Tag Archives: Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω

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DOUBLE-EDGED PART 2 / FANNING THE FLAME…..

“Because of the savour (fragrance) of thy good ointments THY NAME (JESUS) IS AS A OINTMENT (healing balm) POURED FORTH, therefore do the virgins love thee.
DRAW ME ( lead me away ) we WILL RUN AFTER THEE (GOD): The KING hath BROUGHT me INTO HIS chambers: We WILL be glad and REJOICE in thee (GOD), WE WILL REMEMBER THY LOVE MORE THAN WINE: the upright love thee (BEING RIGHT IN OUR LOVE FOR YOU).”Song of Solomon:1:3-4

Now to unravel that, I always like to point out to NEVER EVER read the commentaries on this book! 
It is compared to Solomon and his Shulamite lady, but they are so wrong!
 It is not about the kind of relationship they like to carnally compare it to.
It is the relationship between Jesus and His church (The Bride).
I still love this; I am actually called to specifically the book of Revelation, but I love Solomon and I am so thankful to Him for allowing me the work in it that he does because as I said before women WERE NOT ALLOWED TO READ THIS BOOK!
That is the problem, that is what we must overcome to really get this, they thought women would become too “flustered” if they were to read the descriptive passage of a soul entwining love that left one so helpless desiring to breathe the very breath of the other, a love so strong, that “it is strong as death, the jealousy (desire to keep and protect the love of that relationship) is a cruel as the grave: the fire thereof ARE coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.”

Jesus came here as a man BUT he was completely innocent, completely sinless and HE NEVER HAD, NOR WILL EVER HAVE the kind of relations that humans do!

But IT IS the grandest, most romantic love story that has ever been or ever will be written.
 IT IS the spiritual love story between Christ and the church.
Once we have been brought into His house of “feasting”, (rejoicing at the “table of God”) and tasted spiritually the things of God, we can no longer help but to run after him.
 The virgins (hearts spiritually pure to Him) seek only to be one more moment in His presence, completely overshadowed and overcame by Him and all that He is, which is indescribable, but will of a certainty melt your knees from under you and leave you blew  blew completely away that to mirror the verse “turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcame (overwhelmed) me.”

Translation if He were to physically manifest to match his spiritual manifestation, you would be unable to make eye contact because of the sheer majesty and awe of what you had just experienced.

But don’t take my word for it, especially since a certain “anonymous” group wants to make me their poster child because they think we are all sick and need help, but I know just how real He is and I know that love, and I know one word from Him and my soul will melt at His will, because I adore Him and His wish is my command, He owns me completely and I want Him too, what really gets you is His overwhelming humility and gentleness. 

How could you expect the God of the universe to meet you in your pain and cover you with pure love in such an unexpected way?
How can He come down to mere mortals and dry their tears and silence their cries and assure them that His love heals all and they are in His garden, no matter what the world or others may say.
How can He hold the world in His hand and yet know the number of hairs on our heads and how he knows our today from our tomorrow, and our first breath from our last?

How can he possibly form us in our mother’s womb, watch us as we struggle to find our way and then when we have returned to Him never question us as to why it took so long, only welcome us with arms open wide and love as strong?

1 Samuel 2:1-10:“And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoiced in the Lord, mine horn (my strength) is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged (smiles at) over mine enemies.
BECAUSE I rejoice in thy (your) salvation, THERE IS NONE HOLY AS THE LORD:

FOR THERE IS NONE BESIDE THEE: NEITHER IS THERE ANY ROCK LIKE OUR GOD.
Talk no more so exceedingly proudly; let NOT arrogancy come out of your mouth;

For the Lord IS a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty men are broken; and they that stumbled ARE GIRDED WITH STRENGTH. 

They that were full have hired themselves out for bread; and they that were hungry ceased (hunger no more); so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath born seven is waxed (grown) feeble.
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: HE BRINGETH DOWN TO THE GRAVE, AND BRINGETH UP. The lord maketh poor, and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, TO SET them among princes, AND TO MAKE THEM INHERIT THE THRONE OF GLORY: for the pillars of the earth ARE THE LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.

HE WILL keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for BY STRENGTH SHALL NO MAN PREVAIL.
THE ADVERSARIES OF THE LORD SHALL BE BROKEN TO PIECES; OUT OF HEAVEN HE SHALL THUNDER UPON THEM: THE LORD SHALL JUDGE THE EARTH; and he shall give strength unto his king and exalt the horn (strength) OF HIS ANOINTED.” 

Luke 1: 46-54:
“And Mary said, My soul hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (maidservant); for, behold, from henceforth (now on) all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; AND HOLY IS HIS NAME.
And HIS MERCY IS ON THEM that fear him FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.
He hath shewed (shown) strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imaginations of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones) and exalted them of a low degree (the lowly).
He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent away empty.
he hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, IN REMEMBRANCE OF HIS MERCY;”
Remembering that love, next time….
Φλογιζω/NBJ/ 2015   Original post: 10/04/2015 REVISTED 2021 & 02/08/2022

 

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Sticks and Stones #1 “BAD BLOOD”

We all know the old saying about sticks and stones, and what a wonderful gesture to encourage that words will do no harm.

But sticks and stones will break many things and words can shatter hearts.

This is going to be one of those not quite so comfortable subjects that so truly needs addressed.

For some who grew up in true Christian homes of sibling love, and harmony, I salute you and I am happy for what you do not understand but for the rest and the majority we’re gonna deal with bad blood.

The questionable point when sibling rivalry and normal competitiveness between family members turns not so friendly and the blood of your truest most formidable enemy is shared through your own veins and the hatred that pierces your heart through the words the Bible refers to as “of a piercing of a sword” and they are much worse than the sword of an enemy because we unfortunately have a built-in pack need to belong, fit in and be accepted.                              

Even in the most together families, there is usually one or two that have issues with each other that affect the entire family.          

