June 29, 2011

What Are You Clinging To?

We are not moving from this part of Job’s journey just yet.  We still have some examining to do …..there are still a few angles left unchecked.

Let’s read this from another translation, the NAS and I will emphasize a few things:

Job 2

AGAIN there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 

This does not sound as though Satan was excluded but it does elude that he was not sent an invite.  He was a party crasher!

And the Lord said to satan, “Have you considered My servant Job?  For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil.  And he STILL hold fast his integrity although YOU incited Me against him to ruin him WITHOUT CAUSE.

We see that satan did not speak first.  Which does not surprise me, every deceptive person speaks after they get what they came for.  I do love the way that the Lord made a public spectacle of satan offering Job up in character and hitting it home by stating “and He still holds fast his integrity”.  I admire how he is able to state the snare of satan and keep his cool.  Did you notice he didn’t get confrontational at all?  This is what I mean when I state “The truth does not have to be defended, it is simply the truth!”

God tells us not to enter into arguments with fools.  He tells us not to give pearls to swine.  But he does tell us to speak His truth to everyone.  He tells us that we are to hold others accountable but leave vengeance to Him and Him alone.  He promises that He is a just and loving God.  I believe Him what about you? 

Satan however is always going to act in line with his character so he has to incite God again stating:

Skin for skin!  Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.  However, put forth THY hand, NOW, and touch his bone…and his flesh…he WILL curse Thee….TO THY FACE!

He is saying come on God you know this will push him over the edge……test him…come on …..you know you want to do it.  Listen to his arrogance, it is despicable!  If he will treat the Lord God Almighty in this way you know he will not hold back any sucker punches with us! 

But “thank God” God is God.  He simply stated to satan:

Behold he is in YOUR power, only spare his life.

God reiterated that he did not have to do a thing, satan had the power if he could manipulate Job and He was not getting involved in acting so unloving toward someone He loved so.

Let’s look again now at what Job’s wife stated: 

Do you still hold fast your integrity?  Curse God and die!

What I find so15 fabulous here is how Satan had used his wife as a mouth piece, look how blatant he is.  The very thing that God said Job was holding fast to …..what was anchoring his steadfastness is what satan flung at him.  He is trying to push him like he did God by saying…..come on just drop your integrity in God, you know you want to …….it will feel SO good ……just this once ….what harm will it do……and your own flesh and blood the one you are united with in God is telling you to just forget about it!

I would like to end this today asking you to think about what it is you hold fast or cling to when the pressure is on and you are in crisis. Be careful that it is not a spouse, heavens knows they leave people all the time, they do not honor their commitments to God to love us and forsake others……till death do us part.  (Not to say that you should stay with someone who is abusive in any way, they were not honoring their commitment to God from the get go.  This is a generic statement at best okay…..) and we will get to the friends in a few days.  We should be clinging to our faith in the one who will never leave us nor forsake us.  Yet we are not to be islands.  We are to be interdependent, we speak of this all the time.

1 Corinthians 15:1,2

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain.

I pray that each of us receive the full measure of that which Christ died to afford us.  And I pray that we not weight the balances of our actions but in all ways look to Him who perfects us and disciplines us as loved children.

With the love of our Christ,

Candace

June 28, 2011

If the Shoe Fits

 

I am sure at some point in our life we have either said or have had it said to us “If the shoe fits…wear it!”  If we did not use sarcasm to communicate, but rather wisdom with each other, we would tout a Proverb instead:

“Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.”

I do not have to use too much creative power to empathize with Job.  In fact it would be truly easy for me to sympathize with him at this point.  Let’s look at the scene again in Job 2.

Satan isn’t as much an accuser, in my opinion, as he is a whiner, lazy, and bully.  God is trying to take care of business and Satan comes in like a brat.  He already knows he can do whatever he wants on the earth but all he wants to do is provoke us and God.  When it isn’t easy because we and God are focused he comes crying to daddy saying, I’m bored, I can’t find anything to do.

I guess everyone else was an easy target for Satan, maybe Job was the only one he couldn’t get to so that was the very thing he was intent on having.  That is what arrogance and pride does, if someone tries to stop you for any reason you become childlike and MUST have it, do it no matter what it costs you.  How immature!

Satan underestimated Job, he sees he was wrong about his possessions being his god.  So now he has to REALLY get personal, he has to get skin close. He also knows that he has to put the pressure on.  Since he can’t “take his life”, he must attempt to make Job run FROM his life. 

Here Job is with painful boils from top to bottom.  He is sitting in the ashes of all he had amassed up to this point in life scraping his boils with a shard from one of his broken possessions when his spouse – the person that is supposed to be there putting him before “all others….ALWAYS” speaks, as if to dump acid on his open wounds. 

“Are you still holding on to your principles? Curse God and die!” 

I know Job isn’t the only one that has a spouse like that.  Job simply stated, “You’re talking like a godless fool.  We accept the good that God gives us.  Shouldn’t we also accept the bad?”  He did not enter into the coliseum with her, did he?  He spoke the truth, wisdom and discernment.  I hope that she was simply being attacked and she was not always like this.  But I have to ask myself – did Job marry a woman that was like her sons?  Is that the reason they carried on so?  It makes sense – but why would Job do that to himself?  He must have known how important it was to marry a God fearing woman so that he would have a proper “help mate”.  Maybe he was like some of us, growing in our faith and relationship with God after we were already married.  We will go deeper into this subject in the following weeks.  When I started thinking about the purpose of Kaleidoscope Butterfly our mission came to fruition in this statement:

Kaleidoscope Butterfly is about dealing with the harshness life can lie on top of us. We do not have the luxury of a fairy tale existence - some of us live a reality tale. Our Mission is to journey step by step and hand in hand through the shattered realities we are left to deal with when the myths are exposed and our vulnerability due to disillusionment are as shrapnel in our midst. Together as sojourners we will step cautiously through the battle fields with encouragement, wisdom, discernment and respect to help the survivors of the battles perfectly place the shrapnel of shattered dreams and placing them through understanding and faith, focusing with Gods eye of the kaleidoscope to see the picture as he has designed it.

We are ending today with Proverb 26:2, which is right where we will pick up tomorrow:

“Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so a hastily spoken curse does not come to rest.”

I pray that in your vulnerability due to disillusionment you ask for wisdom believing He will not withhold any good thing from you – For His Cause is LOVE!

In Christ,

Kisses,

Candace

June 27, 2011

Tripping on the the Stone of Blame

Today we are going to look at Job’s journey through everything we learned when discussing “Trip, Fall, Fly”.  It will be helpful if you do not have these, to go to the top left search area and just type it in and then allow it to pull up those posts for you.  Each one will help you understand a bit deeper the topics we will be discussing this week.

