Finding Peace With God

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

One of the jobs given to parents is to raise honest, responsible, moral children. We don't do this for our own good, but for theirs. We know that honesty pays off. We know that responsibility will serve them well, and good morals will keep them from disastrous choices. God's rules are much the same. They were given to keep us from bad choices, destructive lifestyles, and an eternity of torment.

Today many try to edit God's word so that their choices do not appear bad. Much like disobedient children, they attempt to subvert the rules to have their way. A good parent will never allow their child to get away with such disrespect, and neither will God. Most parents know when their child has broken the rules. God always does.

It is out of love that parents discipline their children, and love that God expresses His displeasure. With earthly parents children may manage to get by with some things, but with God nothing eludes His attention. The difference here is that earthly parents have been disobedient themselves. So, we can relate to the desire to do what we should not. 

With God, He not only sacrificed His only Son to pay for our sins, but He cannot co-habitate with sin.  This makes disobedience or sin a far more serious infraction to Him. Just as earthly parents enjoy being with their children, He longs to have a relationship with us. If we are in sin, that cannot be. His holiness will not allow it.

Despite what some say the God of the Bible is intensely interested and concerned with the lives of His creation. 

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. -- Isa 30:18

The magnificent Creator of all that is literally gets up to see to His creation. Like our earthly parents, He is genuinely concerned for those who seek Him. But also, like our earthly parents, He requires submission and obedience to His rules. If we are to have peace with Him, that is what we must do -- regard Him as the Father He is, with respect and obedience.

Therefore, gird your minds for action; keep sober in spirit, fix  your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of  Yeshua the Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." -- 1 Pet 1:13-16

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.

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"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.

More from "The Air of Heaven", "Why This Book Now", "Planted Seeds"

There is much distress these days over the destructive path our world seems to be on. In some ways we appear to be heading into a type of “dark age” or, as some believe, the end-times. Truth and, therefore, knowledge suffer increasingly at the hands of those of station and power. Freedom and peace are being replaced by control and fear; and life, itself, has been dramatically devalued.

Take, for example, the case of evolution and life. If man is no more than an elevated ape and life only begins when we quantify it as such, then what once was murder is now no more than a culling of the herd. Now, evolution is a highly unsubstantiated hypothesis, but by declaring it the origin of man, man’s value is remarkably diminished. He is not “made in the image of God”, because – by evolution’s reasoning – there is no God. So, man becomes just another animal like any other beast in the forest. And life, by this same reasoning, becomes expendable because where there is no God there is no great Maker to take offense at the destruction of His creation nor any Holy Supreme Being to fear – a very dark age, indeed.

As Christians we know this argument to be baseless and delusional, but it is representative of the type of logic being pressed upon us daily. As I’ve already noted, many say this perversion has come about because we are in the end-times. I believe the answer more directly relates to reaping what we have sown. We may well be in the last days, but I think our crops are producing as ordered.

With the freedom we’ve grown accustomed to disappearing like vanishing ink, natural disasters multiplying around us, relentless inflation, catastrophic unemployment, and strangling debt; I think it beneficial for us to take inventory of what we’ve seeded our lives with. A truly honest look will, I believe, reveal a fairly sobering reality.

Like ancient Israel – which fell away from God during Solomon’s reign -- we have abandoned our God – at least publicly. I don’t believe it a conscious choice – at least not by professing Christians; but rather, an attempt to present God as agreeable. In most cases this has resulted in ignoring the truth where it might be considered offensive, omitting or overlooking Scriptures that might alienate, and/or treating sin as immaterial. While it has been considered acceptable for Christ to have died for our sins, in some circles it has been deemed unreasonable for us to be required to abstain from those sins. Many focused on His love while ignoring His holiness altogether. Others seemed to want God to be viewed as some Spiritual rock star, forgetting that His presence far exceeds the need for such earthly embellishment. Ancient Israel did not even realize that God was angry with them, for the most part, neither do we.

Since His holiness is what resulted in our salvation, it is not an aspect we should even want to ignore nor will He allow us to. Given that we are to confess Him before men, our silence is, also, unacceptable. Again, it simply isn’t something He will long tolerate. Yet, we stood silently by while the seed that led to His removal from our public life was firmly planted in our institutions, our workplace, and our government.

