When We Fall

Pro 24:16 For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity. (Amplified, e-sword)

Peter hopped out of the boat, but let the waves scared him, causing him to forget to keep his eyes on Jesus. Peter cut off a man’s ear. Jesus rebuked Peter, and put that man’s ear back on. Peter denied Jesus 3 times. Later on, after the resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Peter, do you love me?” Peter refused to eat with the Gentiles. The Lord lovingly rebuked him, and taught him that it was OK, because He had opened the entire world up to receive the Gospel. And all things were now clean because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Paul led an army from the Temple in Jerusalem into all the land of Israel and surrounding territories to persecute, murder, torture, and commit many atrocities in the name of the God of the Pharisees. Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus. Jesus blinded and rebuked Paul. After he was healed, and the eyes of his understanding were opened, Jesus sent Paul into all of Europe and the Mediterranean to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, we see that every man of God has fallen, and God lifted them back up.

All of these situations have something in common. When they fell the Lord rebuked them. When the Lord rebuked them, it was for their healing and understanding. Their ignorance of God’s way was stripped away and replaced with a better understanding of who and what the Lord is, and what God desires of all of us.

WE ALL FALL.

God did not bring that fall, you probably did. God will not judge you for that fall. All of God’s judgment and wrath was poured out on Jesus at the Cross. Because Jesus Christ is our Lord, we are not judged when we fall. God does not look down on you in scorn and say, “Well, you certainly deserved THAT!” Remember this scripture when you fall: Rom 8:1 THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. (Amp, e-Sword). The failure is not in the falling. The failure comes when we don’t learn the lesson God reveals to us through that fall.

I will use an example I heard Graham Cooke use at a church in Carrolton, TX. When a mother is teaching her baby to walk, and she stands the baby up, scoots back a bit, and holds out her arms, and says, “Walk to Mommy.”, and the baby takes a few halting steps, then falls and crawls the rest of the way to Mommy; Will that Mom get angry with the child and, in her scorn, tell the baby, “I told you to WALK! You fell down! I no longer love you because you don’t walk exactly as I do!” No! No mother who loves her child will do something that cruel.

God invites you to walk as His Son did. You take a few halting steps, yet you fall. Will God declare you unfit for His kingdom? Will he berate you for being a sinner, unworthy of His love? NO! God does not do that with His children. God loves us much more than any human could possibly love her child. God is Love, Joy, Peace, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Kind Hearted, Peaceable, Hope, and Redemption. To act any other way towards us, His children, would be out of His own character. God is teaching all His children to walk – toward Him.

WHEN WE FALL

You are not condemned by God.

Because we are seeking Him with all our heart; God will use this experience to take your understanding of Him to an even higher level. God is all about a relationship with you through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ONLY way you can have a relationship with God. And Jesus, having become all sin that ever existed from eternity to eternity, understands what it is like to fall. He stands before God DAILY advocating on your behalf.

In your fall, you will experience the love, grace and kindness of God, through Jesus. You will learn that there is a difference between devotion to a person, and devotion to some principles or to a cause. Jesus didn’t come here proclaiming a cause. Any cause that replaces Jesus in your life, even if you think you are serving Jesus in it, is idolatry. Jesus came here to proclaim that your relationship with God is healed and renewed and available. The door to the Kingdom is open when we go through Jesus.

We are called out to a relationship, not a religion. We are called out to be made into the likeness of Jesus, as He is in Heaven. When we fall, we will be lifted back up by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. You are his beloved child. He loves you so much that He sacrificed His OWN beloved child so you can live.

We will fall, but when we do, God will reveal Himself in our circumstances, and show us what we need to learn from it, so we will grow stronger in a loving relationship with Him.

WHEN THE LORD LIFTS US UP

Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. (Amplified, e-Sword)

God’s thoughts of you are exactly the same as He has for Jesus. You are His beloved. You are His prize. You are God’s very own child. You have inherited all that Jesus has because you have believed in Him.

God has woven plans for you from before the beginning of time, and nothing can stop Him from fulfilling it in you. God will lift you up, and set you on His path. You will know you are not condemned, and that you are greatly loved of God. Sometimes, the path God has planned for us gets tangled when we take matters in our own hands. Rest assured, this will not surprise God. You will never hear God say, “Man, I didn’t see THAT coming!” Your progress is in His timing. Your growth is His idea. You are the redeemed.

This is not a license to fall, either. The deeper your relationship with God grows, the less the things of the world will appeal to you. When you fall, and the Lord lifts you up, you will see a side of Him that offers you redemption in the area you fell. He will show you a higher level of life to live. He is all about upgrading us to a perfect relationship with Him.

Php 1:6 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. (Amplified e-Sword)

You are God’s own handiwork, and He never tires of bringing you, lovingly, into the image of Christ.

WHEN YOU ARE REDEEMED

Remember what you were redeemed from. Remember who the redeemer is. When you meet someone in need, do not think that you are free to ignore that person. Don’t delude yourself by saying that, “He must be going through this because God is trying to teach him something, and he probably deserves it.” We have no right to judge what a person is going through, and we do not actually know. Only God knows. God just may have put that person in your path to see what YOU will do with the situation. Will you cross the street in order to remain clean, or will you dip your hands deep into the situation to show that person the only Godliness he may ever see? God’s redemption from any fall, from every fall, comes with gifts of love, grace, mercy, healing, and joy. When we experience these things, we are free to give them away to anyone who we run across. We are given generous measures of Grace. Grace is not ours to hoard. We give freely because we have been given freely.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

When you fell, you weren’t abandoned by God. When the Lord showed up to heal your circumstances, He walked beside you and taught you what you need to understand, in order to overcome this situation. It is the Lord who will lift you up. This is the work of God. Left to our own devices, we would rather wallow in our failures and whine about them. As a child of the Living God, we do not have to fear being alone in our darkest hour. We can trust God that He will heal us and redeem us in our darkest times. The Lord will never abandon you or forsake you. No power in any part of the universe, or in heaven, or beneath, can tear you out of God’s hand. Be encouraged, my friend, when you have problems, or when you fall. After you pass through this dark place, you will walk out of it looking more like Christ. God will turn this darkness into daylight, and turn your curses into blessings, so that all men will see that God is good.

When we see others fall, we are to treat them in the exact same manner as God treats us when we fall.

Let’s be about it.

I love you in the love of Jesus Christ

David G. Perkins

Sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

Faith

POWERFUL GRACE

THE BURNING QUESTION

Have you ever prayed fervently for something, and got what you prayed for? I did, and it caused problems. The problem it caused is that I discovered I cannot serve two masters. I cannot have it my way, AND God’s way…not when my way does not harmonize with what it is God is trying to accomplish in my life. I discovered that what I had asked for was a compromise position on what it is that God wants to accomplish in the life of my family.

See, Sandy and I have been praying fervently that God grow us up, make real believers of us, and remake us to be the image of Christ.

I also asked God for something that I have been asking Him even before I came to know Him in a very real way, last August. Strangely enough, I got what I asked for. EXACTLY the way I asked for it.

At the time I did this, I didn’t know there was a big difference between what I want and what God wants for me.

It turns out that, God will place at your feet anything you ask, if you ask believing it will be done. The problem is that, you have to make sure that what you ask is what GOD wants to see happen in your life.

If what you get does not harmonize with the will of God for your life, then what you experience is going to end up being a painful experience. You will discover that you have to do things God’s way, your way, or someone else’s way.

Here is an example of what I am talking about. God called Abram of UR, out of UR to go to another land. Abram didn’t go right away. He was supposed to go when he was called. He was supposed to go alone, too. He waited, and then took his uncle, relatives and his half-sister, whom he married. He didn’t go to where God told him to go, either. Where he ended up quickly became a barren land and had a famine. God told Abram to go NORTH. Abram went SOUTH, to Egypt. THEN Abram lied to everyone and said the hot babe on his arm wasn’t his wife, but his sister. Eventually the truth would come out, and people would kick Abram out of the place, but offer him peace offerings for nearly committing adultery with his wife.

Foreigners had to tell Abram he was sinning against his own God. By this time, Abram is old, and has not seen the promise of a great multitude occupying the land. You know the rest of the story.

The point is, God called Abram, told him what needs to be done, and Abram did it his way. The Bible describes it this way: Pro 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. (e-SWORD).

Abraham did what he thought was the right thing to do based on his understanding of the circumstances. What he did, however, slowed down the progress that God had in mind. But, through it all, Abraham became a man of great faith, because he got to see what God can do INSPITE of Abraham’s interference.

Abraham got the promise, but it took a long time. None-the-less, God was directing Abraham’s steps out of the path Abraham chose, and led him back into the promise.

When we take matters in our own hands, we slow the promise of God down. Then we end up in a situation. If we are smart, we will stop and ask relevant questions of God.

“What are you trying to reveal to me, God?” “Where are you in this situation?” “What are you trying to show me now that I am listening, that you couldn’t show me because I was asking for my own way?” God could have, by his power, prevented what He allowed to happen by His wisdom. The reason is because God needs to reveal Himself in every aspect of your life.

TRUST IN THE LORD

When you can finally quiet your heart, you have to ask these questions, then be still and listen for His answers. He WILL answer. If you ask God to rescue you from the consequences of you having your own way, He may do that, too. However, He will see to it that the lesson is repeated until you finally catch on to what it is that God is trying to show you.

The Bible puts it this way: Pro 3:5 & 6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

I asked for what I wanted, and God let me have my way. I discovered that, having my way exposed several weaknesses in my character, and that I have a lot of growing up to do. God turned my selfishness into a blessing. Sandy and I pray constantly to be made like our Savior, Jesus Christ. If I ask for anything from God that contradicts His character, His will for us, or His vision of who we are in Heaven, then I have to be prepared to deal with the outcomes. Even then, God is not judging me. God has already fulfilled all his judgment in Christ Jesus.

God is going to use even my selfishness to teach me and upgrade me so that I can be better at understanding what it is that God wants us to do.

It is the way of the flesh to call someone out on their failings, and judge them and condemn them. It is God’s way to take your failings and call you up to a higher standard.

Through the power of God’s Grace, He will show you what it is you need to do. Through the power of His Grace, God will empower you to do that very thing.

THE OUTCOME

Sandy and I have not yet understood all the lessons we need to learn through our circumstances. But one thing we do know, He made a promise to us, and, one way or another, He will see to it that His promise in us is fulfilled in us.

We are called to serve God because of Jesus Christ. We feel the urgency of this call, and we have a burning fire in our hearts to obey. Now we wait quietly to see what God wants us to do next.

Your outcome is secure if you have genuinely given your life to God through Jesus Christ. God is calling all of Humanity to come home to a relationship with Him. We have had several millennia to see what life is like apart from God. Jesus Christ did for all of humanity what we are not able to do for ourselves. He became all sin, all failure, all disease, all things that formed a barrier between us and God, and, for our sakes He died of them. He became the judged. He was the sin eater. He went to hell on our behalf. And he rose again to prove he has the right to be called the Son of God.

Sandy and I want to be part of the team of messengers He will be sending out to reap the final harvest.

The outcome of even my failings is, I will grow to be just like Jesus Christ. This is God’s promise to you, too.

MY PRAYER FOR US ALL

Father God, I come to you in the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. I pray you give us all a vision of what needs doing, and the power of your Grace to get it done. Grow us all up to be just like Jesus Christ. Teach us to put aside all our vain imaginings, and selfish desire. Teach us daily how to be your Child. Make us into the image of Your Son, Jesus. Time is running out. The enemy is afoot, and we are too busy being religious and selfish to care what goes on around is, in front of us, and even because of us. Grant us mercy. Show us all your love and your will.

AMEN

Let’s Be About It!

I Love You

David G. Perkins

Sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Faith, Observations

Lessons Love Taught Me

The old man sat on the swing under the large sycamore tree. It was his little slice of heaven, his place to sit and watch, to see what else nature could teach him. Ancient and strong, the sycamore’s branches stretched far and wide, shading a very large portion of his back yard. Sunlight filtered green and golden through the giant leaves that sheltered all that sat in her shadow. Years ago, he had hung that porch swing on the low, horizontal branch, itself large enough to be a tree trunk for a smaller tree. Just like that old tree, my grandfather was ancient and strong.

Grandpa Perkins had been a woodsman most of his life. Felling timbers for International Paper in Sarepta, Louisiana, he had worked hard all his life. When he had grown too old to be a woodsman, International Paper had him spend the last years of his work life cleaning out the chimney stacks at the mill. That was just as hard, and even more dangerous. There were no real “Safety” regulations back then. Safety meant getting the hell out of the way before a block of ash fell on your head because you jarred it loose cleaning the stacks. He had grown up in a hard world, and learned the ways of the woodlands, and earned his keep off that woodland. Even as an old man, he looked to me to be strong enough to snap two by fours with his hands.

Momma told me to wait until after grandpa had his coffee before I pester him. So, I stood at the back door, looking out the screen, waiting for him to put his cup down, signaling he will be receiving an audience. Grandpa had an old border collie, named “Pup”. That old dog stood guard while Grandpa drank his coffee. When he heard the cup settle down next to the old swing, he would turn and wag his tail at Grandpa, and receive a good scratching between the ears for being a good dog. Pup growled low at most people who came up, but he treated me like I was his best friend.

Momma told me not to go out there and talk Grandpa’s ears off. So, I walked out there quiet as a church mouse, and, after giving Pup a good solid hug, I crawled slowly and quietly in to that old porch swing and just sat there, as silent as a tomb. Grandpa, Pup, and I would sit like that for the longest time. No one moved. There was no talking. The only sound we heard were the sound of cicadas or a slight breeze jostling the leaves on his prize “Cane Pole Garden”, and the chickens clucking in the yard. There was hardly any reason for us to chat. Grandpa was a man of few words, but even if he were a chatterbox, it seemed like it wasn’t necessary for us to have to talk. It felt as if all our talking happened through our hearts.

