Listening Faithfully - A periodical inspired reflection based on the words and promises of God.

Reflection 1: Deception

^{45 “}A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” ~ Luke 6:45

There is a sin greater than all the others which is not talked about and it is directly related to pride. It is the Sin of Giving False Hope. This sin is rooted in lies and malicious misrepresentations of promises unfulfilled. It is a direct assault on hope as it makes the target think something they want is going to happen when there is no real intention for it to ever happen, no serious attempt at making it a reality. Misleading through destructive lies and distortion of what is real. This weapon of Satan crumples the heart, restricts proper thought patterns, and destroys faith in everything including God. It is a vicious sin, one administered through a prideful heart. The giving of false hope is disingenuous, and places unrealistic insurmountable obstacles in the way of the target in order to wear them down and make them tired so they will give up. Here is what Jesus said about this chief among sins,

“Obstacles to faith are sure to arise, but beware to the one who creates them. It would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around the neck than for that person to mislead one of my followers.” ~ Lost Gospel Q, Q76

It has been my experience that when you lie or practice deception you deny a fundamental right to all those who are affected by it. This fundamental right was preprogrammed into our genome from the very beginning and has given rise to how we perceive the truth and why we hold the values and morals we do as a society and as individual people. This right I speak of, that which God freely gave to us, and which we destroy with each lie and deception is the right to justice. Every society in the world that has ever been no matter how great or trivial they where in history all had a system of dealing with justice. For it was justice the people wanted when they revolted against Rome, it was justice the people of Rome wanted in over throwing the tyrant called Caesar Nero on June 9, 68 AD. It was justice the people of Britannia wanted through self government which sparked the construction of Hadrian’s Wall by the Romans in 122 AD to deny freedom. The building of obstacles to destroy hope for justice has been an old and relentless practice for a very long time. In fact the idea of justice is what made the Jewish leaders known as the Sanhedrin seek out and create a case to execute Jesus Christ. In our modern world we dispense justice through a court who is headed by a judge who declares after hearing both sides his opinion and makes orders accordingly. But what if the judge gets it wrong? What if the judge was manipulated and deceived by a very skillful lawyer? Deception in all forms is a lie, and God does not tolerate liars.

¹⁶“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” ~ Exodus 20:16

The Lord our God is truth, every word he utters is pure. It is in his heart and upon his words. Truth and justice is the very essence of God, and yet our justice system that once was founded upon the principals of the commandments of God has now turned their face from God in a prideful tirade as like a small child who thinks themselves more powerful, smarter, and better than their own parents. It is the word justice we have defiled in our own repression and destruction of the American family through mounting a brilliant defense and creating obstacles to block one parent from another and this contest does nothing more than mask the truth and deceives and defrauds our ability to raise our own children in the ammunition of the Lord. Our courts like all other courts in history hold a subset of specific belief patterns that can be discovered by careful examination of each ruling and through this research has the truth about deception been discovered. The truth begins with the idea that all courts claim jurisdiction over the land of which they rule. The rules they create are in fact obstacles to your freedoms, and thus when you go to court you are giving your freedoms away, you are submitting to a justice system which must find guilt and which will find guilt whether or not you are guilty and this is done through deception as the lawyers argue their case they present and shade the truth. Though honor bound to tell the truth, none do. In this practice the ninth commandment is constantly destroyed in our justice system. This in turn causes mental and sometimes physical harm to the one being prosecuted, just like a warrior who has come home form battle.

¹⁵“You shall not steal.” ~ Exodus 20:15

Through the destruction of the ninth commandment the eight commandment is also destroyed, because justice is stolen through deception. It was through this deception Christ was sacrificed, it was through this deception every martyr has meet their end, and it has been through this kind of deception parents are denied their rights given to them by God to parent their own children. In all of these examples there is the greatest of sins which springs from a prideful heart, and that sin is the sin of giving false hope. King David pin pointed from where this sin is rooted when he wrote,

^{3 “}With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause.” ~ Psalm 109:3

It is through a prideful heart filled with hatred which makes deception possible. Because of this hatred the heart spews violence against others, the words spoken into the reality of the moment is what the heart most desires. Ironically the idea of justice was supposed to protect us from these kinds of deceptions, but as Satan is all to aware that when we fill our hearts with hate we stop caring about justice, we stop caring and right and wrong, we stop caring about the affect our actions have on others, we forget about love and thus we ignore and turn from God in rebellion and we cut corners and act in a selfish manner to get what we want. Under this we defraud our entire system of justice, we destroy our entire moral code, we over write the very fabric which God himself wrote into our genome.

¹²“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” ~ Exodus 20:12

The word, “honor” was written into stone by the very hand of God. It was a word which upholds justice and defeats deception. It holds to a very powerful set of rules which can not be discarded or ignored by anyone or things and if you are bound under a system of honor and believe in the code then justice will prevail. Again God knew this when he wrote it into the rock before Moses. God knew that if we honor our father and mother we will honor ourselves and in turn will honor others. The drive to deceive will be held in check as the consequences would be swift and final making the risks to great to practice deception. This truth is the original plan, the one Satan thwarted with the introduction to sin. His prideful heart grew cold as hatred seeped in and deceived him into thinking he could be greater than God. Satan dishonored our father through greedy blind ambition, and it is this which our children are taught to testify in court against one of their parents. They are taught it is ok to spread false testimony about one of their parents. This practice is one that is allowed and ignores the fundamental fact that children are easily manipulated and are easily deceived into believing what is happening is the truth when in fact it is a deception of the highest order. It is this which Satan places the obstacle and which we fall to deception, and which we turn our back on justice. It is through this avenue courts have defiled our God given rights and will not turn back to God, for as far as our society has fallen only the truth can allow honor back in and restore justice, for as stated above:

45 ” :an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” ~ Luke 6:45

Guiding Post to the Truth

Question: How can you tell the difference between a lie and the truth?

Answer: Because when people lie what they say makes no since, it defies logic. Their lie is weaved with hints of the truth only twisted in order to give it plausibility. It always leaves lingering questions. A lie can never be told the same way twice as the facts it sites are rooted in swampy mud and is alway shifting and changing. In contrast the truth is straightforward needing no support, it is impossible to trip up because the facts are rooted in the hardest rock and is unmovable. It is not afraid to stand in the mist of many liars and thieves and shine the light of its truth for it is blessed by God. The truth is consistent in every aspect, it builds upon only the truth and cannot be suppressed. The truth transforms a person from inside out and lights a furnace within the heart so hot water evaporates before it can ever hits the flames. The truth consumes lies with a righteous vengeance as it is molded from time it’s self and will be the same today as it will be tomorrow and every day after till the end of time.

