Take Note: Drifting is a dangerous place to be…

"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." ~Paul

Can you imagine the anger and hurt you might feel if you were placed into a circumstance where you allowed your only son to be sacrificed so that others would live?  Then those that had the chance of life, ignored the opportunity.  Tell me.  How hacked would you be?  What might you do in your anger?

It is not wise to drift.  Immerse yourself in the Word…
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Is it possible that prayer might fail?

“Yesterday afternoon, while walking in my little garden, and meditating and praying, I had an unusual assurance that the time was now come when the Lord would answer our request, which arose partly from my being able to believe that he would send the means, and partly from the fact that the answer could no longer be delayed without prayer having failed in this matter, as we could not assemble the children again, after the Christmas vacation, without there being a stove put up. And now, dear reader, observe: This morning I received from A. B. twenty pounds, and we have thus much more than is required for a stove.” George Muellar – Dec. 23, 1841

For more GodSpots – 37stories Enjoy!

Get past the blah, blah, blah of life, think about it: “GIFT OF GOD”!

Paul: “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline”.

This excites me! Can you imagine? Sitting in a chair facing Paul. He looks you in the eyes. His face is scarred from the many beatings and stoning he has endured. His nose is crooked from being broken. His hands are as rough as a stone masons. But it is his smile that captivates you. It is full of love….

He leans over and places his hands on your shoulders. He begins praying in the name of Jesus, asking specifically that God will give you a bold spirit, full of power, love and self-discipline. Then you feel the warmth of God flow through you and you know, that you know, beyond any shadow of doubt, you will never be the same person. Can you imagine?

God has not changed. If He is in you, His power is resident, also. As Paul says, “fan the flame“.

I am a blue blood believing baptist boy chasing after “IT”.

It seems like a life time ago, a pastor friend and I were on our faces before God crying out.  “God.  Whatever you plan on doing.  Please don’t let us miss IT.”  In God’s grace and timing I think He has chosen to allow each to participate in “IT” as best as we were prepared to engage.  He’s grown us along the way to experience a deeper “IT” year by year.

Something I have noticed through the years is that “IT” seems to be only as deep as the body of believers “buy-in”.  Every “body” has a level of comfort that is indicative of the personality displayed in “IT”.  There is the deeply rich traditional church where “IT” can be found in a great pipe organ playing “Amazing Grace”, but “IT” is threatened if one were to request a prayer of healing or some other manifestation of the Spirit that does not fit in.

I am a blue blood believing baptist boy that enjoys worshipping wherever I can find God.  I was traveling one time and stopped in to an evening worship service at a Pentecostal church.  I didn’t know the songs and I wasn’t comfortable to lift my arms.  It wasn’t long into the service that they began trying to drive out the devil.  It turned out they were exuberant when they drove me out.  They thought they had “IT”.  I thought I had “IT”.  Likely, we were both confused.

So here’s the point of the blog.  Your body of believers known as the local church may think they have “IT”.  It is likely you and I only have a very small portion of God’s total “IT”.  It is also likely that everything outside your predetermined ideas of what “IT” looks like may be uncomfortable.  But before you and I squash “IT” with expectations of casting out the devil, you might check to see if “IT” has a “blue blood believing baptist boy” chasing after the Spirit and visiting from out of state. 

Poor is relative as experienced by George Mueller.

George: The very necessity led me to expect help for this day; for if none had come, the Lord’s name would have been dishonored.

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After the Lord has tried our faith,

He, in the love of his heart,

gives us an abundance,

to show that not in anger,

but for the glory of his name,

and for the trial of our faith,

he has allowed us to be poor.

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Archie: The thought comes to mind.  What is poor?  For George poor is a creation of dreams.  God gave him a vision to build orphanages to help thousands of children. He had no money.  Because of the creation of this ministry, George had many needs and considered himself poor, while receiving millions of pounds in donations.  His being poor was because of the needs created by the obedience to the dream.

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This is much like my life.  I dream big dreams or they seem big to me anyway.  With the big dreams come big needs.  Following God’s guidance, the only answer for these needs is found in Him.

