Sweat

generally, i study many things in the Word and don't always either document it here, or...because i have a little one in the house who changes frequently, i lack the time to be able to get on here and actually write it all out. i just pray that no matter what, i am doing the will of the Lord and not my own. i must admit that recently i have fallen into "works" a bit, without even realizing it. i had gotten to where i felt as though if i was not producing some bible study for others to read everyday, that i was not doing what God had called me to do. little did i know that hardly anyone ever reads this thing anyhow, so i am returning to what i began doing in the beginning with this blog...i'm doing this to help me...if it helps someone else along the way, great. if not...at least it is something that helps me understand what i am studying a little better.

the last few days the Lord has awakened me & my family about 4am instead of 4:30...not really been making me all that happy to tell the truth, but nevertheless, i wrote a bit last night about "isn't anyone hungry," and it spoke about me feeling like i am full of the Word, waiting to be able to share it, watching and seeing those that are headed for hell (this is not my own judgement, but rather from studying the Word, it has been revealed to me that if folks are not yielding and being led by the Spirit of God on a daily basis, allowing Him to have His way in their lives...they are not abiding in Him, therefore, not receiving life eternally for their soul.) He;'s coming back for a bride that has made herself ready, meaning, she watches and waits for Him, constantly! and the truth is, with anything that i write, or read, or have studied, anything that God reveals to me...i am responsible for eating of myself, before i serve it to others. so with that said, hence what was written last night, i had to examine myself and say, "am i even hungry for God, or am i just going through the motions...if i am going through the motions, my victoriousness in Christ is in jeopardy.

with that shared...i sat down, while listening to Sonlife Radio online, (which is roundtable discussion of the Word of God), when i was first studying the words, "thirsty, hungry," and somehow stumbled upon the punishment that God gave man when he fell, and decided to look up the word, "sweat." what i found was stinkin' awesome, actually!

these were the results that i found:

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.

Luk 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

this find is actually one that can only be revealed to the soul of one that is regenerated. meaning, if you have not actually been born again, truly born again in your heart, not just what you profess, you will understand this. if you do not understand this, either i am a bad teacher, or you need the Holy Spirit in order for it to be revealed to you...because to those whom are not saved, we speak mysteries.

anyhow, the scripture in Genesis is stating things under the surface of words that i had never seen before. God tells Adam that by the sweat of his face he'll eat bread...what he is saying is several things here.

1. you're not getting the physical and spiritual nourishment that you were originally automatically provided with by Me. Now, you are not able to eat from the Tree of Life anymore. Since you can't eat from the Tree of Life anymore, you are no longer alive forever, you have died. Whether we realize it or not, the moment we came into this present world, out of the belly of our mother's, and breathed our first breath, we started dying, not living. our mortal bodies are well on their ways to the grave...the ground pulls at our feet, so to speak.

2. another thing the Lord is saying in this first scripture is that even though we are starving in our inward man, (the man that lives, desiring and seeking, desperately needing God to fulfill him and have fellowship with him), we instead will feed our flesh and are no longer able to eat and have eternal life, except we receive it directly from God. we are basically like little newborn birdies in a nest, totally dependent upon the Lord to feed us, lest we die...and stay dead spiritually forever.

the second scripture is from Christ's prayer in the garden of Gathsemane, where He prays for the Father's will to be done. He's about to go and die on the Cross for us, knowing that this is coming...Him being fully God, but also fully man, He is feeling the agony that we feel in doing the Will of the Father. In order for US to do the Will of the Father, we have to recall when we were dead with Christ, our dreams, abilities, and lives were buried along with our sins, our old man dead with Him. Meaning, to do God's will, we have to die, not live. which lines up with with the first scripture in our dependence upon Christ to feed us what we need to live spiritually and allow His Will to be done in us and through us. (not a popular message, is it). Here is the awesome part of the entire scripture here, and what the Lord so graciously revealed to me:

1. He prays in agony to do the Father's Will, He did this for us...and is aquainted with the difficulty we struggle with in dying to ourselves.

2. There is a foretelling of God's redemption plan encoded here in scripture. See, we have always had to, even since the fall work by the sweat of our brow, only to accomplish our own will...therefore eventually dying in these mortal bodies, and returning to the dust that we were made from. But Christ, who IS ETERNITY masked with flesh, is showing by the sweating of BLOOD, that He will redeem us by His Precious Blood.

3. To follow up on the 2nd thought here, is...God's redemption plan is by the Blood of the Lamb, which Jesus is the Lamb of God, come to take away the sin of the world. we come from dirt, we are dust...which is the evidence of death..dust is a type of death which comes from sin. (i feel like i am explaining this poorly, but nevertheless, the Lord can reveal it to you like He has me). But as He prayed to do the Father's Will, in great anguish, He sweat Blood, and as His Blood hit the ground, God was trying to show us that He has made a Way to bring us back to where we were before the fall of man...as though we had never sinned, therefore taking away all sin we have committed, restoring us unto God in the form that we were, (through Jesus Christ and what He has done for us at the Cross & our reception of this in our own lives), we can daily take up His benefits as we go through our daily lives on this road to Heaven.

It may mean nothing to the reader, and it's so difficult to explain things in English words, it's like when God reveals something to you by His Spirit, there really are no real words for, (those who have the Holy Ghost understand what i mean), yet...God can quicken your spirit just like He did mine and reveal it to you as well, which i pray He does, cause it was a blessing to me!

