A face, be it human, or otherwise, tells us a story, short or long. What is it about faces which seem to get in our hearts so quickly?

Numbers 6:25-26 , “The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”

There’s the face of a building, face of a corporation, the face of a book cover, a new product, movies, musical endeavors, the face of love, evil, battle, even our character presents a face to others. There is the face of a nation with many pictures representing a time frame in history. There are even false faces called facades, like a building or house has a facade, or the smile of betrayal.

To me, the sight of a face offers my mind something special, it identifies the person and reflects their attitudes, and passions. It is more than just features …  it conveys emotions, intent, and identity of the whole individual… our faces even reflect how we lean in our heart towards God. That’s pretty incredible considering the whole of a person can, most of the time, be summed up in their face. i don’t think the same thing is true for our body though. Body language, or “cues” such as posture do indeed convey some social information, but the image of a body does not substitute for a face. God has built something very important into the face of everything with a face.

The face is also used to refer to the character of God, especially his favor towards his people. For God to turn his face to his people was to offer them his grace and help; for God to turn his face away from his people was to withhold his favor and blessing. And to seek the face of God is to seek his favor and blessing..

In Genesis 32:30, Jacob said, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” … because Jacob saw God face-to-face, he named the place Penuel (pen-oo-ale’ ), literally meaning, “the Face of God” which was a place not far from Succoth (soo-kohth’ ) the place of huts made with entwined branches, east of the Jordan River and north of the river Jabbok (yah-boke’ ) which means “to pour forth”.

To be in God’s presence, literally in Hebrew means, “an encounter with The Face”. What is it God has built into a face which communicates so, so much of ourselves to other people?

i’m adventuring to discuss what’s in a face, our own “face value”, and the face of God which changes our lives. As the eye is the port to the soul, the face, considered to be extraordinarily revealing, reflects the contents of the heart.

Our physical body, though absolutely important, helps us make sense of the face. Body posture supports facial expression. But our faces … ahhh, it’s such a big deal advertising companies are always looking for the “new face” to represent their product. And taking someone at their “face value” is more like believing what they say without needing proof. But then, the world is filled with dazzling visions, so much so, everyone seems so easily “lost in the dazzle”. Well … there it is, to be “lost in the dazzle”.

So much of everything in the media influences people to take things at their “face value”, meaning the superficial appearance or implication of something, especially when it’s less than the actual value. i’ve said this before but i felt it good to say again: We are constantly asked by the news media and our government to take everything we see as probably real, and we all seem to often be repetitively shocked to find out things were not as they were posed. Taking someone at their “face value” is more like believing what they say without needing proof, yet increasingly, more and more people are requiring proof of what is portrayed or declared.

At some point, we will see Jesus “face to face”, and for some that will be the greatest day ever, and for some, well … not so much.

1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

If we say we’re going to see someone “face to face,” we may mean we’re going to have a meeting with that person, or it could also mean to have a confrontation with them. We might say we’re going to say something “to their face,” we would have spoken openly in that person’s presence.

How about having a “long face” implying a sense of gloom, while a “shining face” speaks of a sense of happiness or contentment, like Solomon who pointed out that “a joyful heart makes a face cheerful”. If someone “puts on a bold face,” he attempts to appear confident and courageous. And having a “false face,” would be an attempt to hide our feelings or opinions. When i was little, my mother would reprimand me because i “made a face” at my sister, which would indicate my contempt.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, an “idiom” an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its words, and we use many idioms in our communications every day. Like to “face up” to a problem is to say we confront the problem in an effort to resolve the conflict. To “fly in the face” of some one’s opinion suggests we’ve taken action contrary to an accepted policy, or belief. And to “set our face against” someone would be an open defiance in opposition to that person, or like in Luke9:51, Jesus “set His face” to go to Jerusalem, like saying He was determined with all power to go there, doggedly determined, regardless of any opposition. Isaiah 50:7 speaks of Christ, who was to come, that He would “set His face like flint”, meaning when He was struck, sparks would fly, and the fire of restoration would be at hand.

Someone may not want to “show their face” somewhere, meaning they don’t want to allow themselves to be seen, lest they either “lose face” or “save face”, which are idioms meaning to take shame to themselves or to keep what honor they possess. Covering our face may indicate grief or shame, or as Elijah covered his face in the presence of the Lord in 1 King 19:13. In Ezekiel 38:18, the Lord says when Gog comes against Israel His, “fury will show” in His face.

Our faces are powerful and express attitudes or emotions behind our actions. Even the earth and moon are said to have a face like when Cain was forced out and complained that God was “driving him from the “face of the land,”, or the “man in the moon” who’s face on the moon can be seen with a little imagination.

Again, our faces are powerful to righteousness and truth, or deceit and lies. Our faces can tell our stories if seen with discerning and wise eyes.

           The world is filled with dazzling visions, so much so, many are easily “lost in the dazzle”. It seems, underneath the “face value” of the world around us, many things are blatantly self-promoting, promoting their own values, their own satisfaction, their own passions where, in the end, their opinion becomes the rule, with the hope of financial gain and self-advancement are hidden in a subtle undercurrent.

But then, what if we couldn’t see someone’s face? We would be far less inclined to be swayed by what our eyes take in. Through our eye comes what we see, and part of the dilemma is how we interpret that vision … what we think we see, imagine we see, wish we see, what we perceive we see, hope to see, conjure to see, or even psychotically see … maybe we even project ourselves into what we see.

Advertising has become such incredible psychology: we are led to believe we have the attention of what we are looking at, but that is an illusion, what we are looking at has us and we just buy into the face value of it all. Pornography for example. Viewers believe the person they are looking at is giving them their full, individual attention. We read that attention into movies, photographs, advertisements, etc. Why? Even when we know what we are looking at isn’t real, and the person in the picture/video doesn’t know us from anyone … and isn’t interested in knowing us … why do we project like that? Is it because, underneath it all we are looking for favor, recognition, validation, to somehow feel included? Maybe so. i believe many people generally feel somewhat excluded. Maybe it’s a point of having imagined power.

We are called to live as God’s sons and daughters able to see not only with our natural eyes but in the spiritual realm.

