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°

Will Job Justify God, or Justify Job?

Beautiful Saturday Morning My Friends!

Two things before we finish up with Job today.  It was wonderful to meet some new faces yesterday, thank you all for joining us and opening up your thoughts, hearts and lives in such trust and humility.  I am always so incredibly humbled myself (and at times convicted for which I am grateful) through our encounters.  AND thank you for the lovely card, again, you all take such strides to make sure you encourage me and show me such love...…….

We came full circle with God’s relationship with Job and what we can glean from it in the present.  For those of you who could not be with us, we missed you as well as your perspectives.  Take the next few days to read through this and make your journal entries – I would love some feedback!

Here is what we saw as we walked the final pages:

We noticed that we had seen Job cry out to God and speak what He believes to be truth, but we had not seen him sit intimately “with God”.  We heard him ask rhetorical questions, but there was no invitation for God to correct Job’s lack of understanding.  He spoke about when he was going to approach God, in my opinion it was more of a tough guy display for those gathered around.  We still heard no tender need.

Recently, I had this experience myself – coincidence, I think not.  I noticed that when I am hurting and vulnerable with a certain person I am no longer willing to allow that tender place to be squashed by their anticipated dead weight haphazardly plopping itself onto the tender unprotected ground.  So I use a wall of defense to protect it, and anger to stand in front of it daring this person to knock me down. 

In case you are unaware – no matter how the other person has treated me to build this defense up, isn’t healthy for me, or the other person.  I have to trust God and get away from the wrecking ball.  This is not my battle my territory has to stay open and inviting…….but we have to know who is not supposed to be in the inner courts of our kingdom.  If you are not familiar with our studies of this and want more information, please let me know and I will give you the archives titles.  (Good news, we will be starting this again on a different level this week!)

As for Job, we also have not seen the first person praying to invite God to speak.  Everyone has been speaking about him saying they consider the wise things of God and their own perceptions or proverbs.  However biblical the theory might be the use has been generic in its practicality.  Job desired counsel; he was imploring friendship and comfort by those that loved him.  He actually NEEDED someone to allow him to be “human” and NOT so strong for everyone else so that he could dispose of his grief and find stability.

 As Job was slammed with their weight, he did what I have been doing – he took the battle stance of defense, opened up his mouth and spewed facts about God, life, pain and despair.   He was saying, shut the gates and grow a heart “Friend”.  You are supposed to be safe, you are supposed to let me be real; you’re supposed to sit with me, let me hold on to something that isn’t going to crush under the weight I feel.  But when I reach out you are like a vapor, nothing of substance or sturdiness is there so I fall – HELP ME!

This is actually good news for Job, he now sees that these people are hurting him, not helping him.  So, he does what any God loving person should do……He starts to pull himself up by his boot straps, thinking logically based on God.  I kind of see him hitting the wall and shaking his head like a cartoon.  He has some sense knocked into him.  He has to explain to these guys, look I was grieving.  I did not really want to die, I just wanted this nonsense to stop, it hurts, it’s uncomfortable……can’t you relate? 

Job doesn’t like that his stature in the eyes of those around him has been distorted.  That simply adds insult to injury.  He wanted them to continue to see him as righteous and upright no matter what.  Yet, he still stands there arrogantly protecting his frailty.  A mighty and strong warrior till the end…..so far.  Within all Job’s monologues, we constantly hear I did this, and I did that…I, I, I……and then occasionally God.  The show piece here is Job’s good works, how He provides etc.  He even is bowing his chest out to God…..ooops!

He lists along set of rhetorical questions for God to answer. He is basically in God’s face demanding: is this what my “good God” does?  Tell me what I have done, common’ tell me so I can defend myself!  He is bating God for an argument all for the purpose of closing Him down – he wants this to end.  These actions are where fear of vulnerability and self righteousness part ways.  There is a grand collision about to take place!

I found one thing Job stated particularly of interest, when he said “if I call and he answered (God) I would not believe that He was listening to my voice”.  To me this infers that Job did not believe that God would talk to him, counsel him or even waste His time in his presence.  Was Job going to waste his time seeking a God he believed was doing all this to him? 

Job then moves into realizing that these so called friends are not able to help him.  They are no more intelligent than he is.   He is now stepping out of the presence of the crowd that has gathered and separating himself from that mentality.  This is awesome!  The next positive steps Job makes is to humble himself by giving God back his authority.  He actually opens up some options to God and requests that their communication be on God’s terms.  Wow, good stuff!  With sincerity he wants to know what he has done.  He is asking now.

Job also makes a statement that his words are done.  God is so patient, he allowed Job to reach the end of his “self” without destroying him.  How very loving, He never left him unattended.  He was listening to him this whole time.  He finally answers Job’s questions, but he used a language Job could understand; rhetorical questions, firm speech, authoritative. 

God was not sarcastic, although a cynical heart would perceive it as such.  God simply stated the facts and proposed that Job give it his best shot to take His place.  Is this what happened with Lucifer, was God in His goodness giving him his own world to “do it better then”?

