Thursday, 23 February 2017

WILDERNESS KIDS


I have found a desire within myself that no other experience in the world can satisfy;
the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
C.S. Lewis



Wilderness kids don't seek fame or wealth, they seek the Kingdom.

They are increasingly alienated from a corrupt decadent society.   They stand alone and isolated but they are the 'jewels' in Yeshua's crown.

Their focus is the 'Word of God' - they shine - obeying His Laws and refusing to condone or rubber stamp behaviour that is offensive to a Holy God.   Where ever their home or country tribulation is heading towards them, perhaps not so much death by the blade in the western world, more a creeping persecution by governments, at the mercy of corrupt officialdom,  often labelled mentally challenged.

Steer well clear of any government intrusion.   State churches will never be an issue the sheep are neutered and mix with abominations embracing every unholy act to fill pews. Evil stalks the halls of power.  Dark celebrities rise pursuing another crack of the whip. Others stand in the wings watching, waiting for their comeback.

Rejoice no genuine child of God can despair whatever the future holds:

 Psalm 116
Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.

Matthew 22 - 32
And Jesus answered and said to them,
'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?
GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING.



As I discussed the latest developments in volcanic activity in numerous 'hot spots' around the globe a relative suggested "you have your insurance policy."   Caught off guard I replied "yes I have" remembering the life insurance I had taken out to cover the disposal of my remains.   "No" he replied "I mean your faith"   Thank you Lord just keep reminding him of that fact.

And perhaps the very best way to drift off to sleep in this manic world  "The book of Psalms - Sleep with this on!!!" a soothing and brilliant rendition of all 150 Psalms on You Tube - mind you I usually slip away by No.4.   And for those who love number crunching just look at the 'hits' 1,072,436 views for Jonny a Blaze for Christ.   That in itself is very encouraging - WE ARE NOT ALONE.


***********************




Wednesday, 22 February 2017

MANKIND IN THE DOCK



Genesis 2 - 15

Then the Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
to tend and keep it.
KJV

The Hebrew translation of scripture to tend is Shamar - meaning to GUARD.


As custodians of the earth and animals God will require an account of our behaviour and those responsible for the carnage in the Middle East and elsewhere around the globe will ultimately face THE SUPREME JUDGE.   They will be sentenced for all eternity.     

God's love and compassion for His creatures is evident throughout the bible and sadly there has been an horrendous increase in cruelty where our lesser brethren is concerned.    When you take the time to observe nature compared with the antics of mankind you might consider we are the lesser brethren.  

Regardless of the video junk on You Tube there are some graphic examples of this appalling cruelty and the work of committed individuals who rescue and salvage those on the receiving end of the deranged twisted perpetrators who take pleasure in abusing their hapless victims.   On the other hand we consider ourselves superior to the animals that share the planet but just maybe they are more intelligent than we think, which brings to mind an interesting video regarding the work of Plymouth University some years ago regarding the concentration span of a goldfish which was originally considered three seconds.

Memories return of children clutching a plastic bag with a single captive goldfish from the rag and bone man or from a stall in a visiting fairground destined for a small round glass bowl, condemned to swim in small circles until its demise, that's if the tap water doesn't kill it first or they remember to feed and clean it's tiny environment, to say nothing of the watchful eyes of the family cat intent on a fishing expedition.

Scientists at Plymouth now consider the little goldfish has a memory span of between three to five months,  can actually see more colour light than the human eye.  It can remember training up to a year later and can be taught to push levers (for food) and play football.   (Perhaps the only thing they have in common with today's kids and their lesser concentration span)   They can recognise their human feeders and tell the difference between classical music and jazz.   In reality you are being watched by your goldfish.   A recent report stated most children these days have a concentration span of eight minutes rising to 20 minutes for teenagers and adults.   The goldfish wins.  

As for our precious planet.   Seas dying, flocks of dead birds found on sea shores around the globe, continuing pollution from the metal maggots that invade every part of our daily lives, be it car, bus or lorry on increasingly congested highways and motorways.   Fracking continues contaminating water supplies when the powers that be know full well it would be cheaper to finance solar panels and wind turbines.   The power companies have a vested interest in bleeding the poor, keeping their executive salaries regardless of the fact they are poisoning the very air we breathe and giving our cradle earth a good kicking in the name of greed not withstanding the security issues involved with nuclear power.

Back to our friend the little goldfish.   It is actually therapeutic watching a tank full of fish and far preferable to the drivel, lies and misinformation that television offers these days.  Perhaps the message has to be very basic for today's generation with a crippled concentration span.

Garbage in - garbage out.  Monitor your internet access, television viewing and hold fast to basic moral standards.  That should hold good for everyone in a decent society where knowing and serving  God is fast becoming a label for being mentally challenged and anti.social. 

Proverbs 22 - 6
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

U.K. Education Authorities - TAKE NOTE - Its the responsibility of parents to guide their child and protect them from those in society who would enforce their alternative moral standards on innocent minds.   Of course we all realise their dark agenda and who is pulling their strings.    But then I was taught God sees everything, knows every thought and is perhaps fast running out of patience with a wilful disobedient generation.   Man is simply out of control and we all know the consequences.   THE BIG BURN.

