Category Archives: New attitude

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The Immeasurable Magnitude of Mercy…

“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”  Luke 6:36

Mercy, the greatest gift one can show another and none could ever come close to the kind of mercy Jesus shows and has shown.

Likewise no mercy will ever compare to the mercy shown us when He took our place on the cross and took all the punishment, pain, and torture for the wrong of all mankind.

The age-old term of “mercy me” literally meaning “have mercy on me” and the dictionary meanings are many a splendid thing :), words such as “benevolence”, “compassion”, “kindness”, “forgiveness”, and the mac daddy of them all is “forbearance”

Which means to tolerate beyond any reasonable expectation the behavior of another, and can be equated also to what Jesus spoke of when He said, “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” 

Which means in Old English means two, but for the record Jesus didn’t speak Old English, of course being God He certainly can speak any language He wants, but I point that out also in this mercy post, because they are some who get really upset if you leave out a “thee” or “thou” when trying to relay messages from the word.

Dealing with that issue really teaches the double edge of mercy.

Being merciful in not brow beating another for an innocent infraction and flip it over and forbear when we are browbeaten for that misquote. 

We seem to be running a little crazy  in society right now, we have mercy only in the areas that mean something to us.

I am so thankful that so many have joined the causes of anima rights and believe wholeheartedly in that and believe that God’s word is very clear on HIS thoughts on the subject, since the angel in the Bible story that you can read in the link above, clearly expressed great anger to the wicked Balaam because he had beat the donkey, so I certainly do not want to dismiss mercy shown by ANYONE to ANYTHING because the world needs help in ALL areas.

But I do not understand how people can feel that strongly and protective of the others of God’s creation and how they can literally fight for the environment, I firmly believe in and support that also, I have never written on it but think about these words from Revelation 11:18, it deals with the wrath of God and the ends goes like this “…and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”

It was all gifted to us from God and we have destroyed it and ourselves through wickedness.

But I fail to understand how one can love the trees, the wilderness, flowers, and butterflies and yet have no problem whatsoever with the slaughter of millions of babies, our own species, a year.

And I can’t understand how anyone in the name of science can say they want to cure diseases and save lives and find cures and yet can be so evil and unmerciful to torture animals in researching those cures and even worse the cosmetic industry, like, “Oh, I love your long lashes, wonder how many animals were blinded in the process of coming up with that lengthening formula?

Certainly can’t understand the concept, which can be pretty predominant in certain crowds of  “don’t kill those babies, but string that murderer up” folks, we can’t have both.

And I will show you why in just a bit.   

As a society these lines are becoming more and more blurred and the fight for  perceived mercy and acceptance toward some is causing absolute merciless and hatred spewed at others that have different thoughts on the subject at hand.

What is this leading up to?

Well, often the thought is the ends justify the means and people can become absolutely obsessed with their “cause” so much so, that cause becomes more of a militant mission and what can start off as a heart in the right place can turn very dark when met with anger and intolerance from the opposition, Regardless of what those disagreements pertain to.

Because right and wrong can only be truly measured by the Word Of God and His standards of behavior and justice, everything else is OUR human opinions and PERSONAL standards. 

Often the wrong teachings of Him as hostile, and wanting to torch everyone has left many wide open to the tricks and snares of the devil and they run AWAY from God because they have seen things from those who profess Christ, that are in NO WAY true representations of Jesus Christ.

As my favorite saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold” and just because someone says that are a “Christian” does in no way mean that they are following Christ.

Jesus told us that we would know them by their fruit a good tree can not bear bad fruit nor a bad one good, so we KNOW by their actions, which truly speak louder that words, where they really stand with God.

The devil can quote Bible scripture, he tried to use them against Jesus when Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, he knows more about the word, probably than many of us, because he has been around since creation.

And the Bible gives us warning after warning about “false preachers'” and “false teachers” and those who are “wolves in sheep clothing” the devil himself, we are told, “can transform into an angel of light” and that “IF it were possible”, the very elect, God’s CHOSEN “would EVEN be deceived” but God will not allow that.

So when people fall to the wrong beliefs and TURN on God this is what FILLS that place in their heart and soul that should be filled by Him.

Romans 1:22, 28-32: “Professing THEMSELVES to be wise, they became fools.

And even as they did NOT like to retain God in their knowledge, God GAVE them over to a reprobate MIND, to do those things which are NOT convenient (fitting);  

BEING FILLED WITH ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; FULL of envy, murder, debate (strife), deceit, malignity (evil-mindedness),whisperers,

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful (violent), proud, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. 

WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING, covenantbreakers, WITHOUT natural affection, implacable (unforgiving), UNMERCIFUL;

Who KNOWING the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Sound familiar? If not, try turning on the television sometimes and check out the news and you will see plenty of it.

Mercy is OUR choice and once we lose sight of just what mercy entails will are in for a world of hurt. 

Mercy and truth co-exist and you can not truly have one without the other.

Psalm 85:9-13: “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. 

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 

Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set US in the way of his steps.” 

Hopefully you can see by the bold and underlined where this is going,  once mercy comes into play it brings forth truth because in order to show mercy we must look at our own actions and based on the GOLDEN RULE X2 we realize many truths.

Especially the endless mercies that God has shown us in our lifetimes. Mercy and truth help produce righteousness (right-standing with God) and peace, that peace that also allows for that forbearing mercy.

Then we can be blessed of God and he will direct our paths in Him.

So whether it is resisting the temptation to spread some juicy gossip, or the need to take ten and calm down that last nerve someone is getting on, or being proactive in choices that represent your conviction of mercy, or even as a far greater act of mercy, when it is in your power, one form or another to destroy another person, be it their reputation, their job security, or whatever it may be and you choose NOT to, because THAT is the kind of mercy Jesus has shown us,.

He could have destroyed this entire universe and simply spoke another into existence. He could have left us all to die in our sins, He could have chosen NOT to cast those forgiven sins “into the sea of forgetfulness” and He could have reminded us every single day of what we had done wrong.

But He doesn’t, and our sins, once forgiven are “as far as the east is to the west”.

And mercy is what He expects us to show if we EXPECT mercy from Him.

He is just and absolutely fair in His judgments toward us and we truly are returned what we are willing to give another, with no room for self-righteous condemnations of others.

Just as the story of the Pharisee  and the tax collector  Luke 18:10-14, the Pharisee was all up on himself TELLING God how fabulous he had been and how much better he was than “THAT tax collector” and tax collector confessed his sins and ASKED for mercy and Jesus commended Him in His Word, that he was the one that actually was right with God that day. 

What counts with God is the things that NO ONE sees, that is just as important, being diligent when no one else even knows, because someone DOES KNOW and that someone is God. So go that extra mile even when you don’t feel like it, look over thoughts and actions that you may not necessarily agree with when there is nothing to be harmed by looking over that.

Be merciful at every opportunity, to give love, kindness, and show mercy, even in the little things, don’t get mad at the dog, don’t squish that bug just because it is there, don’t throw out the cat, don’t punish your child out of simple anger, the things we put so much stock in is not even going to matter in the end.

All that is going to matter is the choices you have made, not that society made for you, but you made for yourself.

I told you I’d show you why, Psalm 18:24-26: “Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me  according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. 

With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright:

With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; with the froward (devious) thou wilt shew thyself froward (shrewd).” 

He WILL mirror back to use our own image in these things and sometimes that is not very pretty, we NEED all the mercy we can get.

James 2:12,13:” So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 

For he shall have JUDGEMENT WITHOUT MERCY, THAT HATH SHEWED NO MERCY; AND MERCY REJOICETH AGAINST JUDGEMENT..” Which means mercy is gentle, kind, and forgiving and does NOT seek retaliation or to harm simply because it is socially acceptable to do so.

Such as, in my state, it was perfectly legal  for a man to beat his spouse until the nineteen eighties, but do you think this made it okay?

Do you think that God is going to look over that if they do not repent?

No, He is not, just because we “can” do something does NOT make it right.

But how many guys do you think probably took full advantage of that “right” to abuse spouses, run roughshod over families, destroy lives, and be cock of the roost.

My point. and will end it right here:

Hosea 6:6: “ For I DESIRED mercy (faithfulness) , and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.“

Thanks for reading! Thanks for your patience with me and thank you to my followers, I appreciate every single person who takes time out of their life to read this blog. God bless you till next time! Love & Peace! Φλογιζω NBJ 2019    

Original post date : 03/05/2019 REVISTED & links added  07/26/2022  Rev. N. Brown Johnson

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When in Rome…

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. 

According as his DIVINE POWER hath GIVEN unto us ALL things that pertain unto life and godliness, THROUGH the knowledge of him that HATH CALLED US TO GLORY AND VIRTUE.

Whereby ARE GIVEN unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption THAT IS IN THE WORLD through lust.” 2 Peter 1:2-4 

Lovin’ the old saying…”When in Rome… you know… “do as the Romans.” But I want to give you a slightly different take on it as we go into a new year.

