Today's Prayer

Thank You, Lord, for this day -- for Who You are and all You've done.

Help me to make the best of all my resources -- to put You first, and serve You diligently. 

My hope, my peace, my all rest in You, and I am completely confident that You are able and willing to deliver. 

Lead me to the work You would have me do and glorify Yourself in it. 

Let not my feet be stilled nor my tongue be silent until I have done all that You have called me to. Even this day, Lord, let me be of use to You. Pleasing You is the wind beneath my wings.

I fear and adore You with the same breath. My heart yearns to be ever nearer to You. Have mercy on me for You are my everything. 

I am but a speck of dust in a whirlwind, but You are the Ultimate Supreme -- holy and worthy beyond compare. I humble myself before You for You are too great for me. I wilt before You then You stand me up like a warrior -- as a mighty, fearful warrior and even great evil trembles. They do not see me as myself. No, they see You, backing me up -- a little girl with her Father behind her then they wilt and run screaming.

Today, Lord, while it is still today lead me as You will. I will go. Though the wind howls around me, and mine enemies are many; I will go. You are my Heavenly Father. How can I not?

Glorify Yourself this day, for You, O LORD, are worthy of all glory.

In Yeshua's name. Amen and amen.

Being Separate

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, and touch not unclean things; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. -- 2 Cor 6:17, 18

It is easy for us to forget what a separation there is between us and the unsaved, but the gap is truly a great chasm with no connecting bridge. We toss them life-lines in hope of retrieving them from the pits of hell, but we cannot force them to take hold and, thereby, be delivered. No, they have to be willing to be saved. They have to grasp the need, and take hold of the rope.

God is long-suffering. He has been sending me, and others, into His fields, and inciting us to call out to all who would listen. The effort is huge, with some running as hard as they possibly can. I preach with all I am, surrendering myself to Him so that I literally vibrate with His presence. My voice, which is often weak of itself, is strong and carries quite well -- when I preach. Understand, I am not saying that I am anything. No, I'm saying that God's effort to reach the lost and dying is quite powerful through those He is speaking through. It's astonishing, really. Even at this late hour, He cares this much.

Still, there is a separation happening. We are being separated. I lost all contact with many I had been witnessing to. I knew it was coming, but the finality of it has been shocking nonetheless. You see, God does care, but there are limits. He will only allow us to call out for so long. When hearts are hard, and a people will not listen; He does separate us in time.

There are some I have been speaking to for years, quite literally many years. And yet, they continue to say, "I will do what I believe God wants me to." This generally means they will continue to do what they have been doing; rather than, respond to the word given them. It's a distressful thing. I'm tossing them a life-line, and they are throwing it back at me. They do not realize the position they are really in. They've done what they do so long, telling themselves that God has made an exception for them, that they are completely blind to the fact they are on the wrong side of the chasm!

Many of these have created "ministries" in their heads that God is not even remotely involved in. From animal rescue to caring for people's graves, they ignore the things that are destroying this nation for the trifles they love. Nowhere in Scripture does God call us to save animals before children, but millions of professing Christians now claim He has called them to do just that. They bankrupt themselves for dogs and cats, but ignore babies being tortured to death in their own backyard! Some would spare no expense to decorate a grave, but won't even consider pennies to save the children! And these are just two of the more ridiculous claims I know of. To our great shame there are many other things folks have made idols of without even realizing it reflects a love of things; rather than, a love for Him.

Yeshua said unto him, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." -- Luk 9:60

I dreamt the entire area was on fire. Sadly, it was not the fire of the Spirit; but rather, the fire of hell. Whole areas were being burned to force people from their homes. We were being driven away so that those who have been brought in could take what they wanted. Few were given time to retrieve anything. Most fled with the clothes on their backs. The entire countryside was ablaze. Literally, for miles and miles, the fires raged.

The most perplexing part of what's happening to our nation is the way so many believe they will be untouched by it. They think their little microcosm will remain intact. It won't. Even those who have been running in obedience will be affected. Everyone will suffer cataclysmic loss.