“There is nothing covered up now that will not be exposed. Nothing is secret that will not be revealed. Every secret you’ve kept will become known. What you have whispered in hidden places will be shouted from the housetops.” ~ Lost Gospel Q, Q 45

Amen

If you have been moved by this post I urge you to write me back and let me know, and secondly I ask you come back and become a follower of Listening Faithfully spreading the word to everyone you know. May God Bless you and keep you all the days of your life, in His name I we pray each and every day for his mercy and love. Amen

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Special Post: This is For You!

“Treat people as you would like them to treat you.” ~ Lost Gospel Q, Q16

I have for 45 years of my life been in many places and have had the pleasure to meet so many wonderful people from around the world. I have friends who I know this very minute who live on almost every content on this earth. I profess this to you because none of these people I know would have continued to know me if we did not treat each other with kindness, love, respect, humility, and even in some instances like brothers and sisters. Some of them I have never meet in person, and still others I have shaken their hand, looked into their eyes, watched their smile grow from our encounters. When they have asked I have been there for them, some I have helped to build a brick house where there was nothing but a pile of sticks, others I have listened to their cries as they had fallen into dark times on a personal note, I have watched one of my sisters get married, and another have her first child, all of these people are from other countries from around the world. I have been there for all of them in any manner I could, but mostly what has linked us together is this blog, Listening Faithfully. For four years I have been writing steadily building a following of awesome readers, many of you have made the most astounding comments, some have brought tears to my eyes. I read as many comments and emails as I possibly can but I am only one person, with one set of eyes and limited time which I give willingly to all of you. With all this said I truly believe that you are all here because of this one simple connection as stated by our Lord, Jesus Christ, it is in how we treat each other, and that is what everyone here has proven true to me.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you do good only to those who do good to you, what merit is there in that? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive what reward is there in that? Even sinners lend to sinners.” ~ Lost Gospel Q, continued: Q16

There have been times when people here in Los Angeles, mostly homeless who will stand outside in the rain, cold, and heat in the fast food line at versus restaurants and will ask me for money. To them I am rich, but yet I am poor, but I always give to them what is in my pockets, mostly change and a few bills. I give because there is a true need, a true calling which God has placed in my heart. I identify with them as our economy has sank and money is almost worthless. I know how hard it is to make ends meet, and I know personally how destructive it is when others impose their will and steal money from you that was not owed to them. I know the feelings of those parents who are legally being kept from their children because our courts are ignorant and make foolish orders that just exacerbates the situation further rather than to give meaningful rulings. I hear the cries of our children who want to have a two parent home but are forced to live in a world dominated by singular thinking and endure the abuse of not being part of both their parents lives and families, (I know my daughter wants to know me because we had an awesome relationship before all the pain of all the court cases of 2009 was brought against me). It is the robbery of time I especially am so frustrated with, for it takes a special kind of person to take something from someone else that which they could never give back no matter how much they may have wanted too, thus is the theft of time. In short order I have laid out for you my personal plight and I ask for your support. “Please Help Brian” is a campaign to help me to afford the fight for my daughter who is being alienated from me. I debated with myself on whether or not to come forward and to admit that I am victim of Parental Alimentation, because I did not want you all to think of me as a person who is just posting for monetary rewards, because that is not it. I think the last four years is evident of this as I have keep every posting free of charge to you. I want to empress upon you that my need here is real, and I invite you all to check it out on a special website I have put together. On it you will see a timeline of events leading up to my request. I also invite everyone to learn more about Parental Alienation by clicking here. You can find this time line by clicking the “Please Help Brian Link”.

“Instead, love your enemies and do good, expecting nothing in return. You will have a great reward, and you will be children of your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on the bad and the good. He sends rain to fall on both the just and the unjust.” ~ Lost Gospel Q, continued Q16.

On another note: I want to celebrate those of you who have visited and left messages, so I listed below the countries and the amount of visitors form each country just in this past year that marks how blessed I am to have all of you. Please Click HERE

I want to celebrate my readers from the United States: 1,405

I want to celebrate my readers from the Phillipians: 301

I want to celebrate my readers from Canada: 74

I want to celebrate my readers from the United Kingdom: 62

I want to celebrate my readers from India: 59

I want to celebrate my readers from Australia: 51

I want to celebrate my readers from Germany: 47

I want to celebrate my readers from Hong Kong: 15

I want to celebrate my readers from New Zealand: 14

I want to celebrate my readers from South Africa: 13

I want to celebrate my readers from Puerto Rico: 13

I want to celebrate my readers from the Netherlands: 12

I want to celebrate my readers from Mexico: 12

I want to celebrate my readers from France: 10

I want to celebrate my readers from Egypt: 10

I want to celebrate my readers from Singapore: 9

I want to celebrate my readers from the Republic of Korea: 8

I want to celebrate my readers from Indonesia: 8

I want to celebrate my readers from Hungary: 7

I want to celebrate my readers from Pakistan: 7

I want to celebrate my readers from the Russian Federation: 6

I want to celebrate my readers from Brazil: 6

I want to celebrate my readers from the United Arab Emirates: 5

I want to celebrate my readers from Ghana: 5

I want to celebrate my readers from Colombia: 5

I want to celebrate my readers from Nigeria: 5

I want to celebrate my readers from Kenya: 5

I want to celebrate my readers from Saudi Arabia: 5

I want to celebrate my readers from Lebanon: 5

I want to celebrate my readers from Malaysia: 5

I want to celebrate my readers from Thailand: 4

I want to celebrate my readers from Greece: 4

I want to celebrate my readers from Romania: 3

I want to celebrate my readers from Iceland: 3

I want to celebrate my readers from Bolivia: 3

I want to celebrate my readers from Armenia: 3 (A special Thanks to Mike my mechanic)

I want to celebrate my readers from Uganda: 3

I want to celebrate my readers from Taiwan: 3

I want to celebrate my readers from Italy: 3

I want to celebrate my readers from Ireland: 3

I want to celebrate my readers from the following nations of: Poland, Dominican Republic, Portugal, Netherlands Antilles, Finland, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, Malta, Viet Nam, Slovenia, Georgia, Switzerland, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Sir Lanka, Spain, Czech Republic, and Libya: 2 visits each, I celebrate you all.

