Guardians of Life

Go for a walk in the River. You won't ever be the same.

Category: teaching (Page 5 of 9)

Wine Not

November 22, 2018 /

Here we are on Thanksgiving Day and I decided to share some thoughts. Last Sunday in church while worshiping, I received from our Lord a short thought. It is all about the wine. Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach ailments. This was a wow moment. Because right after that I went to communion. When we take communion we take what represents our Lord’s Body and blood. The wine represents His blood. So, in the case with Timothy, Paul was telling him to take in Jesus’ blood to help with his ailments. It is like telling him to go to Jesus first. How often do we go straight to the medicine cabinet and get some pain med’s first. It is so much easier than asking God for help. Yes I know that medicine is only available to us because God has allowed mankind to find it. Even so, Jesus is not always our first thought. How many of our ailments can go away if only we went to Jesus first.

At this point I will confess that I will go to med’s for my ailments without thinking. Maybe this is why God is giving me these thoughts. When I thought about the wine and communion, I thought about having communion with Him even more than the usual Sunday at church. But really, its about more than that. Its about having time with Him. Praying, reading and just meditating on His word. Its also about just talking with Him. How much of our time with God is one-sided. When we read do we think about what it is saying or do we just read to get thru it? When we pray do we give God our list of wants and then end our time with Him? Do we even take the time to meditate on His word. Remember that Jesus is the word. I think as a male its been ingrained in us that we don’t need that stuff. It is a sign of weakness. When in reality it just the opposite. It is a sign and showing of strength in us.

As I have been taking this all in, I have also thought of how communion affects every aspect of our lives. How often do we ask for His favor? How often does God ask us to do something and we say not now because we aren’t comfortable with it? And yet we still want His favor. Remember the great commandment is Love our Lord Jesus and then our neighbor. We say we love Him, but how do we show it? By not listening to Him. Not giving Him time in our day. Not helping out other people. We have to remind our selves that it is not about us. But when we make it about Jesus and others it comes back to us anyway. For in others obedience to love, they will love on you with His Love.

So have communion with Jesus for your ailments, your needs and for your life in general. Do this and you will find yourself in a better position. A life full and ready for whatever comes your way. Thanks for reading this and please remember to share this with others for their encouragement.

Be blessed, Ken

Water, Water Everywhere

August 8, 2018 /

Hey folks, I apologize for taking so long in between posts. Either I have been distracted with work, taking time to draw closer to our Lord and Savior or just plain distracted. But, I have been listening to God and what He has been saying.  Much of it has to do with water. Like this is unusual. It all started on Fathers Day. The Lord gave me a picture of a river with a large healthy tree growing next to it.  Then there was a tree far off in the distance. Barely within sight of the river. It was very dead looking. You wouldn’t know it to be alive. With this came the warning of not being to close to the world. The healthy tree was feeding from the river. This river is our Lord. After saying this, our pastor brought up some text from Jeremiah ch. 17. This section of scripture had about the same story and picture detail in it.

On July 1, 2018 Our Lord gave me this. “There is a flood coming. It will cleanse away that which is undesirable, which is unwanted and not needed. It will strip down to the core, leaving only a shadow of the former. With this core, I will work with. I will provide a way and means to do my will. Just climb into the boat and go fishing. Reaching out to those who need me. Healing both body and soul.” What a picture this is. First come the cleansing and then the work. We can’t do the second without the first part. To many people this may seem a bit harsh. But it is necessary in order to be ready for the work to come. For when we are stripped down to the very core we have nothing left. We are totally dependent on God for everything. There is nothing of ourselves left to get in the way.

Two weeks later on the 15th. I received this ” I see a coin in a fountain. I see many coins in the fountain. I see people making wishes. Relying on hope and luck. I say jump in. I am the living water. I am the fountain that flows. I am the stream. I am the river that moves. I am here.” Once again a warning about the world and going there for your needs. Of this prophecy I like the part about jumping in. Yoyu need to fully trust God when you do that. No worries or fear to hold you back. Just do it and let God take care of it.