We are being stripped of what we love -- as a nation. First, our monetary wealth was siphoned off. Next, we will lose our physical wealth -- our homes, our vehicles, etc. This has already happened to a certain extent in places, but I believe it will become more prevalent. Because we have loved our wealth so much more than Him, it will be taken from us. We are already unwelcome strangers in our own land. Soon, we will be wanderers, too.

Not only is God separating me from some, but I have separated myself from some, too. I don't want the pain. They will not listen, though I plead with them -- I literally have pled with them for many years. Still, they refuse to hear. So, I have cut them off. It just gets to be too much after a time. Their disregard starts to feel like a sword in the side. It is not a time of rejoicing nor something to do lightly. No, it is grievous. It is painful, because I do care. It does matter, but the willfully blind -- after a time, do get to be just too much.

There are three -- seriously, three things that God is profoundly angry with us for:

1. Preferring other gods over Him,
2. Disrespecting the cross, and
3. Shedding innocent blood.

For these three things He is destroying us. If we will not regard Him enough to repent of these three, we will be destroyed. I cannot make it any clearer. These are costing us our nation. These He will not justify us for. These He will separate us over.

I grieve for this nation. I weep over my people. Many of those I have been cut off from just break my heart, but I cannot make anyone grasp the rope. No, you're going to have to do that yourselves. All I can do is tell you the truth, and I have done that. Even when you did not want to hear it, I told you. Some of you I have even begged, but you cling to your delusions. Some do so, because it was only me who told you.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence. -- 1 Cor 1:27 - 29

I have not said that I am anything, nor do I consider myself as such. No, I have said I know what God is saying, and I have only said that because He has profoundly proven out that it is Him speaking. Further, the message itself is supported by Scripture. It is entirely Biblical and completely in line with His nature. Nonetheless many have spurned it merely because they disregarded me. They did not take the Word for His because it came through me. And, so, we are being separated -- dispersed.

I expect to lose the website, this blog -- fb is already gone. There may well be no contact, at all, in the very near future. For this reason I got up very early this morning, and sought the LORD, and I have written this in response to warn you. I do get to make the laws here. No, God did that long ago. My job is to speak what He gives me. I really don't know how I could do that any louder.

We need to repent like Ninevah. We need to set aside the idols of our hearts and seek God with all we are. God has not changed. He doesn't make exceptions. We will either be obediently blessed or disobediently cursed. It really is that simple. So, ask yourself: How cursed do you really want to be? How much hell do you really want to leave your children? You're choosing just this even today.

A State of Disrespect, as adapted for "The Air of Heaven", including the follow-up prayer

For some time I have been seeking the Lord regarding revival and the deliverance of this nation. Our decline and imminent destruction is broadly apparent to me and weighs heavily on my soul. I have pleaded for wisdom and instruction; and wept over my sins and inadequacies. I share with you now what the Spirit has revealed to me regarding our desperate need for revival.

When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and robe, pulled some of the

hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled. Then everyone who

trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the

exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering. Ezr 9:3-4

Ezra is the priest mentioned in Nehemiah Chapter 8 who read the word of God that sparked the revival of His time. He placed great emphasis on God’s word. That was his area of expertise. He was a scribe who studied the Scripture and taught the Israelites. He, also, wrote a short little book in the Old Testament that is amazingly appropriate for our situation today.

Here he is speaking in regard to the ancient Israelites who had recently returned from captivity in Babylon; a captivity arranged by God for their rejection of Him. By God’s provision they had just rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem; and yet, here we see that they had sinned so grievously that Ezra was just absolutely speechless.

We have a tendency these days to lessen the importance of the Old Testament. Certainly there are many things that are not necessary now that were profound requirements of that day. We don’t offer animal sacrifices. We don’t have a priesthood decided by physical birth. We don’t have to be an Israelite to be part of God’s family. The differences are indeed considerable, but an appreciation of the Old Testament is absolutely essential for us to be able to grasp the reality of a pre-cross relationship with God. In it we see how God dealt with sin before there was an Advocate to turn to (1 Joh 2:1).

