Words, Voices, Breath

Then will they call upon me [Wisdom] but I will not answer; they will seek me early and diligently but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord,   Proverbs 1: 28, 29 AMP

We are finishing up our study on Proverbs today and using God’s truth as the platform to study the scriptures below the next few weeks.

God’s truth is formed with letters when written – and referred to as “the LETTER of the law” stating not one stroke will pass away.  But God’s truth also has a voice, and when the words are lifted up in the voice of His Spirit it is called “Wisdom” because it is alive – not being limited to our own understanding which strips it of eternal glory.  The living word made flesh, not man’s flesh, but God made flesh, came in the form of His Son – Jesus Christ.  The son of God, son of man, activated and liberated the breath of God all over the world and we were then, and still are,  able to breathe in His very breath.  Think about it!   Really think about it!

This is what God says about his voice – Wisdom.  This is what we were discussing a few days ago in regard to our reactions to situations and how we are not holy – but God is.  We will be discussing all this further as well.

Read these other verses from Proverbs 1 and reflect on our past post if needed:

 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy of gain; such [greed for plunder] takes away the lives of its possessors. Wisdom cries aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the markets; She cries at the head of the noisy intersections [in the chief gathering places]; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

 How long, O simple ones [open to evil], will you love being simple? And the scoffers delight in scoffing and [self-confident] fools hate knowledge?  If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you have refused [to answer], have stretched out my hand and no man has heeded it, And you treated as nothing all my counsel and would accept none of my reproof,  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when the thing comes that shall cause you terror and panic— When your panic comes as a storm and desolation and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.  Then will they call upon me [Wisdom] but I will not answer; they will seek me early and diligently but they will not find me.Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord,

This is where we are traveling, metaphorically, this and next week:

⁴⁰ Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them].

My love and prayers to each of you ~ extend Peace, exude Peace!

Kisses,
Candace

©Candace Huffmaster 2013, All Rights Reserved

Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc™

Where Is Our Rudder Heading Us?

A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds.  A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything...or destroy it!  It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire.  A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that.  By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell!   ~ James 3: 4-6 The Message

We spoke last week about the importance of knowing our story.  The stories of our life are nothing more than the merging of words: our word and the words we've heard.  But they are so much more than letters merged together, God created all things with them.  A year or so ago we broached this topic when speaking of Job's story:

Words. What do they really mean? God utilized them to create the world, then had them written so that we would know that. He also told us:  they are a double edge sword,  they have a great power and recompense, to etch them on our heart, to bind them about our waist, to wear them as a garland around our neck, to wrap them around wrist and to never let them leave our mouth. 

God also explained how to serve them:  to always speak them, sometimes to hold them, not to give them to fools, to realize they are pearls and not to feed the pearls to swine.  He asked us:  to speak them even when we know people will not listen, not to withhold them when they will teach, to speak them in love and kindness, advising us that, they can harm or heal and that they have action for good or evil. 

God's bottom line was this:  Ultimately they give life or cause death so we must understand our words because anything we propel out from us on some level we did in by faith. But sometimes our words expose the direction our rudder is heading us.....and it isn't where we've been telling everyone we were going.

There is no doubt, that the whole when to speak and when to "shut ye ole pie hole" can become a bit overwhelming……ESPECIALLY if we are leaning on our own thoughts with our eyes focused on our self.    Satan knows this!   But let's not focus on him, let's focus on what God says - and what He says is that  there is nothing new under the sun! This is great news, it means that evils bag of tricks is "predicable".  Let’s not be so naive (maybe that is a bit harsh) easily overtaken. Let's take the time to look at our history of words swarming about us all.  Let's not be one of those weak willed women (or men) ever learning but never knowing.  We can go through many days, but never learn one thing and we never mature enough to learn how to use our rudder to head us in God's desired direction.  Let's grow up a bit, we can do it!

If you want to read Job's story which I referred to above, click here. If you have ever felt like there is no where else earth for you to go because evil is attempting to force you off the last snippet of ground you are wobbling upon so you might as well just end all the terrible mess……..or better yet just beg God to curse the day you were born.  Then you know how Job felt when he basically said “Job OUT!” 


Today,  I cry out for those in riding the storm riddles sea of words.  I pray that our faith not fail so that God's name will not be put to shame.  He promised WE would never be put to shame when we ride the seas of His goodness.

That's all I need to have the wind of hope lift MY sails!
With the Love of our Christ
Kisses,
Candace

©Candace Huffmaster 2012, All Copyrights Reserved

Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc™

What For? Why?

I like the New American Standards translation of Genesis 2:24:

For “this reason” a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

God had taken out Adams rib; he made Eve the support now for that weakened place. (If you missed yesterday or the discussion last week on what “rib” means look back in the archives). We brought up that God had created Eve from something within Adam that he already possessed. However, God make it spectacular and presented it to him in a complete and perfect form to help him. Now we should completely understand why they had to become one body again. It is only in this form that Adam will not have vulnerability – Can you imagine if someone tore your rib out and handed it to you? You would only be healed when the rib was put back in its place of support.

The word reason is an action word it propels motion, it gives a battle cause that demands effect. A mother or father come together to create a joined life. Separate from ALL other lives “above all else”. They are to prefer each other, refer to each other, show favor to each other. Not in neglect to the parents that brought them in to the world, but a parent cannot make us complete. They are only a vehicle to produce, sustain and hopefully nourish your life. Christ ultimately completes us – we know this, but there is a reason for a man to protect a woman, to call her into her destiny.

