Bible Study

Conspiracy and Hypocrisy!

/ Being Woven / 10 Comments

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. John 8:44-45

My joy is so missing-in-action as I live in this world today. The bombardments of harshness and strife are continually creating rough edges all over me: re: mass murders, hatred, an assassination of a fine retired world leader, vitriol spewing everywhere, a constant barrage of lies by many who seem to know only that; there is so much more. I have been having such a difficult time getting up from down, rejoicing with others and even just with myself, and even filtering peace and joy through the beauty of God’s creations is so difficult for me now. I pray this will pass and I can see beyond those hedges. God is faithful and merciful. He rains down His peace and joy upon me so that I may hold it in, yes, inside my very being.

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. John 16:22

I am writing about conspiracy and hypocrisy this week for the Bible speaks of both quite clearly. Both have been on my mind for too long of a time. I have remained still and quiet, all of which has been snarled up inside of me. I want to write with God’s guidance, I pray.

For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.” Isaiah 8:11-15

con·spir·a·cy ~ [kənˈspirəsē] ~ NOUN

a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful

the action of plotting or conspiring

קֶשֶׁר

qešer

an (unlawful) alliance:—confederacy, conspiracy, treason

Absalom’s Conspiracy:

After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.”

Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron. For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the LORD.’” The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron.

But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’” With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing. And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing. 2 Samuel 15:1-12

from the Book of Acts:

When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.” Acts 23:12-15

These sound so much like today…conspiratorial thinking and actions. “Hang Mike Pence” rings in my ears. They were very ready to do just that upon the gallows which they brought with them to the nation’s Capitol.

I have become someone I am not very familiar with these days. I have always been an encourager and a peacekeeper. But I am barely either one of those and have not been for a few years now. Yes, I still encourage a few people in my world, in my life, but I can no longer keep peace as so many in my world have blown my mind and heart to pieces. I do not know what to say to them any longer. I have been extremely quiet for years now just so I could keep the peace. BUT…a rather large piece of me has been changing. I cannot keep silent at every turn. I cannot keep peace should I encounter any of those I struggle with. So many have believed in conspiracies whether it be about the 2020 election being “stolen” or “rigged,” or COVID-19 as a hoax, about vaccines being evil or government-forced upon the citizens, while believing that untested COVID-19 cures are perfectly fine, one friend ‘telling’ me that, should I get COVID, to surely contact a certain doctor, or take a certain treatment (all of which were perpetrating lies and quackery). And many have believed that January 6th was a ‘legitimate political discourse.” And there are so many other conspiracies flying around these days.

ὑπόκρισις

hypokrisis

acting under a feigned part, i.e. (figuratively) deceit (“hypocrisy”):—condemnation, dissimulation, hypocrisy.

In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. Luke 12:1-3

from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Luke:

“He began with a caution against hypocrisy. This he said to his disciples first of all; either to the twelve, or to the seventy. These were his more peculiar charge, his family, his school, and therefore he particularly warned them as his beloved sons; they made more profession of religion than others and hypocrisy in that was the sin they were most in danger of. They were to preach to others; and, if they should prevaricate, corrupt the word, and deal deceitfully, hypocrisy would be worse in them than in others. Besides, there was a Judas among them, who was a hypocrite, and Christ knew it, and would hereby startle him, or leave him inexcusable. Christ’s disciples were, for aught we know, the best men then in the world, yet they needed to be cautioned against hypocrisy. Christ said this to the disciples, in the hearing of this great multitude, rather than privately when he had them by themselves, to add the greater weight to the caution, and to let the world know that he would not countenance hypocrisy, no, not in his own disciples. Now observe, 

  • (1.) The description of that sin which he warns them against: It is the leaven of the Pharisees.
    • [1.] It is leaven; it is spreading as leaven, insinuates itself into the whole man, and all that he does; it is swelling and souring as leaven, for it puffs men up with pride, embitters them with malice, and makes their service unacceptable to God.
    • [2.] It is the leaven of the Pharisees: “It is the sin they are most of them found in. Take heed of imitating them; be not you of their spirit; do not dissemble in Christianity as they do in Judaism; make not your religion a cloak of maliciousness, as they do theirs.”

