Are You Awake Yet?

I woke up again at 4:45am this morning and realized I had been asleep for 9 years! I was again drawn to my study and turned on my computer and looked at an entry I had made long before blogs were even heard of.... here it is...

(October 4th 1998 at 2am I awoke to the electric power off - got up to pray - HE said write by the light of the moon - as I finished the power came back on)

The New Day

“That which has been shall be no more. Do not try to go back - instead press into Me! For I am winding up the ages - the day of my terrible wrath has come full circle upon the earth. Fear not for this is the day of your destiny! I am fully able to complete that which I have called you to accomplish in My day.

This is the day the Lord has made - the key is to rejoice and be glad in it - for the day will require much strength, so, rejoice - for the joy of the Lord shall be your strength.Call upon me while I may be found - for I am ready to close out the age.

The time is at hand - do not look back. Remember Lot’s wife!No man puts his hand to the plow and looks back in My kingdom. Only overcomers can come up here.I am serious! I am telling you the truth - do not look to the right hand nor to the left - do not lean on the arm of flesh or look for a king Saul. But, look unto Me - the Author and Finisher of your faith for I am able to keep you. I am able to show Myself strong on your behalf.

I am exacting judgement - this is the day the prophets have foretold - but you are able to stand in it IF you will stare at Me and not be distracted by the noisesilime pestilence and the arrow that flies by day.This is the time to enter into your closet - into the Secret Place of the Most High. This is the intimacy I have spoken so often to you about - you are called to me and now enter into the Ark of safety and let the ‘Door’ keep you safely inside as ‘I’ close in upon you.

Keep yourself with all diligence for there is no more time for games. Listen carefully to all I speak to your heart and obey to the letter - for my word in your heart and in your mouth will not only make the path safe for you; but, it will give light to those who are following you as you follow Me.Fear not - only believe and be very courageous - for the best is yet to come! My covenant is the key. I am good for My Word - be sure you are hearing My Words and walking in that Light.

Take time to refresh yourself in the Word and in the Spirit. Talk often one to another of My Love and confidence will build among My people.Do NOT look with fear upon all that I am allowing to come upon the earth - only look to Me and all will work together for good.The day of my vengeance will burn as an oven and none can escape it.

But you need fear nothing - for lo I am with you - even to the end of the age.So look up - for your redemption is drawing near - look up and see the fulfillment of the ages and all the prophets have ever spoken - for I am NOT slack concerning my Word and those who know Me will do exploits - for they shall usher in My kingdom with Me in great power and demonstration.

Rejoice! for you have been counted worthy to escape the things that are coming upon the whole world - and your escape is into my very presence - not a running away - but a going over.Even as in the days of Noah - so shall the days of the coming of the Son of man be - I will carry you, as an ark, through the floods of judgement - you shall overcome!Go through -FEAR NOT - we will exceedingly rejoice in the day of the Lord - for I am going to wreck havoc upon the enemy of my people - death, hell and the grave are ready to swallow up the princes of darkness and I, even I, will reign through you and the rest of My obedient sons.

For the manifestation of the sons of God is ready to redeem the earth and set the captives free from the prince of darkness.So now, look unto Me, rejoice and see the arm of the Lord extend in great victory.See Me for I AM all in all and none can stay My hand.

Yesterday is gone, and today is running out. God says, "but will you love me tomorrow..." It's time to wake up!"

THINK ABOUT IT!

Seems Like We Just Met Only Yesterday!

The day we met it was love at first sight. Somehow her hair ribbon got stuck on my lapel flower. Oh well, it could have been worse. She could have stuck that stick in her hand up my nose or something.

Anyway, we started our love affair at a rather young age. She simply loved red bow ties and I was gone for flowers in her hair. It's hard to believe we've been together for 3 days now or has it been 37 years?

I can hardly believe she's almost 4 or is it 3 or is it 43? 53? - whatever? Anyway my cell phone is going off and I've got to check my email before going to bed so I'd better sign off for now. Sure hope she'll let me pull the wagon tomorrow at the park. Last time she was so upset with me for jumping in front of her on the swings that I was sure she wouldn't let me sit next to her on the big seat and drink out of my tippy cup first.

Oh I just realized the kids need to be picked up for their dentist appointment tomorrow after school and my boss is coming to dinner at seven ... or was I supposed to pick up my grand kids? Where has all the time gone?

Happy anniversary honey. It's been worth it all and more. Hey, fix that ribbon in your hair, I just hate when it gets stuck on my lapel.

THINK ABOUT IT!

Get Rid of The Guilt!

My wife was in a real estate meeting yesterday and one of the agents mentioned that he'd been in a workshop setting and the speaker asked if anyone woke up at the same time every night. He said he woke up at 4:29am EVERY day. Of course he tried to go back to sleep.

