This is the kind of love that would wait for a thousand years The kind of love that would fill an ocean with tears The kind of love that was birthed in heavenly places The kind of love that shines upon a thousand faces. This is the kind of love that would die for you instead The kind of love that was crucified and bled The kind of love that redeems you from all wrong The kind of love that loved you all along This is the kind of love that will never let you go The kind of love that never says I told you so The kind of love that keeps no record of wrongs The kind of love that the birds sing in their songs This is the kind of love that never seeks its own The kind of love that never leaves you alone The kind of love that forever seeks your best The kind of love that gives your weary soul some rest This is the kind of love that for you was crucified The kind of love that was broken, beaten and died The kind of love that did all of this for you The kind of love that covers like the morning dew This is the kind of love that never ever fails The kind of love that would prove itself by nails The kind of love that is crowned by a crown of thorns The kind of love that will weather all of your storms And in the end it is love that shall remain It opened every door and has broken every chain That you may live for all the world to see That as a child of God the Son has set you free This kind of love sets my heart aflame This kind of love heals the blind and the lame This kind of love means you shall never be the same It is time to fall in love.
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
This kind of love
Posted by appolus on May 3, 2021
Posted in Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, god, God's love, healing, hope, inspirational, Jesus, new wineskins, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, The Psalms, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
The kind of love that yields
Posted by appolus on May 3, 2021
(Rom 6:6-7) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.
In the emptying process He removes the stones and rocks and the clods from our hearts and refines the flesh. The desires of this world loses all of its allure as He draws us to Himself. If we yield to the process then He draws us closer. I would love to say that in my experience it has been a one-time yielding, but no, not so simple. Time and again the calling comes. The deeper and the closer we come, oftentimes the deeper the cut. Shall we yield to the surgeon’s knife? Shall we yield to the sculptor’s chisel? I would say that only a vision of heaven itself could draw us to such yielding. It is not just a matter of revelation, inspiration is a vital aspect of our relationship with the Lord.
Just one moment in His presence. Can a single moment ruin us for the things of this world? Is it possible that after that moment the world turns to black and white? Then another miracle happens. As we begin to look at the world through those captivated eyes, the color begins to return but it’s not the color of the world, it’s the color of heaven. Now one truly sees the sunset because one has been intimate with the artist. I can see a waterfall and my spirit soars because I know the hand that crafted it. The mountains raises me up to higher places, to the place where they were born. The stars in the heavens draw my eyes upwards and my spirit follows the path of my gaze and I find myself in higher places. The hand of a child, a single ray of sunshine through the clouds, a wave that crashes onto the shore, soon enough I see my Lord in all of it. I see His beauty everywhere.
Yet the darkness prevails and time and time again it comes against the light. Yet, out of that moment, out of His presence there is born an eternal longing that no darkness can quell just as no hand could hold back the tide. He comes. Yes and He comes again to those who would wait upon Him. How long shall we wait? However long it takes. This is the kind of love that would wait a thousand years. The kind of love that would fill an ocean with tears. The kind of love that was birthed in heavenly places. The kind of love that shines upon a thousand faces. And so we yield, and so we die to this world. And we are drawn ever closer to the next until the day comes when we step over into the world that has touched us and called to us.
There is glory in all of it. It is a grand tapestry and we are but a thread. Can we see the vision of the artist? Can we see the vision of the sculptor? It is not so important to see the vision of the artist or to see the finished sculpture, it only really matters that we see Him, Him who creates it all. And in seeing Him we see everything in a single moment. Now with eyes that have gazed upon the Master we see it all so differently. Have you seen Him? Can you see the world through the eyes of Him who made it all? It’s a glorious vision and it continually draws us.
Posted in christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, healing, hope, inspirational, intimacy, Jesus, new wineskins, pentecostal, revival, spiritual gifts, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, The Psalms, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
The plateau of peace.
Posted by appolus on May 2, 2021
Recall the conception that you had of holiness before you stood, by the grace of God, where you stand today. It was the conception of a breathless standing on a pinnacle for a second at a time but never with thought of being able to live there. Yet when the Holy Spirit brought you there, you found it was not a pinnacle but a plateau, a broad way, where the provision of strength and peace comes all the time, a much easier place to live that lower down.
The security of the position into which God brings His saints is such that the life is maintained without ecstasy. There is no place for ecstasy and manifestations in a normal healthy spiritual life. The emotions that are beyond the control of the will are a sign that there is something not in the secure position, something undisciplined, untrained. (Oswald Chambers-Biblical ethics)
Brother Oswald just said a lot. And it would be worth just re-reading it a few times to see where he is coming from. It is in the context of the will and what part the will plays in our lives. If the emotions rule the will, or over-rule the will then there is a problem. Emotions are wonderful things and I fully embrace them. Yet, more often that not, they are like the waves of the sea driven by winds that we cannot see. The ocean becomes broiling and heaving and destruction is never far from hand in the midst of this kind of sea.