“Do you not know this of old,
Since man was placed on earth,

That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? Job 20:4-5

If you are one of those whom I have loved and cared about, yet have bought into the misbeliefs, the lies, the conspiracies that have ensnared so many millions, please read God’s Word regarding these subjects. This is God’s Truth. Conspiracies and lies have been around forever. They are not God’s Truth. Think about the serpent in the Garden. Satan lied and caught Eve and Adam in his lies about the Tree and an apple. Absalom wanted to be king. He would do anything to be king and he had many followers. The side-by-side comparison of the forty-fifth President of the United States, his followers, Absalom and his followers seems far too familiar to me.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,…. 1 Timothy 4:1-2

The Term ‘Christian’ Has taken on a Very Dark Color for Me:

I am baffled as to why people continue to follow a man who would taunt elderly ‘Lady Ruby’ and her daughter Shaye, two Georgia election workers who have been found absolutely innocent of doing anything illegal or wrong. Plus, the crowds taunted ‘Lady Ruby’s’ even-more-elderly mother who was at her home, not even a part of the election? I cannot grasp how anyone can continue to support the former President who LIED, who continues to LIE. He was willing to have his Vice President, our former Vice President, killed, hung? HOW? Other liars are believed regularly as well: T. Carlson, L. Ingraham, R. Guilliani, T. Cruz, to name just a few. I just cannot, do not, understand. And a large group of those followers call themselves Christians, evangelical Christians. This fact boggles my mind more than ANYTHING!

I, myself, am a follower of Christ. I love the Lord. I am a Jesus-follower, but find that using the term ‘Christian’ is no longer comfortable for me. I do not deny Christ at all. I am totally His, but many have ruined the name ‘Christian’ for me (and I am not alone). I have so many people who were/are a part of my life whom I have loved, but I no longer like many of their ways.

What these last years have done for and to me is make me doubt my own faith, make me question who I am. I pray that my walk does not and will not portray an image of hypocrisy as so many Christians have shown me by their walks. I know I fail too and ask God over and over for His gracious forgiveness. I have been living in Colorado for ten months now and am so discouraged as I look for a church to call ‘home.’ Hypocrisy shows up far more than when it does not. I try not to walk in hypocrisy or surround myself with lies and conspiracies. I hope and pray I won’t! This is not about politics although many would argue with me that it is. NO, IT IS NOT! It is about our faith, my faith, your faith.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:9-10

My beautiful America is falling apart at the seams right now. We have a devil in our midst pulling us down by his lies to a level I have never known in my 74 years. Yes, the United States of America has had hard moments in its history but what I see today seems to be the worst in my lifetime. We must wake up before we have been taken into the arms of the devil. There are some who want to hold ALL OF THE POWER with NO democracy holding us together as it has been for 246 years. Democracy (with a small ‘d’) is a beautiful thing. We have free speech, free choice, freedom of religion, right to have a fair trial, right to bear arms (although I wish we could rid our country of weapons of war/AR-style rifles!), freedom to vote, and so much more. Autocracy, dictatorship, oligarchy, totalitarian, and many other types of governments are run by one or a few. Let us not lose our democracy, please. “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” Abraham Lincoln…I wish!

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:1-18

Father God, this has been so very difficult for me to write. I pray that these words are true to my calling in Your Name. I pray, in some small way, I have glorified You in who I am and what I say. Hold us near and teach us to be true to You, Lord. I know this country I call ‘home’ has gone so far astray over our two and a half centuries, and, one day, we will come before You. I pray we will answer honestly and forthrightly to You, with humble and repentant hearts. I pray for healing between people whose relationships have cracked or stand wide open. Lord, for I have a number of those broken relationships. Please heal each one or cause a change in me that I may set aside those which are irreparable. Yet, no matter, I am strong in You and know that You are my God. Hold me close as I walk these hard roads, reminding me that the faith I hold dear is, indeed, that which You gave me. Redirect me from standing with ‘doubting Thomas,’ as a ‘doubting Linda,’ and place me firmly into Your arms where: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1). Father, I pray all in the Name of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. Psalm 120:2

“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10b

Amen

“Lies” @ Blam – https://www.blam.online/lies

“Conspiracy” @ fontsquirel – https://www.fontsquirrel.com

“Lies” by Hitler @ AZQuotes – https://www.azquotes.com/quote/561220

“Hypocrisy” @ Anderson Leadership Solutions – http://www.andersonleadershipsolutions.com/hypocrisy-limits-your-ability-lead/

See To It…

/ Being Woven / 10 Comments

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8

This one verse is so packed with words and concepts that I want to understand. I was going to break this into two posts but it all ties together as one rather large misstep I can make so easily in my walk with God. So I shall unpack these words and see just where God leads.

