Amanuensis

Numbers 20:6-12 Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.” So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” He shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestorck drank their fill. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

Do you see? Moses was angry. He was frustrated. He was tired of the people blaming him and Aaron every time something went wrong. In his heart, he knew that when the people rebelled, they were rebelling against me. But, he allowed their words and attitudes to affect him. So instead of complete and total obedience to what I had commanded him (take the staff and speak to the rock), he engaged in partial obedience and prideful disobedience. He did not speak to the rock, but yelled at the people, and struck the rock twice. And he did not demonstrate my holiness to my people. Instead, he took credit for the appearance of the water. But, pay attention. I did not punish the people because he did not obey. I still provided the water they needed for themselves and their animals. And I did not take my presence from Moses or Aaron. I continued to appear to them, to communicate with them, to allow them to lead my people. But, there was a harsh consequence for this disobedience. I did not allow Moses or Aaron to enter into the land they had been seeking all those years in the desert. They would only see it from afar. Do not miss this. When I ask something of you, I expect immediate, complete obedience. If you cannot or do not do that, there will be consequences. Perhaps if you continually act in such a way, I will stop seeking you, I will stop allowing you opportunity to serve me. One thing is for sure, if you do not obey – follow my plans – you will not receive the complete blessings that I have in store for you. And you potentially diminish the blessings I have for others through you. 

Numbers 20:1-5 In the first month of the year, the whole community of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried. There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!” 

Ah, my children. No matter how many miracles you see, no matter how many times I prove to you that I love you and I will take care of you, no matter how many times you understand that my plan for you is the best plan for you – you doubt. You face some obstacle, some hardship, some withdrawal of the things you desire and you believe that I am not willing or able to care for you. Or, worse yet, you forget all together that I am even here, in all of what is happening in your lives. The Israelites – time and time again – were reminded by my actions that all that was occurring – their flight from the Egyptians, their miraculous delivery at the Red Sea, the pillar of light that led them, my protection of them, the supernatural provision of manna and other foods in the desert – all of this was my doing. Yet, here they are, again blaming Moses for the lack of food and water. Here they are, pitching a petulant fit (“If only we had died….!”) like toddlers when they are faced with hardship. Will you never learn? I am here. I am aware. I still love you. I will still care for you. Look to me. Look to me. Only me. Do not look to other men. Do not blame them. Look to me. Seek my guidance. Make your decisions based upon what you perceive me saying to you. Then, trust. Do your footwork and trust. Do not see hardship and occurrences around you as proof that I do not love you. That I will not care for you. That I do not cherish my children. I do. But loving you, caring for you, cherishing you – that does not guarantee an easy path. That does not guarantee a lack of obstacles, a life free from struggles, a life free from pain and sadness and loss and all of those things that occur in a fallen world. It means that I am sovereign over it all, and I can and will intercede where I know it is best for you. Just hold on. To me. I am never absent nor am I ever late. My actions and my timing are perfect. You just forget that. You allow your circumstances and your feelings to overshadow what you already know, what you have already experienced so many times – that I AM. Yesterday, today and tomorrow. I AM. I am for you. But in a perfect way, not in a way your mind can conceive. Will you trust? Let go? Allow me to work in a way that will be best for you? I allow you to choose.

2 Kings 1:1-3 After King Ahab’s death, the land of Moab rebelled against Israel. One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover. But the angel of the Lord told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover?’”

Just as I had Elijah ask King Ahab, “Is there no God in Israel?”  I ask you – have you no God?  Why do you turn to things, events, the world for your answers?  Do I not still exist?  If you wish the right answers, if you wish your life to really work, turn to me.  No one but me.  I am the way, the truth and the life.  You need nothing and no one else.  You have lost your first love.  Return to me, and you will be restored.  I haven’t gone anywhere, I am not going anywhere.  I’m right here waiting for you to return.  I do love you, my child.  Nothing will change that, no matter what you do.  I love you.  Simple.  Unchanging.  Eternal truth.  So stop letting your brain run wild.  Submit your thoughts to me and I will make them healthy and uplifting.  I can and I will. (2006)

Acts 13:44-47 The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”

My own people rejected me.  So I gave My word to the Gentiles.  They knew they were not my favorites.  Many knew that they were entirely undeserving.  So, they were more grateful for their salvation than the Jews.  So it is and should be with you.  You were deeply lost in your sin.  You were walking a very dark path.  You once remembered the magnitude of My grace toward you.  Return to that knowledge.   Rejoice in what you have been given.  Stop focusing on what you do not have, because really you already have all that matters – you have the promise of eternity with Me and your Father.