Maria Vadia, in her book “Victory In The Eye Gate”, wrote, “As a prophetic people, we are to walk by revelation so that we can be “light” in the midst of darkness, our faces bright with His presence. We have been empowered to carry on the works of Jesus and we are not alone in this; we partner with the Holy Spirit!”

Being “in God’s presence” means … what to you? When i imagine “being in God’s presence”, i see myself in a dark room with a flashlight. The light that came out of the flash light not only shone on the floor but actually lit up the room. The light went all over the room, not just on the floor, and i thought, “… is this what Your Presence is like Lord?” Noticing the light from the flashlight and my being in it was more than just a casual observation, it was a purposeful looking.

A Hebrew perspective of “God’s presence” means “an encounter with The Face”, and the face reveals the person. Jesus said if we have seen Him, then we have seen the Father. There is even a “Philosophy of The Face”, or “Theology of The Face”.

The “face of things” is a big deal, but above all big deals is the Face Of God. With Him the precedent is set, and in His face is all the abundance of life. He is self-evident, self-revelational, self-inspirational, self-sustaining, self-disclosing, He is ever-living and ever-lasting, the only person who is self-aware, totally self-assertive, and totally moral, The One who causes everything to be because He Is, and He calls Himself “I AM.” In His face the precedent was set for redemption from the beginning and He no longer hides His face from us.

Job 26:9, “He covers the face of His throne, And spreads His cloud over it.” If God hides the “face” of His Throne, it cannot be known and is not open and disclosed. Jesus came and gave us His face, for the first time, if we have looked Jesus in the eyes we have looked God in the eyes for the Lord is not hidden from us but has gotten eye level and face to face.

God threatened Israel in Deuteronomy 31:17, 18 and again in 32:20 that He would hide His face from them if they didn’t straighten up, in other words He would make Himself unfindable and unknowable. When Jesus came, everyone had then, and has now, the opportunity to know the Lord, and by looking into the eyes of the Son we are transformed from glory to glory.

           2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

When we open our face to others, we are being open, disclosing, and receptive to change. Sadly, people have gotten good at hiding their wounds and secrets from being seen in their faces, but if we’ll take the time to just visit, the pain of life will become evident in the faces over time. i believe many, many people are in pain, on one level or another, and the only hope for relief is Jesus who lives the hearts of those who believe on His Name. We are those with a heart draped in the love of God which has a gentle, modest, faithful character, giving a light to our faces that can’t be duplicated by the best cosmetics and jewelry in the world, for a carefully groomed and well-decorated exterior is artificial and cold unless inner beauty is present. A garland is a decoration or a crown, often surrounding a window with a view. Our faces are like a window with a view, particularly our eyes, revealing the garland of grace on our hearts.

Speaking of having an open face and possessing depth of soul in our eyes, Hiram Powers, an American sculptor said, “The eye is the window of the soul, the mouth is the door. The intellect, the will, are seen in the eye; the emotions, sensibilities, and affections, in the mouth. The animals look for man’s intentions right into his eyes. Even a rat, when you hunt him and bring him to bay, looks you in the eye.” To look in the face of God is to be changed forever, transformed, and beautiful again, as we were in the beginning.

Job 41 speaks of dealings with Leviathan, what i believe to be some sort of terrifying sea creature possibly. No one seems to know precisely what “leviathan” was. Although its identity is shrouded in obscurity, we can possibly conclude it was some sort of aquatic creature of the ancient world. i found verse 14 most interesting where it says, “Who can open the doors of his face?” For years i didn’t understand what that could possibly mean, i even wrote myself a note to investigate and stuck it on the bulletin board as a reminder to not miss God’s wisdom in that … and i did search to understand from time to time, but came to no further explanation until the last six months or so.

To “open the doors of his face”. i think it means to open the person of Leviathan that he would be known, that we would see him as he is, that his intents and purposes are disclosed. To “hide my face” would mean to not allow myself to be known, to be closed and non-disclosing, and to “open my face” would be to let others in, being open and willing to disclose myself. We’ve all met people who have, what some would call, a closed face, meaning they are unreadable or they have a “poker face”, just like there are others who’s face often reveals their thoughts and feelings.

Being in God’s presence is an “encounter with The Face”, and by Jesus Christ, the Lord has opened His face to us. He is not hidden … He is findable and knowable. God “opened the doors of His face” to us so we would know the glorious, and abundant life and love He has given to us.

In Gen31:21 Jacob fled from Laban, his father-in-law, he “headed for (‘set his face toward’) the hill country of Gilead. The key phrase is “he set his face”, meaning with all power he was determined to go to Gilead. In John 4, my paraphrase here, Jesus “set His face” to go to Samaria, He was determined to do what was in front of Him to do. In 2Kings12:17, king Hazael “turned to attack (‘or set his face toward’) Jerusalem”. Num24:1, When Balaam “saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but “set his face toward the wilderness”. In Dan9:3, the prophet Daniel, reports, “I turned my face to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and sackcloth and ashes”, meaning he went before the Lord with all his breathing, thinking, and feeling to plead the case of his people.

The following may be a bit adventurous to bring into this forum, because the concept may simply be too large to do it justice, but i’m going to present it anyway for the reason of giving us all an idea that the face of God comes with more than looking into the eyes of God Himself.

Here goes: In the New Testament, “Presence of God,” as used in 1Cor1:29 is a Greek word, “enōpion”, which is made up of two words, “en” and a derivative of the Greek word “optanomai”.

Now, the second word is where it gets interesting. ‘Optanomai’, which is from the primary word “optomai” (where we get our word English word optometry and it’s variations from) implies a “seeing” and alternates with the word ‘horao’ – which is “to stare at or discern clearly.” And then there is an easily followed trail, that leads through degrees of “seeing” and “visionary” type experiences which i think to be quite a revelation. There is a passive seeing like knowing the floor is under your feet, nothing of special note but we are aware it is there; there is an active “seeing” like purposefully looking at something; and then there is the idea of “looking at something with eyes wide open in amazement”. Do the foot work, don’t take my word for it … go look for yourself. In fact, let me encourage you to try and not take someone’s doctrinal views at face value, even if they are a valuable, reliable resource … you do the work, and you go look for yourself to see what scripture says. It’s not like we don’t have a plethora of information to draw from. God is knowable and findable if we’ll go look for Him.

