Amanuensis

2 Kings 1:15-16 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king. He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”

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. (2005)

Romans 4:2-3 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Everyone has specific gifts, specific tasks to perform. I have created you for certain things. Just learn to stay close to me and listen to me, and you will know what I have for you. Salvation comes by My grace, because of your faith in me. It has nothing to do with what you do or do not do. Yes, I want you to take better care of yourself. But, you will not lose my love or your salvation if you don’t do it. You will not enjoy as close a relationship with me as you could, but I will not leave you, will not forsake you, will not punish you. I love you. That will not change. You have my presence in your life purely by your faith in me. Nothing else. You can’t earn it other than by virtue of your faith.  (2005)

Judges 19:19-47

v. 19-21  So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah. Then they advanced toward Gibeah to attack the men of Benjamin. But Benjamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day. 

v. 24-25 So the next day they went out again to fight against the men of Benjamin, but the man of Benjamin killed another 18,000 Israelites, all of whom were experienced with the sword. 

v. 28-29 The Israelites asked the Lord, “Should we fight against Benjamin again, or should we stop?” The Lord said, “Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

v. 46-47 So that day the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 strong warriors armed with swords, leaving only 600 men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon, where they lived for four months.

You see don’t you? And it makes your heart sad. I understand. Battling evil requires loss. Battling evil cannot be done without losing lives. Warriors die. Today’s warriors do not necessarily hold conventional weapons. All of my warriors, however, do hold one weapon – Truth. I am the weapon. I am what they seek to destroy. I am everything they hate in you. You have my strength. You have my wisdom. You have my discernment – all available to you through the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you. I cannot say your human life is protected fully. But I can say that what is truly important – your eternal soul – that is protected and cannot be defeated or taken from you. For I hold it in my care. You turned it over to me when you accepted me as your God, as your Lord, as your Savior. It is mine. And that is why you are at war. Your enemy – my enemy – wants your souls. And I will not give them over. (2022)

Judges 17:6 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

That is exactly what always happens when man has no king. When I am ignored, when I am not established on the throne of your hearts, when there are no objective standards nor moral rules, man can only follow his “heart”. Remember, the heart is wicked all by itself. Yet, your world lives by the standard that one should “follow your heart”. That everyone should be free to fulfill their desires. That everyone should be supported in their choices, no matter how evil. So long as I am rejected, so long as I am not present in your daily lives, so long as you choose not to have relationship with me, this is what you will get. Chaos. Crime. Hatred. Self-pleasure. Self-seeking. Addiction. Broken relationships. Decimated families. Governments that do not work to protect or serve their citizens, but themselves. War. Famine. Destruction. When the only ruling factor for lives is self-seeking and feeling good and personal “fulfillment”, you are doomed to destroy yourselves and everything around you. There is yet time, but very very little. Fight, child. Fight the evil that has taken almost complete control of your world. I am with you. I will be by your side. It will not be easy, it is dangerous, but it is necessary. (2022)

Ezekiel 7:1-3, 19 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land! The end is now upon you, and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices” …..

“They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean. Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, for it has caused them to stumble into sin.”

Do you see how Ezekiel’s warning to the Israelites pertains to you, also. Your “things” will not help you in the end. It is worthless trash compared to your salvation, your relationship with me. You have much, and I have given it to you. But you are so wrapped up in the things of life on this earth that you are forgetting what is really real – eternity. You are forgetting and forsaking what is important – knowing me, obeying me, being my child. When will you remember that everything you have been focusing on for the last few years is perishable – is in truth nothing. I am eternal. Your time with me – or without me – will be forever, endless. What do you want to obtain – what do you want to attain during these years that I will give you? Do you want to have a perfect house? A nice car? A job that will make you feel good, useful, etc.? Or do you want to know me? To understand what is important? To live a life of righteousness, where you are always comfortable around me? Do you want to prepare for an eternity spent with me – or just a few “comfortable” years spent on earth? Decide child. Though I will always be here, you are losing opportunity. And your time could end at any moment. 

Your level of maturity has slipped. It can be restored, but it does not just appear. You will have to work for it. I want you to be mature in my word. Mature in your thought processes. Mature in your decisions. Mature enough to overcome your emotions and make good choices. I will give you wisdom and maturity. But you must seek me in order to avail yourself of these gifts.  (2004)

Psalm 13:1-6 

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

This psalm should be the cry of your heart. You “enemy” does defeat you – whenever you listen to him and do what is wrong. Or allow yourself to continue to get less and less well. Or when you don’t start your day with me, as you are today. Cry out to me. I hear you. I will answer. Continue to cry out. You have allowed patterns to be established in your life. They will take work to be gone. I will help you. Trust me. Ask me. Then stay close to me so you can benefit from my answers. I do love you, child. (2005)

2 Kings 4:42-44  One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought the man of God a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread made from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”

“What?” his servant exclaimed. “Feed a hundred people with only this?” But Elisha repeated, “Give it to the people so they can eat, for this is what the Lord says: Everyone will eat, and there will even be some left over!” And when they gave it to the people, there was plenty for all and some left over, just as the Lord had promised.

As was true for Elisha, so it is true for you. I will provide for You always. There will be plenty for you, and some left over – so that you can share with others less fortunate. Do not worry. Have I not said I would not leave nor forsake you? Have I not promised to care for you? So it will be. Stay peaceful. (2005)

2 Kings 11:1-3 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

Do not let men frighten you. Look at Joash – his life was to be taken by Athaliah. But I protected him. I looked out for him. I did not allow harm to come to him. It was my plan that he would be king, at the right time. If I am for you, no man can harm you. Rest in my protection. (2005)

Ezra 4:24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Just because the work on the Temple had stopped, I did not let it go forever. So it is with you, my child. You have stopped working on our relationship for quite some time now, but it will begin again. I will not give up on you. 

Return to me, rebuild our relationship, and we will celebrate together, as the Israelites celebrated the rebuilding of my Temple. Offer your sacrifices – be obedient in what you know is being asked of you – your sacrifices will be pleasing to me. I will bless you for them. I will help you, just get out of the way. Acknowledge your inability – your helplessness in these matters – rely on the Holy Spirit and you will be successful.  (2005)

Mark 6:47-52. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

The twelve disciples saw me feed thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread.  They saw me perform many miracles.  They then saw me walking across the turbulent water to them and climb into the boat.  Even then they did not understand the meaning of it all, they did not understand who I am.  So it is today.  At times your faith is not as strong as it could be.  At times you forget who I am and what I can do. At times you don’t trust me as much as you could.  It’s ok.  You have believed and trusted without seeing me, without sitting and eating with me, without touching me physically.  Your faith is there.  You are just human, and sometimes it ebbs and flows.  Just keep working on it.  Yes, it does take work sometimes in the world in which you live, a world that would do everything possible to deny my existence, to make anyone who believes in me seem to be an idiot, brainless and weak.  It does take work to believe in someone you can’t physically see and touch and hear.  But you do believe, and I will honor that. Notice that many people who only saw me once or twice immediately recognized me and brought their sick to me for healing.  How interesting that sometimes those who walked with me did not recognize me, but those who hardly ever saw me did.  Familiarity can lead to blindness, or at least to a lack of vision.  Keep your eyes open, and fixed on me, that you never lose your vision. Remember that all it took for healing was to touch the hem of my garment.  Just a little faith, that’s all it takes.  I will take care of the rest. I will always turn to you and hear your cry.  I will always deliver you when you ask.  Look always to what I have already done in your life, and doubt will leave you. (2003)