Heart & Soul - - The Unbelieving Heart

 

John 12:40

"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 

Hardened: petrify, render callous, to deaden, to make obtuse

From the Greek word ' póroó' (pronounced po-ro'-o): properly, made of stone; (figuratively) insensible; dull, unperceptive as a rock; calloused (hardened); i.e. unresponsive (dense), completely lacking sensitivity or spiritual perception. 

    This is a strong judgment against the ones who see Christ's miracles all day long and day after day yet still refuse to believe that He is Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy as proclaimed by the prophets. For instance, here He references Isaiah 6:9, 10 "And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

    If you think this does not apply to us today, you are mistaken. God still does miracles today. We are given new days to turn and believe. We are given new opportunities to hear and believe. We are given chance upon chance to know that God is who He says He is and that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son who died on the cross to save us from the punishment of our sins. 

    God makes the sun to rise and shine, the clouds to gather and rain to fall. God makes the moon to shine and calls the tides to ebb and flow. God makes the seeds to germinate, blossom and produce plantlife. God is still creating, His Word is still going forth and His light is still shining.

    To think otherwise is to be a fool. Fools neither see the Truth of God's Word, nor do they understand it. For God has said that He would use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise in this world (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). The wise in this world choose to believe anything but God. Whatever prophecy falls in their ears, they follow. It is why there is such a variety of 'churches' and doctrines. 

    God is still in the business of saving souls according to His wisdom. When the Word is preached, it falls not only in the hearing of the ones who hunger and thirst for it, but on itching ears, who hope to hear something that will justify their pride, their sins. And when they are convicted by the Spirit of God, they turn a deaf ear to Him, ignoring the Word. So God closes their eyes to seeing and hardens their hearts to believing.

    Don't be those people. This is where the Lost In Space robot would be waving his arms and shouting, "Warning! Warning! Warning! Danger to you!" This is where Darth Vader says (to the unbelieving heart), "Turn to the darkside." 

    But the Spirit and the church say, "Come. Come, you who are thirsty. Come drink the water of life." (Revelation 22:17). 

    Sinners who repent of their wicked ways and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior are transformed by the Spirit of God into God's church, God's saints. As difficult as many find that hard to believe, it is only by faith that such a thing is possible. Even the Old Testament believers had to have faith in God; to believe not only that God Is, but that GOD IS WHO HE SAYS THAT HE IS (I AM THAT I AM [Exodus 3:14]). 

    The Spirit continues to transform and mold the believer's heart into the state of perfection to which God has called us to be. It is not a state we will reach in its entirety until we see Jesus face to face. We are moved from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) by the Spirit of God until that perfect day arrives.

    Come, now is the time to give your hearts to Christ. Today is your day of salvation if you have not already believed. And if you have believed that Christ is your Lord and Savior, now is the time to humble ourselves, fall on our faces and fully commit to following His Word faithfully. Now is the time before time runs out. 

ALL WHO ARE THIRSTY by Kutless

RESTORE ME by Kutless

Guard Your Heart - - Invest Your Time Wisely

 

Ephesians 5:16, 17

 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1805

Redeeming: buy up, ransom, rescue from loss

From the Greek word 'exagorazó' (pronounced ex-ag-or-ad'-zo). I buy out, I buy away from; I ransom, I redeem, I purchase, I choose.

'Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to His design.' - Matthew Henry Commentary

    To pay careful attention is to closely watch, keep an open eye on. To be very attentive to. 

    Do we drive with our eyes closed? Kinda hard to see the potholes that way, isn't it? Can we even walk alone with our eyes barely open? I can't. Even within my home I am thankful for even floors and close walls: I hold onto the walls and take baby steps on the floors. I walk cautious.

    It is the same in our spiritual walk with God. Being ready to walk requires preparation. Have we knelt before God and given Him our allegiance? Our full allegiance, not just lip service, but heart service. 

TALENTS OF TIME

    Remember the Parable of Talents? The Master took away from the fearful servant, who had the least amount of talents, and gave it to the one who had been given the most, the one who doubled for the Master the talents he had been given. 

