Oración contestada

Oración contestada

Traducción por Alfredo MagniSozzi

La oración es la respiración de nuestra vida espiritual. Una vida cristiana sin oración es como no respirar y esperar seguir viviendo. La oración es nuestro salvavidas hacia Dios, es algo que nosotros, como cristianos, debemos hacer con regularidad, incluso de la misma forma con la que tomamos aire. Un hombre sabio dijo una vez: “… La oración es el aliento de un alma recién nacida, y no puede haber vida sin ella”. Muchas personas hablan de tener una “vida de oración” tan casualmente como hablan de respirar, pero es no es solo alguna estructura o forma de nuestra vida espiritual, sino lo que hacemos que mantiene nuestra vida en Cristo. Es un estilo de vida, no solo una “cosa” que hacemos.

Hay muchas ventajas de vivir bajo la bandera del amor de Dios, uno de esos maravillosos beneficios es la oración contestada. En Mateo 16:9-13, Jesús describe cómo orar y qué orar. En la oración reconocemos la paternidad soberana de Dios cuando decimos: “Padre nuestro, que estás en los cielos”. Podemos alabarlo por su nombre porque Su nombre representa Su naturaleza, alabamos Su mismo ser cuando decimos “Tu nombre es santo, sagrado y apartado” o “Santificado sea tu nombre”.
En nuestro tiempo de oración usamos ese tiempo para la confesión, el arrepentimiento o la búsqueda del camino a casa, el perdón, etc… y pedirle a Dios su gracia en nuestras relaciones con otras personas. Nuestro perdón por los demás va de la mano con el perdón de Dios por nosotros. Salmos 103:3 “El que perdona todas tus iniquidades, el que sana todas tus dolencias, Quien redime tu vida de la destrucción, Quien te corona con bondad y tiernas misericordias”. Si esperamos que nuestras oraciones sean contestadas, una de las claves es que perdonemos a los demás, como podemos ver en las palabras de Jesús en Lucas 6:37 “…Perdona, y serás perdonado”. Probablemente, una de las oraciones más poderosas a las que alguien podría expresar es una sola palabra a Dios:”Ayuda”. Y no podemos estar repensando Su respuesta. Muchas veces le hacemos una pregunta al Señor, lo que dijo fue “No Ahora”, pero lo repensamos para que signifique “no”. Amigos, no “no”, sino “No ahora”. Se paciente y escucha el resto de la historia que Él te quiere contar. Es más fácil decirlo que hacerlo, pero es sabiduría.

A través de la oración nos alineamos con Dios y Él nos mantiene en el camino de Su bondad y propósitos, nos mantiene en Su poder y unción, y nos defiende del mal. Él responde a nuestras oraciones cuando pedimos ayuda y en él nos encontramos con “bondad y nuestra fortaleza, que es mi refugio y mi libertador, mi escudo y Aquel en quien me refugio” (Salmo 144: 2).

Tenemos la garantía de que Dios nos escuchará y nos responderá en 1 Juan 5:14,15: “Y esta es la confianza que tenemos en él, que si pedimos alguna cosa conforme a su voluntad, él nos oye. Y si sabemos que Él nos oye en cualquier cosa que le pidamos, sabemos que tenemos las peticiones que le hayamos hecho.” En Juan 14:14, Jesús dijo: “Si algo pidiereis en mi nombre, yo lo haré”.

