ACQUIRING FREEDOM 101

Dear Beloved, I am so joyful that you have come again to share the Living Word with me. Can you believe that another year has come and gone? Maybe the Lord will come back for us this year. Only He knows the hour, but we surely know the season. I feel a home going coming on. Let's be ready at all times....walking in love, having great faith, serving and praying. The following message came about because of a dear brother's message to me a few days ago. He was in need of a Word. He was in need of prayer and encouragement. He was in need of freedom.

Side note: The above picture usually represents freedom, regardless of where you live in the world. But, you can have someone in certain parts of the globe who may be jailed for owning a Bible. Did you know that in that case, that person still may have more freedom than most who live in the U.S.A.? So, yes, you guessed it ! We are going to talk about spiritual freedom and liberty.

Let's pray, Wonderful Jesus, our Bread of Life.You are our Savior, Redeemer, God and friend. You are the One who holds the key to our liberation. Free us we pray from all things which hinders us from being one with You. Remove our chains. Remove our yokes. Remove our burdens. Help us to take your yoke upon us for it is easy and light. Save us to the uttermost we pray. Holy Spirit, teach us now about the good things the Father has for us who believe. Give us ears to hear. We love You. In Jesus name we pray................AMEN.

My dear brother (I mentioned earlier) and myself, have found that there is a sin in our life which we just can't seem to shrug off. It is a besetting, or habitually besieged by, cursed thing. We read the Word. We eat it, digest it and do it. We spend quality time with the Father every day. We pray often. We worship and praise Him. We have stood in prayer lines over and over again, in hopes that we would be delivered from this hideous thing. But, we just come away with oil dripping from our beard to our garments and bald spots from multitudes of, "laying on of hands." We are sincere. We love the Lord. But we just can't seem to find our way free of the sin which continues to plague us. Are you in a similar situation? If so, then this message is for you. I am not promising a cure all. In fact, I don't know the answer. Nobody does, unless they are given a word or special wisdom from the Holy Spirit. And, even then we may still go on, forever it seems, with the same condition. But take hope in this message and don't give up. We will all be delivered. Some before others, but we will all find freedom. I know that I know. Can't you feel it? Hope is building all ready.

I will confide with you my sin. With me it is anger. I will be going along just fine one minute and the next I will be out of control. The most stupid of things will set me off. Oh God, I hate it so. From there I will go into a tail spin for days. If you get in my way, then look out because at that point I hate everybody and everything...especially myself. My poor wife. Oh the words she has heard come from these lips. Bless her Jesus. Thank God she understands and prays. During this course of hatefulness I don't even think of getting out. It's almost like it has to run it's course until I finally want to disappear. To the point where I wonder if I am born again, or even can be. But always...always (so far)(thank God), a light shines in my heart and everything is put back to normal again. God does it, I don't even know how, but He does. It's like a cycle which must run it's course. I am redeemed from the curse, so in time, this madness will be broken off of my soul. It will for you too my dear brother or sister. Whatever habitual sin you may, or may not, have. God wants it gone more than we do. PRAISE GOD, HALLELUJAH !

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:16-18) We see here that the Holy Ghost (whom God has given us) will give us freedom as we continue to gaze upon and abide in the Lord. Freedom from what? Many things. But for now let's just plug in yokes which have us tied to a besetting sin. A yoke is simply a device used to harness two farm animals together so they would go in the same direction. While we are talking about yokes, check out this verse in Isaiah 10:27. " In that Day (we will talk about that Day in the next paragraph) their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing." The anointing here represents the fatness, the richness, the power of God. The Holy Ghost endows us with such power.

In Luke 4: 17-21, we read the following: "The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him (Jesus). Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release (set free) the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, and He began by saying to them, Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Boy, I bet you could have heard a pin drop. Super cool !! This was the Day we read about in Isaiah chapter 10. It was the Day of Jubilee...the Day of Freedom.

Wow, we have learned a lot so far. We know that God want us completely free, and He has given us the precious gift of the Holy Spirit to accomplish just that. Of course we must believe. We must pray. Yes, we continue to refresh ourselves in His presence and find ourselves in the prayer lines as the Spirit leads. Another wonderful passage about the freedom Jesus died for to give us is found in Isaiah 58. I encourage you to read the whole chapter. A real good discourse on fasting. Remember that Jesus said, "when you fast." He also told the disciples that certain demonic activity came off by prayer and fasting. So, fasting is another great weapon we have against the yokes of the enemy. Isaiah 58:6 says, " Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and beak every yoke?" Remember, read the whole chapter.

The work that Jesus started in us dear beloved, He will finish. Right now satan knows his time of doom is at hand and he is pulling out all the stops. But God is also shaking us and purifying us. For what? For His Glory to fill the earth....through us. Can you believe it? Believe it ! Let's close with a most wonderful scripture of faith and hope. It is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. I know this will be long, but worth it's weight in gold. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (anointing). Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then(keep on standing), with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Above all, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."

I promise you this thing: If you continue to look upon the face of Jesus, you will experience victory. Because in His face (abiding with Him) you will find the anointing, His presence, His glory..........His love. And, do you know what else you will find? FREEDOM !!

THE THORN OF BLESSING

Greetings again my most wonderful friends. Yes, here in the U.S.A. it is Christmas time again. The time where we have much joy as we reflect on how great Father God's love is for us, as seen in the miracle of His Son's birth. The birth of Jesus (the Messiah for our Jewish friends) finally arrived about two thousand years ago, fulfilling hundreds and hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament (Covenant). To me the greatest thing was that God loved us so much that He humbled Himself to become a man. To walk among us in human form so we could witness His heart. And it was a heart full of love, compassion, mercy and hope. The list could go on and on. Of course Jesus has ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father after He had walked among us for thirty years. After He performed many miracles. After He was crucified (shedding His sinless blood to pay the penalty of our sins). After He was resurrected from the dead. Afterward He appeared to many, many more just before He ascended. And now He lives in us by the Holy Spirit if we would but believe and commit our lives to Him. And He is coming back for us, very, very soon.

The following is the Christmas message God gave me for this year. The first part is the original message I have mailed to my friends and family. At the end are additional passages which were not part of the original. I felt that the Holy Spirit wanted me to add a little more for my friends here at Jehovah Productions. Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth....we adore You. Thank You for Your Son Jesus. Thank You for Your Word, Your Holy Spirit and for Your mercy. You are coming back for us who believe. Keep us we pray during the troublesome times ahead. Keep us walking in love, humility and faith. We long to be with You. God, You love us and we love You too. In Jesus name we pray....AMEN.

As I stooped down to get a better view of our nativity scene, all aglow from our lighted tree...I wept. That usually happens to me when God speaks. Probably with you too. While I gazed upon the baby Jesus, Father God said, “You are bowing before the One who bowed low for you. This posture is who I am. I am Love displayed in humility. I got My mind off of Myself and purposely placed it on you, my son. This is the greatest weapon I have given you against all your enemies.”