philosophy

φιλοσοφία

philosophia

properly, love (and pursuit) of wisdom; used in the Greek writings of either zeal for or skill in any art or science, any branch of knowledge. Once in the N. T. (Col. 2:8), of the theology or rather theosophy* (see below for definition), of certain Jewish-Christian ascetics, which busied itself with refined and speculative inquiries into the nature and classes of angels, into the ritual of the Mosaic law and the regulations of Jewish tradition respecting practical life.

empty

κενός

kenos

  1. empty, vain, devoid of truth
    1. of places, vessels, etc. which contain nothing
    2. of men
      1. empty handed
      2. without a gift
    3. metaph. destitute of spiritual wealth, of one who boasts of his faith as a transcendent possession, yet is without the fruits of faith
    4. metaph. of endeavours, labours, acts, which result in nothing, vain, fruitless, without effect
      1. vain of no purpose

deceit

ἀπάτη

apatē

deceit, deceitfulness; the lusts excited by deceit, i. e. by deceitful influences seducing to sin, (others, ‘deceitful lusts’)

elemental spirits

στοιχεῖον

stoicheion

  1. any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise, an element, first principal
    1. the letters of the alphabet as the elements of speech, not however the written characters, but the spoken sounds
    2. the elements from which all things have come, the material causes of the universe
    3. the heavenly bodies, either as parts of the heavens or (as others think) because in them the elements of man, life and destiny were supposed to reside
    4. the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles of any art, science, or discipline
      1. i.e. of mathematics, Euclid’s geometry

I spent about ten years of my adult life (before I knew Christ) following after philosophies of New Age and Eastern religions. I read and pondered things that turned into empty deceitful ways. Very little fruit, if any, grew on me-trees, on and in me, planted by these “religions.” Elemental spirits of this world, of satan, pulled me into a web which was difficult to pull and push my way out. These were the makings of human traditions, of this world and the underworld. They were surely not of Christ. Yet I remained blinded by them for, oh, so long!

There is so much that can ensnare us and then hold us tightly in its grasp. Our focus must be on Christ or we will not be able to discern much once we are in the midst of these elemental spirits, these basics of life yet are not life-giving. O Lord, hold me fast. I must “see to it…see to seeking You, my Lord.

from Matthew Henry’s Commentary of Colossians: “The fair warning given us of our danger: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. There is a philosophy which is a noble exercise of our reasonable faculties, and highly serviceable to religion, such a study of the works of God as leads us to the knowledge of God and confirms our faith in him. But there is a philosophy which is vain and deceitful, which is prejudicial to religion, and sets up the wisdom of man in competition with the wisdom of God, and while it pleases men’s fancies ruins their faith; as nice and curious speculations about things above us, or of no use and concern to us; or a care of words and terms of art, which have only an empty and often a cheating appearance of knowledge.”

“After the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world: this plainly reflects upon the Jewish pedagogy or economy, as well as the Pagan learning. The Jews governed themselves by the traditions of their elders and the rudiments or elements of the world, the rites and observances which were only preparatory and introductory to the gospel state; the Gentiles mixed their maxims of philosophy with their Christian principles; and both alienated their minds from Christ. Those who pin their faith on other men’s sleeves, and walk in the way of the world, have turned away from following after Christ. The deceivers were especially the Jewish teachers, who endeavoured to keep up the law of Moses in conjunction with the gospel of Christ, but really in competition with it and contradiction to it.”

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 2 Peter 3:17

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? Galatians 4:8-9

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Colossians 2:20-23

O Father, I pray that I keep my eyes, my ears, my heart focused upon You, and You Alone. May my heart and mind be so attuned to Your Word, to Your Son, that I would know the Truth all of the time. I pray that I would know the way in which I should go as the Holy Spirit directs me each and every minute of each and every day. May I see to it that my understanding of You will continue to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of You, not of this world for it is not Your‘s. I pray for my sisters and brothers in Christ to know Your ways for them as well. My desire is to be wholly Yours in all my ways. Please direct, and redirect, my paths, Lord, for I stray. I am so sorry for I do not intend to wander, yet I do…I have. The world seeks me yet I desire to see to it that I find shelter under the cleft of the Rock. Only in You will I be safe. In the precious and Holy Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Graphic of Colossians 2:8 @ Young Disciples International

Colossians 2:8 license plate @ Josh McKibbon on Pinterest and Flickr

Matthew Henry’s words come from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Colossians.