Eventually, Grandpa would turn his tired blue eyes on me, squeeze my knee, and nod. It was the benediction on a long and silent communion we alone had shared. It was time to do the chores.

His property was small for that part of Louisiana, but a poor woodsman could barely feed his family, let alone have a good stretch of land. What he had, he made the most of. He had a garden, he had chickens, and he had his famous cane poles, growing along the fence line. Grandpa grew the strongest and straightest Bamboo Cane Poles in North Louisiana. People came from far and wide just to try to get one. He had over a hundred poles growing at a time, but very few of them passed his standard of what makes a really good cane pole. What other men would accept as passable, Grandpa threw in the fire for kindling. Our first chore was to cover our mouth and noses with damp cloth and cut down some of the Bamboo Canes. Cane fibers would get in your lungs if you didn’t protect your breathing. Those fibers were like tiny spears that could penetrate your lungs. We had to cover up so we wouldn’t inhale them.

After that, he would choose which ones were worthy of being a Grandpa Perkins Fishing Pole, and have me strip all the tiny branches and buds off the pole. I had no idea I was working hard, all I knew was that me and my Grandpa were doing stuff together. I didn’t care, I was happy as a pig in slop just being around Grandpa. He taught me how to keep a really good cutting blade and a really good chopping blade. You don’t just go up to Bamboo poles and start hacking away at them. There is a way to cut them down. It is an art, and done right, means less hard work, and more poles to dry and season. I was too small to cut the big poles, so Grandpa had me clear the little bamboo from between the big ones. He said they would never grow to be a good pole, so they had to go. It was my job to make them go away. I felt like a real lumber jack cutting down those poles.

Grandpa was a woodsman, and being a lumberjack was mostly what he did. He taught me how to pick the right axe for the job, how to sharpen the axe, and keep it sharp. Out there, in rural Louisiana, there was no going to Home Depot to get a new axe or axe handle. I still have one of his axes. The one with the home made handle. That handle is better built than any I have used from a factory. Trust me; I have broken many axe handles, except that one. Grandpa taught me several lessons on that. If you want it right, do it yourself. Otherwise, you can’t say a word about it. Protect your tools, and they will feed you.

He showed me the different ways of cutting wood, and what type of strike did the most good for the type of tree you are felling and cutting up. He said that a man has to keep good care of his axes and saws because they took care of him. Besides, dull and badly kept blades made for twice as much work for half the pay. I had no idea what that meant at the time; I was just overjoyed to be around him, and him letting me inside his world.

Grandpa was known for being an outstanding fisherman. Louisiana is “Fisherman’s Paradise”, and Grandpa was famous for knowing all the hidey holes where all the good fish were. It was his secret, shared with no one else but me and my big sister, Carol. We would go out while it was still dark. I was little, so Grandpa already had the boat hooked up to his old Ford truck, and warmed up. He sat me in the passenger’s side and I fell back to sleep. The next thing I know, we are at Bodcau Bayou, near Minden, Louisiana. After swearing me to secrecy, we would launch our john-boat out to those hidey holes. Grandpa taught me how to hold a pole and how to “hear” the fish through the line. He showed me how to set bait, how to cut bait, and what to do when I catch a fish. Catching the fish was the fun part. Cleaning it was another. But Grandpa taught me that God gave us fish so we can catch them, eat and enjoy them, and be happy. Grandpa was very happy about fish.

I didn’t set out to learn how to make fishing poles, or cut timber, or catch fish, or sharpen axes and blades. All I wanted to do was hang out with Grandpa because I loved him so much. Learning how he does things was a byproduct of that relationship. He loved me very much, and gave me good things; simply because I thought he was more important than all the fish in Louisiana.

Seeking the kingdom of God…and all these things.

God brought all this to my remembrance yesterday. I cried happy tears at all those sweet memories. To this day, I still do those thing he did because I loved being with him, and he was a good and gentle teacher. That is the message God is trying to get through our sheepish skulls. Do you love God for all the stuff he will give you, or do you just love God, and want to be with Him? Sandy and I are facing some challenges in our life, right now, and we have been praying our hearts out over them. That is when the lessons my Grandfather taught came to my mind. I never asked Grandpa for anything, I just wanted to be near him and love him.

Am I to the point where that is why I want to be with God, or do I want to be with God because I want stuff from Him? Either way you go, God will be there with you. The difference is, if you hang out with Him simply because you love Him, all the rest of the things you seek will simply happen as a consequence of His love for you. In the meantime, He will help you grow up to be just like His beloved Son, Jesus. After all, it was Jesus who introduced you to God.

Love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength. Seek Him and His kingdom (Which happens to dwell in you already), and ALL these things will be added to you. You will be just like Jesus then. You might be the only Jesus people meet before they die.

Grandpa Perkins, with my Big Sister, 1952

Faith, Observations

Reckless Abandonment

These are the free gifts of God, through Jesus Christ.

I rode 12 miles on my bike today. I know, that doesn’t sound like much, especially considering just a decade ago, 30 to 50 miles was my norm. Today, though, 12 miles was perfect for me. One thing bike riding does for me is burn out the extra energy I seem to collect. I am a physical/tactile learner, but I can be easily distracted if I don’t take time to get physical. I hung up my Superman Cape about a decade ago, so bike riding, I feel is the perfect way for me to blow steam. While I am busy working my rotund body, my mind is able to float free, get creative, imagine, explore, think, and sing. (My mind sings loud, when it sings…it comes with its own orchestra, too!) So, while the singing and orchestra was playing gently in the background (I love to take the Old Hymns and arrange them for a Solo singer, with vocal back ground, accompanied by a Knabe Baby Grand Piano, and the London Philharmonic. I KNOW! That’s a lot to put on one bicycle!)

Where was I… OH, singing quietly in the background… riding my bike. OK, so there was my mind, singing, flying high, praising God. My mind started looking at how far I have come since I first set out to ride around Pearland. Baby steps. I reflected on how much has changed in a year, in a decade, in my life. In my younger days, I was an adrenalin junkie. Suddenly, I realized when it began.

THE WELLS FAMILY REUNIONS

(Please wait while the Orchestra changes to nostalgic background music)

When I was little, the Wells Family Reunions were my favorite part of summer. Going to them meant seeing all my cousins, Uncles, Aunts, and my Grandmother Wells (A woman of God if ever there was one.) I haven’t thought about them in decades. Flashes of memory came to me…swimming like a tadpole in the big pool at the Carthage, Texas park. Next to the swimming pool is a large pavilion that can seat a couple of hundred people. We had picnic tables lined up everywhere, and food everywhere. After “Uncle Lindsey” gave his traditional (ONE HOUR LONG) blessing on our gathering, we dove into the food in supreme Southern Baptist Style. Herschel H. Hobbs would have been proud of this “fellowship”. After victuals, the Wells family participated in their favorite sport – GOSSIP. They way this worked is, all the hens sat at one group of tables, and all the men went outside to smoke and tell their balderdash about their triumphs and failures. After a few minutes or so, you had to rotate through the crowds, so you can catch up on any gossip you may have missed, and “share” the gossip you just heard. After a few minutes of this, we kids would decide that there had to be better adventures for us outside. If we dawdled, our momma would swat us on the hiney and tell us to “git!”. And we got.

When I was little, my big brother was the daredevil. So were my cousins, Jackie, Gary and Jeff. I was the observer. I really wanted to participate in their fun, but I was “the Brat”. During one of these reunions, I watched my brother and cousins and sister swinging on the swing set. From my perspective, they were flying high in the air. After flying so high, they jumpped out of their swings. The goal was to see who can fly the farthest. I wanted to do that, too. I would wait my turn, but my brother would say, “Scram, Brat!!”. And he would take the swing out of my hands. That was OK, it’s how brothers are. Things got better when we got older. But back then, I was just a Brat.

My Uncle Dan was my all time favorite Uncle. I loved him with a fierce love. I thought he was the funniest, most interesting person in the world. He was a sailor in WWII, and boy did HE have some stories! He could also tap dance like a fiend. He was able to make me laugh so hard my belly would hurt.

Uncle Dan must have seen me trying to break into the line at the swings. He came out and gave the big kids some money to go get a coke (In the South, in Texas, EVERY carbonated drink on earth is a coke, OK?). When they left, he asked me, “Wanna Swing?” I nodded my head yes. He picked me up and put me in the swing. He pushed me hard and I went higher than I had ever gone before. I laughed and screamed at the thrill of flying so high. He shouted, “Wanna fly like them (My cousins)?” I laughed “YES!”, and boy, did he push me really high. It scared hell out of me. I dug my feet into the ground on the down swing and hopped off. He asked me if I was scared? I told him I had never been that high before and it scared me. He told me, “Well, if you really want to fly, you have to try, and I promise to be there if you fall, OK, sport?” I said, “OK!”, and shook his hand. In those days, in the South, when a man shook your hand over a promise you made, it means that he believes you will keep that promise, and it means you absolutely keep that promise. A hand shake meant more to a man back then than it does today.

I got on my swing and screwed up all the nerve I could muster. Uncle Dan told me that, when he was on a boat in “The War, in the Pacific”, the air planes were shot right off the deck of the ship with a giant sling shot full of steam. Then he said, “Pretend you are flying that airplane, and I am the sling shot.” “Ready…Set…GO!”, And he pushed really hard, and made the sound of steam blowing out. He pushed me harder than I have ever been pushed before. And I was FLYING!

The exhilaration was magnificent. I couldn’t get enough. Uncle Dan must have pushed me forever, but he never grew tired. Eventually, I grew quiet. He asked me if I am still having fun. Uncle Dan was always about having as much fun as a person could have. He stopped the swing, and came around front. He asked me what I wanted to do now. I told him I want to jump from the swing, too, like the big kids. He looked me in the eye and said, “Well, a boy has got to earn his paratroopers badge.” He told me how to time my swing and jump, and how to fly my arms while I am air born, and how to land with my knees partially bent, and how to roll when I land. We pretended a few jumps, after which, he said, “Boy, I think you are ready to earn your wings.”

I was excited and scared, all at the same time. He reminded me, “Now lookie here; If you fall, I will catch you. OK?!?” I nodded my head. He counted down and pushed and made the steam blowing noise, and I was flying again. He said, “When I say GO, you bail out, cause the Japs have shot your plane full of holes! (I had no idea who the Japs were, but I trusted Uncle Dan.) He pushed me harder and harder, each time. I had NEVER been this high EVER, and I was beyond scared. Uncle Dan shouted, “GO!, GO!, GO!” and…

I ejected from my plane, flack filling the air as the Zeros buzzed past, firing their 30mm machine guns at me.

Then the reality hit me. I wasn’t over the Pacific, I was flailing upside down in mid-air in Carthage, Texas. I closed my eyes, put my arms over my head, and hoped for the best. I felt sick to my stomach as I fell, knowing I was going to hit the ground really hard. I was really scared, now. I had not yet, at this point in my young life, broken any bones, and I was imagining what all my broken bones will look like to my Mom, who would surely spank me for being so careless.

Uncle Dan caught me.

UNCLE DAN CAUGHT ME!!!!!

I laughed really hard at the relief of not splattering on the hard Carthage playground soil, and at the joy of knowing Uncle Dan was as good as his handshake said he was. He tickled me hard, and we laughed. Then he said, “You ready to go again??” I yelled, “YES!!!”. He said, “OK, but this time, I believe you can land on your feet. Wanna try?” I was not afraid anymore. I knew that if Uncle Dan saw I was in danger, he would catch me, like he did last time. That was the first time I ever knew that it was OK to make a mistake. Uncle Dan was going to be there to catch me. I became fearless. I wanted to show Uncle Dan I was fearless, that I was a big boy, and was ready to jump out of any old airplane. And I did, over and OVER until I think Uncle Dan was exhausted.

He stopped the swing and said, “I think you earned your wings, young man! Lets go celebrate in the pool with a coke.” And we did. I learned that, sometimes, you just have to have a joyful sense of reckless abandon in order to Accomplish your goals.

BACK ON THE BIKE

(As Josh Groban steps up to the mike, the orchestra plays the opening to “You Lift Me Up”)

By this time, I had ridden eight miles. I was on the return leg from Hwy 288, and I needed to stop at the 3rd Pond from home, and rest. The sun didn’t feel THIS hot when I left the house. Things started to go black, so I got off the bike and sat down. When I came too, and I could see again, I grabbed my water bottle and drank it dry. As I sat, feeling the cool breeze blowing off the pond, I thought about that family reunion and my Uncle Dan. That must have been, I dunno, 50 years ago? I couldn’t remember. But I remembered how brave I felt because Uncle Dan helped me learn to jump out of the swing. I sat and thought about all the daring things I have done since those days. I learned from Uncle Dan that I can do it if I believe I can do it. I don’t have to be afraid.

That is when it hit me.

I am a very young Christian. I know that because of the exchange that took place on the cross, Jesus took away all my sin and failure, and anything that separates me from God , and became all those things, and died of them. Jesus promised me that, now that I am a Child of God, I have all His inheritance, and that as long as I seek God and His kingdom, that:

John 14:26 – New International Version

“…the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” – Jesus

and

Romans 8:15 – New Living Translation

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”” – Apostle Paul

I know now that, no power of hell, or fear of man can pluck me from my Father’s Hand. I now know, HE will be there to catch me when I fall. I can grow in all ways to be like Christ. This doesn’t mean I will never fall, but it DOES mean the Holy Spirit of God will be there when I do.

Romans 8:1 – English Standard Version

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Apostle Paul

God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit will not condemn you, call you a failure, or judge you when you fall. God has already poured all his wrath out on Jesus at the Cross. In God’s eyes, you are His innocent Child, covered by the blood of Christ, filled with the Faith of Christ (Galatians 2:20), and filled with the Holy Spirit of God. He will teach you how to fly, and how to land on your feet. He will grow you up in all ways to be like Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, and our Brother. God the Father is not like an earthly parent who will condemn and criticize you when you fail, but He will demonstrate His love toward you and raise you up to be just like Jesus, His only begotten Son.