I want to celebrate my readers from the following nations of: Saint Lucia, Morocco, Fiji, Ecuador, Argentina, Albania, Ukraine, Jersey, Venezuela, Norway, Grenada, El Salvador, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Austria, Jamaica, Peru, Northern Mariana Island, Kuwait, Panama, Bahamas: 1 visits each, I celebrate you all.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” ~ Colossians 2:6-7

I also want to celebrate my friends here in the United States who when I needed help they have come through, when I needed food they feed me, when I needed love and understanding they too where there, and when I needed the small things like a car battery they bought it for me. In this they have been true miracles of God and have exercised their love in the spirit of Jesus Christ. But unfortunately within the sad situations of our Family Courts and the greed infested legal and mental health system here in Los Angeles, and I have been told by thousands of others which their courts too are just as corrupt I am one step away from being homeless, from being without the standard of living and justice I fought for while in the United States Navy, and for all people around the world. So I ask you all to reach out and stop this from happening and show the real power of God by Helping Brian Campaign defeat Parental Alienation.

I THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE AND KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING: Email Me: listeningfaithfullyblog@gmail.com, Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Listeninfaith, and please stop by to Listening Faithfully Community: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Listening-Faithfully-Community/397018903686542

Have a wonderful Sunday and God Bless,

Amen

If you have been moved by this message please feel free to leave a message or “Like: this posting. May the Lord be with you always and forever.

Listening Faithfully E-Book Launch

Or purchase it on Amazon Click the Link Now! Listening Faithfully: Sin Series.

Special Reflection: Thanksgiving 2012

^{10 “}He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to his own,and his own people did not receive him. ¹²But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³whowere born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” ~ John 1:10-13

The Lord thy God has done some miraculous things but the one singular accomplishment was the creation of the world through the light of Jesus Christ. In many ways we can correlate our American Holiday of Thanksgiving and other nations Thanksgiving celebrations within the creation story itself. The link between scripture and literal history falls upon each pilgrim and the reasons they chose to make this long hard arduous journey. The beliefs which they carried within their hearts with much faith and determination as they crossed the Atlantic fighting disease, risking starvation all with the hope of a new beginning. Jesus was in the world with those first sailors from Europe just as he was with the Jews. Like those Jew in Jesus’s day who meet our Lord face-to-face and who did not believe or accepted Him, so too not all the people aboard those first few ships believed in Christ but rather prized a possible reward for their troubles through the efforts of man, not of God. But so to was it in Jesus’s day many accepted Him, believed in the light of Jesus Christ, and it was also these people, the first true christians aboard the most weather beaten hulks of lumber who made it far enough to see land once more who too also believed not of the blood, or of the flesh, or of man, but rather of the perfect will of God. Through their great strife and sacrifice in their many hardships we look back at these two separate ages and can the see the hand of God molding our hearts and as he builds great nations of believers and from a few chose children of God. Much like all the apostles Jesus through the Holy Spirit made all things new, accomplishing His glorious task over and over throughout history always through much pain and heartache, towel and trouble. Jesus succeed in creating the world a new, He succeed in planting the seeds of love, compassion, and forgiveness. It is in that spirit do we find the pilgrims the american indians, the grand banquet of celebration and unity for the benefit of all.

“Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who treat you badly.” ~ Lost Gospel Q , Q14.

The miracle of Thanksgiving is not found in all the food, and the cake, not the fact the pilgrims embraced the indians or the indians embraced the pilgrims, but in the heart of each man and women who put aside all the hardship each group put the other through prior to the sitting down to celebrate. It was the willingness to love each other enough to allow the others survival through the basic principal Jesus uttered two thousand years before ; “LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.” Without this one common thread running through history it is easy to see there most certainly, most likely would not be this great body of people who can claim their heritage to the body of God. We see there most likely would not have been the many great nations on this earth, there most likely would not have been America, Canada, and all the newest nations to join in on the ongoing banquet of Thanksgiving. How different would our world would have been if everyone of the pilgrims had a hardened heart? What kind of slaughter would have occurred had the indians not wanted peace and if they had not taken pity upon the few remain christians. It was but from a hand full of settlers that through this love and forgiveness and willingness to accept others into their heart and obeying the words of our savior, “DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU.”, many of us would not be here, our nation might not have survived. We celebrate each kernel of corn planted upon sandy beaches, each pig and deer hunted and killed, we celebrate each berry plucked from the vine, to each fowl plucked clean and cooked for this momentous occasion. For within each one of these things sacrificed and grown then shared was the words of Christ also upheld, “BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE YOU.” From these small miracles can we extrapolate the message of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, it was among a handful of believers who where able to come together and dismiss the look, smell, lifestyle, dislike, distrust, and fear, and before taking a bit did they all make this joyous bounty that had been laid-out before sanctified in the Holy Spirit and in name of God where they then allowed to unit in prayer and celebration as they again obeyed Christ Jesus by the very act of prayer, “PRAY FOR THOSE WHO TRAT YOU BADLY.”

“Give, and there will be gifts for you. A full measure of grain, pressed down, shaken, together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.” ~Lost Gospel Q , Q18.

In the days of Jesus many people saw Him, witnessed His many sermons and could testify to His miracles, but none of them could contemplate the foundations which He had laid. Thanksgiving can thus find roots in our Lord Jesus Christ just as the foundations of the world is rooted in His love for all mankind. Our God has not been petty with us, He has not withheld anything. But we in our sin and transgressions have at times been petty with God, with each other, and with ourselves. The foundations of the teachings of our God can be best summed up with His commandment to give freely with one-another, hold nothing back, as the rewards awaiting you are measured out with the rod you used upon others, and with God. The miracle of the Last Supper, was in the actions of jesus as he held nothing back, much like the supper upon that first Thanksgiving where the indians and pilgrims brought equal food and drink to share freely with their fellow man. The astounding thing has to be that the indians would be facing a people that would not always meet them on such terms, and in some regard they knew this and still took pity and was in many ways greater christians for having done so, acting as christian in the words of our Lord even though the word, “Christian” was not yet within their vocabulary. In many ways the natives measure of grain in heaven is larger than ours today because of their mercy, forgiveness, act of love, and ability to bless their enemies with life.

^{14 “}And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵(John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷Forthe law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” ~ John 1:14-18

Thanksgiving in many respects is a day the world celebrates as Jesus came into this world, shined His light upon us all so that we could come from the darkness of sin. The Lord God in heaven also made it possible for the many wars to come to a pause in order to observe Holy days of obligation and in our present times this day of Thanksgiving holds a truth among it that carries greatness in our ability to keep it for over two hundred years. It the testimony of this nation, of all nations who put aside their grievances with their fellow man and hold hands in the presences and might our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Amen

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving 2012 and may the Lord lift your spirit whether you are with your family or are celebrating alone. May you all go in peace in the word and promises of our Lord.

