All flesh was created for God's pleasure - not our own. Our first priority for our own flesh is to use it to please God by giving it to Him daily as a "living sacrifice". If we take our flesh and seek self-pleasure from it, we are usurping God from off His throne by taking possession of what is rightfully His.

Through Christ, He has invited each of us back into the Garden - to live in eternal communion and fellowship with Him - but the thing is, if we come to Him - if we accept His invitation,  it must be a blood-stained invitation: we must enter the Garden through the narrow Gate - through Christ crucified, through the Cross. If we enter this way it means a crucified will: each one of us must leave our will - broken, bleeding,  and fully submitted to Him  - at the narrow Gate.  It is so narrow there is no room for self- will to pass through; because once we get back into the Garden of Eden and begin sweet, wonderfully  intimate, fellowship with Him again - BOTH TREES ARE STILL THERE! Both the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the Tree of Life are available to us who have entered back in, to eat of today. One tree's fruit is pleasing to HIM, the other tree's fruit is pleasing to US. One tree gives Life to us, the other gives Death. Life, by Biblical definition is to remain in constant,  unbroken,  fellowship with the Father - the source of all life. It is "death" to be seperated from Him (hence Jesus called them "dead" - "let the dead bury their dead") cast away from His presence.  In this sense, everyone on earth is a "cast away", stranded in a Desert called "Sin" - and only those who accept and drink the Water of Life and who eat the Bread of Life, will survive.  

So remember  - just making it back into the Garden isn't enough  - we must continually choose the right tree once we're there. We must choose to fellowship with and partake of Christ.  All religion comes from partaking and eating of the other tree - which, by doing som we exalt our will's over God's.  Christianity as a religion is the result of eating from the wrong tree, as are all other religions.  They all stem from a desire to do our own will - not God's.  Will He fellowship with,  bless and honour those who exalt their own will above His? Yet, every Sunday, those in rebellion to Him sing His praises, read His Book, and believe they are His people, chosen by Him. He does not choose us so we can continue eating from the tree of rebellion but so we can switch to the tree of obedience.  Understand this - we all face the same temptation Adam and Eve faced. The same snake comes to each of us and whispers in that voice so sweet and smooth, and encourages us to disobey Daddy's good and perfect will for us - which is only concerned with our well-being and safety. We arecall tempted daily to please ourselves,  not God, by using our flesh to pleasure us, not Him.  Selah.

Apostle Chris

 I have lived to see the Day

 when Your true Bride is rising

 And no matter come what may

 I am now realizing 

 all You have shown me

 is coming to pass

 this desire of mine

 will bear fruit at last

I see her prepared 

 as a wine glass

 full of the wine of Your love

 filled and refilled from above 

 poured out to those thirsting,

 hungering, nigh bursting

 with desire

 for The One who sets souls on fire

 with the eternal,  sacred, flame

 of the presence of THE NAME

As Simeon, I cry

As Anna, I sigh

OH LORD! Thank You for blessing these eyes!

with the most beautiful of sights - 

Your bride, awakening to Your heart's cry -

Oh My beloved,  My fair One, My love -

Arise!

             and come away

                                   far away,

from the filth of this world

to the place I've prepared for you,

for every man, woman, boy and girl

who has set their hope in Me

Rise up now My beloved and flee

to the moments of mystery 

where your pulse quickens

and your heart flutters

as you hear the things that I will utter,

where I engage hearts with Mine,

where love triumphs every time 

(for I desire hearts, not minds)

for I belong to the humble 

with arms intertwined 

You will not stumble

on the path of freedom 

of which My Spirit sings

Oh rejoice! Look to Me in all things!

I will not fail!

I will not falter

till I lift the veil

of My wonderful bride

standing at My side

at our wedding altar

Where our Father will bless

our eternal union with happiness 

and riches, some of which you even now possess,

Come now My beloved,  into My arms, and rest.....

...rest from the weariness and the strife -

which so often besets you in this life -

this life I've given you as a gift -

I ask, oh beloved,  only this -  your kiss

Remember. 

Remember Me.

In your daily routine 

draw aside, and remember Me.

It is why I created the Sabbath. 

It is why I established the Feasts -

It is why I commanded Communion -

all so you'll remember Me.

I did not need a day of rest,

but I wanted a time set aside for us to flourish 

Oh God, may my writings be like the best wine for Your Beloved, that goes down sweetly,

causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.

