The Narrow Way – Surrender To The Cross

Psalm 85:8,9. NKJV. “I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.”

A Lot of people want to make America great again. This cannot be done by politics or social movements. If America is to be “great” again (if she ever was, in terms of what “great” actually means in terms of what Jesus taught), she must be filled with the glory of God. In that light alone America may be great “again”. And if she is ever to be great and glorious, then she must become godly, living in full surrender to the redemption and salvation won for her in Jesus Christ. This is true for any nation! 

For not all paths lead to God, or are in God, contrary to the popular thought of the times. I realize that is a very unpopular claim in an “I’m OK, you’re OK” kind of world which despises Jesus Christ. Or even among churchy people who lean toward an implied universalist mindset.

Lost in the woods and off the path, morally and ethically and without godly wisdom and understanding to guide us, we need a compass to come back to the path – the Way of the Cross.

There is no other Way. Only one. That is through the One Redeemer and Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom is given all authority in heaven and on earth, Who by His cross and resurrection has purchased and won us from sin and eternal death, Satan, and self. The One Who is the Way, Truth, and Life. This is the premise of any “glory” to which we would lay claim. This is His authority.

And oh, how sophisticated 21st Century man hates the idea of divine authority!

In this Psalm of the sons of Korah, we find a prayer that the Lord will restore favor to the land. While it is true that God is love and mercy, desiring to bestow favor to the land, we cannot see this on our own terms and definitions – which, more than likely, is some sort of emotional fascination with unmitigated tolerance and softness toward what we want or think will make us feel good. Much of this comes from decades of conditioning by the ideas that come out of the entertainment industry, with idolizes hedonism, sin, and rebellion toward God.

Rather, the love and mercy of God make it imperative for Him to communicate to us how things actually work. God’s love has a “tough love” component. After all, He is bringing many sons to glory! (Hebrews 2:10) What we are now is not what we are to be! As the best Parent, He speaks to us – outwardly – by way of His word, the Bible, and by way – inwardly – through a conscience informed by His truth. He pours out His Spirit, Who writes His truth on our hearts.

Are we listening? Can we say with the psalmist, “I will hear what God the LORD will speak”?

He is calling us back onto the path of repentance, of turning toward Him – hearing, heeding, and following the Lord Jesus on His path of holiness and righteousness. This is the Way of the Cross, described in an old fashioned word seldom heard in the church anymore: it is a way of “mortification.” Death to the world, the devil, and the flesh. Here is where He provides blessing, good, and protection for those who follow Him.

Yes, there are the “influences” – corporeal and incorporeal – calling us off the path and back into the woods, where they would rob us of our Lord’s blessing and goodness. So if we follow those voices which would lure us into selfish, sinful lifestyles, we are lured into that which has as its goal the destruction of both soul and body. Eternally.

This brings to mind an old hymn which makes a good prayer for help in hearing what the Lord will speak to help stay on the path of everlasting life. There are 4 verses, but I will offer only the first one and then the third later: 

“Let us ever walk with Jesus, 

Follow His example pure; 

Flee the world which would deceive us 

And to sin our souls allure. 

Ever in His footsteps treading, 

Body here yet soul above, 

Full of faith and hope and love, 

Let us do our Father’s bidding; 

Faithful Lord, abide with me; 

Savior, lead, I follow Thee.” 

(Tune: Sigismund von Birken 1652. Lyrics: Georg G. Boltze 1788. Translation: J. Adam Rimbach 1900.)

The basis of this old hymn is one of those mostly overlooked little verses, John 11:16. “Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him.’” They are on the way to the grave of Lazarus, who has just passed away, but he is not referring to dying with Lazarus.

What a treasure is in this little verse, but in a sense it addresses the Gospel in our co-death with Jesus. (Read Ephesians 2:4-10) So, we go on to verse 3 of the hymn:

“Let us also die with Jesus,

His death from the second death

From our soul’s destruction frees us,

Quickens us with life’s glad breath.