Special Posting: Veterans Day 2012 (Thank You For Protecting Us)

“5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” ~ Galatians 5:1

Service

On this day I stand before the world and I proclaim that God is our master and He alone set us free, but it is through our will and His love that we remain free and that we never fall back into slavery. As a veteran myself I heard the most power call to serve my nation, to lay down my worries, my wants, and my desires and to stand in the face of evil with my fellow brothers and sisters of this nation and protect our sacred right of liberty and freedom which our founding fathers carved out for all of us. I do not think it a joke or something frivolous in which our elected officials use our collective might for their own political gain, but rather for the honor bound promise God has entrusted with this nation to protect freedom, to give every person no matter from where they come the right to live in peace and be free of the horrible yoke of slavery. It was these sets of principals I joined the United States Navy in 1991 and it was the most rewarding experience and one I held as the highest of honors to serve this great nation. So on this veterans day I solute all of our men and woman who are currently serving our nation, putting their lives in harms way day and night, every day of their enlistment. I solute those members of our armed services who serve here in the states in both the reserves and in the Army NATIONAL GAURD who without your support our troops could not have done what they have accomplished thus far in all the conflicts around the world. In reflection the United States is the most powerful country on Earth, we have the largest force ever assembled in history and it is by the shire service our brothers and sisters who voluntarily serve which makes this nation the greatest of any nation ever in the history of the world. Our nation was founded upon Christian values, God is on our currency, Christ is in our blood, and it is this which makes our armed services unique because we fight for the singular purpose backed by these words from our Constitution;

“We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” ~ Preamble of the United States Constitution, September 15, 1787.

Duty

^“17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:17

No one can convince me that America is not worth fighting for, no one can turn my convictions from my land, from my love. I know God is with me, I know He is in the land that which I dwell, because there is written the proof of His Almighty love, power, and might. I have His sworn oath of duty in my hands, in my heart, and in my life. Because there is this promise in my country I know God is here in the United States of America and in all other nations which prize freedom above all other things. Freedom is upon my lips, freedom is the word that comes forth like a sword of vengeance against all who wish to oppress others, for I have seen God in our Armed Forces, and in our military might. Every citizen has the duty to uphold God and this promise, we all share in the burden to defend our liberty. No one be them male or female has the right to take from the land without swearing and oath to protect that same land which he or she took from. I say to you live in this way, with these promises and your life will be blessed with abundance. Serve with this duty in your heart and this becomes your shield when the fight becomes ugly. Our services members serve with such honor and I solute all those who have fallen in the duty of this great nation.

Responsibility

^“13You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” ~ Galatians 5:13

On this day remember your brethren who has gone before you who also served, who also was called to freedom and to be free. Remember the oath you

took and serve with responsibility to never take advantage of others who are defenseless and weak. This is the directive every service member serves, and is also what makes our nation so great. We never fail to leave our brethren’s behind, we never fail to answer the call of our allies in need, and we never fail to remember our loved ones and the reason why we serve with such ammunition and vigor. Though our services members serve far from home, it is their humility which raises them up from the plateau of greed, sin, violence, and merciless plunder, and allows our nation to free people from around the world who have called upon our might which is blessed by God.

On this veterans day 2012 I want all veterans to celebrate your service, your sacrifice, your will to lead, and your dedication to our great nation and to all people whom we protect from tyranny. May God bless you, your families, and continue to bless the United States of America.

Amen

Reflection 7: Unexpected Miracles

^“22Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ²⁶Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?'” ~ Luke 12:22-26

Jesus Christ told His disciples not to worry, but instead trust in God for all their needs. This message in reflection is a simple idea, but is so hard to do daily. The people of that age had nothing in comparison to what we have in our modern day lives and yet they found it hard to have such trust in God as we suffer the same difficulties today. God blesses us with so much wealth and good things in our lives and yet few of us really thank Him for it. I have written on this blog in the past of the difficulties of our lives and the temptations which we face with every waking breath. I have given example after example of the hardship of following this simple directive from Jesus. So in this post I want to begin sharing examples in my own life of the smallest of blessings God grants daily which prove God loves us and provides for us in the most unexpected ways.

The Oak Tree

I loved going to grandma’s house as a boy. My grandma would always have cookies ready for my two sisters and I piping hot right out of the stove when we got there. The house always smelled of joy and of happiness which filled the heart with love as soon as you walked through the front door. Grandma was so loving and kind, she always had a smile on her face, she always had something witty to say and she was filled with such energy it made it hard to leave her when it was time to go home. In short no one held a candle to my grandma, and in truth I miss her greatly every single day of my life since her passing. But on this day she told me that to get a cookie I would have to help clean the back yard. There was some tree limbs which had fallen that she wanted me to move to the brush pile so grandpa could burn them. So I did what she had asked me, but once I had finished I saw a twig laying on the ground. It was a long twig, one reminiscent of the twigs I would get swatted with by my dad on those long outings on the road when my sisters and I would fight in the back seat and cause a terrible commotion and had truly deserved the swats. At-any-rate I heard this voice in my head that told me to pick it up and skin it, play with it then it will grow. So I did exactly that, I skinned it, played with it all day, beat it against the tree drunk, concrete stairs, I even chased the poor dog around the back yard a bit with it, (never hitting the dog), and then I was told to place the twig into the flower bed my grandma had just off the back porch. Again I complied and thought nothing of it at the time, then I went in and claimed my cookies for a job well done. When it was time to go home I told grandma to water the twig. In retrospect it looked very lonely amongst the beautiful flowers of the flowerbed, and in truth I didn’t think my grandma would comply with my request. But then seven days later my grandma called the house excited. She had asked my mother to bring me to her house because she had something to show me. So my mother and father packed all of us kids in the car and we drove to grandma’s house. The car ride was filled with thoughts about why grandma had wanted us to visit as excitement began to claim a hold over everyone as grandma had been quite vague about her request. When the car stopped in the driveway of grandma’s house I burst from the car and ran all the way into her house. Grandma smiled with excitement and said to me, “Come Brian! Come and see your twig!” She took me by the hand and off we went at quite a pace to the back door with the rest of the family in tow. We cleared the back door with anticipation building with each pound of my heart until we got to the flowerbed. I did not know what I would find, but there amongst the beautiful flowers was there the twig with one little branch that had grown from a top of it and at the end of the tiny branch was the smallest little leaf I think I have ever seen. Grandma smiled and said, “Today is green thumb day at the Stark house!” I looked at grandma in amazement and just stood there, in shock. Then I remembered I had done exactly as I had been told to do by that little voice in my head. So I looked at grandma not wanting her to be saddened by my revelation, but I had to tell the truth. So I sheepishly looked up at her and said, “Grandma I don’t want you to be mad at me but God told me to do the things I did to this twig, so its not me who has the green thumb.” She smiled and said, “Well you listened and thats all I need to know. Tomorrow I am going to need your help planting more flowers in the other flowerbeds around the yard. Do you think you can help me with that?” I smiled and said, “Yes grandma, I can help.” I got to spend that night, and I fell asleep seeing the hand of God in action, taking care of the smallest most insignificant life in our world. God loves everything and upon that day I was convinced in God and in His power. The twig grew and grew until it was to large for the flowerbed. It became so large my dad dug it up and then replanted it in the front yard of our house in Oak Grove, Missouri. To my knowledge it became the largest tree in the neighborhood and is still there to this day.