* definition of ‘theosophy’ ~ “any of a number of philosophies maintaining that a knowledge of God may be achieved through spiritual ecstasy, direct intuition, or special individual relations”

Secret

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The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant.  Psalm 25:14

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“For the Lord GOD does nothing
without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.”  Amos 3:7

סוֹד

cowd

a session, i.e. company of persons (in close deliberation);

by implication, intimacy, consultation, a secret:—assembly, consel, inward, secret (counsel)

God’s secrets are His counsel to us as we walk with Him in this life.  Many verses with this same Hebrew word read assembly or counsel.  It was often in the setting of many people.  The LORD meets with His people in the quiet of hearts to reveal His covenant, His guidance, His love.

For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD,
And has perceived and heard His word?
Who has marked His word and heard it?  Jeremiah 23:18

But if they had stood in My counsel,
And had caused My people to hear My words,
Then they would have turned them from their evil way
And from the evil of their doings.  Jeremiah 23:22

ms jo

Another Hebrew word for secret:

סֵתֶר

cether

a cover (in a good or a bad, a literal or a figurative sense):—backbiting, covering, covert, disguise(-th), hiding place, privily, protection, secret(-ly, place)

 ‘Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’  Deuteronomy 27:24

‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the vault of heaven.’  Job 22:14

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  Psalm 91:1

This secret often seems to be an actual secret place, a hiding place, although it can also be something done behind another’s back.

psalm 119-11-2

A third Hebrew word meaning secret:

צָפַן

tsaphan

to hide (by covering over); by implication, to hoard or reserve; figuratively to deny; specifically (favorably) to protect, (unfavorably) to lurk:—esteem, hide(-den one, self), lay up, lurk (be set) privily, (keep) secret(-ly, place)

And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.  Exodus 2:2-3

My son, keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.  Proverbs 7:1

Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!  Psalm 31:19

I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.  Psalm 119:11

 

There are even more meanings to the English word, secret, in the Bible than I have placed here.  The New Testament has several as well.  But these will be enough for now.  Some of these definitions are filled with God’s protection and glow.  Others are filled with worldly ways of men.  Yet others have the godly ways of men.  In reading this six-letter word, we need to be attentive to God’s meaning.

Father God, as we read Your Word, please guide us as to Your meaning so that we may glean just what You mean in Your beautiful Word.  I want to dwell in Your secret place, under Your shadow, in Your Shelter, under Your wing and feel secure by being in Your Presence.  I want to sense this every moment of every day, Father.  I trust You, hope in You, and love You.  Praying in the Name of Your Son, Jesus.  Amen.

BW sig dark blue

Graphic 1:  http://weheartit.com/entry/107668659

Graphic 2:  https://www.pinterest.com/mynameismsjo/

Graphic 3:  http://www.kristahamrick.com/577-2/

Isaiah 54

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I am participating in a Bible study of Isaiah 54 written and facilitated by Dawn Boyer from Journeys in Grace.  We are in week four.  There are three sections to the study.  Each one will conclude with a woman who epitomizes the verses we are studying.  Hannah is the woman who brings to life these first verses.

AD23 - BARREN WOMAN

Isaiah 54:1-4 ESV

“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;

break forth into singing and cry aloud,

you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one will be more

than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.

“Enlarge the place of your tent,

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;

do not hold back; lengthen your cords

and strengthen your stakes.

For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,

and your offspring will possess the nations

and will people the desolate cities.

“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;

be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;

for you will forget the shame of your youth,

and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

 

God commands me to sing, to enlarge the place of my tent, to spread out, and not to fear.  He calls for trusting Him in areas where I have insecurities, where I am full of fear, where I feel guilt, where I am self-conscious or selfish, where I am weak, where relationships have walls or hardening of the heart strings, where He calls me and I think I know better.

Dawn writes in Week One: “The reality is that we all have places where we are broken, barren, and full of fear.  Isaiah 54 is a song that was written for those moments in our lives when we need to be rescued, redeemed and restored.”

I am barren as far as having children.  I struggle with that at times, especially around Mother’s Day.  I actually do not go to church any more on Mother’s Day because the churches I have attended over the years hand out flowers to mothers, celebrating motherhood.  Church does not take into account those of us who are barren or who have lost a child in a miscarriage, having no other children.  I no longer go.

