Stand My Watch

Then God remembered Noah and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 8:1) Did God forget Noah? They were on that ark a long time. I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant and the smell surely got worse by the day. In Exodus 2:24 it says, “God heard the groaning of Israel and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and God looked upon the children of Israel and acknowledged them.” These are hard sayings. Jewish scholars have spent untold hours discussing this concept of remembering. The word “Zakar” means remembered. It means to recount, or be mindful of. In all this there is testing. I hate it and stink at it. And I am going through it again. God has yet to say, “Well Ed hates this so let’s speed things up.” Most of us have a tendency to overlook Deuteronomy 8:11-20.  Moses talks of the dangers of forgetting that God is the source of all of His blessings in our lives. It’s easy to get caught up in the things of our lives and not realize His blessings in our life. We so easily follow things that are either contrary to Him or that are just a pale comparison to His blessings.

Sarah was barren 25 years and then God remembered His promise and she bore a son, Isaac, to Abraham when he was 100 years old. After 14 years Rachel finally gave birth to Joseph. According to the Midrash, Hannah was barren 19 years when God remembered her and she gave birth to Samuel. The Rabbis cite Proverbs 27:21 which states, “For silver–the crucible, for gold–the furnace. And a man is tested by his praise.” In the midst of these trials of waiting there is silver and gold being produced that cannot be of the same value when the time is shortened or rushed. There can be a special wine that comes from this extended process. Some of the best wine comes when even water is withheld.

David was so open as to his feelings when God seemed to abandon him. In Psalm 13 he says, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Can you imagine how Joseph felt during his captivity and trials? Psalm 105 says of Joseph, he was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with shackles, his neck was put in iron, until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. David’s prophetic writing in Psalm 22 were words also spoken of by Jesus on the cross. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” Jesus identified with all our trials. Yet we can still feel isolated and disconsolate no matter how many examples of seemingly being forgotten we can find in scripture. Elijah provides an excellent and fitting example in 1 Kings 19. He has just defeated the prophets of Baal and proved to be a mighty prophet of the Lord, yet evil was allowed to attack him through Jezebel and cause Elijah to flee. Elijah was tired. Afraid for his life. He prayed that he would die. Yet the Lord sent an angel to provide sustenance and give him direction. Elijah got into self-pity. He felt he was the only one left fighting this battle against evil, yet the Lord told him He had reserved 7000 who had not bowed their knee to Baal that serve the Lord. The Lord then showed great signs to Elijah in the form of a mighty wind, earthquake and fire. And after the fire, a still small voice. We so easily allow that voice to get drowned out when we listen only to the sounds that accompanies our trials.

We see fatigue and abandonment displayed by Paul with all his trials when he writes in 2 Timothy 4 of being abandoned by Demas and harmed by Alexander the coppersmith. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul gives a list of all the suffering he has gone through to defend his call of apostle when treated poorly by the Corinthian congregation. The apostle Peter, who had denied Christ, said in 1 Peter 4:13 to “rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may be glad with exceeding joy.” It’s quite difficult to walk in a way that He is always before our eyes. In hardship, suffering, or deafening silence that may seem never ending. We have been taught a gospel that so often speaks to reward and riches. Just call on Him and he’ll be there. Like a Four Tops song or rubbing a magic lamp. But can we, like in the Matt Redman song, bless Him in the sufferings? It’s hard. After going through so many health issues and doing my best to persevere, I was told 7 years ago that I needed a second by-pass surgery. No matter what I did to keep myself fit in body, mind and spirit I was at this place I hated again. I prayed He would take me. I felt done. He didn’t. Since then I’ve tried to concentrate on the writing I was supposed to be doing and had not, but now I am.  There is a place when you’ve come and gone through many battles, and you just remain quiet. This is a place where you hear differently. It’s as if you lean on your staff overlooking what may still lie ahead and wonder if you’ll see it. For the discerning person, there is a measured countenance with those before and after trials. Yet I still say the words in my time and prayer with the Lord, “remember me.” We assess by our finite mind. Our God forgets nothing and knows the beginning from the end of all things. The measure of our days. I speak to myself and to all of us, “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14) Blessings.

I’ve been meditating on Isaiah 53:7. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted. Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” Jesus was the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. Jesus took our sins upon Himself and was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. This prophecy from Isaiah was written more than 700 years before it happened. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. No other would suffice. 1 Peter 1 states that we would not be redeemed from our empty way of life handed down by our forefathers, but only by the precious blood of the lamb. And Jesus was chosen to be the substitute for our sins “before the foundations of the world.” Before this world was, God saw there was but one way we could be redeemed…the horrible sacrifice of His only son. For God so loved the world. And yet we still don’t fully understand.

