What Is Inside?

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Have you ever gotten a present and you wondered what was inside? We have the greatest present of a lifetime. The Bible. Do you know what is inside?
 
Last night the Lord reminded me of a verse. I was praying for our nation and the world at 7:14. I encourage you to join me and many others to cry out for the nations from 2 Chronicles 7:14. You probably can quote it, but now is the time to put it into action.
 
Jeremiah 10:23-24 says, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. O Lord, correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.”
 
I linked that this morning with Proverbs 31:8 which says, “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die.”
 
We, the ones who believe in Jesus, can cry out for those who are appointed to died. Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”
 
I recently read the book of Revelation. There is judgment coming that is unparalleled with anything the world has ever known. God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus for our sins. What is coming will be His wrath poured out on all mankind.
 
Only the Lord knows what is inside man. He is a heart-reader. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
 
Our role, according to God’s word, is to cry out for those who are perishing. Unbelievers are blinded, and have been squeezed into the world system. They are like mindless-robots being led by a master into destruction. They are being controlled by the lies of the deceiver. We have the Truth INSIDE us that we need to give out to those who are trapped.
 
They are being controlled as Ephesians 2:2-3 says. “…according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…”

The Squeeze Part Two

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We know that satan is a counterfeiter. We also know that he is the god of this world. Therefore he puts the squeeze on us to be like the world.
 
1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” James 4:4 says, “…Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?…”
 
Who is behind enmity with God? Yes it is satan himself. He will do whatever he can, to lure us into his world system to capture our hearts away from God.
 
The true squeeze, God’s way, is to center us on Him. He does that through the pressure of our trials. Like a Master Potter, He has to apply pressure to prepare our vessel to glorify Him.
 
Hebrews 12:11 Amplified says, “For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness–in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God).”
 
When we feel the ‘squeeze’ we know that the Lord is perfecting our way. Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”
 
The ‘squeeze’ is His glorious stamp of ownership on our lives. Our part is to yield and not resist in our hearts. Our heart is our belief center. Any resistance means there is hidden dross that He is bringing up so that our faith can be purified.

The Squeeze

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Yesterday I started the book of 1 Peter. Here is a truth to stand in when you feel you are being squeezed. 1 Peter 2:11-12 says,
 
“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, ABSTAIN from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
 
having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
 
Peter reminded them that they were just passing through. They were in a foreign land. They were not to have a settle-down mindset. Colossians 3:2 says to set our mind on things above.
 
I was thinking about the ‘abstain from fleshly lusts’ part. What are advertisements designed to do? They are flesh lures. They awaken desires to have what you don’t have. You would never even know about a product without an advertisement.
 
We have the most excellent product! 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
 
Our ‘treasure’ is the gospel message. The ‘power’ behind it is the cross. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”
 
2 Corinthians 4:4 perfectly describes our advertising audience. It says of them, “Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
 
We believers are designed to carry the light of the gospel that will open their blind eyes to the truth. Matthew 5:16 says to let our light shine into their darkness to dispel it! Don’t let the world system squeeze out your light.

2 FREE EBOOKS

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2 FREE EBOOKS
Today, Saturday, Sunday on Amazon
Proclaiming Victory! heart songs of deliverance
Displacing Fear: enthroning the gift of peace
ALSO
These two are now available in paperback on Amazon
Note: Proclaiming Victory was written from an insight the Lord gave me as I was reading the Song of Moses (Exodus 15). It is unique and very powerful. There is a surprise chapter with two of my friend’s new songs. It will help you get out of deep ruts and give you tools to step up into freedom.
Displacing Fear will help you turn your fears into triumphant, persevering faith
Displacing Fear jpg
Proclaiming Victory!

Are We Being Squeezed? Part Two

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Think about this: we believers, as square pegs, are constantly being pressed, squeezed, pushed into the round hole of the world system. It is CLEAR that we do not fit! Yet, if we are not intentional in our thoughts, our square peg begins to smooth out.
 
When you feel squeezed, rejoice! Let it be a constant reminder that this is not our home. We are not designed to fit in a circle. However, we the peg, are a living testimony to proclaim the message of eternal life, freedom from sin’s grip, and a relationship with a Living Savior.
 
All flesh reacts when it gets squeezed. Impatience, anger, violence, lashing out with hate-filled words, etc. are not to be part of our peg-life. 1 Peter 2:1 says, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.”
 
Did you ever consider that complaining is evil speaking? All words come first from thoughts. Matthew 15:18-19 says, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed EVIL thoughts…”
 
Negative dialogues in your mind will become negative words out of your mouth. It all starts with our thoughts which come from what we believe about a situation. If we believe that God is in control, that nothing is impossible for Him, and He is over all, our thoughts and actions will reflect that belief. That heart-belief will annihilate all evil thoughts before they can form.
 
We defile our testimony as a peg to the circles in our lives. How can we make a difference when we begin to fit into their mold? Here is our peg-stance. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 says, “And a servant of the Lord must NOT quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

Are We Being Squeezed?

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Romans 12:2 J B Phillips says, “Don’t let the world around you SQUEEZE you into its own mold, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”
 
I heard this verse read from this translation in 1972. I have never forgotten it. Right now, in this time of the pandemic, we are being squeezed. There are fleshly reactions that are contagious.
 
Remember Numbers 11:4 says that it was the mixed multitude that negatively influenced the children of Israel. Verse 1 says, “Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord…”
 
The complaining around us can suck us in and squeeze our minds to conform. Stay alert! Watch your thoughts! Don’t pick up this complaining-virus. It is very infectious.
 
