Author: jma47

Dwelling In His Presence

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I love Exodus 33. There are key verses in this chapter that I like to visit often. Back up to chapter 32. Moses had been with the Lord on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights.
 
As he came down there was the sound of celebration. While he was gone, Aaron had listened to the people. They were impatient at Moses’ delay. They said to Aaron in verse 1, “…Come, make us gods that shall go before us…for as this Moses…we do not know what has become of him.”
 
Aaron had them bring him their golden earrings. From them he fashioned a golden calf. When Moses saw it he threw the two tablets of stone done and broke them.
 
Moses burned their calf in the fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made them drink it. When he confronted his brother, Aaron lied. Verse 24 says, “…I cast it (the gold earrings) into the fire, and this calf came out.”
 
In verse 32 Moses interceded for the people. He confessed what they had done, and asked the Lord to forgive them. If the Lord wouldn’t forgive them, then Moses asked that his name would be blotted out of God’s book.
 
Exodus 33:2 said that God would send His angel before them, but in verse 3 He said, “…for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
 
Now that I have set the scene for you, let’s go to verses 7-11. Moses would go into the tabernacle of meeting and meet with God. Joshua would go with him. Where were the rest? Standing in front of their tents watching.
 
Verse 9 says, “And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.”
 
Verse 11 says, “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua…did not depart from the tabernacle.”
 
No wonder the Lord chose Joshua to lead the people after Moses died. He was a young man who loved to dwell in the Lord’s presence.

Precious Stones Part Two

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Here is a new song:
 
Song of a Diamond
 
In the deep part of the earth there lies unnoticed a diamond in the rough. No one knows it is there but the God of all things who created it for His glory.
 
It’s dark and bulky not suitable in any way. Though the Craftsman who holds it sees the splendor He will give it. He takes His tool and begins to chip away the debris that hides the beauty.
 
One cut after another reveals the true purpose of this obscure form. Through patience, oh the patience required to release all that it is to be.
 
Even so this Great Creator sees us in our mother’s womb. He waits until the day we will make up His precious jewels and be a diamond tiara in His hands.
 
Oh the patience. Oh the patience required to be all He has called us to be.
 
We are all diamonds in the rough that the Lord mined from the earth of bondage to sin. He set us free to walk in His purposes. Our progressive sanctification comes as we mine truths from His word and apply them to our hearts.
 
John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 8:31-32 says, “…if you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
 
The truth that sets us free is experiential truth. It is truth that we have accepted, walk in, and practice daily. Truth comes from the sword of the word that splits between our flesh and our spirit. It discerns our true intentions. It also splits the chains of self effort and sets us free to obey from the heart.
 

Precious Stones

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Exodus 28:15-30 outlined the design for the breastplate of judgment. It is very detailed. I was thinking about it. There were to be four rows of three precious stones. Where did the precious stones come from?
 
They were captives in Egypt. When they left, their neighbors gave them articles of silver, gold, and clothing. Then they were in the wilderness, crossed over in the Red Sea, crossed over the Jordan.
 
I’ve seen precious stones in the rough in Costa Rica, and in Brazil. They were mined. This caused me to go back to a VBS chorus. ‘He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in every mine…’
 
God gave Moses the instructions up on the mountain. He was there 40 days and 40 nights. The instructions are intricate. Just the ephod and breastplate are an amazing piece of clothing.
 
I want to remind you that the foundations of the New Jerusalem are laid with precious stones. A quick list shows that eight are the same stones as in the breastplate.
 
I have said all this to take you to Malachi 3:16-17. “Then those who feared the Lord, spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. They shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I make them My jewels…”
 
These verses are a reminder that how we speak to others should come from a heart that fears the Lord and meditates on His name. He listens. The things we say are written in a book.
 
1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Gazing Part Two

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To gaze is to behold. As 2 Corinthians 3:18 says it brings inner transformation. We become who or what we behold. This morning I was thinking about what it means to gaze upon the Lord. We are beholding Him as He is beholding us.
 
Yesterday I read Exodus 24. Verses 9-18 are about being on the mountain with God. I tried to imagine it through the eyes of the ones who were there. It was Moses, Joshua, and 70 elders.
 
Verse 10 says, “And they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.”
 
Now compare that to Psalm 104:1-2. It says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment…”
 
Think about Isaiah’s words describing his experience. Isaiah 6:1 says, “…I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.”
 
Not one of the above three passages could describe God. They only spoke of something about Him. I love Psalm 145:3 which says, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.”
 