If the Hebrew perspective of “the presence of God” is an “encounter with the Face”, and the New Testament, “Presence of God,” reveals a visionary experience when we encounter His face, then i think we can add the two together to show that with an encounter with the face of God, there also comes a “seeing” where we see Him, He sees us, and we get a spiritual seeing imparted to us by being brave to look into God’s face. This is like saying if His Presence is always with me, then i am also having His “seeing” playing in me like a video. The problem is i’ve also got a mix of worldly vision playing in me, and as a result of a life of being “lost in the dazzle”. What God-vision i’ve got in my head and heart is often mingled with the world vision, so i, all too often, tend to throw the baby out with the bath water, discarding my spiritual vision in an attempt to dislodge the worldly images. Rather than set a path to divest myself of the dazzling world view constantly presented to me, i simply disregard it all.

Let us abandon our input of worldly vision to sanctify our God-vision that we would walk more circumspectly in the world we live in. i can’t help but think understanding this a little is another key to prophetic “seeing”.

Jesus carried the promise of Isaiah 50:6, “I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” Jesus “opened His face” to us that we could open our face to the world.

As i awoke the other morning, i was thinking of all the refugee’s coming to this country. In the gray place between awake and asleep, the Lord spoke to me saying, “Let them in.” At first i thought to stop resisting the influx of people this country, but as the days followed, His meaning was not about them but about me. “Let them in” meaning that i should stop hiding my face from the world … let them see my fallibleness, and they will also see all the restoration and redemption in me too. It’s not to fear others will see my failures, but for glory of the Love of God in my heart.

The Lord promised us in Ezekiel 39:29, that from now on, He would no longer hide his face from us making Himself unfindable and unknowable, the He would make Himself open and disclosing …  then the Son of God came and gave man the face of God for the first time in history. He is not hidden any longer and we should not hide our faces from the world either.

Friends, and i do mean friends, brothers and sisters of the cloth, let us be brave to deal with our hidden, secret things. Bring them into submission and obedience of the word of God, resolving those scary things of ourselves and let our light shine. Psalm 34:5, “Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” God gave us His presence, His face, and it has changed us forever. Think about it.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The closer God gets to all things, the more all things become like Him.

Just like Jesus did in Luke 9:51, we must “set our faces” with all power and determination to step into God’s appointments and provision which He has given to us. It does not have to be an unhappy thing either. Franz Delitzsch was so right when he wrote, “To behold the face of God is in itself impossible to mortals without dying. But when God reveals Himself in love, then He makes His countenance bearable to the creature. And to enjoy this vision of God softened by love is the highest honor God in His mercy can confer on a man; it is the blessedness itself that is reserved for the upright.”

Breathe on me, Breath of God, Fill me with life anew, That I may love what Thou dost love, And do what Thou wouldst do. Breathe on me, Breath of God, Till I am wholly Thine, Till all this earthly part of me, Glows with Thy fire divine.

Seek His face continually, for God has come to speak with us face-to-face that we would behold His face with rejoicing, gladness with a shout in the middle. He is the risen One, and the sorrowful crucified face of Jesus now gives way to the glorious resurrected face of Jesus. The face reveals and conceals the nature of a person, and as a result the face of Jesus, is the Face of God toward all humanity for redemption and healing from the wounds of sin, death, and the grave. For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son, that whom so ever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life. Amen!

Though the thunder has rolled across the years, sometimes shaking me to the core, and lightening has struck my house a few times, though the storm has pounded in my head and outside circumstances have nearly ripped me apart, i can say with all sincerity, through it all, Jesus has been my close companion. i have come to such a place of surety which is so necessary to all people, that i know the Lord is with me and i shall never be left needing more than Jesus. It is well with my soul, regardless of all the madness which surrounds me, regardless of all the insanity i have perpetrated upon myself through wrong expectations, poor choices, and twisted thinking, regardless of all that, it is well with my soul.

Alone in a dark room at age 19, too high to realize i needed a Savior, regardless of my inebriation, i met Jesus. That night, for some reason it seemed like a good idea to ask the very Jesus i hated and didn’t believe in, to come into my life and take over. i didn’t plan it, i didn’t hope for it, i didn’t particularly believe it, it was just time and so i called on His name. Many many years have followed and i’ve had to choose Christ again and again, sometimes every morning, all day, and again at night. i was told countless times Jesus has got you but i really don’t think i believed it like i thought i believed it.
The days have come and gone like the seasons, and through it all, my eyes have been on Jesus. i can honestly say it is well with me, even when my eyes can’t see, it is well with my soul.

In Mark6, Herod had his morality challenged by John the Baptist. It irked Herod so much that anyone would have the nerve to challenge him, he had John arrested and put in prison. Now don’t you know, as John sat in a dark place behind bars, he was probably a bit dismayed. Scripture doesn’t say, but my guess is that John knew his fate to some degree and found comfort in the arms of the Lord whom he served to the end. He knew, regardless of what men would do, it was well with his soul.

In Acts12, we read that James, the half brother of Jesus had been put to the sword. About the same time they rolled Peter up and threw him in prison also. To top it off, not only was Peter in jail, but was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and there were even sentries in front of the door as further security, guarding the guards who were guarding Peter. Reading Acts 12, it’s easy to think he was probably cold, very uncomfortable, and more than a little hungry and thirsty. If he was, i can also understand how he would also be discouraged. But he knew something. He knew Jesus. He knew the Lord had grace for him and that His love was higher than any mountain and deeper than any sea. He knew God gives light in the darkness and restores every heart that is broken, and even in the worst places it was well with him, no matter what men would decide to do with him.

The Lord has poured out grace and brought us out of darkness and fills us with peace. He is our help in time of need and we can’t help but sing, for He is faithful, and all His promises are yes and amen. He pulls our lives from the ashes and sets the captives free, whomsoever would be free. He is faithful forever. It is well with my soul.
In Acts16 we read that Paul cast an evil spirit out of a woman. Her pimp, which is about all her master amounted to, complained and the multitude rose up against them. The magistrates grabbed them up, had Paul and his team thoroughly beaten and then threw them into prison, giving a jailer the responsibility to oversee them. Then in Acts16:25 it reads, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” Why did they sing when everything about their circumstances screamed at them as to the unfairness of their circumstances, demanding an answer as to where was God? Why? Because they knew whom they served, that the Lord was with them, would never leave them, and it was well with their souls.

