Transition States – Leaving My ‘Old time Religion’ and Learning to Walk in Grace.

Transition States

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 NASB

DEFINITIONS:

Masoretic Text of Ezekiel 36:26

וְנָתַתִּ֤י לָכֶם֙ לֵ֣ב חָדָ֔שׁ וְר֥וּחַ חֲדָשָׁ֖ה אֶתֵּ֣ן בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וַהֲסִ֨רֹתִ֜י אֶת־לֵ֤ב הָאֶ֨בֶן֙ מִבְּשַׂרְכֶ֔ם וְנָתַתִּ֥י לָכֶ֖ם לֵ֥ב בָּשָֽׂר׃

Reverse Interlinear

“Moreover, I will give” – nathan – gift (A form of the word GRACE.) – to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend

“You a new” – chadash – new, new thing, fresh

“heart” – leb – Outline of Biblical Usage

inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
1. inner part, midst
  1. midst (of things)
  2. heart (of man)
  3. soul, heart (of man)
  4. mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory
  5. inclination, resolution, determination (of will)
  6. conscience
  7. heart (of moral character)
  8. as seat of appetites
  9. as seat of emotions and passions
  10. as seat of courage

“spirit” – ruwach –

wind, breath, mind, spirit
1. Spirit of God, the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son
  1. as inspiring ecstatic state of prophecy
  2. as impelling prophet to utter instruction or warning
  3. imparting warlike energy and executive and administrative power
  4. as endowing men with various gifts
  5. as energy of life
  6. as manifest in the Shekinah glory
  7. never referred to as a depersonalised force

“within” quereb – midst, among, inner part, middle

inward part
1. physical sense
2. as seat of thought and emotion
3. as faculty of thought and emotion

“and I will remove” – cuwr – (Pronounced ‘suwr’) –

to turn aside, depart
1. (Qal)
  1. to turn aside, turn in unto
  2. to depart, depart from way, avoid
  3. to be removed
  4. to come to an end
2. (Polel) to turn aside
3. (Hiphil)
  1. to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take away, put away, depose
  2. to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish
4. (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed

“stone” – ‘eben – perverse, hard heart

“flesh” – basar –

flesh
1. of the body
  1. of humans
  2. of animals
2. the body itself
3. male organ of generation (euphemism)
4. kindred, blood-relations
5. flesh as frail or erring (man against God)
6. all living things
7. animals
8. mankind

English (NASB) [?]	Strong’s	Root Form (Hebrew)

“Moreover, I will give	h5414	נָתַן nathan
you a new	h2319	חָדָשׁ chadash
heart	h3820	לֵב leb
and put	h5414	נָתַן nathan
a new	h2319	חָדָשׁ chadash
spirit	h7307	רוּחַ ruwach
within	h7130	קֶרֶב qereb
you; and I will remove	h5493	סוּר cuwr
the heart	h3820	לֵב leb
of stone	h68	אֶבֶן ‘eben
from your flesh	h1320	בָּשָׂר basar
and give	h5414	נָתַן nathan
you a heart	h3820	לֵב leb
of flesh.	h1320	בָּשָׂר basar

36:26 καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν καρδίαν καινὴν καὶ πνεῦμα καινὸν δώσω ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ ἀφελῶ τὴν καρδίαν τὴν λιθίνην ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν καρδίαν σαρκίνην

Thank you for dredging through all those definitions. It may be a stretch to prove a point, but I wanted to make sure the point was understood based on what the bible is actually saying. BASICALLY this verse is saying that GOD will take away my mind, will, heart, understanding, and place inside me HIS mind, will, heart, understanding, and remove my dead spirit and replace it with HIS living and holy spirit.

I have been going through radical changes in my thinking (To change your thinking, means to repent, and to repent is to change your thinking).

Here is what happened: I prayed.

I prayed that God remove from me every thing that stands between me and Him. I confessed I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, and that Christ died on the cross for my sin (He BECAME all sin, and God judged HIM for being sin, and He died). Then He, being sin, was cast into hell. But while He was there, He was brought back to life in the transfigured form that the apostles saw on the streets three days later. He did all this so that I would not have to die. He did this so all law and prophecy will be fulfilled. He did this so that, instead of we humans souls having to suffer the complete wrath of God, we inherited eternal life instead. I prayed that God remove anything and everything that stands between me and Him.

If you have been reading my poor blog, you know what happened. If not, the reader’s digest version is that God answered my prayer. Everything that could be removed from me was removed from me. What I have left is a loving wife, a beautiful family, and the presence of God. Oh, and we were able to keep our clothes and our car and our cats.

I digress, though. I prayed. My hearts desire is to know Christ and be like Him. In the above verse, we learn many things. We learn that it is NOT our selves that does the work. It is God that does all the work. My efforts not only get in the way, but prohibit God from working in me. I know this is true because I have tried all my life to understand what it means to be like Christ.

This is where, recently, I found the difference between “Theology” and “Religious Dogma”. Theology is simply “The knowledge of God”. “Religious Dogma” is self explanatory, but I will expound on it as we go.

Albert Einstein once said, “I want to know God’s thoughts; the rest are details.” That is where I stand. That is basically where I have always stood. I was raised in a very traditional, large, protestant religion. Where this religion’s dogma aligned with the doctrines of God, we were taught the doctrines of God. Where they differed, we were taught a very skewed religious bias, a dogma that placed more importance on our religion and our religious movement than on the will of the Living God through Christ Jesus. We were basically renting the parts of scripture that suited us, and changed the understanding of the rest. This kind of dogma replaces a genuine understanding of the Living God, via the work of the Holy Spirit, and replaces it with man’s interpretation of God and His role in the Universe, Life, and our selves.

But the promise of God is that HE will do this work, and HE will replace my corrupted thoughts with HIS thoughts, His will, HIS understanding of things, His Spirit will be my new life as I was dead in my spirit.

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:1-10 NASB

God took out all my dead junk and replaced it with HIS life. Literally. His name is Jesus.

But religious dogma taught me a knowledge ABOUT God, based on evaluations derived from external observation…a what you see is the sum of the knowledge of God. It emphasized imitating Christ by MY strength, and not resting in the Lord.

Theology, real theology, describes, instead, an intimate knowledge of God. It is based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The intimacy is more profound than the intimacy between lovers. It is attained only when you have accepted the free gift of Salvation brought by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The religious dogma I was taught was simply a mental knowledge of the scriptures. It was a cerebral understanding of what Christ accomplished through His life, Death and Resurrection. To reinforce all this knowledge, we studied, in depth, the writings of the Church Leaders (By that I mean, mostly the leaders of our religion, and, where they applied, the writings of all the commentaries and letters of all the historical Church Leaders.) If there was a commentary that did not quite line up with our dogma, it was either ignored or explained away. It is called “rationalizing”.

God never said we are to rationalize our faith. He asked us to come and reason with Him. HE will make us clean. He will do all the work. He and He alone can accomplish in us all the works that He promised.

All the self-inflicted rules and dogma of my former religion were emphasized in the light of the idea that WE must do all WE can to be like Christ. We were taught many amazing things that remained in our heads, but never reached our hearts. This Head Knowledge is a walk that relies on self-enforced rules. This affliction is the religious dogma that has turned every person on earth away from Christ. It has proven over time that all it does is condemn you, and try to force you to behave in a way that is not in your nature. It disregards the fact that our flesh (Heart, Mind, Soul, Will) is at war with God. It is a self reliance that works only for a little while until we fatigue of doing something that is not in us to do in the first place.

In the opening verse, we see that these changes can only be done by God, according to His will, through His spirit. This is done when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” II Corinthians 5:17 NASB

When we rest in the completed work of Christ, we are no longer guilty. We are no longer in sin. We are no longer in rebellion against God. We are NEW creatures. And the changes that are made start from the inside, not the outside. They are a vine that, as we grow in Christ Likeness, produce the fruit of the spirit.

Where religious dogma emphasizes a memorized set of rules that force you to rely on yourself to fulfill, the Knowledge of God, through a changed mind, heart, and spirit in Christ, emphasizes the work of God in you through the Holy Spirit. You receive as a gift the Mind of Christ. You receive as a gift the will of God. You receive as a gift the total forgiveness of all your sin. This fruit of the Spirit will eventually manifest itself outwardly as you make the transition inwardly.

I am writing about this now because I am in that transition state. I am leaving a dead life of works based faith behind, and am transitioning into a life of faith based walk in Christ. The biggest difference, besides the change of heart, the change of attitude, the change in the way you view the world, is, you no longer walk in sin and rebellion, and it becomes effortless as you begin to rest in the completed work of Christ. You can still sin, but the more of the Mind of Christ you allow the Spirit of God to reveal to you, the less you will want to sin.

I no longer have to try, by my own strength, to be like Christ. Christ is transitioning me from where I was to where He wants me to be.

This does not make God’s Grace a license to sin, but the freedom from the sin nature. All I have to do is accept, in my heart, what the Word of God says about the accomplished work of Christ. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So, I hope this tome will encourage you to change your mind about the knowledge of God. Your religious dogma will not get you very far. It only makes sin more exciting than knowing God. Even Atheists have a religious dogma and a religious fervor.

I will write more on the details of Grace that brought about this transition. It is difficult, only in the respect that I have to overcome a lot of my old thinking and believing patterns, and accept the thoughts of Christ. Faith becomes reality. No matter what you think about, that is what you become and receive, It is a universal principle. Faith in Christ will bring you a new life far beyond anything you ever imagined. I know this because this is what is happening to me.

I am in the transition state that exists between my religious dogma, and my new walk in Christ.

Care to join me?

Let’s be about it.

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

Faith

And We Know…

And we know that God causes all things

to work together

for good

to those who love God,

to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 NASB

The temptation to despair looms large when things around you have completely gone to hell. The difficulty lay in seeing the hand of God even in this situation.

