SELAH Jubilee Lady Writes 4 Shalom

How well I remember the old Hymn -

"Blessed Redeemer! Precious Redeemer!

Seems now I see Him on Calvary's Tree,

wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading,

blind and unheeding, dying for me!"

That is a great place to begin our relationship with the Redeemer of mankind, but we dare not stop there! He is not in that piteous, lonely, rejected, suffering place any longer! He went there on our behalf, thank God! But that is far from the last we hear of Him! And we need to get that picture of His position firmly out of our minds! It is a religious smoke and lights game, which keeps us grateful, but enslaved! If He ONLY died for us – that would have accomplished perhaps, as it did for the thief next to Him which acknowledged His Lordship, an entry into the heavenly realm! But there would be no possibility of any victory here, with the LORD of Glory out of the way!

This morning as the song rolled through my spirit as I was showering and singing in tongues, as I often do, another version began to overwhelm it – which said -

“Blessed Redeemer! Precious Redeemer! Seems now I see Him at His Father's Right Hand! No longer bleeding, begging or pleading! Ready to lead all at His command!”

He has come in power to defeat the foes! He has come in power to cure our woes! He has come in power to equip His Saints! We must be careful, of what pictures we paint!

Lest we attribute weakness to Him, and miss His strength for ourselves! Lest we botch our assignment because of bad press and unreliable intelligence. Lest we fall short of the heavenly calling, because we considered Him to have fallen short of it! We must adjust our vision of Him! The Word says, when He comes, we will see Him as He is!

However, I think we have missed the fact that this is because those to whom He is due to return, will have been seeing Him all along, and have become His loyal followers, disciples and committed special ops crew!

We must exalt Him as LORD of All, We must show up to answer His call! We must stand ready at His command! Having done all, then, now we just stand!

Shalom Chavarim! Happy Sonday!

Sorry, but as you have already surmised from the title, this isn't going to be another gushing accolade to this pitifully inept episode of the “Star Wars”, the pretend universe! So if you are a dyed in the wool lobotomy victim of this serial brain killer, please just ...

"move along...this isn't the blog you were looking for!"

Consider yourself warned. This is going to be a whip-lash kind of ride from fantasy to back to harsh reality. Since, in my honest opinion, Lucas' imaginary universe should have been shut down upon the completion of the first trilogy! Since then it has been one long, tedious, sacrilegious, money-mongering, roller coaster ride into the dark side, at the expense of mistakenly faithful, undiscerning, cult-following space cadets! Lucas has made out like the bandit he is, but his audience is not the richer for it! Enough is enough already!

I was onto, and put off by, his obvious ulterior motives at the first episode of the second trilogy. Originally, I think, that effort was merely an attempt at creating “back-story” for his beloved characters. A “history” of sorts, from which he probably should have started, in the first place! But, I think that this idea was hatched at the request of his groupies and sci-fi fans – whom he was all too happy to satisfy, since he certainly had the most to gain from it! I went, originally, full of anticipation and hope that it would be as good as the first three, and something of quality that I could share with my young son, who was eager for more of this cowboys in space kind of action. But alas, it was not to be. I left bitterly disappointed, morally insulted, and intellectually outraged!

He lost this fan when he stopped creating fiction and began using this story to insidiously incorporate his religious bias, and peddle his false religion in the guise of fantasy. What is Lucas' “Force”? Nothing but a bunch of eastern religious ideas, centered in the whole “yin/yang” ideology. Which insists that Good and Evil are equally strong, opposing forces that must stay equal to keep balance in the universe! When, in reality, NOTHING could be further from the truth! And honestly, his abuse of truth wouldn't trouble me if he didn't have such a dedicated following! Really!? When I hear people arguing over whether or not this story line was true to the “cannon” of the story? Gee. That sounds familiar. Where have we heard that concept? Oh yes! That other false religion, sometimes known as Christianity!

But for the record - Evil creates imbalance, making a void, wherever it is allowed to work! One can never have too much good! Good does NOT create imbalance! Good IS balance!!! And according to the Scripture which I read, “There is Only ONE (source of) GOOD...”, which is Almighty God, and that Good God will one day defeat evil once and for all. So resistance is futile. Thank heaven! It is not, as Lucas would have us believe, doomed to go on tediously battling for eternity!