Last week in groups conversations we looked at these following subjects and we all added our two cents worth:

~Angels are referred to in a masculine gender when written about

~Satan was roaming the earth looking for someone to devour

~Satan like other angels was coming from the North, East, South and West taking charge over God’s words

~Our battle is not with flesh and blood

~The battle is supernatural taking place in the heavenlies

~Christ was tempted by the devil in the desert, when he resisted the devil the angels came to comfort him

We are now going to look at several scriptures about this heavenly battle.  In Ezekiel 28 from the NLT

1Then this message came to me from the LORD: 2"Son of man, give the prince of Tyre this message from the Sovereign LORD: In your great pride you claim, 'I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.' But you are only a man and not a god, though you boast that you are like a god. 3You regard yourself as wiser than Daniel and think no secret is hidden from you. 4With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth—gold and silver for your treasuries. 5Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud.

6"Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you think you are as wise as a god, 7I will bring against you an enemy army, the terror of the nations. They will suddenly draw their swords against your marvelous wisdom and defile your splendor! 8They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die there on your island home in the heart of the sea, pierced with many wounds. 9Will you then boast, 'I am a god!' to those who kill you? To them you will be no god but merely a man! 10You will die like an outcast at the hands of foreigners. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"

11Then this further message came to me from the LORD: 12"Son of man, weep for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. 13You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone F39 —red carnelian, chrysolite, white moonstone, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald—all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. 14I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. F40 You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.

15"You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. 16Your great wealth filled you with violence, and you sinned. So I banished you from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. 17Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. 18You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire from within you, and it consumed you. I let it burn you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 19All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you are no more."

When ever we look at “Trip Fall Fly” we align that with “Warnings, Woes and Wisdom”  Since Job is a Wisdom and Poetry book we know that we are studying this to glean wisdom. 

This was not about Job it was about God.  Satan was provoking Him.  He wanted to push God to ruin the poor guy for no good reason. 

Satan’s plan thus far was foiled, he had to regroup.  He left for a time and came back into the presence of God with the Sons of God.  Again God addressed him.  You notice he did not say to Satan, “See I was right, in your face wise guy!”.  God did not even bring it up.  He again asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”  Simple, straightforward and non confrontational isn’t it?  It is Satan that is wanting to challenge God.  He had some time to think about it as he was wandering all over the earth.  He had killed all the places he had to inhabit around Job….or had he?

Today, read Job 2:1-10 which I am posting below.  Think about how vulnerable Job was and who should have been his largest encourager.  Please write your thoughts about all this.

One day when the sons of God came to stand in front of the LORD, Satan the Accuser came along with them. The LORD asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From wandering all over the earth.” The LORD asked Satan, “Have you thought about my servant Job? No one in the world is like him! He is a man of integrity: He is decent, he fears God, and he stays away from evil. And he still holds on to his principles. You’re trying to provoke me into ruining him for no reason.”Satan answered the LORD, “Skin for skin! Certainly, a man will give everything he has for his life.  But stretch out your hand, and strike his flesh and bones. I bet he’ll curse you to your face.” The LORD told Satan, “He is in your power, but you must spare his life!”Satan left the LORD’s presence and struck Job with painful boils from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.  Job took a piece of broken pottery to scratch himself as he sat in the ashes. His wife asked him, “Are you still holding on to your principles? Curse God and die!” He said to her, “You’re talking like a godless fool. We accept the good that God gives us. Shouldn’t we also accept the bad?”Through all this Job’s lips did not utter one sinful word.

I pray that we look at our thoughts in reality to who God is: The God of Love.  I ask that we look at the characteristics of satan and give him all the credit he deserves for trying to deceive us of our true knowledge and understanding of how loving and all caring our Father is.  Then ask for forgiveness for not believing in all His promises to love, protect us so that we can receive all the good he has in store for us.  Let’s not take any more harm from Satan okay.

My love to each of you and I pray that you seek Him with abandon of this world, in all your ways acknowledging Him.

In the Name of Christ Jesus our Lord,

Kisses,

Candace

June 23, 2011

Job Description: Kill, Steal and Destroy

Today we are picking up in Job 1 by looking at what satan did to show God he was right about Job and the things he elaborately planned in order to provoke Job to curse God to His face.  First, I would like to start by framing our mind with some truths to enlighten our view points.  All the scriptures are from the NAS translation:
John 10:10-13
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have  it abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd,  who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.
  Romans 8:20 and 21 where Paul states:
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because  of Him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And  not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan  within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the  redemption of our body.  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
Luke 11:21-23:
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own mansion, his property is safe.  But a stronger man than he may attack him and defeat him.  Then the stronger man will take away all the weapons in which the strong man trusted and will divide the loot.
Genesis 2:15,16 and 3: 16, 19
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to farm the land and to take care of it.  The Lord God commanded the man.  He said “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.  But you must never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when you eat from it you will certainly die.
……"I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children……………
………For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
                 ______________________________________________
With this frame of thought let’s read about the next few pieces of Job’s journey as satan goes about killing, stealing and destroying what God has created.  Job 1:13-22 (GWT):
One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s home, a messenger came to Job.  He said “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, men from Sheba attacked.  They took the livestock and massacred the servants.  I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “A fire from God fell from heaven and completely burned your flocks and servants.  I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.” 
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three companies and made a raid on the camels.  They took the camels and massacred the servants.  I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine at their oldest brother’s home when suddenly a great storm swept across the desert and struck the four corners of the house.  It fell on the young people, and they died.  I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
Job stood up, tore his robe in grief and shaved his head.  Then he fell to the ground and worshiped.  He said, “Naked I came from my mother, and naked I will return.  The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away! May the name of the Lord be praised.”
Through all this Job did not sin or blame God for doing anything wrong.
There are several things that we need to be aware of here.  First satan uses the people in our lives who are easily manipulated to carry out his plans.  This does not mean that the people are evil or possessed.  It simply means they do not guard against false imaginations by casting them down and filling that space with a truth of God.  Satan spared a mouth piece in each situation who believed exactly what he wanted them to believe and ran in fear to make the report he wanted made to Job.  God did not send the natural disaster, satan did.  Satan must have loved the fact that he was being called God Almighty, he must have felt so very powerful in those moments. 
Can you imagine how his ego shriveled up and he ran when his scheming didn’t overtake Job’s love and trust in the faithfulness of our Lord God Almighty.  Even though Job did not understand that it was not God that took anything away, He only gives blessing.  Job did not allow satan to be the strong man in his land.  Job was righteous as God had stated.  Satan was proven once again to be the deceiver and God was magnified even on the worse day Job had ever imagined possible. 
Satan left a loser but that is not the end of this journey.  Satan does not give up when he sees that we do not fully comprehend the truth.  When he sees a foot hold you can sit back and collect bets, cause he will return…..as soon as we have our house swept and put in order.
Today, just read through this and think about it.  Tomorrow I want you to read it again, and write about it.  I will come back and post notes from one of our groups meeting tomorrow morning to give you some feed back.
Today I give thanks for the things we already see, I give thanks for the hopes that we have in our heart and I ask for his sight to keep your eyes set on the horizon where they will appear before you.  I lift His name on High to receive all praise honor and glory for all eternity.
In Christ, with Love,
Candace

