ROMAN SOLIDERS

I don't see anywhere in the New Testament where the New Testament Church was protesting stuff that the people in power were doing.  And the people in power were doing horrible things.
The Roman Empire was running Israel - pagans that they were - and no one wants to stand up to an angry Italian guy with a sword. In spite of the extreme brutality of the Romans and their Empire... the New Testament Church was focused on something else completely  They were focused on Jesus and HIS POWER... because...

They knew the RESURRECTED JESUS personally.

  

Acts 1:3 reads: "After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive." He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."

Those of us who identify ourselves as followers of Jesus owe a great and eternal gratitude to these founders of the faith and what they focused on.  Thankfully, the epistle of Peter is not about organizing a protest against Nero and his predisposition to feeding Christians to the lions. We should be forever grateful that Paul didn't write his epistles to the early church urging them to boycott the local coffee shop because of the color of the cups they were using!!!!!!  No..they focused on Jesus... who He is.. what He had done.. what He was going to do.. and they had GREAT GREAT POWER.. they lived without fear of losing their very lives....in order that THE GOSPEL would be preached.  They focused on eternity.. and telling people they could choose where they would be spending it.

Well, to be fair, they weren't ALWAYS SO FOCUSED.  Acts 1:6 shows us their initial focus: "Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus was speaking to them for forty days about THE KINGDOM OF GOD, but just three verses later we see that their focus was getting those ROMAN SOLDIERS OUT OF ISRAEL.. and running their own country once again.

It must have been a confusing season for them. First, Jesus is the most popular man alive.. healing people, raising the dead. Then Jesus is dead. Then He's alive. And hanging out with them again. FOR FORTY DAYS.  Certainly this Resurrected Man had the power to drive the Roman Soldiers out. He most certainly did.

But.. He didn't. 

When the Holy Spirit came and drenched them from the inside out, they understood the TRUTH.  Keep your eyes on The One who is coming back.

It might be nice for you and your family and your neighbors to get a better government. I welcome that. But when you and your family and your neighbors and I face eternity, it won't really matter if a Republican or a Democrat is running the country.  The only thing that will matter is that Jesus is King of Kings... and whether we know Him or not.

The New Testament Church KNEW THE RESURRECTED Jesus.  They knew Him. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. THIS IS THE EXAMPLE WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.

LIFT UP JESUS.

TELL ABOUT HIS LOVE. 

LET THE HOLY SPIRIT COMFORT US.
So many of us are living under a cloud of occupation.  We have, in our own strength, no power to overcome the Roman Soldiers in our lives.  Be comforted today.  Remember that just because they aren't gone today doesn't mean they won't be gone tomorrow.  Jesus has power over every Roman Soldier. Look to Him. Please... stop.. and remember who Jesus is.. and HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU.

"Roman Soldiers" will come and go.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

THE END OF THE FUTURE?

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."  (Acts 2:17)

This verse intrigues me.  God is speaking about THE LAST DAYS.  Only God knows when those days will arrive. But this verse clearly tells us that a season is coming to this planet which will be the LAST DAYS of humanity's story upon it. 

Those of us reading this are still alive and breathing. The earth is how it's always been. True, it seems like something is beginning to shake, and some of us are shaking with the shaking, but God is still in control.  We are still alive. The earth is still spinning on its axis. 

We can learn some things from this one verse.  First, there is coming a season for and on this planet that GOD refers to as "THE LAST DAYS."   God is going to end the story of HIS-STORY with humanity living on Planet Earth. Things will change. Things will end. 

What will God do during this season of the end of the ages?  What is God's plan for THE LAST DAYS?

HE WILL POUR OUT HIS SPIRIT ON ALL PEOPLE.

Even as we reap the consequences of our rebellion, He will be POURING the COMFORTER on all people.  The Holy Spirit will arrive in such a way that it will be like a FLOOD covering the earth.  The Spirit that will lead us in to all truth. The Spirit of His Comfort.  The Power of His Greatness. POURED OUT. POURED OUT. POURED OUT. Like a flood.  

And what will be the ramifications of people being flooded with the Very Spirit of Very God? 

1- SONS AND DAUGHTERS WILL PROPHECY.

2- YOUNG MEN WILL SEE VISIONS.

3- OLD MEN WILL DREAM DREAMS.

WHAT?  Prophecy? Visions? Dreams?