Lucas, who is obviously under the influence of “the dark side”, further crossed the line of my religious and intellectual tolerance by insinuating that the evil one, who was to become “Darth Vader”, in his story began as THE ultimate “good guy”, and even was “virgin born” (of the force, with no accountable father), and that his blood contained the power of light or darkness. And then – he went on to propound that he was “turned by the dark side” because good was getting the upper hand, or something ridiculous like that! ?

Um. No. He should NOT have went there! That is utter blasphemy against the real story of good vs. evil. Too close, and too deviant, at the same time. He should have stuck with fantasy. This is a subtle but dangerous ideology, folks, which too many Americans really believe! We humans, in our fallen state, are stupid enough to believe that we can produce good all on our own – despite the ever growing reams of evidence which profoundly prove otherwise!

It is works like this, which are the result of this kind of faulty, fallen, belief structure, which are also responsible for perpetrating the utter stupidity we now have in our floundering society! This influence of ideology peddled by the film industry which has aided and abetted the utter void of logical reasoning that is now called “political correctness”.

This descent back into the dark ages began a few decades ago, as we watered down God's standard for doctrinal tradition, and then became even more weakened, as, again, we traded down, from Scriptural literacy to man-spun philosophies – such as “situational ethics”! And we have now come to this place of utter selective stupidity! I guess we haven't accurately remembered the Dark Ages and are therefore doomed to repeat them! Oy vey.

And my other problem with this latest bomb is this - someone actually praised this movie for “finally” putting forth a “strong female persona”...? Wow. Really?! After how many years of this same thing being perpetrated? What we had here was a simple reversing of roles. Now we are going to rewrite the whole thing so that Leah – or her down line - can play the part of Han or Luke? Wow. That's new!? No. I think we've had enough “Betty-bad-ass” imagery for a bit!

It IS time for women to take their place of authority beside the men! That is for sure! You'll get no argument from me on that one! Way. Past. Time! It is time we stopped being placated, demeaned and diminished! It is time that our authority was acknowledged along with the responsibility that men have typically loved to heap onto our already full plates!!! It is time we got back some of the R.E.S.P.E.C.T we've been expected to dish out! We have been given equal authority with our men – By God – the real and only “Force” in our universe! And it is time that men stopped trying to usurp that authority! Seriously – for their good as well as our own – it would be in their best interest for them to finally grasp the reality that we were NOT made to kiss their hairy keesters and clean up their incessant messes! We were meant to rule with them! NOT be ruled BY them! Ugh.

However, US grasping our authority in God automatically eliminates the need to be in competition with THEM! Authority in God has been a place that we have been kept from. And, as a result of this ungodly oppression, we've forced ourselves into their place - trying to break out of the slavery which they had shoved us into. I get that! Been there, been that! Didn't want to but the hat!

But this ridiculous bad-ass mess that is being peddled as free womanhood these days is not a picture of what we need to become. It can't work, because it is not God's design for us. He made NO ONE to be second fiddle! He made us all to harmonize! We women are fierce. We are mighty. But we are also elegant and dignified. We don't need to wear shrink wrap, turn ourselves into a female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger, out-maneuver Bond, out bad-ass the famed Texas Rangers, and out-swear the Marine core to prove our worth! When will we stop fighting each other and turn our combined forces on the real enemy! That is the day when the dark side really loses.

So the conclusion of this rant is that morally and intellectually this film is an epic failure! And as for the way the story line is going, the way they deal with their heroes....from me... they get an F minus, minus! I think this trash has made Lucas enough cash. We, the movie going public, should sue for retribution, for the utter waste of our time and money, and damage to the mental facilities of our loved ones!

Let's get our head out of our....culture, entertainment, and amusements....shall we?! And let's, for a change, pursue the only Real Force and True Good of the Universe! Time for Lucas' universe to find the dark side of some trash can... to hell with the stupid force already ...

May the Blessing of Almighty God Be With YOU!

Selah.

Numero Uno – None of us are as well acquainted with ourselves as we think we are!

There are blind spots, self-deceptions, projected images of others – both positive and negative, and deliberate deceptions of our mortal enemy to keep us from God's best in our lives! So, “who we are” and who we believe ourselves to be – can be quite different! The “us” that we perceive, and that which we project to others is NOT always the same “us”. Hence the many difficulties of “knowing” each other!

