NOTE: An individual's Walk/Talk WITH God is a very PERSONAL thing - intimate! I wondered at the Lord's asking me to start this daily log... There HAVE been times when He has 'Checked' me form sharing with other's some very private, secret thing He's Shown me. You do know that He PROMISED to Share such 'secret' things with us, don't you? [Dt 29:29; Dan 2:19-22,47; Amos 3:7; Mt 6:4-6,18]

I was never sure WHY He did that... I just sorta had the feeling that He had MY best interests in mind [I know how cruel and debilitatingly critical unbelief from other's can be to one who's just getting his 'legs' under him!] So, when He Asked for this - this full exposure - of the 'dew' [as it were] of my morning's meditations with Him - well, I wasn't too sure!

If there was any doubt in my mind as to whether or not He really wanted this, it has collapsed in a barrage of obstacles and battles and temptations to 'slide-by' and by-pass and just put it off! Ha!

Nevertheless, I do want you to remember that this is 'stream-of-consciousness' reporting... these notes are NOT to be confused with an essay or any other piece of polished, edited, re-written work. They are but glimpses... 'peeks' [if you will] into HOW I expose myself to God - and also, to some degree, HOW God Exposes Himself to me! It is by this "Peek-A-Boo" tryst that what I call 'God-Bonding' takes place. Here is how we WAIT-UPON the Lord [and are RENEWED by His JOY!]. And this is what the 'PILGRIM'S PATH..." is all about!

Please bear with me... I'm still working on the entire website [every day].

8:20 AM 6/02/97

4 Overcomers

For some time now I've been aware of two of them. I have called them "Surpassers". One is PEACE, the other is LOVE, and they are found and Described in these two Texts:

Eph 3:19 (KJV) And to know the ***love of Christ, which ***passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. And, Phil 4:7 (KJV) And the ***peace of God, which ***passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

But I was reading Eph 3:19 in the N.E.B. translation and it reads, "to know it [the Love of Christ], though it is ***BEYOND knowledge". I never saw that before. It never dawned on me that these "Passers", or "Surpassers" actually went BEYOND. And of course, this is precisely the Biblical Meaning of an Overcomer.

There is a very cryptic Statement in Hebrews; Hebr 4:11 (KJV) Let us ***labour [work diligently] therefore to ---enter into--- that ***rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. {unbelief: or, disobedience} If there was EVER any misunderstanding about the fact that UNBELIEF is the most grave ["disobedient"] SIN, let this Statement UNDERLINE that fact NOW and forever! Having been FACED with the TRUTH and the FACT and the REALITY of God Almighty in His Son JESUS CHRIST - our defiant RESISTANCE to that TRUTH is the "CONDEMNATION" Jesus Says is "THE Condemnation!".

But I digress. Here we see our OBLIGATION TO LABOUR. And what IS this "labour"? - to ENTER IN. This is clearly mapped-out for us in the previous two verses: Hebr 4:9 (KJV) There ***remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. {rest: or, keeping of a sabbath} 10 For he that is ***entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. And just WHAT IS this "entering into" if not the going BEYOND and SURPASSING by OVERCOMING? Hebr 6:19 (KJV) Which ***[hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which ***entereth into that within the veil [BEYOND!]; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

So now we add HOPE to the list of mighty Overcomers. Hope, as an ANCHOR, enters in - BEYOND THE VEIL - into the Holy of Holies - where CHRIST IS. So we have, Love [Eph3:19], Peace [Phil 4:7], and now Hope [Heb 6:19,20]. But there is another - a fourth.

Hebr 11:1 (KJV) Now ***faith [Grk="TITLE DEED"] is the ***substance [assurance, trust, confidence] of things hoped for [beyond], the ***evidence [reality, proof] of things [beyond] not seen. FAITH, too, it seems, is an Overcomer. It SEES and lays CLAIM to ["title Deed"] that which is BEYOND.

