COME HOME: Do You Like Apples?

Luke 7:48 (KJV)

“And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”

ἀφίημιaphie¯mi
af-ee’-ay-mee

an intensive form of εἶμι eimi (to go)); to send forth, in various applications: – cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.

Remember when you knew you were saved? Jesus Christ had genuinely and truly become your savior. You believed in your heart that John 3:16 – 17 is absolutely true: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” – KJV

What a great feeling that was. You were clean. You knew you had been forgiven. You understood that, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, you are forgiven and have eternal life. You actually felt the burden of your sin lift from your shoulders. And that is exactly what happened to you. But something happened between THEN and NOW.

Chapters that need unpublished

After a while, you had quit praying, going to church, and reading the word. All the joy you had was gone. Since then, your life has not been what you would say was a shining example of salvation at work. The things that you have done since have been nothing short of a betrayal of Jesus. If you were to mention Jesus at all, it would be to say it as an expletive.

I want to tell you something. I can tell you about this because I have been in this place, just like you are, right now. I know things look dark. All your former Christian associates have stopped having anything to do with you. If you were to tell anyone that you are a Christian, there would be no compelling evidence to prove it.

Here is what I want to tell you, from the very mouth of Jesus: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.‘ John 6:36-39

You may have forgotten about Jesus, but HE has never forgotten about you. This is WHY you still feel the loss of His fellowship. No matter how dark things look now, you have NEVER been removed from Jesus, because God has given YOU to Jesus as a GIFT. And God’s gifts are without repentance :

Romans 11:29 (KJV)

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

God has not repented that He has given you to Jesus. You could never have come to the understanding of the saving Grace of God through Jesus, unless, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God had drawn you to this understanding.

Later, in the same book of John, Jesus said this about you: “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.” John 6:64-65 KJV And when you understood, you believed in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, who died for the remission of ALL sin, and you confessed with your mouth that Jesus rose from the dead. This understanding is why you have eternal life.

So why, after all this time, do you burn in your heart this much? Why, now, after all this time, do you suddenly find all you want to do is come home? It is because the Spirit of God is luring you home. You have a call on your life, and you are chosen to answer that call. This is the influence of Jesus Christ as Lord. He wants you to serve Him. From here, all you have to do is return. You will have some repentance to do. You will have to try to mend a few fences. But the most remarkable thing is, when you come home, your life will begin to change. You can still sin as much as you did before you came home, but, the truth is, you aren’t going to want to. The more of yourself you give to Jesus, the more you become remade in His image. After that, all you will want to do is serve Him.

From God’s point of view, HE chose you. He drew you to His Son, Jesus. You are His gift to His Son. Nothing you have done since your salvation can remove you from His hand. You are eternally His.

The reason you hear His call now is, He loves you, and wants you to know that you have done nothing that can take away your salvation.

Come Home

You are saved.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THOSE APPLES???

Forgiven

I love you in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

Faith

Come Home

All ye who are weary, come home.

For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! Romans 8:38-39 HCSB

Wherever I have wandered, wherever I have strayed, I found no place or thing that could extinguish the memory of the day I was saved. Jesus Christ had become my Lord and Savior on October 28th, 1986, at 7:30 PM CST. For a while, after that, I walked in my salvation and told others how Jesus Christ will lead them to salvation. I was warned in advance that an event would happen that, if I stood under the shelter of the Almighty, I would be carried through that event, and made stronger. I failed that test. From there I fell.

I fell hard. I lost hope, and from there, I refused to follow Christ. The ensuing 20 years was a hell I never want to live through again.

I know I have told this to you several times. Here is why I am telling it to you again. Try as I might, I couldn’t forget God. I could not forget the joy of His fellowship. No amount of drink, adrenalin inducing activity, or women, could erase the call God had placed on my life.

I discovered that, in the end, there was no power in all of creation that could extinguish that sweet touch of the Love of God. The flame of my devotion had dwindled to a small ember, but the ember never went out. I couldn’t put it out, no matter what I did.

I also discovered that ember was the abiding love of God, through Jesus Christ. Even in the depths of my depravity, I could hear the still small voice calling me home. I longed for a return to Grace, not understanding that it was grace sustaining me, and keeping me tethered to God.

Where I was the only barrier keeping me from coming home, the Spirit of God was the wind that kept the ember burning bright, calling me to come home. What a sweet agony it was to hear the voice of the Lord calling me to return to Him. Where I thought it was impossible to return, He was telling me it was simple. All I had to do was be still, and listen to Him forgive me, and heal all my sin and hurt and pain.

I came Home.

I know for a fact that one of the readers of this Blog is going through the same thing. You remember the sweet fellowship of Jesus. You remember singing His praises. Somehow, you have let the cares of the world, and the desires of the flesh come between you and Him. The Apostle Paul wrote that, if it weren’t for the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, there would be no sin. You and I can testify to that truth, because we have drunk deep of these three things.

Know this, there is noting you can possibly do that will take you away from Him and His love for you. How do you get home? Go back to what you know. “God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son that, whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting Life.” John 3:16. Start there. And be still. Listen to the voice of the Lord. He will wash you with His Love and mercy. His grace has sustained you, even though you have strayed very far away. When you be still and know that He is God, you will discover, all you have done is wander across the palm of the hand of the Almighty. He never, ever, let you out of His sight. He never abandoned you. He never stopped loving you, no matter what you did.

Be still and accept His healing power.

When Jesus said, on the cross, “It is finished!”, He was declaring that all sin ever committed, all sin being committed, and all sin that will be committed has been put to death through His death on the cross. God poured His wrath on His own Son, and Jesus accepted that judgement, on your behalf. You are free from this burden.

When you come home, you will not find a vengeful God waiting to stomp you in to the dirt. Christ does not have to die twice for you. The work on the cross was completed at His death. And your eternal life was secured when He rose again from the death. He is Lord over all life and death.

At one point in time, you accepted Jesus as your Savior, the deal was done. Your salvation was sealed. Nothing can remove you from God. Not even you. When Jesus said, “It is Finished”, God saw you as already complete.

Life as you know it, is a continuing process of making you into the image of Christ. When we wandered, that process was interrupted. He is waiting for you right where the process stopped, so that He can heal you and continue making you into the image of Christ.

Come home.

Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness,

so that You may be revered. Psalm 130: 3-4 HCSB

Faith

This is an Excellent post from Bryan Patterson. Worth the read

Every morning.

Faith

An Opinion

USA-Map-NAVYd

“Today Americans would be outra ge d if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful. This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by their world government.”

by:	Henry Kissinger (1923- ) Former US Secretary of State
Source:	Speaking at Evian, France, May 21, 1992. Bilderburgers meeting. Unbeknownst to Kissinger, his speech was taped by a Swiss delegate to the meeting.

Here is your opportunity to say I have donned the proverbial “Tin Foil Hat“.

If you haven’t noticed, the world is changing rapidly. What was not true a year ago, has become true today. We see all the conspiracy nuts are actually turning out to be right, all along. To our astonishment, we are no longer laughing at them for all their dire prognostications.

I spent a great deal of time, over the last 20 years doing a particular type of research. Occasionally, that research took me into the “tin-foil hat” arena. The stuff they said usually made me laugh. I thought they were contributing to all the fear porn already being spewed all over the internet (A.K.A. inner-tube).

So, why have I joined them? It is the same reason I have been writing you all along. The Living God is calling some of you to be His witnesses. He is calling some of you, just like he is calling me, to be remade into the image of Christ. What is about to come, and soon, means that there will be a need for men and women so grounded in the Scripture, so filled with the Spirit of God, so willing to give up everything, that they become the only Jesus a condemned world will see before the Son of Perdition is revealed.

The map above was drawn up by the Navy. It illustrates what the USA will look like when the Cascadia fault and the New Madrid fault finally gives way. Much of the USA will be subsumed into an abyss. The USA will be divided into three parts. Stan Deyo (http://standeyo.com/) has been talking to anyone who will listen for over a decade about this very subject.

The interesting thing is, that what will trigger the New Madrid will be a huge disaster, but not a natural one. I have “seen” this, and today, I received confirmation of this. Through the auspices of the Federal Government, and a few other foreign interests, the State of Louisiana has bought in to a lie that they are cleaning up the BP oil spill.

What they are doing, actually, is every day of the week, pouring a cleaning solvent in to the gaping sinkhole that will dissolve a large salt pillar, that is plugging a huge Methane pocket, that is also preventing the ocean from undercutting the earth under the very area where the New Madrid fault line originates. The Map above shows what will be left of the USA when they succeed. This will happen soon. Most of us will witness this disaster with our own eyes. I am not the first person you may have heard this from, but I am telling you now. It is coming.

The quote above has to do with Kissinger showing his cards.

Ronald Reagan spoke at the UN some time ago, while he was president, (Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZP1Cfpy945c&t=0, and Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QJt6KHIX0-Q). He spoke about the theoretical possibility of an Attack from Space that would unite all peoples of the earth.

This is the invasion Kissinger was alluding to.

Although this information has been available to the public, again, only the “Tin Foil Hat” crowd has paid any attention to it. Here is why I mention it today. Here in this NASA release: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/mag-portals.html is the article that describes the discover of magnetic portals. One such portal connects the sun to the earth. What this means is, particles can travel the vast distance between the Sun and Earth instantaneously. It has always been a mystery why, when certain particles are detected leaving the sun, they are simultaneously detected on Earth. All kinds of ignorant theories were tossed about. But it boiled down to PORTALS. Guess which book, quoted by Jesus Himself, but removed from the canon of acceptable scripture talks about these portals? The Book of Enoch (For a ripping good translation, see this one: http://www.forbiddengate.com/BookOfEnoch.pdf.

Here is the bottom line on this. There will be a staged invasion from space. The portals will be part of the explanation of how “They” got to us. The fear this will cause will lead everyone who can be deceived to call on the world governments to rescue them. This is going to be part of the great deception. This, too, is coming very soon.

Along with these two things, the “Natural Disaster” that will subsume much of the USA, the fake invasion and the portals being opened in space (You probably already cannot believe what I am telling you, so it will probably be futility on my part to tell you that what WILL be coming through those portals will make the “Space Invaders” look like your favorite Aunt.)…Like I said,

Along with these two events, will be a civil war, and total economic collapse. You have already learned, if you have been reading the news, that the Federal Government has been funding the people who want to go to war with “Whitey”. It is OUR government that is trying to foment this civil war. They need things to go very bad here so they can release the UN troops who have been filling up our Military Bases since these last several months.The further use of these foreign troops will be that, according to Kerry, Obama will be signing the UN Global Gun Ban during the Summer Recess. This will give the UN the right to send foreign troops into the USA to confiscate our weapons. (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/03/lawmakers-urge-obama-to-reject-un-arms-treaty-as-it-opens-for-signature/)

These are only a very FEW of the things the world government is going to do in order to bring about a chaos that they create so they can introduce their own version of a “New World Order” (Read it Here: http://www.rawstory.com/news/2008/Henry_Kissinger_Obama_should_act_to_0106.html and HERE: http://www.wnd.com/2009/01/85442/)

All these disasters are being planned and executed by people who have given their lives to serve a fallen angel named Lucifer. These individuals believe it is Lucifer who should be King of all Creation. The last time Lucifer tried this, God told him to go to Hell. History WILL repeat itself. With the same results. Except this time it is permanent.