He then reminded me of the following: "Don't act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves. Don't be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others. Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality. Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross. This is why God has given him an exceptional honor— the name honored above all other names— so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will kneel and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Phil 2:3-11.

As long as we live here on this earth. Until we hear the sweetest sound we will ever hear. The sound of Jesus calling us home. We will constantly have a battle between our flesh and our spirit. Our flesh will always want things done it's way. It will always seek to put itself first. By the power of the Holy Spirit we have the ability to on purpose choose to put God and others above ourselves. But, sometimes, even this wonderful life of love and humility can get us into trouble. Out of God's great love for us, He has decided to hold back the reigns of our being perfected. If everything was perfect in our life then our flesh would soon make itself god with no need for faith or a reason to submit to God.

There was given Paul a thorn. I call it a thorn of blessing. The original Greek word defines Paul's thorn as a physical ailment. Regardless, the thorn represents something sent by God to be troublesome to us. It keeps us humble before God and others. Thank God that He loves you and I so much that He helps us to stay humble, like Paul. Now, go ahead, worship and embrace our baby Jesus. And while you are bowed low, embrace your Thorn of Blessing !

And why did God say at the beginning that humility is the greatest weapon that we have? Because I firmly believe that lucifer, that father of lies, doesn't understand Love(God) or humility. By the way, don't you agree, that you have to go through humility to reach love? I Peter 5:5 says, "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Take time to look up other scripture which pertain to humility. You might be surprised to find that there are many. I have always contended that the door to God (love) is humility. That position also works the same way when we love others. When we esteem them higher than ourselves, IT DRIVES THE DEVIL CRAZY !

OK, back to the Garden of Eden again. The devil knew it was just a matter of time before Eve's seed kicked his butt. Why? Because he was there when God cursed him and prophesied. We find that in Genesis 3:15. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed (those who do not belong to God) and hers; He will crush your head and you will strike His heel." From that day forward the devil was always looking over his shoulder. "Could Moses be the one," he asked himself. So he tried to kill Moses. We see that in Exodus 1:20,21. "So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own. Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live." The devil whispered in Pharaoh's ear. Or could it be Samson? Maybe David, Abraham or Noah the devil must have wondered. Hundreds of years came and went, but the devil had plenty of time and he was very patient.

But then he knew he had his enemy pinpointed when to his surprise he overheard Gabriel, the angel he hated, prophesy over a virgin named Mary. Turn to Luke 1:30-33 with me. Here we read, "But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end." The devil thought there was some sort of mistake. Why would God humble Himself to become a man? Just in case, he put a host of demons in charge of following Mary. But the Love of God (shrouded in humility) out witted him again because Jesus was born in a humble stable among the livestock. The devil's host were asleep at the wheel. They just can't see through the humility.

So the devil did some more whispering. This time to King Herod. Let's read Matthew 2:1-3;13,16. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.' When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him." "When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."

Even before Jesus began His earthly ministry, during his wilderness experience, the devil was still not sure He was the One. Why? Because in Luke 4:1-4,9 we read, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days, He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to Him, if you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread. Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone." "The devil led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down from here."

So, when indeed did the devil realize that Jesus was the Christ? When did he realize that this was indeed the One who would do him in? When he saw Jesus acting in concert with the Father and Holy Spirit as it was from the beginning. In the beginning, the Father thought. The Son spoke. And the Holy Spirit brought it into being. The devil witnessed this process in the creation of the world and he saw it in the miracles Jesus performed. Now do you understand why the thorn of blessing is so important? Think about it for a moment. First of all it is a good thing to depend on God for all things. Sometimes, He gives us a troublesome thorn to keep us in His Face. This posture will keep us walking in love with Him and others. From there springs the very power of God. The anointing. The devil is after the anointing. Anti-christ...anti-anointing. Christ means, "the anointed One and His anointing." Humility gets us to God (love). And it gets us to love others. God is love. Love is power. So be it unto us all. MERRY CHRISTMAS !

PLEASE STAY TUNED

My fellow soldiers of Light. I will have a new message in the next few days. Please stay tuned and thank you for your patience. We have been real busy this week getting ready for Christmas. We have the grandchildren for the time being, so we are doing more than we usually do. GOD IS GOOD.......LOVE YOU !!

DADDY, I'M COMING HOME

Greetings in the most wonderful name of Jesus! Would you come with me now as we begin our journey together, humbling ourselves before the throne of grace? Heavenly Father, we joyfully come before you in sweet adoration of Your glory and love. We will sing forever in Your presence about the mercy You have had on us all. Oh Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world...we shout thank You !! Our cry day and night is that You, oh Holy One of Israel, would visit with us. And in Your visit, would You please bring unto us the grace of restoration. The fullness of restoration with You and with each other. Daddy, we love you. In Jesus name....AMEN. So, how have you been my fellow brethren and soldiers of the Light? I know that it seems as if the whole world has gone crazy. But God has everything in control and the wicked one will not touch you. King David often times cried out for justice and the demise of his enemies. But as followers of Jesus you must fulfill the commands of the new covenant and pray for your enemies. I know it is hard sometimes, but you can do it. Put yourself in agreement with God that none should perish, but all would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The most obvious script for the picture and title above would be concerning Jesus and His heart's cry. We will start there and afterwards explore another group of people who have the same longing. The longing to be with the Father. In John 14:28 (the Message Bible) we see Jesus saying the following to His disciples: "You've heard me tell you, 'I am going away, and I'm coming back.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I'm on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life." And if we look at the prayer Jesus prays for His disciples in John 17 we can sense the longing in His voice. The longing to be with His Father once again as it was from the beginning. Seated at His right hand, robed with the glory which was His for all eternity. Look at the beginning of verse 11 and the beginning of verse 13. Jesus says: "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them." I do not think that it would be a stretch to believe that Jesus longed for His mission here on earth to be fulfilled, so He could return to Daddy.

Who else should have the mindset which cries, "Daddy, I'm coming home?" Well it should be us my dearly beloved. May I have the privilege to regress for a minute? Thanks. Let us first discuss what our stance should NOT be. I have thought from time to time that I am ready to be clothed with glory and eternity so I could escape the hardships here on this blue marble we call earth. WRONG ! And have you ever heard someone say, " Oh, I don't care if the Lord prospers me, and I don't need a mansion, I will take a little shack in the corner of heaven and I will be happy." WRONG ! Some may even think that it is wrong to have a desire to go to heaven. They may think, " heavens no, I can't think about going to heaven because there is just too much work here on earth to be done." WRONG !