All four of these are SUPER-natural Attributes. And all four are VITAL NECESSITIES for Christians! Without these Divine Characteristics, or Qualities, or "Virtues" [as Jesus Referred to His Strength of Character]... a mortal has NO POSSIBILITY of OverPowering and [thus] Resisting and Overcoming the flesh! Satan RULES this evil world. And our flesh is surely ADDICTED to it. And such addiction is Called "enmity" or HATRED of God. Here, then is the BATTLE within us. Here is why Paul BEGS, yes, actually PLEADS with us regarding Christ's LORDSHIP and RULE and DISCIPLINE in us:

Rom 12:1 (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye ***present your bodies a ***living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may ***prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, ***will of God.

Paul emplores us BY GOD'S OWN MERCIES [do we really have a good HANDLE on all that that MEANS??]... to OVERCOME OUR FLESH. Why? He says that THIS is our "reasonable service" ["spiritual WORSHIP"-RSV]. And what does he say will HAPPEN if we DO this "reasonable WORSHIP"?? He says we will PROVE GOD'S WILL!

I added a proverb today: "Earth's most virulent contagion [infectious disease] is SELF-FLESH! 2Cor13:5". How do you fight a plague? Well, first of all, you don't! God has proved this to man again & again. But when it is a SPIRITUAL Plague? Jesus CAME to DO just this! The 'virus' was what He Called 'leaven'. There were THREE types [most folks only know about two]. And Jesus Introduces a FOURTH! The "Leaven from HEAVEN!". This 'MANNA", of course, Was/Is His Own LIFE [Body Soul and Blood]. And God INJECTS His Own ETERNAL-LIFE directly into the wound of CARNAL-DEATH! And what happens? POWEY! WHAMO! The single most contagious infection the world has EVER know occurs; CHRISTIANITY! RESURRECTION! THIS Overcomes even Death! Jesus Makes this Known in one of the MOST PROFOUND Statements God EVER made to man!: John 11:25 (KJV) Jesus said unto her, ***I am the resurrection, and ***the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall ***never die. ***Believest thou this?

YEAST! HEAVEN'S LEAVEN! And the world has NEVR been the same! The world just can't seem to GET OVER Jesus Christ! Jesus Said it was because He had OVERCOME the world! And then He Told us not to FEAR! And now He Expects us to do "even GREATER things that HE Did!"???? How can THIS be?

We are to face [or ARE facing] the ANTI-Christ! And, what's FAR more... we are to OVERCOME Him! HOW?

Rev 12:11 (KJV) And they overcame him [Anti-Christ] by the (1) blood of the Lamb, and by the (2) word of their testimony; and they (3) ***loved not their lives unto the death. Take a close, hard look at that THIRD clause. Sounds awfully like what Jesus Said repeatedly, huh? Like in Matt 10:38 (KJV) And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that ***loseth his life for my sake shall find it. And again in Luke 17:32 (KJV) Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whosoever shall seek to ***save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall ***lose his life shall preserve it. And again in John 12:24 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat [most folks WRONGLY think Jesus is ONLY referring to HIMSELF here!] fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that ***loveth his life shall lose it; and he that ***hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto ---*life eternal*---. 26 If any man ***serve me, let him ***follow me; and ***where I am, there shall also ***my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honour.

Jesus EXPECTS us to FOLLOW Him in this - and BECOME Overcomers by ENTERING-IN - BEYOND the Veil - and Appropriating and USING His Divine Attributes of Love, Peace, Hope and Faith to OVERCOME our flesh in this world just as He Did as our "FORE-RUNNER" [as it Says in Hebrews].

