HANDS... the LAYING ON of....

HOLY HANDS

...for praying, for ministering,

for blessing, for worship...

Furthermore,

where does "laying on of hands" come in ?

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Is this use of our hands in accordance with Scripture?

Is it in accordance with the SPIRIT of GOD?

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The laying of on hands is found in only a few Scriptures. If one walks into many churches nowadays, one will find the "laying on of hands" going on with familiarity and ease... with everybody jumping into "doing" this. Is it in keeping with the WORD+ of GOD, both in Spirit and in Writing?

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<(((><

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Let's look at the Scriptures pertaining to the laying on of hands and evaluate: is it being done as the WORD+ of GOD teaches us to do it?

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But before we begin with Scriptures, let me share about three separate incidences of laying on of hands.

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The first one occurred in a conservative Anabaptist church. A church family was preparing to leave on a missionary journey. At the end of the church service, the congregation was called to "lay hands on the family" and pray. So, the men, women, and children of the congregation gathered around the family and did that. Later, the sisters were summoned to a Sunday School room and, after a time of sharing by a visiting sister, they laid hands on her and prayed.

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The second incident was in an evangelical Baptist church... one known for being on fire for GOD... and a similar situation occurred. Men, women, and children laid hands on the couple going forth on the missionary trip and prayed for them.
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The third incident happened in a small charismatic prayer meeting in a pastor's home, where, after a time of sharing, a lady was encircled for prayer. The pastor called for the sisters to come forward and lay hands on the lady during the prayer. So... we did.

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Was all that... or any of that... Scriptural? In other words, were these seemingly well-meaning activities which were sanctioned by the pastors and leaders of 3 very different church groups done IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WORD+ of GOD ?
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Now that we have started with the examples of the activities of current day Christians, let us return to the TRUE PLACE where we ALWAYS should start: with the WORD+ of GOD.... written for our benefit, for:

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All Scripture is given by inspiration of GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in RIGHTEOUSNESS: that the man of GOD may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (Written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy... 2 Timothy 3:16,17)

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<(((><

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The first passage in Scripture is found in Acts 8:17-19 ~

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Then laid they (Peter and John) their hands on them (the new Samaritan believers) , and they received they HOLY GHOST. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the Apostles' hands the HOLY GHOST was given , he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the HOLY GHOST.

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~ ~ ~ So we see here that the Apostles laid hands on the new believers and prayed for them (see verse 15) and the new believers received the HOLY SPIRIT. That is, the church leaders in authority did the laying on of hands and the result was the baptism of the HOLY SPIRIT.

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~~ The second passage is found in I Timothy 4:14, where the Apostle Paul is speaking to Timothy with words of advice ~~

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Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

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Here we see that a Spiritual gift was bestowed upon Timothy. It came through the means of prophecy at the time of the laying on of hands. The hands-laying was those of the presbytery, or ordained eldership, the brothers appointed to be in charge.

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<(((><

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~ ~ ~ In the third passage, which is found in Hebrews 6:2, we have the Apostle admonishing the Brethren, saying they should be ready for MEAT but instead, they are in need of being re-taught as babes that need MILK. He says:

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Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of CHRIST, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward GOD, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

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In other words, the Apostle is saying let us not do again... over and over... the primary, beginning things of a Christian's walk. He is not saying let's stop these things totally, but let us not make these things the SUM TOTAL of Christianity. For, it is not the totality.

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But rather, let us GO ON towards maturity, REALLY picking up one's cross and following CHRIST as HE+ instructed us to do... to bring forth that good fruit which the Husbandman (The FATHER) is looking for... to decrease so that CHRIST+ would increase in our lives.

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~ ~ ~ ~ Also, in I Timothy 5:22, the Apostle is instructing Timothy in the order of the Church. He says:

Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The last Scriptural passage I found was in Acts 13:1-3 where Saul and Barnabus were separated out by the HOLY SPIRIT for their work. The Prophets and Teachers in the Antioch Church ministered to the LORD and fasted. Then the HOLY SPIRIT spoke to them about Saul and Barnabus.

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And when they (the prophets and teachers, all ordained brothers of the church) had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them (Saul and Barnabus), they sent them away.

