What did Abraham tell his wife when he left "the house" to 'sacrifice' Isaac . . .
A) did he 'sneak out' without saying anything ?
B) did he flat out lie?
C) did he 'explain everything' to her?
==========
Is my obedience
Conditional ?
Does it depend on my
Convenience or
Comfort ?
I'm not "comfortable" with what God commanded . . . most of the Old Testament 'stories' that we need to 'contextualize' have these 'uncomfortable' narratives
JOHN 14:15
"Jesus never calls us to blind obedience. As we follow him and become familiar with his character, we learn he is always waiting on the other side of our steps of faith.
He forces us into a place where we must trust him and his promises, but he also tells us what to expect when we follow him" - RICK WARREN
PREJUDICE &
DISAGREEMENTS
And a voice came to him: "Having risen up, Peter, kill and eat!"
There are very few things we can know for sure. The closest we come to reality is not what we know but what we choose to believe.
Bias is when I believe a lie.
I may not know it's a lie but it still puts me in "unreality".
Peter was biased against gentiles.
My gentiles are the people who don't believe what I believe; I too am biased against them. They are unclean.
This way of understanding my relationships with people is the key to knowing what God want me to do. This is where my life must begin EVERYDAY.
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
"And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
IS BELIEF MY ONLY CHOICE?
Every decision I make involves a Choice of wether I will believe or not believe some opinion, principle or 'fact'.
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
PREJUDICE & BIAS
And a voice came to him: "Having risen up, Peter, kill and eat!"
There are very few things we can know for sure. The closest we come to reality is not what we know but what we choose to believe.
Bias is when I believe a lie.
I may not know it's a lie but it still puts me in "unreality".
Peter was biased against gentiles.
My gentiles are the people who don't believe what I believe; I too am biased against them. They are unclean.
This way of understanding my relationships with people is the key to knowing what God want me to do. This is where my life must begin EVERYDAY.
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
FEAR NOT
"you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake but there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls . . .
there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
We hear a scream and instantly, without conscious thought, our autonomic nervous system sends a signal from our senses to the fear center of the brain, the amygdala.
Hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline jump-start our body -- the heart starts to race, breathing comes more quickly and sweat breaks out. We're ready to flee or fight.
People are hard-wired to respond to danger.
A split second later, through an entirely different channel, more information arrives in the brain, and we must decide: Is the threat real? We decide, we act, and after the threat is over, our system calms down. Problem solved. We're back to normal.
Chronic fear can cripple rational thought and cause long-term health issues . . . if we're on constant guard, stress begins to take its toll. First, we don't think as clearly, with fear overcoming our ability to reason.
Other parts of the brain can activate, such as the fronto-striatal-thalamic brain circuit, which triggers obsessive thinking, or the anterior cingulate cortex, which can put us in a constant state of alertness. - Sandee LaMotte
Fear is a complex psychophysiological emotional experience that results in alterations in mood, temperament, motivation and personality, over time, the chronic experience of fear can morph into serious psychological distress that eventually may develop into a mental disorder. -
HE WILL RETURN !!!
JESUS SAID:
"I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
"be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour . . . there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
and saying,
Where is the promise
of his coming?
be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." - PETER
Scoffers !!!
"at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him."
THE FOOLISH !!!
"the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out."
"while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and
the door was shut!!!!"
This word foolish . . .
Today I didn't want
to hear NOTHING !!!
Do you ever
have those days?
God grabs you by the scruff of your neck and say GET UP YOU . . . lol
So funny
Joshua 7:10
And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
Matthew 25:5
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
GET THEE UP !!!
Do I have a urgency
about the things of God?
"The night is far spent,
the day is at hand:
let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."
I'm not preaching to you my friend I'm just sharing this "swift kick in the butt" that I myself am getting
I DONT WANT TO BE
"THE FOOLISH" . . .
"the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our
lamps are gone out."
It's not just
that they slept
It's not even that their
lamps went out
They were not
PREPARED !!!
JESUS SAID:
"take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."
UNAWARES !!!!
FOOLISH !!!
Yes I gotta pay these bills . . . but am I so caught up - 'overcharged'?
VISA lol
I'm not drunk but am I so busy with the 'cares of this life'?