No other name is greater than the name of Jesus. We can rethink it all, re-decide our re-decisions, but the bottom line is Jesus. He has broken the power of sin and darkness, He shakes the whole earth with righteous thunder, leaving us breathless in awe and wonder, it is Jesus and His amazing grace and unfailing love. He took your place and carried the cross that should have been yours to carry, and brings your chaos back into order, that it would be well with your soul. There is no other after Jesus, He is sufficient, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and prince of peace. Friends, after much deliberation within myself, after much searching and struggle, i can honestly say it is well with my soul. How about you? If you’d like to be able to say it is well with your soul, pray this with me, “Jesus. Forgive me my sins. Come into my life and take over Lord. i can’t do it anymore. i need you and i want it to be well with my soul. Let it be so, from now on and forever my God.” If you prayed that with me, friends you’ve got to know, those aren’t magic words, but the beginning of a new life walking with the Lord of Lords. They are words for you to use every morning and every night, for you to choose Jesus with everyday. You have everything to gain. i want you to know, like i know for myself, it is well with my soul. Come to the river, come home, taste and see that the Lord is good.

What do you think?
i’m Social Porter with Living In His Name Ministries.

There is none beyond the name of Jesus. He alone is the focus and end point to all our thinking and breathing. There is not another way into the presence of God but by Jesus the door. There is not one who comes after Christ who supersedes all He is. Jesus was and is the last, the appointed one, Savior of all mankind for any who would come.

1 Peter2:6-8, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word….”

For those who may not know, a cornerstone was everything when building a structure in those days as well as today. The cornerstone needed to be the straightest of the straight and squarest of the square so that the rest of the builder would be built straight. The quality of the rest of the entire building was based on the quality of that cornerstone. And i’ve got to add….A building that leans will not endure. Jesus, the cornerstone is our standard by which we develop our character and standards, and there is not another who came after Him. Christ alone is King.

Too many people try to make Jesus conform to their lives, rather than making life changes which conform to Jesus. Churches sometimes spin the clear teachings of scriptures in order to have larger numbers, keep the people happy, keep them coming and keep them giving. If that is our attitude and operation model, then plainly put, Jesus is not our cornerstone and our lives are not built on Him.

Remember this: When we build our lives on Jesus, we will not be put to shame, and these days, shame keeps a lot of people crushed under the heel of darkness. When we work to build on Christ the solid rock, we will be established in our lives and, again, will not be shamed.

We may be rejected by people, but when we are built on Jesus, we will never be abandoned by God.
Believe this: Our trials and hardships are not a symbol of God’s rejection. No! That is called retributive theology, do good/get good, do bad/get bad… and by no means is that God’s heart.

Our identity is not found in the opinions of humanity. i think children and teenagers are exhausted at constantly being asked: How does that make you feel? So much of the news service makes a big deal about how people feel, and then they exploit feelings and public opinion in order to advance their agenda. God is far more interested in our faith than our feelings. Our state of being, our feelings, come and go on the wind, but our standing in Christ is made sure by the blood of Jesus.

Hear this: Never let your state define your standing. i’ll say that again: Never let your state define your standing. Think about that carefully.

Reuben Morgan explains that “When the earth shakes, we look to our feet and wonder what it is that we are standing on? When darkness seems to hide His face; In every high and stormy gale; Through the storm; My anchor holds”. It is a desire to place emphasis on Jesus and a prayer that people everywhere – regardless of circumstance – will be encouraged to find hope in Christ, the Cornerstone.”

There is not another whom Jesus paved the way for, any and all others fall short at His glorious feet, and all others are liars and pretenders to the throne of God. There is not “Jesus and another who is greater who came later”. Nope, only one Savior and there’s not another who came after. My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus’ name. When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. My anchor holds within the veil. When he shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness, alone, Faultless stand before the throne. Christ alone, Cornerstone. Weak made strong in the Savior’s love. Through the storm He is Lord, Lord of all.
Revelation17:14 says, “… for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

Isaiah the prophet spoke the word of the Lord saying, “ “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation.” He was speaking of Jesus. In Acts4 Peter aimed his words directly at the Jewish religious leaders, stating, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone”.

In Eph2, again Paul speaks of Jesus as the cornerstone, saying, “You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone”.
Jesus is the foundation of the Church as well as for the life of each believer. If Jesus is not the Son of God, if he did not die on the cross for our sins, if his resurrection from the dead is not evidence of the Father’s acceptance of his payment, if we do not gain access to Jesus’ cross and accomplishments through faith, and if the Holy Spirit was not sent to us to renew , strengthen and sustain us, then we have no reason for any hope at all, other than to look forward to suffering. The key here, once again, is that our hope and help are not based on the idea of Jesus or his cross, but on the actual, historical person of Jesus and the actual-historical cross upon which he hung.
Christ alone is the foundation of the Church as well as for the life of each believer. Jesus and no other is the cornerstone upon who hinges the redemption of the universe for any who would have it.

What do you think?
i’m Social Porter with Living In His Name Ministries.

My dad was a WWII veteran. He didn’t talk too much about the action he saw, but occasionally he’d let a little something out, and my brother and i were always fascinated. One little story i remember him telling about was concerning the constant feeling of vulnerability and danger, the ever-nagging feeling none of them were safe, even when in a port, they still felt beyond safety’s borders. He told us about, during one engagement, he watched other ships getting torpedoed and bombed, then sinking into the deep in a plume of smoke and fire, yet somehow the ship he was on slipped through the bullets, bombs, and torpedoes. He told us about picking up survivors from destroyed ships out of the ocean, alive and dead, and sometimes even watching men disappear into the jaws of unbelievably large sharks. He said a couple of times they even had to abandon the rescue efforts in order to survive being destroyed themselves. His next words have always stuck in my mind, he said, when pulling the rescued sailors from the water, they all wanted to go home, they just wanted to go home. Why home i wondered, and you’ve gotta remember that most young people can’t seem to wait to leave home, so that wasn’t an unusual question.