Many disagreements in the Body of Messiah even, result from this discrepancy of perception. We are often trying to hold people to a standard which they have set forth for themselves – when they think they are upholding that standard perfectly! And then we find ourselves at cross purposes! And wind up very cross indeed!

Numero Dos – We don't always judge others by the Spirit, as instructed. We often judge them by the five senses. This will never work. That fleshly element has been granted NO Authority by God! No one's flesh cuts the muster, so it can not be a suitable criteria by which to judge people! We must know them by the Spirit, and then hold THAT part of them accountable to the Truth by the Spirit – speaking the Truth in Love, from our spirit-man to theirs! That is the only way that a full circuit of spiritual authority can be exchanged. That is the only way that strongholds are pulled down and yokes broken. The only hope of captives being freed. It is HIS method. And the only one which will produce life instead of death!

Numero Tres – True self-awareness comes only through death to the fleshly version of “us”. Narcissism is nothing but flesh gone to seed! It is the flesh in full control of the person. It is mental illness. But it is not something which won't be healed, when the processes of Spirit & Truth are applied in Faith.

Yeshua put it this way; “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” (this statement, which is recorded in all of the Gospels, is not double-speak, or irony – but it is referring to the two version of “life” - it is contrasting the spiritual plane of existence with the temporal realm) He is saying by this that we only really find ourselves as we are willing to be lost in HIM! As we are willing to let our fleshly perceptions go in favor of His spiritual upgrades.

Numero Quatro – The annoyances of life, those things which tempt us to take offense, which really piss us off, however one wants to phrase it – which makes us want to use off color words – like piss, etc. - are designed to flush that off color, unloving, untoward, ungodly, impatient, non-gently, road-raging, coarse, mess out of us! And flush it does! It is, in more spiritual terms, the “refiner's fire” that drives the dross to the top to be scooped off.

However, it become evident as we go that it is how we respond to those annoyances which determines whether they get scooped off or more deeply imbedded into our being! We must choose, each time, whether we will respond from the spirit-man or the flesh-man. The spirit-man will always choose life, grace, forgiveness, joy, peace, patience....LOVE. The flesh-man will always choose strife, bitterness, etc. which all tend toward hate and eventually death in some form. But the choice is always there. And our level of spiritual maturity, our level of actual faith, our level of purification – will become obvious at these times, if we are paying attention.

A general rule of thumb is this, if everything that happens tends to annoy you, flush evil speaking in some form, or cause a general unrest in your innards, then you are likely living too much in the fleshly realm, and some repentance and more pressing into God is advised – a.s.a.p.!

Why am I addressing these things? Because – if one could see this nasty fleshly run off in the spirit – I would guess that there has been quite a flow of brown stuff flowing from my soul these days! The stench of offense has not been far from me, for too long at one time! I have been noticing – because the Spirit of God is pointing it out to me – that I am annoyed every five seconds on the average! Over stuff that is SO inconsequential! Tedious stuff that! It makes for terrible sleep, kills any hope of rest, and opens the door wide for the sap-sucking enemy to rob you blind! No good!

I keep telling you folks, that in order for it to get to your toes it has to stomp mine first! If that is not true of whoever you are listening to, then you should stop listening! If, however, my toes are in HIM where they belong, they do not get stomped! So let that be a lesson to me! Lol As I say, I don't make this stuff up! I just do as I am told!

So. That is our lesson in living the life in God for today! If any of those things fit your situation, then you will know what to do! If they don't, then praise God and check back in at a later time! Everyone have a wonderful Sonday afternoon, entering into His rest – or repenting so that you can!

Shalom Chavarim!

Wow. What can I say? Lately I have felt like the poster child for “Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events! I think I have come to embody that one quote for which Joyce Meyer has become famous - you know, the one where she said that she went through a period of time in her early walk with the LORD wherein if, “(she) thought two positive thoughts in a row her mind took a cramp!” That is what the warfare this week has been like. In fact, I have been noticing a creeping tendency toward grumbling for awhile now. That miserable tendency to see the cloud over top of every silver lining, etc. My mother called it “the s.... colored glasses”. Perhaps we can see the source of the trouble here! Lol Poor mom! She thankfully got saved, but not fully delivered. Well, not here anyway!