On one occasion priests offered unsanctified fire. This sin caused them to be immediately consumed by fire. Their father, Aaron, kept his mouth shut regarding the incident. He knew what they had done and Who they had offended. Wisdom does indeed begin with the fear of God. (Lev 10:1-3)

Achan took what was God’s. That offense caused Israel’s army to lose battles and cost the lives of many men. When Achan’s disobedience was discovered as the cause of God’s wrath; he, his entire family, and all his animals were stoned to death and then burned. Israel knew it was either Achan or them. (Jos Chapter 7)

Uzzah touched the Ark of the Covenant. The oxen had stumbled and Uzzah reacted. He reached up to stop it from tumbling over and incited the wrath of God. God struck him dead on the spot, because He had told the Israelites not to touch the Ark. Uzzah’s intentions may have been good, but his actions reflected a lack of faith in God’s ability to protect His own and a disrespect for God’s authority. (2 Sam 6:67)

God’s opposition to sin was very clear to ancient Israel. Having so recently returned from captivity, Ezra’s Israelites were even more acutely aware of just how forceful and effective the wrath of God is. They hadn’t seen a handful of their country-men punished. They had seen their entire nation punished. They weren’t left wondering whether or not God would punish their unrepentant sin, they knew for absolute certain He would. Ezra’s reaction reflected that certainty.

He tore his clothes. Which doesn’t sound like much in a civilization where clothes are so readily available, but in Ezra’s day they weren’t. He wasn’t able to just go to the mall and buy a new tunic. His clothes, which were priestly garments, were difficult to come by. They had to be specially made. There were strict requirements to be adhered to. But when he heard of the sin, he grabbed them and ripped them apart forcibly – most likely completely destroying them.

Then he pulls the hair from his head and his beard. Again, it doesn’t sound like much to us, but there were requirements regarding a priest’s hair. It wasn’t to be cut. It was to be worn a certain way. Further, Scripture assures us that each hair on our head is accounted for and here he is yanking them out.

His frustration and fear is real. He shows it in his self-abasement. I suspect Ezra saw himself as somewhat to blame. He was a priest, a teacher of God’s law. If he was anything like us, he had to be thinking, “Where did I go wrong? What did I miss that caused these people to turn, yet again, away from God?” And he sets there for hours, totally appalled, totally distraught and, you have know he’s thinking about how the holiness of God is going to react to their sin. It’s just that big a deal for Ezra. 

What was the sin that had Ezra so deeply concerned? The Israelites had taken foreign wives. After being ordered not to intermingle with other nations, they had done just that. Further, these women had born them children and there they were living in God’s land; under God’s provision and protection; and yet, still breaking God’s law.

One of the primary reasons the Israelites were destroyed and carried into captivity in the first place was that inter-marriage had led them to forsake the One true God for the false gods of the other nations. And here they were at it again. It was a little like playing chicken with an 18 wheeler and you’re advancing on a skateboard. (Thump, thump!)

So, Ezra was understandably distraught and he prayed before the Lord this way:

But at the evening offering, I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment

and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord

my God; and I said, “O my God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my

face to Thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt

has grown even to the heavens.”  -- Ezr 9:5-6

Ezra was mortified. He was embarrassed and deeply, deeply ashamed. He had enough sense to realize God already knew all about these sins. So, even though he had not committed this sin himself, he took responsibility for their actions and humbled himself before God.

My stepfather used to hunt deer. He studied the quickest, most efficient way to harvest them while damaging as little meat as possible. He was proficient at breaking their necks with a single bullet. Respect for the animal was shown by a swift death and reduction in the loss of meat. The animal did not die in vain, either. We used every bit. By these things we showed our appreciation for the animal’s sacrifice. We showed them respect.

In ancient Israel the sacrifices had real value as well. It wasn’t about dead animals. It wasn’t just meat. It was an offering before a Holy God; whether for sin or healing or a son, etc.; they had a purpose. It was all about obedience. There were many occasions for sacrifice and many rules regarding it; and all had to be strictly abided by. Death, again, would have been swift and efficient. They weren’t interested in torturing the animals. They were interested in keeping a right relationship with God.

