God Who Gives
I love the way the message reads in 2Cor. 9, It tells us that God is the one that gives us seed to sow. I farmed for 25 years. and if a farmer plants the seed into the ground it produces a harvest. But if the farmer eats his seed, then there is no harvest for the future, just a meal. He won't have seed to plant for the next crop. We need to understand that if we eat our seeds, we loose out on the Father's heart for giving us the seed to start with. Which is to meet not only our needs but the needs of other's too.
I also love that the Father love's us as we give.
Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,
He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!
Merry Christmas
May you encounter the Father's love and walk in the grace that Jesus gave this coming year. May all that you put your hand to be increased. May you walk as sons in the Father's house, and do the works that the Father has predestined for you in Christ Jesus to do. May the peace that Jesus gave be yours.
The Father knows the plans He has for you, plans to give you hope and a future. The Father knows you have needs, so seek first His kingdom and all those things will be added. Believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those that seek Him.
Forgetting those things which lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead. May you lay hold of that for which also you was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. May you press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of the Father in Christ Jesus.
We look forward to when our paths might cross in 2010.
Blessings
Doug and Rita
Parts from my book, Back to the Basics
My book is finished and will be in print in December, pray the book will be a blessing and a help to you on your journey.
Pg 229
" When a Kingdom man speaks of ruling, he really only has authority to establish what the King has already put in place. So when we speak of ruling our soul, we are only establishing the fact that the Father has redeemed our soul (bought it back) from death. Ben, I think you sing a song about that redemption from the pit of emptiness. The Father is the only One that has the original blueprint of how our soul was created. And I think it says in Gen. 2 that he created a living soul. So when we feel the pull of death on our soul, we just have to trust (like the psalmist says) that He will restore it, for that is one of the things that the blood of Christ has purchased for us - a "redeemed" soul. And that is truly a firm foundation for us to stand on. We can say (along with the psalmist) "Return unto your rest, oh my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. We can say "Bless the Lord, oh my soul" for that is truly what you were made for."
"As we begin to trust the Father in the restoration of our soul, we will begin to feel the freedom that the psalmist talked about when he said "My soul has escaped, as a bird, out of the snare of the fowler." What freedom! And we can trust that He who began this good work is faithful to complete it. The invitation to "Come unto Me, all you who are weary …….. and you will find rest for your souls" can be an anchor for your soul - a sure foundation.
""
Page 177
"Is that what Paul was talking about when he said to come and follow him and imitate him?" asked Doug. "There again, that is why you need foundation in your life. If you don't know the Father's love, His forgiveness, and your identity in Christ, then what are you going to produce? One of the reasons why we need to practice righteousness and know what God has called us to do is that there are people that might be watching us and want to press into a relationship with us and draw from the resources of our experiences."
"It was Paul's goal to bring every man complete into Christ - not to bring him into his teaching or doctrine or ministry. Who we are in Christ and who someone else is in Christ will have some similarities, but it has some uniqueness also.
I have walked with Ben for fifteen or sixteen years now. However, I still don't play a guitar and sing. Ben doesn't ride a horse and rope a cow. But I can call him into his destiny and bring him into the fullness of who he is in Christ because of the grace given me. That is discipleship. That is making disciples by bringing people into who they are in Christ."
Doug settled back into his chair again. and glanced out the window, which looked like it was covered with a black sheet. There was no moon at all that night.
"It is important that we don't present ourselves as vessels of unrighteousness because it not only affects us but it can affect generations beyond us. I don't say that to put pressure on us to perform, just to call forth our destiny. I don't practice righteousness because I am trying to put forth an image. I do it because I behold the Lord, and because I behold the Lord, I see who He is and I am changed."
''In speaking about what we practice, I want to return to this word addiction," said Ben. "Is addiction always demonic or not? If someone feels like they can't overcome an addiction, what are some tools they can use to overcome it? How do we need to understand that for each other and for ourselves?"
"You can try in your flesh time and time again to overcome patterns, but your flesh is weak. However, if you deal with the issue that caused the door to be opened to the enemy and you close that door, then the outward expression or habit is going to take care of itself." Doug leaned forward and looked up and out the window this time, so he could see the stars twinkling through the trees.
"If you take a man who is addicted to some type of pornography, you can almost always go back to something happening in his childhood. Some perversion most likely happened and he made a judgment about who he was because of what happened to him. As a result, he gets stuck in this need to continually satisfy the judgment he made, which results in an addiction. If you show him that he was a victim in his past and it wasn't his fault, he was a child and the situation was perverted, and help him break the victim mentality off, then he wakes up and realizes that he is not a bad person, he just had a bad thing happen to him. He realizes that the bad thing that happened to him caused him to make a judgment, and then he can deal with that issue. His mind can be renewed in Christ as to who he is and what will fulfill him. The judgment he was believing has been exposed as an unrighteous judgement. He then can begin to believe God's judgements about him that are true and righteous.
"You mentioned the demonic earlier," said Ben. "Some of us grew up with that being common to our talk, and some of us didn't. How does that enter in? Does it enter in every time?
" I believe if we are to practice righteousness, we need to receive every benefit given from the Father." Doug said with a slight smile. " He wants a people that are completely His. So Christ came to destroy the work of the devil. "
"There are many accounts in Scripture where Jesus ministered to people who were demon possessed. Jesus discerned what spirit was controlling that person - he addressed it - and cast it out. So I believe we need to walk in the gift of discernment also. This is just one of the nine gifts that are given to us from the Holy Spirit to love people well. We have been given authority to cast out demons, heal the sick, and even raise the dead."