Later in life, having suffered many things myself, i have found that at life’s most terrible times, when things seemed at their worst, i too just wanted to go home. Lately, i believe the Lord has answered my question “What is it at home so much so that it’s the only thing on our minds when things are bad?” The Lord says it’s largely because it is the place in our minds and hearts that represents the safest place we know. Home was a safe place for many of us… yet others, well, not so safe at all. Either way, all people, in their heart of hearts, have a need for safe places, places of sanctuary, but sadly those places are getting harder and harder to find.

And i suppose i should add, there are those who are politically motivated who create safe places which exclusively cater to people with an overwhelming victim mentality in order to advance their personal agenda of gaining power and control. It seems they can’t control people who have their heads and hearts on straight, so they prey on those who seem to be trapped in their iniquity and transgression, who live in a vacuum void of God’s wisdom.

i’m Social Porter and thank you for joining me here at Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the river’s edge, and every evening is pleasant.

Is your home a safe place? Within our relationships with friends and family, our government, or our jobs, is there any safety in them, or are we always on guard, having to watch what we say, how much we tell, having thoughts of wanting to just run away to the desert or deep woods where no one knows us, our life, or our name? Safe places? Are they really safe, and is there really safety to be had anywhere in this world beyond the sanctuary of the covering of Jesus Christ?

In 1 Kings 1, we see King David in his last days, he’s old, and fading fast. There has been a contender for the throne, the fourth son of David, named Adonijah who was, before David had even died, arrogantly and presumptuously telling everyone he was the new king, lying and manipulating, putting words in the mouth of the king saying that David had ordained his ascension to the throne. Of course, David wasn’t about to allow that, so he had Solomon anointed and crowned king, blowing the horn so all would know a successor to David’s throne had been crowned. Adonijah, a rotten and treacherous fellow in his own right, realized he was in jeopardy of being slain by Solomon, so he ran quickly to the temple, grabbed the horns of the altar, and said to Solomon, “Swear to me you will not kill me!” Solomon let him live and sent him home.
The temple was considered a place of sanctuary, and the altar of the temple was considered a thing of sanctuary, it can be a consecrated place or thing. It was a safe place, Adonijah knew it, and made a straight line for the safest place he knew, grabbing the horns of the altar, and crying out for sanctuary.
Safe places are supposed to represent a point or region of refuge. In our society, we have safe places for battered women, children, and even for entire families out of necessity because their very basic refuge, their residence, is no longer safe for them. Sadly we also have safe places, if you can call them that, which are merely safe havens for those who are looking for a safe place to sin in peace, out of the reach of justice, out of the sight of honesty, out of the reach of accountability, out of the view of transparency, and wishfully, out of the sight of God.

For many, many years churches represented safe places, places of sanctuary. In history, the church and the altar of the church were considered holy, offering a form of protection beyond governmental authority, sometimes even for political dissidents or immigrants facing deportation. The safe place the church represented was where desperate people could get safety, food, clothing, and shelter. i need to also add, and this is important, sanctuary was never allowed for those of treacherous, and murderous actions. The Lord nor the law of the land ever allowed sin of any sort to be given sanctuary, under any circumstances.
In this day and age, in our nation, safe places are getting more and more difficult to find. Home isn’t a safe place for many anymore; it seems law enforcement has no problem invading even our most basic sanctuaries and homes. Now, don’t get me wrong, a lot of times it’s for very good reasons, but sometimes times not. Even criminals have taken to breaking into places our society once saw as a safe place. i believe, we as a nation don’t feel safe, we don’t trust our friends, the words of our neighbor, the actions of businesses and government, or even other believers.
Refuge is associated with trust, for without trust, refuge is not held as safety. When safety is violated, among other things set in motion, we end up feeling betrayed, and betrayal kills trust in its tracks. Are our friends safe with us, or are we backbiters, telling the secrets of others for personal gain? In Genesis 9, Noah was naked and drunk. Gen 9:22 says, “And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.” It was bad that Noah was naked and drunk, but it was worse that Ham pointed it out. Ham betrayed Noah’s trust putting Noah forever on guard. The relationship Noah thought was safe, was exposed as not safe. Do you get what i’m saying?

If you think i’m being negative or harsh, do the footwork, go ask people on the street, and let us compare notes on that. We all seem to feel so vulnerable, and in danger on every corner, and i think it is shaking us to our knees.

My most basic safe place is my home, not just my house, but my home, and our home is our shalom place, edge to edge, under God’s exclusive care. To my wife and i, it is our place of sanctuary and we defend the sanctity of our home with all power; it is where we live in honor and peace. Our sanctuary is a sacred and protected place, a refuge and retreat from our everyday work-a-day world and obligations. Do you have a shalom place?

Safe places are where we regenerate, it’s our private space where familial bonds are based and strengthened. Our need for a safe place impacts everything we do.

In 1943, Abraham Maslow wrote a paper titled, “A Theory of Human Motivation”. Maslow stated that aside from air, food, water, clothing, and shelter, physical needs being first, safety was the second greatest need for human beings.
But i must add, it seems to me our need for safety is very high, but yet our ability to be safe and feel safe is increasingly elusive.

For those involved in any bombings or shootings, learning to feel safe again will take time. Many of the people directly impacted may never again go to a movie theater, to market, or even to church and feel totally safe. They’ll probably always harbor some fear and apprehension because their sense of safety has been seriously and forever compromised. Consider those who have been the victims of violent crime. Do you think they’ll probably be a long time coming before they feel safe again, even in the sanctity of their homes? Some people have been so violated, over and over, i wonder, how you even get past those memories unless God is directly involved.

How many shows on television are always about someone involved in some violence? It seems that any place there is the potential for drama, that is where Hollywood gets its storylines – the emergency room, police stations, courtrooms, war rooms, addiction and crisis centers, wild animal control, drug wars, and even governmental wars….and how many of those crime shows, every week portray some violent criminal with no conscience, sneaking into some random person’s house and robbing or killing them? And how many of those with violence launched against them on those shows seem to always be women and children? Over and over and over until it’s embedded in our heads that we are not safe, even in our homes. i believe, eventually, everyone who watches shows like that begins to be afraid of virtually everything, they feel vulnerable and in danger all the time, paranoia rises, trust fails, the truth is elusive, and as a whole, we begin to feel completely unsafe. Not safe in our homes, our jobs, our relationships, or even with exposing our feelings. Without any real safety in people’s lives, they end up running away from imaginary terror, hands in the air in fear, pursued by no one.