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<(((><

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Now, to return to our topic:

Is laying on of hands Scriptural?

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YES... if it is done the same way as it was done in Scripture.

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By whom was it done?

The Apostles, prophets, or elders

( the brothers ordained to lead the church)

did the laying on of hands.

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<(((><

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Nowhere in Scripture is laying on of hands done by the congregation at large, the brothers and sisters in a prayer group, the unordained brothers, any of the sisters, or the children. It was considered a very serious thing to transfer very serious anointing and authority upon the one being prayed for.

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<(((><

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If we want The LORD'S blessing

then we must do it HIS+ way;

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HE+ is not obliged to honor

strange fire on the altar.

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In fact, HE+ loathes

the disregard of HIS+ Word.

(See Levitucus 10:1)

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O LORD GOD, FATHER of all mercies, help us to do Thy Work Thy way, so that it will be acceptable unto THEE. Deliver us from being out-of-order before Thy Majesty. Alert us when we are moving in opposition or in ignorance to Thy Holy Word. Awake in us a desire for pureness and holiness when we come before Thee. Help us to turn away from following the crowd in practices that are not sanctioned by Thy HOLY SPIRIT. Keep us from presumptuous sin. This we ask through Thy Great Mercies, in the name of Thy SON+ JESUS CHRIST, our LORD. Amen.

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+ + +

TRUTH IS FALLEN IN THE STREET...

Truth is fallen in the street...

And judgment is turned away backward,

and justice standeth afar off;

for Truth is fallen

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in the street,

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and equity cannot enter.

Yea, truth faileth;

and he that departs from evil

makes himself a prey:

and the LORD saw it,

and it displeased HIM

that there was no judgment.
Isaiah 59:14, 15

The age of apostacy is dead-set upon us. The lies are waxing bolder and stronger. Even the pretense of right-thinking has become warped. This is what we've seen this last week:

• a health "reform" bill in Congress that would have mandatory counseling to the elderly on medical monies from the government about how to commit suicide...

• That same bill would diminish treatments (i.e., payment for) quality treatment for the chronically ill and handicapped... especially if their conditions were not hopeful.

• a blasphemous set of statements about The LORD JESUS CHRIST on YouTube
  
• a book written about a man meeting "GOD" in a shack... where the HOLY FATHER of Our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST is portrayed as a woman ! WHAT "GOD" COULD THAT BE?

How can Christians know

what is Truth?

The only way to recognize Truth is by holding issues up to the Life+ in JESUS CHRIST, as found in the Gospels... not in the imagination of man. We hold these issues up to the Light+ and "see" them for what they are.

Like the sunflower, we turn always toward the Light+ in JESUS CHRIST and we follow HIM+. We do NOT swerve to the left or to the right.

That Life+ in JESUS CHRIST is gained by death.

THIS "DEATH" is Not the sick urge "for the good of society" toward suicide or eliminating the non-producers of society...

...but by the denial of our flesh for the sake of being His+ disciples and out of an obedient, love-faith relationship with CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. (Thank you, Brother David Bercot!)

When we start denying our flesh, picking up our cross, and TRULY spend our time, energy, and thoughts following JESUS...

...then we will know Truth.

The real, unshackled

HOLY SPIRIT, HOLY FATHER, and HOLY SON+

will come to abide in us then

and we will recognize the phony,

the placating,

the apostate,

and the wicked spirits

that are pouring forth

from men

who will NEVER

deny themselves

for the sake of CHRIST JESUS.

That is how we discern the difference between good and evil.

<(((><

For they that are after the flesh

do mind the things of the flesh;

but

they that are after the SPIRIT

the things of the SPIRIT.

For to be carnally minded is death;

but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is

enmity against GOD:

for it is not subject
to the law of GOD,

neither indeed can be.

So then they

that are in the flesh

cannot please GOD.

Romans 8:5-8

Season of the INCARNATION
Day 7
Year of Our LORD,
12.31.2008


O Earth, Earth, Earth,
hear the WORD of the LORD.