Many even had the audacity to affirm and confirm publicly that their god had no real effect on anything other than their most private lives. Think for a moment about the politicians who have brazenly declared their ability to keep their personal beliefs separated from their very public choices. This silenced-idol-in-the-closet approach allowed them to appear righteous to a blind public while engaging in some seriously wicked dealings. Not only did they step away from God, but they slandered Him by implying that He would in any fashion tolerate such double-minded behavior.

Education is an excellent example of how those seeds of silent agreement have born fruit. At one time school began with prayer. The halls were safe, the level of education high, and the atmosphere one of respect. One ridiculous argument later, and our God was marched right down the hall and straight out the door. Soon after, History books were re-written to omit all reference to our Christian foundation. Science was degraded from the study of God’s creation to the desperate denial of any and all things God related, regardless of evidence – or, more accurately, lack thereof. Achievement levels were lowered, then lowered again. Sex-ed became more important than simple math and schools became combat zones where children struggled to survive, let alone learn.

Our founding fathers believed that children could not be taught without the Bible. One reason is that God’s word teaches respect. They knew that raising children to respect and fear God leads to a moral and responsible citizenry. Yet, we allowed the Bible to be removed from our public schools, because we did not want to offend unbelievers. Now most do not understand Who this Holy God really is or what He is capable of. We don’t fear Him. We don’t know Him. So, we don’t have the sense to fear Him.

Today students are actually punished for bringing their Bible to school, harassed for wanting to pray at school functions, and maligned for believing in God. The planted seed bore fruit matching its nature. That’s the way it works. We don’t get corn by planting broccoli and we don’t get freedom from emulating an ostrich. We planted a lack of respect for God and that’s exactly what is coming up in our fields – an utterly horrific lack of respect for our awesomely, all-powerful Creator. A lack of respect that is far more dangerous than all our worldly weapons combined.

And, our public life is not the only area suffering from a bad case of dandelions. Our churches have been over-run as well. Many pastors are more interested in filling the offering plate than reaching the lost. The same can be said for deacons, elders, and others in the ministry. Some churches are so fixated on prosperity that their focus has completely shifted away from God altogether. They try to trade the blessings of God for earthly riches, as if God could be fooled. These, weeds-in-the-pulpit, live lavish lives on the back of those hoping to cash in on God. They should have been plucked out like the tares they are. Instead, many flocked to them and the seeds that greed has born are both plentiful and devastating.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. – Gal 6:7-8

The need for opulence led to more turning away from the truth of God’s word and a rejection of the established church by many who truly belong to the body of Christ. (Of course they did not forsake Christ, Himself; but rather, the established church.) Obviously, this is not the only thing that emptied the churches, but it is one of the problems behind failing church attendance. And believers aren’t the only ones who fled.

It’s practically impossible to grasp the selflessness of Christ when presented Him by someone who clearly relishes an over-abundance of earthly treasure. Comprehending God’s holiness isn’t simplified by a leader’s milk-them-dry approach to personal finance, either. The fact is God just isn’t well represented in these churches – at least, not the God of the Bible. Greed is. Greed, selfishness, idolatry . . . but, not the holy God we seek. So, some who went to church looking for God just moved on. They were looking for holiness and holiness isn’t found in the greed of man.

Greed wasn’t the only well-tended seed in the church field. Ignoring the truth of Scripture was also tolerated to the point of bearing fruit. Denominations were more interested in arguing with each other than holding hard ground. However, much of that also ties back to the love of money, because most churches completely ignored major issues in order to keep members that might otherwise have strayed. In doing so, they kept some who only wanted their ears tickled and maintained their tax-free status, but separated themselves from God.

Obviously, these are not the only areas where what we have allowed to take root in our lives has born undesirable fruit, but you can see where this is going. This book is about those areas, Who He is, who we are supposed to be, and what we should be doing about it. It is also about the love of God and our love for Him. So, it is part love-song and part reality check.

