In light of the recent decisions from the Supreme Court and the rapid move of the culture in regard to homosexuality, I thought about kites flying in the wind. I read a piece from one of the local pastors in my area. He pastors a huge Methodist church, somewhere in the region of 20,000 people. A very articulate man, very good speaker and communicator, the kind of man who, if he were not a pastor, would be a motivational speaker. His basic premise is that the homosexual issue is one of culture. That the few Scriptures in the New Testament that refer to homosexuality was basically just placating the culture of the day. He then falsely likened it to the same attitude the New Testament had, in his view, of slavery and the subordination of women. Now, anyone who knows Scripture knows that the New Testament does not condone slavery neither does it teach the subordination of women, so this pastor has created two straw men to support a non-biblical view.
Archive for June, 2013
Kites flying in the wind-cultural Christianity showing its true colors
Posted by appolus on June 30, 2013
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
Going through the trials
Posted by appolus on June 27, 2013
Below is a letter from a sister in Christ, some may relate to her letter………….bro Frank
Has anyone else experienced a terrible onslaught from the enemy lately, even over the past 4 years or more? It has been very difficult for my husband and I. Sometimes it seems like we are going backwards and not forwards anymore, this is quite alarming. Yet when I am feeling despair about the situations we are in, the Lord shows us that He is actually working out refinement, pruning and forming the Character of Christ in us.
We were quite surprised to find out that it was through trials and testings that the character of Christ is formed. I remember recently in prayer I said, “Lord I come to buy gold refined by the fire!” and I clearly heard His reply, “Are you willing to pay the cost?”
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: presence of the lord, way of the cross | 2 Comments »
The time is now!
Posted by appolus on June 25, 2013
“The time is now. Count the cost. You will be persecuted, tested, and tried. You will be misunderstood, hated by the world, and sometimes hated even by the members of your own household. There will be tears, heartache, tribulation, suffering and pain. But, you will be living for the One who is worthy of all, and whose eternal kingdom cannot be shaken nor ever fade away. You will have the privilege of serving the King of kings and the Lord of all lords. Moreover, you will one day have the awesome indescribable experience of seeing His glorious face and hearing Him call you by name as His own.” – brother Brian Long
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
I’ll pick up my cross
Posted by appolus on June 22, 2013
In an age where there is an assault on the work of Calvary and the work of forgiveness and the ongoing forgiveness that we experience as we pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus down the narrow path of sanctification, the Lord gave me these words below. I pray that it edifies the saints.
SO I’LL PICK UP MY CROSS
Lord let my flesh be crucified
That thou oh Lord be glorified
When they look at me please let them see
Christ my Lord and Calvary
Forgiveness begins
At the foot of the cross
It was there that I gladly
suffered the loss
Of my life, of my sin
Of all that I am
I was washed in the blood
The blood of the Lamb
So I’ll pick up my cross
And follow this day
The Lord my Redeemer
Who alone is the way
Redeemed by the blood
Refined by the fire
It’s the narrow path
That takes me up higher
Higher and higher
And higher to thee
Because of the blood
That has set me free
I shall humble myself
In the sight of my King
He shall raise me up
With the angels to sing
Glory, glory
Glory to thee
Released from my chains
And gloriously set free
And Christ my King
Is still on the throne
He never leaves nor forsakes me
I am never alone
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: blood of the lamb, foot of the cross, forgiveness, glory glory glory, narrow path, redeemer | Leave a Comment »
ONE MORE SETTING SUN ( testimony of a former drunk)
Posted by appolus on June 21, 2013
Another night’s begun
But it’s just one more setting sun
Maybe whiskey can unlock the door?
And maybe I can feel once more?
Bottles gone and here I am
A tiny trickle in the shadow of a dam
Might as well throw punches at the moon
Cause there aint no tears flowing anytime soon
Time stands still in the middle of the night
When you drink yourself sober it just aint right
Reaching and grasping for something not there
And your mind drifts back to a childhood prayer
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: walk in the light | Leave a Comment »
Fill me Lord!
Posted by appolus on June 19, 2013
This was a song that the Lord laid on my heart as I walked and pondered our upcoming meetings in Oklahoma in July. My dear sister Mary Greig wrote the melody and sung the song beautifully. May this song represent your heart’s cry to the Lord .