Today we tell ourselves there is nothing to fear because God is love. We stand on the promises of Christ, but we do not seriously consider even the idea, as a rule, that He might carry out His wrath upon us. This has led to a disrespect of the cost of the cross and a lack of regard for His laws. We, literally, live as though His sacrifice freed us from the obligation of obedience.

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and

against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the

orphan, and those who turn aside the alien, and do not fear Me,” says the Lord

of hosts.

For I, the Lord, do not change . . .” Malachi 3:5-6

Ezra’s Israel was forced to send away the wives and children of their disobedience. I suspect, given the nature of ancient cultures, for many it was a journey to their deaths. Do not think either that they did not love these wives or their children. I’m quite certain they did. Fortunately, they realized that disobedience would result in even more disastrous repercussions.

So they chose the holiness of God over the depravity of life without God. They knew in no uncertain terms what kind of future lay in store for them. It was simple really. With God they had won wars and been prosperous. Without God, they had been given over to be killed and enslaved.

We have a lot to learn from Ezra’s Israel. They took sin seriously. In reality, we do not. They lived in fearful reverence. We live expecting, sometimes even demanding, to be blessed. Their forgiveness cost them. Ours is considered free to us, in that we were not sacrificed for it, but it was far from free for Him.

Unlike the sacrifices of Ezra’s day, the Lord spent much of His life knowing exactly what lay before Him. He carried the weight of that knowledge with Him as He ministered to the lost. He knew that He’d be betrayed by those who claimed to serve His Father and He knew His Father would look away. He was without sin; holy and perfect – completely God and completely man – worthy beyond compare, the perfect sacrifice. He knew He would be beaten mercilessly. He knew they would shred His skin. He knew they would mock Him and spit on Him, but He went anyway. He didn’t get a bullet to the neck. He didn’t get a knife in the throat. No, He took nails pounded into His hands and feet instead.

As a society we seem to have lost the ability to appreciate just how great His sacrifice really was. We don’t seem to identify with it at all. There aren’t altars covered in animal blood scattered around the countryside to remind us. There aren’t people hanging from crosses. We don’t see people flogged until their bones are laid bare. Yes, there is a lot of brutality in the world today, but much of it is so white-washed as to be unrecognizable.

We have covered it with psychology and human reasoning. We fault the way we were raised; rather than, the sin we’ve embraced. We blame God and alter His Word to suit us. We have fallen into a despicable state of disrespect. We don’t understand the cost of our salvation so we don’t consider its worth. We’re not trembling like Ezra. We’re not pleading for forgiveness. We generally don’t even acknowledge that we have any sin to repent of.

We say, for instance, that killing children by abortion is acceptable because it is a woman’s right. Yet, God says, “Do not shed innocent blood.” We say that there are many gods and all are equally important. Yet, God says, “I am.” Many professing Christianity abort their children, divorce and remarry, lie, cheat, blaspheme, steal . . . we don’t act like our forgiveness came at a high price. We act like we are owed it. We are far more concerned about offending the feelings of those opposed to God than of inciting His wrath. We have no real fear of Him, and that lack of regard is borne out by our actions.

Yet, God absolutely demands our respect. We see that clearly in pre-cross, ancient Israel. We see it in the way they lived. We see it in the way they worshipped and we see it in the way He dealt with them. What we need to get a grip on today is that He is exactly the same God today that He was then.

We need to understand that there are rules. Ezra’s Israel understood that concept. That was what enabled them to send their wives and children away. We absolutely would not do that today. We wouldn’t. No, we would say, “God wouldn’t ask that of me.” We have the attitude that what we want is all that matters. We’ve completely lost sight of the fact that it is what He says that actually matters.

If we were priests with forbidden fire, we’d be rendered to a pile of ashes. If thieves, we’d be stoned -- if faithless, stuck down in our tracks. But we harbor an even more sinister and appalling sin. We deny the authority of God over us and, in doing so disrespect the precious sacrifice of His only Son.

