….but fools despise wisdom and instruction, ( Proverbs 1:7). Let us be found to be wise men and women in regards to the instruction of God…..So we can conclude there are two sets of people walking this earth……the wise and the foolish…. Let us be found as His disciples being built into His wisdom, understanding, prudence, counsel and might, the knowledge and fear of the Lord……This is His Spirit dwelling within us as we dwell within Christ.
As Jesus spoke to His disciples in Matthew 10:26-28, Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light, and what you hear in ear, preach on the housetops.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
A house built by obedience to the Lord! That is what we are, beloved, a spiritual house being built by the Lord with our obedience. Every time we obey the promptings of His Spirit, as well of course, of His commands….Or we can live by the fear of man——which kind of fear are we choosing to live by?
If we fear the Lord, we will obey Him….There is more value than fear, this is loving Him…. If we do what He says, we love Him….. for the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts…..so we can love Him…..It takes God to put His love in us to love God……! Fear of the Lord is wisdom and is proof of the Holy Spirit living within us…… However, love is greater for love never fails.
We are being built by a strong foundation that will stand strong through any storm that comes to test our foundations….Foundation of our faith is spelled out in our belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ as all the law is fulfilled. Plus our walking in the obedience of the two commandment that Jesus Christ left us: Mark 12:33, And to love Him with all the heart, with all understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:5, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
When we start with the Lord, we start at the foundation of the faith……As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 3:11, For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
As we grow in our faith, we grow in the knowledge of God which is eternal life…..So the works and fruit we bear will hold strong through the storms against our faith. We will come out not smoldering or overwhelmed as we go through the fire and the water as they rise our way……
Paul continues in verses 13-17 of 1 Corinthians, Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver , precious stones, wood, hay, straw,each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy which temple you are.
There again, fear of the Lord is a good thing!
The Lord is very faithful to have us remain faithful to Him…… He is on a set purpose and will not change….He expects us to leave the dross behind and draw near to Him daily- even minute by minute….Or as is in the military- He gives an order…….We then obey and return to our Commanding Officer to receive the new orders…..Not all are “doing” commands, some commands are to sit before Him and learn to listen and be still…. As we start out, short periods of time of waiting, then longer to stretch our faith and our trust in His unfailing love. We learn and come to know and understand that He is God and we aren’t.We bow to His greatness as well as His great love. As we grow we learn that being outweighs the doing if He is not within the action.
If we draw near to Him on every move, He is ever ready to reveal Himself to all that love Him with a pure heart…… Hey, He starts with any motive of purity as a foundation of love and has us grow from there in seeking Him in a pure heart…..
But if we are stubborn on our own way and just want Him for the comfort move after death into the unknown…..He will meet us with that same tenacity that we drew away from Him….. He tries and tries to get our attention. God is relentless in His pursuit of us. He reveals His way is life and ours is death if we do not adhere to Him…..
If I was driving a car and the passenger saw a big hole ahead, but I wasn’t paying attention… The passenger first says in a normal voice- hey watch that hole up ahead…..I don’t hear…. The next time, the passenger, says it louder and then louder and will even shout until the passenger gets my attention. So the Lord with us….. He sends His shouts to us to return to Him. Do we hear? Do we see His signs of shouting anywhere? I hope so……
So many times the Lord warns and warns us to return to Him, so He may relent and stop the impending judgments to His children…. Though they do not understand and receive not the word,….. He is faithful to His nature of mercy.
Are the warnings being said now over America ? He spoke through His servant warning His people for two years before an earthquake happened in Israel…. Amos prophesied to awaken the nation in the coming judgment…..for a full two years. Jeremiah spoke for over 11 years for Israel to change their ways back to God before a nation came to conquer them. Then again, there is faithful Noah witnessing for 100 years building the ark before the Flood…..In the days of Elijah, it did not rain for 3 and ½ years….as to get the king and Israel’s attention….. Did they turn? Do you know?
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether, (Psalms 19:9)
Now we have been given warnings also as in Amos and the other servants of God, are we making the changes in our heart and lives to show the Lord? Are we sorry, ashamed and are coming back to Him? Are we proving to Him that we know that He is our All and Everything?
In chapter 4 of the prophet Amos, it is written that God had send little warning signs to get the people’s attention……. and they did not have ears to hear… also. The Lord speaks in verses 6-11, Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places; Yet you have not returned to Me, says the Lord.
I also withheld rain from you, where there were still three months to harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered. So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, but they were not satisfied; yet you have not returned to Me, says the Lord.
I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; your young men I killed with a sword, along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me, says the Lord.
I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not returned to Me, says the Lord.
Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel!
For behold, He who forms mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth- the Lord God of hosts is His name, ( Amos 4:12-13).
If the righteous will be recompensed on earth, how much more the ungodly, ( Proverbs 11-31).
So we pray that we have ears to hear the Lord and eyes to see and a heart to understand….. as we pray and receive His great grace in understanding and knowing Him, we learn His gentle nudging. The nudging may be for us to go ahead or stop and wait….