Job needed to be tested so that he could see his pride.  God saw him as righteous but in order for Job to “reach his righteousness” he had to journey through this territory of discovering, uncovering, repenting, and liberating his heart and mind so that he could be transformed into His righteousness.

These friends couldn’t help him because they were using theories, facts and judging Job.  They didn’t really know him personally, nor did they have much wisdom from living as they spoke.  So they truly were not even close with God or Job. 

Job was doing this with God.  It is like when we try to imitate celebrities or when stalkers think they have this intimate relationship with people objectifying them for their own pleasurable feelings.  It is all relational delusions.  All this being said, by the standards of Gods “law” Job was “perfect”, but as Satan said Job was blessed and comfortably “able” to make sacrifices, help others and what not. Contrary to the whole “kept man” theory of satans though, Job did, in his own human way, “love God”, and felt that he was righteous and fervent toward God’s ways.  He really was trying, but it was askew. 

So there was a bull’s-eye on his pride, God needed to put an arrow in the heart of the matter.  Why?  Simple – he does not desire sacrifice, he wants relationship……His own relationships with us individually and a family relating as a family unto Him. 

His bull’s-eye was Job’s continuous justifications of things – they all stemmed from fear which was the soft spot.  Love cannot operate without brokenness and harm in fear.  That is why God must cast it out. 

Perfect love casts out fear.  The one who fears is not perfected in love.

Today, I ask that you look for the bull’s-eye of fear in your lives.  Where is the soft spot you are guarding?  Ask God to be your strong tower and protect your heart above all else.  He will tell “you” to protect your heart above all else, but he has the walls and vengeance covered.  He does not want any blood on your hands, or your blood to be shed.  He is just that “kind” of God.

 

My prayers covering you as the blanket they are meant to be,

With Love and a holy Kiss,

Candace

When There Is No One Else....There Is God

When they have all left, still I wait

My hurt is too deep; beyond my reach

My tears form a valley as they flow

They drip to a halt; the saltiness I taste

Their out pour seems a wadi to my soul

As my flesh starts to burn, I beg, “Rain More!”

“Squelch this sensation before it meets the pain”

My temples start to throb; the shaking ceased

In the aftermath of shock I still wait

As the new wave begins, hope rises up

Reminding me all is well with my soul

His spirit counsels as I lay self low

His sweet whispers and gentle love rush to my side

 Saying “Rest, precious soul, in my peace”

“Now your will does not falter, by Grace”

In His mercy you may arise through your faith

And In time, the pain will be remembered no more

But today, let’s just take time to weep

You may groan as my spirit with you grieves

Be wary of any ploy to pull you aside

Some may use your weakened state for their means

Do not be alarmed, simply rest in His arms

Knowing He carries you safely through each day

For at just the right time, He heard your cry

And dying once for all, He ensures peace.

Candace Huffmaster

©2011 All Rights Reserved

That is Just the Beginning!

Jeremiah 15:19
..............They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.

Job and his friends speak a great deal in reference to the fear of the Lord.  I am not suggesting that all they do is from the view point of Bruce Almighty where he stated "Smite me, oh mighty smiter" but I do not hear an awful lot of peace running rampant around the land of Uz; do you?

In Psalms 111:10 the writer puts it like this:
The fear of the Lord is the "beginning of wisdom"; a good understanding have those who do (His commandments); His praise endures forever!

Friday in group we discussed the weight this battle was having on Job.  We also discussed his admission that he knew his words were not grounded in diplomacy, logic, peace, gentleness of spirit or stability.  However we could understand how the great obstacles, loss, neglect of compassion, isolation and much more were causing him grief.  As well as our unbelief that anyone "claiming" to be a friend could assault him when in such a vulnerable position - this is not only inhumane -  it is beyond inconceivable- it is unconscionable.

God created us with an emotional range to help us navigate through troubles waters as well as good times with a consciousness to propel us into goodness and away from evil.  But look at how abruptly, relentlessly these attacks were spiraling inward upon this God loving, unsuspecting man. It makes me squirmy just empathizing with him.  Honestly, I do not know that I would not have cried "UNCLE" by this point.  Kudos to Job!

Now we see that even though he doesn't necessarily have all his ducks, in a row as far as understanding, he is getting past the beginning and still standing.  That my friends is progress.  He is coming to see the surrounding elements with some clarity. 

1. He realizes some how a poisonous arrow tore through his tender flesh.
2. He sees the poison is effecting his spirit.
3. He feels the reality of the spiritual battle fiercely assaulting him.
4. The "brothers" act deceitfully by not bringing true help to him in his time of need.

He still, however, puts his fate into the hands of God trusting in His goodness without fear.  Job knows he has not denied the words of God. But knowing he is no match for the strength of God he is overwhelmed as he tries to understand how he will not be totally defeated - since he is still assuming this array is from the same God he trusts.  He is perplexed and dismayed realizing that these friends are erroneous; they are more of a milestone around his neck that a life preserver.

