Provision of Stones

We have been speaking in group about God calling David and the battlefields he ran onto.  God also called Peter to a battle ground.  He forged his character and we saw a great transformation through many events he passed through.  We left off with questions for you to write about as you continue journaling your own stories:

1. Can you see where God has called you to a battle line?
2. How has YOUR character been forged now or in the past?
3. Did you sink like Peter or trust as David?

Be sure to stay in the liberty of Christ, do not float down stream into condemnation as you think back.  Remembering this might help: Peter had no experience with walking on water, he simply had faith that it could be done because he was watching Christ.  David trusted God because he had experiential knowledge and had proven to himself that God would indeed save him.  Don't you think that Peter's big faith in Christs faithfulness to help him walk on water was as extraordinary feat as David using his skills and trusting God to hit the giant target?

Sometimes when things happen in life and we start floating down stream instead of walking in faith.  Our view of Christ starts to fade and all the distortion around us creeps on close.  We become frustrated, as the space closes in, the oxygen starts to die down, we get a bit sweaty and clammy.......then angry.

When we get angry it stems from fear.  When Peter feared, he sank.  Christ asked him this question:  Why did you doubt?  This must mean that fear comes from doubting God's faithfulness or not knowing his promise to rescue us in a given situation.  Sin moves us outside of God's presence and we are exposed to harmful elements.  You will notice it is very easy for you to get disturbed and angry when this happens.  When Peter became afraid, he simply called out to Christ.  Christ reached over and took his hand and gently spoke convicting words which could teach Peter to maintain his faith when being thrashed by an onslaught of evil.  

David had won many of the battles with fear.  God had trained him to be a warrior, to run to His battle lines and fight for the Lord.  David chose a stone to sling at Goliath.  There were many other choices made available - But the stone was Davids choice. 

There are times in life when we will have to walk out in faith on turbulent waters.  There will be other times when we will be asked to enter the battle field and run to the front lines and fight His fight.  How will you fare?  What weapon will you select, which fight will you enter?  Will you call out to Christ of sink like a perfectly weighted stone?

You intent to do God's will can only be fulfilled by the power of the holy spirit.  In and of ourselves we are no better than an ordinary mob mentality.  So we must pause to ask ourselves:   Are we seeking our own vengeance….or for God to do extraordinary things through His ordinary people and bring justice to all?

For Example:  

John 8:3-11

And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and having set her in the midst they said to Him, Teacher this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women, what then do You say?  And they were saying this testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him.  But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.  But when they persisted in asking him.  He straightened up, and said to them.  He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  And when they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and he was left alone, and the woman, where she was in the midst.  And straightening up Jesus said to her.  Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?  And she said No one Lord, and Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you, go your way.  From now on sin no more.

What I found interesting is what “testing” in the Greek language actually means.  It means -attempting to entangle a person in sin.  It’s what Satan does to try and present someone as being unapproved. 

If you will notice, the Pharisees were taunting Christ to defend the law of Moses, but Christ stooped down and with His finger, wrote on the ground.

 

Now stick close with me for another point before concluding: The word “wrote” in Greek means to ponder.   It also has another meaning – appealing to the indisputable and legal authority of the passage quoted. 

This  made me ponder….    “What if Christ was writing a passage in the dirt that He was pondering?”

The scribes and Pharisees persisted, we're told; then Christ straightened up and stated – “He who is without sin throw the first stone”. In this verse he is not speaking of general sin.  This Greek word is “sin specific” it meant that these leaders were adulterers themselves.  Notice they did not bring the man before Christ, only the woman.  Weren’t they both adulterers?

Now look at this scripture from Romans 2  which will solidify this meaning:

¹Therefore you have^(A) no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For^(B) in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

So, may I ask......

What are we holding in our hand?

Peace or stones?

Are we stoning people?

Or are we kneeling down and allowing God to deal with the situation justly?

John 8

When we rise, are we casting stones or speaking God’s word?

Points to ponder on how to hand similar situations :

 Knowing we are ordinary people,  we have to have support and a new understanding to truly change how we handle things. 

·        Wisdom of the Lord for discernment

·        Prayerful consideration of all points

·        Use the examining table concept 

·        Seek peace above all else

·        Do not let the sun go down on your anger

Reflect on all this adding in "The Wind and A Stone" the previous weeks information.  We will not be meeting Friday, which gives each of you an extra week to write for group.

