“There is that Place” Narnia?

Years ago I remember watching “The Chronicles of Narnia” with my daughter.

Her young enthusiasm for the “Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” brought out her talent of art and imagination.

She could rattle off and draw every actor, character or whatever the strange and whimsical animals C. S. Lewis made up.

How interesting I thought one could open the doors to a wardrobe and enter a mythical magical forest. The intrigue continues into the land of good and evil; only to be stuck in winter by the White Witch. For 100 years she reigned in Narnia until the great Lion, Aslan appears on the scene as her worst enemy.

C. S. Lewis was a genius of imagination. Whether he meant it or not, the stories lay out a pattern of talking animals, ugly creatures and “Turkish Delight” in a line-up of Biblical proportion.

Yes; it is a parallel of God himself with a twist.

Narnia was supposed to be a place of love, contentment, peace and a whole lot of fun. At least that was the original plan.

Reflecting on the story in many ways we in this present world are now living in Narnia with the wicked White Witch.

The place God intended for good has been beaten up, lied to and given over to sinful ugly creatures.

However, for the wicked white witch, Aslan, the good King of the Forest appears ready to take back his kingdom.  She believes she will fight to win only she didn’t count on the weapons used to stop her.

Besides the full armor required, is the heart of Aslan.

A heart full of love, mercy, grace and forgiveness.

Wisdom and knowledge so profound it can’t be matched.

Understanding, compassion and healing that cannot be found anywhere else.

A sacrifice so pure nothing at all can ever take its place.

There really is that place; a hidden wardrobe only known to the individual heart and God. No authority on earth will ever be able to find this dwelling between the Father and his child.  Just as finding Narnia, seeking his presence daily is the only way to enter and abide in the shelter of the Most High God.

The shadow of the savior rests in that place covering the fears, doubts worries and stresses of the attacks of the wicked witch. If they creep in then it is due to venturing out of that safe security.

Reach for Jesus again; crawl back in under his wings of protection. And stay. Rest.

Remain in Him.

Can’t find your keys? or the Remote? what about your brain?

One of the great novelties about God is he really is interested in every detail of our lives. I am convinced he loves flare.

Joyce Meyer writes about how she is always losing her keys.  She was in a rush to get out of the house only to have no idea where she placed her keys. She stopped and prayed. In her heart God showed her where the keys were.

Another time she was having guests over. The remote control to the TV was no where to be found. She prayed,

“Holy Spirit, show me where the remote control is, please.”

God gave her a Word of Knowledge and led her to the remote.

If you have family members like me who forget to put their brain in first gear,  do as Joyce and I do.

Pray for God to reveal where they lost it! LOL!   It works.

Just imagine. If God gives us his time for our own forgetfulness of such trivialities, how much more do you think he wants to communicate with us about that which is important?

John 14: 26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Excerpt from Joyce Meyer’s book: Trusting God Day by Day

That which is Sacred

What was sacred to God, remains.

He has not changed, neither has his Holiness.

Once we realize his stand is immovable, nothing else matters.

The consistent rot looting our minds has taken that which is “Sacred” to God by twisting it, mocking it and burying it with any mosaic of wickedness.  This is the moment knowing how to separate the sin from the sinner really comes in handy. Otherwise, I would be beating some heads with an iron fist.

This guarded reality is in need of protection.

If those who violate the “Sacred Trust” of God actually knew what they were messing around with, backing off quickly would be their next move. Falling on their knees might be the smartest route.

“Loose lips sink ships.” Who can argue with that phrase since it has become so popular?

Taking it lightly is not an option.

Fooling around with the pure, genuine marks of God is serious business. Just ask one of the slaves he rescued from Egypt about “sacred traditions” or the cherished promises of God.

Find out the details of building God’s temple down to the dimensions approximately 180 feet long, 90 feet wide and 50 feet high.  In honor of God’s greatness, this sanctuary housed the “Holy of Holies” along with the two tablets inscribed by “I AM” himself of the Ten Commandments. (Book of 1 Kings)

Ask the Jewish people about their homeland, Israel. The center of the world, this geographical soil represents the surroundings of Jesus’ heritage. As far as places go, you can’t get any more sacred than this.

