Wake up Beloved Sleeper....

"Look, he answered, 

I see four men loose,

walking in the midst of the fire; 

and they are not hurt, 

and the form of the fourth

is like the Son of God."

Daniel 3:25

Stopped in to a local restaurant for breakfast this morning and ran into an old friend I hadn't seen in years.  I love this guy.  He is so kind, so friendly, so funny, so everything - except saved.  He doesn't know the Lord and his resistance is up pretty high to the truth of the Gospel.  He wants to pick and choose what to believe and toss out the rest.  The problem with that is, that makes him god, and God doesn't share His glory with anyone.  So, I pray for him and wait for the opportunity to witness to him.  Here came God, this morning, answering that prayer of my heart.  It has been over 10 years since the Lord made a way for me to speak to my friend about the Lord.  But, here, today, out of the blue, when I wasn't even thinking about it at all - here, came the Lord opening the door that has been bolted shut for so long...

We chatted quite a bit across tables in a busy restaurant, eating and laughing and enjoying a beautiful summer day.  I was relaxing and taking my time, sipping my coffee and laughing at my friend's jokes.  It was an extremely light and funny encounter, as it usually is with my friend.  He loves to make people laugh, and I like to oblige!  Who doesn't love a little laughter to lighten the day?

Now it was time for me to leave and get on with my day.  I had an agenda, you know.  I had to get busy...  This wasn't really part of my agenda.  I had more important fish to fry.  Or, so I thought... 

Moments away from saying goodbye to my funny friend, he suddenly stood up and joined me at my table, seated himself across from me and looked straight in my eyes to hold my gaze.  He began to unravel a story of near death at the mercy of an out of control fire that broke out in his apartment, recently, in the middle of the night as he was sleeping.  He had awakened suddenly to see orange flames dancing around him and the bed he was lying on.  He realized the air conditioner electrical wires had ignited the fire and ran over to disconnect it from the wall. That wasn't going to happen.  The electrical wires had melted in the red hot flames of the fire.  

Calling 911, throwing water on the fire, coughing from the thick black smoke that he was now breathing, he did what he thought was necessary to control the fire.  I looked at him with stunned eyes.  He should not have been sitting across from me, telling me this story.  He should have been dead... 

When the fire department arrived within minutes, they insisted that he leave and wondered that they weren't carrying him out as a corpse.  He lived to tell the story, against all odds...

I stared at him with open mouth at the miracle God had done for him in bringing him through the fire, alive.  I believe there was One "walking in the midst of the fire, and the form of Him was like the Son of God..." Daniel 3:25

With tears streaming down my face at the mercy of God, I asked my friend if I could say a prayer with him.  So it was that there in the middle of a crowded restaurant, we bowed our heads and thanked God for His protection and great love for my friend who narrowly escaped the flames of death.

  

There it is, you know.  God, who loves him, rescued him from certain death.  He is still chasing my friend to finish the job.  He is trying to awaken my friend from the sleep he has been sleeping, in the middle of flames encircling him to kill him and keep him in the fires of hell forever.  This was such a wake-up call for my dear friend.  Wake up, sleeper!  You are in grave danger!  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  Open the door and I will surely come in and eat with you..."

I wonder when we get to heaven, if God, our Savior, Rescuer from the Flames, will show us a video of the many, many times he rescued us from certain death.  I wonder if we will see, even in hell, the desperate cry of our Savior, pounding on the door, calling out to us - "Open the door, while you have breath.  Oh, how I wanted to rescue you.  But you left the door barred.  I begged you to open the door.  But, you would not... You would not... You would not..."

Impossible Things...

All things?

I saw you the other day.
You looked so lost.
You were angry.
You were disillusioned.

You were weary.
You told me you don't believe in Jesus anymore.
He hasn't been there for you.
You told me, He's just a fantasy to you...

I have never seen you so empty.
You tell me you're fine.
But, I don't see that in your eyes.
I see eyes that have no light anymore...

I see a face that bears the scars of bitterness.
I see a friend that is giving up.
You don't believe there's a God that can help you.
You don't believe at all anymore...