I’ve been quite bothered lately by examples being used of how certain peoples’ ordeals mirror that of what Jesus went through. Imagine Jesus’ answer to Judas when he asks the Lord to sign a few Torahs as they could probably get a couple denarius for each one. Probably He’d reiterate what He said in Matthew 6:24, “You cannot serve God and money.” Even Billy Graham said he wouldn’t sign people’s bibles when asked because he was not the author. Or maybe the Lord would overturn a few tables the money changers had set up in the temple and say, “My house shall be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves.”(Matthew 21:13) Rather than telling people to go after those He felt harmed Him, Jesus might have said hit them, make fun of them. Here are the names of even their families so you can threaten them. But in Luke 22, when they came to arrest Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus, Jesus heals his ear. On the cross Jesus asks His Father to forgive those who crucified Him. So, what are we missing here? Donald Trump has compared what he is going through to that which Christ went through. He stated that he’s going through his terrible trials the very week Jesus went through His. As if they and he are similar to our Savior. If Jesus had yelled out the names of those responsible for His scourging and crucifixion, all of mankind would have been named. We all must take an accounting of where we are with Him. Follow God or man.

Jesus said in Matthew 5 that we are to be the salt of the earth. Too many have lost this flavor. We are to be the light of the world that shines before men and glorifies our Father in heaven. We are falling short by our actions and our inaction. Saying nothing in the face of that which is contrary to His commands is being complicit. We must realize that He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. So why would we follow after wrong teaching that will only lead us astray? Why endure teachings that insult the spirit of grace? It is written that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God. (Hebrews 10) But at some point, we may just see a re-enactment of Acts 13 where the people listened to King Herod and shouted, “The voice of a god and not of a man.” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him and he was eaten by worms and died because he took the glory that was the Lord’s.

I pray we do our best to put things in proper perspective. Jesus gave His life for us. No one can relate to what the Lord did for us. No one! Read and ask what it means to be crucified with Christ. Hope you never hear who has bewitched you or worse…depart from me. Embrace Him. Love one another. He who does not walks in darkness. Meditate on what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me as I also imitate Christ.” It’s a good start. He is risen! Be blessed.

We live in a time of uncertainty and conflict. Swirling emotions. And we’re approaching a time of seeing this so increase that it will cause an unsteadiness that will rival the worst case of vertigo. Certain verses can work to alleviate uncertainty bordering on seasickness. Similar to how keeping one’s eyes on the horizon provides a stable point for our eyes to focus on, thereby avoiding seasickness. Rather than a dramamine, I start every day with certain verses. For me, it provides help and comfort. And it allows me to try to fulfill His commands. And I need all the help I can get to walk uprightly. The more we can stay tethered to Him the better we will stand when storms come and He said He would be there with us during these times.

The first verse I recite each day is Micah 6:8. “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” There is so much required here and without trying to stay in His presence it is impossible to fulfill. So that leads me next to Nahum 1:7, “The Lord is good, He is a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those that trust in Him.” Man, I hope so because I have too many days where I feel alone and wondering if His phone is off the hook. I’m then in Psalm 121 reciting, “I will lift my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved.” I have to trust Him for that, for too many times I feel like I’m on a sandy incline slipping backwards two steps for every step I advance. But I trust in the closing of this Psalm when the Lord says He will preserve my going out and coming in from this time forth and even forever more. He said in Hebrews 13:5 that He would never leave us or forsake us. Hold onto that. So, can we do as Jesus commanded in Matthew 22:37-40? Can we love Him with all that’s within us and at the same time love our neighbor? Do you see that when you look at this world?

That leads me to Psalm 86:11, a verse I’ve been saying each day for quite a few years. “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.” I’m asking Him to reveal to me His ways, for I so often stumble or follow a path I’ve tried to clear in the wilderness. I ask for Him to unite my heart so I can walk circumspectly. To become one with Him. To revere Him. To want to spend time in His presence where there is fullness of joy and yet knowing that I’ll stumble.  But even as I do, I can rest assured that He will show me the path of life. His path for me. Yet I know what was stated in Jeremiah 17:9 is so true. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Sort of a conundrum. Yet through Christ we have hope. A new beginning. Life as He planned for us before the world began. Just as He promised in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” I hold onto this, for to not have my heart united in Him is to be double minded and therefore unstable in all my ways (James 1:8).

We may feel like Peter in Matthew 14 where he sees Jesus walking on the water and is asked to step out on the water with Jesus. Jesus said “Come” and Peter did. He was united with the Lord. He was walking in truth and with the “Truth.” But then the waves and wind became boisterous and Peter had his faith tested. He took his eyes off the prize. Just like I do. Just like we all do. And then we do not walk in the truth that is Christ alone. Maybe we should recite the words to that old hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.” The things that are swirling in this world and causing us to doubt and follow wrong doctrine will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory. We need to remember this when we hear strange doctrine purporting to be words of the Lord. Or when we see teachers, pastors, prophets and evangelists we may have once listened to now cause many to stumble or find themselves in the waves and no longer know how to swim. Be like the psalmist who said in Psalm 119, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” A heart united with Him. “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and the patience of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5) Blessings.

I was never at a point where I didn’t have any idea about Jesus as the one who died for my sins. I was raised in a Christian family. My great grandfather was a preacher, and my dad was always involved in the church. My mother was a woman of faith. So, I grew up with a knowledge of Jesus. That in itself can be self- incriminating as I veered from the path so often in my life. I never quit believing but I did things no different than one who never knew Him. So, I look with a discriminating eye when I see evangelists or other ministers that see how many hands can be raised when they ask those present at a service to give their lives to Christ. I’ve seen them say it’s not necessary to get up if you feel uncomfortable, just look up and you’ll be recognized. Or just raise your hand. Then they take a count of how many converts they made. A good day’s work. Except Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always to the end of the age.” Now many do this properly but to some it is still a numbers game. Jesus gave all that we would be able to come to Him. He endured unbearable pain on the cross for us. He laid down His life for us.

