Live in His Freedom

I pray that you are having a most blessed Palm Sunday!   This coming Holy Week we commemorate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  Palm waving crowds shouted, “Hosanna!” and placed palms at His feet.  It was a joyous atmosphere as people welcomed the man they believed to be their earthly king who would free them from Roman oppression. In the coming days He would be arrested, flogged and crucified. The crowd mentality would switch from one of unsurpassed support to that of calling for His death after the Jewish leaders sought to kill Him. Each year I marvel at how the crowd turned so completely within days.

Step Away From The Pack!

This week my dog and I were attacked right through the fence in my yard by a pack of loose dogs.  Needless to say it was most disconcerting.  Thank God the hedge of protection I pray daily around us kept us from being physically injured.   There were several large dogs that came at us.  One was clearly the leader and most aggressive.  One did whatever they saw the leader doing.  Another moved away when I came out and just stood at a distance watching.  After the incident I thought how the ‘pack mentality’ played out in nature plays out among humans as well.  Just observe the crowd of adorer’s radical shift to angry mob calling for Jesus’ death.  Sadly, you can see this mentality within our church walls.

Have you ever observed this behavior among people?  One person takes the lead to gossip, be mean spirited toward another, and sometimes even overtly abusive.  The momentum builds and others join in.  The pack grows in number and strength.  Often some just watch.   They take no action.    You can see this today in our society as bullying is on the rise not just in our schools but also among adults.  Shootings, stabbing seem the fodder of daily news.  Divisive rhetoric, anti-Christian stands, the fueling of racial discontent has created a very dangerous atmosphere in our country today.  Yet some just watch and take no action.  Many are oblivious to the threats that lurk within our very borders.

Think about the picture of the ‘pack’ in this post.  At first glance all look outwardly pleasant enough.  Different sizes and colors make them individuals yet they are of the same species.   One is clearly the leader, one listens, and one is off to the side watching.  All are confined by the chained fence.  Within that fence certain protocols are established.  Certain behaviors become the group pattern.

Step Outside the Box

Do not stay behind the chained gate of religion, political party or race. 

Do not live within the ‘pack mentality.’  As you think about the final week of Jesus’ life on earth this Holy Week remember He died to set you free…free from the confines of eternal death…free from the confines of the thinking of mere men.  To have the mind of Christ you must have a very close relationship with Him and know His Word.  We know not the time of His return but we can discern the signs of the time.  Are you ready?

Blood Moons Bring Change

Beginning on 4/15 this week we will see one of four total lunar eclipses that will take place over the next year and a half.  Known as a lunar tetrad they will occur on 4/15/14, Passover; 10/8/14, Sukkot; 4/14/15, Passover and 9/28/15, Sukkot.  There have been sixty two tetrads since the first century A.D.  Eight of these have coincided with the Jewish festivals of Passover and Sukkot.  Historical tetrad dates with implications of change for the Jews include:  in 1493-1494 the Jews were expelled from Spain; in 1949-1950 saw Israel become a nation; in 1967-1968 the Jews recaptured Jerusalem.  What affects the Holy Land affects the world.  We have long prayed and continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  These blood moons signify coming change with worldwide implications

Blood moons are mentioned several places in scripture. Although no one but the Father knows the day of the second coming we are to discern the signs.  I believe it is imperative today to be right with God.  We can no longer continue to ‘play church’ confined by a ‘pack mentality.’  God’s true church stretches far beyond walls and denominations. 

His true church resides in the heart of every sanctified believer.  His true church stands in close personal relationship with Him each and every day.  His true church has a heartbeat in complete resonance with His.  Where are you?

 Quotes to Ponder This Week

“Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.”  ~Jesus, Matthew 16:3

 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” ~Jesus, Matthew 24:29

 “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. “~Jesus, Mark 13:32-33

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord.” ~Acts 2:20

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.  These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.  For “Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” ~1 Corinthians 12-16

 “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun become black as sack cloth or hair, and the moon became like blood”  ~Revelation 6:12

A Prayer Request

Thank you for your continued faithfulness to pray. Please keep all who serve our country, our servicemen and women and their families in prayer for salvation and safety. They are our front-line on the battlefield, let us be their front-line in the spirit. Also, let us cover all who have come home wounded that they and their families will receive the kindness, help and support they need to go forward in their lives.

God bless all our diplomatic and military personnel and their families. May the Lord keep them safe. Pray for all throughout the world for hedges of protection against radical Muslim extremists and all forms of terrorism. We have long prayed for spiritual victory over radical Islam in Esther’s Warriors Ministry. We now see the reality of this threat come to the forefront in this time in world history.

Please pray for all in authority over us, for the full truth to come forth concerning Benghazi and for safety in Israel. May God richly bless the United States of America, bring to light every single crooked place and keep her safe. May we may arise united once again as One Nation Under God in this auspicious season in our country’s history.

We continue to pray for truth to prevail as we saturate this country in prayer and stand for all that is right in America and for all of us who call ourselves American. These are treacherous times and now more than ever we must maintain our walk. Fail not in this hour.

Please Join Me in Prayer

Father God, We thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to set us free.  Teach us to walk in Your ways and listen only to Your voice as we live in these times.  Grant that we will not be swayed by a ‘pack mentality’ but instead persuaded to follow You whatever the cost.  Grace us to stand for the rights of others and defend the widows, orphans, poor and lost of this world.  Let us be shining examples of Your love and compassion in these darkened times.  Give us a heart for the needs and feelings of others.  Raise us up in fullness ‘for such a time as this.’ We pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen and Amen.

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