The Holy God we claim to worship and serve has been seriously defamed and very publicly humiliated. We did not regard Him enough to keep Him or, perhaps, we just loved our sin so much more? Whatever the case, spurning Him publicly has led to a private and public separation. The idea that the jealous God of the Bible would tolerate a private relationship that is denied publicly is ridiculously delusional.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” – Exo 20:4-6

It helps to understand that since there is no sin in God, He and sin cannot cohabitate. The type of seeds we’ve been planting prove that we are neck deep in sin and the tolerance of sin. If we expect to spend eternity with God, we must be cleansed and live holy. If we want a nation blessed and protected by God, we must be a nation that embraces and honors His laws wholeheartedly. We cannot just say we are His and go on allowing His laws to be ignored. He simply won’t tolerate it. If we insist on acting like He is irrelevant, He will walk away from us. Much of the distress we’re witnessing is due to His hovering on the edge of abandoning us to our sins. If He does leave us, we can be certain He will also punish us -- as much as sign to others as a statement that, even though we rejected His authority over us, He is still the great I AM.

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” – Exo 3:14

The relevance of this statement is, of course, that He is the great Creator, the God of all time – past, present, and future; the God of Abraham and Isaac; the God that each of us -- whether we recognize it or not -- will answer to; the ultimate, supreme Authority over all, forever. It stands to reasons that if Supreme, His law is law whether we accept it as such or not.

In the Scriptures just prior to this proclamation, He gave Moses this beautiful, if sobering, insight regarding His holiness:

Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.”

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!”

And He said, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” – Exo 3:1-5

I absolutely love the clarity of this piece of Scripture. Even the ground was made holy by His presence. Dirt! Common, ordinary, everyday dirt became holy when He drew near. We should take note of this, because being close -- obediently, spiritually close -- to God leads us to holiness, too.

I’m convinced that if we could get a handle on just how holy He is we simply would not rest until we made sure He had removed every single weed in our garden. I can’t say that that would straighten this world out, but I can assure you that it would make a very big difference in how we live in it. It would make a big difference in how we view our circumstances and it would make a big difference in how we deal with those circumstances. The holiness of God is no little thing. We’ve treated it like it is, but it isn’t.

This lack of regard for His holiness has led to confusion over what He expects of us and a disregard for His laws. We need to get reconnected to the reality of how that holiness affects us and our world. We need to seek Him. We need to turn from our everyday troubles and put His priorities first. We need to return to Him and commit to Him. We need revival. But we cannot and will not have it until we are honest about where we stand before Him, ready to give up our comfort for His call, ready to be broken, ready to be shown where we’ve missed it, and ready to understand where we’ve failed. Until we’re ready to ask Him to convict and prune us into fruitful vines, revival will not be ours.

Understand, I’m not talking about the “feel good” revival; but rather, a return to genuine closeness to God and the renewal of His protection. Some are seeing “feel good”, but few are seeing a return of His protection. No, what we are seeing is the unrelenting removal of His hedge of protection. Ask yourself this, do you feel safer today than you did 20 years ago? If you do, you’re not paying attention.

Before we can draw near enough to Him to breathe the air of Heaven, we need to acquire a deeper appreciation of Who it is that called us. We need remind ourselves of the true nature of God. Further, we need to explore who we are before Him and the nature of our relationship to Him.

More on "The Air of Heaven"

I've been working the last few weeks to format the book for release on "Scribd" or another online book service. This would save me the expense of printing and allow access to those interested for a nominal fee. There is a lot of work involved in the reformatting process and I'm a novice at it. So, it may be a few more weeks before it is available.

I'm considering $1.59 as the fee for downloading, giving reasonable access to all the poetry/songs. I feel it a small enough amount as to not be a hindrance, but large enough to help me recoup some of my expenses. There are over 30 pieces of poetry, and another 30+ dedicated prayers. So, a bargain compared to the cost of a hard copy.