Let us mortify while living,

Flesh and blood and die to sin,

And the grave that shuts us in

Shall but prove the gate to heaven.

Jesus, here I die to Thee,

There to live eternally.” 

Why this Thomas was called the Twin has many interpretations. So I’d like to offer my take on it. Spiritually he “twins” with Jesus. He chooses to be inseparable from Him, to be as He is. Where Jesus goes, he goes, and he encourages the others likewise to follow.

The Cross is always the narrow way that leads to life. It is the only way, in fact, of eternal life. It is foolishness to those who are perishing, as they seek to find eternal life by other spiritual paths, or they seek to preserve and improve this temporal existence. But to all who are being saved, the Cross is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Are you going with Him?

Advertisement

Grace: Justice and Mercy Bringing Purity of Heart

Ezekiel 36: 25-37 NKJV. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

We all love to “claim” certain promises of God, often as means to deny what we’d rather not experience, due to the misunderstanding of grace as only what feels good. But there are a lot of promises for divine dealing with sin. 2 Peter 1:2-4, which reveals that God has given to us “… exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

But, full stop! There’s more! There are some “conditions” to be met – not aside from grace, but that we need to see grace in a fuller way, in all the Lord’s dealings with us. What is perceived as a threat or “negative” can actually be part of His promises.

But have we made idols out of emotional highs and feeling good?

The entirety of Ezekiel 36 gives us a rundown on all aspects of God’s grace, as He brings it into our lives in an up close and personal way. Let’s recall that those Old Testament events were given for examples to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. (See 1 Corinthians 10:10-12.)

So, what may be a little difficult to swallow and digest is that grace is not just about those Holy Ghost hallelujahs, highs, and happiness, what we call “positive” experiences. It’s about the “negative” aspects of life that we often find ourselves praying will be taken away.

But consider Job. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Ezekiel 36 more than hints that it is often through the oppression God allows by the disagreeable nations of the world to whom God gives political, social, and religious hegemony – that the prosperity and privileges enjoyed as one aspect of God’s grace disappear from what we perceive as our right, what we think we “deserve.” 

God uses what works to cleanse hearts. He does not need our opinions as an advisory capacity. This can be said of personal circumstances as well as political and social forces.

We have to let that sink in, acknowledging that it is all allowed by God’s hand.

His people go into captivity, or are overtaken, because their hearts are turned away from Him and become filled with impurities – of the ways, religions, and priorities of the world, of the nations surrounding them. This can happen on a personal to political scale!

And then, when those nations – those adversarial forces – become joyful, of a spiteful mind, plundering and pillaging, God begins to deal with them also, for overstepping their bounds. He pours out His fury on them, when they go beyond what He sent them to do (which is to cause His people to turn toward Him when in captivity, to surrender themselves to Him in full). Then He sets the captives free. 

Thus Ezekiel 36 is well worth contemplating in its entirety, so as to notice the pattern of God’s modus operandi.

It is because we do not acknowledge this pattern, that we are prone to stumble, wrongfully concluding – because of “negative” experiences – that our prayers are not being answered according to His will. The truth is, we do not see what time it is, according to His dealings with humanity generally and His own people specifically. Our prayers are being answered, but do we have the eyes to see that His ways are not our ways?

God’s grace governs all, for God IS love! If a nation is in the midst of tribulation, it is by God’s grace, expressed as the “tough love” aspect of the Father of all things.  It is expressed in judgment, as the human children step out of bounds with sins of omission and commission of thought, word, and deed. of not being of one mind with our Lord.

If we experience blessing and abundance, it is likewise because of His love. If we can look at our “good” times and our “bad” times as coming from the all powerful hand of a righteous, loving Father, life makes much more sense, and all things carry meaning, not hopelessness.

Thus we are to encourage one another according to His wisdom, not according to what we “feel.” This is perhaps one of the hardest things to learn in a culture that is soft with good times and prosperity. But learn it we will. When it’s not soft and to our liking.

