Hebrews 12:2 The act of fixing my eyes on Jesus. An edited repost.

This idea of fixing my eyes on Jesus will not let go of me.

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The KJV puts it this way:

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;"

The Greek word for fixing or looking is aphorao and means to consider attentively.

To be honest, I have a problem with this idea of looking, because it implies distance, and distance suggests that I can never get close to God. Some churches I have been a part of, with their superstar pastors, have demonstrated what it is like to have a leader that is untouchable, and I have had more of that than I can stand. I have also, because of choices I made, experienced infidelity in marriage and divorce. The battle I had to fight was learning that God did not act like the people who have created false imagery in me. While God may never leave me, I sometimes wonder how embarrassed He is with how I talk or act. In the worst of conditions I have never experienced any distancing toward me on God's part, but I can assure you I have felt significantly distanced at times. There is no doubt in my mind that this distance I felt was because of my selfish indulgences.

The NET version says: "keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,.." This version has pulled in both concepts; keeping our eyes on Jesus, and the idea of our fixation upon Him.

Why would you fix your eyes on something?

Detectives do it because they are on the hunt for something. Artists study or set their eyes upon a subject so that they can capture what they see. We, as believers, are told to fix our attention, vision, thoughts, and emotions upon Jesus because I believe that God wants us to live in a state of peace that passes understanding.

To be filled with peace, at a time when it is illogical, passes my understanding. Yet, having read this, and desired it, I find it easier to comprehend knowing that was God in the situation, though I did not know it, and He only wanted good for me.

Hebrews, the faith book, is meant to train us and establish us with the benefit of a solid information, and believable eyewitnesses. If I could equate this life to a trial, the evidence for the prosecution would be overwhelming and beyond a reasonable doubt. In reading Hebrews, I find out that the peace I just spoke of, requires faith, and is wrapped up in my faith.

Is it my faith or God's?

I suppose both. I have to exhibit some degree of faith in the process of accepting my position within the family of God; I have to act in faith upon God's promises to me to live in this world; And, God has placed His confidence in me that I will succeed and join Him in eternity. Example: There was a brief time in my life that I was keenly aware of a tremendous faith for healing.

How would I know that? I was a shy person who for the longest time was very timid. Speaking out boldly, or placing my hands upon someone for healing, would have been out of character for me. However, in several circumstances, I saw God's hand at work in extraordinary ways. Here is where the faith aspect comes in. God's word tells us to lay our hands on the sick, and they will recover. There is no emotion needed in that, merely obedience. The faith part is acting and letting God do what he said he would.

"Not with bodily eyes, for at present he is not to be looked upon in this manner, but with the eye of the understanding, or with the eye of faith; for faith is a seeing of the Son;" ( John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

Having read several commentaries on the passage, I agree with Gill. I believe that the intent is to focus on Jesus at all times and in every circumstance, but that seems impossible to do. When I was at work, I was barraged by customers, to the point that I barely had time for a thought of my own.

Where and how do I squeeze God into this hectic scene?

I know I am not alone in this struggle, because it is a human struggle, and it does not take a detective to realize that few people invest quality time with God to the degree that He becomes predominant in their thinking. For me to say, I am looking at Jesus with the eye of my faith makes it sound like I am very spiritual, although I sometimes wish I could be like Enoch and simply walk off the earth, that will never happen. In reality, this ability to stay focused on God seems to imply some act of our inward man that can operate aside from the circumstances the body is experiencing. What we are talking about here could be nothing more than the ability to reason, and that ability to reason would have to include the mind, would it not?

For the skeptics who think this inward man talk is something new age, I give you Paul's own words.

2 Corinthians 4:16 NASB 16) Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

If you consider our beginnings then this inward man idea may make more sense. In Genesis 1:27 we see God creating man in His image.

NASB “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

God's image is a spirit, therefore the man was a spirit, and, just like the Father, eternal. We don't see a body on the man until Genesis 2:7, after the completion of the earth.

John 4:23-24 NASB "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24) "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

This plays a role in our understanding of death as well, for the spirit never dies. Since the spirit never dies, then how did Adam understand this death that was to come upon him should he partake of the forbidden fruit? Because of the eternal nature of the spirit, death, in one regard, would have to mean eternal separation from the Father God. God, in the form of Jesus, had no intention of allowing that to happen as long as He could do something about it, and therefore, through Christ's activities in “death”, we were redeemed. Paul, in Ephesians, speaks of a mystery.