O Eretz, Eretz, Eretz,
shemai D’BAR JeHoVaH !
(HEBREW) Jeremiah 22:29

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD,
that I will raise unto David
a Righteous BRANCH+,

and a KING+ shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

In HIS+ days Judah shall be saved,
and Israel shall dwell safely: and

this is HIS+ Name
whereby HE+ shall be called,

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jeremiah 23:5-6

Neither is there Salvation in any other:
for there is none other NAME+
under Heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12


O Earth, Earth, Earth,
hear the WORD of the LORD.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, [Adonai JEHOVAH]
Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a STONE+,
a tried STONE+,
a Precious CORNERSTONE+,
a sure Foundation:
he that believeth shall not make haste
[i.e., not hurry due to anxiety, fear, or alarm].
Isaiah 28:16

O Earth, Earth, Earth,
hear the WORD of the LORD.

Unto you therefore which believe
HE+ is precious:
but unto them which are disobedient,
the STONE+ which the builders disallowed,
the Same is made the HEAD+ of the Corner,

And a STONE+ of stumbling, and a ROCK+ of offense,
even to them which stumble at the WORD,
being disobedient:
whereunto also they were appointed.

O Earth, Earth, Earth,
hear the WORD of the LORD.

But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation,
a peculiar people;

that ye should
shew forth the praises of HIM+
Who+ hath called you out of darkness
into HIS+ marvellous Light;


Which in time past were not a people,
but are now the people of GOD:
which had not obtained mercy,
but now have obtained mercy.
1 Peter 2:7-10

O Earth, Earth, Earth,
hear the WORD of the LORD.

<(((>< O My+ People, listen to ME+. The hour of testing is nearly upon you. Put your trust in ME+ and turn to ME+ with your whole heart, leaving nothing un-surrendered. I will take care of you if you yield. If you do not yield your all, you have put a barrier between ME+ and thee. Hear My+ Word.

In the Name of The FATHER,
The SON+,
and The Blessed HOLY SPIRIT,
both now and forever.
Amen.
+ + +

Day 3 ~~ Season of the Incarnation

Season of the INCARNATION
Day 3
Year of Our LORD,
12.27.2008

“Lift up your heads…”

Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
and be ye lift up,
ye everlasting doors;
and the King+ of Glory shall come in.

Who is this KING+ of Glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads,
O ye gates;
even lift them up,
ye everlasting doors;
and the KING+ of Glory shall come in.

Who is this KING+ of Glory?
The LORD of Hosts,
[ of divine, Heavenly Armies]

HE+ is the KING+ of Glory.

Psalm 24:7-10

<(((><

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“Lift up your heads…” we can feel the marvelous victory of this elated phrase, but do we realize all that it entails?
The word head is ROSH in Hebrew. That word and its related form, RAYSH, appear about 596 times in the Old Covenant (Old Testament), according to William White, Jr.* Yes, it does mean a head of a body, animal, or statue, but it has several other usages in the Hebrew Bible.

Interestingly, to “lift up the head” is a figure of speech used often in the Psalms and indicating an intention to begin a war, the most violent kind of self-assertion, according to Mr. White.

With the coming of Emmanuel, GOD-with-us, The LORD declared war on the kingdom of darkness entrapping the human race. Even more, The LORD declared His means of victory: HIS+ Only-Begotten SON.

That… or more accurately stated, HE+… was HIS weapon of warfare. HE+ was all that was needed to deliver mankind from the traps and lies of the adversary… the same adversary who was walking about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

PEACE, yes, was announced to mankind upon the Birth of JESUS CHRIST, not simply to all men, but rather to all who would respond to His+ invitation to repent and follow HIM+.

But at His+ Birth, WAR was announced to His+ enemies, the enemies of GOD. WAR was announced to the rulers of the darkness of this age and to the keepers of the gates of hell [Hades].

Thus, at the remembrance of His+ Incarnation, we need to remember BOTH of His+ announcements: a promise of WAR and a promise of PEACE. Both promises are a matter of great rejoicing! Both promises are for our benefit. And indeed, we cannot have one without the other.