    Now, money-wise one talent equals one year's wages. Imagine being given double your wages. But not for your own pleasures. The two years worth of wages is yours to invest and return to the Master when He returns. 

    But consider, as Matthew Henry does, that one of the talents being given is Time. A reckoning of time spent will be required by The Master at His return. We must consider now, therefore, how we have invested the Time He gave us. 

    Have we honored Him with our time? Have we invested our time or wasted our time? Not all my times on this earth have been used to glorify God; to my shame. Coming to the realization that my time is not my own, I endeavor to glorify God with the best use of my time, that time which God has given me, that I may show Him when He returns and claims again the time He gave me. 

DEVOURER OF TIME

John 10:10 "The thief comes only that he might steal and might kill and might destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly."

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brethren throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering."

    Our time is best spent in serving God. In searching Him out in His Word, in seeking His face in our prayer times. In submitting ourselves to His service the way He desires to be served, not the way in which we think He should be served. 

    The enemy of our souls seeks to devour our time, to fill it up with emptiness and dissatisfaction. Time spent not serving God according to His Word, His Will and His Way is time lost; time lost cannot be recouped. 

REDEEM THE TIME

    Acknowledging that we are not the best at deciding how to spend the time we have been given should lead us to seeking God on how best to use the Time He has placed in our hands. And He always has an answer for us. We choose to take back time and use it for Him, not wasting it on us.

    Seek first the kingdom of God.

        Matthew 6:33

    Repent and be baptized.

        Acts 2:38

    Ask Me for Living Water.

        John 7:39

    Love one another as I have loved you.

        John 13:34

    Clothe yourselves in Righteousness.

        Ephesians 4:24

    Put your spiritual battle gear on.

        Ephesians 6:10-20

    Persevere in your race and Endure with patience every trial.

        Hebrews 10:36

    Pray without ceasing.

        1 Thessalonians 5:17

    There are many, many more ways in which we can increase the value of the Time we are given. We just need to study the Word for ourselves and come together as a group (what is commonly referred to as 'going to church'), that the Word of God may be made plain to us who want to hear the clear Truth of God's Word. 

    Our hearts must be ready(prepared to be His sanctuary) and willing (eager to hear) to receive what God wants to plant in us. Let us be ready for Christ's return, not spending the time we have now in regret, but using it for Him. 

Redeem The Time Medley 

        

        

    

    

Signs & Wonders of Christ's Arrival - - Gifts For The Gift

 

Matthew 2:11

On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1435

Gifts: present, sacrifice {offered to God}, something not coerced, spontaneous, offering

 From the Greek word 'dóron' (pronounced do'-ron). 

(cf) Matthew 5:42 "leave your offering at the altar"; Luke 21:1-4 "the widow's mite" (sacrificial offering).

THE FIRST GIFT

The first gift given was their time. They used their time in their homeland to research the birthplace of the King they had come to know in their studies of old manuscripts and they watched the night skies for the star that would rise in His honor.

THE SECOND GIFT

The second gift the wise men gave the Christ was their worship. They fell down, kneeled, prostrated themselves before him (face to the ground) and worshiped Him. Not His mother. She was the vessel of honor by which He came into this world, but worship is given to her Son Jesus Christ. Worship is an act of humility, it is humbling ourselves before the King of kings and giving Him our all: our hearts, our lives, our bodies; for His service, for His glory, for His honor. Out of their hearts the wise men gave. Out of their treasuries they gave. So, too, should we be prepared to come into the presence of God with our worship. Before we ever get to church our hearts need to be ready to receive what God has to give. And we need to be ready to give what God desires of us.

THE THIRD GIFT

The third gift they gave was gold. A precious commodity no matter what age you live in. It acknowledged His Kingship and Authority to rule. This gold was an offering, a sacrifice, a parting of their wealth to render unto the King what was due Him. We, too, need to render a monetary offering unto God. We call it tithing and love offerings. Because we love Him, we want to give Him everything, even our monies, which, while God does not need our money, He still requires us to be obedient in giving to Him. 