Ephesians 1:6-9 NASB to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7) In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8) which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9) He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him.

It is almost overwhelming when you let it all sink in.

It would seem that the spirit, which wars against the flesh, can function independently of the body.

Galatians 5:17 NASB For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

If that is the case then I should be able to have a conversation with you and the Father at the same time. In truth, I am not that good. If I have too many conversations going on at the same time, then someone is going to lose in the battle for my attention.

I believe that Paul was speaking to this distinction between the spirit and the flesh when he wrote:

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 1 Corinthians 14:14 NASB

Perhaps I am missing the point. It may be that Paul is saying that the spirit bypasses human reasoning. I have never been able to pray in the spirit without involving my mind, as something had to initiate this conversation. That does not mean that if I am praying in the spirit (that means praying in tongues to me,) that I am always keenly aware of what I am praying, but I always have a general idea.

Do not despair at the apparent futility of this exercise of the tongue for James tells us that God gives wisdom to those that ask. Is he talking about understanding everything that you might say in tongues? Probably not, but at least we have the opportunity to understand a great deal of what we say in tongues.

Since the topic had to do with fixing our eyes on Jesus. I think we have found that there is so much more to this simplistic phrase. Fixing my eyes on Jesus entails all of me, body soul and spirit. And, the spirit wants to take a well-needed advantage of the desire to commune with the Father. Now, this is where I could move into an entire teaching on aspects of our communications with, not only the Father but the body of Christ as well.

Back to my struggles with fixing my eyes on Jesus (A funny thing happened as I wrote this. I slipped up and wrote ears instead of eyes; I have since fixed that error. Why that might be funny is because if we could hear what God is saying, and respond, then maybe we would be walking as Enoch did. We have no evidence that Enoch saw God. So then, any seeing would have been by faith. Hearing, on the other hand, is a different story altogether.)

So, as I was trying to deal with the continual onslaught of customers at work, I could at the same time be praying in the spirit on the inside If I can pray in the spirit, then I can have communication with the Father at the same time too. I think it would primarily be Him talking to me.

The trick in this is to fine-tune your listening skills.

You should be aware that there are too few of us that have any clue how to listen to others. With your insight, you picked up on something. How does one fine-tune their listening skills so that God becomes the focus? Prayer, which is merely conversations you are having with God, often on behalf of others; that, and spending time in His word. The words that God uses currently, are no different in theme, from those he has already spoken. Trust me on this one, God can speak your language. How many translations of the Bible are there?, many, and yet He has brought innumerable lives into the family by speaking their language or slang. There is always the skeptic who does not believe that God speaks all the time. While God is not just incessantly rambling to hear His head rattle, as we often do, but there is a purpose in everything He says.

Keep this in mind as you read your Bible; everything in that book has a purpose. For example, why does the Gospel of John emphasize things like the cloth that was folded so precisely in the tomb (there was a reason); why is the trip to Samaria a three-day journey?; Why did Jesus go to the Samaritans, they were effectively Gentiles, and going there was contrary to his stated mission? There are things that all throughout the Bible that seem like nothing and yet the Jewish leadership believes that when the Messiah returns (he already did) that he will explain even the spaces between the letters; they are that serious about God's word. If only we were that serious about His Word as well.

My notes as I prepared to teach on the Discipline of Fasting by Richard Foster.

I had been asked by my pastor to teach a couple of sessions out of one of the books from which he was yet to pick. When he named off the potential authors, I cringed internally as my pastor can turn anything into legalism. He settled on The Discipline of Fasting by Richard Foster.

Considering my understanding of discipline and the belt my father used to administer that obedience, my stomach was turning. Add to that a verbal image portrayed by the pastor, in which he told us that the shepherd would snap the leg of the sheep which kept running astray. I can't remember anything about that story that would help to give it a redeeming quality. However, in relating this story to a friend recently, I pointed out how it was the shepherd's purpose and intent to sale unblemished lambs to the surrounding Jewish community, a necessity for sacrifices. Having broken the lamb's leg, it was now a cripple and unable to survive on its own. The shepherd was now responsible for this offending little one and would have to carry it to water, food, and set it down to do its normal business as all lambs do. In the process of holding and caring for this lamb, the shepherd and the lamb build a tight bond, one in which the lamb becomes fondly and permanently attached to the shepherd. I image that the shepherd could develop a strong attachment for that particular sheep. You should not have to dig that deep to figure out that the shepherd is Jesus in the larger picture, and, the pastor in the smaller picture. We are the "offending" sheep. I can remember thinking that this is not the God that I have come to know, and, I did not want this pastor to ever get that close to me, and yet he has. Most recently, he asked me to lead this book study.