God has allowed all this history and recent activity to exist, that is, He has with held his judgement on us so that some of us may be saved. That includes you. He doesn’t want to see you die and be cast in to Hell with Lucifer. He loves you enough that He sent His own son to die for your sin on the cross. Jesus is our savior. Believe in Him, and you will not die. He has proven to be the Lord over Life and Death by raising Himself from the dead, and has promised all of His followers that THEY TOO will be raised from the dead (You will not have to suffer God’s judgement, your soul will live in eternity with Him, in Heaven).

The battle is always for the Human soul. The world, and those who rule it now only want you to die. They call you “Useless Eaters” Here are some interesting quotes for you:

The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.
Dr. Henry Kissinger New York Times, Oct. 28, 1973

Depopulation should be the highest priority of foreign policy towards the third world, because the US economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less developed countries”.
Dr. Henry Kissinger

“Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac,” and “The elderly are useless eaters”
Dr. Henry Kissinger

“World population needs to be decreased by 50%”
Dr. Henry Kissinger

“We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order.”
David Rockefeller

So, here is why my blog exists. I am to write something every day. That is my obedience to a call. Most of the time, I pray for several hours before I know what to write. Today, I have been praying for several weeks (Approximately 13) before writing about this.

My blog exists to tell some of you who struggle with the return to your salvation, what I had to go through to find my way home, to God. My hope and belief is that it will stimulate in you the same call to return to Christ. Secondarily, but equally important, I write so that some will be saved. I don’t know who they are, but based on all the hate mail and death threats, I am guessing someone is being affected by this.

Some have accused me of being a legalist. This is not so, and it is not worth arguing over. Grace and its efficacy is my message. You can read into my blogs whatever you wish. I am always glad to discuss it with you, even when you threaten to kill me for it. But you will only get out of anything and anyone what you want, based on the filters you wear to see and hear.

But the Spirit of the Living God is the same. He draws all people to him. All are invited, few are chosen.

Here are the few that are chosen:

Luke 9:23

English Standard Version (ESV)

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

The only Jesus the world will see, during and after the afore-mentioned disasters are the people who are willing to do what Jesus asked us to do.

We need Jesus. Our land is already condemned for kicking God out of everything. The reason you, Christian, are still alive is to obey Christ. This i snot a statement of legalism. You and I are totally incapable of doing this. Our flesh rebels at the thought of it.

It is by Grace that you are saved, and not by any work you can perform. And it is by the loving Gentle leading of the Holy Spirit that the Saved are taught that Jesus is also Lord, and is to be followed.

Can you be saved? Yes. The difference between the called and the chosen is best summed up in the words of Jesus:

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6 19-20

And the Apostle Paul’s words: For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. I Corinthians 3:11-17

And from Romans 12

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

If Jesus Christ is your Savior, and really is, in your Heart, you are saved. You will be raptured. Noting can remove you from God’s hand. But the time of the Gentiles is rapidly closing, and we need Men and Women of God. Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

It is to these brothers and sisters that I write. If that is not you, then I hope you simply gain from what God has shown me, and enjoy the rest of your lives.

Let’s Be About It!

I Love you,

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

Faith

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Jesus said “God is Spirit.” Jesus said that if we abide in Him, He will abide in us. Jesus said He is the vine, we are the branches. The branch that does not produce good fruit will be cut off the vine, and cast into the fire. Jesus said that the branch that produces good fruit, He will prune, that it may produce even more good fruit.

The difficulty with all this spiritual stuff is, my intellect cannot accomplish all this abiding. I have over 200 hours of college, and a 3.78 GPA. I can program in many languages. I can solve problems that most people stare at and wonder over. God has given me a unique gift of intellect, so much so that many of the engineers I have worked with have asked me to look at a problem after they have exhausted their ideas and theories. My intellect, as good a gift of God as it is, is good for scientific inquiry, but not for spiritual growth.

For 20 years, I have asked God to restore me and make me like Jesus, but abiding in Him remained as dark a mystery to me as the Swahili language. I just couldn’t figure it out.

Spiritual matters are spiritually discerned. It takes the mind of a child, trusting every word that comes from his father. The things Christ teaches, I have learned, can only be obtained and understood through obedience.

I have learned that if I am still ignorant of the ways of Christ, it is because there is still something He is showing me to do, that I will not do. I have learned an amazing amount of information over these last 20 years, and discover, I am still an intellectual child. But that is only because of my ignorance of a subject. If I have spiritual darkness in my life, it is because I have no intention of obeying Him in that area. It really is that simple.

I disobeyed God for well over 20 years, yet I had the nerve to wonder why I am not growing spiritually. Self-satisfaction is idolatry. I have to learn that, my satisfaction comes through allowing the Spirit of God to turn me into the living image of Christ Himself. The more I resisted the very fundamentals of the faith, the more times I had to go around the mountain.

A point came in my life where I had been around that mountain one too many times. I could not move forward, and I could not move backward. I wanted Christ, or I wanted to stop living. Then, in a still small voice, He said, “Be still, and know I am God.” All I had to do was be still. It didn’t make sense to my mind, but my heart was hungry and thirsty for the things of Christ. In my weakness, He became my strength. In my blindness of Him, He opened my eyes to see His glory.

My heart begged for His love, and it was given abundantly. My soul begged for His forgiveness, and He called me “My Beloved Son.” He said to rest, so I rested. He put me in a place where all I can do is rest in Him. And in my weakness, I can see that He is becoming my strength.

All I had to do was be still, and obey.

It started simply. And as I obeyed the simple things, He began to reveal to me all kinds of truths that eluded me. The brokenness of my heart, and the death of my intellectual arrogance were the first things He accomplished in me.

All I had to do was be still, and obey.

He said for me to read His word. I was so hungry that, when I read it, I cried for all the wonder and fullness His word brought to my empty soul. He sat next to me and made it make sense. My eyes were opened to His will. It was to “Be Still.”

All I had to do was be still, and obey.

Now I find that there is no life I would rather live than to give my life in service to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He raised me from the dead. He breathed the life of His Spirit in me. He showed me how to see things the way He does. He taught me how to love, and I mean genuinely love. Considering how dark the darkness was in my soul, His light hurt at first. But as I grew into it, and started setting root, I found an entire universe of truth and love that no amount of intellectual prowess can fathom. Our minds are infinitely limited by our pride, selfishness, and arrogance.

All I had to do was be still, and obey.

I am just a baby in Christ. What I thought was Christianity is just a shell of sugar-coated half-truths, that bring me closer to my own selfish desires, than to the will of the Living God. Soon, I will be allowed to walk after Him. Soon, I will be more than His disciple. Until then, I have much to learn. And more growing to do than I understand.

All I have to do is be still, and obey.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o’er my being absolute sway!

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me.

George C. Stebbins, 1907

Faith

Sufficient

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. II Corinthians 12:9 NASB

The truth is, Jesus never needed anything from me.

In the very beginning, all creation was created through Jesus.

After facing a terrible scourging, Jesus carried His cross to Golgotha where He spent several agonizing hours on that cross. He took on all of our sin and faced the complete wrath of God over it. Jesus descended into Hell to release the prisoners. He took the keys of Hell and Death from Satan. After doing all that, He raised Himself from the dead, just to prove to all of creation that He has power over life and death.

Jesus did all this on His own.

If I genuinely want to be like Him, there is not one whit I can bring to Him. By His grace, and through my weakness, all I have to do is get out of His way, and let Him empower me to be Just like Him.

Faith

Ye Are The Light

“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:18

Abraham was considered righteous, not because of any law, but because of his faith in the promise God gave him. It was this light of faith in God that cause even other nations to admit that there is a God, and he favors those who obey Him.

After the Law was given, it was immediately apparent that no one could keep the Law. What the Law did was to make sin more visible. Sin became a larger target because the Law pointed it out so readily. When it became apparent that the Law couldn’t work, instead of resorting to the Faith of Abraham, the religious leaders of that day added even more laws to the books.

The light that was supposed to shine for all nations to see, became a burden on Israel that snuffed out that light. Even so, the religious leaders of that day, all the way up to Jesus, made being Jewish a very exclusive thing. Instead of being the light to the world, and a serving the world, so all nations would be drawn to God, the religious leaders kicked out everyone except those who would become Jews. According to Jesus, those disciples became more of the sons of Satan than their teachers were.

The Light Came Forth

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:4-5

Jesus did not come in tot he world to eliminate the Law, but to be the complete fulfillment of that law. He was the sacrifice that would cover all the sin of the world. No other sacrifice would do. Even so, those who insisted that the law overrule the will of God, preferred to stay in their darkness. And the rest of the world remained in the darkness, except those who accepted that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, who died for the sin of the world, and rose again to prove that He not only had power over life, but over death too. This is why believers know that they have inherited eternal life.

The Light Shined

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5

While Jesus was among men, He proved He was the light of the world. He came to throw off the burden of the Religions of all time, and to shine light into the hearts of men. He raised the dead, healed the sick, made the blind to see, and the lame to walk. Many miracles Jesus did to prove He is the author of Life, and wholeness, and any who believed in Him will not taste death.

Before The Light Was Put On The Cross

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” Matt 5:14

Because Jesus had empowered the disciples to be like Him, He called them the Light of the World. He did this because He knew he was going to his death, and afterward, to His Father, in Heaven.

The Light Sined Brighter after the Ressurection

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

The thing about light is, it gains strength after it multiplies. The more light you add, the brighter the shine. The more powerful the light source, the greater the reach and power of the light. Jesus returned to His Father. He left behind the power source. And the light began to shine into all the vessels that chose to receive it. And the power multiplied, and the light shone even farther.

Of the 3000 that were saved on the day of Pentecost, there were many Jews there, from all nations. They, too believed, and received. They took this light to the ends of the earth. History is replete of the writings of the Rabin that returned from Jerusalem to their respective nations, of seeing the Christ after the resurrection. Of being present when he rose into heaven. And when the Holy Spirit burst forth in the streets. It is widely believed that the gospel did not leave the area of Israel and Samaria until the Apostles took it there. But the Gospel had preceded them. It was the will of God. The Apostles were taken to these lands to help build churches, and to eliminate all the errors that had crept into the teachings of the Gospel. This included the attempt to reintroduce the Law of Moses to a people who believed, but were not necessarily Jewish.

Where The Light Lives Today

“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” Philippians 2:15

We are called to be the image of our Lord. We know that there is nothing we can do on our own to do this. The “church” today has lost its light. The “Church” today is irrelevant.

I was taught a long time ago that, “There is not enough darkness in ALL the Universe to put out the light of one small candle.”

There is an awakening happening today, in America. There are genuine believers who recognize that the cheap grace that is taught in our churches will not save anything or anyone. Not really. There are real believers who are being awakened, who are being asked to give up their lives to become just like Jesus.

These people are the real church. Listen to the Lord, all you people. He is calling for a revival in our land. Some of you will be chosen. The rest of you will not. You are chosen the moment you realize that you must lose your selfish ways and submit everything you are and have to the will of God. That will is that we become the very image of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord of all.

Jesus is calling us to follow Him. We cannot do this until we get over our selfishness, and sacrifice all our character so that the character of Christ can live in us. This i snot something we are able to do on our own, and no flesh is wiling to submit. Anything in us that refuses to bow before our Lord is that part of us that we have refused to submit to Him.

We are running out of time.

The Spirit of God, working in us, will take all that you are, and transform you into the likeness of Jesus.