Job is not alone, all things are common to man.  Just so you know not only Job  is recorded as experiencing this.  I thought we might glean some strength from another persons perplexity (other than Christ himself), Jeremiah hit this wall too.

Jeremiah 15:15-21 (NAS) You who know, O LORD, Remember me, take notice of me,
And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.  I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, Nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation.  Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable?

God answered Jeremiah quickly:

“If you return, then I will restore you— Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them. “Then I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the LORD.  “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”

We are stopping here for today, I ask each of you to be bold in your faith, cling to Him that is holding you near and dear, pray for those who are supposed to be turning to you so that we, through Him, may save the precious soul of a child adored by our Lord God Almighty. 

But Remember, do not turn to chase after them - God is clear; They, must turn and make the bold steps to walk into peace, harmony and unity of true light themselves.  Together let's call their names in hope that Today they will not harden their hearts as in the past so that they may have rest for their souls. 

............for this is His good, pleasing and perfect will on such a fine day as this.
In the Heart of Christ,
Kisses,
Candace

Porcelain Soldier

Porcelain Soldier


Images shattered all around me
In my midst there is nothing as far as I can see
What I believed I saw in no longer standing
As I reach for what I held near, precious and dear
Like a porcelain soldier, attempting mighty battle
The truth attacked, needing only one direct blow
As the beautiful façade abruptly splintered
A vast cold darkness unknown to me appeared
My mind, heart and limbs now surely shaken
As the shards entered my tender trusting soul
What is real?  I feel as if all is reeling……
Why can I not see beyond this vast empty space
Me inside, all windows and doors now locked tightly
I hear deception creeping in from beneath the door
Sounding nothing familiar to my lovely soldier
Whom I trusted, loved... promising to adore
Why is not for me to know now......
To explain the unexplored depths of my ache
I hear the boast of the images past still mocking.....
Remembering their intent is to hurt showing they truly don't care
I believe I am loved and desired though,
By the only one who knows my deepest need
He tenderly cares while desiring to repair me
......All the cold callous rips into my very soul
He cries as I try to be strong, though it’s painful
To love them more than that which I have been shown
He encourages me to keep going
He gives me peace allowing me try yet again
To believe in those things which are promised
To have hope in the things I still cannot see
He tells me He knows what has happened
And that only His truth will set us free
No matter how strong the force is appearing
He promises in no way will they ever again punish me

I live and I love,  crying sometimes…..
But now the tears are not covering me
They are poured out upon those bound, blind and hurting...
Trusting in shadows of all that is real, near and here
I pray that you reach out allowing life to touch you
To ensure that what is surrounding you is really there
Blow His truth in trust that He loves all things
Never desiring to harm what is righteous, lovely and pure
We love because He first loved us…..
This I know and is where my feet are firmly ground
Because it is He that conquered all of these things
So we must know, even now,  He in us will have His eternal victory.
 
I know your battles and I care – deeply, honestly, passionately and freely
Kisses,
C
By Candace Huffmaster
©2011 All Rights Reserved

Distant, Far Away, Always Near

 

Lord take a walk with me today

This land is distant, but not far away

Amassed with clutter and debris

When my sight fails you see through defeat

In the safety of your embrace

I have complete joy within your peace

 

Engulfed in your spirit no fractures exist

In the stillness of Love I can hear the spirit grieve

Longing the experience of those still too far away

 

Knowing there is still much to learn

I watch closely as we go

With attentive ears I come to understand

Lifting your skills up to apply

Respecting this is not my natural suit

With no need to mention the state from which I came

 

When we battle for Love, it’s your victory that completes

With trust is in you, my self won’t compete

The destruction comes upon what destroys and kills

Yes indeed we celebrate with joy

 

But it is this defeat which brought Him the pain

I remember the cost to  his life…….

And praise God I was not asked to pay

 

With humble thanks,  I stand amazed

Watching the work of my mind, heart and hands

Knowing I own nothing that I can repay

 

If He chose to stop I would cease

Because without Him I desire not to be

So in this moment to honor His gift

I bow low for all to pass by

Landing grace upon others in need

His voice, truth and love will serve and sustain

Mercy I cry, my feet shod upon His

Now where He goes, there too I will ever be.

 

If ever we pass, please do not notice me

There is one more important you should see

His name is Jesus Christ the son of God

He’s the King of all Kings

The One who is mighty to save

At all times He is here and alive

 

It is true He does exist

And He is not too far away

Reach out He will touch to your soul

Call His name, He can hear

He will answer if you believe

Till then we are here as you can see

Know, too, I am human…. at times I might fail

But His grace overcomes and prevails

 

So in faith I speak from my heart,

Hoping His truth you hear when you need

He is with you at this moment and always……

His peace and love, I pray, comfort you as well

 

By Candace Huffmaster

©2011 All Rights Reserved

Please Change Your Mind

Today simply read the words of Job, Chapter 6 posted below, to these men.  Job has realized that their actions do not align with the compassion that a friend should have - so he begs them to reconsider their stance.  Have you ever had someone do that to you....beg you to see from their point of view so that you would not be so harsh on them? Sometimes people just need compassion, gentleness and Christ needs a vessel whom He can trust to stand in the gap for Him.  Think about it, write about it, share your thoughts. 