June 21, 2011

Satan's View Point

We are following the happenings and looking at the scenes in Job 1 today which revolve around God, the sons of God and Satan.  Since I am not an expert on this matter, I felt it best to utilize a commentary by J Vernon McGee quoted from his Through the Bible series:

Heaven

Our next scene opens in heaven, and what a scene it is.  Neither Job nor any of the other people in this book knew that this took place at all.  But this scene will enable us today to understand and interpret some of the things which happen to God's people.  I don't say that it is the total explanation, but it is a part of it. 
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them (Job 1:6)
Now this is the scene in heaven.  The sons of God, His created intelligences, come before Him.  I must confess I know very little about them.  I think they are numberless, as numberless as the sand on the seashore, which means you and I cannot count them.  And they are not human beings; they do not belong to our race.  Yet these are God's created intelligences, and the are responsible creatures.  They must come to report to God as a matter of regular routine.  That is something I suppose we would expect.  But there is also something here that is rather shocking.  We are told that "Satan came also among them."  That is a surprise.
Ant the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it (Job 1:7)
By the way, Satan must also make a report.  That is amazing, isn't it?  Do you think he came from hell?  No, he didn't.  Friends, hell hasn't been opened yet.  No one is in hell today.  It will not be opened up until the Millennium takes place on this earth.  Hell is the place prepared fro the Devil and his angels, but they are not there yet.  The fact of the matter is that Satan has as much access to this earth as you and I have, and more so. 
This earth is the domain of Satan.  He has not been in hell.  He says that he has been going up and down - east, west, north and south - on this earth.  Remember that Scripture calls him "...the god of this world..."(2 Cor. 4:4) and "...the prince of power of the air..."(Eph. 2:2).  So that we know that he has great access and freedom on this earth today.  We are warned by Peter, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).  My friend, this is a warning, and this is exactly what we are told her in the Book of Job.  Satan himself said that he has the freedom to go up and down this earth. 
You remember that when Satan tempted the Lord Jesus he offered to Him the kingdoms of this earth.  The Lord Jesus never said, "You don't have them to offer. "  He simply refused the temptation.  Apparently those kingdoms are accessible to Satan, and he has that kind of freedom. 
When you look at this earth today, it does look like Satan is running things, does it not?  God is overruling all things but He has given Satan a period of freedom.  We are told that this world is which you and I live is controlled by Satan.  He must be overcome, and we can only overcome him by the blood of the Lamb.  Now this is quiet a revelation, isn't it.  And it is contrary to modern thinking. 
And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, on that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8)
God gives a good report of Job.  He says he is an outstanding man.  It would seem that Satan has been trying to get at Job.  I draw that conclusion from Satan's next statement.
Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?  Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?  Though hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land (Job 1:9-10)
Apparently Satan had been trying to get through to Job and made the discovery that he couldn't get through to him because there was a hedge about him.  He tells the Lord, "You have put a hedge around him, and I can't touch him."
I believe that there is a hedge about every believer today, and I do not think that Satan can touch you unless God permits it.  And if God permits it, it will be for His purpose.  That is what this book teaches us.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face (Job 1:11).
Now Satan casts this slur upon Job.  I think he despises mankind.  He suggests that Job is really a timeservant to God.  And Satan has no use for you or me.  He says we are timeservants and that if God took down that hedge and took everything from us, we would curse God.
Mind you, there are a lot of people in the world who would curse God.  There is no question about that.  All one needs to do is listen to men on the street her in Southern Cal.  I hear God cursed nearly every day. 
One day I walked by a construction sit4e where on of the foremen was attempting to make some sort of an adjustment.  It didn't work and the piece fell down.  My, he began to curse God.  Now he may go to church on Sunday and carry a big Bible under his arm - I don't know about that.  But I do know this, he cursed God.  We hear that constantly today.  Men are not rightly related to God, my friend. 
This man Job had a hedge around him, and when Satan found he couldn't touch him, he said, "I'd like to get to him." Satan hates mankind.  Why in the world anyone wants to serve Satan is more than I know, because he despises us.  I wouldn't want a master like that, I want a master who will love me and be sympathetic toward me.  And that is the kind of Master I DO have.
And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.  So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord (Job 1:12).
We learn here that sometimes God permits Satan to take away from us those things that we lean on.  I know that when our little security blanket is taken away from us we feel so helpless, incapable, and lost in this world.  Many of us cry out to God at such a time.
Notice that God is going to permit Satan to take all Job's possessions from him.  Believe me, Satan would destroy us if he could.  He has slandered both God and Job, inferring that God is not worthy to be served and loved for Himself alone, but that He must pay Job to love Him. Satan is the enemy of God and man.
               _______________________________________________________________

Today, think about some of our topics on loosing our peace because of the things we cannot control.  Think about what that states about our faith in God verses our ability to handle things in our own strength. 

I thank God that we live in the times when His spirit is within us and we are one with Him unlike Job who I respect immensely for doing all he did to uphold the commandments in his own strength allowing the hedge of protection to stay in place.  I thank God for His mercy and grace for the way He stayed with Job through all this.  I pray that when you are feeling attacked that you too feel His loving kindness upon you, rise up from within you and see the enemy flee. 

When you have done all to stand, remain standing,
Kisses,
Candace

June 20, 2011

Perceived Through Belief

This week we are going to be looking at the life of Job. If the general teachings that I grew up on are anything like your own, then the pictures that you have carried around in your mind are something like this:

The sons of God came into the throne room, they are standing before the Lord and Satan enters in with the group. Satan is asked where he came from and he says from wandering the earth. The Lord offers up Job saying there is none like him on the face of the earth who fears Him and how he stays away from evil. Satan states that Job isn't "all that". He believes that if God did not give him protection, prosperity and bless all that his hands are involved in that Job like everyone else would curse Him. The Lord simply states to Satan,"Everything he has is in your power, but you must not lay a hand on him!" Satan leaves the Lords presence at this point and tries to prove he is right and God is wrong. Which leaves us with the questions of why would God allow all this pain to come upon such a decent guy?

Job lived in Uz we know nothing about this place except that it was somewhere in the Middle East. Probably somewhere in the Syrian Desert. This desert is the same place where the Lord sent Paul for his 3 years of one on one study with God. I am sure these two men were not the only ones that had to learn desert discipline - in fact I think that many of us have been, are in and will be on our own Syrian experience with the Lord.