Hungry?

isn't anyone hungry anymore? we call ourselves the Bride, but most play the whore. all unworthy, yet all are called. it's been this way since man's fall. i look around only to see, the famished masses slowly dying.

they've been satisfied with the things of this world, holding dear to hearts riches untold. so i show up ready to give the answer for why i have hope, no one asks the questions, no one wants to know.

i close my eyes to sleep at night, i rest peaceful, but there's a video playing in the back of my mind. those who tremble, quake and fear...and that wrath to come, it's almost here.

He's rich in Mercy, that's why He sent His only Son, accept they have to receive Him and His Atoning Blood. to dedicate their lives to Jesus' Way, and deny themselves everyday. their own dreams, desires, and abilities, allowing Him to reign, making them free.

I hear voices crying, pounding on the door. the boat has left, too late for the unsure. as the suffering begins and the rain falls down. God's judgement unleashed, i tried to tell them, i was ready to teach. it's sad to have to stand and say, most that i know don't know the Way.

They push away truth, pass it off as their choice. this is not Burger King, salvation's not YOUR way. God has made a way, but we all must choose. We can win like Abel, or be like Cain and lose.

isn't anyone hungry anymore? i sit and wait, with loads of food, still no one comes.....is anyone hungry anymore?

God's Only Way (part 2)

Last time we talked about Cain & Abel, which seems to be the reoccurring theme actually. i wanted to carry that thought into a familiar part of scripture, the story of the publican and the sinner. first, i feel it necessary to recap on the first part of this topic, in order to parallel the two. What we studied before discussed the story of Cain & Abel was the offering that they brought to God. Everytime that i read the story before, i always assumed that God had some sort of favoritism on Abel over Cain. like, somehow Cain was the evil brother and Abel was the "good" one, and THAT was why God accepted one over the other. But we discussed how God is not a respecter of persons with people. Some feel as though, because they have never stolen (to their knowledge...not like they have recollection of the time they were 2 and took their cousins toy from him without asking), or because they have never committed murder, that they are in the clear where the commandments are concerned. We neglect to realize however, that if we have ever so much as THOUGHT of doing such things, like lusting, hating, stealing, envying what others have, (perhaps their purse, car, or life), that the bible says that we have already done it in our hearts. To be honest, the Ten Commandments were much easier on us than the instruction given by Christ Himself. Meaning, without God and the help of the Holy Spirit, not only are we sinners and unable to keep the moral law (Ten Commandments), we can't even LIVE right without Christ! That is a large stone to swallow, if you ask me.

There ARE however a few keys in learning of God and following Christ, the type of behavior that God will find favorable over another. I think i am getting ahead of myself, so allow me to step back to the thought of Cain & Abel. Here are some things in common that they have, so as to show us that, again, He is not respecting EITHER of the men, but rather, what they brought before the Lord as an offering.

BOTH CAIN & ABEL WERE: born outside of the Garden of Eden (which was a perfect dwelling place with God), they were both children of fallen parents, both by nature considered the "children of wrath," (means the children of the devil and not God, because if they were God's, they would not have been bringing a sacrifice to God for sin...which is what the offering was for), they were both conceived in sin...again, because they were not living in perfect unity with God (Garden of Eden is what symbolizes complete unity & fellowship with God and man), they were BOTH in NEED of a SAVIOR!!!

what were the differences in their offerings:

CAIN: his offering was self-righteous, (in that he thought bringing what he wanted over what God specified to bring, would be just as good), he was a former professor, (he thought he was God's child, yet he acted like a child of the devil), he relied on his own works, (his offering wasn't even something that he made with his own hands), salvation of human merits, (he not only brought what he WANTED to God, but he thought BECAUSE he brought something to God, that would be alright, despite the fact that it wasn't what God deemed as exceptable), because of his disobedience and rebellious approach to God, he was cast out of God's presence and cursed forevermore by God.

ABEL: was broken-spirited, (but the Word of God states that a broken and contrite spirit God WILL NOT despise. (Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise), he was a genuine believer, he relied on God's plan of redemption by blood and had faith that what he was bringing would be his atonement of sin, (otherwise known as relying on the finished work of Christ), he was willing to be saved by Divine Grace, (rather than his own works as a mean of righteousness or redemption in God's eyes), because of the former, God blessed him and accepted his offering, therefore being accepted by God into all eternity with God.

Before i have placed the emphasis on the offering, which is MUCH needed in understanding the plan of God for our lives, however, i believe without shining some light on this next story, one cannot make it into the presence of God, nor be accepted by God into Heaven or here on earth for that matter. One must understand the type of spirit in which one should approach God.

Let's go to the story of the Pharisee & the Publican. Here's where the Holy Spirit introduces the men in this story. Notice how the Holy Spirit see the two men....as two men, not as "the pharisee and the publican," but rather as two sinners that come to approach God.

Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

The Pharisee approaches God much in the same manner that Cain did back in Genesis. Here's what he says to God as he stands before a Righteous, Holy God, who judges righteously and justly, not as what meets the eye, but rather what he sees in the heart of man and the root of his intent.

Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Let's analyze the validity of the pharisee's personal claims of the reasons that he is seeing himself as "righteous enough to come into the presence of the Lord." he thanks God that he is not "as other men are." YES HE IS!!! He is a sinner, like every one of us. the Word of God says that (Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.) If ANY of us has EVER broken ANY if the Ten Commandments, we have in FACT, violated the laws of God and are sentenced to death! Death eternally is the punishment for ANY sin!!!

he states that he is not an extortioner. one may ask, what is an extortioner? (those that do not come to God BY CHRIST, which is the "DOOR" to the Father in Heaven, is ( Jhn 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a THIEF & a ROBBER!) And by the pride that he displays in his approach, he is not coming in a spirit of meekness before the Lord, as Christ did...he's not accepted the ways of God, but rather, he believes that he can approach God on his own works and godliness, but he denies the power thereof. (2 Tim 3:5).

let's go on...the then says that he is not an adulterer, which, for him to come to God thinking that HE is righteous, in and of himself, has already chosen to love himself more than Christ..which is spiritual adultery.

then he does the thing that God really hates, he compares himself to others rather than to the mark of Perfection, which is Jesus Christ...he says i am not "as this publican." God says, to judge not except we be judged, (Matt 7:1-5, saying that we need to examine ourselves and see that we have sin in ourselves, not looking at others and pointing theirs out to them.) Christ is always Who we should measure ourselves against, realizing that we have and never can attain the Perfection that God so sternly expects. that is why CHRIST is what we present to God, not ourselves.

Let's look at what the publican says:

Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

He stands far away from the altar, knowing that he has no merit, righteousness, and by no means should he even be able to approach God, let alone come into His Holy presence.

He doesn't even lift up his eyes to Heaven, again, realizes his fallen and depraved condition, which is what we should constantly be realizing in our own lives. this is pleasing to the Lord (Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.***meaning that we need to present our bodies as the ones that sinned and died, unable to enter into the presence of a thrice Holy God, but rather, to allow Christ to have His way in our lives and use us for His Purpose while we are here, instead of our own).

he smotes upon his breast, an action that displays his anguish over himself and what he is, desperate and in need of Christ's blood covering to bring him back to God. (Mat 5:4 Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.***meaning, they mourn because they realize how dead they are, the lacking of God's life and perfection within themselves, they shall be comforted by the Holy Ghost through Christ Jesus and the atonement for our sins before God, giving us access, to come boldly before the throne of Grace in our time of trouble...not because of what we are, but because of WHO HE is and what He has done FOR US!).

Then the publican does the MOST IMPORTANT thing, well one of the most important things i have ever seen, after he has done all the former...he openly admits to God what he is, which is the hardest thing or us to admit on a daily basis to God...that we are a SINNER.

the issue that i see in the world, is that they are unaware of the fact that they are sinners, because they still need to be saved..that is the sin nature, it doesn't know WHAT it is, and hides iteslf FROM itself. but once a sinner has been saved, they WANT to please CHRIST. many folks move on from their salvation experience, never realizing they must move forward in that salvation and allow the Holy Spirit to continue to change and transform them into the image of Christ for the rest of their inhabitance here on earth. instead, they see themselves as totally clean, and yet while sinning, (which we all do, but should be allowing God to have control, constantly aware of WHAT we are, and begging God to change us into His image and not our own. this process takes time and it's actually painful at times, but necessary. so the "church" comes to a place where they neglect to admit they are in fact sinners in need of the same saviour as all others they have around them and tend to exalt themselves above measure, in order to lift themselves up...just as the pharisee has done here.

Let's see what God says about the publican and his actions he has shown God:

Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

"abased" means that he will be brought to a low level or humbled. it is better to humble ourselves than to have God to humble us. trust me, i've experienced when God has humbled me rather than i just realize what i am and accept THAT, it's horrible.

the reason for this lesson, i believe it is not only important to realize WHAT we need to come to God, which is Christ and what He did for us at the Cross, but also that we can not approach God on a daily basis, on this continual walk towards making Heaven our home, unless we understand the ways of God and the spirit in which to approach Him.

Compelled

i felt compelled to share "what must we do to be saved," and attempt to answer some typical questions of those trying to decide if they want to come to God, but the either lack the understanding that they need to properly MAKE the decision to serve Him, or they have not truly considered a real NEED for this type of life. Allow me to shed some light here, if possible.

Recentlty, the Lord has put me back in contact with some that i love. The other day, i felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to email one of them and ask the simple question, "have you ever been baptized?" That person's reply was no, because they never really felt like they were "worthy" to do so and weren't dedicated enough to Him. So, there is a burden on my heart to get the proper answer to this individual, in hopes that someday they will read it, study it, and begin to seek God with all of their hearts. There is another individual that is trying to seek the Lord in their own way, has many many questions...while i am unable to properly address all of those questions at this time, i want to address the ROOT of the questions in hopes that it helps THEM. :)

With that said, allow me to first start off by saying some things that will possibly hurt, and yet are a truth one MUST hear and accept in order to come to Christ. YOU ARE A SINNER, I AM A SINNER, WE ARE ALLLLLL SINNERS! I think we all inherently know this deep down, but for some reason, mankind is loathe to admit this. allow me to clear it up for you TOTALLY. if there is any question in your heart about "being a sinner, in need of a saviour," you will have no doubts when i am through, i promise! the reason that it is so hard for us to openly admit this, is because we want to actively believe that we are all naturally good somehow. Then there are SOME folks that BELIEVE that they are saved, because of some confession they made with their mouth years ago, yet they have continued in their sin, thinking that the Grace of God covers those sins. (Rom 6:1---if you ARE serious about seeking God in the fullest capacity, then you NEED to look up these scriptures while you read this, study it for yourself as you read), it is the ONLY way that you will gain any understanding. hearing it alone will not get you to heaven. The Word says, "God forbid" which means, "Away with such a thought!" 