I pray each of us see ourselves very clearly today and be transformed by what we understand.
With Love,
Candace

Job 6
Then Job replied to his friends,  “If only my grief could be weighed, if only my misery could be laid on the scales with it, then they would be heavier than the sand of the seas. I spoke carelessly because the arrows of the Almighty have found their target in me, and my spirit is drinking their poison. God’s terrors line up in battle against me. 

“Does a wild donkey bray when it’s eating grass, or does an ox make a sound over its hay? Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there any flavor in the white of an egg? I refuse to touch such things. They are disgusting to me. “How I wish that my prayer would be answered—that God would give me what I’m hoping for, that God would finally be willing to crush me, that he would reach out to cut me off. Then I would still have comfort. I would be happy despite my endless pain, because I have not rejected the words of the Holy One. What strength do I have left that I can go on hoping? What goal do I have that I would want to prolong my life? Do I have the strength of rocks? Does my body have the strength of bronze? Am I not completely helpless? Haven’t my skills been taken away from me?  You Have Not Treated Me Like True Friends "A friend should treat a troubled person kindly, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.

My brothers have been as deceptive as seasonal rivers, like the seasonal riverbeds that flood. They are dark with ice. They are hidden by snow. They vanish during a scorching summer. In the heat their riverbeds dry up. They change their course. They go into a wasteland and disappear. Caravans from Tema look for them. Travelers from Sheba search for them. They are ashamed because they relied on the streams. Arriving there, they are disappointed.  “So you are as unreliable to me as they are. You see something terrifying, and you are afraid. Did I ever say, ‘Give me a gift,’ or ‘Offer me a bribe from your wealth,’ or ‘Rescue me from an enemy,’ or ‘Ransom me from a tyrant’? Teach me, and I’ll be silent. Show me where I’ve been wrong. How painful an honest discussion can be! In correcting me, you correct yourselves! Do you think my words need correction? Do you think they’re what a desperate person says to the wind? Would you also throw dice for an orphan? Would you buy and sell your friend?  “But now, if you’re willing, look at me. I won’t lie to your face.
Please change your mind. Don’t permit any injustice. Change your mind because I am still right about this! Is there injustice on my tongue, or is my mouth unable to tell the difference between right and wrong?

Wow, for a Minute There I Thought You Were a Friend

God tells us things in advance.  He withholds no good thing from us.  But we have to make the request for advancement.  I believe it is possible that the reason we are supposed to be content in all situations with what we know and where we are, might be that when we ask for things if we do not have enough knowledge or experience we end up in a less than desired situation which brings pain.

Job was called a man of integrity and character by God.  We know that God calls us by who we are in Him, what He is raising us up to be – as in our study of David.  God called him or reserved his place when he called him a King.  Many experiences by the merciful hand of God brought his called King into being.   Non the less, God knew who David was to be – so he accepted him at his current state granting him his future status.  Could it be that this is the same thing He was stating of Job?

Let’s keep this in the back of our minds as we continue on this journey with Job.

Friday in conversations we discussed how Eliphaz had already made up his mind the reason for Job’s predicament.  He was coming to Job, not so much as a friend but as a prophet.  After knowing that the vision, or words forming the vision, in his mind were opposed to the character or God, we can discern which side of the battle line that this spirit came from.

For a moment I would like to stand in Eliphaz place and look around as if it were me rolling in upon Job. However, I want to base my stance on the facts so that I can correctly see myself or hold myself accountable.  Since Friday I have hashed and rehashed the dialogue and environment leading up to where we are.

We have no idea of Eliphaz’s relationship with the Lord.  We do know that he believes he is a wise and discerning prophet.  As Eliphaz, did I take what I believe to be a vision as well as my understanding into the counsel of the Almighty before running off to enlighten Job of the cause for this curse upon him?  If not how in God’s name could I discern the spirit working amidst another individuals life?

Since I can find no reference anywhere of me taking the matter before the God that I am representing touting my knowledge of, I can only assume that I leaned on my own understanding.  If I were to hold myself up to the standards of God and look myself square in the mirror what would I see?

  Though I spoke truth, was it the whole truth?  Did I come to Job as a judge or a sympathetic companion?  Did I speak with great wisdom in a manner that would encourage hope to be healed? Did I serve this conversation of truth administered through love? Did I intercede as a servant desiring my God to have this wayward child back into his fold?  Would he have felt that light, life and companionship were brought to him by the grace of God’s mighty protective arm or that a scourging authority was extending his arm to administer a merciless flog?