Romans 10:9-10 states, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” There is action we must take. Not just a head nod or a raised hand. This is life and death. In early 1994 I was given a prophecy by Clare Huck from Jude 22-23 saying “On some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” That stayed with me.

Years ago, while visiting family in Connecticut, I spent some time with a friend I used to work with. He asked what I was doing and I explained things in prophetic ministry I was involved in. He said that was like what his wife was doing. But what she was doing was following a person who spoke to the dead. I tried to explain the difference and he asked me to come by for dinner that night to go over this. I first said no as my wife and I had plans that night, but then I felt that ‘not too gentle prodding’ telling me to change plans and go. My friend was a bit put off by some who kept telling him he had to be born again. My friend was an attorney and a marathon runner. He did things to the max. He was also a member of Mensa and fully dissected everything. But there is a simplicity to the gospel when accompanied by His presence. I left that evening hoping something really happened. One week later after returning home to Florida I received a call from another acquaintance that told me my friend had died in his sleep. I so prayed I had gotten through and that my friend was now with the Lord. We must listen intently always.

I visited Connecticut another time and had some prophetic ministry time with quite a few young people that were friends of my nephew. Of course, they came for a prophetic word but I was there to reveal who those words were from. One young man, the lead singer and guitar player in my nephew’s band seemed a bit reluctant at first but he did sit with me for ministry. I spoke to him prophetically and he confessed with his mouth that he believed. He came to understand being born from above. Quite a while after my return to Florida I received a call that he had died in a car accident. I was told that his mother was most upset that she didn’t know if he had accepted Christ as his savior. I called her and explained that her son had truly accepted Christ. I was told her countenance was so different after knowing that.

I ministered at a church one Sunday and in the middle of giving my message a young man just stood out to me. The Lord started giving me a word for him. After finishing my message, I asked where that young man had gone as I was ready to go after him. Turns out he had just gone to the restroom and someone went to get him. I explained what the Lord showed me. It was from my vacations in Cape Cod. I explained I had seen local artists take what looked like a useless piece of driftwood and fashion it into a beautiful work of art. I told him this was how the Lord saw Him. He may have seen himself as useless but in the eyes of the Lord he was most precious. There had been others talking to him about the Lord but that afternoon I had him verbally commit to accepting Christ. He stood up and voiced his acceptance of Jesus. About a month later I found out he had overdosed and died. These things stay with me.

We are in very serious times. Many proclaim to represent Christ but have a different gospel. It does not line up with what Christ taught. His testimony says God has given us eternal life and if we do not have the Son of God as our savior, we do not have life. As it says in 1 Timothy, we are not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord and we must be aware that He has called us with a holy calling in Christ Jesus before time began. Walk in what was preordained to be yours and look to those who do not have Him as their savior. He sets before us life and death. Choose life.  Blessings.

I’ve always found Chapter 3 of 2 Kings to be so thought provoking. I’ve heard different explanations, but what I feel the Lord has been speaking to me on this the past couple of months may provide further insight. Jehoram, son of Ahab, king of Samaria, had enlisted the help of Edom and Judah in fighting against rebellious Moab. Jehoshaphat, as King of Judah, asked if there was a prophet of the Lord near that they could inquire of. So, they inquired of Elisha, who told Jehoram to go inquire of the prophets of his father, Ahab, who had not followed the Lord. Elisha finally said that were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat, he would not even give them notice. So, Elisha asked for a musician to play and the hand of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied a vivid picture of destruction for Moab. The king of Moab finally saw the battle was too fierce for him to prevail, so he took his eldest son who would reign in his place and offered him up to his gods upon a wall for all Israel to see. There was such great indignation to this horrendous act that Israel departed back to their own land. This army prevailing against Moab had just stood in the counsel of God’s prophet, Elisha. What happened that their faith in God was so lacking when confronted with this evil seen by the sacrifice to the forces of darkness? How intense was the power of this demonic release that it caused them to be so overcome?

What I’ve heard spiritually is that we, too, have given ear to that which is diametrically opposed to the teachings of Christ. There are those who have opened themselves to another voice, both knowingly and unknowingly. This has caused them to depart from the path that is narrow and righteous to follow that which leads only to destruction. So many call evil good and good evil. Darkness and light have no true line of demarcation. True counsel of the Lord is cast off. And lack of knowledge in His ways causes many to go into captivity to the fleshly pleasing entity they worship which leads only to death. The Apostle Paul was quite clear when he warned in Romans 10:12 & 21, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall,” and “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” Yet that is what is being done. Man, even demonically flawed men, are deified. One example was a church in Las Vegas, Nevada that had Donald Trump as a guest. Someone said that it was the most amazing thing that had ever happened in that church other than giving your life to the Lord. This sentiment makes me want to turn away and just allow that unrighteous utterance to cause despair. But I cannot allow that. I must stand and having done all, stand. We are truly wrestling against principalities and powers of darkness. An ever increasing evil. Yet this church is like many who worship that which has no part in Him.

