What Have We Learned?

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:1-21 (and the rest)

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19 NIV

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. 1 Corinthians 14:23 NIV

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10 NIV

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

In the beginning, God created all that was ever created and without Him, nothing was created. He created–took nothing and made something out of it. Man “invents” using what already is to change it into something else. God is not a man that He should lie, Man lies. God is not the author of confusion and chaos–Man is. God is not unjust–Man is fickle and justice is not equal for all when man makes decisions. All of God’s promises are, “Yes and Amen.” Man’s promises waffle betwixt and between roller coaster emotions and constantly changing societal acceptances.

There is a difference between the God of Heaven and the god of this world for the god of this world–the arch enemy of God– has created nothing but chaos and confusion in the minds of the weak and gullible.

When we know how God functions–from the beginning to this very moment–we know without doubt that He would not “choose” absurdity over wisdom and knowledge. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”Proverbs 1:7  “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.” Proverbs 4:5-8 NIV  God creates, Satan destroys!

Until the gullible cease to say, “God chose Trump to be president” or “God elected him,” I will continue to dispute it with everything in me, according to The Word of God.

God–not human–has no need for those things humans involve themselves–like “elections.” When the Children of Israel cried for a king, God allowed them to choose–though He spoke to prophet-Samuel and had Samuel anoint David–the people still had to choose. And when we look at the history of the kings who ruled–sometimes those choices were not good ones and the kings were evil and committed all sorts of debauchery and wickedness.

As stated before and is being stated by many–this futile rhetoric about God choosing Trump–is driving more people away from God and church than drawing them to God. God doesn’t have a problem with us making mistakes, but when we don’t learn from the mistake and keep perpetuating it, then that’s a problem and God will allow us to wallow in the consequences of our choices.

Now, what have we learned?

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As For Me and My House!

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!  It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” Joshua 24:15-18, 20 NIV

Looking at Joshua’s adamant stance regarding serving The Lord, we should be reminded of how God functions through those who truly love Him.

If we serve other gods–whether people or things–we cannot love God of all Creation. Not once has a “thing” ever created anything. All the things that people worship are made by the hands of man. And man–has never created anything from nothing. All man has invented was with all that had already been created. It doesn’t take much to invent when materials are already accessible. But show me–one thing–created from nothing by the hands of man.

Since not one thing has ever been created by man, my household will serve The Lord.

I pray all will read Joshua’s experiences with God and God’s promises to Him and make a determination to serve Him and Him alone. When we seek Him for answers and direction, He will provide them–for His glory, not our own.

To God be all glory and majesty forever and ever.

Of All the gods, You Alone Are God!

“Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.” (Psalm 86:8-10 NIV)

Up in the hills, deep into the trees,

On the altars of ignorance were burned,

Wood, animals, children, as stomachs turned,

Making idol sacrifices instead of bending knees,

Praying to the One True God, who does marvelous deeds.

From the beginning and still now, people exercise the inherent desire to worship something and when they find something they think works, that thing they will worship, forgetting that there is One God who created all things and without Him, nothing was created.

Before we had the means to explore and examine our environment, we attributed events to certain other “circumstances” giving credit to the sun god, the rain god, the fertility god, the garden god, the angry god, the happy god, the moon god, the good luck god, the bad luck god, the pretty god, the ugly god, the god of hair, the god of baldness, the god of the fat people, the god of the skinny people, the water gods, the fire gods–and I’m sure there are many more like “the lottery god” (dream books), but all of these gods are manifested into carved, shaped, molded things that are made by the hands of man. Every symbol and image that people use to worship and give some magical attribute– (by way of explaining events) was made by man or machines in our times. Now, if we made the things, what makes us think the things we made are greater than we who made them?