I have seriously thought about whether this is a bigger issue for males or females, because there are stories of males bullied and pushed a little too far by abusive older brothers and yet for females with one or sometimes two misogynistic siblings the damage done can far outweigh the normal relationship with the “good” siblings and this pattern can be seen over and over, and often traced back through a complete bloody bloodline of bad blood between “brothers” for generations. It is a story almost as old as time, I think it goes back even farther than Cain and Abel, I think it goes back to the war in heaven, the rebellion of Lucifer as he took one-third of the servants of heaven with him.                                                            

 His jealousy and rage and as now his accusations against the children of God, so clearly seen in the verbal abuse in domestic situations and his need to attempt to control those around him so crystal clear in the lives of those who wish to control others through this kind of abuse which can turn violent and physical at the drop of a hat.

Our biggest obstacle to overcome, the name itself, “Domestic”, what does that even mean? Tame violence? Tame belittling?

Homegrown heartache and as long as it’s not a stranger cussing you out then it is just domestic, no big deal, just deal with it. That is what it means. As Christians we are taught by Christ to love those who hate us and pray for those that use us and bless those who curse us, but I truly do not believe that he meant for us to be the family door mat or the emotional whipping boy who hears it if the sun doesn’t shine the right way.

The Bible also teaches to “Give no place to the devil” and to resist him and he will flee from you, there are countless scriptures I give with this series as proof that we do not have to have contact with them and to stay away from violent, mean people who only want to hurt you.

Through time women have stayed with abusive husbands because they made a vow that it was forever, but again why on earth would Jesus take all those stripes, all that pain and die on that cross to save us, so we then could live life with someone of the devil that beats on us, either with fists or words? Never going to get me to buy that story!

Now, we have to deal with family, like abusive husbands only you can’t divorce them but I tell you what you can do, SEE it for what it is. When we don’t have Christ they have us locked into their game, an ongoing test of the wills to see who is “strongest” or who will bend first, it is like running with wolves, they consider tears a weakness and when your down the whole pack turns on you.

That is what Satan wants.

His objective is to poison your blood with the same poison he managed to inject into theirs, probably through the same sadistic,systematic mind games and through the endless hail of heartless words and of course it just wouldn’t work without the endless, never-ending accusation that it is really YOU! Because YOU think your better than them and all the words designed to instill guilt (that does not belong to you) and play on that lack of self-worth that has already been successfully driven into your brain and whatever else is thrown at you, he hopes to beat any gentleness,or compassion, and anything remotely decent out of you until he has YOU become exactly what your abuser is and that is his plan and that is scary.

But once we accept Jesus they want even more to destroy you because now they have no one to play with since you are a new creature and are working toward crucifying your flesh, so now the enemy has a double motive.

 Trap #1. If he can get you to break and hit back and attack them out of the same pain and anger that held you in bondage before, if you are not very careful he can make you fall spiritually, if you are passive-aggressive and he can mange to get you into attack mode he can have you being the aggressor or getting so angry just wanting it to stop that you will cause more damage than can be undone.

Trap #2 The old blood is thicker than water routine and convince you  that it is your job to get them saved and that if you are just nice to them and tolerate them and put up with their abuse, you will be leading them to God and if you fail to let them hang out with you wasted and treat you like dirt than you are not being very kind and if they die they will die lost and it will be YOUR FAULT! Not true! We can’t get anyone saved only Jesus can do that! We can be a light but when someone is high, belligerent, and mean, raising Hades on you, how can they see that light through their own anger? Soft answers do turn away wrath but once you give that answer turn yourself away also. Jesus did not fool with demons, he did not carry on conversations with them, he cast them out  and there are times in our life that we must see these things for what they are, traps, demonic traps that the enemy is using to try to keep us in the same bondage that God delivered us from!

Jesus wants us to have peace and joy unspeakable and delivers us from all fear,and we must not allow the enemy to convince us that blood is blood and to be a “good” Christian requires us to endure these things. So please just say No to that ingrained false belief that by letting them torment you that your are somehow helping their soul and that one day they will love you, accept it for what it is and don’t fall for the traps.

Never tolerate a behavior from a family member that you would not tolerate from a stranger and just as you sure wouldn’t keep going back to the same store that the owner had just the week before called you useless hussy (of course that is a language clean up) now would you?

Next time we’ll start making Biblical sense of this, stories of what others went through and how to put our trust in God and allow him to heal us and be all that we need.

Φλογιζω   NBJ.2015  Original post date: 11/10/2015 REVISITED 11/13/2021, I wanted to revisited several of these posts, as I had originally written them to address the topic dysfunctional and toxic relationships and the dread it can make of holidays approaching.I will be revisiting this series over the course of this week, but several are linked below, which link to the others in that particular series.

I do pray if you are wrestling with this dilemma that these posts will be not only a comfort, but an encouragement to you. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and peace is exactly what he wants for you, so have your joy in a relationship with him and do not allow yourself to be treated as less than the precious life that he created you to be. Φλογιζω NBJ/2021 Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

For more in this series, check out this posts: BLOOD BROTHERS ,  Sticks & Stones part 3,  Anger Danger, Strangle Hold

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SHIELD & SWORD

“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I AM THY SHIELD, AND THY EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD.” GENESIS 15:1

 In the cares of life and the endless searches for meaning, belonging, and the struggles with ourselves and the world and those in it we often forget the simplistic truth of the Gospel. While we do live in a fearful world and we do suffer heartache, disappointments, and sorrow one thing never changes, God and His promises to us. What he said six thousand years ago to Abram still applies to true believers today. HE IS…

“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heavens in thy help, and his excellency on the sky. The eternal God IS thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also HIS heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who IS the sword of excellency ( majesty) ! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.”  DEUTERONOMY 33:26-29

HE IS our shield, our protector, our high tower and our strength and He will scatter your enemies and put all that was theirs under your feet.

“Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously BECAUSE of truth and meekness (humility) and righteousness: and thy right had shall teach thee terrible (awesome) things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies: whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, IS FOR EVER AND EVER: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter ( of righteousness).  PSALM 45:3-6

 For a classical comparison think of the tale of Cinderella, the clock struck, the ball ended, her clothing became tattered again and it appeared that all was just as it had been, her way out seemed lost but the end of the ball was only the beginning of the story and the end of her mistreatment by the evil stepsisters, because something had changed, she had met the Prince and he was already on his way! 

Maybe your having a day like that, when it seems as though things will never change, but they already are, you just don’t see it yet. Unlike our fairy tale prince, we serve a LIVING KING, the one and only undisputable King over everything and part of being a King is being a shield for your people and being their protector and that hiding place behind His shield where HE fights for us.

“The Lord IS my strength and my shield: My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth: and with my song will I praise him. The Lord IS their strength and HE IS the saving strength of his anointed. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed (shepherd) them also, and lift them up for ever.”

                                                 PSALM 28: 7-9 

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them (You protect them) : let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee: For thou LORD WILT BLESS THE RIGHTEOUS; WITH FAVOUR WILT THOU COMPASS HIM AS WITH A SHIELD.”

                                                  PSALM 5:11,12

The banner of the Kingdom of God, The banner Jehovah Nissi, flies over you and your life. And that banner is love and His love for you. I know you certainly can’t see it but it is very much there. So just hang on and wait, wait humbly, and patiently for Him, I promise your King is on His way and He will show up and save your day!

Φλογίζω /  ΝΒ 2016 ***Original Post Date 02/17/2016  Revisited 11/06/2021, Forgive the repost, I am under the weather, but Lord’s will, be back soon and we’ll get on with our Apocalyptic journey, but I do pray this will be a comfort today!

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WITH FRIENDS LIKE THAT…

I love old sayings, people long ago learned lessons and passed that wisdom down to forewarn future generations.
Ministers are like front line soldiers discovering what’s in the enemies arsenal and reporting back to the troops what weapon is needed to take them down.
Some of the wisest words ever spoken were, “With friends like that, who needs enemies.”
As Paul said “when he thought to do good, evil was ever-present with him.” Sometimes it is difficult for us to see just who our real enemies are.
Think about it, the Bible says that Satan himself “can transform into an angel of light” and we know that he is well versed in the scripture and loves nothing more than to try to twist the word of God to snare, trap, and pervert us.
Genesis 3:1(a) “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made…” and most know this story, through convincing Eve that she really, really wanted this and she should just trust him, it would all be okay, he deceived her into making a decision that we all paid for and Jesus gave his life to repair the damage that “friend” caused.
David, not even trying to resist his lust for Bathsheba ( I know it was lust because he had tried to get Uriah to go home, hoping he would sleep with her and think he had fathered the baby and let them all live a lie) when all of his plans failed, he in effect had Uriah “murdered by war” using him to deliver his own death warrant.
The wages of sin are death, this brought it down on his entire family. Nathan the Prophet went so far as to deliver the judgment handed down from God that the sword would never leave David’s house.
So that voice as the serpent rose again, David’s son Amnon became completely possessed by a spirit of incestuous lust toward his half-sister Tamar. As Satan purposed all this in Amnon’s heart he sent his messenger with just the reassurance Amnon’s flesh needed to act upon that lust.
2 Samuel 13:2,3 ” And Amnon was so vexed (distressed) that he feel sick for his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her ( knew it was wrong ). But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shiva David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.”

His “friend” talked him into raping her, destroying her and filling her brother(his half) Absalom with such hate that it mirrors the rebellion Lucifer led in his attempt to overthrow the Kingdom of Heaven.

He had Amnon murdered and led a rebellion against David and died trying to flee David’s army, when his long beautiful hair became caught and tangled on a tree branch leaving him helpless against the sword.
Snared and tangled up, some prophetic symbolism in that, what unchecked bitterness and hate will do to us.
That is what happens when one person chooses to listen to the wrong voice. A girl’s life was completely devastated, two brothers were dead, two mothers, a father, and an entire kingdom was left to mourn and to never be the same.

One more example, sometimes the enemy wants to take you down so bad that he will send a multitude of voices, because after all, how can so many be so wrong?

The story of Queen Esther tells us of Haman, the King’s power-hungry, right hand boy who hated the Jews especially Esther’s uncle, Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow to him.

So Amidst his whining over the injustice of the situation,

Esther 5:14 “Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and on the morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go merrily with the king unto the banquet. and this thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.”

Long story short, Haman was hanged on his own gallows and Mordecai got his job.
God tells us “surely they shall gather together, but not by me, no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper.”

Haman fell into his own trap, a trap laid at the urging of those closest to him, who supposedly had his best interests in mind, telling him exactly what his blackened, sin-laden heart wanted to hear.

So like those collect calls from Egypt, you don’t realize the price until you get the bill and if you knew the cost you would have never agreed to accept those charges, it may be a bill like David’s, that his family ended up having to pay.
Your true friends may not understand your faith, but they will respect it and be happy for you.
Read Luke 15:8,9 the parable of the lady who found her lost silver and her friends rejoiced with her.
Steer clear of “friends” who only want to drag you back to “Egypt”, because misery loves company and if they are not free they surely don’t want you to be.
Just as with Adam and Eve, once the blinders were off and their eyes were opened to the truth,they knew the sin and the shame.

Amnon, when his “love” immediately turned to complete disgust and hatred once he had achieved his desire.

That is what sin does and no matter how good they make it sound or tell you just how much you are missing, if you give in to them, when the day comes, and it will come, like Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened, yours will be also and I promise you that your are not going to like what you see.

The truth is that not only are friends like these a danger to your soul, they also endanger theirs by tempting you as a child of God.