But my barrenness goes beyond childlessness as Dawn points out.  She has us look further into ourselves for areas where we feel barren, as of land which is too poor to produce much or any vegetation, a tree or plant unable to produce fruit or seed, places in one’s life that show no results, achievements, empty of meaning or value, or of a place or building that is bleak and lifeless (definition from dictionary).  When barrenness dwells in one, the fruit of the soul is nil, nada.  The life I live needs the refreshment from God’s Word, from drinking the Living Water of Jesus to grow and show the beautiful God-filled fruit.

Hannah was barren, childless.  She prayed through her struggles, her pain, her feelings of not good enough in the eyes of others.  She prayed silently and she prayed aloud.  God heard her words and answered.  God hears all my words too, even the ones that are filled with frustration or fear or other emotions.  But it is through my prayers that God takes the barren areas and blesses me.  I have faith that God hears me, just as Hannah did.  Trust and obedience take me to Jesus.  I must hear God and believe.  Trust is faith and faith is believing what I cannot see.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:18  Reading His Word, spending time with my Creator, praying with the heart knowledge that He hears, listens, and answers.  God says in verse four that by being obedient to His commands, I will not be ashamed nor confounded not disgraced, and I will no longer remember any shame from my youth or reproach of widowhood.  Hallelujah!

As Hannah, I have to come before God fully trusting and obediently willing to His very call upon my life.  “Full faith in barren situations yields faith-filled abundant harvest.” (Dawn Boyer)

Father God, I come to you humbly in prayer.  I feel Your hand upon me.  In my love for You, the God Who hears me, I place my life in Your hands and trust You for the fruit of my life.  Teach me Your ways.  Guide me to dig up those places of barrenness and to not be afraid of them.  Bring an Aaron and a Hur alongside of me to hold my arms up when I grow weary, helping me enlarge the place of my tent, to stretch out my habitation, and not hold back.  May I lengthen my cords and strengthen my stakes, that my place be strong and wide and willing and open and trusting in You, my God and my Redeemer.  In the Strong Name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen.

 

Only In Him

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identity_500

(The photo and the words below are from ibibleverses.  I could not say this any better.  The prayer is from my heart.)

The Word of God Says in Jesus Christ…

We are faithful

(Ephesians 1:1)

We are God’s child

(John 1:12)

We have been justified

(Romans 5:1)

We are Christ’s friend

(John 15:15)

We belong to God

(1 Corinthians 6:20)

We are a member of Christ’s Body

(1 Corinthians 12:27)

We are confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me

(Philippians 1:6)

We are a citizen of heaven

(Philippians 3:20)

We are hidden with Christ in God

(Colossians 3:3)

We have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline

(2 Timothy 1:7)

We are blessed in the

heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing

(Ephesians 1:3)

We are adopted as his child

(Ephesians 1:5)

We are given God’s glorious grace lavishly and without restriction

(Ephesians 1:5,8)

We are in Him

(Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30)

We have redemption

(Ephesians 1:8)

We are forgiven

(Ephesians 1:8; Colossians 1:14)

We have purpose

(Ephesians 1:9 & 3:11)

We have hope

(Ephesians 1:12)

We are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit

(Ephesians 1:13)

We are God’s coworker

(2 Corinthians 6:1)

We are alive with Christ

(Ephesians 2:5)

We are raised up with Christ

(Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12)

We are God’s workmanship

(Ephesians 2:10)

We are dead to sin

(Romans 1:12)

We are not alone

(Hebrews 13:5)

We are His disciple

(John 13:15)


LORD, I truly love learning more and more about You and am finding my identity, my identity in You, my Precious LORD.  You have given me every possible gift, drawing me to You.  Oh, how very grateful I am to You for all that You have done for me.  I was created by the hands of the Master Weaver in my mother’s womb.  I was whole then, perfectly woven, but was born into this fallen world.  Your sacrifice upon the Cross and my faith that You are The Resurrected Holy One have given me light and life.  I am whole once more in You.  Hallelujah!  I stand before You as I live this life and begin to understand this identity that I have in You.  Guide me as I take one step at a time, growing more and more like You.  I praise Your Holy Name.  Amen.

 

 

Originally posted 2013-05-03 12:08:44 from http://ibibleverses.christianpost.com/bible-verses-images/our-identity-is-found-in-christ 

Like A Weaver’s Beam

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And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.  1 Samuel 17:7

And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.  2 Samuel 21:19

And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.  1 Chronicles 11:23

(Who were those who slew these men?  These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.  1 Chronicles 11:10 …David’s mighty men.)