God’s faithfulness is representative of his pure love given to every human being through a cross his son carried to his own grave.

His death crushed the enmity we were born with.

His Resurrection poured all that is genuine and wholesome from God the Father into our deceptive hearts and souls.

Today, he reigns to share that which is most sacred to him with us.

Himself.

James 3: 17-18 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

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The Miscalculations of No Coincidence

Around 16 years ago I received health insurance at my job after going for 7 years without it.

During the 7 years of no health insurance, I never got sick.

As soon as I was placed on a company plan I began getting sick which has lasted in differing forms since that time.

Since the early 90’s I have owned a computer in one form or another. Until this year I rarely had any problems on any of them; and the only virus/tech protection I used was AVG.

In February of this year I bought an ACER Aspire with Windows 8 to replace my 6 year old laptop that never had any issues. As the ACER crashed over and over, I boxed it up and sent it back.

In June, with no laptop of my own, I stole my husband’s Hewlett Packard. After 3 weeks the hard drive crashed. It wasn’t worth repairing and my husband forbid me to touch anything electronic ever again.

August 6, I buy a brand new Dell Inspiron also with Windows 8.

The interface crashed, the hard drive had to be restored, and this week the software crashed.  Within the first month, Dell had to replace the entire top half of the laptop.

When it began crashing Tuesday morning, I began on and off conversations with Dell agents for almost 20 hours over the last 2.5 days.

The agent who gave me the diagnosis told me there was nothing left to do but a System Restore; I was almost in tears. Due to corrupt logins I was unable to copy the few documents I considered of value so it was a risk.

However thanks to Microsoft’s new SkyDrive, my documents remained unharmed.

Trying to make sense of it all, God revealed to me a pattern. It is easy to miss the reality of certain circumstances while we are in the middle of them. Considering the devil can only do repeat performances or copycat masquerades, he showed me how comparable the attacks were.

The game is the same, but the focus has changed. (1 Peter 5:8)

He relentlessly charges for a season at a time to wear us down. Giving no breaks, he aims to break our spirit.  At times, the torture of repetition becomes almost unbearable until he makes a mistake. And he will always make a mistake.

He may crawl through a crack in the door, but when we are in Christ, God shuts that door before he gets through crushing his big mouth of deception shutting him up.

As he attempts to try again and again, he begins to wear out as long as we stand on the Word of God. And then the light of the Holy Spirit snuffs him out.

Moments of temporary insanity tried to creep in but then God would shower me with his calm presence. I may not have passed the test with flying colors, but as I have written before, God is long on effort and grades on a curve.

I now have a heads up on future strikes he may attempt to pursue.

Attacks of unyielding persistence, positive reinforcements begin to surface.

After 5 hours yesterday on the phone reinstalling all kinds of programs, the agent commented on how many calls were on my record. I told her,

“I now know everyone in India! Who else can say that?” LOL!

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Like a Mighty Rushing Wind

There are no “Perfect Storms.” They come with hard rain, thunder, lightning and golf ball sized hail.

But there is no comparison to the tornado or hurricane that hits you blindsided.

Before the days of weather.com or “storm chasers” often the oceans stirred up the vileness of nature before land knew what hit it.

Life throws curves that at times can knock us off our feet. Once down, getting up can be the hardest action to pursue.  All the human strength in the world can’t lift us out of the “muck and mire” dumped on our heads.

So many people are hurting.

So many are sunk in the depths of blame and shame over uncontrollable circumstances.

So many are harboring anger, resentment and bitterness over lies spoken they never knew were lies.

The truth is there is hope no matter how powerful the storms rage around us.

You see, in the middle of a tornado is an area of calm. The “EYE” is seemingly impossible to get to due to the outer rings which produce the havoc of devastation and destruction.

But, like life where it appears to be unachievable and unbearable there is an “EYE” we have instant access to.