We believe that He wants to bless us and we welcome that. We accept that He wants to forgive us and expect Him to do just that. But we deny that we are also His to govern and, in doing so, spurn the cross.

We need to be more like Ezra. He searched the Scriptures and found the truth of God’s will and carried it out. We need to search the Scriptures as well. We need to remind ourselves of God’s law. We can’t appreciate the sacrifice if we’ve no understanding of that sacrifice. We can’t turn from our sin until we accept that it is sin.

The solution for Ezra’s Israel was that they put away all foreign wives and children and reconse-crate themselves wholly to God. Our solution is much the same. We must abandon our sins. We must search the Scriptures until we recognize them as sin and turn away from them whole-heartedly. If we approach humbly before the throne of grace – like Ezra; acknowledge and turn from our sin – like ancient Israel; and re-commit ourselves to His will – then can we expect revival – not before.

God is still holy. He did not allow His Son to suffer the torment of the cross that we might live as though that sacrifice was of no value. That is why we cannot just speak our submission, we must act on it. Sin in ancient Israel had real life consequences. Sin today still does. Thousands of dead children testify quite loudly to that fact. Every single time we act like sin it isn’t an issue we disrespect the One Who loved us enough to endure the cross that He might reconcile us to Himself for eternity. Put yourself in God’s shoes. This is His Son we’re talking about. I don’t know about you, but I’d be more than just a little angry.

Patiently merciful heavenly Father, thank You for the

great kindness You have shown us by giving us time to

recognize and repent from our crippling sins.

Help us, Lord, open our eyes to just how serious

our current state of disrespect really is. Remove

the blinders, Lord. Cause us to truly see.

Deliver us from the wolves that desire to lead us astray.

Close up their mouths and let them reap what they have sown.

Convict us, Lord, as only You can of the need to change

our ways to be inline with Your will and Your word.

Let the difference be clear between the wolves and

Your truth – which is the only real truth.

You, Father, are the One to whom we must surrender

our ideas of self-supremacy. Help us to recognize them

and cast them aside as we turn back to You.

Earthly wealth is nothing beside You.

Keep us, Lord, from quenching Your Spirit

that we might have even more of You in our lives.

Forgive us for taking Your mercy lightly. We have

been foolish, indeed. Break our hearts, Lord, but have

mercy and do not destroy us completely.

Shake us awake, O Lord, and draw us back to You

to Your glory. Do not leave us in the pit where we have

fallen to be burned up as useless, fruitless branches;

but rather, deliver us because of Who You are.

Do not punish us as our sins deserve; but rather,

lead us to an obedient appreciation for You.

We cannot praise You from the grave, O Lord.

We cannot share Your magnificent love from the pit.

You, Father, are the great I AM. Help us to remember

what that means, but do not forget that we are dust

in Your hand. Have mercy, Father, have mercy.

We are grateful, Father, for Your merciful, patient love.

We ask that You open our eyes, convict our hearts,

and turn us back to You to Your glory in Yeshua’s name, amen and amen.

The Big Picture

When we read the Bible as a book, take it as a whole, we can see that its message is cohesive. It is brilliantly tied together. From Genesis to Revelation, God, and His nature, is revealed. He tells us emphatically what He will tolerate and what is offensive to Him. He gives us multiple examples of both His abiding love and His unwavering holiness, and He tells us His intent is to motivate us to the obedience of faith.

I know that many like to focus on one Scripture, taking it apart, and expounding on its individual meaning. However, there is a danger in separating out Scripture from its context, and from the whole. People make serious mistakes by that practice, because Scripture was meant to taken together, to be looked at and understood as the pieces of a larger puzzle.

Now, God did this on purpose. He wanted us to study to know Him, to seek Him with diligence. He also wanted to keep those who were not earnest from knowing or understanding. Interpreting His word was never meant to be easy. It was meant to be work, taking both effort and dedicated submission. When we are more dedicated to forming God’s word to suit our desires than understanding what He is saying to us, we may sound like we know what we are saying; but we are more like clanging cymbals – keeping those who would know from knowing by our own arrogance and pride.