We are heirs and adopted children of God, and nothing in Heaven, on Earth, or anywhere else, can take us away from Him. No religion on earth can do for you what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Your religion says there always be one more thing, one more level, one more way to tell you that you still have to prove your worthiness to the Living God. Religion will give you an opinion of God. Religion will give you the rules you must follow to please God. This is all any religion can do for you. God is our Father. When Jesus said, on the Cross, “It Is Finished”, all judgment on you stopped. All that is left is the Grace and Mercy and Love of God toward you. God loves you and accepts you right now, just as you are. You do not have to change one thing to come to God. All you have to do is believe:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. – John 3:16 – 17 – Words of Jesus, the Savior of Mankind.

There is no other message for mankind on this earth. This is THE truth.

I am free to trust God in all things. I am free from the judgment of Man. I am free from the wages of Sin and Death. I am all that God says I am. I am an Heir with Jesus. I am righteous because of Jesus. I live in abundance through the faith Jesus has placed in me. I plant my tiny seed of faith in the garden of Jesus’ faith, and grow a mighty tree. I do not have a theological opinion of God, I have a relationship with the Living God, my Father, through Jesus Christ. Jesus came here to destroy all barriers between you and God. He came to re-establish the relationship we lost in the Garden of Eden.

If you will accept him, You will be a new creation. (II Corinthians 5:17). You can trust with reckless abandonment that God is your Father, that you are His child, and the Holy Spirit will be there to catch you, and will teach you to be just like Jesus. IF you will accept this one and only truth.

Let’s be about it!

I Love you because God loved me.

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

Faith

Happy Father’s Day

I love you with all my heart.

1 Peter 1:3 ESV

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

I knew from childhood that you were there, but everyone told me to be afraid of you.

I was scared that you would “Get me for that”.

I wanted to please you so I became as religious as I could.

I never found you in my religion.

Then I met your Son.

He wasn’t mad at me.

He didn’t scold me.

He loved me.

I asked him why.

He smiled at me and said:

John 14:10 ESV

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

Then He breathed on me, and I believed.

Now I get it, God.

Just as you are Jesus’ Father, you are now my father, too.

In order to show us how much you love us, you had to send your own Son here:

To live among us.

To show us your likeness.

To die in our place for the fall.

And to rise again to show us that,

if we will simply understand,

if we will simply accept this free gift,

we are already saved, redeemed, and healed, and loved of God.

If we will simply understand that this is free, because you love us, and you did this for us.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

I do believe, now, Father.

I believe not because others tell me I must.

I believe because I met Him, for real.

What He is showing me about you takes my breath away.

You love all of us on Earth.

You are not mad at us.

Jesus paid the price for anything and everything that stands between us and you.

All we have to do is accept this gift, this free gift.

Where religion hid your love from me, Your Son revealed it.

What gift can I give to You, Father, that would show and demonstrate what an amazing love I have for YOU?

All I have is me.

That I willingly give to you.

I love you, my Father.

I love you.

Faith

Open your eyes and look at the fields

Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest. John 4:35

Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest. The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”

We will spend a lot of our lives asking “Who Am I?”. We will spend another significant amount of time asking ourselves “Why Am I?

from the blog: Singing With The Spirit

About 11 months ago, I was exposed to an answer to those questions.

My life has not been the same since. I have been many things in this life: A theatre lighting specialist, an actor, a musician, a model, a student Architect and drafts-man, an electrician, a programmer, a project manager, a seminary student, an evangelist. I have been many other things that do not bear discussion or revelation here. I was, through it all, at best, very religious, or at worst, very evil. Through none of it, did I have a clue who I am in Christ, or why that matters. My acknowledgement of Christ was cultural. I grew up in the Bible Belt, and being a Southern Baptist was what we did. What I learned that Seminary had more to do with promoting the “Baptist Faith and Message” than learning how to be a servant of the Lord. Even if I was taught anything about the relational aspects of Jesus, I was not in a place where that made sense. I was there because my religious ambitions out weighed my need to understand the work of the Cross. I tell you this to let you know, I am not writing as anything other than what happened to me 11 months ago. I am writing as a new believer, who has finally understood what the whole meaning and purpose of the Cross is, and have finally understood and accepted where I am in God’s eyes. I am writing because, I have literally been there and done that, and survived to tell you what a glorious and loving God we serve. I write to tell you who you are and can be in Jesus.

I am also writing to remind myself that, if my new life does not serve to lead the lost to the Lord, and help and uplift my fellow believers, then I am in serious need of an “Upgrade From God”

“And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remoulded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him (JESUS) Who created it.” – Apostle Paul – Ephesians 2:8 ESV

“I am just a Mom.”, “I am the Sales Manager”, “I am a bicycle mechanic”, “I am a gardener”.

Yes, you are these things. This is true. There are many things that are true about you. But I want to share with you THE TRUTH about who you are in Christ Jesus.

The first thing I am going to ask you to do is watch this video, it will be worth your time.

Wasn’t that good? Your truest identity is as a Child of the Living God, because of Jesus Christ. You are still a Mom, or a Sales Manager, or whatever it is you do, but now you are in Christ who is in you. Your identity is now Jesus’ identity. And it is the Holy Spirit’s job to grow you up to be Just like Jesus.

When Jesus Christ was placed on the Cross, He was placed there on our behalf. While He was on that Cross, He became ALL sin, ALL failure, ALL things that are wrong with the fallen world and not part of God, and BECAME those things. When he became all sin, past present and future, God then poured out ALL his anger, ALL His wrath, ALL Judgement onto Jesus. Jesus was separated from God for the first time in His life, which is why he shouted out:

Mark 15:34

English Standard Version (ESV)

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

When all the wrath of God was expended on Jesus, Jesus died. God’s judgement was satisfied. The price for the fall of mankind was satisfied. When Jesus said “It is finished”, he was telling you and me that all sin and debt to God is paid for, and that HE just paid it. This was the covenant God made with Jesus Christ. In return for this, we were given all that Jesus is; His inheritance, His favour before God, ALL that Jesus is, we inherited and share with Him, making us the perfect gift of God to become the Children of God. We are saved by GOD’S grace, and not that of our own flesh, but by Jesus faith in the covenant of God.

When you accepted this as true, in your heart, in your very soul, you were crucified with Christ (See Galatians 2:20). And the life you now live in the flesh is by the faith OF the Son of God, who lives in you. It is Christ’s faith that is at work in you. Your tiny faith, your mustard seed faith, has to be planted in the rich soil of Jesus’ faith that dwells in you.

Christ proved he has authority over life and death when he raised himself from the dead. Before that, He marched into hell, took the keys from Satan, and preached Salvation to the captives in hell, and set them all free from the wages of sin and death. When you confess with your mouth, speaking it out-loud, as your true confession, you are risen with him.

You are no longer dead. You are now that New Creation that rose in the newness and likeness of Christ Himself. (See II Corinthians 5:17).

It is time to put down all the old clothes and baggage that belonged to your old self. That stuff belongs to Jesus, now. He died for it, and it no longer is your property.

We are called to put on the new creation that we are. How do we do this? Simple, WE CAN’T!

It is the Spirit of God, who is sent to fill you that does this. You just have to drop all that old stuff and let the Spirit teach you what it means to be like Jesus. As you see the difference between your old self and the new self, you will grow to despise, at first, your old self. The more you become like Jesus, you will learn to forgive your old self, just as the Father has forgiven you all your sin. And the more you become like Jesus, you will eventually forget who you were before Jesus. When that happens, the Holy Spirit will grow you to be exactly like Jesus Christ. Our identity in Christ is supposed to become so strong that, eventually, and this is our mission, when people look at you, all they will see is Jesus at work in you.

You are unique, and different from everyone on earth. We are all unique, just like everyone else! (Insert laugh here.) God made you as you are so that you will be able to prove God did not want a bunch of robots serving Him. The Jesus that will shine out of you will be displayed through all the things that make you unique. Are you a Mom? Then you are a Mom in the image of Jesus. Are you a Sales Manager? Then you are a Sales Manager who is in the image of Jesus. This way, the millions and millions of unique Christians around the world will all have one thing in common. We are all in the Likeness (Character) of Christ, Himself. THIS is why we are still on the earth after we are saved. We have something important to do in our little corner of Earth.

As this happens, you can share with other people who are struggling with the same stuff your old self struggled with, and show them how to be set free of all that baggage. The Love and Grace and Mercy of God keeps growing in you, and the more this happens, the more like Jesus you will become, until there comes a time where your presence in a crowd will make a difference in someone’s life.

We were not made into the Children of God just to start a religion, or to form an exclusive club. Our churches, however, come across that way to the lost, and to the saved who do not know just how free they are. They are already free if they will accept it. They are already forgiven if they will just accept what Christ did for them on the cross. They are going to be made in to the image of Christ, just as you are, if they can be taught how to rest in the finished work of the cross. THAT is why we fellowship, that is why we support each other in prayer and with our material possessions, and THAT is WHY you were not raptured the second you became a Child of God.

LOOK UP! Crawl out of your comfort zone. Forget political correctness. Stop trying to be a people pleaser. Stop trying to be the most important thing in your heart. (Matthew 22:36-40 NIV)

The more like Jesus the Holy Spirit makes you, the more you will want others to know about this amazing, powerful and free gift. We have to look up from our little world to see the larger world around us.

This is the lesson I am learning today. I have to allow the Spirit of God to cause me to love others as much as Jesus loved me. I have to learn to care about others just as God cares about me. I have to be willing to step out of my comfort zone and be brave enough to declare to anyone that Jesus Christ is Lord of Life and Death, and that you are forgiven, and that you are free from the wages of sin and death, if you will accept it. I am called to serve Christ.

We don’t need to tell sinners that they are sinners. They already know this because they are never satisfied with who they are or with what they have. And they covet what others have. The lost may not have any idea that sin exists, but they know intuitively that something is just not right.

We do not win them to Jesus by pointing out that they are sinful. We lead them to Jesus by living and sharing the very same Grace that Jesus shared with us. We give them the Love of God, that lives in us. We meet them where they are, not where our religion says they have to be. When they see Jesus they will automatically understand they are sinners. Then the rest is up to them. They will either want to know how to change, or they will reject your message. All you have to do is tell them, unflinchingly, THE TRUTH..

We are citizens of a Kingdom that is not of this world. In a very short time, we will all be going there, one way or another. Who do you know that you would love to see there with you? And what about the people who hate you? Love them. Hate cannot exist long in the presence of Love. Hate always loses.

Jesus said that “If I be high and lifted up, I will draw all nations to me”. Jesus lives in you.

So here’s the big question I have been asking myself for a couple of weeks. Who am I in Heaven? Why am I still here? What does God want me to do? And how will I support my family while I am doing it?

The answer is very simple to hear, but may be difficult to labour into the rest of. Seek first the Kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness, then all these things will be added unto you. ALL things includes ALL things. The good news is, if you are a Christian, the righteousness of Christ is already in you. If it doesn’t shine and flow out of you as living waters, then the Holy Spirit has work to do to unblock the channels that will flow. Submit to that urge you feel, and follow Christ. You will be amazed how beautiful and marvelous the world is when you look at all the fields you get to help harvest.

Lets Be About It!

I love you,

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Faith, Observations

The Truth WILL Set You Free! – Introduction

Leave This at the Feet of God, He cares FOR you!

Here is a lesson I have had to repeat, recently.

My prayer is that, this time, I actually learn it and walk in it.

My hope is that, in sharing this with you, you will be helped in your walk.

The goal is not to shine a light on me, but to reveal the love of God in you.

A Lesson on Personal Behavior.

All our outcomes in this life are the result of our behavior. People always reveal themselves in the way they react to your behavior. Depending on how others react to your behavior, you have the opportunity to remain humble, the opportunity to forgive, or the opportunity to learn from it. How others react to you reveals who they are, more than anything, and is, for the most part, none of your business.

How you behave is every bit of your business.

All behavior is an expression of your beliefs.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” – Luke 6:45, NIV, and “ For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7 KJV
If you have noticed that your outcomes are not, say, exactly pleasing to, you, your family, the Lord, or anyone else, for that matter, it might be time to go to what it is you believe. If you want to change your outcomes, change what you believe is true about you.

Stupid is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

STOP BEING STUPID!

I can say this because, I am learning this lesson as we speak.

I am learning that, if what I believe about myself contradicts what the Bible says about me, as a Child of God, then I am either a hypocrite, or ignorant, or just plain stupid.

The good news is, ignorance can be fixed. The bad news is, stupid is forever.

Start Here: You are the redeemed of Christ, so stop being stupid, and learn from this event.

We can start learning by asking ourselves the following questions:

1. What do you believe about you as a person?

2. What do you believe you are worthy or unworthy to experience?

3. What do you believe about love and happiness in your life?

4. What do you believe about your success and prosperity?

5. This is the crucial question: How do you believe God sees you, right now?

When you honestly answer these questions, you will see that your life is a physical manifestation of what you believe is true about you.

This series will show you what I have recently learned about these questions, and how I have learned to see through a new lens.

There is a reason Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32 NIV

Walk with me and let me share with you what I have learned about the difference between knowing a truth, and understanding THE truth.

I love you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior and Big Brother.

Let’s Be About it!
David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Faith, Observations

Thou Art The Potter

“Things don’t go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.” – Samuel Johnson quotes (English Poet, Critic and Writer. 1709-1784)

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’

In my “less than Christian” days, one of my part-time jobs was as an artist’s model. One of my contracts was to pose as the statue of David for a sculpting class. Dividing the Sculpture studio from the Pottery studio was a set of double doors. I noticed that, although there weren’t any students in there, there was music playing and a few lights on.

In between Sculpting sessions, I took a 30 minute break, and went into the Pottery room and saw one of the Art Professors working with some clay. Ken, the Master Potter, was building the most beautiful object I have seen in that studio. There were several of them, in various stages of progress. I saw one that had been out of the kiln for about a day, and in cooling off, had developed a sizable crack.