Let's go to the oldest "moral law" known to mankind and is used and received by the three most popular and major religions of the world today: the Ten Commandments. I'm not going to teach on these, nor harp on them long, but they need to be introduced here. (Exodus 20:1-17) Here they are:

"And God spoke all these words, saying: 'I am the LORD your God…

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'

ok, truly evaluate them...i have no need to explain them right now, even though we may not understand what all of them are. so guess what? anyone that has broken the law in one area, has broken them ALL. And to God's standard, the one who has lusted after someone else is the same as the ones that stole and murdered. so, just because you have never stolen, does not mean that you are in the clear, if you have ever wanted what someone else had...you're guilty, savy? With that stated, then, by God's moral standards of this law, we are all going to hell! because sin cannot enter God's presence and His Throne is in Heaven, where the Father dwells...so are we forever screwed then? are we ALL going to be cast into the Lake of Fire where torture and fear reign in our souls forever and forever? Not if you choose God's Way! God says, (Rom 6:23) "For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Some may ask, "that is a little drastic! is God REALLY like that", the answer is YES, He is, when it comes to His Standard for Righteousness...He demands Perfection!!! Those are the rules and they are non-negotiable. But the fact is this: He is merciful, not in the sense that He accepts our sin, He will NEVER accept our sins, EVER. But in the fact that He covers and washes them away.

I taught some kids this last weekend at our weekly bible study, and one of them told me that He could be saved if He just prayed. I had to tell the little fella that he was wrong, i also was forced to share with him that He had to choose the only way that God made, which is Jesus, or he would never make it into Heaven. (i said it nicely and simply, so don't freak out that i would tell a child he is going to hell, like i am telling you. the truth is, you don't really have to be that graphic with children, because they have faith and just believe what you tell them, it's adults you have to be blunt with sometimes).

I've had questions recently that are amazing and valuable questions about salvation, heaven, who's going, why wouldn't God see the intent of someone's heart because they did this right or that right...the answer here is the same to just about every question though. most people don't want to hear what i am about to say, but the bible says that the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things, who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Our intentions don't really matter, because if we have an evil heart, which we do...even the best of intentions are from an evil root. Folks, we were born into sin, whether we like it or not. if you don't believe me, think about kids. we don't have to teach them to be mean, we have to teach them to be nice. just put two 2 year olds in a crib with one toy and THEN tell me that we don't have a sinful nature, the proof is right there!!! so, it doesn't matter if you stole something as a kid, if you are gay right now, if you have imagined having sex with the one you are dating...you're a guilty sinner, and so am i! oh, and just so we all understand, there is nothing we as humans will EVER be able to do to earn God's favor, but accept Christ into our lives! NOTHING. Christ said this: (John 15:5) " I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." He gave this analogy, because...well, have you ever seen a branch living without a tree? just so, we cannot live eternally without Him. 

In the garden with Adam & Eve, God showed the proper covering for their sins. He took an innocent, sinless animal, and He killed it and took the skin, covering their nakedness. (Gen 3:21) The animal slain was Jesus Christ, He was Perfect, Blameless, God come in the flesh to save us FROM our sins, not IN them, (i'll explain that in a moment). the Nakedness that God covered was the "sin" that we have, and He covered it not for their sakes, although that made them feel more secure, but because God cannot be around sin, so He covered it with the only thing that would be acceptable, that of an innocent animal (Christ) slain FOR THEIR COVERING. (Heb 9:22)  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. the lesson here is that God will only accept the shedding of the blood of a perfect person to cover our sins. since sin came into the world by man, it also had to be paid for with a innocent man's life, thus the need for Christ. 

There are some that also ask THIS question: "well, what if i did this or i did that, what if i meant well, won't He have mercy on me and overlook that?" The answer is NO. God's message is that He gives us the CHOICE to have life or death, but if we choose LIFE, it has to be on His Terms, and death is obviously OUR OWN TERMS. In Genesis 4, there is a story of Cain and Abel and the offerings that they brought to God. Cain brought the best of his crops, Abel brought the best of his flock. Cain's was rejected, Abel's was respected by God. Note: I said that Abel's OFFERING was accepted by God, not his person, not HIM, but what He brought to God. What Abel brought was what his father Adam had no doubt told him was acceptable, something that would take the shedding of blood. Cain brought what he wanted to bring and not what God had prescribed, thinking that God would still bless that, even though it wasn't what God had ordained as the Way back to Him. He even gave Cain the chance to change his ways and do it God's way instead of his own, but he refused, and instead killed Abel, his brother. 

