KING DAVID SHOWS US GOD’S HEART

            Samuel anoints David to be king while still a young man.

This is the beginning of a series that will show us the heart of the Father through the life of King David. Recommended reading: 1 Samuel 16.

Acts 13:22      After removing Saul, He made David their king. God testified concerning him: "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do."

The intent of this blog has always been to share a message from God’s heart to our hearts. A few months ago I sensed the Lord challenging me to  read 1^st & 2^nd Samuel several times, meditating on how David acted in a variety of situations, to understand his heart motivations and gain some insights into the heart of God. The historical events and the biographical depictions of David reveal much about humility, trust in God, Godly wisdom, desecration  and why the author of Acts used the phrase, “a man after my own heart.”

The story starts in 1Sam. 16. The Lord spoke very specific instructions to Samuel. When Samuel expressed his very real fear of the consequences of his actions to anoint a new king, the Lord got even more specific instructions, providing wise council to the seer as to how to do this discreetly. Notice the Godly wisdom and discretion right from the start of the story.

1 Sam.16:1&2           The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

2          But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me. The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

3          Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

Some anointed preachers and prophets today lack this wisdom and discretion. They have a harshness in their tone, a brashness in their demeanor, a boldness that is not always effective in communicating what the Lord is wanting His people to hear. Perhaps it stems from the frustration of not seeing the results hoped for in response to sermons. Perhaps it’s like a parental reaction to disobedient children that they try to bring under submission with increasingly harsher punishment, only to foster greater rebellion. On the contrary, Samuel demonstrated wisdom and discretion, born of the Love of the Father who provided the instruction. Personally, I hope that people who knew me 30+ year ago see the contrast in the changes of my walk with the Lord over the years.

Continuing with the story, notice the patient obedience of Samuel, his continual insistence of hearing from God as to which of Jesse’s sons to anoint as the next King of Israel.

1 Samuel 16:7          But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NLT)

1 Samuel 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

Also notice that Samuel was not so indiscrete as to make a big public show of this. To do so would have blown the whole purpose for verses 2 & 3. David never violated this discretion that Samuel demonstrated. He allowed the Lord to fulfill the promises and didn’t try to make it happen. Eventually all of Israel recognized that the Lord had called David to reign over them and they initiated his crowning as king of the nation.

Perhaps the most significant phrase in this portion of scripture is, “and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.” This is the power source of David’s ability to be the amazing man he became and to do the amazing feats he accomplished in his life. The same power of the Spirit of God is available to all believers in Jesus today. It all starts with receiving Salvation and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit Jesus promised it to give us. I’ll refrain from diverting to a teaching on this at this point. You can learn about it at http://ag.org/top/beliefs/our_core_doctrines/baptism_HS/. Nothing is impossible when we walk in the Spirit and David’s failures only occurred when he slipped and walked in the flesh. Even then he knew to appeal to the loving mercies of the Lord, repent and get forgiven.

There’s much more to come on this topic. I will try to publish the things the Lord is showing me to share monthly at the least. Stay tuned.

AND THE ANSWER IS…

How did you react to the US Supreme Court’s ruling, imposing immorality on American society? They did it in the Roe Vs Wade decision and now they have done it again. All God’s people should have seen this as that. Shouldn't the eagle in the seal be replaced with a buzzard? The question is what can we do about it?

This morning's had an article about a county clerk in KY who refused to issue any marriage licenses at all. She is being sued and the ACLU is involved. We should applaud her actions and pray for her to have the finances to fight this suit. The problem is that she is violating her terms of employment as a public servant and could face jail time for that. Perhaps her superiors could reassign her to another position, with no loss of pay but that probably won’t happen. 

Pastors must speak out against immorality and I encourage every church leader train their people as to what is right and wrong. I am so thankful for the pastors who help me through that transition. Have you heard the angry preachers on talk radio shows, screaming against the Sodomites. We share his fear of the judgment that fell on Sodom for this immorality. Unfortunately his tactics are no longer effective in the American culture of these times.

One thing we must do as Christians is to exercise our right to vote and to be politically active. We cannot stand idly by and watch Queen Hillary ascend to power in this land. The church stuck it’s head in the political sand, we did not take a stand after we saw the acceptance of Darwin’s false theories challenging what is true and right. It’s been a downhill slide that has continuously accelerated over the last 100 years. Now we see our great nation spinning in the toilet, along with much of the world that the United States has not stood by. But political activism alone will not turn this tide.