As the Bible teaches us, if we as believers defile this temple God will destroy it (us).
Daniel 5 tells the story of Belshazzar, who had the bright idea that it would be fun to defile the vessels of the Lord which had been taken from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar.

He and all with him drank from them, while praising their false pagan gods and having the equivalent to a big drunken feast, within an hour,  his eyes beheld with horror and his knees actually shook with terror as a hand appeared from nowhere and proceeded to write out his death warrant on his own wall, when Daniel interrupted it he would soon learn that no one could save him from the judgment of God and he was dead that night.

We are vessels, holy unto the Lord, set aside for his use and anyone who wishes to defile us will truly have hell to pay.
Friends like these you don’t need. Pray and ask the Lord for real ones. And while you are waiting, remember he is the best friend you will ever have!

Companion post: COLLECT CALL FROM EGYPT. WILL YOU ACCEPT THE CHARGES?

Φλογίζω / 05/24/2014. All rights reserved. Rev. Nina Brown Johnson 2015 

REVISTED 08/07/2021

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“Feelin’ faint….”

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for IN DUE SEASON we shall reap, IF we FAINT NOT ( do not LOSE HEART ). ” GALATIANS 6:9

  We hear that verse often but have you really thought about it? Well doing, trying to do good for the kingdom, weariness, tired and worn out. In due season ( God’s pre appointed time) WE WILL reap that good harvest. IF we faint not, that is strong wording that tells us that there will be times we feel like it is going nowhere and times that we do feel like giving up and times we feel we can’t  go on.

A perfect story for this can be found in  2 King 4:8-37, I will highlight the story but please, if you are feeling this, please read it.

A lady and her husband had befriended Elisha the Prophet and they would have him eat and rest at their home during his journeys. One day they decided to build a little spot for him so he could just stay there when he passed by. Elisha wanted to his appreciation and do something nice for her. So his servant suggested a child since she was barren and her husband was old, this would mean once he passed she would be completely alone.

We’ll pick it up at verses 15-20: “And he ( Elisha to his servant) said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said, about THIS SEASON, according to the time of life (about the same time next year) thou shalt embrace a son. And she said Nay, my lord, thou man of God, Do not lie unto thine handmaid. { It wasn’t that she did not believe him, it was that the news was so wonderful that she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and wanted to know it was real and that he was serious}

And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life. And when the child was grown, IT FELL ON A DAY, that he WENT OUT TO HIS FATHER TO THE REAPERS. And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he (the father) said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and THEN DIED.”

So now the Mama having been almost afraid to believe for something so wonderful, has just watched her dream die. The child just old enough on the day “it fell” the time that had been slated for him to GO TO HIS FATHERS FIELD TO JOIN THE REAPERS IN BRINGING IN THE HARVEST and with an attack to “his head”, ( the symbolism there is this, the wars waged in our present day is often attacks of worry, fear, and dread) and now he is dead before he even began work in the harvest.

The story goes on, as the mother takes her son and places him in Elisha’s bed and closes the door, she then asks or a young man to be sent with her to go see the Prophet. When her husband asks what is the occasion, she simply replies “It shall be well”, meaning, everything is okay, it is well. Once Elisha sees her in the distance, he sends his servant to meet her with the question, “Is it well?” on all accounts. And again she answered the servant, “It is well”.

But once she gets to Elisha, she grabs his feet and he is very troubled because he knew nothing about this, because God had not revealed it to him. (Proof positive that  real Prophets ONLY know what God reveals to them and have no special insight they can control at will, a good thing to remember with “prophets” who supposed to have all the answers to everyone’s questions and are always eager to be asked) So then she tells him everything, complete with the sorrow of  her feeling that she had been given what she had not asked for only to have it taken away. So he sends his servant with his staff to place upon the son, with instructions not to speak to anyone for any reason, even if they spoke first. Don’t answer them back or respond at all.

So she told no one that her son had died, Elisha told his servant not to speak to anyone so it was between them and the Lord. When you have a bad situation already, the last thing you need is people making it worse and no matter how much faith you are trying to muster there are always those who will come by and give one thousand scenarios to confirm your worst fears. So the servant does as he was told, to no avail, so the child was not revived. Because whether he had Elisha’s staff or not, the anointing of God would have to be present to do the reviving.  

Picking back up at verse 32-37: “And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore and shut the door upon them twain (just them) and PRAYED unto the Lord. And he went up and laid upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon the child, and the flesh of the child waxed (grew) warm. (transference).

Then he returned, and WALKED IN THE HOUSE TO AND FRO;  And went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, AND THE CHILD OPENED HIS EYES. 

And he called Gehazi ( his servant) and said, Call the Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.”

God will keep his promises and His harvest will be reaped. Even death has no dominion and can not stop the work or the call of God on lives and just as the symbolic truth to this story is this, that even sometimes before you even get started the forces of hell are there to prevent your work but it will come even if it has to be resurrected from the dead. Maybe you feel that way today, that dreams are lost, hopes are shattered, and all you had believed for is lying there lifeless. Don’t give up, don’t talk to doubters along the way, sometimes the less people know about our battles the better off we are.

Just as it was well, it was kept between her, Elisha, and the Lord. Remember HE NEVER FAILS.

Φλογίζω Σαλπιζω NB 2016

 

 

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SHIELD & SWORD

“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I AM THY SHIELD, AND THY EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD.” GENESIS 15:1

 In the cares of life and the endless searches for meaning, belonging, and the struggles with ourselves and the world and those in it we often forget the simplistic truth of the Gospel. While we do live in a fearful world and we do suffer heartache, disappointments, and sorrow one thing never changes, God and His promises to us. What he said six thousand years ago to Abram still applies to true believers today. HE IS…

“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heavens in thy help, and his excellency on the sky. The eternal God IS thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also HIS heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who IS the sword of excellency ( majesty) ! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.”  DEUTERONOMY 33:26-29

HE IS our shield, our protector, our high tower and our strength and He will scatter your enemies and put all that was theirs under your feet.

“Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously BECAUSE of truth and meekness (humility) and righteousness: and thy right had shall teach thee terrible (awesome) things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies: whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, IS FOR EVER AND EVER: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter ( of righteousness).  PSALM 45:3-6

 For a classical comparison think of the tale of Cinderella, the clock struck, the ball ended, her clothing became tattered again and it appeared that all was just as it had been, her way out seemed lost but the end of the ball was only the beginning of the story and the end of her mistreatment by the evil stepsisters, because something had changed, she had met the Prince and he was already on his way! 

Maybe your having a day like that, when it seems as though things will never change, but they already are, you just don’t see it yet. Unlike our fairy tale prince, we serve a LIVING KING, the one and only undisputable King over everything and part of being a King is being a shield for your people and being their protector and that hiding place behind His shield where HE fights for us.

“The Lord IS my strength and my shield: My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth: and with my song will I praise him. The Lord IS their strength and HE IS the saving strength of his anointed. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed (shepherd) them also, and lift them up for ever.”

                                                 PSALM 28: 7-9 

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them (You protect them) : let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee: For thou LORD WILT BLESS THE RIGHTEOUS; WITH FAVOUR WILT THOU COMPASS HIM AS WITH A SHIELD.”

                                                  PSALM 5:11,12

The banner of the Kingdom of God, The banner Jehovah Nissi, flies over you and your life. And that banner is love and His love for you. I know you certainly can’t see it but it is very much there. So just hang on and wait, wait humbly, and patiently for Him, I promise your King is on His way and He will show up and save your day!

Φλογίζω /  ΝΒ 2016 ***Original Post Date 02/17/2016  Revisited 11/06/2021

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Sticks and Stones #1 “BAD BLOOD”

We all know the old saying about sticks and stones, and what a wonderful gesture to encourage that words will do no harm.

But sticks and stones will break many things and words can shatter hearts.

This is going to be one of those not quite so comfortable subjects that so truly needs addressed.

For some who grew up in TRUE Christian homes of sibling love, and harmony, I salute you and I am happy for what you do not understand but for the rest and the majority we’re gonna deal with bad blood, the questionable point when sibling rivalry and normal competitiveness between family members turns not so friendly and the blood of your truest most formidable enemy is shared through your own veins and the hatred that pierces your heart through the words the Bible refers to as “of a piercing of a sword” and they are much worse than the sword of an enemy because we unfortunately have a built-in pack need to belong, fit in and be accepted.                              

Even in the most together families, there is usually one or two that have issues with each other that affect the entire family.          

I have seriously thought about whether this is a bigger issue for males or females, because there are stories of males bullied and pushed a little too far by abusive older brothers and yet for females with one or sometimes two misogynistic siblings the damage done can far outweigh the normal relationship with the “good” siblings and this pattern can be seen over and over, and often traced back through a complete bloody bloodline of bad blood between “brothers” for generations. It is a story almost as old as time, I think it goes back even farther than Cain and Abel, I think it goes back to the war in heaven, the rebellion of Lucifer as he took one-third of the servants of heaven with him.                                                            

 His jealousy and rage and as now his accusations against the children of God, so clearly seen in the verbal abuse in domestic situations and his need to attempt to control those around him so crystal clear in the lives of those who wish to control others through this kind of abuse which can turn violent and physical at the drop of a hat.

Our biggest obstacle to overcome, the name itself, “Domestic”, what does that even mean? Tame violence? Tame belittling?

Homegrown heartache and as long as it’s not a stranger cussing you out then it is just domestic, no big deal, just deal with it. That is what it means. As Christians we are taught by Christ to love those who hate us and pray for those that use us and bless those who curse us, but I truly DO NOT believe that he meant for us to be the family door mat or the emotional whipping boy who hears it if the sun doesn’t shine the right way.

The Bible also teaches to “GIVE NO PLACE TO THE DEVIL” and to resist him and he will flee from you, there are countless scriptures I give with this series as proof that we do not have to have contact with them and to stay away from violent, mean people who only want to hurt you.

Through time women have stayed with abusive husbands because they made a vow that it was forever, but again why on earth would Jesus take all those stripes, all that pain and die on that cross to save us, so we then could live life with someone of the devil that beats on us, either with fists or words? NEVER going to get me to buy that story!

Now, we have to deal with family, like abusive husbands only you can’t divorce them but I tell you what you can do, SEE it for what it is. When we don’t have Christ they have us locked into their game, an ongoing test of the wills to see who is “strongest” or who will bend first, it is like running with wolves, they consider tears a weakness and when your down the whole pack turns on you. That is what Satan wants. His objective is to poison your blood with the same poison he manged to inject into theirs, probably through the same sadistic,systematic mind games and through the endless hail of heartless words and of course it just wouldn’t work without the endless, never-ending accusation that it is really YOU! Because YOU think your better than them and all the words designed to instill guilt (that does not belong to you) and play on that lack of self-worth that has already been successfully driven into your brain and whatever else is thrown at you, he hopes to beat any gentleness,or compassion, and anything remotely decent out of you until he has YOU become exactly what your abuser is and that is his plan and that is scary.

But once we accept Jesus they want even more to destroy you because now they have no one to play with since you are a new creature and are working toward crucifying your flesh, so now the enemy has a double motive.

 Trap #1. If he can get you to break and hit back and attack them out of the same pain and anger that held you in bondage before, if you are not very careful he can make you fall spiritually, if you are passive-aggressive and he can mange to get you into attack mode he can have you being the aggressor or getting so angry just wanting it to stop that you will cause more damage than can be undone.