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, worship | Tagged: church, spirituality | 2 Comments »
How to win your battles!
Posted by appolus on June 18, 2013
The essence of preparedness can be seen and is highlighted at Gethsemane. This is where the battle of Calvary was truly won. Jesus fought the battle on His knees and by His obedience and willingness to embrace the will of His Father. This is where we too will prepare and will win the battle before it is even fought. It will be on our knees, and with an overwhelming desire to carry out the Lord’s will for our lives, even if it means actual martyrdom.
We must be willing to embrace the cross and all that it means, death to the flesh. Jesus reminded us that if any man sought to follow Him, that man would have to deny himself and pick up his cross daily . It seems that there are men who hate the notion of the cross and would deny this very teaching from the Lord’s lips. Who are these men? Paul tells us who they are ………….
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: cross of christ, death to the flesh, gethsemane | Leave a Comment »
Dwell in me
Posted by appolus on June 17, 2013
As I was walking this morning, I noticed worms, everywhere along the sidewalk, worms. A virtual feast for the birds of the sky. Yet, by the time I was walking, the sun had been up for a few hours. These worms had all but dried up. I even saw a bird take one of these worms then just drop it and fly away. I am sure the ” early birds,” had feasted on the worms that were fresh and now, later, there was only dried up worms. A poem began to come to my heart.
And the words of Psalm 63. A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
(Psa 63:1-5)
DWELL IN ME
Who takes care of the grass of the field?
You do Lord we must simply yield
Who takes care of the birds of the sky?
You do Lord for you dwell on high
Dwell in the deepest parts of me
Thank you Lord for setting me free
Free to walk and free to run
Free to fight, the battle won
Free o Lord yes free indeed
Free to fight and free to bleed
Free to walk the pilgrim way
Free to walk with you each day
The Lord’s free man, a servant still
Bonded to thee by my own free will
Willing to live and willing to die
For my Lord and Saviour who dwells on high
Come Lord Jesus, come to me
Give me eyes that can truly see
Your glory and your majesty
And we shall dwell eternally
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Tagged: wilderness of judah | 2 Comments »
Heavenly whipsers to God
Posted by appolus on June 13, 2013
Each whisper, every Godward thought, every word spoken, each moment of silence spent in His presence is like a musical note to the Lord. The Scriptures refer to the Lord as “He who sits above the circle of the earth.” And so He who sits above the circle of the earth, sees each and every one of these musical notes from around the world from the Body of Christ, rising up in a majestic symphony of love and worship and it is a sweet, sweet sound in His ears. This day, become part of that symphony, let your days be filled with thoughts of Him, release whispers of love to add to the music of prayer.
Simply whisper the name of Jesus, all throughout the day, remind Him of how much you love Him, thank Him for the day, no matter what kind of day that your having. Rediscover that bond of love and joy and peace that comes simply by being in His presence. When you do this brothers and sisters, your prayer life will change dramatically, but not only your prayer life, your life itself. For when we walk in continual prayer we begin to see the beauty of the Lord everywhere.
If it rains, we see His beauty in the raindrops, if the sun shines we see His beauty as the flowers turn themselves around to face the glory of the Son. If it is cloudy we see his beauty break through the clouds in beams of light that remind us that despite the momentary darkness, He is not finished with us and that His light is ready to break through.Pray without ceasing brothers and sisters, it is not a bondage, but a glorious privilege that enables us and empowers us to be overcomers in a dark world that is desperate for the light of love.
I wrote this poem many years ago as I flew into Scotland, a country almost continually covered by clouds and darkness. Of course above the clouds it was brilliantly blue, and below was the usual cloud cover that blankets Scotland. I grew up in a country almost always covered by cloud and mist, and yet here above those very clouds, I was flying in a perpetual blue sky. Just because I could not see it very often from the perspective of the ground, did not mean that beyond the clouds lay a different mostly unseen realm.