²⁷“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ²⁹And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” ~Luke 12:27-31

The Sparrow

When I was thirteen I had a BB gun and I would go to grandmas farm and shoot at the sparrows. One day I hit one by accident and then I heard a voice in my head that told me to take the bird and slap the ground next to it and call it back to me. So out of horror of what I had done, I took its lifeless body to the concrete patio behind the house and laid it down carefully. I looked up at the sky and cried out to God, begging Him to restore it to life. I then beat the ground next to the dead sparrow three times and it began to flutter with life. I placed my hand upon it and could feel its tiny heart beating. I then removed the BB from its throat and suddenly it sprang up from the patio and took flight. I ran after it in disbelief but also in relief as I saw it land in the tree by the front drive way. It chirped at me from its vantage point then took flight again to where I do not know. It was in that moment I believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in all the miracles he had performed while here on Earth. If God cared enough to give life to a sparrow then He loves me even more to give me ever lasting life in heaven with Him.

^“8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ^{9 ‘}Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’ ¹⁰Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. ¹²When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” ~ John 6:8-13

No Food To Eat

Thanksgiving 2007 I was standing in the line at the supermarket with my daughter licking her chops at the selection of food we were getting ready to purchase for our Thanksgiving dinner. One big turkey, ham, potatoes, salad, raisin bread, and a pumpkin pie. This is what my daughter did not know about the food we where buying; I had run out of money several days before paying bills, and had nothing left over for the special dinner upon her visitation that day. I didn’t want to burden her or her mother by telling them I had no money for the dinner. I sat in my house pining away thinking of ways I could get something nice or make something non-traditional when I looked in the paper. I saw a coupon for a free Thanksgiving meal and in disbelief I cut it out. I called the store which was offering the coupon and asked if this was true, was it really free. The lady on the other end of the phone laughed at my disbelief and said yes; she also told me that I would need to bring in the coupon with a photo id. I remember asking why this dinner was being offered, and the lady said because it is our way of giving back to the community on such a wonderful holiday as Thanksgiving. Kiddingly I asked her if they where going to do it again for Christmas and with that I was politely told not to push my luck. So that day with no food to eat I picked my daughter up and we went to the store. We collected all the things the coupon covered and made our way to the register. Truth be told my heart was in my mouth and I prayed all the way to the line as I did not want to be embarrassed in front of my daughter on Thanksgiving. But much to my delight the register totaled zero after the coupon was scanned. My daughter thought it was funny they asked for an id, but I told her they always do, thats when she was young and impressionable. Upon getting home we took the turkey and it needed to be cleaned, something I had never done, and so I called my mom who gave me blow by blow instructions of how to do it. So instead of me putting my hand up the rear-end of the turkey I had my daughter do it, and to this day she never has forgiven me for having her to do that but her facial expression was funny. Together we cooked the turkey and ate like Kings and before we took a bight we thanked God for His kindness. In my silent prayer I thanked God for showing me the coupon, for feeding me and my daughter when we had no foods to eat.

^“33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” ~ Matthew 6:33

In these examples God’s love and grace was handed down to me in the simplest most unexpected ways. He knows my needs and I open completely up to Him. God has never let me down, He has always made it possible for me to survive, and in those moments that are out side my control I give it to Him. I give the Lord the praise He is due, I give Him credit for the miracles in my life, and without God I personally would be lost. I feel these things represent every man, women, and child if only we look at the small, unexpected miracles in our life. God grants to us so much we take for granted, He supplies every fascist of every need we have in our life, and He alone takes care of every detail no matter how big or small. But it is my personal belief he loves doing the unexpected things like giving renewed life to a dead twig, breathing life into an injured sparrow, and in feeding His sons and daughters in their hour of need. God can be found in everything, in all areas of our life, and He makes the excuse to work a miracle to prove His love for you each and every day of your life if only you take time to look for His mark on your heart.

Amen,

I truly want to hear form all of you who read Listening Faithfully with all your stories of all the wonderful miracles God has done for you. I also want to extend a warm Thanksgiving wish and pray that you are spending this special day with all those whom you love.

Reflection 6: Ultimate Expectation of God

^{1 “}You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. ²I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. ³Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” ~ Psalm 63:1-3

The ultimate expectation of God posses a unique problem for mankind in that it calls for complete intimacy with God. The word “intimacy” is the catch phrase which holds a sacred meaning to God which we as mortal beings have misunderstood, and have placed an entirely different meaning too. In some instances it is best to go back to a more elementary view and rebuild form their. So in the spirit of this idea the basic definition as it is defined by Dictionary.com which refers to the word “intimacy” as: ” 2. a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group.” Found online at Dictionary.com Within this definition we find that as people we can have intimate relationships with many other people over the course of our life. In this context “intimacy” is something more than just a sexual relationship, which is what our modern society has redefined this word as meaning, i.e.“Lust, Sex, and Perversion which leads to and binds us in sin.” Our children are confused when they see two people becoming intimate outside of this more shallow and crude meaning of the word, and they do not understand that as human beings we can develop deep emotional feelings and bonds with our friends and relatives without the element of sex being involved. This completely frustrates not just our own sensibilities and tricks us into thinking we should develop a sexual relationship with everyone who we have these deep feelings for, but also frustrates our relationship with God. As seen in Psalms 63:1-3 King David was not seeking a sexual relationship with God but rather a more and complete; deeper understanding of God the Father. David was thrusting for the love of God, for His divine embrace, a spiritual connection with God, not a physical one. Therefore, within our relationships with other people it is not shameful to love a friend, feel a deep intimacy for them because in reality what you are expressing is a deep inner connection and understanding of them and they in you. This is exactly the relationship God is seeking to have with you as well. Moreover, in most biblical writing the word “intimacy” is used often and in most places it is not describing a sexual relationship. Consequently, it is in this context, one outside of sexual bonds we will explore the word “intimacy” and thus find its true meaning and should not be confused with a relationship of the flesh, one that excites human senses of touch and smell, (which are only on the surface), lighting the lustful desires within, but rather a relationship which ignites the heart and soul, (which can only be felt from within), and creates the passions and thrust of seeking more knowledge and a significantly more satisfying relationship God.