The Psalmist understood that with all the carved statues of trees or monuments of stones and worshipped as gods that among all those gods, there was but One, who was the greatest–the One who did marvelous deeds–the One all nations would worship. And then–as now–they had a name for all the gods. When Paul was speaking before “the learned men” he referenced all the gods who were represented and the “unknown god.” He explained to them who the unknown God was and why He was unknown to them.

Now, if the statues and monuments could have created themselves without the benefit of man’s involvement–I’d say worship them. If they could create themselves there is a great likelihood they could actually help somebody. But there’s the rub–they were made by people and then the people decided–what they made, had power.

Think about the things children make out of paper, Popsicle sticks and other materials and then allow their imaginations to soar–giving the things they made power. The things empowered their imagination, but they had no power of themselves.

Our God–our awesome God–who no one created since He has no beginning and definitely no end. He created the universe without any help from man–the sun shines during the day without man’s help, the moon makes it’s way to shine at night without man’s help, the earth turns on its axis, without man’s help, so why would we continue to believe that any “thing” made by the hands of man has any power?

Among the gods that people worship–their jobs, their spouses, their money, and some even their children, there is only one God who does great things and even though we are ridiculed about our belief in the “invisible God” it makes more sense to worship Him, than anything we make or manufacture to worship. Our God is the only self-existing God who needs no thing to prove His existence; He is the only wise God–the One who was wise enough to do all He has done without consulting any of us. He alone is worthy of our praise.

You alone are worthy, O God, of all our praise and adoration!

We Cannot Bring God Down To Our Level, We Must Rise!

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:9-11 NIV)

If we have any doubt about whether God sees things the way we see them, here is the proof that He does not think the way we do, and so His ways are not our ways. Even if we wanted to, we could not begin to have thoughts greater than His. He is the Creator of all things and without Him, nothing was ever created. Now think about this. What has man ever created–from nothing? This is why we can have no confidence in man above God.

We are yet trying to figure things out and no amount of research or analysis of things that are have helped us to do anything God has done. We have not created any heavens, skies, clouds, oceans, and if we were that smart (as some think) we would not have issues with droughts and hunger. So, why do we? I can only imagine (not know) that God in His infinite Wisdom is waiting for us to totally rely upon Him and so far, we haven’t.

So, when people (those who do not know God or understand Him) quote a few scriptures out of context to try convince us that God doesn’t have a problem with people living in opposition to His Word, they demonstrate they do not know God or His Word. Here is the proof. What we need to stop doing is trying to bring God down to our level of thinking and raise our thoughts to see in His Word, how He wants us to live.

Let’s face it–when we cannot get our thoughts above our waist–to pacify fleshly desire, we certainly cannot begin to think we think on the same level as God. We have a brain and most of us have a heart that beats with a certain rhythm–do we use them the way God wants us to use them? Once we gather knowledge from others who have actually researched and analyzed things and how they work, we begin to think we know more than God. How foolish we must seem in His sight!

We do not know more than God, cannot never know more than God, but we do have His Word as a guideline for living and many are too foolish to even recognize that. Everything we need to live in peace and harmony is in His Word. Everything we need to prosper–financially and otherwise–is in His Word. Everything we need to live healthy lives, is in His Word.

If we understood Genesis, we would understand that God made provisions for us, before He created us and we have misused and abused what He created out of greed and selfishness and then we wonder why the world is in the shape it’s in. It’s time to turn back to God–the One who knows everything and will speak to the hearts of those who love Him and will obey. We can do it. We just have to realize how limited we are and how Awesome He is. We need Him far more than He needs us!

What God Reveals By His Spirit!

“However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” (I Corinthians 2:9,10 NIV)

When we run into people who say our faith in God is pointless, what do we do? Do we argue to no avail or do we simply stand firm on The Word?

When they say there is no God, we don’t have to argue the point, but remember this passage of Scripture. For those who say our existence is all about science, they have forgotten that God speaks to the heart of all who listen and even some of the scientists admit they don’t have an explanation for everything. Now, here’s the beauty of what some of them have come to realize–science does not create–it attempts to explain that which already exists and in some instances–scientists will develop something from that which already existed. Development is not creation. This is not to undermine what scientists do, but to point out that the scientists would have nothing to develop if God had not already created–all that was created.