We all know that when the clock strikes midnight, December 31st, no magic star-dust will be falling from the sky, we also know that Cinderella’s dress really doesn’t mystically transform back into soot covered, tattered rags.

But most do hold it as time is called on the stop watch of old and a new countdown is set for the future.

Which is why I always just go with it. I believe in HOPE and my HOPE is in the Lord but I will take a little extra encouragement wherever I can find it!

So here we go.. “When in Rome REMEMBER that while everyone was doing as everyone else.. Rome FELL!

Let’s check out our scriptures. Our starter verse greets us with the blessing of praying that grace and peace be multiplied to us! But we are quickly REMINDED that the multiplication of THAT grace and THAT peace comes IN the knowledge of God.

What is the knowledge of God? I personally believe that it would be keeping Him first and foremost in our hearts and our minds and most of all our EVERYDAY lives. Now that is NOT always easy!

But we know that he also PROMISED that he would “keep in PERFECT peace” those who keep their minds on Him. Making time every day to read at least one scripture or devotional. If you do not have morning time to read for yourself, sign up for daily verse emails (my husband reads his aloud for our family) and even social medias have many pages that offer this.

Another great way to stay spiritually fed while multi-tasking is to consider CD’s or electronic devices that you can listen to while driving, cleaning, or while doing almost anything.

It is also great to listen to good, Bible based preaching BUT it is so important to get the actual WRITTEN WORD of God in your Spirit. When we get the Word of God on the “tables of our heart” God uses that to reveal to us what He is saying to us PERSONALLY, not just as it had been revealed to one of His ministers.

I am in no way kicking that, that is His intention by having those who are called to preach the Gospel. But sometimes He will reveal a certain take on a scripture just for you for a certain season or particular battle.

Think about His statement from John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

We  have to have His word in us so that it can be brought back to our remembrance because we have can no memory of that which we have not learned. this is one of those when in Rome areas, we can not rest our knowledge of Christ solely upon what is being taught to us.

We know that currently the world is full of false teaching concerning God and especially concerning holiness and acceptable behaviors.  This gets us into our verse dealing with the fact that we have BEEN CALLED OUT of this world.

We are no longer partakers of the world and the sins and snares thereof. A life that we could not free ourselves from BUT a life in which we are called into.

A life that has been GIVEN by absolute DIVINE power that allows to overcome those snares and traps to live inside that realm of virtue and the blessed state of His glory shining on our lives, in the midst of even the darkness of this world.

And these are those promises, that we are called out and called into Him and that through him and His promises that we will escape the lusts of this world that corrupts us.

Think about the word lust.. not the just the sexual sense. The sexual sense is actually the LEAST of the lusts we have to battle. it simply means DESIRE and think of all the desires our flesh has to battle… daily.

The desire of life, the desire of work, the desire to excel in whatever we have chosen. The desire for monetary gains, the desire for popularity, the desire to be liked, loved, needed, or even the desire to be pretty, articulate, even the desire to be “desirable” NOT in the lustful sense but in the attractive sense.

Even the desire to be competitive, the desire to get even, the desire to be “one up” on a foe.  ANYTHING, any emotion, any thought, ANYTHING has the potential to BECOME lustful if not carefully checked against the word of God. 

That was the trouble with the  ancient Romans. They actually took their ideas for their society from the Greeks. They just made everything BIGGER and BETTER than what the Greeks had. The Greeks worshipped twelve “gods’ so the Romans added two and worshipped fourteen.

They built their society based on the thoughts and ideas stolen from the Greeks and as we all know became the world power of the day.

But we also know when it fell.. “great was the fall” and will never again rise to its former stature. We, as a society, take our cues from the media and entertainment, and most horrifically the voice that cries the loudest.

Often thoughts and ideas of a very small group of people become force-fed into mainstream population by the media and soon EVERYONE is EXPECTED to conform to that thought or image, when it is not actually even the popular thought.

It is time to relinquish the societal control that we allow to dictate our lives, thoughts, and desires BACK to God so that we can TRULY be conformed to His will, HIS purpose and most of all HIS divine nature.

So “destroy” that influence over your life in the coming new year. basically, if it does not honor God, do not give it honor by allowing whatever that force is to influence your life. If you are doing or seeing anything that you could not see or do with Jesus beside you.. then simply do not allow that to have any place in your thoughts, life, or family.

Check out what He told the Hebrews, Deuteronomy 7:2-6: “And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they WILL turn away thy son FROM FOLLOWING ME, that they may serve other gods, so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

But thus (here’s how) ye shall deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

For thou ART (you are) AN HOLY (set apart) PEOPLE UNTO GOD; THE LORD THY GOD HATH CHOSEN THEE TO BE A SPECIAL PEOPLE (treasure) UNTO HIMSELF, above all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”

As you see THIS is the word of God. HE IS telling us through it that just as the Hebrews were to NOT to have any dealings whatsoever ever with those who were their enemies that we are to NOT have any dealings whatsoever with those things today that ARE our SPIRITUAL enemies.

And notice that He did INCLUDE our children and what we allow to influence them and HE told us in no uncertain terms that exposure to these enemies would lead to REBELLION against Him. That we are to DESTROY those things out of our lives BECAUSE He has called us as His. And fortunately for us, it is much easier NOW to remove those spiritual enemies by making our choices based on His teachings.

So don’t let this world influence your life, you influence the world by living your life for Him!

Finally a couple of quick notes… WHY did Cinderella’s shoes NOT change when everything else did in that fairy-tale? Anyone else ever wonder about that 🙂 ?

Also if you are reading internationally, please know that this title and reference to the old saying and ancient Rome in NO WAY reflects my feelings toward Rome… or Romans, this has been completely symbolic.

Rome is a beautiful place that I would love to visit one day!

And I also wanted to thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for reading this past year and it is my sincerest prayer that you be blessed with new revelations, new joy, and the happiness and peace that can only be found in a true personal relationship with our Lord and Creator Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen!

Original post date: 12/28/2017 But sometimes it is good to be reminded.

Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω NBJ 2017

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The Immeasurable Magnitude of Mercy…

“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”  Luke 6:36 Mercy, the greatest gift one can show another and none could ever come close to the kind of mercy Jesus shows and has shown and no mercy will ever compare to the mercy shown us when He took our place on the cross and took all the punishment, pain, and torture for the wrong of all mankind.

The age-old term of “mercy me” literally meaning “have mercy on me” and the dictionary meanings are many a splendid thing :), words such as “benevolence”, “compassion”, “kindness”, “forgiveness”, and the mac daddy of them all is “forbearance” Which means to tolerate beyond any reasonable expectation the behavior of another, and can be equated also to what Jesus spoke of when He said, “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” 

Which means in Old English means two, but for the record Jesus didn’t speak Old English, of course being God He certainly can speak any language He wants, but I point that out also in this mercy post, because they are some who get really upset if you leave out a “thee” or “thou” when trying to relay messages from the word.

Dealing with that teaches the double edge of mercy. Being merciful in not brow beating another for an innocent infraction and flip it over and forbear when we are browbeaten for that misquote. 

We seem to be running a little crazy in society right now, we have mercy only in the areas that mean something to us.

I am so thankful that so many have joined the causes of animal rights and believe wholeheartedly in that and believe that God’s word is very clear on HIS thoughts on it, if you’d like you can read more about that in OF A DUDE, A DONKEY, AND A VERY ANGRY ANGEL so I certainly do not want to dismiss mercy shown by ANYONE to ANYTHING because the world needs help in ALL areas.

But I do not understand how people can feel that strongly and protective of the others of God’s creation and how they can literally fight for the environment, I firmly believe in and support that also, I have never written on it but think about these words from Revelation 11:18, it deals with the wrath of God and the ends goes like this “…and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”

It was all gift ed to us from God and we have destroyed it and ourselves through wickedness.

But I fail to understand how one can love the trees, the wilderness, flowers, and butterflies and yet have no problem whatsoever with the slaughter of millions of babies, our OWN species, a year.

And I can’t understand how anyone in the name of science can say they want to cure diseases and save lives and find cures and yet can be so evil and unmerciful to torture animals in researching those cures and even worse the cosmetic industry, like, “Oh, I love your long lashes, wonder how many animals were blinded in the process of coming up with that lengthening formula?

Certainly can’t understand the concept, which can be pretty predominant in certain crowds, of  “don’t kill those babies, but string that murderer up”  folks, we can’t have both.

And I will show you why in just a bit.   

As a society these lines are becoming more and more blurred and the fight for  perceived mercy and acceptance toward some is causing absolute mercilessness and hatred spewed at others that have different thoughts on the subject at hand.

What is this leading up to? Well, often the thought is the ends justify the means and people can become absolutely obsessed with their “cause” so much so, that cause becomes more of a militant mission and what can start off as a heart in the right place can turn very dark when met with anger and intolerance from the opposition, Regardless of what those disagreements pertain to.

Because right and wrong can only be truly measured by the Word Of God and His standards of behavior and justice, everything else is OUR human opinions and PERSONAL standards. 