Not only will you do the things Jesus did, but greater things that that will you do.

“And he (Jesus) said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Let’s be about it.

I love you,

David

Faith

Mission Possible

“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” – Luke 9:23 NASB from http://www.blueletterbible.org

Vocabulary Words:

DENY: ἀπαρνέομαι – aparneomai – ap-ar-neh’-om-ahee: to deny utterly, that is, disown, abstain: – deny.

“As always, should any member of your team be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow (disown, deny utterly, abstain from acknowledging) all knowledge of your actions.” – Mission Impossible Parenthetical are mine.

TAKE UP HIS CROSS: σταυρός – stauros – stow-ros’: a stake or post (as set upright), that is, (specifically) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figuratively exposure to death, that is, self-denial; by implication the atonement of Christ: – cross. Put yourself to death.

FOLLOW: – ἀκολουθέω – akoloutheo¯ – ak-ol-oo-theh’-o : (as a particle of union) and κέλευθος keleuthos (a road); properly to be in the same way with, that is, to accompany (specifically as a disciple): – follow, reach. “Walk in MY shoes”

It is insane for me to ask to be remade in the Character of Christ, and still insist that I do not have to sacrifice my personal goals and will in order to gain Christ’s will for me. This is a disconnect in my thinking.

The context of the above verse is that salvation and discipleship are the same thing. There is no separation.

I know from experience that my way is not pleasing to God. I know from experience that the longer I “Play Church”, the less love I have for the Creator, and the more weary I get from the effort of faking it. The end result is the same. Empty hollowness. A vacuum is filling the space where the image of Christ should be.

“Many are called, but few are chosen.” Jesus said this long before the Marines did, and for entirely different reasons. When I feel the call on my life, to serve Christ, to become His disciple, to be to the world what Christ was to the world, I have a choice to make.

I can follow the call, or I can remain where I am. In God’s economy, there is no such thing as a “nominal” Christian, any more than there is “nominal” pregnancy. One either is, or is not.

The desperation I immediately feel is that I know I do not compare to Christ at all, in any way. Just ask all the “Christians” who know me. I am saved by His blood, and I have confessed that He is the Son of the Living God, and that He has proven He has the right to be called “Lord of Life” by the fact that He raised Himself from death. In doing all this, He has given me eternal life.

While it is true that the thief on the cross did not have the opportunity to go through extensive discipleship to be saved, He did the one thing that proved he was saved, He acknowledged that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, and he followed Jesus into paradise.

But the rest of us, having made that confession, will immediately feel His call to discipleship. It was true of the original 12, and it is still true for all who claim Jesus as Lord.

Few Are Chosen:

The next thing I realize is that, every time I try, on my own power, to make my self into the image of Christ, I fail miserably. I cannot make myself anything that I am not intimately familiar with. What I end up making is a mess.

The Church of Easy Believism teaches that there is no need to be made in His image, that He accepts you as you are and you don’t have to change a thing.

It is true that Jesus accepts you as you are. Look at the woman who was caught in adultery. The ONE who had the authority and right to condemn her did not. Instead, he told her that He does not accuse her sin to her (Or God). But easy believism seems to stop there. Jesus also said, “Go and sin no more.”

Again, I find myself in a quandary, because I recognize my inability to prevent myself from being selfish, self-centered, rebellious, lustful, proud, arrogant, and lacking in love toward anything and anyone, including myself. How am I going to “sin no more”?

We are chosen when we realize our state of depravity and our inability to change ourselves on our own power, and see that the only way to Christ Likeness is to die to our own lusts and give up our will for ourselves and let Christ do His perfect work in us. We are chosen when we first deny ourselves.

“he must deny himself” : to deny utterly, that is, disown, abstain

When I finally get to the point that I see that I am not holy, that I am depraved, that my every desire is for myself, but all I really want is to serve Christ and be made into His image, then I have to deny myself. This is where discipleship begins.

I am telling Jesus, “I am tired of my way. I am tired of my sinful nature. I cannot do this at all without you doing it in me. I have reached a point that I am so fed up with me, that I want to disown myself, I want nothing to do with me, any more. I just want all my being to be Christ and Christ alone.”

I can honestly say this is true of me. After these past 20 years, I have reached a point that I would rather die than continue to live being the insufferable bastard that is David. But I know there is a better way out than any solution I can conceive. I have asked Christ to do away with my self-interest and self centeredness, and my character, and replace it with the Image of Christ.

This is what it means to deny yourself. It is not some form of legalism. But it is true that you must FIRST do this if you want to follow Christ. And even this is not something you can do for yourself. It is a work of the Holy Spirit to a submitted heart. I can easily keep anything I want of my character. The Holy Spirit is not going to force me to give anything up that I want to keep. But the more He shows me Jesus, the more of Jesus I want to be. It is not something I can do for me.

But to keep maintaining a lifestyle that is displeasing to the Lord, and insist that Jesus will have to just accept it, is to walk away from the call of discipleship, and Christ likeness. Any part of my self I insist I keep, I have determined that that is more important than the work the Holy Spirit is trying to do in me.

It is true that Jesus accepts you just as you are. You do not have to clean up to take a shower, and you cannot be sinless in order to become forgiven. Spiritual cleanliness is the work of the Living God. And God will take a repentant heart and tell it, “I do not count your past as sin against me, because you have accepted My Son as the sacrifice for all your sin.”

Recognizing you need a shower is the first step in getting clean. Now comes the call and commitment.

When you have come to the point that you are to grow in Christ-likeness, and you have recognized that your character needs to be replaced with His character, then the cost of following Him becomes real.

“and take up his cross daily” – figuratively exposure to death, that is, self-denial; by implication the atonement of Christ: – cross. Put yourself to death.

This is where the few are chosen. I cannot and am not willing to put myself to death. My self-will, my self contentedness, “My way or the Highway”, telling Christ, “I am what I am, you will just have to deal with it, because you love me any way”, all the excuses we have for not becoming like Christ, will suddenly loom large. You have to look at each item and decide if this is what you want to give up in order to follow Christ.

There are no half measures when it comes to Christ Likeness. The Holy Spirit is patient, and gentle, but ever insistent over everything that stands between you and the Character of Jesus. Every bit of your sinful character has to go. This is a lifelong process. The interesting thing is, that the more I see of Jesus, the more I genuinely want to live as He lived on this earth. The less of myself I want to keep. It is a joy to give up hate, arrogance, my temper, my condescending nature, all the lusts that drive me, and it is especially a delight to see my sin nature die, as the Holy Spirit reveals more of Jesus in my heart.

Jesus addresses all the “nominal Christians” who claimed to follow Him. He told them, “I never knew you.”

I am having to learn, as frightening as it may be, that I have to be willing to give up everything I hold dear to follow Him. He may never ask me for my body to be put to death for Him, but I have to be willing to go there if that is what it takes. He may never ask me to give up all my material possessions to follow Him, but I have to be willing to do this without hesitation in order to follow Him.

God sees the intent of our hearts. I want my intent and all my desires to be the ones God has given me, not the ones I have chosen for my self. My flesh is at war with God. I win when I lose.

This realization is the taking up of your cross daily. It is allowing the Holy Spirit to do a perfect work in you, even if you don’t see why it is necessary. But the more you understand God and His word, the more you will understand the necessity of taking up your cross, giving up your personal ambitions, and disowning your will for the will of God.

This doesn’t mean you will be a robot. You get to keep your personality. That is part of your individuality. God gave you that personality. What it does mean is that that personality, instead of acting out every selfish desire of your character, will be used to show the character of Christ.

This is something you have to do daily. Yesterday’s manna will not feed you today.

“follow Me“ : – ἀκολουθέω – akoloutheo¯ – ak-ol-oo-theh’-o : (as a particle of union) and κέλευθος keleuthos (a road); properly to be in the same way with, that is, to accompany (specifically as a disciple): – follow, reach.

Following Jesus is to become just like Jesus. We will still sin, but not by a depraved intention. But when we sin, we will suddenly see a part of our-self that still does not resemble Christ, and because of the love we have for our Lord and Savior, we WANT to give that to Him, so we can hear Him say, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”.

We are left on this earth after we were saved for this one reason. We are to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. We, individually, are the Church. We collectively are the body of Christ. We, as individuals and as a group, are the only Jesus most humans will ever see.

It is the strong desire of my heart that I give up anything in my life that stands between a fallen one and Jesus. Jesus said that we will do the things He did, and greater things will we do. But not if we are not willing to give our entire selves up to be like Him.

This was true of Peter, James, John, Paul, all of the disciples. And it is true of me and you. Nothing has changed.

This is not something you can do in yourself, either, it is a work of God only. When He calls you, count the cost. It will cost you everything, but you will gain eternity when you do it.

My Prayer:

Dearest God,

I praise you for Jesus’ life and death and resurrection. I ask that you forgive my sin, and that you continue to work in me the thing I cannot do for myself: Make me over into the Image of Christ. Thank you for your beauty, mercies and grace. Thank you for creating me and all that exists. Please get me out of my way of becoming like Jesus. – AMEN

Faith

“Follow Me”

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Matt. 16:24 KJV

Is my Christianity at war with Jesus? Have I replaced the sound doctrine of being Christ-Centered, with the new gospel of a Self-Centered theology? Have I turned Christ into a vending machine and replaced scripture with a man-centered psychology where self-esteem is more important than the knowledge of the Holy? Do I abuse scripture to fill my personal desires, rather than listen to the desire God has for my life?

I have asked to be made in His image, but have I refused to give up my self-love, self-dignity, self-respect and self-esteem? Have I believed that Christ is my servant, that must grant my every wish? Do I believe I am not a Christian unless I am prosperous, unless Jesus gives me a better golf swing, and helps me lose that extra 50 pounds, and make my sales quota skyrocket?

Does my easy-believeism teach me that salvation is proved when all my selfish intentions come to fruition?

Has my Christianity become a get what you want from God, instead of a give all you can for Christ?

Do I abandon the requirements for an eternal life that honors Christ, for a life where Jesus is forced to honor me?

The real gospel of self-sacrifice and Christ-Likeness is no longer in vogue. I have to get to the place where I understand that to be remade in the image of Christ, that to follow Jesus, is to commit myself to the death of my self. I do not win Christ likeness unless I lose my self. I live in eternity when I die to my own whims and allow the character of Christ to replace my fallen character.

Have I come to the point where I am ready to give up everything I hold dear just to follow Him? I have no desire, at the end, to put on a form of Godliness only to hear Christ tell me, “Get away from me, I never knew you.”

I make this my prayer:

“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess everything, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive. Let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley, Thy life in my death.” – Anonymous

To live is to die, but to die to self, and follow Christ, is to live.

I love you,

David

Faith

Mastery

English: Jesus ascending to heaven (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Ye call Me Master and Lord; and ye say well; for so I am.” – Jesus – John 13:13 KJV

A very remarkable thing about our Lord, Jesus, is that He doesn’t insist that you make Him your Lord. He doesn’t say, “Thou SHALL make me your Master!”.

We are free to curse him, and we do. We are free to use His name in vain, and we do. We were free to spit on Him, and we did. We are free to put Him to death, and we did. We can do all this to Him, and he will not even utter a word about it. Which is exactly what He did. Jesus said we can speak all manner of evil and vileness against Him, and still be forgiven for it.