 

THE FOURTH GIFT 

The fourth gift given was frankincense. A costly fragrance used in the making of incense. The incense God instructed Moses to make included frankincense. It was laid before the the Most Holy Place before the priest could enter.

Exodus 30:34-37

34. The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,

35. and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

36. Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

37. You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.

THE FIFTH GIFT

The fifth gift they gave Him was myrrh. This was common spice used to anoint the dead, that their bodies would not stink while decaying. 

(cf) Mark 16:1 "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus." 

Also, myrrh was a fragrant perfume used to anoint the king's wife (Esther 2:12), or the king himself (Song of Solomon 3:6). A precious oil reserved for precious beloved people. 

All the gifts given to Jesus not only acknowledged who He is, but foretold what would happen in His life. 

Time: He only had a short amount of time to make the biggest impact during His three year ministry. John 12:35 "Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going."

Worship: John 4:23, 24 Worship God: "But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

Gold: In heaven pure, unadulterated gold is used for  pavement and building material in the new city which God has prepared for His people. Revelation 21:18, 21. 

Gold is also the crown which Christ wears: Revelation 14:14 "And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand."

Frankincense: A bitter, pungent fragrance used primarily for incense. 

It was placed on the table of gold near the showbread in the temple of the Lord (Leviticus 24:7) as a memorial portion, an offering to the Lord. 

Myrrh: Used as an ointment (to heal wounds), a burial spice and a burnt offering (releasing a sweet odor/aroma). John 19:39 "Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds." In their love for Him, Joseph and Nicodemus received permission to remove His body from the cross to bury Him properly. Even though they believed He would rise again, the nearness of that rising was hid from them. Therefore, Jesus needed to be buried in a clean place and anointed with fragrances that would keep Him pure for awhile. 

In today's market value that much myrrh is estimated to cost $150k. Whoof. Pricey. And yet worth every penny. Yet these gifts do not even compare with the Gift which God has given to mankind.

THE BEST GIFT

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

John 6:40

"For it is My Father's will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:8-10

8. But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:

9. that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

THE GIFT OF GRACE

Now is the time to receive God's gift. Now is the time to open your heart and believe. Now is now, later may be too late. 

Many say we are living in the last days. So, too, did the disciples of Christ in their day in the beginning of the age of the church. Do not delay your day of salvation according to your timetable. Until Christ returns, every day is the last day. Only God knows the hour in which He will send His Son to gather up His bride, the church (Matthew 24:36; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). 

This is not manana time. There is no tomorrow to plan for. Today is your day of salvation. Today is the day you should open God's gift of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah. 
We beg you to reconsider your decision and not walk away. We implore you to come to the altar now. To humble yourselves  and kneel before God in repentance, to receive His forgiveness and grace. 

Ephesians 2:6-9

6. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

7. in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9. not by works, so that no one can boast.

COME WORSHIP THE KING by Michael W. Smith, Shane & Shane

REFINER'S FIRE (Purify My Heart) by Vineyard Wordship

I GIVE YOU MY HEART by Hillsong 

 

The Readiers - Now Is The Time

 Luke 1:17 "And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 

Background on John the Baptist is found in Luke 1:1-16, but every time a mature Holy Spirit-filled Christian shares/preaches/teaches the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ that person becomes a Readier, too. We, the believers, are the Readiers preparing people for the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Mark 16:15 "And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." 

It takes power to share Jesus with anyone and that power comes from God who gives us His precious Holy Spirit who empowers us with Himself to speak the Truth of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

Acts 1:4-5 "And being assembled together, He instructed them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to await the promise of the Father: "That which you heard of Me; For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 

And wait they did, men and women both (Acts 1:14), for the Promise of God to be fulfilled: the outpouring of His Gift, His Holy Spirit. 

Acts 2:1-4 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (different languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately]."

Acts 4:31 "After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."