Often the wrong teachings of Him as hostile, and wanting to torch everyone has left many wide open to the tricks and snares of the devil and they run AWAY from God because they have seen things from those who profess Christ, that are in NO WAY true representations of Jesus Christ, as my favorite saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold” and just because someone says that are a “Christian” does in no way mean that they are following Christ.

Jesus told us that we would know them by “their fruit” a good tree can not bear bad fruit nor a bad one good, so we KNOW by their actions, which truly speak louder that words, where they really stand with God.

The devil can quote Bible scripture, he tried to use them against Jesus when Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, he knows more about the word, probably than many of us, because he has been around since creation.

And the Bible gives us warning after warning about “false preachers'” and “false teachers” and those who are “wolves in sheep clothing” the devil himself, we are told, “can transform into an angel of light” and that “IF it were possible”, the very elect, God’s CHOSEN “would EVEN be deceived” but God will not allow that.

So when people fall to the wrong beliefs and TURN on God this is what FILLS that place in their heart and soul that should be filled by Him.

Romans 1:22, 28-32: “Professing THEMSELVES to be wise, they became fools.

And even as they did NOT like to retain God in their knowledge, God GAVE them over to a reprobate MIND, to do those things which are NOT convenient (fitting);  

BEING FILLED WITH ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; FULL of envy, murder, debate (strife), deceit, malignity (evil-mindedness),whisperers,

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful (violent), proud, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. 

WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING, covenantbreakers, WITHOUT natural affection, implacable (unforgiving), UNMERCIFUL;

Who KNOWING the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Sound familiar? If not, try turning on the television sometimes and check out the news and you will see plenty of it.

Mercy is OUR choice and once we lose sight of just what mercy entails will are in for a world of hurt. 

Mercy and truth co-exist and you can not truly have one without the other.

Psalm 85:9-13: “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. 

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 

Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set US in the way of his steps.” 

Hopefully you can see by the bold and underlined where this is going,  once mercy comes into play it brings forth truth because in order to show mercy we must look at our own actions and based on the GOLDEN RULE X2 we realize many truths.

Especially the endless mercies that God has shown us in our lifetimes. Mercy and truth help produce righteousness (right-standing with God) and peace, that peace that also allows for that forbearing mercy.

Then we can be blessed of God and he will direct our paths in Him.

So whether it is resisting the temptation to spread some juicy gossip, or the need to take ten and calm down that last nerve someone is getting on, or being proactive in choices that represent your conviction of mercy, or even as a far greater act of mercy, when it is in your power, one form or another to destroy another person, be it their reputation, their job security, or whatever it may be and you choose NOT to, because THAT is the kind of mercy Jesus has shown us,.

He could have destroyed this entire universe and simply spoke another into existence. He could have left us all to die in our sins, He could have chosen NOT to cast those forgiven sins “into the sea of forgetfulness” and He could have reminded us every single day of what we had done wrong.

But He doesn’t, and our sins, once forgiven are “as far as the east is to the west”.

And mercy is what He expects us to show if we EXPECT mercy from Him.

He is just and absolutely fair in His judgments toward us and we truly are returned what we are willing to give another, with no room for self-righteous condemnations of others.

Just as the story of the Pharisee  and the tax collector  Luke 18:10-14, the Pharisee was all up on himself TELLING God how fabulous he had been and how much better he was than “THAT tax collector” and tax collector confessed his sins and ASKED for mercy and Jesus commended Him in His Word, that he was the one that actually was right with God that day. 

What counts with God is the things that NO ONE sees, that is just as important, being diligent when no one else even knows, because someone DOES KNOW and that someone is God. So go that extra mile even when you don’t feel like it, look over thoughts and actions that you may not necessarily agree with when there is nothing to be harmed by looking over that.

Be merciful at every opportunity, to give love, kindness, and show mercy, even in the little things, don’t get mad at the dog,don’t squish that bug just because it is there, don’t throw out the cat, don’t punish your child out of simple anger, the things we put so much stock in is not even going to matter in the end.

All that is going to matter is the choices you have made, not that society made for you, but you made for yourself.

I told you I’d show you why, Psalm 18:24-26: “Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me  according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. 

With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright:

With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; with the froward (devious) thou wilt shew thyself froward (shrewd).” 

He WILL mirror back to use our own image in these things and sometimes that is not very pretty, we NEED all the mercy we can get.

James 2:12,13:” So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 

For he shall have JUDGEMENT WITHOUT MERCY, THAT HATH SHEWED NO MERCY; AND MERCY REJOICETH AGAINST JUDGEMENT..” Which means mercy is gentle, kind, and forgiving and does NOT seek retaliation or to harm simply because it is socially acceptable to do so.

Such as, in my state, it was perfectly legal  for a man to beat his spouse until the nineteen eighties, but do you think this made it okay?

Do you think that God is going to look over that if they do not repent?

No, He is not, just because we “can” do something does NOT make it right.

But how many guys do you think probably took full advantage of that “right” to abuse spouses, run roughshod over families, destroy lives, and be cock of the roost.

My point. and will end it right here:

Hosea 6:6: “ For I DESIRED mercy (faithfulness) , and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.“

Thanks for reading! Thanks for your patience with me and thank you to my followers, I appreciate every single person who takes time out of their life to read this blog. God bless you till next time! Love & Peace! Φλογιζω NBJ 2019

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When in Rome… 2018

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. 

According as his DIVINE POWER hath GIVEN unto us ALL things that pertain unto life and godliness, THROUGH the knowledge of him that HATH CALLED US TO GLORY AND VIRTUE.

Whereby ARE GIVEN unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption THAT IS IN THE WORLD through lust.” 2 Peter 1:2-4 

Lovin’ the old saying…”When in Rome… you know… “do as the Romans.” But I want to give you a slightly different take on it as we go into a new year.

We all know that when the clock strikes midnight, December 31st, no magic star-dust will be falling from the sky, we also know that Cinderella’s dress really doesn’t mystically transform back into soot covered, tattered rags.

But most do hold it as time is called on the stop watch of old and a new countdown is set for the future.

Which is why I always just go with it. I believe in HOPE and my HOPE is in the Lord but I will take a little extra encouragement wherever I can find it!

So here we go.. “When in Rome REMEMBER that while everyone was doing as everyone else.. Rome FELL!

Let’s check out our scriptures. Our starter verse greets us with the blessing of praying that grace and peace be multiplied to us! But we are quickly REMINDED that the multiplication of THAT grace and THAT peace comes IN the knowledge of God.

What is the knowledge of God? I personally believe that it would be keeping Him first and foremost in our hearts and our minds and most of all our EVERYDAY lives. Now that is NOT always easy!

But we know that he also PROMISED that he would “keep in PERFECT peace” those who keep their minds on Him. Making time every day to read at least one scripture or devotional. If you do not have morning time to read for yourself, sign up for daily verse emails (my husband reads his aloud for our family) and even social medias have many pages that offer this.

Another great way to stay spiritually fed while multi-tasking is to consider CD’s or electronic devices that you can listen to while driving, cleaning, or while doing almost anything.

It is also great to listen to good, Bible based preaching BUT it is so important to get the actual WRITTEN WORD of God in your Spirit. When we get the Word of God on the “tables of our heart” God uses that to reveal to us what He is saying to us PERSONALLY, not just as it had been revealed to one of His ministers.

I am in no way kicking that, that is His intention by having those who are called to preach the Gospel. But sometimes He will reveal a certain take on a scripture just for you for a certain season or particular battle.

Think about His statement from John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

We  have to have His word in us so that it can be brought back to our remembrance because we have can no memory of that which we have not learned. this is one of those when in Rome areas, we can not rest our knowledge of Christ solely upon what is being taught to us.

We know that currently the world is full of false teaching concerning God and especially concerning holiness and acceptable behaviors.  This gets us into our verse dealing with the fact that we have BEEN CALLED OUT of this world.

We are no longer partakers of the world and the sins and snares thereof. A life that we could not free ourselves from BUT a life in which we are called into.

A life that has been GIVEN by absolute DIVINE power that allows to overcome those snares and traps to live inside that realm of virtue and the blessed state of His glory shining on our lives, in the midst of even the darkness of this world.

And these are those promises, that we are called out and called into Him and that through him and His promises that we will escape the lusts of this world that corrupts us.

Think about the word lust.. not the just the sexual sense. The sexual sense is actually the LEAST of the lusts we have to battle. it simply means DESIRE and think of all the desires our flesh has to battle… daily.

The desire of life, the desire of work, the desire to excel in whatever we have chosen. The desire for monetary gains, the desire for popularity, the desire to be liked, loved, needed, or even the desire to be pretty, articulate, even the desire to be “desirable” NOT in the lustful sense but in the attractive sense.

Even the desire to be competitive, the desire to get even, the desire to be “one up” on a foe.  ANYTHING, any emotion, any thought, ANYTHING has the potential to BECOME lustful if not carefully checked against the word of God. 