 You can cut your hair

       change your style

Step out the door

       slap on a smile

but you can't hide

            from the One who sees inside 

  No, you can't fool

            The One who sees inside you

You can go to church

      put on a nice suit

Sing a few songs

         give some of your loot

But every hidden thought and intent

      is known by the One Heaven sent

If you open your Bible but not your heart

He'll say one day - I never knew you, now from Me depart 

Turn to Him now  - invite Him in

for He's aware of every ache, every care,

every sin that's dwelling there

Let Him cover your nakedness and shame

Tear down the wall

that stops you from obeying My call

  to intimacy 

  to truly be

  one with Me...

I'm lookin' for a trumpet

       lookin' for a trumpet 

       lookin' for

       a little bit more 

       not less, not bored

       I'm lookin' for

       what can't be bought

       or even taught 

       by man

       I'm lookin' for God's plan

       His ways, not mine

       need to redeem the time

       and keep my heart and my mind

       where they're supposed to be 

        attuned to God, not me

Don't want sorry

Don't want regret

Don't want to avoid 

what hasn't happened yet

Want to see       God alive in me

Want to decrease

all that srives to keep

Him in line

want His will not mine

(to be done)  time after time 

Sublime! Shine! 

HOLY       HOLY       HOLY

Is The Lord God Almighty!

Perfect  ìn  all His  ways,

Worthy  of our highest  praise!

Consume my soul,  O Holy One!

Till all may know,  The Righteous Son!

Obedient        even unto death -

sacrificial love to His  final breath!

My  Soul  -      bow low!

Humble thyself  that you may know

The Holy   God  and Father of all -

Hear Him now - rejoice in His Call,

The perfection of beauty    over all,  in all

The One my soul seeks,

The Well of Salvation 

whom I long to drink

The One who causes nations  

to rise  and  to fall -

The One who judges both

the great and the small  -

I fall on my face before You

in awe..... 

 I'm trying my best

                                     .....to bless.

I don't always succeed.     Still,

I hope what i write 

doesn't have too much of me.

A little may be ok -

but most of what I say,

I want to come from the Lord -

The only One worth hearing -

His Words, His Ways

are worth hearing and repeating each day.

So I'll continue to write, 

trying with all my might

each day to convey 

what He's saying  

to me

and also my words to Him -

Love poems and songs

to the One to whom my heart belongs...

Let me tell you something  - my opinion doesn't matter,  not one bit. What I think about a subject or topic is inconsequential.  The only opinion that truly matters in this life is God's and He cares so much that we would know what His opinions and thoughts are, He inspired men to write an entire Bible full of them.

If you're an unbeliever, then you are not applying the righteousness of Jesus Christ as your standard for right and wrong  - therefore you are under the law - the Law of Moses - the law of sin and death, which covers every conceivable aspect of human morality (those who follow Christ are freed from the Law of Moses. They are not lawless though, they are followers of the One who gave the Law. By following Him, they are keeping the goal of the Law - which is love.

If you, oh unbeliever, smug in your own righteousness, confident you can decide what is good and what is evil, if you disagree with Him, not I, you may find yourself on the wrong side of Eternity. The Law was gives by God to allow mankind to try to be righteous and clean, sinless and perfect, through his own ability and effort. The sacrifice of Christ on tje Cross is God's declaration to all mankind  - you can't do it  - it's impossible  - NONE IS RIGHTEOUS  - no, not one - not even God's people Israel - called by His Name - all have fallen short of My glory, says the Lord. 

The Cross is God's response to our helplessness  - to our inability to stop ourselves from sinning. It is God saying "let Me help"  - it is God saying "My efforts, not yours, can save you; learn My wisdom,  My ways - I'LL be happy to teach them to you, if you'll let Me".

Part four

 

In the New Living Translation 2 Cor:1:24 is expressed this way - "BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE WANT TO TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW TO PUT YOUR FAITH INTO PRACTICE"  - yet denominational churches (and all churches submitted to the spirit of religion which Babylon promotes) do the exact opposite of this verse. The religious spirit men submit to, anchored by pride, wants to constantly control us by telling us what we can and cannot do, as well as what we can and cannot believe.  Remember: those of us born of the Spirit, born of God's will and not man's - are like the wind - which will never submit to man's will - only God's! Churches are full of men wanting you to submit to their will - not caring at all what God's will is for you. Flee! 

