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Day 147, Cornerstone Influence

December 9, 2024 by insolomonsporch

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“But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].” Jas 1:22“There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.” Prov 14:12

“To you then who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is true], The very Stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone,…” 1Pet 2:7

“Because of and through the heart of tender mercy and loving-kindness of our God, a Light from on high will dawn upon us and visit us to shine upon and give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to direct and guide our feet in a straight line into the way of peace.”  Luke 1 78-79

The Dangers:

– Reasoning contrary to the Truth

– A way which seems right

– For those who don’t believe

– A Light that gives light to direct our feet

…(These are points to consider as we progress)

Is where we started our journey with the Lord different than where we are today? (Talking about the quality of your heart here and remaining tender.)

Like a race where a baton is handed off from runner to runner have we been handed a baton of error? A tactic of the enemy …? Am I in the wrong lane and running for the enemy?

It is time for the Body of Christ to understand that we have an enemy who prowls around like a lion, seeking whom he may devour – and he does not cease.

He wants you to become hardened in your heart by trials, and difficulties and to take offense.

He wants your mind to stop being renewed by the word of God, and instead for you to no longer go on with God, but rather be stuck!

More important than what you think you know in the word of God is the quality of your heart before God. Your trust in the character of God. Your willingness to submit….

The day you were saved your mind received the light of God, and thus you knew what you didn’t know before, because of His light.

But when life rushes in, deals with us harshly, when we are battered and broken…we can become hardened. We think we are just becoming savvy and careful, but truly we are becoming cynical, distant, and hard, not to only situations and people – but actually to God Himself.

Our greatest need at that time is to recognize we have become hardened. We have closed ourselves off and moved into independence.  We need to repent and turn around and change our thinking, not only about our situations, but about our orientation and focus on God.

In that regard, I direct your attention to the Cornerstone Principal in Architecture.  1Peter 2:6-8 discusses the Chief Cornerstone, Who is Jesus Christ.  But there are some things that will help us to apply this Principal…:

The architectual example of the Cornerstone in building had three distinct characteristics from other stones used in construction. Knowing these will open our understanding to this metaphor for Christ.

Historically, the Cornerstone was the very first stone to be set in the building process.  Measurements were taken to ensure proper alignment of the rest of the structure. While in earlier times alignment was based on astronomical points of the compass, for sacred structures the alignment should be based on the word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

The same principal then applies to the Body of Christ and being a abode for God.  Our orientation always cues off of Jesus our Lord, and the Holy Spirit’s leading.  This is something we never outgrow, but its absence can cause independent  action and decisions which will lead us astray.

So as a Body of Living Stones being built up into the abode of God we never cast off or leave our Cornerstone!  He is the continual Light that shines so we may not sit in darkness, and He guides our feet to the way of peace.

In ancient building rituals, often a sacrifice such as wine, grain, or water or even blood was poured atop the cornerstone as it was dedicated to the gods…. Even in later times, those stones were hollowed out and documents or literature was placed inside them. Sometimes the stones were inscribed with the name of the owner, or the builder and the year it was built.

Imagine now, as your are a living sacrifice, your life being laid down on the Cornerstone, so you can pick up His life and walk it out.  He has chosen you and put His Name in you for His glory and identification. Inside you are hidden vital documents concerning His eternal word…! But is is important, to keep this Cornerstone continually before you, even as the focus of your life.  All things are to proceed from His word and Spirit and His will! 

There is not a day where we dictate to Him the plan or the action.  This would be reasoning contrary to the Truth which would bring us into deception!

The concept of a Cornerstone was also to lead one into celebration. The cornerstone placement was one of prominence, leading to a recognition and valuing of the structure. In the same way, we recognize our Cornerstone, Jesus Christ, as our Head and Chief among Ten Thousand.  He is the Alpha and Omega. The First and Last. He is the Firstborn among all creation, worthy of all our praise. We take our placement, our array, our position and orders from Him. Like a Divine Guide-on, we are arranged via Him. As He is, so are we in this world! 

Think of the Tabernacle structure as it revealed the placement of the Tribes of Israel around the Arc of the Covenant.  In the same way, we find our place and identity in Christ, in deference to Him. 

It is not my gifting’s that determine what I do, but it is Him through the Holy Spirit that determines both my gifting’s and their subsequent divine opportunities for manifestation.

Most intriguing, concerning the Cornerstone, that is Jesus, is that it was the very builders of the Temple who rejected Him.  I cannot imagine that occurrence during any building project of a natural, historical origin. The builders would simply set the cornerstone that was prepared.

Here, however, for the Temple of the Most High, the Jewish builders thought better. They were offended at Christ and would not put their trust in, or believe in Him. Sadly for them. He became the Chief Cornerstone regardless, and they had to deal with that spiritual truth, eternally.

There was a day when you and I became saved, and on that day Truth and Light entered our hearts. We thus began to know God.

But where are we today?  Is that Truth and Light still fresh and welcome and present in our hearts in the same manner?