That was the trouble with the  ancient Romans. They actually took their ideas for their society from the Greeks. They just made everything BIGGER and BETTER than what the Greeks had. The Greeks worshipped twelve “gods’ so the Romans added two and worshipped fourteen. They built their society based on the thoughts and ideas stolen from the Greeks and as we all know became the world power of the day.

But we also know when it fell.. “great was the fall” and will never again rise to its former stature. We, as a society, take our cues from the media and entertainment, and most horrifically the voice that cries the loudest.

Often thoughts and ideas of a very small group of people become force-fed into mainstream population by the media and soon EVERYONE is EXPECTED to conform to that thought or image, when it is not actually even the popular thought.

It is time to relinquish the societal control that we allow to dictate our lives, thoughts, and desires BACK to God so that we can TRULY be conformed to His will, HIS purpose and most of all HIS divine nature.

So “destroy” that influence over your life in the coming new year. basically, if it does not honor God, do not give it honor by allowing whatever that force is to influence your life. If you are doing or seeing anything that you could not see or do with Jesus beside you.. then simply do not allow that to have any place in your thoughts, life, or family.

Check out what He told the Hebrews, Deuteronomy 7:2-6: “And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they WILL turn away thy son FROM FOLLOWING ME, that they may serve other gods, so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

But thus (here’s how) ye shall deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

For thou ART (you are) AN HOLY (set apart) PEOPLE UNTO GOD; THE LORD THY GOD HATH CHOSEN THEE TO BE A SPECIAL PEOPLE (treasure) UNTO HIMSELF, above all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”

As you see THIS is the word of God. HE IS telling us through it that just as the Hebrews were to NOT to have any dealings whatsoever ever with those who were their enemies that we are to NOT have any dealings whatsoever with those things today that ARE our SPIRITUAL enemies.

And notice that He did INCLUDE our children and what we allow to influence them and HE told us in no uncertain terms that exposure to these enemies would lead to REBELLION against Him. That we are to DESTROY those things out of our lives BECAUSE He has called us as His. And fortunately for us, it is much easier NOW to remove those spiritual enemies by making our choices based on His teachings.

So don’t let this world influence your life, you influence the world by living your life for Him!

Finally a couple of quick notes… WHY did Cinderella’s shoes NOT change when everything else did in that fairy-tale? Anyone else ever wonder about that 🙂 ?

Also if you are reading internationally, please know that this title and reference to the old saying and ancient Rome in NO WAY reflects my feelings toward Rome… or Romans, this has been completely symbolic. Rome is a beautiful place that I would love to visit one day!

And I also wanted to thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for reading this past year and it is my sincerest prayer that you be blessed with new revelations, new joy, and the happiness and peace that can only be found in a true personal relationship with our Lord and Creator Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen!

Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω NBJ 2017

by

When in Rome…

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. 

According as his DIVINE POWER hath GIVEN unto us ALL things that pertain unto life and godliness, THROUGH the knowledge of him that HATH CALLED US TO GLORY AND VIRTUE.

Whereby ARE GIVEN unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption THAT IS IN THE WORLD through lust.” 2 Peter 1:2-4 

Lovin’ the old saying…”When in Rome… you know… “do as the Romans.” But I want to give you a slightly different take on it as we go into a new year.

We all know that when the clock strikes midnight, December 31st, no magic star-dust will be falling from the sky, we also know that Cinderella’s dress really doesn’t mystically transform back into soot covered, tattered rags.

But most do hold it as time is called on the stop watch of old and a new countdown is set for the future.

Which is why I always just go with it. I believe in HOPE and my HOPE is in the Lord but I will take a little extra encouragement wherever I can find it!

So here we go.. “When in Rome REMEMBER that while everyone was doing as everyone else.. Rome FELL!

Let’s check out our scriptures. Our starter verse greets us with the blessing of praying that grace and peace be multiplied to us! But we are quickly REMINDED that the multiplication of THAT grace and THAT peace comes IN the knowledge of God.

What is the knowledge of God? I personally believe that it would be keeping Him first and foremost in our hearts and our minds and most of all our EVERYDAY lives. Now that is NOT always easy!

But we know that he also PROMISED that he would “keep in PERFECT peace” those who keep their minds on Him. Making time every day to read at least one scripture or devotional. If you do not have morning time to read for yourself, sign up for daily verse emails (my husband reads his aloud for our family) and even social medias have many pages that offer this.

Another great way to stay spiritually fed while multi-tasking is to consider CD’s or electronic devices that you can listen to while driving, cleaning, or while doing almost anything.

It is also great to listen to good, Bible based preaching BUT it is so important to get the actual WRITTEN WORD of God in your Spirit. When we get the Word of God on the “tables of our heart” God uses that to reveal to us what He is saying to us PERSONALLY, not just as it had been revealed to one of His ministers.

I am in no way kicking that, that is His intention by having those who are called to preach the Gospel. But sometimes He will reveal a certain take on a scripture just for you for a certain season or particular battle.

Think about His statement from John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

We  have to have His word in us so that it can be brought back to our remembrance because we have can no memory of that which we have not learned. this is one of those when in Rome areas, we can not rest our knowledge of Christ solely upon what is being taught to us.

We know that currently the world is full of false teaching concerning God and especially concerning holiness and acceptable behaviors.  This gets us into our verse dealing with the fact that we have BEEN CALLED OUT of this world.

We are no longer partakers of the world and the sins and snares thereof. A life that we could not free ourselves from BUT a life in which we are called into.

A life that has been GIVEN by absolute DIVINE power that allows to overcome those snares and traps to live inside that realm of virtue and the blessed state of His glory shining on our lives, in the midst of even the darkness of this world.

And these are those promises, that we are called out and called into Him and that through him and His promises that we will escape the lusts of this world that corrupts us.

Think about the word lust.. not the just the sexual sense. The sexual sense is actually the LEAST of the lusts we have to battle. it simply means DESIRE and think of all the desires our flesh has to battle… daily.

The desire of life, the desire of work, the desire to excel in whatever we have chosen. The desire for monetary gains, the desire for popularity, the desire to be liked, loved, needed, or even the desire to be pretty, articulate, even the desire to be “desirable” NOT in the lustful sense but in the attractive sense.

Even the desire to be competitive, the desire to get even, the desire to be “one up” on a foe.  ANYTHING, any emotion, any thought, ANYTHING has the potential to BECOME lustful if not carefully checked against the word of God. 

That was the trouble with the  ancient Romans. They actually took their ideas for their society from the Greeks. They just made everything BIGGER and BETTER than what the Greeks had. The Greeks worshipped twelve “gods’ so the Romans added two and worshipped fourteen.

They built their society based on the thoughts and ideas stolen from the Greeks and as we all know became the world power of the day.

But we also know when it fell.. “great was the fall” and will never again rise to its former stature. We, as a society, take our cues from the media and entertainment, and most horrifically the voice that cries the loudest.

Often thoughts and ideas of a very small group of people become force-fed into mainstream population by the media and soon EVERYONE is EXPECTED to conform to that thought or image, when it is not actually even the popular thought.

It is time to relinquish the societal control that we allow to dictate our lives, thoughts, and desires BACK to God so that we can TRULY be conformed to His will, HIS purpose and most of all HIS divine nature.

So “destroy” that influence over your life in the coming new year. basically, if it does not honor God, do not give it honor by allowing whatever that force is to influence your life. If you are doing or seeing anything that you could not see or do with Jesus beside you.. then simply do not allow that to have any place in your thoughts, life, or family.

Check out what He told the Hebrews, Deuteronomy 7:2-6: “And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they WILL turn away thy son FROM FOLLOWING ME, that they may serve other gods, so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

But thus (here’s how) ye shall deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

For thou ART (you are) AN HOLY (set apart) PEOPLE UNTO GOD; THE LORD THY GOD HATH CHOSEN THEE TO BE A SPECIAL PEOPLE (treasure) UNTO HIMSELF, above all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”

As you see THIS is the word of God. HE IS telling us through it that just as the Hebrews were to NOT to have any dealings whatsoever ever with those who were their enemies that we are to NOT have any dealings whatsoever with those things today that ARE our SPIRITUAL enemies.

And notice that He did INCLUDE our children and what we allow to influence them and HE told us in no uncertain terms that exposure to these enemies would lead to REBELLION against Him. That we are to DESTROY those things out of our lives BECAUSE He has called us as His. And fortunately for us, it is much easier NOW to remove those spiritual enemies by making our choices based on His teachings.

So don’t let this world influence your life, you influence the world by living your life for Him!

Finally a couple of quick notes… WHY did Cinderella’s shoes NOT change when everything else did in that fairy-tale? Anyone else ever wonder about that 🙂 ?

Also if you are reading internationally, please know that this title and reference to the old saying and ancient Rome in NO WAY reflects my feelings toward Rome… or Romans, this has been completely symbolic.

Rome is a beautiful place that I would love to visit one day!

And I also wanted to thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for reading this past year and it is my sincerest prayer that you be blessed with new revelations, new joy, and the happiness and peace that can only be found in a true personal relationship with our Lord and Creator Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen!

