Custom Fit

Do you ever get the feeling the trials in your life were made custom fit just for you? As if God thoroughly examined our weaknesses and designed a blueprint for our life fully fitted to expound on every fault.

 I imagine myself looking over those blueprints as I stand in the throne room before God. I look up at Him and say: Really?? In all your benevolent wisdom you couldn’t have come up with aaaaaaaaany other way of teaching me this? I imagine that He then looks down at me with a stifled smile and look that seems to say ‘trust me, I got this’. As I with shoulders slouching and feet dragging head for the door, I hear Him say “You’ll thank me later”. And my reply under my breath is something along the lines of ‘Don’t count on it’ and ‘Not in this lifetime’.  Of course though as He predicted, I am always grateful for every trial and every grief and every pain when it finally comes to an end. The end of a learning trial is in some ways like the warmth of the sun after a cold and dreary rain. And I find myself being thankful for the figurative moisture.

I am engaged in a few learning trails at the moment, some I know won’t come to an end until hope gives in to glory and my soul is no longer a resident of this world. Therefore on easier days I say ‘Thank you for the moisture’ on the rest of them I say ‘I’ll thank you later’. If you are privileged enough to be enduring a custom fit learning trail, compliments of your creator, and today is not one of those days that you’re thankful for the moisture, it may help to envision yourself in His throne room and listen to Him say ‘It’s my design, I got this’.     

The Tribulation in Trumpets

And  I  saw  the  seven  messengers  who stand  before  Elohim,  and  to  them  were given seven trumpets.

Revelation
8:7 - And the first messenger sounded, and there came to be hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, an all green grass was burned up.
8:8 - And the second messenger sounded like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
8:10 - And the third messenger sounded, and a great star fell from the heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the fountains of water, and the name of the star is called Wormwood. And a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
8:12 - And the fourth messenger sounded, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
9:1 - And the fifth messenger sounded, and I saw a star from the heaven which had fallen to the earth. And the key to the pit of the deep was given to it. And he opened the pit of the deep, and smoke went up out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun was darkeneed, also the air, because of the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth, and authority was given to them as the scorpions of the earth possess authority. And it was said to them that they shall not harm the grass of the earth, or any green matter, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of Elohim upon their foreheads. And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but to torture them for five months. And their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days men shall seek death and shall not find it. And they shall long to die, but death shall flee from them.
9:13 - And the sixth messenger sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before Elohim, saying to the sixth messenger who had the trumpet, “Release the four messengers, those having been bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four messengers, those having been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million, and I heard the number of them. 
11:15 - And the seventh messenger sounded, and there came to be loud voices in the heaven, saying, “The reign of this world has become the reign of our Master, and of His Messiah, and He shall reign forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders sitting before Elohim on their thrones fell on their faces and worshipped Elohim, saying, “We give You thanks, O El Shaddai, the One who is and who was and who is coming, because You have taken Your great power and reigned. “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to Your servants the prophets and to the set-apart ones, and to those who fear Your Name, small and great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” And the Dwelling Place of Elohim was opened in the heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His Dwelling Place. And there came to be lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.


12:17 - And  the  dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of  Messiah.

14:14 - And I looked and saw a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was One like the Son of Adam, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another messenger came out of the Dwelling Place, crying with a loud voice to the One sitting on the cloud, “Send Your sickle and reap, because the hour has come for You to reap, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” And the One sitting on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.  

See the rainbow?

Stopping suddenly, she clutches the arm of her fellow sojourner, "Oh, wow!" she gasped. "Do you see that?" 

          "See what?" was the reply. 

"That beautiful rainbow," said the women, still in awe.

          "I see the blackness of the storm..." spoken slightly as a question.

"Oh, it's beautiful - all of the radiant colors!"

          "I see several shades of gray, is that what you're referring to?"

"No! The colors! See the sun beaming through the darkness; its light is reflecting through any particle able to absorb it. See the spectrum it's producing?"

           The answer only consisting as a look of puzzled suspicion.

"And look, it's even a full bow - complete from one end to the other!"

          "All I see is broken storm clouds..."

"Exactly! The storm - there'd be no rainbow without the storm. But look what the sun does with all those 'would be' destructive molecules - it's beautiful!"

          "I'm still - it's just not there for me. It seems to be clearing though, that's good."

"No, No! Look at the sun! See its rays? Now look at the storm -
                            see the rainbow?"