So brother Oswald contrasts a pinnacle to a plateau. A plateau or a Mesa. A mesa is an isolated flat topped elevation or ridge which is bounded from all sides by steep hills or rock faces and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. It stands above the plain. It is not so high as a pinnacle, but it is still high enough to separate it from its surroundings while still in the midst of its surrounding. You cannot last long on a pinnacle but you can live on the broad plain flats of an elevated plateau.
Jesus is our plateau. When our eyes are upon Jesus then we are elevated above the noise and the din and the waves of the roiling sea. Peter discovered that it was not good enough for Jesus do walk upon the water, to be elevated above the storm just for a moment, we were born from above to occupy the high ground. And our focus on Jesus is the answer. Consider these things from Scriptures that describe Jesus. He is our High Tower. He is our Rock and our Fortress. These are all places of deliverance. The righteous run into these places and they are safe.
Can you say that you live above the fray of your emotions? What wind drives you? The gales of insecurity and fears? The hurricane force winds of disaster and persecution and loss? Or are you driven by the wind of the Holy Spirit? Do you stand upon the plateau, the broad place that elevates you above the storms of the plains below? You will notice that Chambers is talking about the way that our lives are “maintained.” The everyday life. He is not denying that people have emotions or that even men and woman can have ecstatic moments in their lives, but he describe them as pinnacles as opposed to plateaus.
The Lord Himself said in John 14 that He would not leave us as orphans but rather He would send us the Holy Spirit. He begins the chapter by addressing the troubles that we would undoubtedly face in our lives. “Let not you hearts be troubled.” And again in verse 27 He says ” Let not your hearts be troubled, neither be afraid.,” because “my peace I give unto you, not as the world does.” Jesus gives us His peace. His peace is our plateau. It is quite apart from anything the world has to offer and it is very much apart from the troubles of this world.
If you find yourself without this peace brothers and sisters, then look up. Look up into Jesus. Come away with Him above the troubles of this world. He has prepared a place for us, not just in eternity, but now, it is the plateau of peace. It takes discipline and obedience and trust to climb the high walls that lead to this place. It is not for the faint of heart and it is not for the nominal Christian, whatever that means. The will, your will, must yield to His will and you must trust Jesus implicitly.
Every foothold is a victory. Every ledge is a place of rest. Looking up and not looking down is a must. Who will find themselves scaling these heights? Who among us will master their emotions by the power that the Lord has given us? When we come to this place we will find that the emotions have found their proper place. The broad place of God’s peace that surpasses all understanding gives us standing on a firm foundation, on the Rock, upon the mighty fortress of our God. High atop the high tower in the midst of the plains for all the world to see. In it, but not of it. This is our place saints, this is our place, this is His peace. Journey on my fellow pilgrims.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, discernment, God's love, healing, inspirational, intimacy, Jesus, new wineskins, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
In the beginning.
Posted by appolus on April 30, 2021
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.(Joh 1:1-5)
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All praise to God, the Word was made flesh. The love of God, the wisdom of God, the power of God, the mercy of God, the glory of God, the plan of God, the long suffering of God. All of this and much more manifested in the Word made flesh. The very representation of the God-head, manifested in the Son of God and walking among us. God commanded that light would shine out of darkness, and so into the darkness of our world stepped the Word of God made flesh, Jesus. Life, overcoming death. In death He would bring forth life. Out of the darkness of Calvary, the greatest darkness ever known, shone the greatest light ever known. The culmination of the sin of man was overcome by the one without sin. This great light than shone out of the darkness of Calvary is the life of men. Men may be dead in their sin but the light that shines in the darkness brings life to those who are dead. This is the work of the Lord and it is a marvel to behold. In Him is life and those who know Him walk in the newness of that life and it dwells within them. This light beckons to those who are dead in the darkness of their sin to come to Him and let His light shine upon them. Man will do one of two things, he will run to it or he will run from it. Those who run to it are consumed by it. It overwhelms them and transforms them and fills them with unspeakable glory. They have penetrated and have been penetrated by impenetrable light. The glory of God and the redemption of man, purified as His own special people. |
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, new wineskins, religion, revival, spiritual gifts, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, The Psalms, the remnant, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Slowly starving in the silence
Posted by appolus on April 29, 2021
As Jesus faced down Satan in the desert he told that old liar that “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Every word brothers and sisters that proceeds forth from the mouth of God. Man needs bread to live, he has to eat otherwise he will slowly starve to death. What a ghastly sight it is to see someone in the latter stages of starvation. They lose all of their characteristics and begin to resemble one another as they waste away and gauntness takes over. As we sit in our pews week after week, no one dares disturb the sound of silence.