But as for MY issues, I wanted to share some examples, and how I have overcome (or am seeking to) so as to perhaps help others who may be struggling with this just now. I do not think this is a coincidence that I have uncovered this nest of viperous thought patterns the week of Thanksgiving! Nor do I think it is a coincidence that I seem to have had a major set-back in this area right when I began to believe God for some progress in a few areas, and are seeing that progress! No way! I smell a demonic rat! But I think, while I am sure there is a plot of the enemy to keep me from another victory, it may primarily be only some more “flesh” dying, so no worries!

Anywhoo...onto how I discovered this nest of negativity …..I have been praying for our needs to be supernaturally met, for spiritual and practical reasons! After all, not only does the Word instruct us that, “the just(ified) shall live by Faith” - but the current situation of life seems to demand it! And, since it doesn't look as though it might improve in the immediate future, then practicing living by faith – practicing being the art of cultivating a discipline or habit pattern - seems like a very practical thing to do!

But I don't think I ever noticed before exactly how many “vain imaginations” and “unrighteous thoughts” I have left loose and running around within my personal boundaries! Negative thought patterns, which the Word commands us to “take captive to the will of the Anointed One”! In describing these brain cramping yucks, I think the Jewish writers of these epistles would have used phrases like “Yetzer Harah” (the evil urge), or “Lashan Harah” (evil thinking and/or speaking), which the old King James referred to as “Strongholds”, and which some translations have rendered “Keeps” (of the enemy, by which he controls our lives through our thoughts, beliefs, words and deeds) while the current phraseology to describe such mental quagmires is “negative mental paradigms”.

Whatever you want to call it, it sucks, leads to depression, and basically robs one of joy and sets us outside of the presence and blessing of God! Hence the enemy's great effort in that department I suspect! But the really annoying thing is that once he gets your hard drive infected with the negativity virus he doesn't have to do another thing! He can go do something else and just watch us destroy our own lives and peace, not lifting a finger! Grr. Why I have let this go on this long I do not know! But it ends now!

The unseen, but very real, “giants” in MY land, within MY boundary lines over which I have been given Authority and permission – commission in fact - to conquer – but which I have not been obedient to slay, and some I have even unwittingly protected have to GO! Oy gevault! What a schmuck the flesh is! These “Giants” which are bullying, heedless, unreasonable brutes stomp through every so often dropping worse case scenarios in my brain, and accusations - that may or may not be real – which come from my perceptions of the attitudes of those closest to me! Mental paradigms or strongholds in my soul which color and interpret according to that negatively suggestive bent. So. Not. Good!

Some of these negative, extremely persistent, pesky, thought patterns are most likely just the next “layer” of years of unattended generational curses, which I was supposed to battle with the Word and take down! And which I have been steadily working on, since I finally got that understanding. But I found help with all of that stuff later on in my life, and so it has been an uphill battle. A battle which I have fought with diligence and determination for about the last twelve or so years! And for which I sought the help I needed to begin overcoming for about 20 years before that! Yet, still, there seems so much to be done before peace is the reigning atmosphere around here. So let the work continue, I had gotten weary in well doing! Break's over sister! Time to get with it!

I have seemed to be wrestling constantly against well set-in, both learned and inherited, thought and habit patterns (we're talking Imo Jima level set-in – go read the history of that take down – before the bomb....)! And I am getting weary of trying to keep this thing in a positive direction for more than five minutes at a time! How ironic to think that as a child my siblings called me “Pollyanna” because I was so annoyingly positive! But, of course, I have since learned that much of that “optimism” was due to a better than average system of denial and suppression! Oy!

Well, can't win them all! Or can we? Yes. The answer is yes we can win them all, through Christ who strengthens us! Because Yeshua has already done the work and given us the weapons! But – well- see what I mean? Because I haven't done the work necessary – obviously – I have to work way too hard to stay in the positive flow of things! As I just aptly demonstrated for you! But it is time to trade in this oy for some JOY! It is time for these strongholds to come down!