This intrigued my wife because she has been waking up at the same time too. Her agent friend then told her that the speaker at this scientific workshop said this is a great opportunity.The opportunity is that when you wake up - GET UP!

You may only get up for a short while, but as you wake up and get up take the time to read, pray, meditate or write because this is your optimum moment for your day! Your mind and spirit are at their best.

My wife and I are tuned into a spiritual leader named Chuck Pierce. Many believe he is a modern day prophet and hears from God. Chuck recently said that the acient Jewish people had WATCHMEN who took watches over the cities during the night. He went on to say that God is calling for WATCHMEN (and women) to be spiritually alert to hear what God would say to our spirit in the nightseasons.All sounded kind of wierd. That is until science and religion stood side by side and the possibility of reality hit the scene of my thinking.

So at 4:47 am this morning guess who awoke - wide awake. You got it, and as all through the house not a creature was stirring - but me - I sprung to my feet, but instead of looking for Santa, I was looking to see what might happen next.I wandered into my study and sat at my computer. I then noticed that the little green light on the printer was blinking at me.

That's not unusual because it's suppossed to do that , however, it seldom prints.The printer is new but the computer is old and has suffered at the hands of my kids and their computer software. Unfortunalty it has confussed the paths in my computers brains and most of the time the printer doesn't know what the computer is thinking and won't print.

I literally felt like God was sending me a message in my spirit or my mind - or maybe both. Anyway, MY computer (my brain) had been corupted just yesterday at an outside resturante.

There we were sitting in the warm 90 degree sun light eating toco's when a very good looking woman in a short skirt sat down right in front of us.Of course, not being blind, I noticed she had been blessed by God with very long legs. At that same moment another very attractive young lady in even a shorter skirt sat down at the table across from her. She too had legs, only more of them were visable.

Suddenly, I was sexually alerted and interested in business that was none of mine.I had allowed my heart and mind to go unguarded. What was I guarding? Well, for starters, my marriage. Next, my heart for God, and finally, my own concience.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not dead or blind and the pleasure was real - however, short lived as guilt, condemnation and confussion began to flood my computer (my mind) and my printer (my concience) was going haywire.My solution? Just call it for what it was... I had missed perfection. (some call it sin - but then sin is a bit out of date as a definition or maybe it's really a good definition considering it's a 14th century sports term for archery and missing the bullseye or missing perfection).

Meanwhile, back at my sanity, I was noticing my personal FREEDOM had vanished! I felt this uneasy, confused and guilty feeling. What was I to do since I didn't like this feeling and since I wanted to keep my relationship with my wife and with my God?

Well, the first thing I did was remember a verse or two from the Bible. 1 John chapter 1 says in about verse 7: IF we walk in the light as Jesus is in the light that we can have good relationship with people without wanting to use them, and that the blood Jesus shed at the cross for anyone who would believe it was shed for them, and they could be FREE!FREE is good.

Been there done free. However, at this moment I was not free. So I simply took the Bible as the word of God for me since the very next verses in this reading said to CONFESS my MISSING THE BULLS EYE (or sinning against PERFECTION or God) and that by simply owning up to my failure to be as perfect as God, Jesus would accept His shed blood and my faith in that transaction as my forgiveness and approval before His Father, God.

The proof is in the pudding. I messed up. I decided to own my problem and go one step further, I gave it to Jesus and accepted his shed Blood for my forgiveness with God.Result? No more oppression, depression or confusion and by the way NO MORE CONDEMNATION. I am FREE again. The good news is that He will always be there to encourage me to own my fault and then He will encourage me to give it to Him and be free again.

THINK ABOUT IT!

That's Absurd!

I read something this morning that rocked my boat. It was a promise to me personally IF I would do something that seemed literally IMPOSSIBLE! That promise was and is so BIG that I can't let it go. I find myself saying HOW? It all starts with the concept of 'staying'.

'STAYING' is such a little-BIG word...

To stay in a state of expectancy, to stay in a committed relationship, to stay in a given place for the rest of my life is absurd! at least absurd to my way of thinking. Whose idea was this to STAY anywhere, anyway - anyhow?

A long time ago a fantastic promise was made by the most powerful man who ever walked the planet. He said if I would (or if you would) stay in a state of expectancy, in a committed relationship, in a given place I could ask for ANYTHING and I would have the POWER to receive what I asked.

OK, wait a minute, a lot of people in the past said a lot of things. How much authority and right did this individual have to make such a boast? Would it help to know this person created the universe? Would it help to know this One is the Son of God? Would it help to know that not ONE WORD He ever spoke has failed?