I feel as if that evil sacrifice done by the King of Edom has been imitated and reproduced in our day. This started years ago and was allowed to reproduce. True prophetic voices like Elisha were ignored. The prophets, like those of Ahab and Jehoram, were invited in. And misdirection and that which was almost true became accepted. Money for a word became commonplace. Aligning the church with government to increase power became the norm. How many woes are listed in His word for those who seek gain unjustly and will distort the word of the Lord for profit? Yet they do not fear. But we must seek to hear as never before. “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding. But what is in the heart of fools is made known.” (Proverbs 14:33) You see that demonic voice has said we don’t really have to love the Lord with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our strength, and ALL our mind. And that we MUST love our neighbor as ourselves. We can’t adjust the depths of that meaning. It’s not OK to change the meaning of rights that we say are God given like the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Especially if it allows us to shackle those who we want power over or wish to disenfranchise. Racism and anti-semitism so long festering beneath the ground is allowed to be watered and sprout anew. When the Apostles at times had differences, one thing they always agreed upon was taking care of the poor. Bible white out has taken care of that problem. And in its place, that money goes to special interests and pastor palaces. The voice of that demonic sacrifice has set us on a course of autocratic destruction. Trust in the promise of a man/men that allows us to be comfortable in a path that leads to a path of promised judgement by the Lord. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 16:25)

We must press in as never before. There is a demonic force that has been released today that is eerily reminiscent of that which the king of Moab displayed by his hellish sacrifice of his son to the forces of darkness. And this same evil power touches every facet of our lives from home, church, and government.  So, we must be ever vigilant in paying no heed to the voices that do not align with that which Christ spoke. “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8) The prophet Jeremiah said we are witnesses against ourselves. And Joshua said that even the stones will be a witness against us for they heard the very words the Lord spoke. Sobering. Blessings.

Many years ago, I was attending second grade in Kinston, North Carolina. Things with Navy housing and the school district had not yet materialized satisfactorily in Virginia, so I would spend second grade with my grandmother and my dad’s two sisters. One day before my parents had returned to Virginia, I had come home crying. Being the new kid, I was being tested by a neighbor’s son who started picking on me and then punched me in the stomach. I went home crying. I was met at the front door by my dad, mom and grandmother. I was about to receive consoling from my mom and grandmother but my dad stopped it none too gently. He told me to go back and finish the fight or I would not be able to come in. My mom and grandmother started to protest but my dad gave them his notorious look and just said “no.” So, I went back. I was scared, but I was also scared to try and return home with my tail between my legs. So, I approached the boy who had a defiant look on his face as if daring me to come closer. I did and quickly mustered all my courage and strength and punched him in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of him and he then started to cry. I went home and my dad let me in. That boy and I later became good friends. I’m not advocating violence here, but there are times we must stand up against bullies, whether it be in the world or the church. And today more than ever.

Peter at one point was verbally full of conviction. He’d never desert or deny Jesus. When they came to arrest Jesus in John 18, Peter stepped in, drew his sword, and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. But later Peter denied Jesus three times just as Jesus foretold. In fact, nearly all left Jesus for fear of reprisal by the Pharisees and being turned over to the Romans. The thousands who had been under His teachings and were fed by Him, all left. All those who had been healed by Him did the same. Peter went from being one on fire for the Lord to a by stander and then a true believer and apostle.

One of my favorite stories in the bible that speaks to not being a bystander and then going back to being one after seeing a great miracle is in John 9. A young man blind from birth was healed by Jesus and now had sight. And this was done on the Sabbath which the Pharisees said even this could not be done on the Sabbath. They said this this man, Jesus, was not from God because He did this on the Sabbath. The Pharisees had great power. The young man’s parents feared being put out of the synagogue. If that happened their very livelihood could be threatened. The parents at first answered the Pharisees and told them that their son was born blind but fear crept in and they told the Pharisees to ask their son themselves as he was of age. The Pharisees confronted the son saying Jesus was a sinner as Jesus had done this on the Sabbath. The son answers with one of the more important come backs in the Bible. Saying, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” The Pharisees reviled the young man saying they were on higher plane as they were Moses’ disciples. They said they did not know where this man, Jesus, was from. But this young man was not just healed of blindness, he was now able to see and discern this Pharisaical spirit. He became bold and said, “Why this is a marvelous thing that you do not know where He is from: yet He has healed my eyes!” He went on to say that “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind. If this man was not from God, He could do nothing.” I think it was the constant repetition of the Pharisees asking the young man questions in verses 26-27 and being put in their place by the young man saying, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” This young man had gone from blind to seeing and gaining spiritual sight and courage. He had no fear of the Pharisees. He had heard them all his life and they had done nothing for him. Now he saw them in the flesh and saw them for what they were. Always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. He later went to Jesus who revealed Himself to the young man. Jesus said that for judgement He came into this world and those who don’t see would and those who see may be made blind. And his response to the Pharisees who asked if they were blind also should cause many to tremble. Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would have no sin: but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.”