As a weaver, myself, these verses struck my curiosity chord.  A weaver’s beam…  In technical weaving terms, it is a strong beam, one usually at the top and another at the bottom, bracing the loom.  As pictured in this Navajo loom below, the beams are where the warp is looped so that a weaver can weave over and under those warps with the weft or woof (either name is correct).   There are many types of looms but they do all have some type of supporting beams.

vertical_loom_colours
Three main loom designs were used in the biblical world. On a horizontal ground loom, the warp threads were stretched between beams pegged to the ground. This type is apparently referred to in the Samson story (Judges 16:13-14), as it would have enabled Delilah to weave his locks while he slept. When Samson jumped up, he pulled away the pin(s) of the loom (Judges 16:14) which secured the beams to the ground.

adding-the-loom-305x172
In some vertical looms, the warp was stretched between two beams fixed in a rectangular frame. Work proceeded from the bottom of the loom, and the woven cloth could be rolled onto the bottom beam (Isaiah 38:12). This permitted the weaver to remain seated and to produce much longer finished products.

220px-Rug-weaving,_Hamadan

Another type of vertical loom had the warp threads attached to an upper beam and held taut in groups by a series of stone or clay weights.  Weaving was done from the top to the bottom, and the weft beaten upwards. Large numbers of excavated loom weights testify to the popularity of warp weighted looms in Old Testament Israel.

weave
In all of these looms, there is a rather large beam.  Each verse above speaks of the warrior’s spear being“like a weaver’s beam.”

In the Philistine army, there was one particularly impressive soldier, named Goliath. He was a large man (“six cubits and a span” can be anywhere from 8’5″ to 9’2″.  ** see comment Douglas Petrovich), and he had armor and weapons to match his size.

And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.  He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.  And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.  The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron.  And his shield-bearer went before him.  He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?  Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.  If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants.  But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”  1 Samuel 17:4-9

We know the outcome of this most familiar story as David tries to tell Saul of his abilities:

Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”  And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”  1 Samuel 17:36-37

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.  1 Samuel 17:50

Power in the things of this world and physical strength of man is not of God.  God uses His servants when they are willing, faithful, and surrendered to Him.  We are His weaver’s beam when we allow Him to use us in all we are, do, and say.  Our strength is in the LORD.  We weave our lives day-to-day.  Regrets, wrong turns, blessings, and right turns all roll into the woven fabric of our lives.  Instead of taking up that beam to beat down the devil as he confronts us or to beat down ourselves for poor choices or when we walked away from God, we must get down on our knees, asking God to protect us with His strength, His power, His might, and His lovingkindness.  We must pick up His sword, the Word of God, using it as Jesus did in the wilderness when tempted by the devil.

Father, God, You have called me to honor You in all I am, in all I say, and in all I do.  I want to honor and respect You as I should.  Father, protect me from the evil one, holding me in the cleft of Your rock.  When the Goliaths of this world come near me, I pray that I trust in You as David did.  Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”  1 Samuel 17:45-47   May I know in my heart and mind that the battle is Your’s and that You will give the enemy into my hand.  I do not need a weaver’s beam for battle, only to use it to weave a beautiful cloth for You.  May my heart be filled with wisdom as I do this work for You.  Oh, Father, I love You.  I pray in Your Son’s Name.  Amen.

Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.  Exodus 35:35

The Word "Word" (Part 2)

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1

In the Greek, the word ‘word’ is logos λόγος (Strong’s 3056).  As in Part 1 of this ‘word’ blog, it can mean an utterance, noise or saying that embodies an idea, basically things initially put together as ‘thought’ andthen expressed in words…with voice.  It can mean the act of speaking: giving instruction/teaching, a narration, anything spoken of (i.e., a matter under consideration or an event or a deed).  Other Scriptures in the Bible use logos translated as an accounting, a reason, a statement, a story, a matter, a question, as well as ‘word’.       
Ephesians 4:29: Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such {a word} as is good for edification according to the need {of the moment,} so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Matthew 7:24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

It can also mean the saying or mandates or precepts of God: Deuteronomy 10:4: “He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them to me.”  Old Testament prophecy was given orally by a prophet, carrying this same connotation, that they are of God.  As in 2 Peter 1:19:    So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. Or 1 Peter 1:10-11:  As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.  