I have to remember that God is not mad at me. God is not judging me. When I reap the consequences of my behavior, it is not God that is punishing me. Everything has either a logical or natural consequence. When I am in a storm of my own making, I understand that it is not God that brought the storm.

It IS God that stands with me in the midst of the storm. It is God that sustains me when I feel faint from the effort of having Hope. Just like Nebuchadnezzar saw, when he threw the three into the fiery pit, “One standing like the Son of God“, I can say with all confidence that, even though I lit this fire, God stands with me in this pit, and God protects me from the harshest elements of it. The experience is still mine, but the strength to endure and the ability to gain wisdom comes from God Himself.

Because I am crucified with Christ, my old sin nature was put to death. Because He rose from the dead, I rose anew, a new life form. I know that after this last trial, I will walk out refined and purified. I cannot make this claim unless Christ is my life.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. “ Galatians 2:20 NASB

Because of Jesus, and my redemption by His blood, I can, with all confidence say, I have been made anew. When this refining fire is over, I will be stronger in the Lord. I will know God in intimate ways I never would have comprehended had I not been subject to the logical consequences of my behavior.

God has not punished me. Jesus took on that punishment when He became all my sin on the cross. Because of this great gift, I am now the adopted child of God. God will allow consequences to come my way, natural and logical, when I step out of His will for my life.

I praise God that He has given me the freedom to think for myself. And I praise God that He upholds me when I reap what I sow. From this lesson, I have learned that doing things God’s way is far better than seeking riches, fame, and the praise of men.

God has, and is, and will work even this situation out to His glory, to my best good, because I am called according to His purposes.

I may not understand why, sometimes, it seems as if He is a thousand miles away. It may be that my fear of the flames has distorted my view of Him, and He has been right here all along, holding me, because I have fainted.

Through this fire, I have seen my unnecessary beliefs, behaviors and possessions disappear in smoke. All I thought was important couldn’t stand in the fire of God’s just mercy. What remains is a grace that I never imagined could exist.

Now I have joy, love, and peace, and I comprehend the love of God. I am His beloved. Now I am useful for His purposes in me.

I thank you God that you allow me to go through these things.

I cannot be that new creature and cling to the old things. They are incompatible. As God’s adopted child, and co-heir to Heaven, my old belongings would only pollute the things and places God intends to give me.

I praise you God for a wisdom that in infinitely more than any human wisdom. Where the world sees a failure and a loser, you see a new creation, fresh from the master’s refining fire.

I am happy to lose everything I thought was meaningful and important, knowing that what God will be giving me is worth more than anything the world has to offer.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things passed away; behold,

new things have come.”

II Corinthians 5:17 NASB

Come to Jesus and be refined in the fire of His love. You will never regret it for all eternity.

I love you.

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Our Position in Christ – Christ is the Center

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 2:20 NASB

Central to the Christian faith is this one fact: Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. God sent the Son to fill the law. That law is that the wages of sin is death. Jesus died on the cross, nailing the law to the cross. If you read yesterday’s blog, “Our Position in Christ” you read that our sin died with Christ in Hell. If you accept this mystery, you understand that your sin was put to death when Christ was put to death, as He became Sin and took on the wrath of God in our place. Where you were dead in your sin, and had no hope of salvation, you are now alive, you are born again.

You are saved when you believe with all your heart: “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. “ John 3:16 NASB

If you do not accept this free gift, you are still dead: “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 3:18 NASB

You are not condemned after you reject Him. You are already condemned because you have not yet accepted Him. This is true because all humans are born dead in sin. We are born cut off from fellowship with the Living God.

Accepting this free gift is what it means to be born again. You are born in the spirit of God. You are now a child of God.

CRUCIFIED IN CHRIST

Your old life was put to death. Just as Jesus proved he has power over sin and death, the Spirit of God moves in you to prove that the same things are dead to you, too. All life before Christ was dead life. Because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead nowlives in you, you are a new creation, and the power of the Living God resides in you, giving you real life.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” II Corinthians 5:17 NASB

Your self was put to death, and the Spirit of God now lives in you.

NO LONGER I, BUT CHRIST

Contrary to popular opinion, salvation is not a community project, nor does it rely on a corporate salvation. Salvation is as individual as each fingerprint. No church, committee, group, or government will be there when you are standing before God. If you are saved, you, as an individual, can claim that you no longer live, but Christ lives in you.

The same power that lived and worked in Jesus Christ is the same power that lives and works in you. This power will guide you to make you into the Character of Christ.

Ephesians 2:4-6 explains – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus ”

The same power that raised Jesus up now lives in you.

THE LIFE YOU NOW LIVE

A changed life is what happens when you genuinely accept this free gift of salvation. The Spirit of God will work in you to help you overcome the life you left behind. A changed life is the first evidence the world has to see that the power of God lives in you. You cannot do this on your own. If it were possible to do this, there would have been no need of the sacrifice of Christ. We do not have the ability or power to live a sinless life, or a life that is pleasing to the Lord. Only the Spirit of God living in you can do that.

Things will change. This is not a works based theology. This is simply a fact of the power of the spirit of God. You will change from inside. The things that did appeal to you, will no longer have that appeal. The sin that you enjoyed will not have that power over you any more. This may mean you will lose friends, but it also means you gain new ones.

Because the Spirit of God lives in you, you will no longer be compelled to live any way you wish, but you will desire to live a life that is pleasing to God. This is also not something you can do for yourself. It is a gift of God.

Your faith in God, your faith in the Saving Grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is what will live in you.

IDENTITY

We were identified with death before Christ became our Savior and Lord. Now that you are saved, your identity has changed. When God sees you, He sees His own beloved child. You are no longer dead to Him. The blood of Jesus paid the price of your separation from Him, and you now enjoy open and complete communion with Him.

Romans 8:2 states you are free from the law of Sin and Death – “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Your old identity, the “Old Self” as it is referred to in Scripture, is dead. The new man, the Spirit of God, lives in you. “…since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him-…”

Your identity is now in Christ. This is the new self.

THE MAIN THING

Being saved is not about a religion. it is about a relationship to God because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The main thing is that it is all about Jesus. We were not raptured the second we believed because we are to be made into the character of Christ so that others will be saved..

CHRIST IS THE CENTER

Central to our faith is Jesus Christ. Everything past, present, and future is about Jesus Christ, and what He has done to redeem mankind. When we are born again, Christ is the center of our existence. The Spirit of God will move in you to create in you a character that you could not create in yourself. That character will be the character of Christ. That character will lead you to do the things of Christ so that others will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, too.

The things you will accomplish because of this new character will be things that are pleasing to God. Your old self is dead. You no longer have to live like that again. The things that were once important to you will no longer be that important. The more you get into the Word of God (The Bible), and pray, and fellowship with other Christians, the more you will discover your desires will become the desires of God for you.

Keep Christ as your center, and you will grow. Lay aside all the things that get in the way of your walk with Him. Pray, read the word, and grow. Your life doesn’t really begin until you have accepted Christ as your savior. When you do that, you will discover He is also Lord over your life. He will lead you places that you never thought were possible, and the life you live will be full, satisfying, and complete.

You will be made into the image of Christ.

WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR ME

Jesus death on the cross was not just to defeat Satan. It was not just to put the letter of the law on the cross. It was to bring you life. He did this because of His love for you. He was holy and pure, and became sin and death, so you can have life and holiness. You were dead before you accepted Christ as your lord and savior. Now you are alive.

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are already dead. While your heart beats, let the Spirit of God move you to see what Christ has done for you.

We live because the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us. This is the free gift…eternal life.

Let’s be about it.

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Blessed are the Poor in Spirit….

Mathew 5:3 “Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶνοὐρανῶν”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Jesus

NOTES ARE FROM “THE BLUE LETTER BIBLE“

Textus Receptus

InterlinearReverse Interlinear

English (KJV)	Strong’s	Root Form (Greek)	Parsing

Blessed	g3107	μακάριος makarios	blessed, happy
are the poor	g4434	πτωχός ptōchos	destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ‘s teaching and proved them selves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure)
in spirit:	g4151	πνεῦμα pneuma	the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides the soul
for	g3754	ὅτι hoti	that, because, since (Conjunction)
theirs	g846	αὐτός autos	himself, herself, themselves, itself
is	g2076	ἐστί esti	“he/she/it is” (third person singular of ‘to be’)
the kingdom	g932	βασιλεία basileia	the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings
of heaven.	g3772	οὐρανός ouranos	of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Jesus

Jesus has a habit of choosing people who the world will overlook or ignore. They are the common, uncomplicated masses that have nothing but themselves to offer.

Modern Evangelism sells is a faith that emphasizes self; Strength of self-will, strength of a beautiful and optimistic mind-set, the strength of what we bring to the table, what we can offer Jesus, to take or leave. We make of ourselves managers of Jesus call, and make of Jesus nothing more than a vending machine who will make us wealthy and happy and successful.

There is no emphasis on the RICHNESS of His grace, the Joy of His salvation, and the discipleship of Jesus as Lord.

“But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,”

John 2:24 – King James Bible “Authorized Version”, Cambridge Edition

Growing up in evangelic churches in the South, I always heard the phrase, “Decide for Christ”. This emphasizes something that Jesus never trusted: Our way of thought. Jesus did not ask you to “decide for Him”, but that we should yield to Him, and that is entirely different. To choose Christ means you will yield to Him.

Christ’s Kingdom on this earth, in this time, is made up of the “unaffected loveliness of the commonplace” – Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest.

I can be the wealthiest man on earth, and still be poor in spirit. What I am blessed in is my poverty. I tried to conform to His will by my strength, my will, my knowledge, my nobility of disposition. That is where I found that I have nothing in my own soul to recommend me to Him. In my “Religious Bigotry”, I thought I could take everything I am and Christ would have to accept it, just the way it is. I even gave Him permission to, if it actually needed it, to modify what I brought to the table.