En el Salmo 86:7, David dijo: “En el día de mi angustia te invocaré, porque tú me responderás”. Esto sigue siendo verdad para nosotros hoy. Puede que no responda en el momento cuando queremos que lo haga, pero RESPONDERÁ.
Oración contestada, nuestras peticiones que presentamos ante el Señor serán y son atendidas. Es una característica de nuestra relación con el Dios Todopoderoso que es completamente única dentro de CUALQUIER sistema de creencias. El universo no responde a las preguntas de la gente. No tiene voz, ni ojos, ni oídos, ni compasión, ni piedad, ni juicio, ni propósito, ni sueños, ni ideas, ni personalidad. El universo es sordo, ciego y mudo sin la capacidad de rescatarte en tu momento de necesidad. Pero Dios, nuestro Dios, no solo nos da esperanza, misericordia, propósito, sueños, ideas, nos escucha y nos ve, Él tiene todas esas cosas y más. Sus oídos atentos siempre están escuchando, e incluso responde nuestras oraciones. Estas son algunas de las cosas que Dios nos da a sus hijos, con abundancia.
1. ¡Dulce hora de oración! ¡dulce hora de oración!
Que me llama desde un mundo de cuidados,
Y me ofrece en el trono de mi Padre
Dar a conocer todas mis necesidades y deseos.
En temporadas de angustia y dolor,
Mi alma a menudo ha encontrado alivio,
y a menudo escapó de la trampa del tentador,
¡Por tu regreso, dulce hora de oración!
Si le preguntas a Dios, Él te responderá. Pruébalo, habla con Jesús, Él tiene exactamente lo que necesitas. El Señor siempre actuará para tu beneficio, te escuchará cuando llames y te responderá.
Soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo En Su Nombre.
Traducción por Alfredo MagniSozzi

Living Like Jesus

Living Like Jesus

And they all sang, “i just want to be like Jesus.” It was a glorious thing to sing, and i believe everyone was truly sincere. Yet, i’m certain if we want to live like Jesus, we’ve actually got to know something about Him, more than only what we’re told from the pulpit on Sunday. We’ve got to dig in our Bible to read, and we’ve got to pray and be involved with God to know His attributes, preferences and standards in order to actually live like Jesus. If you think it’s impossible to live like that, let me assure you that if you’ll try, God will meet you on that path and empower you to live as you’ve only sung about and wished over.

We are so often implied to by Hollywood, advertising, our state and federal government, and self-help guru’s, that if we’ll just imitate highly respected, highly motivated role models, we’ll get life back in good working order. It’s like telling people that some form of good works will get us living the high life, and nothing could be further from the truth. We’re told saying right prayers making sure to end our prayers with some magic words will do the trick. When i was a new believer a man told me that if i didn’t end my prayer saying, “In the name of Jesus”, God wouldn’t hear me, nor could He hear me. That’s foolishness. We’re told if we do the right things, long enough and loud enough, that will somehow meet the qualifications of being a good person, God will approve of us, and that will be sufficient, implying if we try hard enough it will be good enough. That’s foolishness. That’s not what God said at all, and we would know that if we’d read our Bible. We’re told that if we’ll “just do the rules”, keeping these high days, and eating that certain food, saying those special words in a special way, and using the more technically correct names, that will be enough to live the life of Christ or that somehow, it gives us an extra-special connection with God. Again, that’s foolishness. Galatians3:21, “For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.” It’s not.

No amount of good works or religious deeds or ceremonies can ever save anyone. If grace did not come by Jesus Christ then grace did not come at all. No one can earn salvation, and yet it’s available to everyone, not because we went and got it, but because Jesus gives it.

We are told that if we’ll just change our behavior, supplying all our own effort, life will change. While that may be a little true for a short while, really, it’s nothing lasting. God says He, Himself will give us the power to change, and it’s not just change He’s after but a complete metamorphosis, a total transformation. We can’t rescue ourselves…. power for salvation and transformation come from God alone. Bottom line…if God doesn’t give it, we don’t get it.

i believe too many are spinning their wheels trying to transform themselves into some semblance of Jesus, but it never really sticks because without the power of the blood of Jesus in our lives, our inclination is to always revert back to our original state of godlessness. We have to let the Lord do it in us. The power to change is from God living in us, Jesus Christ living in us, and that power comes from Him, not from within ourselves. It is totally His work and nothing we, by any means, can take credit for.

We live like Jesus by worship, and that means not by simply lifting our hands and dancing around, but in how we lead our lives, how we present ourselves, as seen most evidently in our conversation, conduct and character. That is worship…it’s when you adore someone so much, you emulate all things about them.

We live like Jesus by prayer. Philippians4:5-6 reads, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;  don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Prayer is integral to the cultivation of our relationship with the Lord, and honestly, we won’t get far without it.

We live like Jesus by studying our Bible. Jesus knew, He KNEW the scriptures, in fact He WAS and IS the scriptures. He used the words of scripture to resist temptation and said in Luke4:4 we don’t live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God. To live a spiritually upright life requires we get spiritually upright nourishment.