EVER PRESENT
BEYOND EVERY CLOUD
I KNOW ITS TRUE
THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT
AND THE SKY IS BLUE
IF WE ONLY HAD EYE’S
THAT COULD TRULY SEE
THAT DESPITE HUMAN CHAINS
WE ARE SURELY FREE
SO DO NOT STAND STILL
FROZEN TO THE GROUND
LET YOUR SPIRIT FLY
IN THE AIR TO BE FOUND
AND WHEN THE DARK CLOUDS
THREATEN TO CONSUME
ALWAYS REMEMBER
THAT THERE’S AN EMPTY TOMB
AND THAT JESUS OUR LORD
REIGNS ON HIGH
AN ETERNAL SON
AN ETERNAL BLUE SKY
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: beams of light, beauty of the lord, continual prayer, prayer life, whispers of love | Leave a Comment »
One or the other:but not both
Posted by appolus on June 12, 2013
What are you going to do saints when your country comes after you because of what you believe? When the Lord calls you out of Babylon, will you be so enamored of the things of Babylon that you will be un-able to leave? What about when it was time to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem?
After 70 short years, the majority decided to stay, it was only a remnant that returned. It seems that the comforts of Babylon was too much for most to give up , they chose the comfort of the world over joining their remnant brothers and sisters. We would do well to pause before we criticize those who refused to return to Jerusalem.
Can you put yourselves in their place? Leave a secure modern society to go to an abandoned place with broken down walls where you would be surrounded by enemies on every side? When our own world turns fully against us , what decision will you make? If following the Lord means giving up your place in society, will you be able and willing to do that? Recently, A Christian sportscaster gave an opinion on TV. He said that he did not believe that you could be a Christian and a practicing homosexual. Seems fairly straight forward and even five years ago it would have not raised too much of a fuss. Yet, he later had to come on and apologize for his statement.
Now this is a great example of what is to come for genuine Christians. The world will demand that you compromise what you believe in order to remain a part of it’s system. In this man’s case, it seems there is no doubt that if he did not apologize, he would have lost his standing in the world, along with his job and career and ability to feed his family. He would have become a pariah. Therein lies the choice, a microcosm of what is to become much worse.This is the generation that is going to have to make a choice.
Jesus’s ministry lasted for three years and had many different facets. Sometimes he was highly popular and and the crowds flocked to hear Him and indeed on more that one occasion would have made Him their King. Yet as His time on earth drew to a close and He began to reveal to the world who He truly was, one by one and then by a flood in John 6, most abandoned Him until He was left with a few. Then the world had to choose between Jesus and Barabas. Barabas was a fighter, he fought for freedom, he fought against the Romans, he desired to see Israel rule themselves. The world chose its own and rejected Jesus.
When the time comes, will you choose the world and all it’s comforts and security, or will you take your place with the minority, hated and rejected by the world, living in a place without walls, surrounded by your enemies on every side. It’s no mean choice brothers and sisters, it’s life or death. Die to this world and live eternally, or live for this world and die eternally. One or the other, but not both.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
Not one stone left unturned!
Posted by appolus on June 10, 2013
Brothers and sisters, even now the fires burn all across Christendom. The vandals have entered the gates of the cities. These spirits have come to invade every heart and every mind and every church in the land. These are hordes that have poured forth from the bowels of hell, foul defiling hordes. Yet, they are only the pre-cursor for what is to come. Their job is to tear down everything that is called holy. Every part of society is to be torn down stone by stone. This is the spirit behind the forces who will turn wrong into right, who will turn day into night. Now brothers and sisters, we can see evidence of this all around us and we see the rapid disintegration of society.
The forces that align themselves against Christianity are gaining momentum. They are making a way for their own master to enter onto the world stage. How shall we react to such forces and events? Many without eyes to see, struggle greatly against this incoming tide. As they see the loss of everything they know and hold dear they have a great desire to fight back. They want to fight against the immoral forces that are tearing down the culture that they love and have created. Fear rises up in them, panic even. That fear and that panic compels them into the arms of many would be leaders. Some cry out that we need a great revival, others cry out that we need Godly men in political leadership. Others even consider arming themselves for what they see as a coming cultural war.
What is to be the Body of Christ’s response to a society that seems to be in moral free fall? God raised up Jeremiah in the times of Josiah and must have been a great encouragement to the King in their reformations. Yet, the people were stubborn and steadfastly held on to many idols. Yet they though themselves to be good and detested the words of the prophet. Yet consider this, from the 13th year of Josiah, until they Israelites entered captivity, was a mere forty years. Moses led for forty years and then the people entered the promised land. Jeremiah warned for 40 years and then the people were taken into captivity.