 I don't know if you know how weary you are...
You need some love.
You asked me where have all the lovers gone?
You questioned if there is a thing called Hope?

I love you so, but I can't fix you.
I can't rescue you from this hell.
I can't save you from these demons.
I am not God.  But, I know the One that is.

I'm praying for you, my dearest friend.
Never, forget, I'm praying for you.
I believe in the God that is still in love with you.
I believe in the God that is fighting to bring you through.

I believe He is who He says He is. 
I believe He tells us the truth.
I believe He is right there with you.
He is waiting, He is loving, He is holding on to you...

I will never stop caring for you and neither will He.
No matter what you have done, what you have lost,

 He loves you.

He says He is able to do more that we can even imagine.
So much more...

Until you can believe again, my dearest friend,
I will stand before God and plead your case.
I will believe for you.
Until you believe again...

I'll Take My Chances...

I was shocked to hear the cavalier declaration that "I'll take my chances." in response to a note from me to this Facebook contact, telling her that God is real and that He loves her and wants to heal her.  I came across this lady online as I was reading my new posts on Facebook.  I didn't know she existed until she showed up randomly on my FB feed.  I wasn't looking for her.  But, I believe, the God who made her and who loves her more than anyone else ever could, was, indeed, searching for her.  I believe it is God who put that post on my feed and God who led me to reach out to her.

This lost soul had posted on a grief page that she had lost her little boy recently.  She asked if anyone could help her get in touch with a medium or fortune teller who could put her in touch with her deceased child and give her hope.  Hope.  How desperately we all need hope.  In this poor soul's case, she was crying out for it and searching for it - in all the wrong places...  As soon as she asked if anyone could give her the name of a medium, the response online was instant - a medium who was reading posted a link for her to go to the page this woman has on Facebook.  I read it and couldn't believe my eyes.  Here was a woman who was grieving the loss of her little one, desperately looking for relief, turning to the occult for help.  She said she is an atheist and, clearly, she is.  But, I believe God is so powerfully running after her to save her from the dark world of the occult, of evil that masquerades as good.  He wants to rescue her - she is someone Jesus Christ died for.  Her baby is safe in the arms of Jesus.  If she is ever going to see him again, she must turn to the Lord and grab onto Him for dear life. For that is what He is to her, to me, to everyone who walks the earth desperately searching for Hope.  He is Life.

As the administrator of a Grief Recovery Group on Facebook, I am especially sensitive to those who lost a loved one and are in the throws of grief.  I reached out to this dear lady, explaining to her that I have a Grief Recovery group I would like to have her join so that she could be supported and loved by others and by God during this very painful time.  I knew I had to say something directly to her about the occult; to warn her that seeking solace there would only bring her into further darkness. Part of me didn't want to say this to her, but the pressing on me from the Holy Spirit to warn her was so strong, I had to yield to Him.  I wrote to her very lovingly of God's love for her and invited her to join this group.  I finished my post with a gentle, but, very clear, warning to avoid the occult, including fortune tellers, mediums, psychics and others who would take advantage of her vulnerability at this time.  I hit the send button and it was done.  Almost immediately, I received a response, not only from her, but, from the medium who was threatened by my post.

Hurting and grieving, this dear woman responded to me with the venom of a snake striking at its' prey.  No, she would not join my group.  No she wanted nothing to do with God - the God she does not yet know.  She was blaming this God she said didn't exist for the death of her child.  That is not uncommon in grief, and God isn't shocked by it.  He can handle our grief, especially over the death of our son or daughter.  He watched His own son die a torturous death on the cross - He knows our grief, personally...

What knocked me off my feet about her response was her nonchalant way of blowing off any consideration that God may be real and wanting to rescue her - wanting to save her from disasters even worse than what she had gone through with her son.  He had watched her suffering - He had heard her cries - He saw her broken heart.  He wants to heal her, to love her, to answer her cries, to protect her - as any good Father would.  He wants to protect her from the demons that are fighting for her soul.  He died to save her from all of it.  He longs to see her turn around and run to Him.  He wants to catch her in His arms and keep her as His own.  My heart almost breaks with the love and the heartbeat of God, her Father. How can she not feel that love for her?