As I study this word rather thoroughly (actually, far more than these two blogs indicate), I again read John 1:1, beginning to feel, hear and see the Truth as God speaks all into existence.  Genesis 1:3:  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  God spoke.  Genesis 1:5:  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.  God spoke.  And He continued to speak until all was created.  John 1:1 tells me that the Word existed when God created the world.  “The Word was God” tells me that God was manifested here on earth as Christ Jesus in the flesh.  When Jesus spoke to the people, his disciples, they were hearing God speak to them.  John 3:34: “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”  When I read the Bible, I hear God speak to me.  Colossians 3:17: Whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.  When the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart, I hear God.  These are the very utterances of God the Father. 

Jesus Christ, in John 1, is ‘the Word’, ho Logos.  He is God’s very thought, God’s very intelligence, His conception.  Jesus is the very expression of that intelligence in embodiment, in speech, in actions, in forgiveness, in love, the fruitfulness of God, that humans can understand.  Those of us who trust in the LORD can see this, can hear this and can begin to grow in Him, learning His Ways, becoming obedient to His call.  We recognize Him in all that is of Him.  We can love those around us, can pray as He taught us, can hold the hope that He continues to give us.  We can feel His grace and mercy, His comfort and love being poured upon us.  

Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.  Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

LORD, may I know You.  May I see clearly through this glass darkly.  May I hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. May the Word penetrate my soul and dwell in me richly.  I want to know You, LORD.  I want to see You.  I want You, for always, to teach me, grow me, love me, and hold me.  I thank You for Your lessons of love. Amen.    

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  Colossians 3:16

The Word "Word" (Part 1)

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God’s word is audible, is visible, and sometimes it is neither.  I have heard it through His whisper in my ear or His shout from the heavens, seen His words in the Bible, a devotional or another book, watched the sunrise over the bay, or a young woodpecker learning survival from its parents, held a baby in my arms, been touched by God’s finger on my heart or His hand upon my shoulder, or felt His breath upon my cheek.

His word guides me as I walk this life’s roads, directs my actions each day, keeps me still when I want to run, loves me through a challenge, holds me closely when I care for Mom, gently rocks me in the night, untiringly stays by my side.  

I read His Word and know that He is teaching, guiding, and growing me.  I write His Word to remember.  I memorize His Word to store in my heart.  I ponder Him through His Word to know Him.  I pray His Word to speak to Him.  He speaks His Word to me as we walk together.  

Today, I write of the word ‘word’ as something spoken by God in one form or another.  In Hebrew, the word for ‘word’ is dabar  דבר (Strong’s 1697).  The word ‘word’ is used over 1400 times in the KJV of the Bible with meanings ranging from speech (a saying, an utterance) to describing a thing (a business, occupation, acts, a manner) to a matter (stating what is done, an account of an action). Many English words are used in translation in the Bible of this word.  

Because He says it, words are divine utterances, taking on deep meanings, even when the word I see looks rather shallow.  Anything that the LORD says needs pondering, hopefully, to realize the depth of His word.  I know that God speaks and I need to listen. I need to ponder. I need to be still for He is God. 

God’s word is guidance:  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.  Psalm 199:105

God’s word has healing power:  He sent His word and healed them, and delivered {them} from their destructions.  Psalm 107:20

God’s word cuts; God’s word penetrates:  For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  Hebrew 4:12

The prophets, again and again, wrote in the books of the Bible:  “The word of the LORD came to me saying,….”  The word brought Truth to the ears and hearts of the prophets to announce to God’s children.  Jeremiah used this form of ‘word’ (dabar) often to make clear to those listening that God had given him authority.

His word needs to be released, unleashed:  Then I said, ” I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.”  But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.  Jeremiah 20:9

The word did what it said; the word completed the plans of God, for God spoke His Truth:  Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”  Jeremiah 1:12

And I, personally, love this verse:  Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.  Jeremiah 15:16 
This verse reminds me of the way I am to memorize verses and the reason I am to do it.  I want my heart to be delighted.  I want joy to ring in my very being.  Just think about eating God’s word and digesting the very Truth of our LORD.  The Blood of Christ Jesus takes these nutrients to every cell, every vein, every organ, muscle, and bone in my body, my mind, and my soul, enriching me with His Love, His Truth, with I AM. 

The Spirit of God carries life through the word:  Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.  1 Peter 1:22-23