We lament and feel terrible. We read and say things on social media in hopes of influencing some people of the urgency of the hour. This too is important but alone this will change but a few people’s minds at best.

AND THE ANSWER IS…

God has been speaking His method to bring change for a long time now. Some have heard the call and are being faithful to follow His solution. The following Scriptures are simply profound and specific. If we take the completeness of the message step by step we will be motivated, and empowered by the Lord, to take whatever specific actions the Lord leads. The only hope for America is another Great Awakening. May the light bulbs turn on in the hearts and minds of millions, may the Lord raise up His army and defeat the evil enemy that is laying his dark blanket of destruction and death across the world.

Matthew 4:17   From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

1 Cor.6:9    Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

10    nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

2 Chronicles 7:14    if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Isaiah 59:19    So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in, like a flood The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

The crux of what God has been calling His church to is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Let’s break it down and see the 5 steps involved.

1.    IF My people who are called by My name – Are you a Jew or a born again Christian? Than He is speaking to you. I’m both so I better hear the message. There is a conditional promise, we have a part in making it happen.

2.    …will humble themselves – there is no room for personal pride in the Kingdom of God, we realize that our life is in HIM, not in ourselves. We must realize that in and of ourselves we are powerless to please the Living God and powerless to effect real change in the right direction on the world.

3.    …and pray – He is not talking about wrote prayers, vain repetitions of something memorized. He is talking about heart to heart communication with the Almighty. The urgency of the hour should be sufficient motivation to heart felt fervency to petition the throne of God for ourselves, our families, the people within our circles and for our nation.

4.    …and seek My face – if you have never experienced the intimacy, the love of God, HIS touch in your heart seek Him for it. So much happens when we do. Think of Moses hidden in the cleft of the rock. A changing experience alone with God is our source of motivation and power.

5.    … and turn from their wicked ways – Repentance is a daily experience. We should be asking God to search our hearts and show us things we need to turn from all the time.

6.    … then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land – CONDITIONS MET, WE WILL RECEIVE THIS PROMISE.

FEAR NOT, DRAW NEAR TO GOD

A NOW WORD TO CHRISTIANS AND JEWS EVERYWHERE, written by a Jewish man, originally from Brooklyn, inspired by the Spirit of the Lord.

Isaiah 59:19:     So shall they fear

The name of the Lord from the west,

And His glory from the rising of the sun;

When the enemy comes in,

 like a flood The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

We are seeing and hearing the enemy breath out many incredibly threatening things. We are hearing of much trouble for Christians, Jews and other God fearing people who hold to Biblical morality. Many preachers are describing things that make it appear the time of the 2nd coming of the Lord is near. We’ve heard threats against morality from our government. We hear threats of death and institution of the horrors of Sharia Law daily on the news. We see our national leaders marching to the beat of the enemy’s drum, denying we even have an enemy. There are threats from those on the left who are tearing down American foundations, desiring to transform America into something it was never intended to be. In WWII we had 2 enemies simultaneously, Japan and Germany. Now we have the evil ideologies of the Islam and of Progressivism competing against the Righteous for world control.

The Lord is drawing HIS people closer, HE created us for a relationship with HIMSELF that transcends circumstances (good or bad). In such a relationship time and location do no mean much because we hear HIS heartbeat and follow our Great Shepherd who will get us to the right place at the right time for us be; wherever and whenever that may be. And where is it that a shepherd leads the flock? Sometimes to pleasant meadows to graze, sometimes through dark valleys or on steep narrow footpaths on mountain sides with no railing. It may be an uphill climb through a dry place on a scorching hot day. But through all that and everything else we follow our Great  Shepherd for we know He leads to the mountain top.

PREVENTATIVE IMPERATIVES: Evil need not triumph, the church must not cower down and expect the worst. We must stand on God’s promises to HIS people and do what the MASTER has told us to do.

