June 30, 2014

I Told You It Is Not Real

3D Artwork by Edgar Mueller
visit metanamorph.com to see more

Studying our key verses for this summer, and not hyper focusing on each person or community surrounding each, has been a challenge.  The reason it is challenging is as obvious as the nose on my face: we all have things which cause us to be shaken and react to those perceived things.  Which means that every topic when whittled down reveals one thing: we will fear; what we will fear is the question.

Isaiah 51:13 That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; That you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, as he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor?

As I was reading through Exodus, humbly, I pondered their demise.   With gratitude, I have searched for lessons we can graciously walk into without having to undergo the fears which snared His people.

A common thread for them and us is: which thought will we grab hold of, deciding to project it before us, and say "this is real and I will believe it"?  The picture I inserted is of a 3D image cleverly created by a sidewalk artist.  What is really there is a road, everything else is an illusion. You can surely see it, but it is simply an image and can do you no harm at all if you travel over or near it.

 God is like the road, He is there even though we cannot see Him.  He does not go away even when something has come between our sights, obstructing our view.  What would we do if we did not have the history of His truth, even though we had another human being telling us what God was saying, while encouraging us to continue to trust? Would we stop short, park to be safe, turn around or move forward in faith that the road WAS there, trusting we just could not see it at the moment?

We know, God did give them more than a man to see and follow; He gave them wondrous signs and surrounded them with visuals to experience.  And while a 3D artwork is spectacular it does not compare to their experience:

Exodus 13:21, 22 and the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.  He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

I had to ask myself, " if God did not take away the cloud or the fire, then why, when the Pharaohs men drew near and the sons of Israel looked, did they behold the Egyptians marching after them and become frightened, crying out to God; instead of seeing them coming and beholding the Lord God, remembering His promises and what He had already done"?  When they cried out it was not to save them, it was to whine, murmur and blame Moses.  They screamed out Why.....Why....Why....and it would have been better for us to serve them than die here.  And there it was.....they were ready to go back and serve something that hated them, used them and disrespected them, with no remorse, than to move into God's provision within His way.

Moses, cried out "Do Not Fear!" Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord, promising they would never see them again, forever, because the Lord was going to fight for them while they kept silent.  But God responded to Moses saying "Why are YOU crying out to ME?  Tell the sons of Israel to go forward - and you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea, divide it and go! (paraphrase).

We act as though God cannot see through the clouds which He created, sends and removes.  We fear as though He does not care about the calamity going on in our midst.  We get moved by the unconscionable ways others treat us and react in reproachable ways to protect our self. All the while, we should see what is real:

And it came about at the morning watch, that the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.  And He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, let us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians."

How is it, that sometimes, the true reality of Jehovah is more plain to our enemies, as plain as the nose on their face; yet to us He is more like abstract art which confuzzles our senses?

Think about it, pray about it....ask Him about it and please let's all try to stop whining about things that are not even real.  Let's attempt to focus on Christ and His word and less on the distorted chaos consuming our moments....for Goodness Sake.

I pray for His will to be done here on earth, today, even as it is being done in the His Kingdom.
Kisses,
Candace


© Candace Huffmaster 2014, All Copy Rights Reserved
Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc°


June 27, 2014

Just Turn Around, It's No Big Deal....Yet!


But I will camp around My house because of an army, because of him who passes by and returns; and no oppressor will pass over them anymore.....For now I have seen "with My eyes".  Zechariah 9:8

I took a pause from moving forward with our study, recently so that I could really study the old and new testament and take pause as I explore.  To recap, the verse below has been our focus:


The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; in the last days you will clearly understand it.  Jeremiah 23: 20, 21 

God's truth is not vague; He tells us all have turned from His ways.  Even the disciples who were most intimate with Christ and literally walking with Him serving / witnessing fell away, just as Christ told them they would.  God himself is at the helm of all things, in control of all powers, and making allowances as He so chooses.  Obviously, having all the data of what is going on around us, then scrutinizing all movements and knowledge prior to moving, is not what should be our motive for security in going, is it?  When I read the words "For now I have seen with My eyes" my heart leaps and I feel safe.  My God knows everything and will show me the way if I will be willing to wait, listen and follow.  

I know if I pass Him by, it really is no big deal; He knows my limitations and where He is still working on correcting what I misunderstand.  Man....that really allows me to relax a bit.  "After all, He is the one who formed me, teaches me and guides me." And He will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart.....and in the perfect time.....I will clearly understand it!"

