The Power Of Oneness

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After the flood, Noah’s family increased dramatically and they spread out far and wide. Genesis 11 is the account of the Tower of Babel. Verse 1 says that the whole earth had one language and one speech.
 
Verse 6 says, “And the Lord said, Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they purpose to do will be withheld from them.”
 
The Lord confused their language so that they could not understand one another’s speech. He then scattered them abroad from there.
 
Fast forward to Acts 2:1. It says, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” Acts 1:15 says that there were about a hundred and twenty of them.
 
I like to think of them all together confessing their sins to one another, asking forgiveness, and settling any unresolved issues. They were in one accord. The Strong’s defines it as: being unanimous, having mutual consent, being in agreement, having group unity, having one mind and purpose. It is harmony leading to action.
 
Right now we have an opportunity as never before to pray together though sheltering in place. Our prayers are like a sweet incense before the Lord.
 
I like to go back to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Though this was the Lord’s words to Solomon, we can apply them to our lives today. “If My people…will humble themselves…”
 
Walking in heart humility is something we can all strive to do together. It is to the humble that the Lord extends grace. Paul had a thorn in his flesh. In 2 Corinthian 12:7 Paul described it an a messenger of satan to buffet him. Hear his words, “…lest I be exalted above measure.”
 
The posture of humility before a king is to bow low. To fear the Lord is to revere and worship Him. He is to be exalted, honored, glorified, and worshipped. Right now, the C virus is a thorn in our flesh. Let us bow together before the Lord our Maker in humble petition for His mercy on us worldwide.
 
 
 

The Power In Walking Backwards

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After the flood, Noah was drunk in his tent and naked. His son Ham saw him and went and told his brothers. Genesis 9:23 says, “But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both of their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father…”
 
Ham exposed his father’s sin, but Shem and Japheth covered it. Noah knew that his younger son had dishonored him. As a result, Ham’s son Canaan was cursed.
 
1 Peter 4:8 says, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”
 
There is power in walking backwards when another’s sin is exposed through gossip. Two things can happen. One, we tell another and the gossip continues. Two, we can take up an offense against the gossiper and the one gossiped about.
 
There is an arresting verse in Ecclesiastes 10:1 that says, “Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.”
 
Received gossip lodges in the secret places of our heart. In an unguarded moment, it can slip into our conversation. If you have heard gossip, it is of utmost importance to ask the Lord to cleanse it from your mind. Don’t dialogue about it, and don’t tell anyone else. If it isn’t dealt with immediately, it can become an inner defilement, like the dead fly in the perfume.
 
Ham dishonored his father by gossiping to his brothers. Shem and Japheth immediately acted to block their brother’s gossip. Gossip must be nipped in the bud or it will defile and destroy relationships.

Heart Imbalance Part Two

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I’m reading the book of Genesis now. Yesterday I came to the part after the flood. Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings.
 
Genesis 8:22 says, “And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”
 
God destroyed everything through the flood except those in the ark. Genesis 6:5 says that every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was evil continually. Yet, in His mercy He saved Noah, his family, and chosen animals.
 
Hebrews 4:12 is the remedy for an imbalanced heart. Embracing and allowing God to work through His word will expose the hidden self in our heart. It is the ‘enthroned self’ that divides our heart.
 
Psalm 86:11 David said, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” Truth is the medicine that heals an imbalanced heart.
 
Proverbs 3:5-7 helps us see how not to straddle the fence. It is by trusting Him with all our heart, acknowledging Him in all our ways, and not being wise is our own eyes.
 
The opposite side describes our enthroned self: leaning on our own understanding, acting independent of God, and departing from following Him.
 
Psalm 119:10 is the cry of an awakened heart. It says, “With my whole heart have I sought You, Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.”
 
A. W. Tozer wrote, “The Pursuit of God.” At the end of each chapter he wrote a prayer. Each one is a cry of a balanced heart to remain in balance. Here is one (not copied word for word because of copyrights): I have tasted of Your goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty more…I want to want You; I long to long for You; I thirst to be more thirsty.
 