As with any ministry, the issue is continuing to serve. I want to be able to come back in a year or so and share more, perhaps next time a book of praises. (I've already starting singing pieces in my sleep.) Given that I hope to continue writing both as He leads and in praise of Him, I do have to consider the costs. For instance, my computer is old and starting to have problems, and I think I about wore out this cheap little printer. (I worked it pretty hard.) Don't get me started on the cost of ink. One would think it was gold. (lol)

At any rate, I'd be interested in suggestions or comments for those who have been checking on the book's progress. I'm not looking for validation. So, please don't worry about stroking my ego. I know that what I have written has value because it continues to bless those who read it. No, what I'm looking for is information from those who have ideas or experience in hopes of speeding up or simplifying the work of getting it out there. It has truly become a labor of love.

To start the week, I'd like to share the refrain from another of the pieces. It is called "Magnificent Grace":

Magnificent grace poured down from His side.

Undeniable love melted all of my pride,

Incredible sacrifice of an only Son.

Extr'ordinary peace purchased for man.

Unmitigated pardon from our deadly sin.

Astonishing mercy, bought by the Holy One.

It sets me to singing, I pray it does the same for all of you.

Seven Simple Steps to Peace and Joy in Troubling Times

1.       Acknowledge – This is an extremely important first step and the key to all others. Recognizing God for Who He is sets our priorities in proper place. I like to start the day reminding myself that He is the ultimate supreme Being, not just my personal God, but God of all there is. Literally, I say to Him,

“You are my God and God of all there is.”

or something to that effect as I start each day. It is my way of affirming His authority over my day.

2.       Submit – If you haven’t turned your life over to Christ, now would be the time. If the Prince of Peace isn’t your leader, stop to think who you are following. There are only two sides: His and the devil’s. There is no peace in hell.

          Even if you are saved it serves us well to affirm our submission to Him daily. Like acknowledgement, it says we honor Him first in our hearts. After I acknowledge Him, I tend to follow with:

“I submit fully to You and Your will for my life.”

4.       Commit – Affirm or re-affirm your commitment to Him. If you haven’t done this, you should. Simply stating to Him that it is your desire to be committed to His will in your life will get His attention IF you truly mean it. Be prepared, though, because He will put you to work. (Working for Him is a great source of blessing and peace.) I like to say,

“I am fully committed to serving You as it pleases

You.”

5.       Practice – Continuously seek His will and guidance throughout the day. If you are sincere and faithful, you’ll be surprised at how He’ll lead you. It’s perfectly acceptable to start with the little things:

                   “Lord, what do I do about . . . ?”

for example. The trick is to stay at it. Persistence gets the prize here, because God answers those that keep asking until they get an answer.

6.       Praise – Start every day and end every night with it. To put it practically, praise is our pump’s primer. When we lift Him up, we open the valve, so to speak, to His joy.

          I often wake up singing the songs I’ve written or reciting praise Scripture. For this I suggest memorizing short pieces of praise. In my experience, songs often work best, because it is easier to remember them. However, the 23^rd Psalm is easily committed to memory, as is the first of 103^rd.

                   “The Lord, (You are MY), is my Shepherd . . .”

          In hard times it is even more important that we praise Him. I cannot stress it enough. Praise Him while you’re suffering. Praise Him when disaster seems imminent. Praise Him when hope seems fleeting. As we lift Him up, He fills us up and we are at peace amidst the storm.

7.       Pray – Prayer naturally follows praise. We start with adoration and gratitude, and then lay our requests at His feet. This isn’t the same as “Practice” because practice is about continuously seeking His leadership. So, we practice the attitude of prayer, but come before Him in dedicated prayer.

                   “Merciful, Heavenly Father, how I adore You . . .”

If you are earnestly looking for peace, the only place you’re ever really find it is in Him. But we can’t have peace with Him until He is Lord of our hearts, minds, and lives. That said, it matters not how distressing the times are if we are in Him, because He is God of the times as well and fully able to carry us through.

From the Section on Faith, Hope, and Love of "The Air of Heaven"

Faith

by Betty Baker Bailey

Though battles rage around me,

I lie in peaceful sleep

For Angels stand at ready

My safety for to keep.

The world is not a safe place.

But I, a little sheep,

Can rest content that His grace

Is sufficiently deep.

And so, until the sunrise,

When dew has kissed His land,

In peace I sleep with closed eyes,

And rest inside His hand.