Seeking God's Face?

Do I want God’s blessings or do I want Him? I make the conscious decision here and now that I want Him! More than anything, I want my life to be governed by Him, totally! Am I willing to pay the price? What price? You mean there is a price, an investment on my part?

To have God govern our lives totally, we must abandon anything resembling the old life of flesh. That means that my will is submitted in every sense to His will. That means He is living His life through me, not as a puppet but as a dedicated servant.

You mean I am to be a slave to God and that is the only way I will have Him? 1 Cor. 9:19, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” The word translated here “servant” in the Greek text means “to make a slave of, reduce to bondage.” Paul was saying that he had become a slave to Christ. He simply meant that his life was consumed with obeying Jesus’ leading.

When we were in sin, we were servants to sin. We were made slaves under the bondage of sin. Sin controlled all thoughts and actions. We have put away sin and no longer serve sin. Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Therefore, we are no more slaves to sin but servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Seeking God’s Face! 

Opposition Will Come! by Myra Boozer

Do you believe that God's guidance is more important than common sense? When Corrie Ten Boom came to America years ago, after her release from Ravensbruck Prison Camp, she was asked, "Why did you come to America?" She replied, "God directed me. All I could do was obey." "That's nonsense," they answered. “There is no such thing as direct guidance from God. Experience proves we must use our common sense. If you are here and out of money, then it is your fault, not God's.” Corrie tried to argue back in God's defense. "But God's guidance is even more important than common sense. I am certain He told me to bring His message to America. I can declare that the deepest darkness is outshone by the light of Jesus." "We have ministers to tell us such things was the reply.” "Certainly, but I can tell from my experience in a concentration camp that what such ministers say is true." They replied, “It would have been better for you to have remained in Holland. We don't need any more preachers. Too many Europeans come to America. They should be stopped."

Needless to say, that was very discouraging words to Corrie. She was embarrassed and humbled. She had money in Holland but the funds could not be brought to America. MY POINT IS THIS...the world is not going to strengthen you in spiritual matters. They will let you down, even tear you down. Yes, this was coming from "church people" but they had not been where Corrie had been and received what Corrie had received. They were looking through different eyes, the eyes of reasoning and common sense, not through eyes of FAITH and TRUST.

Where is your guidance coming from today? Are you looking to the world to give you direction with their reasoning and common sense? OR, are you looking to Jesus and His word? Do you feel that calm assurance that even if all of your friends and loved ones turn away from you, you will still listen to the still small voice of the Lord and follow Him? He takes pleasure in those who do and He will keep you in all of your ways.

I had no idea that Corrie met with such rejection and opposition in America at that time but that did not stop her. Is it stopping you? 

Are We Prepared To Engage The Prince Of Darkness?

1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

Satan is the prince of darkness! He is like a wild animal rushing around seeking to destroy all that he can. His time is short and he is frantic to destroy everything associated with God. The spirit of Antichrist is becoming stronger as each day passes. This is the rise of the last day's influence of Satan setting the stage for the beast in the prophecy of Daniel and John in the book of Revelation.

These forces of light and darkness have been embroiled in battle since Lucifer's original rebellion in heaven. God could not allow him to continue his angelic role in his rebellious state. Therefore, he was cast out of heaven and became the prince of darkness, ruler of the darkness of this world.

The consequences of the conflict can be directly related to rebellion, the rebellion of Lucifer, and of man against the sovereignty and law of God. Although times of evil and darkness have gripped the earth in centuries past, the grand finale is still to come. Satan is preparing for his last stand. He knows his end and will do everything he can to destroy all he can. He has targeted every level of order in the world. His goal is to destroy order and control and create total chaos.

We are fully engaged in this timeless struggle. Paul stated in Ephesians 6:12 that we are fighting a warfare in the spiritual realm, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We are fighting for our very lives, our children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors, and as many as our Lord God shall call. But we know how the story ends and that is our hope. God did not allow Lucifer's rebellion to go unpunished and He will address it again in the end. (continued) 

Unwise To Justify The Wicked! Conclusion by Myra Boozer

(see 12/1/23 for part 1)

When we declare the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ as being "Our Lord" that means He is Lord over everything, every thought, every decision and every relationship. It means what God does not condone, we can't either. We have a great responsibility to others to speak Truth and live Truth.

We are responsible to train our children and stand against all the evil that is being thrown at them through our culture. It is not for us to allow the world and ungodly people to dictate to them what Truth is or what is acceptable. We cannot tell them it is okay to live like the world and participate in every ungodly activity that society has conceived. We cannot allow them to be seduced by the perversion of evil people who are only concerned about their evil ideas.

When we become politically correct and tolerate the sickened agenda that "Hollywood " is portraying even to little children, we have fallen short of the mandate that God set for those who call Him Lord. Little minds and little hearts are being so abused by society thru the media. We may wonder when this will stop? Will we ever be normal again? I don't think so, only worse because too many have been tolerant of immodest fashion, disorderly conduct and even attitudes of "however I want to live is okay, because society accepts it."

Many have failed to teach that wrong exist, that bad exist, and that unacceptable exist. We must tell them we are not to justify and condone every lifestyle. Many Christian leaders are not addressing the problems that we are facing in this generation, because tolerance has slipped into many churches. Many Christians want to be accepted and listened too so they walk on eggshells and speak the acceptable message that makes people feel good instead of telling them the Truth. We must not remain silent, fearing isolation and rejection by society and even some churches because we do not justify (free from blame or guilt) those who do wickedly. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death," Proverbs 14:12 KJV.

Jesus Christ is our hope! He is the remedy for all sin. He leads and guides us day by day when we live by His Word. Oh, His Grace is sufficient to hold us and to heal our broken hearts when those we love are more influenced by the world than they are by us. We must never give up! We must keep praying and proclaiming the Word of God for it is life unto salvation.