Well, anyway, to get off that Rabbi trail and back to the point of sharing how I discovered this problem, I had prayed for supernatural supply, and specifically for a deer roast to add to the menu for Thanksgiving. Turkey seems to have gone up dramatically, and we are avoiding pork for the most part (though not as diligently as some would desire – still we have made a start). But I just really wanted a good piece of deer meat! That very day that I prayed, I am not kidding, someone where Gene (my husband) works gave him a cooler full of meat! Fresh, unfrozen deer meat! Two shoulders, & two hams. They had been basically field dressed and put on ice – delivered right to my door! All I had to do was prepare them for cooking and/or freezing. How blessed is that?!

So. I am in the kitchen at the sink wrestling these huge pieces of meat trying to get that membrane stuff off, and clean them up, etc. and I feel this sort of whiny, grumbling begin! Seriously! I was starting to get tired, and that began a downward spiral of thoughts about how hard the job was, etc. etc. I won't bore and disgust you will all the pitiful details, but you can probably imagine! I mean, in reality I realize that it is a less than glamorous job. Sort of disgusting actually, to our modern, pristine, germ-conscious society. No doubt. But – as the HOLY SPIRIT quickly and firmly reminded me in mid-grumble – I prayed for this!!!!!

So. Having caught myself – or rather having been caught – and corrected – at this incomprehensible act of ingratitude – (talk about biting the hand that feeds you!) - I quickly and thoroughly repented! Then, prompted by the Spirit of God, went about using the act of “confessing our sin one to another so that we can be healed” as a teachable moment! (Home School Mom!) I called Eli and Emma (my two youngest, and the only students in my education/discipleship program) over, and shared with them what I had just experienced. And suggested that we begin to take note of these kinds of “opportunities”, or temptations to blow our blessings! Adding, wisely, (I have been at this awhile) that we primarily make these notations for ourselves first – but also for each other – to hold one another accountable. And also that it could be an opportunity to practice the rare art of “speaking the truth in love” and/or “correcting one another in a spirit of meekness, humility or gentleness” - not with an - “OOOh I caught you at it again!” sort of attitude!

But since then, there have been so many positive thoughts derailed by this pain-train of gross ingratitude that none of us have time for me to list them all! You would not believe it if I did! I can scarcely believe it myself. Most people consider me to be a grateful person. And indeed, I do express gratitude a lot! I have made it a point over my life. That is probably the only reason I have survived some of the stuff that has happened to me. Because, in all fairness, if anyone had a real reason to be negative, to think negatively, to have a dim view of life, to wear the aforementioned “dark glasses”, it would be me. And I am not just sucking worms, there are years of documented deliverance sessions with witnesses to back up what I am saying. I had the worst beginning possible, from the womb on. So there has been some real overcoming to do! Understatement!

Still! We must consider the Truth of the Word! Did Yeshua come to deliver us or not?! He did! And did He succeed at His mission? He most assuredly did! So while there may be very good reasons to be negative there is no excuse! And I am determined with the help of God to beat down this mess in my life! Today I have already wrestled an alligator sized grumbling opportunity! I had made plans for some in depth cleaning today in preparation for Thanksgiving! I had, of course, counted on the kid's help – seeing that I am to begin a monstrous cooking episode as well! But miraculously, Gene's boss asked them to come help in bindery, giving them a much desired opportunity to make money to buy gifts and such for the upcoming seasonal events! But it threw my plans under the bus...and I am getting so tired of my bus being hi-jacked....etc.etc. ...and so it began! I had to really get hold of myself, and go, wait just a minute here! Sheesh! This is an answer to THEIR prayer! Get over yourself!

Okay. So. At some point I would like to get a few more boundaries on my existence and feel a bit more in control of my personal life than I have felt for the last thirty or so years! BUT – either God is going to be in control of my life or not - and “don't look a gift deer in the mouth” and all of that! So it is that time again, wherein, as the lovely people in my neighborhood like to say, to “Scratch my big butt and get happy”! I think the Word says it this way, (2 Cor. 10:3-5)

“3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,…”

I have learned by now that He does not command us to do things for which He is not willing and able to equip us! If He has decreed a thing, it will come to pass. We are the only thing that can block His will, because He gave us a free will! But even we can only block it in our generation! Or we can unblock it in our generation! The choice is ours. And Yeshua shed blood to ensure that we get that choice!