Liberty, Free Will.....Fear

Are You That Confident

Ordinary or Extra Ordinary

 

 

 

I will miss each of you, please feel free to e-mail me any of your stories to add to the one we are writing anytime.

Much love,

Candace

^{©Candace Huffmaster, 2012  All Copy Rights Reserved}

^{Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc™}

We Can't Even Make It Right; Much Less Upright

Ecclesiastes 7:13 Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent.  

Psalm 42:  Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?  Hope in God for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.

Hosea 11:7 My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all.

Tell me, you who are bent on being under the Law, will you listen to what the Law [really] says?

Galatians 4:21

We know the verses about the doors that God opens cannot be shut, what God has put together let no man asunder but what about what God has formed?  We know that when He formed the earth as we know it, he placed everything which He had formed, then He "set" it - and said it was good.  But then came man - He formed us and then gave us over to free will. 


Going a bit deeper on our previous topics of Peter and Habakkuk, I added the scriptures above.  I want us to ponder some things:

If our understanding becomes weight to our soul, if our spirit is grieving - struggling to find release from the debris we pile upon us, wouldn't that make us bent or cast down?  When God gives us over to our depravities the weight of it all buries us deep. Within our selves we are bent never to be right with God. The holy spirit hoists us up into Christ in whom we have our confidence and right standing in God's presence.
Therefore, there is "No Way" for us to come into His presence - because nothing but righteousness, purity and the fullness of life is capable of withstanding His magnitude of radiant power. 

Our of Love for us - not desiring us to perish He made "A Way", ONE and only One way to protect us.  He desires a body to relate to and not sacrifice.  Since there HAD to be a sacrifice to upright things it had to be perfect as to not get muddled.  His way had to be hammered,  stretched, worn down, intensely heated and reshaped - everything necessary to straighten our God forsaken form.

Our pride, arrogance, what ever we desire to label it, wants to be able to be reformed and made just within ourselves.  Until we accept "that we are, what we are", which is totally unsalvage -able and a wreck, we will NEVER, truly accept Christ's rescue and deliverance.  Why? because we don't want to give up the honor and glory of all our hard works and deeds.....

But therein lies the problem; without His spirit merging with our soul, He isn't the power source enlivening us making us able.  Therefore the things we do outside His body are earth bound and committed to death. (refer to Habakkuk 2:4)

I pray for us what Habakkuk prayed:  Oh Lord, now I have heard your report and I worship you in awe for the fearful things you are going to do.  In this time of our deep need begin again to help us, as you did years ago.  Show us your power to save us.  In your wrath, remember mercy ~ Habakkuk

In Jesus name, Amen
Kisses,
Candace

God is NOT slow!

I want to start by saying thank you to the lovely ladies who met for a journey group today.  These groups are always a highlight to my week.  When there is such an openness...a vulnerability in your sharing of thoughts, hopes, and even intimidation's there is an amazing intangible, unreasonable sense of connectivity which transpires.  What a gift you all give me - well not really me, I simply receive it for Him!

We spoke about how He does not want a sacrifice, but a body to call His own.  When we come together corporately like this and love each other unconditionally, that is what He receives! Isn't He awesome; meeting our needs in such VERY real ways through out the moments of our days?

One of your questions / statements brought to my mind the verse telling us how God is not slow.  We were speaking of the difficulties experienced, and the experience gleaned from waiting on God.  We also spoke about how all things return to God fulfilled; how if it is "returning" to Him it must originate from within Him.  All that is not from within Him will fall away, so self made things are not eternal.  I have posted from my journal on the Kisses C page, save that for tomorrow to think on.....in His presence. 

As for today, here it the verse on God is not slow, which I promised to send you.  And as for the painting on opportunity for cross referencing it to the poetry on Eden (asked for after group) I have linked the word opportunity to the Art of Survival page for you to pull that up.  If you have any problems please contact me.

2 Peter Chapter 3 (GW)

 Dear friends, this is the second letter I’m writing to you. In both letters I’m trying to refresh your memory. ² I want you to remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and what the Lord and Savior commanded you through your apostles.

³ First, you must understand this: In the last days people who follow their own desires will appear. These disrespectful people will ridicule God’s promise ⁴ by saying, “What’s happened to his promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of the world.”