What You Can Expect

Most of the time we fall to this lassie or lackadaisy relationship with God praying only when we are in trouble or in great need. We call on Him when there is nothing left for us to do, and thus fall to the sin of pride. Most of the time we refuse to humble ourselves and give our problems to God as we have become convinced what can God do if he is not here with me right this very minute. We give up to a false reality, false doctrine that God is absent, or doesn’t care about our insignificant problems and thus will not help us even if we do pray to Him. With our faith diminished and our courage dissolved we become vulnerable to doubt and to Satan’s perverse message that we are alone and that our God is a cruel, unforgiving, selfish, angry, hateful God. In this despair we can expect God to want to help but because we have distanced ourselves from Him God is unable to reach out to us thus He is must wait for us to reach out and grab hold of His mighty hand once more. God uses others in our lives to accomplish this but even before that small gesture can happen we must become still and complacent understanding the serenity of God and let it fill our hearts and souls. You can expect God to long after you, as it was Him who placed the thirst within your heart to know completely His perfect divine will. God seeks to be ever present in your life, He seeks for you to know the truth about Him, to join Him in heaven for all eternity. God so wants an intimate relationship with you, and if you first accept this truth you can expect God to answer you when you pray.

“⁴I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. ⁵I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” ~ Psalm 63:4-5

We so long to be completely satisfied in our hearts and in our minds. We as mortal people thirst for passion and love, and often confuse love with sinful acts of the flesh. We are so easily tempted into thinking how honoring God would turn us into slaves forever bent to do only what he wants. But King David raised his hands to God, sang beautiful songs about God, and had this burning in his heart for God. David found the exact opposite of what he expected when he finally and joyfully accepted God fully. Instead of a repressive God, David found a God that freed him of all his sins through forgiveness and mercy. David through this freeing of his sins became closer to God, and became completely honest with God, which is the truest expression of an intimate relationship with not just God but with other people, the ability to be completely honest holding back nothing and keeping no secrets. In fact David found it impossible to have an intimate relationship with God or any one else without being completely exposed. King David found his full and complete satisfaction within God which was more valuable to him than that of the richest of food, or money, which instantly transcends the human soul into the stratosphere as we soar higher and higher in the glory of God, free as a bird. Thus, it was so that even King David at first could not have expected this from God we in more modern times, a people who have vastly more possessions than did David, we can not at first expect this intimacy with God until we too let go of the possessions and belongs of this Earth.

The Truth About Relationships

To say that you love someone each time you see them does not instantly mean that you love them. Because the word “love” is more than just a word, it is also action. Jesus said that God loves us, it is written in the Bible in countless places on numerous pages of how much God loves us. Yet saying within our prayers that we love God in return without the action of listening faithfully to his words after you have prayed, the action of living a life which is devoted to the improvement of all who surrounds you, (which includes your enemies as much as it includes your loved ones), the actions that illustrate your growing thirst for God and the putting your time and devotion for God on display is the actions that give meaning to your words. You can not have an intimate relationship with God if you are in rebellion, in fact you can not have a relationship with anyone if you are in rebellion against them or they being in rebellion against you. This most elementary understanding of relationships is rooted in the amount of time you devote to that relationship. It is an oxymoron to say that you love God, but refuse to bow before Him, to spend time listening to Him, and devoting your time to living His will within your life which is reflected in your daily routine of progressive actions which illustrates your love of God. The same can be said in your friendship and in your relationship with your spouse or children. The love you hold for them is not just in your words, but also found within your actions and the time you spend with them, proving your love and devotions daily, if not in some aspects even by the hour or minute. If you hold secrets from those whom you say that you love, it is an unrealistic expectation on your behalf to have those people in your life for the long haul, because through secrets, come deception and these two things are not of God, nor are elements of an intimate relationship, because you do not deceive those that you profess to love. Consequently, God your father, the most supreme of all things in creation, the beloved creator of this earth and everything within it, the one who grants you life, the one who grants you each and every breath that you breathe, the one who allows you to behold His slender through His creations, the arctitect of the Universe, Our God, Our Holy Father wants to have a relationship an intimate relationship with you because this is the true purpose of your exsisentce. In light of this who are we then to say that we do not have time for God? How insulting those words, those actions must be to God? How insulting are they when others reject you? Instead of leading a life of loneliness and despair how much more satisfying would it be to pray the following prayer to God and to take the time to listen to His words speaking back to your heart?

” 1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. ²O my soul, you have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.’ ³As for the saints who are on the earth, ‘They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.’ ⁴Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips. ⁵O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. ⁶The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. ⁷I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. ⁸I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. ⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. ¹⁰For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. ¹¹You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” ~ Psalm 16: 1-11

The Ultimate Expectation any person can have if they seek to have a personal, intimate, relationship with God is ever lasting life, consider this;

” ²⁷My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” ~ John 10:27-28

Jesus gives His children eternal life, He calls to everyone to put down your sin, your rebellion, to walk with Him through thick or thin, better or worse, richer or poor, Jesus promised no more pain and suffering, but rather a heart filled with love, peace, understanding, forgiveness, redemption, grace, mercy, and more love through an intimate relationship with Him. God proved His love for us through action, through Jesus who willingly died so that you could have everlasting life with God the father forever. There is no more need to earn His forgiveness which He has freely given to you, but rather your action is to become humble, ask for forgiveness, and believe in God. Your action of obedience to His perfect will of living a life centered on God, is your legacy. Your relationship with God should never be a distant one, it should never wane as God’s love does not decline in you.

” 27 He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but the One who sent Me.” ~ John 12:44

Thus rejoice in the knowledge of our God who loves you, and seeks an intimate relationship with you. Abide in His ways and He will give you eternal life.