Now a couple days later I was given this thought. God told me one word. It was the word “furrow.” So, I looked up the definition on my phone and found a noun version and a verb form. The noun was the trenches and or grooves made in the ground for seeds. The verb form is the act of making these trenches or grooves. Right after settling on the verb form God said ” Prepare for rain.”  Followed by “Direct its path.” So are we scattering seed anywhere. Just throwing it around. What we should be doing is sowing it in a trench that leads somewhere. One example would be discipling a younger person. Praying for particular family members or friends. And wouldn’t you know it two days later I heard God say ” His rain falls on the just and unjust alike.” There may be some unexpected growth coming. Areas we can’t see or even thought about. Thats why we need to be obedient and just do what He asks of us.

Then this last Sunday I shared a word with another couple. Part of it was about drinking water. If you go to the faucet and get the water, you will end up with water filled with chemicals and other stuff.  If you go to the RIVER and get it, you will be getting the purest, cleanest and bast water available to us. In this process of getting water from the RIVER, a person needs to get own on their hands and knees in order to get it. This puts you in a humble position. One also of worship. For rivers usually don’t have much of a shore. Most likely a river bank and the water below this.

This is a lot of water for us. Please take the time to  read and meditate on the water and River. Do not be afraid of cleansing or what our Lord wants to do. He will not harm us, just prepare us for His will.

Be blessed, Ken

Thoughts

June 6, 2018 /

Ok, here we are with another post. This time though it didn’t take as long to write again. In the previous post I talked about God’s gifts being impenetrable. There is nothing greater than a gift from God. But, today I am going to cover more then one area.

One is not to be afraid of the gospel of Jesus Christ. People are using social media to talk about anything. Some of it is vulgar or even morally wrong and they don’t worry about offending anyone. Yet we as followers of Jesus are afraid to say things because we don’t want to hurt people.  So what happens next. They make fun of us, call us weak, and push us around. Well its time to stop this and turn it around. Remember that Jesus said that we will be persecuted for His Name sake. If its going to happen anyway, then lets give them a reason. Shout from the roof tops that Jesus is Lord and wants you.

Next is the fact that we need to know who our neighbor is. The great commandment is love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength. The second part is to Love your neighbor as yourself. So, who is my neighbor? Its everyone other than yourself. Yes its your real next door neighbor. But its also your family, parents, children and friends. When was the last time you considered your spouse as your neighbor? Take the time to truly love them as Christ loved the church. Do this and watch what changes God makes in their life and yours.

Now, how about the “golden rule?” Matt. 7:12 “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We  need to stop treating people like dirt if they disagree with us. We are really bad in this when we talk to other “Christians” who are of a different faith. As long as we have the same core beliefs, why can’t we agree to disagree and go on as one body? Or even when we see a “sinner” (lesbian, homosexual or maybe an atheist) and we quickly run in the other direction. They need to see Jesus and experience Him as much if not more than we do. But they won’t if we are not. Not reading the Bible. Not praying. Not walking as He did. And not spending time with Him ourselves.

It may be a lot to do all of this at once. So do only what you can at first. And I would start with the most important one first. That is your relationship with God. Once this one gets going good, then try another one. Here is a simple experiment. Go to a mirror, face it and close your eyes. Clear your mind. Then open them and what do you see? What is your first thought? What are our first impressions? Just be honest with yourself. If you don’t like what you see or don’t know what you see then you have a good starting point for prayer. If you really do like what you see, then ask God if this is what He wants people to see in yourself. So remember that its not done until its  over.