Under the pretense of discussing the lesson that I was to teach, the pastor asked me a question that he did not want an answer to. The question was: Why do you teach on Eschatology so much, and where do you get your conclusions. (I suppose it is important to note that pastor has never heard me speak, nor does he know what I teach, therefore these questions were really based upon things I shared with him personally in a previous meeting.)

Considering that he never gave me the chance to refute his assertions I will defend my actions now. I teach on end times and eschatology because (1.) I have always wanted to understand. (2.) Having sat under a false teacher for about three years, during which time, he would focus on one thing for as much as six months. I would make notes and then go home and research his assertions to find out if they are in scripture; I could rarely find anything he claimed to be the truth. (3.) Having spent the majority of my life in churches, I became thoroughly disgusted with religion. The solution was to take my bible and read it for myself. I started doing this with a strong determination in 2007 when I started working for a building materials store. I cannot remember a day when I did not spend at least 30 to 45 minutes each day reading and writing. In writing I would make notes; challenge what I read, and ask God questions. Not surprisingly, God began to speak to me. In addition to reading my bible, I ran across an author named Joel Richardson. He had written a book called the Islamic Antichrist. After reading that book the bible just started to come alive; there was not a book of the Bible that gave me trouble after that. My friends, perhaps sarcastically, began to call me the expert on end times things. I don't buy into that, but I am not afraid to answer questions, although some questions require a little research.

As to the concept of only teaching on Eschatology, my pastor, was himself in a semi-retirement, as I taught for almost a year on the book of John at another church.
So, with that introduction, I was supposed to lead the group discussion on Chapter 4, The Discipline of Fasting this last Wednesday. When I walked into the room pastor is the only one there. He had taken the seat at the center of the table, and I could not help but notice that he had notes on the same topic. An aspect I failed to mention, I gave him a copy of my notes, to which he blurted out, you can't teach this, it's too much. Again, he had no interest in asking my intent. He repeatedly said he was worried about what I was going to say and would I offend everyone. Apparently, he took actions into his own hands and pushed me out; blindsided, I said nothing. 

Here is what I believe I would have taught.
On the subject of Fasting, can I speak from experience?
Yes, but for only three days.

In the second paragraph of chapter 4, Richard Foster tells us one of the reasons why there is a disregard of fasting.
“With the decline of the inward reality of the Christian faith, an increasing tendency to stress the only thing left, the outward form, developed.” Foster goes on to say, “And whenever there is a form devoid of spiritual power, the law will take over because law always carries with it a sense of security and manipulative power. Hence, fasting was subjected to the most rigid regulations and practiced with extreme self-mortification and flagellation.”

There is another aspect of this world that has distracted us from fasting, and that is Hedonism. Hedonism, according to the dictionary, is the pursuit of pleasure - sensual self-indulgence. It is the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.
Food falls into this category.

It almost sounds like I am advocating the law. However, operating under the law or laws is not what we are trying to convey.
Jesus, speaking to men under the law, said in Matthew 6:16-18

"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17) "But you when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18) so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. [NASB]

As Richard Foster explains, “these words of Jesus do not constitute a command. Jesus was giving instruction on the proper exercise of a common practice of his day.”

When we start to emphasize a discipline, a common argument heard within the church might be, we are not under the law and therefore have no clear mandate to fast. And yet, Richard Foster makes a good point when he says, “Our freedom in the gospel, however, does not mean license; it means opportunity. Since there are no laws to bind us, we are then free to fast on any day.”

Then what Biblical direction and encouragement do we have?
Jonah – The prophet eventually delivers a prophetic word to a hated people, hoping that they will be destroyed by God. God, however, had other plans.

Jonah 3:4-10 NASB Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." 5) Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6) When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. 7) He issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8) "But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9) "Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish." 10) When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

Richard Foster told us of Britain in 1756. The King of Britain called for a day of solemn prayer and fasting because of a threatened invasion by the French. John Wesley tells us "that every church in the city was more than full, and a solemn seriousness sat on every face." That invasion wrote Wesley in one of his footnotes, was averted.