"I think it is interesting that the disciples were so filled with faith in what Jesus said they would do as believers, that they came running back to the Lord and said "Jesus, WHY couldn't we cast out the demons?". Oh, that the church today, would have that mind-set and would not be fearful to ask the Father "WHY". Are we ready to hear from the Father that we are not prepared? Are we ready to repent from our unbelief and truly receive and walk in full authority as Sons? Are we willing to sacrifice (fast and pray) to see people be set free."
"But I also believe that if we walk in the Spirit we will crucify our flesh, and not give in to the deeds that come from walking in the flesh."
"I had a man tell me one time that he needed deliverance. I asked him why he thought that. He said he was really struggling with his thoughts. I realized that his struggle wasn't demonic. It was just his flesh, and he needed to learn how to crucify his flesh, by learning how to appropriate what God has accomplished through Christ."
Knowing the Inner Man
Eph 3:14-20
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations.
2 Cor 4: 16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things seen; for what is seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
I think so many time we worry about the needs of our outer man, that we miss the provision of the Father. It is important for us to know who we our in the inner man, because that is who we really are, that is where we can come into the eternal purposes of our Father. That is where we can fulfill the good works that the Father has called us to do in Christ. The inner man is the man we are becoming, so we can do the works Jesus did and yet greater, you are never going to do great works for the Father by your flesh, it is only by the spirit. The outer man has to die, so the inner man can come into his purpose.
I believe you will never come into the understanding of the Kingdom and the purpose of our Father, until we come into the knowing of who we are in Christ by the spirit man. We are to know one another after the inner man not the outer man.
Grace on your journey.
Doug
End of the World
I am with Lee Williams in Ushuaia, Argentina which is also called the end of the world. Lee and Dori are thinking about moving here from Arequipa, Peru. I am reminded of Acts 1:8 and now we are here preaching the Kingdom of God at the end of the earth.
We have meet people here that have got excited when they heard about being part of the family of God instead of just being members of a religious group.
Remember Lee and Dori in your prayer as they walk on the path laid before them.
Blessings and grace on your journey.
ENJOYING THE FATHER’S PLAN
Ephesians 1:3-8 How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son
I really like the idea that God took pleasure in the thinking out the plan that he had for us to walk in. I can relate to taking pleasure in the planning of things I do with my children and grandchildren. I take delight in thinking about what would be a blessing to them and how much fun they will have.
Rita might spend hours in the kitchen planning and fixing the food that we will enjoy with our family and friends before they ever come - and then we can simply enjoy our time together. Sometimes it is fun to get everybody in on the preparation - and enjoy the process and fellowship. Either way - it is the time together that is sweet!
Our Father has given us everything we need to fulfill His plans that He has for us to do in Christ. We can bring joy to His heart by receiving and enjoying and doing what He has predestined for us.
Enjoy His presence in your walk of faith.
Doug
Welcome to my New Site
Ben helped me today fire up my new web site, I am learning how to post and add pictures. I am hoping you will enjoy it.
Here are our friends Michael and Pam O'Shields, we where in Ireland when this picture was taken.
Michael wrote this song.
Prepare a place for you
I was reading John 14, In My Father's house are many dwelling places.( G3438 a staying, abiding, dwelling, indwelling, to make an abode, this is talking about the Father and Jesus living within us.) if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place ( G5117 place, any portion or space marked off, inhabited place, as a city, village, district) for you. If I go and prepare a place(G5117) for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
I think we need to understand, that Jesus is not talking about a house for us in heaven after we die, but a place where Jesus and the Father can abide in us here on earth. Where is that place? I believe that it is in Christ. Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
The Father's heart for us to do good works are not in heaven after we die, but here and now on the earth. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being. The works that I do is no longer me, but Christ working though me.
John 14:10-13 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me. The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does is works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Notice that Jesus told us that He would do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Not that we would be glorified in our ministry. We need to understand, it is all about Him. Jesus told us that He is the radiance of the Father's glory and the exact representation of the Father's nature.
Jesus's heart was to only do that which pleased His Father. I think we need to ask ourself a question here. It is not what we do, but why we are doing it.
Jesus tell us that He has ask the Father to give us another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will in you.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.
If anyone loves Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
Are you hearing this, I got excited when I was reading this. Jesus prepare a place for Him and the Father to abide within us. Think about it, the fullness of the Father abides in us. Wow
The Holy Spirit which the Father has sent us in Jesus name, is teaching us all things and bringing to remembrance all that Jesus told us.
We are not orphans, but are sons because Jesus and the Father has made their abode within us.
We didn't choose Him, but He chose us. John 15
Eph 1 the Message puts it this way. How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessings in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.
Think about these things, and enter His rest, and walk in His peace.
Grace on your journey.
Doug
Don’t Bargain with God
Sometimes we think that we have to bargain with God, I will do this, if you do that. With this way of thinking we end up being performers instead of sons. There is a truth in the word, about what you do, and what the Father will do. But we should be doing what He commands us because we love Him and want to be more like Him. Not because of what we can get from Him.
I like what Luke and Hebrews tells us about this from the message.
Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Let us remember, that it was the Father who choose us and called us His own. We are children of the King, a chosen people a Holy Nation. We are to walk as Sons and Daughter,for that is the truth of who we are.
Blessings
Doug
Be Bold with God’s Gift
Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.
That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Loisto your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end. So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
I was blessed by what Paul wrote in 2 Tim 1, it reminds me of the faithfulness of our Father, who has called us before the foundation of the earth, and has predestined us to good works in Christ Jesus.
Remember we are in the world but not of the world, we are spiritual not fleshly. We are a chosen people, set aside for the Father's own purpose. Our Father knows the end before the beginning. We not only trust the Lord, He is our trust, and we will be fruitful even in dry places.
Grace on your journey.
Doug