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Bless GOD,
FATHER, SON+, and HOLY SPIRIT!
Blessed be HIS+ Kingdom
forever and ever!
Amen.
+ + +






*Information about head is from William White Jr., editor of the Hebrew section of W.E. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, pp. 105-106; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville; 1996.

Day 2 ~ Season of the Incarnation

Season of the INCARNATION
Day 2
Year of Our LORD,
12.26.2008



WHO
is this KING+ of Glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a SON+ is given: and the government shall be upon HIS+ shoulder…

Lift up your heads,
O ye gates;
even lift them up,
ye everlasting doors;
and the KING+ of Glory shall come in.

Who is
this KING+ of Glory?

…and HIS+ name shall be called
Wonderful Counsellor…
Emmanuel, GOD with us…

…The mighty GOD…
The LORD of Hosts…


…The everlasting FATHER…
I and my FATHER are One.
John 10:30

…The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Peace
I leave with you,
My+ peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27

Who is
this KING+ of Glory?

The LORD of Hosts,
[of Divine, Heavenly Armies]

JEHOVAH SABBAOTH

HE+ is the KING+ of Glory.

Psalm 24:8-10

Glory be to The FATHER, and to The SON+, and to the HOLY SPIRIT. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen!

+ + +

Day 1... Season of the Incarnation

Season of the INCARNATION
Day 1
Year of Our LORD,
12.25.2008

Who is this KING+ of Glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads,
O ye gates;
even lift them up,
ye everlasting doors;
and the KING+ of Glory shall come in.

Who is this KING+ of Glory?

The LORD of Hosts,
HE+ is the KING+ of Glory.

Psalm 24:8-10

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JOY… yes, true and ever-lasting JOY is slated for us earthlings… for all of us who hear AND RESPOND to HIS+ Invitation to come to the Water of LIFE+.
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Bless GOD,
FATHER, SON+, and HOLY SPIRIT!
Blessed be HIS+ Kingdom
forever and ever!
Amen.

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On this day picked by most of the Christian world (arbitrarily, not historically with any amount of accuracy), we remember the wondrous INCARNATION of Our LORD. GOD’S Only-Begotten SON+ was made flesh and dwelt among us. We never forget that HE+ was born to die… so that we might have life… and that life, more abundantly.

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Bless GOD,
FATHER, SON+, and HOLY SPIRIT!
Blessed be HIS+ Kingdom
forever and ever!
Amen.

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In this, we rejoice with personal joy, the joy that is unspeakable and full of glory! But, as we read this great Psalm 24, we get a picture of His+ global and Heavenly victory. The LORD of Hosts, as HE+ is often referred to in the Old Testament, does NOT mean the LORD of the twinkling stars in space… although HE+ is ruler over them also.

The LORD GOD of SABBAOTH means in Hebrew the LORD of the divine, Heavenly armies. Who, indeed, will be able to stand when HE+ returns with this mighty host? Recall that just one angel slew 185,000 men when Israel was besieged by Sennacherib of Syria, with no hope for survival (2 Kings 19). [ One night’s work for Him.]

Night is drawing nigh for this earth and the final showdown between The LORD and the powers of darkness is taking shape. We REJOICE to see that HIS+ Day is coming ONCE AGAIN. Even though as long as we are on this earth we must follow our Example+ as meek Lambs of GOD, the LAMB+ will soon return as a Ruling LION ! At that time, HE+ will bring victory over BOTH the earthly kingdom of sin and the spiritual kingdom of darkness. HE+ will rule both with a Rod of Iron.

.

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Hallelujah! Our GOD reigns!

Bless GOD,
FATHER, SON+, and HOLY SPIRIT!
Blessed be HIS+ Kingdom
forever and ever!
Amen.
+ + +

Advent Meditation ~~ Day 24

Advent Day 24
Year of Our LORD,
12.24.2008

O sing unto the LORD a new song;
for HE hath done marvellous things:
His Right Hand, and His Holy Arm,
hath gotten HIM+ the victory.

And the SPIRIT and the Bride say,
Come.

The LORD hath made known His salvation:
His righteousness hath
HE openly shewed
in the sight of the heathen.

And let him that heareth say,
Come.