There is a CLUE. WAY back in Isaiah, God TELLS us what HIS Preference FOR us is; that is, what HE Calls a Real "FAST". Isa 58:6 (KJV) [Is] not *this* the fast that I have chosen? to (1)loose the bands of wickedness, to (2)undo the heavy burdens, and to (3)let the oppressed go free, and that ye (4)break every yoke? {the heavy...: Heb. the bundles of the yoke} {oppressed: Heb. broken} 7 [Is it] not to (5)deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou (6)bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou (7)cover him; and that thou (8)hide not thyself from thine own flesh? {cast...: or, afflicted}

Notice #8 "hide NOT from thine own FLESH". What's THAT all about? Well, God's Spirit of Holiness DRAWS us, LEADS us in the LIGHT of His TRUTH and REALITY (HOLINESS). What happens? we are EXPOSED! as it Says in Hebr 4:13 (ASV) And there is no creature that is not ***manifest in his sight: but all things are ***naked and ***laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do. EXPOSED! But why? So that we might VOLUNTEER FOR THE CROSS! That's what the Lord MEANS by "TAKE UP YOUR CROSS"! Here is CRUCIFIXION... and HERE [also] is [#8] RESURRECTION, or, "hiding NOT our SELF from our FLESH". We [self] can CHOOSE [Will] to die [REPENT] to our FLESH as EXPOSED in the LIGHT and LED of God's HOLINESS. HERE is Overcoming. How? By the Great FOUR: Love [Divine]; Peace [Divine]; Hope [Divine]; and Faith [Divine]. And their ALL OURS in-Christ! Amen!

11:44 AM 6/03/97

God's ROYAL School

Baby Princes aren't TAUGHT like other children. They have SPECIAL Lessons to Learn that would have absolutely nothing relative for those NOT of the Royal Household. This is a FACT - it's not just an observation, opinion or even a prejudice. There are Aspects to being one of God's Royal Kids that are simply inscrutible to the carnal [worldly] mind in ALL of us! I say this [and this is on my mind] because the very next child-like question I have to answer on the Bible F.A.Q. list is "Why does God DISCIPLINE us?". I have to 'tackle' that one today.

What's it LIKE to be of Royal BLOOD [Christ's]? Well, it comes with OBLIGATIONS. We are BORN to the Throne of SERVICE, not SELF... and that takes a LOT of 'getting USED to'! Everything IN a kid rebels at not HAVING HIS OWN WAY. Indeed, if he's REALLY Royal... why SHOULDN"T things be as he WANTS them? The real problems arrive when we Learn that, in fact, that is EXACTLY our dilemma - we must now Learn -HOW- to WISH or WANT or PRAY, because we are GOING to GET ["reap'] precisely what we CHOOSE ["sow"]! And, part of becoming a Royal BRAT is Learning just how VICIOUS our SELF really is! Do we REALLY want OUR way?? This is why I say that 'SUBMISSION [to God's WAY-for-us] is 9/10 of the Spiritual Law!".

Young Royalty not only has LESS 'privilege' than others, but also has TOUGHER Lessons! I sometimes wonder how many of us were told BEFORE we became Christians that in being BornAgain the real Battle only JUST BEGINS! Too, I wonder [had we BEEN told this], would it have effected our Decision?? Hmmm...

ADAM = God's BREATH --- CHRIST = God BREATHING!

Adam Ruled what God OWNED ['Dominion']; But Christ OWNS AND RULES all! [NewCREATION!]

It occurs to me that PART of the Test of these last daZe Resides right here - not just in Dominion, but in OWNERSHIP. How does God ACT toward that which He OWNS? How was CHRIST Treated? So much of what is Written for us in the New Testament is such NEW WINE - and we are yet so DRUNK with the OLD! We are Exhorted to "LET". Paul says we must "LET this Mind [attitude, Spirit] be IN you... whis was [IS] in Christ Jesus!". That's pretty clear, isn't it? We have a CHOICE?

"R.H.I.P" is an acronym for "Rank [or was it orriginally "ROYALTY"???] Has It's Privileges". Oh? Yes, of course! As Royal Kids, we have ACCESS to the KING anytime, day or night - in AND out of Season! As His Children, we can DEPEND upon His LovingKindness towards us - right? Hmmm...

God-BREATHING inside me... man! How am I ever going to get THAT straight in my head? Resussitation-RE(A)L-ationship. And then there's the point that it's really more like God Breathing THROUGH us than just IN us [as in Adam!].