Of course I'm talking about Elvis. NOT! Henry the 8th. NO! Pope what's his name the 23rd. NOPE ! Who cares what anyone but God himself has to say anyway. What if we could KNOW what God had to say to us, to me, to you?

Good News! Jesus Christ came to put a face on God. He came to leave words that would never pass away or go out of date. Best of all He told us where this PLACE is that we must stay to get this promise - this absurd promise!

To my mind the promise He made IS absurd. But what does absurd mean? According to Websters Dictionary it means: ridiculously unreasonable, or incongruous: having no rational or orderly relationship to human life. So when I look out of my filtered mindset I see no possibilities of making good on this promise. How can anyone STAY in a specific place FOREVER?

Once I took the filters off and laid aside my mindsets and opinions it was like the song says, "I can see clearly now". By the way, here's the PLACE Jesus offered and the promise that came with staying there. "But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!"

How do I do that? Oh, here's another version of that same absurd promise: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever you will, and it shall be done unto you." OK, but I'm still asking how?

How does anyone stay in a person.... ?

More good news: Jesus is alive and He is in the present - NOW! As a matter of fact He is God's present to me and you right now. All I need to do to stay in Him is to believe He can keep me by His words of promise and THEN cash in on that absurd (to my MIND) promise of asking and receiving ANYTHING that's according to His will. I simply must realize if I stay in Him - I'm finally out of my mind!

Little Anthony and the Imperials had a great song in the 60's called 'GOING OUT OF MY HEAD OVER YOU'. Well, that's absurd! Going out of my head for anyone or anything is absurd. But Jesus is absurd and that's why they crucified Him! He's totally illogical!

PROBLEM! He wouldn't stay dead. He's alive AGAIN because He is God! And His promise is impossible IF I'm going to pull it off by using my head. It's about the heart: the human spirit. Jesus is good for His word IF you're willing to go out of your mind and meet Him with your heart.

THINK ABOUT IT!

Fatal Attraction!

It was beautiful. It was scary. In my imagination it drew me to the edge. I almost couldn't help myself as I crawled past the guard rail to hang my head over the cliffs to see the ice crash against the rocks below. Life has so many beautiful scenes to offer - some scary - some dangerous!

Have you ever wondered why we are crazy dangerous at heart? Why do we tempt fate? It's almost like we can't help ourselves. What draws us to the edges of life? For some it's Everest, for others it's the ocean in a one man boat and for others it's some other unexplainable risk we take to feel alive.

That's it! We want to feel alive! What's the point of being alive if you're numb or asleep or worse yet bored? God is the most dangerous experience you'll ever know. We're talking God NOT religion or the study of God. The Creator is life, life pealed back to the raw nerve. No holds bared. Only the wild at heart dare venture near. Actually, it's a members only club - by invitation only!

Man for centuries has been trying to get in on his own. It's amazing to study world wide religions and the antics of frustrated men. Watching them generate their own fire and then worshipping the gods they invent. Sad, sick and sorrowful.

God, the real God - the ONLY God - has already chosen the players and the positions - it's up to us to let go and follow His lead instead of making our own way and then calling it divinity. What does that mean? It's simple. Jesus said it all in two words: FOLLOW ME!

Dare we let go of the controls and follow Him? Where's he going? He didn't hold anything back, He told us where He was going and even where He came from. He said, "I come from the Father and I am going back to the Father, but I will not leave you or forsake you - Follow Me - I'm going to prepare a place for YOU and if I go I will come again that you may be where I am".

To follow Jesus in this life is a fatal attraction! I can not go where He leads without Him. I can not be in the lead if I am to follow. I am out of control if He is leading and my life is no longer my own if I dare let Him lead. He only requires one thing in the final analysis: Let go of it all and trust Him in each moment of life.

One man put it so profoundly when he said, "the life I live is no longer my life, but the life I now live, I live by the energy force of God himself, and the faith I have is not in my faith alone, but my faith is now in the One who lives inside me."

Who lives INSIDE you besides you? I'll ask you again. Who lives in there with you? Are you alone? Alone seems safer, but it's not living - it's only existing. We were made to be a dwelling place for Deity. If I don't let Him in when I hear His voice I am forced to worship myself. How empty it soon becomes in here. How lonely. How sad to run out of time at the end of my life and know I have nowhere prepared for me to go - but to shrivel up inside of ME and die.

No wonder the thousands of martyrs through out time wouldn't recant as they burned them, stoned them, tortured them demanding they renounce this fatal attraction to this Jesus.
Fatal? Yes, He is dangerous. It costs everything to follow the dangerous One. But it's so worth it all. When you let Him come in - He stays. He takes over. He takes you places you never dreamed possible.

