"You really need to blog, Ash." I am not in the mood, Lord. To be honest, I am just about sick of everything. The news, the division, the politics, the covid, these masks, the arguments, the child trafficking, all of it. I just want to hunker down with a container of chocolate ice cream, cuddle under the covers and wait for Hallmark Christmas movie season to begin. "Would that be excellence, Ash?" No, Lord but... "My words are worth more than a "but" Ash." Me....Jesus.....Me.....Jesus.....
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Genesis 4:7
7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Man, you really know how to get the conviction brewing there don't you Lord. Sometimes I wonder why He pokes at me so much. I wonder why I can't just have a few down days wallowing in my flesh without Him tapping me on the shoulder and nudging me to make something of myself. He's always reminding me that even though there are bad days, it doesn't mean that I have to unpack and stay in that mindset. There are always blue skies hidden above any storm.
1 John 5:4 - For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.
Then He hit me with that reminder, that what people are seeing now is just the storm. They are all cloud minded, only seeing what is put in front of them, without realizing there is a much bigger picture than the small piece that is in their current visual field of reference. The news, the coming election, the political nonsense. The covid, the masks, the smoke and mirrors, the child trafficking, the rioting, the looting. The coming bailouts for cities engulfed in flames, division over money, over germs, over political stance. The burning of bibles, the rise of the attacks on Christianity. It's all a storm. The question becomes, can you take your eyes and focus them on the bigger picture? Can you give yourself a kingdom viewpoint, or will this storm hold your full attention?
Romans 13:12 - The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
If you have flown, you know that as you take off, you rise in elevation. There will be a point where you are even with the clouds, and then the pilot continues ascending to the point of being above the clouds. One minute you can be getting rained on, the next minute you can be above the clouds, dry and with clear skies ahead.
Now if you don't rise up and you remain in the path of the storm, you can end up in danger. If you don't rise above the storm, there's even the possibility that you can crash if you take things into your own hands and remain flying in the clouds. If you are unable to rise above the storm, your flight can end up grounded and you won't even be approved for take off, you'll be stuck right where you were, unable to move forward at all.
Think of a storm all around you. Think of the rushing wind, the roaring thunder, think of all of us as standing in that storm and other people running up to us, grabbing our shoulders, shaking us and telling us to run this way to safety, or go that way for shelter. Would we listen to them just because we are also panicking? How would we know we could trust them? If two people ran up to us in that mode of panic and told us two different things, how would we know who to follow? We would need discernment, just like we do with all of the news we are bombarded with daily. It's like a storm of information swirling all around with people grabbing our attention saying think this way, or vote this way. We need to have discernment in this day and age, now more than ever. People are grasping anything they can, looking for a feeling of safety or comfort in their beliefs; but are they discerning the truth or are they looking to scratch their itching ears with anything that takes the edge off of their fear?
It's important to know that what we are going through in this period of time is a well orchestrated storm. We may feel that the Lord is not hearing our cries, we may feel that the evil that is going to be uncovered couldn't possibly exist in a world where there is a Lord of all things. Do not let your hearts be heavy, but understand that all things will work out for the divine purpose of His goodness to be revealed in Christ upon His return. He is coming as a sword. We need to be Spirit minded and not get drug into things of this world by our flesh. We need to be in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit, giving thanks in the Spirit, living our daily lives in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Romans 8 was heavy on my heart today so I am just including the whole thing here at the end. Read the word, resonate with the words of the Lord. There will come a time where it's not legal or acceptable to own a bible. There will be a day when the bible app is considered offensive and illegal. There will be a time where we won't be able to google scripture. Read and absorb the WORD. Live in the Spirit and don't let the storm stop you from seeing the bigger picture. Don't remain stuck in fear because you can't see the bigger picture. The storms will get worse, they will get larger, they will do more destruction, but they will never be out of the full and total control of the Lord. Rest in His plan. Do not let what is going on in this world separate you from the love of the Father. Fight your flesh, we need more saints with kingdom focus.
Psalms 46:10 - Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Matthew 10:34 - Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
1 Peter 4:13 - But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Romans 8
1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Comments
Post a Comment