A FANTASY God

I think I now see who those will be that Jesus Refers to as the ones that, on Judgment Day ["PayDay"], will get right up IN-HIS-FACE and throw up all their different activities FOR Him [though they were never ASKED or COMMISSIONED to DO them...]. Seems they will be those who have DETERMINED and FIXED their preferences on a 'god' of their own FANTASIES - of their own IMAGINATIONS - rather-than the Living God Who has Said and Done and Tried EVERYTHING to Reveal His Reality to them - all in VAIN! Who will be the terribly DISILLUSIONED in that Day of Days?... those who have CHOSEN their OWN preferences OVER God's Will - and have consistantly RESISTED every Overature on God's part to WOO them IN-SPITE of their God-Hatred! One really has to ask ones self, "why does God WANT to WOO those who HATE Him, anyway??"!

Let me illusttrate this, so it doesn't seem TOO far 'off-the-wall'. Jesus Himself is thre SOURCE of our Knowledge that there IS such a thing as a SIN GOD CANNOT [I repeat "CANNOT"!] FORGIVE! Here is a thing that even GOD-ALMIGHTY CAN NOT DO [or UN-do, as it were]! Now ask yourself this question; "how many who PROFESS Christ's Name on their lips today REALLY understand or believe or will ACCEPT or RECEIVE the FACT that there IS a LIMIT to God's Love and Mercy and Kindness and Forgiveness?"

"FEAR" of God? Yup! Jesus WARNED to FEAR Him! [not just "reverence" Him]

A "FANTASY god" is an IDOL. And idols, we Learn, are of MAN'S making - NOT God's! God EXPOSES His Real Nature to us. WHY? He WARNS us of the EVIL in our own hearts/minds, and that our 'vain-imaginations' CAN, WILL, and seriously WANT to harden our hearts AGAINST God lead us to HELL! But man staggers on. Fumbling, groping, blind and blindED by his own lusts and inward DESIRES. We want the god we WANT - and we WON'T have [let] HIM 'RULE-OVER-US' Who ***IS*** GOD! Flesh is flesh - and Spirit is SPIRIT! Even as Jesus TOLD us! [Jn 3:6]

"Remember Lot's DESTINY ['wife']!"

There is a real sense in God's Word in which a man's WIFE is his DESTINY, or even his IDENTITY. We see this in the Hebraism [which is LOST on most], "uncovering his NAKEDNESS" - which MEANS to "lay with his WIFE"! [as in the case of Noah!] That a man's WIFE should [by God] be LIKENED to his "nakedness" is only one illustration of what I mean. The Story of the Kinsman-Redeemer of Boaz & Ruth, and also of Onan and his "duties" to his brother's DESTINY [seed], etc, further reveal this relationship a WIFE has and IS to her husband.

Lot's wife was forced to CHOOSE between LIVING with Lot [asn his GOD!], or DYING with her beloved [now an idol,] SODOM! She was wrenched [in the dead of night, so the Text reads], from ALL her WORLDLY possessions [by the which she now identified her SELF]... and asked to LEAVE them all behind to a fate of TOTAL DESTRUCTION! ["NO flesh shall INHERIT!"] RUTHLESS! "Who does God THINK HE IS - ANYWAY???!!!"

This is surely true as we are Led further into Discipleship UNDER God's Tutelage; "REPENT, or RESENT!". At just what POINT, after LEAVING Sodom and GOING with her husband and the Angels, did she THINK-BETTER-OF her Repentance from Sodom - and REPENT FROM her Repentance BY RESENTMENT?

As an ASTONISHING Rebuke to these LAST daZe, Jesus Solemnly Warns, "REMEMBER LOST'S WIFE!" Was Lot's Destiny, his Inheritance... 'MARTYRED TO INIQUITY' ???

What do we DO to a sheepdog who's TASTED BLOOD?

