Hearts Ablaze Corner

We tend to have a problem with God’s “ logic” of joy: rejoicing in our sufferings. Yet, this is God's requirement for victorious living and spiritual maturation. There are some prerequisites for us to be able to embrace this logic and see joy become a given in our lives. These include: a) truly believing that God loves us,b) desiring to know God and living to obey Him... Paul's knowing God led to a radical, undeniable change in his life. He looked at all of his life from God's perspective, and his obedience led to the realization of God’s will in his life.c) rejecting the lie that we are to slug through our adversities and trials, relying on our own efforts and opting to live lonely, joyless lives. If we can get hold of this, rivers of living waters will flow from our bellies, continually. Our hearts will respond with joy. Ours will be a supernatural life. Our joy will not be contingent on our circumstances... We'll be singing and living that song, I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart…!”  

THE BOOK OF JUDGES STARTS OUT WELL, BUT BY ITS END WE SEE DEATH, DISINTEGRATION AND PERVERSION...AND THE DARK LIST GOES ON! THE THEME OF JUDGES IS THE REJECTION OF DIVINE AUTHORITY AND THE PAGANIZATION OR UNGODLINESS, WHICH FOLLOWS. ISRAEL ADOPTS THE PAGAN PRINCIPLES OF ITS NEIGHBORS. WHEN A CULTURE IS PAGANIZED, IT ASSIMILATES UNGODLY PRINCIPLES, POLICIES, PHILOSOPHIES, POLITICS, AND PROCEDURES. BY THE END OF THE BOOK OF JUDGES, ISRAEL DID NOT LOOK ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE SURROUNDING CULTURE. ISRAEL MADE THE CHOICE TO DISOBEY GOD, COMMINGLING WITH THE CANAANITES AND BECOMING MORE AND MORE LIKE THEM. WHAT A READY TRAP THE ENEMY USES EVEN AMONG US, TODAY: EMBRACE AND ASSIMILATE WHAT OPPOSES GOD'S WILL. THIS TRAP IS REAL INSIDIOUS. WE FAIL TO REALIZE WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS UNGODLINESS, OR WE ARE SO IMMERSED IN IT, WE ARE ALREADY BEARING ITS FRUIT. WE HAVE A CHOICE, TO HAVE OUR MINDS RENEWED, DAY BY DAY, FLOODING IT WITH GOD'S WORD, WITH TRUTH. THE ALTERNATIVE IS FLOODING OUR MINDS WITH HUMANISTIC ARGUMENTS, DEBAT

God's plan is not that we simply behave ourselves and get along with each other. He wants us to be like HIM, living that exchanged or crucified life. Everything we do should be done with one question in mind: Are you like Jesus? Are you living like a new creation in Christ Jesus? As believers, our spirit has been regenerated. Can people see the difference between the old and new man? Can you see it? Are you living from the inside out or still trying to live outside in, which points to the strivings of the old man? God says do not be conformed to this world (which pressures us to live outside in) but be transformed, have your mind renewed (so that you can live inside out, releasing God's life through you). We have to let the Holy Spirit teach us how to die, daily, laying everything down, allowing Jesus to live through us, through our sanctified personalities, and making a difference throughout the earth.

TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE BURNT OUT, BECAUSE THEY ARE OUT OF RESOURCES...THE OIL RAN OUT AND THE RIVER FLOW IS DOWN TO A TRICKLE. THEY TRY BORROWING RESOURCES, THAT DIDN'T WORK. SOME MADE NO PREPARATION FOR THE LONG HAUL AND ARE ILL-PREPARED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF KINGDOM LIVING. THE 5 WISE, THOUGHTFUL WOMEN OF MATT 25:1-13, KNEW THAT IT MIGHT BE A LONG WAIT FOR THE BRIDEGROOM, AND THEY PREPARED, ACCORDINGLY. THEY HAD RESERVES! THE FOOLISH ONES JUST CONCENTRATED ON THE IMMEDIATE NEED. MANY OF US DO NOT UNDERSTAND PROCESS AND WAITING. SOME DESPISE IT...SO WE WAIT WITHOUT PREPAREDNESS. WE FAIL TO DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO ENSURE AN ONGOING FLOW OF OIL IN OUR LIVES. WE CARRY AROUND FLICKERING LIGHTS...IN SOME INSTANCES, GOD'S PEOPLE ARE GROPING IN THE DARK. THIS IS THE OUTWORKING OF FOLLY AND UNPREPAREDNESS. THIS MUST NOT BE OUR STANCE. INSTEAD, BE VIGILANT, BE READY... KINGDOM LIVING REQUIRES VIGILANCE, READINESS. DON'T TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED. IT'S NOT ONLY ABOUT STARTING WELL, BUT FINISHING, BESIDES OUR BRIDEGROOM. CON