We live like Jesus by connecting with the Body of Christ. i didn’t say to necessarily attend a brick and mortar facility, i’m more saying we have to connect, position ourselves to have deep and meaningful dialogue with people who are honest and transparent. i believe we learn from those interactions about how to express ourselves, how to employ our giftings, and how to appreciate others who may have gifts different than ourselves. For all our criticism of the church, God loves the church and created the entire concept for more than just preaching the gospel but to help us grow.

Want to live like Jesus? Choose to be patient, to be considerate, extending yourself to others. Take time and make time to pray. Read your Bible, Jesus has a lot to say about our conversation, conduct, and character.

The Lord our God is the one who created man in His own image. We were designed to not only look like His image but to also reflect His heart. He’s the only who can finish His work in us, not just for change but for transformation.

What do you think?

Thanks for listening. i’m Social Porter with Living In His Name ministries

Misericordia y Perdón

Misericordia y Perdón

Conocí a un joven el otro día, cubierto de tatuajes, tranquilo, con una vida turbulenta y caótica… en problemas. En su cuello tenía las palabras “No Esperes Misericordia”. El tatuaje me recordó las palabras de alguien que lleva una ofensa interminable; alguien que posiblemente haya experimentado algún tipo de condenación de alguien importante en su vida en el pasado. Aprendió el estilo de vida de “Sin Misericordia” en alguna parte. Tal vez aprendió que nunca debe esperar misericordia para su vida, acciones o reacciones y, como resultado, no debe dar misericordia. ¿Dónde aprendemos estas cosas?

A veces nos tratamos bastante mal. Estoy agradecido, muy agradecido de que Dios Todopoderoso nos extienda misericordia. Empecé a pensar que si un hombre no conoce la misericordia, probablemente tampoco conozca el perdón. La palabra hebrea para misericordia denota la compasión de Dios que nos evita la destrucción o destinos tristes similares. Si Dios no nos extendiera misericordia y perdón a través de Cristo, todos estaríamos condenados desde antes de nacer, pero gracias a la misericordia de Dios, hay esperanza. Jesucristo dio Su vida y resucitó de entre los muertos por amor, y también por misericordia, por un mundo agonizante y sin esperanza de vida. Por la misericordia de Dios, a través del sacrificio de Jesucristo, “para que tengamos vida, y que ellos la tengan en abundancia”.

¿Estás ofendido? Las personas ofendidas tienen una postura de ojo por ojo, tienden a no tener piedad de sí mismos ni de los demás. Y lo que es peor, parecen ser buenos con andar ofendidos, día y noche. Tienden a ser personas enojadas, insatisfechas y sensibles, en general. Muchos de ellos parecen ser las personas más insultantes, degradantes, crudas y groseras que he conocido. Ni piensan en insultar a los demás y menospreciarlos, pero dígales algo sobre su actitud. Amigo, es mejor que tengas cuidado porque las personas ofendidas parecen listas para morder a cualquiera que los desafíe. Siempre tienen un gruñido en la garganta por algo. Creo queal final, se trata del ego, individualismo y un sentido de derecho.

¿Llevas las piedras de la ofensa para arrojaren tus bolsillos, esas piedras extra para tirar, útiles que se adaptan perfectamente a tus manos? ¿Nunca te has preguntado exactamente quién te ayudó a elegir esas piedras perfectas para lanzar? Bueno, no fue Dios, te lo aseguro.

Por increíble que parezca, la ofensa tiene facetas, a las que llamo “caras” y hay cuatro “caras” de la ofensa:

  1. Número de infracciones: Los hombres pueden perdonar algunos, pero no son propensos a perdonar con mucha repetición.
  2. Número de infractores: Los hombres pueden perdonar a uno oa unos pocos, pero cuanto mayor es el número de ofensores, menos inclinados están los hombres a perdonar.
  3. Tipo de infracción: Los hombres limitan el tipo de ofensas que perdonan, siempre que no les cueste mucho y sea para su beneficio.
  4. Grado de infracción: La gente perdonará una ofensa si es lo suficientemente pequeña como para no causar ningún daño a ellos mismos. Muchos parecen sentir que no les importa nada de lo que sucede, siempre y cuando no les suceda a ellos.