The object lesson here is this: Just because we think our intentions are good, and it may be our very BEST efforts to do right unto the Lord, it will not work, nor will it be accepted by God. That is why Jesus said, "I am the Door, no one can come unto the Father, except by Me." (JOHN 10:9) He was saying, you can't go to heaven without Him, because He is the only One that God will accept in His presence. So guess what,if you receive Christ into your heart, allow Him to be your covering for sin, submit your heart and life to Him on a daily basis from now until you leave this earth, guess what God will see when you make it to Heaven? You? No, you with the Blood of Christ covering you from head to toe and not one spot uncovered. Even when you go to the book of Revelations, in the end, when we are in Heaven and Heavenly worship is taking place, they are worshipping "the Lamb," which God has many many names, but He chose to use this term, to show us and indicate the need for the shedding of the blood of an innocent lamb, which was a picture of what God would send, which was Christ. We can only come in by the Blood of the Lamb. 

I would like to take the time to explain this further, but i can see that the blog is getting lengthy, so i will continue on the next one in explaining what baptism entails for a believer, what happens in doing so, and where you go from there in your walk with Christ.

i hope this helps a little. i want people to know that even though i have been extremely blunt in explaining this, God IS a loving God. He loved us so much that even though we were totally doomed and cast out of his presence forever, because of what Adam did...He made a way for us to come back into His presence. And it wasn't that WE had to die the death that we SHOULD have, being a sinner...but Christ did it FOR us, because we never could have. We were not Perfect, nor could we have withstood what He did for us. Just know that. i hope you will join me on my next discussion about baptism, and how that plays the significant part of our salvation and accepting Christ in our lives.

God's Only Way (part 1)

On my quest to find God's will and how to do it, it seemed at first like i was taking a rabbit trail away from my desired destination, only to find that i am on the exact route that the Lord intended all along. We always think that there is going to be this complicated set of rules and instructions to lead us to do things God's way. And because we are humans, we are prone to attempt to achieve a set of rules that we are loathe to admit is unattainable for us. we don't like to hear that there is something that we can't do, because it obliterates our personal pride.

As i tried to go to sleep last night, i was unable to rest...and my husband and i listen to recordings of Sonlife Radio's "Study in the Word," program, which is where i got the idea for this blog name, although the subjects that i study are different, and my own personal studies, not replicas of what we hear on there. and as we were laying there, winding down, i heard something that stirred in my heart, so i got my pen and paper and began to write down what the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. It seems as though there will be several examples of things that i will study and share concerning What God Accepts. This study can be used to search and find what "God's will for your life is," (unlike Rick Warren's poo poo book about living a purpose driven life!***some may not like the fact that i say that so bluntly and relentlessly, but the fact is, if the Cross is left out of the equation & the author is leading you to some "steps to success," by what they are saying and they plug in a scripture every now and then to "back up" what they are saying...that doesn't mean that it is truth.) the Cross of Christ is the flux of living a Christian life Victoriously, any other way is from the pit of hell. Books like the "purpose driven life," are just a wicked attempt to put money in some guy's pocket, not to effectively help you...sorry, but that is the truth, you got it here...FOR FREE, ok?!

Allow me to begin with this question, "What is the Way to Heaven."

Some know this answer, and others...probably shrug. the truth is, we are all learning, and it will continue to be a learning process until the day we leave this earth. None of us want to hear that there is not a 10 or 12 step program that will lead us to victory, because then that means that there is no reliance upon ourselves, but rather the leading of the Holy Ghost. For some reason, i guess because of a lack of faith in the Holy One, we cringe and the thought of not knowing, or not having a set plan that we can see ourselves...in which to follow down the road that will take us to Heaven. When the truth is, God has laid it out plainly in His Word for us to see and follow.

So, i will begin with the first example of "way to Heaven," in Gen 4. The first family, now fallen from God and Perfection have reproduced. Cain is the elder, Abel the younger brother. Cain is a tiller of the ground, Abel a tender of sheep. Both are notable professions and neither respected more than the other in God's eyes. Most people think when they read this story, that God loved Abel more than Cain, and the truth is that is not so. The Word of God states that God is not a respecter of persons, so He did not favor one more than another. (Acts 10:34, Rom 2:11, Eph 6:9, Col 3:25, James 2:9, 1 Peter 1:17)...all of these scriptures tell us that God has no respect for particular people.

With that being said, than why is it that God didn't accept Cain's offering, but He did accept Abel's...if He respects no one, there has to be a reason for this, right? Let me first mention their offerings:

What Cain brought was no doubt the best of his crops. i'm sure he picked with his own hands, the very best, most beautiful and perfect of crop that he had tilled, planted, grown and groomed. So, it wasn't like he brought something ugly before the Lord, what he brought was what he had made with his own hands to give to his God. Abel's offering was the firstling of his flock. (meaning, the first born in his flock). Again, i'm sure that Abel's was the most beautiful one in the flock, and not the last one that he had, but rather, the First one. no doubt he would have had more attachment probably to this one, being with him longer than some of the other young in his flock, nevertheless, he gave it to the Lord. Neither have really differed that much at this point. But the Bible records that He had respect not Abel and his offering, and not to Cain. (again, God is not respecting the person here, but rather what the person is bringing on behalf of the person.)