You know, i really love and appreciate the Pharisees. Without them, along with the Sadducees, we would not have some of the greatest scriptures in all the Bible. Much of what Jesus preached and taught was in response to them! His response to their hypocrisy is so enlightening to our own hearts so prone to hypocrisy.  His response to their stubbornness and pride - their refusal to receive Him - can really bless us. Even their acceptance of Christ reveals so much - remember,  Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He confessed to Jesus that they, the Pharisees, knew He was of God, yet they still resisted Him and slandered Him at every turn. Why? Why would men who purportedly were of God refuse to follow God Himself when He showed up? Their hearts were not right with God. They did not belong to Him. They did not love Him with all their hearts. They wanted to maintain and continue to build the kingdom they had built and were ruling - a kingdom that exalted them, not God, where their will was done, not God's  - indeed, God was worshipped and honored because in their system He exalted them (man), not the other way around.  Today, their spirit is alive and well in churches across the world. If you are free of their influence and control,  they will treat you the way they treated Jesus - bet on it. "BUT AS THEN, HE THAT WAS BORN AFTER THE FLESH PERSECUTED HIM THAT WAS BORN AFTER THE SPIRIT, EVEN SO IT IS NOW".

So we see, God uses both the good and the bad to bless us, both the bond slave and the free. He uses hypocrites to cause us to examine our own hearts and to seek Him for the truth regarding them. We gain so much wisdom from encounters with our enemies. We really do need them. "THEY THAT WILL LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION." "THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS ENTERED INTO THROUGH MUCH TRIBULATION". Our enemies are used by God to bless us. The suffering and persecution they bless us with help to purify our souls. "THAT THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MUCH MORE PRECIOUS THAN OF GOLD THAT PERISHES (why are so many seeking the gold that perishes - and not the incorruptible riches of Heaven?) THOUGH IT BE TRIED WITH FIRE (fiery darts of the wicked, fire of hell in the hearts and on the tongues of the wicked) MIGHT BE FOUND UNTO PRAISE AND HONOR AND GLORY AT THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST" - Remember,  your enemies are God's enemies and His are yours. Jesus testified: "HE THAT RECEIVES WHOEVER I SEND RECEIVES ME, AND HE THAT RECEIVES ME RECEIVES HIM THAT SENT ME" and "HE THAT HEARS YOU, HEARS ME, AND HE THAT DESPISES YOU DESPISES ME, AND HE THAT DESPISES ME DESPISES HIM THAT SENT ME". So don't take it personally when men SHALL REVILE YOU, AND PERSECUTE YOU, AND SHALL SAY ALL MANNER OF EVIL AGAINST YOU FALSELY, FOR MY SAKE. REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDING GLAD: FOR GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN: FOR SO PERSECUTED THEY THE PROPHETS WHICH WERE BEFORE YOU. Jesus is saying blessed are those who are persecuted! So yes, thank God for your modern day Pharisees,  causing you to press in closer to the One who truly loves you, the One who suffers every unkind word or false accusation with you. Press on and in, I say, to find truth and seperate fact from fiction. Do not follow their lead or example, follow the example of Christ!

Part Three

 

The only direction any fellowship really needs is to be continuously going forward on the Highway of Holiness  - which leads us toward the Father, with our elder brother, Savior and Lord walking beside us, and with the Holy Spirit as our constant guide and companion - empowering us and giving us all direction daily, our footsteps ordered by Him - who, from behind us says "this is the way, walk ye in it".

Leadership are to be spiritual mother's and father's  - nurse maids for the children God births - nursing them to good health and maturity, spiritually, till they can feed and care for themselves.  We do not want them depending on us - as if we're essential to their health and well-being, no, they are dependent on God - who helps them mature in love by giving them to us and each other to love.

Remembering 2 Corinthians 1:24? "NOT FOR THAT WE HAVE DOMINION OVER YOUR FAITH, BUT ARE HELPERS OF YOUR JOY, FOR BY FAITH YE STAND".

Leadership is not to (ever) have "dominion over our faith". We are free to, indeed we must, work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.  We are to find out from the Lord personally how we should express our faith - then we should each have the freedom to do that - with no man telling us what we can or can't do. Every church (most) teaches that you must be in submission to it's leadership for they are God's authority in that local church, but the truth us WE ALL HAVE AUTHORITY therefore we are all submitted to one another.  "SUBMITTING YOURSELVES ONE TO ANOTHER IN THE FEAR OF GOD". We are to be in submission to everyone we're in fellowship with, whom God has put in our lives to bless or be blessed by. In this way, if we remain as teachable as little children, we're protected by the love and wisdom of all God has placed us in relationship with - not just one man, or a couple, or even a few elders. Everyone in a family is to love everyone else in the family. 

Part four coming soon