So let's try and glean something from Job's life. Instead of going back over what we have been told of this account within Jobs life. Let's sojourn through it with him and see what we can find out along the way. Let's look at it as if we are in the cocoon as Job enters in to heal from all the pain and look at all the scenes in their fullness. (I am posted Kaleidoscope Key on http://www.seecreativityspeaks.blogspot.com/ if you did not have a chance to read it Saturday - it is revised as well).
We will start with Job 1 - His character: man of integrity, decent or upright, blameless, feared God, and stayed away from evil. Yesterday we looked at Proverbs 3:6, 7 this is exactly what Job did. knowing this much of Job, I believe that he trusted without wavering in Proverbs 3:8 which states: "It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones."
As for family, he had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He had been very blessed and multiplied owning 7,000 sheep and goats, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 donkeys, a large number of servants. He was the most influential person in the Middle East. Now that is something isn't it?
But let's take a personal look at Job - we would think that He didn't have a worry in the world (except all the responsibility of overseeing all this blessing). His sons were might have been party animals it states that they took turns throwing parties at their homes and they would send invites to their three sisters to come eat and drink with them. Job took action, based on his faith. When the parties were over Job gather them all together to cleanse them of their sin by sacrificing burnt offerings for each of them. It reads as thought this were an every morning thing because it states he did this for them "all the time". As a parent, believing the same things Job believed I know the distress that it would cause me. Jobs thoughts are recorded so we do not have to assume. "My children may have sinned and cursed God in their hearts."
Looks like Job had some children, that in his mind were Mr Fools, heading for a collision with Mr Crisis. Today think about how we can be so blessed and yet the people in our lives are constantly draining us of our peace. We can stop and judge them for being so foolish, we can discern the situation and pray for them, we can speak the truth to them in hope of them repenting and finding wisdom, or we can harden our heart to their condition and worry about ourselves. Think about those options today, think about how your actions affect others around you, then pray for wisdom, discernment and faith that will not fail due to fear of evil.
I pray this for all of us,
Kisses,
Candace

June 19, 2011

The Little Ms.

We have been speaking about characteristics of crisis and the fool. We have been considering the different scenarios or experiences we have personally had when we cross paths with such individuals. We also discussed that at times in our life we can be Crisis or Fool, however, there is a vast difference between a mistake when we lack understanding verses simply not caring about the effect we have on those around us.


Today we will be considering several passages from Proverbs and then looking at 1 Samuel 25 to read a real life account of what happens when you marry Mr. Fool. So climb aboard and strap in we’re going on his ride again!

Proverbs 8:1 (NAS) Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice?

I am making an introduction today of Ms. Wisdom,( and no, I didn’t pick the gender the definition did that =D) all her words filled with discernment, discretion, loving reproofs, equality, compassion and love. She is peace loving with the heart of a teacher who is always carefully watching over those less wise. She is trustworthy, filled with integrity and loves the Lord her God with all that she is comprised of, her house stands firm because all that she desires is deeply rooted in God. She is very special so we researched her a bit more to find out that Understanding is her middle name. Without Understanding all that she is would never be able to reach those she desires to teach – Understanding is her action, it gives her volume, speed, perseverance.

Here is where we can find her in our cities, country side, roadways as we journey avoiding collisions with Mr. Crisis or the blind, foolish, naive travelers along our paths:

-On top of the heights
-Beside the way
-Where the paths meet
-Beside the gates
-At the openings to the city
-At the entrance of the doors
God was obviously referring to Ms. Wisdom in this passage from Jeremiah 6:16, 17:

Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it. And I set watchmen over you saying, “Listen to the sound of the trumpet!” But they said, “We will not listen”.

In Proverbs 10 we are told that to the fool doing wickedness is simply a sport. But it goes on to state that they live in fear – and not the fear of God. So they are correct, what they fear WILL come upon them. Remember what we were told in Habakkuk – know this and RUN, there is a reason that Ms. Wisdom does not do more than stand at the wayside and lift up her voice – if she goes where he goes she will be caught up in all his chaos and ruin. This is not God’s will for you – NEVER!

This is what the Proverbs states the situation will looks like for the Mr. Crisis and Mr. Fool:

-The years of the wicked will be shortened
-The expectation of the wicked perishes (hope deferred)
-Iniquity will be the ruin of his work
-He will be shaken and will not live in the good land of the Lord
-His perverted tongue will be cut out.

Why is this their outcome? Because of the following things:

-They use false weights and God finds this an abomination
-Their pride causes dishonor

It is their own falseness that will destroy them, their own riches they have built up will not be able to save them when God’s wrath comes twisting in….so even when they bribe you to stay or manipulate you with fear, don’t accept it…RUN!
Listen to Ms. Wisdom she is there to show you the way….follow her wise instruction, as Abigail did. Here is her story, I find it very uplifting.

Now, there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very rich man. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was sensible and beautiful, but he was harsh and mean. He was a descendant of Caleb.
While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men and told them, “Go to Carmel, visit Nabal, and greet him for me. Say to him, ‘May you live long! May you, your home, and all you have prosper! I hear that your sheepshearers are with you. Your shepherds have been with us, and we have not mistreated them. Nothing of theirs has been missing as long as they’ve been in Carmel. Ask your young men, and let them tell you. Be kind to my young men, since we have come on a special occasion. Please give us and your son David anything you can spare.’ ” When David’s young men came to Nabal, they repeated all of this to him for David, and then they waited.

“Who is David?” Nabal answered David’s servants. “Who is Jesse’s son? So many servants nowadays are leaving their masters. Should I take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to men coming from who knows where?”

David’s young men returned and told him all this.

“Each of you put on your swords!” David told his men. And everyone, including David, put on his sword. About four hundred men went with David, while two hundred men stayed with the supplies.

One of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, who yelled at them. Those men were very good to us. They didn’t mistreat us, and we found that nothing was missing wherever we went with them when we were in the fields. They were a wall protecting us day and night as long as we were watching the sheep near them. Now, consider what you should do because our master and his whole household are doomed. And he’s such a worthless man that it’s useless to talk to him.”

So Abigail quickly took 200 loaves of bread, 2 full wineskins, 5 butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, and 200 fig cakes and loaded them on donkeys. “Go on ahead,” she told her young men, “and I’ll follow you.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal about it.

She was riding on her donkey down a hidden mountain path when she met David and his men coming toward her. David had thought, “I guarded this man’s stuff in the desert for nothing! Not one of his possessions was missing. Yet, he has paid me back with evil when I was good to him. May God punish me if I leave even one of his men alive in the morning.”

When Abigail saw David, she quickly got down from her donkey. She immediately bowed down in front of David with her face touching the ground. After she bowed at his feet, she said, “Sir, let me be held responsible for this wrong. Please let me speak with you. Please listen to my words. You shouldn’t take this worthless person Nabal seriously. He is like his name. His name is Nabal [Godless Fool], and he’s foolish. But I didn’t see the young men you sent.