It is not because of resting on the laurels of the past, regarding ourselves as a “Christian” nation, or even a “true” church, that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called by His name. Our Father’s business is the business of creating clean hearts and steadfast spirits, according to His truth and wisdom. He is bringing many sons in Christ Jesus to glory.

It may also disrupt our me centered self absorption somewhat to begin to comprehend that He does all things for the sake of His name! (See Ezekiel 36:21-23). That name is above every name – the name of Jesus! – and stands for what has been given to Him: all authority in heaven and on earth. 

So often His name has been profaned by His own people in the midst of the nations! Could this be why we are instructed to pray, in the first words of the prayer He taught us, “Hallowed be Thy name”?

He does not exist for our glory, but we exist for His. Yet He is always bringing about our good for His glory. Not according to our understanding or our timetable. The entire prayer He taught is about the “process” of His grace, as it works both divine justice and mercy, which purify the heart and bring glory to His name. All of that is grace. All of it is good.

May we view life through the lens of His understanding, acknowledging our Lord as omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient – in all events of life. This will not happen without a pure heart which is fully His and holding back nothing. And it is He Who creates this through all His dealings with us.

We do not get to pick and choose which of His promises apply to us. They all do. Sometimes – as needed – we are promised judgment and justice. At other times we will find ourselves in a place of blessing and mercy. Or moving from one to the other. Ezekiel 36 gives us the picture of this process.

The key is to be of one mind with Him, so that we know “what time it is,” and to comprehend Him in the midst of all of it! 

“All to Jesus I surrender; I surrender all.” This is expressed in prayer, the sacrifice of praise, and the giving of thanks in all times and places – the expressions of faith.

We do well to come to a place where we can see that being filled with the Holy Spirit is not always about feeling good and jumping up and down with a Holy Ghost happy dance. Often it is about the strength – in His power – to endure to the end and be saved. In everyday life as it unfolds.

It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of heaven. See Acts 14:22.

Soli Deo Gloria! Amen.

In Christ Above the Circumstances

Psalm 31:19. NASB “How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have performed for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of mankind!”

When reading through this psalm, it becomes evident that King David is experiencing a great amount of adversity. The accounts of his life reveal unimaginable strife, turmoil, conflict, war, affliction, sin, and rebellion. All of these conspired against the reign over God’s people tasked to him by the Lord.

Yet in reading this Psalm, what becomes clear is that his attention is set above these problems. The progression of his prayer shows first how he brings his lament over circumstances to the Lord, and he moves into confession of faith :14 and following – “But as for me, I trust in You. You are my God. My times are in Your hands.”

He then asks for deliverance from his enemies and persecutors, and to be saved out of the circumstances. It was also time for the wicked to have their day of shame, even to be silenced in the grave! He boldly calls on the power of God to put down the bullies (my word) who lie and speak insolent things with pride and contempt against the righteous. This seems to be the pivotal point for turning things around – where the prayer itself changes direction.

What follows is essentially a chorus of praise of God, Who in spite of circumstances works miraculous things, bringing the light of awareness of it into very dark times. Right in front of a world in conflict and opposition with the Lord and His people.

Verses 23 and 24 are strong encouragement to love the Lord and hope in Him. This is for all us saints – those set apart for His plans and purposes. Be of good courage! (A good time to check out Romans 8:18-30) The promise follows, based upon his experiences and knowledge , “He shall strengthen your heart!”

There’s a little meme out there which keeps popping up: “Stay calm and pray a psalm.” You can also sing, chant, read reflectively, or meditate on one as well. Keep God’s truth central!

This one covers the bases of how prayer can flow, going from a lament over how things are perceived circumstantially, through laying down that view and burden at the Lord’s feet, and then accelerating up into a place of transcending our view of circumstances, by way of declaring and praising God’s goodness and blessing, which is for those who put their trust in Him. This is in the presence of the sons of men, who will either be full of hatred and envy, or there may be some who will see it who will come to Him in surrender.

