Amanuensis

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)

Psalm 39

I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.
    My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!  Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.
Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin,
you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! 

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.
Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!”

Pay attention to this Psalm.  Your life is no longer than the width of your hand.  Human existence is but a breath.  Remember where your hope lies.  It lies not in money, which can be lost.  It lies not in a house; you’ve had and lost homes.  It lies not in husbands and sons, they also can disappear.  It does not lie in anything of this world.  Your only hope lies in me.  Only I am eternal.  Only I can save you.  Only I can redeem you and your life.  Only I can give you eternal life.  Only I can give you purpose and an effective life.  Stop trying to do this all on your own.  Get back to relying on me, to the knowledge that all comes from me, all depends on me, and that without me, all is worthless, useless.  You are too self-reliant.  How have you forgotten just how powerless and incapable you are without me?  Your pride is back in control.  Be rid of it or I will cause it to be smashed again.  That may sound cruel, but you already know, you have already experienced that true freedom, true strength, true peace and joy only come from relying totally on me.  (2003)

Leviticus 11:1, 13:1-59 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.”

My people were given many rules by which to live.  Notice, though, they were not given lightly.  The rules you have read today were formed to keep people safe from outbreaks of infectious diseases.  It was necessary that they be examined, and if infectious, kept away from others.  There was no real hygiene then, as it exists today.  If someone were contagious, it was next to impossible to contain the illness.  Notice my laws.  They all made sense.  They were all given to protect my people.  So it is with what I desire of my people today.  Just because you are all under grace, does not mean that you do not need to obey me.  What is asked of you, what is required of you, is for your own safety.  Sex outside of marriage is not allowed because it leads to disease, unwanted pregnancy, the pain of adultery, the breakup of marriages, many many painful and destructive things.  I want you to stop smoking because smoking cigarettes destroys your body, which is a gift from me, and the temple of the Holy Spirit.  I ask you to spend time with me daily so that your focus can be taken off of yourself and this world, and onto eternal values and treasures.  Spending time with me is what centers you, what gives you peace, and what teaches you how to live.  Without that, you will be the person you were before you met me.  Tithing and generosity are required to remind you that you have nothing that does not come from and ultimately belong to me.  It gets you out of self-seeking and gives you my perspective  that riches are meant to be shared and to be used to further my kingdom.  You are to eat healthily and to exercise again to take care of your body, my temple.  Stop feeding on the things of this world.  Start feeding on my word, on time with me, and you will not need those other things as much.  You will come back into balance. (2003)

Revelation 13:14 “And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world.”

Darker days are coming. There comes the day when a false one will arise. Those who do not know me will believe he is a god. He will perform miraculous feats, which I will allow him to perform. But, be discerning. Look to me for guidance. Do not allow yourself to be taken in by him. He is your enemy. He is not me. Remember, you will only know what is true if you know me. I am the way, the truth and the life. Once you know me well, you see through what is false. Do not stray. (2019)

Revelation 13:5 “And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.” 

Do not forget that nothing happens in your lives that I have not either allowed or arranged. I am not surprised by the evil that is in your world. I am not taken aback by what people do or say, even those things they do or say in “my name”. I am aware of all. For now, I am allowing it. That does not mean that you are not to fight against it. That does not mean that it will last forever. But for now, I am allowing mankind to choose whom he will serve. Those who serve me need to draw ever closer in these days. They are dark and evil times and it is easy to be led astray, sidetracked from what is important. And what is important is your relationship with me. Nothing more, nothing less. If you are in close relation with me, everything else in your life will be in order. Do not stray. Your enemy, now more than ever, looks to devour you. (2019)

Obadiah 1:1-4 The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom—

We have heard a report from the Lord,
And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying,
“Arise and let us go against her for battle”—
² “Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You are greatly despised.
³ “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of the rock,
In the loftiness of your dwelling place,
Who say in your heart,
‘Who will bring me down to earth?’
⁴ “Though you build high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.

You have been a proud nation, so proud you began to believe that you could not be destroyed. You looked outward to claim that you were invincible, that no one nation could defeat you. You did not pay attention to the most insidious enemy, yourself. You did not pay attention to the destruction that was underway from within. You are crumbling. You are shattering. You have given yourself over to self-adulation, to selfish ambitions, to fulfilling your selfish desires. You have made gods out of intellect, power, fame, money – all things that dissipate and do not have eternal significance. You bow down to desire. You fan the flames of hatred and racism. You care only for the moment. You have lost your compass, you have lost sight of true north. I am what you seek. I have what you desire. But, until you bow down to me, instead of your own egos, you will forever seek to fulfill your “desires”. You will forever strive to be more, to do more, to earn more, to garner more attention. When you drove me out of your society, you opened the door to all these behaviors that are destroying you from within. And it is not until you humble yourselves, repent and return to me that anything will change. Stop putting bandaids over gaping wounds. Stop trying to stop the bleeding while continuing to behave in ways that cause it. Stop trying to do what only I can do. (2019)

1 Kings 6:17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

You’re protected at all times. You may not see my warriors, but they are there. Your country is not going to be completely ruined. There will be more hard times, there is much evil to be vanquished. Your enemy has been warned, and is fighting back more than ever. It will escalate, but I will prevail. Stand firm. Work for what is right and true. Do not lose faith, but be cautious in whom you place your earthly trust and faith. (2019)

1 Kings 9:9 And the answer will be, “Because his people abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors our of Egypt, and the worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters on them.”

And so, your country. I brought this country out of England so that they could worship. I freed them from the tyrannical power of the English, and established a nation here for them. Yet, over time, as always with the Israelites, your people abandoned me. They stopped worshipping me and began to worship themselves. Your country has devolved into the worship of self-indulgence, pleasure, “fame”, power, money – all things only meant to enrich self. Now, you see the outcome of years of forcing me and my Word out of society and allowing the god of self to take root. Lies, hatred, sexual perversion, infanticide in and out of the womb, divorce, children abandoned, drug/alcohol abuse, addiction to food, pornography, violence, mass killings, abuse of foster youth and the elderly and so much more. Your leaders try to legislate some of this out of existence. They try to blame other groups/nations/political forces for the problems. But this cannot be changed through legislation nor through hatred. The only real and lasting change will be through changed hearts. Repentance. Belief in me. Obedience to my word. There is revival beginning. Fan those flames, not the flames of hatred. Stay out of needless arguments. Pray for your enemies and the leaders of this country. Be a light in darkness. And hold close to me. It will get much darker before it gets light again. The days are short. Use them wisely. (2019)

Exodus 3:10-12 “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. “

I had a job for Moses to do. But, he did not believe he could do it, even though I assured him I would be with him and I would give him the words to say. He continued to ask that someone else be sent. In the end, I allowed him to have his brother Aaron help him speak. Though my will was done, and my plan accomplished for the people of Israel, Moses did not receive the full benefit of his obedience. Will you trust me? Will you believe that I can make possible all my plans for you? You must decide then act. Either you trust me and believe in me or you do not. I have a plan. I have things for you to do. Step out in faith. Listen for my voice and follow my directions.