Peter was one of those who received the Holy Spirit and He began to proclaim the gospel immediately to those who were gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost. But he also shared the gospel with Gentiles (non-Jews), where the message of repentance, forgiveness and salvation was well received. And these, too, were baptized in the Holy Spirit upon their belief:

Acts 10:34-48 

"Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism, but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

You yourselves know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen— not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his message. All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and exalting God.

Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water to baptize these people? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days."

We have nothing to fear when we believe the Truth of God's Holy Word and are filled with His Holy Spirit in these last days, last hours, before the Church is taken out of this world and this world is judged. Now is the time to believe and receive. 

Now is the time to kneel before God and repent of our wicked ways, to turn away from a sinful lifestyle and live a life of grace and mercy, a life that mirrors Christ to others. Now is the hour to receive the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives, that He may empower us to live a godly life and share the gospel to everyone around us, just like I'm doing right now. 

For now is time to rise up in worship, praise and thanksgiving to God for who He is and for what He's done for us. Now is the time to speak the name of Jesus with joy and in His love. Now is the time to bow not only our heads and our knees, but our hearts, to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now is the time to offer Him all that we have to give: ourselves: our bodies to His service, to do whatever He calls us to do in His kingdom. 

Later will be too late. Tomorrow is not promised. There is only To day. There is only Now. 

CityAlight-Praise And Worship

Garden of God Herb Co.-Time (Thyme)

      Been awhile since I began this series. Got a couple of them done and then went to another subject. But I have been asking God to organize my mind and my thoughts as part of my healing process. Getting organized in here is what I want to be done, also. I guess in order to clean my desk off properly, instead of filing things and losing them, just to find them at a later date is not the solution.  

 But God is a God of order and not a god of chaos. Everything He does, He does in His time, not ours. Thank God for that, huh? Otherwise nothing of importance would ever get done. He created the universe in 6 days. 
DAY ONE:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and the darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: 

and there was light. 

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 
DAY TWO:
 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.   

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the  

firmament from the waters which were above the firmament:

and it was so.

And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

DAY THREE:

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters

called He seas: and God saw that it was good.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind,

and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself, after his kind:

and God saw that it was good.

And the evening and the morning were the third day.

DAY FOUR:

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven

to divide the day from the night; 

and let them be for signs, and for seasons, 

and for days, and for years:

And let them be for lights in the firmament of  the heaven

to give light upon the earth:

and it was so.

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, 

and the lesser light to rule the night: 

He made the stars also.

And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth,

and to rule over the day and over the night, 

and to divide the light from the darkness:

and God saw that it was good.

And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

DAY FIVE:

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, 

and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

And God created great whales,

and every living creature that moves,

which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind,

and every winged fowl after his kind:

And God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, 

and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

DAY SIX:

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, 

And creeping thing,

and beast of the earth after his kind:

and it was so. 

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, 

and cattle after their kind,

and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind:

And God saw that it was good.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, 

Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,

and subdue it:

and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and

over the fowl of the air, and over

every living thing that moves upon the earth.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed,

which is upon the face of all the earth, 

and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed;

to you it shall be for meat.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

And God saw every thing that He had made,

and, behold, it was very good. 

And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

DAY SEVEN:

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, 

and all the host of them.

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; 

and He rested on the seventh day from all His work

which He had made.

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:

because that in it He had rested from 

all His work which God created

and made.

Genesis 1 and 2:1-3

Self Discipline

In our daily lives, we struggle with doing the right thing, eating the right foods, wearing the right clothes. We compete in the job markets against each other for the right job. We race against time to accomplish our dreams and reach our goals. All of these are transitional, constantly changing. As time passes, our dreams change. When one goal is met, the next goal is sought.

As it is in life, so is it in spirit. The body of Christ faces these same challenges. We grow, we adjust, we change. We are tempted to give in and give up. Where there should be cooperation, there is competition. We race against time to reach as many lost souls as we can. Our desire is God's desire: save the lost, encourage the weak, pray for each other, build up the church, wait on God and listen for His voice. And when He begins to speak to us, we need to stay near Him to hear Him better.

When was the last time you really stopped and paid attention to God? If you can't remember, now is a good time to do so.