Amen

If you have been moved by this message then I urge you to also find it in your heart to help support Listening Faithfully by donating today. May God bless you and keep you all the days of your life. May he protect you and fill your heart with peace and wisdom to do his will every single day until the end. Amen

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Special Prayer for a Sibling In Need

The special connection one has for a parent or sibling is certainly one that should be founded upon honor and love. It is these special people in your life which you truly spend your entire life with, through good and bad, richer or poor, and in sickness and good health. Thus it is the will of God that we move mountains for each other when we are asked to or when it is needed. For it was that Jesus treated everyone like this, he loved everyone, and cared about all of us equally. He even went to such lengths as to call us His brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God. Therefore, when one of our brothers and sisters in Christ is in need we need to come to their call in every manner; with every special talent we have to answer that call. So with this in mind I want to offer to this world community: “Sisters and Brothers”, I have created here with Listening Faithfully an opportunity to come together and send a special prayer for one of my brothers in Christ Jesus who’s sister has Leukemia and is fighting a good fight, running the race to the end. Please pray for my brother Neil McCarthy, and his sister Leslie Frankenheimer who has been at The City Of Hope Hospital since Thursday, September 27, 2012 and all their family during these trying times. I ask that you pray for his sister as she endures the medical treatment to save her life. So I ask everyone to pray twice tonight, and twice tomorrow, this special prayer;

Lord God in heaven, we pray to you through your son Jesus Christ, we ask that you hear our cry’s and our words of concern for this remarkably caring and beautiful woman who has served you by being a loving and devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, and mentor to all that Leslie Frankenheimer has known and loved. Lord God in Heaven we call on you in this hour when dark clouds gather, we call on you to light our darkest day, Lord we as a community of the faithful call upon you to give us hope; to shine your light of love so our path is less dim, thus we call on you. Lord; My God; I know you are with me; I know you are with Leslie and her entire family and friends; and I also know that you hear all of our prayers. Lord; I also know we can count on you when no-one else will answer; Oh’ God of love it is you who is responsible for giving us a reason to go on despite our cup of joy sometimes has become a cup of sorrow; Lord it is you that we call. Lord we humbly ask you to place a calming hand upon Leslie and her family, let them now proclaim your goodness within this time of trouble and hardship, let everyone see your glory, your blessing, your wisdom, and your forgiveness, and good works as you transform Leslie’s soul and mold her to be more like you as you prepare the table before her. Lord I ask for your voice to be heard in the hearts of all who pray this prayer on behalf of Leslie’s sake, as we all pray these words that had been joyfully shouted out by your servant King David:

¹“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. ²Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. ³They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. ⁴Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” ~ Psalm 19:1-4

Lord we ask for your healing hand to be extended upon my brothers sister Leslie Frankenheimer and that you are there with her holding her hand, reassuring her, building her up, showing her your path as you gently guide her through the rest of her journey. Please Oh’ God take away all her fear and doubt, rescue her completely with a full recovery that which is complete in your most powerful grace. It is to you Oh Lord; God in Heaven; Father Almighty that we turn, that we pray this prayer of healing and of recovery. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

While praying this prayer feel free to say “I” in place of “we” and “my” in the place of “our” where appropriate, but please do pray.

As always if you have been moved by this prayer, I invite you to leave a comment to show your support to my two sisters and their family.

Amen

Special Prayer Request: October 2012

Prayer Request for Parents of Parental Alienation Syndrome: If you are a parent and have children which have been kept from you by the Primary Parent, then you know personally the pain and anguish that not just accompanied the divorced you suffered through, but also the pain and anguish of a no contact policy with your children because of an alienating parent. You know the tragic pain that the courts and unethical lawyers can inflict upon your family. The following prayer goes out to all parents who have suffered these inhuman and unjust policies and for all the children who loose one parent through this unholy process. Let God hear our prayers for our children’s sake :

PLEASE PRAY

“Dear Lord in heaven, you know the pain caused by isolation, derogation of a parents life, and of our values that you have handed down to all of use equally. Lord you know the evils in peoples hearts that seek to destroy the family unit and then pretend they have done so in your name. Lord, God in heaven I know you can feel how horrified alienated parents are when told they will no longer play a major role in their children’s lives. I pray you give them strength to endure such hardships, and wrongful accusations. Lord, God in Heaven I pray you give then wisdom to know what to say and for it to never be said in anger. Lord, God in heaven I ask that you bring peace to their hearts, minds, and souls so that they are no longer burdened with this miserable yoke that they have been forced to carry. Lord, please unshackle their lives and give them meaning once more. I also ask for our children’s hearts not be hardened by bitter fighting, and by being forced to choose one parent over another. Lord you know all our children need both parents equally and that any law which gives more time to one parent is simply violating your heavenly command. Please, Lord free our children of this unfair yoke which has been placed upon them by selfishness and cruelty and deliver them into your abiding love forever. ” Amen…

May the Lord Be with all alienated parents and be also with you until your last days here on this Earth. Amen

Please show your support for all the alienated parents and their children who they have been kept from against their will by placing this prayer on your Facebook Wall. Thank you.

Follow Listening Faithfully Facebook and Listening Faithfully Community Facebook Page by clicking the links provided!

Help Support Listening Faithfully by getting the word out to all you know and by sending this link to all your family and friends in the Spirit of God the Father. Then make a commitment to pray this prayer this Sunday, November 4, 2012 for all those parents and children who are facing the unjust courts this upcoming week and month.

PLEASE DON’T LET OUR CHILDREN BE SOLD A BILL OF GOODS WHICH FORCES THEM TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TWO PARENTS THEY LOVE. iT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY!

Reflection 5: Unchanging God of Love

⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 59.9

Many times I have heard that God of the Old Testament was a God of wrath, of punishment, a God of testing, and of laws which placed many conditions upon His people. Very different God from the New Testament who is a God of mercy, forgiveness, and of love. But I argue this point and ask you all to consider this about our God. Our God in heaven has never changed because he can not change, He is forever the God of love, mercy, forgiveness, and yes He is also the God of judgement and punishment, and from last weeks Reflection we see He takes no pleasure from punishing the wicked instead He only wishes them to turn away from their wickedness and come back to Him. This clearly demonstrates that our God is a God of many chances. Our God loves us, He has always loved us and the only thing that has changed is humanity. The greatest of all miracles can be found in this one simple thing, His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His love is of a different order than our love, and God seeks and has always sought to love each and everyone of us since before we where born. It is humanity that has changed, we have forever altered how God can respond to us and thus changed the conditions in which God shows His love in your life;

59 “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. ²But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. ³For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things. ⁴No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.” ~ Isaiah 59:1-4

In Isaiah we can clearly see that it is not God who has lied, spoken falsely, or have blood upon His hands. In fact it is our sin, our lack in faith, our indiscretions which God has had to deal with over our short history here on earth. Think of each lie told as a small needle which God has had to defend against, each word uttered to condemn an innocent person to death as a razor blade cutting away at Gods justice, and look at each action that harms another human being done purposefully as a sword thrusted into the side of Jesus and then you will have just barely scratched the surface to the pain and suffering our Lord endured upon the cross.