This is why the Psalms are often called the prayer book or the hymn book of the Church. Over and over the pattern is made clear, by David and the other very artful inspired sacred song writers who contributed to the Psalms, that our Lord is very interactive in the affairs of those whom He has claimed in Christ Jesus. The Psalms make prayer practical and applicable.

If our “religion” is not that, making us aware of what a relationship with God looks like, then of what use is it?

Thoughts in Christ winging toward you, dear reader.

Celestial Nomad out.

The End

However you may perceive the Book of Enoch, I’ve pondered it for years, and have high regard for it. Reading it upon exiting the New Age was frankly an epiphany that brought me back to Christianity… One of the factors, at least. And then I got back into the standard canon of Scriptures.

But aside from that –

It has a lot to say about the end of times, for one thing. I was reading it the other day (I have an app of it on my phone), and here was a show stopper remark from 79:8-10, as Uriel instructs Enoch.

The entire created order is in disarray, and he says,

“The thoughts of those who dwell on the earth shall transgress within them; and they shall be perverted in all their ways. They shall transgress, and think themselves gods; while evil shall be multiplied among them. And punishment shall come upon them, so that all of them shall be destroyed.”

This made an impact, upon hearing once more the arrogant braggadocio of a couple of the primaries from the WEF, boasting about becoming gods, and how now that God was dead (oh, really?), one in particular has his sites set on killing “His body.”

Anyone who speaks this way is clearly filled with, or at least overtaken by, the prince of darkness. The intention of that one has always been to usurp God. He knows he cannot. Yet he also knows that the way to hurt any loving parent is to go after his children.

We will see about that.

Scripture is likewise clear about the outcome.

Stay tuned.

Soli Deo Gloria. Amen.

Sensational Censorship

These are links to the TruNews coverage of Dr. Judy Mikovitz and Plandemic Film Uncensored. Big Pharma’s Stake in the Coronanvirus Pandemic.

Part 1: https://www.trunews.com/stream/coronavirus-censorship-trunews-presents-banned-plandemic-video

Part 2: https://www.trunews.com/stream/plandemic-film-uncensored-dr-judy-mikovits-exposes-big-pharmas-stake-in-coronavirus-pandemic

What these social media platforms don’t seem to realize is that every time they censor someone like this, they are creating a martyr for the cause of Truth and freedom of speech. When that happens, people automatically want to find out more about it.

Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Safety?

It’s always about our “safety”, isn’t it? The patriot act for our safety. TSA for our safety. The war on terror for our safety. Surveillance cameras on every corner for our safety. The war on drugs for our safety. Name the crisis… it’s for our safety. Many schools are now closed for our safety. Vaccines with God knows what in them are pushed for our safety. Guns removed from responsible citizens for our safety. People cannot visit their loved ones in assisted living for our safety. Troops patrolling the streets where local cops used to be, right there in Yourtown, USA for our safety. What? Not yet? Watch for it. Churches cannot meet for our safety. Or if it’s allowed, any rituals where we come into contact with one another physically are being “discouraged” at this point.

(Question is, when will the “discouraging” stop and the mandating begin?) Inch by inch… Researcher David Icke calls this the “Totalitarian Two Step”. But remember, folks, it’s all for our safety.

Do you see what’s happening to our freedoms? Have any of the things we’re having a “war on” gotten better? We’ve been living under intense, shall we say, “informational obfuscation” since “9-11”. The scary scenarios are perpetuated in our minds by government puppet media, and “lies, damn lies, and statistics” (Mark Twain) skewed and promoted as “proof”. Each “threat” is piled ad nauseam on top of the last one. And the draconian psychic /emotional/ mental load gets heavier and heavier and heavier.

And it does effect our physical wellbeing, this chipping away.

Wake up. If you can.

Is this the biggest human experiment in history, or what?

Or is this the upshot of it – how it all looks when Babylon finally goes down? Prophecies of old are repeated in the Revelation. These are patterns – on a more or less “local” scale. But this is GLOBAL. Or so we are led to believe by the media mouthpieces.