I read his book the first time in 1973 and began praying his prayers at the end of each chapter. Seeds were planted that He carefully tended until my heart was awakened and brought into intimate communion with Him four years later.

Heart Imbalance

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I had a dream this morning. I know these words are from the Lord. Please follow this telephone conversation between my first dr. who helped me detox from my mold contamination and me. Note: I’ve not talked to him since October 2018 when he turned me over to another dr.
 
Dr. I have looked over your paperwork. It appears that you have a heart imbalance.
Me. Is this Dr. V?
Dr. Yes
Me. What do you mean a heart imbalance?
Dr. It is rooted in not being able to trust.
Me. Oh, well how do I bring my heart into balance?
Dr. It is sacrificial
Then I woke up
 
Yesterday we celebrated the liberating truth of Jesus’ raising from the dead. Jesus gave His life for us that we might freely give to others in serving Him.
 
Matthew 6:25 says, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Withholding our heart is a prescription for loss. It is the opposite of sacrificial love.
 
Luke 9:23 says, “Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” A true disciple of Jesus willingly sacrifices their fleshly agenda to embrace the needs of others.
 
John 3:17 says, “But whoever…sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
 
We are in a worldwide crises. The mandate is to shelter in. For an authentic follower of Jesus, it is a time set aside our personal agendas to open wide our hearts in sacrificial prayer.
 
Nehemiah humbled himself by identifying with the sins of his nation as though they were his own. I confess to you, that when I first began to practice this flesh-sacrificing way of praying, pride rose up.
 
Me, a believer, saying, “I have rejected You. I have not followed Your ways. I have perverted that which is right” is still gut wrenchingly hard. However, it effectively rips open my heart to pour out His love for the unsaved. I encourage you to enter this kind of heart-felt prayer for His sake, and the needs of countless souls facing hell.
 
 

Celebrating Jesus!

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Celebrating the goodness of the Lord on this Resurrection Sunday! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

 

Easter.jpg

Treading Water

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When I was on the swim team in my high school years, we spent a lot of time treading water. It helped us to build endurance. In a sense, with this C virus, we are treading water.
 
I made a list of my activities. On the left side are the things I do that bear fruit. The right side is another list, some are time wasters. The lists help me prioritize.
 
In treading water, the mind is free. Should something dangerous approach in the water, the mind would be occupied. What occupies your mind while you are treading water? Ephesians 5:15 says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.” Circumspectly means cautiously and carefully. It is a word of alertness.
 
Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” As you tread water, I encourage you to pray for every one you personally know that is not a believer. Then pray for those you don’t know.
 
As we continue in this worldwide crises, there are folks who are physically hungry. The breadwinner of the family can’t work, so there is no money to buy food. Others are grieving the loss of their loved ones.
 
Ephesians 5:16 says, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Years ago my pastor wrote me a little note. I refer to it often. It says, “Seize the opportunity during the lifetime of the opportunity.”
 
What are you doing to seize this opportunity of a lifetime? I encourage you to evaluate how you are spending your time as you tread water. Write notes of encouragement, pray, and make phone calls. Seize this time with intentional steps. Set aside your agenda to embrace others in their needs. Let us fill our days in being about the Father’s business.

Unfathomable Love

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Ephesians 5:2 continues the subject of imitating God from verse 1. It says, “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.”
 
Imitating Christ’s unfathomable love is humanly impossible. We don’t have that capacity of ourselves. How do we practically apply this verse?
 
First I want to look at this illustration. Picture yourself on the beach. Stand at the edge of the water and look out as far as you can see. Way out there is a thin line of a horizon. Yet, when we consider God’s love, there is no vertical or horizontal line. His love is unfathomable, untraceable, and incalculable because He is without borders or boundaries.
 
I love Jeremiah 23:24. It says, “Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? says the Lord; do I not fill heaven and earth?” The Lord is self-existent.
 