So, what should our attitude be about such things? First let me tell you something really cool. God says we are going to rule and reign with Him. Now that doesn't mean we are going to spend all of eternity around the Throne singing the hallelujah chorus. OK brothers and sisters...are you ready to think big? There are solar systems and galaxies out there that are more numerous then we can count. In fact, they have continued to create themselves ever since God gave the command. I believe God will say, "KennyG, go over to this solar system for awhile and rule over it for me." And after I finish bathing in my golden bathtub, I will just think where I need to go and I will be there...at the speed of light. Now please don't shut me out just yet. I am not crazy. Just trying to encourage you to think big...Big...BIGGER ! And by the way, Jesus showed us a few things our glorified body can do when He appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. He passed through a wall and ate fish with them. Remember? That was the time that Thomas said he would only believe that He was the Risen One if he could touch his hands and side.

Turn over to ll Timothy 4:8 and read with me will you? It says: "There is now in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all those who have longed for His appearing." The proper posture is to be anxiously and joyfully longing for Him to come and take us home. Nor should we falsely humble ourselves with the idea of being happy with a little shack. Remember, think BIG ! Let's look at what Jesus said in John 14:1,2. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." I am sure that any room God builds will be a mansion beyond belief...not a little squatters shack in the corner somewhere.

In Revelation, John gives us a small description of what we can expect heaven to be like. Now mind you, John was describing something he saw with the limited vocabulary of a human. Let's read Revelation 21. " And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for these words are faithful and true. And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal. (That's about 1400 miles in a cube) And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits (that's about 200 feet), according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof. And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there): and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it: and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life."

So, while we still remain, awaiting the call to come home, let us continue to be love and light to others. Let us continue to have great faith while we serve. And let us have the same mindset. And what mindset is that? Come on, say it with me "DADDY, I'M COMING HOME."

THEMS FIGHTING WORDS

May God Himself heap many blessings upon you my dear brothers and sisters, for coming once again to share in the Living Bread. Oh Heavenly Father, thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done, on earth (in me; in us and in the Body) as it is in heaven. Thank You for your provision, forgiveness and love. Help us to love. Come soon Lord Jesus (Maranatha). Oh God create within us a humble heart. A heart that thirsts for righteousness. Give us a heart that joyfully expects Your Coming. A heart that longs to be with You. In Jesus name..AMEN.

Prophetic words and utterances are to cause men to see God more clearly. They should cause us to thirst for Him and to magnify Him. They should urge us to, first and foremost, evaluate our own spiritual condition. I pray that the following scriptures and prophetic utterances do just that.

Before Jesus comes back for His Bride, there will be a great falling away. Men and women will stop seeking His face. They will place all their attention on their works instead of the God of the works. Their Love will grow cold. Their faith will fail because faith works by love. A great number will walk in the fear of man instead of the fear of the Lord. These people will continually worry about what man thinks. They will seek after material things instead of storing up in heaven spiritual fruit which will last. They will deny the power of God, which they once walked in, by becoming religious. Always worrying about the outside of the cup instead of what's inside. Continually anxious about their presentation to the world instead of their presentation to the Father. Many people will cling to what man has taught them, even at the expense of losing their own souls. Many so called followers of Christ Jesus, are not anxiously awaiting His Appearing. All of these conditions rob us of the anointing and power of God. This is the anti-christ spirit which has continued to operate in the earth since the very beginning. The devil is after the anointing (power of God). Christ means, "The anointed One and His anointing." Just like in the days our precious Lord walked the earth, we have come to the place where many in the Body are dead men's tombs. Hypocrites. White washed tombs on the outside but full of deadness on the inside. By now you might be saying: "Now Kennyg,.......... THEMS FIGHTING WORDS."

But what if my words are true? Do you find yourself gravitating toward any of these conditions? Are you willing to gamble with your eternity by stubbornly holding onto what you believe, at all costs? Are you willing to listen to what the Word and Holy Spirit have to say? Are you ready to let go and let God? According to Matthew 24:12, the love of a large part of the Body will grow cold. This happens because of false teachings and religious mindsets that detract from intimate relationship with Jesus. Relationship equals anointing (power), so we see that pesky anti-christ spirit again. In this condition there is self gratification, wickedness and iniquity. But all the while that person is deceived into thinking everything is OK. And why not? They go to church and read the Word. But without confidence and power (anointing) because there is no committed relationship. An attitude of staying where they are, no thirst to go higher in the things of God.

In Revelation chapter 2, John talks to the church in Ephesus. Ephesus represents the modern church of today. If we read, then we will discover that the church continues to do good but she has left her FIRST LOVE. In that state we are lukewarm. (Not committed, no intimate relationship, no power.........deceived.) "Kennyg, there you go again, meddling with whether I have a true and fruitful relationship with Jesus. Put up your dukes !"

There are countless ways a person could find themselves drifting towards this lukewarm condition. Sometimes, satan can make us believe that we have gone too long without intimate time with God and we think that we can never come back. So we have a sense of unworthiness and are lulled into believing that we should stay at a distance. Sure we may come to the point where we see ourselves and ask for forgiveness. But do we take the next step of repenting? (actually trying and expecting change...going the opposite direction.)

If you continue to read Revelation chapter 2, you will come to the passage where John says that only those who overcome will be free from this condition. And what is that condition again? It is the condition of beginning a wonderful life with Jesus and somewhere down the road you got off course. You took your eyes off of Your Savior and put it on yourself and man. You became lazy and decided to stop short of the finish line. This Christian stuff is too hard for me. It is so much easier just to look good on the outside instead of dealing with the sin on the inside. Have you ever felt that way?

GOOD NEWS ! Jesus said that we who overcome that lazy; anti-christ and deceptive spirit will enter the gates of heaven. We can't do it, but I know who will help us. The Word and the Holy Spirit. God's Word says we ARE over comers and more than conquerors. So, let's stir up the overcoming power within us and take a stand. Surely we are able to break through this deception if we but utter the words: "Jesus, please help me !"

Let's arise together in these last days and shake off the enemies lies. God died for us when we were strangers and enemies to Him. How much more so now that we have been translated into the Kingdom of His Son will he now and daily deliver us from the dominion of sin and blindness. The devil will not win. God is greater. Today and now, let's shake off this blanket and heaviness of deception. Peel back the canopy of death inducing spirits and cry with a loud voice............JESUS, MY DEAR SAVIOR AND CHAMPION.....MY SOON COMING KING.....PLEASE HELP ME, YOUR CHILD AND SERVANT,TO LIVE AGAIN !!

DID YOU INVITE SATAN TO YOUR HOLIDAY?

My most beloved sisters and brothers. Let me be the first to say, "May God Himself visit with you and bless you with the most awesome THANKSGIVING ever !" On that note let us go right to the throne room of God with our thoughts of love and adoration. Wonderful Father, we thank You today, and every day, for Your love poured out for us on Calvary. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the gift of eternal life and the Holy Spirit. Thank You that You are in control. Thank You Glorious Jesus that You are coming back for us. Thank You Almighty God for Your mercy, grace, healing, protection and provision. We stand in amazement of Your wondrous works displayed all around us. Because of You we have hope, joy and peace in the midst of the storm. Thank You for our families and friends. Oh that You would raise up Jesus before all men of the earth. That You would draw all men unto Yourself that none would perish. We worship You. We love You. We want You. Maranatha.......AMEN.