Thank you Lord
Please help me
#923
WHEN PREFERENCES ARE
ELEVATED ABOVE GODS WORD
Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
Comfort and convenience have replaced the specific commands of God so that obedience is unpopular and unfettered "freedom" is the order of the day.
The primary expression of this "lawlessness" is seen in the breakdown of biblical family.
"I'm not comfortable with marriage" says the young urban professional, "it's not compatible with my professional goals".
To which the youth pastor replies:
"But God's word commands sexual abstinence" . . .
"Ya but I don't agree with that, my roommate and I have agreed to 'see' other people of whatever gender we choose as long as we keep each other informed".
It has become extremely 'uncomfortable' for the youth pastor. He must find a way to:
(a) drop the subject and move on to a more 'pleasant' subject like
"so how's your career doing?"
The youth pastor cannot 'afford' to let the word get out that his church is against fornication and homosexuality, that may play mess us attendance and totally derail the budget and the 5 year 'growth plan'.
(b) tenaciously double down and "earnestly contend for the faith" quoting multiple scriptures that teach "sound doctrine".
The above scenario may help explain the following quote from a recent Barna study:
"the church no longer functions with the cultural authority it held in times past. These are unique days for the church in America"
One hindrance to our prayers may be our 'preference' for comfort and convenience rather than the clear commands of scripture.
1 John 5:21
"Little children, keep
yourselves from idols."
Amen.
SUMMER SATURDAYS
ANYTHING BUT PRAYER?
"in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed."
When does the
church meet to pray?
Does Prayerlessness
equal Powerlessness?
"men ought always to
pray and not to faint".
"they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry . . . they were all with one accord in one place."
The Blue Hills NRZ has partnered with the HPD to host the annual National Night Out.
National Night Out, "America's Night Out Against Crime," began in 1984 and communities in all 50 states participate annually.
The purpose of National Night Out is to strengthen neighborhood relationships and the police-community partnership, while sending a message to criminals that our neighborhoods are organized against crime.
Our event will be held on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 from 5:00 pm-9:00 pm at 1 Nahum Drive and is a family event.
Activities will include recreation and games for children, music, free food (while items last), displays by community partners including the Hartford Public Library and more.
Meet new neighbors, catch up with old friends, get to know your HPD and EMT team members!
For more information contact NRZ Chairperson Donna Thompson-Daniel at 860.922.8453 or bluehillsnrz @gmail.com
REAL TIME SALVATION
I woke up with an headache
The world was weighing heavy on me, the heart was failing for fear and for looking on all the things that are happening and the devil was yelling profanities at me . . . Then I got some good news.
A voice on the radio as I was driving reminded me that not only did God forgive and blot out my sin but he declared me righteous!!!
I still have a slight headache and my stomach is in knots but it's like a light came on I feel energized, hopeful and a smile came back on my face as I pulled up to the drive thru to pay for my coffee.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
WOW !!!
Wall Street is trading lower at this hour and the Dow is down . . . But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
HALLELUJAH !!!
POVERTY & AGING?
some things in the book of Job may remind us of Gods goodness to those who call for help.
"those who are younger
than I am laugh at me". . .
Didn't I cry for the person whose days were difficult? Didn't my soul grieve for the poor?
I walk in the dark without the sun. I stand up in public and call for help.
I'm a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches.
When I waited for good, evil came. When I looked for light, darkness came.
But God doesn't stretch out his hand against one who is ruined when that person calls for help in his disaster.
DARE TO COMPARE
"Psalms 139:1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
What happens when I don't 'measure-up'? Do I abandon the plan? Do I change the plan? OR do I try to find where I went wrong and try again?
Father's Day rolls around yet one more time and we reexamine fathers and fatherhood. Did you know that the root word in father is the same as in pattern?
So we speak about our 'paternal' grandparents meaning grandparents on our fathers side of the family.
Titus is told this by his mentor:
"speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity"
I can be hard on myself as I evaluate my many failures and imperfections or I can take another look at THE PATTERN and decide to give it another try.
There may have been some skepticism or just plain unbelief in Philip's mind when he said:
"shew us the Father,
and it sufficeth us" . . .
The response: "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father"
We must take comfort that although the imperfect product that our lives appears to be; we are in fact following a perfect pattern.
Let us take heed to the command:
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" and let us CONTINUE moving forward not looking for the perfect dad but for the perfect day.
AMEN.
Proverbs 4:18 The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