As I look upon the situation, I have no doubt that I, Eliphaz have heard from a supernatural source.  Believing there is insight of a situation I am compelled to go.  As Eliphaz, I believe myself to be wise, discerning and someone superior in which others should take heed.  However, I do not believe that I am compassionate, gentle or generous with anything other than my own intellect.  I also sense that I am inciting a grieving person in crisis while withholding proper Godly insight.

I can only imagine how crushing this was to Job.  If I put myself in his place as he set there in the ashes, scraping his boils after his wife said curse God and die, seeing my three friends coming down the road I would have been so relieved.  I think I might have been tempted to angle the shard of clay a bit differently as was suggested by my “help mate”.  I thank God that He had total control and only good in store for Job.  This all reminded me of what God said through Jeremiah to His people:

Jeremiah 29:7-14

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸ Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. ⁹ They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD.

¹⁰ This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

So today, think about the goodness of the Lord, believe that it is his plans to give you hope and a future as you seek peace prayerfully interceding for the prosperity of the community you are currently journeying through.  Because of this you too will prosper.

I pray for those who are deceived and request that they see the truth so that they, through Christ CAN cast down false imaginations.

To Him be ALL the glory,

Kisses,

Candace

I'm a Donkey on the Edge

Yesterday we stopped our conversation with Job being on the ledge.  Desiring to believe the best of Eliphaz, I assume this was his best attempt to talk Job down.  As we noted yesterday, his approach is a bit lacking.  Just when he should have stopped and given Job a moment to process ......he kicks the gas petal and runs him down.  And he goes on......and on.....and on for somewhere around 43 verses give or take.   I rather envision Mr Crisis coming through town. (If you were not with us, look back in the archives).  Sometimes our relationships seem as though they are nothing more than a "stubborn mule".  But we must take our eyes off the individuals and realize the true battle going on.  If you have not believed me when I have talked about being aware of the voices you are listening to - those in your "memory" or "conversations" going on and no one is there (role playing in your imagination) understand those thoughts ARE coming from something.  Still don't believe me....... here is a real example:

Eliphaz on his soap box delivered this:
7 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?


Or where were the upright destroyed?

8 “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity

And those who sow trouble harvest it.

9 “By the breath of God they perish,

And by the blast of His anger they come to an end.

10 “The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,

And the teeth of the young lions are broken.

11 “The lion perishes for lack of prey,

And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily,

And my ear received a whisper of it.

13 “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,

When deep sleep falls on men,

14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,

And made all my bones shake.

15 “Then a spirit passed by my face;

The hair of my flesh bristled up.

16 “It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;

A form was before my eyes;

There was silence, then I heard a voice:

17 ‘Can mankind be just before God?

Can a man be pure before his Maker?

18 ‘He puts no trust even in His servants;

And against His angels He charges error.

19 ‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,

Whose foundation is in the dust,

Who are crushed before the moth!

20 Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;

Unobserved, they perish forever.

21 ‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?

They die, yet without wisdom.’

Chapter 5
1 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?


And to which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 “For anger slays the foolish man,

And jealousy kills the simple.

3 “I have seen the foolish taking root,

And I cursed his abode immediately.

4 “His sons are far from safety,

They are even oppressed in the gate,

And there is no deliverer.

5 "His harvest the hungry devour

And take it to a place of thorns,

And the schemer is eager for their wealth.

6 “For affliction does not come from the dust,

Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

7 For man is born for trouble,

As sparks fly upward.

8 “But as for me, I would seek God,

And I would place my cause before God;

9 Who does great and unsearchable things,

Wonders without number.

10 “He gives rain on the earth

And sends water on the fields,

11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly,

And those who mourn are lifted to safety.

12 “He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,

So that their hands cannot attain success.

13 “He captures the wise by their own shrewdness,

And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.

14 “By day they meet with darkness,

And grope at noon as in the night.

15 “But He saves from the sword of their mouth,

And the poor from the hand of the mighty.

16 “So the helpless has hope,

And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.

17 “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,

So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

18 “For He inflicts pain, and gives relief;

He wounds, and His hands also heal.

19 "From six troublesHe will deliver you,

Even in seven evil will not touch you.

20 “In famine He will redeem you from death,

And in war from the power of the sword.

21 “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,

And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.

22 “You will laugh at violence and famine,

And you will not be afraid of wild beasts.

23 “For you will be in league with the stones of the field,

And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

24 “You will know that your tent is secure,

For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.

25 “You will know also that your descendants will be many,

And your offspring as the grass of the earth.

26 “You will come to the grave in full vigor,

Like the stacking of grain in its season.

27 “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.

Hear it, and know for yourself.”


Wow - there is so much to say about all this.  Here are some things to ponder:

How far will satan go to find the perfect person to fight in the flesh for HIS purpose?
Would you know enough to discern the spirits in your midst, or would they overtake you and move within their destruction?
Are you capable of  / have you had success with pulling the reigns in and overcoming the propensity to hit the gas pedal making you one with the adversary instead of one with God?