She told me thanks, but, no thanks.  She said she didn't believe in God, especially after what she had gone through with her son.  She said "I need proof, before I would believe that..."  She finished her condemnation of God by saying if she was wrong she would "take her chances..."  I could not really believe what I had just read.  She had no idea what she was saying.  It is the height of folly to speak of things we do not know or understand, especially where eternity is concerned.  To say that we will take our chances with eternity is heartbreaking.  We dare not take any chances with the eternal salvation of our soul.  We need to humble ourselves at least enough to admit we do not know - we are completely dependent on what we are told - either by God, or by the dark and evil forces that war against Him for our soul.  

Jesus told the story of the Rich Man and the poor man (Lazarus), who both died the same day.  The Rich Man, having no belief in anything but himself, descended into eternal suffering in Hades. Lazarus, who had lived a life of faith in God, was "carried by the angels to heaven."  The Rich Man, tormented in eternal fire, begged that someone would be sent to his brothers to warn them of eternal damnation.  Luke 16: 31 gives us the unsettling response: "But he said to him, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead." Jesus is warning us; we are in peril, we need to be saved.  He is not going to provide any proof for us other than Himself, His death and His resurrection.  If we will not believe because of these - we are lost...

Of course the medium who wanted to keep this "client" voiced her agreement immediately with the confused and brokenhearted lady she was trying to reel in for the kingdom of darkness.  Yes, she advised her, don't believe what I was saying to her.  Don't believe "the haters."  Wow.  The deception, the trickery, the dark undercover sneaking in to someones life through the death of a loved one is so real and so heartbreaking.  

Do not be deceived.  Hell is real.  God is real.  He died to save you from that horror, which so eclipses any suffering we have in this life.  Do not "take your chances."  If you hear the voice of God calling you today, fall down on your knees and worship Him.  Ask Him to save you.  You cannot save yourself.  And, certainly, neither will a medium, a fortune teller, or any other voice that is not from God.  Know the Word of God.  That is where you find Him loving you, saving you, telling you the truth about who He is and who you are.  He suffered and He died.  For you... 

Note:  If you are grieving and looking for a Christian support group, please search Facebook for "God of All Comfort Grief Support" Only members can see posts, but, send a request to join and you will be added, unless there is a problem with your request.  

Lord, Give Me...

the heart of the Father...

Let me tell you something, if you don't already know it - that old man is crazy.  I mean a stark raving lunatic, no doubt about it.  He wants me to learn all about his god and follow all his lame teaching and obey what he tells me, and, well, you get the idea.  If he thinks I'm going to sit around and let my bones decay on the ole' homestead, he had better get a grip.  The sooner I escape this lunatic farm, the better off I'll be.  Yea, yea, I know, I'm supposed to wait until he's dead to get the goods.  He's such a soft touch, I know exactly how to play him.  After all, I'm the youngest - kinda the apple of his eye, if you know what I mean!  I know just the words to use and just the tone, just the youthful, innocent pretense he always falls for.  He doesn't have a clue!

Well, it was just like I said it would be.  The guy's a sucker, that's for sure.  I played the game, pretty much told him I wanted the cash, like NOW, and boom, just like that, he gave it to me.  Big brother isn't too happy and the whole town is laughing at Pops, but, who cares - I got what I wanted and that's all that matters.  I'm out of here now.  Who needs this place, the ole' man, or the god they worship.  Good riddance, is all I can say.

I wanted to break loose, to get as far away from this nightmare as I could.  I mean all the restrictions they put on me - it was as if I was some kind of fool who couldn't run my own life!  This new place is the best thing that ever happened to me.  I have friends that really care about me.  They invite me to all the parties, they drink with me, they drug with me, they sleep with me - they love me!  It's so great being free to be me!  I always dreamed life could be like this!  It's what I was made for!  That's right - God made me to be the way I am, so, I'm not apologizing to anybody.  This is the real me.  You don't like it, blame God.  He made me this way.

