Wednesday, June 24, 2009
New Location
For all of you who have been following me at this blog site, I have moved to www.insimplicity.wordpress.com. I would love it if you would visit me there! Add it to your favorites! Love you all!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Leading Questions...
OK, before I begin, let me just lay the foundation of what I am about to write with two passages…
Acts 1:8, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth”
Psalm 23:2, “…he leadeth me…”
I was studying Psalm 23 and was looking into the word “lead”, when I came upon this very interesting definition and it quickened me.
lead: to suggest to (a witness) the answer desired by asking leading questions
Now based on the two passages above, I would like to make this statement.
The Shepherd asks leading questions….
I began searching where, at different times in the word and under completely different circumstances, God has asked questions. God has never asked a shallow question. He is not a surface God! His interest in us, searches us and any question He would ask, would be one that would cause us to take inventory of our beliefs because our answer turns out to be our “outcome”. And He is interested, very much in our outcome!
Here are a few examples of questions God asked in the Word:
Genesis 3:9, “Where are you?”
Genesis 4:9 (of Abel), “Where is your brother?”
Genesis 4:10, “What have you done?”
1 Kings 19:13, “What are you doing here?”
Ezekiel 37:3, “Can these bones live?”
Matthew 9:28, “Do you believe that I can do this unto you?”
Matthew 16:15 & Mark 8:29, “But who do you say that I am?”
Luke 24:5, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
Now, just for a moment, let God ask you these questions. Every question is an invitation to come to Him…the answer, your reality.
For all of you who have been following me at this blog site, I have moved to www.insimplicity@wordpress.com. I would love it if you would visit me there! Add it to your favorites! Love you all!
Acts 1:8, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth”
Psalm 23:2, “…he leadeth me…”
I was studying Psalm 23 and was looking into the word “lead”, when I came upon this very interesting definition and it quickened me.
lead: to suggest to (a witness) the answer desired by asking leading questions
Now based on the two passages above, I would like to make this statement.
The Shepherd asks leading questions….
I began searching where, at different times in the word and under completely different circumstances, God has asked questions. God has never asked a shallow question. He is not a surface God! His interest in us, searches us and any question He would ask, would be one that would cause us to take inventory of our beliefs because our answer turns out to be our “outcome”. And He is interested, very much in our outcome!
Here are a few examples of questions God asked in the Word:
Genesis 3:9, “Where are you?”
Genesis 4:9 (of Abel), “Where is your brother?”
Genesis 4:10, “What have you done?”
1 Kings 19:13, “What are you doing here?”
Ezekiel 37:3, “Can these bones live?”
Matthew 9:28, “Do you believe that I can do this unto you?”
Matthew 16:15 & Mark 8:29, “But who do you say that I am?”
Luke 24:5, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
Now, just for a moment, let God ask you these questions. Every question is an invitation to come to Him…the answer, your reality.
For all of you who have been following me at this blog site, I have moved to www.insimplicity@wordpress.com. I would love it if you would visit me there! Add it to your favorites! Love you all!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A bramble...for king?
Judges 9:7-15
And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
For His own purposes, God has been bringing me to this passage in scripture and He has instructed me to begin prophesying to the olive trees, “leave your fatness”, to the fig trees, “leave your sweetness” and to the vines, “leave your cheering influence” and govern!
Why..would a tree that carries the anointing, that is equal to no other… to both save, heal and deliver, ever refrain from using such an anointing? Why would a tree that yields such fruit, a taste that can give sight to who God really is, ever refuse those who hunger for it? And furthermore, why would a vine that carries a wine that can minister to both the mind and body of anyone who wants a drink, refuse to give it?
Instead, the lost are looking to the bramble. To the thorns, to the curse and saying, “Come and reign over us!” The bramble can also be translated as the world system and the bramble is more than willing to comply! We can so easily be deceived to think that we can trust in a shadow… when in truth, we should trust in the ONE who’s shadow is a result. What if we saw the bramble for what it really is? Would we still trust it?
There is one in whose shadow we can fully trust…”He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
And that same shadow can be cast from us and is most certainly a place prepared for others…”Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” Acts 5:15
Peter was a tree uprooted…walking about! He had kingdom roots that looked very much like feet!
Olive tree, Fig tree, Vine…there is a time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted! (Ecclesiastes 3:2) Uproot and go! Cast your shadow!
And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
For His own purposes, God has been bringing me to this passage in scripture and He has instructed me to begin prophesying to the olive trees, “leave your fatness”, to the fig trees, “leave your sweetness” and to the vines, “leave your cheering influence” and govern!
Why..would a tree that carries the anointing, that is equal to no other… to both save, heal and deliver, ever refrain from using such an anointing? Why would a tree that yields such fruit, a taste that can give sight to who God really is, ever refuse those who hunger for it? And furthermore, why would a vine that carries a wine that can minister to both the mind and body of anyone who wants a drink, refuse to give it?
Instead, the lost are looking to the bramble. To the thorns, to the curse and saying, “Come and reign over us!” The bramble can also be translated as the world system and the bramble is more than willing to comply! We can so easily be deceived to think that we can trust in a shadow… when in truth, we should trust in the ONE who’s shadow is a result. What if we saw the bramble for what it really is? Would we still trust it?
There is one in whose shadow we can fully trust…”He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
And that same shadow can be cast from us and is most certainly a place prepared for others…”Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” Acts 5:15
Peter was a tree uprooted…walking about! He had kingdom roots that looked very much like feet!
Olive tree, Fig tree, Vine…there is a time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted! (Ecclesiastes 3:2) Uproot and go! Cast your shadow!
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