Jesus says that He stands at the door and knocks.(Revelation 3:20) He says that if we HEAR His voice and open the door then He will come in and eat with us. Jesus is always knocking and desiring sweet fellowship with His beloved. But another visitor is at the door too. His name is satan. Also known as lucifer and the devil. Notice that I never capitalize his name because with me he doesn't deserve the honor. Now when our spirit hears Jesus knock we will know it because He always brings life. It is more tricky with that slippery devil. In most cases, he makes his voice and ideas as close to what sounds good as he can. The devil always has a counterfeit of what God has. He is wicked, which means twisted. His thoughts, formula and plans are just a hair off of what Truth is. God says that His sheep know His voice. If we choose to listen to the devil's trickery then it is our choice. No where is this more noticeable then the holidays our country celebrate. I am sure that all countries have tradition and holidays, but for now please allow me to discuss those of the U.S.A.

Thanksgiving. The title itself gives away what this day has been set aside for. Now, I am not completely down on the holidays, just partially. The partial part being those things which are distorted and just not true. I am in favor of the parts which bring family and friends together in the spirit of love and joy. Come Jesus and dine. And as followers of Christ, shouldn't we be thankful every day of the year? Think about it would you. Wouldn't you expect that lovers of God Almighty, would have something to be thankful for every moment of every moment? Can't think of anything? Then just stick with what you surely know to be good. Such as: God loves me and allowed His only Son, Jesus, to take my place on the cross (suffering God's penalty for my sin) and even to go to hell so I wouldn't have to. Come Jesus and dine.

Do you find yourself bringing your heart of thanksgiving to the family table and church house only once a year? Are you excited about the extra time off you have so you can sit around with your buddies, drink beer and watch football? Do you sit down to the turkey feast and gorge yourself to the brink of sickness? Do you feel the pressure of society to go in debt on Black Friday (the big shopping day here in the States, the day after Thanksgiving) so you won't offend someone? Do you witness to someone one moment that you are a Christian and the very next moment you are fighting, cussing and shoving to get the prized gift on sale? Then possibly the invitation will read: Come satan, pull up a chair.

Concerning Christmas. Wouldn't it also be possible (and probably mandatory if you are a Christian) to hold the wonderful thought of the birth of King Jesus in your heart at all times instead of just once a year? Come Jesus and dine. And isn't it your heart's desire to be ready to give to someone at all times and not just on this most holy of days? To have a heart which is always on the ready to hear about someone elses needs and fulfill them. Is this you my dearly beloved? Then, come Jesus and dine. Do you find yourselves teaching your dear children the miracle of the birth of Jesus, but then encouraging them to open their presents from santa? What is that I hear? Oh yeah, come satan, pull up a chair.

At Easter time do you enjoy and eagerly anticipate the sunrise service at church? That special time when you gather with your brothers and sisters to reflect on Christ in you, the hope of glory? In fact, do you hold that special miracle in your heart year round? Then come Jesus and dine. Oh the shame, the most terrible shame of those who have listened to the devils lies about this most glorious holiday. I am almost fearful of saying what is on my mind because (just like santa) those deceived will say, "What harm is there? It's all about the children." The sickening shame of which I speak is this: do you arise on Easter Sunday, put on your most striking outfit and enjoy what the easter bunny has brought before going to the house of the Lord to sing His praises? Come satan, pull up a chair.

Which guest have you brought to your table this holiday season? It's bad enough that we sit idly by while the courts take away everything which pertain to Jesus and Almighty God. Most of these things we have no say in. But we do have a say about which guest we carry in our heart. Not only on the special days, but year round. Would you make a choice with me my dear ones? Together let's us choose to say with great joy, faith and anticipation.....COME JESUS AND DINE !!

VANISHING POINT

God is good, let us praise Him ! Right now seems like a good idea to go to the throne of grace. Almighty God, thank you for loving us. Holy Spirit, please flow through me the words that You want said. Use Your living Word to awaken those who slumber. Open our eyes and ears that we may see and hear what You are saying to us. Help us to love You. Jesus, our hero and champion...we adore You. In Your name we pray...AMEN. Well, let's get right to it !

CURTAIN OPENS
ACT 1

SCENE 1

"Goodbye momma, we love you !" The children sang in unison. "And I love you too, Mary, my most glorious wife from God !" John, my husband said to me. "And God bless you too." John said as he strolled out the door, on his way to drop the children off at school and then on to work. It's really great that we still have a school and employment, I thought. Most schools in the inner cities are closed because of all the rioting and chaos. The whole world seems to be in turmoil these days because of lack of employment and an economy where it seems like if you can buy a loaf of bread you feel as if you have struck gold. John believes that it is God who continues to provide for us supernaturally. And it didn't hurt to put a lot of money in savings a few months back. That in itself is helping us through these hard times. My views about such things have changed over the years, and I really don't know why. I used to be on fire for God, but now I am just content to do my church thing and be content with the provision we have regardless of where it came from.

SCENE 2

"Today, I will veg out on this old couch with my box of doughnuts...maybe watch the View, Oprah and who knows what else." I said out loud to myself as if anyone were here to listen. Boy, things have really changed in the world over the past few months. It started with the meltdown of our economy system worldwide and the replacement of our dollar and all world currencies with what they call, "NWO" (New World Order) money. Most in the world are still having trouble with the transition and with the UN (United Nations) forming a world wide government. I kind of agree with president Bama when he explains to us the world wide peace we will enjoy soon because of all the changes. He is really helping to clean up the TV broadcasts and Internet usage. The enormous earthquake we had a few weeks back seemed to aide in this cleanup.
I still remember the violent shaking as if it were this morning. The whole world felt it. It began somewhere in Israel, but the news won't tell us what is going on over there right now. I just know that there is a big war of some sort. The quake took out a lot of stations, both in radio and TV. Bama had already stripped the TV broadcasts of Fox news and Christian stations. He said they were escalating the riots we seem to have everywhere. I just see it as people being scared because they are without jobs and money. "Thank you John for being so wise and putting some money aside!" I proclaimed to myself. Maybe I will read for a while until my shows come on.

Scene 3

"Oh my God, I can't believe this!" muttering to myself. "I have slept through Oprah and my other programs." Boy, its cold in here. And why are all the dogs howling outside? Are those car alarms I hear? Gee, only another hour before the kids get home and I haven't even prepared supper. I am so cold ! I guess that I can turn the boob tube on while I am preparing dinner. "What the heck !" I proclaimed. The president is on, but what is that sign on the podium? It says, "World Emperor Bama." "I guess he got a promotion." Laughing out loud. That dog howling is driving me crazy. Where is my sweater?