On top of that show of raw arrogance, I began to claim treasures from Him. I believed that if I were not successful in the world, beautiful to the world, and holier than anyone else, to be seen in the world as a saint, and a popular one, at that, then I was not standing fast in the completeness of all the Gifts God had given me.

It has taken my material circumstances to teach me that Jesus has no need of anything I bring to Him, and that His blessings are not as shallow as the ones I was “claiming” in His name.

He has no use for me being good, and bringing Him my imperfect accomplishments. It is when I recognize the poverty of my spirit that the Kingdom has a place in me, and I in it. I can enter the Kingdom and possess it only when I recognize what a pauper I am, and understand that treasures are built in Heaven, and that His riches surpass anything that the world has to offer.

No effort of mine will reveal the true loveliness of Jesus and His Kingdom. This kind of loveliness that reveals God is unconscious. The conscious influence I bring is something I add to what the Spirit is trying to do through me, the unconscious and unfiltered loveliness of Christ. It is when I think that I am useful to Jesus, when I contribute MY opinion or My ability, that the loveliness of the Lord vanishes and I take the lime light. The glow of His touch fades because I have taken its place by my strength.

It is when I come to Christ, poor in spirit, that what Jesus said is true: “He that believeth in me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water.” If I stop and look at what is flowing, I immediately spoil and interfere with that flow. It is in my unguarded moments that my real and true relationship with Christ as my Lord is revealed. That is the unconscious and unaffected flow of Christ flowing from you. I cannot improve on that. All I can do is desire more, and as I submit to the Lord, I have more. If I believe I have to stop what I am doing and add to that flow, than I become consciously and willfully an intruder on the unconscious and natural flow of the work of Christ. It is when I keep my eyes on Jesus that I am the most useful to Him. I become a bystander to His glory.

The people who have influenced my walk in the Lord weren’t the ones who thought they did. The people who genuinely influenced me the most were the ones who had no idea that they were even remotely on my radar.

I know when Jesus is at work when He produces, in the common people of life, and the common circumstances they live in, that lovely flowing river of life. It is in the common place that Jesus is most inspiring.

My Prayer: Lord, take me out of the way. Teach me to abandon all the stuff I try to bring to you, and replace it with the knowledge that I am actually poor in spirit. Make me teachable so your living waters will flow out of me.

I get, now, why Paul said that all He had was dung, compared to the greatness of Jesus and His salvation.

To serve Jesus, I must come to Him empty of my self, and desiring to be filled with Him.

Let’s be about it.

I Love You,

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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Revealed Truth, or Religious Bigotry?

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ Jeremiah 29:11-14 NASB

I have not written in the last few days. I had to ask myself some hard questions. One of those questions was: “Am I showing the truth, or being a religious bigot?”

An opportunity to answer this question presented itself, today. So, now I can tell you what I have learned. I am not going to bore you with my testimony. Let my current life be my testimony. And I am a work in progress. But over these past two weeks, I have been struggling with how dogmatic my writing sounds.

I am by God‘s grace, and training, a researcher, and an analyst. I am very good at it too. I will not bore you with this, either. I say it so I can tell you this:

The difference between a researcher and a religious bigot is, the religious bigot will not accept that any other point of view, other than his own, is true. He will be so dug in that he cannot, and will not, even entertain conversation that will allow a different point of view.

The Religious Bigot believes that his answer, even if it contradicts hard evidence, or Jesus Himself, is actually the correct one. And the contradiction against Christ does not present a mental conundrum to him, either. The religious bigot will plot the curve then try to find data that supports it, or will bend the existing data to force it to agree with it. He has the answer before he knows the question. In his heart, he has cut out several things Christ has had to say about Himself, Salvation, and what it really means to follow Him.

A researcher will look at as much evidence he can find. He will weigh the evidence. He will let the evidence speak for itself. He will suspend his biases in order to see if something is hidden in the data that he would otherwise not choose to see. Even if that data represents a major threat to his understanding of things, he will look. If the shock doesn’t kill him, he will adapt to that truth. He knows the difference between a truth and an opinion of a truth, even in his own mental frame-work.

I have spent, literally, all my life researching and studying as many religions as I could find. I even attended many of their religious meetings in order to get a better understanding of them.

All my research has driven me back to some very basic truths. This has shown me the difference between what you call a fundamentalist and what I call a fundamentalist. A fundamentalist, in any religion, has boiled his faith down to things that are the bottom line of his faith. The American definition of a fundamentalist is actually the definition of a religious bigot.

Here was the hard part. There is only so much the human mind can comprehend when it comes to spiritual matters. There comes a time when you must rely on faith and hope.

In Christianity, I have discovered that, the gift of Faith comes from God alone. And when I rely on it, I am shown things that have been right in front of me all along, but did not have “The Third Eye” opened to it, yet.

Being a researcher, I am open to every possible interpretation of any event that you can imagine. I know that, if I have the truth, nothing can remove it from my heart. However interesting and entertaining that journey into another viewpoint is, I can test it against the baseline of revealed truth, and know it for what it is.

Am I dogmatic? Absolutely. What I have been writing about all this time is directly from the scriptures. There is no room for my opinion of it, or my interpretation of it. It is the truth as Jesus and the Apostles, and God have revealed it in the scriptures.

As a researcher, I want to hear other views. I am not afraid of differing opinions, or what others think is revealed truth. I can do this without my ego being attached to it because I have learned, in my return to Christ that “Truth is its own witness, and Time is the Judge of all truths.”

I am dogmatic over the things I have delved into, and have seen for myself are true. There are things that are true that I could never discuss in a church or over a pulpit. I have learned the hard way that, even though it is the truth, most people cannot fathom that it is true. I have discovered that, even things that are mentioned in the Bible are outright rejected by most American Christians.

But what I know, I must write about.. What I write about are truths as revealed in Scripture, and how God has applied it to my life, and my wife’s life. We are in total agreement over these things. We arrived at this over very different routs. She is my partner and my love, and we walk together in our calling.

WHAT THIS BOILS DOWN TO

It is a heart condition that will keep us from growing to be like Christ.

When you are saved, spiritually, you are complete. The Holy Spirit marks you as being a child of the Living God because of your faith, IN YOUR HEART, that Jesus Christ is who he said he is, and did what he said he will do. Your faith was born in your heart, after God placed the seed of faith in you.

Spiritually, you are complete. There is nothing lacking in you spiritually.

The reason you were not raptured when you were saved, is so that that spirit can take over your heart.

Here is a good explanation of this:

THE CONDITION OF THE HUMAN HEART

In Scripture, the heart is the seat of indwelling sin as well as its subject. It is from the heart that indwelling sin springs in a person’s experience. Indeed, sin has invaded as an enemy and now possesses the very throne of God himself. So says the preacher:

Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is the unfortunate thing about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone; The hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is madness in their hearts during their lives—then they die.

This is a very good description of the heart. When you are saved, you are complete in the eyes of GOd. This is because the Holy Spirit now dwells in you. However, “When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world, and show where right and wrong and judgment lie. He will convict them of wrong…” John 16:8 (NEB). (Click the link, you will find a very well written article that covers this topic in-depth).

Being complete in the spirit is why you are saved. But the heart has to be Cleaned out of all its old habits. It is the heart that contains all our sin, impulses, evil and wayward living. If you really want to grow to be like Jesus, you cannot stay content being complete in the spirit, you will want God to do His heart surgery on you. Even if you know it might hurt.

I strongly recommend this book if you want a complete study of why this cleaning is part of the Grace of God:

“Grace: The Power To Change”, by Dr. James B. Richards, 1993 ISBN: 0-924748-07-9 Look it up at your favorite book dealer. CDB carries it.

So, if I am a dogmatic about anything, I am dogmatic about the lessons I have had to learn, by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in my life. It is hard work, and it comes only as we are willing to submit to these changes. It is a work I was never willing to do myself. But the Spirit of God compels me to submit to a work only He can do in me.

The fact that I am willing to change according to the will of God proves I am not being a religious bigot. I am very open to any change the Spirit of God needs to make in me so that I will end up being just like Christ, my Lord. I am willing to sacrifice anything and everything I love and hold dear, if it is what God needs me to do, if it will mean I get to be like Jesus. That especially includes all the hidden matters of my heart.

You must be willing to have your heart changed. Eventually the Spirit of God will tire of you quenching it. If, in your wisdom (Translates to Arrogance), you want to delude yourself into thinking that you do not need to change your heart, fine. My invitation is only to those who, like me, have discovered the Lordship of Christ. Jesus is more than a Savior. In order to understand the Lordship of Christ, a Christian must be teachable, and allow the Holy Spirit, not your opinion, to be the teacher.

Lets Be About It.

I love you,

David Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Eternity In Your Heart

This is blog 1 for August 12th, 2013. Blog 2 will follow. It will be along the lines of the message I have been given to share.

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15

Why do I write? Whom is my message for? Is it really MY message? How do I have the right to say the things I say? This is not my “normal daily” post, that will follow this one. This post is an editorial based on my understanding what I have been called to do. Normally, I am indifferent to the hostility, and not too concerned over all the indifference. I knew this was coming before I started blogging.

Hostility can mean I hit a nerve. Whether I hit that nerve in a good way or a bad one is usually revealed in the emails I get. If I discern that I was misunderstood, I make amends as quickly as possible. If I discover otherwise, I let it alone. Only a fool grabs a dog by its ears.

Indifference is something I have no control over. Only God Himself can cure that.

So why do I write? Is it to get attention? No. Is it to gain popularity? I have never enjoyed a huge amount of popularity. But I understand the importance of what I have been given to say. The message I have is unpopular, and the target audience is so narrow, I expect nothing much in return.

So, why do I write, and to whom do I write it?