Look at Genesis 2:19 …….whatever the man called each creature became its name.

Man was given authority and power to call things what they were to be, to oversee “for God”, not for self. Adam started out calling Eve woman – “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” and it was good.

Husbands, boyfriends what are you calling your gift from God? Remember a curse does not come without a cause. Think about it, talk to God about it. Pray for your rib, ask to be healed and united. Speak good things upon and into your helper that God placed in your hands to prosper, protect, desire with all the capacity that He has planted within you.
With the love of Christ I request favor for all women in your site, mercy to cover our mistakes and the grace to get up and try again. I request that each man have ears that hear, eyes that see and a mind that is transformed into the image of Christ…..for your name sake Lord God Almighty. Selah

Amen, Shalom,
Kissses,
Candace

Words

I hope you all enjoy this devotion by Oswald Chambers; it started me thinking about how God created everything with his powerful words. We are created in His image, both male and female. We were created to utilize our words for good: for relationship, for understanding, for helping, for warning, for asking, for thanking, for blessing. We were created first for a relationship with God himself and then to show that relationship to others as we interact within a relationship - no matter how superficial or deep it may be.


I pray that we widen the scope of our view in our environments, that we see everyone around us and pray about how God might want us to reflect the things we know whether it be in word or deed.

My love to you all, in Christ
Candace

Clouds and Darkness

Clouds and darkness surround Him . . . —Psalm 97:2

A person who has not been born again by the Spirit of God will tell you that the teachings of Jesus are simple. But when he is baptized by the Holy Spirit, he finds that "clouds and darkness surround Him . . . ." When we come into close contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ we have our first realization of this. The only possible way to have full understanding of the teachings of Jesus is through the light of the Spirit of God shining inside us. If we have never had the experience of taking our casual, religious shoes off our casual, religious feet— getting rid of all the excessive informality with which we approach God— it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His presence. The people who are flippant and disrespectful in their approach to God are those who have never been introduced to Jesus Christ. Only after the amazing delight and liberty of realizing what Jesus Christ does, comes the impenetrable "darkness" of realizing who He is.

Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Once, the Bible was just so many words to us — "clouds and darkness"— then, suddenly, the words become spirit and life because Jesus re-speaks them to us when our circumstances make the words new. That is the way God speaks to us; not by visions and dreams, but by words. When a man gets to God, it is by the most simple way— words.
By Oswald Chambers

Be angry and NOT sin?

My prayer for us today is that we all listen with our heart, choose our words with care and through it all remember the good in each other - which is the very essence of God, our father.

One of the poems I wrote is about this very issue. It is my hope that the poems will help us reflect on what God is telling us, personalize them through our past experiences and remember the lessons learned for future situations.  The devotional is from Daily Bread today.

With love,

Candace

No Cause For Alarm

READ: Ephesians 4:25-32

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath. —Ephesians 4:26The sound of the alarm blaring from inside the church struck panic in my heart. I had arrived at church early one Sunday morning, planning to spend a little time in peace and quiet before the congregation arrived. But I forgot to disarm the burglar alarm. As I turned the key, the disruptive and annoying blasting of the alarm filled the building—and no doubt the bedrooms of sleeping neighbors.


Anger is a lot like that. In the midst of our peaceful lives, something turns a key in our spirit and triggers the alarm. And our internal peace—not to mention the tranquillity of those around us—is interrupted by the disruptive force of our exploding emotions.


Sometimes anger appropriately calls our attention to an injustice that needs to be addressed, and we are spurred to righteous action. Most of the time, however, our anger is selfishly ignited by the violation of our expectations, rights, and privileges. In any case, it’s important to know why the alarm is sounding and to respond in a godly way. But one thing is sure, anger was never intended to continue unchecked.


It’s no wonder that Paul reminds us of the psalmist’s warning: “‘Be angry, and do not sin’; do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Eph. 4:26; Ps. 4:4). — Joe Stowell

Spirit of God, please change my heart

And give me a new desire;

Help me to be a man of peace

Who’s not controlled by anger’s fire. —K. De Haan

Anger left unchecked is cause for alarm.

Obedience Walks True

Words form as my mouth is ignited into motion,
Muscles strain, face contorts, sounds of the deep are hurled forth,
Tremendous pain and agony is the kindle,
Sparks burst into existence singeing all within reach,
The burn turns to a blaze from the oxygen expelled,
The torrents of tears come too late to extinguish the flames.

Death of so many from the combustible forces,
Tender twigs reaching for life crackle and smolder from the impulsive havoc,
New seasons, new life, through years of dormancy reigned,
Each planting… reaching fingers, through rich soil from debris,
Encouraging waters penetrate that which is buried deep,
Slow saturation, life drank it in,
Overcoming the demons that snuffed years from the scene,
God understood the pain and the cause,
He never gave up or quickened the time,
His patience and love are more than enough…
Like creation and then destruction to regain true birth.

Let us always remember the loss from the fires,
Always go rushing, so seeds will throw down.

Time is the magic when obedience walks true,
His steps are leading though only one path is seen,
Forward forever, the future has no end.

Behind are the lessons to teach others to grow,
Remember your yesterday, put away all strife,
It’s in this we grow mercy, so all may have life.
By Candace Huffmaster