1.    Obey the WORD. The Lord has been declaring these verses repeatedly for many years. Perhaps you have heard it and seen it on the internet so many times you can quote it. I know that God has been screaming 2 Chron 7:14 to HIS church for many years and perhaps these threats are what it must take for the to knock the wax out of its ears. Christians and Jews everywhere need to heed all of it:

2 Chronicles 7:14  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Romans 12:1   I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

2   And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

2.   Pray for our governmental leaders.

1 Timothy 2:1   Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

2    for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

3    For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

4   who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Tim 2:4 is the goal, it states the reason for the journey the Great Shepherd leads us on. As we parade through all the stuff of life our life becomes God’s love letter to mankind. Look back up and see the phrases I underlined in 2 Chron 7:14 and Rom. 12:1 & 2

3.   Fight the good fight God’s way, like David beat Goliath.

                    2 Cor. 10:3     For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the                        flesh.

4    For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

5    casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Ezekiel 36:27    I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Galatians 5:16    I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Acts 9:31    Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

We really have little idea as to when Jesus will return, be we can be certain that HE will. Therefore we should heed what the preachers have been declaring for generations,

GET READY, BE READY, STAY READY.

LIVE LIFE IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

It’s Saturday morning, the one morning in the week I can usually sleep as late as I want. Let’s just say it is 6:20 AM and I’ve been up for an hour with this message bubbling inside. I am excited to share these principles that help us understand the a much higher way of living. How we react to those things our flesh doesn’t appreciate is often a matter of life and death, especially concerning relationships and offending others we love.

Like the old chorus says,

“If we walk in the Spirit of the Spirit we reap life. If we walk in the flesh we reap sorrow. “

Our flesh and our spirit are in a constant battle. My spirit really doesn’t care about the following but my flesh really doesn’t appreciate

• Waking up earlier than I want to.
• Being the slightest bit hungry
• Being sweaty
• Fatigue
• Self control
• Getting picked on,
• Being bullied or put down
• A full bladder or rectal pressure
• Pain of any kind
• Physical or emotional injury
• People who complain too much
• NOT GETTING IT’S OWN WAY

 …and your probably doesn’t either.

I believe way to many who consider themselves to be Christians have far too little understanding of the Holy Spirit. HE is experienced far more than what can be taught. The old expression is completely true, “It’s better felt than telt.”

WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS
THERE IS FREEDOM

Walking in the Spirit is not something unique to Pentecostals, Charismatic’s, Holy Rollers, or whatever else people call people like me. In the Charismatic Move in the 1970s blew away many of the divisions within Christendom. I am so thankful that the Lord moved in such a way as to get the church to repent of their ostracism of each other. Pentecostals are no longer “those crazy people on the wrong side of the tracks.” The commands of the following Scriptures are for all believers and bring us all, no matter what the title is on the sign outside the building, into the realm of the Spirit of the Lord,

2 Corinthians 3:17   Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Please take some time to meditate on the verses that follow. Roll them over in your mind and heart. It is my prayer that as you read the following verses that the Lord will touch your heart. We need to constantly yield to the Spirit of the Lord in order to walk in the liberty that results from obedience to the Lord. We need more than the wonderful indwelling of the Spirit received at Salvation, we need the promised Baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we receive the power to become living witnesses of Jesus in all the world and in all circumstances.

            All verses are New King James Version

John 4:23    But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

John 4:24    God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Philippians 3:3    For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

Galatians 5:16     I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Ezekiel 36:27    I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Acts 9:31   Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Romans 8:1    There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:4   that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16     I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25    If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:1    And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

2   in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

3    among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Acts 1:8   But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 2:4   And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Gal. 5:16    I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

17    For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19    Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

20    idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21    envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23    gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

24    And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25    If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

IS YOUR DESIRE TO LOVE MORE?

Hope and commitment for 2015: May we draw closer to Jesus and consequently to our families and each other. May God’s people live up to the scripture, Dan. 11:32b    …but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.           The more we get to know Him the more we fall in love with Him.

Jesus longs for us to desire to know Him as a person, rather than only for what He can provide. He is standing, knocking at our heart's door, patiently waiting for our response. What He really wants is a rapid response when it is not convenient for us to do so.