If you can concentrate for twenty minutes start at the beginning and read a chapter of the book of Enoch - considered sacred by the Jewish people.   It foreshadows the bible written 2000 years before Christ and reveals the end of all things,  an easy read compared with the Book of Revelation.   You really need a bible expositor for the book of Daniel and Revelation.   

Of course "that's a load of rubbish" is the common cry from the blind and the deaf.  They might well have to struggle through a Mad Max scenario on what will be left of our dying planet.   Meanwhile the writer prays for a fast shuttle out to join those who have gone ahead - human and furry friends,  prayerfully there will be quite a zoo waiting.

Biblical history tells us the Jews were not always faithful to their God.   They cried out to Him in times of great need but were off with the Molech worshippers in times of prosperity.   Unlike the much maligned goldfish they easily forgot their God when things were going smoothly, when disaster loomed they were on their knees crying out for mercy.

Yeshua had many followers and contrary to some christian perspectives it was not the Jews who crucified Christ it was the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin.  He was a threat to their power and control.   He paid with His life as will many who rise against the status quo and an intrusive State.   

But the Good News is Yeshua (Jesus) IS coming back,  this time in power and glory and men will run to hide and wish the stones would bury them. 

Revelation 6 - 15 - 16
And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the Wrath of the Lamb (Yeshua-Jesus) 
   
Perhaps you consider you have only committed minor sins, you haven't murdered anyone or beheaded next door's cat, in fact people say you are a really nice guy.   But pride, arrogance and ego are even more deadly in the eyes of the God you choose to ignore.   You might find yourself firmly held in an endless plain of talking heads next to the neighbours from hell, moaning and complaining forever.*  

*Vincent Ward's "What Dreams May Come"
The end is only the beginning.

An Academy Award Winner for "Best Special Effects"

The film stars the late Robin Williams and his excellent portrayal of Chris Nielsen and his journey through hell to find his wife who after losing the family dog and later her two children and finally her husband in separate car crashes decides she can't take any more and commits suicide.   Of course its very Catholic that those who commit suicide go to hell.   Isn't God a God of love, mercy and forgiveness?   Wouldn't he understand her state of mind and know she had hit the end of her strength to fight despair.   I know which God I believe in.   

There's quite a popular simple saying for those who try to reach the unsaved.   "If I am wrong, then I have lost nothing.    If you are wrong you have lost everything.

In his book "Amusing ourselves to Death" Neil Postman believes the attention span of humans is decreasing as the use of modern technology increases.   Professor Gary Small used an MRI scanner to observe the brain activity of six volunteers.   Three were web veterans and three were not.   The professor found the web veterans had developed "distinctive neural pathways"  Interesting.  

We have advanced so far in what is a relatively short period of time.   We have the toys to destroy humanity but God is watching and He will act.

Most have a conscience and know the difference between good and evil, but many believe when they die that's it.   End of.   There are endless witness statements to the contrary from both specialists in the medical professions to the experiences of the common man.   But may be it will take the next plague or disaster to convince you that man is not in charge - GOD IS.

Of course atheism is on the march and people who deny a creator God merely replace Him with self and it is futile to debate the subject as they usually consider themselves the superior intellect.

The atheist replaces God with Self
The believer replaces self with God.
T. Hills

Self is the opaque veil that hides the Face of God from us.
It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction.
A.W. Tozer



I believe in God as I believe the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.  - C.S. Lewis

Atheists express their rage again God although in their view He doesn't exist.  C.S. Lewis

It amazes me to find an intelligent person who fights against something which he does not at all believe exists.   Mohandas Gandhi.

Matthew 24 gives a clear countdown and warning of coming events but those who trust in the Lord will be saved.

The worse moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful
and has nobody to thank.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti.







Sunday, 12 February 2017

SPARROWS AND CUCKOOS




Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young
Even your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and My God.

Psalm 84 - 3


"If you could fly to the feet of your God and King what type of bird would you choose to be" the Watcher asked the woman in the wheelchair.

"A sparrow" she replied.    
Having observed he was being closely watched by a man and woman standing in the shadows he called out "and what sort of birds are you"   

There was no reply to his question they stood detached and pensive still staring at the woman.   "Perhaps you are cuckoos" said the Watcher.   "Did you take advantage of this sparrow, is that why she was pushed out of the nest"?

Still there was no reply.

The Watcher knew in a busy nest there were always litter favourites and there were always runts.  Litter favourites stayed close to the nest until it was quite empty.

The crippled sparrow sang for joy.   She knew her time would come when she would soar to the throne of her God and sing with the angels, but for now she would patiently wait remembering His promise.   "I will look after you"  

He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge.
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Psalm 91
3 - 4

**************

Lucy was a 'go for',  the eldest girl in a family of five children, and it did not go unnoticed in the neighbourhood that it was always Lucy struggling with the shopping and watching over her younger siblings.   The neighbours were watching as she pushed an old pram full of books up the ramp on to the removal van that was to take them to their new home.   Giving and serving were grounded in her nature, polishing the family shoes the only way to get noticed, win her mother's approval and catch little scraps of praise.