All these things have something to do with the future. THE FUTURE? IN THE LAST DAYS?

YUP.  THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS.

With God there is ALWAYS a FUTURE. Always a HOPE.  

Old men who were sure their days of dreaming dreams were over will now have renewed strength and hope to dream dreams.  Sons and daughters will prophecy about God's plan for the future.  Young men will see visions.  About the future? 

Even as God is allowing the planet to be in it's LAST DAYS He continues to send His Spirit to cause us to look to the future.

Some of us are dealing with our own "last days."  

It could be the LAST DAYS of a marriage.   

LAST DAYS of a relationship.

LAST DAYS of having children at home

LAST DAYS of a life long career.

LAST DAYS of living in your home town.

LAST DAYS of life.

Please remind yourself that even in the last days - of anything - God continues to POUR HIS SPIRIT ON YOU.  He continues to remind you that you are not finished dreaming dreams or having a future.  Here. Or there.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAST DAYS IS A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH.

God will create something NEW whenever He allows something OLD to see it's last days.

Be encouraged in the Lord, today.

Look to YOUR FUTURE.

'SING TO THE LORD. HE LOVES YOUR VOICE!"

Her name is Annie and she was my mother's best friend from almost the day they were born.  Annie's mom and my grandmother were very close friends.  Annie and Mom  hardly saw each other in the last few decades but they spoke on the phone several times a week.  My mother passed away four months ago, and since that time I have had the privilege of being ENCOURAGED by Annie  - to remember the joy my mother and father are feeling right now. And to rejoice with them.  Her last email to me ended with the sentence "Sing to the Lord. He loves your voice" and it just HIT ME in that place that NEEDED TO BE HIT.   I have no formal training to be a singer or a songwriter.  I don't have a membership card to the musician's club.  I just sing because I love to sing to the One I love.

And one sentence from someone who loves me.. and reminded me that I am His Delight.. has opened up my sad little heart again.

This morning I find myself reviewing music that has been sitting here for a while.  For the last year or two, caring for mom and dad was my priority and my husband's priority.  More than music. More than singing music. More than writing songs.

But Annie reminded me that I am back in a season of singing.  And it isn't important how much training I have, or whether or not my talent is as exceptional as someone else.  God loves when I sing to Him.  God loves my voice. My true audience LOVES my voice.  Go figure.  He likes to hear me sing. He likes every song  I write.  He LOVES my voice.  He does?He does.

So, this morning, thanks to an email from a Godly older woman, I am singing again. And the singing is lifting the grief. And the sorrow. And the longing for someone I love who is gone.
Why? Because someone took the time to encourage my gift.

Take the time today to encourage someone to use the gift that God has given. 

And encourage yourself in the Lord.

Whatever your talent... whatever your gift.. do it to and for the Lord.

And don't forget to sing to Him. He loves your voice too..

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 

1 Corinthians 10:31

SEEKER

"I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek Me if I could not be found." - GOD (Isaiah 45:19)

I like the being found part of the Gospel.  I like the part where God sent His Son in to the world to seek and to find that which was lost. I was lost. For sure.  He found me.  And without having to lift a finger, God made a way.  Before I was seeking for Him, He was all about finding me.  And so He found me. Redeemed me. And we both lived happilty ever after.  True.

The End.  Well... sorta.  It's the end of the story when it comes to the beginning of my eternity.  

But.. well.. uhhh...

There's something else the Bible speaks of.  There's something God is wanting after He finds me.  He wants me to seek Him.  What? I'm found. His Spirit has taken up residence in my very temple. 

This is one of the mysteries of God:  Although He has found us, He wants us to seek Him.  Jesus was not shy about informing anyone who would listen that He was the only way to be reconciled to God.  Furthermore, He gave an indication that the way AWAY from Him was broad... open.... widely traveled... but the way of following Him is NARROW and FEW will FIND IT. (Matthew 7)

In the verse listed at the top of this blog.. God is reminding us of something WONDERFUL. Something beyond AMAZING.  He is assuring us that He can be found.  God.. who created all we see and all we cannot see.. is willing to be found by mere earthlings.  How is He found? Who will find Him? Seekers. `

Recently, my twelve-year-old grandson Michael has taken the time to ask me a question every time we are together.  He says, "So, Mema, how was your day? Did you have a good day?"  He melts my heart every time he asks.  And then he waits for me to answer him.  I cannot tell you how loved that makes me feel.  Michael, you want to know about ME? 