Look up the word fasting in the New Testament, and you will find instances such as this:

Matthew 17:21 Where Jesus said, "..this kind (of demon) does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

Whether the act of fasting makes you fearless, gives you power, or perhaps an insight into what is going on in peoples lives, or merely the knowledge that God has your back, I don't know. What gave the disciples the skills or abilities to cast out demons; perhaps Jesus had been schooling them in prayer and fasting. The evidence for this comes from Mark's gospel, chapter 6, where we see Jesus sending out the disciples with the instructions that they had power over unclean spirits. What we don't see is the fasting. However, we can safely assume that those who went out were equipped by example, for upon their return, they reported that the demons responded to their commands.

Mark 6:13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Luke 10:17 KJV And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

Acts 13:2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

While fasting may have been a standard within the Jewish community from which they came, it still played a part in the clarity of decision, and prophetic word, that caused Barnabas and Saul to be sent out.

I want to point out 1 Corinthians 7:5 independently because translations have become part of the problem as we try to understand and perhaps integrate fasting back into our lives. The context of the verse is an admonition for marriages. In this case, the separation, perhaps under the guise of fasting (a Jewish tradition,) has been used to deprive the other of some relational aspect of the marriage. Paul, who knew too well that this takes place, instructed that in doing such, with the intent of punishing the other, opens the door to Satan because of their lack of self-control. Self-control? Yes, as this would push you to overflow your own rivers banks into areas that you should not go. The problem is that you do not get the word fasting when you use most newer translations.

1 Corinthians 7:5 NASB “Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

The King James version, as well as several literal translations, used the word fasting.

From the Word Study Dictionary - The Greek word is nēsteía; to fast. A fasting, fast, abstinence from eating, generally for want of food (2Co_6:5; 2Co_11:27). In a religious sense of the private fastings of the Jews (Mat_17:21; Mar_9:29 [TR]; Luk_2:37) to which great merit was attributed, the Pharisees practiced often, sometimes twice a week (cf. Luk_18:12; Sept.: Isa_58:3 ff.; Dan_9:3). In their longer fastings, they abstained only from better kinds of food. The Jews used to call such a fast "The great annual public fast of the great Day of Atonement" which occurred in the month Tisri, corresponding to the new moon of October.

Now, look at the KJV which did include the word fasting.

1 Corinthians 7:5 KJV Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

The point is that we do have an example of fasting in the New Testament, although with a negative spin.

Richard Foster, under the heading of “The Purpose of Fasting” states, “It is sobering to realize that the very first statement Jesus made about fasting dealt with the question of motive.” We are given Matthew 6:16-18

"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17) "But you when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18) so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. NASB

Foster goes on to say, Fasting must forever center on God.

• It must be God initiated, and God ordained.
• Every other purpose must be subservient to God.

"Our avoidance of fasting has much to do with the condition of the heart; the heart, therefore, needs to be firmly fixed before you go there." There are secondary purposes in fasting, and fasting, according to Foster, reveals the things that control us. We are very good at covering up what is inside of us. We do it with food and other “good” things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately."
Things you might expect to find:

• Anger
• bitterness
• jealousy
• strife
• fear

If they are within, they will surface during fasting. Foster explains, “At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger; then we will realize that are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice even with this knowledge as we know that healing is available through the power of Christ."

Concerning direction and instruction, few passages speak more clearly than Isaiah 58:1-14
Yes, I get it, the generalized idea is that the Old Testament represents the law, and some act as though it should be avoided, but do not forget that our freedom sets us free to fast. It is not, therefore, a law to us, but an addition to our lives which are increasingly beset with troubles. I might also add that fasting is a tool and a weapon, as we are that thing that restrains in the last days, and if fasting assists in that battle, then so be it (Amen.)

2 Thessalonians 2:7 AMPC For the mystery of lawlessness (that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority) is already at work in the world, [but it is] restrained only until he who restrains is taken out of the way.

I am convinced that this is the faith-filled church, standing against the enemies onslaughts. You do not have to look far to see how this is playing out around you. On a daily basis, our freedoms are progressively being stripped away, even to the point where your thoughts, expressed on social media, can and will be used against you. All someone has to do is say, that offends me, and you can find yourself in handcuffs for hate speech. Can you see why we need every arrow in our quivers; fasting is one of those arrows, and, as you will see from Isaiah, it is a powerful one.