⁵ They are deliberately ignoring one fact: Because of God’s word, heaven and earth existed a long time ago. The earth appeared out of water and was kept alive by water. ⁶ Water also flooded and destroyed that world. ⁷ By God’s word, the present heaven and earth are designated to be burned. They are being kept until the day ungodly people will be judged and destroyed.

⁸ Dear friends, don’t ignore this fact: One day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. ⁹ The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.

¹⁰ The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.

¹¹ All these things will be destroyed in this way. So think of the kind of holy and godly lives you must live ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and eagerly wait for it to come. When that day comes, heaven will be on fire and will be destroyed. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and melt. ¹³ But we look forward to what God has promised—a new heaven and a new earth—a place where everything that has God’s approval lives.

¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, with this to look forward to, make every effort to have him find you at peace, without spiritual stains or blemishes. ¹⁵ Think of our Lord’s patience as an opportunity for us to be saved. This is what our dear brother Paul wrote to you about, using the wisdom God gave him. ¹⁶ He talks about this subject in all his letters. Some things in his letters are hard to understand. Ignorant people and people who aren’t sure of what they believe distort what Paul says in his letters the same way they distort the rest of the Scriptures. These people will be destroyed.

¹⁷ Dear friends, you already know these things. So be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception of people who have no principles. Then you won’t fall from your firm position. ¹⁸ But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to him now and for that eternal day!

Amen.

I pray that each of us bless all that is around us - not curse.  We are light, let the darkness BE darkness - but as for us, we have no part in the deeds of that darkness. So separate! (I say that with love AND emphasis dear friends)

Kisses,

Candace



©Candace Huffmaster 2012, All Copyrights Reserved

Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc™

Ever Hooked Yourself When Fishing?

However, I'm afraid that as the snake deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3

I must apologize for the long pause.  But I guess it took 7 days for me to grasp the depths of the topic we are Honestly venturing into.  We last discussed how our soul lures us away and yet we must not allow ourselves the luxury of choosing to be naïve.  Knowing that guilt and condemnation have no place in our relationship with God through Christ, we have the advantage of holding our soul accountable while casting down it’s false, vain perceptions.  There is such a vast array of wisdom written for us on the topic of self deception, vain wisdom, and lethargic learning.  It is my opinion that learning through others flailing, falling or flying is what makes it real – not theology.  Not that we don’t need both; otherwise we would simply be foolish leaders luring others into harm’s way. 

Today we are going to glean understanding as we compare some pieces of Peter and Isaiah’s journeys.  Both of these men LOVE, LOVE, LOVED God – but Peter had the wonderful experience of actually being able to walk alongside Jesus Christ.  WOW….my heart leaps when I ponder what those experiences must have been like; but also, how devastating it must have been to Peter when he followed the lures his mind casted at times.  Talk about an abrupt HIGH / low experience!

To review:  Perceive means to be aware or discern while Deceived means cheated or mislead.  The common denominators are these two are: information, decision and right of free will.  Holding this variable equation together is our one and only ultimate constant; God’s purpose and personality are at the helm of the universe, not randomness. 

We stopped last with Peter wanting to go “right now” with Christ.  Can you imagine the fear that must have been luring him as he thought about Christ leaving him to go it alone?  Not to mention that Christ validates Peters fear by telling him (my paraphrase) Hey Pete, I know you THINK you would do anything, but I will let you SEE how unrealistic you are about the depth of your devotion to me.  I won’t even be far out of your view and you won’t be able to stand the pressure, much less let me REALLY be gone.  I thank God that we have these true tales to walk through, or else I would feel like an utter failure at times.

Now let’s look at a few moments in the life of Isaiah: chapter 6: 8-13  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and whom will go for Us?  Then I said “HERE I AM…send ME!”  and He said Go and tell this people: keep listening but do not perceive, keep on looking, but do not understand, render the hearts of this people insensitive their ears dull and their eyes dim; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and return and be healed.  Then I said “How Long?” and HE answered.

Do you hear any insecurity or second guessing in Isaiah?  I heard passion for supporting THEIR cause and a perseverance to WAIT on God’s direction. 

Today I want you to think about the contrast of each individual’s purpose, personality and continence. Consider these thoughts:

Could it have been a hindrance to Peter’s faith maturing because Christ was in His presence?

Could Isaiah have been at an advantage to step up because he had not been walking alongside Christ therefore alleviating self defeating thoughts of comparison?