Many people know a lot about God, they can quote scripture and perhaps preach an interesting sermon. Others know Him as a provider and have received their needs met. But that is not what He died and rose again for. He broke the curse of sin that mankind would enter into a relationship with Him as the lover of their souls. He longs for a people who hear His heart and respond with all their heart. Jesus is developing a people who follow His lead because of their desire to respond to the love they experience in their relationship with Him. Such response will affect every aspect of their individual lives and consequently the church. This comes from a heart that prays, Song of Solomon 1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee:…

Paul puts this same concept another way, (emphasis added)

Philippians 3:10   that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, …

12   Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

13   Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

14   I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Step 2 ( verse 12) must always be preceded by Step 1 ( verse 10). We must personally know Him, enjoy the closeness of His Manifest Presence and learn of Him as He opens the Scriptures in a personal way. The Epiphany is a holiday that has lost its popularity in America. The literal definition of the word epiphany is a sudden and profound understanding of something. It also refers to those supernatural experiences when God appears to someone. If you are a Christian, than at some point in your life you have had at least 1 of these experiences and responded by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. With that simplest understanding that you gained by personally hearing from God you responded and did the most marvelous exploit, you got saved. You took the first step of a life long process. (Romans 10:17    So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God). You got a hold of the 1st thing that Jesus got a hold of your for.

After many years of walking close to Jesus Paul cries out from  his heart, “that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Paul had accomplished many amazing, leading countless people to Jesus, founding churches and raising up leaders. His writings have affected the lives of untold billions of people over the last almost 2,000 years. And yet he knew that there was more that the Lord had for him. That first Epiphany Paul had on the road to Damascus was totally life changing, but Paul knew that the Lord had much more to teach him, to reveal to him through the relationship that started that day. We can be sure there were many more light bulbs turned on in Paul’s mind and heart as his relationship with Jesus grew over the years.

Undoubtedly Paul knew the verse from Daniel about knowing God and consequently doing exploits. I believe every believer is similarly charged by God to do great things. Have the “God breathed” principles of the following verses become very real in your heart?

1 John 4:7    Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

8    But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9    God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

Matt. 28:18    Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

19   Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

20   Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NLT)

It grieves the heart of God when people stop at the first step of the Christian life. He has such a longing for His people to know Him more, for His people to become empowered to change the world by working together with Him to accomplish exploits. The more we get to know Him the more we fall in love with Him. Consequently the better able we are to function with Him in His plan for our lives and for mankind. 

LOST IN THE CHURCH PEW

One of my pastor’s daughters, a young woman in her early twenties, wrote the following. It is self explanatory and I pray that this message will get deep in your inner man.

Just climbed into bed & I'm remembering the special time I had today with my family in the Presence of God. And I can't stop smiling. What a privilege.

The thought occurred to me that so many people don't know what God's presence

feels like. Some Christians have never heard Him speak nor have they been overwhelmed by Him. They have never been so moved by Him so they are trembling and gushing with emotion. Today & many days I have encountered the sweet tangible presence of God, yet I often take it for granted. The literal God who created the universe...He hung the stars and He moves the sea and still He wants to spend time with me. He WANTS me. He LOVES me. That's priceless.

I pray tonight for so many of my friends who may know who Jesus is, but have never really encountered Him. God is very real. And He actually talks to us. And He will change you from the inside out if you'll let Him.

I pray for God's Holy Spirit to saturate you wherever you are. That you will experience the wonderful and sweet intimacy that comes once your heart is open to receive it. I pray for a deep desire to be ignited in you- a hunger to know who He is...drawing you closer & closer to Him. I pray that you'll feel what I've felt. And you'll know what I know- you'll hear God speak His promises over your life and you'll understand who you are.

You are a child of the God of all creation. He calls you His.

                                                         —Feeling thankful, Alanna White, Nov. 2014

The young lady who wrote it has a wonderful walk with The Lord, knowing Him intimately, experiencing His closeness and unfathomable love. She experiences the reality of the old Merle Haggard song, “In the Garden”:

I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The son of God discloses.

Chorus

And he walks with me and he talks with me

And he tells me I am his own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of his voice is so sweet

The birds hush their singing

And the melody that he gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

Chorus

I'd stay in the garden with him

Though the night around me is falling

But He bids me go through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling...

Chorus

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/merlehaggard/hewalkswithmeinthegarden.html

Alanna’s post immediately stirred my heart. I long for the inexplicable wonder of the Manifest Presence of God. Such experiences produce a burden in the heart for other believers in the Lord Jesus to know Him like this; even more so, a desperate cry for the salvation of the lost. How many people go through the religious motions, show up for church often but don’t know the Lord Jesus personally? How many have prayed a sinner’s prayer but never come to grips with the Lordship of Christ and true repentance? OH WHAT THEY ARE MISSING!! These are the ones I refer to as “Lost in the Pew.”