I write to those brothers and sisters who have eternity in their hearts. They are either in the process of understanding salvation, or were once aware of their salvation. The fire burns, however small, in their hearts. They know something is missing. They know that the life they are now living is not what they set out to live. They understand that what they are doing is not what they thought it would be.

I write to them because I have lived that life, and am sharing everything I have come to understand in the process of coming home. If you already have your pet religion, and “God in the Box”, then this message was never intended to be for you. You are still welcome to read it, but it is not for you.

To you who have this song of Heaven still echoing somewhere in your heart and soul, I am writing. You once understood the joy of salvation, or you are about to understand the joy of salvation. You are far away from that joy. You have done things that you hope never, EVER make the light of day. The burden of your wanderings are so great, you have given up any hope of being allowed to return to God. And even when you think you want to go home, you have, somehow, convinced yourself that there is no way you can ever return to God.

I get that. I have been there. I have despaired to the point that I wanted to die and get it over with. And just as I had given up completely, God stepped in and showed me something. And that something is what I am writing to you.

YOU ARE SAVED:

You understand that there is sin in your life. You understand that sin separates you from God. You understand that if you die in this sin, you will also experience the death of your soul. You understand that God loved Humanity so much, He sent Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, to take your place, die on the cross, and absorb ALL the wrath of God, so you do not have to. You confess that Jesus rose Himself from the dead to prove He has power over life and death. If you have made this confession, or do make this confession, then you are saved. There is no power in existence that can take that away from you. No person or religion has the right or ability to condemn you for what you have done. In God’s eyes, you are complete. You cannot even take yourself from God’s hands. His gifts are without repentance.

YOU KNOW THERE IS MORE:

You ask yourself why, if I am saved, do I keep sinning, and have no peace, and don’t like where my life has taken me? Why does God hate me? Why cannot I find peace. You know there is more to your life than the lies you bought at the expense of your heart, at the expense of your family, your friends, and everything else you held dear. Most of the time, you even doubt there is even a God who really cares.

But the fact that you ask yourself this, that you wrestle with this, that you cannot find peace in your current circumstances means that the conscience God has given you is uneasy with where you are now. It is the proof that you belong to God.

I can say this, because I just left that place.

You still have Eternity in your heart. That eternity was given to you by God. You are his beloved child. And that Eternity is calling you home. Not to leave this earthly plane, but to return to His embrace. He is waiting for you. And when he sees you turn around, HE will rush to you and take you up in His arms. He is longing with all His might to show you that He has always been there, that He loves you, that your life is only beginning when you come home. The chains you are in are there only by your will, not his. His love breaks all chains. His mercy redeems any loss you have known. His Grace has covered everything you have been doing. When He looks at you, He sees the blood of Christ. The only thing keeping you from God is you. It is simply your will. He has never gone away from you.

It is to you that I write. I can because I have come home, and have not looked back. Any losses I have known are replaced with His love and forgiveness. I no longer fear. I no longer am angry. I no longer despair of my sin. I have come home. This is what God is urging you to do. Come home.

THERE IS WORK TO DO:

After you return, God will heal your wounds, show you things that you have not been able to see on your own. Wisdom will be your love, and understanding will become your companion. God will show you that you could never have even been saved had it not been for His will at work in you. And now that you are home, and healing, God will show you the exact same thing He has shown me.

There is a final harvest coming all over the world. There are millions of people who are lost and have no idea that they do not have to be. In your environment, if you are willing and have a submitted heart, God will take your old character out, and replace it with the character of Jesus Christ. You may be the “only Jesus” people around you see. But the reason you have the longings you do, is because you feel the call of God to bring you Home to be made into a disciple of Jesus Christ.

This call is for anyone who is saved. Many will respond. Not many will be chosen. All are saved, but few are willing to go through what it takes to be a disciple. The secret of this success lay not in your ability, not in your intelligence, and not in any religion, or religious point of view. There is only the point of view God has revealed in the Scriptures. There is only the point of view as revealed by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

You are the one to whom I write. I write to you because I can attest that this is real. Is is sweet. It is amazing. It is also hard and defies any human logic and common sense. The really hard part is, there is no room for compromise where Christ is concerned. This is why you will meet resistance as you change into the image of Christ. You will have to do battle with your own understanding of things, you own ego, your own common sense, and any religious point of view you vaguely remember following.

Jesus did not come here to start a religion. He came here to save your soul. Now He needs people to follow Him to complete the upcoming revival. There are many souls and not much time.

YOU WILL KNOW:

You will know if what I am telling you is true or not. You will know because, lately, God has been sending witnesses who show you some of this, or that, and in pieces, you are putting this puzzle together. You will know I am speaking the truth by how your soul reacts to it. Even if your mind rejects it now, even if this message sounds judgmental or intolerant, you will know in your soul I am describing you. Come home, for Christ’s sake.

You will know if this message is not for you, too. You will know because it trips up your understanding of God. It messes with your religion. Because you would rather judge the messenger than listen to the message. But the message I write is true. I am not writing to anyone who cannot receive it.

I don’t know who you are, but God does. I don’t have a religion to support, I don’t have any pep talks to make you feel better about being selfish. I have no ‘affirmations” that will give you immediate blessings of health or wealth. All I even have is my salvation. I have chosen to come home. I am one beggar telling another beggar where I found food, water, and a place to rest.

WHY IS IT HARD?:

It is hard because:

1. You will have to allow God to humble you.

2. You will have to be willing to surrender everything you have and know in order to follow Him.

3. You will have to go through the experience of being shown how God is in charge of everything that happens, and that He has your best interest in mind, no matter what experiences you will go through.

4. You will have to face the fact that, when you really start telling the truth, no one wants to hear it, and you will lose friends (But gain even better ones), and you will probably be laughed at a LOT because of the changes that God is making in you.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?:

1. Peace

2. Love

3. Mercy

4. Grace

5. Patience

6. Joy

7. Courage

8. Rewards in heaven.

Being saved means you get to go there when you die. Rewards are based on your willingness to submit to be made into the image of Christ and obey Him in all things. The gain you will have will be given to you when you get there. Any blessing you get while still here will be for the growth of God’s Kingdom. God is not interested in growing YOUR church. He is interested in growing the number of the fellowship of believers.

I am writing this to you because it is currently what Sandy and I are going through. I can write this because I have been where you are.

Come home.

I love you.

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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How Do I Say Thank-You?

For all the friends who prayed for Sandy and I. Thank you. Early this AM, we were scheduled for cut off. By time Sandy picked me up from where I was all night, our electrical balance was zero. Prayer definitely changes things.

In my hyper-Calvinist view point, I saw prayer in this regard as a practical thing to tame the fearful heart, and calm an intemperate mind. I felt that, after prayer, I had to “Gird my loins” and do whatever form of soul selling I needed to do to get this bill paid.

By the grace of God, Sandy and I saw your prayers being answered. Strangers we only met yesterday intervened and worked things out with the utility company. Our debt is mostly gone, and what is left over will be distributed over a two month period as an addendum to the bill.

I am telling you these personal details for the following reasons:

1. I asked for your prayers. I have learned to be accountable in all things, great and small, through this, so I wanted to tell you, your prayers released a Grace on my family.

2. Like I said, I come from a Hyper-Calvinist world. We are an arrogant lot, knowing the scriptures well, but not understanding them where it applies to practical and real faith. The Mustard seed kind. God is changing my heart daily, and my faith in the more “Mysterious” aspects of prayer and faith needed this lesson. Consider it “Boot camp” for the soul.

3. I have been unemployed since April. That means NO income. But God has demonstrated His grace, mostly in the miraculous, and sometimes through people who give out of their own need. And sometimes through strangers.

4. Lessons Learned: Arrogance has no place with God, neither does pride. If I have been anything over these last 30 years, I have been very prideful and arrogant. I needed this. Really trusting God is defined in moments like these. It preaches real good when all your stuff is lined up, and things aren’t very desperate. But I have an understanding of a kind of Grace I never knew existed. This is, afterall, why, 2 years ago, I began to return to God. I needed to see that He loves even the most fallen and wayward child.

5. Intercession works. And it is one of our first responsibilities as Christians. Instead of clucking my tongue at people who are fallen or having a very difficult life, I have to understand that I am not God, and have no right to judge them. I have to understand that they may be crossing my path for a reason. The same reason God stood back to see what Hezekiah would do. This is why intersession needs to come before rash behavior. When I intercede for someone, I get a clear picture from God, via the Holy Spirit, how to address what I have seen.

6. This makes me excited to see what God will do next over our House, and other bills. I hate what my family is going through due to my unemployment, but I love what God is building through this experience.

Thank you. I pray God’s blessings for all of you a thousand times over.

And ten-thousand blessings for that person who we never knew before.

In Jesus’ Name. I love you.

Let’s Be About It!

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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By the Will of God

Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Romans 3:23-24 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

We inherited our sin nature through Adam and Eve. Since then, before we were saved, all our desire has been to satisfy the desires of our own heart. The Bible clearly shows that there is nothing we can do, produce, or say, or think that will be pleasing to God: “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Is 64:6 When we come to the startling discovery that there is nothing we can do to be considered right before God, we feel a sense of loss. We ask ourselves, “What must I do to be saved?”

The fact that we have come to this point is proof that God has already begun His saving work in you. Before you asked yourself this question, you lived a life where it would not occur to you to even consider God or His will for you. But the second we are made aware that there is something missing, and there is nothing you can do about it, you ask again, “What must I do to be saved?”

In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Here is when you learned that to cover the sin that separates us from God, Jesus, out of obedience to the will of God, gave His life in the place of yours (All of Humanity). What did this mean? Jesus obeyed God and became the one who took on all our sin, had it nailed to the cross, and accepted complete separation of God, and consumed all God’s wrath. Jesus did this out of His Love for God, and in obedience to the will of God.

