We Have Been Warned

All verses are taken from the ESV, and all italics are my own thoughts. I realize that the verses from Revelations are to the churches that are named, but it is also to us the “Church”. We really need to apply these warnings to ourself, and also be encouraged that HE has provided a way for us to overcome/conquer.  We live in a world where we compromise on so many things.  God’s word is not up for negotiation, HE said it, I believe HE means it.  Revelations is the only book that comes with a blessing and a curse..read and apply, blessing. Take away or add to it, curse.  Pretty intense huh? yeah it makes me tremble just writing it out here.

Oh Father God, help us to apply, help us to overcome.  So many tell me there are gray areas in your word, I am finding it difficult to imagine YOU a GOD of such great detail, to put gray areas to watch us stumble around to find our own way.  Please purify your bride, get us ready, and remind us to bow to no man in no way.  I know you are a GOD that has a great love for your children, at the same time I know YOU are a KING, Creator, Sustainer, and the writer of this great story and plan that you have orchestrated. Have mercy on us, we seriously are not getting it, or we are blinded and need you to heal our spiritual eyes.  No doubt we need YOU, and we can not do a thing without YOUR hand.  Please help us to be ready.

Ephesians 5:5
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Have you ever seen this verse? Have you ever fallen on your face before the KING of kings, and screamed “please do not let me be one of these, rid me of everything unpleasing to you, don’t stop purging me until it is gone”?  I have come on this verse several times, and each time, it reminds my heart of …

Philippians 2:12
Lights in the World
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

Hey I know the verses that say i am sealed with the HS, and my salvation is locked in..but there is a reason that these verses are in the Bible.  I am no theologian, but I believe God has the power to do anything HE chooses, and we are called to obedience.

1 John 5:4
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 John 2:14
I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Revelation 2:5-7, 13-17, 19-29

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do  the works you did at first. If not,  I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of  the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of  the tree of life, which is in  the paradise of God.’

13 “‘I know where you dwell,  where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not  deny my faith even in the days of Antipas  my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of  Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might  eat food sacrificed to idols and  practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of  the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not,  I will come to you soon and  war against them with  the sword of my mouth.17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone  that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

19 s “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and  to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but  she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he  who searches mind and heart, and  I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call  the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I  do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works  until the end,  to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and  he will rule them with a rod of iron,  as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.28 And I will give him  the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Revelation 3:1-6, 8-13, 15-22

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation  of being alive,  but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up,  I will come  like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not  soiled their garments, and they will walk with me  in white, for they are  worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never  blot his name out of  the book of life.  I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you  an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of  the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold,  I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that  I have loved you.10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try  those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon.  Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize  your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him  a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him  the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,  which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own  new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor,  blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you  to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and x the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes,  so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.20 Behold, I stand at the door and  knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers,  I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as  I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Wondering what does it mean to lose your lampstand? lots of theologians have different takes on these scriptures, what if…GOD just means exactly what HE said.  Are we working out our salvation with fear and trembling or are we taking HIS love for granted, and pleasing ourselves blowing off obedience, and making a mockery of HIS forgiveness, cheapening HIS grace as if we deserve it, its a gift…HE IS GOD! HE WILL NOT BE MOCKED! scares me to death!

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Trading the World 4 His Presence

The battle is lost or won in the secret places of the will before God, never first in the external world.  The Spirit of God apprehends me and I am obliged to get alone with God and fight the battle out before Him. Until this is done, I lose every time. The battle may take one minute or a year, that will depend on me, not on God, and i must resolutely go through the hell of a renunciation before God. Nothing has any power over the man who has fought out the battle before God and won there. If I say, I will wait til I get into the circumstances and the put God to the test, I shall find that I cannot.  I must get the thing settled between myself and God in the secret places of my soul where no stranger inter-meddles, and then I can go forth with the certainty that the battle is won…Get alone with God, fight it out before Him, settle the matter there once and for all…Every now and again, not often, God brings us to a point of climax. That is the Great Divide in the life; from that point on we either go towards more and more dilatory and useless type of Christian life, or we become more and more ablaze for the glory of God–My Utmost for His Highest.  ~Oswald Chambers

My past has been settled once and for all before the throne of God.  This has happened a while back, and I needed this quote to remind me. In my humanness, I tend to get led away by well meaning people, and start to wander of from my first true love.  I made Him a promise long ago, when HE set me free from the bondage that seemed like normal living to me.  HE put my feet on a solid foundation, and a song in my heart, praise on my lips, and HE taught me to dance with HIM.  And in return, I promised Him to stay close to HIS word, and to come to Him first, to not let any thing come from my mouth that was not pleasing to Him.  Sounds like I set myself up for a fall.  But it is do-able when I am following closely to Him.