Be blessed, Ken

Impenetrable

May 20, 2018 /

Well here we are taking a look at something that God has been talking to me about for a while now. First I apologize for taking so long to put out another post. Now we are ready to start. Often God gives me stuff to think about for a period of time. Like this recent thought. He told me “God’s gifts are impenetrable.” Now that is a thought. The first area I concentrated on was the word impenetrable. I pictured a solid sheet of metal. Several inches thick. Secondly I thought about God’s gifts. And His wisdom was the one to come to my mind first. Then He had me share this with someone to encourage them. This ended up being a word of confirmation for them. So as I have thought of this its like having the best  of anything. The world and all its ways don’t even compare to God’s wisdom. The world has no way to penetrate this.

So how about His other gifts. Like which ones? Well there is salvation, healing, His word, or even prophecy. Looking at salvation, we think about loosing it. Yes I believe it can happen. Only by you giving it up. The enemy does what he can to get us to throw it away. Give it up. He can’t do anything with it, but as long as we don’t have it he is happy. Healing, no one can take it away. When God heals its for good. His word (the bible) has stood the test of time and it can’t be taken lightly. Yes, our society says differently and has tried to get around it, but can’t. For thousands of years it has been known and it is still relevant today as it was yesterday. What was spoken of during its time has been proven to be true and accurate. The bible has even mentioned what was going to happen in the last days and it is true. Just watch the news and read. We are living in that time now. That is why the world is coming against us Christians so much. They can’t come against it so why not put it down and get people to believe that the bible is wrong and they are the ones who know.

What do we do now then? The answer is simple. Its Jesus. Read, pray, and spend time with Him. Let Him be the “all in all” of your life. Live according to His word. Be obedient to Him and His ways. Put yourself in a position to hear Him say “well done my faithful servant.” Remember that we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. No weapon formed against you can prosper. Or better yet, He will never leave you nor forsake you. God’s gifts are impenetrable as He is impenetrable. Don’t let  go of what He has given you. You are a gift from God. Therefore you are impenetrable.

Be blessed, Ken

Running Water

March 6, 2018 /

Well its time for another posting. This one comes from a word I had for someone this last Sunday at church. I told her to keep running as water runs. When it is strong enough it power to it. It can move stuff out of the way. Or it will swallow it whole. These are not the exact words, but very close to what I told her. It gave me a picture that was of something that I have not thought of. I saw a river moving with great force behind it. Like something you would see on the news. That of a natural disaster. This river thou was flowing from us His children. It had such great strength that it could move anything out of its path. If it wasn’t being moved the water just covered it up. Like it was swallowing it whole. The force behind it was us running the race God has set before us.

Running the race is the direction of our church since the beginning of the year. As with this blog we covered baggage, endurance and wisdom. Much of this has gone with this direction. Now thou we are covering another aspect of running. Endurance is a strong part of running the race. So how about running the race with endurance and with power. His power. In John 7:38 it says “Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” This tells us that the Holy Spirit is as living water. So when it flows from us it goes outward before us. When you read the footnotes on this scripture it makes reference to “out of the belly.” Giving us this picture of it flowing before us. So how hard is it to picture this water moving rapidly before us. For we are running a race.

Another reference of water in this thought line is of the exodus from Egypt. When the Israelites crossed over or through the Red Sea the waters were held back. Then when Pharaohs army went in after them the waters were released back and it swallowed them up, literally.  No, this was not the Holy Spirit moving, but yes it was of God. ( no I am not going to argue if it was really the Holy Spirit or not holding back the water. This is an argument for those who truly study the scriptures. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned by name, so I will leave it at that.)

This is not unlike doing the dishes. A person will rinse the dishes off with water to remove anything on them. Making them easier to clean. Or maybe when a person uses the garden hose to spray off the sidewalk, driveway, or the car when washing it. We use the force of water to get this done. There are everyday physical examples of this. Why not a spiritual one. If you are not running God’s race then how much force will the “water ” have? How about when someone is walking or even existing in God. Does the “water” have the same power? Its not my goal to find out. I want the full force of God moving with me. If this means running His race with all that I have, then that is what I will do.  How about you? Are you willing to go to the same measures or even further? Or are you existing in God and are not sure of the “waters” power. I want to “run” this race. Therefore I am going to correct some habits and make changes in my race to do this as best as I can. How about you?