Oh, man, I'm out of cash!  I told some of my buddies and I haven't seen any of them in weeks.  It's as if they were just hanging around me for what they could get...  I was hoping some of them would pay me back for all the times I coughed up for the bill on the drinks and the chow.  Man, I'm in shock.  I thought they were my friends.  I mean I can't even afford a place to stay now.  I'm living on the street.  It isn't even safe out here.  This place is downright dangerous...

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"But, when he had spent all, he began to be in want..."
Luke 15: 14


Good grief, I can't even believe where I'm at right now.  I need to stay calm and just get a job - this is just a temporary setback - I'm fine - I mean I always land on my feet!  I'm the one who always wins!  I play by my own rules and that's the way I like it.  For now, I'll get a job until the money starts rolling in again - then I'll be fine!  You'll see!  This is me we're talking about!

Well, things didn't exactly work out the way I planned.  Listen to me!  I don't plan!  Life just happens and its all good - right?  Uh, maybe not always good.  This has only gone from bad to worse.  Turns out, for all of my smarts, I somehow don't have the skills to get a decent paying job.  Nobody appreciates me for me anymore!  They need to remember whose kid I am!  Back home, I'm my father's kid - that makes me important, just by itself!

Anyway I took the only job I could find cleaning out the poop from the pigs house - you would not believe the filth I am living in right now.  I know I can't believe it.  It feels like I can't get any lower.  I am so hungry, I fight the pigs to eat their slop.  Nobody ever comes by to check on me.  I'm filthy dirty, I smell like the pigs, I sleep with the pigs, I live like the pigs.  I can't take much more.  God, how did I get here and how do I get out?


"and he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate,
but no-one gave him anything..."
Luke 15: 16

God.  I haven't really thought of you in years.  I do remember hearing about you though.  My family told me about you.  Guess I've really been my own god for quite awhile...

Well, it's over for me.  I have to go back to my father's house.  I wouldn't blame him if he refused to take me in.  I mean, look at what I did with all he gave me.  Look how I squandered his blessing.  Look how I mocked him, even to his face.  He can't love me anymore.  He can't.  Even he isn't that much of a fool.  I have so messed up my life.  I flat out rejected everything he told me.  I rejected him.  I can't make that up to him.  But, I need him now, like I have never needed him before.  I'm going to go back.  I hope I can make it.  I am so weak, this has taken everything out of me.  With the last ounce of energy I have, I will go back.  I will beg him to forgive me.  If he will just let me be one of his servants, that would be so much better than this.  At least I would have some shelter and food.  I can't go on like this. I will be dead before long.

I don't know if I can do this.  It is so humiliating.  I am not even sure he will know me.  He has probably disowned me by now.  He might not even let me on his property.  The servants are all going to be laughing at me.  My brother will say it serves me right - and, that's really true - it does.  I wouldn't blame any of them, but, especially my father, if he never spoke to me again.  I am so sorry for what I have put him through.  I have been such a fool...

Wait - who is that man running so hard down the road to get to me?  Does he mean to kill me? Rob me - I have nothing to give him anyway.  Oh, no.  I don't believe what I am seeing.  It is my father.  My father whom I have hated and rejected.  My father, my father, my father... Oh, how I love my father...


"But, when he was still a great way off,
the father saw him and had compassion
and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him..."Luke 15: 20


He has blown me away with his love for me.  He told the servants to get me some new clothes, and put a beautiful ring on my finger that is a gift from him to me - his prodigal child!  He never stopped loving me.  He said he searched for me every day, hoping against hope that I would come back to him.  He never gave up.  He loves me, even in my great sin against him.  I will never get over what he did for me.  He never gave up on me.  He rescued me when I was close to death.
He threw a party to welcome me home.
Nobody ever loved me like my father.
Nobody...


"...for this my son was dead and is alive again;
he was lost and is found.
And they began to make merry...
Luke 15: 24

 

Manchester, England...

Manchester, England

So far away

But today I can reach out and feel your pain

Mothers and fathers screaming for their children

Ripped from their arms forever

Senseless

Cruelty

Barbaric

Evil laughing in the streets over our grief

I am broken, Lord, God

Did You see what they did to my baby?