How then are we compelled to obey Him, if he is not going to insist that we obey?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.” II Corinthians 5:17 HCSB

I did not become a Christian by my own will or by my own power. It was at the will of God that the life of Jesus was created in me. I became a new creation. And when I beheld Him, I instantly recognized His right to absolute authority over me. I beheld my creator. His redemption, seen through God’s eyes, tells me that Jesus is worthy to be my Lord.

Had God forced this on me, it would have made Him a tyrant. I am, and have always been free to choose to allow Jesus to be Lord. His beauty, His life, His authority over death assures in my soul He has absolute authority over all Creation. It is no ordeal to desire to follow him. When I see Him, I want to obey Him.

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15 NIV

This is a relationship that is described between a Father and a Son. Obedience is only possible between equals. Jesus told us that if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father. He declared that He and His Father are one and the same. “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things He suffered.”

I bear the image of Christ, because He lives in me.

When I rebel against His authority, it is only the things that are not His that refuse to bow to Him. As I give up these things to Christ, and He replaces it with His character, then my whole attitude of life is that I want to obey Him. He obtains Mastery over the things I have no control over. I am still free to do as I please, but it pleases me to be like Him. That is the difference between legalism and grace.

I can still sin all I want, I just do not want to. I am a new creation.

I love you

David

Faith

Rest in the Lord

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30 KJV

Unexpected things happen. A series of events can unfold in a way that tells you your prayers have been answered. In fact, things are happening exactly as you prayed it. How can you deny that it is God working to answer your heartfelt prayer? That door finally opens and you walk right in. It was as if there were no effort on your part.

Out of nowhere, something happens that completely shuts the door you just walked through. There you are, off-center, and confused. Did you really hear from God? Would God play tricks on you, like that? How can you sort this out? You go through various stages of grief and confusion. After the smoke settles, you

First off, God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33).

As you recover from the shock, and let your body rest, and your mind get back on track, you may begin to detect a pattern that will reveal the answer to your questions. Go back to what you last remember. What was it that God told you to do before you got all caught up in that circumstance that set you back.

For example, I know that I know that I am to write something every day. I have no clue why, except that I love to write, and it is what I have been told to do. If you have read my previous blogs, you will recall the story behind why this is so. Taking this example further, lets say that my need for a real income overwhelms me to the point that I grab just any old job that comes along. All I really know is, I am supposed to write. I am supposed to pray and study the Bible every day with my wife. I am to seek the Lord with all my heart. But my panic at losing my car, or the internet connections (No connection, no blog), losing our home, takes over and I pray fervently that a job opens up for me. And I get that job.

Lets go further. What if, after I start that job, I discover that the physical demands are far beyond my body’s ability to do that job. That the consequences of this is that something fairly serious happens to my body that means I cannot return to that job. What happened? This is what I ask.

What did I know before I begged God for that particular job? I was to write, and God would honor my efforts, and when it was time, I will have the job that God has been preparing me for. Did God, then, let me have my own way? Did I take my eyes off what I was told and take matters in my own hands? If the end result of that event show you that your relationship with Him was interrupted, that your obedience was put on a back shelf, and the joy has left your heart. And God forbid, that even your body is carrying the wounds of your decision, then you probably got exactly what you asked for. Your will over what God has shown you is His will for you.

If this describes you. Be still. Ask God for understanding. Go back to the place where the communion and blessings ended. Repent for trying to run ahead of God. He loves you. He will restore you. He will heal your heart.

As a Daddy, sometimes I have to just let my daughter have things exactly the way she wants it in order for her to see that what she asked for wasn’t what she genuinely needed.

God disciplines the ones he loves. But He is never cruel, and does not let you drown in your guilt. He also does not play the role of the accuser. Sometimes He will let you have it your way. Sometimes it is the only way you will learn.

There really is no better way than to trust and obey. If you are genuinely called of God to serve Christ, keep your feet nailed to what you were told to do, and don’t run ahead of the will of God.

I love you,

David G. Perkins

Faith

Amazing Grace

I promise I will return to a more inspirational dialogue with you. But before I can, there are several terms I plan to give light to so that you and I will both know what I am talking about when I say it.

I grew up in the deep south. When I was a young lad (A very long time ago), I watched my sister and other girls go through the agony of charm school. The social graces were taken very seriously in the south. Grace was taught as one of the “Christian Virtues”.

There are many Christian virtues. Grace, Love, Hope, Mercy, Forgiveness, compassion, gifts, blessings. All of which are one form or another of Grace. We are to grow to be like Christ in all ways, including these graces. It is not something we can do for ourselves, either. It always begins with a submitted and wiling heart. It calls for true discipleship, and commitment. This is not something that comes naturally to people.

For example. There are several phrases used by Southern ladies that, on the surface, sound very graceful. One of them is “God Bless You!” That sounds graceful, right? You have to know “Southern Ladies Code (SLC)”. SLC is an entirely different language, but it uses the exact same words as the Bible uses. When I was a kid, if a Southern Woman was dealing with someone she thought was difficult to deal with, she would tell that person, “God Bless You.” It would sound genuine, it would be given in a vocal inflection that you thought was genuine, too. But behind all that acting, the Lady in question was actually saying, “Oh my GOd! You are just too stupid to actually be alive!”, or some variation on that theme. And when the other Ladies heard this, the recipient would see them smiling and nodding at you. They were not blessing you either. They were just agreeing with the Spokeswoman of that blessing.

This deviation was understood among “polite society”, but was, none the less, a hypocrisy of the phrase. You were, in fact being judged and cursed, but ever so politely. It was a mockery of what Jesus would have done had he actually been present.

The reason for this hypocrisy is that, unless the living God, in the form of the Holy Spirit builds Christ-like character in you, the very best you can hope for is a convincing act that imitates, but is not the same as, genuine Godly character.

Since we are relearning what it REALLY takes to be a Christian, and we want to see a huge revival in our land, and we need to understand what the difference between cheap grace and real grace is, I have left the rest of this page with as many definitions as I can find on this topic.

There will not be a test, not from me. But the test of your faith will be received based on whether you are genuinely saved, or just playing church. Genuine Christ-likeness calls for a total sacrifice of our wills, and desires, to be made in the image of Christ.

Source Materials: http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/charis.html and http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?type=getTopic&topic=Grace

Grace:

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by GRACE ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his GRACE in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:4-9)

In Jam 4:6, “But He giveth more grace” (Greek, “a greater grace,” RV, marg.), the statement is to be taken in connection with the preceding verse, which contains two remonstrating, rhetorical questions, “Think ye that the Scripture speaketh in vain?” and “Doth the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) which He made to dwell in us long unto envying?” (see the RV). The implied answer to each is “it cannot be so.” Accordingly, if those who are acting so flagrantly, as if it were so, will listen to the Scripture instead of letting it speak in vain, and will act so that the Holy Spirit may have His way within, God will give even “a greater grace,” namely, all that follows from humbleness and from turning away from the world.

The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon

Strong’s Number: 5485

Original Word: cariß – from (5463)

Transliterated Word: Charis

Phonetic Spelling: khar’-ece

Parts of Speech: Noun Feminine

Definition: grace –

that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech, good will, loving-kindness, favor.

of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.

what is due to grace

the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace

the token or proof of grace, benefit

a gift of grace

benefit, bounty

thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward

NAS Word Usage – Total: 156

blessing 1, concession 1, credit 3, favor 11, gift 1, grace 122, gracious 2, gracious work 3, gratitude 1, thank 3, thankfulness 2, thanks 6

Greek lexicon based on Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.” These files are public domain.

Bibliography Information

Thayer and Smith. “Greek Lexicon entry for Charis”. “The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon”. . 1999.
For an even more complex and lengthy definition of the Word Grace, see this reference:

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Strong’s Number: g5485

Greek: charis

Grace:

has various uses,

(a) objective, that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard; it is applied, e.g., to beauty, or gracefulness of person,Luk 2:40; act, 2Cr 8:6, or speech, Luk 4:22, RV, “words of grace” (AV, “gracious words”); Col 4:6;

(b) subjective,

(1) on the part of the bestower, the friendly disposition from which the kindly act proceeds, graciousness, loving-kindness, goodwill generally, e.g., Act 7:10; especially with reference to the Divine favor or “grace,” e.g., Act 14:26; in this respect there is stress on its freeness and universality, its spontaneous character, as in the case of God’s redemptive mercy, and the pleasure or joy He designs for the recipient; thus it is set in contrast with debt, Rom 4:4, 16, with works, Rom 11:6, and with law, Jhn 1:17; see also, e.g., Rom 6:14, 15; Gal 5:4;

(2) on the part of the receiver, a sense of the favor bestowed, a feeling of gratitude, e.g., Rom 6:17 (“thanks”); in this respect it sometimes signifies “to be thankful,” e.g., Luk 17:9 (“doth he thank the servant?” lit., “hath he thanks to”); 1Ti 1:12;

(c) in another objective sense, the effect of “grace,” the spiritual state of those who have experienced its exercise, whether

(1) a state of “grace,” e.g., Rom 5:2; 1Pe 5:12; 2Pe 3:18, or

(2) a proof thereof in practical effects, deeds of “grace,” e.g., 1Cr 16:3, RV, “bounty” (AV, “liberality”); 2Cr 8:6, 19 (in 2Cr 9:8 it means the sum of earthly blessings); the power and equipment for ministry, e.g.,Rom 1:5; 12:6; 15:15; 1Cr 3:10; Gal 2:9; Eph 3:2, 7.

To be in favor with is to find “grace” with, e.g., Act 2:47; hence it appears in this sense at the beginning and the end of several Epistles, where the writer desires “grace” from God for the readers, e.g., Rom 1:7; 1Cr 1:3; in this respect it is connected with the imperative mood of the word chairo, “to rejoice,” a mode of greeting among Greeks, e.g., Act 15:23; Jam 1:1 (marg.);2Jo 1:10, 11, RV, “greeting” (AV, “God speed”).

The fact that “grace” is received both from God the Father, 2Cr 1:12, and from Christ, Gal 1:6; Rom 5:15 (where both are mentioned), is a testimony to the deity of Christ. See also 2Th 1:12, where the phrase “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” is to be taken with each of the preceding clauses, “in you,” “and ye in Him.”

See BENEFIT, BOUNTY, LIBERALITY, THANK.

Note: The corresponding verb charitoo, “to endue with Divine favor or grace,” is used in Luk 1:28, “highly favored” (marg., “endued with grace”) and Eph 1:6, AV, “hath made . . . accepted;” RV, “freely bestowed” (marg., “enduced.”).

For an even more comprehensive understanding of all the uses of Grace in the bible, see this link: http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?type=getTopic&topic=Grace

Faith

Me? PERFECT????

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15 KJV

I almost titled this “War Of The Words”. If you are here for some homiletic inspiration, you will be disappointed. This is a class room, today.

A long time ago, I worked for an engineer who is from Cambridge, England. We discovered that it was not the Atlantic that divided us, it was our common language. Tom lacked a fully developed comprehension of North Louisiana colloquialisms. Sometimes, the results of us both using the same exact words in the same exact sentences led to completely opposite results.