The church, as seen today, has lost its way. They’ve become spiritually blind. Things that even 20-30 years ago that would have been seen as blatant sin are swept under the rug. As long as your agenda remains intact. Those who walk in obvious sin are excused and even embraced as long as they help you achieve your goals. To quote 2 Corinthians 6:17, saying “Come out from among them and be separate” would just be shouted down. There are many that want what borders on revolution but even John Lennon said, “But if you want money for people with minds that hate, All I can tell you brother is you have to wait.” And yet those who spew evil are embraced because they are meeting some ungodly agenda you’ve aligned to. And much of it was at one time seen as the antithesis of what we said we espoused as bible believing Christians. Yet so many have fallen away from that faith and given heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies. (1 Timothy 4) Much of what I see today is a literal gut punch to those who profess Christ and those that love democracy. It is being dismantled before our eyes. Men that profess Christ and use that to gain followers basically worship a gospel of their own making. They worship nothing different than Baal. It is imperative that we not sit back as by standers. Our country is dependent on this for survival. Our spiritual walk is hanging in the balance. No compromise. We need to wash in the spiritual pool of Siloam, like that young man Jesus healed of blindness in John 9. Totally immerse ourselves. If we believe we have the mind of Christ then there is no other path for us but of true obedience to His ways. Sound doctrine is being ignored. We must be watchful, standing fast to what is true.  We must stand up for spiritual truth and against that which does not align with the teaching of Christ. Test all things and abstain from every evil teaching. Pray without ceasing. Blessings.

About two years ago, I was being examined by my cardiologist and as he looked at my torso, he commented that it looked like railroad tracks. He had been my cardiologist for 30 years and was quite aware of the multiple procedures I’ve had to leave so many scars. I’ve had by-pass surgery twice. It’s not just the long scar on my chest, but also multiple small scars from so many tubes that were in me for my times in the hospital. I’ve had an atherectomy once that failed and stents four times. One of those procedures didn’t work leading to my second by-pass. I had a nice scar on my upper left chest for the placing of a pacemaker/defibrillator, and then nine months later cutting the exact scar again to remove the pacemaker/defibrillator as the wires damaged my tricuspid valve causing severe leaking. And each leg has a nice scar where they harvested a vein to be used in the by-pass surgery. All of the problems leading to these procedures took a toll and I now deal with congestive heart failure. C’est la vie?

Yesterday I was examined by another Dr who said I looked like a “roadmap.” Now that registered with me and I found it to be a more accurate description of where I am and what my torso reflects. My body displays the multiple things that have happened to me. But only on the surface. I often get so tired of dealing with this diagnosis of heart disease that not only doesn’t go away, but leaves me wondering how much time I have left on this earth. I’m not afraid of death, as I experienced it multiple times and once for 18 minutes. It was after that experience where I encountered God in ways I’d never known Him. Dreams, visions, and audible words. A thirst to know Him as I never had and beseeching Him to draw me closer, as I knew I could not achieve that in just my own seeking. I came to a point that I stated as Paul did in Philippians 3:10 that I too wanted to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. Then I realized that was me being caught up in a moment of ecstasy that I would not be able to sustain. I wasn’t able to put aside that which I was going through and much less add to my plate. We all have roadmaps that are often visible on our bodies, our countenances, or our lives. Can I honestly say as Paul did in 2 Corinthians 4 that even though my body seems to be falling apart, inwardly I am being renewed, sustained by His grace? I must not focus on that which is seen, but that which is unseen, because the things that are not seen are eternal.

Oswald Chambers said we have a greater capacity for pain than for joy. It’s only during our sorrow and pain that we begin to find there is only one reality – our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet often as we do our best to avoid anything that is bereft of comfort, we miss an opportunity to find both counsel and solace in His presence. For He is there going through these ordeals with us. I, like most, want to always avoid painful situations. I am not a masochist. In the physical or spiritual sense. But I often ask just as David did in Psalm 13, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Or even closer to what I ask in Jeremiah 15 where Jeremiah asks the Lord, “Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?” But do not misunderstand me. I constantly talk with God. Without that I would be truly lost. And I know His mercies endure forever and He never has His eyes off me. Yet I still find myself more focused on the roadmap that does not bring me to a destination I’d prefer, rather than that which He has marked for me. We all have a roadmap leading to a glorious destination in/with Him.

Situations, and just life, have me where I spend quite a bit of time alone. Yet I speak with Him and listen for direction. I have copious notes from things I hear from Him and that which is highlighted to me in my readings. Though there are many hours alone, I am not. And I have a family that is supportive and loving. Friends that care and are dependable. So, I have more than many. We all have roadmaps that may appear to be rocky terrain but it can eventually lead to a secure place in Him. The prophet Habakkuk said in chapter 3 that even when things fail and seem to be without prospect, that “The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet. And He will make me to walk on MY high hills.” Speak with Him always. Share your hopes and your doubts. Are we just grateful for everyday sustaining grace or am I just fixated on total healing and therefore may be left wanting? Do I ask out only out of desperation or am I looking to seek His face above all things? May the God of mercies help us all get to a place where we are able to comfort those who are in trouble with the same comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1). Press on toward the goal – for that upward goal which Christ has for us. I pray His direction in helping us all navigate the paths on our personal roadmaps and the ability to see His hand helping you. In your travels and revelation, I pray Romans 15:13 for you: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Blessings.