Y quiénes son los Amigos de la Ofensa: la amargura, la ira, la confusión, proyectar sombras y vilipendiar a los demás. Vienen de visita, pero luego no se van, y cuanto más se quedan, más se atrincheran. ¿Viven en tu casa? ¿Los invitaste un día cuando vinieron de visita, pero ahora no se van?

Efesios 4:31 “Quítense de vosotros toda amargura, ira, ira, gritería y maledicencia, y toda malicia”. En la traducción de la Biblia “El Mensaje”, Hebreos 12:15 señala que las semillas de la ofensa crecen, “malas hierbas de amargo descontento. Uno o dos cardos que echan semillas pueden arruinar todo un jardín en poco tiempo”. ¿Cómo crece tu jardín?

Las personas que cargan con una ofensa no conocen el perdón como Dios se lo ha extendido, y como resultado no hay mucha misericordia en ellos para ellos mismos ni para nadie más. Sin Misericordia, significa una vida predestinada a la condenación. Podemos apoyarnos en la misericordia o en la condenación, pero no puedes estar en ambos campos al mismo tiempo, la amargura te partirá por la mitad.

Quiero que todos sepamos que “Dios es pura misericordia y gracia; No se enoja fácilmente, es rico en amor. No reprocha y regaña sin cesar, ni guarda rencores para siempre. Él no nos trata como merecen nuestros pecados, ni nos paga por la totalidad de nuestros errores”. “Así que gracias a Dios por su maravilloso amor, por su misericordia milagrosa para con los niños que ama”. OH, cómo nos ama a ti y a mí.

Misericordia… eso suena como algo que quiero. ¿Y vos?

Gracias por escuchar, soy Social Porter para Living In HisNameMinistries.

Traducción por Alfredo MagniSozzi

Seasons: Part Two

 

Isaiah29 uses the word “frame” in reference to the potter who shapes the clay.

A little recap from Part I is that the idea of “framing of the seasons”, means God squeezed into shape & formed the seasons which would squeeze into shape and form the things of the earth that were in each season, including us, the people.

The Lord marked the seasons with the moon in Psalm104. The weather warms, the daylight hours get longer, things begin to grow, thus we call that season Spring. We use the phrase, “i feel like i’ve been pulled through a key hole”, implying an occasion with a reason and a cause of testing that was tough, but the good thing about that is we took the shape of the key hole, along with the tumblers and slots….squeezed into shape & form due to the season we’re in. We often feel we are caught in a pinch point, but maybe it’s really the Lord re-shaping and squeezing the clay into someone more representative of His heart. Every season has two paths, and often, we don’t see the results of the season we’re in until later, in another time.

Everyone has had, are in, or will have “seasons of storms”….it is trying and scary, true, but it should also be remembered that the very nature of a storm is transient. As has been said before, not every blue sky is from Heaven, nor is every storm from hell. There are “blue sky seasons” just like there are “stormy weather seasons”…..it all builds us into God’s people, who are coming into the likeness of the Son.

Psalms 74:16-17 speaks of the framing of seasons; Genesis 2:7 refers to God’s fashioning man from the ground, He “squeezed” man into a shape & form in that season of forming; Psalms 95:5 is an expression of the things God made, squeezed into shape, form, and function. Like when God made water. He decided how it would act under numerous circumstances, how far it would go and where…design parameters, He gave it form and resolution, He framed it, like a potter. He framed, squeezed into form & function every other thing on the earth and they all have a design specific to them defining how they act, how far they go, what they react and don’t react to. God framed them, in His season of design and implementation, as in “…in the beginning”.

In Daniel 7:12 says, “…yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time”…. for occasions with a reason and cause, to be enacted in specific spans as measured with time.

Just like there is the “Rule of First Mention”, “Law of Opposites”, and the “Law of Reaping & Sowing”, there is the “Law of Seasons”.

Among many seasons of life, there appears to be a set of four that are connected…forming a season, seasons themselves, time, and times, and there are five that follow wisdom, Character, Authority, Ministry, and Money, and they have a specific order. All are gifts from God alone, but it requires “a season”  and “seasons” to bring them to fruition in our hearts.

Godly Character without wisdom is not possible, considering encountering Christ is definitely a character building, all time life changing event. And if Jesus is the very personification of wisdom, then how do we rub shoulders with God and walk away without wisdom?

