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It is recorded in Wikipedia that Clairvius Narcisse, a Haitian man (1/2/1922-1994) said a Haitian vodou priest had given him a combination of psychoactive drugs.  As documented and verified by two American doctors, these drugs rendered him seemingly dead.  He was buried May 2, 1962 but that night the priest who administered the drugs to him, dug his body up and forced him to work as a zombie in a sugar plantation.  This priest died 16 years later so as the regular doses of the hallucinogen drugs worked out of his system, he regained sanity and returned to his home.  There he proved his identity to his sister and several other villagers by using a childhood nickname and sharing intimate family information.  Wade Davis, a graduate student in ethnobotany at Harvard University, was the strongest advocate of this case.

Regardless of the veracity of this story, it does illustrate what Paul references in Ephesians 2:1 where he states, you were dead [the unregenerate are also referred to as blind] in trespasses and sins in which you walked.  Ezekiel the prophet wrote Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house (Ezekiel 12:2, ESV).   Jesus saidYou blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. (Matthew 23:26, ESV).

Paul describes the origins of spiritual zombies and what you can expect from them.

They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools (Romans 1:19-22, NLT2)

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else (Ephesians, 2:1-3 (NLT2).

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more (Ephesians 4:18-19, NIV).   You see, without experiencing a spiritual regeneration that creates a deep desire to love and serve God, a person is a spiritual zombie.

Consider this: Can we honestly expect a naturally blind person to behave like one with 20/20 vision?  Of course not.  Relax!  Understand that a person can only receive spiritual sight by humbly admitting their need to see and ask God’s Spirit to give them a portion of His sight.  Becoming angry at a spouse or anyone because they make wrong and hurtful choices is as foolish as getting mad at a blind person.  Remember, Jesus said No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. (John 6:44a, ESV)  Therefore calm down, if possible take proactive steps to stop enabling them, pray on behalf of and have compassion on the zombie instead of being angry.  Then refocus on endeavoring to help whomever you do intuitively sense the Spirit is drawing to Christ. Working in cooperation with the Spirit of God in bringing spiritual light to that zombie will be most rewarding.

Very candidly, I am going to share what I am being challenged within my spirit today.  For me, this is as fresh as my blog can get. 

I have reflected on the Adam and Eve’s condition before and after their fatal decision to choose to no longer be dependent on God for knowledge of good and evil.  Their condition before this fall was living the ultimate good life on earth as well as relationship with God—what we all dream of experiencing—heaven on earth.  After their fall everything radically changed.  Immediately they began to experience self-consciousness, shame, fear, guilt; the very defects that plague us today.  What brought about these painful changes?  I believe it was their choice to be independent from God instead of being dependent upon Him.  The question I have been asking myself is, in what ways am I not being dependent upon Him?

The ghost of my independence appears when I do not wait on God to whisper His guidance or answer.  In those times I do not wait for Him to bring His holy presence and nearness in my prayer time.  If I do not sense His presence or whisper as quickly as I want, my mind starts making petitions or becoming distracted with other thoughts.  Finally, I act on whatever notions come to mind.  That inadvertent response reflects my dependence on myself and a lack of a sense of absolute poverty and helplessness without Him.  That grieves me as it does my God. 

The Psalmist wrote As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy (Psalm 123:2, NIV)   Isaiah wrote O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble (Isaiah 33:2, ESV).  This was the dependency level Mary was expressing in Luke 10:42 that Jesus defined as the good or better part.  This concept is repeated in various forms many times in Scripture.   

Most of us wait only upon God for what we can get from Him, the answer or provision we hope to receive from Him.  Our prayers are more about us than about waiting for Him to take His place as God in that special worship time.  When He does make His presence known there is such a calm, silent joy and nearness that dissolves our anxiety, frustration and self-centeredness.  It is His presence that changes our requests or how we continue to pray.  This is what Jesus was referring to when He said, If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours (John 15:7, GW).     

It can be enlightening if we seriously ask ourselves “for what am I waiting?” or “on whom am I waiting?”  “Is my God like a vending machine idol of some sort?”  No!  He is the living God in all His great glory, infinite holiness, power, wisdom, love and goodness.  If it is true that God alone is goodness and joy and love; if it be true that our highest blessedness is having as much of Him as we can, nothing less than dependent waiting on Him can satisfy the cry of our heart. 