HE hath remembered His mercy
and His truth
toward the House of Israel:
all the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God.

And let him that is athirst
come.

Make a joyful noise
unto the LORD,
all the earth:
make a loud noise,
and rejoice,
and sing praise.

Sing unto the LORD
with the harp;
with the harp,
and the voice of a psalm.

With trumpets
and sound of cornet
make a joyful noise before the
LORD, the King.

And whosoever will,
let him take the water of life freely.

Let the sea roar,
and the fulness thereof;
the world,
and they that
dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands:
let the hills be joyful together
Before the LORD;
for he cometh
to judge the earth:
with righteousness
shall he judge the world,
and the people with equity.

Psalm 98

<(((><

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I JESUS have sent Mine angel
to testify unto you
these things in the Churches.
I am the Root and the Offspring of David,
and the Bright and Morning Star.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
And let him that heareth say, Come.
And let him that is athirst come.

And whosoever will,
let him take the water of life freely.
Rev. 22: 16-17

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Isra-El. O Come, O Come , Emmanuel. We await Thy Dawning of the New Day, the Eighth Day in the Kingdom of Man.

Hallelujah,
for the LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT REIGNETH!
HALLELUJAH!
+ + +

Advent Day 23
Year of Our LORD,
12.23.2008

Who+,
being in the form of GOD,
thought it not robbery
to be equal with GOD:
(a thing to be held onto)

But made HIMSELF+
of no reputation,
and took upon HIM+
the form of a servant,
and was made
in the likeness of men:
Phil. 2:6-7

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As the whole cast of Heavenly Host from above and the demonic host confined to the atmosphere of the earth watched in either glory or horror… The Prince of GOD …the True and Living Isra-El … became clothed with human flesh. The Bright and Morning Star, The Lily of the Valley, was indeed made in the likeness of men… not a pleasant proposition.

HE+ did this so that he could taste death for every man… for whosoever will come.

What a mighty GOD we serve! Not only that HE+ could do such a feat… but that HE+ would do it for such as we are.


O LORD our GOD, we praise THEE for doing for us what we could not nor would not do for ourselves. Help us to turn from Self so thoroughly that we will cast down our reputations and not look back. Like the Apostle Paul, may we count our reputations and all our achievements in the eyes of men as dung … because that is what they are in the eyes of GOD.

Help, us, O LORD, to become like Thy Beloved SON+ JESUS in Whom+ THOU wast well-pleased.

This we pray in the name of The FATHER,

Who created us,

His Beloved SON+

Who+ saves us,

and The Blessed HOLY SPIRIT

Who sanctifies us.

Amen

+ + +

Advent Meditations ~~~ Day 21

[picture is from an Advent Calendar, all rights reserved]

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Advent Meditation

Day 21

Year of Our LORD,

12.21.2008

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.

The LORD is gracious,

and full of compassion;

slow to anger,

and of great mercy.

.

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The LORD is good to all:

and HIS tender mercies

are over all HIS works.

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All Thy works shall praise THEE, O LORD,

and Thy saints shall bless THEE+ .

Psalm 145: 8-10

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<(((><

GRACIOUS LORD, HEAVENLY FATHER, I thank THEE and bless THEE forever and ever for THOU, O LORD, art my dwelling place for all generations. Who in the skies can be compared unto THEE? THOU are worthy of praise, O MOST HIGH! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

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In the name of The FATHER, Who created me, T

he SON+ Who+ saves me,

and The HOLY SPIRIT, Who sanctifies me.

+ + +

The ANGEL of The LORD ENCAMPETH...

The Angel of The LORD

encampeth round about

them that fear HIM+,

and

delivereth them.

Psalm 34:7

The BARN-BREAKER

A dear Brother in The LORD, a close friend, experienced a miraculous deliverance this week... and indeed, the miracle is STILL going on. Here is his true story:

Our Brother is an experienced pilot. He flies an ultra-light, a "flying parachute" for business and for fun. As he was flying this week close to his home, a living nightmare happened.

Unbeknownst to him, his chute caught a tree branch then quickly other things happened until... he was slammed at 30-plus miles per hour into the side of a barn!