Despite the richness of our gifts and our callings, despite our ability to give and receive words of knowledge, to hear heavenly songs sung in a heavenly language, to hear prophecy’s and exhortations that can speak directly into the heart of what we are going through in the moment, we dare not disturb this established silence.Have we made a neon god? Do we sit in pews and worship a god of our own making? A god that has to dim the lights and break out the ice making machine to create an “atmosphere,” that was long ago lost to slick professional worship teams and men with programs.Listen brothers and sisters, if entertainment brought them in, only entertainment will keep them. Yet how long before they grow weary of the entertainment? Where do they go after the dimmed lights and the religious concerts fail to move them and the smoke dissipates?
If we could see with spiritual eyes as we sat in our pews and looked around, would we see well fed people living on the fat of a land flowing with milk and honey, living abundantly in the life of Christ, edified and well fed? Or rather would we see a people gaunt with hunger, starving for the Spiritual edification that the Lord Himself provided for us. He promised us that He would not leave us as orphans but send the Holy Spirit to lead and to guide us. What happens when the Holy Spirit is silenced and men have decided that they know best?
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Is this what we have done brothers and sisters? No longer can we have the Lord speak to us how He pleases in the midst of the congregation. We have rejected these gifts so that the traditions of men may be kept and we now must not disturb the sound of silence, that silence being the words and the wisdom of man. And in the midst of that darkness we sit, only ever wondering what the power of God truly looks like, and the smoke slowly drifts away.
Posted in Charisma Magazine, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, delusion, discernment, end times, faith, false teachers, gifts of the spirit, God's voice, healing, heresy, inspirational, intimacy, manifest presence, new wineskins, pentecostal, praise and worship, revival, spiritual gifts, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Just one moment
Posted by appolus on April 28, 2021
Psa 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
When David left the Ark with Obed -Edom, it was reported that all that pertained to his house was blessed of the Lord. Our modern day prosperity teachers would convince us that God enriched Obed-Edom but Jewish history shows that Obed-Edom’s family were enriched by the birth of many children in the short time the Ark was there. Women of the household giving birth to multiple babies. There was life in the house of Obed-Edom and that more abundantly. The presence of God gives us life and that more abundantly.
Life in God, life in the Spirit, the overcoming power of God that comes from walking in His Spirit. Obed-Edom would later be found as a guard of the Temple treasure and involved in the worship in the temple. It seems he followed the Ark, he followed the presence of God and dwelt there as a door-keeper. Have you been touched by His presence? Would one day in His presence be better than a thousand elsewhere? Will you follow Him where He leads? Has the presence of God taken hold of your life?
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's love, inspirational, new wineskins, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
The boy with the broken wing.
Posted by appolus on April 26, 2021
It has been almost seven years now since our grandson was taken from his mother and given to our family. He was a very broken child when he came to us. Have you ever tried to help a bird with a broken wing? It panics and is freaked out as it sees you hand approach. It cannot possibly know that you are driven by love and compassion until your hand closes tightly, not too tightly, around him and he is safe in your hand. This was what it was like when Mason first came to us as a little five year old. The power of the Lord is felt in the power of His love. His ability and patience to take that which is broken, and heal it, is truly supernatural. Here is a wee poem I wrote about that.
The boy with the broken wing.
You were a bird with a broken wing A nightingale that could not sing A frightened broken bird that had no choice Little bird, who has stolen you voice .....I hear your cries. Can't you see, can't you understand Come to me, there is healing in my hand I will hold you and never let you go, until your wing is healed and love begins to flow You may have broken this little birds wing Yet you will hear this little bird sing Love has put him back together And he will now be whole...forever A beautiful bird that love has made whole You only ever took from him and stole But he has risen with the morning sun and now he sings And flies for all the world to see with two beautiful wings I see you flying son and I can hear you sing And to the depths of my heart it is such a beautiful thing Touched by the Hand of God and made complete Now fly where eagles fly and sing your songs so sweet.
Posted in bible, Charisma Magazine, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, Devotions, gifts of the spirit, God's love, healing, intimacy, Jesus, poetry, revival, spiritual gifts, spiritual poetry, Spirituality, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Glorified obedience
Posted by appolus on April 26, 2021
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Imagine you are crossing a great river. The world is on one side and you are headed toward the other side, the heavenly side. Each time you are obedient, each time you turn your back on sin, another stepping stone appears before you and you move forward towards your goal. One step at a time on the road to glory. It is by obedience that we make forward progress towards a deeper walk with the Lord and we overcome.