ACT 2

SCENE 1

Another world crisis I see. Let me turn this up...."My fellow citizens of the New World." Emperor Bama begins. "Please do not be alarmed ! Seemingly millions around the world have vanished. I promise you that the situation is under control. This vanishing trick is just another way for the radicals to push their agenda. The NWO police are making progress in finding their hiding places. We will not bow to the radicals demands because of some parlor trick. Again, let me reiterate...we will not bow. This administration, and now as you can see, the NWO, will bring peace to us all. We have brought about many restrictions aimed at curbing the agenda's of so called "freedom fighters" in the past few months. Now, armed with more might; intelligence and freedom from restraint, we at the NWO will stop these radicals once and for all. Rest assured, peace will be brought to us on a global scale soon and at all cost. Beginning now, you will be seeing the NWO police going door to door. Not only will they be looking for the tricksters who have seemingly vanished, but by my instructions they will assign everyone in the world a number. To ensure everyone is of one mind and one accord in the pursuit of world peace, we will mandate that everyone make a pledge to this administration which will be recorded. Anyone failing to answer all questions truthfully asked by the NWO will be incarcerated. All people's who resist to take the pledge will be incarcerated. For the good of all mankind, I urge all NWO citizens to follow all , now and future, directives given by myself or the NWO police who are representing me. Thank you for your time."

SCENE 2

"What the heck is going on ?" I managed to get out between my sobbing. I will call mother, she will know what to do. If those dogs don't stop howling I will go insane. Where is my blanket? All the lines are busy. That's just great. I can't even e-mail anyone because we have a block on our computer and it can only be used two hours during the evening and even then it is monitored by the NWO police. My gosh, they are everywhere. One reason for the block is because the administration has deemed John a potential radical because he goes to church and even teaches from time to time. I think his teaching about homosexuality being a sin landed us in hot water. I told him not to talk about stuff like that. "John, where are you...oh baby, I need you. I feel so alone." John and the kids should have been home by now. Are they part of this so called radical underground movement Bama just talked about? How could he do this to me? "Oh God, make the dogs and sirens stop." I exclaimed. "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left." "Who is that?" I asked. That's just weird because I am all alone. If I remember correctly, that quote came from the Bible. Now, where did I put that thing?

SCENE 3

And there it is. Matthew 24:40. "Oh MY God...Oh My God.........this is talking about Jesus coming back. OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE, Oh God, Oh God." "Oh Jesus, please forgive me of my sins. Have mercy on me. Please, please, please have mercy on me." Narrator: " Mary continues to sob as the reality of what has happened hits her. Actually, shock is the better word."

ACT 3 (and final act)

SCENE 1

"How oh how could this have happened? What an idiot I have become." Once I was one with the Lord and then seemingly overnight my interest and faith began to drift. I knew better. I should have listened to John and so many others who tried to warn me that my love for Jesus had grown cold. I didn't want to hear it because being taken care of with no worries in the world was a better place for me. Besides, in the back of my mind, I always thought that I could come back to God whenever I wanted. "Mary, what an idiot. How could you have been so selfish and blind?" I screamed at the top of my lungs. It is so cold in here. And why can't I feel the presence of the Lord Jesus any more? "Dogs...SHUT UP !" I yelled. Yeah, I almost forgot. John had put an old CB radio down in the basement for emergencies. I believe that being LEFT BEHIND surely counts as an emergency.

SCENE 2

Now what was my CB handle? Who cares, we are talking about the end of the world here. "Hello, is anyone out there?" Anyone, please help me !" I somehow managed to say through my sobs. "Is that you, Mary?" A voice said. "Yes, yes this is Mary." I said. "This is John's cousin, Mark." A familiar voice said. "Oh Mark, I am all alone and I think that John and the children aren't coming home. I think that Jesus has come and I have been left behind. I don't know what to do. Oh God please help me, anyone, please help !" I pleaded. "Mary, this is Mark, what you said is true. There are already hundreds and hundreds who I have heard with the same story. Some in the local area have made plans to meet before the NWO come knocking on our door. Do you remember the old barn where you cared for horses as a kid?" Mark said rapidly. "Why yes. Mark, what did you mean the NWO is coming? Do you mean the police. Am I in trouble. What shall I do, I am so scared." I fearfully sputtered through the microphone.

SCENE 3

"OK, listen to me real carefully Mary. And if we get cut off, then meet us at the old barn as soon as you can. Only bring a change of clothes and your Bible. We will be traveling light. Go on foot. The NWO are everywhere, and they are going door to door. One other thing before we have to end this, Go get your bible as soon as we finish. Look up Matthew 24:13 and Revelation 13:16,17. By the way, by no means be there when the NWO show up, and please do not take the pledge to Bama or the I.D. he wants to plant on you. Oh please Mary, don't." Mark pleaded. "Oh Mark, I have so many question, Mark, Mark?" I yelled in desperation, knowing that our talk had ended. OK, what were those verses again? Here they are. Matthew says, "and those who endure til the end shall be saved." Well, that's just great. I could have endured some humility, taken my mind off my self and been out of here on the first boat load. Now, I will have to endure all the terrible plagues coming upon the earth during the last half of the seven year tribulation. How long can I run from the NWO before they catch me? Almost forgot. Revelation 13:16,17 says, "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name." Oh that I would have stayed close to the Lord, Jesus. It wasn't that hard, why couldn't I do it? "Mary, you lazy, selfish, prideful person...look what you have done !" I raged. Oh how I miss John and kids. KNOCK..KNOCK...KNOCK Oh God, I see blue helmets through the window. Narrator: "Mary barely escapes before the door is broken down."

CURTAIN CLOSES

TO THE WORLD'S UNSUNG HEROES

I am not familiar with all the holidays other parts of the world celebrate when that once a year time arrives. I say once a year because that is one of my pet peeves which I will address at closing. As a citizen of America, I must first say: " HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!" As far as I know, this is an exclusive American holiday. Please allow me to share with you my personal outlook about this special day. Now, some of you here in the good ole U.S. of A. might be offended by my insight, so we better start off with some prayer to Almighty God. Wonderful Jesus, we bow before You our glorious King. Through Your eyes let us see and explore the true meaning of heroes and servants. Holy Spirit, come to our rescue. Help us to be that hero each and every day. Every single one of us can be that special someone who gains Your attention and the attention of the world. We want to. You want us to. So be it unto us oh precious Savior whom we adore. In the name of King Jesus we pray...AMEN.

Let's start off with a look at honoring our veterans since we have this special day set aside for them. Oh, by the way, hello my dearly beloved. Thanks for visiting again so we can share the Word together. Having a thirst for righteousness is a win, win situation. Yes, today let us honor all soldiers world wide who have lost their lives while serving their respective countries. Those who have fought against evil and for the freedom of their native lands. HERO ! We pray that they were born again from above and went on to be with their true love...Jesus Christ. We honor you and ask for God's comfort for all the loved ones you left behind. We pray that all soldiers who have been wounded would be blessed with a speedy recovery. HERO ! We honor you dear men and women wherever you happen to be in the world. We also pay tribute to all who have served and those who continue to serve. HERO ! Of course all who serve the armed forces in their respective countries are NOT heroes. Some go in with the mindset to work for a paycheck with no inner retrospection that they are serving their countries. Some even use the armed forces for their own personal welfare state...putting in a few years so they can thrive off the benefits if they can manipulate the system. I have every right to say such things because I myself am a disabled veteran. If you have followed the news lately then you have discovered (in horror with the rest of us) that some who took the oath to serve their respective countries are actually the very evil enemy we are fighting against. You are no hero...in fact you are a big fat ZERO !!