Notice that the Jews in power in that day did everything to destroy Paul and Barnabas – and anyone who preached My word.  So it is today.  Do not be surprised, nor dismayed.  Just as I protected and drew close to them, so I will to you and all my children today.  It will get worse.  Christians will continue to be hated, spurned, even persecuted.  But, it has always been so, really.  You just don’t have the experience, as you were fortunate that I planted you in what was, up until recently, a Christian nation.  But watch, it is worsening.  You will be hated, if you continue to follow me.  The choice is yours. (2006)

Mark 8:34-38  Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

This is the key. This is the issue to govern your lives today. You live in an evil world. You live in a world in which many are choosing to worship your enemy. You live in a world in which most of my children worship self – self gratification, self glorification, self involvement – self. Many have been fooled by a false gospel to believe that they are worshipping me, that they are obeying me, that they are following me – yet they really only worship themselves and their lives. False prophets and teachers abound. Be aware and be on guard. But for those of my children that still know and acknowledge Truth, for those of you who still worship me (no matter how imperfectly), for those of you whose motives are still pure – this is the key. Your soul and your willingness to acknowledge me to a fallen world.  Time is short. Many have already and many more will perish – eternally. Will you witness to them the Truth? Will you stand for me? Will you brave the insults, persecutions, even harm that will come from that? For, it is not only your souls that hang in the balance, but those of a fallen world. 

Mark 5:13-17 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. 

Ah, my children. These people had seen the man spend years possessed by the demons. They had seen the strength the demons had. The man, when under control of the demonic forces, was not able to be restrained even by heavy locks and chains – the demons would snap them easily. They had seen the demons torture this poor soul. He was not able to be with his family – he lived amongst the dead in a cemetery. So, when I commanded the demons leave this man and enter into the pigs, they should have celebrated. When they saw the man free and healthy once again, there should have been joy. But there was only fear and loss. Fear of my power over the demons that had held the entire town hostage for years. And fear based on their financial loss – the economic loss caused by the 2,000 now demon-possessed pigs that ran over the cliff into the water and drowned. Which fear was greater: the fear of my power over the demons, or the fear that I would cost them yet more money?  My children still suffer these fears. Many are afraid of me because I am God over all, Creator of all, the Alpha and the Omega. Many fear my power. Others are afraid to profess me, to demonstrate faith in me, to walk with me – because it could cost them their livelihood. They could get fired. They could lose business. They could lose friends and family.  Yes, truly living your faith in me can cost you. But, did my love for you not cost me? Did it not cost my safety, my family, my life? You know what I was willing to sacrifice for you. What are you willing to sacrifice for me? 

Mark 4:39-41 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the water, ”Silence! Be Still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” They asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

My disciples walked with me daily. They heard my teachings, saw my miracles. Yet, they really did not know me. When I calmed the waves and subdued the storm, they were frightened. They did not know what to think. They did not really know who I am. So it is today. Many claim to know me, yet when they see my works, when they really hear my Words, they do not recognize who I am. Many claim to trust me. Yet, even my Disciples did not fully trust me. Why would they be afraid in the storm? Why would they believe that I would allow a boat that I also was on to sink? Why would they believe I would let us all drown? Yet, they had all of those fears, so they woke me up to rebuke me for sleeping during the storm. If you have faith, if you truly trust me, if you believe I AM – you, too, will be able to sleep through the storms in your world today, just as I peacefully slept in that storm-tossed boat. Yes, things are very dark. Yes, evil is not only advancing rapidly, it is so bold it does not even hide anymore. Yes, it is a frightening world. Yet, here I am. Do you believe? Who do you say I am? Do you have trust? Do you really understand that what happens in this world is secondary? That your time, your existence, everything about your life here is temporary? Do you trust that I am in control, no matter how things may appear? Do you know that I created all, I am over all, and I can command anything to happen? 

Mark 5:2, 6-8 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him…. When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had already said to the spirit “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.” 

Do you see? The evil spirit inside this man recognized me instantly. The evil spirit bowed down before me. The evil spirit instantly recognized me and acknowledged my power over him. Yet, my own Disciples were unsure of who I am. Who do you say I am? What does your life say about that belief? Is it real? Do your actions, your thoughts, your emotions – does your life bear testimony to what you claim to believe? Do you place all of your value on what happens to you during this lifetime? Do you cherish only those things of your temporal world? Or do you believe that you were created by me, loved unconditionally by me, cherished by me, that I created you to spend eternity with me? If so, are you living in such a way as to show that to the world? Your world is suffering. Your world is crumbling. Your way of life has already been altered and will never be what it was. I am the only hope. I am the only Truth that remains. I am the only reason for all that matters. If you truly believe that, what are you doing to show that to the lost world around you?  If you know – deep down in the depths of your soul and spirit – truly know that I am the Way, the Truth and the Life – that no one lives outside of me – that eternal life is in faith in me – if you truly know that to be Truth – then your job is to spread that knowledge far and wide while there is still time.  Is your faith in me that of my fickle Disciples, or do you know me to be the God of the Universe with the all of the conviction of that evil spirit that instantly bowed before me when I appeared?  Do you confess only with your mouth or does your truth come from the depths of your soul and spirit? Saving as many of your fellow men as possible is, really, all that matters at this point. Will you be a beacon of True Light? 