Holy Spirit, please remind me to deliberately take time to wait dependently upon you as the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master.   I have known the most magnificent pleasure of being in Your presence and want to sacrifice whatever to enjoy it more often.  I pray that those who read this will also want You, not for Your gifts, but Your incredible presence.  

Can authentic faith in God be reduced down to obedience?  Jesus did say, If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15, ESV), … Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17, ESV) and If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love (John 15:10, ESV).  It seems simple obedience to God’s commands is the essential key to unlocking God’s blessings.  But is that the full truth? 

Isaiah 1 describes the worship of the Jewish tribe of Judah as offering a “multitude of sacrifices” [how much is sacrificed today?] (v 11),  regular worship attendance (v 12), offering of incense [today this may look like very generous giving to God] and sacred celebrations of holy days, participating in special public assemblies to honor God (v 13), stretching out hands in worship and offered many prayers (v 15).  If we knew someone who practiced these things today, it is likely we would consider them very spiritual.  However, God severely rebuked these people, not for obedience to His precepts but for allowing their hearts to become distracted from Him while they obeyed His laws.  Their schizophrenic spiritual life was not acceptable to Him.  In Revelation 2,  again after Christ applauded their noble behavior, He warned the church at Ephesus that their heart was not invested in the right deeds they practiced and that unless they humbly turned their hearts totally around (repented) He would remove His presence from them.        

If you agonize over whether you are walking in God’s will for your life, it might be encouraging to know that unless you have chosen to blow off or rationalize what God’s word says about a matter or ignore His whispers, you are most likely already walking in God’s will.   So, relax.  To be clear, what God wants from you is NOT just your perfect outward words or deeds, but rather your deep, inner conviction and passion to follow what He whispers to you to say or do.  Living with that kind of heart results in right words and obedient behavior.  However, if you have chosen to do what you or others want instead of what God has already asked you to do; anxiety, confusion, frustration, independence and anger will constantly haunt you.  If that describes what you frequently experience, all you have to do is humble yourself and consciously and deliberately repent (let His Spirit turn your heart totally around) and start walking as you already know He wants you to walk.  Bottom line: He is looking at what prompts our initiative—the focus of our heart, not just sheer obedience to a set of rules even if they are in His Word.  When the heart is right with God, obedience and happiness follows like a shadow wherever you go.

Note this, the person who genuinely seeks for God’s guidance must never forget that even if he/she were to do all the things God commands, that person may still NOT be the person God longs for her/him to be. Paul explained it this way, “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Co 3:6b , ESV). An obsession merely to do all God commands may be the very thing that separates that person from what He calls him/her to be.  The Pharisees were examples of this.

Dallas Willard wrote, what God wants us to do is very important, of course, and we must be careful to learn how to know it and do it, but it is never enough by itself to allow us to understand and enter the radiant life before the shining face of God that is offered to us in the grace of the gospel — a life pleasing to him, in view of which He can say, “This is my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.

Changes are hard when they are not my idea.  When Connie and I married, we came into the relationship with a suitcase full of selfish expectations.  Like every other newlywed, we struggled to adjust to the diverse ways we spent money, our preferred taste of food, relationships with others, sexual expressions and the list goes on.  Right and wrong in such cases tends to be more about a person’s perspective than morality.

Paul wrote of Jesus … though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9, ESV)  None of us can imagine what incredibly drastic changes Jesus voluntarily made in order to leave the splendor, authority, righteousness of heaven and come to earth to be born in an animal stable as a helpless baby to parents with no experience in raising a child.  So, what kind of changes have you been called upon to make for your spouse, children, parents or in-laws. Most, if not all, marriage or church conflicts have proven to be reduced to a petty personal preference that came out of a suitcase full of misdirected expectations and unwillingness to change. 

A cursory examination of Scripture reveals God required His chosen people to make drastic changes that would set them apart from other tribes of humanity.  Abraham was called to leave his family, friends and the culture he understood.  Early Christ followers had to leave everything dear to them, extended family, homes, jobs and even where they grew up.  Imagine what this would be like for you to experience.  This meant they were willing to leave their lifelong goals and dreams.  Everything had to be yielded to God and their entire life adjusted to focus on loving Him and following His ways.  Paradoxically, each one discovered that radically adjusting their lifestyle and ways of doing things was well worth the cost.  How closely have you been clinging to things, habits, people, lifestyles? 

