Simply Turn…

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So let me ask a question today. What does a child do when he sees something that frightens him? Does he stand there? Does he try to fight the thing. Nope, in fact, he’ll hardly look at the thing that frightens him. Rather, the child will quickly turn and run into the arms of his mother. So when did i get so macho? When did i make it my cause to stand my ground and be in a constant state of battle? If it’s not something trying to steal my finances then it’s someone personally attacking me. And let’s not forget the physical and mental challenges of just getting up in the morning. One gigantic fight!

I recently read the following and it made me think… but not until after a moment of frustration and even a little anger.

This is what i read. “You see, a close, intimate relationship to Christ should always be your soul’s only purpose.” No argument there. “Therefore, when you are tempted toward sin or toward outward distractions—no matter the time, no matter the place, nor the provocation—simply turn away from that sin. And as you turn, draw nearer to your Lord. It is that simple.

Seriously… It’s NOT that simple, YOU DON”T just turn away? And even if i could then what?

As i thought on this i was reminded of the story about Jesus from Matthew 4.

Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil. And He went without food for forty days and forty nights, and later He was hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are God’s Son, command these stones to be made [loaves of] bread. But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. When Jesus,  tempted toward sin or toward an outward distraction—after forty days and forty nights, in the wilderness, by the devil himself—he simply turned away from that sin.

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on a turret (pinnacle, gable) of the temple sanctuary. And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, He will give His angels charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God. When Jesus, tempted toward sin or toward an outward distraction—after forty days and forty nights with no food, in the holy city on a turret of the temple sanctuary, by the devil—He simply turned away from that sin.

Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, preeminence, and excellence) of them. And he said to Him, These things, all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, Be gone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve. When Jesus, tempted toward sin or toward an outward distraction—after forty days and forty nights with no food and being hungry-up on a very high mountain, by the devil—He simply turned away from that sin. And this is where i realized i had been missing the whole point of this. And as He turned, He drew nearer to the Lord. The little boy turned to his mother where he knew he would find safety and security. Jesus turned to the Word, to His Father where He knew He would find His safety and security. That’s how it becomes that simple.

Oh…, Remember my seriously remark, “It’s NOT that simple, YOU DON”T just turn away? And even if i could then what?” Matthew 4:11 answers it clearly, Then the devil departed from Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. It’s that simple!

At my best i am very weak. If i, in my weakness, attempt to attack my enemies, i will often find myself wounded. Just as frequently, i will even find myself defeated.

You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Psalm 32:8 (AMP)

Slow Fire, or Blaze Of Glory?

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How about neither? Both sound painful with the only difference being this. A slow fire takes time and as for blaze of glory, well i’ve never heard it referred to in any way except that “he went out in a blaze of glory.” I’m not ready to “Go Out” so i guess it’s slow fire.  What am i talking about? Simply this, all the troubles in my life—my job, my health, my outer failings—are really God’s way of detaching me from my old nature. And right there i probably lost a few readers or listeners who didn’t want to hear that. Sorry but all my not wanting to hear it, all my not believing it, all my arguing with it, doesn’t change it.

God desires for my soul to be pure. He purifies it by His Wisdom just as a refiner purifies metal in the furnace. Fire is the only thing which can purify gold. The fire gradually consumes all that is impure or earthly. The fire must melt and dissolve the dross by force so that it can rid the gold of every impure particle. Time and time again, the gold is cast into the furnace until it has lost every trace of pollution.

But how many times must I be plunged back into the fire? My answer, far, far more times than seems necessary. Yet… the Forger sees impurities no one else can. There does come a time, when the Forger can find no more dross that contaminates the gold. When the fire has perfected purity the fire no longer touches it. If the gold remained in the furnace for years, its spotlessness would not be improved nor its substance diminished! Now the gold is fit for the most exquisite workmanship.

In the future, if the gold should get dirty and seem to lose its beauty, it is nothing more than an accidental impurity which touches only the surface. This dirt is of no hindrance to the use of the gold vessel. This impure particle which attaches itself to the surface is a far cry from having corruption deep within the hidden nature of the gold.

God is my Father, would ever hurt me. He just separates me from those things i love in the wrong way. i grumble and complain and even cry like a baby when God removes something or someone from my life, but truth be told i would cry a lot more if i experienced the long-term effects that  my wrong attachments could cause me.

my daily life is not contrary to my Father’s will. my occupation is not contrary to the surrendering of my self to His will. my surrendering, includes all the activities of my daily life. Whether it’s studying, reading, teaching, earning a living, doing business, or whatever… i am accepting to whatever it is that comes into my life each day, each hour, each moment. Whatever happens in my life is, in itself, His will. Nothing comes to me but that it comes from Him, goes through Him and most certainly end in Him.

i am no longer afraid of these times as they seem to have a cleansing effect for me. I shouldn’t be overwhelmed and upset when my way is obscure and there appears to be nothing but darkness around me. I must not imagine that i am lacking in the presence of God, that He has left me or does not love me.

Hebrews 12:29 (MSG) ed… Do you see what you’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful you must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and He won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!

my soul’s purity is increased in exact proportion to the loss of self! As long as I consider my self-nature in any way, some faults will continue to exist in me. But as i depart from my self, no faults can exist, and all is pure and innocence.

This one thing I know for sure, much more is required than just the efforts that i can make. What, is required is a move on the part of Almighty God Himself. This alone will accomplish purity and oneness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Story Of A Boy And A Turtle…

At 10:25pm last night i got a call from my grandson Ethan. Papa, how do you hear from God? Honestly i was a little taken back by the directness of his question. It took just a moment for me to shake my head and grasp the magnitude of such a question from a 13 year old. i tried to imagine what might bring him to ask such a question but found no quick and easy answer.