We need to come in the opposite spirit. Instead of complaining we need to let this situation conform our thoughts, purpose, and actions to God’s will. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
 
It is a very well known verse, but is it your well-known practice? Are you proving His will through your words which are first thoughts?
 
I suggest that the next time someone around you complains, let that be your signal to be grateful for His irrefutable truths. He is in control of all things. Drink deep from the artesian well of your salvation. Isaiah 12:3 says, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
 
Colossians 1:17 says, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” 2:10 says, “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

Irrefutable Truths Part Two

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Isaiah 40 is a great chapter. When I need perspective I review several of the verses. I like to think about verse 12. It says, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand (I cup my hand), measured heaven with a span (spread out my fingers) and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?”
Verse 18 says, “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?” Here is one of my favorite. Verse 25 says, “To whom will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal? says the Holy One.”
Verse 25 gives us another irrefutable truth. There is no one nor anything that is equal to God! I use this when I pray. It helps me when I am facing the impossible.
Here is another. Verse 28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.” Irrefutable: everlasting, Creator of all, doesn’t faint, is not weary, and His understanding is unsearchable.
What a God we serve! He is so great He had to swear by Himself when He promised Abraham (Hebrews 6:13). Verse 19 says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”
Jeremiah was in desperate straits. Lamentations 3:1-20 described what he was feeling. He was spiraling down in his thoughts. Verse 21 helped him gain perspective and turn the corner. It says, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.”
What did he recall? Verses 22-24: We are not consumed because His compassions fail not. His mercy is new every morning. His faithfulness is great. The Lord is our Portion.
I hope this has whetted your appetite to search out and document in your heart His irrefutable truths. We can stand in them when everything around us is shaking. ALL is in His control. Nothing is too hard for Him!

Irrefutable Truths

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God cannot lie:
Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.”
 
Nothing is impossible:
Luke 1:37 says, “For with God nothing will be impossible.”
 
He is faithful:
2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
 
These are just three irrefutable truths. It is good to recall Who the Lord is at all times. It helps us to stand when everything is shaking around us.
 
Romans 5:2 says, “Through whom we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
 
We are in evil days. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
 
We stand by remembering. I like to remember that He is All Powerful. Nothing has any power because He has it ALL. I love that He is All Knowing. That means that He knows everything that is hidden in my heart. He is able to set me free from the things that bind me that I am blind to.
 
Here is another irrefutable truth that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds at all times. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
 
The Amplified uses the words ‘vitally united’ which helps us understand the power of abiding. Reading His word daily is not a tack on. It is as vital as breathing.
 
Asaph wrote Psalm 77. He was deeply troubled. His mind was in a negative spiral. The end of verse two said that his soul (mind, will, emotions) refused to be comforted. He asked himself questions about the Lord. Verse 10-11 says ‘I will’ three times.
 
Verse 12 says, “I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.” Asaph turned his negative pattern of thinking by two words. ‘I will’ is a heart that is determined to refocus on God’s power.
 
That must be our stance in these days. Let us recall Who the Lord is, and change the course of our thoughts to His greatness. Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.” His unsearchable greatness is another irrefutable truth!

A Seeking Heart Part Three

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I remember these words in other’s prayers as a child: that we might savor of the things of the Lord. In Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “…Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
 
Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
 
A seeking heart ‘savors’ the things of the Lord. To savor is to taste and enjoy it completely. I love lemon pie. I savor every bite. It has a clear and distinct flavor that sets my taste buds dancing with delight.
 
Do you savor God’s word? Psalm 1:2 says, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Meditating is savoring. It is bringing His word into our heart, muling it over, ‘tasting’ each morsel, and delighting in it.
 
A seeking heart is pure and undefiled. Jeremiah 15:19 says, “…if you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth…” Verse 16 says, “…Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart…”
 
Psalm 12:6 says, “The word of the Lord are pure word, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” Psalm 19:8 says, “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
 
Three weeks ago I had a free nutritional consultation with a certified dietician. She suggested I increase my calories. I diligently figured out my calories for two weeks. I still missed the mark. Counting calories started to rule over life.
 
Yesterday I realized this could quickly become a heart-idol to bring me into servitude. I quit. I walked away from it. No more was I going to let it have any more place in my thoughts. I see now this whole thing was a distraction.
 
Lord, help us savor Your word. Help us bring it into our hearts to expand and increase our desire for You. Reveal any heart-idols that would distract us in our pursuit of Your righteous ways. Draw us deeper into intimate communion with You.

A Seeking Heart Part Two

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Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” This is priority language. Singular focus. Wholeheartedness. An undivided heart.
 
Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters…” James 1:8 says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. A heart-idol brings in doubt, fear, and unbelief. Heart-idols are the dross of our faith. They create inner defilement. They speak to our life and dictate to our heart. They rule over our thoughts. They bring us into bondage and servitude.
 
I fell head first into a six foot ravine in 1977. I didn’t remember for 3 1/2 years. I didn’t know what was happening to my crashing health. The effects of the fall became my identity. It ruled my thoughts. I was enslaved to it, though I didn’t know it at the time.
 
Our mind belongs to the Lord. As we meditate on God’s word, it fills our thought-reservoir with truth. Our heart is governed by what we put into it. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…”
 
Is your mind sanctified? John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” Colossians 3:15 says, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
 
I remember years ago when my mind would not be still. I would put my hands on my head and say, “Stop. Be quiet! That was before I learned to still my mind through Scripture. I love Psalm 132:2 which says, “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.”
 
What does your mind feed on? Psalm 37:3 says to feed on His faithfulness. Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good…” Psalm 42:1 says “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God.”