“The Lord has kept you from spilling innocent blood and from getting a victory by your own efforts. Now,
sir, I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, may your enemies and those who are trying to harm you end up like Nabal. Here is a gift I am bringing to you. May it be given to the young men who are in your service. Please forgive my offense. The Lord will certainly give you, sir, a lasting dynasty, because you are fighting the Lord’s battles. May evil never be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone pursued you and sought your life, your life is wrapped in the bundle of life which comes from the Lord your God. But he will dispose of the lives of your enemies like stones thrown from a sling. When the Lord does all the good he promised and makes you ruler of Israel, you shouldn’t have a troubled conscience because you spilled blood for no good reason and claimed your own victory. When the Lord has given you success, remember me.”

David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me. May your good judgment be blessed. Also, may you be blessed for keeping me from slaughtering people today and from getting a victory by my own efforts. But I solemnly swear—as the Lord God of Israel, who has kept me from harming you, lives—if you hadn’t come to meet me quickly, Nabal certainly wouldn’t have had one of his men left at dawn.”

Then David accepted what she brought him and told her, “Go home in peace. I’ve listened to what you’ve said and granted your request.”

When Abigail came to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his home. It was like a king’s banquet. He was in a good mood and very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything until dawn. But in the morning, when the effects of the wine had worn off, his wife told him what had happened. Nabal’s heart failed, and he could not move.About ten days later the Lord made him even more sick, and Nabal died.

When David heard Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who defended me against the insults of Nabal and kept me from doing wrong. The Lord has turned Nabal’s own wickedness back on him.”

Then David sent men on his behalf to propose marriage to Abigail. When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they told her, “David has sent us to you so that we can take you to him to be his wife.”

She bowed down with her face touching the ground. “I am ready to serve,” she said. “I am ready to wash the feet of my master’s servants.” Then Abigail quickly got up and rode on a donkey with five of her female servants following her. So she went with David’s messengers and became his wife.

David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Both she and Abigail were his wives. Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti, Laish’s son, who was from Gallim.

So for all of you that might be married to a character like Nabal, remember not to shut your ears to Ms. Wisdom, not to defer your hope in the Lord, not to seek revenge, not to act as the Godless Fool leaning on your own understanding….but I pray for us that in ALL our ways we will acknowledge Him, so that He will make our paths straight.

I ask you to consider this verse and make this request personally as I have for years: Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth, and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.

In the power and victory of Jesus Christ our Lord – let it be done to us as is His good pleasure ~ Amen, Hallelujah, Shalom,
Kisses,
Candace

June 16, 2011

What Is That Thing??

This post is for those of you that are not able to make it to a group. For those of you that do, it is a great review. We discuss so much in such a short time frame that it can be overwhelming at times. With that….
Based on some of the growth I have had personally over the years we were reflecting on discernment and wise counsel. As always we base our conversations on biblical principles and use real life situations to glean some experiential knowledge.

This was from a time when I was personally trying to resolve conflicts and live in harmony with those in my immediate surroundings. The conversation went like this:

“I am trying to understand some things”. “I have been thinking (no big surprise) about words we use with each other”. “Maybe by expressing what I am thinking, it will bring forth some understanding for us - if we can be honest with each other”.

“We both are intelligent enough to know, that in order to bring resolve, things have to be talked about.” “In my opinion, it is only fair for all individuals to have a chance to put their hurt, understanding etc. on the examining table for looking at and through.” “All individuals should try to search deeply from all aspects as if trying to figure out what the object is. Nothing should be judged at this point only expressed for the most clarity, like a brainstorming session.”

“ Think about it; a relationship is the best abilities of each individual bringing what they have to that table to name that object, find out what it is, what it does, if it is dangerous or safe to keep in their midst.” “Sometimes one person might have more or a different experience with the type of object. But even if they have less experience it does not mean that the each person shouldn’t extend their best understanding or knowledge forward. In fact when we are challenged and open to the questioning of others we must grow beyond our own limits. And in my opinion we should not simply accept what another states if we have no knowledge we should use all our discernment and knowledge to challenge the accuracy of what is being stated as a fact. This challenges the other individuals to think deeper, pull from more sources themselves in order to prove their case. “

“When all this is done in the spirit of helping the environment as a whole survive AND thrive then there should be harmony even if there are differences of opinions”. “ Think about it like this”:

“What if we were aliens and something foreign slipped into our space ship”. “ We would need the best of the best minds available to gear up and enter into the quarantined area as we investigated, probed, charted, challenged the safety of whatever it was”. “Would be open the hatch and throw it out? “Would we poke it and see if it spewed out acid that would destroy our ship – and us? “ “Would we simply keep it quarantined and watch it over time as we search for others to bring forth their expertise because we really had no earthly idea?”

There is a nugget of our last discussion – Journal about some things you have examined and I pray that each of you try to bring your A game to the next project. Please believe in the process of relationships and the value of growth.
We will get to some of the bible verses in the next few posts.

I pray that each of you enjoy your life remembering that we are aliens, exiles, foreigners in this world.  And I give thanks that we are no longer exiles, foreigners and aliens to the Kingdom of God - through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the Spirit of Him that keeps us alive and well - always and in all ways,
Kisses,
Candace


© 2007 Candace Huffmaster, All Rights Reserved

June 13, 2011

Mr. Fools Wild Ride

The Collateral Damage of Mr. Fool

We have been talking about the character of Crisis and how we need to not get onto the path with him, especially if we are crossing his path. We know that when crisis enters our lives it takes wisdom to minimize the collateral damage. We also know that wisdom comes from God, that our understanding is paled in comparison. For most of deeply we were looking at wisdom and pondering what where our beliefs align and where we thought differently. Now, in the Honestly Series we will be looking at the opposite of wisdom – the fool.


For our purposes we will call him Mr. Fool. Mr. Fool has many character traits. So, fasten your seat belts and hang on tight. We are taking a whirl on “Mr. Fools Wild Ride”. The bad news is that it has jumped off the track and headed straight toward Crisis. Hopefully, he will listen to Wisdom who is seated next to him…….at least for now.

For two weeks we will be on this roller coaster so take your Dramamine!

One of the first things we notice when jumping on board beside Fool is how contentious he is. Instead of giving you a simple definition of this trait we are going to look at Proverbs 18, please take time to read these passages. I believe a picture is worth a thousand words. This way hopefully we can wisely avoid years of conflicting relationships through this wisdom – Here is his story:

Fool was heartache to his father and bitter grief to his mother. His mouth was his ruin, as it was a ruin to his father. If it had not been for the Lord the bitterness and grief would have worked in his mother to goad her into a quarreling woman. But she was not she was sensible, she still grieved as she delve out knowledge endlessly asking Fool to control his words, consider what she was saying to help him be even-tempered, even to simply close his mouth so others would think he was wise and intelligent, but he always knew better than everyone else so he would cut them off and express his own opinions. He never found joy in understanding so he would move away from them and others who tried to open his eyes, mind and heart to the truth. Always out to get what he wanted for himself above all else, he became a loner.