Isaiah 58:5, in the NASB, begins with:
"Is it a fast like this which I choose,
a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it for bowing one's head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD? 6)
"Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

The word flesh means just that in the Hebrew but can also mean blood relations. Albert Barnes commentary explains, To hide oneself from them may denote either, first, to be ashamed of them on account of their poverty or humble rank in life; or, secondly, to withhold from them the just supply of their needs.

Values and benefits of Fasting (from Foster's book.)
Fasting helps us keep our balance in life. “How easily we begin to allow non-essentials to take precedence in our lives. How quickly we crave things, we do not need until we are enslaved by them.” Paul wrote, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything” 1 Cor. 6:12.
Foster again, “Our human cravings and desires are like rivers that tend to overflow their banks; fasting helps keep them in their proper channels.” Others, according to Foster, have written that fasting gives us an increased effectiveness in intercessory prayer.

• Guidance in decisions
• Increased concentration
• Physical well being

Let's camp here for a minute. What do we ingest in our bodies? A few ingredients from an instant macaroni and cheese product: Glyceral monostearate; Calcium carbonate; Sodium triphosphate; Sodium phosphate, and medium chain triglycerides. Perhaps the occasional purging of some of these cryptic products would be a benefit to us.

• RevelationIn this case, Revelation is primarily referring to Godly insights, but it could mean other things as well.

The Practice of Fasting
We are admonished by Foster to walk before we run. With that said, I cannot imagine trying to take on a water or juice fast for seven days, while continuing to work as a high voltage electrical worker. Having fasted for three days, I know how those three days felt. On day two, I can assure you that no one needed to be around me; and on day three, I was so weak I felt like all I could do was lie in bed and rest; everything exhausted me. In no way was I in any condition to deal with the outside world, let alone my wife.

Could I accomplish much if I merely fasted a meal? With purpose, of course, I could. I do it frequently with television and now the cell phone. You have to keep in mind that the body is, as Foster puts it, like a spoiled child, and a spoiled child does not need indulgence. So, perhaps then, you can understand Paul a little better when he says, “I pommel my body and subdue it. 1 Cor. 9:27.
Foster states, "If family obligations permit it, devote the time you would normally use eating to meditation and prayer."

Let me end with some wisdom from Richard Foster.
“Although the physical aspects of fasting intrigue us, we must never forget that the major work of scriptural fasting is in the realm of the spirit. What goes on spiritually is much more important than what is happening bodily. You will be engaging in spiritual warfare that will necessitate using all the weapons of Ephesians 6.” Foster goes on to say, “I do not want to leave the impression that all fasting is a heavy spiritual struggle.”

“Fasting can bring breakthroughs in the spiritual realm that will never happen in any other way.”
We all seem to understand that Jesus would get alone, in the garden, apparently for the purposes of finding the nature, and character of the Father; and to, commune with Him. In so doing he could come to know the Father's heart. Some would argue that Jesus, whose relationship with the Father has always been, would have known the Father's heart already, and merely drawn from that knowledge. The problem with that is that we forget that Jesus set aside the glory he had with the Father to become a man. Another way of putting this, Jesus willingly stripped himself of heaven's advantages and continued to remain in that state, as a man. That would mean He had to sort this out, just as we have to. He had one small advantage that we don't have, no Monday night football to distract him.
While changing the world around us is a good thing, I need to seek to learn His voice. You see, in Proverbs, we are told that wisdom cries aloud in the streets. The impression I get from that is, the Holy Spirit/the Father is talking all the time. If I am not hearing Him, then I need to get in tune.

False Accusations Have Been Brought!

Read: Acts 6:8 – 7:60

False accusations have been brought against Stephen and he had been dragged before the high council of the Jews.

While most would react in anger, screaming out in their own defense, not Stephen. As the Jewish council glared at him they saw the face of an angel.

When they demanded that he respond he gives them a very precise history that shows God’s hand in the salvation, sins, birth, and bondage of a nation.

Two things caught my attention.