My desire and my prayer is…that I will glorify God in all that I say and do. When HE calls “who will I send”, my answer will be “Lord, send me”.  I want to use my gifts that HE has given to me, for His glory and not mine.  Each and every gift that HE has set aside for me, I want to use for Him. I want all that HE has to give me!

My GOD, and My King, Lover of my soul, my secret Keeper…no one has ever loved me like you do, and no one ever will…there is none beside You.  I stand in Awe .  So many times I try to fit into a category of people..not fitting into the conservative or the Liberal, but always finding my perfect fit, and total peace in the quiet place with You.  You have freed me from my past, and we have fought the thing through on several levels, and I am more than a conqueror in your eyes.  Pleasing you is far better than man, fitting in is not important.  What is important is to stay focused and Kingdom minded.  Thank you for reminding me, that I find my worth in You. I am priceless in  your eyes, and you died for me.   No compromise on the road to You, no looking left or right, only where you lead.   The joy that is found in You is overflowing and my desires are quenched in You.  I choose to stay right here, in Your shadow, controlling my tongue, guarding my eyes as they have passage to my heart, keeping my heart open to You.  Thank You for your great patience, and thanks for the short leash that rips my heart out when I have started to take the smallest of steps from your side.  I don’t want that to ever change.  You are enough for me! Trading the world for your presence. Your princess who wants her Utmost for Your Highest!

Choosing what’s right, is not popular

This is where my heart is, and where its been for quite sometime.  This is my prayer, what I want to show to my children, my husband, and most of all to those around me.  I am sorry if my daily walk offends or causes another to call me judgmental, but dang! I’m tryin’ to get somewhere.  Walk the road with me-cool! Start taking me somewhere else-I’m out.  Believers-you are supposed to want this too, Non-believers-this is beautiful…check it out!

Lyrics- Toby Mac

Lose my soul

Man I wanna tell ya’ll something, Man.
Man I’m not gonna let these material thing’s, get in my way, ya’ll.
I’m trying to get somewhere.
I’m trying to get somewhere,
Thats real and pure and true and eternal.

Father God, I am clay in your hands,
Help me to stay that way through all life’s demands,
‘Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me,
And every little thing I make up my mind to be,
Like I’m gonna be a daddy whose in the mix,
And I’m gonna be a husband who stays legit,
And I pray that I’m an artist who rises above,
The road that is wide and filled with self love,
Everything that I see draws me,
Though it’s only in You that I can truly see that its a feast for the eyes- a low blow to purpose.
And I’m a little kid at a three ring circus.

I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.

(Mr. Franklin, Step up to the mic sir)

The paparazzi flashes, and that they think that it’s you,
But they don’t know that who you are is not what you do,
True, we get it twisted when we peak at the charts,
Yo before we part from the start,
Where’s your heart?
You a pimp, hustler?
Tell me what’s your title,
America has no more stars, now we call them idols,
You sit idle, While we teach prosperity,
The first thing to prosper should be inside of me.
We’re free…
Not because of 22’s on the range,
But Christ came in range, we said yes now we changed,
Not the same, even though I made a fall,
Since I got that call, no more Saul, now I’m Paul.
(YEP!)

I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
Don’t wanna walk away,
Don’t wanna walk away
[ tobyMac Lyrics are found on http://www.songlyrics.com ] 

How do I sense the tide that’s rising?
De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity,
How do I sense the tide that’s rising?
It’s hypnotizing me from living in light of eternity,
How do I sense the tide that’s rising?
De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity.

(Lord what we gon do,We’re relying on you,
all eyes are on you Lord,
all eyes are on you, all eyes are on you Jesus.)

I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
(Don’t let me lose my soul, my soul.)
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
(This is my honesty, Father, won’t you cover me.)
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
(Don’t wanna walk away, and all those people say)
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
(Don’t wanna lose, I don’t wanna lose my soul.)

Lord forgive us when we get consumed by the things of this world,
That fight for our love, and our passion,
As our eyes are open wide and on you.
Grant us the privilege of your world view,
And may your kingdom be, what wakes us up, and lays us down.

(Hallelujah, Don’t wanna lose our soul,
No, Don’t wanna lose my soul.)

Hey excuse me,
I’m looking or the after party,
Toby,
Haha, yeah, last door on the left, you’ll hear it.
Thanks,
No problem.