Have we seen all of God’s Wisdom implemented in the earth? No, not yet. Will we ever? That depends upon us and how well we listen when He speaks. The deeper things this passage references have not been seen or heard of, but are yet to come.

Out of this passage of scripture, we get two things–hope and encouragement. No matter how bad things may appear, we haven’t seen the end of the matter because God is yet speaking, by His Spirit, to all who will hear. We are encouraged by The Word, knowing that there are still things we have not even thought about that will come to pass on our behalf. God knows what we need and He knows our heart’s desires. When we please Him, He responds by giving us the desires of our hearts.

Though it may not look like He is listening, He hears. Though it may not look like He is working on our behalf, He is. Remember this, we have not heard or seen all of the good things He has in store for us, but they will come and when we see them and hear them, we’ll know–it was all Him.

Don’t despair over what the naysayers have to say and don’t listen to the voices of those spirits who despise Him. Our God is awesome and He is more than enough! When He speaks to others by His Spirit, things begin to change for our good!

I Will Sing!

“I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” (Psalm 104:33 NIV)

The birds of the earth sing their praises every morning, their chirping so loud that sometimes, it becomes annoying, until one realizes they are simply doing, what they are meant to do.

The crickets sing their praises and when we forget–they remind us–they know our awesome God.

Every creature in the earth and those in the water have a song of praise for the God of all creation who gives them food when they are hungry and shelter in which to rest.

I am a uniquely created being, created in His image and He does supply all my needs and when I please Him, He gives me the desires of my heart. What an awesome God! He who set the moon, the sun and stars in their place, to give light and hope against darkness and loves me enough to provide all my needs–even when I didn’t deserve it.

What love He has for us, His creation made a little lower than the angels,

Yet giving us opportunity to judge them for their care of us.

What other god can claim to know how He exists or explain,

All He has done and will do, for those who trust Him and obey?

He, who was before time began in the minds of man

And will be–long after the dust has accumulated every hand,

That ever made anything with what He provided, before it was ever needed.

Oh yes, I will sing His praises, loud and long

My voice I’ll raise, whether weak or strong

There is none like Him, no one who can compare,

With Him or His Love, Mercy and Grace,

I will sing until I see Him face-to-face, and

Even more after, since all will be finished,

I will accomplish all He has planned

To His Glory, and everyone I meet shall know,

When I tell them of His goodness, everywhere I go.

I will sing, though many may cringe at the sound of my voice,

I will sing, He chose me and now it’s my choice,

To serve Him and sing His praises, forevermore.

This is my song, and like the critters who sometimes annoy us, this song may annoy since it has no rhythm or melody other than what’s in my heart. Since I am not alone in my quest to please Him, He’ll give a song to any and all who desire to sing His praises–loud, long, and strong–reminding all creation–He’s given us a song!

Praise The Name of Jesus!

“Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven” (Psalm 148:13) .

Who is the “them” referenced in this statement? The them is everything and everyone mentioned in the previous verses–the stars, the heavens, the elements, the oceans, the earth, everything in the earth, on the earth, and everyone–young and old alike. In other words--all of God’s creation should praise Him.

The birds sing their praises, the squirrels and I’m sure other animals praise Him; I just haven’t had an opportunity to observe them all. The most amazing thing about animals is the fact that they do exactly what they were intended to do. The stars shine in the night, the sun provides warmth and light, the moon does what does, the clouds do their thing, the rain, snow, ice, all do what they were meant to do. Everything and every animal knows their role. What happened to us–the human beings–the higher order of intelligence–why can’t we do what we’re supposed to do?

Perhaps, for some–their intelligence deludes them into believing they are wiser than God. Perhaps, this is the reason they refute all belief in God. Perhaps.  Perhaps, human beings are not the higher order of intelligence; we just think we are.