Another small recap is that authority without Godly character is like grave dirt in your food, and can be degraded by sin and poor choices with the deterioration of ministry soon to follow. Ministry without authority is not empowered to do the work, and assigning ourselves a title does not gain us the authority we wish we had. Authority, real make-a-difference authority is given by God, and contrary to popular belief, we can have no tangible ministry, but still walk in God’s authority.

When the season of learning to wield authority righteously and as holiness does it’s work, even when that season is in process, the Lord will make a way for us to put our hand of authority to ministry. That is, unless we have another idea other than God’s idea….like giving ourselves titles which are not in keeping with our gifting.            Another view of the season of authority and ministry:   Authority is to ministry, as a frame is to a picture. Authority frames ministry, but ministry never frames authority.

Authority and influence are like man and wife. A verb needs an object to act on, making the noun the beautiful bride of the verb. For a while, the noun can stand alone but is always more beautiful and complete when the verb describes it, like a frame borders and supports a picture. Marriage of a man and a woman are like the marriage of authority and influence. The man is the authority and the woman is the influence….he has a verb in his middle and she has a noun in her middle, the man “cleaves” (a verb, Gen2:24)) and the woman” desires” (a noun, Gen3:16). Authority frames the beauty of righteous influence. Ministry desires and literally runs after authority, craves authority and loves to be under authority, and is most comfortable when fully yielded and exposed to the right authority. When a man and woman waltz, the man is like a frame, framing the picture, the woman. The woman is like a picture, made beautiful by her frame, the man.            Authority follows character. It seems then, the Season of Character is a constant, God calls us from cover to cover of the Bible to come up to a higher standard of righteousness. Like the phrase in Rev11, the Lord says to us, “Come up here”, for immature character is a poor container for authority.

What part of us is developed when God asks us to practice “personal holiness”? i think character, and a Godly person who has many “seasons” under their belt is said to be “well seasoned”. We can observe the seasons changing by getting up to a high place to see the tops of the trees, similarly, from a high place, i can see my life seasons changing me by my dark hair turning gray. As my wisdom and character grow, my body dies a little more, till now my whiskers are white and i’m finally settled enough to enjoy quiet contemplation with my wife in the fall of our lives. Well seasoned indeed.

Without God’s wisdom we just look like dull river rock set in tarnished brass. It would appear the Season of Wisdom and Character are always in season, but seasons of ministry and exerting authority seem to come and go….and the season of money definitely seems to fly on the wings of the wind for most of us.

For man, where is the beginning, the place to begin his journey? The fear of God and wisdom is always the beginning place, and all things in God’s creation have a “Season of Beginnings”. There is a “Season of Rest”, and one of Fruitfulness. We have the “Season of First Things”, like Genesis, and a “Season of Last Things”, like Revelation. Of course there are many other seasons of beginnings and endings for us to ponder, like the phrase, “in good season” as in a timely manner, a man for all seasons, business in the off season, and even seasons or cycles of the heart.

Everyone is invited to partner with God for Him to take us in and out of His seasons of our design and destiny, to form us and mold us, squeeze us into shape and function. What season are you in?

i’m Social Porter with some thoughts concerning Seasons.

Seasons: Part One

The Law of Seasons Part I             

We the people have the advantage of being in the position of voluntary submission to leadership, but when the transparency of leadership is clouded, and policy is made in the back room with a board of “yes” men, not spoken for all the people to hear as an official statement from the pulpit, it causes confusion concerning what they are being asked to submit to. Policy is made from the pulpit, not in the back room in a secret meeting.1 Cor 14:8 “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?”

Present church leadership, in general, typically has the shape of a pyramid, the people sit at the bottom, then the elders sit above, and there is one person in leadership at the top, who virtually directs, and in some cases, mandates vision.

i think maybe the leadership structure should be more like an upside down pyramid, and the eldership, which is supposed to be comprised of longstanding, well broken, lots-of-miles-under -their-belt people, not “yes” people who are rubber stamps and simply do what they’re told. The pastor should never be allowed to resemble the dictator of a regime. Maybe the present leadership model is more a season of the church learning to do better what God has asked of them…. a season. Luke 22, “Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.”

i have heard somewhere, servants, not paupers or beggars, but true servants make great leaders. Hmmm….i wonder where i got that?