Trap #2 The old blood is thicker than water routine and convince you  that it IS YOUR JOB to get them saved and that if you are just nice to them and tolerate them and put up with their abuse, you will be leading them to God and if you fail to let them hang out with you wasted and treat you like dirt than you are not being very kind and if they die they will die lost and it will be YOUR FAULT! Not true! We can’t get anyone saved only Jesus can do that! We can be a light but when someone is high, belligerent, and mean, raising Hades on you, how can they see that light through their own anger? Soft answers do turn away wrath but once you give that answer turn yourself away also. Jesus did not fool with demons, he did not carry on conversations with them, he cast them out  and there are times in our life that we must see these things for what they are, traps, demonic traps that the enemy is using to try to KEEP us in the same bondage that God delivered us from!

Jesus wants us to have peace and joy unspeakable and delivers us from all fear,and we must not allow the enemy to convince us that blood is blood and to be a “good” Christian requires us to endure these things. So please just say No to that ingrained false belief that by letting them torment you that your are somehow helping their soul and that one day they will love you, accept it for what it is and don’t fall for the traps. Never tolerate a behavior from a family member that you would not tolerate from a stranger and you sure wouldn’t keep going back to the same store that you got called a useless hussy in a week before, (of course that is a language clean up) now would you?

Next time we’ll start making Biblical sense of this, stories of what others went through and how to put our trust in God and allow him to heal us and be all that we need.

Φλογιζω   NBJ.2015

For more in this series, check out this posts: BLOOD BROTHERS ,  Sticks & Stones part 3,  Anger Danger, Strangle Hold

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DOUBLE-EDGED PART 2 / FANNING THE FLAME…..

“Because of the savour (fragrance) of thy good ointments THY NAME (JESUS) IS AS A OINTMENT (healing balm) POURED FORTH, therefore do the virgins love thee.
DRAW ME ( lead me away ) we WILL RUN AFTER THEE (GOD): The KING hath BROUGHT me INTO HIS chambers: We WILL be glad and REJOICE in thee (GOD), WE WILL REMEMBER THY LOVE MORE THAN WINE: the upright love thee (BEING RIGHT IN OUR LOVE FOR YOU).”
Song of Solomon:1:3-4

Now to unravel that, I always like to point out to NEVER EVER read the commentaries on this book! 
It is compared to Solomon and his Shulamite lady, but they are so wrong!
 It is not about the kind of relationship they like to carnally compare it to.
It is the relationship between Jesus and His church (The Bride).
I still love this, I am actually called to specifically the book of Revelation but I love Solomon and I am so thankful to Him for allowing me the work in it that he does because as I said before women WERE NOT ALLOWED TO READ THIS BOOK!
That is the problem, that is what we must overcome to really get this, they thought women would become too “flustered” if they were to read the descriptive passage of a soul entwining love that left one so helpless desiring to breathe the very breath of the other, a love so strong, that “it is strong as death, the jealousy (desire to keep and protect the love of that relationship) is a cruel as the grave: the fire thereof ARE coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.”

Jesus came here as a man BUT he was completely innocent, completely sinless and HE NEVER HAD, NOR WILL EVER HAVE the kind of relations that humans do!

But IT IS  the grandest, most romantic
 love story that has ever been or ever will be written.
 IT IS the spiritual love story between Christ and the church.
Once we have been brought into His house of “feasting”, (rejoicing at the “table of God”) and tasted spiritually the things of God, we can no longer help but to run after him.
 The virgins ( hearts spiritually pure to Him) seek only to be one more moment in His presence, completely overshadowed and overcame by Him and all that He is, which is indescribable, but will of a certainty melt your knees from under you and leave you  blew completely away that to mirror the verse “turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcame (overwhelmed) me.”

Translation if He were to physically manifest to match his spiritual manifestation, you would be unable to make eye contact because of the sheer majesty and awe of what you had just experienced.

But don’t take my word for it, especially since a certain “anonymous” group wants to make me their poster child because they think we are all sick and need help, but I know just how real He is and I know that love, and I know one word from Him and my soul will melt at His will, because I adore Him and His wish is my command, He owns me completely and I want Him too, what really gets you is His overwhelming humility and gentleness. 

How could you expect the God of the universe to meet you in your pain and cover you with pure love in such an unexpected way?
How can He come down to mere mortals and dry their tears and silence their cries and assure them that His love heals all and they are in His garden, no matter what the world or others may say.
How can He hold the world in His hand and yet know the very hair on our heads and our today from our tomorrow, and our first breath from our last?

How can he possibly form us in our Mother’s womb, watch us as we struggle to find our way and then when we have returned to Him never question us as to why it took so long, only welcome us with arms open wide and love as strong?
1 Samuel 2:1-10:“And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoiced in the Lord, mine horn ( my strength) is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged (smiles at) over mine enemies;
BECAUSE I rejoice in thy (your) salvation,
THERE IS NONE HOLY AS THE LORD:

FOR THERE IS NONE BESIDE THEE: NEITHER IS THERE ANY ROCK LIKE OUR GOD.
Talk no more so exceedingly proudly; let NOT arrogancy come out of your mouth;

For the Lord IS a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty men are broken; and they that stumbled ARE GIRDED WITH STRENGTH. 

They that were full have hired themselves out for bread; and they that were hungry ceased ( hunger no more);

so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath born seven is waxed (grown) feeble.
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: HE BRINGETH DOWN TO THE GRAVE, AND BRINGETH UP. The lord maketh poor, and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, TO SET them among princes, AND TO MAKE THEM INHERIT THE THRONE OF GLORY: for the pillars of the earth ARE THE LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.

HE WILL keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for BY STRENGTH SHALL NO MAN PREVAIL.
THE ADVERSARIES OF THE LORD SHALL BE BROKEN TO PIECES; OUT OF HEAVEN HE SHALL THUNDER UPON THEM:THE LORD SHALL JUDGE THE EARTH; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn (strength) OF HIS ANOINTED.”