So today, I am asking for all the prayer strength I can get! I want to live in the mind of the Anointed One (Christ)! I do not want to be subject to the negativity of the world, the flesh and the devil! I do not want to be blown about by every wind that blows – religious or heathen! I do not want to be a mere pawn of an anti-God, anti-anointing enemy! I want to be a real force for righteousness!

But please note with me, if you will, that grumbling and complaining about anything is not the path to that kind of victory! I find it extremely appropriate that this next layer of revelation, deliverance and gratitude-attitude cultivation is happening right here between Tabernacles and Thanksgiving! The feast of Tabernacles was the original Thanksgiving, and was the model for the one which was had by the first “immigrants” to this land, so graciously accepted and hosted by the hospitable original inhabitants!

This Thanksgiving I want to live Thanksgiving! I want every fiber of my being to resound and emanate gratitude! As the Pesach song says, Dayenu! It would have been enough! Had He only chosen us for His people, but had not defended us every step of the way... Had He only created us, but not redeemed us when we threw it in His face... Had He only rescued us from Egypt, but not given us instruction whereby we could stay free.....(what?! You thought it was just a bunch of rules to check off for brownie points?! Nah!) ….Had He only rescued us from the earth's destruction by the flood, and not given us a land of our own...Had He only forgiven us, but not sent a Torah, a living Torah in Messiah Yeshua, His Holy Spirit to lead us into all the Truth/Torah....etc.etc. ...You get the gist.

In other words, if He never did another thing – It is enough already! If He never answered another prayer – He is worthy of our praise, loyalty and gratitude! And it is high time we – I – began reflecting that truth with my entire life and existence. Beginning with my attitude. Today begins the downfall of the stinking thinking! All prayers appreciated as the Journey/Transformation to Life continues!

Shalom Chavarim! L'Chayim!

Maybe It's Time We Read The Whole Context of Our Favorite Scripture?

The Word of God is the most "pro-choice" document ever written. BUT the choices are limited to the two real options. There are no man made imaginary lists from which to choose. Life or death, blessing of God or curses of disobedience to Him. His way or anything but the "high way"! God is so pro-choice that He "put His money where His mouth is", so to speak and gambled everything away on His Son's willingness to obey Him - to buy back our right to choose! Since we had been hornswaggled out of that right by the very first liberal politician! Satan himself.

II Chronicles Seven, Verse Fourteen. It's the, “If my people.....” verse. It is much quoted, and much “declared” by those who are speaking the Word in Faith over their lives. It is a powerful declaration of faith – if it is being spoken IN Faith!

However – I think at this point in history it is necessary to say that simply speaking what we want to come to pass is not always enough to get the job done. It sure does beat speaking against what we want! No doubt about it! It is definitely a step in the right direction.

However – if we do not believe that which we are speaking enough to bring our lives in line with it then it is nothing more than more noise cluttering up the atmosphere! How often have I been rebuked by those who had just gotten hold of the whole “Word of Faith” concept – because I was being too negative (realistic) about what was going on. Only to pass them on the side of the road a month later, having thrown down all their spiritual toys, indulging themselves in a huge pout-fest at God for not hupping to their “faith”! Wow. Like God was some kind of lackey or valet!

Of course, there IS something to, “speaking those things which be not as though they are...” oh yes! But what is often missed is that those things being spoken must meet with faith that emanates from the heart, because we have received and believed that which we speak from God's Word to be more real than whatever circumstance or situation we are trying to overcome with that discipline! We must see God and His Word, His solutions, as bigger than the opposition in our lives! If we do not, then it is all nothing more than another religious word game we play with ourselves. It will fall to the ground void, and end up wrecking our faith, rather than enabling it. We must understand that faith comes from an humble heart, and does not emanate from hubris permeated flesh!

I have gleaned a good deal of comfort from the two favorite verses of this passage below – verse thirteen declares that even if we have been obstinate and rebellious, thereby causing the curses of drought, pestilence and other plagues to come upon us (which we have, by the way – and that is why we are facing the probability of biggest economic crisis in history in our very near future) – but if we will Repent of our sin and turn our lives back to Him – He will reverse all the curses and make us truly His people once again! That is such good news! That no matter how badly we've blown it, He is willing and able to fix it all for us if we bring it to Him and confess our failure!