Eventually cinderella Lucy left home and married her prince.   Her domestic training ensured it was a smooth transition from one sink to another.  Three generations later, widowed and alone she faces a world that has changed beyond recognition.   When today's young people don't get their own way they riot.  When the educated elite don't get their way they blame the elderly generation and the honest hard working salt of the earth men and women whose kids can't even get jobs.      Anarchy is no stranger on streets in the western world.    The fabric of society is crumbling.   The elderly are often abandoned by the children they fought to feed, cloth and educate.    Family squabbles cause division.   When you refuse to dance of the music of this world you face opposition from every corner and when you are a genuine "born again" christian you even face accusations from supposed fellow christians.    

The God most deny is moving, He is shaking relationships and households, cities and nations by the entry of His Holy Spirit power working in people.   Matthew 24 is unfolding.  

Those who challenge any concept of a designer God will simply put all the turmoil  down to anti.social behaviour.   Perhaps if they had stared evil in the face as did the butchered christians in the Middle East they might not be so complacent.   Most don't believe in a creator God but there is a small matter of conscience.  Exactly where does the prompt come from.   The suggestion that your behaviour was hurtful or that what you did would inevitably have its consequences.   Of course if you can happily kill someone without a shred of emotion then obviously you are seriously damaged and society needs to be protected from your actions. 

On the opposite side of the fence you have the religious 'basket cases'  sentencing people to hell fire at every opportunity.   The prosperity preachers - how will they cope when God actually decides to deal with us all.  Their possessions and money will burn along with the rest.

God has been incredibly patient thus far.

You can't scare people into the Kingdom but there are plenty of examples of this on You-Tube.  God chooses to touch lives and every word spoken by an evangelists or fellow christian should tie in with biblical truth.

Then there are the precious and preferred mob who condemn just about anyone who has a differing opinion.   Obviously they consider they know the mind of God and are quick to condemn.

It can be the simplest quote or saying that will trigger the journey.   Or it can be the loss of all we hold dear that might bring us to our knees.   Suddenly we get our priorities right.   We are not important in the scheme of things.   There's a bigger picture.  Self is in the ascendancy in a society that promotes personal freedom.  Live your life to the full and taste absolutely everything a decadent society offers.  The latest attempt at silencing christian witness in the U.K. would be the proposed Equality Act. 

When you suddenly experience the hand of God you try to explain the unexplainable and how it changed your life. The man who so eloquently put this experience into words is Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Ever to be remember is that best and brightest of hours, when first we saw the Lord, lost our burden, and received the roll of promise, rejoiced in full salvation, and went on our way in peace.   

Then the flowers appeared in our heart; hope, love, peace, and patience sprung from the sod; the hyacinth of repentance, the snowdrop of pure holiness, the crocus of golden faith, the daffodil of early love, all decked the garden of the soul.

Just how beautiful the words that describe spring, new beginnings, a shoulder to lean on and a rock to stand on in the coming days.

It all starts with repentance, you leave your past in the past and move forward in a new life in Christ.   

The recent Jacob Prasch video freely available on You Tube  "The Day of the Lord" might give those wallowing in the Sloth of Despair a new urgency.   Time is short and even shorter for those who knew a better world where the experience of war made people look to their neighbours and care for those unable to care for themselves.    

Perhaps if christians stopped jostling for position and power and started to actually follow their Saviour a watching world might just consider the 'precious pearl of faith'  worth having.

Matthew 13 - 46
"who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Even the Lord's disciples squabbled amongst themselves. A mother requested her sons had a place of privilege on the right and left hand of Yeshua's throne.
  
Matthew 20 - 22
Yeshua said:  You do not know what you ask.   Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink, and be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with"  They said to him we are able.   The baptism here refers to the fact that Yeshua was divinely appointed to suffer and die - would they? 

The film Ghost is still extremely popular.  Why?  because it gives those who have lost loved ones hope of a reunion in another place, a better place.   Of course the scary things that came up out of the pavement also remind us we are not all going to make it.     But hey its only a film.   Who wrote the script and where did the idea come from.?

There is a small chip called conscience - most have it.   It's that thought that says - hey that wasn't very nice - or should you be doing that and a prompt warns there would be consequences.   Of course some are totally devoid of conscience, perhaps that's a fault in their gene pool but most are and realise we are facing a very uncertain future.

Genesis 6 - 3
And the Lord said "My spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh.........................

Genesis 6.6
And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Genesis 6.13
The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them.

No one can deny the appalling greed of the elite and the suffering masses.   The persecution of those who stand for the Word of God will continue unabated until Messiah Yeshua comes.



"but the best life of Christ is His living biography, written out in the words and actions of His people"

Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 

Amen and Amen.

SHALOM