Who knows what can be believed from which info sources that isn’t INFO SORCERY?

Isaiah 21:9 – “Look, here come the riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one answered, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon! All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground.’” Revelation 14:8 – “Then a second angel followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.'” Revelation 18:2 – “And he cried out in a mighty voice: ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.'”

Where to from here? Who knows? The winds are blowing hard. So I have to keep my tinfoil hat securely in place underneath my thinking cap.

Steady as she goes, as we sail into the maelstrom.

One Nation Under God’s Judgment?

https://www.at-the-crossroad.com/430065897/6799692/posting/one-nation-under-god-s-judgment

An old fashioned view of an old fashioned problem. There really is nothing new under the sun. We just might need to see things in a different light.

Into The Unknown

After awhile one wonders where the truth (as far as current events) really is, and who controls the information flow and therefore the opinions (and anxiety levels!) of many human minds via media and the “internet of things.” The one side says catastrophe through global warming. The other side says there’s going to be an ice age. Then there are the ones who say that all the weather is being geo engineered by the super powers.

Who is censored by “Ewe Tube” (as in the Sheeple’s Tabloid News) and on other social media? Some say it’s the conservatives and Christians and “conspiracy theorists” (a term, it is said, that was invented and propagated by the CIA for several decades now). Yet I see many who sit under the tent called “Christendom” NOT censored who are just as conservative as the next info-mouthpiece. Likewise with some non religious conservatives. Likewise some conspiracy theorists.

So who gets chosen for censorship and who doesn’t? Is it the delivery style that “they” take issue with – for example, if you’re frankly rude? I’d vote for that idea personally, since I no longer choose to listen to the ones who cuss and name call and act like jack asses. Yet who knows who best serves – altho the information conflicts – those who control information flow, in spite of the label they wear? And is the purpose of that information flow to create mayhem through conflictual information?

As for information dissemination, do we even know if it is any longer human controlled, or has Artificial Intelligence advanced so much through the electronic universe that it now takes on a life of its own (Or provides a channel for unseen life with an anti human agenda)?

I just visited a link that deals with chemtrail / cloud seeding / geo engineering – claiming that all the snow now copiously falling on us is artificial. Can we know it this is true? Is the weather being controlled artificially? This guy’s message never changes. Nor does the fever pitch tone of his videos. I have followed him for years… until recently. But if “they” who control information do not want such things to become public, why is this person – clearly a conspiracy guy – allowed to keep broadcasting his perspectives? Frankly I’m suspicious as whether the planet is being boiled alive by greenhouse gases and too much bovine flatulence. All the while others support the “solar minimum” view and/or the onset of a mini ice age.

What’s seems odd is that opposing sides seem to point to NASA as one of their documentation sources! Somebody is not exactly being truthful here. Not to mention “Never A Straight Answer” (NASA) itself. Could these “publicly respected” agencies (NASA, NOAA…) also be participating in a massive push to keep the public confused and in conflict with one another, and thus provide different streams of “research” that provide each side of the argument with different outcomes? If so, what’s the point? And what are all these agencies actually? whose interests do they represent? Did you even wonder about the “tried and true”, the “reliable” sources we have been schooled to trust?

It seems as if all the exacerbated side taking keeps us at one another’s throats on ever increasing levels. And a divided public is an easily controlled public. But controlled by whom?

One question can be asked about the info glut: Is it even possible to know what’s true about the world of information anymore, except to conclude that mankind is pretty messed up and has been tinkered with for a very long time? My own conclusion is to stick with the Biblical narrative and to ponder its implications in detailed and thoughtful ways, especially the more ancient traditions about the “end times” rather than the newer theories on that.

Trust the Lord, stay prepared as much as possible, especially spiritually. Wait and see how it all works out. Beyond that I think it’s very risky business to put all our eggs in one basket or the other. After all they may wind up boiled or frozen. Who knows?
I think I’m in a holding pattern.