The year after graduating from high school, we were having a guy’s night out on a Friday night. A few beers and just sharing with my friend Gordon and another friend who I’ll not name. We stopped to get gas and happened upon a motorcycle gang that this evening was in a car. They were a bit drunk and looking for trouble. I did my best to ignore them while I pumped the gas. They then started to close in on us. I maneuvered my car quickly to get out and avoid trouble. We later stopped in at Walls Dairy, a mainstay in East Hampton where we lived, for coffee and conversation with whoever we ran into. Then someone said I needed to get outside as there was trouble. As I walked out, I saw Gordon face down on the ground. Out cold. I was concerned if he was even alive, as I couldn’t see his body move. Was he even breathing? Blood was coming from his mouth and nose. I asked in anger, “Who did this?” Seven guys around him said “we did.” It was the gang from the gas station. I was angry. But there was seven, and no one had come to Gordon’s aid. He was my friend, so I came in swinging. I took quite a beating that night but I also got in a few good licks. As I was on the ground, they started kicking me. A lady intervened screaming at them. They lied and said we tried to run them over. She told them she didn’t care and stood in the midst of them screaming. They decided to leave as someone called the police. I was dazed from being briefly knocked out but managed to get up and see they had left a couple of their crew behind in their haste to flee the coming police. The third friend suddenly appeared and I grabbed onto him, made it to my car, and grabbed a radiator hose from my trunk. We caught one of those left behind and I introduced him to the radiator hose with a good swing. He and one other of their group was apprehended by the police.

The next day, I went to see my friend Gordon. I couldn’t recognize him. Broken bones in his face made him unrecognizable. Both eyes were shut. I was outraged all over again. But this time we left it to the law. What I found most amazing was there were quite a few of our “friends” that were in the back part of the Walls Dairy parking lot that night who had known Gordon since the first grade. They were afraid to get involved, even for a friend. That always stayed with me. It was a tough lesson to learn regarding those who would just stand by when evil was being perpetrated. Even to a friend. I’m not that guy anymore that confronts violence with violence, but standing against evil is still a priority with me. Always.

The Message Bible says in Proverbs 24, “If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place. Rescue the perishing, don’t hesitate to step in and help. If you say, ‘Hey, that’s none of my business,’ will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know – Someone not impressed with weak excuses.” We live in a time where evil is tolerated and bad behavior is excused. We live in a time where those who you might look to for succor openly embrace that which afflicts you. Where the church walks hand in hand with those who are the living embodiment of everything opposite of the Sermon on the Mount. And no one has an excuse. James 4:17 tells us that “to him who knows the right thing to do and does not, to him it is sin”. How many stand idly by while the rights of those of color are being infringed on? Black history being erased so as not to cause distress to those reading about it. Or, just changing it. Rosa Parks putting her life at risk only to be seen as a person of no distinct color riding on a bus. To paraphrase what Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, “If you were blind, you’d have no sin, but you say you see, therefore your sin remains.” How many say they have a walk with Christ, yet do not help those who are oppressed, in need, hungry, or being cheated? How many follow those who lay hands on one who epitomizes evil and say they speak God’s word. How many have no problem watching evil unfold in Charlottesville, Virginia when those walking lockstep with a Nazi spirit say “Jews will not replace us.” Are you still able to be a bystander? Is your conscience not pricked even slightly? Isaiah was quite clear and to the point in stating what the Lord was saying when he spoke, “What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” (Isaiah 3:15) Habakkuk was just as direct in 1:13 saying “Why do you look on those who do treacherously and hold your tongue when the wicked devours?” We are in treacherous waters without a paddle. This quagmire we are in is becoming more hazardous and will only pull you deeper into the darkest pits unless you stand and be counted. We cannot be a bystander in these times. We cannot remain silent. It’s getting late. Be like the woman who jumped into the middle of the motorcycle gang to stop the evil they were doing.

We must take up the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6) that we may be able stand against this evil. We’re not wrestling against flesh and blood, but demonic powers and principalities. And so many have already succumbed to this evil, yet pretend to be followers of Christ. You’ll know them by their fruit. As Dr King said, the ultimate tragedy is not the oppressor and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence by the good people. We must not be conformed to this world but must embrace Jesus and His teachings. Press into Him daily. Always. Know Him. Abhor evil and hold fast to that which is good. I pray a spiritual boldness to speak and stand no matter what we face. If God is with you, who can be against you. Blessings.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:1, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.” Paul goes on to tell us that there are diversities of gifts but all by the same spirit. He tells us that to one the Spirit gives the gift of prophecy and to another the discerning of spirits. In chapter 14, Paul encourages us to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. Paul tells us that this gift of prophesy is to edify the body of Christ. But something is amiss. Then and now. We seem to have overlooked what Jesus warned in Matthew 7 when He told us to beware of false prophets. They may appear as one who has your best interest, but inward, they are ravenous wolves. So how is it that millions follow that which is the antithesis of what scripture warns us about? And why do we so easily overlook that part about the gift of discerning of spirits rather than testing every spirit and word to see if it is from God? We are at a crossroads and it’s imperative we choose the right path.