It is my prayer for us today that in all ways we receive the good which God extends to each of us as we strive to bring honor to Him, glory to His son and unite in His spirit to testify the might of His ways.  I pray we are faithful and that we will not shrink back, but lean in and be girded up to be one with His patience.  May we be strength to those whose faith is not as strong, may we lay ourselves aside and be concerned with our neighbors and the good things that will build their faith.  May we be like Christ who did not think only of himself but allowed the insults of others to fall into the hands of God’s mercy and grace.  May we learn from those that witnessed before us so that we could perceive their endurance and find encouragement to continue to stand.  And lastly, I pray that it is God’s good pleasure to give us all this same endurance and encouragement so that we may live in harmony with each other as we unite to live out the fulfillment of all things to the maturity of Christ.

With Love,

Candace 

©Candace Huffmaster, 2011 All Rights Reserved

Kaleidoscope Butterfly Inc™

Are We Stones Comprising The Pathway, Or An Awkward One That Make Someone Trip?

As I was reading the devotion for this morning, different scriptures kept popping into my mind.  The verses in 1 Corinthians 10 where we are being implored to learn from the experiences of the God’s people as they were being led by Moses. “They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them, and that rock was Christ.” and “We shouldn’t put the Lord to the test as some of them did.” 

Think about when Christ was in the desert being tempted.  Satan suggested that Christ turn the stone into bread.  Christ knew he had to trust the love of God, not test Him.  He followed that by stating God’s word, “Man cannot live on bread alone but from every word that precedes from the mouth of God”.

I have often pondered and conversed with God about the reason Moses didn’t get to enter the promised land but only see if from afar.  God wanted him to exemplify that we are to converse through relationship, love.  Striking that rock was a complex reaction.  It was based on Moses’ frustration with the people so he was lashing out.  He wanted to demonstrate power….his power or Gods?”  Christ is our rock, through Him we are delivered, rescued, saved eternally for relationship.  What if symbolized Moses striking Christ himself?  If it appears that we are forcing God to give us what He was wanting to freely give us, I can only imagine how that must make God feel.  There is no liberty or joy in that.  God tells us where there is Christ there is liberty.  I think that Moses conversing with the rock, relating the dilemma and his concerns would have been pretty cool.  That being said, I cannot begin to wrap my mind around all the pressures that Moses must have been under.  So I am going to just thank God for getting him through it all and allowing Moses to see the promise even if from a distance.  Moses must have been elated knowing God had delivered them so he could get finally get some rest.

I pray that we not tolerate insecurity and pride, but that we allow His spirit to transform us as we walk through out the emotional reactions we subject ourselves, others and HIs kingdom to.  May God  be glorified as we trust in Him to provide as He sees fit and in His timing.  Let us exemplify this rock as our alter place where we lay our ways of accomplishing things down and do it the way God has requested, so that His life may pour out and all may come to the knowledge of His saving grace.

Enjoy this day….it is a gift directly from His hand.  And you didn’t even have to force Him to give it to you, did you?

Kisses,

Candace

Management By Force

– by So Hillman TGIF

"Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink." - Numbers 20:8

Moses and the people had been traveling for days without water. The people were thirsty. They were complaining and grumbling about their plight, and Moses became the object of their complaining. Moses sought the Lord for wisdom on how to handle the situation. The Lord instructed him to speak to the rock and water would flow. This would be a sign that God was still in control, that Moses was still the leader, and that God was their provider.

When it came time to speak to the rock, Moses' disgust with the people became so great that instead of speaking to the rock, he angrily addressed the people and then struck the rock twice. The water came out, in spite of Moses' disobedience. But the Lord was not pleased with Moses.

This was a time for Moses to operate at a higher level. No longer was he called to touch things with his staff to perform miracles; it was a time for him to speak to the problem. His very words would have changed the situation. Moses' staff represented two things-his physical work as a shepherd of sheep and his spiritual work as a shepherd of the people. God was calling him to move into a new dimension of using his staff. Up to now, Moses had always been commanded by God to touch something to perform the miracle. Now it was time to speak God's word to the problem.

However, Moses made the mistake many of us make. He used his instrument with force to accomplish something for God. He took something God wanted to be used in a righteous manner and used it in an unrighteous manner. He used force to solve the problem. This disobedience cost Moses his right to see the Promised Land.
Have you ever been tempted to use your power, skill, and ability to force a situation to happen, perhaps even out of anger? God is calling us to use prayer to move the face of mountains. The force of our ability is not satisfactory. God is calling each of us to a new dimension of walking with Him. Pray that God will give you the grace to wait on Him and not take matters into your own hands. Then you will not be in jeopardy of failing to move into the Promised Land in your life.

