The Temple of the Lord

Like the Tabernacle, I am (once again) fascinated by the specific instructions that were given to David and passed on to his son (Solomon) regarding building the Temple of the Lord.  David wanted to build the temple to edify God but God told him that his son would be the one to actually build it. Solomon completed the project but learned that God would not be living in the Temple but rather in heaven.  Nonetheless, the building was a magnificent testament to the blessings that God had provided to David and the chosen people of God.

 

Resuming My Walk...

I can't believe that it has been over two years since I last posted to this blog!  Of course, my walk strayed from God and I admittedly (and foolishly) took my hand out of His.  In spite of my foolishness, God has continued to bless me.  The enemy came to attack my health but God kept me in His protective hand.  Thank you, God!

Today, I posted a prayer request in an online prayer community.  Here is my prayer:

Please join me in prayer as I search for a new job/career that will help me bless others while I experience promotion and enlargement of my territory. I need wisdom, favor, guidance, and a closer walk with God to realize my dreams.  I am in my fifties and pray for continued health in spite of a few medical condition.  I pray that God bind the works of the enemy so that no weapon formed against me will prosper. I sincerely want to experience and receive all of the blessings that God has for me.  I pray that God continue to supply my every need and rebuke the devourer.

I also pray for my family and friends. May God meet their every need and continue to bless them richly.  I pray for my children.  Though I am a divorced father with no relationship with two of my children, I pray that the hearts of my children be turned towards me.  Also, I pray for a restored relationship between my children and my mother.  She is greatly pained emotionally that they seem to have no desire to have a relationship with their grandmother (for unknown reasons).

Lastly, I pray for this world.  I pray that God continue to exercise patience, mercy, and grace in these last and evil days.  If I have forgotten anything, may the Holy Spirit provide utterances in heaven on my behalf.
I love you, God! Please continue to keep, protect, and prosper me so that I can do YOUR work in the Kingdom of God!

Accepting God's Way

I have come to realize that I must accept all of the cards that I have been dealt as being part of God's plan for the destiny of my life. I must remind myself that even though I am drawing closer to God, I will not get nor do I need everything that I desire. Sometimes, doors do not open for a good reason. I trust that God knows what is best for me...

Tuning Out the Noise

This is Day 9 of my 25 day fast. I had a slight relapse on Day 6 & 7 when I decided to have spinach pizza both days. While this is not necessarily a big issue, I was trying to stick to a no bread regime as well. I also told a few close friends that I was fasting for moral support. I hope that God knows my heart and realizes that this fast has been challenging to me. I realize that is not a justification for sharing the news and hope that does not violate my covenant with God. I am finding it easier to go without television though this is my second attempt at going without it for 7 days. I miss the news but have been reading news stories on the Internet. I did not realize my addiction to television programs and the local/world news ran so deep! Fifteen years ago, I barely watched tv. Now, it has become an entertaining part of my life.

I am still listening for the voice of God. I hope to hear it by the time the fast is over. I am proud of my daily Bible reading but need to spend more time worshipping, praising, and praying. In the meantime, I thank God for His mercy, grace, and forgiveness!

Why so dry?

As part of the fast, I sacrificed tv and worldly music for 3 days. I have been listening to gospel radio stations only and have not seen the news or my favorite tv shows. I have been primarily listening to sermon broadcasts since gospel music simply does not touch my spirit. I have made an observation about radio sermons since my last worldly fast ten years ago. At that time, the charismatic church movement was big and megachurches seemed to be popping up everywhere! Pastors who I had never heard of were delivering sermons that taught and inspired me to want to learn more and dig deeper to understand God's Word. Now, there has been a change in the spirit of radio broadcasts. The pastors who were big ten years ago seem to have faded into the sunset. Radio broadcasts have become dry and leave me thirsting for a REAL sermon that delivers the word of God with some enthusiasm!

I am rethinking giving up tv because I realize that there may be television broadcasts of sermons that I am missing. Though I am fasting in the physical realm, I am realizing that I need spiritual manna in the form of God's Word. I am reading the Bible and praying daily, yet my soul is not being fed. I am not criticizing the radio sermons of today but I must receive the Word in a form that is nourishing to my spirit and soul. I need the Living Water not a dry cracker in this desert fasting experience!

Fasting for Spiritual Growth in 2011

As I sat in church on yesterday, I quickly wrote that I wanted a closer relationship with God this year. I listened to the sermon which detailed the requirements for denial of 'self' and wordly pleasures and comforts if one hoped to become a disciple of Jesus (Luke 14:25-33). I began to think that it would be easy to deny my 'self' since I lead a rather simple life. I became slightly 'puffed up' as I considered the ease that I would have in becoming one of Jesus' followers. Then the pastor made everything 'real' for me when he mentioned the 25 day fast that he wanted church members to complete during January. He passed out a planning calender for the fast so that the choice(s) could be made about what would be sacrificed for the fasting period. There were plenty of choices-- food, meat, tv, music, Internet, sweets-- to make the fast meaningful. The beauty of the planning calendar is that it requires bible study, prayer, fellowship, and scriptural reflection daily.

Today was my first day fasting. I told no one at work of my decision. I decided to abstain from meat and tv for 7 days. I was surprised that giving up tv has been more difficult than giving up meat. I did not realize how much time I spent with the tv on to drown out the silence of bachelorhood. Television had become my friend as it talked to me, informed me, and made me laugh. I did not realize that the noise was also drowning out the 'wee small voice of God' that I needed to hear. I look forward to a new friendship with God. He will guide me, instruct me, lead me, and teach me His ways rather than the ways of the world that my old friend knows so well...

God, I thank you for this opportunity to grow spiritually in your Word and presence.

Fruits of the Spirit

I am wondering why Christians have problems exercising the 'fruits of the Spirit' in everyday life. Though we spend a great deal of time in church and learning about Christ, it seems as though Christians often have difficulty showing "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,and temperance" when faced with difficulties.

Why is the divorce rate for Christians higher than that of non-Christians? Though over a decade has passed, a 1999 study revealed:

"While it may be alarming to discover that born again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time. Even more disturbing, perhaps, is that when those individuals experience a divorce many of them feel their community of faith provides rejection rather than support and healing. But the research also raises questions regarding the effectiveness of how churches minister to families. The ultimate responsibility for a marriage belongs to the husband and wife, but the high incidence of divorce within the Christian community challenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages."

George Barna, president and founder of Barna Research Group

(Source: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm)

A 2008 study was no more encouraging when it stated that:

After months of revived debate over divorce and its increasing acceptance among Americans, a new study affirmed born again Christians are just as likely as the average American couple to divorce.

The Barna Group found in its latest study that born again Christians who are not evangelical were indistinguishable from the national average on the matter of divorce with 33 percent having married and divorced at least once. Among all born again Christians, which includes evangelicals, the divorce figure is 32 percent, which is statistically identical to the 33 percent figure among non-born again adults, the research group noted.

( Source: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080404/study-christian-divorce-rate-identical-to-national-average/index.html )

What are we doing wrong? Why are we no better than the world in spite of our prayers, scriptural knowledge, and relationship with God? Why is the enemy allowed to break up Christian marriages? Is it the work of the enemy or the Matthew 19:8 hardness of our hearts ( which returns me to the original question regarding not demonstrating the 'fruits of the spirit' to one another)? Is this a sign of the Romans 1:26 unnatural affections in the end times? If we do not exercise the fruits of the Spirit to one another, we have already begun to fulfill the end-time scriptures (Mark 13:4-31) and must be vigilant of the second coming of Christ.

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. (Mark 13:33)