I asked Ken what he will do with that piece. He pointed to a grinder, and said, that grinder will pulverize the pottery back down to a fine powder. I can re-use that powder to make something else. Then he pointed to a very beautiful vase he had made, and said that is how he made that vase. It was exquisite. He had shaped that pulverized powder to a very thin layer, and had made something more beautiful than it was before. When I thumped the edge of the vase with my fingernail, it actually gave a sweet ring, as if it were crystal instead of reformed clay.

I know that had I made the same effort, the globular mass that would have been produced would not ring like fine china. The difference is what the hands of a master can produce.

That clay did not mean to crack. And the potter could have thrown the cracked clay away and dismissed it as flawed. But it was like Ken explained, he was invested in that clay. Part of himself went into making the original shape. His love for beauty and patience with the creative process made it nearly impossible for him to dismiss any broken piece as being useless.

God treats us like this, too. Sometimes we crack. When we take our eyes off what matters, we mess up. When we take matters into our own hands, we forget why God sent us in the first place. The beauty of God is that He is ever forgiving, ever-loving, and will never allow anything to take you out of His hands. That is a promise.

Another promise is, as long as we keep our eyes on Him, and follow Him, and listen to Him, HE will direct our paths. The Grace of God comes in when we take our eyes off Him. We crack under the pressure of doing things our way. In His mercy, He keeps us close to His heart. He sees your flaw as an opportunity to continue to work with you. He will refine us over and over again and again until we resemble His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

The Father disciplines the one that He loves.

When you crack, and break, have no fear of the wrath of God. God has already expended His wrath on Jesus, while Jesus was on the cross. Jesus became all our sins, all our disease, all our failings, all our disappointment, all that can possibly go wrong. When He did that, He gave all that He was before God to us. We received the right to be called the children of God. We belong to Him. We do not have to fear God’s wrath because we messed up.

God doesn’t ever set you up for failure. All His gifts are good. If you have been sent by God, but you mess up what He told you to do, rest in Him, and be assured that, whatever it is that He will make of your curses, will, in the end, be a blessing. Not just for you, but for anyone that sees what God did with you. This is so that all souls can be drawn to Him.

Let’s be about it!

I love you in the Name of Jesus.

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Faith

Romans 8:28

Jesus, the Healer of Our Souls

He was flat on his back, groaning. It wasn’t the pain that brought him back to consciousness. It was the choking dust. The pain came a few seconds later. The fear of never breathing again was overwhelming. This was the second time he had been thrown off a cliff. The wind had been knocked out of him, but, as he began to draw in that first, blessed, breath of air, the dust floating around him from the impact of his fall was choking him. The pain came when he tried to roll over and stand up. It felt like every bone in his body had been broken. He gasped for breath while he ran his hands over his body to check if his bones were not broken. Nothing broken, but it sure felt that way. It was a good drop from the edge of the cliff. It was a miracle he wasn’t broken to pieces and killed.

When his ears stopped ringing, he heard shouting from a distance above him. He staggered around in a circle until he could focus his eyes and look up. Steadying his stance, he looked up and saw the people who had thrown him off the cliff. They were shaking their fists at him, screaming curses at him, wishing death on him, and telling him he should never come back.

Less than a year ago, this had happened to him at another place. He was dismayed that it had happened again. Greater than the physical pain was the hurt that he had been rejected again.

He could just make out the towering spire of the temple, behind the screaming crowd. Leading that crowd was the Chief Priests of that community. They had contacted him and asked him to come. They had heard about him, and thought that he could bring about the changes needed in their community. Others had tried and failed, including the Chief Priests. One of the High Priests even told him that the Creator had given him a vision of how he was the person to lead that community into the future.

HE had accomplished much of what he knew the Creator had sent him to accomplish. The people had caught the vision he laid out. The changes came, not because of him, but because he shared the vision with the people. All He had to do was deliver the message the Creator had told him to deliver, and to do specific things the creator had told him to do. As long as he did this, things went very well.

There were a certain group of people he had to work the hardest with and for. They fought him every inch of the way. Still, change happened, and things slowly improved. One of the people in this particular group had the ability to hide his falsehoods in a web of half-truths, and cause people to believe his words. This was a slowly dripping poison that had the potential to destroy all he had accomplished. Still, he pressed on.

There was a monument in the center of the village that enumerated all the creeds of their forefathers. It was the forefathers that had founded this town, and the creeds that had held it together through good and bad times. These creeds stirred his heart every time he read them. He knew he was new to the walk, but he was determined to embody these creeds, and lead by example, just as the forefathers had done. He could tell that very few people in the village took the creeds seriously, and acted on them only when the High Priest happened to be looking. This frustrated him a great deal that such duplicity could live in the hearts of the villagers. Did they not understand that it was by the Godly leadership of the forefathers that this village even existed. Yet, here they were, willing to use them as a superficial tool. They spoke bravely of these creeds, but were too afraid to walk in them.

Eventually, he grew weary of the Chief Priests and the people swearing their dying loyalty to the creeds that they boasted of, and he grew weary of fighting the prophet of falsehoods. Instead of responding in the manner that the Creator had told him to do, he took matters in his own hands. He grew angry and impatient with the utter hypocrisy that seems to surround all religious people. He betrayed the trust of those who had asked him to come there. All his good efforts were undone in that single moment. It seemed that, once again, the Enemy of our souls had won another round.

He faced his accusers, and was charged, and was thrown over the cliff, and told never to return. All the work he had accomplished was in jeopardy of being destroyed because of him.

His heart was broken. He wept. He didn’t feel self-pity, just a deep disappointment. God had sent him here, and had worked a few miracles to bring him here. He had not done as the Father had told him to do.

As he wondered why God had arranged him to be here, the crowd suddenly grew silent. They covered their mouths and pointed at something behind him. The cliff formed a U-shaped wall around a valley. He was standing in the very back of the cliff walls, where he had been thrown off.

He turned around to see what all the silence was about.

Standing about 50 feet in front of him, in a semi-circle, blocking his escape, were the most hideous beings he had ever seen. These wraith leered at him and slathered their delight at his downfall. He heard the High Priest shouting to the people to turn away and go home. That he was getting the punishment he deserved, and they need to run away if they don’t want th wraith to chase them. Such was the beliefs of the village.

He recognized who these wraith were. He dared not speak their names, or listen to their taunting curses and laughter. But he knew them well. Their names were Fear, Doubt, Curses, Blame, Anger, Despair, and Destruction. He knew them very well, as they used to be the only friends he ever had before Jesus, the Son of God, had touched him, and healed his heart, about 8 months ago.

He knew that if he listened to them, he would consider their accusations and succumb to the temptations they offered. Their presence was strong, and their words very enticing. He shook with the effort of trying to ignore them. As they inched closer, he began to panic. He wondered if this was why God had sent him here. To be destroyed by his own demons, that he thought he had been delivered of.

He remembered what Jesus had told him at his healing: “God is not judging you. While life has natural consequences, you are forgiven, because I bore all your sin and disease and failings on the Cross, and have given you all that I am and have in exchange for your sin. Never let doubt and fear distract you. There is nothing in all of Heaven or in Earth that can ever separate you from His love, ever again. You are his child, now. Call on Me when you are in need, and I will answer.”

Despite his misgivings, in spite of his fear and doubt, he raised his hands and said:

“My Father, I come before you in the name of Jesus. I thank you that I am acceptable to you, because I am in Christ, and He is in me. I come before you with all confidence and boldness because of the sacrifice of Jesus. (Eph. 1:6, Heb. 4:16)”

“You are my Father, and I am your Child.”

“I thank you that nothing can ever take me out of your hand again.”

“Because of the Lord Jesus I am adopted into the Family of God.”, “Because I am in Jesus, I am an heir to the everlasting Kingdom, that, because of His sacrifice, he exchanged all He has and Is for all my sin; He had given me all He has.”

“God, my Father, I am seeking, first, YOUR Kingdom and Your righteousness, and you meet ALL my needs” (Matt.6:33)

“Because You are my Father, you reveal your perfect will for my life.” (Matt. 11:25)
“Because I love and trust You, I seek to do Your will.” (Matt. 12:50)
“Because You are my Father, I love Jesus, who You sent to be my Savior.” (John 8:82)
“Because I am in the Lord Jesus, and He is in You, I am in you, too. I will always abide in your presence.” (John 10:10, 17:21)
“Father God, I abide in Your glory, which was given to Jesus, who, because I am now in Him, He has given to me. You crown me with dignity and worth. I am the redeemed of Christ. I am all You say I am. Father, I glorify You in the Earth.” (John 17:22)

As he was saying these things, joy flooded his broken heart. He felt the presence of the Spirit of GOd arrive and fill his every fiber. He danced and sang praises to God, because of Jesus Christ.

While he was praising, a presence appeared right in front of him. He stopped moving. He didn’t make a sound. He just stood staring in awe at who was standing right there in front of him.

Jesus stood looking him in the eye.

The prophet fainted.

Jesus said, “Please, get up.” And he held out His hand to pick up this soiled little prophet.

Jesus dusted him off, and smiled at him, and gave him water from the jug He had been carrying.

The prophet was utterly speechless. Jesus grinned and gave him a friendly smack on the shoulder, and said, “Well, for once, you are speechless!”. Then Jesus laughed at his own joke. This made the prophet relax, and eventually, he was laughing along with Jesus.

Christ walked the prophet over to an outcropping of rock, under a shade tree. He asked the prophet, “Where are your little wraith?”, That is when the prophet looked around, as if he was finally taking in his surroundings. “Gone, Lord. GONE!!”, said the prophet. And he grinned. Jesus chuckled and said, “Of course, nothing can stand in the praise of the Father, and no attack from them can befall one who has faith in the promises.”

The prophet said, “But Lord, I know you sent me to that village. I have ample evidence it was you that sent me there. But I have been kicked out. I have failed you again, and now I don’t know why I am here. I just know you sent me.”

“So, what will you do now?”, asked Jesus.

“I don’t know, just wait for you to tell me what to do, I guess.”, said the prophet.

Jesus said, “You guessed right. Wait for my instructions. I have sent you to be where you are. Never doubt that.”

“But I really blew it, Lord!”, pled the Prophet, “How can I possibly carry on after such a colossal failure?” “What will I do?” “My behavior turned my confession in to a lie!”

Jesus answered, “Friend, you will learn from me, and of me. You will be made in to my image. One way or another, when this is done, you will resemble Me.”, “For now, know you are loved of the Father, and by Me.”, “I promised I will send the Spirit of God to you, and I have. Listen to the leading of the Spirit. Get used to hearing and obeying when the Spirit speaks. Stay your ground, and do not look to the left or right. Have faith.”

The prophet asked, “What about the Village?”

“You have no idea,” replied Jesus, “what your influence has done there. Let me worry about the Village, and let the Village decide how it will believe. I will turn your curses into blessings, and I will see that the seed you planted, where it was planted, will be watered and will grow at the hands of another. What you may see as a failure, I will turn into a blessing in the end. You just have to decide what you believe is true about me.”

The prophet knelt before Jesus and said, “My Lord, Jesus, I thank you for dying on the cross for me. You paid for my sins. You made it possible for me to come before the Father. You carried the punishment for my sin, so I would not have to carry it. You rose from the dead, so I could have a new life. You shed your blood for me and removed all my sins. Jesus, I worship you and call you my Lord. (I Cor. 15:3-4, Gal. 3:13. 2 Cor. 5:17, Heb. 10:19, Rom. 5:9)

“I thank you, Jesus, for bringing me in to the family of God. You are my Elder Brother, and God is my Father, and I worship you this day. You have made me to be an heir of Your Kingdom.” (Heb. 2:11-13, Rom. 8:17, Col, 1:12, Rev. 5:10)

Then the prophet stood kissed Jesus on both cheeks.

Jesus stood up and said, “My little brother, rest assured this is not the end of your walk with me. Remember when I told you that things would get really dark?”

“Yes, I do, Lord.” said the Prophet.

“What did I say to you when I told you this was coming?”, asked Jesus.

“You told me that, no matter what happened, I am to cling to you, and have faith that you will turn this darkness into bright daylight, and this curse into a blessing. That, in the end, I will serve you successfully.” The prophet answered.

“Then do not fear. Know I am with you. It is like your elder brother, Paul said, ‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purposes.’ (Rom. 8:28). So know this, my brother, I have called you. I have prepared a way for you. Even when you fail, I love you and forgive, before you even ask. I will turn all your curses into blessings. Just stand your ground and keep believing.”

Then Jesus vanished.

The prophet stood there mouth gaping. He didn’t know what to do first, laugh, or cry. He was too blown away to begin walking again, so he sat on the rocks he and Jesus had sat on earlier. While he was thinking of all that had happened, he had a feeling that someone else was watching him. He looked up the cliff to see who it could be. Sure enough, there was a lone figure leaning against the rail at the edge of the cliff.

It was the High Priest.

Faith, Observations

“You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.”

― Albert Einstein

Adversity Happens.

What you do with adversity will greatly affect how your life will turn out.

Adversity can be brought on by ignorance, evil, selfishness, bad judgement, or simply by circumstance. If the same adversity happens repeatedly in your life, the chances are great that you are the cause of your pain.

Psalm 119:67 ESV

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Chances are that the problems that plague you are because you keep repeating the same old habits, hoping for a different result. It may be that you are repeating them without even understanding that that is what you are doing. However it happened, here is hope:

You recognize that you are afflicted.

You know that you brought this on yourself.

You understand that something must change in order to get out of this destructive cycle. One of the earliest mistakes I make when I really reap what I sow is, over analyzing the past. The more you study your past, the more you will defeat yourself on the memories of all your failures. Look at your past if you can learn from it. But you have to come to terms with the fact that:

“You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” – Einstein.

There is an old saying that goes something like this: “If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you have always got.” (Apologies to my English teacher.)

So, you may be asking yourself, “How do I change this mess?”