We know from His word that He is love, gracious, faithful, merciful, gentle, longsuffering, all powerful, all knowing, all present, all sufficient, and the list continues.
 
Here is a verse to consider. Psalm 34:5 says, “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” They gazed upon the Lord, and their face reflected His glory.
 
Moses spent time in the presence of the Lord. Exodus 34:29 says, “Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai…that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.”
 
Oh!
 
I encourage you to spend time gazing. It is the posture for inner transformation. The more we spend time in His Presence of holiness, the more the hidden things of shame will surface. Gazing refines like fire. The wood, hay, and stubble of our lives is exposed and consumed. Our face will reflect His glory as a testimony of His holiness at work within us.

Gazing

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Yesterday I started a new book. It is about new songs of deliverance. Here is an excerpt
 
“Think about what it means to gaze upon the Lord. In Exodus 19:21, the Lord spoke to Moses. It says, “…Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish.” That was spoken just before He gave Moses the 10 commandments.
 
Post cross: 2 Corinthians 3:18 bids us to gaze as an act of worship. It says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
 
Moses was a gazer. Hebrews 11:27 Amplified says, “(Motivated) by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible.”
 
Here is a new song that is very appropriate for this day of adversity.
 
Song of the Altar
 
In the midst of adversity when trouble surrounds me. I come into Your presence and I build an altar. I remember how You met me time and time again and I bow in worship.
 
Nothing can overtake me when I hide in You. Nothing can overwhelm me when I look to You. I set my eyes on You and I gaze into Your face. I bask in the love of Your eyes full of grace.
 
No one can comfort me like You O Lord. I will make Your presence my abiding place as I hide in You from the tempest of this storm. Yes I’ll hide in You as I bow and worship at Your feet.
 
 

The Rock Of Our Salvation

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In Genesis 17 the Lord is introduced as the Rock of provision to the children of Israel. They didn’t learn their lesson of the Lord’s provision of manna. They complained against their leader.
 
Verse 1 says that there was no water. Verse 2 says that they contended with Moses. Moses answered, “…Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?”
 
Moses went right to the Lord. Verse 3 says, “…What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
 
The Lord told Moses that He would stand before him on the rock. That he should strike the rock and the water would come out so the people could drink.
 
Footnote: we need to go to the Lord about our lack, and not contend with our leaders, since it tempts the Lord.
 
The next section of chapter 17 is another great application for us. They were fighting against Amalek. Verse 11 says, “And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.”
 
Verse 12 says, “But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”
 
Verse 15 says, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner!”
 
Verse 12 makes me wonder about our President’s strength and stamina through this pandemic. Are we effectively holding up his hands through prayer? The Lord set him in office for such a time as this. The Lord knew the pandemic would come. We didn’t.
 
Revelation 8:4 says, “And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.”
 
Years ago as, I read verse 5, I had a radical thought. The verse says, “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.”
 
My thought was this: when the golden bowls of Revelation 5:8 are full of the prayers of the saints for a specific cause, the angel will add fire from the altar and cast it down upon the earth. It will create a cataclysmic result that will usher in the Lord’s deliverance for the need.
 
Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”
 
Let’s keep filling the bowls! Let the fire come and set hearts aflame with repentance to life! Let the fire from the altar consume the virus and set the world free from its tentacles!
 

What Is Going On?

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Have you ever said, “What is going on?” in your circumstances? The children of Israel did. When they saw the small round substance on the ground they said, “What is it?”
 
Exodus 16 records God amazing provision for His people, right after He brought them through the Red Sea, and provided a tree to purify the bitter water.
 
Verse 2 says they complained against their leaders. Verse 3 they looked back to their temporary provision in Egypt. It says, “…we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full!…”
 
Verse 4 is God’s provision-answer for them, but it had a condition. It says, “…I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.”
 
Verse 13 says that quail covered the camp that night and the manna was there when the dew lifted in the morning. Some failed the test. They were told to gather as much as they needed, but not leave any until morning. Those who disobeyed? The manna bred worms and stank.
 
Verse 22 says that on the sixth day they were to gather double because there would be done on the next day-a day of rest. Yet some went out to gather and found none. Verse 28 says, “And the Lord said to Moses, How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My law?”
 
The manna was like white coriander seeds and tasted like wafers made with honey. They could bake it or boil it. It was God’s provision for them in the wilderness for forty years!
 
The Lord’s daily manna provision for us is His eternal word. It will never grow old, or be irrelevant to our times. It will sustain and keep our hearts from sin. It also has conditions.
 