You see it is we that change. Our perceptions of truth, our openness to receive: these can change. We reflect the conditions of the Parable of the Sower in the soil of our hearts (Luke 8:12-15), and our very thoughts about those situations can either harden our hearts to God, or make us humble before Him.

The choice is ours, but it is a choice with eternal consequences that is borne out over and over again by Biblical examples.

Have I heard truth but it is being carried away by the devil that I may not believe?  Have I fallen into trial and temptation because of not developing a root in the word of God and Christ? Or have I heard the word but it is being choked from bearing fruit for the Kingdom because of my attending and caring more for the pleasures and riches of this life?

Or against all others am I like the seed sown in good soil of the heart, holding the word fast in my heart and steadily bringing forth fruit with patience?

The diagnosis of all these soils can be readily seen when we look at what position and elevation the Cornerstone occupies in their heart.  Given proper focus, belief, and obedience we will serve our Cornerstone with joy and gladness and not reject Him.

But there is always before me because of life situations, a danger that lurks. Will I try and slide into the seat of the Cornerstone? Or will I allow Him to take and retain His rightful place in my heart?

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Day 146, “The Blessing of Brokenness”

November 4, 2024 by insolomonsporch

“And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” NKJV

“For all those things My Hand has made, and all those things exist, say the Lord.  But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and he who trembles at My word.”  Isaiah 66:2 NKJV

“If we freely admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to HIs own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].  1Jn 1:9 AMP

“For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.” Rom 8:29 AMP

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It is ignorance that causes us to resist Him…

Last post I shared with you how our understanding of sin can cause error and confusion if we think vaguely in terms of simply missing the mark.  We are very apt to excuse much of our thinking and being, and fail to see our sin because we do not define sin from the same perspective as the Lord.

I believe sin is more accurately described as: not conforming to the Lord’s will in purpose, thought, and action. And this is further supported by Scripture.

I want to develop that understanding here along the following precepts:

  • for every person in the world there are only two choices
    • brokenness
    • crushed
  • being broken will draw the blessing and attention of the Lord
  • in saving us it is necessary for the Lord to also remake us and mold us into His image
  • ultimately this process is necessary for every person who comes to Christ in salvation, and it is a blessing though we don’t always understand that

So we begin:

– In Matthew 21:44 we see that whoever falls on this Stone (which is Christ – the Cornerstone), he will be broken to pieces.

When we look at the word used above for “broken” it is the Greek pipto, and means to alight. Think of it as a butterfly alighting on a flower, or an airplane coming in for a landing. Unfortunately, neither of these examples convey the reality of what happens when we come to Christ in submission.  We are very different from Christ, and our coming to Him is as unique and individual as our fingerprints. The problem is that in being so different, even fleshly, we each must change. To be able to be part of the Body of Christ our salvation event sets in motion a series of changes that we are both unware of and perhaps unapproving of.  Salvation is bigger than we perceive or grasp.

That is the one who comes to Christ for salvation… he is broken.  In unpredictable ways and depths, he is broken: it is the only way to begin conforming him to the image and likeness of Christ.  As you can imagine, this is an internal conformance of your soul (your heart and mind, will, intellect, and emotions.)

The other person, not seeking Christ or salvation… if he remains in that posture of defiance and resistance… he will encounter the winnowing, crushing of the Lord. He will be scattered like dust.

Rather than dealing with the thoughts of readers at this time as far as either the fairness or unfairness of the above discussion on brokenness or crushing, let me move on to the next point.

– Brokenness draws the blessing and attention of the Lord: Isaiah 66:2.

Let me just backup to Isaiah 66:1 and then 2. The Lord is presenting a statement of fact, and then posing a question.  The fact: His deity: “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.”  The question: “What kind of house would you build for Me? And what kind can be My resting place?”

In light of His fact: I am God, He asks, what kind of house can you provide?  It is not referring to a physical house, but rather the tent that is ourselves… and how insufficient that would be for Him (without modifications). He goes on to say, all these things (us), My hand has made and have come into being [by and for Me].

“But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard; he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word…” Isaiah 66:2.

The interlinear rendering of the words broken or wounded are actually, stricken or smitten, maimed, or dejected.

I had occasion to revisit this Scripture in Isaiah 66:2 and the meaning of “contrite” after my only daughter passed away. I thought it meant sorrowful or filled with regret.  When I saw “stricken”… it was exactly how I felt. Stricken by the loss, even stricken by the Lord.

But even in that season of being stricken or smitten, I could take comfort that my condition was drawing the attention of the Lord. He knew where I was, and how I was feeling. He was not remote or uninvolved.  On the contrary, He was Personally involved, although I could not sense it at the time.

When you find yourself wounded or broken, you are in gaining the Lord’s devoted attention, maybe like never before.  Contrary to all of your senses, He is listening and attentive to your needs, your heart, and your prayers.  He is not surprised by what you cry out, but He does expect that you will remain open to Him and not close your heart. He wants your trust! He wants you to believe He is present… because in His Presence is fullness of joy!  It is a soothing balm to your wounds! It is a lifter of your head!

