Are the fruit of the Spirit a set up?

As I reminisce about my own spiritual journey, I remember thinking tha God doesn't answer my prayers because I must not really belong to Him.  I remember trying to pray opposite prayers for a while to trick God into doing what I wanted him to do.   I am not sure that any other children do this, but I am sure that when we teach children the scriptural truths we must listen to their perceptions and guide them to see what God is saying.  

   For instance, we should make it clear that we cannot obey God or our parents without the spirit's assistance and we cannot blame the Spirit for us not using the fruit of the Spirit in our behaviors.  We err on both sides in this instruction.  We teach them to expect right behavior from themselves and we teach them that they are culpable when they don't follow the right way.  When the Spirit does bless their behavior and give them grace to follow through, we should teach them to praise God.  And we should teach them to pray for help to do right!!!  We should also do the same!

Gauge and Gage of the LANG! The tongue our measure?

I really believe that the dominion of excellent speech is given to the Spanish because of deNada...that is my opinion.   God blesses the culture that exalts him.  They have humbly pursued truth and riches in their history.  But their language and their literacy is sublimely biblical...

"Excellent speech becometh not a fool"

I bought today that the foolishness of the insertion of lisping onto the speech on purpose seems very Jacobian to me.  Somebody using an irony to make a point.   The lisp is considered more excellent in Castilian. Like HellerD for Madea.   The more we pursue exaltation of ourselves in excellent speech the more foolish we sound...   I am not being proud, Lord.  My lisp lets you know that I know the right way to say it, but humble myself through deliberate lisping...

I think the reformation in Spain was lingual.  The tongue must be sharpened to strengthen the mind, but not to the damning of the soul.. Are we not the most exalted of us the most foolish, they seem to say.

The Sense and Sensibility of the presence of God?

The Sense and Sensibility of the presence of God? Is it an evasive thing? Do we hide our sense of hollowness, behind a veil of sacred pretense? Where are you God? Are you here with us? You said you would be with us when we gather? And yet is that the case? Still, we convince ourselves and connect in words only and not beseeching God to truly attend our gatherings. We stand like the emperor without his new clothes and pretend to be clothed. “Could it be You make your presence known, so often by your absence?” Michael Card Our children are laughing that we are continuing to gather with such an “invasive” absence of God’s presence. Do we implore Him to be with us, in our prayer meetings?” Chase we the almighty dollar so that we cannot attend anymore? It isn’t a priority. We know we will see Him on Sunday… We comfort ourselves. “He knows my heart” Have you moved away, Lord? You promised to inhabit our praise? Where are You, Lord? I do not really feel bereft of the presence of God, but it is a great fear of mine to be insensible of the absence of God and truly deceived by my own religiosity. My practices replacing his presence. I think that is why He chose someone like Amos and someone like Obed Edom to be present with. There is no religious veil to cut through. I would want to be that way and not deceived by my own thoughts of religiousness, Nor the comparison of others with myself. Forgive my making light of your presence, Lord. Forgive my acceptance of the status quo of your love and attention. Help me to know You in the reality of Your lifting Your people to greater usefulness in our nation and our world. For the Church’s Sake in Jesus’ Name, Amen

Where is my prayer hat?

I felt that God was impressing on me the importance of the covering of the head. I told you the story of that, Elyse. What a providential thing that your father bought me a prayer hat, while I was asking God about His impressing me about that? I found it yesterday and lost it today. What is that supposed to mean?

I am loving the interactive nature of my present relationship with God. He is very hands on with me and doesn't give me much time to write about our conversations. The sky is His peekaboo. He stands behind it and tickles me with the beauty. He stands behind my interactions with the children and shows me His own corrections of my simplicity. My prayer hat is part of a longer conversation about the fact that God is weaving our humanity into His showing both sides of the tapestry of His providence. The pretty side of the outworkings of humanity and the underside of the spiritual battles that allow us to enjoy Him! Halleluia, what a Savior!

Be Not Many Masters?

The Greater condemnation of being masters

Psalm 10:16   The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.

Psalm 10:17   LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

I think it not an accident that Pilgrims Progress specifically discusses the sons of Japheth as being in view, and their salvation. Shem and Ham are both in the judgment of God, upon the earth, but the sons of Japheth have a burden upon their backs, that perhaps the other two brothers haven’t. They are aware of the dominion that they have received. Dominions in the spiritual and dominions in the earthly. Have they like Esau traded their birthrite? I don’t think so, but we all must follow and study to show ourselves approved unto God, whether in spiritual dominions or in the earthly. The burden of many souls being provided for, through your earthly fortunes is a challenge at best. Whether you will end up to be the rich man who stepped over Lazarus daily and cracked the whip in fear to your subordinates, wreaking terror; or were a benevolent benefactor to God’s people and strangers, is up for grabs. What is God saying about the greater condemnation of being a Master?

We have only one master, God. Have you no responsibility, if you have grown in your status to bring others who have served you up as well. If you were blessed to find childcare that treated your child with kindness and civility and you are now a billionaire and that young woman is still starving in the hovel of the streets trying to feed her family caring devotedly to the next generation. Whose fault is that? Why is it a well paying job to be a governor and not a childcare worker? We care not for that position. Our culture shows as much and will continue to do so, until we care for the children with our pay as well as with our considerations of gratitude.

I was grateful for childcare, so that I could pursue my dreams, they say. I was grateful to drop them off and become what I was supposed to be, a master! All can do the same? should we? Who cares for the children? the unambitious. the “uniapetors”. Their souls will show the vanquish. Help us Lord to care about the fallout of our over ambitious mindset.

Fiery Darts? Calling and Election Sure at the Wicket gate?

might it be…that the burden on the back of Christian is the reality that eternity is not promised and that not until after the experience at the Interpreters House might he have the eyegear to see the desperate condition of unbelief. He thinks that it is faith alone. He thinks that there are no precipices on the journey and is deceived as to the reality of falling away. Easy believism was prevalent, even then. Our kind and thoughtful pastor gave us a reality check, which belongs to the church, should she choose to accept the revelation of this reality. The Wicket Gate is a turning point. Turning points to make our calling and election sure. Is the church subject to deceive people of their state, with regard to their calling and election.

We must be sure we are on the right way.

we are a privileged people===privileged to protect!

God’s knitting needles are the lives of the unborn versus our privileges, whatever they may be… Pick that up, He says to us. No! I will not give up my privileges to care for this inconvenience. Unplanned inconvenience. I will do as I want! God is in Marra with us as a church. He is forsaken of us. excuses for voting on the side of death. Do we deserve the infinite worth of the blood of Jesus if we are voting for the death of the prophets and our future?? We have left our God? Marra is His Cry for our desertion. God give us grace to pick up the pieces of the death that we have wrought through the industry of abortion and make God great in our hearts again! convenience vs. God’s glory?