It is only through the power of the spirit and our free will allowing Him the victory that this is possible, I pray for us all to see these moments or intersections headed for calamity and fall to our knees requesting that we not be part of destruction to those around us.  It simply does not have to continue, but it is our choice. 

I beg of you to realize this day it is you and you alone who chooses life or death, and it is through each though kept, action taken and word spoken......please hear, see and truly choose life, for Christ sake and glory to be received by him.

In Him,
Kisses,
Candace

Smote and a Mirror

We have all heard the phrase “smoke and mirrors” which we know is distortion of reality to trick our brain into seeing unrealistic images and come to an altered final understanding.  We see that Satan smote Job with painful sores now.  Job had a very strong faith, his heart and mind were set on God.  Like many of us when we become physically weary our mind starts to weaken, our heart does not seem to have the same firm hold on our hope does it?  In my opinion Satan used his power to smote Job as a form of smoke and mirrors.

In Luke chapter 11 where we stopped yesterday, we have to believe Jesus must have been getting a bit tired he had been preaching, teaching and standing strong against the critics.  When, bless her heart, a woman blurted out to Jesus “ Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts which You nursed!”  To which Jesus stated, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”  The crowd doesn’t do anything but pick up at this point.  And Jesus continues by saying, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah.”

Jonah did something spectacular, he walked through the streets and spoke the truth of God to people God called child like: not knowing the difference between right and wrong.  When they repented and turned to God so that they could be saved and all might go well with their soul,  Jonah was angry.  Guess what God used to get Jonah’s vision corrected – Smote and a Mirror.  Unlike satan, God allows us to feel things and then gives us a mirror to see ourselves in light of our new information.  He is interested in our very life….forever. 

So now, back to Job.  At the closing of scene 2 there were these 3 men who were fairly close to Job, probably from a congregation or community and they had all received an accurate report of the situation.  They decided to come and show compassion to him because they had pity for him.  However, upon arriving the scene must have been so much worse than they anticipated, they basically did the same thing that the King of Nineveh when he heard the truth from Jonah – except in the midst of throwing the ashes and ripping their garments they did not open their mouth to call on God.  Instead they withheld what Job needed most, the word of God being lifted up and poured out to encourage him.  They should have been bringing to remembrance Jobs integrity and character but they just sat there allowing satan to manipulate the false images as well as allow Job more time for his heart and mind to weaken.

In my mind I imagine that satan desired this to take place for 7 days simply to mock God even further, then on the 7th day he must have taken such pride in work of his hands and said it is finished.  Can you imagine how disgusted he was when Job cursed the day he was born and not God?

Think on all this today and write about it.  Reflect on the power of speaking up to affirm our faith in God’s truth so that we are not  overtaken during a spiritual battles leaving us in a worse state than from where we began.  I pray that your spirit prospers even as your soul does and that you will allow this power to flow from your heart, mind and lips unhindered…….for His glory and name sake.

In Jesus Christ,

Kisses,

Candace

And Then There Were Three……

We have been walking in Job’s shoes for the past couple of weeks.  We looked at several scriptures that I would like to pull together today:

In Jeremiah 6:16 and God made a request that we stand aside and ask for him to show us the good way so that we could find rest for our souls.  Job may be sitting but he is still desperately seeking God’s wise counsel.

We looked at the scriptures on satan's job description verses Jesus’s": kill steal and destroy – unity, harmony, life. 

I would like to tie them together as we conclude scene 2 of Job’s adventure, with Luke chapter 11.  One of the disciples had requested that Jesus teach them how to pray.  Jesus gave them the knowledge and followed it with some practical theory in regards to speaking up and making the request known as well as trusting.  Right after that it seems they had the battle field.  When God has the victory, satan steps up right away to take all the glory.  He uses the lips of the spectators to denounce God’s reputation.

Luke 11:15 (NAS)

But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons. And the others to test Him were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.  But He knew their thoughts and said to them, Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste and a house divided against itself falls.  And if satan also is divided against himself how shall his kingdom stand?  For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.  And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons by whom do your sons cast them out?  Consequently they shall be your judges. But if I cast out by the finger of God then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

We already discussed the strong mans house will not be disturbed, that a curse with out a cause does not come, putting on our armor and standing firm till the promises of God show up and the importance of having a true understanding of what we believe. Because we need to know the truth so that the truth can set up free, let’s look at the rest of the story here in Luke 11 starting in verse 22, going through to 28.

but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder.  He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.  When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any it says, I will return to my house from which I came.  And when it comes it finds it swept and put in order.  Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself and they go in and live there; and the last state of the man becomes worse than the first.

We discussed how Satan must have been attempting to take over Job’s house.  So let’s look at the battle field of his posse:

The 3 messengers who consecutively came stating all is lost and only I escaped so that you could be told.

There was the wife who spoke when Job needed some encouragement and prayer to strengthen him, but instead he was told to curse God and die.