We imitate His love for us when we give from our heart to others. Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
 
The application of sacrificial love is to put others before our interests. It requires dying to self, by intentionally laying our own agenda down in order to serve others. That does not come natural. It is consciously living in His love in order to serve others through His love.
 
1 John 4:10-11 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another.”
 
We love as He loved when we forgive those who have hurt us. We can’t love with unforgiveness buried in our heart. The first step is forgiveness, then drawing from His love for us, we love.

Clearing The Slate Part Two

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Ephesians 5:1 starts with ‘therefore’ which takes us back and reinforces 4:32. It says, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”
 
We are to imitate God as forgivers. Colossians 3:13 says, “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
 
Micah 7:19 is a ‘No Fishing’ verse. It says, “…You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Hebrews 8:12 is speaking about the new covenant. It says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
 
Psalm 103:12 says, “For as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” The north and the south meet, but the east and the west do not meet.
 
In 1987 we were on a short term mission in Quito Ecuador. Our team stood straddling the line that separates the north and the south.
 
We imitate the Lord when we destroy our record of wrongs. Here is a heart governor verse. 1 Corinthians 13:5 in the Amplified says, “It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful, it takes NO account of evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong).”

Clearing The Slate

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Blackboards are great. You can write on them with chalk, and then erase them with a chalk eraser. With that picture in your mind, let’s look at Colossians 2:13-14.
 
“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
 
We deserved to die for our sins. Jesus wiped out the sentence of God’s wrath appointed to us. He received the wrath as He bore our sins on Himself on the cross. He not only bore our sins, He forgave us ALL our sins.
 
Yesterday I read Ephesians chapter 4 two times. Coming to verses 30-32 took me back to the verses in Colossians. What does it mean to forgive as we are forgiven?
 
Ephesians 4:30 says to not grieve the Holy Spirit. Verse 31 says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” We grieve the Holy Spirit when we hang onto unforgiveness.
 
Verse 31 is defining the fruit of unforgiveness. Now you may have understood that, but yesterday was when the Holy Spirit revealed it to me. I just never connected it before.
 
Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking is the byproduct of unforgiveness. Unforgiveness may be buried in our unconscious, but it seeps into every thought, and influences our actions. Verse 32 says, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
 
Our ‘record of wrongs’ opens the door for demonic oppression. Matthew 18:34-35 says that our heavenly Father will deliver us to the torturers is we do not forgive from the heart.
 
We are called to be reconcilers, not keepers of wrongs done against us. If you struggle with unforgiveness, I  encourage you to get my book on Amazon. Victorious Garden: true heart forgiveness will help you work through your pain of sins done against you to live in the freedom of forgiveness.

The Inner Workings

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Today I want to share a new song with you that reveals the inner workings of intimate communion
 
Womb of the Morning
 
I come to You O Lord in the womb of the morning. To sit and worship You and call upon Your name. You answer me with a sweetness that melts my heart. And opens me to receive Your words.
 
Your words like oil penetrate the places in my heart that were hardened through fear. You say My child don’t be afraid. I’ve been there all along to shield and protect. Let go of that which you clutch so tight. That I might fulfill the deepest longings of your heart.
 
Don’t let the cares of this life choke out My words. Open your heart to hear the beat of My own heart. I desire oneness with you but I won’t compete with that to which you give yourself. I will but wait until you tire of your own pursuits. And nestle down in My love.
 
Be still now and quiet your heart before Me. I have so much to share to reveal the depths of My counsel. For in Me is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I have all and hold all. Through the power of My Word.
 
In Me you will lack nothing. Your very sustenance comes through sweet communion. Through intimacy that cannot be broken. Nothing in this earth can compare with My beauty of holiness. In the womb of the morning.
 
*The more we live in intimate communion, the more our heart’s capacity is increased to abide. The Lord’s wooing draws us from the fleshly things we cling to. It is a process, a Divine Exchange, until we willingly let go to embrace Him above all else.
 
Psalm 36:8 says, “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.” Jeremiah 31:14 says, “I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.”