1. Acts 7:38 .. our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give to us: ….
   The phrase lively oracles in Greek is: logia zonta, meaning: living doctrines that give life upon obedience to them. Here, the term applies to Moses’ law.
   Logia zonta, used in Romans 3:2 refers to the Old Testament in general. In Hebrews 5:12 and 1Peter 4:11 it encompasses all of scripture.
   Conceptually: The idea of living doctrines conveys: teaching or instructions that are alive.
   We perceive the word alive as something that breathes, moves, has some variable aspect, like tree growth.
   A tree might be an outstanding example in that it, from a simple start, develops into a foundational plant with miniscule characteristics of what it’s potential can be.
   Does the tree change as it matures? Not in it’s designed characteristics. Initially it could look no different from any other tree until it leafs out. The changes that we can see are in growth enlargements as it gets taller, wider, stronger, and with maturity, if that is it’s purpose, produce fruit.
   Most trees go through seasons during which they leaf out, produce fruit, drop their leaves, and go dormant for a time, until it is time to repeat that cycle again. In Horticulture, an oddity might be the Sasanqua Camellia for during the dormant season, a time of presumed bleakness, is when it produces it’s spectacular floral displays. Consider that aspect when you compare this to our lives in Christ.
   If we have grown and allowed God and time to mature us, then when a time of dormancy occurs all the internal work involved may now be producing some fruit or foliage in the life of someone who is out of our view.

2. 

   Moloch (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   Acts 7:42
   Still looking at Stephen’s recap of Israel’s history. Moses comes off the mountain and finds most of Israel worshiping a gold calf they created. If only it were that simple.
   Stephen gets rather specific about the identities of these gods: Molech, and Rephan. Stephen quotes from the law, to the Jewish council which returns to him no argument, “you have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship.”
   Dr. Chuck Misler has referred to Stephen’s discourse, as one of the most astounding passages in scripture, for it gives us an insight into Israel’s history that we do not find anywhere else.
   Stephen gets rather specific with the identities of these gods that Israel was dancing around. Molech and Rephan. Stephen quotes saying, “you have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephah, the idols you made to worship.”
   Molech was especially detestable, for its worshipers would sacrifice their children to it. Do not in any way sanitize this scenario for it is pure horror. When you contrast the sacrificing of children with Jesus actions toward children, you can begin to picture why God so despises this idolatry.
   Although the impact is not immediately seen their actions got them sent into exile in Babylon. A key to God’s response is found in Acts 7:42, “but God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies.”
   I find it interesting that Stephen does not mention that God brought an immediate judgment, for the earth opened to swallow multitudes as they danced around their idols.
   Israel’s only salvation at this point was Moses interceding for them.
   For God to turn away does not imply an overlooking of bad behavior. The implication would seem to be rejection, as though he had looked face to face. Think about this for a moment; this is the early stages of their wanderings. Was there ever a time that God left them and walked away? NO. The passage then, requires some thought.
   Another aspect to look at is this turning them over to, what? - The worship of the heavenly bodies.
   (AMP) But God turned [away from them] and delivered them up to worship and serve the host (stars) of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: Did you [really] offer to Me slain beasts and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness (desert), O house of Israel? [Jer. 19:13.]
   Worship – the rendering of religious homage.
   Host – the celestial luminaries.
   Heaven – the sky and stars.
   They were already worshiping Molech and Rephan!
   Molech – Look this up in Leviticus 18:21; 20:2; 2Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35
   Leviticus 18:21 KJV And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
   2 Kings 23:10 KJV And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
   Jeremiah 32:35 KJV And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
   God turning them over to worship the heavenly bodies does not sound all that bad when you first hear it. Again, there has to be something more.
   Contrast this Paul turning a brother over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so that his soul could be saved, but that does not seem to be the case here. These are not “saved souls” like those who are covered by the blanket of Christ’s blood. These people are subject to the law of God, a rigid following of God’s guidelines. Based upon what we know they did as they danced around the god Molech, and what they continued to do, in offering their children as sacrifices to some pagan god. No wonder God placed them under such strict guidelines.
   Read the story about how Paul dealt with church discipline, in the New Testament, from
   1 Corinthians, Chapter 5.
   I want so badly to have a solid scriptural backing for the next assertion. 
   God did not turn his back on us! I know this is true because, “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” I want so much to say with confidence that God will not turn his back on us, in this age. 
   Some would say, God cannot look upon sin, and this may well be what we saw on the cross when Jesus cried out that the father had abandoned him. To place that attribute upon us is wrong because Christ’s blood paid the price for all sin, once, for all. Though we all continue to sin God will not judge the world for sin, but for refusing to accept the price paid for our sin, effectively demonstrating our non-acceptance of God as the Father.
   If we use this experience Stephen describes to validate God’s turning his back on us, then we are not paying attention.
   Stephen said in Acts 7:38 that God gave them logia zonta, living doctrines that produce life upon obedience. Now just a minute, didn’t we talk about the restrictive laws that Israel had to follow to obtain righteousness? 
   See what I mean about not paying attention. If we do not investigate God’s word for ourselves then we are subject to the fallacies that false teachers feed. God gave them living principles, that when followed produced life in them. Because they were living, we can extrapolate that this was the life of God in them. (Try to imagine where this might take you.)
   Israel chose to:

