Does the Strong Man have you bound?

     ²⁸ But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.²⁹ “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.³⁰ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

   When a magician performs a trick say" sleight of hand" you have just been witness to a trick of deception of your eyes. You have been tricked.  Cleverly drawn away from what really happened.
     It is what happens every day right in front of our eyes we are drawn away from the truth.  Ask yourself a question.  What is that tugging at my heart?  The deep longings...peace...from a constant fight or struggle.  Why am I not happier?  Why don't I have enough...money-time-energy?  These are questions that always seem to be in front of us and drawing our attentions from that which would provide the very thing we seek.  The trick comes in a very subtle form... If I could only obtain more of that of which I seek then...I would be content.  So I go to the gym to have more energy, work harder for more money,so I get more tired and then I meditate longer for the peace I seek getting frustrated because meditation does not fill up what's missing.
     The strong man is the devil and he is a master magician but he has been defeated  through weakness.  
     Christ disarmed all the powers and principalities for us..we just have to let him into our hearts to rule and reign not the devil.  
    In an earlier blog I said that Nirvana is not to be found here on earth.  There are many counterfeits that present to us a form of godliness but beware they are traps.  
     This includes groups of Christian sects that either present doctrines of prosperity, name it claim it types or those that want to simply live like those of 200 years ago and become isolationist non conformists and non interventionalists and want nothing but to be "separate and have nothing to do with the "world."  In effect having no affect on the people around them.
    The gospel is all of the opposites named above.  It is" in your face", "take a stand", controversial and flies in the face of what we would normally do. Mostly it often causes one to adopt  the ways of Jesus that are not man made legalistic or works of our own that we can take pride in or claim for ourselves.  
     In laying down his life for us and trading places with us on the cross he made a permanent way for us to find what we were missing.  A relationship that reunites us and( our empty spirits) with the "living water."
     In the miracles Jesus performed, he was accused of doing it by the power of the devil.  This was a masterly sleight of hand. Also said" if I cast out Satan by Satan then is his house divided.  But if I cast Satan out by the power of God , then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
     Where is the kingdom of God for you?  Does it come from the things around you?  Or is it seen by the working of Jesus in you and by the spirit?  Most of all do not be tricked by counterfeit kingdoms of God. 
      I spent 17 years following a vision of a single man's, "words of revelation" given weekly,(some true, some paranoid) set in beautiful surroundings only to cede over to the people in power my common sense,  decisions that were mine and mine only and not allowing Jesus himself to have say in my life. In effect I allowed a substitution and not recognizing ... I was tricked by a simple sleight of hand.....>

   

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This Ride Won't Last Forever">

     

 24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
    
                     I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
     
     This quote is from Ecclesiastes one of my favorite books.  A summary of one very wise man who looked at his world.   
     Some would view this book as a morose statement of our pointless toil, however I find it quite consoling and directional in that it points to our place in this world in a sobering way that forces us to ground ourselves in reality...we have 70 or so years to live and it must be worthwhile! All the pursuits we have available to us can leave us empty if we do not find our way to peace with our God who is jealous for our time...with him.  This is to say that we can be privileged to worship him as it says in "Truth and Spirit."  
     Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that we (Jews) know who we worship.  Do You?  Have you found the one true God?  I have been with those on their death bed and have watched them pass away with fear and doubt at the end of their life and still did not know. This is because I cared for them as a nurse and was inside a place to observe and see as the writer of Ecclesiastes did too.  I was in a place to offer comfort and tell the truth as I knew it.
    The first chapter of John 1 starts as follows:
      1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our[a] joy complete.
     This is bold writing and it takes firsthand knowledge to do so.  I think the writer of Ecclesiastes would say...wake up!  Look around!  Don't be blinded by all the "eye candy" (not women in this case) that there is!  In other words, there is more to life than what meets the eye.  The battle is to ignore the loudest calls like Odysseus and the Sirens! and find God, find your peace and place in him.  Then all other "things" will fall into place.  