I also had a friend, at that time, who was from North Beirut. He was working very hard to understand Louisianian. In those parts of Louisiana, if you wanted someone to roll down a car window, you would say, “Hey, crack the window.” Both Tom and my friend from Lebanon had a bit of turmoil when I would say, “Crack the window”. My Lebanese friend would ask, “Why cracking the window? It is perfectly good!” And he would stare at me as if I had lost my mind. So, I would use common English and say, OK, ROLL down the window.” Again, he would stare at me as if I had just grown an extra head. He would say, frantically with frustration, “Window is GLASS, Dawid, one cannot roll glass like it is a sheet!” My Lebanese buddy was a near genius, he had a 4.o in college, had earned SEVERAL undergraduate engineering degrees and a couple of Masters degrees in the same amount of time I attempted to make it through ANY type of degree.

Either way, Tom or Lebanese friend, I would go through the illustrative mechanics of rolling down a window, while I highlight the virtue of the Louisiana brevity and colloquial meaning.

After about a year, Tom and I were finally on the same page. My Lebanese buddy was continuously surprised by words that sound exactly like Lebanese, but were English, and the meanings were vastly different.

Did you know that in India, cow has around 50 + definitions? It all boils down to how you say it, your inflection, where it lay in the sentence, and the verbs, adverbs and other modifiers that surround it. You may think you are calling a woman beautiful there, but actually be insulting her in ways that would cost you your life.

Why all this palaver over words? Because, unless you actually read Koine Greek, and Hebrew, you can get lost over what something means. The good news is, with all our modern study tools, books, and the internet, you can become aware of what each and every word in the entire Bible means.

I talk to Athiests, Christians, Hebrew, Arabic speaking peoples, people from the Philippines, and parts of Europe. I have to be very careful that when I say something, I know, in their vernacular, what it is I am actually saying.

One big issue I run in to constantly is a lack of understanding of the word “perfect”.

A good example is ” Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthiew 5:48

By commonly accepted definition, we typically understand that perfect means that it has no flaws, whatsoever. We also know that NOTHING on this planet, created or constructed is exactly perfect. Not even the Pyramids, which are off by a very tiny margin of error. No computer can create anything completely perfect, either. It can come incredibly close, but at some point, on some level, a flaw can be found. Genuine perfect means utterly and completely flawless. That is how we understand the word “perfect”.

So, is Jesus telling us to do something that is impossible? NO. What is impossible is our understanding of the words that were used to translate the scriptures into something you can actually read. Unfortunately, translations, transliterations and interpretive bibles are flawed, and inaccurate. Some can come incredibly close, but still, most languages lack the precision of being able to show mood, intent, flavor, idea and place in a simple word or description.

So, when most translations say Perfect, we think of an unattainable idea and give up. A friend wrote me and told me that we cannot be perfect, that only God is perfect. So WE try OUR best.

That simple statement is so inaccurate I can write a book on it. We cannot do ANYTHING to make our life perfect before God. Only the Spirit of God working in a submitted heart can work Anything in us.

Because I will be writing on the topics centered around the Lordship of Christ, and how that actually defines what a real Christian actually is, I will have to define terms, on occasion. This is one of them.

Below is every use of the concept ‘perfect” used in the New Testament. Read it carefully. There are scripture references attached to each definition.

One thing I will add: Any of the qualities of Christ, that we are told to have, always begin when you are saved. That is the point at which the Spirit of God comes to you to BEGIN something in you. After that, your growth TOWARD that thing is determined by how well you submit to the will of God. The reason you weren’t raptured when you were saved is so the rest of this planet can watch you grow in Christ. That is so that some others may be saved. You will be the only gospel some people ever see and hear. We are called to walk like Christ and be just like Jesus. We also sin. So, the world will be watching to see how you handle your sin. Will you repent and grow, or will you try to justify it, or will you try to rationalize your sin to God and others, or will you lie, further betraying your relationship with Jesus. You cannot do any of this on your own power or will. Only God can do this in you as you submit to Him. The third thing that the Character of Christ is, it’s complete before God. When He sees you, he sees you are covered in the blood of Christ, and he declares you are complete, perfect, and whole. So, even though, in this world, and on this earth, you are still growing into the character of Christ to the day you die, God already sees you as perfect. You must keep growing so that your life becomes a living testimony to others about why you are a Christian.

Part of growing up is being able to read the bible for all it is worth. You have to know what it says, why it says it, and what was really meant when it said it. The Holy Spirit can lead you to the Bible, but He cannot make you drink deep of it.

Please look at these definitions of “perfect”. Look up the reference verses. You will see that your understanding of the word is vastly incomplete when you compare it to what it really means. And this is only ONE of the many character traits of Christ we are to grow into. Just remember, you cannot do this on your own power or will. Only a heart submitted to the Holy Spirit can make these changes in you.

A-1

Adjective

Strong’s Number: g5046

Greek: teleios

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

signifies “having reached its end” (telos), “finished, complete, perfect.” It is used

(I) of persons,

(a) primarily of physical development, then, with ethical import, “fully grown, mature,” 1Cr 2:6; 14:20 (“men;” marg., “of full age”); Eph 4:13;Phl 3:15; Col 1:28; 4:12; in Hbr 5:14, RV, “fullgrown” (marg., “perfect”), AV, “of full age” (marg., “perfect”);

(b) “complete,” conveying the idea of goodness without necessary reference to maturity or what is expressed under (a), Mat 5:48; 19:21; Jam 1:4 (2nd part); 3:2. It is used thus of God in Mat 5:48;

(II) of “things, complete, perfect,” Rom 12:2; 1Cr 13:10 (referring to the complete revelation of God’s will and ways, whether in the completed Scriptures or in the hereafter); Jam 1:4 (of the work of patience); Jam 1:25;1Jo 4:18.

A-2

Adjective

Strong’s Number: g5046

Greek: teleioteros

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

the comparative degree of No. 1, is used in Hbr 9:11, of the very presence of God.

A-3

Adjective

Strong’s Number: g739

Greek: artios

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

is translated “perfect” in 2Ti 3:17: see COMPLETE, B.

B-1

Verb

Strong’s Number: g5048

Greek: teleioo

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

“to bring to an end by completing or perfecting,” is used

(I) of “accomplishing” (see FINISH, FULFILL);

(II) of “bringing to completeness,”

(a) of persons: of Christ’s assured completion of His earthly course, in the accomplishment of the Father’s will, the successive stages culminating in His death, Luk 13:32; Hbr 2:10, to make Him “perfect,” legally and officially, for all that He would be to His people on the ground of His sacrifice; cp. 5:9; 7:28, RV, “perfected” (AV, “consecrated”); of His saints,Jhn 17:23, RV, “perfected” (AV, “made perfect”); Phl 3:12; Hbr 10:14;11:40 (of resurrection glory); 12:23 (of the departed saints); 1Jo 4:18; of former priests (negatively), Hbr 9:9; similarly of Israelites under the Aaronic priesthood, Hbr 10:1;

(b) of things, Hbr 7:19 (of the ineffectiveness of the Law); Jam 2:22 (of faith made “perfect” by works); 1Jo 2:5, of the love of God operating through him who keeps His word; 1Jo 4:12, of the love of God in the case of those who love one another; 1Jo 4:17, of the love of God as “made perfect with” (RV) those who abide in God, giving them to be possessed of the very character of God, by reason of which “as He is, even so are they in this world.”

B-2

Verb

Strong’s Number: g2005

Greek: epiteleo

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

“to bring through to the end” (epi, intensive, in the sense of “fully,” and teleo, “to complete”), is used in the Middle Voice in Gal 3:3, “are ye (now) perfected,” continuous present tense, indicating a process, lit., “are ye now perfecting yourselves;” in 2Cr 7:1, “perfecting (holiness);” in Phl 1:6, RV, “will perfect (it),” AV, “will perform.”
See ACCOMPLISH, No. 4.

B-3

Verb

Strong’s Number: g2675

Greek: katartizo

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

“to render fit, complete” (artios), “is used of mending nets, Mat 4:21;Mar 1:19, and is translated ‘restore’ in Gal 6:1. It does not necessarily imply, however, that that to which it is applied has been damaged, though it may do so, as in these passages; it signifies, rather, right ordering and arrangement,Hbr 11:3, ‘framed;” it points out the path of progress, as in Mat 21:16;Luk 6:40; cp. 2Cr 13:9; Eph 4:12, where corresponding nouns occur. It indicates the close relationship between character and destiny, Rom 9:22, ‘fitted.’ It expresses the pastor’s desire for the flock, in prayer, Hbr 13:21, and in exhortation, 1Cr 1:10, RV, ‘perfected’ (AV, ‘perfectly joined’); 2Cr 13:11, as well as his conviction of God’s purpose for them, 1Pe 5:10. It is used of the Incarnation of the Word in Hbr 10:5, ‘prepare,’ quoted from Psa 40:6 (Sept.), where it is apparently intended to describe the unique creative act involved in the Virgin Birth, Luk 1:35. In 1Th 3:10 it means to supply what is necessary, as the succeeding words show.”*
[* From Notes on Thessalonians by Hogg and Vine, p. 101.]
See FIT, B, No. 3.

Note: Cp. exartizo, rendered “furnished completely,” in 2Ti 3:17, RV; seeACCOMPLISH, No. 1.

C-1

Adverb

Strong’s Number: g199

Greek: akribos

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

accurately, is translated “perfectly” in 1Th 5:2, where it suggests that Paul and his companions were careful ministers of the Word.
See ACCURATELY, and see Note (2) below.

C-2

Adverb

Strong’s Number: g197

Greek: akribesteron

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

the comparative degree of No. 1, Act 18:26; 23:15: see CAREFULLY, EXACTLY.

C-3

Adverb

Strong’s Number: g5046

Greek: teleios

Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly:

“perfectly,” is so translated in 1Pe 1:13, RV (AV, “to the end”), of setting one’s hope on coming grace.
See END.

Notes:

(1) In Rev 3:2, AV, pleroo, “to fulfill,” is translated “perfect” (RV, “fulfilled”).

(2) For the adverb akribos in Luk 1:3, AV, see ACCURATELY; in Act 24:22, AV, see EXACT.

(3) For the noun akribeia in Act 22:3, see MANNER.

Vine, W. E. “Perfect (Adjective and Verb), Perfectly”, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Blue Letter Bible. 1940. 24 June, 1996 12 Jul 2013.
<http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?
type=GetTopic&Topic=Perfect+(Adjective+and+Verb),+Perfectly&
DictList=9#Vine’s>

Faith

Me and My Big Mouth – Part III

This is from my personal journal, “Lessons From a Broken Heart.”

My definition of “Broken” is, sometimes God has to break a man in order to make him teachable. I am one of those men. My personal journal records the lessons I have learned through the process of being broken, and subsequently healed by the Lord.

He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. Proverbs 29:1 ESV

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Proverbs 12:1 ESV

If Discipleship were easy, everyone would be doing it, and it wouldn’t require discipline. It would have an “Easy Button”, and at one click, we could all be wise. I guess that would make it Easyship, instead of Discipleship. Unfortunately, discipleship is hard.

Discipleship is hard because what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach me is completely contrary to my flesh, and my natural mind. I have prayed to be possessed of the Mind of Christ, yet have spent the majority of my life doing things my way. I was not willing to give up my character in return for the character of Christ. But I still insisted that God deal with me. I could have avoided all the pain of being broken had I either submitted in the first place, or admitted that I wanted to practice a counterfeit Christianity.

God disciplines the son he loves.

Instead of admitting I was faking my Christianity, and had no real relationship to the Lord, Jesus Christ, I kept asking God to make me like Christ. None-the-less, I refused to submit to the will of God; To be made in the image of Jesus Christ. I didn’t think it was all that important that I read the bible, pray, fellowship with other believers who are also being disciplined, etc. I wanted to go on doing “My Thing”.