TOO OFTEN WE FORGET THAT GOD HAS A PLAN FOR EACH LIFE. WHETHER WE'RE TRAIPSING THROUGH A PARK OR STANDING BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, GOD DOES NOT ONLY HAVE A PLAN FOR EACH ONE OF US, BUT HE KNOWS HOW TO EXECUTE THAT PLAN. IN ACTS 12, WE SEE HOW UNIQUE THIS PLAN IS; IT IS TAILOR MADE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL. JAMES' PLAN WAS DIFFERENT THAN THAT FOR PETER. HEROD DID NOT REALIZE THIS, SO HE HAD IMPRISONED PETER AND WAS BENT ON EXECUTING HIM, AS HE HAD DONE WITH JAMES. THIS KING WAS A PEOPLE PLEASER AND SOUGHT TO INGRATIATE HIMSELF WITH THE JEWS WHO WERE AGAINST THE JESUS FOLLOWERS, THOSE OF THE WAY, AS THEY WERE CALLED. SO HIS AGENDA WAS TO ASSASSINATE THE LEADERS. IMPRISONED AND FACING WHAT SEEMED LIKE IMMINENT DEATH WITHIN HOURS, PETER SLEPT. CHAINED TO GUARDS TO HELP PREVENT THE LIKELIHOOD OF HIS ESCAPE, PETER SLEPT, OR MORE ACCURATELY, SLUMBERED. WE NEED TO LEARN A LESSON FROM THIS TRIED AND TESTED DISCIPLE. WHEN IN HARD PLACES, WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE. NOTHING OR NO ONE CAN SEPARATE US FR

How often we pray and do not receive an immediate or quick answer. This may lead to discouragement, frustration and may be the reason why many no longer pray, although we have been charged by God to pray and not faint. We need to remember that in addition to asking of God and receiving answers, like gas is necessary for a car's functioning, prayer is critical for man to operate according to our Creator's design. It is no wonder that there are hindrances to prayer, such as, iniquity/sin, doubt, asking with wrong motives or intentions, and, outright disobedience resulting in prayerlessness. If we truly understand the power of prayer, we would position ourselves filled with faith, to contend in prayer. We will ask and keep asking Gof for the realization of his will in our lives, and we SHALL SEE amazing answers to our prayers! DON'T STOP PRAYING!

The tongue is a powerful instrument. Each word we speak has weight. We can be described as ones who kill or make alive with our words. We have to choose to speak life or death. If our tongues are not surrendered to God, as James says in Chapter 3 of his book, it will function as a "world of iniquity." The fallout from such misuse of the tongue will be evident, as others become its target through gossip and slander, for example. What is also alarming is that we can destroy ourselves with our own words. This ranges from empty boastings to habitual words of negativity or death we speak over ourselves, over those in our sphere of influence and over our circumstances. It's time or change. We can no longer allow our tongues to be weapons of destruction...not even on an "off" day. Let's make the right choice!

Faith is critical to living a victorious life. Yet, we succumb to doubt, which is often followed by discouragement, fear and their associates. This pulls us away fromGod's Presence and our healthy growth in grace and knowledge of Him. We are told in Heb 11:6a that without faith it is impossible to please God. What God has purposed for our lives is contingent on our believing Him. We have to be intentional about trusting God, against all odds! Then, we'll live fearlessly and we'll see how our faith in Christ and Him Crucified assures the victory in our ongoing warfare with the kingdom of darkness.