Divine Setups - By Os Hillman

"Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32

Have you ever perceived yourself to be at one place spiritually only to discover that you were actually far from this place? Peter perceived himself to be so spiritually strong that he was prepared to suffer greatly for his Master. Yet Jesus knew where Peter really was in his own pilgrimage. He knew that Peter's enthusiasm did not match his reality. He was suffering from an attitude of self-righteousness. So, how did Jesus help Peter match his perception to his reality? Peter was the object of a divine setup.

First, notice that satan asked permission to sift Peter as wheat. Jesus determined that satan would be used to bring Peter to the maturity level both Jesus and Peter really desired. And Jesus was praying that Peter would pass the test. Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times that very day. Peter could not believe what Jesus was saying.

Sometimes the lessons we must learn are very painful. This experience was necessary in Peter's life. It was necessary to purge Peter from his sin of self-righteousness. This very lesson would allow Peter to come face to face with his own misperception of where he was in his relationship and devotion to Jesus. When he was forced to confront this, it nearly broke him apart. He wept bitterly once he realized he had done just as Jesus had predicted.

This confrontation with reality is necessary at times in our lives. Do not be surprised if Jesus allows you to experience some painful circumstance. You may be the subject of a divine setup designed to bring you to a greater maturity level in your walk with Jesus. It may not be a fun experience when you go through it, but you will, like Peter, become a leader whom God will use to lead others.

Today I pray for that bit of Peter that is in all of us.  I pray that we sit face to face with Christ and listen each day as He tells us what we are about to do if we do not pull close and abide with God's will moment by moment.

With the love of our Christ,
Kisses,
Candace

Do Your Thoughts Make you Walk the Plank?

Walking with Jesus is not easy, I thank God that He never said it would be. I also thank Him that He told us in advance that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Don't you know that is how Jesus could ask the "tough questions". Would we dare ask someone when we were going through a time of testing or trial ..Do you also want to go away?

Speaking for myself, I can honestly remember a situation where I was asking "How can you think of leaving me when everyone else is jumping ship"? "Have you no compassion"? If we can remember that He never leaves us as well as His promise that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us we will not NEED the commitment of other "ordianary" individuals. We will recall that we are extraordinary due to Him completing us!  Don't you think you can handle a "ship jumper" now? I know you can!

I pray that when we have done all to stand ....that because we KNOW that God is faithful and true, we will stand, pick up the armor He has trained us with and enter into the battle to remain in the good fight; not being "one of those" that jumps ship.

"So don't lose your confidence. It will bring you a great reward. 36 ou need endurance so that after you have done what God wants you to do, you can receive what he has promised. 37 Yet, the one who is coming will come soon. He will not delay. 38 he person who has God's approval will live by faith. But if he turns back, I will not be pleased with him." W e don't belong with those who turn back and are destroyed. Instead, we belong with those who have faith and are saved." (Hebrews 10:35-39) God's Word Translation 

May Christ be glorified in all our coming and going this day, Amen.
Candace Huffmaster

Turning Back or Walking with Jesus?

Do you also want to go away? —John 6:67
What a penetrating question! Our Lord’s words often hit home for us when He speaks in the simplest way. In spite of the fact that we know who Jesus is, He asks, "Do you also want to go away?" We must continually maintain an adventurous attitude toward Him, despite any potential personal risk.

 "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more" (John 6:66 ). They turned back from walking with Jesus; not into sin, but away from Him. Many people today are pouring their lives out and working for Jesus Christ, but are not really walking with Him. One thing God constantly requires of us is a oneness with Jesus Christ. After being set apart through sanctification, we should discipline our lives spiritually to maintain this intimate oneness. When God gives you a clear determination of His will for you, all your striving to maintain that relationship by some particular method is completely unnecessary. All that is required is to live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live your life with God in any other way than His way. And His way means absolute devotion to Him. Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.

Peter saw in Jesus only someone who could minister salvation to him and to the world. But our Lord wants us to be fellow laborers with Him.

In John 6:70 Jesus lovingly reminded Peter that he was chosen to go with Him. And each of us must answer this question for ourselves and no one else: "Do you also want to go away?" By Oswald Chambers