Any time Fool saw that someone was not on board with him he had to quickly eradicate them. He would open his mouth expressing his own opinion knowing it would start an argument….actually provoking a beating. Every wise person would see how deep the waters of his ruin were and that if they did not leave they would drown in the storm he was calling in. As they would leave him their compassion would call out to him, “Fool your mouth is your ruin, and your lips are a trap to your soul. We pray that you will hear truth, turn from your ways and be saved from the destruction you are headed towards”.

While it is a normal part of growing, maturing and living to be foolish at times, hence Christ prayed for us before His death “Father forgive them for what they do not understand”, it is when this habit becomes your character and the foolish becomes the Fool that leads to the man who is an island. I pray that today you do not harden your heart as the Mr. Fools did in the past, but that you hear, turn from your own opinions and understanding to listen to God and then run to him …..to never again leave him or forsake him.

It is Gods’ will and good pleasure to deliver you eternally, starting in this life. Give Him the gift of your will and good pleasure to allow Him, His will.

Today write about some foolish moments in your life – go ahead, make it personal…you can because I do not think any of you are Mr. or Mrs. Fool, and all things are common among us – so you don’t have to hang your head in shame, okay?

With the Love of our Christ,
Kisses,

Candace

© Candace Huffmaster 2007, All Rights Reserved. 
 Right of Use donated to Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc for the purpose of web content and group materials

To use any portion of the "Deeply, Honestly, Passionately, Freely" Series contact us. We allow anyone to use the information with with permission and appropriate notations of copy right.




June 9, 2011

When Crisis Blows Through Your Town

1 Samuel 2:3 (NAS) “Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and with Him actions are weighed.”
As we know all things are common to man. That means anything that is happening to you is not out of the ordinary. So when we use the cliché’ “You have no idea” that is simply not true. Why then do some individuals enter into these so called “common moments” and end up in crisis while others do not? Firstly, most of our “serious frustrations” are produced due to external events. The reason these events become serious is due to our lack of exposure to development in dealing with whatever it is; so it throws us off balance.

Yesterday we were looking at the importance of not “saving” everyone from their development and allowing God room to work on His creation as He sees fit. Today we are going to look at why.

Let’s say Crisis is an actual person, these would be his character traits: anxiety, self-blame, frequent sense of personal failure and guilt. When you look in his photo album you can see that his whole life is nothing more than one problem after another. There have been many people in Crisis’ life who truly love him. They understood the tremendous emotional impact this was for him and how this was diminishing his ability to see problems clearly; hendering his ability to stop the insane journey he was on. They desperately posted warning signs, tried to close roads and anything else they could do to clear his vision but each time he would simply put up blinders and hit the gas pedal. So….things could never be different and soon he was too far away for them to even be seem.

Now Crisis travels the roadways without breaking, he is oblivious to oncoming traffic – so YOU must beware as you travel. If you and he come to an intersection in life there is going to be a catastrophic calamity at that moment I pray that God intervene and the weight of his choices not fall upon you.

Tomorrow we will review something from deeply dealing with examination skills.

Today, write about how Crisis “missed you by that much” when he zoomed through your land.
See you in the MORNING my lovelies!

Kisses,
Candace

June 8, 2011

The Weight of Other Peoples Choices

If you never read anything else we discuss, do not miss this one.  God said it is not a lie........literally! Read on:

We all go through the times when we do not understand the reason we are going through difficulties due to someone elses stuborness or rebellion.  We ask ourselves questions like:  Does God really expect me to help this person when they are simply receiving what they created?  Is it selfish of me to not help where I can so that this individual may see that there is a God that loves him / her when they are bottoming out?  Is it disrespectful to God if I do not "put on joy" as I am having to deal with people that always put their wants before the burdens they are allowing to crash in on my life with disregard to the weight is has on me?

So what do we do with that.  Well I pray that during our next conversations God will really speak up, because this is the road we are headed down as we discuss Love honestly.

In the book of Habakkuk we studied where this man of God was deliberating “How long, Oh Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save.” He goes on to ask about all the imbalance, injustice and oppression taking place and questions why God is just watching it all happen. God did respond to Habakkuk, but Habakkuk waited for the answer trusting that He would. God said listen Habakkuk to my reply and write it down REALLY big so everyone knows the answer, and tell them it isn't a lie - it is GOING to happen, AND it is going to happen at the appropriate time - not early and not late. He then describes the person it is going to happen to. He says "look at the proud person he is not right in himself. He then describes the one he sees suffering by their actions and describes what He sees. "But the righteous person will live because of his faithfulness"

Now he really explains things to Hab as he expounds stating He sees it all. He sees their arrogance, how they have the power to make decisions that are fair and yet they keep on as if God isn't watching.  He also states that it is going to get worse because He knows their calous, selfish, manipulative and uncaring ways.  Do you know why God wanted Hab to write it down LARGE for everyone to see?  So that they would read it and RUN.

Habakkuk 2:3"Then the LORD answered me and said, "Record  the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run. "For the vision is yet for the appointed  time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay. "



We know that when others disregard proper boundaries they are supposed to be isolated so that damage is contained and will only crashing in on themselves.  It is obvious that if you stay in their midst when these metephorical walls become real weights and bondage that anyone in their path is going to be injured.  Do you feel that it is God's will for you to walk in and be crushed? 

When you think about it isn't it ludicrous to rush in to rescue them?  People are SUSPOSED to feel the gravity of their decisions; that is what SIN is designed to do.  If it hurts maybe they will stop inflicting pain on themselves!!!  So stop rescuing them, or they will never learn and God's justice will never be seen by others in the mighty way He has planned.

Sometime you are supposed to "See the writting on the wall" and RUN like Forest Gump "in faithfulness"!

What writting in on your wall?
Who are you trying to "suck it up" and "save?
Maybe, just maybe you aren't supposed to.....think about it.

Write about it - I love you all,
Candace

June 7, 2011

Layer Upon Layer

Today read this and think about the questions then journal - we WILL be having a discussion utilizing some of YOUR thoughts Friday......it will be FUN.....REALLY =D
My prayers and heart are chasing you down to day.....just bask in it!

Kisses,
Candace


Beautiful Mystery
Lift up my heart, that I might sing,
Beautiful melodies, in praise of your name
Open my arms, that I might embrace,
All of your children, in need of your grace
Put forth my feet, that I might dwell,
Among the lost shinning, to pass on your light
Burst your breath from my lips, which worship your words,
Their deaf ears must hear to follow you home
Give my eyes vision, which I gladly receive,
To aid those held captive….to finally be freed.