Again, God’s own Son gave up more than anyone.  Jesus emptied Himself of position and glory in Heaven to join with His Father’s plan to provide for your salvation and mine.  Having done that, He ascended back to all He had set aside.  As a Christ-follower, you have no choice but to hold loosely whatever earthly things or people you enjoy.  In my personal case, my dream was to be a counselor or business executive—not a minister!  I knew I was not naturally shaped for preaching.  Yes, I tried to negotiate with God, practiced passive resistance, insisted on my independence but slowly surrendered all.  In retrospect my only regret has been my utter unwillingness to exchange my dreams sooner.   Your greatest difficulty in following God may come down to giving up all that is valuable to you to do what seems impossible to you.  This kind of crisis is what reveals the authenticity of the love and trust in God you want to have.

The only way to follow Him is to align our thinking and actions with Him and His ways—the sooner the better.  Those who did this in the early Bible days, or the birthing of the church lived out the faith you and I have dreamed of experiencing.  Given the chaotic climate of our nation today, it may very well be that you will be positioned to make necessary changes in your life to obey His command to make disciples of our Lord.  If so, fear not!  You will discover first-hand the dynamic faith provision and power you have only dreamed of experiencing.  Prepare yourself now to make necessary changes so you can literally live out the freedom, joy, peace and hope for which Christ died so you could enjoy.   These changes may come sooner than you think.      

It is a common assumption that Moses co-authored the book of Genesis along with the Holy Spirit.  I was recently challenged with the questions; 1) to whom was he writing it and 2) what was his purpose or message when writing it?  Surprisingly, I had never considered those interesting questions.  How would you answer those questions? 

Moses obviously was not present when the earth was formed, when life on earth as well as Adam and Eve were created.  Neither was Moses yet alive when the flood occurred, in the time of Abraham, Isacc and Jacob or in the first 3 hundred years of the 400 years of Hebrew Egyptian slavery.  Yet he wrote about them.  How can this be?  What might be your answer to that question?

When pondering such questions, something my wonderful wife said triggered the release of insight I had never considered.  The summary of the new thought was this.  John, Jesus’ youngest disciple, at the time was in his late 80’s and exiled on the isle of Patmos.  It was here, over 2000 years ago, the Holy Spirit inspired him to write of things that would happen in the future.  We easily accept the fact that much of that Spirit inspired prophesy still remains unfulfilled. 

Why is it easy to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit can inspire someone to write what is yet to come but struggle when trying to apply how the same Holy Spirit could have inspired Moses to write what had happened perhaps thousands of years before he was born?  The fact is the Bible begins with a revelation of what had happened in the past and ends with a revelation of what is yet to come with both being perfect and having a tree of life and a river! 

David wrote in Psalm 119, “Teach me your statutes!”; “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law”; “Oh how I love your law!”; “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”; “Give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!” (verses 12,18,97,103,125, ESV).  Remember, the only books available for David to read were the first five books of the Old Testament, at least two of which we tend to avoid reading!  Perhaps the most fascinating of David’s words were Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me (Psalm 119:98, ESV) because after reading these books at times I have struggled at times to understand what gave him joy.  He obviously had a unique perspective I lack.

I have found God’s deeper and more invigorating truths require an open mind and heart, serious initiative, and faithful, diligent efforts to discipline the body, will, mind and emotions. With so many distractions around us it is hard to CARVE OUT TIME in our busy schedule time to encounter God through His Word.  From what I have learned about God’s ways, He purposely designed that His revelations will come to us especially when we persevere in seeking Him above ALL other attractions. 

In the midst of that, like David and every sincere believer, there is a gentle but deep desire within to know more about our heavenly Father—His core values, His ways, His character, and truth.  But like the old gold miners who had to dig to find the gold, by us digging more deeply into the Bible, Old and New Testaments, we find SO MANY MORE big gold nuggets.  It is in the process of digging out these nuggets that we personally are energized, fulfilled and hopeful about whatever we may encounter.  I have experientially found this verse to be true to life, “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart…. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!” (Psalm 119:1,2,5, ESV)  If ever there is a time now and in our near future that we must be filled with His power, life, hope and truth, it is today!  If we are not, it will be our own neglect that results in not being able to endure to the end.  (Matthew 24:13)   

The query of every young person is when will I know I am grown up?  Legally the threshold is 21 years of age.  However, any adult knows that there is a lot more growing up after that.  My mom used to say, they are still wet behind their ears—not sure where she came up with that! 

