial mountains. REVIVAL! REVIVAL! It is the sounding of a million voices in the desert that herald the victorious return of the King of Kings! I love the word revival! Beyond the Name of names it is one of the few words that can send chills through my body, a shiver of excitement. I love revival!
Revival by definition is to revive or bring back to life a group or interest in an idea. You hear it applied to movements to reinvigorate interest in an art period or musical style but the word revival is most synonymous with the reviving of religion or a renewing in the interest of the things of God. It is an unprecedented period of time in which the kyrological (the God moment) intersects the chronological (Man's understanding of the progression of time). Throughout history the Spirit of God has worked in the field of revival beginning long before the Christian church.
The precedent of revival was established in the first three verses of Genesis. "In the beginning God created...And the earth was without form and void: and darkness was upon the face...and the Spirit of God moved...and God said..." This introduction to the word of God and all of creation gives us the initial state prior to revival and the necessary actions of God to ensure revival.
!. Nothing can be revived unless it is first created by God. A necessity, albeit probably an obvious one to you and I, is to be created by God. The fulfillment of this versus is easy "All things were made by Him and without Him was not any thing made that that was made." (Jhn 1:3) It is not just enough to be made by Him but there is a necessity to have a belief that He made us. That is the importance of this first point the belief in the Creator.
2. Nothing that God has created is, initially, without form/void or with darkness upon it. It has been conjecture, and I agree, that it was the fall of Satan when he was cast from heaven to earth that the world God had created was thrown into this state of chaos. This is a mirror of what happens to a life that is without God. We were initially created for the purpose of companionship and a reflection of the order of God on earth but when we enter into sin we are thrown into a chaotic life.
Genesis 3:8 indicates to us that God was known to walk through the garden looking for man to spend time with him. In Genesis 17:1 God commands Abraham to "Walk before [Him]" In Leviticus 26:12 God says He will "walk among you" (His people) and in John 14:18 Jesus says to His believers "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." All of these indicate a desire of God to return man, His creation, to our initial state of companionship and image. It is only because of the introduction of sin in our world (life) from Adam and Eve's disobedience that we are no longer in the perfect state of being as God had created us. So we see from the begininng that a state of corruption is the second point on our path of revival.
3. Now we get to the exciting part of this study. The third point is a necessity of God's Spirit to move. This indicates more than is first visible to the reader. First God recognizes the state of His creation, next He is desirous to correct it's disorder and finally He moves to change it. It's important first to revisit (quickly) who that Spirit is because some would say this was one of three in a being but (Real quick):
John 4:24 "God is a Spirit..." + Lev. 11:45 "Be holy, for I am holy " = Holy Spirit
John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" + John 14:26 "But the comforter, Which is the Holy Ghost...send in my name" = name of the Holy Spirit, Jesus
So the Spirit moves to change us back to who we were initially meant to be, the sons and daughters of God. but it is not enough for just the Spirit to move there is also always accompanied with the moving Spirit of God the word of life.
4. This brings us to our forth and final point. In revival God moves and Speaks. We see this represented here in the beginning we see this also in Ezekiel's revival of the dry bones (which was a type of revival for all of the nation of Israel) when he "prophesied as I was commanded...there was a noise...Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind...and the breath came into them" (Ezk 37) and also seen in the upper room on the day of Pentecost "suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house...and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance" (Acts 2)
In all of these examples of revival we see a commonality of Spirit movement (Referred to as the "wind" in the last Ezk and Acts) and the word (referred to as "noise" in Ezk and "tongues" in Acts) The foundation of the Church started in Acts chapter 2 with a fiery Revival and that is the way revival will always continue!
The question is "How do we move God to see our plight and revive us?" This is answered directly in 2Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land." This verse holds the keys to enacting revival in your city, state, country and world.
WE are responsible for the state of revival in our world. It is only God who can revive but it is His people that call upon Him to remember us and heal us. Study out this scripture and learn and act upon it's principles for revival and you will see a vast change in the world around you as the Spirit moves and speaks life into those you interact with.