Why did God show favoritism to Abel then? it was because of WHAT he had offered. If we go back to the garden of Eden, read the records of the fall of man and what the punishment was that God delivered to the Adam as a result of his sin, we'd see that God said that the ground that man would till would be cursed, (Gen 3:17), so any fruit that he would yield from would also be cursed. Why is that? well, again, let's go the Word for that answer. What did Adam & Eve use for a covering for their sin after they committed it and realized their nakedness? Leaves from the tree, also yielded from the ground, which is dirt, which dirt and dust is what man was made from. See, this offering spoke to God than just a mere "chance' that it was the wrong thing to give God. Cain knew what had happened with his parents, and knew the prescribed order to cover sin, he simply wanted to offer what he wanted to offer instead, and expected God to bless it.

What did God use to cover man's nakedness? remember, He killed an innocent animal before their eyes, shedding the blood of the animal. God was showing them, "without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin." (Heb 9:22). Abel brought the firstling and the fat, to secure this, sacrifice had to me made life had to be taken, blood had to be shed. Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice (Heb 11:4) Again, it was the sacrifice that God looked at, not the person.

When God wouldn't accept Cain's offering, he was "wroth," the bible says. and God asked him, "why is your countenance fallen?" The condition of his heart was because God refused the offering he made. But see, Cain was simply, (2 Tim 3:5), "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."

As i was studying this story, one of my favorite writers, Arthur W. Pink says "The natural man in his pride & self-righteousness hates the truths of substitution & expiation (satisfaction for a wrong or injury) worse than he hates the Devil."

God even tries to give Cain a chance to learn and do things His way. He tells Cain, "if you do well, shall you not be accepted, and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. (Gen 4:7) God also warned Cain of the consequences of not complying with His requirements. But to no avail, Cain refused to comply. God's punishment .... He cast him out of His presence and into the Land of Nod (which means the land of wandering). Being cast away, forever without God's presence is the worst sentence to ever receive. Eternal damnation, the Lake of Fire, where torture and cursings continue relentlessly. And those who become like Cain & will refuse to accept the sacrificial Blood of Jesus Christ will suffer the same doom that Cain suffers.

i have more i would like to share on this subject, and will tie it all together, but i will be splitting it up in several blogs (if needbe) so that we can effectively and restfully cover it all.

***Just a note for the wise: God has ordained a way for all people in this life, for our life eternally. In order to properly understand WHAT God wants for us in OUR lives, we must first find in His Word what HE ACCEPTS. wouldn't it be wise to see WHAT He would only receive, before we make Him an offering that could cost us everything in the life to come?***

Announcement to Those Who Follow

i have posted some changes to the blog entitled "the Cross & Self," it was a little confusing and hard to follow...i think i have made it a little easier to understand now. :D

Blessed's

i got up and did something i don't normally do. when my husband walked out the door, i wanted to go do my normal...turn on the news, see what's going on in the world, turn on my computer, check my email...blah blah blah, the usual. and the Holy Spirit spoke to me, i hit my knees and just asked the Lord to please lead me today to do what He would have me do, and not what i want. i think that there are times i ask Him this, but only after i have already begun to do my own will each day first...once i see it's going "my way, or what i would see as favorable for me," then i ask the Lord for His help. i've been wrong, He showed me that this morning.

so, in my prayer time that God so graciously allowed me to have, with sleeping baby in bed...i sought the Lord. He whispered in my ear, as i cried out to Him about my current and reoccurring horrific failures that plague my daily life..."blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness...," then i heard, "blessed are they that mourn...," and then, "blessed are the poor..."

following my prayer time, i sat down with my Expositor's bible and God confirmed what i had already believed God was showing me in my spirit. but i wanted to search it out a little more to be sure that this bible i was reading wasn't biased in some way. i found someone else that so eloquently expressed yet the same thing! i knew God was revealing something to me that was going to help me better understand what i've been going through.

i looked up the first one that i heard, "BLESSED ARE THEY THAT DO HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS..."

"Blessed"= happy. that one is simple. the word hunger means "to suffer want," thirst is the "need for refreshing," and Righteousness is defined by the Strong's concordance to be, "the condition that is acceptable unto God."

so then i go to my trusty commentators to see if what they are saying bears witness with what God has just shown me.

to "HUNGER & THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS" is explained as "an intense desire for God's Righteousness, imputed by Christ, upon faith in His Finished Work on Calvary"...translation: we have no possible way of 'doing what is right' and seek to find the moral characteristics from some place...namely, knowledge of this brings us to the place where we realize that we need Jesus for this, because He is completely Righteous, and He gave all that He is up, for us to receive what He did and become like Him, acceptable in the sight of God.

my friend, J. Gill says that those that are hunger and thirst, they seek not the riches, honours and pleasures of this world, but after righteousness. This righteousness which is only imputed (put into us) by God the Father, and is received by faith. To 'hunger and thirst' after this, supposes a want of righteousness, which IS THE CASE OF ALL MEN. This is a righteousness that is justified in the sight of God, not men.

This means that it is only when we have reached a place in our lives where we are finally able to see through our constant failures, flaws, and the issues of our hearts that continue to resurface...that we are NOT ABLE to make this mark, we WILL NEVER MAKE THIS MARK on our own. it's like seeing ourselves dressed and adorned in these shimmering white robes from head to toe, only to look into the mirror of the Word of God and see that we've always been wearing filthy rags in the sight of our God. Self-Righteousness which stems from pride is what drives us to neglect this true view of what we ACTUALLY look like to God in ourselves.