Original post date: 12/28/2017 But sometimes it is good to be reminded.

Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω NBJ 2017

by

“Pilot Light”

“And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.” Exodus 27:20 Now we know that was for the temple.

But 1 Corinthians 3:16 asks us this: “Know ye NOT that ye ARE the temple of God? and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 

What about our lights and the light that burns in us? The light that is to shine into a world of darkness a fire burning for and on behalf of God?

The oil for that lamp, HOLY, Holy oil that WE CAN NOT PRODUCE OURSELVES. Oil given from the Holy Spirit as we spend time in prayer and worship.

It has to be a ready supply, CONSTANTLY being poured into us and we are not allowing that to happen, our lamps contain only the oil from the last “deposit” and over time it will start to “evaporate” and little by little, the level starts going lower and lowering and you don’t even realize that you are almost “running on empty” as far as fuel goes.

And once you realize you need it and it is not quite there, there may not be time to get a fill up, Take Matthew 25:1-13 for a great example:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The five that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them; 

 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Then all the virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you:  but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

And while they went out to buy the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut.

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.“

Notice that the five foolish did indeed have their lamps, they just didn’t bother worrying about the oil. Next time, next week, maybe tomorrow, maybe tomorrow may never come.

The five wise took oil in their vessels, lamps, bodies, oil inside US. It is ironic, of course NOTHING really is, but after these verses Jesus gets into His teaching on the talents and the hidden talents and the talent being taken from the one who hid it and given to the one who already had ten. 

The overtaking of complacency has been on my heart so strong lately and it is truly a major problem for the body of Christ currently and we do have to take into consideration the great “falling away” but this is a horse of a different color.

If we all know there IS a great falling away and that the “saints are being worn out” by the enemy, why would this be a good time for anyone to rest?

We NEED and SHOULD BE doing double duty, working harder and harder for the kingdom, trying to win souls and trying to minister and feed the ones that God has sent us. 

I have said this before, but I am saying it again, is it any shock that Jesus told us in Luke 10:2:..“The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”

Jesus TOLD us we have a great harvest but it is not going to gather itself! We have to be the light and we have to have the oil and we have to OVERCOME complacency.

If we approach our walk with Christ and our Christianity in everyday as nothing more than a doldrums, take it or leave it “lifestyle” we are going to soon find the pilot light will go out.

Jesus deserves SO MUCH MORE.

Lukewarm or even barely warmed over christianity is an absolute insult to Him and every single thing He has done for us.

And NOTHING will snuff that light out faster than complacency.

Complacency is described by the dictionary as a “smug, uncritical view of one’s accomplishments” when even doing nothing still feels quite right and one synonym of it is STAGNANT, not moving, not going forward, just staying in one place.

With our next scriptures, please note that it refers to women, but this could be men, women, whoever falls into this category and it should be a wake up call for us all.

The beginning of Isaiah chapter 32 deals with the evils taking over and all the damage that is being done (sound like our world?) then verses 9-17, says it all, here IS our problem and IF we want things changed, our answer follows:

“RISE UP,ye women, that are at ease, HEAR MY VOICE, ye careless (COMPLACENT) daughters; give ear to my speech.

Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless (COMPLACENT) women; for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall NOT come.

TREMBLE, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless (COMPLACENT) ONES; strip up, and make you bare, {RID yourself of whatever is holding you down} and gird sackcloth upon your lions {REPENT}.

They shall lament (mourn) for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all houses of joy in the joyous city: Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts, and towers shall be dens for ever, a joy to wild asses, a pasture of flocks; 

UNTIL the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be  a fruitful field, and the fruitful field counted for a forest.

THEN judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness REMAIN in the fruitful field.

AND THE WORK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL BE PEACE, and THE EFFECT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS QUIETNESS AND ASSURANCE FOR EVER.”

He said it THREE TIMES,  so this tells us what a huge problem this is, and has been, we must overcome complacency WHILE we still can. 

1 Samuel 2, around verse 22, gets into the story of Eli, and Eli just absolutely let his sons (these men were supposed to be priests) run wild in the unholy things they did in the temple, even sleeping with prostitutes that were actually gathering outside, which is horrifying in itself,  and he just pretty much told them it was wrong, but did NOTHING to stop it.

So the judgment of God came down on him and his sons all died and even, and even the grandson whom was named “Ichabod” which means “inglorious” the mother said because the “Glory of the Lord had departed…’ (1 Samuel chapter 4) because of the transgression against the house of the Lord.

But here is the forerunner 1 Samuel 3:2,3 (a) ” And it came to pass that at that at that time Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes begin to wax (grow) dim, that he could not see; and ERE (IN TIME) THE LAMP OF THE GOD WENT OUT IN THE TEMPLE…” 

This was an EXTREME example but it serves as a very sobering, terrifying reminder to us all to remember that those virgins represent US, God’s children, and any of us can become discouraged and complacent, but we can’t stay there! 

We all have a “pilot light’ that must be lit and kept lit and we have to keep check on that fuel and it seem that light starting to grow low, we have to make sure we get back up to full flame because nothing is worth letting that light go out.

And if you see a brother or sister growing “dark” encourage them, pray with them and help them get that spark back and as the verses from Isaiah proved out We will all be thankful for their new ignition!

Love, Peace, & have  a blessed week! Keep that fire burning!

Σαλπιζω NBJ 2017

by

OPIOID OOPS ….

What can you say? What can you about the pharmaceutical industry and a medical field that through greed and absolute contempt for human life, families, and our nation has in effect created a population with addiction and overdose rate that are absolutely staggering and now in a moment of “OOPS, our bad, we may have made a mistake” they NOW want to force feed their victims “cure” drugs, Methadone, Naltrexone, and Suboxone at an even MORE EXPENSIVE price.

Was it REALLY all just in innocence, that they were simply UNAWARE that these drugs were addictive?

Yeah, and as the old song goes “I’ve got some ocean front property…. I want to give you a little down low on just what is going on with this and I live in a part of the country that has some of the highest addiction rates to be had and the neighboring states can back us up with stats all their own.

This is NOT an accident, you can call it greed, call it “clinical trial” call it “get rich at the cost of the hurting and desperate”, call it “bilking the insurances”, call it whatever you want, but it already HAS a name and its name is PHARMAKEIA.  

Opioids and many other PRESCRIPTION medication IS currently the devils choice “mind control agent” as he operates in the exact way the Bible tells us that he does by “BLINDING the MINDS” of people.

Many people who become addicted are addicted BECAUSE they were given a prescription by a person in the medical field that they felt secure, confident in TRUSTING with their life, only not knowing that that trust would unwittingly be betrayed and they would be led to a far greater problem than the aches and pains and often less than chronic medical woes that prompted their first visit.

And MANY who are addicted through perfectly “innocent” prescriptions of their own are then “cut-off” after becoming dependant on that medication and “take to the streets” to find a replacement to kill the pain that they are left with, now only INTENSIFIED because their mind and their body is craving the drug.

Families DESTROYED, mother’s burying their children, children burying their parents, countless children sent into foster care, and do you think the one who prescribed the drugs are losing any sleep?

Tell you a few more DISTURBING facts, again in my area, a “help wanted” advertisement for a “drug counselor”, one of the requirements.. you MUST be a recovering addict, yeah, great idea, put one just coming through with one going through, sure that will work out great!I do understand AA and Al-Anon, and so on for self-help and the buddy system but NOT as your source counselor.

And I do not mean to sound harsh, some physicians that may THINK they are helping people, and maybe are TRYING to help by opening up Methadone and Suboxone clinics, but they are NOT.

They are STILL addicted, they have only changed “pushers” and if they do not have the money to shell out for this “help” and it often involves WEEKLY office visits, not to mention the cost of the “medication” (conveniently enough, COUPONS are available) and much of this “helpful drug”ends right back out on the streets, being sold so others can get high.

But anyway, if they are looking for help from kind hearts, who are helping out of the kindest of that heart… well,sadly tough luck to them.

Still a game of pay to play and those with the addictions are the losers in that game.

And WE ALL LOSE, FAMILIES, LOSE, CHILDREN LOSE, THE NATION LOSES, and AMERICA HAS THE HIGHEST RATES OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE IN THE WORLD!  

Are we just in chronic pain? NO, actually according to the CDC site, one in five people visiting their PCP with non-cancer pain related issues are prescribed OPIOIDS.  PCP’s account for one half of all opioids prescribed.

With one in four of these becoming addicted after being prescribed these drugs for long-term use, but yet it is the main prescribed recommended option for pain relief.

Pain medication comes in at number one with a forty-nine percent rate of being the FIRST choice of patient care, opposed to surgery and rehabilitation, and other types of medications.

WHO are their targets of prime prescribing? WOMEN, WHITE WOMEN in the above forty age group, with whites between the ages of twenty-five and fifty-four being highest in the opioid group.

WHY is this? could it be like the “generational” cancer that hits certain families and certain groups mid-forties?