When the Lord called me, He taught me. He showed me the “big picture”. I have shared pieces of it, thinking the overall message too much for those whose ears have been deafened by those clanging cymbals. Here I’m going to share that big picture. I encourage you to look at the whole. These are not conflicting Scriptures, but pieces of the puzzle. They fit together and they are completely inline with the nature of God. I pray eyes will be opened and ears unstopped. We begin with Jeremiah, because that where the Lord put me when He called me.

____________________________

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as prophet to the nations." -- Jer 1:5

Only God creates. Here He informs Jeremiah that having made him, God had the right to call him into service. Just so, each child is created, meaning that it is God who gives them form and life, and God that has dominion over that life. Therefore, every time a child is aborted, God’s authority -- over His own creation -- is treated with insolent contempt.

The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground." -- Gen 4:10

We think by killing the helpless that we have somehow eliminated a problem; but, if that person is innocent, what we have really done is profoundly magnify their voice unto the Lord. Just like Abel, Yeshua hears the cries of every innocent killed – every preborn babe, every handicapped, every elderly, etc.

The Lord was very angry with Cain for killing Abel. He was very clear that His call on Jeremiah’s life began even before conception. And He warned the Israelites clearly:

“Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land . . . so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.” – Deu 19:10

God made it very clear that the Israelites did not actually have to kill to be held guilty. No, all they had to do was ignore the shedding of innocent blood. Now, if this law has been rescinded by grace, then we have nothing to worry about.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” – Mat 5:17

Now here’s the thing: the admonition to protect the innocent is not a ceremonial law, negated by the sacrifice of Christ; but rather, an extension of the original commandment to not commit murder (Exo 20:13). Literally, we are commanded to not take the lives of those who have committed no offense worthy of death.

Jeremiah was called to speak to a nation whose religious leaders kept telling the people that God was not angry with them. He told them the truth, but the people loved their leaders so much that they could not and/or would not hear Jeremiah. Almost up to the moment Jerusalem was overthrown, the people and their leaders continued to ignore Jeremiah's warnings. They reasoned that God could not be mad at them, because they were His chosen people. Yet, the Scriptures tell us that God most certainly was angry. The second chapter of Jeremiah is full of God’s complaint against them. Let us look at three primary passages:

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” – Jer 2:13

Israel had chosen to worship and follow idols, a worship that called for the sacrifice of innocent children. They had traded the one true God for worthless images and allowed their children to be brutally murdered in tribute to them. Now, before you think that this is not America’s sin, I invite you consider the way we idolize the rich and famous, and justify our pursuit of pleasure and wealth. Are not the children killed for convenience’ sake? Do we not regard our “right to choice” higher than their innocent lives? Absolutely! And as such, we are just like ancient Israel.

The broken cisterns that Israel chose were carved pieces of stone and wood. Ours are ordinary men and women, money, fame, etc. Israel also loved the immorality that came with their foreign gods. Today, immorality is sold as something no one can do without. Quite literally, the children are killed because immorality is considered to be of so much more value than their innocent lives.

“Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of Me,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. – Jer 2:19

Israel had ceased to fear God. Even though He warned them and disciplined them repeatedly, they considered His patience to be unending. Today, many see the mercy of the cross in much the same way, as a license to sin. Israel disrespected God’s holiness. So do we. They did not have the sense to be in awe of Him. Neither do we.

“On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet, in spite of all this you say, ‘I am innocent; He is not angry with me.’ But I WILL PASS JUDGMENT on you, because you say, ‘I have not sinned’.” – Jer 2:34-35.

The innocent blood that covered the ancients is no different than the innocent blood our nation is awash in today. The children offered to ancient Israel’s gods were no guiltier of any crime than the ones we slaughter today. And what do we say to God? Just like Israel: that we are innocent of any crime!

Please understand: God does not expect those who do not belong to Him to be concerned with the things of His heart. Therefore, He is not looking for them to come to the aid of helpless. However, He does expect those who do belong to Him have regard for them, because we are to reflect Him to the world. Literally, when we, who claim to belong to God, fail to regard the things of God, we leave those things to those who do not, by their very nature, regard the things of God. To be sure there are those who do not believe who do consider the children, but it is to our disgrace for the ambassadors of the King are the ones who should be about His work. 