I posted a FB note just a few days before her word expressing this concern. A “witness of” has direct, personal knowledge of what they speak of. I define a “Witnesser” as one just speaking what they heard, spitting out words they may have been taught but no firsthand knowledge of what they speak.

ARE YOU A WITNESSER OR                                                 A WITNESS OF?

What is the difference between evangelizing and becoming a witness of who Jesus is? It is good to do the correct things we have been instructed to do BUT when our actions flows out of a transformed heart it is a whole other story. One is never fulfilled living by the law, following lists of do's and don'ts. Jesus is the Word made flesh and His desire is for us to experience the Word becoming such a part of who we are too. Thus we see the difference between a witnesser who speaks about what Jesus does and a witness of who Jesus is. No doubt that this a lifelong process, a progression that the Lover of our soul draws us through. The prayer of the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, "Draw me and I will run after you" becomes the longing of our hearts as we allow Jesus to take us through this process. As you read the Song of Solomon you see that her prayers started out much more “I” centric and gradually became centered on her lover. It is a lifelong thru all the nice, and not so nice, places and phases of this temporary life in this house of flesh. One day we are released from the temporal to the celestial, "then shall we ever be with The Lord." Until then may our lives become that witness of the person of Jesus, ever showing His characteristics, His eternal love as described in 1Cor. 13. Doing so requires the empowerment that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is all about and that facilitates continual surrender of the self will to God's will.

Allow me to express this same concept from another perspective that drives home the importance of every believer “getting it,” allowing Jesus to reveal Himself to us by taking us through the process. Think of the Church as an orchestra. Each instrument needs to be tuned so that the Lord will hear the symphonies he is listening for. The tuning process can be rough as the strings get tighter than they are comfortable being. The cumulative sound of untuned instruments is offensive to a skilled musician's ears but He knows how beautiful a sound will result from the tuning process. The Master musician will bring out the sounds of those often rough looking instruments more beautiful and effective than anyone ever imagined. This Divinely inspired and directed music will resound globally and bring transformation to hearts.

It has often been said, to know Him is to Love Him." As believers in the Risen Lord Jesus we live a life of joyful obedience. We can experience His joy and peace even in the toughest trials of life. His love is expressed so abundantly when we are doing right AND when we need His corrections. Repentance quickly becomes a lifestyle. Loving the Manifest Presence of God in a church service, in the prayer closet or anywhere else is a passionate pursuit. May all who know of what I speak share it with those who do not.

Joy of Salvation Restoration

From the conviction of your sin to lovingly reaching out to others is a wonderful process.

Psalm 51:10    Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11    Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12    Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13    Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

This morning during worship the Lord touched my heart in a wonderful way with a song about Jesus doing all He did at the cross He did all for love. There is a line that says, “The love that tore the veil within my heart.” Suddenly I was transported back in time to the day and evening when I got saved, Dec. 17, 1971. My girl friend and I stepped in the door of what had been a barn, now in transformation to become much more, and my personal walls were destroyed by a Presence I knew nothing about. You could say that the veil within my heart was shredded.

Earlier this morning, during prayer meeting before the service, the verses from Psalms came strongly to mind. We often sang that chorus back in the 1970’s. Thinking about that these two things that the Lord spoke to my heart I realized the connection. The four verses quoted above are a progression, indeed a process every Christian goes through. Before going into this marvelous process, please come with me back to Dec. of 1971 in a place called Freeville, NY where there was a Christian commune called Love Inn.

My first visit to that Christian commune in Freeville, NY was the result of a complex series of events that the Lord used to bring many of us “hippies” of the 60’s era to Himself. I Googled Love Inn and found the following quote,

Begun in the late 1960's as a community of young people seeking Jesus, Love Inn occupied the farm of Peg Hardesty. The community eventually expanded to include a radio and tape ministry as well as coffeehouses, worship seminars, and various publications. The church was later incorporated and the name was officially changed to Covenant Love Community. http://covenantlove.squarespace.com/about

The Lord moved on Peggy’s heart to give the farm to those starting this commune. The way I remember it, the women lived in her house and the guys slept in a part of the barn that was transformed into a dormitory. Peg’s kitchen served all these “strays” until a kitchen was built in the barn. The Lord miraculously provided for everything they needed and that was one of the things that really caught the attention of this former “commun-ist” (misspelling intentional). The other draw was a very beautiful “hip chic” I recently met, she had a joy I didn’t understand, her inward and outward beauty was irresistible to me. Her invitation to go Love Inn with her was impossible to pass up.