The reason I did that is because I didn’t know the difference between the personality that makes me David, and the Character that would make me Christlike. I figured my fleshly character was fine. “If you didn’t like it, stuff it.” What I didn’t want to see was that I had to get out of the way, and let the Holy Spirit build in me the Character of Christ. We were originally created in the likeness of the Living God, but our sin separated us from Him, and we forfeited His character for a fallen, sinful nature.

The rebellion cry of the fallen is , “I am me, you have to like me on my terms, and if you don’t then **** you!!!” I have heard this a lot, recently from several people I correspond with. But the prayer of the Saved is that we be remade into the image of Jesus. The rebellious cry, “I am doing it my way!!!” Sadly, so is much of Christendom. The ones who have a shallow and cheap grace, believe that they can go right on ignoring the call to Christlikeness

We all have a personality. Our personality is one of the unique things that makes us identifiable as individuals. God didn’t mass produce a bunch of “I Robot” machines. We are individual notes in a symphony of unimaginable beauty. What makes our individual note sour and out of tune is the character of sin. That is all we have to offer. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, but, without Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, I am just my personality full of lousy character.

You never lose what makes you unique, but you gain what makes you acceptable to God. We are all called to submit to the discipline of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit does not deal in accusation and shame. That is what Satan Does. The Spirit of God convicts, but never condemns. You are already redeemed. And u=in God’s eyes, you are complete in Christ, because of Christ.

SO! What’s the big deal? Here is the Big deal. I lived most of my life insisting that God has to accept me as I am, period. But I was not raptured the second I believed. So, while you are still here on Earth, God wants to take you through the process of being remade in the likeness of Christ. Your flesh will rebel every step of the way, but, you can overcome simply by submitting to the will of the Lord. You have to lose your own life to gain His life in you. You have to let the Holy Spirit take apart your character and replace it with His. The reason for this is so you can be a living testimony of Jesus.

My misadventures in to all the dark places I have been were hell’s of my own making. I never had to go there. All I had to do was obey, and submit. I could have avoided all that misery, had I just given my entire life over to Him in the first place.

But now I am finally there. I have given up. The strangest thing for a warrior of God to so is first surrender to God. But you cannot, and will not serve God if you are stiff necked, arrogant, full of your own knowledge but devoid of the Knowledge of the Holy.

If you can read a Bible, open it with the desire to hear from God. You cannot teach the Bible, it already knows more than you ever will. But you can learn from it. You cannot do that unless you have surrendered your way to God, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you into His righteousness.

I have joy to day because God broke me. I have peace, I know love, REAL love. I am being prepared for His service. I no longer have that fire of hate and anger in me. The Spirit of God is putting the light of His fire in me.

I grew weary of being stupid. And it is a stupid man who claims he serves Christ bur refuses to learn wisdom. This lesson came hard to me because I fought against God’s wisdom. He let me wander around in my own filth. No one saw Jesus when they saw me.

I can now say, with confidence, with the Apostle Paul, I am confident that He who began a good work in me, will be faithful to complete it untill the day of our Lord Jesus. That is when I will perfectly reflect His image. In the mean time, I choose to grow. I choose to know the word. I choose life over death. It is only cheap grace and rebellion that says all you have to do is claim youare saved simply because you acknowledge Christ. You will be part of the great falling away, because, when the storm blows, you will not have th edeep roots to withstand the tempest.

I was just like that, and every wind that blew, blew me off track, because I insisted that even the Almighty God has to accept me without changing me. And I had the stones to ask God why nothing went right in my life. A fool’s way will lead to death. But the heart of the wise is ever learning.

Dear God,

Thank you that you love me enough to discipline me. Thank you that you never gave up on me and kept at the art of breaking my will. I surrender to you, My God. I surrender to you because of the shed blood of Jesus the Messiah. I pray you continue to fill me with YOUR spirit, as you remove my fallen character and make me in the image of your precious and only Son, Jesus Christ, My Lord.

I love you God. I praise you God. You are my delight and joy. To you I give my heart. Amen

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:17 ESV

Faith

Me And My Big Mouth – Part II

This is from my personal journal, “Lessons From a Broken Heart.”

“The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.” Proverbs 12:16

When I pray to be like Christ, I have to be willing to sacrifice my opinion and passions to Him, too. Do I shoot first and ask questions later? Even today, I must be aware of what flies out of my mouth. Have I surrendered my thoughts, my mind, my opinions to God, through the inner working of the Holy Spirit?

I have asked to be like Christ. When the Holy Spirit begins to work in my heart about minding my manners, minding my opinions, minding my tongue, do I have the courage, will and discipline to submit to the Lord’s will, or do I still shoot off my mouth.

God intends that, if I belong to Him because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, I will be remade in the likeness of Jesus. When I submit to the will and leading of God, the Holy Spirit, I am telling Him that I no longer am lord over my mouth, that I want wisdom. I can learn by the gentle guidance of the Spirit of God, or I can learn through the foolishness of my uncontrolled passions. My over-quick desire to give the world my own opinion, instead of keeping silent, and waiting for the Spirit of God to give me wise words can be the same lesson. One method is followed by people who are ready to learn wisdom. The other method, the Spirit of God will use to teach a fool who wants to stop being one.

Everything I do reflects on my relationship to Jesus Christ. Have I asked to be like Jesus, but refuse to surrender to His will? Then I am indeed a fool.

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Proverbs 29:11 ESV

I have a lot to learn.

Dear God,

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior AND Lord, that you continue to teach me wisdom in a way that I don’t have to relearn a thing the hard way. My heart’s desire is to be just like Your Son, Jesus Christ.

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Faith

Me and My Big Mouth

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless . James 1:26

This is a tough topic. I want to tell you a story. Before I do, though, I want to say something from my heart.

The subject of controlling the tongue is difficult for me. My passions run very deep. When I experience a thing, I tend to experience it all the way down to my toes, and deep in my soul. I am only just now learning the discipline of the tongue. I am not like Christ in this regard. I am swift to speak, and slow to listen. So, my writing about this topic is from fresh experience. I am guilty of the very thing that I despise about religious people. Religious people lack self-control. They do not allow God guide their tongue in love and wisdom, instead of in haste, which leads to harm. I cannot throw stones when I am as guilty as those who do not belong to God. If I am to grow to be like Christ, I must submit my passions and my tongue to His lordship. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that a person can overcome the evil the tongue can generate. If we are to be like Christ, and want to tell others we are the Children of God, then we must be willing to submit even our favorite sin to God. This i snot something we can do for ourselves.

For all those whose bodies lay on the ground in my quest for self righteousness, please forgive me for being a fool. God is not interested in my self-righteousness. He is interested in me having His righteousness.

“A tale bearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.” Proverbs 11:13

I know a man who used to live one county away from where I live. He had a walk with the Lord, but life got in the way, and he didn’t submit to the will of God, and he did things his own way. The end result is, he sinned against his own family. He knew after the fact that he had sinned. He called it sin. He confessed this sin. He grieved for his sin.

The people who he knew, who were sincere in their faith, who went to church, who prayed, who tithed, who spoke often of the love of God, and His grace, who were worship leaders and preachers and deacons, these people shunned him, and hated him because they genuinely loved his family, and hated what he had done. He wanted to talk to someone, anyone, about this, and how to return to God, to seek forgiveness, to know the joy of fellowship. He couldn’t find any one in his town who would help him, and counsel him, and lead him back to the grace of God. He became the target of their hate, instead. This didn’t need to happen. But it happened because one of the fellowship could not wait to spread this juicy bit of gossip to the other believers, who also loved this man’s family.

In their fervor to be supportive of this man’s family, the spoke curses on this man, they openly held him in contempt. They advised his wife to abandon him. The pronounced he was not worthy of their fellowship.

Eventually, because of the loose tongues of two of his wife’s relatives, the entire community had heard about it. The story was repeated with all the vileness of the sin glorified, and with all the righteousness as if they were God.

This man felt alone and hopeless, by this time. No one would befriend him. He found a couple of Christian men he thought he could befriend, but eventually, the wagging tongues of the “faithful” reached these men’s ears, and they decided it would be best to not be friends after all.

By this time, he felt that, if so many Christians were condemning him, then so must God be condemning him. he wondered how he will ever return to God, if he is being so rejected by people who represent Him.

His hopes were raised, one day, when he found someone who would actually pray with him. He finally had made a friend. But before two days had passed, this new friend had his ears bent by one of the Christians who hated him. That new friend told him that he was no longer welcome to come see him.

Rejected again by Christians, he believed he was beyond redemption. He took up drinking with a commitment. He knew this, too, was wrong, but he felt that he was too far gone from God to be redeemed. After all, most of the Christians he knew were telling him that.

He gave up. He withdrew his heart completely. People would not hire him anymore, so he kept having to go from job to job. He would be at a job for a while, but, eventually, his employer heard about what a terrible man he was, and found a way to let him go. By this time, the sin he had committed had been embellished. Over time, it took on the landscape of more than what had actually happened. He heard many terrible things that were being said about him. The hate the Christians showed him merely amplified with every retelling of this sin, that, by this time, had happened Severn years ago. It grew like a cancer.

Every now and then, he would try to talk to these believers about what to do to return. Their contempt had grown to the point that they told him he would be better off dead. these people kept trying to break up the marriage. They kept telling him he needs to get out-of-town, and never return. They were speaking death into his life, and into his marriage. It got so that, they damage they were doing was far worse than the damage he had done in the first place. These people wouldn’t leave his wife alone about it, and continuously discouraged her attempts to heal her home. They almost caved in to the wagging tongues of these people, but somehow, they continued to work through all the noise and despair these people were encouraging in his wife.

Today, they are healed, and healing. But it was not because of any effort of the believers who kept wagging their tongues, keeping the pain stirred up. The were actually not happy that she had the strength and courage to work at this relationship with him. All they wanted was vengeance. All they wanted was their sense of justice. And they wouldn’t let up on her, even though healing had begun in her home.

I got to watch all this, and I had several long talks with this man. He was in a very dark place. His wife was torn between taking the advice of this fellowship of Christians, or standing her ground and continue to fight for a promise she believed in . The spoke death to her, but her faith in God spoke life. She persevered through all the darkness and difficulty, and saw God do a wondrous work in this man’s life. Yes they still spoke death. He drew near to the Lord, and let the Lord deal with him and his sin. Yet they spoke death. They preached about a grace they did not practice. they spoke about a love they refused to show. They spoke about forgiveness, but didn’t forgive what they had already condemned.

Today, this man is becoming a powerful Christian. he has given his heart, Mind, Soul, Strength to the Living God. he often asks me what it will take before these other believers will stop gossiping about him, and start rejoicing that he is genuinely saved, and that God is working a wonder in his life.

I told him I had no idea. It is hard to tell with people who love to hate, and love to spread death with their mouths. I told him that, all he could do was keep obeying God, and stop worrying about all these well-intentioned dragons. This is hard. I even wanted to hate these people, but I don’t. I love them. I could see that this man loved them too, with a deep abiding love. Only God could do this to a man like him.

