Sweet Sounds From Heaven

Yesterday while speaking with a friend about some things we witnessed in our earlier Christian walk, I pondered the question again, why didn’t we see this thing coming Lord? We do not have all the answers to all the questions, but I know things would have been totally different if proper discernment had been fully operational. Is it too late? Yes, for that situation; but, how do we avoid the same trap again. After all, the devil uses the same ole tricks with a different twist. A smoke screen distorts otherwise clear vision. Things are not always as they appear.

I was pondering Jesus sending out the disciples. That’s still the same, right? Jesus saves us to send us. When we go, we should flow with His Spirit. Matthew 10:16 Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. When we become Christians, the ‘harmless as doves’ part seems so natural. We have this new warm and fuzzy Love relationship with the Master. It’s that ‘wise as serpents’ part that trips us up.

‘In the midst of wolves’ should give us a clue that we might not be on friendly territory. We must strive to perfect that wise as serpents command. We must learn how to stand firm in the face of opposition. We must realize people may be used by the enemy to entrap us, to waste our time, money and energy. Sometimes, a ministry is destroyed beyond recognition or even a life snuffed out early; not to mention the havoc it leaves on relationships and families. The Kingdom of God suffers because of one “big” mistake.

James 1: 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all men liberally and ungrudgingly; and it shall be given him. James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Proverbs 3: 13-15 Happy is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom and the man who gets understanding, drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences. For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver and the profit of it than fine gold. Proverbs 9:10 The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.

Both James and Proverbs are good places to start in growing in wisdom and understanding. Wisdom is the key thing that will keep us on the straight and narrow. Let’s be harmless as doves and practice being wise as serpents. We need both of these defining features working together in our lives to see through the fog. Weighty Wisdom is essential, and it’s not generally lovey-dovey.

Proverbs 4:7 The beginning of Wisdom is, get Wisdom, skillful and godly Wisdom! For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing and with all you have gotten get understanding, discernment, comprehension and interpretation of matters.

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Recently while reading some of the parables in Matthew, I was so struck with the comparisons of our daily current events. The parable that really spoke volumes to me was the one about the wheat and the tares. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, then he went to sleep. While he was sleeping, his enemy came and planted bad seed in the same field and slipped out into the darkness. We all need sleep, so I’m not faulting the farmer.

We can enjoy sweet sleep while staying awake spiritually. We must be aware of the things that are coming upon the earth, and realize when an enemy has crept into our field. We must post “no trespassing signs” so our enemy knows we have boundaries and we mean business. Another parable says Occupy until I come. Have we let down our guard, perhaps deserted our post? Has the body of Christ gone AWOL?

Just leave them alone; let them grow up together because correcting the problem now would destroy some of the good wheat. It seems senseless to see a problem and not want to correct it, but Jesus said, Hands off! He also said in His good timing, He would make sure the good wheat is stored up and the imitation wheat is cast out. In essence, He said I will prune, I will pull and I will perfect everything, just keep growing where you are planted.

Sometimes it seems our growth is stunted. Too many tares. It seems we cannot grow, but Jesus said we could. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and daily dose ourselves with His Words of Wisdom, lest we become discouraged. When everything around us seems to be going to “pot” ~ pardon me Calefornea ~ or imitation wheat, we must realize God is not asleep.

When everything around us is practically unrecognizable and our world looks like it is swirling directly down the hole in the Gulf, could it be that we failed to post our “no trespassing signs?” Could it be that we have been sleeping? Could it be that people are now waking up all around the world and falling to their knees in repentance? Could this bring on the Great Awakening which is so badly needed? Could this down turn of economic events turn all of us upward to God Almighty, our source and supply?

All I know is that things are different and very scary. All I know is that God is not the author of darkness and evil. He is Light and everything must be brought to the Light so darkness has no place to hide. Let’s continue to be salt and light in the world, preserving what we can and lighting a path for others to follow. Jesus will take care of the Pruning, Pulling and Perfecting.

Ephesians 5:14-16 Wherefore, he saith Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye (we) walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

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Lately, we’ve been hearing a lot of messages on faith. Reminds me of the 70’s and 80’s. We were all just learning about faith and how to use it. Seems we’ve leaked rather badly and God is giving us a refresher course that we didn‘t even know we needed. There still seems to be so much to learn about faith and with things changing so rapidly in our world, faith in God is the only way to live, and certainly the only way to die.

Hebrews 11 is the renowned chapter about faith. These saints shine as our sterling examples of people who were committed and had settled the question to the point of death. In reading along and watching God move mountains in their lives because they were fully persuaded and expected things to change in their favor, fills me with glee. If God will do it for them, He will do it for me. God is no respecter of persons, He is a respecter of Faith.

Abraham obeyed and left, without a GPS system. Enoch was translated. Noah built an ark and had never seen rain. Sarah gave birth to the promise child in her old age. Moses left the castle to be with his own people (slaves). Joseph held on to his dreams for a very long time. Rahab, the prostitute was saved alive with her household. There’s also Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, Daniel. and the list goes on. Just faith in God and hope of a better homeland, these people all died controlled and sustained by their faith, but not of God’s promises, (the Bible had not yet been written). They had only seen it and greeted it from a great distance by faith, and all the while acknowledged and confessed that they were exiles upon the earth. They were in search of a fatherland, their own country.

We are closer now then when we first believed, and yes ~ the circle will be unbroken. What a day that will be! We live by faith and have the Bible to feed our faith, but we must also be ready to die by faith. Heaven is a real place and is our final destination. We should believe for a long, strong, productive, glorifying God life on the earth and glorify God when He calls us home. This will be the final test of our faith. Heaven is a place we have never seen before, except by faith. It is unfamiliar territory.

Jesus is a prime example of suffering through death, keeping His eyes on the “far better.” Paul also kept his focus through much tribulations. Both were consecrated in life and death, with the utmost confidence in God that they would be upheld by grace in all their trials. When a Christian dies, it is far better, it is gain ~ not just getting out of Dodge. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. It is contrary to our natural thinking, but the Bible says death is far better, it’s gain~ so it is.

Philippians 1: 20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I Corinthians 15: 51-55 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

It’s like saying to the devil, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. Jesus always causes us to triumph. Glory to God!!!

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