When God Has Spoken!

Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”  For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 1:16-20 NIV

Pigs love wallowing in the mud, getting dirty and actually cooling themselves off. But many of us thinks pigs are the most disgusting animals since they'll eat virtually anything and yet--how many love bacon?

When people wallow in filth and come up smelling rotten and disgusting, we tend to judge their appearance the odor emitting from them, not realizing that sometimes our superficial judgments are way off. It is simply a matter of having to give a person a chance to clean themselves up before we make any final decisions. But then--there are some people--who love to live in the muck and the mire--not for any purpose other than that's where they choose to reside--and some people--appear to love those who dwell in the muck and smell to high heaven.

Through the prophet Isaiah, we see that God sees and knows exactly what we're doing and why, but He's giving us a chance to clean up our acts. We can be ceremonially (physically) clean, symbolically clean, and spiritually clean--and it's all up to us. Are we willing to wash and be clean? Soap and water will clean us ceremonially and physically, but they have no effect on our moral compass.  We can be symbolically by committing certain acts of--cleansing--using elements other than soap and water or we can be spiritually clean, by washing ourselves in the water of The Word.

Oh--that The Word would shower us, removing everything that is not like God from our souls and minds so we would see the benefit of obeying God! 

God is not blind or deaf and He warns us to take the evil deeds out of His sight and to stop doing wrong. We are to learn to do right--from a humanitarian perspective as well as a spiritual one. We are to seek justice--for all--the rich and the poor, the black and the white, every human being, without bias. We are to defend those who cannot defend themselves, the vulnerable who have lost hope--especially in our society where many things appear to be hopeless.

If we are willing to do what is required of us--no matter what others may say--and are obedient to God's Word--that we love one another as ourselves--then we shall have hope and access to all the good in the land.

What is required of us? Repentance and a determination to live according to God's Word. Constant communication with Him who is all we need for guidance and direction in every area of our lives. Submission to His Will and not our own--we must do things His way--if we're to receive His benefits. We must not see ourselves superior to other human beings, but accept the fact that we are made in His image, bleed red, and have the same needs--security, food, and shelter. And since we do not live in isolation, we must learn to live in harmony and peace with one another.

When God speaks to our hearts through His Word are we listening? Or have we become so hard-hearted that nothing He says to us, matters?

For the benefit of all mankind regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or belief--God has spoken and if we want to see a change in our society--across the land, we must be wiling to hear and obey.

Speak, Lord--for Your true servants are listening, willing and ready to obey!

Shadow Security!

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. Psalm 91:1,2; 9,10 NIV

When the shadows fall over the land, we can either feel security or fear. There are so many stories about our reactions to shadows that one blog post would not do it justice. There are times when shadows have caused people frightening experiences when they did not realize that tree branches and plastic bags caught on branches can give the allusion of something else that is far more sinister than what it is.

And then there are times when dangerous acts have been defeated because of the shadows alerting others of the dangers contrived by those who are evil.

But there is security in the knowledge that those of us who believe that the shadow of the Almighty is with us, daily. We can trust in the security of that shadow knowing that nothing by any means shall harm us when we dwell in His presence.

I started to title this post, shadow boxing--because that is what many of us do when we're trying to overcome mindsets that keep us from enjoying the benefit of belonging to God. We feel we must always fight back--boxing our imaginary opponent that only exists in our heads--and yet we never win. Though shadow boxing has its benefits for those who are training to be boxers, there is no win since we are actually boxing our own shadow. And every time we move--in the right conditions for shadows to exist--the shadow moves and looms larger than we are.

So, too does God's shadow--loom so much larger than we are and therefore we can trust Him to protect us. If we truly understood what dwelling in the shadow of His presence meant, we would indeed--fear no evil that conspires against us. We would boldly travel the paths He sets before us and not concern ourselves with the mediocrity that attempts to distract us. His shadow--on every side--because He is Light and where there is Light, His shadow is present.

Remember--when Peter passed by some and those who were enveloped in his shadow were healed. David said though the shadow of death was always present, he would not fear any evil coming upon him.

We do not have to fear shadows--unless we are in the wrong place for all the wrong reasons. Living in God's shadow--we are fully protected and have no need to fear.

Refuge!

"The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." (Psalm 37:40 NIV)

Who does the Lord help and deliver? The righteous--those in right-standing with God can count on The Lord helping them and delivering them from all that attempts to hold them bound by the temptations influenced by evil. He delivers them from the wicked and saves (those in right-standing with Him) because they seek refuge in Him.

Every community should be a "safe haven" for those who live in it, but we know that does not always happen. Evil lurks, seeking whom it will attack and devour in our times, just as it did with the walled cities of old. The difference then is the cities had the watchmen walking the walls, looking for the attempts by others that meant danger to those who lived inside. When danger was seen, the alarm sounded and everyone knew what they had to do.

In addition to the walled cities for the majority of the occupants in a region, there were also cities built as a place of refuge for those who had been estranged from their place of origin or for those seeking shelter from the harm of others because they had accidentally killed someone (Numbers, Joshua).

I remember that in one neighborhood where I used to live, my home became the apparent refuge for children seeking shelter from harm by those living there who were certainly not law-abiding. There was drama unfolding on one particular evening and I looked out the door to see my porch full of children who were trying to get out of harm's way. Most of these children participated in my "porch" bible study during the summer and I was glad they felt my house was a safe haven--a refuge from harm.

In the midst of stormy weather, we are told to seek refuge in low-lying areas and for those of us who have basements--to run to the basement for shelter. In the Midwestern regions--open ranges, they have storm cellars in which they seek shelter from the storms.

In the storms of life, filled with uncertainty and confusion, Our God is our refuge--a place where we can go and no one can harm us. When we are in right-standing with Him, there is nothing we cannot expect from Him--safety from those who would harm us, deliverance from things that would distract us, provision when we are unable to provide for ourselves, wisdom when we lack it and ask for it, mercy and grace we cannot earn, and love overflowing--when we are emptied out and need replenishing.

If ever there was a time we needed to know where we can find refuge, that time is now. Dangers are all around us--bone-chilling weather, icy road conditions, mindsets in opposition to God's Word--all dangers that should cause us to run to The Lord, seeking refuge in Him to avoid the consequences of staying on the path of the wicked.

Don't linger in the face of danger--RUN to the Lord and seek shelter in Him!