 

Be blessed, Ken

Doing Endurance with Wisdom

February 25, 2018 /

Hey everyone, how are we doing on our baggage claims? Have we asked God to reveal it so we can lay it down at his feet and leave it there. This study has had a revealing effect. The more I dig into it the more I need to lay down. You know when you start to do a study of God’s word He reveals stuff that has been hidden or that you may not have known was there. This is all good, because it causes you to draw closer to Him.  Which leads me to the next part of running the race. We will find in James 1:4 “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Lets look at perseverance or in other versions it may say endurance. When running this race its not a short dash to the finish line. This is a marathon. One that lasts the rest of our lives here on earth. So endurance is a priority.

You will notice that it mentions you being mature and complete not lacking anything. Another version says of it having its perfect result. A question we may ask is when do we get to this perfect result? The answer is when we are finished running the race. Have you ever watched a race where the runners were carrying baggage with them? Or maybe a marathoner bringing a stuffed backpack while running. Well then leave the baggage and endure the race.

Remember Jesus said He was the Bread of Life and the Living Water. He is all that we need. He sent out the disciples without supplies when He wanted them to minister to the people. And yet they endured for quite a long time. Also when we focus on the word endure it gives us the thought of doing something. Yes this is another part of the race. That is the part of being a doer of the word. We are to be doing His will. If we just listen it makes us no better then anyone else. The word also says that if know and don’t do it we are sinning. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the thought of sinning.

Ever notice in the book of James in verse 5 it talks about wisdom. And if you ask for it He will give it to you. Wisdom will help you endure the race. Wisdom gives you the guidance to navigate the course. To follow God’s design for you. Ask and He will give it generously.

All 3 of these parts are essential to the race. They work together for the good  of him who is called by His name. Continue to take some time and work on  your relationship with God. Pray and read. These are very good ways to start. Until later, keep on walking.  Please share this posting so that others may be blessed. Thanks again for reading.

Be blessed, Ken

Baggage

January 24, 2018 /

Hey all, how are you doing ? How are things going? In the last post I mentioned baggage. I hope you have found out what yours is and have let it go. Its a subject that I have thought about quite a bit lately. In my prayer time I have asked God to help me see mine and let it go. But during this last Sunday God was telling me some more. He was saying that social media and society tell us to hang on to our hurts. To remember those who have hurt us and not let go. So, my response was to say “why?” Why am I supposed to hang on to theses things?  What good does it do? Who is going to benefit from it? Well the answer is simple. Its the devil that benefits the most. Society will tell you that it empowers you. It gives you strength. It gives you purpose. Your character will be built up. Your focus will improve. All of this is nothing but a bunch of lies.

All of these “benefits” go totally against God and His word. James 4:4 tells us that being friends with the world is hostility  toward God. In Matt. 22:37- 40 we read Jesus’ answer to what is the greatest commandment. The second part of the answer tells us to LOVE your neighbor as yourself. For all the laws and prophets depend on these. How’s that for shredding their statements to pieces. Anyone who is a child of the living God Cannot do both. You either believe God and His word or you side with society and the Devil. Plain and simple. There is no in between. That is another lie of the Devil. God does not work in the so called “gray” area’s. Its either yes or no. Even in His word we hear about doing His good, pleasing or perfect will. Yet these are all still positive. We want to strive for the perfect will. Who wants to settle for the lesser? Yet we do all the time in our lives. We think that the perfect is unattainable, so we don’t even try. Thats about when the Devil says yeah your right don’t bother trying. Stop listening to him. He wants you to keep carrying that baggage with you.