The office of prophet will appear different in all that was required when we look at the differences between a prophet in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The penalty for wrong prophecy under the old covenant was death. In the New Testament, Agabus was killed for spreading the gospel of Christ, but we don’t read where a prophet was killed for wrong prophesy. But, in 2 Peter 2, the Apostle Peter speaks of false prophets that would be among you secretly bringing in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord and bringing upon themselves swift destruction. Peter said they blaspheme the way of truth and will exploit you with deceptive words. Their destruction does not slumber. So, they do not escape His judgement. And it’s incumbent on us to be in His word and know the truth. We also must realize that the office of prophet is too often misrepresented. We’re all called to seek after prophesying, but that does not qualify one to be a prophet. That’s an office, not a gift of the spirit. Many today who are in ministry as a pastor or evangelist have the gift of prophesy. But, if you judge them by their fruit, you’ll see they are not prophets. We must judge and test all things. We must be vigilant.

The enormity of the office of prophet is seen as serious to the point of death. In 1 Kings 13, a prophet of God is sent to speak a word of warning and judgement to King Jeroboam. When King Jeroboam heard the prophecy, he stretched out his hand toward the prophet and told his servants to arrest the prophet. Yet, when he stretched out his hand, it became withered and he could not use it. He cried out to the prophet to ask for the favor of God to restore his hand and the prophet prayed to God and the king’s hand was restored. The King then asked the prophet to come home with him and refresh himself and receive a reward. But the prophet said he would not for even any amount of reward, for the Lord had commanded him to “Not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way you came.” So, the prophet left by another way, but word of his exploit was heard of by another man who found the prophet and asked him to come home with him and eat bread. The prophet again said what the Lord had told him and thusly he could not go with him. But the man said, “I’m a prophet too. Just as you are.” He said that an angel spoke the word of the Lord to him to bring the prophet back home with him that he may eat bread and drink water. He was lying to the prophet. And when he had brought him to his home and given him water and fed him bread, he then spoke judgement to the prophet. He told him the prophet’s corpse would not come to the tomb of his fathers. The prophet left on his donkey to return home. On his way a lion met him and killed him. The lion and the donkey just stayed by the prophet who had just been killed. And word returned to the man who had lied to the prophet of what transpired.  This man brought the prophet’s body back to be buried in his own tomb. Although the lion and donkey obeyed what God had told them, the prophet had not, and his disobedience led to his death. These were signs for all to see. This is a hard word to grasp. A prophet given a task to give a word to King Jeroboam that might cause him harm. Yet the penalty for not obeying the letter of the law proved to be his undoing. Some say the man who told the prophet that he too was a prophet was not of God. Others believe the lesson was one of obedience to His command and the office of prophet. Still a hard lesson.

Prophets in the Old Testament often received no name recognition. In 1 Kings 9, the prophet Elisha tells one of the company of prophets to take a flask of oil and go anoint Jehu as king and then flee. His life was in danger. Not an easy task and no name recognition. Jehu’s servants called the prophet a madman and Jehu referred to him as the man and his babble. A prophet was sent to give a word to King Ahab in 1 Kings 20 knowing full well he could be killed. Yet again, no name recognition. Prophets like Micaiah were jailed. Isaiah was sawn in two. Jeremiah received better treatment from those that overran Israel than from his own people. The office of prophet today has become something that is barely recognizable. They are definitely not one of the hundreds hid in a cave by Obadiah in 1 Kings 18, as there would be no money or recognition. How could you get others to take your course in prophetic ministry or becoming a prophet all for the low, low price of whatever? How could you have your traveling ministry often with an agreed upon price for your services? How could you cozy up to some politician or president as you wouldn’t be seen on T.V. or some 8 X 10 glossy on your circulars or on Facebook. How could you escape judgement for abandoning those who Jesus said we were to minister to in the Sermon on the Mount? I’ve been involved in prophetic ministry since the mid-’90s. I saw what was coming back then, but I’m still surprised and disheartened by what has transpired and what is now received as acceptable. As the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 2, these “prophets” receive wages of unrighteousness. They carouse in their own deception while they feast on you. They are covetous and follow the way of Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousness. They are wells without water for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. They speak great swelling words of emptiness. Yet why do so many follow them when we have the words of Life before us. Time is short and we must cast off all that is not of Him.

One may say they are a prophet, too. But judge them by their fruit not just their words. See who they align themselves to. The Lord is clear when He warns in Psalm 50, “To the wicked God says what right have you to declare my statutes or take my covenant upon your lips.” That’s a scary warning. It’s up to us to know His true servants. I leave you with this warning to be free of that which has no part in Him. In Colossians 2: 8-10 it says, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” You see, in Him, we have all we need to be whole and to walk in truth. The Lord is above every principality and power. Seek Him and rest in His presence. Blessings.