We come to Christ and receive salvation from Christ and think that God is never going to show us any of that stuff again. That is not reality, and although IN CHRIST, we are seen in God's sight as Perfect, because Christ is Perfect...we still have this sin nature within us to contend with each day. God is constantly using the Holy Spirit to reveal flaws to us that were always there...He does that in order to bring them out, so that we will admit to Him we need His help in this area, and allow Him to do this work in us. Understand that it doesn't happen overnight, it is a processsssss, sometimes a very lonnnggggg one! that is why the Word says to "let patience have her perfect work."

By the Way, i suggest that people get a KJV bible as opposed to the Non-Inspired Version (NIV) and other such translations that paraphrase and do not use a word by word translation. when you read these other versions that are not a WORD for WORD translation, you are missing out on very important meanings to help you better understand the Word of God, therefore you are short changing yourself in study efforts and only getting PART of the whole meal, but you are paying the full price. Get ALL that God has for you, even if you don't understand with the thee's and thou's, that is why i have a link for blueletter.com on here, so that if you don;t know the meaning of a word we are studying, you can look it up. :)

Ok, getting to the good stuff now. so then i looked up the scripture, "BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN."
when i thought of this scripture, i felt the personal anguish of the constant frustrations i've been feeling, and how i have hated behaving and reacting in the fashion that i have. sickened by my actions, and desperate for the answer from God, i found that to "mourn," is NOT talking about when someone mourns the death of a loved one lost or anything like that! God is talking about those that are "grieved because of personal sinfulness." for the mourning "for sin, for our own sins, for the sin of our nature, indwelling sin, which is always working in us and is continually grieving us..." for these shall the Holy Spirit bring us comfort.

And then the Lord took me to: Rom 8:1-2, 11

Where He says, "Therefore is there now no condemnation (no guilt) to they which are IN CHRIST JESUS (refers to Rom 6:3-5 & our being Baptized into His Death, which speaks of the Crucifixion---if you haven't read my teaching on Rom 6:3-5, you need to! it will open your eyes, as it has mine on what Baptism really IS & MEANS!) Who walk not after the flesh (depending on one's own personal strength, ability, or religious efforts to overcome sin), but after the Spirit (The way of the Holy Spirit works) of Life (all life comes from Christ, but through the Holy Spirit. John 16:13-14, that we may be led into ALL Truth and not just SOME truth) in Christ Jesus (Paul refers to what Christ did at the Cross, which makes this "life" possible.) He made me free (has given me the Victory) from the Law of Sin & Death (the moral law we can never obey, but was fulfilled totally in & by Christ Jesus, that abolished death and sin at the Cross of Calvary and the power of the sin nature working in our members.)

{Almost all of the former are direct quotes of the Expositors Study Bible explanations that i have used here.} 

Now the last scripture that the Lord spoke to me, but it is the first beatitude that is mentioned in the Word. 

"BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT," could be translated, "Happy are those conscious of their moral poverty," meaning, we have no moral character that stands up to God's standard, which is Perfection within ourselves. Those that realize what they are and admit it to God are happy, and free!

J. Gill says this about it: "All mankind are spiritually poor; they have nothing to eat that is fit and proper; nor any clothes to wear, but rags; nor are they able to purchase either; they have no money to buy with; they are in debt, owe ten thousand talents and have nothing to pay; in such conditions, they are unable to help themselves.

it is these that freely acknowledge their poverty and want, bewail it, & mourn over it; being humbled for it, and broken under a sense of it, entertain low and mean thoughts of themselves. seek after the true riches, both of grace & glory. they are beggars." 

in all of these lengthy comments John Gill writes, he is accurately expressing what man really is and not how he naturally views himself. hence the reason for the picture i have at the top of the blog. we are not powerful, we don't even have a big growl...and yet how we picture OURSELVES is as a roaring, powerful and threatening lion, vicious and ready to attack if given the chance. The truth is, we are nothing but a pile of dirt carrying around Gods' breath! it's not even our own breath, He gave it to us and because He gave it, it helps keep us alive in these earth suits that we call our bodies. 

i actually wanted to talk about the second part of each of those scriptures, but i felt as though the most important part for us to realize are the first parts of them. See, when we read the Word of God, we assume that we are NOT the one that is in the circumstance we read. ie: "blessed are the poor in spirit," we think that we are only poor in spirit when life isn't going our way, but let me remind you, Adam and Eve were ALWAYS naked in the garden, but it wasn't till they sinned that they were made painfully aware of such. When we read and study the Word of God, we need to assume the lowliest position possible, because it IS our TRUE position, whether we want to admit or not. Christ is the ONLY ONE that makes us ANYTHING, ever! 

of course, God will have to reveal this to all of us in His own way, it may be painful, but it's wonderfully neccessary, because when the bleeding stops, we're glad for the injury. He says that if He doesn't correct us and chasten us, that we are like bastards and not His children. i don't know about others, but i WANT to be His kid. if i have to take a few butt-beatings along the way for Him to get my heart where He wants it, so be it.

i think we are on our way to better understanding how to do the Father's Will.