I say this so that you don’t have to be over the head with the Holy Spirits 2×4. I have felt that way to many times in my life. My son said it must be made of Ash or really hard Hickory otherwise it would have been broken by now. Funny as it is, he is probably right. I am just saying let go of it and let God take care of it. Its His job and He wants to do it. He loves doing it for us. He’s just not going to do it unless we let Him.; The time is now to get on our knees and pray. Asking for forgiveness and to be cleansed from our iniquities. Now we are in a position to make change. Because at this point we need to continue on this path by submitting to God ourselves. Then watch the Devil run. For he sees that we are not alone. God is standing next to us. What a great place to be in.

All I am asking is that you take time in prayer very soon and ask God to show you your baggage. Being encouraged to leave it at the alter of His feet. Now the hard part is leaving it there. Don’t listen to the enemy of our souls. Submit to God and tell the Devil to leave. I pray for a total release of the Holy Spirit in your lives at this time. Being creates anew and without spot or blemish. Having the Light of God shining through ever so bright as you walk in His ways. Being a pathway for others to follow. That they may find Jesus and be saved. Amen.

Be blessed, Ken

Fresh

January 13, 2018 /

Well here we are in a new year and our Lord and Savior wants to move among His people. This last Sunday we had a great service of worship and Prayer. During this time God was putting forth His word through His people. Some prophecy and words of encouragement. God was telling me many of the same things just before they were spoken by others.  So here is a highlighted version of what He told me. First He spoke of “do not pick up your baggage and bring it with you.” the second part was “Its the dawning of a new day. The dawning of a new era. The last part went “I will bring fresh fire, fresh food and fresh freedom.” Its hard for me to remember it all in the manner it was given to me. So I gave you the points that stood out to me.

Baggage is a term we hear often. But it truly applies right now. We are in January and its a new year for us. Baggage is often referring to habits and old ways of doing things. It may also refer to past hurts or people who have wronged us in some way. We need to let these things go. By doing so God will take care of them for us. He wants to impart in us what He needs us to have for this time.

The dawning of a new day the dawning of a new era is an announcement for us. God is declaring His intent. Both to us and those around us. For it is as He says. Its “new.” Not the past or any part of old. God is not stuck in the past. He does not have to continue to do things in the same old way. Those are our problems. We like things done in certain ways at the same time for the same reasons. We get stuck in the rut. Being comfortable is always a good thing. It does not keep us from enjoying what God is doing anew. We often go about ways because that is how it has always gone. This is the way it is always done. My question is “why?” Drop your baggage and get ready.

Now we have the third part. And the key word is “fresh.” A fresh fire. A fresh move of the Holy Spirit. A fresh gifting, anointing and maybe even a fresh direction. The fire coming in a unexpected way. A time we don’t see or hear or are even ready for. Fresh food for us. We may be reading the same scriptures, but now we see a different application of it. It now jumps of the page at us and all we can say is wow. This word now has new meaning to us. We also want to read more because we have a new hunger. Fresh freedom is the one part that is the most different for me. We have a certain God given freedom. But this time its even more exciting. We will be enjoying His presence, His word, His truths and Him in a new way. Praying out in public without fear. Sharing His word without hesitation. Walking with our heads held up high. Not worrying about who sees us. And yet He is giving us this that He may be glorified. Its all about Him, not us. Enjoy this new era  with its freshness. Just don’t carry your baggage into it.

Be blessed, Ken

Knee-ding Time

December 2, 2017 /

Here we are enjoying a mild fall with temps about 15-20 degrees higher than normal and thinking about spending more time outside. This is interesting because God keeps talking about spending more time with Him. We can do both it just takes some adjusting our schedule. Like getting up earlier and reading the bible or spending it in prayer. And yet the bible tells us to be ever mindful. That means making a conscious effort to be with Him. Even while driving we can be praying and paying attention to what is going on around us. A good question becomes why is God seeking a greater amount of time with us. Its simple. Times are getting tougher on His children. The enemy of our souls is making a greater effort to stop the plans of God. The Devils time is running short and he wants to take out as many of God’s children as possible.