I had a brief vision brought back to my memory of something I saw in 1980. It is so pertinent today. I was driving back to where I lived in East Hampton, Connecticut from the neighboring town of Colchester on Route 16. I approached the bottom of an incline and I saw a rattle snake that had been run over. Part of its lower body was stuck to the road, making it unable to move away. Yet it was doing its best to strike at cars as they went over it. Even as the snake’s end approached, it was still trying to bite and sink its fangs into the approaching vehicles and inject venom to maim or kill. This memory reminded me of Revelation 12:12, “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows his time is short.” So many are aware of this scripture yet act no differently than those who seek to show their knowledge of God by misinterpreting scripture and handling those very snakes that seek to kill.

The venom from snakes and many scorpions is quite dangerous. Serious snake bites are filled with neurotoxins that can cause arrhythmia, heart failure, musculoskeletal disorders, psychological distress, severe kidney problems, vision problems, brain damage, amputations and death. Yet people seem oblivious to the inherent dangers of embracing that great vile serpent Satan. Great lies proceed from his mouth and when the liar speaks, “he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me.” (John 8 – Message Bible) In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come that you would have life, and that you would have it more abundantly.” Yet so many follow a god of their own making. They have become like those that seek to charm snakes. They believe they can have that cobra be charmed by one’s own power and play music that calms them. They are unaware that many of those snakes have had their venom sacs or fangs removed. Or their mouths sewn shut. This snake is attracted by vibrations and swaying motion of the charmer. Venomous snakes and scorpions cannot be pets. And Satan cannot be lured by music and motion. No matter the light show or volume of the music. Satan comes only to rob, kill, and destroy.

Ecclesiastes 10:11 says, “If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.” And this is what is happening so often. Words can bite and leave grievous wounds. So can false doctrine, which is like a twisted serpent leading you astray. As Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 11, many will come and preach a doctrine that has a different spirit than that which Jesus spoke. They become lured by the craftiness of the enemy that may sound close to what is correct, but causes us to stray from the simplicity of that which is in Christ. If we ask that our spiritual eyes and understanding be opened, we will see that no one calls for justice and they trust in empty words. They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web. He who eats of this dies. (Isaiah 59). Adam and Eve ate of those words in the Garden of Eden. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 16 that the God of peace will crush satan under our feet. But we must take this authority. We cannot attempt to handle that which is poison or follow those who embrace a doctrine that does not line up with what Christ taught. Paul warned us in 1 Timothy 6 to avoid any such false doctrine. The one who presumes to teach such false theology is “puffed up with pride and stupefied with conceit; is woefully ignorant. He has a morbid fondness for controversy and disputes and strife about words, which result in envy and jealousy, quarrels and dissension, abuse and insults, and base suspicions, and protracted wrangling and wearing discussion and perpetual friction among who are corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, who believe that godliness is a source of profit.” (Amplified Bible) From such, withdraw. We cannot be ignorant of satan’s devices. His words and ways are filled with venom. And man, having handled this serpent, seeks to spread this venom under the guise of the word of the Lord.

Venom like this always kills. Even handling a dead serpent or scorpion can cause one to be bit. The venom is still just as deadly. Many still follow a serpent that was hit but no death blow was delivered. So that viper is still around and millions seek to handle it or be charmed by its evil allure. And beware of the young snakes out there.  Their venom can be more deadly, as they have no control of the amount of venom they release when they bite. Many today believe because one once spoke a gospel that aligned with the word of the Lord that they remain constant in their righteousness and teaching. We must examine every word to see it lines up with Christ. When you see nationalism and bible teaching being presented as one and the same, realize that it’s incumbent upon you to know the truth. When you see politics and the church on the same page it’s time to step back. When you see what Jesus spoke in Matthew 5-7 taught as just another story, one not to take to heart, then realize that the viper’s venom has adversely affected that false teacher. When prophecy often seems to  fall short, or is proven false, and the one who proclaims to be a prophet has not repented, realize that their handling of serpents has infected their hearts and minds. When racism, anti-semitism, and practices like voter suppression and passing laws that encourages them, realize that same venom has revealed itself. These are the ones that seek to deceive, and venom of asps is under their lips. (Romans 3:13) No matter how these venomous practices seek to disguise themselves, “In the end it will bite like a serpent and sting like an adder.” (Proverbs 23:32)

I remember as a young boy in Norfolk, Virginia, there was a warning of a rattle snake in a copse of trees near my house. Three women went out armed just with brooms and a rake and killed it. I’m sure the brooms stunned it and the rake killed it. We need the spiritual brooms and rakes today. These snakes aren’t hiding, they walk among us with no fear. They inject venom filled with hate, malice, spite and jealousy. They use weapons of the enemy yet speak soothing words to entice. The same God who said in Deuteronomy 8 that He has led you through the wilderness filled with fiery serpents and scorpions is still here to guide us today. We must understand that when the Apostle John stated in John 3 that just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, that those who looked upon it would be healed from the venom of serpents, we too must look upon Christ who was pierced for our transgressions. Those that seek to spread their venom are of the world and the world hears and embraces them. But if you say you are of God, you will be overcomers, as He has supplied the anti-venom for all that pertains to life. Keep yourselves from that which seeks to take God’s place in your heart. Blessings.