Prelude to (Matt 5:3,4,6)

In my quest to find out what the Father's Will would be, in studying the Cross and Self...i will admit, i have been through some pretty sucky things lately, for a lack of better words. :) i would like to say that it's been the enemy of my soul whom goes about seeking whom he may devour, and blame the devil for my every sin that is committed, in past, present, or future...but i would be lying. The Word says that they that say they have no sin deceive themselves. (i am going to be as real and candid as i know how to be here), but what i am learning, is that when i really start asking God to help me to do HIS WILL and not my own, When i study messages and writings by my forefathers and patrons of the faith...in my own life experiences...God has been revealing some things to me that are profound, and yet simple, awesome and at the same time devistatingly horrible.

This morning, as i went for a much coveted walk with the Lord, He whispered something in my ear that almost breaks me wide open when i think about it. He said, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness, Blessed are they that mourn, Blessed are they that are poor..."

in my spirit, i already had a witness inside that said, "Amen, i know THAT is true, i am one of them right now!!! i hunger and thirst for Righteousness right now! Help me Lord, please."

Allow me to further explain:

Recently, some of the trials i have been through, if i explained them in detail, they wouldn't mean much to others, but are extremely valuable life lessons for ME! The unfortunate thing about walking with Christ, is that we can't learn the lessons we need to and become what God wants us to be while we are here, simply by reading a bible study like this, or even from studying it ourselves, alone! we have to truly allow the Holy Spirit to show us these things, and in order for Him to reveal things to us, we have to ask Him for help, request that He show us these things about ourselves that get in His way, and then understand that when the trials come, it is NOT the devil trying to rip us apart, but God that is using it to accomplish HIS WILL for our lives.

So, like i said before, when i began to go through these trials, i wanted to blame in on the devil, but the truth is...when i looked at it, it wasn't satan's fingerprints on those that i hurt and love, they were MY fingerprints that were left there. i have had no one to blame but myself. not my friends that are unloyal, or my family that has before forsaken and hated me, not my past lovers and parents that have hindered and harmed me, not even my spouse or immediate family...the one at fault is ME, My Self, it is i! And that is a hard thing for me to admit whole-heartedly!

As God has been showing me my wicked heart over the past few weeks, i have been sickened, upset, frustrated, and frustrated again, (not trying to mend it myself, although wanting to not avoid dealing with it, desiring to cover it with my own maskings and that i can usually combine to cover my sin.) but instead, this time i began allowing Him to lay me open, to reveal my innermost hatreds and failures, at the risk of harming my family and those closest to me...knowing i hurt them in the process with my reactions and struggles, but painfully enduring and allowing God to show me the things about me that i didn't want to know was there. i'm growing to loathe myself more and more everyday.

also, i want to interject this...God is NOT in the business of helping us find the "better" us, or helping us love ourselves! that is worldly pyschobabblistic crap to keep us from admitting what we really are, which are moral failures, depraved of Righteousness or any good thing that might be in the heart of man. God's intention has always been to reveal to us what we are, so we can admit it, realize He has the solution, and apply the blood that He died on Calvary to cover our sin. take a white cloth, put a stain on it...whatever you think would be the worst thing you can. prick your finger and apply the blood from your finger to that stain. trust me, the blood, if applied in proportion to the former stain, will cover and blot out that stain. it is the same with the blood of Christ. :) (Heather fun fact of the day for those that had never heard that.) LOL

so, i'm sure minds are wondering, "WHAT did she do?!!" none of your business. :) it's between me and God. it's like this, The Law of Moses commands us not to covet, but Jesus said that if you look at a woman or man and lust after them in your heart, you are guilty of committing it because you have already done so in your heart. The Holy Spirit requires much more of us than the moral law ever has, that's why following the Spirit of God is so important in doing the Will of God. just know that i am not backsliden, i am not "fallen" from the hand of the Lord, nor do i differ from anyone that may be reading this teaching. but what i AM doing, is allowing those to realize that we ALL have failures, even the Godliest of people have failures. The problem with we humans, is that we want to cover our sin like Adam and Eve, when we need to realize that God saw their nakedness (meaning, He knew that we are prone to sin), but they thought they had to take something and cover it up! the were ALWAYS naked and in need of God, they just weren't aware of it. so in fact, through my trials, the Lord has revealed some of MY nakedness to ME. The best thing that we can do is look at the Word and realize though, that even though Adam & Eve sinned and fell from Life, God took a blameless and sinless animal, he slayed it and made a covering to cover their nakedness of sin, that innocent animal was Christ!

Why do i tell you this, without getting to the Word...i'm getting to the Word, i want you to see what is really going on behind closed doors, to better teach you the Way of the Lord, rather than the ways of men, which always end in failure. i share it, because i love you and want you to know that i am real, i bleed just like you do. :)


I have a bible that ROCKS! it is called the "Expositor's Study Bible," and i suggest it to ANYONE that would like to grow in the Lord. it is a bible that has the scripture in black and in red parenthesis, is commentary on these, with explanations of the meanings of these scriptures, to help us better understand the Word, the Cross and what Christ has done for us. If you can, you need to get one, it will help your study time and your walk with Christ if properly applied, GREATLY!!!

But i went to look it up in my Expositor's and it was confirmed what i thought, but i didn't just except THAT opinion, i also looked it up with some other well known theologians and commentators as well, JUST to be SURE that this was the proper interpretation. what i found was totally AMAZING!!! But...for the essence of time and the sake of the eyes of those reading, we must continue the actual WORD STUDY for the NEXT study i post. :P haha, gotcha hooked now, it's really good, keep reading.