Since spiritual life-change is one my core values, a top question is, when is a person a spiritual grown up?  A group of Fortune 500 statisticians discovered in a survey they created for Willow Creek Church that there are four primary stages of spiritual growth the last of which is ‘Christ-Centered’.  Their definition of that was “My relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship in my life.  It guides me in everything I do.” That still begs the question, how does one know when a relationship with God is truly the most important in their life?  How might that have validation? What I have found to be a more discerning statement is, ‘the strength of one’s devotion to Jesus Christ is not measured by her or his speech, but by his or her sufferings’.  I.E. the measure of a person’s devotion to any cause, right or wrong, is the depth of suffering one is willing to endure for it. 

One of the most revealing evidences of the authenticity of the apostle’s spiritual conviction was their motivation to endure incredible opposition for decades for absolutely no earthly gain.  They left families and friends and with no financial support went out and preached the gospel of the kingdom of God.  All but the apostle John became martyrs for what they deeply believed, not for the applause of humans or any earthly benefit.  They did not have ANY security, financial or otherwise.  Extremely few today would seriously consider doing this.  Far too few ministers of the gospel today, who claim to be called of God, will go wherever, even to remote parts of their state, without any financial or emotional support.  That is striking when compared to early believers who endured the most severe persecution, losing their jobs, possessions and even their lives ONLY because they followed Christ’s teachings.  

When Jesus first appeared to the original eleven apostles, He showed them His pieced hands as proof of what He had endured.  When the apostle Paul offered to the believers in Colossae proof of his zeal for God, he pointed to “…remember my chains” (Col. 4:18, NLT2).  He was able to say to the believers in Galicia “I bear in my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus” (Gal. 6.17, NLT2). 

Paul described spiritual maturity as “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” who gave His all for others.  Why?  so, you and I can live comfortably secure yet complain or have anxiety attacks?  What we fail to understand is that our greatest inner joy comes in giving our all for the cause far bigger than anything earthly thing we can gain—the cause of God’s kingdom.  Our spiritual immaturity or short sightedness is inhibiting us from walking in the abundant life Christ died to give us.  From real life experience Paul wrote, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses (lit. sickness, distress), so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10, ESV)  What do you intuitively sense your next step is in experiencing the joy of being a spiritual grown up?  When do you plan to take that step?

Decisions affecting the future are hard to make.  Deciding which career to focus on, which job to take, what house or vehicle to purchase, should I marry or wait, those relating to furthering one’s education, electing a political or church leader; these and many, many more challenge our relationship with our God.  All too many who call themselves a Christ-follower, make such decisions based on how they feel or what they think might be best at that moment in time.  It is all about them or their immediate take on a situation instead of acknowledging their life is no longer their own.  An authentic Christ-follower is bought by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20) and are therefore love-slaves of the most-high God.  Jesus’ brother wrote You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. What you should say is this: “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” But now you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong. So then, those who do not do the good they know they should do are guilty of sin.  (James 4:14–17, GNB)  In other words, to make such decisions without finding out what our God says about the matter is arrogant pride. 

What a conundrum in our life does is to help us take a hard look at who is really governing our life.  Sometimes we make our judgment about a job, person or institution based on what we consider to be stupid, egotistical, or lacking discretion on their part.  While our perspective may be a correct assessment on their part, what we do not know is if the Spirit of God plans to use that person or employment to bring about His greater plan.  We must remember God used an Egyptian Pharaoh and schooling to educate Moses and called King Nebuchadnezzar who God used to discipline His people.  In our 2020 election, we have two candidates, neither of whom are ideal in our eyes.  Therefore, a person much look past our assessment of the person to find who has shown evidence that they have allowed the Holy Spirit to work through them in order to promote greater righteousness in our nation.   

When a person I have worked with behaves very poorly or teaches something I understand to be very contrary to truth, to be candid, my initial response is to get angry and/or distance myself from them—even fire them if I’m their employer.  But before I can make a good decision, I must first find a way to prayerfully desensitize my emotions and thoughts.  Only then am I capable of looking at the bigger picture and hear the gentle whisper of the Spirit’s guidance in what step I should take next.  When I take time to do that before acting, I often have found my first reactions, though appearing correct was quite mistaken. 

When facing a challenging decision about your future, I urge you to be cautious about following your elevated emotions or initial thoughts.  Instead, take time to dial your mind and emotions way down  You can do this by spending quality time seeking to know God’s perspective on your next move. 