We are to observe to do what He has commanded. James 1:25 says, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Moldable Hearts Part Three

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Our heart is our belief center. What we put into our heart is the catalyst of our thoughts. Every action is first a thought. Yesterday as I was formatting my book I came to the part of the braid.
 
“God’s word splits between our soul and spirit. Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions. Our mind leads off with a thought, and our will and emotions follow. I want to go back to the illustration of a braid. The braid has three strands. You start with one strand, and the other two strands follow. The braid is very strongly integrated. You cannot distinguish the first strand from the others.
 
In order for the stronghold to be demolished, the leader-mind has to be renewed with truth. It is the truth we bring into our daily lives, and live out through our thoughts and actions that sets us free.”
 
The strongholds are fallow ground full of weed seeds. Those seeds propagate without any action on our part. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says that it is God’s word that has the power to demolish strongholds.
 
What is a stronghold? It is a mindset, a stubborn habit that controls our actions, and it is a place where the enemy has gained ground in our lives. Therefore the battle is within instead of without.
 
A stronghold is a hardened place that resists the water of the word. It is stony ground where spiritual roots cannot thrive. The antidote is to confess the stronghold as sin. We need to acknowledge that it is our will against God’s will. It is an area of resistance that can only be conquered through humility.
 
David understood this when he wrote Psalm 51. He first acknowledged that his sin was against God alone (verse 4). Verse 17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart–these, O God, You will not despise.”
 
The Amplified says, “…(broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent)…”
 
One with a moldable heart lives in the fear (reverence) of the Lord, with a singular focus on Him. They are quick to confess sin, not sweep things under the rug, or bury unresolved issues. They worship in spirit and truth, and receive-embrace all that the Lord has purposed for them.
 
 
 
 
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Moldable Hearts Part Two

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Be aware of how satan wants to use this world to mold our hearts. In this counterfeit-deploy, we must be proactive in shoring up our heart against such wily attacks.
 
Hebrews 3:13 says that the deceitfulness of sin hardens the heart. Remember God’s word to Cain. Genesis 3:7 says, “…sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
 
We rule over our hearts by filling the reservoir of our hearts with the truth of God’s word. It is His word that molds, shapes, and creates the vessel for His work. 2 Timothy 2:20 says, “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.”
 
Verse 21 says, “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
 
In wheel pottery, the potter must work the dry clay with lots of water. As the water is kneaded into the clay, it become moldable. Before that, nothing can be done with it. Once the clay is permeated with the water, the vessel can be formed without being marred.
 
Hidden sin mars and disfigures our character. It hardens our heart so that when we hear His word, it bounces off and doesn’t penetrate to bring change.
 
Unforgiveness is a hidden sin. It hardens our heart so that we resist the convicting role of the Holy Spirit. It makes us impervious to the power of His word. It is fallow ground, uncultivated and barren of fruit that will glorify the Lord. Psalm 130:3 says, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand.”
 
Verse 4 is the good news. It says, “But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If you have unforgiveness, it blocks wholehearted worship.
 
Forgive as we have been forgiven is a command. Our past, present, and future sins were forgiven totally and unequivocally. When we forgive the ones who have hurt us, our heart’s hardness is softened and moldable to be more Christ-like in our character.
 

Moldable Hearts

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I’m reading in the book of Exodus. It reminds me again of how our hearts are to be moldable. Pharaoh was given multiple opportunities to obey and yet he continually resisted.
 
How is my heart? How is yours? O Lord, only You know our hearts. Help us to walk continually yielded to You in each and every circumstance of our lives. Help us to listen, and to respond readily to You without excuses. Help us to hide Your word in our hearts so that we do not walk in deception. Help us to be prepared vessels, ready to do Your will.
 
Hebrews 3:12-13 is written to believers. “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called, Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
 
Unbelief, doubt, and fear undermine our faith. They cause us to waver and not be resolute. The first word in the above verses is ‘beware.’ It could also mean to be alert and watchful.
 
Jesus took three disciples with Him when He went to pray. He told them to watch and pray. They fell asleep. Then He spoke these resounding words in Matthew 26:41. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
 
Now is the time for us to pray in faith. Mark 11:22 says to have faith in God. Shore up your heart with verses about His faithfulness. Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed of His faithfulness.”
 
What are your thoughts feeding on? Our thoughts come from our heart. They dictate our actions. Listen to what you are saying, and you will know what your heart truly believes. Let this post be a reminder to guard your heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23)