He became a Gift to us, from the Living God. God does not desire that anyone should perish. Jesus told Nicodemus in the garden, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should have everlasting life.” John 3:16. He took this one step farther in the very next verses: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:17-19 KJV

So, if you have accepted this gift of God, you are saved. What this means is, now that you are saved, God sees you as saved. All the attributes of Salvation are at work in you. You are complete in God’s eyes. When He looks at you, He sees that the blood of Christ has covered you. You are no longer condemned.

IT THAT ALL?

Positionally, you are complete in God. He sees you as saved. You have eternal life. But what now? Can I go on acting like I used to act before I was saved? Yes, you can. But that will negate any testimony you could have about Jesus. One sure clue of your salvation is that you will want to know more about the one who saved you. If you ignore that urge, two things can happen. One is, you will fall right back into that sinful life Jesus died for. Or you will become a legalistic individual who tries to live the Christian life by your own will and power. Neither of these things is a thing God can bless.

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Phillipians 2:13

If you still feel the attraction toward our Savior, you will begin to feel in your heart the same power that drew you to Christ in the first place. When you tell God you want to be just like Jesus, you are telling Him that that finished work He sees in you positionally, you want the Holy Spirit to make manifest in the life you live on Earth. If this is your desire, then you will discover that you cannot fake the Character of Christ for very long. You will fail if you try to do this on your own. It is not the nature of the flesh to do this. You could stomp your foot and tell everyone “God loves me the way I am.” or “This is just how I am, and God loves me. ” or “I am saved, I am going to Heaven. God doesn’t expect me to change.” Yet, you ASKED God to make you into the Character of God, not you own character.

YOU CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS

We are either depending on our ability or God’s ability. There is no in between. Jesus wants all of you, or none of you. He said he would rather be hot or cold, but He will spit out luke-warm. Are you saved? If you met the conditions for salvation, yes. From God’s point of view, are you complete? Yes. But that is just the position you hold because of the Blood of Jesus Christ. There is nothing about you personally that He will accept outside of you being made in the image of His Son.

“For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” I Corinthians 3:12

The people of Corinth were saved. The saved ones of Corinth did something that brought their salvation to no effect. They returned to their old lifestyles, and behaved no differently than they did before they were saved.

“Falling from Grace is not losing the born again experience. Falling from grace is when you leave the realm of God’s ability. It is when you attempt to have righteousness by your performance” Dr. James B. Richards. Impact Ministries, Publication Department. 3300 N. Broad Place, Huntsville, Alabama 35805

This is the assertion that you either can do it all on your own, or you don’t need to be transformed into the image of Christ.

There are a lot of people who complain about the “Hyper-Grace Movement”. This movement teaches that all your sin in forgiven from the past, in the present, and in the future. That God already knew you were going to sin, and He has already chosen to overlook it. This is scripturaly inaccurate. I can flesh this one out later. These same people are the ones who think that because they have had a salvation experience, there is nothing else that they need to do to please God. The end result is the exact same as the Hyper-Grace Movement. This same thought teaches, by implication, that you do not have to change a thing about yourself because you are already saved. This, too is a doctrinal error, and is offered by people who either do not really know the scriptures, or have chosen to accept only the things of scripture that please them.

If you are still alive, and you are saved, the Spirit of God will not be content leaving you unchanged. He will call you and call you to be transformed in to the very image of the character of Christ. To refuse to give any part of yourself, and ultimately, all of your self, in every aspect, in every way, is to tell God that you either don’t trust Him to complete in you His perfect work, or you are telling God you are already perfect, and there is nothing about you that needs growing up to be like Christ.

Your fall from grace comes when you are called to be like Christ, but do not sacrifice your will and self to allow the Spirit of God to change you. When Christ said that many are called and few are chosen, he was not talking about your salvation. If you are saved, you are saved. Nothing can change that. The chosen are the ones who allowed the Spirit of God to work in them so that they can obey Christ when He said: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. Luke 9:23 NASB

If you are content to be saved, but not effective in a call, just continue doing what you are doing. But you need to know, the complications that exist in your life exist because you have chosen to try to make Christ into your image that let the Spirit of God transform you into the likeness of Christ. Grace is not cheap. It cost Jesus His life. The ones He chooses are the ones who lay down their very lives, all aspects of it, and walk in the Grace of God through Jesus Christ. It is all an act of Grace.

I can say all of this because I have just survived 20 years being saved, but not allowing the Spirit of God to work out my flawed character and make my character into the image of Christ. My life used to be a living Hell because God allowed me to be my own master. I could not be Godly and be myself at the same time. Today, Christ is healing the wounds, and is turning what is positionally true in God’s eyes in to a child of God, made in the image of Christ. This is not something I can do for myself. It is simply allowing God to get me out of my own way so the Spirit of God can recreate me. My desire is that God use me to witness to the lost and the fallen. And I no longer want things done my way. I only want things His way.

If He is calling you, allow Him to remake your character into something He can choose to follow Him.

It is all a choice.

I love you

Let’s Be About It!

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

Faith

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

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

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

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

Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

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

Hold o’er my being absolute sway!

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me.

George C. Stebbins, 1907

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Faith

“Follow Me”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I make this my prayer:

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

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

I love you,

David

Faith

Me and My Big Mouth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Faith

Rest

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

Vocabulary Words:

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

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

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

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

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

Two More Definitions:

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes, Lord, I am. ”, I replied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that is where I had questions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Uh HUM!”, He replied.

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

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

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

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

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

Then I understood this:

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

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

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

“David.”

“Yes, God?”

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

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

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

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

“Yes Sir, I am sorry.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s be about it.

I Love you.

Your Servant,

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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Faith

WHAT are you THINKING???

I needed steel toed boots when I researched this one. I’ll wait here while you get yours. (You can get a good pair at Orchelin’s).

This is dedicated to Cynthia and Sandy…Yes, I finally understand.

Unless otherwise stated, scripture quotes are from the Holman Bible, as shown on the following web site: https://www.bible.com/

WHAT WAS I THINKING???

Proverbs 23:7a – For as he thinks within himself, so he is. NASB

It seems like this is a lifelong pursuit. Sometimes I approached this with Herculean effort, and sometimes I petered out before I even tried.

My thoughts were toxic. They were why I was continually failing at anything I tried. On the outside, I put on the bravado if “Charles in Charge“, but on the inside I was not so in charge.

At my very best, I have very little self-control, and the things I think eventually sneak out and come to life in the manifest world. I tried self-help books, I tried “The Secret” (It is an empty gun when God’s will is not the target). I tried therapy (And have sent many a therapist to mental wards…it only takes a little peek into my mind to drive any rational human in sane), and I tried the usual self-affirming tricks you learn in NLP classes (Look it up. It is the major tool used by advertisement agencies, the Press and the White House to get you to do whatever it is they want.). Nothing could affect a permanent change in my heart.

After repeatedly running out of gas in the self-help aisle, and seeing as I am now genuinely interested in doing whatever it is that Jesus wants me to do, I had to do a lot of digging.

Here is what I learned:

Matthew 24:34 – Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. – Jesus

I prayed for God to change my heart and thinking. I came to this point after decades of being my own worst enemy.

When I read Matt. 24:34, I was floored. The reason I was floored like a mop was, the fruit of my mouth was only evil and negative, and mostly filth. I could cuss with the best of any Drill Sergeant. I said whatever came to my mind, and it was mostly filth and hate.

I especially had trouble with this the harder I tried to be “Religious”.

James 1:6 – If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself.

Uh Oh. I realized I was not being a servant to the Lord, but being a RELIGIOUS person. See, a religious person can fake Christianity (Or any other religion) really well, but like the man said, “Anyone can stand on their head for a couple of weeks. Let’s see what happens when it gets tough.”

I don’t know about you but I hate religion. I hate when people, including myself, try to be all pious and “holy”, and pretend to be righteous, when even Ray Charles can see that, when you run out of steam, you show that you are a fake. I HATE that.

James 1: 5-7 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

On my own, I have a foolish heart. I am not known for my “King Solomon-like” wisdom. When I realized that, I surrendered again to the Lordship of Christ, who works in me His will for my life. You cannot fake this, either. It is either faith, based on Jesus’s free gift of Salvation, and your desire to serve him as He is the Lord, or it isn’t. It has to be genuine. So, I confessed that I am a self-righteous fool, who only plays at being a Christian, but I fail at it. I confessed that My heart is full of dark, squiggly, slimy evil, and asked God to shine the light of His love and Grace in my heart. (You shoulda seen the roaches run for cover when THAT happened! They hate the light. You can run, but you can’t hide! Bwa Haa haaaa!)

I Samuel 16:7b – Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

This is where you have to go into this whole thing aware of what you are asking. If you have given your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, The Spirit of God will come in and look around, and until He gets your heart redecorated to look like HIS heart, there has to be some turning away from your own ways. God does amazing Heart Surgery.

Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.

So, if you are going to dedicate your life to Jesus, and that is what it really means to be a Christian, then the first place God is going to deal with you is your thoughts, your attitude, your sin, and your failures. He HAS to change the intent of your heart. Human intent is at war with God’s will for Humans. We are having WAY too much fun being the “Master of our domain.”

But if you have genuinely given your heart to Jesus Christ, you will not be able to help it, but to ask Jesus to change you and your heart until you are the very reflection of Him. Until this happens, the Holy Spirit will work to teach you, to convict you, to lead you to repentance, as you serve, and grow to be just like Christ.

Now, if you are like I was, a complete and total Jack-Ass, then you are in for some rough times. Trust me on this one. But don’t despair, God has all the time in the Universe to deal with you. The sooner you submit, the easier it will go. Don’t be like I was, don’t be a Jack-Ass.

Jeremiah 23:29 – “Is not My word like fire” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and like a hammer that pulverizes rock? <==(I think He was referring to my thick skull, there.

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH ON YOUR OWN!