But then there are some–who attempt to do just what we’re supposed to do–love God and love others. We don’t always do things right or perfectly, but our hearts are sincere and our desire is open before God. It is our openness to God that makes a difference between those who believe Him and those who don’t. We who believe don’t make excuses to not serve Him, we simply do it to the best of our ability. Those who do not believe use their unbelief to ignore Him and when we praise Him, they simply do not understand.

We were created to praise Him–to give Him all glory for it truly belongs to Him and Him alone. When we praise man and self more than God, we have created other gods. When we give credence to things rather than God, we have created other gods. Nothing made by the hands of man deserves our praise. For we cannot create anything we need in order to make anything–He has already created all that is created for our benefit, not our praise.

Lord Jesus, we give You all the praise for You are the only One worthy of it. We will praise You from the mountain tops to the valleys and raise our voices in praise of You until the stars and heavens rejoice with us in our praise to You. We will cause a movement in the oceans so strong with our praise that every deep thing in it will praise with us. No one like You, Lord! No one who could ever do the things that You do for those You love! No one can love us the way You do! No can provide for us the way You do! No one can heal us like You do! You are everything we need and You are more than enough!

He Does Exist!

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV).

Be encouraged in your walk today–no matter what others may say–rest assured in your faith that God is and will be the victor in all circumstances–whether given the credit for His good deeds or not.

There are so many people denying the existence of God and ridiculing those who not only believe God, but know God because of the things He has accomplished in them or for them.  To argue God’s existence is indeed foolishness; especially for those who use ” limited human intellect” to attempt to refute His existence.  Apparently, they have forgotten that before we were, He was and still is and will be long after we cease to exist.

Why try to define, explain, or expound on the existence of God without knowledge of God?  Those who refute His existence do not have a relationship with Him or Spiritual insight and are simply relying upon the “wisdom of men” who came before them and said, “there is no God.”  Yet, these same men, admit they cannot prove their theory and deny that all of creation is because of God and they (those men and women) are either in their graves or on their way.

I’m sure it does not matter to God one way or another whether we believe or not in as much as our beliefs do not change reality–not as we know it–but as He has declared it.  But the benefits of our belief in God, surpasses anything a non-believer could ever realize.

Don’t allow the doubts and mumblings of naysayers to influence your faith.  Trust God and know that before we arrived, He was there clearing a pathway for us to travel the journey called life.  He does exist!

Thank Him for Sharing!

His Timing is Not Ours!

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”(2 Peter 3:9 NIV).

Isn’t it good to know that God’s timing is not measured by our timing?  Hallelujah!  If His timing was calculated based upon how “we determine time,” most of us would be in trouble.

The Word tells us that Jesus is coming back–does not specify time–but for those who truly believe, we know He’s coming back.  Many people have doubted The Word because they do not understand God’s timing.  We are told in The Word that with God, “a thousand years is like one day and one day like a thousand years”.  This is how God measures time.  If we, as human beings, could ever get past the notion that we can–define, demonstrate, illustrate, or explain God based on our own finite knowledge of anything–God would have a better chance of accomplishing some things through us.  As it is, we miss God’s best for our lives because we attempt to bring Him down to our level of thinking instead of allowing Him to bring us up to His level of thinking and doing.

He also reminds us that, “His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways”.  Why? Because He’s God–the omniscient One, all-knowing God–the One who created us and not the other way around.  Once we accept this simple fact, we put ourselves in position to receive His best–in His timing, not ours.  Think about it!  If we truly thought and acted like God, the world would be in a much better place because all we would do is “love one another” as He has commanded us to do.

So, the next time you get a little frustrated waiting to see God’s promises fulfilled in your life–know this!  His timing is not ours, but He is not a man that He should lie. If He promised it, He will bring it to pass!  Hallelujah!