God’s children must worship the Lord their God with all of their hearts, all of their minds and all of their souls. They must decrease and He must increase. Now is the time for the people of God to trim their lamps and light up the way in the great darkness that is falling over us. Our singular goal must be to press in close to our Lord.He and He alone is our deliverer. Only in Him can we know true freedom, a freedom that can praise God even in captivity. Men prefer another kind of freedom but the freedom that we find in Jesus cannot be taken away by any force. What the world gives, the world can take away, what was given to us at Calvary can never be taken from us, even if we ourselves were to be crucified. What freedom do you desire today? Choose wisely, one is eternal, the other is fleeting.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: cultural war, words of the prophet | 4 Comments »
Vessels fit for Oil-fill me up Lord
Posted by appolus on June 9, 2013
As I was walking today, and talking with the Lord, I thought about how important it is to be filled, to be constantly filled by Him and with Him. I had been reading recently in the Scriptures about the two olive trees in Zec 4. I read that the candlestick, the light, was constantly supplied by oil from the bowl that was connected to the two olive trees on either side of the bowl. Now, it seems clear from Scripture that these trees represent for us, Jesus on one side and the Holy Spirit on the other. And when we are connected to Jesus by the Holy Spirit, then our bowls, our vessels are filled with a never ending source of power, the power of God. In that same chapter we see , and it is such a well know Scripture , that ” It is not by might, nor by power but by Spirit says the Lord.”
Then Psalm 133 came to my mind. I thought about the precious oil that anoints the head of the priest. An abundance of oil, so much so that it flows down from the head, onto the beard and covers the garments of the priest. Can I ask, do you have such an anointing brothers and sisters? Do you long for it? Are you intimately connected to the source of such oil? Does it cover every part of you as it did the priest in the Psalm? As it was early in the morning that I was walking, I could see that even although it had been a hot day previously and was going to be a hot day, everything was dripping with a heavy dew and how refreshing for the grass of the field and everything that was planted and needed nourishment. This is how it it is likened in Psalm, ” Like the dew of Hermon that flows down the mountains of Zion : for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forever more.”
Oh brothers and sisters I thought about that life, that life that is in me, that abundant life that overflows out of the abundance of my heart. Unless we are filled and we are overflowing then it cannot run down, it cannot be seen and be touched by others. Are you filled this day? Are you connected by Jesus on one side and the Holy Spirit on the other? Come and be filled today, right now. Draw near to the source, reach out to God this day that He may fill up your vessel, that He may anoint you for the day and the times to come. That you may indeed be a virgin with a lamp that shines and a be a vessel filled with oil. A song, a poem began to form and I rushed home to put pen to paper. I pray that it blesses you this day.
Fill me up and fill my cup
Fill every part of me
That I would be intimately connected
To the precious olive tree
Fill me with your Love o Lord
And fill me with your praise
That I may walk each day with you
And love would fill my days
Fill me with your mercy Lord
And humble me within
Fill me with forgiveness Lord
And wash away my sin
Fill the deepest parts of me
That no one else can fill
Wash me Lord and clean my hands
And take me up that Hill
Fill me with abundance Lord
That overflows my heart
Fill me with assurance Lord
That you will never part
Fill me now and evermore
To walk until I’m done
To run the race before me Lord
That you’ve already won
And as I take my dying breath
Fill me even then
Then raise me up and fill my cup
That I may praise again
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: precious oil, psalm 133, two olive trees | 2 Comments »
Shining like jewels in the darkness!
Posted by appolus on June 9, 2013
Brothers and sisters, Christ is coming back and He is coming soon. This world is judged, this country is judged and Christendom( everything that calls itself by the name of Christ but does not know Him) is judged. And so now we must flee, flee from Babylon and into the arms of Jesus. Just like Lot we must prepare to leave the comforts of Sodom. Just like the exiles, we must prepare to leave the comforts of Babylon
Just like our early brothers and sisters, we must prepare to leave Jerusalem for there is a fierce judgement coming, the final judgement. All attachments to this world must be broken even as we continue to go into this world for needs must. These judgements that we are in the midst of, these birth pangs are just the beginning and they are from the hand of God. Shall we resist the hand of God?