• Disregard
• Disobey
• Build an image of Molech and offer worship to it. 
  (Molech, from historical record, had the head of a cow and the body of a man. With arms outstretched and a hollow body they would heat this atrocity up and lay their children in its arms. A “priest” would blow a trumpet loudly to drown out the sounds of the screaming children, as the onlookers danced wildly around the statue and others partook of sexual acts as part of the festivities. This is what Moses hears and sees as he comes off the mountain that day. He did not merely dash the tablets to the ground, he threw them at their heads.)
• Reverting back to the ways of Egypt, so familiar while in bondage, they also worshiped Repham. Repham is also mentioned in Amos 5:25. It represented an Egyptian star god and was apparently small enough to carry around with you. 
  So God has reacted to their blatant and horrific disobedience.
  What would it take to get your attention and get you to stop some self-destructive behavior?

As I got into the car to go to lunch one day, a radio pastor says, “God will occasionally lead you on a destructive path.”

If we use Christ as our pattern for who God is, then we come to know that Christ is the good shepherd. 

A shepherd in our commercial world is interested in making money, and leading his sheep on a destructive path is counterproductive. The only way I can see that happening on purpose is to get us quickly to safety on greener pasture, and I can guarantee that suffering loss is not what the shepherd desires. Nothing about this picture coincides with the kind of imagery that Stephen's dissertation portrays. Israel, and them alone, put themselves on this destructive path.

If the shepherd turns his back on the sheep intentionally, he subjects them to their own stupidity and whatever hazards may lie in their path, potentially death. And for what purpose? This certainly does not qualify you as a good shepherd, which Christ is.

A former pastor told us that it was traditional for a shepherd to break the leg of a sheep that would continuously stray. And that was supposed to be my image of God? I believe it was his image of God, for this pastor had very little understanding of human nature, nor compassion upon people. Try presenting this aspect the pastor presents as a selling point for the Christian life.

I have spent a tremendous amount of time pursuing an understanding of end times events, and one of the things that most people associate with end times is God’s wrath and vengeance upon earth. What I have come to understand is that though wrath is clearly an aspect, it is also a time of mercy, as God continues to await and welcome all who will come to him. He is a God of mercy, but you will never know that without pursuing him, and coming to him. Ask Jesus Christ to make himself real to you and he will. If you will let him, he will come into your life and give you a hope of life with him, and hope is something that very few of you have. Come to him.

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• Intolerance!

Some quick thoughts on hearing the voice of God.

On Monday of this week I got off early from work and went to the market. I was on the hunt for apples, particularly the ones that come in a bag, but this market seems to think that is beneath them. Whatever! Within a few seconds a lady wearing an apron comes around the corner and so I asked her if she knew anything about apples in a bag. Nope, but hey, stick around, we giving away a free paring knife in about five minutes, and she gave me a ticket to claim my free knife. You know I stuck around, besides I had just started my minimal shopping adventure. The knife demonstration began. Although they are impressive, and the paring knife is part of the package, I no longer wished to wait here anymore.
Now this is where the voice of the Lord part comes in. As I decided I no longer wanted to play this knife game anymore I hear this thought; take the aisle behind you, you can slip away quicker and fewer people will notice you leaving. I heard this twice, but since I am trying to learn to be less concerned with what people think about me I opted to merely make a quick left and walk away in front of everyone.
I made it about 10 feet when I hit a puddle of water that I did not see, slipped and slammed down upon my left knee. I ended up laying that puddle of water and probably had everyone looking at me.
Is there a point to this, oh absolutely. Listen to the voice, even if you think it your own. Tuck the foolish pride away in your back pocket, because you do not know what God/the Holy Spirit is trying to spare you from. BTW: That fall hurt a lot, but nothing is broken, I think.
When I was a wee bit younger, I chose to practice hearing God's voice. As I left church one night (I lived in a semi-rural area with a lot of orange groves around) I felt strongly that I was go over to this lady's house (I was trying to gain her attention and she was pretty). I argued with the voice/God about how stupid I felt about this idea but chose to go anyway. I had heard him say to me, "she will be there when you get there". I was fighting with God about this and not paying attention to the road. Suddenly I realized I was about to shoot past it, slammed on my brakes, and spun the car into the long drive way. She was right behind me and pulled immediately next to my car. I told you I was not paying attention. I apologized for scaring her and told her what God had just said to me.