Would you allow me to name a few more groups of people whom I declare as heroes? Thanks and God bless. To me, I see the class of elderly people wherever they are in the world worthy of honor. HERO ! Just think about your surroundings. Think of the roads, buildings, shopping centers etc. Do you think they just supernaturally appeared? No my dear friend. The older woman who sits by you on the bus; the retired gentleman who waits in line with you at the store; your grandmother and grandfather and all senior citizens around the world helped build the great societies of the world. Some countries do hold their older persons in high esteem, but to our shame the U.S.A. is not one of them. In fact, our president (and many of his evil colleagues) actually feels that health care money spent on the elderly is a waste. Big fat ZERO !


I can think of a few more groups who deserve honor. How about you? Teachers surely work very hard to teach our children (even doing things for the little ones which the parents should be doing) with little pay. HERO ! One quick side note please. Surely we cannot lump everyone who fall into these groups as heroes. There is evil grouped in with us all. So, back to our groupings of people who should be honored. How about the intercessors of the world? Those who kneel before the throne of God day and night....praying, praying and praying. HERO! Let's remember the nurse; the rescue worker; the legislator who continues to stand for good amongst his co-workers; Glenn Beck and all radio/TV personalities who dare to bring us the truth; the single mom who works two jobs; the teenager who refuses to have sexual relations before marriage; and godly parents. HEROES ! As you can see, the list could go on forever.


If you watch much TV (I don't) then you can see that the world honors the most craziest things. They honor people who have wealth, fame and power. They honor the prized athlete, the famed rapper whose lyrics are about violence and drugs and they honor government representatives who embrace the blood shed of innocent babies. The sad part is that we continue to elect them into office. Shame on us. In God's Word we find the following: "Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." (Romans 13:7) So, how do we know who to honor? If good resides inside you then your spirit will let you know. Who does God say to honor? I would rather be on His side in this matter, wouldn't you?

How does God define hero? How does He define a true servant? From what the Word says we can safely define hero into two categories. One who lays their life down (their own desires etc.) for the betterment of someone else. The other hero would be that person who humbles themselves under the mighty hand of God in complete obedience. How can we not first turn to our best example of God's hero and champion...none other then Jesus. Turn to Matthew 20:26-28. Here Jesus says, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." HERO ! God considers a person who humbles him or her self as a servant...great. I am sure He is talking about a kindness done to another with a pure heart of love and compassion.


God also defines someone great as one who is obedient to Him. Let's look at I Peter 5:6. It says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." HERO ! How about John 12:26? Jesus says, "Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me." HERO ! Did you know that God's Living Word even gives us a list of men and women He thinks are heroes? Feel free to read Hebrews chapter 11 sometime. The section is called "heroes of faith." Some real cool cats such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and a host of others. They believed and obeyed God...all HEROES !


OK, one more verse for the road. Turn if you would to John 15:13. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." HERO ! Jesus was talking about two things here. Of course the first was denoting Himself laying down His life for us all. The second example of laying down one's life is for us all. It means that I put away my selfishness and pride. It means that I esteem others more than myself and actually show it by taking my time, talents and provision to help others who are in need. HERO ! So, my dear brothers and sisters, are you concerned about what God thinks? Do you love righteousness and abhor evil? Are you willing to tell the truth even at your own peril? Do you forgive others who have wronged you quickly? Do you seek reconciliation with someone to keep peace..even if you did nothing wrong? Are you willing to spend your precious time helping someone who is less fortunate than you? Then you are my HERO!
And P.S. Instead of honoring those who deserve honor only once a year, let's pay tribute, serve and obey every day. In our hearts every day is Christmas. In our hearts every day is Easter. In our hearts every day is the day in which we should respect and honor those who are deserving.

THE FARMER'S ATTITUDE

The above picture is of my beloved Granddaddy Reid. He had his home going a little over a year ago. He is ever on my mind and this message will be a tribute to him. His life is a testimony of what Jesus can do for a person. In the 1950's, Grandaddy Reid gave his life to the Lord. There was an instant transformation, something most of us do not experience. For the most, our transformation is an ever increasing event, but that is OK because God did say we will be changed from glory to glory. A little bit by little bit. I guess the most amazing quality about my Granddaddy Reid was that once he put his hands to the plow, he never looked back. Once he decided to follow Jesus, his dedication never wavered. Never ! And you want to know something else? He had the farmer's attitude. That is what I want to share with you today. Do you have a minute? Thanks, and I am so joyful that I have yet another opportunity to share more thoughts from the throne with my dearly beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord. And if you haven't decided to follow Jesus yet and inherit eternal life, well then maybe this is your hour...you are only a prayer away.

Let's begin as we always do. May we gather together on our knees as we approach Almighty God with our hearts, hoping to touch His as He surely has ours. Glorious Father God, we humble ourselves under Your mighty hand. Thank You for Jesus, Your Word and Holy Spirit. Place within us a great thirst for You and righteousness. Transform us into the image of Your dear Son. Reduce us to love. Create within us a great joyful expectation of Your Coming. Use us as Your light in this dark world we pray. We receive Your love....please receive ours too. AMEN. Well, let's throw out a bomb shell right off. Turn, if you will, to Hebrews 6:12. It reads, "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and PATIENCE inherit what has been promised. Did I lose any of you? Most don't want to talk about the patience thing...but we must.

Many people shy away from praying for patience because of their misconception of the following verse. In Romans 5:3 we read: "But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces patience. Have you ever heard someone say,"Oh, don't pray for patience because it means we will have to go through some kind of suffering?" But let's continue in Romans to get the bigger picture. Verses 4-5 says, "Patience produces character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts(which means we can trust Him) by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." Don't we want to display the character of Jesus? It takes time. That is probably the one area I am having trouble with as far as being patient is concerned. Waiting on righteous fruit to be formed in me. I want to be like Jesus...NOW. God says that it will come. And it will !! Why does Father God talk so much about suffering, tribulation and the like? How does going through the fire of life cause us to grow up in Christ Jesus? Well, that question will be answered more fully in a future study. For now, let's just ponder a simplified version. When you go through a test or trial, does it cause your flesh to act in an unChrist-like way? God knows how to draw out what only He knows is in our hearts. The things that must be crucified. We see an ugliness come out during our crisis then we look at it; we ask forgiveness (if it caused us to sin); then we ask for the Holy Spirit to help us come up higher in that area. DON'T STOP PRAYING FOR YOUR LOVED ONES !!