Here you go:

1. Let go of your past. You are a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17). The OLD you is DEAD. Let go of your old evil self. That person is dead. He or She dies the second you confessed with your mouth that Jesus Christ died of your sin and rose from the dead.. You cannot solve your problems by doing the same thing over and over again.

2. Do away with your old patterns of thinking. Change what you believe about yourself, and understand how God views you now that you are in Christ, and you have HIS MIND. (Bible Verses About Our Identity in Christ: God’s View of Us)

3. Take Responsibility for your every thought. God did not invent a bunch of brain dead, mind washed robots. He gave you the ability to think for yourself. But choose your thoughts wisely. Whatever you believe is true about yourself WILL be the life you create for yourself. We gained this autonomy from God Himself, BEFORE THE FALL, and His Gifts are without repentance. It IS written, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he… Proverbs 23:7 KJV

4. Watch your mouth. This follows from #3 – The things you say are born in your heart. “A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. “ – Jesus – Luke 6:45 HCSB The best way to learn to do this is by thinking about what is good, right and pleasing to the Lord. It is written: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8 NASB

5. Speak new truths about yourself. Your mind is your greatest enemy or your best asset. Speak what you believe. Speak it. When you do, you will discover if you believe it or not. If you don’t believe it, stop lying. Gain an understanding about how God sees you, and understand that He has not destined you for failure,. but success . When you speak it, feel it all the way into your bones, deep in your heart, see it in your mind’s eye. Know that it is true. Changing the pattern of what you believe about life, the world, others and yourself will dramatically change your life. We have the power of life and death in our tongues. Just be aware that the life you bless or curse is you own. You will affect the rest of the world according to what you believe is true about yourself. HERE is what the Bible says about SUCCESS.

When you change your view of yourself, by learning and believing what God says about you (Bible Verses About Our Identity in Christ: God’s View of Us), you will develop the mind of Christ, and THEN IF you do these things, you will know success.

Taking these steps takes discipline, and does not necessarily happen overnight. A great many successful people have built their successes on their heaping pile of failures.

God made you for a purpose. If you want to find that real, authentic you, that he purposefully created for this time, this life, this moment in history, step away from your old self, and see how God views you.

Then act on it.

“Let’s Be About It!”

I love you.

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Change Your Life

Faith, Observations

Test of Authenticity

Luke 6:46 ESV : “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

I am doing a research, right now, where I compare the writings of two different Christian Leaders. One of these leaders manages to take everything he discusses back to the finished work of the cross. The other one, a more influential person, acknowledges the work on the Cross, but manages to take his work back to Adlerian Psychology, Mixed with Ericksons Stages of Development. I recognize other influences, in there, too, but, whether he calls his modality these things, or not, this is what he is doing.

One leader takes the hurt soul and shows us where we are complete in the finished work of Christ, and are given a host of gifts. This leader tells us our identity no longer lay in the things of this earth, but, as a new creation, we are now completely loved, accepted, and are being made in the likeness of Christ our savior. The rest of his works describe the scriptural basis of Christian Authenticity.

The other leader, despite the finished work of Christ, wants to take us through our developmental stages of life, point out where we were “wounded” and how that affects our lives, and uses several psychological gimmicks to justify and solidify this teaching. Then he peppers it with scripture in an effort to undergird his writing.

This inauthentic approach never releases you from sin, never gives you a chance to labor into the rest of the finished work of Christ, and never releases you from a past that Christ clearly died for.

At Cates Control Solutions, we have a saying about Responsibility: We accept the responsibilities of our position and know we are accountable to meet our obligations.

So, what is my responsibility to what I am reading. Simple, when I read any leader of the “Christian Faith”, the test of authenticity I have learned to recognize is this: It either takes you to the finished work of the Cross, and how that makes you a new creation, or it doesn’t. When Christ died of our sin, he didn’t die for just a few things. He died of everything, so you will receive everything that is His. You do not have to regress and confront anything in your past. Your past is dead. When Christ rose from the dead, Your NEW SELF rose with him. OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY. I also know from experience, any “woundedness” I carry is because I have not rested in the finished work of the cross. I do not have to identify myself with anything but Jesus, and seek the Kingdom of God. There is nothing I need to go back and fix. I labor to rest in the finished and authentic work of Christ. I have received all gifts and benefits of the Child of God.

Tonight we observe that Christ died on the cross. He fulfilled His responsibility, and set you free from all encumbrances. My responsibility as a new creation, is to make sure I do not get mired down in any doctrine of man that attempts to denigrate the finished work of the cross.

After all, When Jesus said it was finished…He meant it.

I love you in Jesus Name…

…It’s Friday, but SUNDAY IS COMING! Halleluiah!

David G. Perkins

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Faith, Observations

The Looking Glass

In my dreams. Photo by E. Tom Hussey

JAMES 1:23-24 – For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

We interrupt this series on values to bring you this message.

I Corinthians 15:49 – Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

A few days ago, I was talking to a friend about how our perception of ourselves affects what we believe is true about ourselves. For example, I have this self-image of me from when I was in peak athletic condition.

In my minds mirror, I see me as still being fit, muscular, coordinated, strong, with real strength, not bottled strength. In my minds mirror, I still have long, curly blackish/brown hair, full of waves and curls. In my mind’s eye, I am still wearing 32 inch waist pants.

What the mirror in my mind tells me.

The mind can be a tricky thing, and can lead me to many false assumptions based on what I think is true. Often, my warped ego guides me to many fallacies and false assumptions.

The other day, I did something I honestly RARELY ever do. I looked at myself in the mirror. My first impression was, “Hey! That’s my Dad! I thought I buried HIM in 2005!” But when I moved, so did the man in the mirror. Then it dawned on my conscious mind, and my ego mind, that is not my dad, but ME!!

It was then I realized why I don’t look in mirrors. I am not that guy my ego told me I am. I am the very image of my Dad.

IN THE BEGINNING

When God created us, we were made in the image of God, meaning we looked like he looks. We were also made in the likeness of God, meaning we used to act as He acted because we saw what he did.

AFTER THE FALL

After the fall, we lost touch with God, and lost what was His likeness. We were not able to return to our glorified state. No work we could expend any effort on would make us righteous in God’s eyes, even though we became self-righteous in our own eyes. The ego can really fool a person.

THEN CAME JESUS

Yes, Jesus is the Son of God. God said so rather loudly at Jesus’ baptism. But it was the Son of Man that faced temptation. It was the Son of Man that asked God to take away the cup. It was the Son of Man that faced God’s wrath. It was the Son of Man that rose from the dead to prove he is the Son of God, too.

The Image of Christ

We are asked to be like Christ, but we, on our own are not capable. The best we can do is try, but we eventually fail. But the scripture says we need to become like Christ. Peter was the first person to prove that, if you don’t keep your eyes on Christ, you will fail in your effort to be just like Jesus. The labor into the rest of Christ likeness was that all Peter had to do was keep his eyes, and faith, on Jesus, and he would have walked on the water, by faith, as he was already doing.

In the Garden of Eden, the wind and waves Adam and Eve faced was the lie that doing something else will make you just like God. They then doubted they were already like God. They took their eyes off the facts, and the truth, and considered a lie, and a false premise based on circumstances. Forbidden Fruit.

THE EXCHANGE

If you will consider this, instead, and accept it as fact, instead of believing what you think you apparently see, you will learn that you are already like Christ, if you have accepted His death and resurrection. When Jesus became all your sin, you received, in exchange, all that Jesus is.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

II Corinthians 3:18

It is all a matter of what we focus on.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

Just like Jesus died of our sins, voluntarily, we are able to die to ourselves, voluntarily, as we labor into the rest of accepting that, all that Jesus was, we inherited when He arose from the dead. When we keep our understanding on this truth, when we comprehend this exchange, and when we accept it in faith, no matter what we think we look like, you will look to God, like His Son, Jesus, and you will eventually appear to others to have the likeness of Christ, too.

After all, that is why you weren’t raptured the second you believed. You are the only Jesus people will see. When they see Jesus in you, they will want to know what happened to make you this way.

We are transformed in to the image of Christ

Let’s Be About It!

I love you in the Name of Jesus

David G. Perkins

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Faith, Observations

What Were You Looking For?

Philippians 4:8-9 ESV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!

When I was a teenager, my Dad decided it was time for me to learn how to fly one of his several airplanes. Considering my driving history, I thought he surely had a screw loose, somewhere. By time I was 16, I had already totaled a few cars. Still, I do love to fly, and had always wanted to fly right seat with my Dad on his adventures.

Our airport was the municipal airport in Plainview, Texas. At over 3300 feet, altitude, the airport has a whole lot of sky to fling your airplane into. Dad made sure the wind was relatively calm before he would let me take off. The high plains are very windy much of the time. There is a saying in Lubbock, Texas (45 miles south of Plainview), that if the wind ever stopped blowing, everyone would fall down. Wind is a fact of life, there, and you adjust your walking by leaning into the wind.

Taking off into the wind made flying that much more fun, as I had to generate less lift with the engine. Flying in the wind, however is a challenge. This is where the word attitude comes in. In flight, your attitude is the approach you have to take to flying in the wind, ESPECIALLY when you are landing an airplane. Landing an airplane on a calm day was challenging enough for me, but landing in high wind was a contest between me and the wind to see who will master my aircraft. This is when attitude becomes everything.

When nature threw strong wind at me, I had to turn the airplane into the wind on approach to the landing strip. This is called “Crabbing”. I am approaching a runway almost sideways, and at the last-minute, I correct my attitude so I can land moving in the right direction. Another factor in landing attitude is that I could approach the runway only in a narrowly defined angle. This is called the “Glide Path” . As you approach the runway, you will see a group of lights. If my glide path is too low, I will see three or more yellow lights. If my glide path is too high, I will see red lights, if my glide path is correct for the landing approach, I will see green lights.

Maintaining the right attitude for landing is everything, too. I am already crabbing in to the runway because of a wind situation, and I also must keep my approach angle right. If I am yellow on approach, I will not land on the runway. If I am red, I will land too far in on the runway to keep from overshooting. I must crab in on a green light.

While I am worried about those two aspects of attitude, I also have to make sure my wings are as level as I can keep them on approach, and that my nose is not too high, or too low. So, there are possibly 4 parts of attitude I must pay attention to when I am landing. Overdoing or under-doing any part can mean a bad landing. Bad landings can complicate your life in ways you don’t need. It was all about attitude.

“WELL, THE METAPHOR IS OBVIOUS, ISN’T IT?”

I hope so.

At CATES (Where I work), one of the twelve principles we live by is: “ATTITUDE – We choose to be positive”. If you want to approach a subject and land on it with successful outcomes, it helps if your attitude is positive. Being positive makes all the difference in the world. It is fairly clear, after over 8000 years of examination, that God has given us the ability to affect the outcomes of every aspect of our lives, simply by determining what we believe is true about it. Our beliefs change every aspect of our life. If you believe things will always go wrong, then you will experience that outcome. If your approach to your fellow-man is negative, then you will reap the benefit of your view of others, and have no genuine friends.

Attitude is one of the very first things the Lord had to really work with me on. I was a negative and pessimistic individual, whose attitude was reinforced by the outcomes of my life. My assumption was that I was right because everything always turned out exactly as I thought they would. God showed me that attitude is a choice. How I choose to approach anything will directly affect the outcomes. Attitude is a choice. It is a habit. It comes from the heart. It becomes positive when you learn to look at the world differently.

“HOW DID YOU DO IT?”

I’m glad you asked. I didn’t.

My attitude about life, work, love, marriage, co-workers, clientele, family, or anything didn’t change until I fully understood what the finished work of the cross gave me. When I accepted that Jesus BECAME all sin for all time, and took on the wrath of God in our place, and in exchange, God poured on us all the benefits of being His child, an heir to the throne, a member of God’s family, a love beyond measure, and total forgiveness for all my sin, I finally understood what it felt like to see the world and people the way God does.

I learned to love because God loved me enough to bury my sin with Jesus, and raise my dead soul into a new life. I had been born in the spirit. Where I was dead, Jesus’s resurrection gave me life in Him. The Spirit of God cleansed me and changed my attitude. I began thinking new thoughts., I loved for the first time. I saw people as my brother or sister. While I am aware of my and others continuing failures, I felt only love for them, and chose to show grace and mercy. It was easy to do this because this was what God showed me.

So, frankly, I didn’t change my attitude. Experience has taught me that, I can fake a good attitude only so long, but whatever is hidden in my heart will become manifest over time. On my own strength I do not love long, I show no mercy or grace, and my attitude is very rotten. Since I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, I am able to be like Christ and love, show grace and mercy, and look for opportunities to give with a positive attitude.

GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS

I cannot, by my own strength, maintain this loving attitude. Only when I guard my thoughts am I able to be filled with this powerful love. I can break my connection to God simply by going back to my old way of thinking and behaving. God leaves this up to me. The way I maintain a good attitude is by staying in the word, praying continuously, and submitting to Gods love and will. It is only by the continual renewing of my mind that I can be a blessing instead of a curse. I am confident in Christ enough that I know I am weak, but Christ in me is infinitely strong. If I catch the old self trying to assert his attitude and beliefs, all I have to do is remember that my old self died with Christ, and my new self, the child of God, is who lives through Christ.

Attitude is a choice. When the blowing wind of earthly things challenges my attitude, when the weight of the world wants to crush me, when my co-workers decide to be peevish and negative, when a thoughtless and selfish humanity threatens to ruin my day, I simply remember who I am in Christ, and ask the Spirit of the Living God to sustain me so I can be a witness to all the things that would otherwise drag me down. A simple choice of attitude can turn things around, and your witness can cause others to want to know where you have this strength of character. Then you can tell them why you are joyful in the face of adversity, and strong when temptation desires your soul.

Think on the good things of God continuously, and you will see the world in a very different lite.

It is all a choice, a labor into the rest of the finished work of Christ.

You will always get what you are looking for.

Let’s be about it

I love you all,

David G. Perkins

PS – Click HERE to see how the Bible addresses ATTITUDE.