Boring? Not hardly. Dangerous? Sometimes. Would you ever go back to being dead in your self life once you've tasted His life coursing though your veins? NEVER!

Have you heard His voice yet? Do you dare seek HIM? He's calling, can you hear Him? Listen, I can hear it clearly now, "Come Home". We were designed to live dangerously, wildly, fulfilled as He lives out His life in and through us.

The Cross makes more sense when we realize it was a purchase. He was buying us back. Yes back! We were destined to be His from before time. Somehow we were derailed, ripped off, stolen from our OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture).

If you hear Him today, simply surrender! Real life, the one you were destined to live begins when you let your individual desires die to His ownership of you. Can you hear Him calling you home?

THINK ABOUT IT!

Who Are You Really?

Reality requires a rare flavor of humility. When I survey my past and present, I must admit that I have been carried and covered with a grace far beyond my accomplishments and abilities. Have you ever feared you would be found out to be who you know you really are? It's a shattering reality for anyone willing to look inside...but don't look too long or you may just cave into that black hole called self.

Most really don't want to be known by anyone that well!I have yet to know a real 'self made' man or woman. The few extraordinary individuals I have known were gifted, not better, merely gifted. What they ultimately did with those gifts was the real test of true character.

As my life unfolds and races to the end of the track I find a reality that is almost unbearable. I think I see a little clearer now, whereas in days gone by my vision was clouded with my own opinions and pride. Now, as my heroes are old and grey or gone I see that they were just mere men and women who honored their giftings or marketed them.

Those who recognized the Source of their greatness became humble and approachable. Those who believed their own press became difficult to live with after a while. The selfless became the true champions while the self-absorbed became abominable.

What are our gifts really for and why do we possess them? Are we supposed to possess them or give them away? It seems the real gifts are for giving not keeping. The real joys of life are always in the giving more than the receiving. We aren't taking anything with us when we leave, why not see how much we can give away before our time runs out?

Bill Gates seems to have found a joy money can't buy: Giving it away! He has done so well that Warren Buffet has entrusted Gates to steward his fortunes and give them away on his behalf. Could we all be racing to the top of a mountain that really doesn't exist?

Is true happiness really capsulized in the immortal words of Jesus Christ when He said, "Who ever will save His life, will loose it - but whoever looses His life for My sake will save his life."What if Gates and Buffet have discovered the secret of real life? What if Jesus told us the truth when He said, "Whoever helps the least of these my brothers and sisters, does it unto Me".

Could 2 of the richest men on earth be showing us how to move fortunes from this life to the next? Is this what true humility is about? Is giving ourself away the reality we're searching for?We won't ever know their true motives, but Jesus did say we would know a tree by it's fruit.

No one is going to earn ANYTHING from the God of heaven and earth, but I'm convinced He will honor those who honor Him by obeying His Word. What and WHO are you saving your life for these days, these short, fast moving days?

THINK ABOUT IT!

Go West Young Man - Hey, Are You Really Going Now?

"Twenty four hours from Tulsa", so the song went. Fact is, it's been more than 24 little hours since I got into town. Actually, it's been 24 quick years. Showed up with $100 in my pocket and a wife and 4 kids back in Michigan.

That was a long time ago but...That 24 years seems like 24 hours ago. That $100 held me over for a few weeks since I was sleeping on the floor of a complete stranger's apartment. I met him, a fellow book salesman, actually he was my competition. Seems he had some compassion on a fellow book peddler forced into a company transfer Christmas week.

Didn't plan to stay but a few weeks, at least until the Christmas season had passed and the New Year got started. It's hard to find a job day after Christmas, and that's when they said I had to be in California for training if I wanted to stay with the Company.With a new born, 3 little girls, a wife and a mortgage - well, I didn't have a whole lot of options at the time.

So there I was sending my paychecks home and looking for daily miracles. I probably prayed more during that 6 months than I did the whole 2 years I was in and out of Viet Nam. Miracles? I could write a book on miracles!That was 24 years ago - last year we paid off our California home - this year the baby boy moved out to set up housekeeping with his new bride. It's all moving so fast - last week one of my closest friends dropped dead with a heart attack.

Guess I had better savor the moments because it's time to focus on what is REAL. So what is real?The only thing I can figure out to be real are the relationships with my kids and my wife and a handful of special friends. Those special moments in life are when I can stop and realize that they are the true REALITY of my life. They are my fortune, my inheritance, my blessing from God Himself.

Mistakes? Oh I've made a few - but this isn't the time to carry those around - no! it's time to be grateful, to be thankful for life and that I'm still breathing air without the help of a little green bottle and a tube.It's great to be alive!

THINK ABOUT IT!