All that I am was created for you,
For relationship, family, courage and love,
To strengthen and give beauty, among a fallen and lost world

Helplessly falling, they have no strength to withstand,
Be there, embrace them, and steady their stance….
Your hand is strong now, the grip is in mine
I hold you tight and will never let go
My brave little angel you are never alone,
Pick up and flutter; you do that so well
 With sounds of your laughter….from my eyes are tears of joy
You are home now and happy; Oh, I welcome you so…..
Please never leave me I have waited so long,
To be here with you…… inside your soul

Don’t look back embarrassed, I have washed all away
Let’s move away quickly: be free of this space
Your home is my mansion and filled with my grace

Women and beauty -please help our eyes to see;
What is it you are saying, which will set them all free?

Depth is like water: mysteries unknown,
Except to our Father whom created ebb and flow
Beauty is a mystery; it dwells in the mind;
And you all were created, within His divine
Seeing is mere sight: pleasures of the flesh;
A touch ignites feelings; the heat could consume

When emotions are pure the heart is etched in love
Now that my beloved is beauty, so let us unfold


Waves are like thoughts; they rise from the deep,
The heart of the pull gives essence its seat
Layer upon layer, it washes and returns,
When mixed with emotions, all can crash upon the shore
Positive - negative all lie within,
The power unyielding increases till released,
Gaining momentum which give rise to the wake
Lifting or hurling, only the depth knows,
We get the experience, when we let it all go
Smell is induction, grabbing your mind,
Flowers and sweetness, purity and just
Or shameful and putrid, smelling foul to the nose,
Flaring my nostrils to expel such a stench,
Destruction of true beauty and the cause of its descent
God is so gracious, so eloquent in all;
His sounds transcend logic, composing lyrics at will,
Each one a memory that captures you….still

Still is where He needs us, so that we may all hear
His essence, His sound waves; the explosion of space
Our minds are too small to originate such depths,
When listening we gain knowledge; He moves our world
We are inanimate, or did you not know?
Mere lifeless particles without His flow
Think of the deep, the wave and the wake……
Think of our creation, motion and form…….
Then death through resurrection: His life in new space

Air is in everything God breathed to form,
When His breath is depleted, it surges back home
Who then has the right, to take breath away?
To suffocate the creation of Gods own mighty hand
If water can kill you, take your breath away….
Remove yourself from turbulence before it overtakes

Remember your creation, the miracle of life:
Breath taken, life given – The breath of true life
How mighty that miracle, of the very first breath,
Starting the journey, of all ebb and flow,
Time and tides written……… so long ago
To my Father and Creator, I lift up my wind,
To flutter His knowledge; give depth to His breath
In all ways relinquishing power so that I might gain strength,
To rise up on His wave of True Beauty through His grace.

~Candace Huffmaster

© 2007 Candace Huffmaster, All Rights Reserved

June 6, 2011

One Love, One Gift, One Body to Call His Own ???????

Hi Everyone,

After our generic questions yesterday I know we all have so many chaotic questions spinning in our heads. So, know we will get to those...

But today I want you to think a little further and remember your questions as you read these following verses. Tomorrow we will start our journey through the layers of it all.

My love to each of you, in Christ,
Candace

Romans 8:31-37

What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 God didn’t spare his own Son but handed him over {to death} for all of us. So he will also give us everything along with him. 33 Who will accuse those whom God has chosen? God has approved of them. 34 Who will condemn them? Christ has died, and more importantly, he was brought back to life. Christ has the highest position in heaven. Christ also intercedes for us. 35 What will separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or violent death separate us from his love? 36 As Scripture says:
“We are being killed all day long because of you.
We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties. 38 I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us. F12 We can’t be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces 39 or powers in the world above or in the world below, or by anything else in creation.
Ephesians 5:1-2 and 25-33

1 Imitate God, since you are the children he loves. 2 Live in love as Christ also loved us. He gave his life for us as an offering and sacrifice, a soothing aroma to God.
Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. 26 He did this to make the church holy by cleansing it, washing it using water along with spoken words. 27 Then he could present it to himself as a glorious church, without any kind of stain or wrinkle—holy and without faults. 28 So husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 No one ever hated his own body. Instead, he feeds and takes care of it, as Christ takes care of the church. 30 We are parts of his body. 31 That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will be one. 32 This is a great mystery. (I’m talking about Christ’s relationship to the church.) 33 But every husband must love his wife as he loves himself, and wives should respect their husbands.

June 4, 2011

To Love or Not To Love.....Is that the question????

We have had so many fabulous discussions surrounding LOVE.

I can't image that this is going to be an epiphony for any of us but I am being Mrs Obvious today.  I am asking that in the journals today we all be "Mrs Obsious" isn't that what being honest is all about?  As I always say - that truth is simply the truth, and it does not have to be defended......

So let's not get defensive with ourselves, after all no one else is even around. (if you were not with us for this thought proder, go to archives: Don't dance with your demons)  

Here are your thoughts for the day:

Is there ever a choice if you are going to love someone or not?

If we are to love because God requests that this be our hightest calling, then does it make sense that we should be in love with everyone just as He is in love with us?

If He calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves and that only loving those that are lovable is not the call, then do we truly believe that there is only one person we could be able to love as a life mate?

Do you think it is possible, based on this premis, that the need for committment and unconditional love toward on individual to sustain a marriage was proposed in order to keep us from flitting from love to- love to- love relationships due to our constant evolution( immaturity to full maturity) so that the erronious illusion of "I'm not IN love anymore" has no power to deceive us?

I truly love you all but there is one love I am supposed to purposefully set apart ( speaking of mankind) and that is the love for my husband Chuck.  I ask each of us to think about that today, be honest with yourselves as I am being with myself:  How ya doing with the whole love thing?

Love is not love when it is received - it is love when it is given.  This is how we know God first loved us.  It isn't love when we receive it, it is love when He gives it - as we discussed yesterday in group.  Love cannot be there if it is not being delved out, right.  Are we expecting to be loved yet withholding love in wait for it?  All I can say is "Stop It"  That just doen't make any sense.  We are supposed to be loving everyone and since God has already given us more than enough love, for us to be "needy" in this area is being a bit stingy and "self" centered.  I know, I hear the but.......   BUT, that has nothing to do with it. 

The point is....are YOU going to love ergo being lovely.  It is a state, a way of living and it IS Truly Beauty.

Go be beauty in the midst of Chaos.....and watch all the liberty, love and peace emerge....Come on ...You CAN do it.  I know you!

Kisses,
Candace

June 2, 2011

Stop It!!





I thought you might want to have a light day of reflection since we have been hitting some heavier topics.  When ever I type "Stop It" in an article I always remember this clip.  I hope you all have a good giggle.  It helps us realize what false imaginations are capable of doing and the reason God lovingly instructs us to cast them down.  This would be a great place to reflect over the phobia materials within "Deeply" if you would like more material today.