Seasons – an appointed occasion,  meaning an event with a reason and a cause. There are seasons of learning leadership and seasons on learning to be a servant. i think the season of being a servant is permanent, and the season of being in leadership shifts as the need arises.

Jesus was transparent about what He was asking the disciples to submit to. It was a “clear sound”, a “sure and specific sound”. It is the time and season for us to make a sure sound.

Each of the following has a season in itself: Wisdom, character, authority, ministry, and money.

Wisdom is before character, character precedes authority, authority is the forerunner of ministry, and ministry comes before money. Here it is in reverse, so go with me on this:

Money follows after ministry. Ministry NEVER follows money around. When it was rumored that God was in the house, the house packed out, not because someone built a nice place and hoped God would show up. There are seasons when God allows money to flow into ministry, and other seasons ministry happens with or without money.

If money follows ministry, then ministry follows authority. Ministry craves to be under authority. Godly authority is the horsepower for ministry, and tends to increase what it touches. Ministry is a picture framed by authority, God given, never man-made. Without authority, ministry has no strength. Watchman Nee was a firm believer that there is always more authority than there is ministry.

If Money follows ministry, and ministry follows authority, wouldn’t you know, authority follows character. God calls us to personal holiness, character, which is the teeth in authority. In the time of Job the way widows were treated was indicative of moral character. Godly character is the container for authority so we are not overwhelmed for lack of intestinal fortitude, having the ability to stand effectively in authority. Without character we are swallowed up in the ground battles of the work.

Character follows wisdom. Without wisdom who guides and builds our character, it is just wheel spinning and ignorance. Wisdom accompanied God when eternity was designed and brought into being. Prov 3:19 “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth…”; Prov 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing…”

And at the top of the list is wisdom:Prov 8:” The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth; While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there,   When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth, Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight,    Rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men.”

Everyone has “seasons” where God works in them the work of His Hands, and there is a pattern as sure as summer follows spring…..that pattern is what i’ve started calling, the “Law of Seasons”.

In Ecc 3:1 God is the One who causes all things to happen in their“ seasons” and gives everything a “purpose.” In Ecclesiastes 3 all of life is described as “a grand mosaic of times and seasons; there is a time todo everything”. Take note here: There is a difference between time and seasons in that verse, they are two different words, not even spelled similarly.

Although God is timeless, time, as in the measured progression of existence, is one of our boundaries as long as we wear skin and breath air, so God uses time words in order to relate to us. “Season” and “seasons” are time words, not just general time, but an aloted span which contains specific appointments, as in… it is the season to grow a garden, but now is the time to plant and later harvest. A season or occasion for rejoicing, with a specific allotment of time for toasting in that occasion. There is a time for plowing, a season of transition, a time of learning and understanding, a season of storms, and faith is for all seasons and times, for a time and times and half a time.

i’ve found six things, at least, which are not affected by seasons… being a servant at heart,  right judgment, speaking the word of the Lord, a state of readiness, doing the right thing, and living uprightly.

The Hebrew word “yasar” or “yatsar” (H3335)  means, among other variations, to squeeze into shape, to mold into a form, to fashion, to devise. The primary meaning of the word is derived from the idea of cutting or framing as used in Psalm74:17, which references framing and shaping seasons. Seasons, in many forms, are directly connected to the development of our character. If we want ministry, it would seem prudent to ask the Lord for greater personal holiness, or character. We want to BE the people, not just LOOK like the people, which starts with wisdom and character, letting God use His seasons to squeeze us into the necessary shape for our destiny….we’ll never get righteous authority and ministry without righteous wisdom and character as forerunners. It is the season, and there is always a cause and reason for the season.

So here ends part one of the Law of Seasons.

Tirando piedras

Tirando piedras

Jesús estaba en el templo enseñando, como de costumbre, y luego vinieron los fariseos con una mujer que había sido sorprendida en adulterio (¿dónde estaba el hombre? Además, ¿cómo es que “sucede” que están allí para atraparla?). He leído que la llevaron a laprimera entrada que está en el sexto escalón, que es el número del hombre, para juzgar su caso, pero no sé si eso es cierto. Pero, tratando de atrapar a Jesús, le preguntaron qué pensaba. Les dijo que cualquiera que no tuviera pecado debería arrojar las primeras piedras, y del mayor al menor se fueron.