I tried. Remember I said that a minute ago? I gave it over 20 years, and I failed every time. It is God, and God alone who changes you.

Philippians 2:13 For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.

You don’t have the will unless God gives it to you. You don’t have the desire to change, unless God calls you to the changes. If you try to do it on your own strength, power, and “wisdom”, then you are A: A fool, and B: BEING RELIGIOUS!!!

Stop it, and trust God. He loves you and has nothing but good plans for you if you submit.

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

God will change your heart, and your thinking and your intent so that you will become just like Jesus. HE does this by HIS OWN power.

So, getting back to where I was earlier:

Proverbs 18:21 – Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Jesus says, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Man, was I in a fix. Nothing good was coming out of my mouth, so that meant the intentions of my heart were not in God’s control. I gave control of my heart to God. And when I did, we did the laundry. My thoughts changed. My attitudes changed. My INTENTIONS changed. And they all changed and are still changing to the point that I can just begin to see the image of Christ in my heart.

Along with a heart of submission, there is one thing I have to do in participation with God in this change:

Proverbs 4:23 – “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

I have a list of things I need to watch out for. It is the usual things that will get a human in trouble, the lust of the eye, the lust of the heart, and the pride of life. Like Paul said, if it weren’t for these things, there’d be no sin.

Galatians 5:24 – Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

My desire is to serve Christ and Christ alone. This is not a decision you can make on your own, and it is not something you can fake. It is either real, or it is not. But total submission to Christ IS what being a Christian means. We are still here after we believed so we can live a life that reflects Jesus Christ, so that others will be led to eternal life through Christ. That is why you are still on this planet (IF you are, indeed, a Christian.)

Philippians 4:8 – Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise — dwell on these things.

That verse speaks for itself. But this takes discipline. Thinking on these things has changed my attitude and my heart. It has made me more sensitive to the urgings of the Lord. It has made me more willing to show Grace and Mercy to those who need it. It has made it possible for me to see the difference between Godly behavior, and no so godly behavior. All this is true because it is the Holy Spirit working in me to effect these changes.

Philippians 4:6-7 – Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Don’t worry about ANYTHING. This is a tough one, but when you allow God to change the intent of your heart, and you “think on these things”, you learn you CAN take EVERYTHING to God, with a grateful heart. And I promise you, I am a witness to this personally, The Peace of God, which passes every thought, WILL guard your hearts and minds IN JESUS CHRIST.

God will guard your heart and mind. It begins when you are genuinely IN Jesus Christ, and it ends because you are IN Jesus Christ.

SO, WHAT IS YOUR POINT???

I am glad you asked. The whole point of getting your mind right is so that the Mind of Christ will be in you. When the mind of Christ is in you, you will have the intentions of Christ, and not your own selfish ones. When you have the intent of Christ in you, you will bear good fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

When you bear good spiritual fruit, you will be like Jesus, and you will be able to be living proof that Jesus Christ is Lord, and you will be able to lead others to Jesus Christ.

So, watch your mouth. Give your whole heart to Jesus Christ and stop being religious.

You will be effective as Jesus’s disciple when you have let the Holy Spirit do heart surgery on you.

Now, let’s be about it!

I love you

David G. Perkins

sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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More on The Ethics of Hell (What Makes Us Unworthy of Christ)

“For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”16:7b NASB

from http://www.blueletterbible.org/

C.S. Lewis is one of my most favorite Authors. In his great work, “Mere Christianity“, Lewis had this to say about ethics:

All quotes are from “Mere Christianity”:

“One man may be so placed that his anger sheds the blood of thousands and another so placed that however angry he gets he will only be laughed at. But the little mark on the soul may be much the same in both. Each has done something to himself which, until he repents, will make it harder for him to keep out of the rage next time he is tempted, and will make the rage worse when he does fall into it. Each of them, if he seriously turns to God, can have that twist in the central man straightened out again; each is, in the long run, doomed if he will not. The bigness or smallness of the thing, seen from outside, is not what really matters.”

“Good people know about both good and evil. Bad people do not know about either.”

“While the rule of chastity is the same for all Christians at all times, the rule of propriety changes. A girl in the Pacific Islands wearing hardly any clothes and a Victorian lady completely covered in clothes might both be equally ‘modest’; proper or decent, according to the standards of their own societies; and both, for all we could tell by their dress, might be equally chaste (or equally unchaste).

It all boils down to what is in our hearts.

It doesn’t matter what others think about what is in our hearts, although most of us crave the adoration and approval of some one.

In fact, outward appearances can be quite deceiving. Planned Parenthood is a very good example. They claim to offer medical services for females, that, without their help, all females would be deprived of. The intent of the founder of Planned Parenthood was that all “undesirable races and people” be either eliminated or reduced to manageable numbers. It was the writings of that founder that inspired Hitler. He wrote about it in his own diseased journals. Both Planned Parenthood and Hitler have lived up to the intent of their desires.

Now, that may be an extreme case of the ethics of Hell. But let that serve as a good example.

As Christians, we are to be more like Christ. As we grow in the knowledge of Jesus, and the Spirit of God works in you, to become more Christ Like, you will find that the decisions you make are more eternal than you think.

I will give you another example. Say you, as a Christian, run across a person in genuine need. It doesn’t matter what that need is, you fill in the blanks. I actually heard a brother in the Lord say, “I would have helped that person, but I don’t know but that God may be putting that person through that thing in order to grow that person up.”

What that brother failed to realize, as he was doing the wrong thing for the right reason, is; Maybe God put that person in YOUR life just to see what YOU would do, and in failing to do that, whatever act of Grace, or Mercy you should have done, you yourself missed out on the growth, the blessing, the grace and the mercy for yourself. None of us, unless God has spoken directly to you about a person, knows what is really going on with someone. But when God places them in our path, we are to act toward them just as we would want God to act toward us. Let us stop making excuses for our unfaithfulness.

So you will know, and we will all be accountable for our gifts of knowledge, I am going to spell out some of the “Ethics of Hell”.

1. Doing the wrong thing. example: Orphaned children in Puerto Rico are being rounded up daily, and used as sex slaves. After they are used up in that trade, they are taken out to the edges of town and used as target practice for criminals, gangs, and some police officers, and their police dogs. God forgive me and all the rest of us who know this and do nothing about it. God make us able to do something about it.

2. Doing the wrong thing for the right reason. example: I see someone in need, but I do not have the resources to meet that need. Instead of asking for God’s provision for that person, or consulting someone who is in a better position to help, you steal something and give it to them, believing God will look the other way. That is the Robin Hood stuff that our current Government is made of. If you do harm to one person in order to do good for another, you have still been part of the harm.

3. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason. example: You know of a family in need. You meet that need, but not in the way that your right hand does not know what your left hand is doing. You meet that need simply so others will recognize how “spiritual and Christian” you are. Publicity is probably not your only motive, either. You probably are slowly positioning yourself so that enough people will think highly enough of you so you can impose your personal agenda on others. God has His own agenda, and doesn’t need yours.

4. Doing Nothing at all. example – Take any of the examples above, and do nothing at all about it. Don’t pray about it, don’t help, don’t get involved. don’t feel compassion for others. Don’t feel mercy or grace. I guarantee, if you do this, you will get from God exactly what you have put into it.

You don’t need anyone’s permission to obey God, and do the right thing. You WILL be laughed at, despised, called names, and people will actually try to stop you, some will even be “Christians” and other well-intentioned dragons.

Do it any way. Cross that street. Give to that person in need. Stand between evil and the ones who will commit that evil. The reason you weren’t raptured the day you got saved is that God is not done with your NEW LIFE. It will be better for you to do this and lose everything than to commit the ethics of hell and save your own skin.

The simple fact of my writing this means I will be put to the test. If you have actually read this far, then you are also accountable. Just be careful of your intentions. Whatever you do, what ever you don’t do, say, or think (As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he) know that God is seeing your INTENTION. Whatever it is you intend, it will also be done to you, in the same measure. This is why we are not to worry about what others will think of us.

We are free, by the Blood of Jesus Christ to be called the sons and daughters of God. We have been given the authority of Jesus to do what Jesus has commanded all of us to do.

Let’s be about it.

Faith

Forgiveness, the Test of Authenticity

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil [souls][humans]. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Luke 6: 35 – 37 NASB

Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.. Eccl 7:21 – 22 NASB

SCRIPTURES COPIED FROM: http://www.blueletterbible.org/

THIS ONE IS PERSONAL. I HAVE CHOSEN TO EXPOSE MYSELF IN THIS REGARD SIMPLY BECAUSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW ME ALREADY KNOW MUCH THESE EVENTS. I AM NOT LOOKING FOR YOUR PITY. I WANT TO USE THIS VERY PERSONAL EVENT TO SHOW YOU HOW I FIRST LEARNED FORGIVENESS.

IT IS TO THEM, THE WELL INTENTIONED DRAGONS, THAT I DEDICATE THIS INSTALLMENT ON FORGIVENESS. I REALLY LOVE YOU, HONESTLY, COMPLETELY. AND IN THE NAME OF JESUS, I LOVE YOU.

I am going to share with you a special case under the heading of Forgiveness. It is a case that I struggle with. To forgive and to be forgiven. This is about accepting God‘s forgiveness, yet dealing with the unforgiving souls who insist that you are still damaged goods, in spite of what God has done. In a later installment (Which I have not decided if I will post) I will deal with an extreme case of hatred, and where forgiveness comes into the picture.

20 years ago, God told me that my first marriage was going to end. I knew a week before it happened that it was coming. God let me know in no uncertain terms that, if I will cling to Him during this storm, He would sustain me, restore me, and make me stronger in the Lord than I could imagine. The clouds were in the sky, but the storm had not hit, yet.