Don’t let me lose my soul, I never wanna walk away,
I don’t wanna lose my soul,
No, no, no.
Don’t let me, don’t let me, lose my soul,
I don’t wanna walk away,
Don’t let me walk away,
Na na na na no,
Don’t let me lose, my soul,
I’m never gonna walk away.

Wedding Dress- Derek Webb

As I listened to this intro/video , first shocked at the raw look at who we have become…we need to wake up, and take GOD seriously…this is not about wealth..and although I believe that HE wants to expand our boundries, HE wants us to be working the back yards we have.It doesn’t mean HE doesn’t send some abroad, or that some will be wealthy.  It can’t be our priority. I don’t  want to be an adulterous bride…harsh? yeah..reality check.

Intro to Wedding Dress- Derek Webb

Wedding Dress- Derek Webb

Revisted- Is your royalty showing?

while reading through some of my archives from “Princess, Overcomer”, this one I needed to hear again, thought I would share it with you. Some of you have been with me from the beginning and will remember this, Peace…stop trying to fit into the world, you belong to Heaven.

Sometimes we try so hard to fit into this world, and even look for approval from people, when all we really need to do is show our Royalty!
Phil. 4:20-says that our citizenship is in Heaven-Heaven is our home!
I Peter 2:9-11-says that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation of people belonging to God! , Aliens and strangers in this world! Along with it comes a warning–do not give in to worldly sinful desires, they will wage war with your soul!

While thinking about this, and how often we fall to subtle things that work their way in to our minds, I have been praying about how..HOW..do we keep those things from happening, or Discernment is needed to be stronger to identify them when they do get in! HE, the King, has reminded me to…

Phil. 4:8 think about things are praiseworthy, and excellent, and good…

mmmmm after pondering these things again…the King is the only one Praise worthy, excellent and good!! Focus on the Lord, and anything that does not stand up to HIS standards disregard!

Spreading the knowledge of Christ to others is a pleasant smell to the Lord…as we do this we are to God the aroma of Jesus…(2Cor. 2:15).

There is no better way to show our royalty than to be sanctified and to strive to step up our sanctification…meaning in the light of the fact, that the King lives with us, we are doing nothing that will hinder HIS presence, no language that would offend our King, no music or TV that I would not be comfortable knowing that Jesus is with me. That is guarding my mind, and my heart.

Sanctification=letting your royalty show, an aroma pleasant to the nose of the KING=spreading HIS gospel and making HIM known.Lets strive today to show off our royalty, and smell good too!!!!

Blogged Bible Study – John 16 “why trouble?”

Since John 16 starts with “All this I have told you…” I really need to back up into the last part of 15 to get the whole picture.

15: 18-16:4  Jesus explains to the disciples that if the world hates them, it is because of HIM. They hated HIM to without reason.  And ulitmately the reason was because they did not know HIS Father who sent HIM. We are never greater than HE, so we shouldn’t be surprised when this happens.  HE gives this warning so the disciples and us do not stray away from HIM when it happens.  Constantly remembering what 15:1-17 has instructed, to abide/remain in HIM.

I found this interesting and worth taking a closer look;

John 16:1-4 “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they do not know the Father or me.  I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you.  I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.”

All of this did take place for the disciples in their futures, it also is still happening around the world.  Believers are being persecuted and killed for thier faith…no other reason, they haven’t found a criminal act for such punishment. Although, in many countries, believing that Jesus died for our sin and rose again and it returning for us…is a crime.

Thinking of Americans…who have yet to face that type of persecution, we still face the wrath of professing believers, who believe they are doing what God wants them to do.  Spiritual Abuse is rampant in America.  Professing believers, persecuting other believers.  I have been extremely distraught over this at times.  I was asked to leave a church because of teaching preteens who they are in Christ, and attributes of God.  Why? I asked that many times.  Now I sit and look at these verses…Just because someone attends church, or is there every time the doors are open, does not make them a Christ Follower.  *sigh*  I see many people straying away from the faith, due to this activity that is not from God.  We have been warned.  Just like the disciples…

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Why so surprised at trouble in the world? Why so surprised when its directed at us?  We have been warned…Abiding/remaining in HIM is where peace lies, and its ours.  HE has overcome the world!  Another phrase of Christ that tells me the battle is won…its over the ending is finalized.  Again…we aren’t home yet!

There is much in this chapter about the sending and recieving of the Holy Spirit.  Sweet!  and through out this week I hope to touch on that. *sigh*  this is just one post.  Get in the word, read it, pray over it, ask and HE will help you to understand…its not just history, its for YOU.  Peace.

(this is the first of many posts on this chapter this week, please go here and read the rest, I am anxious to read them myself! )