My mother passed away four months ago.  She was a great intercessor for the movie War Room. She loved Stephen Kendrick,who refers to her as "the real Miss Clara." (If you've seen the movie you understand what that means.) And while she received many miraculous answers to prayer, her main reason for having her own "war room" can be found in the verse in Hebrews 11:6, "Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists, and that he rewards those who diligently seek Him."  Fighting our battles in prayer is the only way to win the battles that come our way.  But.. my mom's primary purpose for prayer was to simply know God more. Know Him deeper.  Hear Him more clearly.  We seek Him to know Him. Right? Right. 

Seeker. That's what He wants me to be.  A seeker.  Of Him. 

And then He rewards me. With Him.

And all the other stuff - blessings, rewards, direction, prosperity, courage, faith, hope, love, kindness, endurance. wisdom, understanding, power, righteousness - come because He loves me. 

When I ask my heavenly Father to REVEAL HIMSELF to me, I wonder if He feels the same way I do when my grandson asks me about me. 

I pray to be a Seeker seeking the One who has found me.

"If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  I will be found by you, says the Lord."

Jeremiah 29:13-14

CALLING ALL COWERING CAVE DWELLERS

They had gotten used to starving and hiding in caves.  STARVING. COWERING IN FEAR.  "They" were the descendants of the people who saw God split the sea, bring down the walls of Jericho, and feed them in the middle of a desert for 40 years. HE DELIVERED THEM ALL THOSE YEARS AGO BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT THE PEOPLE HE LOVED TO BE SLAVES.  And now, because they had sinned, God allowed an army to overtake them.   

The army that had overcome them was so scary and barbaric that they were afraid to live out in the open.  They hid in caves. They ventured outside to secretly plant food, and then these armies "thick as locusts with droves of camels too numerous to count" (Judges 6)  came and stole all their food, all their livestock and all their hope. They were slaves again  - with a slave mentality - cowering in fear, starving to death, accepting the awful life they were being forced to live.  

Once again, these people cried out to the God who loved them. The God they had abandoned.   They asked Him to rescue them from this slavery - and-  once again God heard their cry and delivered them.  He choose Gideon, who was also a cowering cave dweller to be their champion.  You can read the story of Gideon beginning in Judges Chapter 6.  God used him to deliver the people and defeat their enemies. 

Nice story. So what.  
Well, I noticed that Gideon kept asking God for signs to prove that He was really with him. Because, let's face it, the armies that God was asking Gideon to stand up to were pretty formidable. Gideon didn't think he had the strength to do what God was asking him to do. AND GIDEON WAS ACCURATE. HE DIDN'T HAVE THE STRENGTH.

Presently, the world is simply and seemingly out of control.  We have no power, seemingly, to stand up against, or overcome the evil flood that is sweeping the planet.  And then, in our personal lives, life can be scary, and sad, and frustrating, and overwhelming.  We feel weak, and limp, and powerless and without strength. 

This verse jumped out to me today: "Then the Lord turned to him and said 'Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites.  I am sending you.'" (Judges 6:14)

"Go with the strength you have"

God didn't tell Gideon, the cowering cave dweller, "Here let me give you supernatural strength to fight this army."  No.

He told him to "GO.. GO NOW.. because I AM GOING TO DO THE FIGHTING FOR YOU. The strength you have is the strength you need."

This reminds me that when I have become a cowering cave dweller because I have forgotten that I am Rescued Royalty....and I cry out to God to rescue me - He will.  He does.  Jesus, my Deliverer says, 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.." 

(Luke 4:18)

Whatever is causing me and you to hide in fear - sickness, despair, depression, fear, anger, lust and more - God is calling us to walk out of that cave and back in to the light.  He isn't going to give us the power to defeat our enemy AND THEN WE GO. NO. First comes the GO and then comes the STRENGTH.  Because we are accurate, as Gideon was,  when we say that we don't have the strength. That our enemy is too powerful for us. That is THE TRUTH.  But... we are in a better position than Gideon was. Why? Because our enemy has already been defeated.  And he knows it.

God is saying to us, "Just GO with the strength you have." 

However weak you feel... GO.   Don't keep living in a cave, starving to death spiritually, emotionally, physically, because you have evaluated the situation and have decided that you don't have the strength to defeat whatever is defeating you. 

