Dark night

When the well is dry and your way is lost
When it seems home coming is a distant, dream.  When your heart is heavy with the burden's cost,there is a place where you can lean.   In the dark night, in the dark night, in the dark night of your soul, you are not alone.

Something new

Something we all hold in common with each other is boredom.   We've all been bored at times. As a common thread,  it is not really something we should see in such a negative light. Boredom keeps us moving into the unknown and pushing or limits. This is a good thing. Embrace your tendency to get bored and try something new.

Peace

Peace eludes us much of the time.  We are prone to strife & worry.  In essence, our greed keeps us from laying aside our will and seeking the good of others.  The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself in love.  This brings peace.

Things As They Are

Below is a excerpt from Amy Carmichael's book The way Things Are.  Amy was a missionary who spent her entire life on the mission field.  I have updated the English vernacular.

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"The tom-toms thumped straight on all night, and the darkness shuddered round me like a living feeling thing.  I could not go to sleep, so I lay awake and looked; and saw, as it seemed, this:

I was standing on a patch of grass over looking a precipice that appeared endless.  All that I could see were cloud shapes, black and furiously coiled, and great shadow-shrouded hollows.  I drew back, dizzy.

Then I saw forms of people.

They were moving in single file line towards the cliff face.

I saw a woman with a baby in her arms and another little child holding on to her dress.  She was on the very edge.

Then I saw that she was blind.

Lifting her foot for the next step...it trod air.  She went over and the children went with her.  Oh the cry as they went over!

Then I saw streams of people following from all quarters.  All of them were blind.  All of them were headed straight for the precipice.  Shrieks pierced the air as they suddenly realized that they were falling, throwing their arms up to catch tufts of grass that gave way.  Still some went over without making a sound.

Agony.  I wondered in agony why no one stopped them at the edge.  I could not.  I was stuck where I stood.  I could not call; though I tried, only a whisper would come.

Then I saw along the edge there were sentries set at intervals.  But the intervals were great...too great.  There were wide, unguarded gaps.  In these gaps, multitudes fell over the edge quite unknowingly until it was too late.  the green grass I was standing in seemed blood-red to me, and the gulf yawned like the mouth of hell.

Then I saw a peaceful scene. folks were picnicking under a tree with their backs turned to the gulf.  they were oblivious to the cries and the myriad of souls going over the edge.  they were busy making daisy chains.  Every once in a while, a piercing scream would cause them to pause in their activity.  If one of their number stood up and wanted to go investigate, they would pull them back down and focus them on their work there.

One sentry left her post to go and rest.  No one came to replace her and thousands of people perished in her absence in the waterfall of souls.

Once a child caught a tuft of grass and screamed longer and louder than usual.  The child was very near the group of picnickers.  A girl stood up to go run and help her, but the others in the group pulled her back down and began to sing a hymn so loud that the girl could no longer hear the screams of the child.  But the time the girl was able to break free and run to the edge to save the child, it was too late. 

Then through the volume of the hymn being sung came another sound; the sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out is one full drop, one solitary sob.  The horror of the great darkness was upon me, for I knew it was the Cry of Blood. 

Then I hear a voice.

The voice of the Lord said to me, "What have you done?  The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the earth."  (Genesis 4:10)

The tom-toms still beat heavily, the darkness still shuddered about me; I heard the screams.  What does it matter, after all?  It has gone on for years; it will go on for years.  Why make such a fuss about it?"

Gaza

Gaza: Rebellion

Gaza © Stained Glass Angels by B.David Warren

 Gaza literally means “strong place” and is sometimes used to refer to God.  However, when applied to humanity, it is used to denote arrogance and self-rule or authority over one’s own destiny.  Directly related to the pride earlier discussed, the Rebel spirit embodied in the essence of the word Gaza points to a stronghold that the Enemy uses to keep us from living a full life in God. 

Where pride will have you thinking you don’t need anyone to tell you what to do, Rebellion and self-rule leave you resenting those in authority over you.  Just as humility is the remedy for pride (lowering ourselves to the form of a servant as Jesus Christ did), submission is the remedy for  a rebellious spirit.