Here it was, a “self-sufficient” (really God dependent) commune, something I dreamed of for several years. Great thanks to Peggy, who I only met very briefly, and to Scott Ross who was the founder and Pastor, for following God’s leading. Thanks to whomever provided all those groceries that were bagged on the floor with everyone was gathered around in Peggy’s living room, thanking the Lord in ways I never experienced. Then there was Susan, the girl who captivated my heart. Add to that a big bunch of people still in the uniform of the 60’s (types of clothing and length of men’s hair) who looked like I did. On top of all that was the most important factor of all, the Presence of God all over that farm. It was God’s time, God’s place and my heart had been prepared for the end of my search for something real in this life. All things in place, after dinner there were three of us around a table when the Holy Ghost showed up in great power. I got saved and Susan received the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. What a Divinely orchestrated day!! I got back to my apartment and needed to celebrate. I walked up Court St. hill to the college, in thigh  deep snow in the middle of the night shouting Hallelujah, experiencing that joy and peace that could not be kept inside.

Other verses in that song from this morning’s worship asked what would I have done, what would I have become, if it wasn’t for the Cross, if it wasn’t for that love that tore the veil in my heart. What if Susan hadn’t invited me to go there? What if Love Inn wasn’t there, less than ½ hr drive from Cortland State where we were students? No doubt I, and many hundreds of similar people, would have been dead or in jail.

Now let’s look at the process that starts at such a cross road.

Step 1: Psalm 51:10    Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Salvation requires repentance, the turning from the sinful life we lived before. In order for that to happen we need to understand, in our inner man, that our heart isn’t clean and we can’t clean it up ourselves. Thus comes the prayer for a clean heart. I didn’t understand this concept very well that night, in fact I smoked some hash to celebrate. The Lord’s grace was amazing in that the drugs had no effect on me; I was just so excited about have a new boss of my life, Jesus the King of the Universe.

Step 2: Verse 11    Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Having experienced His presence enjoins this prayer; it is far too wonderful to ever desire to away from. I learned this lesson the hard way. A few weeks after I got saved I took my guitar to and audition for a band at someone’s house in the country. The pipe was coming around as several us where jamming. I didn’t know better than to take what was freely offered. We smoked a lot of pot that night, the air was completely filled with the smoke. When we stopped playing I felt that separation from His Presence. The old paranoia hit me harder than I could remember. Repentance followed swiftly.

Step 3: Verse 12    Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation…

I think it gives the Lord Heart ache when His kids don’t remember, nor experience with ever increasing dimensions, this unspeakable joy. We are saved and can experience Him in ways within and beyond our senses constantly. We all try to do so much on our own, and usually fail or just don’t measure up to His expectations. If we would just stop striving and listen to His usually gentle leading life would get better. His joy will grow in our hearts and we’ll be more successful in every way. The RESTORATION of the JOY OF SALVATION can be a daily experience, even if it is just a depth breath and heartfelt utterance of,”Thank you Jesus.”

Step 4: This is perhaps the most important and most rewarding. With the previous steps taken we can declare our intent to follow the Great Commission,

Psalm 51:13    Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Matthew 28:19    Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…

20:    Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen

Don’t you just get excited about the end of verse 20, the promise of His Presence with us always and everywhere? How can we do anything less than what He said to do? The love of God in our hearts should stir us with compassion and love for people who don’t personally know Him. To know Jesus is to love Him and consequently all those He died for – that doesn’t exclude anybody. The joy of salvation equates to the joy of the Lord, is exceeds the realm of “happiness,” it is the source of inner strength. This is my biggest motivation for writing these blogs.

In conclusion, look at the command to those who just went quickly through this process. The Law of the Lord had been ignored for a long time. The book was found and read to the people. They experienced deep conviction for their sin and tears of repentance flowed. Now with this new outlook on life, with their commitment to follow the Lord, their leader commands them,

Nehemiah 8:10    Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.