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Faith

Exchanging Gifts

Isaiah 40:31 – But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31 can also be translated, “They whose hope is in the Lord will exchange their strength (with Him … by inference).

Throughout the Bible, God shows us that He is trading our small, weak things for His great and mighty things. He has taken us from slavery to freedom, from the wilderness, to a promised land, from famine to feast, from weakness to glory.

Jesus traded His kingdom for our Hell. On the cross, Christ became all our sin, sickness, death, and curse so we can have His holiness, health, life and blessing. He became all sin so we can have no sin. The simple act of accepting this gift, in our heart, and confessing Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, who died for you and rose on the third day, makes you alive again.

The exchange is simple and irrevocable to any who will accept it. His life for your death. All he was, He gave to you. In exchange, you gave Him all you were; your sin, your disease, your death, your curse. Now, if you will simply accept this gift from Him, you are a son of God You are the righteousness of Christ, you are whole, you are clean, you are acceptable in the eyes of God. You are loved. You were loved long before you even understood that God loves you. God reached across all time and eternity and gave the life of His only begotten son in exchange for your life.

You now have eternal life, if you will accept this exchange. It is free. There is nothing you have to do to earn this gift. Christ already did that.

This is God’s gift to us: Jesus Christ.

When Jesus became Sin, you became Holy. When He died, your old sin self died too. When He rose from the dead, you rose with Him, and are now eternally His. You are blessed.

God gives good gifts.

Merry Christmas.

I love you

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

Faith, Observations

Transition States: Saving Grace is Sustaining Grace – Revisited

Grace is Sufficient

This blog was originally posted on October 31, 2013. I mention that I was homeless in this blog. That has changed. I and my family are no longer homeless. I am now employed. The job I have is probably the very best job I have had in over 25 years. (Truthfully, nothing compares to full time ministry, IF you are actually serving the Lord, and not your own desires).

Since writing this blog, and getting employed, I am met with new challenges as a baby believer. It is easy to take one’s eyes off Jesus when the cares of work and living confront you. As I re-read this blog, I was reminded how strong my faith was when I wrote it. Life was much harder then. The difference between then and now is, then I was keeping my eyes continually focused on Christ and His finished work. Re-reading this blog has reminded me that I need to remember, “The main thing is to always keep the main thing, the main thing.”

I hope this blog reminds you, my fellow struggling traveler, that there are much more important issues than what you think you are facing. Keeping your eyes on Jesus will sustain you.

You have all my love and prayer, whoever you are. DGP Romans 8:28

The other day, I decided to turn off the auto-delete feature in my email program. Suddenly, my inbox was stuffed to exploding with e-mails suggesting that if I ingest a little blue pill, my wife would suddenly be a happy person, or that my auto insurance was inadequate for me, AND that my house needs new siding. I found that one delightful, as it is very difficult to side a homeless man’s house.

Buried in the midst of that deluge of magnificent offers was a question sent from one of the roughly 20 million alert readers of my blog. She asked this question: “Is Saving Grace the same as Sustaining Grace?”.

That is a very good question.

The short answer is: YES!

If you are busy, or need to run, go ahead, I just answered that question, but if you need me to fill that answer out a bit, read at your own risk, the best answer I could come up with. CAVEAT LECTOR: Have your own Bible available, and never take my word, or anyone else’s word for anything. Read the Bible and see if what I am saying is true, or not. If it is not, please let me know BEFORE you unsubscribe to this incredibly stimulating and popular blog. And that would leave just me and my mom as subscribers.

The long answer is:

I have to make certain assumptions of the person who asked me this question. Here is the list of assumptions I am making.

YOU BELIEVE:

There IS a God.

That God is the SAME God mentioned throughout the Bible (Christian).

God sent His Son into a sinful world.

His Son, Jesus, did for us Humans what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus made the broken bridge of communion with God whole again so we can have fellowship with God, and live in eternity with God in Heaven.

Jesus accomplished this feat by being nailed to the cross. When He did that, he nailed the Law on the cross with him. The Law led to the awareness of sin. Jesus, who committed no sin, became all sin. When Jesus became all sin, he was cut off from the Father: “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is (Aramaic), “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

When Jesus died, He descended into Hell and received the full wrath of God. Jesus paid the full price for every type of sin that ever existed, does exist, and will exist. He purchased your freedom when He gave up His life. But God did not intend for Jesus to stay there. While Jesus was in Hell, He remembered the promises of God, and spoke them, that God will not leave Him in Hell, nor forsake Him, and that He will commune with God again, and will sit on the throne of the Heavens. Jesus confessed all this while he was in sin and receiving the full wrath of God. And God sent the Spirit, His own Holy Spirit and brought Jesus back to life.

Jesus rose from the dead to prove that He has the authority to be called the Son of God, and that He has full authority over life and death.

Jesus became every sin imaginable and conquered it in Hell. He rose again and gave gifts to all who will accept them. Here is a list of the things Jesus gave us through His resurrection:

Rom. 6:4-8 We were crucified with him, died with him, buried with him and united with him in his death.
Rom. 6:5, 8 We will (Do live) live with him, united with him in his resurrection.
Rom. 8:17 We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Rom. 8:17 If we share in his sufferings, we will also share in his glory.
Gal. 2:20 We have been crucified with Christ, and he lives in us.
Eph. 2:5-6 God made us alive with Christ, God raised us up with Christ, and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.
Col. 2:12 We have been buried with him in baptism.
Col. 2:12-13 God raised us and made us alive with Christ, through faith.
Col. 2:20 We died with Christ to the basic principles of this world.
Col. 3:1 We have been raised with Christ.
Col. 3:3 Our life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Col. 3:4 When Christ appears, we will appear with him in glory.
1 Thess. 5:10 He died for us so that we may live together with him.
2 Tim. 2:11 If we died with him, we will also live with him.
2 Tim. 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.

When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you were born again. When you were baptized, you were crucified with Him. When you came up out of the water, you were raised again with Christ. You are now a resurrected being. We were dead in our sin, but because Christ became all our sin and died for them on our behalf, and we accepted this free gift, we are now new creations (II Corinthians 5:17).

Look at the list above again. Look them up in your Bibles. These are not theoretical constructs. These statements are the absolute truth.

The same Grace that gave you a new life IS the same grace that sustains that new life.

THEN WHY DOES MY LIFE BLOW CHUNKS?

This happens to almost every believer who is not exposed to the truth. You were not exposed to this truth because most people don’t know enough to tell you this truth. Religion and religious tradition do not share this truth for fear of losing control over you.

You were saved, and life seemed sparkly and good. God answered every prayer you prayed. His presence was felt everywhere you went, and the meanings of the words in scripture were finally making sense to you. But then, life happened, and your joy dimmed to a cold ember, and you no longer felt God’s wonderful presence.

When this happened, you were probably told that that is all part of growing up. That God coddled you while you were a baby Christian, but it is now time to grow up and handle things yourself.

You were never informed that the same Grace that saved you will sustain you forever to the day you arrive in Heaven and meet Jesus face to face.

It is all about how you look at things.

If you go back to worldly thinking to solve your problems, you will get the same results that you got before you were saved. You now have the Mind of Christ. You have His Holy Spirit in you. You are God’s righteousness already. You are complete in every way possible in the spirit. The difficulty comes in when you forget this fact, and return to your old way of thinking and handling problems. If it didn’t work the first thousand times you did it, why do you think it will suddenly change?

If you want to live the walk of Christ, you have to make Him your Lord of life, too. When you commit to do that, you must teach your heart what the scriptures declare about you (See the list above). The Spirit of God will help you write these truths on your heart. As you read the scriptures, and pray, you will get revelation on how to change your heart to what Jesus has said is true of you. To walk after Christ is to rest in His completed work. You are a co-heir to the very throne of Heaven. You are God’s beloved child. You are no longer guilty of any sin. And the Spirit of God will change your mind about sin so that whatever sin you struggle with will become less important than your desire to walk after Christ.

If you are saved by the grace of God, you will also live in it, if you chose to. It really is that simple. It is all in what you chose to believe is true as regards what Jesus accomplished on the cross and his resurrection.

This is not a license to sin, either. Grace is God’s ability to make you righteous in Christ. Jesus’s righteousness in now YOUR righteousness. You are righteous and holy before God. Your desire for God will grow and your desire for sin will diminish.

It is also not about giving up anything, but learning how to enjoy the things God invented without perverting it as the world has done.

Change your heart, and your life will change. It all depends on what you focus on. Remember that it is written: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matt. 6:33

I became a Christian on October 27, 1986. And for a while, life in Christ was amazing. Then the world got in the way and I went back to my old way of thinking about it. I did this because I was told that that is how it is when you become a Christian.

I was never taught that God’s saving grace IS God’s sustaining Grace. Grace is from God, and is permanent once you have accepted Jesus as your lord and savior.

If all you wanted was the fire insurance and not the walk, fine. But your life will be as miserable as it was before you were saved, and probably more so, as you are now a child of God refusing to learn from Him.

To be sustained in Grace (God’s ability), you have to learn to see the world and all things as God sees them. You have to believe that what Christ accomplished at his death and resurrection is permanent, not just a one time deal.

I am new at this whole grace experience. It took me 26 years to finally see that being a Christian didn’t work out for me simply because of what I believed was true about God.

God is not mad at you, he is not out to get you or punish you. You are His beloved Child whom he loves. Jesus already took on God’s wrath in Hell. You no longer have to fear God. He is now your real father. And He loves you.

When you slide back into your worldly view of things, you reject the gift Christ gave His life to give you. (See the list above). You are telling Christ that His grace is not good enough for you and that you need to take the wheel from here.

But if you really want to experience the sustaining grace, you need to make Jesus your Lord, too, and trust that what He has done for you is real, is now, and is permanent. The Spirit of God will honor that faith and teach you how to manifest all the gifts of God in the material world. THIS is, after all, why you were not raptured when you first believed. We are to exist as Christ existed, and lead all men to salvation.

Like I said before, the difference between a victorious life in Christ and going back to your old life is all in what you believe to be true about the Grace of God. It is always in you. It is always with you. Even when you sin, God’s love for you never departs from you, and your salvation is not taken away. The ones who fall from grace are the ones who think works righteousness will please God and make him love you. You are already loved by God and He finds absolutely no fault in you. This is all because you have accepted what Jesus did for you.

I may be new to this whole Grace thing. I was raised in a very legalistic tradition by the Southern Baptists. I went to a Southern Baptist Seminary. But like Paul, I count all that as so much “dung” (Insert your own preferred aphorism here). Compared to the amazing Grace of God and the truth that it reveals to my heart, nothing else matters. The changes this has made in my life has been so powerful that many people have commented on what a completely different human I am. That is also true. My old self died when Jesus died. My new self rose, righteous before God, when Jesus arose from the dead. I simply needed to understand what all that meant.

So, yes, the sustaining Grace of God is the exact same thing as the grace that saved you. One happened in a single point of time, and the other is just the same grace walking through time sustaining you, if you will accept the truth of the Scriptures.

Change your mind and change your life. God’s grace is really all you need to walk in the likeness of Christ. If you received Him as your savior and want to experience His sustaining Grace, then change what you believe about being saved.

Let’s be about it.

I love you,

David G. Perkins

Sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Transition States: Serving Man Is To Serve Christ

“I AM the bread of life” – Jesus

For I have come down from heaven,not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. – John 6:38 HCSB

Do I understand that, for Jesus to make that statement, He had to be completely emptied of His Heavenly place of honor, leave His throne, and become one of us? He humbled Himself and served God’s will by serving man. Jesus left His own personal will behind, was filled with the Spirit of God at His baptism, and served God’s Will. Not out of law, compulsion, or as a slave, but out of Love for His Father. Jesus served God by serving man. And He did it by the power of the Holy Spirit that had filled Him.

I grew up believing that if I sang in the church choir, went to all the youth rallies, worked in the annual church “revival”, attended the Summer Camps, and basically behaved myself, I would be a good christian.

When I became an adult (Not to be confused with growing up), I attended church because I wanted to please God. I confused the scripture that says, “Hebrews 10:25 – KJV – Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Again, I saw a lot of “activity” and heard a great deal about God and Jesus, but it came across as a knowledge gained through consensus, a creating God out of parts of scripture that appealed to the idea of what I want God to be, rather than learn what the Bible actually says about God, His will, and Jesus, the Lord.

Let me be clear, and I will probably be pilloried over this, but you can research this yourselves. The “Church” is the ekklesia…the body that consists of those who genuinely believe. The “Church” is NOT the building you go to and socialize in. These edifices are full of people who have no real belief or understanding of the scriptures. They gather to serve themselves. The “Church” was never called to serve itself, glorify itself, or do its own will, expecting God to approve its’ own agenda. When we are filled with our own purposes, we have immediately forsaken the will of God. Today’s churches have become irrelevant for this very reason. It is a fortress that expects the sinner to come to it for help, and offering only trite messages, based on the popular psychology of the day, and “supported” by whatever scripture they can find to support that view-point. They are the “Hucksters of the Gospel” you read about in the New Testament. Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof.

Christ’s church, His ekklesia, consists of those who have believed in their hearts that Jesus died for and became their sin. That Jesus became every sin that ever was and ever will be, and died and went to hell, a sinner, for our sake. Christs church understands that, while Jesus was dead in Hell, cut off from God, but receiving the complete and full wrath of God, God reached into Hell and brought Jesus back to life. Jesus, having been restored, preached freedom to the captives in Hell and took the captives and freed them. Then Jesus rose from the dead to prove that He has the right to be called “Christ the Lord”. Jesus did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He put all sin and death away for our sakes. If you accept this simple truth in your heart, and declare with your mouth that Jesus did all this and rose from the dead, YOU HAVE SALVATION. THAT is all there is to it.

Those are the people who are the ekklesia, the church. And believing these things, are sold out, in faith, and grace, and have determined to follow their Lord. These are the people who need to stick together. These are the people who need to support each other. Wherever two believers are gathered, Jesus is in their midst. It is there they can support, exhort, teach and worship together. You will not find that in the established church. If this were not true, the established church would have no idea what religious dogma is, nor would they be trying to force their own agenda down the throat of the Living God.