Are you praying and praying for that loved one, friend or co-worker to be brought into fellowship with the Lord Jesus to seemingly no avail? You may even see them getting worse. But good news ! Go to I Corinthians 3:6,7. Let's read, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." Here we see that Paul was sowing the seed of the gospel. Another came along and watered it (preached it some more). But God is the One who brings the soul harvest. He also brings the prayer harvest. Try not to agonize over that unanswered prayer concerning your loved one because God does and will answer prayer. He will bring a harvest when it is time. That reminds me of a verse in John 11:39,40. This was the story where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. But Martha (the sister of Lazarus) had some doubts about the power Jesus had at His disposal. She (and many more too, I would imagine) just couldn't get herself ready to receive a miracle. Her believing was stuck on the circumstances surrounding the event and not on God's Word. That's what happens when we take our faith eyes off the promises of God and His faithfulness. Our problem becomes bigger then God. OK, back to John, and we read: "Take away the stone," He said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." (Martha was also upset that Jesus didn't get there sooner...hey Martha, didn't you get the memo? The promises come by faith and patience!) Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" DON'T STOP PRAYING FOR YOUR LOVED ONES !!

I look at patience like this: I see a promise in God's Word (and often even things I hear the Holy Spirit saying to my spirit); I believe it and then I wait for God to fulfill His part which is to perform what He promised to do. I must admit that God, most of the time, causes me to wait on almost everything. With that said, how about some more scripture on this most important subject? Here goes....fasten your seat belt ladies and gentlemen, we are coming in for a landing. "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain it, and by patience produce a crop." (Luke 8:15) This was Jesus explaining the Word being sowed in our hearts. This one in particular described the heart which was good ground. In Romans 8:24,25 we see that hope (or fulfilled promise) is the end item of our faith. It says: "But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." OK, one more for good measure shall we? "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops patience. Patience must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. OUCH, HALLELUJAH !!

"But Brother Kenny G., what does all this have to do with the farmer?" Glad you asked. Have you ever noticed that much of the examples and analogies in Scripture have to do with agriculture? The people's of the day usually understood such things because many of them were farmers. So, what exactly is the farmer's attitude? Let the Holy Word speak to us again. "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." The farmer is patient as he waits for the plants to be fed and come to maturity. I believe that God is telling us to wait, and be patient, for all things which come from Him. That includes His promises and our prayers. My dear brothers and sisters, do you have the FARMERS ATTITUDE?

SNAKE BITE

Did you know that I have been bitten by a snake about a thousand times or more? And guess what? You have too. Bear with me and we will get to the bottom of this bold statement in just a minute. While preparing for this discourse I was amazed at all the scriptures which pertain to snakes, serpents or vipers. Let's now go to the One who gives us power over snakes and all other enemies we face. Almighty God, thank You for not only saving us, forgiving us and dwelling in us, but also for Your divine protection. We give You all the glory and honor for everything. We are nothing, can do nothing and have nothing apart from You. Oh Your love for us is amazing. Help us to love You too. Teach us now sweet Holy Spirit the ways of our Lord. In Jesus name...AMEN.

Of course we all know about how satan entered the serpent in the Garden to trick and tempt Adam and Eve. I guess at that point the snake walked around on legs of some sort before he was cursed. Remember? While God was pronouncing sentence on Adam and Eve, He also said that part of the snake's curse was now to glide on his belly for the rest of time. Just something to think about. The main part here is to start off realizing that most of scripture refers to satan as a snake, serpent or dragon after the Garden episode. But before we go forward from the Garden, let's look at one most important and hopeful detail. Let's read GENESIS 3: 14-15. So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Right from the get go, God told us and the serpent (satan) what would happen to him. God always tells us the end at the beginning. So, part of the devil's demise will happen at Calvary. The devil will bruise Jesus but King Jesus will turn around and crush him. In fact the Word tells us that while Jesus was buried in the earth for three days He went to hell and stripped satan of his power over us who believe. Keeping with the culture of the day, I think it went something like this: King Jesus put a chain around satan's neck and dragged him around making a public show of him in front of his colleagues. To make a long story short, satan's final end will be after Jesus's millennial reign, but he sure got a good butt whipping at Calvary.

Can I share a little more about how much bigger God is then the devil? In Luke 10:17-20 we read: The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven. (goodbye dinosaurs) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Good news for us. Good news indeed. God is in control and so much bigger then satan and everything else for that matter. And isn't it quite cool that he has no power over us. Can you dance a little jig for that piece of news?

OK, back to the Garden for a few more minutes. In II Corinthians 11:2-4 we read, "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning,( SNAKE BITE !) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough." Boy, isn't that exactly where we find ourselves today? We have so too many gospels. Please be careful my fellow brethren, of the enormous amount of 'feel-good' messages which have plagued our society. Where is the gospel which leads us to godly sorrow and repentance? Too often it has been replaced with a message which doesn't want to step on any ones toes for fear of losing membership. SNAKE BITE !

Fast forward from the Garden to the Israelite's wilderness journey. In I Corinthians 10:9-12 we read, "We should not test the Lord, as some of them did-and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did-and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" SNAKE BITE ! I have had very brief periods (like a minute or so) where I have found myself thinking, "Boy, I have arrived." But fortunately for me I have many fleshly thorns to deal with so I don't have those thoughts very often. But many do. That ole wily snake (the devil), does continue to tempt us with a relentless assault, especially in the days in which we live. The Word (our sword) has an antidote for all of his crafty ways. We read about one of them in verses 13 of the same chapter. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will NOT let you tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Just like Jesus, we are to speak to that father of lies. And the Word says "..........

Can we talk a little more about the serpents in the wilderness? I find it fascinating for some reason. Here we find the Israelites grumbling and murmuring again about their conditions. SNAKE BITE ! Numbers 21:4-9 says: "They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!' Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, 'We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.' So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, 'Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.' So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived."

But even this solution didn't last long. Let's look at II Kings 18:3-4. He (Hezekiah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Astherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. SNAKE BITE ! Can you believe it? But here is the part which puzzles me. In John 3:14 we see that the serpent on a pole represented Jesus lifted up on the cross at Calvary. I get how looking toward Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, brings us salvation. Just kind of strange why a snake image was put on a pole instead of a cross or something. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." GOOD NEWS INDEED !

God has given us many ways to defend ourselves against all enemies who come against us. We already read how we can always pray for a way out when we are tempted and the Holy Spirit will show us a way out. We can also do what Jesus did and speak the Word to the devil when his lies and temptations come our way. Or we can do what Paul did when he actually was bitten by a viper. We read about that in Acts 28:3-6. "Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, 'This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.' But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god." So, the next time we are tempted, or actually fall into temptation, we can do like Paul. He was looking to the author and finisher of his faith...Christ Jesus. He knew, that he knew, God was on his side so who (or what) could be against him. He SHOOK IT OFF and didn't even pay attention to it.