2 “And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would beborn blind ?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents ; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” ~ John 9:2-3

By sending Jesus, God again shows His unyielding love for all man kind, He finds the most awesome ways to prove His love over and over again. In healing a blind man who was blind from birth Jesus illustrates His love and mercy for us. This miracle is a two fold miracle, one that shows the power of God, but also shows the love of God. The lesson Jesus was teaching was that it mattered not to the blind man whether it be day or night, but as long as Jesus was in the world His light would penetrate every soul and make them see, even the blind who where blind from birth a medical condition which there is no cure. But moreover, this miracle shows that it matters not what we suffer, that God can take that suffering and us it to glorify Him, to bless us, and to show to others His unchanging love.

4 “We must work the works of Him who sentMe as long as it is day ; night is coming when no one can work. 5 “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” ~ John 9:4-5

The very notion of being the “Light of the World” is one that also proves Gods love, and the lengths He has gone to not just save us, but to also lift us up in His perfect love despite the many sins we have committed. The term Jesus uses is a technical one in heavenly speech, a term that Satan knows well as he was once the Morning Star in heaven. Jesus is the truth, the light, and all who follow will walk in ever lasting life. Satan, does not want this, so the scriptures tell us that Satan entered into Judas to betrayed Jesus. Think for a moment how glorified God was within this moment, think how magnificent God is to be able to shine through this great deception of darkness. Understand that God not just opened the eyes of a blind man, but of all men and women on this planet in that one moment of darkness, the light of the world indeed still shown through it.

Because we have so completely changed the scope of how God communicates, and how he sends His divine love to us each occasion is then an opportunity for God to prove His love in our life, even in times of our greatest suffering. The bible points out four unique types of suffering which we endure, that are in large part connected to our sinful nature, thus connecting suffering with sin. The first is found as follows:

22 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. ²Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” ~ Genesis 22:1-2

^{2 “}Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” ~ Deuteronomy 8:2

^{6 “}One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” ⁸Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” ⁹“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” ¹²The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” ~ Job 1:6-12

In these three examples God uses person strife to work the biggest miracles. He uses every occasion to test and mold each one of us into a more perfect person. He tests us to prove our loyalty and love to Him, which is the true miracle and the prove of His never changing love. God tested Abraham by having him offer up his only son to God as a burnt offering upon Mt. Moriah. Though Abraham did not want this test he proved his belief in God and trusted in his wisdom enough to follow through with God’s request, even up to the very moment of raising the knife high above his head, only then did God send His angeles to stop him. Again, God tested the people in the hot desert for forty years to hone them and to test each one of them. To bring them from a complacent slave like nature to one that was sharpened in every aspect of God, even unto their very last breath would they obey to build a nation in hostile lands. Finally God shows us the test of love through the greatest suffering of Job. Here was a man who had everything, and in Satan’s hands was brought down lower than low and still he refused to turn away from God. We are tested in our faith, in our actions, in our words, through our suffering.

The next form of suffering God uses as a means to mold us into a more perfect person, to edify us and to raise us up higher than we where before, consider;

^{5 “}And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.’ ⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.” ~ Hebrews 12:5-8

God chastens each one of us in order to bring us through each hardship, to prove his love on a personal level. God calls out to us and encourages the goodness to always shine through much like we see in Jesus upon accepting His divine mission here on earth.God Speaks about chastening his own son, and without this specialized attention we are like the lump of clay that has been cast aside. Jesus talked about praising God in the mists of your troubles, rejoice in your pain as God is always with you, and if you turn from this then indeed you have proven to God you are not one of his sons or daughters. Again this is not what God want’s for He prefers your heart to turn from wickedness and your spirit should have ever lasting life.

The third form of suffering we, (the human population), have brought upon ourselves by rebellion against God, examples of this can be found in the following scriptures;

^{22 “}And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” ²³So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. ²⁴After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” ~ Genesis 3:22-24

⁸“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” ⁹So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. ¹⁰He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” ¹¹Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. ¹²But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” ¹³These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them. ~ Numbers 20:8-13

^{14 “}All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased. ¹⁵Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you.” ~ Jeremiah 30:14-16

God punishes but takes no pleasure in it. In Genesis Adam and Eve are kicked out of the Garden of Eden because of their collective sin against God. This was brought upon them by their actions. We see this repeated throughout the bible as this theme is again brought forth with Moses and Aaron who are told by God to gather the people and strike the rock to glorify God’s love for them by giving them water to drink. But Moses does not mention God before striking the rock, and in essence stole from God the glory due Him. In the last example found in Jeremiah God specifically states His wrath and punishment is due because of the sins and increase of the inequity of the people. Our suffering is forever linked to our sins, and the increase of our sins are linked to our increased suffering. Again God takes no pleasure form this but He does and will bring you closer to His perfect love through all your trials and tribulations you may suffer throughout your life.

Finally the fourth kind of suffering is brought about specifically to show Gods might and glory which can be found in the following examples;

^{5 “‘}Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?’ ⁶This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. ⁷So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’ ⁸And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. ⁹And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. ¹⁰When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, ‘Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?’ ¹¹She said, ‘No man, Lord.’ And Jesus said unto her, ‘Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.’ ¹²Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'” ~ John 8:5-12

9 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. ²And his disciples asked him, saying, ‘Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ³Jesus answered, ‘Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ⁴I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ ⁶When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, ⁷And said unto him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” ~ John 9:1-7

“⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ~ John 11:4

In these final three examples we see Jesus using sin, blindness, and death as a way to communicate His love, Gods power and might, all which glorifies God in the Highest. Jesus over and over gives new life in each action he takes, this proves beyond all reason of how much God truly loves us, to what lengths God goes to show His love, thus proving He has not changed, His mission has not changed, but rather God has always been the God of love, mercy, forgiveness, and a God of many chances.

Amen

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