Let Your Yes be Yes: and your No be No: Freedom In Christ>

         Anything more than the words above according to Jesus Is Sin.  Always be ready to give an account to those who ask of you, reasons for your faith. Or in other words, " let your words be seasoned with salt or flavoring in answer to those who would question you about your faith in Jesus.
     Today we have "many" flavors of Christianity.  Almost like Baskin Robbins ice cream you can get anything you want.  Be very careful what you search for. There are entanglements even in the name of Christianity that will trap and deter from the basics of the faith in Jesus.  Searching for Nirvana here on earth is a mistake, there is not one to be found.  Jesus told his disciples that "you will have much tribulation or if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you too.  Why?  Because we are now in the war zone and there is no demilitarized zone.  There may be cease fires from time to time but only that.  The war is a continuing struggle for light against dark and the struggle can be subtle also.
     Even in the halls of Christianity, there can be tremendous deceptions that make it hard to tell where the shots are coming from.  "Friendly Fire" can kill just as easy as the enemy's can!  Casualties happen even in the best of intentions.  Look at the Paul and Barnabas story.  Nuff said!  There will always be differences of opinions in the way that anyone looks at things.  In trying to find a unity in the Body of Christ we must always be diligent not to alienate those who might look at things just a little differently and harm them with our "tongues" and or actions.  
     Even our Christianity can become a cult-ish type of environment if we are not careful. Isolation, wrong
     headed heirarchies uneven or unbalanced rewards to some and not to others and mind-bending tendencies are things to watch for and are cause for alarm.
     In an effort to serve Christ we must be simple and uncomplicated and reflect in nature the Christlike things that our Lord did.  Paul was stern in his writings to the Churches he looked after.  There were many wrong things taking place and corrections that had to be made, nevertheless he warned those who over saw the work of the church "not to lord over them." (Or those who maintained fellowship with one another.)   This tendency is dangerous and can split Churches wide open and destroy years of  working together.  I know, I've been there done that.
     What is serving?  Loving your brother, feeding the poor, visiting the sick and imprisoned, giving the shirt off your back if your brother does not have one and you do.  Do you have a nice house? How does your brother feel if he does not? Will there be envy? Dis-arm it right away.  Help him too.  Level the playing field if possible.  Though we will always have inequities between one another it is how we deal with them that matters.  Remember Ananais and Saphira? Take a look at their attitudes and be watchful. It wasn't so much as what they had as what they did with it.  Holding back in giving stifles the true Spirit or quenches it.  If you have it give it in moderation, if you don't pray and the Lord will help.  
     Most of all do not get trapped by men's words that may offer up a type of Christianity that may not be true.  Check it out.  Don't check your mind out  at the door.   

E=Mc 2'd or Sin = Force?

     Can we quantify sin and measure it's force upon us? Is there really a battle in the heavens of good and evil?  And do we truly have an advocate that speaks for us? Yes there is and it is the Holy
Spirit.  Sent from God and to those first disciples the spirit empowered them mightley  to do the works of God just like Jesus.
     Gravity is a force that we deal with every day and like gravity sin also exists and we must deal with it every day as well.  Though some say it is non-existent and man made or thought up it's idea now in our modern world is an antiquated idea only.  There is a popular  book that circulated a few years back  written by one Richard Dawkins  called "The God Delusion" that basically said that anyone who believes in a personal God is deluded.  If we can deny God then we can deny sin and it's effect upon us and therefore our conscience remains unconvicted.  But does it really remain that way or is it hidden and are we blinded to it's force upon us?
     That is the great lie Satan uses against us every day.  It is the lie from the beginning "Did God really say....."
A twisting of the truth just a little makes for a different story.
     Jesus disarmed powers and principalities when he voluntarily went to the cross and was crucified for sin he did not have.  In the scriptures the only sin that is not forgivable is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Why?  All other sins are forgivable why not this one?  Ask Ananias and Saphira those of the early Church that lied to the Holy Spirit.  They died rather quickly.  It is because of the final work of God in our day, we can receive the Holy Spirit by Belief in Gods only son who came to deliver us and to show us the true nature of sin that works in the shadows, hates light and will always deny that Jesus is the Christ.
     Why do we continue to reel from headlines like The Boston Bombings and are shocked by the way these evils spring upon us suddenly?  It is because sin is clandestine and always will be a force to be reckoned with and dealt with daily.  Good news though, when we receive the Holy Spirit we begin as Paul preached to become a new creation by the renewing of our minds.  A renewing inside and out and with eyes like Jesus able to see clearly for the first time and evaluate issues that will be with us always.
   

2. Revelation 1:14 ▻ ... as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. ... His head and hair were white like wool--white as snow--and His eyes like a fiery flame.

   
   

Back to The Beginning

     Like the woman at the well,(the Samaritan) my introduction to belief in the Lord was a prophetic moment. the year was 1979  and I was in a new town trying to make it on my own.  Alone for the first time and away from family influence it was unremarkable except for the fact that Americans had just been taken hostage by a group of young Iranians and it was my first exposure to a terrorist mentality. China Syndrome was playing at the theaters and for those who do not know what that was it was a movie about nuclear meltdown and Three Mile Island had just happened after the release of that movie.So it was an unnerving time. I myself was intent in not being evicted from my new apartment.  I had no income, no job and my girlfriend had just moved in with me.  Separated from any help financially at all we both wondered what would soon happen to us.
     My father was a marine and finished up his career in the late 60's and some how managed to become involved in the Vietnam War.  He came back to the states broken, alcoholic and a bitter man. We never saw eye to eye and he wanted me to become a marine also!  Why? I couldn't put it all together.  The 60's movements were a powerful influence on me and so "Hell no I won't Go was a prevalent theme in my life. I was by no means a radical but I wanted to live! And not find myself in a jungle.
     So back to my situation.  Eviction was not  going to happen.  I had an aha! moment...why not enlist before something happens and let the government pay for my way!  My thinking, my solution!
     How could I go down this road? Considering my father?  So I did the required ASVAB test which is like a military SAT and scored high for mechanical work and or ability.  I was on my way to something...Albany and signing up for duty!  Next stop Lackland Air Force Base.
                                                             