Resistance will not change the judgements to come. The arrogance of those who hate us will continue to rise. Shall we meet arrogance with arrogance? Shall we match their hatred and their violence, shall we render evil for evil? As our enemies gain ground they will become emboldened. They will have the world behind them and true and genuine Christianity will be pushed forward into the lime-light and all the world will hate us as we refuse to bow down to the gods of this world.
Yet brothers and sisters, be of good cheer for the Spirit of God will burn brighter in this generation than has ever been seen before. As the flood of darkness pours in, an incomprehensible darkness, then the light that is in us will shine brighter than ever before. The nobility of the Royal priesthood will be seen by all the world. Consider how one views diamonds in a Jewelers. The diamonds are set on black velvet so that the brilliance of the stones are illuminated against the blackness
As so it will be with the Lord’s own jewels. They will be seen against the backdrop of total darkness and they will shine like they have never shone before. The magnificent beauty of holiness will burn so brightly in the chests of every remnant child of God as they are led, all the day long, as lambs to the slaughter. And when their numbers are fulfilled, then shall come the King of Kings.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: beauty of holiness, birth pangs, royal priesthood | Leave a Comment »
Is the church in America in a persistent vegetative state-Michael Brown
Posted by appolus on June 8, 2013
In 1991, I wrote these words in the preface to Whatever Happened to the Power of God? Is the Charismatic Church Slain in the Spirit or Down for the Count:
“While the American Church celebrates, our beloved country sinks into lower and lower depths. We are not only killing unborn babies, but we have begun to kill helpless adults—actually starving them to death! It is claimed that some of them are in a ‘persistent vegetative state.’ I believe it is the Church that is in a persistent vegetative state. Will nothing awake us from our stupor?”
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
What is the source of your light?
Posted by appolus on June 7, 2013
This is the generation of the many, who live in the light of the few. There are any number of popular teachers today who have been enriched by packing out stadiums and auditoriums. People flock to hear their teachings. They tell their friends about the popular teacher and they buy the teachers books. Pretty soon it’s the teachers name that is lifted up. They live in the light of whatever popular teacher comes along.
What will happen to the many in the midnight hour? Will the light from their teacher sustain them in the darkness? Can another man or woman’s oil fill your lamp? What is your source of oil? Does the light that you have come from others? Zec 4:1-3 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
The two olive trees are the source of the oil. Christ and His Holy Spirit are the source of oil and this source must be directly connected to the light in your life. Mat 25:7-8 “Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.” There is no question as to the fact that the foolish virgins had some source of light, for they arose and trimmed their lamps but now their lamps had gone out. You see, you can get some oil from another and there-by walk in light, but unless you are connected to the source, you will rely on others for the light that you do have and when the midnight hour comes in your life, you will not be able to sustain yourself by the oil from another. When you abide in Christ by His Holy Spirit, then your light shall never go out. If you rely on others for your source of strength and wisdom and light, then you have a limited amount of light and when the darkness comes, the midnight hour, you shall be lost.
Brothers and sisters, now is the time to fill your vessels. You cannot rely on others, you must come to the source. No matter how great the truths that you are learning, no matter how wise the words that you hear from another, this cannot and will not sustain you. You must hear for yourself, you must know God in such a way that you are led and guided and directed by Him and His word to you. This cannot come through others. Yes, you can lead a pretty good life following good teaching, but in the end it will not be by might nor power, but by the oil of the Holy Spirit that you are intimately connected to, if indeed you are.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: foolish virgins, midnight hour, source of light, two olive trees | 4 Comments »
When I look up to the cross!!
Posted by appolus on June 6, 2013
Brothers and sisters, when I look up to the cross I see humility. I see my Lord humbled and naked for the whole world to see. Nothing hidden. When I look up to the cross I see justice. I see sin condemned. Oh brothers and sisters when I look up to the cross I see mercy . Mercy for me, mercy for me, mercy for me. I do not see my own condemnation, I see my Jesus condemned and rejected by the world, willingly taking my place. Yes, I see Jesus. There is therefore, now no condemnation, because He took my condemnation, to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Oh what a glorious freedom. Free indeed, free indeed , free indeed. Free indeed to stand and fight. To battle even unto death, with my fellow freed men. I pray today that those whom the Son has set free will catch a glimpse of who they are in Christ. Royal priests in a royal priesthood. Children of the living God. Loved and redeemed and reconciled and called to walk in the beauty of holiness. That the world may know that Jesus was sent by the Father. That the world may see something of the glory of God which was given to Jesus and which He has given to us. Rise up and shine today saints of God, rise up and shine, for you are loved so much. How much? Look up to the cross!!!!