Now, there are two main categories of obedience. One is a legalistic obedience and the other is glorified obedience. Brokenness, submission, surrender and love must be the building blocks of our obedience. If we simply try to be obedient without first taking these steps, revealed to us through the word and the Holy Spirit, we will discover that there is an obedience that binds us in chains and the weight of these chains will drag us down and drown us. Yet, obedience born out of love and a desire to please the one that we love frees us and fulfills us and propels us on.
Glorified obedience, one motivated by love and awe of a righteous holy God and a revelation of Calvary is like the watering of a tree. There can be no fruit produced unless that tree is watered by the living waters of obedience. Striving to be obedient without the fruits of brokenness will lead to a desert landscape in which nothing can live. The motivations of our heart, the seat of our affections that sets our eyes upon Jesus and the Holiness of God takes us from glory to glory.
Posted in bible, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's love, healing, intimacy, Jesus, religion, religious, revival, sanctification, spiritual growth, Spirituality, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Quit robbing from yourself.
Posted by appolus on April 25, 2021
What does it mean to rob from yourself? In the natural, it would be quite impossible to rob from yourself for after all, everything that you have, according to this world, is your own. So quite naturally you cannot rob from yourself. Yet in the realms of the Spirit, in the Kingdom of God, you can most certainly rob from yourself.
Let us say that God has gifted you in some way. Denying that gift is robbing from yourself. You are taking from yourself what was given to you by God. You can rob yourself of peace. You can rob yourself of joy. Contentment, self control, holiness, all of these things you can rob from yourself. We like to blame the devil for a lot of stuff, but most people that I have ran into with this problem are simply robbing themselves. Do not get me wrong, the devil will take full advantage of the circumstances. Yet, when we take from ourselves that which was given to us we are robbing ourselves of the good gifts of God.
We can even rob from ourselves by taking what does not belong to us. Now that does not seem to make any sense, right? Bear with me. When you look into your future, whether it is tomorrow or next week or next month and you take from it and add it to your reality today, you are robbing yourself of today’s peace with tomorrows troubles. Tomorrow does not belong to you. In the realms of your imagination you have created any number of scenarios for yourself which you have no possible way of knowing if they will ever come to pass. Your taking out a loan of fear and paying a huge amount of interest on a debt that should not exist. Foolish man or woman, how do you even know you shall be alive tomorrow?
You are not only robbing from yourself but you are robbing from God, He alone holds your future. It is disobedience. Repent of that and give that borrowed/stolen burden to God right now. Take what you have been given and live it to the fullest today. Live in the glorious gifts of joy and peace and grace and forgiveness. Live in contentment with thanksgiving. Understand and know what the Lord sees when He sees you. Do not take from the past and steal from the future and nullify your present. If you do, you will be robbing from God and robbing yourself of the promises of God that are enjoyed through obedience.
In the days in which we live, that grows darker with every passing moment, we must grasp a hold of who we are in Christ. Is it any wonder that identity is front and center in society and in politics? Identity is under attack across the board and now where is this more true than among the saints. Yes, saints, that is what you are. We have to understand about His righteousness and how we have been called to walk in it. Lift up your eyes and look upon Jesus. To look upon anything other than Jesus in your life is to magnify everything that is not of Him. Do not identify yourself as a sinner saved by grace. That is not your identity. You are an adopted child of the living God. You are not a sinner you are a saint. If you do sin, the Lord Himself has made provisions for that. Do not aid and abet Sin in robbing from you that which God has provided.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8)
Do you see what Jesus is saying there? He is not primarily giving you power to witness( although you will have that) He is giving you the power to be a witness. Can you see the difference? It means that by your very life, Christ in you, the hope of Glory, will shine out into the darkness of those around you. They see you, they see your changed life, by the power of God, and they see the reality of what God can do. How He has truly overcome hell and death and sin.That is the victory, that is the promise, that is the hope to a dying mankind. Talk is cheap, any religious man can do that, but a life that exemplifies the Word of God is the power of God and the testimony of God.
Therefore, by robbing from yourself you are robbing from God and robbing a dying world that is all around you. Let the power of God be seen in you. The very least that we can do as saints is to live an exemplary life before God and before men. Quit running to the lowest common denominator and pronouncing that to be your title. There is only one entity that wants that and it is not God. The world already understands what it means to be a sinner. It is your changed life, the victory over sin that causes them to reflect upon their own life and know that there is something more, there is hope, hope for the hopeless. Live out your title, you are a precious child of the Living God. Live your life by the power of God and be His witness. The kingdom of darkness already has its representatives. Let the Kingdom of God be seen in you among men.