Satan is pulling out all the stops by sending in the 3 amigos, right on the heals of Job’s wife and pain sores doing their best to force the man to defer his hope in God:

Job 2:11-13 Now when Job’s three friend heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.  And when they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept.  And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky.  Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Tomorrow we will pick back up here – but for today I ask you to take notice that God created the heavens, the earth, living being and had a day of rest all within 7 days.  He used his mind, his energy and his voice to do good. 

I pray that we look around at those we allow to cross into our personal space, look with discernment at the voice exiting their being, the intent of their words and be aware of those posing as friends.  We do not judge them, but we are to discern and allow God’s separation of darkness and light to protect us in all ways.

Especially this 4th of July I ask that each of us cry out to God our father for justice to prevail.  He tells us that if we do not, the stones, walls, rafters, beams and ground will.  Know that even when you might feel as though you are alone in the wilderness there are many of us…..hopefully using our voice, words and faith joining together calling out to Him who is faithful to save.

In the all powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord who liberates us all, Amen, Hallelujah, Shalom,

Kisses,

Candace

Why Are You Surprised When Even Family Turns or Attacks.

In speaking of Job and his situation it is very important to understand when Satan is attempting to make us run away from God's blessings.  Remember satan will do anything, take any measure and use even the ones that are supposed to love us most to make our minds imagine the worst possible outcome.  My questions for us today is will we continue to stand.....and to ALL to stand until we see his face show up on the horizon and show us the way out; or will we shrink back to the destruction of our souls - in this God has no good pleasure (we have discussed these verses may times in the past, go into the archives to re read them if needed)

Please read Luke 215-32 posted below then write about your thoughts.  Maybe it will even help you to stand firm this very day.

5 Some {of the disciples} were talking about the temple complex. They noted that it was built with fine stones and decorated with beautiful gifts. So Jesus said, 6 “About these buildings that you see—the time will come when not one of these stones will be left on top of another. Each one will be torn down.”

7 The disciples asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will occur?”

8 Jesus said, “Be careful that you are not deceived. Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am he!’ and ‘The time is near.’ Don’t follow them!
9 “When you hear of wars and revolutions, don’t be terrified! These things must happen first, but the end will not come immediately.”
10 Then Jesus continued, “Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be terrible earthquakes, famines, and dreadful diseases in various places. Terrifying sights and miraculous signs will come from the sky.

12 “Before all these things happen, people will arrest and persecute you. They will hand you over to their synagogues and put you into their prisons. They will drag you in front of kings and governors because of my name. 13 It will be your opportunity to testify to them. 14 So make up your minds not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 I will give you words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to oppose or prove wrong.

16 “Even parents, brothers, relatives, and friends will betray you and kill some of you. 17 Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. 18 But not a hair on your head will be lost. 19 By your endurance you will save your life.

20 “When you see armies camped around Jerusalem, realize that the time is near for it to be destroyed. 21 Then those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. Those of you in Jerusalem should leave it. Those of you in the fields shouldn’t go back into them. 22 This will be a time of vengeance. Everything that is written about it will come true.

23 “How horrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. Indeed, the land will suffer very hard times, and its people will be punished. 24 Swords will cut them down, and they will be carried off into all nations as prisoners. Nations will trample Jerusalem until the times allowed for the nations {to do this} are over.

25 “Miraculous signs will occur in the sun, moon, and stars. The nations of the earth will be deeply troubled and confused because of the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint as they fearfully wait for what will happen to the world. Indeed, the powers of the universe will be shaken.

27 “Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 “When these things begin to happen, stand with confidence! The time when you will be set free is near.”

29 Then Jesus used this story as an illustration. “Look at the fig tree or any other tree. 30 As soon as leaves grow on them, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see these things happen, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

32 “I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all this takes place. 33 The earth and the heavens will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

 
 I pray that you not cling to your fears today but that in all things you look at how God is blessing you in some way.  Look for HIS hand in all things, stand your ground do not be moved due to the enemies encamped around you trying to steal your blessings and let the storm pass by.  He is the gentle voice beyond the storm.......wait and listen for Him to say, this is my child of integrity....look they held fast and you could not move them.
 
In Christ, I pray your faith not fail today,
Candace

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

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

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

.....But God Has A Better Plan

John 10:10 (GWT) A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need.

Job chapter 1 Satan comes along with the sons of God to stand in from of the Lord. I noticed that God did not start in with his conversations with His sons until Satan was gone. He addressed Satan directly asking Him where He came from. Satan replied that he had come from wandering all over the earth. I remembered the verses in Luke 11:24-26 where it states:

 “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to the home I left.’ When it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in order. Then the spirit goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself. They enter and take up permanent residence there. In the end the condition of that person is worse than it was before.”