Ancient Israel’s priests considered their standing more important than teaching the truth of God’s word. It is easy to see that in the Scripture, but few realize that this is exactly what prompted many to keep the truth of abortion quiet. Because abortion is such a political “hot potato”, teaching the truth of it could result in the loss of a church’s tax-exempt status. Some were actually threatened with just that. And that loss, should a teacher pursue the subject, could then result in an end to the teacher’s position in the church. Some even used the excuse that teaching salvation was all they were called to do, anyway. And yet, when we look at the life of Christ, we do not see that He concerned Himself with salvation only.

Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Yeshua gave him back to his mother. – Luk 7:14-15

Now, some will say that by this action, He also drew people to Himself. However, the same argument can be made for reaching those abortion bound, because to offer them the truth of God’s word is to offer them Christ.

The lack of regard for the children’s lives has led to an even stronger lack of regard for life – which now includes the infirmed, the handicapped, the elderly, and those considered to have a low “quality” of life – where “quality” is, of course, determined by someone other than those to be murdered. In short, our refusal to live by God’s life-giving laws has resulted in a ferociously zealous anti-life society.

When the Lord called me, He said I would be like Jeremiah "crying out to a people who would not listen". Like the priests of Jeremiah’s day, the preferred leaders of this day also teach that "God is not angry". Like Israel many see themselves as God’s chosen people. The Israelites did not stop to think that being holy, and completely supreme; God was able to raise up another people to be His. Today, many show the same arrogance by thinking that there will be no judgment for their lack of obedience, either.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. – Jam 1:33

Many see the acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice as enabling them to continue in their sin, as long as they repent of it later. Paul tells us clearly that this is not the way we should live.

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death? We were, therefore, buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we, too, may live a new life. – Rom 6:1-4

Further, the Lord tells us clearly that if we are truly His, obedience will be our goal. Look carefully at John:

If you love Me, you will obey what I command. – Joh 14:15

No wiggle room here. It’s either one or the other. We love Him or we don’t, and that reality will be reflected in our lives. The Lord explains the consequences of choosing disobedience in Matthew:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” – Mat 7:21

Notice that it says “but ONLY he who does the will of My Father”. Understand, it does not mean that we will be perfect, but it does mean that we will be committed to striving for perfection – that our reverence for Him will be reflected in our lives. (Please do not think this means we are saved by our actions. That is another lie of the devil. IF we are saved, it is by grace and that salvation will produce obedient service.)

Some teach that this admonition to obedience is inconsequential, because God has forgiven our sins. However, forgiveness only applies to sins we have fully repented of or turned from. Where abortion is concerned, most have been too busy ignoring or denying their responsibility to have even considered repentance. So, we continue in our sin insisting that our voiced allegiance be considered more important than actual obedience.

Some will say that murder is the unlawful taking of a life. Understand, that while this true, it is God’s law with which we must concern ourselves, because it is God whom we will answer to. The law of man can be, and often is, perverted. But the law of God stands firm. We will either live by it or be broken by it eternally.

Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have NOTHING to do with a false charge and do NOT put an INNOCENT person to death, for I will NOT ACQUIT the guilty. – Exo 23:6-7

God was very clear in warning Israel. He told them that they would disregard innocent blood at a high price, such as mentioned in Ezekiel, Chapter 35, verse 6:

“. . . since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.”

Again, if God has changed, we need not consider these warnings. If we consider Him to not regard the shedding of innocent blood or to have suddenly regarded it less in light of the sacrifice of Christ – which makes no sense at all given that Christ’s blood was also innocent – but, if we are that willfully blind, then we might negate – at least mentally -- any punishment we might otherwise deserve. If that be the case, I invite such unreasoned thinkers to look at Christ’s response to a lukewarm church:

“So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth.” – Rev 3:16

Is not our sin more reprehensible? Have we not slandered His righteous name by insisting that our right to His holiness negates His holiness? Does He not show Himself to be both completely holy and unchanging? Absolutely, so then we can see that He would neither allow for the shedding of innocent blood unnecessarily nor a casual relationship with Him. On the one hand, such reasoning would attempt to lesson the value of the shed blood of Christ. On the other, to think that God has gone to all this effort to suddenly become completely uninterested and detached from the creation He has worked so hard over is pure folly.