Luke 1: 46-54:
“And Mary said, My soul hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (maidservant); for, behold, from henceforth (now on) all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; AND HOLY IS HIS NAME.
And HIS MERCY IS ON THEM that fear him FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.
He hath shewed (shown) strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imaginations of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of a low degree (the lowly).
He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent away empty.
he hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, IN REMEMBRANCE OF HIS MERCY;”
Remembering that love, next time….
Φλογιζω/NBJ/ 2015 All rights reserved. Revisted 2021

 

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WITH FRIENDS LIKE THAT..

I love old sayings, people long ago learned lessons and passed that wisdom down to forewarn future generations.
Ministers are like front line soldiers discovering what’s in the enemies arsenal and reporting back to the troops what weapon is needed to take them down.
Some of the wisest words ever spoken were, “With friends like that, who needs enemies.”
As Paul said “when he thought to do good, evil was ever-present with him.” Sometimes it is difficult for us to see just who our real enemies are.
Think about it, the Bible says that Satan himself “can transform into an angel of light” and we know that he is well versed in the scripture and loves nothing more than to try to twist the word of God to snare, trap, and pervert us.
Genesis 3:1(a) “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made…” and most know this story, through convincing Eve that she really, really wanted this and she should just trust him, it would all be okay, he deceived her into making a decision that we all paid for and Jesus gave his life to repair the damage that “friend” caused.
David, not even trying to resist his lust for Bathsheba ( I know it was lust because he had tried to get Uriah to go home, hoping he would sleep with her and think he had fathered the baby and let them all live a lie) when all of his plans failed, he in effect had Uriah “murdered by war” using him to deliver his own death warrant.
The wages of sin are death, this brought it down on his entire family. Nathan the Prophet went so far as to deliver the judgment handed down from God that the sword would never leave David’s house.
So that voice as the serpent rose again, David’s son Amnon became completely possessed by a spirit of incestuous lust toward his half-sister Tamar. As Satan purposed all this in Amnon’s heart he sent his messenger with just the reassurance Amnon’s flesh needed to act upon that lust.
2 Samuel 13:2,3 ” And Amnon was so vexed (distressed) that he feel sick for his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her ( knew it was wrong ). But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shiva David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.”
His “friend” talked him into raping her, destroying her and filling her brother(his half) Absalom with such hate that it mirrors the rebellion Lucifer led in his attempt to overthrow the Kingdom of Heaven.
He had Amnon murdered and led a rebellion against David and died trying to flee David’s army, when his long beautiful hair became caught and tangled on a tree branch leaving him helpless against the sword.
Snared and tangled up, some prophetic symbolism in that, what unchecked bitterness and hate will do to us.
That is what happens when one person chooses to listen to the wrong voice. A girl’s life was completely devastated, two brothers were dead, two mothers, a father, and an entire kingdom was left to mourn and to never be the same.
One more example, sometimes the enemy wants to take you down so bad that he will send a multitude of voices, because after all, how can so many be so wrong?
The story of Queen Esther tells us of Haman, the King’s power-hungry, right hand boy who hated the Jews especially Mordecai ( Esther’s uncle ) because Mordecai refused to bow to him. So Amidst his whining over the injustice of the situation, Esther 5:14 “Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and on the morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go merrily with the king unto the banquet. and this thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.”
Long story short, Haman was hanged on his own gallows and Mordecai got his job.
God tells us “surely they shall gather together, but not by me, no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper.”
Haman fell into his own trap, a trap laid at the urging of those closest to him, who supposedly had his best interests in mind, telling him exactly what his blackened, sin-laden heart wanted to hear.
So like those collect calls from Egypt, you don’t realize the price until you get the bill and if you knew the cost you would have never agreed to accept those charges, it may be a bill like David’s, that his family ended up having to pay.
Your true friends may not understand your faith, but they will respect it and be happy for you.
Read Luke 15:8,9 the parable of the lady who found her lost silver and her friends rejoiced with her.
Steer clear of “friends” who only want to drag you back to “Egypt”, because misery loves company and if they are not free they surely don’t want you to be.
Just as with Adam and Eve, once the blinders were off and their eyes were opened to the truth,they knew the sin and the shame.
Amnon, when his “love” immediately turned to complete disgust and hatred once he had achieved his desire.
That is what sin does and no matter how good they make it sound or tell you just how much you are missing, if you give in to them, when the day comes, and it will come, like Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened, yours will be also and I promise you that your are not going to like what you see.
The truth is that not only are friends like these a danger to your soul, they also endanger theirs by tempting you as a child of God.
As the Bible teaches us, if we as believers defile this temple God will destroy it (us).
Daniel 5 tells the story of Belshazzar, who had the bright idea that it would be fun to defile the vessels of the Lord which had been taken from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar.
He and all with him drank from them, while praising their false pagan gods and having the equivalent to a big drunken feast, within an hour,  his eyes beheld with horror and his knees actually shook with terror as a hand appeared from nowhere and proceeded to write out his death warrant on his own wall, when Daniel interrupted it he would soon learn that no one could save him from the judgment of God and he was dead that night.
We are vessels, holy unto the Lord, set aside for his use and anyone who wishes to defile us will truly have hell to pay.
Friends like these you don’t need. Pray and ask the Lord for real ones. And while you are waiting, remember he is the best friend you will ever have!

Companion post:COLLECT CALL FROM EGYPT. WILL YOU ACCEPT THE CHARGES?
A theme song for you, “Satisfaction” David Phelps

Φλογίζω / 05/24/2014. All rights reserved. Rev. Nina BrownJohnson 2015

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COUNTING WRONG

My favorite all time quote is from Ronald Reagan in response to Muammar Qaddafi’s far out plans of taking on America, “He counted on America to be passive and he counted wrong”.