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: beauty of holiness, children of the living god, glorious freedom, saints of god | 2 Comments »
Position or Anointing?
Posted by appolus on June 4, 2013
It is interesting to note that Saul and all of Israel were afraid of the giant, Goliath. He was allowed to stand, established in the battle-field , unchallenged. This was not the first time the Israelites were afraid of giants. When the spies were sent in to spy out the land by Moses, the report of ten out of the twelve spies was one of fear, fear of the giants. What is the difference between those who are powerless over giants and those who would run towards them? In Saul and David’s case, we see that one had the position and the other had the anointing. What would you have in this life brothers and sisters? Now the one with the position is initially pleased with the outcome of the fight between David and Goliath.
Was he pleased because the arrogant mouth of the enemy who blasphemed our God was shut? Or was he pleased that his own self-serving purposes had been achieved? Now we see that one has a distressing spirit. Saul had already proved that he was a law unto himself and now had to walk this world himself, without God. Yet, when he heard the people praising David above him, pride and envy and hatred began to build in his heart. When David began to worship God and come into His presence, it merely highlighted to Saul what he did not have and with spear in hand, he said in his heart ” I will pin David to the wall!” ‘Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul.” (1 Sam 18:12)
There is a difference between the religious man and the man of God. One has position and the other has anointing. What would you have in this life brothers and sisters? These two entities have existed side by side since Cain and Abel. One has an acceptable sacrifice, a broken and a contrite heart, the other has his works. The fire of God falls on one and not the other. Whether it is Cain and Abel, or Saul and David or Jesus and the Pharisees or the martyrs and the Catholic church, there is one thing for sure in these cases, one had the position in this life and the other had the anointing. What would you have in this life brothers and sisters? This state of affairs has and will exist until the Lord returns.
The one with the position will persecute the one with the anointing. In fact, we are moving into times where we will see this ” Saul spirit,” arise to unseen heights. And directly proportional to the anointing is the level of the persecution. Yet be of good cheer brothers and sisters, for “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:17-19)
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: cain and abel, giant goliath, jesus and the pharisees | 2 Comments »
Like a mighty rushing river!
Posted by appolus on June 1, 2013
There is a trail that I typically walk every day. It runs beside a small creek which on any given day has barely a trickle of water in it. It is probably about four to five yards wide. Recently, after many days of rain and after four inches in one night, I went down for my morning walk and quiet time. The creek was gone! The paved trail was also gone, they had been replaced by a raging river. This river was about fifty yards wide. Instead of following the well-worn path of the winding, twisting meandering creek, that followed the path of least resistance and which was defines by its banks, this river was up and out flowing straight. The confining banks no longer existed, and the mighty river was flattening everything and re-creating the landscape, such was its power. Everything that was not anchored or deeply lodged was simply swept away.
As I surveyed this, the Lord began to create a poem in my heart and a deeper longing to see Him come like a mighty flooding river, sweeping the things of this world away from His children. Redefining everything, changing the very landscape. Do you desire this for your life? Are you tired of the trickle that flows within the well-defined boundaries of your narrow banks? Banks that twist and turn, that are defined by the world around you, by the landscape of your life? Banks that have taken the path of least resistance. When the flood comes, and I believe with all of my heart that there is a mighty flood coming, everything changes. We are then not confined by our landscapes, we begin to define and create the landscape of our lives by the power of the mighty flow. May the Lord rend the heavens today and come down in mighty torrents. Here is the poem the Lord created in my heart………………
Like a mighty flooding river
That overflows its banks
Flood the deepest parts of me
And fill me up with thanks
With love and grace and mercy Lord
Flood my heart this day
And with your mighty torrents Lord
Wash my sins away
Wash away the boundaries Lord
That speaks to who I am
Redefine me with your love
When you release your mighty dam
Where once there was a quiet creek
Rise up and overflow
May I become a river deep
And may this river ever grow
And everywhere this river goes
That flows from Calvary
Would wash men in your love and grace
Rise up and set men free
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
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