Results matter, and what has become the modern church is proof that they have abandoned their first love, and taken upon themselves the idea that they know God’s will better than God does.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 ESV

I cannot do what Christ wants me to do. Not if I intend to do it on my own power. The only way I can “walk after the lord” is to rest in what HE accomplished on my behalf. The minute I abandon the power and will and faith of Christ, and attempt to do His will on my own, I have abandoned the very thing Christ has asked us to do…ABIDE IN HIM. Abiding means to rest, pitch your tent, make Him your home. Know Him through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is what every New Believer experiences. Unfortunately, because discipleship is a lost art, that new Christian becomes a blown out candle. Then when he asks his pastor, or some other respected elder why has the joy left, that respected adviser usually tells them, “Well, this is all part of maturing . ” God worked in you because you were a baby christian, but we all have to grow up, and do for ourselves. We have to obey God through our effort”. I actually was told that at Seminary. We were taught that we must abide, but we were taught that it is an effort to do so, and we just have to work hard to get ourselves to abide. I actually believed that, and the result was, I became as bad a sinner as I was before I was saved. I didn’t understand what abide really meant.

Abide is a very intimate term. Get to know Him through spending time with Him. This starts with reading the word and prayer. The Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead is the same spirit that now lives in you. As long as you abide, you grow, and produce fruit. But is done by resting in Him. Believe as simply as you did when you were first saved. Trust that He will guide you, teach you, uphold you, love you, and instruct you. Give up your ideas of God’s will, and learn what His will actually is. Rest in Him. You cannot do this by your own strength. You are already forgiven. You are already His child. You are already adopted into the Kingdom of God. When you learn to relax and trust this truth, you will abide in Him. When you do this, you will be shown how things look from God’s point of view. You will, out of love for Christ, WANT to please him. This is not something you can ever do on the power of your flesh. It is only when you abide in the rest of the Lord that HE will guide you and teach you. Your desire will be to do as Christ leads you. He will make sure you have all you need to do His will.

John … said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.” – Luke 9:49-50 NASB

You do not need “The Church’s” permission to serve Christ. You already are a co-heir to the throne of Christ. You have within you all the same power that God used, through Jesus, to create the heavens and earth. The kingdom of God dwells in you. You are now His child. God is not sitting “way up there, in the distant by and by, sitting on a throne, unapproachable”. He dwells in you. His kingdom is in you. You have all the power and authority and grace and love of God. You are Saved and belong to Him as if you were Jesus Himself. When He sees you, He sees his beloved child.

That “someone” who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, was obeying the will of God because it became his heart to do so. He did not need the permission of the disciples because he already had the kingdom of God in his heart. He had a change of heart. He learned a new thought. Repent simply means to think again. The disciples were already jockeying for position of authority, and desired to rule over others since they were the “First Disciples”. This may be why Jesus chose Paul to do what others refused to do.

It is as simple as understanding that the price Jesus paid on the cross, in hell, and through His resurrection, Jesus gave you, the believer this free gift, that you are also the adopted son of God. You have God’s permission to rest in Him and watch him use you as he moves you in your heart. No church, ever, was able to do this for you. It is simply and ONLY the completed work of Jesus Christ. It is a free gift. It goes beyond eternal life. It goes beyond your resources, your thinking, your will, and your ability.

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. – Acts 3:1-7 KJV

All of what I have written is because I am going through a transition state of understanding what Jesus actually gave himself for. It was not a religion. It is so that we can be restored to the place we were before the fall of man.

Peter and John were on their way to the church (Synagogue) to pray. They were obeying the edict of the assembly. But on their way, Christ showed them an opportunity to do the will of God. This is because the Holy Spirit had taught them the Mind of Christ (Read the first few chapters of Acts).

Interestingly enough, it was the established church of their day that had a huge problem with this behavior. They, however, had the joy of the Lord in them, even under persecution, because they had obeyed their Lord.

They didn’t have permission from the local church to obey Christ. They simply were moved in their hearts and minds because it is what moves Christ. Serving man is more important than serving your church. Giving freely of all you were given by Christ is true obedience.

SILVER AND GOLD HAVE I NONE

The transition state I am going through is a real object lesson. All I ever had, believed or possessed has been taken away from me. I own nothing, I have nothing but my clothes, a wife who loves me unconditionally, and a wonderful family. We live in a basement. But we are discovering a joy that we would never have understood had this not happened. We are learning that, out of our need, we give, we serve, and we obey. We do this, not because we are trying to please God. We please God because, when He moves us to be like His son, and we follow that lead, we get to see Christ at work. We are finding that you do not have to have a lot of resources to give. You do not need things to serve. You start with what you do have, and let God guide you. You do this because you are abiding in Christ. You learn to hear his voice. Our joy has multiplied because of this transition. We are being remade into the image of Christ through resting in Him and knowing His word.

Where others have disassociated from us, where finances have fled from us, where all we ever thought important has been lost, we find that we have been given a new heart, a new mind, and a living Holy Spirit.

I do not need things to serve man. I just need the same Love in my heart that drove Jesus to do for me. I did not have to follow any rituals, or attend a church to get this knowledge or understanding. My heart didn’t change from some church activity or program. My thinking was renewed into the will of God by trusting that what Christ said he did, He did. And trusting that what Christ said he will do through His Spirit in me, HE will do. I can do nothing of my self. I can only be useful to God if I let Christ make me into something completely new and different from all that I was.

I have learned that it is better to abandon my religion and pursue Christ. I am inviting you to do the same thing.

Let’s be about it.

I Love You

David G. Perkins

Faith

Our Position in Christ: When Trouble Comes Knocking

“One of the great inhibitors to our boldness is the responses that people in our lives give.

Although God is merciful and ready to forgive, people are not.

We cannot let the responses of people affect our honesty before and our trust in the Lord.

Though people may reject us, God does not.”

Richards, James (2001-12-01). Grace: The Power To Change (Kindle Locations 542-544). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.

THE WORLD

When the world says I am a loser, I am too old to be part of what they are doing, or too fat, or overqualified, or under-qualified, or whatever excuse the world offers because I am not in my 20’s or 30’s and that is all they are looking for, it is easy for me to get discouraged.

When old friends or family know that I am a new creation in Christ, and say they have forgiven my past, but still treat me as if I am still that same old self, or they are so in love with their opinions and assumptions of me that the facts and evidence do not count for anything, it is easy for me to get discouraged.

MY MIND

Discouragement temps my mind to resort to old beliefs, to old habits, to old methods of acknowledging to opinions of the World and Family. I find it refreshing that because I am a new creation, I have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:16 – For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. KJV

Romans 12:2 – 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. KJV

When I rest in the Lord, I find what His mind desires for me. When I find that He desires the fruit of the spirit of God, then I am able to rest in Him and walk after Him. Then I am not discouraged, or angry, or disappointed. My temptation to be my old self literally vanishes. I find that instead of discouragement and anger, I have joy and peace. I see the Grace and Mercy He purchased on my behalf, and receive it, and am filled with it, and understand how Godless and Religious people have missed it. It is impossible for me to resort to my old self when I pray for these circumstances. I have tested the claims of the scriptures, and find that they are true. They are true because I have placed my faith in the Grace of God and His mercy.

Because of the Hope He has given me, my mind calms down, and I can wait on Him to see what he has already set in motion for me. His ability to keep me focused on His will makes it possible for me to Wait on Him:

“O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, and He shall give thee thy heart’s desires. Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him; and fret not they self because of evil doers.”

If I try by my own strength to follow the will of God, I become a law unto myself, and forgo the Grace (Ability) of God. Then I have to try to do everything right, even though all my effort will never be enough to please God or get me saved, or change me into the likeness of Christ. If I fail in any single thing by my own effort, then I have failed completely.

There was only One who lived a sinless life, and who walked in the will of God. Jesus’s promise to us is that, when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, WE will have the same ability as God poured into Christ.

ABIDING IN HIM (The Mind of Christ)

There is a verse in the Bible that talks about ABIDING.: 1 John 2:6 – “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

The Greek definition of the word walk could more accurately be translated into this phrase: rest in the Lord so HE will cause you to walk. If I try to walk on my own strength, the best I can do is produce what is NOT the will of God for my life. I know this because I just spent the last 20 years doing that very thing.

It is because Jesus rested in the will of God that He was able to know and do the things He did: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him (God the Father) who sent Me.” John 6:38 NASB Parenthesis added by me.

Our position is one of rest in Christ, who set the example by resting in God and His will. When we do that, life becomes clearer and simpler. By resting in Him, a very intimate relationship in the Greek language, we get to know Him and His thoughts and His will. This intimacy causes our love and dependence on Him to grow geometrically. After doing His will in your life, sin and temptation become apparent for what they are: Death and Destruction.

God has placed a new desire in my heart. It is become apparent that I cannot, nor do I want to, return to the world I left behind. All having my way has gained me is loss and destruction. Now I am beginning to see glimmers of what God wants for me, and I can wait on Him because Christ did the same. Christ makes me able to rest in Him. Christ makes me able to walk after Him because HE is my motivation and ability and power.

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?

I tell you all this because I know you are human, and go through the same temptations. Believe me when I tell you that the gift of God’s grace (ability, will, mind, power) comes as you surrender yourself to it.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

In Christ there is rest. In my own will there is the sweat of my brow that leads to failure. I know that my present circumstances is not the judgement of God on me, but simply the logical and natural consequences of living by my own will instead of trusting God.

God is with you if you are going through this, too, if you believe in His Son. His Mercy has forgiven you and His grace sustains you. Rest in Him, give whatever it is you are going through to Him. He will show you a better way than any way you can come up for yourself. I know this, too, is a fact.

You are His beloved. You are an heir to the Kingdom of Heaven. He is longing to help you if you will rest in Him.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NASB

PRAYER: I thank you Lord for this opportunity to share this topic with my brothers and sisters who are going through the storm of doubt, frustration, disappointment and anger. Because you have delivered me from these things, I desire to share this with anyone who will listen, and I pray you pour your Holy Spirit on those who read this message and take it to heart. I love you God, that you have sent Jesus Christ who died for our sin, and in our resting in Him, we are led to the green pastures and clear water that is your will for us. Reveal to each of us your will for our lives. I pray this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. AMEN

Let’s be about it!

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Surprised by Giving

I heard a great message today by Michael Yousef. http://www.leadingtheway.org/ “Surely Not Me … And Definitely Not Them

It is definitely worth a listen. You can read my babbling later.

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Heb 13:2

The really nice thing that is coming out of my circumstances is, God is using my circumstances to pare me down to what I really believe, to seek that which I do not understand (About God), and to test the things I claim I believe.

One of the big tests and refining fires of God is to see if what I say I believe is: A. Godly (Is there a genuine Biblical basis for what I claim?), B. Not just in my head…”knowledge puffeth up.” Does this belief actually live in my heart. Does it walk, or just talk? C. Where this knowledge is weak, that I get opportunities to apply it in the “real” world. Nothing defines you better than your circumstances and opportunities those circumstances offer, to be like Jesus. In my weakness to obey, God is my strength to be obedient. That is when it lives in my heart.

I find the answers to:

Do I live the commands of Jesus Christ, to love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul and my strength, and do I actually love my neighbor as much as I love myself?

Do I have the strength of character to take my eyes off my circumstances and look the Lord straight in the eyes? Do I have the courage to live out my love and faith in the midst of my circumstances?

I read in the Bible: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38 KJV

Here is a conviction that is being driven into my soul. That verse says that I am to give. It is an active tense verse that calls for immediacy of action. It begs a large question of me. Am I ever ready, and ever-present in my observation of life that I am waiting for the opportunity to give? If I give, am I being genuine in my love toward that person, or am I doing it out of “religious obligation”? When I give, have I already begun adding to my ledger the anticipation of getting something in return?

Why do I give?

My prayer is that God use the Holy Spirit to make me into the very character and likeness (I know, that was redundant), of Jesus Christ. He gave for two reasons: 1. Obedience, and 2. Love of God, and Love of Mankind. His LOVE is what led to His obedience. It was not a religious obligation, it was a genuine act of grace and love and mercy. He gave what He was rich in. He gave sacrificially.

Here is the big point God is trying to bore into my very thick skull. Give out of love. Give what you have. Jesus Himself did not have a home. He lived off the kindness of strangers, sinners, and the disciples. But what He did have, he gave even unto death.

Now comes the hard part. Being unemployed means not having the goodies I had when I was employed. And there may come a day soon, that I will be homeless. My Debtors are calling daily, some are suing, and, even though I have over 100 applications out there, I am getting crickets.

Here is WHY I am sharing this intimate detail with you: Those are my circumstances. I can tell you exactly what I would have done in my Pre-Christian life. I would have panicked, paced the floor, gotten angry and taken it out on my loved ones, and generally would have made an ass of myself.

What God is teaching me in these circumstances is that, He is able to carry me, and continue to change my character into the character of Christ.

So now comes the test.

Do I get so involved in how unlucky I am, how I am a loser because I am unemployed, because I cannot even buy my family the very basics of life? Am I so wrapped up in my apparently overwhelming circumstances that I forget that I am being made into the image of Christ?

This morning, while the Spirit of God was showing me these things, He asked me, am I willing to give as Christ gave? Of course, in my best legalistic, and Hyper-Calvinist voice, I reminded the Spirit, I have NOTHING! What can I give? I have to beg for just the basics of life!

It was then he reminded me that I belong to God. I belong because of the Salvation that I have accepted in Jesus Christ. God is teaching me, through my circumstances, that I can give to others even though I have “nothing”. What I do have is a lot of time and my body.

I have a heart that God has healed. I have a mind and heart for the downtrodden, that I never knew existed. I have eyes that can see the differences between a taker and a person in genuine need. When I see opportunities, do I respond with the Love of Christ, or do I keep my head down, my eyes averted, and focus on my own problems. Are MY circumstances more important that the Love of God?