I love each and everyone of you and pray that together we "Stop It" so that we are a strong witness to His righteousness today, tomorrow and so on.......

Kisses,
Candace

June 1, 2011

For Goodness Sake!!!

For Goodness Sake


We are steadily getting honest with ourselves, I know it is difficult, but I have faith that we all will make it through ….Christ. =D

As a review:

True love is Agape Love which is totally different from worldly love which demands its own way. Agape love is from God achieving what is best for the beloved knowing that pain is inevitable for both parties at times. (read love angle in the archives if you are unfamiliar with our topic)

What do we do when the beloved is in pain and their emotions desire to coerce us into giving them what they want instead of what they need?

How do we reconcile the hostility being propelled toward us and still be a giver of peace and love?

We translated that into the visual of the coliseum and spoke about only being able to extend love and peace – we must not become a warrior in that coliseum.

What we know about out human nature is that we are pain  "avoiders”. We discussed how this sets up habits and how if not rectified these habits build up generations with the same patterns of dealing with life in some very broken ways. These habits create upheaval, division and strife which are bondage and a curse to obtaining the fullness of life desired for us.

So let’s ponder a question we planted in the Deeply Series and see what has sprouted, okay?

The old adage “I am who I am - don’t try to change me”- Do we consider it selfish to love someone but then desire for them to be different? Our generations have been assaulted with the allusion of not accepting people like they are and “always” wanting to change them. Is this manipulative, selfish etc.?

The world has tried desperately to force us to perceive that each person must not be held accountable for living as they individually deem right verses righteousness.

So I ask….”Doesn’t God love us unconditionally…..Doesn’t He accept us just as we are?”
“Are all the scriptures lies where He requests that we put away our old life, old ways to be transformed by the renewing of our minds?”

Knowing that God is love, truth and the way we are to live in actions toward others, let’s see what He has to say on the subject and finally END this debate:

The truth is God states that if He did not love us He would not discipline us. Read Deuteronomy Chapter 11 later for full text; we are focusing on verses 1, 2, 11-21, 25-28:

Love the LORD your God, and do what he wants you to do. Always obey his laws, rules, and commands. Remember today the discipline you learned from the LORD your God. ({I’m not talking} to your children. They didn’t see or experience any of this.) You saw and experienced his great power—his mighty hand and powerful arm.

11-21 The land you’re about to enter is a land with hills and valleys, watered by rain from the sky. 12 It is a land the LORD your God cares about. He watches over it all year long. If you faithfully obey the commands that I’m giving you today, love the LORD your God, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, I will send rain on your land at the right time, both in the fall and in the spring. Then you will gather your own grain, new wine, and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your animals, and you will be able to eat all you want. Be careful, or you’ll be tempted to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. The LORD will become angry with you. He’ll shut the sky so that there’ll be no rain. Then the ground won’t grow any crops, and you’ll quickly disappear from this good land the LORD is giving you. Take these words of mine to heart and keep them in mind. {Write them down,} tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder. Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up. 20 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. Then you and your children will live for a long time in this land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors—as long as there’s a sky above the earth.



25-28 No one will be able to stop you. As the LORD your God promised, he will make people terrified of you wherever you go in this land. Today I’m giving you the choice of a blessing or a curse. You’ll be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I’m giving you today. You’ll be cursed if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God, if you turn from the way I’m commanding you to live today, and if you worship other gods you never knew.

Let’s really understand this discipline God speaks of: It is translated from a Hebrew word Muwcar meaning chastisement, punishment, correction, discipline, instruction and self control. Essentially it is a bond, a checking; restraint – all which result in education.

This discipline is written about in Proverbs many times.  Proverbs is the scripture we base our wisdom and discernment for maturation into the transformation of living holy, lovely and pure lives. The discipline it speaks of is usually oral and not corporal – yet think about our reactions when we do not get what we desire: we act like a child throwing a tantrum. We bully others with our words and actions then minimize our behavior by say its not a big deal because we did not inflict physical pain upon anyone.

Really? God has something to say about emotional abuse and it is not that it is okay. He states that it is real…it inflicts real physical pain to the point that you are actually murdering the individual. That individuals blood is upon your hands now….What will you do? Will you choose life, or will you choose death? The choice is yours to make – do they live or die based on your intent? Will you choose a blessing or a curse? The ultimate curse falls on YOUR head…..so “STOP IT!” For Goodness Sake….stop it. Choose differently, I beg of you.

Proverbs 22:14,15 states this: The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the Lord will fall into it. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it from him.

The root word that Muwcar comes from is Yacar, which I will sum up in this definition: It is the intent of the discipline being to correct. It is the process of becoming educated when the proper amount of training and correction are imposed.

That my friend is love….

Paul summed it up in Colossians 2; I will summarize but go back and check me on it. ( all as I have advised you to do with all men. =D)

Paul is encouraging them as he expressed his fighting the good fight for their unity. He speaks of his assurance that God has built them up together in Christ, resulting in true knowledge and wisdom, so that no one may delude them with persuasive arguments. He implores them to not allow themselves to be taken captive through empty philosophy and deception according to traditions of men and elementary principles of this world rather than the deity of Christ. He reminds them that all such things have been nailed to the cross and Christ alone was the rule and authority over them, so they were not to let any man judge them “in regard to food, drink, festivals, new moons, Sabbath, because these are minor things or shadows of the important stuff.

He states that the good fight is all about is this: Putting aside malice, anger, wrath, slander and ANY ABUSIVE Speech. Not lying to each other because we are being renewed to a true knowledge and image of Christ where there is no distinction among others: Only Christ who is all and in all.

So, we must forgive as He forgave then go beyond the self part passing through to Love,which is the perfect bond holding us together: to let peace of Christ rule and have authority.

When we hold our words and give / allow His words priority and space,  there will be wisdom, teaching, admonishing, psalms, hymns and thankfulness in our hearts. If He is all and in all, what are you forcing him to say or do to someone today?

Winding this up now, the answer to the question is this:

You cannot love someone and then not care about their state and safety or growth. That would be the definition of Unloving. Love may however forgive all things – but it cannot cease to desire the removal of pain causing obtrusions in their environment.

Love is more sensitive than anger, bitterness etc, so obviously it gets wounded more easily. You cannot love and be disinterested or indifferent to the welfare of your beloved. Your desire is for them to be able to live in fullness, healthier, with loyal companions and prosperity that would not be obtainable in their lesser form.

This is why we must Love – when one suffers Christ suffers the ability to be perfectly unified and identifiable with all He deserves to have made manifest.

Do you love Him enough to truly love those in your body – family – marriage???

I pray that you be purposeful through Christ, not self, so that He may educate you on how to be interdependent in Love, Truth and Light for His glory and Namesake.

With Love,
Candace