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, church of scotland, deception, discernment, faith, False Doctrine, gifts of the spirit, God's love, God's voice, healing, healing ministry, heresy, inspirational, intimacy, Jesus, new wineskins, pentecostal, revival, spiritual growth, Spirituality, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
The deadly virus.
Posted by appolus on April 23, 2021
There has been a deadly virus since the dawn of time. It infects its host and begins the process of death. It impacts every part of its target. There is no human cure, no scientific vaccine, no possibility of shaking of its side-effects. It can often times brilliantly hide within its host and to the outward eye, all seems well. In other cases the host is ravaged, but in both examples, the end result is the same, death.
There is one antidote and unless the person receives it he or she shall surely die. The antidote has two thousand years of test studies to show its effectiveness. It has never failed. It has 100% efficacy. The person that provided the antidote had the virus put upon Him, and while He carried it, it never infected Him. And now, His antibodies, found in His Blood, is the cure. It does not matter where you come from, what color you are, whether you are rich or poor, all have equal access to the vaccine.
The cost? It was paid for you by another. His name is Jesus.Your part is to present yourself to Him and acknowledge that you have the virus and that rather than death, you desire to live, you desire the gift of eternal life. The name of the virus is Sin. It is master over you and controls you. If you desire a new Lord, He is waiting for you to reject your old master and to cry out to Him. You will take man’s vaccine, will you take God’s?
Posted in bible, Charisma Magazine, Choo Thomas, Christian, christian blog, Christianity, church, church of scotland, churches, consequences of sin, deception, end times, God's voice, healing, inspirational, intimacy, new wineskins, pentecostal, religious, revival, Spirituality, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
The things we cannot see.
Posted by appolus on April 23, 2021
Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
Perhaps you have a heavy spirit this day. You may be having a hard time imagining that things will ever change. It seems to you that tomorrow will inevitably be like today because today was just the same as yesterday, and on it goes. For whatever reason you cannot seem to shake this of. The Lord has provided us with a solution and a way of escape from every situation. He says that we should put on a “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” If you will begin to praise Him right now, even although you do not feel like it, then the spirit of heaviness will flee.
He will lead and guide you through this difficult part of the journey. In the world, when a person is most at risk and in great danger, they rely greatly on their five senses. In the Spirit it is not so. As you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, as you negotiate the most dangerous parts of your journey, the Lord asks that you would suspend your senses, close your eyes and let Him lead you. He will lead you step by step, minute by minute, day by day and far from feeling vulnerable because you have closed your eyes, you will feel more secure than you have ever before because you have surrendered your ability to cope, and you are completely dependent upon Him
I know it can be difficult when all you can see is trouble. When all that you know is heartbreak, when everything that can go wrong seems to be going wrong. Yet if we had spiritual eyes we would see an innumerable host of angels, a cloud of witnesses, a host from heaven and most importantly, the Holy Spirit making sure that you are not crushed, that you are not overwhelmed with despair. We have, within our broken vessels, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God and we see this as we gaze upon the Lord Jesus in our hearts. For we that live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
Out of the darkness of our situations, God Himself has commanded light to shine forth. And so we know that all things in the lives of those who are called according to His purpose, work together so that the grace of God may abound, through the thanksgiving of the saints even in the midst of many trials, to the glory of God. These affliction that you are suffering through, while you are going through them, seem so very long, are working in you to produce an eternal glory of great significance. Lets close our human eyes and lift our spiritual eyes and look upon the things that cannot yet be seen, for they are eternal.
Posted in bible, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's love, healing, inspirational, intimacy, Jesus, new wineskins, pentecostal, revival, scripture, spiritual growth, Spirituality, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Miracles, a by-product of His glory
Posted by appolus on April 21, 2021
Posted in christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, churches, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's love, inspirational, Jesus, new wineskins, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Freedom in our chains.
Posted by appolus on April 20, 2021
To be chained in Christ Is to be free indeed Free to die and free to bleed Free to walk the pilgrim way Free to die to self each day
To be lost in Christ
Is to be found
To feel His presence all around
To plunge into the Father’s love
To walk with Him with grace from above
To be dead in Christ
Is to truly live
To truly love and to forgive
To live this life and so much more
To honor, worship and adore
To live in Christ
Is to surely die
To walk with Him who dwells on high
Alive to Christ and dead to sin
Gloriously filled from deep within
To reign with Christ
Is to surely serve
A testimony to preserve
Of the glorious King who reigns on high
Whose glory fills the earth and sky
To walk with Christ
Is to surely run
To know the journey’s just begun
To run and run and never tire
To soar with wings and ever higher
To dwell with Christ
Is to surely roam
We’ll never settle till we’re home
Pilgrim saints along the way
Ever closer every day
The paradoxes that we find
In Christ alone renews the mind
The way that seems so right to man
Is opposite to our God’s plan
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, Devotions, God's love, God's voice, healing, inspirational, intimacy, Jesus, new wineskins, poetry, praise and worship, revival, spiritual growth, spiritual poetry, Spiritual warfare, Spirituality, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
When He speaks.