I felt a searing pain in my own heart. How many times has my tongue led me to cause harm? How often have I been so self-righteous that all I could speak is distension and hate? I cannot throw stones at those Christians who continuously showed such a lack of understanding of the will of God. How often had I been so in love with my opinion that I didn’t take the time to see what God and His word had to say about it? When did I forget that, for the grace of God, there go I. I get religious just like everyone else, on occasion. It is only when I am sensitive to the will and voice of God, that I remember that He showed me love and mercy and grace when I least deserved it. I could easily plead that “That is just how I am!”. But that is no excuse to the Living God. We are born with a personality and a character. Our character reflects who we live for. Our character is expressed through our personality. When the Holy Spirit comes in to you, He will replace your Character with God’s, as you submit to Him. We are created in His image (We look like him) and in His likeness (We were supposed to act like him). When sin became our inheritance, we lost God’s character and traded it for a cheap imitation. When we believed in Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord, then the Spirit of God moved in to make us in the likeness of Jesus, as we allow him to. You will receive the Character of God, expressed in your unique personality. And your personality becomes under control by the discipline of the Spirit of God.

The tongue has the power to heal, and the power to destroy. The way it is used reveals who our master really is. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Christ gives us life. love, mercy and joy. Those who have been touched by this love do not see the importance of gossip. They only desire to be like their Lord, Jesus Christ.

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18 KJV

Faith

God Is My Strength

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5 KJV

Man, am I tired. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. Not because I just worked hard today in my labors, but because I just spent the last 4 hours trying to reason with people I am called to reach. The unsaved who are Athiests, Agnostic, occult, and the people who are playing church, but do not think they are. My heart aches because these people would rather hate the messenger than listen to the message. I am not a preacher. I try not to preach. All I am is Saved because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. See, I am not famous for my patience. And I get impatient when I do not see results in the time span I think they should appear.

Time is in God‘s hands. I do not know who is actually listening, and who is just being a jerk. I don’t know who will be saved, or will not. All I know is that I love these people who refuse to see what “Amazing Love” looks like.

Before I became a Christian, I was moved to seek God because a small group of Christians showed me love no matter what I did back. I was rude, argumentative, and hurtful. I hated them and their Gospel. But it was their endurance and the Love of God they showed me that finally broke me. They were tireless, and they saw, in Joy, the results of their efforts. They never gave up on me. I pray, Dear God, in the Name of Jesus Christ that I learn to love like that, and persevere like that, so that even one may be saved. There will I rejoice and praise.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9 NASB

There are people who think they are saved simply because they go to church. When they hear you speak the truth, as lovely as you can make it, by the power of Jesus Christ, some will reject you, and even with a great deal of hostility. I am called names. I have had my life threatened. I do not tell you this to draw attention to me, but because it is GOd who wills me to love and to do His will. Do I sometimes feel like I am wasting my time, and beating my head against a wall? Yes, but God is my strength. Jesus persevered even to death for my sake. By my own strength, I do not have that will or endurance. Because the Spirit of God lives in me, I will continue, and enduring for the sake of the Gospel. I don’t know who will be reached, but I will when I get to Heaven.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful… Hebrews 10:23 NASB

The world is run by the unrighteous. Satan is their lord. It is disconcerting to the world when they see the hope we have because of Jesus Christ. The only response the world can offer is the response of their lord, Satan. They kill, steal and destroy all that is Godly. When you belong to Jesus Christ, you will not be welcomed by the world. But you are to be in this world to be a light of Hope in a very dark, hopeless and fallen place. So, when the storm roars, when people curse you for having hope, when they try to steal it, and almost succeed, remember, our Hope is in the Lord our God, because of Jesus Christ. His Spirit is in you. Take time to listen and feel the strength of God fill you. He promised you that if you endure in your faith, you will endure in Hope. Nothing can take this away from you. Not unless you chose to let it go. I pray, Dear God, for a renewing of my faith and hope every waking hour and even in my dreams. Teach me to endure as you fill me with your love.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. Hebrews 10:36

I am called to a ministry. I also have a life. I have to work to feed my family. I have bills. Stuff happens, and it isn’t always good stuff. It is the will of God that I become a living testimony whatever it is I do. I am to write this blog every day except the Sabbath. I am to study the word and hide it in my heart. I am to give out of my abundance and my need. I am to be one beggar showing other beggars where I found food, water, shelter, and life. Even if they insist that they have to pay, I have to show them it is free. Even if I am feeding on the food of God, and they refuse to eat what is abundant and free. I cannot do the will of God without the Strength of God. That is given to me by the Spirit of God, who walks in me daily, teaching me and leading me to do God’s will. His promise is that if I give it all to Him, I will endure, even if I don’t feel like it. The second I want to throw in the towel, the Spirit of God shows up in me and loves me, and feeds me the Grace, Mercy, Hope and Love of God. It is a renewal I have need of every day. Yesterday’s manna will not feed me today. He promises me reward in Heaven. I may be poor on earth, but when I get there, I will be called the brother of Christ. I live for thismoment.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1

The angels watch us work. The world watches us work. Our families and employers watch us work. Does my confession of faith in Jesus Christ lead others to believe I am saved and belong to God? Do I cave in just in sight of the finish line and never cross? When things get tough, do I take a time out? Jesus suffered greatly on our behalf, without a time out. He drank full of the cup of God’s wrath so we will not have to die. Do I weld my tongue to the will of God, or do I betray Him? Do I act like I am unsaved, yet confess Jesus as my Lord? Everyone is watching. So, even when you sin, we can show others how Jesus Christ is Lord through our humbling ourselves before God in repentance. Following Jesus is not about convenience. There is nothing convenient about being a Christian. Bur, seeing as there are so many people watching us, let us live a life that inspires others to follow Christ.

Dear God, I pray, in Jesus Holy Name, that you make me the very image of Christ, so I will not betray you or make the gospel a lie. I am weak, and get tired. Give me the love and endurance that kept Jesus nailed to the cross on our behalf.

I love you

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

Faith

Agains All Odds

Sandy and I like to write songs. Below are the lyrics to one of them. It makes more lyrical sense when you hear the melody, but I am hoping this speaks to you, whomever you are, in this time of your need.

This is for all of us who really struggle with our faith, especially when things get frighteningly real.

A Prayer in My Darkness

If ever I need you Lord, I need you now.

O, deliverance flow in my life.

Remove all the heartache, the fear and the doubt,

I need to see Loves’ Holy Light

When Darkness persuades me I don’t stand a chance,

Yet Your Word says that I’ve overcome;

Touch me with Mercy,

Fill me with Hope,

dry my tears,

Teach my soul how to dance.

Scatter my sorrows,

Fill me with Joy,

Let me know Loves’ peace within.

If ever I need you Lord, I need you now.

O, deliverance flow in my life.

Remove all the heartache, the fear and the doubt,

I need to see Loves’ Holy Light

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. I Peter 5:6-7 KJV

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Faith

It is God Who Works

This blog entry is dedicated to Shelia Sanchez, and all the women in the Philippines who have written me about this topic.

A NOTE TO MY DISPENSATIONAL BRETHEREN: Yes, the opening verse of this blog is a prophecy that was spoken to Israel about what God will accomplish in them when Jesus establishes His eternal kingdom. Seeing that the Jews were to be a light on a hill, drawing all mankind to God, and seeing that Israel has to this day stubbornly refused to walk in this light, God sent His own Son to be the fulfillment of the Law, thereby drawing all men unto God. Yes, this promise will finally be fulfilled for Israel when Jesus Christ sets up His kingdom. And the Jews who have accepted that Jesus IS the Messiah, will be the benefactor of the that promise. But, because of Christ, and His sacrifice on behalf of all mankind, this promise IS fulfilled in the lives of anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior AND Lord. So, go ahead and write your argumentative letters, but keep in mind, if you do, it is because you are stubbornly refusing to see what the Gospel of Christ IS, or you have not allowed the work of the Holy Spirit to tear the blinders off your eyes. I can say this because I , too, am a dispensationalist, but I have recently allowed the Holy Spirit into my life, I see that what was promised to Israels future, has already been given to all Humans who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior AND Lord. It is just a matter of will.

MY PRAYER FOR THIS BLOG: I pray in the name of the Living God, because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, that the Holy Spirit fill me while I write this blog, so that whatever I write here will be none of me and be all of God. I pray that it penetrate all the barriers that we have put up that inhibit the Spirit of God and the Power of His word to work in our beings. I pray this, God, because Jesus Christ has saved me from eternal damnation, and has delivered me into eternal life. AMEN

A New Heart, a New Thought, a New Desire

“I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to me. I will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and I will remove your disgusting idols. I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings.” Ezekiel 36:35-27 CEV

Let’s pretend I am telling you the same good news:

“God will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to Him. God will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and will remove your disgusting idols. God will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, because God will put His Spirit in you and make you eager to obey His laws and teachings.” Ezekiel 36:35-27 CEV

God does Heart Surgery.

The amazing thing about God is (OK, there are SEVERAL amazing things about God), that HE will give you the longing for salvation. It isn’t something you can for yourself. If it WERE something you could do, then there is no need for God, and no need for Jesus Christ to come here and give His life for you. If we could be righteous and saved, and holy all by our selves, then God would no longer be God. We would be God.

We are not God.

When God gives you the longing for salvation, it is because, somehow, some way, God has exposed you to several things: The sin that separates you from Him, the fact that you cannot do anything at all to close that gap, and that He sent Jesus Christ to die in your place, because the wages of sin is death. It may hit you all at once, or it may come in bit at a time. But it is God that does this. You cannot do this.

God will draw you near.

After you see what he has shown you, you will understand the need for a savior. God will show you that Jesus IS that savior. His death on the cross paid for your sin. After Jesus died, He proved He has the authority to be called Lord when He raised HIMSELF from the grave. He was able to do this because He has the authority over death and life.

You will be drawn to repentance of sin, confession of sin, and redemption through Jesus Christ. And when you confess this with your mouth, you are saved. You cannot even do this unless God empowers you to do this.

YOU WILL HAVE A NEW HEART

In the Hebrew language, we learn that the Heart is the seat of the soul. The heart is located in your brain, but connects throughout your body. Did you know that, around your physical heart, there is the same gray matter that is in your brain. That local memory is stored there, and that your thoughts and feelings are shared between your brain and heart? It is true.

Our natural soul was corrupted by the inheritance of sin, and the continual and unrepentant state that resulted from the inherited sin.

What only God can do, that you will never be able to do, is replace that heart of sin, that hardened heart, with a tender heart of flesh, that is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The reason you become this way is that, when you believed that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, the first thing you are given is God’s Holy Spirit.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SATAN, THE WORLD, AND GOD

In the World’s fallen state, it cannot tolerate the presence of holiness, and wants nothing to do with it. This is why our planet is the way it is. The World has completely rejected the things of God. You cannot expect Godly behavior from people who reject God. At the very best, you will see a very cheap imitation, and that never lasts very long. The only Godly things that last come from God.

Satan hates you. All of the fallen ones hate you. Satan will accuse you of your sin. Satan will complain to God about how sinful you are. Satan will tell you that God accuses you of your sin, and you cannot be redeemed. The only thing Satan can bring you is graceless and merciless accusation. A guilt that will eventually make you want to kill yourself. He has no joy, and he wants to rob you of YOUR joy.

The Holy Spirit of God is Grace, mercy and joy. When the Spirit of God shows you the sin, it is not accusatory, and will not leave you in shame. You will simply see your sin the same way God sees it. God has given you a tender heart, and removed your cynicism. You will understand how God sees things, and, because of the new Love that the Holy Spirit has brought to your heart and mind, you simply will turn your back on your sin.

