Dry Bones/Canyon Walls

Have you ever been in the desert? If not, It’s certainly something to put on your ‘bucket list’. Yes It’s VERY hot and you could die there. I don’t recommend taking a long hike away from the main road without any water…

But there’s something about the desert. There is a beauty in Its’ severity that can’t be found anywhere else. It has a quality, a purity, If you will. Jesus would often go away from town and out Into the desert to pray. And It’s out in the desert where Ezekiel would have his vision of the valley of dry bones.

In Ezekiel 37, God has the prophet speak to a valley Full of dry bones. God already knows what’s going to happen, but Zeek has a major part to play. He has to prophesy to the bones. God was showing him and us that we must be the carriers of HIS will in the earth. It’s only after Zeek speaks that the bones become reattached to each other, and take on flesh. He tells them to live and THEN God breaths life Into  them. They stand as an exceedingly great army of men.

How can we be clothed in truth and filled with the breath of God? We obviously need to speak Gods’ truth Into each others’ lives. We need to speak Gods’ word over ourselves. We have a part to play. It doesn’t just happen by Itself.

CANYON WALLS

The hours pass by these arid skies

As day follows day, and days become years

All life seems to be waiting here

Hot cobalt blue and canyon red along the empty riverbeds

Scorched sand and shale, rocks withered and glazed

All perfectly still, all waiting for rain

Till the Blessing bursts forth and the heavens pour down

Then this cracked hard earth reveals the Divine

From ashen to violet and sandstone to gold

In primrose and amethyst sunsets untold

To all but this ‘wasteland’ now radiantly clothed

The secret remains for a time yet unknown

 

by Ron Simko

 

I told someone I’d publish this, and since it kinda fits the theme of dryness to life, well…

Till next time!

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LOOK BEYOND THE HORIZON

So how’s your life been lately? Up or down, Inspiring or Stagnant? Supernatural and extraordinary, or natural and mundane? Miraculous or not so miraculous?

Jesus said, “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons…John 8:23 (msg).

While He was on earth, Jesus was in touch with something beyond our horizons. This seems like a no-brainer, but He had good reason to state the obvious. He had been trying to speak of spiritual truths and folks just weren’t getting it. He told them, in not so many words, that their lives were consumed by the mundane.

Like us in so many ways, they couldn’t see past grubbing for their next meal.

We are living in a time where pretty much everyone reading this blog has more than enough to eat. Most anyone with a laptop on their lap has a roof over their head. But there are bills to pay, and appointments to keep. There are things to fix, and lawns to mow, and we get stuck in the routine of our days. We become mundane. We spend our lives looking down at the ground for stray quarters, and If we’re looking towards the horizon, it’s for our next paycheck.

But Jesus was in touch with something else. Something ‘beyond’ the horizon.

To look towards the horizon, you have to lift your head.

To see BEYOND the horizon you have to lift your spirit.

God has so much more for you and I, but it won’t just ‘happen’. We have to lift our spiritual eyes, and ‘see’ past the everyday struggles. We need to spend time seeking Gods’ heart.

Supernatural and miraculous or natural and mundane? How would you describe the life of Jesus? How’s your life been lately?

 

 

MEMORABLE DAYS

Well, It’s the memorial day weekend. This is the holiday where we honor the memory of those who have fallen in the service of our country. We remember the sacrifices of all the soldiers who have given their lives in the line of duty. Our prayers are with all the men and women on duty and in danger overseas. God Bless and keep them in Your care! We also pray Gods’ blessings and peace for all the people remembering other loved ones who have passed on.

This time of year also marks the ‘unofficial’ start of summer. Although the solstice is still a few weeks away, the weather does usually begin to warm up about now. So as we look back in remembrance, we are also looking forward to the end of the cold (at least in Northern climes!)

But what makes this DAY, or any other memorable? If we take stock of our past, will it help us forge our future? What are the memories I have of this past winter? Am I closer to God than I was last year at this time? Have I made the changes I need to make to pursue His will for my life? What’s memorable about the year so far? About my life? What has God called me to do right now?

These are tough times, and we need to ask ourselves some tough questions. God has a purpose for your life and mine. Let’s repent of any sins of omission or Inactivity. Let’s build an ‘alter’ right here at this pont in our lives, and seek Gods’ provision, grace and guidance in the months to come. This summer could see the most memorable days of all time! As we draw near to God, we will know His heart and become co-laborers with Him in what could be the greatest outpouring in history! Amen? Amen.

CHOOSING TO LEAP

Decisions, decisions! Choices! We make them everyday. Cereal or bagel for breakfast? Take the e-way or the scenic route? Roll down the windows or turn on the air? Most of the choices we make appear to be relatively Insignificant. What you eat for lunch today probably won’t have a profound effect on the Middle East. Not that you shouldn’t use wisdom; you’d better ‘ watch those carbs!’

Some of our choices though, change our lives forever…

What about the choices already made? Any regrets? I think it’s safe to say we all have some. What would you do differently, if you had it all to do over again? How would your life be different today had you taken another path? Sometimes we are haunted by the specters of the mistakes we’ve made. We need to turn our past over to the One who was and is the Lord of all time, and move on. It’s good to learn from our mistakes, but not so good to dwell on them! Learning from the past does help Inform our decision-making process, but there’s more. Much more.

What are the real choices you are facing right now?

Everyone is where they are right now because of the choices they’ve made along the way. The issue isn’t whether you did or didn’t do the right things. The real question is ‘Where do I go from here?’ The real starting point is ‘What are my priorities NOW?

 God has a plan for your life. Sometimes it may not seem like it, but He does. Believe it. What does your future look like right now? I guarantee that if you’re not considering Gods’ plans for you, It’s not what it should be.