God Bless and REVIVAL! REVIVAL!
Revival by definition is to revive or bring back to life a group or interest in an idea. You hear it applied to movements to reinvigorate interest in an art period or musical style but the word revival is most synonymous with the reviving of religion or a renewing in the interest of the things of God. It is an unprecedented period of time in which the kyrological (the God moment) intersects the chronological (Man's understanding of the progression of time). Throughout history the Spirit of God has worked in the field of revival beginning long before the Christian church.
The precedent of revival was established in the first three verses of Genesis. "In the beginning God created...And the earth was without form and void: and darkness was upon the face...and the Spirit of God moved...and God said..." This introduction to the word of God and all of creation gives us the initial state prior to revival and the necessary actions of God to ensure revival.
!. Nothing can be revived unless it is first created by God. A necessity, albeit probably an obvious one to you and I, is to be created by God. The fulfillment of this versus is easy "All things were made by Him and without Him was not any thing made that that was made." (Jhn 1:3) It is not just enough to be made by Him but there is a necessity to have a belief that He made us. That is the importance of this first point the belief in the Creator.
2. Nothing that God has created is, initially, without form/void or with darkness upon it. It has been conjecture, and I agree, that it was the fall of Satan when he was cast from heaven to earth that the world God had created was thrown into this state of chaos. This is a mirror of what happens to a life that is without God. We were initially created for the purpose of companionship and a reflection of the order of God on earth but when we enter into sin we are thrown into a chaotic life.
Genesis 3:8 indicates to us that God was known to walk through the garden looking for man to spend time with him. In Genesis 17:1 God commands Abraham to "Walk before [Him]" In Leviticus 26:12 God says He will "walk among you" (His people) and in John 14:18 Jesus says to His believers "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." All of these indicate a desire of God to return man, His creation, to our initial state of companionship and image. It is only because of the introduction of sin in our world (life) from Adam and Eve's disobedience that we are no longer in the perfect state of being as God had created us. So we see from the begininng that a state of corruption is the second point on our path of revival.
3. Now we get to the exciting part of this study. The third point is a necessity of God's Spirit to move. This indicates more than is first visible to the reader. First God recognizes the state of His creation, next He is desirous to correct it's disorder and finally He moves to change it. It's important first to revisit (quickly) who that Spirit is because some would say this was one of three in a being but (Real quick):
John 4:24 "God is a Spirit..." + Lev. 11:45 "Be holy, for I am holy " = Holy Spirit
John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" + John 14:26 "But the comforter, Which is the Holy Ghost...send in my name" = name of the Holy Spirit, Jesus
So the Spirit moves to change us back to who we were initially meant to be, the sons and daughters of God. but it is not enough for just the Spirit to move there is also always accompanied with the moving Spirit of God the word of life.
4. This brings us to our forth and final point. In revival God moves and Speaks. We see this represented here in the beginning we see this also in Ezekiel's revival of the dry bones (which was a type of revival for all of the nation of Israel) when he "prophesied as I was commanded...there was a noise...Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind...and the breath came into them" (Ezk 37) and also seen in the upper room on the day of Pentecost "suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house...and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance" (Acts 2)
In all of these examples of revival we see a commonality of Spirit movement (Referred to as the "wind" in the last Ezk and Acts) and the word (referred to as "noise" in Ezk and "tongues" in Acts) The foundation of the Church started in Acts chapter 2 with a fiery Revival and that is the way revival will always continue!
The question is "How do we move God to see our plight and revive us?" This is answered directly in 2Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land." This verse holds the keys to enacting revival in your city, state, country and world.
WE are responsible for the state of revival in our world. It is only God who can revive but it is His people that call upon Him to remember us and heal us. Study out this scripture and learn and act upon it's principles for revival and you will see a vast change in the world around you as the Spirit moves and speaks life into those you interact with.
God Bless and REVIVAL! REVIVAL!
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