This, too, is something you do not have the power to do. When you become aware of the things of God, the things you used to think were important will no longer be important. Your desire for sin will change. This is not to say that you will not sin, ever. You will. What it DOES mean is that when you do sin, the Spirit will lead you to understand the way God sees sin. Your heart, being in love with God, will no longer be interested in displeasing God.

Imagine you are deeply in love with someone. Will you go out of your way to displease your lover, or to please your lover?

The Love the Holy Spirit brings is a love that is far greater than any thing you can bring to your lover. And your desire to obey God will be because of that Love. It is a love you cannot muster on your own, it is a Love God gives you when you give your entire life to God, because of Jesus Christ, who IS God.

NOW THAT I HAVE LAID THE GROUND WORK

When you become a Christian, God will do all that I wrote about above, and much more. You don’t have to quit your job, but the more you surrender your self to the will of God, the more you will understand how God will use you in that job. But if that job represents a huge moral conflict between Him and your employer, when you give God the opportunity, HE will change your circumstances.

What changes? Your heart. Your understanding of how God will work in a willing and submitted heart. This comes when the Spirit of God has filled you, and leads you to be like Christ. Your circumstances may never change, you may always be poor, but God will make you rich in Him, and you will lead many to Christ.

God is not asking you to change anything, at first, because he is busy getting you used having the Mind of Christ. It does taking getting used to.

My brothers and sister, I promise you that you are not condemned if you belong to Jesus. There is no work you need to do to be good enough for God. There is no pain you have to suffer as proof that you are worthy of God.

God changes your heart so you can see where He is at work in you. And when you are able to see in you what God sees, you will develop a strong and passionate desire to see God complete you. You are NO LONGER bound by the law of sin. Your sinful nature is replaced with the nature of God. It is God’s promise to make you in the very image of Jesus Christ. You do not have to do anything but Surrender to Him.

He will do all the work. Be free from the condemnation of sin. Walk in the freedom God gives you. This freedom happens when you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. When you do that, you will receive the Holy Spirit, who will do all the work in you.

You are no longer guilty in God’s eyes. You are free.

“Therefore, now there is no verdict of guilt, no condemnation as guilty, for those in Jesus the Messiah. For the law of the Holy Spirit, that gives life in Jesus the Messiah, has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2, OJT

Faith

Rest

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6 NASB

Vocabulary Words:

confident – πείθω – peitho -reflexively or passively to assent (to evidence or authority), to rely (by inward certainty) – Sometimes a legal term that assesses the evidence and assents to the assertion that the evidence has presented. ALSO: You know you can trust this because you have seen that everything else has been trustworthy.

began – ἐνάρχομαι – en-ar’-khom-ahee – to commence on. Picture an action that had a starting place in time and space, and that action continues to apply itself endlessly over time. It had a start, and will not stop until all conditions are met.

good – ἀγαθός – ag-ath-os’ – A primary word; “good” (in any sense, often as noun): – benefit, good (-s, things), well. Beneficial.

work – ἔργον – er’-gon – From ἔργω ergo¯ (a primary but obsolete word; to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act: – deed, doing, labor, work.

perfect – ἐπιτελέω – ep-ee-tel-eh’-o – to fulfill further (or completely), that is, execute; by implication to terminate, undergo: – accomplish, do, finish, (make) (perfect), perform (X -ance). It is contract and engineering language. Start building, keep building, complete building. It is not built completely until it is perfected.

Two More Definitions:

Strong Language: Not coarse. Spoken with authority. Often direct. Not mincing words. Word usage that is intended to make one think. It is the language of the Teacher to the student. Plain Speaking. Getting to the heart of the matter. Meat, as opposed to milk.

Weak Language: Imprecise, Sugar coated and sweet; words that dilute the meaning or intent of the lesson that needs learning. Words for words sake, or words that weaken the intent of the lesson. Words that remove, rather than reinforce the need to actually apply it for learning, or being, or doing. It is the language of people who would rather play church than follow Christ. All milk, 2% or less milk fat, and sweetened to make it easier to swallow.

I had driven half way home, the day I lost my job at the Military base. I knew what God as asking me to do. While I look for work, WRITE. I had openly and consciously given my life to Christ as Lord a few years earlier. He was no longer “just my savior”.

I have a LOT of rough edges. I asked God what about those rough edges.

“Are you giving your entire life to me?” He asked.

“Yes, Lord, I am. ”, I replied.

“Because if you are not willing to give me 100%, we will be back where we started.”, He commented, but with gentleness and grace.

My courage and confidence in God increased when He asked me that. Coming from anyone else, I might have argued about work load, scheduling, time off, benefits, etc. When He asked me that, though, I felt compelled to throw my self into this hair, hat and all. I had tried doing it my way for way too long. I did not like the results.

I needed God to do this for me. I told God, “Lord, I want to be the very image of Christ, in every way possible. I want to live for Christ, now. I am done living this miserable life.”

“OK! That is what I needed to hear from you.”, He beamed. THAT felt good. This feels real. It didn’t have that half-hearted commitment thing going on in my heart. I could feel my roots already starting to go deep.

I had already been around the barn a million times with Him over what He had asked me to do, so I didn’t want to do THAT again. I am to write something EVERY DAY! Period.

It was my habit, in the past to run ahead of God. Most of it was sheer excitement to be doing something. But when I did that, I did it on my own power, my own way. God doesn’t do the division of labor, thing. You either want to be like Christ, or you don’t. You will submit to Jesus as Lord, or you won’t.

And that is where I had questions.

“Lord,” I asked, “I am not exactly like Jesus, you know. I mean, ask any Christian you happen to see, ‘Who’s the best Christian? It wouldn’t be me’.”

I swear, I heard Him chuckle. “No, Dave, it wouldn’t. Not this minute. And not immediately.”

“Well, God, WHAT DO I DO???”, I asked, mostly out of impatience, and mostly because I knew just how depraved I had become of these last two decades.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He said with a smile. (Frankly, I was not used to anyone being this nice to me, and it was GOOD!)

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.” Psalms 37:4-7a KJV

“REST?!?!?!”, “WAIT PATIENTLY?”, “REALLY?!?!?!?”, “God, you may not have noticed this, but I am REALLY in need of a LOT of repair, and you want me to REST?” I screeched.

“David, way back in 1987, when you first came to me, what was the very first thing I asked you to do?”, he gently asked me.

“Um…er…Let’s see…boy, that was a long time ago.” I stalled

“Uh HUM!”, He replied.

“OH! I remember, You told me to rest.”, I cowered and sorta whispered.

“Yes, David, I told you to rest. And since that is where we left off, that is where we will continue. While you obey me, you will rest in me. Learn the word. Learn to pray and praise. THAT is when I will affect the changes in you so that you will be just like Jesus. You cannot do this for your self, and you cannot do it by your self. Only I can do this thing in you.”, God instructed.

Resting was hard at first. But I want to be like Christ. I want my life to have an eternal, and holy consequence while I am still alive. For once in my life, I obeyed. I obeyed because I consciously chose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. And Jesus died for my sin, and He rose again on the third day, to prove He has the authority to grant me eternal life, and I asked God to make me the reflection of Christ.

I no longer felt any doubt that this is what God intends to do in me. I knew then that God intends to do this in ALL the humans who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

It began in 1987. That was the point in time that I made the decision. I wandered in a wilderness of my own making for 20+ years. But the grace of God watched over me, and in His mercy, He carried me through that wilderness. And now, I have returned to Him, to home, where my heart has always wanted to be.

Then I understood this:

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” – Php 2:13 – KJV

Last time, I tried to run ahead of God and take care of becoming like Jesus on my own. Well, THAT didn’t work out so well. But because my heart has genuinely surrendered to Christ as Savior AND Lord, the Spirit of God is able to work in me, and to open my eyes, so that I can see that resting is exactly what I am to do. Changing my life to be a reflection of Jesus is GOD’S work, through the Holy Spirit. Anytime I try to take over and do it myself, I mess things up.

While I pursue obedience to what He has given me to do (WRITE!), HE will affect in me the changes HE sees I need in order to be like Jesus. I simply cannot do it. It is God who does all the heavy lifting, not me.

“David.”

“Yes, God?”

“When you feel the temptation to take over, remember Carrie Underwood’s song, “Jesus Take the Wheel.”, OK?

“Yes Sir. THAT will not be a problem, it is a great song that brings tears to me eyes, sung by a great singer who is easy on my eyes.”

I swear I felt Him Gibbs Slap the back of my head. (That actually works on me.)

“That is the FIRST THING we will work on, mister.”

“Yes Sir, I am sorry.”

“Next time, keep your eyes on me. I will empower you to do this, but it is still your choice. I prefer obedience rather than sacrifice.”

And that was lesson one. It was not all that difficult. I saw how it affected God when I sin, and when He corrected me about it, He didn’t do what Satan does; accuse me. He simply showed me how it looks in His eyes. And I didn’t like what I saw. I give that part of my self to Him. He took the wheel.

The more I rest in Him, and obey what He has given me to do, the more things He is able to deal with in my life. When we obey, His love grown in our heart. His power and authority grows in us. There are some temptations I am really in love with, but God is able to break that bond and free me from them. They are fading into insignificance.

Now, all I want to do is follow Jesus. I give my life totally to Him. As I obey, as I seek the Lord with all my heart, the more He reveals to me: Of His will for me, of His character, of His Grace, Mercy and Love. The terrible anger I used to carry around, that was part of my life from when I turned 17, is gone. It is gone. And I don’t miss it.

Dear reader. God wants to do this in your life, too. When you surrender to Him, HE will change your heart, and you will welcome the change. He does this because it is his STRONG desire to give you all the Holy Gifts of Heaven, so that, while you are still here on Earth, you will be the image of Christ. You just may be the only Jesus some lost soul will see. Rest in Him. Receive His gifts.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. – Jas 1:17 KJV

Let’s be about it.

I Love you.

Your Servant,

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

David G. Perkins

Writer At Large

Monthly Archives: July 2013

COME HOME: Do You Like Apples?

Luke 7:48 (KJV)

Romans 11:29 (KJV)

HOW DO YOU LIKE THOSE APPLES???

Come Home

An Opinion

Luke 9:23

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Sufficient

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. II Corinthians 12:9 NASB

Ye Are The Light

Mission Possible

“Follow Me”

Mastery

Rest in the Lord

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30 KJV

Amazing Grace

Grace:

Me? PERFECT????

Me and My Big Mouth – Part III

This is from my personal journal, “Lessons From a Broken Heart.”

He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. Proverbs 29:1 ESV

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Proverbs 12:1 ESV

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:17 ESV

Me And My Big Mouth – Part II

This is from my personal journal, “Lessons From a Broken Heart.”

“The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.” Proverbs 12:16

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Proverbs 29:11 ESV

Me and My Big Mouth

God Is My Strength

Agains All Odds

It is God Who Works

Rest

HOW DO YOU LIKE THOSE APPLES???

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Luke 9:23

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

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And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. II Corinthians 12:9 NASB

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Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30 KJV

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Grace:

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This is from my personal journal, “Lessons From a Broken Heart.”

He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. Proverbs 29:1 ESV

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Proverbs 12:1 ESV

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:17 ESV

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This is from my personal journal, “Lessons From a Broken Heart.”

“The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.” Proverbs 12:16

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Proverbs 29:11 ESV

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