It almost sounds like Job in Job 3:25-26, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I a moment to recover, neither was I settled in my heart; yet trouble came.”

Is there any place in this world where anyone can be really and truly safe? What is God’s idea of safety, refuge, or sanctuary? There is only one safe place i know of and that is seen in Psalm 61:4, “I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”
There is no place safe in this world without Jesus as an ultimate defender and Counselor, the ultimate and only true hope. Jesus IS our safety.
This needs to be said though ….. yes, Christ is hope and salvation to a dying world, a refuge for the wounded and weary, but sanctuary and refuge was and never will be given to sin.

In 1Kings2, we read about Joab who was a murderous, unrepentant, and treacherous fellow. When Solomon set his sights on justice concerning Joab, Joab tried to do what Adonijah did….he ran quickly grabbed the horns of the altar, and begged sanctuary. He figured if it worked for Adonijah, then it would work for him too! But Solomon had been taught by his father in the ways of the Lord and knew murder, treachery, and sin is never, ever given sanctuary. Joab declared he would die at the altar, so Solomon obliged him, had him slain at the altar, and buried him in his wilderness home with only the honor of a soldier.

The Lord is a safe refuge for anyone in need of safety. God’s idea of safety is seen in dissecting the word for the deeper meaning. Safety and refuge under the covering of the Lord means the weary will find, in the Mighty One, power, strength, and protection. God’s idea of safety means the Blood of the Holy One protects those who return.

Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” With Jesus as our refuge and safety, there comes the security that God has your back, and in Him, there is much-needed rest to restore strength, hope, and courage. In fact, in Job 5:4 the word used for safety is a Hebrew word that translates as liberty, and deliverance. With God’s safety COMES liberty and deliverance.
In a world of little to no safety, Jesus alone is our shelter, Jesus alone clothes us with His goodness, Christ alone is our path and safety. John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Friends, Jesus is our safety.

Psalm 62:7, “In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.” The word salvation in that scripture is the root word for Yeshua, the Christ of God. It is the same word used in Job 5:4 and the translators interpreted it as “safety”. The Lord is our only help and sanctuary, and no kings, princes, presidents, no bureaucrats, or politicians on this earth, not any flesh and blood can ever offer us any long-standing safety. Psalm 146:3, “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor a man, in whom there is no safety.”

How often have we, as a nation, put our trust in our government to deliver us from poverty, criminal activity, fear, and desolation, yet over and over, man’s ability to make himself safe in the long run just doesn’t work out very well?
Proverbs 14:26, “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.”

Over time and through much trouble, i have consistently seen the Lord as my refuge and sanctuary, especially when the promises of sanctuary from men were a vacuum. When i have been cornered by hell, the Lord opened a way for me and gave me shelter and deliverance. i am a witness. i have seen it and lived it. The Lord is truly my shepherd and my best friend, I lack for nothing and always have more than enough. He offers me a resting place in grassy pastures to lounge in His luxurious love, he leads me by quiet water, an oasis of peace where he restores my soul and revives my life. He guides me in right paths for the sake of his own name. Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; Your Authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear.

I’ll never be lonely, for Lord, you are near. You prepare a table for me, even as my enemies watch; you anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows. So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!”
It is my heart’s desire that everyone and anyone who hears the gospel of Christ will find safety for themselves. We all need a safe place. The Lord offers the promise of refuge to all who would call on His name. The Lord alone is our safe place and leads us in the paths of righteousness. Think about it.

Isaiah 25:4, “For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat;”
The Blood of the Holy One, Jesus, protects those who return, and they will find in Him power, strength, and protection.”

i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts, cool jazz, and contemplative conversation given with the hopes all who listen will look past the surface of their own presentation face. Be honest, accountable, and transparent. The Lord is with you if you’ll just surrender and allow Him to love you.

There is no safety except in Christ, and Christ alone. We all need a place where we feel safe, but increasingly in the world we live, safety has become elusive. i believe with all my heart, and i hope you also may confidently trust God with your safety….if the Lord is your guide, he will also be your guard.
Drive carefully this week, pray for your neighbor. Take your time and consider the ways of the Lord with all your heart, and i’ll talk to you next time.

Isaiah 61:1-3, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful garla nd of grace instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.”

In our season of grief, difficulty, possibly even working through catastrophic circumstances, i believe God has a word for you and you, yes you can be healed everywhere you hurt. If you’re sad and that sadness just invades your waking and sleeping, God can heal your sadness by the Blood of Jesus, and not only can He heal your sadness, but He’ll give you the courage and strength to get up off your sick bed and re-enter the land of the living.

i’ve wondered exactly why many folks think Jesus died for their sins,… it seems many times that’s as far as anyone thinks about it, He died for my sins and it stops there….was it only a salvation thing so we don’t have to go to hell like having fire insurance? …. just – saved from our sins?….. i believe, if we’ll take the Lord seriously, He wants so much more for us than that….He wants us to enjoy the road home and not just be Eeyore all the way home. One lady said, “God wants us to be whole, not full of holes.”

i believe so, so many folks are in pain, real pain. We may have learned to live with it, and some truly tolerate pain better than others and have learned to wear a good face, but it doesn’t mean the pain isn’t there. For years, i was in pain and i had no idea why, how it got to be there, or even what it was about….i gave it no identity and as a result i was always acting out with no thought of questioning any of my actions.

When i had cattle, i grew to know they are usually pretty good down to about -25….on particularly cold days i would chuckle to myself because their faces looked like they were saying, “Boy it sure is cold” and the other one would say, “Yea, it sure is but i don’t know what to do about it….” They’d munch more hay and just roll their big eyes around thinking about being cold but clueless on what to do about it. That was me when it came to pain…just clueless what to do about it. This evening….the topic is beauty for ashes like a garland of grace….and the gold the Lord brings out in us when it appears all is burned to the ground.