While the conversation was less than productive, I think the point was God was trying to teach me something. I could not tell you that most of this sounded like much more than thoughts in my head, so you have to learn to make the distinction. I think that as you practice trusting him and responding to the sane voices you too will learn to do the right thing; I wish I had that day in the market.
Consider that there is a day coming soon in which a trumpet blast will call us away. I am practicing so that I can hear that call. I have every confidence that I will. I will let you in on a little secret; it sounds like a shofar. I so desire for you all to join me as I meet the one I have longed for, in the air. Turn your life over to the one who gave his life, for your life. That is essentially the ticket, and his name is Jesus Christ.
Have a blessed day
Oz

Don't let the enemy rob you.

I love the story surrounding Issac and Rebekah. If I had been Abraham I would have wanted the best for my “only son” too.

The father of faith, Abraham, will not have his son marry one of the local women for they do not know, nor honor God. So he sends his servant to the land of his relatives to get a wife.

Nothing about that process seems good for there are far too many variables involved, even the servant knew that, but the servant demonstrated some remarkable insight and applies some logic, faith, and we bit of a test, and God comes through with the quick answer.

Rebekah comes off as remarkable in the first few seconds, and she demonstrates some traits that would have made her the prize of any man. I wish I had met her. Eventually Issac and Rebekah become man and wife, the family grows, and the boys choose wives of their own.

Anyone familiar with this fairy tale scenario knows that it is filled with some twisted human dynamics. I am not a psychologist, but have had to deal with a tremendous amount of family trauma myself, and it is not fun.

And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

(Genesis 27:46 KJV)

Look up the word weary in the Strong’s concordance and you will begin to get the true sense of despair in her voice.

The word is qûts, pronounced koots, (Strong # H6973) and is a primitive root (rather identical with H6972 through the idea of severing oneself from (compare H6962)); to be (causatively make) disgusted or anxious: - abhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary.

I read this and suddenly have a clearer picture of how depression affected her. If we take this concept of severing herself to it’s extreme she was considering suicide. We know that she did not follow through with this thought, but the effects of her playing the two sons against each other, and Esau’s rebellion against her authority were devastating.

It was only this last Sunday morning that our guest speaker, a man in national demand at prophetic conferences, said something that brought the grand prophetic illusion down to earth when he stated that one of major events that weakens us and make us subject to the enemies attacks was times of great weariness.

I know what it means to me. I am tired, but in my case add a little dose of low blood sugar, and I am not thinking straight at all. I have to force myself to distinguish between what I know feels like depression and just plain exhaustion. I also know that I dare not attempt to make a reasonable decision in a condition like that.

The dictionary tends to define weariness as: The state of exhaustion induced by physical labor; fatigue; disappointment; unmet expectations; worn-out patience, (or, if I may, burn out.)

Look, God has a job for you to do. Though you might look at yourself and consider yourself unfit for God’s duty, you need to know that you were especially designed and hand picked for that job; the path your life has taken you on and made you is exactly why, but if the enemy can take you out of action due to fatigue or poor decision making then not only has the enemy won that battle, but you have lost out on an amazing feeling of peace.

I have found that being prepared and alert enough to respond to the leading of the Spirit’s direction can be the most rewarding feeling this world has to offer. There is some foolishness in that statement because I am comparing a feeling I associate with the spirit with what the world has to offer. They cannot compare.

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waits for him.

(Isaiah 64:4 KJV)

Don’t let the enemy rob you through weariness. Sit by the brook for a spell, just as David's men did, and get your strength back. God will not forget you. (Read 1Samuel 30)