So if we are quick to hear and obey, we then hear His whisperings of instruction of love to us….. So if we get off the narrow road, we will not need a M-80 to a tidal wave to get our attention to stop and turn to Him again.
We pick up again the gentle whisperings and nudging of the Holy Spirit as we again add to the building of His temple within of obedience.
If we live according to the word written in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved Me and gave Himself for me.
As we grow in Christ, our house is getting stronger and larger. As written in Psalm 119, He is enlarging our heart to complete the course of His commands.
We need Christ to love the Lord with all our heart….. We need the strength of Christ to obey His commands….. We need Christ to love our neighbor as our self… So as we are to grow as the building of the Lord …..the only way to grow is in Christ…. So we die daily to ourselves and live for Him…..
Then we will be found blameless before…. Him….. He is the only ONE’s opinions that counts for He is the God, whom we stand before daily….. His eyes are ever watching us and caring for us…as well as watching us to see if we are watching for Him…..
Our relationship with the Lord can be so close as He will let us know what are His plans concerning building up or tearing down a nation or what is the answer for another….. He will show us what is coming and help us to be strong for the battle that is coming against His people…..to awaken and pray and gather them back to the Lord.
But we have to lean into Him, not games, not T.V., not talking to everyone else, but Him alone. It has got to be You and me, God….. for a set time daily….. No breaking the appointment……Would we break the appointment with a President or a Queen? No…. Fear of the Lord is a good thing…. Knowledge of WHO HE IS keeps our lives focused on the MAIN THEME for the reason we are here….. HIM!
As states in Colossians 3: 1-11, If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on the things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in the them. But now you yourselves put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all in all.
The Spirit of grace will strengthen us to complete the will of God in each of our lives as we walk with a pure heart towards God…..He knows when we mean business for He knows our hearts better than we do!
If we lean into His love and ask and ask and ask and ask and ask…….we will receive greatly from Him!
Whether judgment comes to any nation or area, we will know and be prepared to help others turn to Him before it may be too late…. for we do not own tomorrow- God does…… for He is God….
He changes not——So let us come to the Changeless One and allow Him to transform us into His image, be His home….We will be completely built by the Holy Spirit for our King to dwell and find pleasure….Let us send out the aroma of the sweet smelling sacrifice out of our obedient home to God! May the aroma of Christ be pleasing before His throne…. May He be enthroned in our lives and homes today…
Let us return to Him today! Do not be concerned if we do not know how to return…… Ask Him, He will tell or show us! Trust Him to obey for He already holds our heart, even if it is hard and stony…..He still cherishes that we give our lives to Him….. He makes all things new! Trust Him and love Him.
America, let us hit our knees and offer up our lives as a living sacrifice pleasing acceptable to God. Let us be transformed in our mind so we may live and prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Let us be built in a spiritual house of God and a sweet smelling fragrance to Him.
Let us be like a rose to our King. How can anyone not smell a rose and not know there is a great Creator, whose beauty is like a delicate rose, yet has only received many thorns from His creation.
Let us be the fragrance of His pleasure, Christ in us, an obedient house…… As written in 2 Timothy 2:19-21, Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord know whose are His, and, let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and is useful for every good work.
We then are His and He is ours…..The love so strong that death cannot separate. Even the darkness cannot separate His love from us…..All the storms, all the adversities, all the tribulations cannot separate us from Him….. even the destruction of the earth…..For we will be found in Him if we hold to obedience in our house, our heart…..as we keep Him, the Main Theme, God…. as number ONE in our priorities.
The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just. Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You.
With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let grace be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness, he will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
Lord, when Your hand is lifted up, they will not see- but they will see and be ashamed for their envy of people; Yes, the fire of Your enemies shall devour them, ( Isaiah 26:7-11)..
As written in confirmation of His Word over and over again, we are told: The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools, ( Proverbs 3:35).
O Heavenly Father, please forgive us for not obeying your commands and loving you with everything we have. Come, Spirit of grace and stir us up into the love of God. May Your great fire start within and never stop consuming what is displeasing to our Heavenly Father. Give us a new heart of obedience. May we discern all of our thoughts and actions so we may overrule them and focus above where our King is seated.
Only You, Heavenly Father, can give us a heart to run after you. We need You. We are sorry for not knowing You first above all else…. We are sorry for taking You for granted as though all our days are ours and not for us to live for You…. Please forgive us in the blood of Jesus…. We are sorry for compromising Your truth to the world… Please forgive us and please guide us into transformation into Your Son’s image and strength and knowledge to turn from the world’s spirit.
Please give us Your strength for we are weak men and women. Please lay within us the steadfastness and boldness of Your Spirit to stand and not bow to the world’s spirit. Thank you for the tenacity to stand in the face of threats of any cost against us…. Help us to remain steadfast to You only through the coming days and years…. May we live and die as the testimony of You and be Your light on this earth.
As we stand with Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:12, that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in us, and us in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord! But let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength, ( Judges 5:31).
Even so come, Lord Jesus, come. The Spirit and the bride say, COME!
Selah!