Submission is such a dirty word these days, but that is only because we have an adverse reaction because of our own rebellious spirit.  David faithfully served a mad king for years and so learned the value of submission and allowed God to be his shield and his refuge.  Christ demonstrated obedience for us in that (being in His right mind) He dreaded the cross but went to it willingly. 

Through His submission, Jesus set the world free from sin.  What might our submission bring?  In the very least, it will free us from rebellion.  Yet I also believe it will have an ember-storm effect and spread like wildfire to the hurting and broken who so desperately need to trust that God has their best intentions in hand.  It is so easy to submit when you keep in mind that God is kind and that He moves in love toward us at every moment.  There is no shadow in Him.

Recap:

Gaza = Rebellion

Remedy = Submission

Romans 5:19

^"For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous."

Jesus Loves Evansville

David Warren

Ashdod

 Ashdod: Pride

 

Ashdod literally means "City On a Hill".  Make no mistake, this was not a positive foreshadowing of the Church.  Rather, an anti-type.  Ashdod glorified itself and was all about vanity rather than displaying the glory of another.

As it was first of the Philistine cities David was able to overcome, it was not the first city.  The first city was Jebus (Jerusalem) which represented the heart of man and seat of the King.  After establishing his throne there, it was onto the Philistine strongholds.

One of the biggest threats to our hearts is PRIDE.  Self-glorification will ruin a life faster than anything else.  Now mind you, there is a difference between confident display of what God has done in one's life and self-serving pride.  They often are mistaken for one another.

David did not usurp the throne (he never touched the Lord's anointed) and he allowed God to establish him.  Jesus lowered himself and became a servant to all.  He obeyed to the point of death and became sin for us.  The King of Glory humbled Himself and so His mountain is higher than any self-made hill.  The Father has exalted the Son and every knee shall now, every tongue shall confess that He is Lord.

Ashdod was the house of Dagon who eventually lost his head before the Ark of the Covenant (Mercy seat of God).  The key to not losing your head; humility.  Learn to bow before Jesus and He will be the lifter (instead of the taker) of your head.

Recap:
Ashdod = Pride
Remedy = Humility

Proverbs 29:23
"One's pride will bring him low,
 but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."

Jesus Loves Evansville,

David Warren

Lord's of the Philistines and how to defeat them.

1 Samuel 6:16-18

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁶ And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
¹⁷ These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, ¹⁸ and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

Cutting through all of the yip-yap, the Lords of the Philistines (well, the cities they ruled anyway) represent 5 specifically different obstacles or hindrances in our lives that must be overcomes in order to walk in sustained spiritual strength and vigor.

Ashdod 
Gaza
Ashkelon
Gath
Ekron

King David defeated these Lords at the beginning of his reign (bringing the flesh into submission) and Jesus overcame them all on our behalf.  It is these 5 cities/sinful hangups that we will be examining in the next 5 posts.  I'm also producing an original piece of art to illustrate each lesson, so don't stay away.

Bang For Your Buck

Spinning wheels; I used to do this a lot and sometimes I find myself headed in that direction again.  Here is what happens when you spin your wheels:

- Lots of Smoke
- Draws a Crowd
- Everybody Starts Coughing
- Smell of Burnt Rubber
- Have to go Buy New Tires
- Rinse, Lather, Repeat

For some odd reason, when we apply this process to ministry, it seems to make sense to us.  It is the crowd part we get dazzled by and we forget that we are not really doing anything for them that they truly need and then we run out of gas and have to go get it all set up again just to draw a new crowd (because the previous crowd saw something shiny in the other corner of the parking lot).

When ministering to people, it is important to keep the main goal in mind at all times.  People need hope more than they need excitement.  People need to know Jesus and His salvation more than they need something that makes them go, "Wow!"  People need life more than they need a show.  There is truth to the double nickel speed being the most economic. 

Don't misread me, I like fast.  But at the expense of actually getting to the destination, I choose to get more distance for my buck than I do bang.  Ministry is meant to be more like a purpose filled road trip than it is whatever the dude in the picture is doing.  We may only have a hatchback that has no AC, but if it will get us where we are going, that is where the investment should be made.

I choose to invest in people who are interested in investing in people.  I despise drama and I care very little for the bells and whistles of high octane ministry.  It is really all about priorities; dress it up if you like, but make sure it is the cross.  I am for excellence in ministry, but please let us remember that the most excellent thing is love.