His fury is real, but His mercy is unfathomable! We would not be so gracious if we were treated as we tend to treat Him. We treat him like a parent who allows themselves to be taken for granted. We call when we need money, or when we are feeling nostalgic, or guilty! Otherwise, busy life whirlwinds us away and our thoughts rarely go back to them at all. We build no real relationship, nor do we maintain the one we once had! This is a sad but common travesty in the Kingdom of God – that the King is treated as some Jinn – waiting for his bottle to be rubbed so that he can do our bidding! How dare we?

This passage of scripture is not so much about saving OUR nation as WE have built it! It is more about allowing Him to tear down what was wrongly built, and then building it according to HIS plan, and then OCCUPYING it for HIS Glory and flying HIS flag over it!

NOT the “Christian Flag” mind you – that religion is too mixed down with the very idolatry which brought the curse in the first place! And not the American Flag either – as it has frequently stood for things which God has ferociously forbidden! Instead we must fly the flag of Yeshua the Redeemer! The Messiah of Israel! Our champion and savior! Who has brought down the curse of sin against mankind once and for all – if only we will accept that freedom from sin in order to STOP sinning!

Why would we accept deliverance from a prison, only to return to the prison every chance we got?! But that is exactly how “Christianity” in this nation has been operated! It has been cheaply used – His gifts have been cheaply squandered – and still, at the end of the day, most of those who think they are HIS – are pursuing things which He would openly condemn – which He has already condemned! And yet we wonder, and complain, at the destruction which steadily encroaches.

Where is the Repentance? Where is the …. “will turn from their wicked ways....”? Where is the seeking HIS FACE? Where is the serious attempts to line up with His Word and ACTUALLY LIVE IT? Then – and ONLY THEN – will He “hear from heaven and heal our land”.

I don't know about anyone else, but this old girl is scrambling to seek His Face! I am digging to find out what really pleases HIM – not so much what people think, or have thought, is “okay with Him”! I am on my face on a regular basis – trying to be sure that I am hearing His heart and have the faith to comply! Not because I am so pious or sanctimonious! But because, in the spirit realm I see the destruction just over the hill! It is coming for us – because as the “Arrow” says to all his apprehended perpetrators - “We have failed....”, F minus, minus! Epic fail! Disastrously blown it.

Blown what? All chances of receiving His blessing unless we change! Unless we stop resisting and begin to cooperate with His transformation processes! Unless we begin to hear His heart and exhibit His character! It is over for this nation. We who have remained faithful can expect, “our lives for a prey”. I am not sure if it is realistic to expect much of anything else.

And even at that I don't think He is necessarily referring to this natural life. That will burned in the fires of His wrath! But WE – the real us – the healed us – the redeemed, sin-free us – we will be saved. And that is a greater mercy than we deserve.

So – my plan is to keep on seeking Him – and to try – as often as I can find my sanity – to offer Him the Praise due to HIS NAME! Because circumstances notwithstanding – HE IS WORTHY! Always! And forever!

May I, and His truly faithful ones, not be turned back from following Him! May we not get so caught up on changing our circumstances that we forget that His plan was to change US. And so He is, steadily, day by day, minute by minute. And One day – if we do not fall away in deception or frustration – we will see Him as HE is – and we'll be privileged to live separated from ALL evil for the rest of forever! I, for one, can hardly wait.

My challenge to you this week, Chavarim, is to read the passage of scripture below in context, and see if it doesn't alert you to areas in your own life that need repentance and radical change! And then – do it! And then – seek HIM! And then – be changed by His Spirit more into His character than you were before! And – repeat! And – as you do – never mind the red cups. Those red cups are the LEAST of our worries! Judgment begins in the house of God – not the house of the heathen! Leave them alone and let's clean up around our own door step could we? Let's begin a campaign to “Get Christ in Christians”! In fact, some fasting – from many such pleasures - may even be in order on that subject .... Selah.

Shalom Chavarim! L'Chaim!

II Chronicles 7:12-22

12Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15“Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 16“For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 17“As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, 18then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.’

19“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.21“As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22“And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.’”

Repented or Uprooted …. hmmmm - so far the choice is still ours. Selah.