He was conscious after the impact of the accident. He called his wife. He told her to come quickly, thinking he would be dead before she got there.

He said, " LORD, I think I may be gonna' die. If I am, I hope I'm ready. If I don't, show me what to say [ to others.] "

The medics came quickly, but had to wait on special equipment to extricate him from the side of the barn.

To one side were LARGE, LONG NAILS protruding from the barn... but he hit next to them. One foot higher was the eve of the barn roof. If he'd have hit that eve, he would have been DECAPITATED instantly.

As it was, he sustained a crushed sternum bone and 9 broken ribs, plus two small punctures in his lungs. The medical staff at the hospital was concerned about those punctures and worked on him to keep his lungs breathing at full capacity.

They sent him home from the hospital after being there for only 36 hours... possibly because they have no hospitalization insurance. He works independently as a home remodeler.

So, along with his injuries, came the cost of survival, a cessation of his immediate work, and a likely future of not-being-able to work for some time. He has a wife and toddler at home, whom they plan to home-school and indeed, have already started pre-K activities in a Christian setting in their home.

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WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THE LORD DID ?

HE+ had the spectacular accident televised on the evening news across the city. Then, HE+ had his wife's former employer notify them of a TRUST FUND set up to pay their medical expenses AND to sustain them until our Brother can return to some kind of work.

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WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THE LORD DID NEXT?

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HE+ had his wife's sister... a physician's assistant (right next to a doctor, in medical status) come to visit from hundreds of miles away. Thus, when our Brother got home from the hospital, THE LORD had somebody WELL-TRAINED IN MEDICAL THINGS there at home, ready and waiting, at no cost to them!

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NOW, WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE HAPPENED AFTER THAT ?

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As they were dressing our brother to come home from the hospital, they noticed that... with 9 broken ribs and a puncture in his lungs... HE WAS NOT BRUISED! Yes, the doctors WERE AMAZED!

And we were too, with tears in our eyes, at the great faithfulness of GOD the FATHER ALMIGHTY.

Later, his wife told us that the LORD showed her that HE+ came between that side of the barn and our brother.

Let us NEVER UNDER-ESTIMATE the power of the Risen LORD. Let us go on towards King JESUS, giving HIM+ the cream of our time, effort, and strength. We all know the signs of the times: the DAYS ARE NUMBERED for this current civilization.

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Let us walk WISELY, redeeming the time, for the DAY IS FAR SPENT; night is close at hand. Tomorrow is NOT PROMISED... for young and old alike.

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Blessing and honor

and glory and power,

be unto HIM that

sitteth upon the THRONE,

and unto The LAMB+

... FOREVER AND EVER.

amen.

MEDITATION on The WORD of GOD

PSALM 5:8

Lead me, O LORD,

in THY+ righteousness

because of mine enemies;

make THY+ way straight

before my face.

<(((><

MEDITATIONS on The WORD of GOD

PSALM 4:3

But know that the LORD

hath set apart

him that is godly

for HIMSELF+:

The LORD will hear

when I call unto HIM+.

<(((><

MEDITATIONS on The WORD of GOD

PSALM 3:3

But thou, O LORD,

art a shield for me;

my glory,

and the lifter up of mine head.

<(((><

MEDITATIONS on The WORD of GOD

...The Rose of Sharon...

MEDITATIONS on The WORD of GOD

Hear The Words of The LORD JESUS CHRIST:

Matthew 6:31-32
Therefore take no thought, saying,

What shall we eat?

or, What shall we drink?

or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)

for your heavenly FATHER knoweth

that ye have need of all these things.

.

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<(((><

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Judgment seems to be falling upon the world-wide mammon-serving system, the system. IT SHOULD. It is the mammon system which keeps men enslaved, by either love of mammon ...or fear of mammon. Sadly, engendering covetousness is a multi-million dollar business in western civilization and we have all been the victims of its programmed covetousness. The well-planned system of Covetousness as well as mammon will be judged.

Therefore, it is high time we Christians extricate ourselves from mammon’s control. We can only do this through The WORD of GOD, by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT, by serving CHRIST JESUS and doing HIS+ Will. We don’t want to fall under the Divine Judgment most assuredly coming against these kings of the earth and their system of unjust weights and measures or their system of covetousness. They are over-ripe for the judgment coming.