Posted by appolus on April 19, 2021
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
What does it mean to hear God? Seems like such a simple question. You would imagine that no Christian would object to “hearing,” God speak to them. That still small voice, the voice of the shepherd speaking to His sheep, and His sheep recognizing His voice. The Holy Spirit whispering into the hearts of believers. The Holy Spirit leading and guiding and magnifying the Lord Jesus in our hearts.
A man went into the supermarket to buy his wife a rose. It was his practice to do this every week. He picked the rose that he wanted and made for the checkout lane. As he walked toward the line, the Holy Spirit spoke to him, that still small voice from the Shepherd. “Give the rose to the old lady over there.”Immediately the man resisted. “Lord that makes no sense. What if she thinks I am hitting on her? What if she thinks I am crazy? What if others hear and think I am a weirdo?” There was great resistance in his flesh, yet he knew the voice of the Lord, and he knew he had to be obedient. So, he took a deep breath and walked over to the lady and said to her “The Lord wanted you to have this rose.”
The woman looked at him for a second, then looked at the rose, and as she reached out to take it, she began to weep. She explained. ”My husband died several months ago. Every week, for years, he would buy me a rose. This morning I was feeling so lost and forgotten, I cried out to God and asked Him if He had forgotten me, I told Him that I needed to feel loved.” The man cried too. You see how the Lord loves us? You see how He speaks to His people?
God not only hears the cries of His people, He speaks to them and they know His voice and they hear Him. We need to pray for ears to hear and eyes to see what the Lord is saying and doing. God knows His sheep. He sees you. He hears your cries, he sees your afflictions, he sees the tears that no one else sees, He knows. He Himself was despised and rejected, He was a man of sorrows, He was well acquainted with grief. He bore all our griefs and sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him according to Isaiah 53. By all of theses things He secured for us peace and healing for our sins and transgression. The sheep had gone astray and now, by His stripes the sheep were healed of their transgressions. Now we know His voice and He bids us to follow His lead. Perhaps if you asked for a rose today you will find yourself in a garden. Listen for that still small voice today, He often talks to us in ways we do not expect. His word is a lamp unto our feet in the darkness and His still small voice assures us that we are known and that He sees us.
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He who walks upon the sea of tears.
Posted by appolus on April 18, 2021
A poem for all the people who grew up in less than perfect households . He who walks upon the sea of tears. I am fragile I can be broken Broken by the words spoken Can't you see your words are clawing me apart? Can't you see how you're crushing my heart? How my heart longed to hear warm words spoken To be warm and whole and not to be broken Why didn't you just reach out and touch me? And cover me and hold me in love. The broken child in you Now breaks the child that you can see Two broken children collide Only wanting to be free I am fragile I can be broken Broken by the words left unspoken And this brokenness is now a void in me That is deeper and wider than the deepest sea What can fix a broken heart? And fill this vast expanse in me What can fill an endless void? That's deeper than the deepest sea So many tears, enough to fill an ocean Shed by all the children, broken A Saviour comes and walks upon this sea of tears He calms the stormy sea and quells the fears I have come to mend the broken heart To heal the wounds where you were torn apart I have come to set the captive free To dry up every tear that fills the deepest sea I hold the universe in the palm of my hand I cause the blind to see and the lame to stand And all the stars in the heavens, I know them all by name And I will touch you and you shall never be the same The words I speak they are life and they are love I know every sparrow that falls from above I created the sun and the moon and the pouring rain I still the stormy seas and I take away the pain Come and bring your emptiness to me And I will fill you with a love that's deeper than the sea Come all you that are broken and contrite And I will heal you and set you free this night And so I came and took my Saviour's hand Out of the pit on the solid Rock I stand A broken heart replaced and reconciled Standing whole and new, I am my Father's child And every word spoken, they are life to me Your love and Your kindness, they have set me free And by thy Spirit my eternity is sealed And by thy love my broken heart was healed.
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That Still, Small Voice.
Posted by appolus on April 18, 2021
There is a voice that penetrates the veil, that pierces the darkness of my flesh and my mind. It is amazing how something so still and so gentle, can be heard above all the noise. In a storm it is almost impossible to hear anything, as the mind is tossed by wave after wave of thoughts that comes crashing down. Then suddenly through it all, through the darkness of the storm, comes a piercing shaft of light that illuminates a treacherous sea. Life and light has penetrated darkness and death. The still small voice of God almighty says “peace be still,” and the wind ceases and suddenly there is great calm. Thank you Father for that still, small voice that rescues me.