Sure; it sounds traditional, overdone and the very solution no one in this day and time wants to discover. But, it works.

Acts 2:2 “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

Jesus cuts through the tempests with ease yet with the force of a “mighty rushing wind.”

He waits for the call or cry from one of his own and meets them in the middle of the eruptions that have invaded their hearts.

That center of peace, calm and unruffled love is there for the asking. Experiences of pain, heartache, betrayal and agony are areas we never choose to go but it is in the center of it all Jesus shines his love, mercy and grace to cover our hurts.

This is done by getting to know him; reading his word and literally spilling your guts with every ounce of who you are on his bruises, lash beaten back and the hole in his side.

Daily unloading your grief and sorrow on the Cross he leads you to his Resurrection.

Then, one day, one sun rise, his light appears at the end of that long tunnel you have lived in for so long.

The light becomes a tangible and concrete answer of hope, love and peace. Harmony with the Creator is set in a stone of grace unimaginable. Showers of joy become your strength to finalize this misery tour you never asked for.

On the other side is a lesson learned you never forget and most likely will need over and over in your future. But, when you seek Jesus repeatedly no matter what comes, you will always end up in his arms.

And that is the peace that passes all understanding. Philippians 4:7

Photo by Freddy Winter

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When is Enough Enough?

Some things are meant to be done with.

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Over.

If it isn’t meant to be, then let it go.

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When you’ve done all you can do, head for the door.

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Whatever it is, get over it.

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You can’t move on until you’ve had enough.

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When it’s done it’s done.

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The end.

Zion Oil and Gas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaHg6U4Ecn0

Zion Oil & Gas was formed in 2000 by John Brown, a man of deep faith, to find oil and gas in Israel. The company, whose shares are listed on the NASDAQ Global Market (trading symbol ZN), explores for oil and gas on three onshore petroleum exploration licenses (Joseph, Asher-Menashe and Jordan Valley Licenses) covering approximately 218,000 acres onshore Israel.

Zion has submitted a new onshore petroleum exploration license application to the Israeli Petroleum Commissioner that will be named the Megiddo-Jezreel License. Israel’sEnergy Ministry officially published our proposed license area boundaries (approximately 98,000 acres in Israel’s Megiddo and Jezreel Valley).

Above is an excerpt from the web page of Zion Oil.  I would call John Brown a modern day Noah.

We need more people with his dream, passion and love for God and the Jewish nation of Israel.

His story is remarkable; and one worth reading about.

For more information about Zion Oil and Gas please visit the website.

http://www.zionoil.com/

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A Season of Folly (Part 3)

Proverbs 18:6 “Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating.”

The effort to tell people “truth” is comparable to a fool acting wisely.  The two don’t mix.

America’s educated appear to have missed some major assignments.

Certain people were interviewed on the new health care law. The questions/answers asked went something like this,

“Do you want the Affordable Care Act?” No, I would rather have Obamacare.”

“Which would you rather have? Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act? Oh, definitely the Affordable Care Act; it’s free.”

Beyond this unbelievable show of illiteracy are the fights, arguments and spats over authoritative generalities from minds of literacy who claim to know the truth but are blinded by their own pride.

Taking on a conversation of what kind of government we have as a test, I posted the truth that God has taught me.  

It didn’t take long to find I was the odd one out.  Jumping in on the thread were all walks of life.  Quickly the mood of the comments turned into a bunch of disgruntled, angry, educated Americans. But what was the most disheartening were those claiming to be Christians giving out wrong information and bashing each other for the right to be right.

I don’t claim to know much, but this I do know.

God is the creator of governments and places leaders in the positions he chooses. He establishes leaders, kings, queens, etc. that exist; and spells out clearly the roles of those who sit in the chairs of authority. (Romans 13)

Of course the ridicule began slamming me with constitutional efforts written by men who knew nothing of God nor the purpose for which God created our great nation. 

A question thrown at me was, “Cathy, what do you say the government is responsible for? Who is going to help the poor, and hungry if the government doesn’t? The Constitution outlines the need to help others. Where is your Christianity that you claim to have?”