How is he doing it? By getting us to be complacent in our walk with God for one. By accepting worldly ways into the church for another. All of this leads to questions like “why don’t we see signs, miracles and wonders?” Actually we do. It’s that we aren’t looking hard enough or even in the right places. we don’t pay attention unless its big, elaborate, or loud. We want an entertainment value added to keep our interest. And don’t forget that we want to be done in an hour or so. There is no reason for a service to last over an hour.  Really, what have we become? As much as its about us, its even more about our Lord and Savior. He is the reason we live. He is the reason we have life He is our everything. Without Him we are not.

So, when the enemy attacks us we are not ready for it. We don’t know what to do. Scripture verses start to come mind like “resist the devil and he shall flee?” Why will he flee. He has nothing to be afraid of. But, when we look at the first part of that verse we see “submit yourselves therefore to God.” And that is the problem. Submitting is hard to do. We just get in the way of ourselves. Pride and arrogance come to the fore front. ” I don’t submit to anyone.” Or “I’m a Christian and the Devil has to leave me alone.” Well guess what, he doesn’t have to leave you alone and because you won’t submit and be obedient to God he is going after you with all he has. Which brings us back to the beginning of this post . Talking about spending more time with God. He is the answer for this time. No other can help us as He can. So, get off your hand made throne and get to your knees. Start a conversation with God and see what He is willing to do for you. For in Malachi ch.3 God says” return to me and I will return to you.” We need to make the first move. To get out of our own way and just say yes. Its not as hard as it seems. Then afterward you will feel better than before. Closer than before. Better prepared than before. And you just might be helping someone else at the same time.

Be blessed, Ken

Drawing

October 29, 2017 /

Here we are again talking about the good things of our Lord. Today’s service was a good time of worship and praise. Pastor’s message on forgiveness was insightful. But it’s during the time when we choose to enter into His presence that things can and often do change. I am one who wants nothing more than to do God’s will. To be obedient to Him. So, when He talks to me during service I tend to listen. Unfortunately I’m not always that way. When it’s any other day I probably have my mind on other things. He wants to talk to me, I’m just listening or putting myself into a position to listen to Him. And today He gave me words for 2 different people. Both messages had to do with pushing into a closer time with Him.

In Malachi 3:7 the Lord says to return to Him and He will return to you. We need to take the first steps. We have to show our desire for a closer walk with him. Remember he doesn’t go where He is not welcome. He is never far away, but He will not force Himself upon us. That is why we need to draw closer to Him. Show the initiative. How often do we act like we have done enough and now its God’s turn to do something. When in reality we have almost nothing and want it all done for us. In the first part of this blog I mentioned that I don’t always listen to Him. Then there are days like today when I do and He wants something of me that I just don’t want to do. It’s these times when He pulls out this big 2×4 and hits me with it. Well, at least in a spiritual sense. See I’ve “dug my heals in” on a particular matter and didn’t want to budge from it. This was the area that God decided I needed to change today. And wanting to be obedient to Him I started to change my ways. Why? I want a closer walk with Him. If I want to draw closer to Him I need to get out of my own way. These walls I’ve put up need to come down. I also want and need Him to heal me. Of some pain I have  in my right hip all the way down to my right shins. But if there is disobedience how can I expect to receive healing when I won’t receive what He wants of me.

One part of this is that I know better than to tell God no. For He said in His Word that to whom much is given, much is required. A principle of this is that when you press in and get closer to Him you will receive more. More of Him and More blessing in your life among other things. God wants to give to us. Why don’t we just put ourselves in a position to receive these things and blessings. And when it is the proper time you will have a testimony to share that can encourage those around you to get closer to Him. So, draw closer to Him. You have a lot riding on it.

Be blessed, Ken

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