Am I afraid to trust God that, when I approach a stranger, my giving will be a blessing from God?, That HE will be my courage, and my blessing? That it is HIs desire that I be just like His Son? Do I trust God that He will empower me and make me able?

Jesus becomes manifest in our lives when we obey Him, out of Love, and desire to be like Him. It is not a duty. It is not a forced obligation. It is an external expression of the Love of Christ being revealed in my heart. It becomes a gift from Christ when I give it to a person who happens to need a smile, a kind word, or a blessing.

My sins were very many. Do I love others with the same gratitude and joy that I love God for my forgiveness?

I have hands: I can open a door with a smile and a “God Bless You”. I can carry a package for someone, while I show love to that someone.

I have a heart: The Spirit of God will reveal to me the ones He wants me to touch, and when I am in doubt, I will touch anyway. Love and Grace and Mercy are more fresh and delightful when given with reckless abandon. It doesn’t mean you are stupid for going where no one else will go. It means you trust God to carry you because you are giving away the love God has shown you.

I have feet: I can walk however far it takes to help someone.

I have the Love of Christ: He said He has not come into the world to judge the world, but to save it. Do I look on the helpless, the needy, the lost, the ones who are lost in their circumstances, just to judge them unfit for my love, my mercy, my grace, my gift? Or do I see an opportunity to share the Joy, love, mercy, and grace God has shown me?

“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Luke 7:47 NKJV The words of Jesus

Is my heart so hardened by my circumstances, or my “Religious Wisdom”, that I cannot see that it is my arrogance God is trying to cure? My sense of self-righteousness is broken on the rocks of those in need. My heart is being molded into the Character of Christ when I step out of my circumstances and learn to give, even out of my need.

“Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.” Luke 7:44-46 NKJV – The Words of Jesus

Am I really willing to do for others what I say I am willing to do for Jesus?

I can push a shopping cart that an elderly person is struggling with. I can put a shopping cart away for a soccer mom who is harried by her circumstances. I don’t know what God is doing in her life, but maybe, just maybe, my act of kindness will be that one act that God uses to help her turn a corner.

We do not know what we are doing when we are urged to show kindness to a stranger. That stranger may be at a breaking point that my kindness will heal. This is a gift from God, and not of my own doing. A smile is medicine. A hug is security to someone so lost in their circumstances that they believe they are alone. Giving will soften a hard heart, both mine and theirs. Love has turned my cynicism into a willingness to believe that Jesus’ love will be translated to another person when I demonstrate it.

Am I willing to give love to the unlovely? Am I willing to give my time for someone I cannot even stand being around? It is easy for me to help people I love, or even like. It takes Christ in me to help me to love my enemies, pray for those who spitefully use me. It takes the courage only Love of Christ in you generates to kneel down and give water to someone who may be out to ruin you. Doing this in love is a blessing to them, and will soften their heart. Given for any other reason is poison.

My friend from England, an Engineer, used to tell me that I am such a jack-ass that I kick the door down, shoot everyone in the room, THEN try to determine who the bad guy is. He was right. Now, can God turn that behavior into someone who is willing to open the door, and give to everyone in the room, despite who is worthy of the gift? Yes. He can, He does and He will.

Do I wait for the Big moments. Do I want to be Moses, and be known as the friend of God? Do I want the lime light? Do I want the return on the gift instead of being willing to give out of my need?

I know myself well enough to know that I am always looking for the big moments. God will fill me with His love, grace and mercy, but my understanding of its significance is revealed in my behavior. Is there enough evidence to convict me of being like Jesus?

I praise God that I lost my job, if learning these things is what it takes to make me aware of the power and love of God.

My Prayer: My Heavenly Father. I praise your name. I glory in your mercy and grace. I pray, Lord, that you take all of us “Religious Bigots” and turn us into the very image of Christ. This especially applies to me. I am grateful you are turning my lip service into a real walk. I confess that I only had a head knowledge of you, before these circumstances. I glory that you love me enough to discipline me. I am grateful that, instead of casting me aside as completely lost, you sought me out to redeem me.

Glory to God. I praise your name. You are the helper of the hopeless, and the defender of the weak. You are my Lord. Jesus is my Savior and my Lord. Thank you for turning my heart of stone into a heart that loves. Keep me constantly in your eyes, and deliver me from my own foolishness.

I pray because I am bought with the price of Jesus’ blood, and am redeemed by His sacrifice.

Amen

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Cor 6: 19 – 20

Jesus did not come into the world to make bad people good. He came here to make dead people live.

Let’s be about it!

I love you,

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Faith

It’s Not a Popularity Contest

Brothers, consider your calling: Not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world — what is viewed as nothing — to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence. I Corinthians 1: 26-29

Down the street from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is, I think, a Mobile Station. I have not been there in about 21 years, so my memory may be a bit off. That gas station was pretty popular with a few of my friends. I asked one of those friends why he liked that station so much. It looked a bit dumpy, and the prices weren’t any different from anyone elses’. My friend, also named David, told me to just go and get a tank of gas, I’ll find out.

Eventually, I did.

Back then, we still had the option of full service or self service. I chose self service. While I was fueling up my car, this ragged looking guy walks up and offers to clean my windshield. I told him I had it, but thank you. He looked at his feet for a minute, then insisted he wash my windshield. The areas surrounding the Seminary, at that time, were known for having less than savory individuals. I didn’t want any complications, so I let him.

As he cleaned my windshield, I could hear him mumbling under his breath. I assumed, by his ragged dress and missing teeth, and mumbling, that he might be going through the DT’s. Getting off booze can be very hard.

I watched him like a hawk. I wasn’t sure what this crazy guy might do next. But he WAS doing a beautiful job on my windshield, rear windows, side windows, headlights, and anything else he could find to shine. The owner of the gas station just sat there and watched. I wasn’t sure what was going on, and I sure didn’t want any trouble. After I paid for my gas, I decided I might give him a couple of dollars, even though I was concerned that this poor lost soul would just take it and get some cheap wine and get drunk again.

As I handed him the money, I said in my best preacher voice, “Here you go Mister, and may God bless you.” The old guy looked at me and grinned a real toothless grin. He said, “your’e one of them seminary boys.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. He wasn’t copping an attitude at me, either. He was just looking at me as if I were the unfortunate one. I saw genuine pity and love in his eyes. I was confused. I looked at the station owner. He was just sitting there grinning at me.

I told the crazy man that, “Yes, I go to the Seminary.” He wanted to know what I was learning there. I tried to go easy on him, but, in my perverse ego, I wanted to impress this obviously homeless man in a way that he would ask me about Jesus.

I regaled him with the best the seminary taught me.

He told me that I should feel good that I have learned so may things. Then he started asking me all kinds of questions about the scriptures. Questions I thought I knew the answers to, but discovered I didn’t. He was very graceful with me as he told me that it is OK to fill my head with all “them idears” about things, but it is useless if I want to really help people.

After that, I got an old fashioned schooling on the scriptures. He tied all the prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament to the fulfillment in the New Testament. He showed me how it is possible that the son of God can be God and Man simultaneously. And if I hadn’t already been saved, I would have gotten on my knees right then and confessed all my sin again.

It turns out that this guy DID used to be an alcoholic. He was also illiterate. He did not complete elementary school. He was considered “Stupid” by the Public Schools. Back in His day, teachers were allowed to call things just as they saw them.

He told me he couldn’t read or write, or drive, or hold down a job. The gas station owner gave this guy money for cleaning windows, changing oil, etc.

I asked him how he knew so much about the Scriptures. He said he had memorized the entire Bible just by listening to it on tape. And the more He listened, the more he understood. And the more he understood, the more God revealed. He was saved by hearing the word.

I made several trips to that station during that semester. It was usually when I went for a jog or bike riding. I would stop there and listen to him talk.

I learned so much from him. I almost went back to the Seminary Registrars office to ask for a refund. What I was learning from Him was exactly why I went to seminary.

I judged this man out of his appearance. I could tell just by the way he behaved that he was uneducated, slightly crazy, and homeless. What I didn’t know was, he was one of Jesus own disciples. I was embarrassed at myself for the way I treated him, and by the way I had judged him. I was supposed to be the Bible Scholar. But I learned more from the Scriptures that semester than I did at Seminary.

He was gentle, humble, had a great sense of humor, and did not consider his earthly circumstances anything to be ashamed of. He actually felt sorry for all us preachers who don’t understand the value of being willing to give up everything just to follow Christ.

That stung a bit. In fact, even though he was being loving and gentle and kind to me (It was obvious I was the ignorant one in the crowd), some of his words to me stung. Especially when he said he doubts many of the students at the seminary would follow Jesus if it meant being a laughingstock, or being absolutely broke, or having to lose everything we owned just for the sake of the gospel.

He was not trying to be mean or judgmental, he was just describing to me what he clearly saw, that I didn’t see. He was not trying to condemn me, or scold me. He was attempting to get me to see things the way Christ saw things. All that man knew was the Word of God. And he actually lived it every day.

This man was not popular, and was considered a bit crazy. But He embodied the fact that “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

All He was doing was telling me what the word said. He was not giving his opinion of the word, either. He made it clear that he wouldn’t do that. But for every question I had, he knew where to find the answer in the word of God. It was obvious that he was a chosen one.

So, here’s the deal. It isn’t about how popular you are, or how many people “Like” you on FB, or on your blog. It isn’t about making people “Warm and Fuzzy”. It isn’t about “Telling others what to do”, either. It is simply about knowing the word, and being just like Jesus. That is exactly what this man did. He had absolute faith in God, absolutely knew and understood the word, and, just like Jesus, gave us what we needed to hear in order to teach us, convict us, and lead us to a better understanding of what it means to be saved.

This is a lesson I have had difficulty learning. My ego is putting up a fight with my calling. I want to get “Liked” on FB, I want to be popular. I want to have a million “Friends”.

Locally, a relationship is what it takes to get people to see what it means to be a Christian. But I cannot have a cup of coffee with everyone on this planet. I have a love for people that I never knew was possible. It is Christ who put that in me.

My calling , for now, is to write. I am to write about what I learned as I come back to Christ. Much of what I write is uncomfortable even for me. But, just as this crazy old homeless man tried to drive through my thick skull, it isn’t about being popular. It is about telling the truth. Those who have an ear for the truth will hear it. Those who just want their ears tickled, or want to make God in an image that is not God, will be disappointed.

I have to remember, it is not about me. I have to get out of the way. It is about the message.

That message is that God loved you so much that He gave us Jesus to die for our sin. Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God. He took on our sin, all of it. He took on our sickness, all of it, he took on the wrath and judgement of God, all of it, so we will not have to at the day of judgement.

If you have accepted this free gift, you are saved. If you believe with all your heart that Jesus died for your sin, and confess with your mouth that He rose again on the third day to prove he is lord of death and life, then you are saved.

Furthermore, if you want to follow Christ, you must die to yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Him.

This is not warm and fuzzy. You will become unpopular as you tell this message to people. You will lose friends. You will get fewer and fewer likes on FaceBook. Your words will offend people.

I am not telling you what to do. If it were up to me, things would be different. But there is a reason it is called Discipleship. In God’s army, the first thing a warrior learns is to surrender to the will of God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

You cannot serve God and yourself. You have to be willing to give up all of yourself and be remade into the image of Christ. Daily.

God gave us common sense. It is good for dealing with life in the natural. But common sense never discovered God. If it could, Jesus would never had to come here and die. The things of God are understood by the supernatural work of God, because of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. If you are trying common sense to make sense of the Bible, you have missed more than half of what Christ has said.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.“ Matt. 16:24 NASB

Let’s Be About It.

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

Pro 24:16 For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity. (Amplified, e-sword)

WE ALL FALL.

WHEN WE FALL

WHEN THE LORD LIFTS US UP

WHEN YOU ARE REDEEMED

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

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THE BURNING QUESTION

TRUST IN THE LORD

THE OUTCOME

MY PRAYER FOR US ALL

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Seeking the kingdom of God…and all these things.

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THE WELLS FAMILY REUNIONS

(Please wait while the Orchestra changes to nostalgic background music)

BACK ON THE BIKE

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1 Peter 1:3 ESV

I knew from childhood that you were there, but everyone told me to be afraid of you.

I was scared that you would “Get me for that”.

I wanted to please you so I became as religious as I could.

I never found you in my religion.

Then I met your Son.

He wasn’t mad at me.

He didn’t scold me.

He loved me.

I asked him why.

He smiled at me and said:

John 14:10 ESV

Then He breathed on me, and I believed.

Now I get it, God.

Just as you are Jesus’ Father, you are now my father, too.

In order to show us how much you love us, you had to send your own Son here:

To live among us.

To show us your likeness.

To die in our place for the fall.

And to rise again to show us that,

if we will simply understand,

if we will simply accept this free gift,

we are already saved, redeemed, and healed, and loved of God.

If we will simply understand that this is free, because you love us, and you did this for us.

John 3:16 ESV

I do believe, now, Father.

I believe not because others tell me I must.

I believe because I met Him, for real.

What He is showing me about you takes my breath away.

You love all of us on Earth.

You are not mad at us.

Jesus paid the price for anything and everything that stands between us and you.

All we have to do is accept this gift, this free gift.

Where religion hid your love from me, Your Son revealed it.

What gift can I give to You, Father, that would show and demonstrate what an amazing love I have for YOU?

All I have is me.

That I willingly give to you.

I love you, my Father.

I love you.

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We will spend a lot of our lives asking “Who Am I?”. We will spend another significant amount of time asking ourselves “Why Am I?

“And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remoulded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him (JESUS) Who created it.” – Apostle Paul – Ephesians 2:8 ESV

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“You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.”

Psalm 119:67 ESV

“You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” – Einstein.

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JAMES 1:23-24 – For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

I Corinthians 15:49 – Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

IN THE BEGINNING

AFTER THE FALL

THEN CAME JESUS