                                                                ENTER GOD
   
     That night my girlfriend could not sleep well and woke me quite frantically in the morning.  She then proceeded to tell me that I should not go to Albany and sign up for the Air Force.  I said why? Perplexed because we both had agreed this would be best.  She then proceeded to tell me of a dream that night all about my immediate future and what would happen to me if I made that decision. (I would have ended up some what like my father). She had also told me things about my father she couldn't have known very well but did so and it made scary sense to me in a way I could not explain but nevertheless understood it to be some kind of intervention to change my course.  I was not a believing Christian at the time but always had wondered about God.  In the back of my mind I assumed there was a God but unknown to me at this point.  So I never went to Albany and instead started pursuing a God whose name I did not know. We both did.
      Scripture declares that "I will be found by you if you search for me with all of your heart." 
It also says that he is a rewarder to those who diligently search for him.  And I'm glad to say that it is so.  Thirty years later I am in still in awe of Jesus, in that before I was formed he knew me, and also my wife who had that prophetic dream so many years ago now.  
     Come said the Samaritan woman, let me tell you of a man who told me all of ever I did....
   

A Most Marvelous Picture of Love

     Act !: Scene 1

     Lazarus was sick.  Mary and Martha had gotten word to Jesus that their brother was near to death.  Jesus was in Jerusalem with his disciples when he heard the news, so he stayed their two more days! Now the first response to this would be why?  Most people when they hear of a loved one near death move heaven and earth to be with the one who is near death.Especially since Jerusalem was only 2 miles away. Not Jesus.  He operated in a different zone.

     At first he tells his friends that he is only asleep, but later reveals to them that he is actually dead. And that he wanted to be late on purpose so that God would be glorified.  He was about to do something wonderful.

     Act 2: Scene 2

     Now Jesus coming in to Bethany came to the place where they had placed Lazarus in a tomb with a stone across the opening.  A multitude of people had gathered when they had heard that Jesus was going to see his friend. What was he going to do now?  All of then knew that he loved Lazarus and the sisters. They waited and heard Jesus pray and lift his hands towards heaven and wept.  "Lazarus come forth" they heard, and then a man came stumbling out of a darkened cave with grave wrappings all over his body.  Pulling and tugging on the wrappings Lazarus came fully into the light and beheld all of the people in front of him, including his Lord.  

Act 3: Scene 3

     Six days later a dinner was given in Jesus's honor.  Mary and Martha served their lord while Lazarus "reclined" at the table.  Imagine the peace and joy they all were experiencing.  Jesus had raised back to life a friend who now ate and drank again on the side of life he had been separated from days earlier.

     Mary moves quietly across the room and removes a precious bottle of perfume from a shelf and lowers herself down to Jesus's feet and pours all of it on his feet and then wipes the rest off with her hair.  What thanksgiving and love.  "Scripture reveals to us that to those who are forgiven much, love much." Lazarus had been pulled back into a life once again to be with his sisters and be with Jesus. Mary  I'm quite sure wrestled in pain with the problem of Jesus not responding quickly enough to her request that Jesus come see her brother before he died. 

    

      Epilogue:

     

      Now she loved much..... and trusted much.

Taming That Un-restful Place in Our Heart

     Are you having one of those days that run on before you even get out of bed?  Thoughts that race ahead of you and try and deliver the day even before it is started?  If so then try and listen to the word's of Jesus that said "do not worry about tomorrow for one day carries enough trouble of it's own."  I try and believe that and do it but it's hard sometimes.  I have always somewhat admired the Far Eastern cultures that favor discipline of the mind and body over impulse.  The American's it seems to me are like a Corvette with a 400 cu. inch engine raring to go at a moments notice.  Mash the gas pedal to the floor and everything is power uncontrolled and burning and swerving down the road!  What about those thoughts that run on also, "take captive every thought, it says somewhere in scripture.  What about the tongue, like and unbridled horse, if left to it's own, it can spread fire.  And the heart?, guard it for out of it flow the issues of life, and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  All good things to consider during the course of a day that starts before we do.  Gossip at the water cooler ignore it.  Rumors that Joe got canned!  Find out the truth and rest,  New boss coming to your company, what's going to be the big change?
     All these things rule our day from the start and crowd out that peace that Jesus talked so much about,  HOW did he do it? And with so much at stake>?  Trusting twelve men to carry a word to many that were so unruly.  UNTAMED....Yet here we are with the message that endures today with words and examples that went so long before we were even born. Jesus knew alright.  Not by power or might but by the Spirit.