Sometimes choices are completely personal. Other times they  may affect entire communities, or even nations. All of us have a choice before us right now, and the decision we make is going to Impact our cities, our state and the world.

If we HONESTLY seek Gods’ will for our lives, we may have to make some hard choices. Or we may have to give up some things. We will have to shift our priorities. What if He asks you to pray instead of watch TV? Or pass on a promotion at work for more time in ministry? What if it means less money’s going to be ‘coming in’?

Sometimes you have to leap.

There is a move of God coming to America. It’s going to require a radical shift away from the way we’re used to doing things. It’s going to take some sacrifice. We need to seek Gods’ will for our lives and walk in the plans He has for each of us. Our choices have to line up with what He’s called us to do. You and I may have to take the ‘leap of faith’. Is there really any other way?

GRACE… AND THE END OF TIME

Today is a day of grace. As a matter of fact, If you’re reading this, It is by grace. 5 days grace actually, but that’s not the main focus here.

Grace has been given to every one of us. God is full of grace, and He extends it to you and me unconditionally. But is it unlimited?

Over this past weekend, the latest ‘end of the world’ barely held our attention. Most people and especially Christians treated it like a joke,and to the extent that It flew in the face of scripture, that should be expected. There is, however, an end coming, and that’s a sobering thought. Time will eventually run out. We are not yet living in eternity, and all things temporal WILL pass away. Like it or not, we are all on a time-table and the kicker is, we don’t really know when ‘time’s up!’ do we? And It’s not just the ‘end of the world’ I’m referring to. Sorry to say it, but we’re all gonna die sooner or later.

So how much grace do we have? How long do you have to pray Into someones’ life before THEY run out of time?  Or talk to them about the Lord? What has God called you to do in life? Do you know? Procrastination is not one of the gifts of the Spirit! There is a timing to everything (see my blog on timing!). The book of Ecclesiastes says there’s a time for every purpose under Heaven. God has prepared good works for you and I to ‘walk’ in from the foundations of the world. What Has God called you to do? What has He called me to do?

Grace and time are Interwoven. There is a TIME for every purpose under Heaven. Grace is unconditional. But how long do you and I have before time runs out? Let’s seek Gods’ face in order to know His heart for our lives. Let’s do it before it’s too late. Amen?

ADMINISTRATIVE STRONGMAN?

It’s Saturday! The obvious topic today might be the end of the world, but I already had my say on that one (see yesterdays’ blog). The slightly eerie pic you see is actually here for another reason. I want to address a spiritual concern that has recently been brought to my attention.

The majority of people believe that there is more to the world than we can see with the naked eye. And Christians in particular know that there are spiritual Influences at work among us. There are Angels and there are…demons. Maybe not the most popular subject for some of us, but one we need to look at from time to time. We’re all familiar with the most popular Images of bat wings, tails and horns, but there is a much more subtle side to this realm. It’s a sphere of covert manipulation. In most cases the people being Influenced are not even aware their actions are not entirely their own. Sometimes it boils down to doing the wrong things for what appear to be the right reasons.

I’m not trying to launch out on a witch hunt here, I just want to bring some things to light that have been Impressed upon me lately. This is an area where diligence is required, especially in the arena of church leadership.

We are warned in scripture to avoid anything that has a form of Godliness but denies the power thereof. We also read that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Many bodies of believers are not experiencing this promised freedom because of controlling spirits within the church. The term that has come to me is ‘administrative stronghold’ or ‘strongman’.

The programs, classes and prayer meetings are all in place. Things LOOK good, and the church seems to be doing all the right things, but it’s all being crushed under the force of the administrative strongmans’ grip. There is great fear at the highest level over loss of control.

This is just one example of how the enemy infiltrates and weakens the churches effectiveness. Does it nullify everything the local body is doing in the community and in missions etc? Of course not, but it does have an Impact on how much of Gods’ power is manifest in the congregation. It can Interfere with real Intimacy with the Lord. It can derail the manifestation of the Gifts. Often healings, prophecies and real deliverance become rare occurrences.

I feel the Lord has been revealing these things to us so we can start to watch and pray for exactly this type of thing. God is preparing the church for something big. Let’s be diligent, and seek his guidance. Let’s be honest with ourselves and take a look at the reasons we do or don’t do things. God’s ready to reform his church. Are we ready to be reformed?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING SATURDAY?

What are you doing Saturday? How about Sunday? Are you heading down to your local bomb shelter to wait out the Impending apocalypse? Do you have plenty of food and ammunition?

These are serious questions to some folks, and I’m really not here to ridicule anybody, but here’s the deal; Why are we so obsessed with the ‘end’?

Jesus said that no one knows the appointed time. Period. He’s coming as a thief in the night. That reads UNEXPECTED! How many thieves give you a call and say ‘Oh by the way, I’m going to pop over and rob your house next Saturday, How’s 1:00am?’?

We all remember Y2K. All the computers were going to shut down at midnight. Civilization as we know it was as good as gone. Now civilization has almost gone out the window a few times, like during the bank meltdown. That was WAY closer than most people realize.

But there are things prophesied throughout the scriptures that have yet to come to pass. Some have happened, yes, and others are eminent. I believe we’re poised on the brink of the greatest outpouring in history. And then there’s all that untidy stuff about the antichrist and the coming persecution of the church. I don’t think that slipped by without our noticing. So when will it be ‘time’?

Only the Father knows the exact time.

Yes, there is only one God, but He is a trinity. The Father, Son and Spirit can operate independently. Amazing, Wonderful, Bewildering even, but awesome and true!

Only the Father knows the exact time. And He’s not telling.