– You are destined to be molded into the image of His son, and share inwardly His likeness.  You may not have understood this when you received Christ as your Savior.  You may have simply decided you needed a pain-free life, or His friendship … we all come to Christ for so many various reasons, but very few of us understand His purpose that gets underway to make us what He wants us to be…

Then we live for a time, plodding along as people unchanged.  But then we begin to see His hand and know His pressure in our life. Like the tide, it can be in and then out again, a filling up and a drawing down. Then something difficult ensues and we are challenged by the Holy Spirit to forgive, release, not be embittered, to reconcile, to pray… any number of things that would cause every worldly intention still operating in our heart to balk and stand firm.

Now you are in the tall grass of God! And He is working on you like a chiropractor adjusting and moving and straightening, not your limbs, but your very self! Your heart and your soul. Stretching you to line you up with Christ Himself so that you are submitting to His will and aligning with His own plans and desires. You are letting go and putting off self, and putting on Christ!

What is the blessing in this brokenness? You are becoming more and more His.  The fellowship that you have, which is a distinguishing mark of Christians, is growing and it is with the Father and His Son (1Jn 1:3)

It is here, from a place of brokenness, where self has been put off, and the New Man put on that the life of the Holy Spirit can minister out of us, like that Living Water that flows forth from us. When I am still full of self and selfish thinking, I often quench the ministry that the Holy Spirit would want. But the brokenness of self is like that alabaster perfume bottle being broken, so the unguent and fragrance of the Lord through the Holy Spirit can come forward…

Like Madame Jeanne Guyon says, “God gives us the cross, and the cross gives us God.”

Brokenness is a gift that keeps on giving, even through the pain. Because it is an agent of transformation. It is like the very pressure of the Father’s fingers working His plan within us, and upon us… And yes He is Good, all the time!

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Day 144, “Eis Telos”

June 29, 2024 by insolomonsporch

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“Now before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that His hour had come [and it was time] for Him to leave this world and return to the Father. And as He had loved those who were His own in the world, He loved them to the last and to the highest degree.”  Jn 13:1 AMP

The last and highest degree… Eis Telos

Outer limits love – love from out of this world! Love that has no outer limit nor end.  Love that never fails, nor comes to and end.  Love that covers every debt, and frees every debtor. This is the love that Jesus desires us to receive.  World changing love that will declare we are Christians!

Love that previously turned the world upside down, defeated darkness, and behaved as a divine preservative!

This is not some eewey goowey sticky sappy love!  It is a love forged in the fires of the heart of the Father, shared in the heart of the Son for the people of God, to face and confront evil and darkness in this present world.  To stand equipped and ready to face down and fight every tactic of the enemy!

Look at the very juxtaposition of John 13:1 with John 13:2…In verse one we have the description of Jesus’ love – to the last and highest degree.

Now in verse two we have Satan putting betrayal into the thought and heart of Judas Iscariot.  Judas is turning to betray Jesus to the High Priests for thirty pieces of silver. Within the space of two Scriptures we have a confrontation of Jesus’ love (to the last and highest degree) with sheer evil and the absolute betrayal of that love!

So the question I want to provoke you with, and am myself provoked by is:  “Do we know Him this way? Do we know and have we received this same love?”

The word of God demonstrates it is not only possible, it is His provision!

This provokes me greatly! To know Him this way. To experience Him in this fulness.

Listen:

“May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!  Eph 3:17-19 AMP

It’s for all the saints!!!! Something to grasp, to have and hold in your hearts! But also to allow it to harness your heart and mind, to bring you to a transformation that renews our thinking and makes us Christ-like…

This is the factor that issues forth in life change.  By the agency of the Holy Spirit, Who is charged to declare, disclose, and transmit to us all that is Jesus’, we can receive this love that is to the last and highest degree!

How do we receive this love? Read it, meditate on it, require it on the authority of God’s word, and sit before the Lord under its inspiration then get up by faith and walk as if it is the fuel rod of our life!

Surrender to its truth, believe it, and receive the substance of Christ, the Word made flesh, by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Eis Telos…to all

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Day 143, Rejoice in The One Who Makes you Glad

July 28, 2022 by insolomonsporch


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“These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me.”  Mt 15:8 AMP

“Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my inner self] rejoices; my body too shall rest and confidently dwell in safety.”  Ps 16:9 AMP

“The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be glad in the Lord and shall trust and take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart shall glory and offer praise.”  Ps 64:10 AMP

“A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.”  Prov 15:13 AMP

“…But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.” IS 66:2 AMP

“Light is sown for the [uncompromisingly] righteous and strewn along their pathway, and joy for the upright in heart [the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection].”  Ps 97:11 AMP

“But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them (of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them) because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated…

…But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].”  1Cor 2:14-15 AMP

“And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.”  Jn 12:32


What Kind of Witness Am I

Often we take the prophetic ability to be a witness for God (Acts 1:8), and we focus on ourselves rather than the God we are witnessing of…

For example, we sometimes believe that if I arrange an ethereal, far off, even joyful look on my face that I will witness well. That in that effort I will be somehow effective in displaying a trust in Him.