Regretfully, I have learned the hard way from making emotionally driven or over thought decisions gets me out of alignment to God’s plan and purpose.  Unfortunately, the consequences negatively affected not only me but others as well.  I know both the deep regret of rash decisions as well as the deep-seated joy of slowing down so I can connect with God and allow Him to guide me in making a fruitful choice.  My prayer is that you can learn from my regrets and enjoy a more blessed and fruitful life as well as remain in sync with the purpose of our Father.   

Albert Einstein was a brilliant scientist who listened to a different drumbeat.  He was known for not being bothered with such trivialities as changing his clothes or conforming to the fads of his culture.  While he probably was not so admired by people who saw him then, his accomplishments have made him a hero today.  Other heroes of the past also listened to a different drumbeat.  Jesus certainly did. 

It’s interesting that so many want to dress differently from others.  Yet strangely enough these apparent non-conformists also look and sound just alike.  This is true for those anti-socials, leaders, business owners and yes, ministers as well.  Unlike conformists, past spiritual heroes did not listen to others around them.  They were more like Jesus who marched to God’s drumbeat.  All too often we look to the natural talents, physical appearance, mental capacities, personalities, etc. and attribute their apparent success to such qualities themselves. 

A compass is not valued because of its physical appearance.  Rather, we use it because its needle repeatedly mysteriously points us North.  Jesus, as other spiritual heroes who later followed, also commonly had an inexplicable fixation on God and His leading.  Jesus hinted to this when He said, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about” (John 4:32, NLT2). When Jesus rose from the dead, when Peter and John heard His tomb was empty, they both ran to the same tomb. However only John saw and believed (John 20:8).  What did he see that Peter did not?  Earlier, Elijah saw God’s army surrounding him while his servant only was able to see the Syrian’s horses and chariots surrounding them (2 Kings 6:15-8).  Spiritual saints of the past were able to see into another sphere yet able to also maintain contact with their world and thereby offer life and hope to their contemporaries.

If there ever is a time when our world desperately needs such spiritual heroes, it is today.  When a person encounters God, when they are truly born-again, according to Ezekiel 36:25-27, they receive God’s Spirit within them.  This Spirit is the different drumbeat that not only causes them to be careful to obey God’s laws but also to see and hear what others cannot see or hear.  While this ability to so connect with God is intended for every believer, most of us allow cultural drumbeats to distract us.  We thereby become deaf to His calling to live out the fruit of His Spirit in our world when such models are so desperately needed.

Now is the time for each believer to take the initiative to do whatever is necessary to retune the focus of our spiritual eyes and ears to God’s drumbeat that beats out the rhythm of hope, life and truth as our world moves more deeply into chaos, hostility and unrighteousness.  God is looking for spiritual heroes in our communities and relationships.  Sports, hobbies, possessions, and pleasures are fine in their place but now is not the time for us to allow them to dominate our thoughts, time, or affections.  The Bible reminds us we are strangers in this world and the time is quickly coming upon us when we must show God’s love, peace, and wisdom in the way Jesus did before He left this world. 

With that in mind, what drumbeat have you been listening to that you must now tune out so you can best hear and follow His drumbeat?

I have been listening to the book Harbinger II by Johnathan Cahn.  He leaves a reader with some interesting things to ponder.  One thing is certain God’s judgement on America is coming.  It has left me asking, ‘What constitutes an authentic connection with God?’ 

Paul pastored a church in Ephesus for a couple years.  While there, an unusually intense revival occurred when many brought several million dollars’ worth of magic art books to a public book burning.  It is thought Epaphras was converted there and later started a church in nearby Colossae.  Only about 33 years later, in Revelation 2:1-7 the apostle John records a very thought-provoking vision to this same church family.  To them Jesus commended their right spiritual activities but also said they had somehow lost connection with the vine (cf. John 15:5-6). Their love for God had degenerated into simply going through empty and hollow Christian motions.  Therefore, Jesus told them to either repent and go back to their first love for Him or He would totally remove their connection with Him.  Wow! Jesus is telling us that doing all the Christian duties without passion for Him does not qualify as authentic connection with Him.