 

“This is not nor will it ever be a Christian country. Sure. The Founding Fathers went to church but exercising a faith in Jesus has never been documented.” Those were the famous words from a Christian who received applause from the liberals, and non-believers.

The punch line from a Christian was,

“God is not interested in politics. He could care less what is going on in Washington. “

After I tried once again to get a word in, it made no difference. The goal was to argue personal points of interest as if to promote their own agenda’s. Forget that God had anything to do with anything at all.

As part of my test, the next day I checked the thread which had added more inflammatory comments and the fight was on again.

I deleted my comments. 24 hours later it was as if I had never written anything. My words were completely forgotten.

I could care less what they thought of me. Defending God’s word is not necessary because the truth needs no defense.

Since God is interested in every detail of our lives, then you can’t leave government out.

God may not be interested in slimy, backbiting politics but he oversees and fashions the steps of those he has placed in high positions.  

And…thankfully, he knows more than any of us what is really going on in Washington.

Wait! What was that? You mean God has a few surprises in the near future for America?

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On Being Vulnerable to Spiritual Attacks

Resting in His Grace

My Pastor forwarded a link to Chuck Lawless’ article (Thom S. Rainer), Eight Ways Leaders Make Themselves Vulnerable to Spiritual Attack. Here are the bullets and a link to the entire article. This is good… way good.

1. We focus on others, often to the neglect of ourselves.

2. We replace spiritual disciplines with ministry activity.

3. We do ministry in our own power.

4. We think failure will never happen to us.

5. We ignore our “little” sins.

6. We see people as the enemy.

7. We minister in the secret places of others’ lives.

8. We have few real friends.

The link to Thom S. Rainer’s site and the article: Eight Ways Leaders Make Themselves Vulnerable to Spiritual Attack

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A Season of Folly? Part 2

Why do we find it so hard to go to God first?

Why do we ask others what to do when the world is collapsing around us?

Why seek guidance or direction from individuals who are in worse shape than we are?

Sure. Reaping and sowing come along with the territory, but so do God’s promises. Forgetting God has made a covenant with his people comes all too natural for today’s believers.  The reason is most look behind instead of what is in front of them.

The enemy fights his battles with the present because he knows nothing of the future.

Not only is our nation, the world crumbling, weird, strange things are happening. And some of it is so bizarre it is almost silly or trivial.

Who cares what Hollywooder’s are wearing?

Where is the next Big Foot sighting?

Paris Hilton looks back on the good times.  WHAT?

The devil will do anything to get our minds off of what is really important. He could care less what it is as long as he accomplishes his goals.

A key point here lies in the closer we get to God, the more understanding is given to prophecy.

Focusing on the cross aids in alleviating the enemy’s nonsense to form strongholds in our minds.

God is and has heard our prayers. He is in the process of restoration and abundance. So many have been hit with one crisis after another, the thought that God will or is able to do so has been lost.

Do you think seeking for our needs to be met have been aimed in the wrong direction?

Are we so afraid of another tragedy or trauma God will abandon us before it happens?

Believe. Know that God is for us; so who can be against us?

God is wanting us to step into his yacht.

Doing so requires us to forget the crowd; the blasting, loud mouth media and take a risk of standing alone.

The scope of foolishness hanging over the land needs to be kicked out and replaced with enlightenment of God’s promises.

I cannot emphasize enough what sitting and spending time alone with God will do. The list is infinite. The transformation is indescribable as it naturally becomes a part of you.  Your thinking becomes his thinking.  Instead of seeing the negative, the positive jumps out first covering the imprints of anything the enemy may have tried to plant in your head. Faith takes a leap and you don’t even know it.  The future becomes first and foremost leaving the pain and misery of the past at the doorstep of the abyss.
“What the World needs now” is a close, intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Out of that relationship comes rivers of flowing water satisfying our needs no matter where we are. He gives us strength and soaks us with his Holy Spirit so we will be likened unto a spring that never dries up. (Isaiah 58:11)

Are there any takers out there?

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