Sufficient

 <sup>Luke 18
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none [is] good, save one, [that is], God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they that heard [it] said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

The man had learned the instructions and kept them, but that wasn't going to save him. Would selling all of his riches have saved him? Nope. Living a life that was very self-sufficient was a life that could easily be lived without God, if his focus and relationship with his God was based on checking off a list and labeling himself good. Jesus asked him not to do something that was difficult for him to do, but impossible. Why did Jesus ask such a task? So that this man would realize his need for God, realize that he hadn't had God, but a checklist. Why does God want us to know his instructions? So that we know they're impossible to achieve, and so that we continually know how big He is, how gracious He is, and how much He loves us.

Any trial in your life, count it as joy!! For it is in the difficult things that you reach out to God. He doesn't make you self-sufficient, but becomes your sufficiency.</sup>

Risk the Outlook

In light of the recent death of Osama Bin Laden one comes to realize that although a mastermind of evil has fallen, many, many others continue to be at large...Not only do their hearts feast on acts of evil, but they look to perpetrate that evil on all of the free world. What strategic plan could possibly be in place that would seek out the minds and hearts of the wicked and detain them before catastrophe strikes... There is no offensive play without a defensive initiative - evil must initiate first strike before repercussion for one's actions can be determined - - but what if that deep-seated hate could be uprooted in many hearts before that terror is enacted upon our individual liberties -  
I know it's ignorant to think that there could possibly be a diplomatic 'solution', but I can't help but hope that a diplomatic 'outreach' would do some good. (Maybe one already exists, and I just haven't heard about it) I'm not talking about giving them crayons and telling them to express themselves, but what if the case was pleaded to the most vulnerable(the youth) in the region, stating that by following extremists they are being set up... they're taking on insane men's battle.
They're being brainwashed and we can't judge them for that, but we could present some truth and let truth do what truth only can do, and that is set them free. It's doubtful to think bellowing out that they are 'sinners in the hands of an angry God' would do much good, but maybe with a little divine inspiration we could infiltrate some of the hate with a lot of love(a 1965 song just entered your head, didn't it :/ ). As silly or ignorant as it may sound, to me it is equally ignorant to think we can catch EVERY bad guy before something happens...
What if through a mass release of the Bible in Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. we could allow for a comprehensive deliberation of all the available facts. If the Bible is not already at their disposal they cannot be expected to make a legitimate unbiased decision based on a one-sided argument. Give them the necessary resources and let them decide if we are all infidels saved by grace or if we are infidels predestined for death... If it doesn't change one individual's mindset, if it doesn't change the outlook of one deceived person than we've waisted some paper. But if by divine liberation one plot to annihilate the lives of others is suppressed - lives will be saved. Wouldn't it be worth the try?

Looking Forward to Opportunities

I learned something about myself recently, and I thought in the cataclysmic event that somebody else may have a similar personality trait I'd pass along what I've learned.;)
I've learned that whenever I'm dreading a connection with other people whether it be through a get-together or a phone call or whatever the instance, I'm dreading it because I'm looking to be blessed by that person or persons and the possibility of not receiving affirmation or blessing...the probability that I just might not get anything out of it is there - therefore I dread that connection. BUT if I can look at every conjunction with another humanbeing as being an opportunity to bless them, to esteem them through maybe a kind word or a smile or a compliment...then I find that I actually look forward to that opportunity.  

Stretching

Getting together to rejoice in the knowledge of Yeshua and to further your understanding of His past, present, and future is breathtakingly energizing, isn't it?! This evening I was fortunate enough to witness Him in such an amazing and beautiful way -


A particular women who gathers with us - she's had a very rough life...her entire life through, and it has left her with a certain mannerism, temperament, and hygiene that is not always accepted by those around her. My parents have taken this women under their wing, doing her laundry, taking her out for coffee, giving her an overall sense of purpose. Proudly I contend that not everyone is as stretchable as my parents. So, my family and I had been discussing whether the people getting together this evening would continue to pallet this women's idiosyncrasies or whether they'd eventually shy away from her... The general consensus was that everyone getting together would more than likely sustain a certain level of tolerance and prayerfully that tolerance would last and last. And in that hopefullness we went to our gathering - 
 And God showed up.


The people didn't gasp at her snide joking, but played right along, teasingly calling out - good evening ornery! Not only did they ignore her odoriferous aroma, but they embraced her with warm hugs of affection. They didn't slip into a corner to gossip about her matted hair, but pulled out a comb and lovingly maneuvered the comb's prongs through the knotted strands, all the while complimenting and encouraging her femininity.Of course, she lavished in the attention, flourishing with every drop.
Yes, God was there. And it was beautiful.