Jesus also told those who were prophesying, casting out demons and performing many miracles, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:23, ESV).  This tells us independently doing supernatural works does not necessarily qualify as authentic connection with Him.  This illustrates Jesus’ words You are the ones who make yourselves look right in other people’s sight, but God knows your hearts. For the things that are considered of great value by human beings are worth nothing in God’s sight (Luke 16:15, (GNB)

Paul later wrote in 1 Corinthians 8:2-3 that Bible knowledge itself does not qualify as authentic connection with Him.  John wrote And this is eternal life, that they know [euphemism for sexual relations in the New Testament – knowledge that motivates automatic obedience] you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3, ESV).  Having one encounter with the Holy Spirit is not the same as intimately knowing Christ.

It is sobering when I think of how many who carry the umbrella of “Christian” are disconnected from authentic Christianity.  These are the ones who, at the end of the day the Harbinger book describes is coming, will be shocked, probably angry at God, when they discover the slippery grace they had embraced did not make the ‘cut’ and they are left behind. 

There can be no real spiritual health without intimate knowledge and connection with God or if it is sought after with the wrong purpose and valued by the wrong standard.  2 Corinthians 13:5 reads Examine yourselves to see whether you are still in the Christian faith. Test yourselves! Don’t you recognize that you are people in whom Jesus Christ lives? Could it be that you’re failing the test? (GW)  Paul explains communion is one time to practice this self-examination. 

While the Harbinger II book is far from perfect, it did point out that we are no doubt in the midst of God’s overdue judgement on America’s rebellious sin against Him.  With rampant abortion, hostility towards God and His laws, pandemic (plague), broad based division and anarchy, huge fires, etc., it appears probable His judgment has begun.  If ever there is a time when we need to have certainty that we have an authentic connection with our Lord, NOW is the time.  If you are uncertain, find someone whose attitude and demeanor confirms they are authentically connected to God and ask them to help you become connected or reconnected with God Almighty. 

Seven years ago, two of my grandsons suddenly lost their father in death.  I vividly remember driving away from their house with Izac, the oldest, sitting in his car seat and hearing him break the silence saying, “my daddy died”.  I flinched.  Daddy’s death cut a deep scar in his mind and emotions that will never go away.  Over the last 7 years, especially the boys and their mother have learned to accept and live with those scars.  

I have six more grandchildren who fortunately did not experience the pain of losing a dad. However, they along with millions of others have encountered different distressing things that also cut deeply into their psyche as well.  The pandemic we’ve been going through is leaving its mark on millions around our globe.  Scores have lost their businesses, jobs, familial and friend relationships, and dreams while others have lost their childhood innocence through physical or sexual abuse or a sundry of other tragic experiences.   Common to all, it feels like their losses are forever.

The Hebrews’ relationship with God was similar to that an adultery filled marriage.  God’s people repeatedly committed spiritual adultery by worshipping heathen gods.   To bring them back to His loving protection and provision, He allowed them to feel consequential, painful losses in the form of invasions, droughts and plagues (some like our pandemic) to wake them up to their self-destructive choices.  In the prophet Joel’s day God sent swarms of giant locust that devoured their crops to the point it ruined their fields bringing drought to their land.  He still loved them in that condition and reached out to them promising, “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” (Joel 2:24-25, ESV).    

I so admire Moses who, while living at ground zero of the magnetism of power and luxurious treasures of the world empire of that day, voluntarily forsook all those privileges because he ..reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt… (Hebrews 11:26, GNB).  Ask yourself, how hard would it be for me to make such a drastic decision when surrounded by wealth, popularity, position, and power?  To make that kind of choice in that environment would require very sober thought.  It would amount to doing what Jesus did when He chose to deny Satan’s offer of all the kingdoms of this world and their glory. (Mathew 4:8-9)  Moses and the humanity of Jesus were convinced God the Father is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Yes, it requires a deep genuine trust in God’s love and power for you to put to rest what you have lost.  God’s plan for your life didn’t end when you experienced your debilitating loss.  Instead, His plan is for you is close the door to the past loss and open the door He has placed before you and enter into His restoration.  It will be the completion of what He had been preparing for you to enjoy before you encountered your loss.  We learn that from how He restored the serious losses in the lives of Job, Moses, Joseph, the lame and blind men, the leper, the impotent man—even Jesus Himself.

The fact is, we have far too much junk in our lives and until we experience a good spiritual house cleaning, we are not able to enjoy God’s restoration which will lead to a far better life.  If you are struggling to release to God whatever you have lost, I pray you will choose to diligently seek to intimately know more of God’s ways, values and character.  Those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. (Psalm 9:10, NKJV).