Could it be a great take out plan between “gap” group that linked the older God-fearing generation to the new liberal, darwin taught generation that so desperately needs those in the middle to bridge that gap with the truth of the Word of God?

Call it conspiracy but the Bible teaches to compare natural to natural, spiritual to spiritual, and NO ONE can convince me that there is anything NATURAL about PRESCRIPTION OPIOID  DEATHS QUADRUPLING SINCE 1999 (and of course as the CDC site states, so have the profits)!

 More than HALF A MILLION AMERICANS DEAD BETWEEN 2000-2006 FROM OPIOID OVERDOSES (including Heroin).

Every DAY over A THOUSAND people are treated in Emergency departments for failing to use drugs as directed.

Every DAY NINETY-ONE DIE FROM OPIOID OVERDOSE. Truly disturbing is that statics starting at twelve years old.

According to the 2017 census, which changes every second if you use the government census “clock”  we have three hundred, twenty-five million, eight hundred, and seventy-thousand, six hundred and seven citizens and in 2010 alone there were two hundred and fifty-four MILLION prescriptions written bringing in  revenue for the pharmaceutical industry of ELEVEN BILLION DOLLARS!

 That was SEVEN years ago!   Does it SHOCK anyone that NOW the recommend you “SUB” a “cure” drug for the opioids and go BELOW the addiction to a NEW addiction that will make everyone even richer? 

The CDC has a new report for 2017, it’s around eighty-three pages including graphs and charts and complete state and age breakdowns.

I encourage you to PLEASE read it, you can find it at https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdf/pubs/2017-cdc-drug-surveillance-report.pdf you can also copy and paste from that site and it is where my information came from, or can can just go to cdc.gov and search it out, but there are also many other good sources.

Another major problem with all of this is certain states that are listed as prescribing three times the amount of opioids PER person without any indication of differences in pain from other states.  

Again, I would NEVER belittle ANYONE’S pain, I suffer from chronic pain, every single day, and I have for years and God has healed me from some conditions that will still show on a report but that I no longer feel the effects of and I know that there are different levels of pain, but please note above that one out of five are prescribed unnecessarily.

So we have to wake up and realize a few things, we sometimes think because someone is in the medical field that we are to take EVERYTHING they say and EVERYTHING they recommend as right and that is not always the case.

God gives us wisdom and we should always PRAY before beginning any treatment or medication because even “basic” medications can have serious side effects that once you listen carefully, risks can far outweigh any benefit you would receive by taking it.

But we have been so brainwashed by ad after ad cheerfully telling us to GO, ASK for this medication or that medication that we do exactly as we are told.

NEVER questioning their question of “Ask your doctor or pharmacist today if _____ could be right for you.”

If  then we did decide that God and our own intuition is a far better judge of that, we would answer “NO! That is not right for me!”

It’s kinda like, “Hey, do you wanna trade that skin condition for lymphoma,or would you prefer kidney failure?” or “Having trouble sleeping? Try our new drug______ it hasn’t been tested very well , so essentially YOU ARE our research specimen, so keep up your insurance premiums because there is a SLIGHT risk of death when using this product.”

And even IF they have to recant their wondrous claims about their NEW drugs by the time all is said and done and the bodies counted, lawsuits settled, they are STILL filthy rich.

The entertainment industry has been “priming” us for YEARS with this nonsense,and once it opened the floodgate especially with a certain insanely popular show a few years back, whose main BELOVED character was a drug addicted, jerk weed doctor who happened to be a genius,

America was “hooked” because the background plied into the plot to make you SYMPATHIZE with this character.

Character after character IDOLIZED working, living, and of course “loving” all the while stoned out of their heads, the sky never falling and the walls never caving in on them.

And countless celebrities living out their addictions in the spotlight and as with it all, it BECOMES “normal”, it BECOMES “natural” and when we can list drug use as “recreational” on healthcare information forms, WHAT ON EARTH DO WE EXPECT TO HAPPEN?

When we continue to coddle these spirits, WELCOME them into our lives, our homes, our families. satan proved a long time ago in the garden that humans are NOT as smart as they think, HE JUST HAS TO LET YOU THINK YOU ARE.

And as this was all forming in the belly of the beast, I saw it coming long ago, and one of the things that really told the tale, was the usage of the word “prescription” it was GIVEN a new, hip term “SCRIPT” yeah, let’s make it casual, see how many that appeals to. It is no longer considered addiction, it is life management, EVERYONE IS DOING IT.

It has been seeping into brains through music FOR years, the OLD british boys, coming in with all their freak show lsd songs and one group that I’m just not  naming because I wouldn’t give the devil the “Satisfaction” but noticed years ago, they glorified mother’s “little helpers” to get her through the day, and so many to the advice to be “medicated” to “tolerate” daily maternal life that now how many mothers ARE NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO SEE THEIR OWN CHILDREN?

Any one remember the disco era’s beloved master, cocaine? Of course you’re gonna have to be on something to get into the groove of all the one night stands that generation brought in play.

Oh we could go on, and on, and it is STILL going. 

LOOK BACK.. EVERY SINGLE GENERATION HAS FELL FARTHER AND FARTHER, WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON? MUSIC TO SET THE “MOOD”, MEDIA, PUSHING THE NEW BEHAVIORS AND GIVEN REASSURANCE THAT IT IS ALL NORMAL, SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE AND GOOD FOR YOU, A DRUG OF CHOICE, THE PHARMAKEIA, THE SORCERY, THAT CONTROLS YOUR MIND, MOOD, AND EMOTIONS SO NO ONE WILL EVER REALIZE THAT THEY ARE KILLING THEMSELVES.

The devil has been around a long time and he knows he has to get people in agreement with him to accomplish what he wants, and what he wants is your destruction and he will LET you THINK you are calling the shots, you are your own boss, making your own decisions but you wake up one day and you will realize that you are ENSLAVED to the task master that is STRAIGHT FROM THE MOUTH OF HELL. 

That is going to be hard pill to swallow for America.

So please do not allow your mind to be blinded by the spirit of pharmakeia  that has taken over America.

With the rates of eighty-percent of Americans taking some type of prescription medication, it is of little importance of what classification of drugs it belongs to.

If it is prescribed long-term and it CONTROLS something in your mood, your thinking, sleeping habits, or the “pain” family, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but one way or another IT HAS CONTROL OVER YOU.

And please pray before you let anyone prescribe anything for you or your children.

ASK questions, How long will I need this? What are my other options (YES AMERICA, THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS) Why did you chose this particular drug? How will this benefit my long-term health goals? What is the addiction rate?

And don’t take their word for it, research it YOURSELF, my mom and my sister both have turned down “new” medications after doing their own research, and deciding that THE RISK IS NOT WORTH ANY POSSIBLE BENEFIT.

Back to the crisis at hand, if we have an eighty percent now, what will we have within five years? If rates have quadrupled that fast? If we do not get a handle on this, we will be hitting ninety-nine percent in the country.

WHY? Because through pharmakeia, which is the word for SORCERY, minds are being completely deadened, no shock people don’t care about their souls, they can’t function enough to be dealt with, or kept awake long enough to feel conviction or the need for repentance, or THINK about anything of merit, or other humans, only the concern of getting the next high, and with those long-term plans, the more you take, the more you need and the less effect it is going to have, as also with that research, people being prescribed far greater dosages, much higher than the recommended guidelines.

To then be OFFERED the next step, the “fix” from the addiction is MORE addiction, HOW much do you want your intelligence insulted? To be a little more forward, DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT THEY ARE PLAYING YOU FOR?

They are only taking people lower and lower and NO ONE is getting clean, NO ONE is getting better, and NO ONE is getting healed.  

People are only allowing unethical medical professionals to sacrifice them to the god of pharmakeia and NOT EVEN PUTTING UP A FIGHT.

If you don’t have  a problem, don’t get one and if you have one get rid of it, but get rid of it the Bible way, this is bondage that only God can break, there is nothing you can do in yourself and you have to admit there is a problem and this is when Jesus was talking to the disciples about another demonic problem.

Matthew 17:24: “ Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” God is the ONLY way this is going to break and until we REALIZE that we do have to be kind and show mercy and not be judgmental BUT we have to quit coddling this problem, and pretending people are fine, when they are NOT.

And until we ACCEPT what is really happening to us, as a nation, then nothing will change and we will just keep burying the bodies, the pharmaceutical will just keep getting richer, and the orphans will just keep multiplying.

But if you do see and you do want change to happen, either for you or loved one, start NOW, quit swallowing the secular view on it.

God still heals, Jesus healed the lady with the issue of blood for twelve-years, He healed the lady that had been bent completely over for eighteen years, He healed the man that could not walk for thirty-eight years, talk about long-term illnesses!

And in John 5:6 Jesus asked “Wilt thou be made whole?”  Meaning, Do you want to be well?  No more quick fixes, no more miracle cures, the only healing, the only true deliverance will we have is in and through Jesus Christ and if we want to see this spirit break, we are gonna have to want it and THEY are gonna have to admit they NEED it and WANT IT ALSO.