You don't.

He does.

Remember that you are a ROYAL priesthood.. and.. Walk to the edge of your slave cave....take a step outside...and...  

Go with the strength you have

and

Trust God to do the fighting for you.

Whatever strength you have today is all the strength you need today 

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY. WELL, YES IT IS

(The following is an excerpt from "How To Make A Meatball - Recipes For Living My Mother Taught Me") 

Perfect In Every Way

^“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,
that it may benefit those who listen.”

—   Ephesians 4:29

            It seems to me that my mother learned very early in life that the most loving way to show your love is in the way you use — or don’t use — your words. The words “unwholesome talk” in the verse above means more than “don’t use four letter curse words.” An expanded definition of the word “unwholesome” is  “rotten, corrupted, no longer fit for use, worn out, poor quality, bad, unfit for use, worthless”(Strong’s). A word doesn’t have to be a curse word for it to be unwholesome. It could simply be a rotten thing to say like, “You’re just like your lazy father” or a worthless thing to say like, “You’re never going to amount to anything!” It could be a worn out sentence like, “Dear God, please help me deal with these annoying children” or a poor quality sentence like, “We’re poor. Get used to it.” Tragically, these are actual sentences that actual moms have actually uttered to their actual children that I have actually heard. That verse begins with telling us how we should not talk, and ends with telling us how we should: only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs. My mother found the way to tell me what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it. If I needed encouragement, that’s what she spoke. If I needed correction, that’s what she spoke. If I needed spiritual exhortation, that’s what I heard. The key is that she knew me. She spent time knowing who I was, what kind of heart I have and what it needed at the moment. Her words always reinforced her love.

“Gracious words promote instruction. Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

—   Proverbs 16:21; 24

You can purchase a copy - or download a Kindle version at Amazon.com.  Click on the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Meatball-Recipes-Living/dp/0996457402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440501412&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+make+a+meatball+by+marie+armenia

"THIS IS GOD. LEAVE A MESSAGE."

Have you ever felt like you're getting God's voice mail when you pray?  In your brain you know that He loves you, and He cares about you, and that He will hear you when you call, but... truth is.. lately....He isn't exactly answering His cell phone when you call. In your heart, you wonder if He's ignoring you. No? You've never felt that way?  Good for you. I have had times when it seemed like God was busy doing other stuff for other people and my stuff for me wasn't really getting His attention.   I use the words "seemed like" because He is always listening. Always.To you. And me.

Furthermore.......(drum roll)... He is doing more than listening to my words. He hears my thoughts and yours too.  Psalm 139:4 says, "Before a word is on my tongue, you Lord, know it completely."  In the one millionth of a second from the time I think something until I actually say it, He already knows exactly what I'm going to say and exactly why I'm saying it.  He is THAT CLOSE to us.  Another verse in another Psalm got my attention this morning.  Psalm 94:11 says "The Lord knows people's thoughts..."   He knows what we are THINKING.  Hello. Nothing is hidden from Him. Not even my thoughts. UHHH-OHHH.

Earlier in the same Psalm, the writer is complaining to God about how He's running the earth. Wondering why He is allowing the wicked to gloat. Wondering why their arrogance and boasting is not getting His attention. He tells God what these people are thinking, ""The Lord isn't looking, they say, and besides the God of Israel doesn't care." (v.7)

And then he kind of reminds himself that, oh yes, God knows what they are actually thinking. Just like he knows what I am thinking.  Doubts about God's ways come to every one of us every now and then.  If you are confused by God and what He's allowing in the world, or in your life, He isn't mad at you for having those doubts.  In light of how dark the world has become, we can think our prayers are hitting His voice mail. 
But that isn't truth.
What does God do when we, His children, have doubts filling the inner recesses of our minds?  What does He do when we, like the writer of Psalm 94, wonder why He is allowing proud and arrogant people to prosper.. seemingly.... and to crush His own people? 
HE COMFORTS US.  I cannot hide my doubts from the One who knows my thoughts. And yours.  If we will allow Him, He will give us the renewed hope we need to get through a seemingly hopeless planet.  He knows what He's doing. Even when we don't.  

"When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." 

Psalm 94:19

Thank you, Father. 

(You may sign up to receive this blog via email. Upper right corner of this page.)