Please take a moment to read Selah,  Seen With My Own Eyes, today and prepare for the next leg of our journey.(click on the blue underscored words to open the link or visit http://hischildbelieves.blogspot.com )

With Love, in Christ Jesus Himself,
Kisses,
Candace




© Candace Huffmaster 2014, All Copy Rights Reserved
Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc°

June 6, 2014

That Was The Big Idea

Jeremiah 23: 20, 21 The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; in the last days you will clearly understand it.


We Love it when God is for us; when He is our Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer, Healer and Greatest Lover of our Soul.  We really feel super special and can lord it over others when we are walking the walk, talking the talk and being used as a front man for the Kingdom.  As soon as we feel any of those feelings, we need to fervently pray for Him to cover us quickly.  We must seek where our faith is weak and our reliance on things feeling right is too great.  It is in our confident moments, that satan rolls in and whispers.....you can do it....look around you.....you are our front and being noticed ....go ahead and receive your honor, you deserve it this once. After all, there will be a time when you are more like the monkey in the middle than the front man.  Then you will need to remember this to build your self up, or remind others; so make it count!

Self Confidence is not the same as a peace filled countenance.  Usually, self confidence is hiding a myriad of insecurities.  People simply learn what disguises them and settles their unstable emotions.  Just pull on one of our disguises loose threads and you will see the chaos roll out and the clash of thunder begin.  There are many discussions in our archive on countenance, being down cast and paranoia   Today, we are going to look at how God does what He plans, no matter who or what gets in His way; even when those He is attempting to use for His glory fight His Big idea, because they are not comfortable with it.

In Exodus, God articulated His Big Idea in one sentence: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me."
This seems incredibly straight forward doesn't it? His people were being held against His Will, and they were not free to serve Him. Therefore, God had to send someone to tell the person what He wanted.  Ergo, Moses was called to center stage.  Moses heard God, even said "Here I am", but quickly, after hearing Him out, said "Sorry, you must have dialed the wrong number sir". God knew everything, and attempted to instill confidence in His messenger.  God had been working on these plans long before Moses answered, and He would not turn back just because Moses needed some stroking.  My short version is as follows: 

The situation was clarified: You said here I am, Moses, so you know I am here; I need others to see that you believe I am with you, because they do not believe I am here.  Moses needed something physical, which they could see.  God saw that Moses trusted the stick in His hand, to hold him up; so He went with it. I find it interesting that God said, "throw the stick down." It was as if He had to get it out of Moses hand so He would possibly stop leaning on it for confidence.  The next confidence builder was not something in his hand, maybe in case he lost the stick, it was Moses own hand.  God even covered if Moses lost the stick and his hands were too shaky to appear confident by showing him how to use any body of water.

I guess God felt He could move forward, now that they were clear: Moses had been sent by God, He had God with Him, he could perform miracles with things or his person and He knew what the Big Idea was.  But Moses big idea was not budging either, so he said, ""Sorry, you must have dialed the wrong number sir". God would not turn back and Moses need for something self confirming received kindled a bit of heat and adamant directives from God, quoting from Exodus 4: 11, 12:

"Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes dumb or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to say."

And then finally, Moses was exposed and God revealed the truth: Moses just did not want to do it, He asked God to send someone else.  But God would not, instead He allowed Moses to find confidence in something He could see and relate with.  I thank God, that although we weary Him, He will not turn back.  And although we are riddled with disguises, some we even use to hide who we really are from our own consciousness, He will never stop coming at us with the same simple Big Idea; nor will he divert from His path.  

Isaiah 30:1  Woe to the rebellious children, declares the Lord, "Who execute a plan but not Mine, and make an alliance but not of My spirit, in order to add sin to sin;

We all have been rebellious in our lifetimes, may we stop it now and align with His executive decision through His spirit and stop adding sin upon sin, through our foolishness.  We will continue our sojourn in the coming day, as we follow Moses, Pharaoh and the Son's of Israel sojourn. As far as it depends on us, today, do not allow your heart to be hardened by refusing the holy spirit to have His will within you today; because while you have not yet been destroyed and He continues to deal compassionately with you, there will be one day when the destroyer will be allowed to spark all our kindling.  

I pray for water, His water will quench all things whether drought, thirst or a fiery ordeal.

Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you, O destroyer, While you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous while others did not deal treacherously with him.l  As soon as you shall finish destroying, you shall be destroyed; As soon as you shall cease to deal treacherously, others shall deal treacherously with you.

Kisses,
Candace

Copyrights Reserved ©Candace Huffmaster 2014
Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc.®