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The never weaned church.
Posted by appolus on April 16, 2021
Can you imagine what it would be like if we witnessed 20 year olds being breast fed by their mothers? Consider how offensive it would be to see adults being breast fed. We would recoil back from that in horror. Yet we have, for the most part, a never weaned church. Here is the definition of weaned-accustomed to managing without something on which they have become dependent or of which they have become excessively fond, or-accustom (an infant or other young mammal) to food other than its mother’s milk.
Most children by the age of one, have been weaned from the breast. In the past and in some cultures it could be two or three years olds, but certainly young children have begun to eat solids early on. They develop a stomach for solids, for meats. Imagine only ever drinking milk gleaned from your mother. If you can imagine that and the undoubted physical and psychological problems that it would create, then you can imagine a building full of people who are reliant upon one man, other than the man Christ Jesus. This is the un-weaned church.
First and foremost, we as Christians must be completely reliant upon Jesus our Lord and the Holy Spirit to lead us, to guide us, to teach us and to bring us into all truth. The Holy Spirit would never feed one of His children on an all milk diet. As babes, yes. As children, as young adults, as mature saints, no, never. Getting meat is a far cry from drinking milk. In the natural our milk comes from our mothers breast, a cow or a goat. Getting meat requires a hunt. One must track something down, patiently employ skills across a broad spectrum, endure weather and deprivation, and all that just to trap or kill the animal. It then has to be skinned, broken down and carried back.
The church has become dependent on something they are very fond of, and is in and of itself the path of least resistance. To sit week after week and allow another to feed you and make no efforts to feed yourself is akin to being a baby. The notion of getting meat and devouring it is alien to this modern day church. It is also alien to society in general who rather than have to hunt for food, simply go to the supermarket. Or to the fast food restaurant, and even then, the drive through. If this system ever breaks down, tens of millions of people will starve to death. If the one man system of church ever breaks down, the same would happen spiritually. I would argue that it is happening, a long slow starvation on a vast crowd of adults who have no “protein,” in their diet.
A man needs to know how to hunt. A man of God needs to know how to communicate from and learn from and hear from God. If the man cannot hunt, he is reliant upon the systems of this world to feed him. If a man who claims to know God but cannot hear from God, cannot learn from God and His Word, does not have the wherewithal to desire to diligently seek out His Truth, then he is reliant upon the one man systems of churches to feed him.
If you have only ever had milk, then you cannot stomach the meat of God. You must wean yourself from the milk and go out and hunt for the meat. If you only know milk you will undoubtedly be carnally minded. You will say you are of this church or that church. You will elevate a man up onto a pedestal. That man, probably your pastor, will become preeminent in your life. When you meet other people and have a chance to share about Jesus, you will share about “your pastor.” You will say things like “you have to come to my church,” or “you have to hear my pastor.’ Your milk diet will exclude the possibility that you simply share about Jesus. Whoever is preeminent in your life, that is who you will share with others.
God calls people out from behind the walls of their strongholds. Outside the camp. Out into the wilderness. Places that require you to be dependent upon Him alone. He will teach you how to catch fish and you will rejoice and praise God for the fish on the line. He will teach you how to trap meat, and you will rejoice that He will bless you with meat. You will become strong and dependent upon Him. You will help to feed others with meat and show them and share with them how you caught it and how they too can get this meat.
None of this will happen while you reside on your mothers breast. None of this will happen when you are dependent upon another to do your hunting for you. Will you diligently seek Him and where He may be found? Or will you sit, week after week and be fed on fast food? Even it were not fast food, the fact that you would become dependent upon another to feed you would mean that you would become atrophied in your spirit man. Overweight or starving, an eating disorder all the same. Stand up, be a man, be a woman and allow God Himself to teach you how to find meat and how to eat meat.
Posted in Charisma Magazine, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, controlling churches, discernment, God's love, God's voice, intimacy, new wineskins, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
I have learned.
Posted by appolus on April 16, 2021
Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Oftentimes when things become more accessible they become less desirable. There is a fundamental flaw in humanity, you can call it the Adam and Eve flaw. We desire what we cannot have and oftentimes take for granted what we do have, until of course we do not have it. The object remains the same, what determines the attitude depends upon whether we have it or not. The ability to be thankful for what we have is a gift that must be learned practically. It can only be learned in the classroom of life. Many never learn , a fortunate few discover that there is great peace and contentment within the heart that is full of thanks.