We are gonna have to fast and pray for this nation and pray for those who do want to be well and “faith up” and get ourselves right to see the healing that Jesus said would FOLLOW us, but we can not continue to pretend that this is all good because it is ANYTHING but.

Σαλπιζω NBJ 2017

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“Prepping for the payoff of patience”

Ah, patience, always stated as “is a virtue” but it is so much more. And I agree with the old timers that would very quickly caution all to NEVER pray for it. I have heard those suggest that we SHOULD pray for it, but please, please do yourself a favor and DON’T!

  “KNOWING this, that the TRYING (testing) OF YOUR FAITH WORKETH (produces) PATIENCE.” JAMES 1:3

That follows AFTER the verse in which we are told to count it all as pure joy when we go through various TRAILS!

So “having your faith tested” through different trails and circumstances that humanly there is nothing you can do and you must stretch out your faith and believe for the IMPOSSIBLE to be performed by an invisible God and THIS will produce patience, it is the waiting upon God and trusting for His deliverance. So in my belief, and of course we all have our own, that as Christians, especially new ones, should know that with the combination of unpleasant people that are to be dealt with and the devil, you will have MORE THAN ENOUGH GRIEF to “try your faith” and build patience, without asking for more.

Instead try praying for God’s favor and deliverance in trails and pray that He will help you see through His eyes and through Him be able to withstand the storm and there is nothing wrong with praying that it will be a fast mover! Now, this would need to be an eight part series if I were to give you all these verses, so I will hit and miss and just give a low down on the basic story with my main points highlighted, but please if you have a little time read this entire story. We will travel from GENESIS 25 and ending at GENESIS 32 and could probably hit a little farther down but for time’s sake of you all who are such a blessing in taking your time to read this, we’ll hit it this way.

GENESIS 25:20-34: Being the promised child of Abraham, Isaac prayed the Lord to give his barren wife Rebekah a child, the Lord blessed her with twins and talk about sibling rivalry, they were so rambunctious, even in the womb, that she became worried and sought the Lord’s reassurance. He told her that two nations were inside of her and that the elder would serve the younger, contrary to the usual birthright order. So sure enough, the younger, which would be Jacob grabbed onto his brother Esau’s heel as he was being born, as a surety of things to come. As they grew Esau became the heart of his father, as Rebekah grew more fond of Jacob, and the day would come when Esau would become “snared by his own words” insomuch that he would indeed LOSE HIS BIRTHRIGHT, by trading it literally for a bowl of stew. This is something I keep trying to warn others about, the Bible has many examples where people are WARNED to say neither good nor bad, because often we will say we would “give this” or “do that” “if only” and things like “we don’t need” this or that or “care if we lose” this or that and we become snared by our own words and like Esau, who in his OWN WORDS, thought he was so hungry that he would starve and his birthright was no good to him because HE DID NOT HAVE IT AT THAT MOMENT, even though it was done deal, only it would have to be waited for. So sure enough it was sold only it would take a while for him to realize what he had done.

GENESIS Chapter 27 & 28:

Isaac had grown old and time had come to give the birthright, now Rebekah was not amused with Esau having married two pagan wives and that could have played a part in her deception, or it truly could have been because Jacob was her favorite, either way, she advised Jacob as to disguising himself as Esau and tricking Isaac into giving him the birthright blessing and once Isaac realized what he had done, he could not undo it, Esau  had well planned to kill Jacob upon his father’s death, so Rebekah told him to flee, with the instructions of going to her brother Laban’s and living there, with the strict order from his father forbidding him to marry a Canaanite and to marry only from Laban’s house, {more reason, I believe her motives were to avoid pagan daughters-in law} Once Esau knew that his parents did not approve of the pagan wives, he married yet again, I think in attempt to try to somehow get that birthright back, which was now impossible. We’ll pick up as Jacob has started his journey:

GENESIS 28:10-22: ” And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted (came to) a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set: and he took of the stones of THAT place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in THAT place to sleep.

And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the LAND on where thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed (descendants);

And thy seed shall be as dust of the earth, (great in number) and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thy seed shall the families of the earth be blessed.

And behold, I AM WITH THEE and will KEEP thee in ALL PLACES whither thou goest, and will bring thee AGAIN into this land; for I WILL NOT LEAVE THEE UNTIL I HAVE DONE THAT WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN TO THEE OF.

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, Surely the Lord IS IN THIS PLACE, and I knew it not.

And he was afraid, and said How dreadful (awesome) is This place! this is none other but the house of God, and this the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on top of it.

And he called the name of that place Bethel (House of God); but the name of that city was called Luz at first.

And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be with me, and will keep me, and will KEEP ME IN THIS WAY THAT I GO, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment (clothing) to put on, So that I come AGAIN to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God.”

Sometimes we also find ourselves in THAT place, a place so hard that the comfort “of your head” is as hard as rock and think Jacob was running for his life, but think, when he discovered that God was STILL with him, even in that place, he just didn’t know it! The name of that place, first being pagan, now would become a blessed name.

GENESIS chapters 29 & 30: Jacob meets Laban, he wants to marry Rachel and is forced by Laban to work for him seven years before doing so. Laban tricks him with the use of a bridal veil, and he actually marries Leah, Rachel’s sister,  Jacob still loves Rachel, but is informed of Laban, that he must work seven more years to marry her.

So he is so smitten with this kitten, that the first seven had went by fast and his marriage to Leah is already consummated and is now a done deal, so he has to keep her, so he agrees to seven more years slaving for Laban.

So Jacob also then marries Rachel, the Lord had compassion toward Leah because she had been treated so unfairly and blessed her with children, but Rachel was barren, so as Leah started producing what would become the heads of the tribes of Israel, Rachel pulled a Sarah and had Jacob father children with her maid, this got so out of hand that at one point, one sons fruits were being traded off for a night with Jacob, Leah became barren also, so enter in another maid surrogate, she then became fertile again and gave birth to Dinah, the “judgment” daughter of the group, after this, the Lord allowed Rachel conception and Joseph was born.

At this point Jacob asked that he be allowed by Laban to take his wives, children, and flock and go back to his own home. Laban was less than thrilled with that thought because he knew God had been blessing them all through Jacob and tried to get him to set a wage price, but instead Jacob made a deal with him that he would take all the spotted and speckled animals, because they were few in number, when he left that would be his wages, Jacob had asked the Lord to bless him so the numbers of his flock out grew the number of Laban’s.

GENESIS chapter 31: Laban sons start to murmur and Laban began to act contrary to Jacob, and the Lord told Jacob to return home, and that He would be with him, so he told Rachel and Leah all that Laban had done and what the Lord had done for him and Rachel decided that they had been treated like dirt by their Dad and in lieu of an inheritance she stole his “idols” (more less, what we southerners call “what not’s”) completely unaware to Jacob.

So they split without telling Laban, when he did find out, he set out after them, but God intervened and warned him in a dream against saying anything to Jacob. So when they meet up, Laban gives him the inquisition about why he left without a good-bye and questioned who took his idols, since Jacob knew nothing of it, everyone was searched, but Rachel had them hidden under her and came up with a pretty good reason to not have to move, so once nothing was found, Jacob went off and got to final say what he had probably wanted to say many times over the twenty years that Laban had conspired, and controlled his life.

GENESIS 31:36-42: “And Jacob was wroth (angry) and chode (rebuked) with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of thy household stuff? (you searched and found nothing) set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.

These TWENTY years have I been with thee; thy ewes and she goats have not cast out their young (miscarried) and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.

That that was torn of beasts I brought NOT unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night (Laban made Jacob pay for any losses).

THUS (this) I WAS; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.

Thus (So) I HAVE BEEN TWENTY YEARS IN THY HOUSE; I SERVED THEE FOURTEEN YEARS FOR THY TWO DAUGHTERS, AND SIX YEARS FOR THY CATTLE AND THOU HAST CHANGED MY WAGES TEN TIMES. 

Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away empty (it was only because of God that Jacob had anything). 

GOD HATH SEEN MINE AFFLICITION AND THE LABOUR OF MY HANDS, AND REBUKED THEE YESTERNIGHT (last night).”  So this pretty much seals that deal and they set it in stone that they’d not bother one another thereafter.

GENESIS chapter 32 & 33: Jacob sees angels guiding his way, knowing he must meet with and patch ways with his brother, fearing his brother’s anger he sends his family on ahead and he is left alone, God had indeed brought him AGAIN, only this time he would wrestle an angel, in a match for the highest of blessings!

GENESIS 32:24-30: ” And Jacob was left alone, an there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched (struck) the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for day breaketh.

And he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? and he said, Jacob. And he said Thy name shall no more be Jacob, but Israel; for a prince hast thou power with God and with men, AND HAST PREVAILED.

And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of THE PLACE Peniel: for I HAVE SEEN GOD FACE TO FACE, AND MY LIFE IS PERSERVED.”