In my little life, i know something, maybe not much according to some, but this i know….i can’t play hide and seek with my difficulties and expect them to simply go away. Just because we don’t deal with stuff doesn’t mean it’ll just disappear.
The Lord wants us to be more than survivors. In the last program it was mentioned that one day while out for my afternoon walk, the Lord made me to know that i was only surviving when i was supposed to be prospering. He said, “How is it you have fallen to only surviving when you should be prospering?” It was a good question, and at the end of His question there came a feeling like the earth plates in my heart were moving, repositioning themselves to align better with God. You know what i mean?
Here’s a question….if you knew it could happen, would you be willing for your circumstances to be your message and ministry?
John 6:12-13, “And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.”
i don’t know about you, but there have been terrible times in my life when i felt like my entire life was just broken little pieces, just fragments….in John6:12-13 i hear the Lord calling me to bring even my broken fragmented life to Him….He has healed the broken hearted and opened wide the prison doors and has the power to deliver forever more. We’ve all heard that God does more with nothing than we can do with something, and even if we’re sure we are on the negative side of zero, God can do something with even that.

i’ve got a few ideas of who i am, but i’ve got tons of ideas about who i’m not and i reckon it’s good to give Him not only who i am, but also all that i’m not….take it all captive.
2Cor10:5 says to take our thoughts captive. That word “thoughts” there in the Greek means all your perception, purpose, all your academic thinking, and even your disposition, take it all prisoner by the word of God….and that’s not just the negative stuff either, that’s ALL of it, even the good things….take them ALL captive, like holding a prisoner of war at spear point.
We can’t be afraid to reveal to the Lord even the smallest details of our lives….you know, it’s not like He’s surprised….i believe God knew exactly what He was getting into when each one of us came in the door of the house by the Blood of the Lamb.
There is no time the Lord ever regrets forgiving your sins and transgressions. i believe the Lord has more hope for me than i have for me, and certainly more hope for me than any of my friends or relatives. i was the little boy who was never supposed to live past the age of seven, according to our neighbors. i was a dangerous kid, not because i was mean or tough, but i was so vastly ignorant of the repercussions of my actions, it’s the truth, my parents didn’t expect me to survive childhood.

i figure, if you are the meek, poor, wounded, depressed, if you’re the fearful, sad, conflicted, shamed and disqualified, if you’re the bankrupt and blind, one of the lost and unfortunate ones, you are exactly who Jesus came for…your the very one He came to get eye level with…He was crucified, died and rose from the dead for you. You are the very one God came to rescue.

You and I both know what happens to unprocessed emotions: they get stored. i can’t remember who said it but they said, “What’s buried alive never dies.” That’s the truth. We’ve gotta deal with stuff….we can’t just bury it, or compartmentalize it and stuff it somewhere. Some folks compartmentalize their griefs so well, they can, with all confidence say they are “fine…totally fine”…but below street level all the wounds which have been buried are still active, affecting all they do. Honestly, I don’t see the Lord as someone who just throws “lessons” at us in the form of casualty, catastrophe or suffering as if we are hamsters just running on a wheel. But I do think we are all able to choose to have the power to mine gold from even the darkest of situations.

We need to be honest with ourselves and the Lord. Yea, i know we have to be people of faith, and faith will get us through, and by faith i am healed, but so many in leadership have gotten so they are dealing with other people’s stuff, but they’re not dealing with their own….even to the point of denying they even have woundedness going on. Believe me, if you’re in church leadership long enough, you WILL get hurt…sheep bites are painful. Buti don’t think we should be wounded healers….telling ourselves if we had enough faith we shouldn’t even be going through those things. If we feel like we can’t be honest over things, if we feel like we can’t bring our problems into the light, it’s the truth….everything we hide has power over us. That’s why a couple programs ago i made a call to deal with the hidden things in our backyard where no one can see, which is a metaphor for saying everything we hide has power over us.

That, by no means, says we should just dump all our dirty laundry onto anyone who comes along, we need to be a little more discretionary than that…. but you’d be surprised how much help there is in having a safe person to simply verbalize things with. We need to talk about the things which hinder us so hell can’t continue to hold it over our heads anymore, making us a slave to what is hidden and compartmentalized.
We spend a lot of energy keeping things hidden. It reminds me of having a bicycle which only turns in one direction….oh, you’re peddling and balancing alright, but you aren’t going anywhere. Every time you hearken back to a former time about the time so-and-so did that, or such-and-such happened, or you remember the disappointment or anger of a past thing that happened, get off that bicycle and deal with what’s holding you back.

Many years ago, i was angry and so disappointed it seemed life was just going in circles. i distinctly remember waking up one day and making a clear decision that i was not going to allow the past to keep dragging me backwards into a dark corner, getting suckered into a fight in the dark…..and that from there on out, i was going to look up instead of down……afterall, when you’re always looking down, all you can see is the ground.

i was drawing a line in the sand that enough was enough, that’s it, i’m not looking back anymore, sitting in the middle of nowhere wishing i could just get a glimpse of destiny. i believe it’s a fact, we can’t do anything about what’s past, what’s done is done, but we can do a lot about cooperating with God about what’s ahead.
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, the new has come.” …. put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life …. be renewed in the spirit of your minds, put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Let’s get motivated about that!

Philippians 3:12-14, “….. but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Friends, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

“Press” is one of the key wordsi’m interested in. It means to push forward, pursue, take action, campaign and advance on…it’s not a timid, passive term….it is a verb that is present, active, indicative, meaning it is in the now, we are the ones doing the action, and it’s a statement of fact. Take note of these also….”make it my own” is a now verb, “Forgetting what lies behind” as in the now, and “straining forward” is present tense, meaning now. Now, now, now! In order to press onward, we’re going to have to learn to do it, even when we’re hurting, even when all odds say we should just quit, even when our closest friends tell us to just give up on our faith; we’re going to have to learn to do the right thing even when the wrong thing seems more just…you know…it’s always the right time to do the right thing, and we need to do it until doing the right thing just becomes second nature to us‘cause doing the right thing is just the natural inclination of our heart. That’s called enduring and it’s one way of resisting the devil so he’ll run away, screaming into the distance, driven backwards into his own gates.