Let's finish this long discourse (sorry about that) with some real good news. The final demise of satan, the snake of old. Revelation 20:10 says: "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." So, my beloved brothers and sisters, when we feel the urge to grumble. When we are tempted to murmur about the conditions God has put us in. When we are tempted in any way to sin against Almighty God, let's do what Paul did. In his heart was the image of Jesus continually high and lifted up. Not only on the cross but now on the right hand of the Father, far above all powers and principalities. Paul knew that Jesus loved him with an undying love. He knew that greater was He who lived in him then he who was in the world. You know what he did? He SHOOK IT OFF ! Amen.

IS GOD YOUR FRIEND ?

Hi there my fellow brothers and sisters. Let's start off by a few words for the times in which we live. Please pray for the nation of Israel. Her peace and safety. Soon, most of the Middle East will be coming against her. Pray for her enemies also. Keep your eyes on Russia, China and Iran. These are key players in what is about to happen. The leaders of these countries are not trustworthy. For that matter, neither is the leader of the U.S.A. But please continue to pray for whatever leader God has put over you. The stage is more set than ever before to bring about the prophecies God has already spoken. Things will get very chaotic...real quick. God is in control. Continue to have faith, love and pray often. God's children will come out of all of this without even the smell of smoke. And then on to our eternal home. Praise You King Jesus.

Let's begin in prayer per our custom. Well, not custom but desire. Gracious Father, please have mercy on our souls. Wash us with the blood of Your Son, Jesus. Make us whole and complete. Make our hearts perfect towards You. Teach us Your ways for they are perfect. Give us hope and joy in this perverse generation. Help us to spend time getting to know You because You are worthy and glorious. You are beautiful and just. You are kind and merciful. You are wise and strong. We praise You !! In Jesus name....AMEN.

There are surely many out there who, like me, find themselves friendless and all alone. Sure my most precious wife sent from God has become a friend to me in the most pure sense of the word. Of course my parents would give their own life for me. Yes, I guess even my ole hound dog considers herself my friend. As I struggle to become what God intends for me to become...I have to ponder such things. Why? Because I truly believe God wants us to have friends of our own gender. Like the disciples who went out two by two, we also need that special mentor, guide and encourager. Yet, I sit all alone. My heart yearning, bleeding and crying out for that special friend to help me along my journey. Sure, God made me His friend when His life was laid down for me at Calvary. But in this world of humanoids it's hard to have complete fulfillment with the invisible only. For me anyway. Just trying to be honest here folks. After 50 plus years of waiting I conclude this is a God thing.

Why would God deprive me of the man-friend I have longed for? His wisdom and mercy surely surpasses mine, but the Holy Spirit has revealed a portion of the answer. Like Paul, God has locked me away...hidden me...imprisoned me for seasons during my life thus far. I guess the longest was for 15 years. We all encounter that seclusion at times. During those times, after we embrace the prison, our souls grow and grow under this jealous God with whom we have to deal with. Much is learned. Much fruit abound. Shackles are removed. A butterfly emerges. A new creation becomes more visible. If we let patience have her perfect work. Consider Joseph. During his imprisonment much of God's glory was produced.

Locked away again pondering the incompleteness I feel. This time my impatience has almost gotten the best of me. But God is very patient and kind. Thank You Jesus. This time seems a bit harder. Disabilities and pain rack my body. Sleepless nights create tension that are mountains in themselves....especially to others. Being understood by others is hidden within a fog bank only to disappear completely at times. On top of this valley experience I have also piled the deep desire to be that holy man of God. That one who hears the Father call and my response is quick and obedient. A thing we all desire. But oh man-friend, encourager and mentor where are you? Who will deliver me from this torment? But God will. And He is.

Isn't it cool how the Father carefully watches over and orchestrates our life so we can come to that place of oneness with Him? How great is His love and adoration for us. His divine friendship spelled out in the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus. Didn't He say that a true friend is one who lays down his life for his brother? To me that means dying to ones self. For God and man. So, I am God's friend. But, how does that help me in walking this life out now...before I hear the trumpet sound? We are all unique and our struggles seem isolated within ourselves...but we learn from one another. That is why I write and herald such things. That's who I am.

GOD SPOKE. Isn't it cool that we can hear Him? In this part of my life journey He has finally called out through the fog. Like the first ray of sun shining through the forest canopy as a new day emerges, He has shone hope in my heart. He always does. Sometimes quickly, sometimes as slow as pulling your boot out of a pit of miry red clay. He said, "Kenneth, I want to be your friend. Let's start there first." Then He showed me Abraham. The Bible teaches us that Abraham was called God's friend. It was a two way street. God can declare Abraham His friend. But how did Abraham reciprocate friendship with the invisible God who created all things...seen and unseen?

Let's go back to God's command for Abraham to sacrifice his only beloved son, Issac. Abraham actually considered such a thing. Can you imagine that? I would need a couple hundred angel visitations before even giving it thought. And as the knife was in mid air prepared to plummet the heart of Issac a unique thing occurred. We all know the story of how the angel spoke and the knife was stayed. But how often do we ponder God's words at that point? Genesis 22:12 says "now I know you fear Me." It seems as if friendship with God, walking in the Fear of the Lord and being totally surrendered to the Lord are all tied to obedience. Jesus said in John 15:14 that , "you are my friends if you do what I command." We all know such things by now and our flesh continues to war but we must become serious and focused on this most amazing truth as the Day Star is being formed in our hearts.

We MUST....our very salvation seems to hinge on our covenant decision to give up and become one with God. To make Him our friend. Why do we have such a hard time with such a COMMAND? Laziness. The cares of the world. Unbelief to name a few. We are all struggling to enter the Rest of God. We all want to hear, " well done thy good and faithful servant." And I join you in this great prize we all wish to obtain. So, don't give up. Keep pressing. God is faithful. He surely is.

As far as the male-friend I thirst for. I guess for now I wait. But as I do, I will continue my journey on bended knees and outstretched hands. Ever repenting. Ever humble. Ever hopeful. Hoping that as I continue to spend time getting to know my God and Daddy...I will make Him my friend. As I continue to lay my life down for Him and others.

P.S. As I gazed skyward this evening at the millions of stars, recognizing the sheer magnitude of them as suns giving life to countless other solar systems and galaxies. As I stood in awe of this most beautiful adornment I questioned God. "Why oh why are you so interested in me a mere speck in the vast scheme of all things wonderful?" He answered me and it was overwhelming. He said, " I decorated this canopy of blackness for your enjoyment because I love you. " "But why?" I screamed. The answer came back in a most surprising, most beautiful, quiet voice...."I want to be loved too."

Holding back tears I almost got it for a moment. To love is to die to self. To die is to live. For Him and others. I guess Jesus was right all along. To lose my life is gain. (salvation) In another place He said that if we love God we will be obedient. So, true Agape (the God kind of love) is getting my mind off of me and putting it on God (my new friend) and others. I guess it's not about me after all.

In closing please ponder Matthew 22: 37-40. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."