Por la ley, tenían razón. Por la ley, de hecho, podrían apedrearla. Por la ley, la llevaron al templo para juzgarla y ejecutar la sentencia. La palabra hebrea para juicio significa “nivelar con la mano, como si se apuntara con el dedo”.

El Señor me dice: “No debe haber enemigos dentro del Cuerpo. Ninguno”.

Si nuestras manos están llenas de piedras para arrojar, entonces no podemos tener nuestras manos llenas de lo que Dios tiene para nosotros. Mientras tengamos una piedra para arrojar en la mano, esa piedra ocupará espacio donde debería estar la provisión de Dios. Muchas veces, por la ley, tengo razón en estar enojado con alguien o debería sospechar de algo engañoso. Por la ley, no me equivoco al apuntar con el dedo a esa persona y “decirle las cosas como son”. Por la ley. Mi derecho. Exigir lo justo, por la ley. ¡Piedad para mí, justicia para ti! Pero en el Cuerpo de Cristo, NO hay enemigos. Ninguno.

¿Tenían una caja especial de piedras en el templo para hacer justicia? ¿¡¿Una caja de buen tamaño en el lado izquierdo y derecho del porche con la etiqueta “Lanzar piedras”?!? Una caja de piedras que alguien salió y escogió a mano … con la circunferencia y la forma correcta para la mano. Hmmmm, qué práctico. Una caja con la etiqueta ” Lanzar piedras “que simplemente” resultan “útiles para aquellos que sienten una ofensa hacia esos” infractores de la ley “. El enemigo seguramente nos ayudará a saber dónde estan las mejores piedras para arrojar. Permítanme animar a todos … .¡Suelta tus piedras! Si tus manos tienen piedras para tirarlas, estás negándote activamente la provisión por la que has estado orando. ¿Quieres saber qué es lo que te detiene? Dios estará encantado de hablarte de eso, pero una de las primeras cosas que te pedirá es que … sueltes las piedras para arrojar. Incluso si tienes razón, ¡SUELTA LAS PIEDRAS!

Ese chip en tu hombro es contagioso, ¡Suelta las piedras!

Deja de ofenderte y suelta las piedras. Si sientes que siempre estás defendiendo la forma en que te sientes o por qué haces lo que haces, es posible que no solo tengas piedras en las manos, sino algunas extras en los bolsillos … por si acaso. ¡Suelta las piedras!

De modo que debería surgir en nuestras mentes una excelente pregunta: ¿Quién se aseguró de que pudieras poner tu mano sobre esa piedra perfecta para arrojar? ¿Tienes algo grande con tu familia de la iglesia? Haga la pregunta: ¿Quién se aseguró de que lo supiera todo? ¿Quién te dijo eso? ¿Y quién se aseguró de que pudieras poner tus manos sobre las mejores piedras para lanzar? ¡Suelta las piedras!

Jesús nunca se defendió, que yo sepa. He llegado a la conclusión de que una de las principales razones por las que Jesús no se defendió es porque no se ofendió. Y si alguien en toda la creación tenía alguna razón para ofenderse, era Jesús. Pero, sin embargo, no se ofendió, por lo tanto, no defendió. Si no hay ofensa, creo que no hay razón para una defensa. Al conocer a personas que siempre están ocupadas con una defensa, encuentro que son los orgullosos dueños de piedras para tirar … ellos activamente mantienen una ofensiva. Jesús le dijo a Pedro que guardara su arma … NO que la guardara por ahora como si fuera posible recogerla más tarde cuando fuera más adecuado para sus propósitos, sino que “guarda tu ofensa”. ¡Jesús le dijo a Pedro que se desarmara! ¡Suelta las piedras!

Si alguna vez te han arrojado una piedra y te han golpeado, duele. Mucho, y es difícil no tomar venganza. Deja tu ofensa, deja caer las piedras en tu mano, a Dios le gustaría llenar tus manos con algo más, y mientras que tus manos estén llenas de Piedras para Tirar, no pueden sostener nada más. Desármate. ¡Suelta las piedras!