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<(((><

Let us pray:

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Forgive me, O LORD GOD, that I have taken the blessings of food and clothing and shelter for granted so much of my life. LORD JESUS, my KING, turn me away from coveting my neighbors' clothes, houses, lands, cars, modern conveniences, or life-styles.

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Forgive me for feasting my eyes upon magazines, advertisements, and even store windows which engender discontent and covetousness in me. Cleanse me of sowing to the flesh instead of unto Thy+ SPIRIT.

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Cleanse me of allowing mammon to make me afraid. Help me to put Your Kingdom and the furtherance of it above my material wants.

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Help me to live simply for Your Sake+, so that I may bear perfect witness of YOU, My LORD and MASTER+. Re-teach me how to be content and to stop lusting after the things of this world.

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Help me to lay up my security for the future into Your KINGDOM... and Yours alone. It will never fail, like the banks and retirement accounts and all the temporal securities that promise my future well-being, in the kingdom of mammon.

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I give you thanks and praise, O LORD, for removing me from this world's mammon-serving values and putting me solidly into Your KINGDOM. I pledge my allegiance unto YOU, O LORD, both now and forever. Amen.

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<(((><... swim in the waters of your baptism.

MEDITATIONS on The WORD of GOD...

Meditations for Troublous Times

from The LIVING WORD+ of GOD

Hear the Words of The LORD JESUS CHRIST:

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BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD,
and HIS+ righteousness;
and all these things

shall be added unto you.

TAKE THEREFORE NO THOUGHT

FOR THE MORROW:
for the morrow shall take thought

for the things of itself.

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Matthew 6:33-34

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Our LORD JESUS CHRIST told us how to live in regards to mammon. HE+ lived that way HIMSELF+... setting our example.

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Let us pray:

LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON+ of GOD, I worship You and thank You for providing for me from the beginning of my life unto this very day.

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Forgive me, LORD, for taking all manner of thought for the morrow. Turn me from having one eye on the Kingdom of GOD… and the other on some kind of temporal security!

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Grant me the courage, O LORD, to actually seek first the Kingdom of GOD and Thy+ Righteousness. When my hands are FULL of doing Your Will, I know securely my heart and my soul and my body shall rest, because YOU have promised and GOD is not a man, that HE+ should lie.

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Forgive me for crossing, for transgressing, Your Holy Words, LORD JESUS.

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I acknowledge that YOU+ and YOU+ ALONE are the KING of kings and the LORD of lords. Therefore, I commit my life… and my keeping unto THEE +, KING of all the ages … both now and for all Eternity.

Amen.

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<(((>< ... swim in the waters of your baptism...

LAWS of NATURE...

The Laws of Nature

Established by GOD;
…Kept by GOD


GOD does not cross the laws of nature.

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In the natural scheme of events, we cannot willfully leap over a cliff and hope that HE+ will keep us from a bad landing. UNLESS HE+ SUSPENDS THE LAW OF GRAVITY JUST FOR US, we will land with a crash and likely be killed.

Yes, HE+ could send His+ angel to keep us, but we remember the Words of our LORD: Thou shalt not tempt the LORD Thy GOD.

Simply put, this law of nature means we cannot eat pizzas constantly and have The LORD lower our cholesterol! We cannot refuse to exercise our bodies and expect The LORD to make them work well. We cannot neglect to put gasoline and oil in our vehicle and expect The LORD to make it run for us.

We cannot ignore bad behavior out of our children and expect The LORD to give them a good character. Likewise, we cannot ignore sowing to the Spirit and expect The LORD to grant us closeness unto HIM+.

Now, this is NOT to discount miraculous deliveries from such things as come upon us, but in the normal run of events, the laws of nature are simply not suspended for human beings, including Christians.

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Why is this ?

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The LORD loves discipline… not punishment… but a discipline in our walk. This may come as a great surprise to most Christians; it certainly did to me! This disciplined walk functions as our training ground for spiritual things like: steadfastness, maturity, and spiritual warfare.