 "But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some having compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only WISE God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen," Jude 20-25. This scripture is powerful and covers what we need to do! 

God Will Judge Sin (Rebellion)! Conclusion

(for part 1 see 12/1/23)

Isaiah 9:10, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.”

God uses the same principle today as he did with Israel to correct His children. He will warn us and give us the opportunity to make the necessary corrections. He will show us where we missed the mark. In the midst of our situation, all we need to do is trace it back to a failure on our part, a place in our journey where we made a wrong choice, where we took the wrong path. Then we are presented with the choice to repent and return to Him or suffer the consequences for our disobedience.

God is good and His mercy endures forever to bring salvation to all who will obey. Psalm 106:1, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever 2Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can shew forth all his praise? 3Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. 4Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;”

God's desire is for the world to observe how He loves those that will come into a loving, obedient relationship with Him, v5, “That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.” Even in our blatant rebellion, His heart yearns for communion with us. We have not fully understood God's plan for us, if we did we would not pull back, v6, “We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. 7Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. 8Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.”

The rebellion of all mankind is what has brought us to where we are today. We are seeing an all out revolution against the sovereignty and will of God. God created us as free agents and has given us the privilege of choice so He will not force His will and purpose upon us. We must come to Him realizing our need of Him and submit to Him freely. God stands ready to forgive all that will repent and return to Him. Be sure and know that God Will Judge Sin (Rebellion)! 

Unwise To Justify The Wicked! by Myra Boozer

"He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord," Proverbs 17:15.

It seems that sin is being accepted more than ever. Many are no longer ashamed of their error, their mistakes, or their sin. When this happens, many feel justified and they stay on the same path of destruction. They are telling themselves, "I have done no wickedness" especially when they aren't held accountable for their wrong doings by those around them.

The Lord God is not pleased with those who JUSTIFY the wicked nor those that condemn the righteous. In this verse, they are put in the same category. They are both called an abomination. That word means to hate, to loathe. Yet, people want to say God is not angry with me! I believe this scripture proves that statement to be wrong. "But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and FIERY INDIGNATION, which shall devour the adversaries," Hebrews 10:27. Adversaries are the enemies of God. He is definitely angry with SIN. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," Hebrews 10:31.

Who is speaking against sin? Who is warning? Where is the fear of the Lord?  Who is lifting up the standard of righteousness? Who is standing in the Gap? Who is proclaiming the year of the Lord? Who is speaking TRUTH to this perverse generation? Who is declaring the WORD of the Lord in the face of the wicked? "He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them." Proverbs 24:24-25

I believe God is merciful, gracious, and so patient with mankind. He loves YOU! However, He does not condone SIN! He loves you more than that. He loves you so much that He will send His Holy Spirit to convict you of your error, your mistakes, your willful sin. It doesn't matter who justifies you, friends or family. When God says it is sin, it is sin and it will separate you from God. "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth," Hebrews 12:5-6.

The scripture goes on to say If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons. But if you be without chastening then you are not sons. It is your choice to receive correction or not. Ask God to send the Holy Spirit to convict and convince you of the sin that has beset you. The sin that maybe is accepted and even celebrated by the world. Only God is the true judge of all sin. "Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire," Hebrews 12; 28b-29. It is Unwise To Justify The Wicked. (continued) 

God Will Judge Sin (Rebellion)!

Judgment doesn't suddenly come upon a people or person without warning. In the Old Testament, when God's people strayed from His leadership, God always sent His Prophet to warn them of the consequences and give an opportunity for correction and change. A good example of this is found in Isaiah 9:10, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” Isaiah had prophesied the imminent judgment upon the northern tribes of Israel specifically addressing the tribe of Ephraim and the city of Samaria. Isaiah 9:9, “And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,...” The people's response was that they would build back bigger and better. The chosen materials would be hewn stones and cedars which were used for the palaces of the kings. The brick and sycamores were for the common people. That spirit that rises up is the spirit of carnal flesh which must be crucified. The correct response would have been to repent and return to God.

The leadership of this nation followed the example of ancient Israel in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001. Senator Tom Daschle stood on the floor of the US. Senate building the next day, Sept. 12. He gave the following response to this devastating attack. “There is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that speaks to all of us in times like this. Isaiah 9:10, 'The bricks are fallen down, but we will rebuild them with smooth stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars,' That is what we will do. We will rebuild and recover. The people of America will stand together because the people of America have always stood together, and those of us who are privileged to serve this great nation will stand with you. God bless the people of America.”

This passage of scripture was repeatedly used in the following months in an attempt to instill hope and inspiration. But apparently, there was no national approach to repentance. Look at where we are today! As a nation, we are more divided than ever before in our lifetime. Law and order in our world appear to be dissolving right before our eyes. (Just watch the evening news). Justice and mercy are thrown in the streets like so much refuse. Micah 6:8, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” God has revealed His Truth and will continue to reveal Himself to all who will receive. The choice is ours but we must repent and return to the Lord God Jehovah.

When the seeds of disobedience are sown they will bring forth fruit in due season. But in the midst of our rebellion, God has saved us for His name's sake. You may feel trapped where you are and may not be where you want to be. Jesus will set you free from whatever holds you fast. Call out to Him. He will deliver today!

Lord God Almighty, we want to follow your direction. Help us to always hear your voice clearly. Shut out the extraneous noise that so overwhelms the thought process that we get lost in the fight. Help us to focus on the important and allow the useless to fall away. Sweep the irrelevant away and deposit it far from us. We want no interference! We want to focus on YOU alone. Blessed be the Name of the Lord! (continued)