The reason I got interested in these things started around 2001. Things were happening worldwide and in the workplace that began to make me question things as never before. After going down one rabbit hole after another, I’m beginning to think that the reasons we’re where we are in our world are so staggeringly multi facetted that we can’t attach ourselves to one “theory” or another.

Think for yourself. Pray constantly for divine wisdom. Trust God. Don’t drink any of the flavors of Kool Aid. Stay alert. Ask questions. Be open and talk to one another in a civil manner. We might also consider that we have a common enemy that wants us to be the enemy of one another. This could create a great deal of vulnerability at a time when we need to be covering one another’s six instead of shooting or stabbing one other in the back.

FYI – This entry is not meant to be a humorous diversion but to provoke thought.

Human And Grateful, But…

fed up with memes that talk about Human Beings being the cruelest “animals” on the planet. Are you who are posting this stuff aware of who generates those memes – that they are all about trying to get you to feel guilty about yourself, to demoralize you, get your buy in about “what’s best for Mother Earth,” yet have as their agenda the elimination of the human population down to the “manageable” amount of 500 million?

These are the same people who promote abortion on demand and genocide every way they can. They run the world with war, which kills more military and civilians than anything else, and lines their coffers with gold. They support Human trafficking. They talk of peace but have no intention of allowing that to happen, but keep us all stirred up with propaganda against one another. This too makes their self imposed management easier – a divide and conquer strategy.

They are all about getting rid of whoever they decide is a “useless eater” or a drain on the system because they are old or disabled. And when your turn comes, they will think nothing of eliminating you too. So they really have to work hard at making it look like all Human Beings are devils who don’t care about animals.

The fact is – that the Human haters are the cruelest “animals” on earth, because they do not tell the whole truth about Human Beings, but try to make us all look bad to suit their draconian plans, as they wear a hypocrite’s mask that makes them look good. Don’t fall for it.

Certainly there are evil people. Certainly there are some people who will go to these marches and protests and make absolute fools of themselves. (Guess who they work for and don’t know it? The Human haters actually call them “useful idiots.”)

But there are also some very good people who care about BOTH people AND animals and all of life and the earth. For us, it’s not one against the other, and never was. But you won’t hear that.

Nor will you hear that man was created in God’s image and likeness, and that makes us Human Beings not animals at all! Because mankind has fallen, that likeness of God is in need of restoration through Jesus Christ’s redemption and His plan of salvation for humanity.

You won’t hear that either, because these half baked meme starters work for the dark side, which despises our Creator and His Human children. Why? They want complete control over God’s creation – which is not theirs to control at all, since God’s “Prime Directive” was for Human Beings to lovingly administrate and care for the Earth and all its inhabitants. God’s Way is to serve, not to dominate!

But in true psychopathic fashion these predator type Human haters blame everybody else for what they’re doing. So the next time you are tempted to post a meme on how nasty Human Beings are, with a lovely photo of a wolf or tiger or whatever, realize who and what you’re supporting and promoting, and don’t hit the send button. Realize that a lot of the Human haters also engage in blood sport and killing these precious animals just for the sport of it. But they keep that well hidden too.

So don’t blindly repost every meme you see along these lines. Think first.

(PS: You’re possibly wondering why I capitalize the words Human Being. If so, here’s why – because Human Beings are meant to be Sons of God in the making, heirs and joint heirs in Jesus Christ. It’s just an honorarium of God’s love for us and the vision He has of us! So let’s see ourselves through His eyes, and not let the Human haters define who we are any longer.)

~Blaiseintotheblue~

Quick Thought on a Monday Evening

Information always seems to be in formation. We have to stop being afraid of information, finding the source of it, examining it, praying about it, and thinking about it. Sometimes this process and what it reveals blows huge holes in the “safe” walls of our dearly held paradigms. But without those holes, the light of truth will never come in.

~Blaiseintotheblue~