But I would tell you that the expression on my face is not what will draw people as a witness, but rather the confidence in Him that shines from my heart.  The heart is my truest witness, my face… not so much.

You see all the superficial construction on my face will not speak to the world of Christ, but the breaking of my heart over its condition and lostness will. As that breaking causes me to lift up the world, or people, or situations to Jesus Christ, I am acting as a compass pointing to true North.  I am showing the way.  The way to Him.

What the Lord is asking for is for a witness that is more than skin deep… and actually has some “skin in the game” so to speak.

You see if I have done my homework, spent time in the word, and been available to learn of Jesus… then He has altered me greatly. Especially in terms of confidence.  The more time I spend with Jesus, the less confidence I have  in myself for anything: even my facial expression.

Interestingly enough, the word shows me that as nonspiritual men (the lost who don’t know the Lord), the world cannot welcome into its heart the things of God, because they are spiritually discerned.  Without the Lord’s help in awakening their spirit-man, these things can’t be understood, or grasped, or interpreted. How much more then the countenance of man…

Now see this…it is by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken…It is the sorrow of a broken spirit that causes us to catch God’s look and to be regarded by Him…it is here in this place where we have been broken that we have the greatest potential to be changed, and to thus be HIs witness.

It is here in our brokenness that He makes His dwelling.

It is in the brokenness of facing my own sin nature, and my aptitude for missing the mark, that I gain wonder and profound awe in a God Who has reached out to know me in my worst condition.  It is here, in this place of humility and unworthiness that His love wins my heart. Knowing there is nothing good in me besides Him helps me to cast off every hint of deception that would seek to craft some personal worthiness as a façade for winning others to Christ. 

In being my best witness for Christ I actually learn to forget myself, and remember only Him.  He is the only source of all my springs. He is the only One Who creates in me love for others… Only when I remember Him fully, and forget myself do I have the capacity to operate in His love and gifts…

Only when I make Him high and lifted up in the situation at hand do I have any chance of making a difference!  This is the witness of the Kingdom and the eternal. It is the direct piping in of heavenly things and the rarified air of the Kingdom which brings change…when I have let go and entirely forgotten myself and all desire to put on a good show in the flesh (Col 2:23).

At any given moment in my life, I can easily slide over the margin into selfishness, self-consciousness, self-care and protection. Especially if I have just been trounced or berated or treated badly.

In the time it takes for me to shake off and put off my old nature’s emotions and the wounding and return to a balanced mind in the New Man of Christ, you may have seen that glimpse of the “Old” as he was being put off! But realize the power of that testimony!  It wasn’t that I had a pensive or decimated look on my face.  It was that the transcendent God of the Universe has again been victorious. He has again risen in me to a broad place where there is no perplexity, or privation, and that all that is on my table in Him is full of fatness.





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Day 142, Don’t Contest Covenant Truth

May 26, 2022 by insolomonsporch

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“God said, Do not come near; put your shoes off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.”  Exodus 3:5

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry…”  Mt 3:11

“Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.”  Ruth 4:7

“And Moses lifted up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice. And water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.  And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”  Nu 20:11-12

“Let us rejoice and shout for joy! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” Rev 19:7

Not understanding covenant, we fail to process types and shadows

It can be dangerous to stand in the way of what God is seeking to convey, and the way He is making…

Looking at the Scriptures above, we must understand what they have in common.  They are presenting types and shadows of covenant understanding.

Moses had to put off his sandals…

John the Baptist wasn’t worthy to unloose the sandal strap of the Lord, our Kinsman Redeemer…

Moses was disqualified to lead the people into the Promised Land because he had misrepresented the Lord at a critical time, thus compromising their understanding of the Lord and His nature…Moses then was not aligned with the “type and shadow” of the Deliverer so could not conclude their deliverance…

Now, all this has bearing on a point I want to make: an insight that was only recently opened to me…

Which is: “Why, when we get to heaven, will we no longer be married (may seem inconsequential to some but becomes important in what underlies the truth).”

First, you understand there is the issue that we have died before entering heaven, thus we have died to the law of being linked in marriage. 

But more important than that, to arrive in heaven with marriage ties in tact would fly in the very face of, and contest the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Covenant reality of the marriage of the Lamb would be blocked.

Let us revisit some of the above quotes so this can be seen more clearly.

Specifically, John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11.  He describes himself as unworthy to loose the covenant sandal. Meaning, if he should try to remove the sandal that only Jesus Christ could obtain as our Kinsman Redeemer, He would break the type and its significance.  Only Jesus stands worthy to Redeem the Bride.

In the Book of Ruth, this is further clarified as Boaz (as the stand in for Christ the Redeemer) redeems Ruth. However, the closer relative had to first refuse to redeem Ruth and then put off his sandal and extend it to Boaz as a sign that he relinquished all claim to Ruth and Naomi’s estate lands. Only the True Redeemer can take the sandal and fill it or occupy it/possess it. 