Although I could see this storm coming, I had not prepared my heart for the intensity of the storm. And it was intense. The year leading up to this storm, I had really begun to stray from God, through various acts of self righteousness. I had become a Pharisee of the first order. God had given me the privilege of seeing Moslems come to Christ in my ministry. God had given me the privilege of seeing witches, satanists, and gang members come to the Lord. He used me as His pen to draw the picture of salvation. But in my pride and arrogance, I felt I could take it from there, and pretty much excluded God from His work in me. I had stopped bible reading and prayer. I began to allow the little foxes of sin and pride into my garden. Eventually, I was screwing up my life, and didn’t understand it was my fault.

Then the storm hit.

My heart was not prepared for it, even though God had let me know in very clear terms it was coming. The right thing for me to do would have been to repent of my sin, humble myself before the Lord, seek His forgiveness, and cling to Him for all I was worth. But because I didn’t heed God’s warning, I was not able to withstand the unbearable intensity of losing my wife.

Even then I had the opportunity to repent and turn to God. I failed that test, too. I was letting my confusion, frustration and anger do my thinking. I was allowed to have my way, and I was left to my own devices. And I fell into even more sin than I could imagine was possible.

I left behind a trail of destruction.

Later on, I met my current wife. I was still damaged goods. The day I met her, the very instant I saw her, I had a vision of things to come. I saw us married, and I saw my child. I actually saw Hannah, years before she was born. (There is more to that, and remind me to tell it to you).

What I saw scared me so badly, I ran away from her and hid for 6 weeks. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t back down from anything. But THIS vision truly horrified me. See, I knew deep in my soul that I had not done business with God. I had a lot of repentance to do. I had a lot of forgiveness to seek and give. I was seriously damaged goods.

Eventually, I screwed up my courage and called her, and we dated and eventually got married. A year later, Hannah was born.

But I still lived in rebellion to God. By this time, I genuinely began to crave that sweet relationship with God, but I wanted that relationship on my terms. I didn’t want to go through the very hard time of repentance. And I had some repenting to do.

Eventually, I let sin get the best of me again. It was one of the big ones, and it caused a great deal of hurt in my marriage.

The details are none of your business. But I sinned. And I never sin in half measures.

The damage was bad. Family on both side of the fence let me know in no uncertain terms what a schmuck I was. Some even told me I would be better off dead. Some cursed me to my face, and spared no expense telling everyone and everything that would listen what an incredible sin I had committed. It affected my ability to make friends, it affected my ability to get a job (I live in a small town). I was given the scarlet letter. In the view of these well meaning dragons, I was irredeemable, and there will be no forgiveness to be had. People told me to my face that they want me to leave, go away, never return, to do my wife a favor and disappear. I genuinely got to see the dark side of the children of God.

Eventually, people I had never known would confront me about this sin. I learned that, not only do religious people love to hate, but they love to gossip, too.

I had begun to crave the presence of God in my life, and I wanted so bad to have a prayer partner. While I was at work, one day, the guy that delivers our welding gases drove up. He was very nice, very friendly. Somehow, we began to talk about God. I told him that I had fallen out of fellowship with God, and want to know the presence of God in my life. He prayed with me and for me. He told me I can come by his work-place anytime I wanted to pray with him. He gave me his phone number. I was so overjoyed, I actually started crying right there, in front of my co-workers. I actually had someone to talk to, who wanted to work with me on the return to God.

A week later, I needed to go to that guys’ work place to buy an additional bottle of acetylene gas. While my order was being filled, I went to that guy. Instead of shaking my hand, I was met with a great deal of hostility. It turned out that he was also a prayer partner with one of the well intentioned dragons who told me my family would be better off if I were dead. I saw genuine hate in this man’s eyes. He let me know what that well intentioned dragon had told him. I was devastated that in an instant, a person I just met, who would pray with me, would turn on me with such vengeance.

My wife had a heart attack.

While she was in surgery, and I was waiting in the waiting room, I was told that one of my wife’s friends wanted to talk to me. I got her phone number, and after I got home, late that night, I called her. It started out alright. I wanted things to go well, as I have always admired this person. I mean I genuinely loved this person. The conversation suddenly turned ugly. She let me know that there is no way that healing in my relationship with my wife would happen. That this friend had been trying with all her might to get my wife to leave me and move in with her. I was, once again, informed that the local world would be better off if I just went away.

I think it was this turn of events, my wife having a heart attack, her friends and relatives continually letting me know that it would be best if I just went away, seeing the dark hearts of Christians who couldn’t forgive, that I knew then I was genuinely lost to God.

I wrote in another installment on Forgiveness how to return to a forgiven state, and how to forgive. The above events in my life are where I had to learn this process.

1. I turned to God. I had to get back to the fundamentals of the faith, here. I confessed that I know there is a God. I confessed that I know that this God is THE creator, the great I AM of Scripture, the one who created us Humans. I confessed that man fell from God just as I had fallen from God. I confessed that God gave His only begotten Son to die for the sins I have committed, so I will not have to face God’s wrath, but have eternal life in Jesus Christ. Then I confessed my anger.

I was angry at me. A Lot.

I was angry at Christians who could not offer a healing hand, but offered only condemnation. I was angry, angry, angry. It was a deep and abiding anger that burned hot. This was the hardest thing for me to face. My anger. God showed me how my anger does not further the Kingdom of God.

Until I could learn to place that at the feet of God, and let Him take it out of my heart, there would be no further progress in my restoration to Him. Period. This kind of anger has no place in the Kingdom, and I cannot return to the service of God if I insist on being angry. It took from around 2007 to 2012 to work through that. But God did His wonderful work in me, and helped me be rid of that hate and anger. It is gone, now. It is a distant echo. God has shown me what I need to learn from it, and has healed me. The lesson I learned here is, I cannot turn to people for help. I must first turn to God. People will be too married to their opinions and agenda to be able to help. And I learned that that, too, is OK. We are all human, and have things to work out with God. It is not my place to judge them, or be angry with them.

2. BE WILLING. I was in love with my anger. It was all that drove me. I had forgotten that there is more power in a whisper of God’s love than there is an a ton of anger and hate. So this was a hard one foe me. Here were people speaking death into my life, into my marriage, and “In the name of the Lord” letting me know just how irredeemable I was. I was hurt, disappointed, angry, and these feelings had become so familiar, and so normal to me, that letting go of them was worse than having surgery with out pain killers. (That happened to me once, it was awful).

But, Just as Jesus prayed in the garden, the night before His arrest, “Not my will, but thine.” It took a lot of work for me to be willing to give up my anger. I loved having an excuse to throw tantrums. But God wanted to turn me into a man of God, not a child of the world. I had to be willing to release that anger, hostility, rage, and resentment of all those well meaning dragons. And, with the power of God’s grace, I did, and do, and will. I willed that my will align with God’s will. Not for their snakes, but mine. My attitude had no place in God’s will for my life. If I want to truly return to Him, I had to let go of anger. And the more my will aligned with God’s desire for my life, the more anger diminished, until it was only a memory. And I was surprised by the intense JOY that replaced the anger. Obedience to God brings joy, even when you think your world is going to hell. I understood grace. I felt mercy. From there, it was a simple thing to let go of my hurt and anger, and forgive all the well intentioned dragons. It is easier to accept those Christians who speak death in my life. They honestly think they are doing the right thing. How often had I thought that about my anger and hurt. I get it. We are all saved, but we are all incomplete. We are all having to grow. Now I am able to understand what Jesus meant when he prayed on the cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

I AM FREE!. I AM FREE! I AM FREE!!! Free to dive deep into the word of God, free to love. Free to pray for those who hate me. Free to serve God. Free to pray with my wife, who has forgiven me my sin. What a joy it is to be married to the most incredible woman in the world. I could search all my life and not find a woman as wonderful and great as she is.

I have given up “my right” to anger and hate, and unforgiveness. For the first time in 20 years, I feel free, loving, forgiven, and I feel hope. I feel JOY. I can dance with King David and sing that the Lord my God, the Living God, has restored my soul.

It doesn’t matter one whit what people will say to you, about you, against you. There is NOTHING on this earth you can do about it EXCEPT FORGIVE THEM. Then you can let it go, and you will find you actually really love these well intentioned dragons. REALLY love them and care about them.

The are just as fallen as you are. You need to worry about your own walk in the Lord. Even if you have to do what I did and return to the fundamentals and grow from there.

I have not ever felt this freedom before. EVER. What a glorious God we serve. What a powerful God he is that he can root out my sin and hold me close, and tell me he loves me. It no longer matters who else loves me, not now that I know where I stand with God.

Listen, people who have their minds made up about you will only change when God deals with them. Not a minute sooner. You may raise people from the dead, right before their eyes, and they might still speak death into your life. It is OK, the religious of Jesus’s day did the same thing.

Now, go, sit at God’s feet, and do business with the Lord. I can tell you, as one who has come out of that bath, it is good, it is joy, it is clean. God is GREAT. And I thank God for this freedom.

I really want to hear from you if you need prayer. I don’t care what evil you have done, I will not turn you away. I can do this because it is what God has done for me.

I genuinely love you in the Name of Jesus, and because of God’s great love in my heart.

Now, go be about it.

David G. Perkins.

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HOW GOD SEES IT

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3: 5 & 6 NASB

HOW I SEE IT
When someone reading your blog describes it as “interesting”, they mean, “Which Zoo donated the monkey for this experiment?” In certain countries, my writing is considered a social disease, and it might be the real cause of all the trouble in the Middle East. None-the-less, I have actually had 10 readers, and a couple of them are now subscribers. Please accept my gratitude, the check is in the mail.