Tomemos a Dios como nuestra defensa y recibamos el refugio que se nos ha ofrecido. Lo haré, me esconderé en Jesús.

Gracias por escuchar, soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo en Su Presencia.

Traducción por Alfredo MagniSozzi

War and Peace

         Isaiah 2:4-5  He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”

As long as we wear skin, and as long as there is a devil, life will be a fight, it will be war in every capacity and corner of our mind and the universe. i have been at war since i was born, and so have you. So I guess war is in everything about us. It’s in our thinking, our “want to and don’t want to”, it’s in our despair and hope, it’s in our dreams, even how we go about achieving our aspirations…it all somehow involves war of some sort. There is conflict and contention on every corner every which way we turn with a constantly rising noise floor of conflict. The idea of “not learning war and no more war” is a completely foreign thing to think for people. And just how deep is the concept of war, or conflict embedded in is? Ponder that question and i think you’ll come to the same conclusion i have. If we are all in a constant state of conflict resolution, that means there’s war and conflict which needs resolving. It is painful and exhausting to always be at war. In fact, scripture bears out that war is agony in the sense of Philippians1:30, Paul uses the word conflict, which is the Greek word “agon”, where we get our word agony from. Within the word “agon” are five distinct consistent divisions contributing to all our war and conflict: deceit, treachery, corrupt passions, a traitors heart, and lying. War is stressful, full of grief and difficult decisions, it is rife with enemies living and dead, spies, and dark things which hunt us in the night. We can run from our circumstances, but eventually we will return to our sadness and war unless we resolve our conflict. It is a battle close to the gates of our heart where we are continually besieged by the enemy of our soul who’s will is fully set against us. There is even war in our ethics and principles, as a result there are college classes on situational ethics. Situational ethics, as example, might be that we teach our kids that lying is wrong, which is correct and wise, yet there are extenuating circumstances where they would have to consider to lie in order to save the life of their family or friend. We are all inclined toward warfare and it seems it is in everything we humans are about… physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, so much so, that a state of war is what we are born into, and the truth is, we’ve had to learn to practice peace, to see the value in doing so, and to do those things which promote peace.  There are some who believe we’re all born “good people” and we become bad, but that’s just an outright lie. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Like i said, all my life i have been at war either in my spirit, in my head, or my body, and many times a dark symphony of all three. Upon trying to imagine “perfect peace”, to me, that says “no war” with a non-existent noise floor. i have had a few times where i’ve truly been at “perfect peace” and it was absolutely astounding. Sadly, it was also foreign and the contrast between -war- and -no war- felt like it was pulling my head apart. i like to imagine i usually operate at about an 80% peace, at least that’s what i’d like to believe, but the truth is likely far less than that, and wildly swings from all out war to sometimes being too exhausted to keep the roar of war going. If we’re being real honest, i think most of us don’t have peace like we think, but more we simply have found a way to turn the volume of conflict down a few notches, and then we decide we’re at peace, “beyond our understanding” simply because the volume of war has been turned down. I don’t believe simply turning down the volume of war and strife is what Jesus was talking about…at….all. For me, real peace as Jesus gives is a place God takes me occasionally, that place of “no war” and “perfect peace” and there is no effort on my part which could ever achieve “perfect peace” or “no war”. We’ve been at war so long we can’t hardly imagine “no war”, and the place of “no war” is descibed in Ps23 where the writer states, “He leads me beside still waters.” Do you see what i’m saying here?

i think that i am only truly as close to peace as i can get, short of being in Heaven, is when i trust God fully and permit Him to work in my own personal situations. Through a long, long series of very difficult trials, i’ve come to the conclusion God can and will eclipse any wrong ideas which have stuck to me from birth. So much of what i learned as a child inspired war and my lack of peace. i was taught to keep the rules and that is how you live at peace. But rule keeping didn’t make my heart and mind cease from all conflict and strife. i was taught going to church and giving my tithe was how you live at peace. But going to a brick and mortar facility, doing a weekly program, and giving money didn’t make my heart and mind cease from all war, conflict, and strife.

So how do i find a closer version of peace than what i’ve got? Is26:3-4, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”

Are you tired of being at war, striving, and continual contention, then ask the Lord to settle your heart, and i mean really pursue Him on it until things change. As a result, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only.

What do you think?