Friends, we need to know who we are in Christ and stop getting our identity from how we look, who we know, the job we have, what we own, what others say about us, and what spectacular things we may have done or not done. It’s been said before on this program, i don’t believe most of us really know what to make of ourselves, nor do we seem to know how to talk about ourselves. God wants to define us, and if we wait until some religious body defines us, we maybe waiting all our lives. God is our constant defining moment, now, now, now.

i don’t know about you, but i’m not satisfied to merely go to Heaven when i die. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful thing, of course, but i just don’t believe Jesus Christ, the son of God Almighty, died for me so i can just barely get through, just surviving, (Eeyore voice) “i guess everything will be great when we get to Heaven, but we’re just doing the best we can with what little we’ve got in the mean time, barely scraping through. i’ll probably enter Heaven with the faint smell of brimstone on me, but at least i’ll be in Heaven.”

Jesus said He came that we would have life and have it more abundantly….that doesn’t mean we won’t have problems, it doesn’t mean we won’t struggle, it doesn’t mean we will never weep over situations, or — that everything is just going to be moonbeams and merry-go-rounds either….but it does mean, by the blood of Jesus, we have a right to not be wounded all our lives, to not bleed all over everything over past hurts, we have a blood bought right to not get mired in the clay of what someone did to us….

You wouldn’t believe how often hell has come to me and told me i would never have anything more than a second rate life, doing second rate things, for second rate reasons. It reminds me of the kids in high school who got D’s on their report card…they tended to do D things with D people going D places for D reasons yet were never able to lift up their heads enough to see that there was so much more life than what they had.

i am determined to not let the wounds of my past dictate the steps of my future, and to stop the bleeding of old hurts. The past belongs in the past, which is why it is past. Let……it…….go.

Let us be reminded of God’s promise in Isaiah 61:7-8, “Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.”
That’s joy…. which is rejoicing and gladness with a shout in the middle…and that’s an everlasting joy too. The Lord rewards those who diligently seek Him and i must add that i have sought the Lord at His request for lo, all these years and i believe i am living in the reward. He didn’t persecute me for my wrongs, He corrected me to a better heading. He didn’t prosecute me as in a court of law, He took me to a place to heal the wounds which drove me off the deep end. So much of my life i’ve had to do things afraid. What is it one preacher says, “If you’re afraid, go forward afraid…go with God anyway. Go forward with Jesus and tell the truth, even if your voice shakes!”

If He did it for me, He’ll do it for you too. We don’t have to be wounded all the days of our lives….there is a choice to be made there. What do you want? Do you just want to make it through the muddle in the middle, merely surviving life? Regardless of all my confidence, i can safely say, from hard won experience, no one, nowhere, is able to run their lives by themselves….we can’t, simply can’t do it alone. There is no way anyone can escape the gravity of earth, the pull of this world, on their own. i have been abandoned, rejected, made to be isolated and isolated myself, and felt overwhelmingly alone, but through it all, God has been there, He and i have pressed forward, in the now, every step of the way. Regardless of who doesn’t like me, disagrees with me, won’t return my calls, or feigns to be my friend yet doesn’t speak to me at church or on the street, i have determined i am going on with God no matter what or who.

Check out another of God’s promises….Isaiah 54:4, “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be confounded, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth…..” i love the part where He says, “neither be confounded”….meaning to not let yourself be insulted, offended, or wounded to the point of nearly bleeding to death. And then He says, “you will not be put to shame or disgraced,” basically meaning the Lord will lead us in a path which we don’t have to suffer the loss of honordue to humiliation, not that we will forget the stupid stuff we did when we were ignorant and young, but the shame of those days will be resolved unto strength, maturity, and faith. Friends, now there’s the word of the Lord to cling to.

i know of a fellow who was reminded by the enemy of all the dumb stuff he did as a young man, reminded so often it just seemed to be a probability that’s the way the rest of his life was going to go. He began to believe he was as terrible as hell would have him believe he was. He called me on the phone and asked me straight out if i thought he was a failure, and with all power i answered, Absolutely not, never, in the name of Jesus. The Lord said in Isaiah 54:17, “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”

Hell will bring against us all of our don’ts, won’ts, can’ts, and should’ve’s as judgments lodged against us to wound us to death, but God says we have the power, by the blood of Jesus, to refute those accusations because we are the children of light, servants of the most high God who sets our feet on firm footing and leads us beside still waters. Even if your life is burned to the ground and there’s nothing but ashes and soot left, God knows how to build again so from the sludge of a burned out life, new life springs forth like gold sticking out of the ground.

Stand up church, it ain’t over till it’s over. You maybe down, but you’re not out. i’ve not heard the bell yet, so get up and fight. 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Think about it.

Stand up church, get to your feet. Your catastrophic circumstances are not the end of things, it is the beginning of excellence in Christ, it ain’t over till it’s over, and it’s not over yet. i know a man who has struggled with addiction, crime, and incarceration almost all his life, but then when Jesus took hold of him, things begin to change. Yes, he relapsed because that was his best self-medicating coping skills….yes, at first he still played out his criminal habits because that was all he’d ever known…. but little by little, he became less and less of an addict, committed fewer and fewer crimes, and every time he got knocked down, he kept getting back up, and getting back up, determined to apprehend Christ, the prize who lay before him…. over time he got good at falling down and even better at getting back up, every time he got back up he was standing longer and more upright. The farther he got from addiction and crime, the less he was inclined to see himself as a failure with no hope. In him grew a hope that in Christ he really could be a son of the Most High, and he really was be an overcomer.

It’s great to be on the path, but we must actually move our feet…c’mon, let’s get on with it. There’s no time to sit and moan about old things that have passed away to the point we become inert…. if we’ve nearly fainted in the heat of battle, weary from the pounding of life, Jesus is our refreshment. We don’t have to keep bleeding, we don’t have to keep weeping….there’s a choice there. John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Jesus came to give life to us over-the-top, more than we could imagine, better than our idea of good….we are called to do more than merely survive….Jesus used the word “abundantly” and we should take that seriously. True the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but my Jesus stepped into the middle of all that and said, “I am here, and that ain’t happening to whomsoever will come to me.”

i’m Social Porter with Living in His Name Ministries.