HOW GOD SEES IT
A recent career debacle has left me seeing that, after almost 20 years doing the same thing, I suddenly have to reinvent myself. What I wanted to do when the rug was pulled was to run around like my hair was on fire, panic, grow a healthy crop of ulcers, and basically be an insomniac. What I did instead was pray. Really, I prayed. And, this is the truth, I immediately felt a peace about all of this. I knew that since I was radioactive in my career, I would not be able to do what I had been doing anymore. I had to be remade. I wasn’t worried because, after 20 years of running from God, I had spent the last 4 years slowly returning. I found out when I did that that I had not done anything but cross the palm of God’s hand. Some of my recent blogs described my return to God, and how you can return too.

So, here I am, career-less, and wondering what to do. My wife and I prayed and prayed about this. Just a couple of weeks after being home, in between job searches, I had the overwhelming compulsion to start writing again. I had not written a thing in 20 years. Writing was not even my first love. Music was my first love. But, suddenly, I got an overwhelming desire to sit and write. So, I prayed again. God let me know through several confirmations that I am to write something every day. Not only that, I am to write a blog.

I know this might sound crazy to you, but eventually, you will see that this stuff really happens. It happened to me. Here is where Proverbs 3:5 & 6 comes in to play. I needed a new path, and God has given me a thing to do. I am doing it. I honestly do not understand the why’s and wherefore’s of this, but one thing God has made clear to me, I am to write.

I am writing this for you. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you have been through, or are going through. But I know that, as I obey God and write, He will empower my writing. He will do this because of you. Like me, you had given up on God, friends, family, and basically life itself. To tell the truth, that 20 years of working in various jobs, for various companies, doing the same or related things, was not even related to who I really am, or what I really want to do with my life. Chances are you are there now.

God restores all of us if we let him. He is calling you. The reason I am doing this blog is two fold. 1. I am obeying God. 2. God wants you to know you are not alone, that someone out here gets it. And he wants you to know that He cares for you, and wants you to come home.
You do not even have to clean up to return to Him. He will take care of that for you. All you have to do is come home.

HOW I HOPE YOU SEE IT
Personally, I hope my blog eventually takes off, but that is not my real goal. Over time I will be writing about several issues that may reach you. This is for you, not me. What I want out of this exercise is irrelevant to what God wants to accomplish.

You see, a revival is about to break loose, and God wants you to be a part of that revival. You have a role to play. You and I have to put down all our anger, desire for revenge, hate of the church, grudges, and whatever sin besets us. We need to get our own lives in order so God can equip us to lead in the upcoming revival.

By my own understanding of things, I should be panicking because 8 weeks later, I am still unemployed. But as I understand God, I simply have to trust Him, and HE will direct my paths. This is what He wants to do for you, too.

I have no illusions about being a “Great Writer“, but I know this is what I am supposed to be doing right now. I am doing this out of Love for God, and in obedience to Him, and out of a genuine desire to see you return to God, too. I do this because God has changed my heart. I no longer feel the anger I felt. I no longer hate. I now love because He who is in me IS love. And I love you, and want to see you join the battle and lead from the front in the upcoming revival.

Who ever you are, I hope this letter finds you.

Your Brother in Jesus Christ

David
sammy.snardfarkle@gmail.com

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The Ethics of Hell

[NOTE: I have kept a copy of this article preserved and encrypted in the event that it is somehow altered by a person or persons other than me.]

“Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. “Ecc 3:16 -17

THE SETTING:

Ray Charles can see that the Government of the United States has abandoned all that is holy, moral, legal and right. Oftentimes, I stand in stupefied wonder that “We the People” have let this happen.

The condition we are in today didn’t happen overnight, either. I remember vividly, in the 1960’s, when God was being kicked out of school. Today, there is a concerted and overt effort to remove Christianity from the common arena.

What dumbfounds me is that:

A: What passes for a representative republic openly demonstrates, with great pride, every effort it can to destroy all that was considered good, all that was considered right, all that is constitutional, all references to the Living God, and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

B: What passes for government today openly calls Christians, and tea party members “terrorists” while giving a free pass to the people who want to kill us.

And

C: We are tolerating this behavior.

MY REACTION

I have no doubt you are aware of the same things I am. This has been a real struggle for me. I was raised in the South where being an American is just as important as being a Christian. In fact, a lack of patriotism usually meant that your neighbors will question your salvation.

I was raised to believe that we are a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy. That the Constitution IS the baseline by which all laws are measured, and no law will exist that takes away from the constitution, in any form, shape or deed.

I was raised to believe it is honorable to die for your country, that the flag will not be desecrated under ANY circumstances, and that this nation exists because of the Living God.

Now that we have kicked God out of our lives, our nation has fallen to a very dark place.

So, my gut reaction is to be angry at the Government. My gut reaction, my real heartfelt reaction, is to take matters in my own hands. That is my gut reaction. I have this reaction because, in the 1980’s I swore an oath that includes this phrase:

“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.”

That oath keep crashing against the shores of my conscience, and I am overwhelmed with the desire to keep that oath.

There’s just one problem with that…..

THE ETHICS OF HELL

“The thief (Lucifer, Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they (you and me) may have life and have it abundantly.” Joh 10:10

This part took me a while to see. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am very patriotic, that I am very willing to risk my life for my oath, that I have been harboring deep hatred and resentment in both the government for all of its blatant display of corruption, and a nation that tolerates it.

But I took my anger to God.

And I prayed.

And prayed.

All this time, God listened to me rant and rave. My anger had been kindled, I wanted to pour out MY wrath on these people.

This is when God reminded me of the ethics of hell.

The enemy of God doesn’t care where fear, anger, confusion, distrust, and treachery comes from, AS LONG AS IT IS THERE. I might feel perfectly righteous being angry, but my anger tempts me to run into sin, and not wait on the Lord. No other patriot would blame me for my feelings, either.

This scripture came to my mind: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Pro 25:28

Anyone of us can justify our patriotism. We can even look down our noses at anyone who doesn’t feel the same hatred and indignation of our corrupted government.

God showed me that my anger is misdirected and I was sinning in my heart by the things I imagined should be done to fix our government.

The ethics of hell means that you will be tempted to sin, and you will be able to justify it in ways that hardly anyone else could condemn.

My willingness to lose self control opened a chink in my armor. My anger was not God’s anger. My desires for action were not Gods desires for me. And no matter how well I could justify my attitude, all I did was open a door that allowed the enemy to breach the walls of my heart. And thoughts of evil piled on top of thoughts of evil, until all I became was an animal waiting to be unleashed to his prey.

Satan does not care how much you read the bible, pray, sing in the choir, as long as you are willing to be angry and sin. As long as you give harbor to fear and confusion, as long as you take your eyes off Christ, and look at the waves you are walking on.

Satan is the author of confusion. Satan speaks death in to everything he touches. Satan divides. Satan destroys. And he is especially happy when he can distract Christians away from God. Satan knows that if we ever stop being willing to sin, if we ever approach God and confirm God’s will on our lives, and if we ever remember that our first call is Love, then Satan loses this skirmish.

MY RESPONSE

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isa 1:18

“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. – Rom 12:17 – 21

After praying, and God pointing out that my fleshly response will not please Him, I asked, “Then what should I do?”

God laid it on my heart that my anger does not serve the kingdom. That taking matters in my own hands is not the will of God. God reminded me of my calling, and the fundamentals of all of our calling. Those of us who seek the Lord with all our hearts, who know that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and have accepted that free gift of salvation, know deep down that God’s ways are not our ways.

It is the ethics of Hell that demands you take matters in to your own hands. It is the Ethics of Heaven that reminds us:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Eph 6:12

In God’s army, our battles always begins on our knees before Him. We are to listen to Him, and obey whatever he leads us to do, no matter how contrary it may be to our human reasoning. The mightiest weapons we have in God’s army is prayer and praise.

God reminded me of the battle in II Chronicles 20 (A good read), where the battle was not won with swords, but with praise. This is where we become the most effective in the service of God’s army. Praise and prayer will bring the changes we need in our nation. Unrighteous anger just adds to the overwhelming noise that exists on this planet. But prayer and praise are inhabited by the Living God.

Knowing this, then, here is what I did.

I prayed for the Salvation of Obama. I prayed to God, and the more I prayed, the more it made sense to love my enemy. I prayed for the House and the Senate, as well as the Judiciary. I prayed that the Spirit of God descend on them, and everyone in Washington D.C. that they will be convicted of their sin and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That the powers that be have the courage to face the consequences of their actions, and to confess to the Lord, who will be faithful to forgive them.

I prayed this prayer, and it was one of the hardest things to do to say that I genuinely love Obama and care about his eternal soul.

It is not my place to attack anyone in the government. Not even in my prayers. As a warrior of God’s army, my battle begins with me getting out of the way of the will of God, and praying for my enemies in a way that is pleasing to God.

It is the will of God that no man should perish.

But for the most part, I needed help from the Holy Spirit to teach me how to pray for people that I so sincerely despise. It is written:

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Rom 8:26

and

“For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.” 1Co 5:12-13a

Do I want my sense of vengeance, or do I want revival in the land? I want revival.

Revival will begin when I pray that God forgive my attitude, and when I ask God to fill me with HIS desire for our nation. If we pray for the tyrants who rule over us, we will see a revival in our nation. But this revival must first begin when we, as warriors to God, start the battle on our knees.

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And we know that God causes all things

to work together

for good

to those who love God,

to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 NASB

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“But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,”

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

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

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THE CONDITION OF THE HUMAN HEART

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This is blog 1 for August 12th, 2013. Blog 2 will follow. It will be along the lines of the message I have been given to share.

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15

YOU ARE SAVED:

YOU KNOW THERE IS MORE:

THERE IS WORK TO DO:

YOU WILL KNOW:

WHY IS IT HARD?:

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?:

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IT THAT ALL?

YOU CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS

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I needed steel toed boots when I researched this one. I’ll wait here while you get yours. (You can get a good pair at Orchelin’s).

This is dedicated to Cynthia and Sandy…Yes, I finally understand.

Proverbs 23:7a – For as he thinks within himself, so he is. NASB

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