The great danger is that we take our relationship with the Lord for granted. Time and time again we see Israel drift away from the Lord in times of prosperity. When we are in battles in life, or struggling to survive, we have a high dependency upon the Lord. We stay close to Him and we cry out to Him to keep us. The key for our walk with Jesus is to stay close to Him whether we are full or whether we are hungry, whether we are clothed or whether we are naked. In short, we must learn to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
Staying thankful, staying intimate, spending time with the Lord lies at the heart of our relationship with Him. Thankfully we have been called to a battle-field and not a playground. If we are living Godly in Christ Jesus we will experience persecution and this persecution keeps us close to our Lord. That is why it is important to thank God in everything, to rejoice in Him at all times and in everything. Not for everything but in everything. For the steps of a righteous man and woman are ordered of God. We are His servants and it is He who keeps us. He keeps us when we go through the waters, He keeps us in the midst of the fires and He keeps us in quiet tranquil days when there is not a cloud in the sky. If He is the center of all things then we shall be grounded and centered in Him no matter what the circumstances of our lives.
When all around us are being devastated by circumstances and tossed like waves in a sea overcome by storms, we can stand above those waves when we fix our eyes on Jesus. Rather than the circumstances of life tearing us apart, with the right attitude of our heart, they become elements which make our faith deeper and stronger and actually propel us further into the heart of God. It is the will that keeps us. The will rules the emotions. Jesus in the garden, by an act of His will, submits to the will of His Father. It brings Him great peace when the matter is settled. Indeed it brings Him joy. You must settle in your mind if you will trust Him in all things. If you do that and then put it into practice, put flesh on the bones of what you believe, then you will be able to say with Paul that you have learned to be content in every situation.
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A wrong turn.
Posted by appolus on April 14, 2021
1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
I have a GPS system in my car. I simply put in the address and follow the blue line and I inevitably end up at my destination. Yet even with this system in place you can take wrong turns and the system will automatically “recalculate,” and give you new directions to get you back on track. This almost always involves “taking the next exit,” or doing a “legal u-turn when possible.” Sometimes when you take the wrong road but it runs near to or initially parallel with the correct road, the system still believes you to be on the right road.
As the wrong road slowly veers away from the correct road, the system at some point finally figures it out and re-directs you. Much of Christendom has taken the wrong road. Initially it runs almost parallel to the correct road and, without discernment it is almost impossible to know that you are on the wrong path. Most will simply plow ahead down the road they are directed and it’s at a point of getting lost that the person realizes that they have went astray.
When Amelia Earhart attempted her epic flight, it is reckoned that she only had to be a tiny fraction off in her calculations to miss the Island that was in the middle of the vast Pacific ocean, by hundreds of miles. To continue flying and being slightly of course, would take her ever further away from her destination. Today, Christendom is moving further and further away from its destination.
When the destination ceases to be God Himself, and the destination becomes something other than His presence, His Tabernacle, His alter, His throne room, then we simply get further and further away from Him and the narrow path that leads to Him. Only by getting off at the “next exit,” or doing a “legal u-turn” can we get back on the narrow path. The address, the destination itself must always be God Himself. Are you headed in that direction, is that what is plugged into your spirit, is He alone your destination?
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Church history, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, inspirational, pentecostal, religion, religious, revival, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
You snatched me from hell.
Posted by appolus on April 12, 2021
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid because I know that your Spirit goes ahead of me. A fire by night and a cloud by day. This fire that burns at the center of my soul, consumes the all-consuming darkness and lights the way in the blackness of my many deserts. It warms me against the night cold that would sap me of my strength. And your cloud oh Lord covers me from the searing heat of my many trials and afflictions that would drain me and cause me to stumble and fall.
You are the very essence of my life. You are the wellspring of life itself. You are my Jesus. It’s at the name of Jesus that the demons flee. It’s at the name of Jesus that the world shakes. The thunder roars and the lightning flashes at the name of Jesus. Mountains fall down at the name of Jesus, the birds themselves sing of your fame. Even the very darkness is light to you my King.
Even if I make my bed in hell, even there the name of Jesus is high and lifted up and all shall bow their knees. Where could I go oh Lord, where could I flee from your Spirit? In the darkest moments of my life, when my downcast soul cried out, all seemed lost and gone and suddenly,suddenly you are there in all your glory. The seas that roared and the winds that blew, they bowed their knee to you and all was calm.
Even when I lay bloodied and defeated in the battle-field of life, it was you Jesus, who rode on a mighty stallion through the debris and the fire and the destruction and plucked me from the jaws of total defeat and Calvary’s victory won the day. When I had fallen to the bottom of the bottomless pit and cried out with all that was left within me, you came for me, right where I was, the gates of hell itself. You picked me up and you lifted me out of the darkness of hell and you put me down and made my feet to stand in a sure place. Praise you today Jesus and be glorified.
Posted in bible, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, inspirational, Jesus, pentecostal, religion, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
A Call To The Remnant 