This is the real reason Moses had to put off his sandals – to not do so would contest the right of the One holding the property – in this case the burning bush. It wasn’t that Moses’ shoes were dirty.  He would have broken the covenant type so that understanding would have been broken.

Another example is in Revelation 5, where the angel cries Who is worthy to open the scroll?  Only Christ is worthy to do this and so He does.

In the same way, He is the only One worthy to occupy the Burning Bush. Only He is worthy to occupy the Covenant Sandal of Redemption. And Only He is worthy to have the Bride in Heaven Whom He has redeemed…

So as we ponder and set our hearts and minds on heavenly things… and even when we ponder our heavenly mansion perhaps conflicted that we will not share it with our spouse…

Be comforted!  Your will share with the Bride in Christ a reality of full redemption! And we (corporately as the Bride- who hopefully your current spouse is a part of) will be united in Christ and in the Father in a way beyond our imagination!

The types and shadows of covenant that Scripture shares are so rich and vital in the form they share. Let the Lord breath them into substance in your understanding from your heart of faith and belief.  You will have no room for hesitance or reluctance to walk into the future with the Bridegroom of our heart.

The reality will be you will know as you are known!

Now think back to that passage in Mark where the Sadducees ask Jesus about the wife of seven brothers and whose wife she will be in heaven (Mk 12:19-27).

Now it will make more sense…

Now in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For the seven were married to her.  Jesus said to them, Is not this where you wander out of the way and go wrong, because you know nether the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they arise from among the dead, [men] do not marry nor are [women] given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead being raised – have you not read in the book of Moses, [in the passage] about the [burning] bush, how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?  He is not the God of [the] dead, but of [the] living!  You are very wrong.”  Mk 12:23-27

May this post awaken you to the stirring of heaven and residence in the very Presence of the One Who is worthy and altogether lovely. The One Who has redeemed us as His own!

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Day 141, “How to Deal With the Red Portal?”

May 9, 2022 by insolomonsporch

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“Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven.  Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven.”  Mt 18:18-19AMP

“And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, Who shuts and no one shall open:…” Rev 3:7 AMP

“[Strive to] save others, snatching [them] out of [the] fire; on others take pity [but] with fear, ;loathing even the garment spotted by the flesh and polluted by their sensuality.” Jude 1:23 AMP

“…The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].” 1Jn 3:8 AMP

The Red Portal Over the White House

So, I just had to blog about this… portal. For a number of reasons.

I watched the above video (which by the way is only a screenshot cause I couldn’t figure out how to insert the actual video here).

You can find it on rumble, under Elijah Streams, a special broadcast with Roger Stone and Robin Bullock.

I warn you. There is much poo poo-ing and ridicule of this whole topic, (scorning Elijah Streams and their legitimacy, calling into question the reality of this portal)…surprisingly even on Telegram, where I first learned of it.

Meanwhile, the salient points can be summed up as:  there is a bizarre portal hovering over the White House, and Roger Stone has been led to call out an alert over it and to call believers to prayer.

Now, I can neither confirm nor deny (my old intelligence training surfacing) that there is indeed a portal of the enemy’s making over the White House. But I must tell you I am not surprised, and I can easily believe it. Why?

Because the very substance and nature of the activities of our government (represented symbolically and geographically by the White House as its legitimate seat), are so aligned with absolute evil and darkness that it is no surprise that such a portal or access point has become manifest.

That brings me to why I wanted to blog about this….

Again, I don’t doubt the validity of this claim. Go check out the video on Rumble and Roger Stone will show his pictures of it looming over the White House.

So, I believe him. And I agree with his urgent cry that believers need to be praying.  But here is where I divert from his leading.  Roger Stone says that believers can pray and close this portal. But I don’t believe we are called to simply close this portal… WHY?

Because of legal occupancy.  If what I believe is correct… this portal has manifested because of the “heart condition/spiritual corruption” of our government/national seat… then to pray outright for its closure would be ineffective. It exists because of legal authority. As long as that is the climate of our national leadership, it can remain.

I believe instead, that the Lord would first have us cry out to Him for change in the heart of our Nation, and that would be backed up by every action that we can legally take. At the voting booth, as a vocal party spreading truth, and in our courage to stand against the forces of evil wherever we find them. We are called to bring the light, to be the light!

You see this portal didn’t just come because of a few wayward political practitioners. It came because of actual evil, in thought, belief, and even Satanic practices of our representatives and officials in Washington.

While you and I have been sleeping, content that the auto-pilot control of our nation was set to honorable/integrity/good works, darkness has been insinuating itself in ways that would shake you to your core.

So, I do not believe that the Lord would have us just unseat these parties, legally. But He would have us cry out for their redemption at all costs, and then that not being possible (as indeed in some cases it will not), to cry out for deliverance from their despotic tentacles that really threaten the very existence of all…our nation included.

You see where evil is legally given the helm, either by our abdication, or their trickery, deceit, outright fraud, or any other method …  evil still is in possession – and must be thrown out and evicted legally.