So we all got Laban’s, even in the church world but have faith in what Jacob went through and the blessing he received for WAITING ON THE LORD IN THAT PLACE TILL GOD BROUGHT HIM AGAIN UNTO THE PLACE OF PROMISE! And so much more that we could read of him and the blessings of the Lord on his life and the tribes of Israel, so never give up “that” place when you know God is leading you into the promise again!

JAMES 1:3 “ Let PATIENCE HAVE HER PERFECT WORK, that ye may be perfect (finished) ENTIRE (COMPLETE), WANTING (LACKING) NOTHING.”

Φλογίζω Σαλπιζω  NBJ 2016

 

 

 

 

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“DOWN TO THE WIRE…..” Prophets & Preachers WORD UP!

“And  now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with ALL BOLDNESS they may SPEAK THY WORD.” ACTS 4:29

That was Peter, praying as the disciples were being persecuted and threatened, he did not say, “Oh, sorry Lord, I can’t say that” and tuck tail and run. No he PRAYED FOR BOLDNESS. Not popularity, not bigger crowds, but BOLDNESS TO PREACH GOD’S WORD.

We’ve a wee problem going on right now. Seems courage has been lost, maybe it was never found. Our generation came up with a different church mindset, it is more about making the Gospel appeal to everyone. But Jesus said that if he is lifted up HE WILL draw all people unto Him. So we really don’t need to try to force the Gospel to be “appealing” and try to conform to the world in hope of converting the world.

Actually the world has  done a great job of converting the church. On the rise is a group of people who weld the Gospel sword in a church setting, as long as it sounds good, looks good and keeps the congregation in a realm of happy. But when they have a message that they KNOW is to be shared, they refuse to do so because of the fear of repercussion and the fear of maybe placing their own lives in peril for preaching those words.

I am sorry, bad news, can not stand before God and tell him that we were afraid and to be a coward will bring a cowards death, it will not extend your life and you should have read the fine print before taking the job, “whosoever seeks to save his life, shall lose it.” That we were afraid to speak HIS TRUTH as HE COMMANDED US.

That is the generational difference, generations of old sought the Gospel because they desired the Gospel. And many paid a hefty price, through persecution for that Gospel, but it was not watered down and it held the word of Life and the power of it was intense and so indwelling that one could risk life and limb for it.

More bad news, we are heading into the time of the persecution, the flood sent after the woman’s child, the church. And no one is going to stand through that if they can not stand in their own church and proclaim the truth. So now may be a good time for many to decide what they believe, what they will stand for and if it has not been for the necessity of the Gospel, now may be a good time to get out.

Does anyone really believe that the candy coats like “Ole Joelsteen” who will stand for nothing except standing for nothing, cheapening the Gospel to the level of condoning sin and outright lying against God by saying he will accept it into heaven, the money preachers, like “Markdown Mike” and “Ron Parsnip” and “Stu Munskey”are really going to stand against the forces of that persecution?

 What about the “prophets” who promise peace over people and nations, who are so far away from God, that they openly worship anything but him, and yet these prophets scream peace, peace, when there IS no peace, think they’ll risk their heads for those prophecies?

If you answer Yes to any of those questions, you really need to study a little more history and a lot more Bible. Lets check a prophet and then checkout what becomes of false prophets.

We’ll start with a “priest” badmouthing a real prophet because they so do not want to hear judgment and we’ll hear them telling him to stop it and just go away and do it somewhere else, and  then we’ll hear his answer.

AMOS 7:10-17 ” Then Amaziah,  the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying,  Amos hath CONSPIRED against thee in the house of Israel: the LAND is not able to bear (ENDURE) all his WORDS.

For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. {Not what they wanted to hear}.

Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O, thou seer, GO, FLEE thee AWAY into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, AND PROPHESY THERE. but PROPHESY NOT AGAIN any more at Bethel, for it is the king’s chapel, and the king’s court. {He kinda forgot that it actually belonged to the Lord}

 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was NO prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit.

And the LORD TOOK ME as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, GO,  PROPHESY UNTO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.  Now, therefore hear the word of the Lord: Thou sayest (you say), prophesy NOT against Israel, and drop NOT thy word against the house of Isaac. THEREFORE thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and THOU SHALT DIE in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth out of his land.“

Trying to run him off really didn’t help them too much, what he was doing was NOT out of his own will, it was God’s will over his life and God’s will IS supreme

Now, we’ll go to a question God posed, as to why they did not want to know judgments, if someone is told what they are doing is wrong, they then have a chance to correct their behavior and repent. He also addresses the false prophets and the cause of the destruction’s.

MICAH 3:1-11:” And I said,  Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of Israel, Is it not for you to know judgment (justice)?  Who HATE THE GOOD, and LOVE THE EVIL, who pluck off their skin from off them (my people), and their flesh from off their bones; Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and flesh within the cauldron.

Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings (been evil).

Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets THAT MAKE MY PEOPLE TO ERR, that bite with their teeth, and CRY,PEACE (all is well) and he that putteth not into their mouths ( gives them nothing), THEY MAKE WAR AGAINST HIM.

Therefore, NIGHT shall be unto you, that ye have not a vision; and it SHALL BE DARK unto you, that ye shall not divine; and THE SUN SHALL GO DOWN OVER THE PROPHETS, and THE DAY SHALL BE DARK OVER (for) THEM.

Then SHALL the SEERS BE ASHAMED, and the DIVINERS, CONFOUNDED (embarrassed) : yea, THEY SHALL ALL COVER THEIR LIPS (mouths); for THERE IS NO ANSWER OF (from) GOD.

But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment (justice), and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.  Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment (justice), and pervert equity.  They build up in Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

The heads thereof  judge for reward, and the PRIESTS thereof TEACH FOR HIRE (pay), and the PROPHETS DIVINE FOR MONEY: YET WILL THEY LEAN UPON THE LORD, AND SAY, (saying) IS NOT  THE LORD AMONG US? NONE (no) EVIL CAN COME UPON US.”

We know this also references our modern-day churches and it is truly eerie, THEY do all these things and still proclaim that God is with them and no evil shall come, but we see God’s thought on the subject and the justice He shall have.

The day is coming that there will be a separation and as He said judgment must begin at His house and we will see many, many who will cave to the pressure of the persecution but those who will stand, will need to be as Peter and the disciples when they PRAYED for that boldness, no one wants to be hated, no one wants to be threatened, but if you suffer persecution for the Gospel, you ARE BLESSED.

I do understand, God knows my multi based “fan club” ( I mean that with the utmost sarcasm)  but we have to be strong and be, as JESUS told us, “of a good courage”, knowing that your courage is NOT your own but it is HIS courage, that He will give you, so you can truly “do ALL things through Christ” who strengthens you.

He was persecuted and hated, the prophets were hated, the disciples were hated, those murdered through-out history for the Gospel, and those who are martyred even today were also hated, but they were bold and of good courage, they were brave for the WORD even when they didn’t feel very brave.

Why on earth would we be an exception to that rule? I am sure someone is going to be like, “Well, that is your risk, I AM NOT doing it”, well, don’t.

That is between you and God, but don’t be expecting Him to protect if you will not stand for Him.

Doesn’t quite work that way. And don’t think just because I am at a computer it changes my life, my job has barely begun and I am no exception to those rules, all my work is dated and in a specific order for a reason and this post is no exception.

We are down to the wire on it and you are going to have to have a plan for a worst case scenario and you can not hold back messages and warnings that God is putting in your heart that are for the ears of all believers that He has given you an audience with.

So what do we do? You can’t hide, you can’t run, and if you are smart you will not denounce your calling, we will need to put away all the jealousy, resentment, and our religious snobbery and truly be in one mind and one accord, of one heart, and one thought to see His kingdom come……… Now back to the Book of ACTS, revisiting our starting verse.

ACTS 4:29-33: ” And now, Lord, behold their threatenings; and grant unto THY SERVANTS, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.

BY STRETCHING FORTH THINE HAND TO HEAL; THAT THE SIGNS AND WONDERS MAY BE DONE BY (through) THE NAME OF THY HOLY CHILD JESUS.

And WHEN they had PRAYED, the PLACE WAS SHAKEN where they were assembled together; and THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and they SPAKE THE WORD OF GOD WITH BOLDNESS.

And the multitude of them that BELIEVED WERE OF ONE HEART AND OF ONE SOUL: neither said ANY of them that ought (any) of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common.

And WITH GREAT POWER GAVE THE APOSTLES WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS: and GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL.”

ROMANS 10: 14,15(a): “ HOW then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and HOW shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and HOW shall they hear without a preacher? And HOW shall they preach, except they be sent?

Preaching is for others to believe, to glorify God, to encourage of heaven and New Jerusalem, to exhort and to warn of sin and hell. Preaching is to lead others to the love and peace that is Christ and if you are unwilling to do that you only hinder the kingdom and those hindrances will soon cease.

Think about it! Peace and Love till next time!

Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω / Rev. Nina BrownJohnson / 2016