I told him that i hear God most often through reading His word. Then he shared that he has been at church camp this week and they gave out bibles. He  informed me that he took one because he didn’t have one. How’s it possible that my grandson doesn’t have a Bible? He went on to tell me that the night before he had made a commitment to God and his mother to read the bible every night. My mind is just ready to explode, how do you hear from God, to having no bible, to committing to read every night!

He began to tell me how he wanted to hear from God regarding he and his best friends relationship. Details not required. He told me that as he was riding his long board home he saw a book laying on the ground. He picked it up and saw that it was a children’s book called A Boy And A Turtle. He had obviously left it on the ground because he said he was going back to get the book. After several minutes of huffing and puffing he again found the book and said he wanted to read it to me. Yep it’s now 11:00pm but there’s no way i’ll miss this opportunity.

All I can tell you is that it was incredible. If it wasn’t a word from God for him regarding his question to God to help him with his problem regarding his best friend then it most certainly was a beautiful simplistic picture for me as to things i have been reading, studying, meditating on and just pondering over in my mind.

The author of the book is Lori Lite and it’s sub title is “A Children’s Relaxation Story.” It’s so much more!

A boy sat watching a quiet pond. A rainbow danced at the water’s edge.

When i take time to be quiet i better recognize God and His promises (which are the Rainbow).

A turtle on the other side of the pond also noticed the rainbow.

There are others that will follow your lead as you take time to be still.

The boy removed his shoes and placed his feet into the warm water. He shut his eyes and imagined that the colors of the rainbow that filled the pond could also fill his body.

The promises of God will fill us when we sit in silence and dangle our feet in the water.

The turtle, curious about what the boy was doing, also put his feet into the warm water and shut his eyes.

People around you may be curious about what your doing as you read the word take steps to apply it.

The boy drew a breath of warm air in through his nose and felt all the stress of the day slip away.

When you are full of God the stressful things won’t seem stressful because you are being still and knowing.

The turtle also drew warm air in through his nose and gave a gentle sigh as he let the air out through his mouth.

As you breath out through your mouth you cannot speak you will not be able to grumble and complain.

The boy imagined that the color red was flowing up from the pond into his feet, making them float like petals on the water. The turtle also felt the red flow into his feet as he started to drift toward the boy.

We feel in red – ACTIVITY. The red ray furnishes provision for the physical body. It brings about:

• energy

• enthusiasm

• interest and passion

• security

The boy felt the red turn to orange as it traveled up his legs. The orange allowed his legs to relax and let go of their tightness. The turtle also felt the orange travel up his legs as he drifted closer to the boy.

Orange is a dynamic energy like red but more thoughtful and controlled. Orange brings about:

• creativity

• playfulness

• exploration on a practical level

• relief from boredom

• equilibrium

The boy felt the orange turn to yellow as it warmed his stomach and chest. The yellow filled his body with an inner glow. The turtle also felt the yellow warm his body as he drifted even close to the boy.

Yellow is naturally associated with the sun itself, and so with its life giving and sustaining energy. Yellow enriches, lightens and activates many of the systems of the body. It’s bright sunny energy brings about:

• clarity of thought

• orderliness

• memory improvement

• better decision making skills

• alleviates confusion

The boy felt the yellow turn to green as it touched his heart and poured into his arms and hands. The gentle green filled his heart with love and made his arms feel like blades of grass swaying in the breeze. The turtle also felt the green touch his heart and pour into his arms and hands as he drifted still closer to the boy.

Green is the merging of yellow (mind) and blue (spirit). It is located exactly at the point of color balance – midway between red and violet on the color spectrum. The human eye is able to recognize more variation in the color green than in any other color. Its energy contains:

• harmony

• sympathy

• health

• abundance

• balance

• growth and expansion

The boy felt the green turn to blue as it explored his neck and jaw. The blue felt peaceful, like the ocean rising with the tide. The turtle also felt the blue explore his neck and jaw as he drifted even closer to the boy.

Blue is the color of distance – oceans, skies, the heavens. The energy of blue helps us to look beyond the immediate environment, expanding our perceptions towards the unknown. Blue is the color of Divinity. It brings:

• Peace and understanding

• Enhances the easy flow of communication with yourself or others

• Calms and relaxes

The boy felt the blue turn into purple as it swirled around his head. The purple washed all the thoughts from his head, leaving his mind completely still. The turtle also felt the purple swirl around his head as he drifted so close that his head touched the boy’s hand.

Purple is the ray of spiritual learning. It should be viewed as both a completion as well as a beginning of the energy beyond the visible color spectrum. Purple is a combination of both red and blue and this is key to understanding this color. It brings a stabilizing energy to the directness of red. It lends practicality to the undirected spaciousness of blue.

• darker tones are associated with sorrow

• deep purple signifies high spiritual attainment

• pale lilac brings love for humanity

• bluish purple brings idealism

• sparks the imagination and inspiration

• integrates other energies for healing purposes

The boy smiled, and together the boy and the turtle felt the rainbow’s colors embrace them in a soothing white glow.

They knew that they had experienced the wonder of color.

I think that this is experiencing the wonder of God, His promises and His word.

When we wait God embraces us in soothing ways and as for the white glow… we become clean and we begin to choose to not sin.

There are two ending i got. The first is that the turtle was actually God and as the boy sat quietly God came closer and closer while revealing himself in a greater way than the boy had known.

Second option is that the boy and the turtle experienced the reality of God and they became closer friends in doing so together.

Oh the lengths that God will go to speak to us! This makes me want to go across the street and dangle my feet in the pond.