In the case of someone illegally holding an office – disclosing the truth of how they illegally obtained the office is all that is needed. And then enforcing the consequential eviction of course…

But you see the Lord doesn’t just want the vacating of an office of an interloper, He wants our intercession for the vacating of darkness within that person. It is for their deliverance and our working out in Christlikeness that we pray. That is what is required of believers.

Whether or not a person will be delivered is another matter. And that is really the Sovereign purview of the Lord.

So, as there is (I believe) a portal, prayer is required – and as Scripture says, if we make a symphony about the destruction of an evil portal and all the access that the hordes of hell are threatening – we can be effective to close it, because we can be confident that the Lord will not allow the gated of hell to prevail against us.

However, if the darkness of hearts and their Satanic bent is manifesting this portal, then to attempt to simply destroy the portal without crying out for the repentance and redemption of the hearts which are fostering this very darkness in this realm—would really miss the point. It destroys the gate of evil, but not the engine that generated it.

We are called to pray for certain. Urgently, passionately, with all diligence. And just like Jesus, the Son of God, was made manifest to destroy the works of the devil…He is manifested every time we commit to intercede in His name, according to His heart and plan, and power…

In the end it is only He Who can keep us from stumbling in our fear, or falling into the snares of the enemy. He can present us blameless and faultless before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation…

Let us follow Him into all works…especially combat …completely

 

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Day 140, “The Question You Can’t Answer”

July 3, 2021 by insolomonsporch

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“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say?”  Lk 6:46

Why have I not forgiven as instructed?

Why have I not obeyed the things I am told to do from the Word?

Why has my intention and desire to obey the Lord fallen short?

Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say?

The plague of self…

If I realize that the love language of the Lord is obedience (Jn 14:21), then I will also realize that the true answer to the Lord’s question in Lk 6:46 is that I still love myself more than I love the Lord. In fact, I am still enslaved to myself because of that love, and because of that enslavement (Rom 6:16) I am reaping a future of death.

The Lord, if He is My Lord, has already freed me from sin and eternal separation, but if I begin to live a life surrendered to my soul (will, intellect, and emotions) and in deception believe I am living in obedience to Him when I am really serving myself  – I am simply deceived… and reaping destruction.

This suits the enemies plan perfectly. I think I am walking in righteousness when all along I am walking in selfishness. The wages I then earn are death. Booyah, enemy wins!

You see, this is the dilemma we face as believers.  This is the litmus test that we must honestly face, and monitor, and be on guard against about ourselves everyday of our lives…

Who actually sits on the throne of my heart???

If it is the Lord, truly, I will be convicted by the Holy Spirit for my failure to obey in the areas instructed.  That conviction will inspire repentance on my part and a desire to turn more fully into obedience in the areas where I have failed.

And thus my Christian walk is none other than a path of tweaking by the Holy Spirit where my obedience becomes more pure, more consecrated, more whole. Like gold refined by fire I am constantly being changed, from glory to glory.

However, if I am deceived, and I am the one who truly occupies the thrown of my heart… then the error of declination will become more and more apparent the further I walk through life. As I submit to enslavement to my “self”, I will serve my own will, emotions, and intellect … and all the while believe I am serving the One true God.

What is the greatest indicator that I am dangerously deceived??? My life will lack the victory of the Lord, His Presence, His Word, His influence…

I will continue to struggle in areas of failure, failing again and again and it will appear hopeless. Marriage, relationships, ministry, finances, career, it doesn’t matter. My life will display a lack of victory…in Christ.

How can I prevent or detect this fatal error?

I must notice, am I becoming more in love and submitted to the Lord without reservation? Or am I becoming more submitted to self?

Which way am I focused? To the Lord? Or to myself?

Which is the one I am more in tune with? The Lord or myself?

James instructs us to be a doer of the word, not a hearer only… and it is for this very reason.  If I am only committed to hear the word, but not do it, it is only a matter of time before I become deceived (by reasoning contrary to the Truth) Jam 1:22.

Eventually, you become like the one who looks at his natural face in the mirror and moves away, and forgets what he looks like.

You forget what you look like because that would bring conviction. The enemy doesn’t want that.  He wants you to focus on yourself, but then forget that you are focusing on yourself.

What is the remedy for this predicament??? Return to John 12:24-25.  Let your own life fall to the ground. Let it die (yield it wholly to the Lord – faculties and members both, Rom 6:13) Lose sight of yourselves, forget about yourselves!!! And never let yourself be the center of your concern, focus, service, ever again.  Maintain a course of actively serving God as Lord and Savior, first and foremost!!! 

Yield yourself and keep on yielding to Him!!!

It is the only way. 

SO,,, why can’t you answer the Lord’s question from Lk 6:46?

Because if He is your Lord in truth, He won’t need to ask the question…thus, you won’t be able to answer a question that is not asked…

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Day 139, “Fully Walking Out Your Purpose… to the Glory of God”

March 3, 2021 by insolomonsporch

Westminster Short Catechism: “A man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

“…walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” Eph 4:1

“…walk in wisdom, redeeming the time, not being unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is…” Eph 5:15-17

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You Have a Call

Every believer has a call, and the biggest questions are do you know what it is and do you know how to achieve it?