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Why is discipline important ?

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We have been raised to indulge our every desire, whim, and taste bud.

Our flesh demands to be served, both by the Adamic nature we inherited as humans and by the worldly culture we have inhaled.

Furthermore, this is true for every person on this earth NO MATTER how sophisticated or UNsophisticated his society may be.

Why should we be surprised? One reason is that we have been taught, in one way or another, that we are free in CHRIST… therefore, we don’t have to “DO” anything… just believe.

Yes, we are free in CHRIST: free to worship HIM+ without fear of the devil snatching us away … although we CAN WILLFULLY walk away of our own free will.

We are free from being defeated by the devil … if we hold fast to Truth in the inner man, agreeing with The Word in all things. We are free in CHRIST IF we walk in the Spirit, instead of our flesh. Our FATHER’S+ ears will not be deaf to our cry

We are free to deny ourselves, knowing CHRIST loves us… thus we are freed of self-indulging ourselves to make up for lost love which we feel we have missed.

We are free to walk away from the temporal pleasure of sin, knowing His+ Blessed HOLY SPIRIT will help us to live sin-free, victoriously.

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But…
we are NOT free from training ourselves

to follow HIM+ more closely,

more precisely,

and more fully.

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This personal training, this personal discipline, is what is missing in this current church age.

This is NOT keeping the Mosaic Law, as talked about in Galatians. This is NOT earning or working to enter into His+ Salvation.

It is being trained, as any child is trained in the ways of its parents, in order to grow into productive, fruitful, and happy maturity.

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It is a sad commentary that the military can train its personnel with more discipline than the church trains its soldiers for spiritual warfare.

It is sad that schools, colleges, and technical centers train their students to have more discipline, to pass the tests and achieve that certification, to work more skillfully on that job, than the church trains its newborns.

It is sad that high school and college bands and football teams demand more rigorous hours of rigorous training…. some, including diet and exercise workouts… than do the churches of the LIVING GOD.

Even Little League Baseball teams require training and practice by the youngsters before any baseball game gets played… not to mention the hours some of us have sat our little selves on the piano bench, training ourselves to please our parents!

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Why then does the church think

it can omit the training and discipline

for its most serious

and most purposeful warfare?

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Now, simply learning about training is NOT the same thing

as embracing the training itself.

Learning about how to do the Psalms,

how to pray,

or how to set aside time for The LORD,

is NOT THE SAME THING

as denying yourself your “free” time and

actually DOING the Psalms,

the prayer time,

the times of undistracted Quietness

before The LORD.

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None of the ungodly armies of this world put a machine gun into the hands of untrained soldiers and send them into battle and expect effective warfare… else they likely will do more harm than the enemy.

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We Christians must be trained

to use the spiritual weapons

of our warfare, also.

How and where

do we get this training?

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We seek the LORD, first, as always we do.

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Then, we let HIM+ show us how to discipline ourselves, what pleases HIM+.

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HE+ will…. if we want it.

Next, we must be trained to discipline our own flesh, by the HOLY SPIRIT. This will involve giving The LORD SOVERIEGNTY over our time, our “pet” indulgences, our entertainments, our eating, and for some, even our sleeping.

Then, HE+ will put the spiritual weapons into our hands with the instructions of how to use them.

Right now, though, the majority of us are UNtrained and a number of us could NOT even be counted as “soldiers” in the Kingdom of GOD. We will fall at the beginning of a battle and at the rumblings of persecution.

Let us pick up HIS+ yoke;
it is easy and light.

HE+ is on the other side
of the double-tree yoke,
pulling it along with us.

The Apostle’s words from 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27:

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Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

The Apostle’s words from Hebrews 1:21 :

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…

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Therefore, with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of Heaven,
we laud and magnify Thy Glorious Name,
Evermore praising THEE+ and saying:

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY,
LORD GOD OF HOSTS,
HEAVEN AND EARTH
ARE FULL OF THY GLORY.

GLORY BE TO THEE+ ,
O LORD MOST HIGH !

Our training is to help us worship

the LORD OUR GOD

with a heart full of... HIMSELF+!

Sister Judith Hannah
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