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This relates to my question in mind of desiring to serve an abundant God, not a God of just enough.  I’ve pondered whether George got his faith ideas right? Why wasn’t George serving a God of abundance? He was obviously a man of God and great faith.

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I am beginning to understand poor and abundance is relative.  When chasing a vision that is big, tremendous blessings and provisions from God can seem just enough.  But the same provision with a small need or vision would appear abundant.

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When chasing after God, does one ever NOT increase one’s vision / needs to fit the provisions? It is as if God’s abundant provisions create a  vacuum God desires your visions and dreams to fill.  Test this thought and all thoughts against His Word for truth.  I am but a sinful man chasing after God.

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TRUTH REVEALED! George was poor as a testimony of the enormity of his vision.

12 Christians killed. 20 Churches burned. 1 Islamic leader dead.

LAGOS, Nigeria, Aug. 7 (Compass Direct News) – With 12 Christians, including three pastors, confirmed killed in rioting ignited by an Islamic sect opposed to Western education, the Christian community in northern Nigeria’s Borno state is still counting its losses.

It is said the Islamic people in America are peace loving.  It is said the Christian people of America are peace loving, also.  I’m willing to believe both can be peace loving, but there is a disconnect with the world’s experience on Islam.  There are daily reports of Islamic sects killing Christians, but I have not seen any reports of Christians killing members of the Islamic faith.  I wonder why that is.

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I have to admit I am confused.  The Islamic people I see in the US seem to be ok.  I don’t see them carrying guns and shooting people or cutting them up with machetes.  Some do wear masks and I’d prefer them to assimilate a bit better, but being different is not bad.  It is just different.

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My confusion is how do the people of Islam get so confused that they think killing Christians is a good thing.  I’ve never heard of Christians getting confused and think killing Moslems was a good thing.  We both have books of faith, yet one finds strength in killing while another finds strength in being killed.  It is all so confusing.

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I know I am rambling just a bit, but the thought is stuck in my head.  If I am a peace loving Christian and I become fervent in my faith, growing strong and fanatical about my beliefs, I become more peace loving.   There may be some exceptions, but for the most part that’s true.  Yet if I am a peace loving believer of Islam and grow fanatical about my faith, I want to kill Christians.

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Have I missed something?  This isn’t meant to bash Islam.  I just don’t get how you become totally consumed by your faith: one person is driven to kill and another person is driven to be killed.  Both are ok with the outcome.

Angel Gets Torched! Directed or Accidental?

“SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (AP) , Workers have replaced the iconic gold statue of a trumpet-blowing angel that was scorched by lightning atop a new Mormon temple in South Jordan last month.  The statue of the angel Moroni sits on the 60,000 square-foot Oquirrh Mountain Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was hit and damaged during a June 13 rain storm.” Deseret News

 

I got to tell you, this is one torched angel!  I can only imagine, construction workers for a Mormon temple live at high risk.  I wonder if insurance cancels you if they find out you are building a Mormon temple.  I mean think about it.  God is looking down and He is asking, “you are going to worship who?”  I don’t think so. POW! WHAM! ZOP!

 

And the pleasant smell of ozone mixed with the smell of charbroiled…. Ah, yes.  Would have loved to be there.  Well, maybe not. 

You have to “HOLD ON”!

“By this gospel you are saved, IF you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” Paul

 

Paul said it not me.  You have to hold FIRMLY to the word otherwise you have believed in vain.  You have to hold on firmly because the world and the evil one are constantly trying to tear your faith away from you.  You may have walked through the gate, but the path is narrow.  HOLD ON!   Suffering will come.  HOLD ON!  

Wad of Tickets

Chuck E Cheese pizza. Pay a premium for mediocre pizza. Grandkids are getting the best use of FREE tokens. As Omi paid for the pizza I wondered which part was FREE? Anyway lots of fun smiles and hugs make it all worthwhile.

Why does his head glow?

I’m thinking I’d like to get one of the hair dews that make your head glow.  This is pretty cool.