While there are many ways that the call of our life in God is manifested according to our giftings (e.g. preaching, teaching, etc.), I believe there is a call which we all have which is overarching every other call and is central to our life in Jesus Christ! This call and its fulfillment is what I want to explore here.

I believe the Westminster Short Catechism above is probably one of the most succinct yet undervalued insights to that most central of calls!

Your chief end in this life is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever!

You can find that purpose stated in various ways in 1Cor 10:31, Rom 11:36, and Ps 73:25-28.

Now ask yourself, does the world situation, its challenges and difficulties and conditions, or that of your personal life change that call in any appreciable way?  I would say no.  God’s call on your life is steady state regardless of things temporal and external.

But there is a key here that we often overlook to entering into a deeper understanding of that call…

Let us look at that:

To Glorify God

I found the most profound understanding of what it means to glorify God through Kay Arthur’s book, Lord I want to Know You, A Devotional Study of the Names of God.

In it she clarifies that to glorify God means to give an accurate estimate of Who God is and how He is.  In a sense we are, ourselves, mirrors which are reflecting the truth of God to the world.  The more we are moved to a greater understanding of Him by the word, the bigger and more clear is the image we carry and share of Him.

But really interesting is the fact that you and I can lean heavily on the Holy Spirit here, because it is the Holy Spirit Who lives to glorify Jesus.

You see, according to Scripture, we are all being transformed into the same image (of Christlikeness) from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord. (2Cor 3:18)

And through the agency of the Holy Spirit, He takes what is Jesus’ and He declares and reveals and transmits it to us!!! (Jn 16:14-15AMP) It is the Holy Spirit’s primary function to glorify Jesus, and we can be His living chalkboards to carry that message to the world!!!

Now think about this further!

When I set my heart to know Jesus in truth and in Spirit, when I worship Him and wait on Him and have encounters with Jesus my Lord through the Holy Spirit, when I have been Baptized in power in the Holy Spirit and have the gifts of the Holy Spirit animated in me and the character of Christ being built within me continuously by my most holy faith…

Then I begin to fulfill the call on my life to glorify God and enjoy Him forever…

I submit to you, that without the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in power, I cannot really begin to glorify God in truth, nor can I enjoy Him…

And so that is what I share with you today…

Have you hit a wall, or impase, or dead end in your Christian walk???

Then you need to things to both glorify Him and enjoy Him. You need His Holy Spirit to fill you and increase you in Him so that the image on your life mirror is expanded and clear, and you need the enduement of the power that comes with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, so that you can overcome your self-interest and self-focus, and be moved by love in ministry to others…

This is the Way!

“For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face!  Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have fully and clearly known and understood [by God].”  1Cor 13:12

Let all the perfection of Jesus Christ that can be revealed and transmitted to us by the Holy Spirit be ours even today, that we will fully glorify God in this moment and will enjoy Him forever, without delay!!!

and we will share this with the world…

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Day 138, “Summer Soldiers and Sunshine Patriots”

December 14, 2020 by insolomonsporch

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“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”  Gal 5:1

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”  Eph 5:9-10

“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”  Prov 16:3

Back in the day, General George Washington described “summer soldiers and sunshine patriots” who lose heart in times of crisis…

It would appear that the Body of Christ is in such a time of crisis, for it “does not know what spirit it is of,” (Lk 9:55)  or Whose Spirit it is following…

Jesus’ rebuke from Luke 9:55 above to His disciples occurred because James and John were ready to call down fire from heaven to destroy people who did not receive Him.

Jesus rebuked them because they had a wrong heart, a wrong attitude, and a wrong solution…

Apparently we are not much different today.  Jesus told them He came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them. 

The problem today is, while the times are calling for the peacemakers of God to arise with light and strength and commitment to the cause and ways of Christ, many interpret the need to be peace at any price.

I’m hearing overtones of: “okay the election is over, all avenues of legitimate pursuit legally are closed to us, time to stand down and roll over, because a good Christian doesn’t cause dangerous stirrings, he doesn’t make trouble, nor does he rebel against the status quo (in this particular case the Democratic Party and all their deceitful ways.)

But I ask you, where are the peacemakers… where are the ones so seeking the will and the way of God to come forth in themselves that they are willing to stand for light, to be light in this day???

To be a peacemaker doesn’t mean I roll over if darkness is more imposing. It doesn’t mean I accommodate evil.  I am in fact called to be a party with light…to be light, how then can I align with evil???

To choose a course of evil, to acquiesce in this case with the Biden ascent to the Presidency having stolen the election and perpetrated fraud, is to become one with evil and all the practices of it.  It means I am willing to choose bondage to darkness, which I have already been freed from! Not only that, but because I act as a summer soldier and cave at difficulty I cause others to cave in the same manner rather than standing as Jesus calls us to stand.