This was inadvertently brought back to mind last night. It is par for the course over the last few weeks and it seemed perfect for today’s topic.
The enemy, and sometimes other people seem to believe they can put you in, what is their perception of your place, and you will passively stay there but just as Libya soon learned the meaning of those infamous words, there are times that we have to stand up for ourselves or be trampled into the ground.
To be honest my first day out in this new adventure I almost gave up. I had the awesome privilege of receiving enough, how shall we say, unwanted drama through social media that I seriously questioned whether the good would outweigh the bad.

These were the very waters I had tried to avoid having to tread because I knew I’d have to fight some battles that I would have preferred to sit out.
Bad on my part, that is why Satan throws stuff like this at us, he knows what buttons to push to shut us up, back us off, and set us down.
I truly thought once about deleting it all and trying another route, but you know what, God did not create me to be a coward, sure, as the old saying goes they can kill you but they can’t eat you!

Well, I actually guess they could but hopefully you would at least taste bad!!

God sent me wonderful encouragement through others with his word and uplifting thoughts they shared that were right on time.
Once God’s spirit started rising up in me and I grew a better backbone, I decided that I will not let anyone take from me what God gave.

 I can take the remarks about the pants, I can deal with the old school belief that if you wear make-up you’re a quote unquote Jezebel, I can deal with the boys only club of ministry society.

What I can’t deal with is anyone touching the anointing and that is where the fight will get bloody.

If you are battling oppression in any form today, I want to hopefully encourage us all with this list of people who stood up to not just THE ENEMY but to all those who wished to interfere with the preordained work of God.

The Pharaoh counted on taking Abraham’s wife for his harem, but when God himself appeared to this pagan in a dream letting him know assuredly that he was a good as dead because she belonged to another.

As he counted up the gifts he gave trying to gain favor as he sent them on their way, he realized when he had accessed just how easily he thought she could be obtained, he found out with the loss of his riches that he had counted wrong.

Joseph’s brothers counted on destroying him, but upon discovering his new identity as second in power over all of Egypt they learned they had counted wrong.

Pharaoh counted on killing off the Hebrew sons, but with God’s sovereign plan the one baby he missed, that would grow up in his own house would bring about Egypt’s downfall. When he counted babies, he counted wrong.

Pharaoh counted on continuing to enslave the Hebrews after being commanded  from God to free them, finally having been hit with nine plagues, he conceded that he may have counted wrong.

Pharaoh counted on the Red Sea to allow his armies passage, but he and his host all drown there, and for his last time he counted wrong.
Korah counted on overthrowing Moses. 

Then the ground opened up and swallowed all that pertained to him.  Guess he too counted wrong.

Balak counted on hiring Balaam to curse Israel. Only to discover his plan had been intercepted by a Holy God and now only blessing could be spoken, yep, counted wrong.

Balaam counting on getting by disobeying God, and beating a donkey, once his eyes had been opened to the angel who informed him that he would have gladly killed him, not even aware how close he came to death and he surely regretted that he counted wrong!

Depraved men counted on forcibly taking and sexually assaulting Lot’s angelic house guests, only to blinded through the door and the entire place destroyed from the face of the earth, they had counted wrong.

Philistines counted on enjoying their “Let’s torture Samson” party and invited thousands of guests, Soon they would discover their careful calculations were only a bad misguess.
As party sayings go, he really brought the house down, counting on torturing God’s anointed for the fun of it, as God gave Samson the strength to cave the entire place down, as the laughter turned to horror as they were crushed to death.

Sisera, the enemy of Israel counted on a nice warm resting place when Jael took him in, had he lived through her nailing his head to the floor, well he would have known when he counted her as a friend, he counted wrong.

Goliath laughed hysterically at David’s small size counting on taking this boy down. God’s guided stone sending this beast to the ground and when his head came off, all of his army knew when they counted on destroying Israel that they counted wrong.

Absalom who counted on overthrowing his father, soon found himself suspended from a tree branch, caught by his beautiful hair. I’m sure before being ran through by the sword, he knew he counted wrong.

Nebuchadnezzar counted on torching the three Hebrew boys, once he saw not only were they fireproof but also not alone, to his horror he realized he counted wrong.

Haman counted on hanging Mordecai and killing all the Jews, after a chat between the King and Esther lead him to his gallows, those who had encouraged him in his plan knew they all had counted wrong.

Belshazzar counted on using vessels of the Lord as stemware  for his pagan party, his death warrant was soon written upon his wall,
that’s what happens when you count wrong and attempt to defile a vessel, any vessel that is consecrated unto God.

Darius’ overseers counted on ridding themselves of Daniel by turning him lion food, but once morning came and Daniel was still very much alive, they themselves were thrown in the den, these are men who counted wrong, once again.

Satan and the armies of hell counted on taking all power once they had Jesus dead, but to their surprise he tore down their stronghold taking the keys to their kingdom, all the sting of death, overcoming the grave by resurrecting from his death.

They counted on defeating him and there will never again be doubt of just how badly they counted and they counted wrong.We could go on for days, but I hope this encourages someone.

We do get discouraged, but when that happens give it to the Lord, let him raise up his spirit in you.
Think of it as spiritual wrestling, you may down but never let them make it to the three count.
You may be growing weak and losing strength fast and your enemies may think you’ve been counted out but with God as your Captain you can let them know really fast, if they really believe your out of the match and down for the count then obviously they have very badly counted wrong.

Φλογιζω/ All rights reserved. Reverend Nina BrownJohnson/ baresoulphlogizo 2015

Revisited 02/17/2021 Because sometimes people need to be reminded that is not who were are or who we fight or rather whom tried to fight against us, it is WHO we serve! So if you need a little encouragement today, I hope this will remind you of what you already know, everyone mentioned in the Bible were people, men and women, JUST LIKE US, different time period, different battles but still prone to fera, worry, and confusion but in all their trials God came shining through and if you serve him he will do the same for you. Φλογιζω