Do sheep EAT sheep? I mean... say [for whatever reason] one sheep WERE to kill another, would that sheep EVER actually EAT the other sheep??? [I can just HEAR some folks wondering about my sanity just about now...]

Sheepdogs are WOLVES that THINK they're sheep! That's right, they REMAIN wolfe-like [carnal] INSIDE and can REVERT to that nature at ANY time, and will DO so if they ever actually TASTE sheep-blood! It is their LOYALTY and LOVE for the SHEPHERD as well as their UP-BRINGING --- AS A SHEEP [not a wolf!] that KEEPS them in His Service TO the sheep - rather than DINING on them!

Every shepherd knows what MUST be done once a sheepdog [no matter HOW loyal or loved they MIGHT have been up TILL that time] has 'crossed-over' that irreversible threshhold; they have "LOST THEIR SALT", and they are now "GOOD FOR NOTHING!" - just as Jesus Warned COULD happen -EVEN- to those OF-THE-LIGHT! THIS is 'RE-probate'! See that "RE"? - that means 'AGAIN', or 'AFTER'. Anyone who tells you that you CANNOT LOSE your Salvation will also attempt to convince you that 'salt' that LOSES it's SAVOUR never HAD it to begin with; or that 'LUKEWARM' was never really HOT first; or that those BRANCHES that Jesus Tells us the Father will "REMOVE" were never really PART of the True, Living Vine to begin with! These are LIES!

Ask a shepherd who's had to destroy an otherwise good & faithful sheepdog-BECOME-wolf about this! It HAPPENS! And it is a great tradgedy when it does! There will be a LOT of this in these dark, last daZe!

7:53 AM 6/10/97

Age of Accountablilty

T just what moment does one become Accountable to God? We all sem to think that there is a particular age - a year, month, even a day when this occurs. I'm not so sure.

It could be said that as long as we have our eyes fixed on the BATTLE we cannot see the VICTORY Who Is Jesus Christ Himself. In once sense, this is certainly true; we DO need to Learn to KEEP our Focus on Him and His FINISHED Resurrection. However, on the OTHER 'hand', we must also concede that our Work IS our UNbelief as Jesus Points out in Jn 6:28,29. Unfortunately, most folks have concluded [wrongly, I believe] that they've 'been-there, DONE-that!' - that they DID believe when they were [so-called] 'Saved'.

There are parts OF us that are also IN us that are at all different levels of maturity and childishness. It must surely be clear to ALL that there are some areas in the most mature person that have gone begging [as it were] for nurturing and development all this time. If this were not so, we would grow up all at once, once and for all - and would be FINISHED! At that point, we might wonder why we'd hang around down HERE, in this condemned mortality. Some folks have arrogantly assumed that, now that we've 'got OUR'S'... we are supposed to 'HELP OTHER'S' get 'there's'! As the "Church-Lady" would say, "how con-VEEEEE-nient!".

No, only God knows the heart - and the season(s). Only God can Judge. Only God Grows His Garden, and only He can Recognize just WHEN the Fruit is RIPE - that golden moment when it is at it's PEAK of Perfection - Ripe for the PICKING. Why should this comes as any surprise to anyone?

Part of the error, I suppose, might be in the LANGUAGE. The idea of an age is chronological. Anything that is 'in-sequence' has a certain place - a set position which can be 'arrived-at', or achieved. At a particular point in time, this 'place' is reached and that position is 'met'. There is also a certain singularity about this 'place' of arrival - this moment of maturity. Achievement is then ASSUMED in total - as tho an END has been reached! But this is simple not so.

While it may be true that there is a moment at which a peach or a plum is at its ripest, and beyond which there will only be an alcoholic putrification [rotting]... this can not be said of a human being. It seems [that is, God SAYS] that man is a 'Work in-PROGRESS'. He Says that we are HIS Work[-manship]. And I wonder if there are not MANY areas inside us which must be RIPENED or CURED or TEMPERED of PURIFIED by a continual Season of MATURING-in-Christ?

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