Were You there?

I can't feel You, right now.

There are no words for the depth of my heartache

No words

Please bring her back to me

Where is she now?

Do You know?

Do You have her?

Is she scared?

Is she crying for me?

Do You know how to love her like I do?

Why did You take her from me?

Why?

All of the innocent lives that have been stolen

All of the children who have been changed forever

What is happening to our world?

I don't understand

I hate all of this

Are You anywhere in all of this?

Are You still alive?

Are You still God?

Yes, meet me here, Oh, God

or

I will surely die...

Without You, Lord

I cannot go on

I cannot take another step

My life is seeping out 

I so need You, Lord

I need you to give me hope...

Broken

Desperate

Never the same

I will cling to You

My Life

My Only Hope

Take Every Thought...

to make it obedient to Christ...

2 Corinthians 10:5

You might, as I have in the past, read these verses and decide this is impossible. But, it has been impressed upon me, over and over again, just how important it is to control our thoughts - this is why God commands us to do just that.  It is in the battlefield of the mind that we win or lose the day.  If we battle depression, low self-esteem, thoughts of suicide, we can be sure our thoughts are at the root of the battle.  

I believe it is because the stakes are so high for us and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that God is so specific in commanding us to capture our thoughts in this way.  God knows that this is where the enemy gains a foothold in our lives and can destroy the future He has planned for us; our hope in Him; our joy in life; our peace; our sense of being loved, even our desire to continue living.  God knows the depth and danger of allowing our thoughts to rule over us rather than Christ.  Clearly, this is an area of enormous significance in our lives.  We ignore this scriptural admonition, truly, to our own peril.  

God directs our thoughts to those things that are healthy and life giving in our lives.  He doesn't leave us alone to figure this out - He makes it very clear how we should control our thoughts.  

You may be thinking, well that's fine for somebody else, if they can do it, but, I have a lot of stress in my life.  I just lost my job, my husband left me, I can't pay the rent, I am grieving the loss of my true love, I am seriously depressed, I want to give up... and on and on.  These are real issues that many people are dealing with.  These are the times when controlling our thoughts is vitally important.  If we allow the enemy to control our thoughts, he will.  We will find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper into depression, feeling helpless, all alone in dealing with the problem, ready to give up, potentially, even suicidal.  We cannot allow our minds to run off on their own - someone will control our thoughts - either God or Satan.

I have a good friend and Christian Counselor who often asks me "Who told you that?"  In other words, ask yourself where that thought came from - is it from God, or is it from Satan?  It is essential to identify who is speaking to you through your thoughts. God will never reject you, never give up on you, never put you down, never, never, never lead you to thoughts of suicide.  If you are entertaining those kind of thoughts, STOP.  Take those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ!  To not do so could give the enemy of your soul power in your life that God never intends or wants for you.  Satan is called the Father of Lies, the Destroyer, the Deceiver, the Thief...  He will lie to you about you or anyone else in your life, he will destroy everything that matters in your life, including you, he will steal your joy, your hope, your faith in God, your future...

God speaks love into your life, not hate; life not death; hope not despair; peace, not anxiety...  If you are not in the Word of God, do yourself a favor and get into it.  You will find life and healing for your soul.  It is through the Word of God that you will renew your mind. (Romans 12:2)

If you are not sure where to begin in this area, I encourage you to ask God to help you identify your thoughts and to "take them captive to the obedience of Christ..."

Challenge your thoughts - do not just accept them blindly - you have control over your thoughts - exercise that control!  If you are having destructive thoughts, ask yourself where they come from - is that from God or from Satan?  Be ruthless about rejecting any thoughts that are not from God about you or your life or, about God, Himself.  Please don't take this lightly.  Your life could depend on it, especially if you are struggling just to hold on another day.

I plan to do a mini-series on what the truth is that God speaks to us from His Word, vs. the lies the enemy speaks to us.  In the meantime, I pray God leads you to His Word, illuminates your thoughts to be His thoughts for you, and helps you in the battle to "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ..."2 Corinthians 10:5