If I do less than that, I am forfeiting all that our Forefathers paid for our freedom with their lives as they were led by Christ to stand against the wickedness of being a supply stock for English usury.

We have been freed in Christ, no longer to be subject to a yoke of slavery!!! Not to anyone!  We are His!!! The yoke we now wear is His!  We are His Yokefellows!

If you find that implausible, think of what befell Esau as he gave up his birthright as the firstborn son!!! It could not be restored to him regardless of his regret or tears!

If we throw off the “freedom of Christ” as our yoke, we will surely be yoked by darkness unimaginable at a national scale…

So when people refer to “Christian Nationalism” or “Trumpism”, there is a need to examine really where your allegiance lies.

You must make sure, your trust is in God alone – and Him only!

Does it mean our methods in this time should employ calling down fire from heaven?  No, because that too is of a wrong spirit – not that of Christ!

But before us now lies the path of “peacemaker.’’  Which mean I am willing to stand for light, stand for righteousness, stand for what brings life!!! I do not violate the Word of God, nor His character!  I work in His ways,with His weapons but they are powerful for the pulling down of strongholds!

Ephesians 5:11 says to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  Only when you bring evil into the light does it lose its power!!!

And we as the Body of Christ need to now stand, and expose the deeds of darkness. Ephesians goes on to say, “for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Eph 5:12-14)

Finally, we are called to understand what the will of the Lord is…(Eph 5:17) Recently believers have even been discounting the importance of dreams and visions, or other ways the Lord is communicating…

Ultimately, I am not answerable to what a prophet says that I cannot understand or receive, but I am always answerable to the Lord Himself for seeking an understanding and confirmation of His will…

If you are in some form of Leadership in the Body of Christ, the best thing you can do is pray for the rest of the Body to hear Him, to know Him, to be delivered from all darkness and to be strengthened in their inner man…to roll, commit, and trust every work wholly upon the Lord, that He will cause every thought to come into agreement to His will, thus it will be established, thus it will succeed. (Prov 16:3 AMP)

If you are someone who is discouraging believers from activities you consider dangerous, but prefer instead to follow the march of the darkness parade…. you need to quit! You are misleading the flock of the Lord! You risk making the Body captive to darkness!

Carry no illusion here! Being a peacemaker is dangerous work, whether it is in the home, or at work, or the church, or in government!!!  You are confronting and exposing darkness.  You are walking as children of light for peace, and the enemy will get very angry.

Will you be required to fight?  Certainly in prayer. Possibly in other ways as the Lord leads.  After all, you don’t stand against darkness just for awhile, for a show of strength only to then cave in anyway…

This is a fight to the finish. To the victory of Christ as the overcoming One!  But He is the only One with the Playbook.  Which means He alone can call the plays!!! And that requires us to listen! To hear with a clean heart and obey!

This is a time when the Lord is weeding out summer soldiers…He wants foremost to make sure you are HIs, and that you know Him. But as His sheep it is important that you know His voice, and the voice of a stranger you will not obey!!!

Start today!!!

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Day 137, Breaking Your Loaves and Fishes

November 25, 2020 by insolomonsporch

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“ There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” Jn 6:9 NKJV

The power of so many…

It wasn’t the power of the fishes and loaves, it was the power of God and the expectancy and hope He inspired!

Back in the day, Jesus fed five thousand – but He is still feeding us today by the word and the Holy Spirit!

He fed the crowds back then to demonstrate His power and stir up belief and faith. Even among so many, He was more than enough!

Even among such looming election odds today that President Trump can remain President – the Lord is more than enough! It’s not about the fishes and loaves, it’s not about what we see… it is about His will, His truth, and that He is faithful!

So today, I am breaking my portion of fishes and loaves of faith and sending them out to the Body of Christ!!! In faith I am sending them out to feed your faith that He is still able, and He is not done! Darkness cannot overcome Him! He overcomes darkness!!!

In fact, the darkness is dispelled by Him!!!!

So rise up in your most holy faith Saints of God, and begin to praise and give thanks for He is good!

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  Ps 84:11

The task for us is to ensure we continue in an upright manner: in faith, in a right spirit, in a submissive heart, always abounding in hope!!!

We have before us a corridor to walk, a walk that demonstrates the treasure that is hidden in our earthen vessels of flesh … that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us….

Yes, we are hard-pressed on every side, but make sure you are not in despair!

Yes, we are persecuted, but we are NOT forsaken!

We are struck down, but we are not destroyed!!!

We are, however, actively carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh!!! (2Cor 4:8-15)

Just as we form the Body of Christ, we can manifest His plan and HIs purposes — even as did the loaves and fishes!!!

It is time to get on with that!!! Even if you only carry the whiff of loaves and fishes… increase!!!

In faith, connect with His will for this time. Submit to Him and His plans.  Believe He has plans for good and not evil, and be one with Him!!!

Believe Saints!!! And release prayers and exaltations in faith!!! It is not what we see that should move us, but rather Him, the Eternal God, He should move us!

Be blessed Saints. Be strong. For the battle is the Lord’s! Do your part!!!

 

 

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