Some have come along and determined in their own hearts that God is no longer actively, as in miraculously, involved in the lives of men and women. They have said this because they have not had such experience with God. Having determined their own worth to be too great to have been overlooked by such blessing, these have spoken out against all miraculous encounters as not of God. So by their reasoning, God no longer heals, delivers, restores, speaks, etc. in a manner inconsistent with their own personal views. Meaning, if it isn’t explicitly recorded in Scripture, it isn’t of God.

Now this egregious error literally means that if God clearly has miraculously removed your cancer, lump, or otherwise healed you beyond the physician’s understanding, you must not view it as from God. It also means that wherever anyone is miraculously delivered – be it from drugs, demons, or other assorted affliction – then that, too, must not be considered of God. No miracles literally means absolutely none at all.

Here’s the thing: if there are no more miracles and God no longer speaks directly to His people, then this warning which God gave to me Himself, is nothing to be concerned with. Forget the fact that it included a prophecy already largely fulfilled. (1 The 5:19-20). Ignore the reality of Scripture, because there are great quantities of Scripture that must be considered irrelevant – although why they would have been included for later generations is beyond reason. (Paul wrote extensively on the proper use of the gifts of the Spirit.) All because these modern-day Pharisees are convinced they are absolutely correct in their decidedly personal, assessment of the times.

And yet, people ARE being delivered, restored, healed, spoken to, etc. And God is still very intimately involved in the lives of men and women. Doctors and nurses report miraculous healing that cannot be attributed to modern-day medical care. Drug addicts are delivered from their addiction – without plausible explanation (beyond the miraculous). Prophets speak and are vindicated by the fulfillment of their prophecies.

Therefore, we should not be so committed to those who teach that we cannot see the evidence before us. We should not be so led by those who claim authority that we cannot understand what God is revealing. We must not be so proud that we do not take the time to seek out the truth from God, Himself. To think otherwise is to negate even the admonition to ask, seek, or knock (Mat 7:7), for who would do any of those things if, indeed, God were not responding. And, why, ask yourself, would this even be included in Scripture if God had no intention of fulfilling His word? Again, the Scripture that these “teachers” use to negate miracles is misinterpreted, and to believe it we must disregard far too many Scriptures – including the overall intent, that God is deeply, and personally involved in the lives of those who belong to Him.

If we desire to be His people, we must truly be His people – concerned with the things of His heart, focused on our service to Him. To merely say we are His while living like His word to us is irrelevant is to invite His wrath. Dear Brothers and Sisters it cannot be otherwise because God, Himself, has made it painfully clear throughout His word:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. – Gal 6:7

Like Israel we have sown death by allowing and promoting the shedding of innocent blood. Like Israel we have sown a lack of regard for God by preferring our wealth, etc. Like Israel if we do not repent we will reap what we have sown.

Their arrogance led to being slaughtered or carried off into captivity by cruel taskmasters, and the total destruction of their nation. Ours has already led, in many ways, to the demise of the nation our forefathers founded. Like ancient Israel, we now live in one that neither respects nor regards Him. Israel did not turn until it was too late. Do not be deceived. We stand at the precipice. IF we truly want peace with God, we must live as though His word to us is the most important thing in our lives. We must make His priorities our priority. We must stop considering the “business of the gospel” as a business, and recognize it for the obligation it is. For, IF we are saved by Him, we are bound to Him. The debt we owe Him can only be satisfied by our unadulterated love for Him – reflected by our wholehearted service to Him. And that service, dear brothers and sisters, will, by its very nature, reflect a concern for the things of His heart – including the lives of all innocents.

God’s peace.