I went back and read Job this morning. It is no coincidence that 4 messengers brought the news of destruction to Job and 3 friends came to torment him through his suffering. That adds up to 7. God addressed Satans wandering and asked him if he had considered Job. Satan tried to tempt God to removed His hedge of protection. However God cannot be tempted and He replied to Satan that everything Job had was already within Satans power to take “if it was allowed”. So Satan set out with a vengeance to prove his power. God knew that Job was going to be going through his 7th refinement and come out better than he started.

All this ties back into the first doubt we are about to enter into in our walk through God’s story being told. What if, when we are faced with a doubt we stop and remember we already asked God for a hedge of protection. What if we “believe” that He is faithful to us. What if we choose to live by this faith in Him and not by the sights or words being flung toward us. What if we used our mouths to speak up and defend God’s honor, instead of Satans frail attempt to blaspheme Gods character?

So many questions, but remember as I heard God whisper one time...

“the sojourn is the answer….the question an endless plight”.

Today be still and remember He is God. I pray that we speak His peace and cause the chaos to be still. We have been given authority as the sons of God. What will you do with yours today.

With the love of Christ for all of you….my family in Him.

Candace

John 10:34-38


Jesus said to them, “Don’t your Scriptures say, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? 35 The Scriptures cannot be discredited. So if God calls people gods (and they are the people to whom he gave the Scriptures), 36 why do you say that I’m dishonoring God because I said, ‘I’m the Son of God’? God set me apart for this holy purpose and has sent me into the world. 37 If I’m not doing the things my Father does, don’t believe me. 38 But if I’m doing those things and you refuse to believe me, then at least believe the things that I’m doing. Then you will know and recognize that the Father is in me and that I am in the Father.”

The Best Fishing Spot

If we look back at yesterdays verses in Genesis we know that God even created the best fishing holes.  Well maybe that wasn't his defining purpose, however we can utilize it for an analogy =D.

If you are an avid fisherman, when you are trying to catch a certain "kind" of fish you look for where they are drawn to by their nature.  You know what type of lure, bait or trap to utilize and they you wait patiently after you have "set" the trap.  This is because that is how God ordained things to be.  He created the origin of nature, distinction of characteristics of species and habitats in which they would thrive.

We can use our minds to understand all these complex thoughts, but can you imagine being the Deity that created them?  Can you imagine what God imagined (and it was so)?  The book of Job enlightens us on God's answer to the questions; Chapter 38:

Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.  Who is this that belittles my advice with words that do not show any knowledge about it.  Brace yourself like a man!  I will ask you and you will teach me.
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell me if you have such insight.  Who determined it's dimensions?  Certainly, you know!  Who stretched a measuring line over it?  On what were it's footing's sunk?  Who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?  "Who shut the sea behind gates when it burst through and came out of the womb, when I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it up in dark clouds, what I set a limit for it and put up bars and gates, when I said, " You may come this far but no farther.  Here your proud waves will stop?  "Have you ever given order to the morning or assigned a place for the dawn so that it could grab the earth by its edges and shake wicked people out of it?  The earth changes like clay stamped by a seal, and parts of it stand out like fold in clothing.  Wicked people are deprived of their light and an arm raised in victory is broken.  have you gone to the springs in the sea or walked through the valleys of the oceans depths?  Have the gateways to death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gateways to total darkness?  Have you even considered how wide the earth is?  Tell me, if you know all of this!

"What is the way to the place where light lives?  Where is the home of darkness so that you may lead it to its territory, so that you may know the path to its home?  You must know because you were born then and have lived such a long time!  Have you been to the warehouses where snow is stored or seen the warehouses for hail that I have stored up for the time of trouble, and the day of battle and war?  Which is the way to the place where light is scattered and the east wind is spread across the earth?  "Who made a channel for the flooding rains and a path for the thunderstorms to bring rain on a land where no one lives, on a desert where there are no humans, to saturate the desolate wasteland in order to make it sprout with grass?  Does the rain have a father?  Who gave birth to the dewdrops?  From whose womb came the ice, and who has given birth to the frost in the air?  The water hardens like a stone, and the surface of the ocean freezes over.  "Can you connect the chains of the constellation Pleiades or untie the ropes of Orion?  Can you bring out the constellations at the right time or guide Ursa Major with its cubs?  Do you know the laws of the sky or make them rule the earth?  Can you call to the clouds and have a flood of water cover  you?  Can you send lightening flashes so that they may go and say to you, Here we are?  Who put wisdom in the heart or gave understanding to the mind?  Who is wise enough to count the clouds or pour out the water jars of heaven when the dirt hardens into clumps and the soil clings together? 

We will start back tomorrow with the rest of God's answer to our questions..as for today. Sit with him to listen and learn from the Master of spinning thoughts, story lines and purposes.  Glean from His knowledge, Listen to His plans and be more than wooed.....Be inspired...Be Propelled....Live the Zoe Life He created.
Starting this moment, it a choice, an option.  It is not forced because He loves you deeply, honestly, passionately but mostly freely with a love that is intended to lift us up, feel soft and beautiful, and yet boldly fierce to protect you.  Please See that today.
With the Love of our Christ,
Candace