Matthew 24:30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

This is what you await with great anticipation. This is the event that will usher in the end of evil on earth and the return of the God of the Universe to a fallen planet and people. Yet, this is an event that will cause great sadness and fear for many. Those who do not know me, those who do not believe in me, those who worship your enemy – they will not be happy. They will not know joy for this. They will know fear and sadness and even anger. For all will, at this moment, truly be revealed. The lies that they believed will be unmasked. The true nature of their gods will be revealed. The deceptions under which they have been held captive will be unmistakably evident. There will be no way to justify their choices. There will be no denying that their gods are inconsequential. Weak. False. Hopeless. You will lose loved ones at this point – eternally. You will also know a measure of sadness in the fact that, despite all you did to wake them up, to lead them to Truth and Life, you were not able to do so and they are lost. Forever. You cannot change this. You see this in a limited way today in the magnitude of the loss of life in Turkey and Syria. So many of those souls did not know me, openly rejected me for the lies of Islam. So many have met with tragedy – human loss of life and eternal loss of souls. You weep for them, yet you know you cannot change this. It is just the beginning. Cling to me. Look to me. Do not focus on the tragedies and losses. Focus on me, and on making whatever a difference for the lost that you can in the days that remain. Weep for them and then take that sorrow and make it the impetus of reaching the lost. So many are lost. They are all around you. What will you do to help lower the number of souls that your enemy will succeed in enticing away from Truth? You are my ambassadors, my light, my mouthpieces. Do not give up. Stand firm. Speak Truth at all times. Represent me. I will be with you in all of it, strengthening, enlightening, comforting, upholding you. Trust me and continue on.

Exodus 20:20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”

Why do you think your enemy has expended so much energy, has dedicated so many years, to convince you that I am not real? Why do you think it has been so important to convince my children that I am a myth, made up by weak people who need something to tell them how to live, a series of laws and rules that allow horrible people to judge others? Why so important to remove me from every aspect of everyday life? Why get me out of schools, government, laws, etc.? Because I am all powerful. All knowing. I AM. And your enemy knows that if you recognize, if you really come to know who I am and what I am capable of, that if you really believed in my existence – you would fear me and obey me. Look around you. I am mocked. You are hated. So many refuse to believe I am real.  And in not believing I exist, all parameters for appropriate behavior are removed. You shake your head in disbelief at the increasing level of accepted evils in your world, but why does this surprise you? I am not in much of your world, so the doors are wide open to increasing levels of debauchery, to more violence, to less humane treatment of others, to telling lies and stealing and robbing and physical attacks, and bullying and murder and more and more and more. Where there are no boundaries for morality, life becomes an amorphous pool of evil. It surrounds, penetrates, inhabits, directs – everything. Everyone. You swim in evil. You breathe it in and it moves throughout every aspect of your life. You who know me, who follow me, you battle against it. You reject it. You invite me in to dispel it. But, it is still everywhere in your world right now. So do not be shocked. Do not be dismayed. It is the state of your world today. But, as you are aware, I am real. I AM. And though you suffer some lost battles, the war continues and, as your enemy knows well, its ending has already been determined and he loses. In the meantime, fight against his campaign to divert as many of my children away from me as he can in the time he has left. Speak Truth. Spread Light. Represent me. And do not fear. I have overcome and I am in you. 

Exodus 20:7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”  Matthew 23: 13-14 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.” 

You have heard this commandment all of your life. It has been presented to you as a warning against swearing, using my Name in anger or condemnation. While I do not want my Name used in such a way, a more fundamental meaning of this is being ignored. Any false doctrine presented to my children is misuse of my Name. Any twisting of my Word or my commands in order to personally benefit the speaker is misuse of my Name. Any use of my Words to lead others into sin, that is misuse of my Name.  And that misuse of my Name will be severely punished. My Word is Truth. The Truth. It is Life. The only Life that matters. It is the way of salvation. Eternal, soul salvation. And when my Word, my Name, are twisted, misconstrued, misrepresented, presented as belonging to another – that denies Truth. It denies Life. It leads away from true salvation. And all who participate in such practices will stand before me, where there will be no defense. I am the Alpha and Omega. Beginning and End. Source of all. Creator of all. The One True God. I see all. I know all. I AM. Those who try to be me, who try to undermine me, who try to replace me – woe to you. Repent. Return to me. Return to the Truth. Or face my eternal wrath. As you have heard, it would be better to have a millstone around your neck than to participate in misleading my children in any way. Choose wisely, and choose quickly. Time is of the essence. Yours is running out. Do not be deceived. You will reap what you sow. Whom do you serve – the One True God, or a god you created that serves your purpose? What Truth do you believe? My Truth? Or a subjective truth created by you to make yourselves happy and justify your lifestyles? My Truth and your subjective truth cannot co-exist. Choose which you will serve, and stop calling your subjective truth by my Name. Stop representing me in such a way that makes it possible for you to do whatever you wish to stay comfortable, to earn wealth, to acquire power. I am not in any of that. My Truth is unchanging, uncomfortable, challenging and eternally right. Period. It is a straight path, a difficult path, a righteous path – the only path. Choose. Then stand by your choice and reap its rewards – whatever they may be.