Thursday, December 17, 2009

Twilight

Twilight: the time of day where there is enough light to see, but not enough to see clearly.

First of all, I’d like to start off by saying that, unlike some others who have criticized the Twilight books, I have read the books. I would also like to say that this is NOT an attack on the author or anyone who reads/ enjoys the books. In all honesty, this is not really about the books at all, but I hope to make that clear by the end.

Like I said, I read the books. I didn’t when I first heard about them, because I avoided vampire stories in general. Then, I noticed that more and more people were reading them, including some people whose opinions I trust. So, after seeing the movie, I was really curious. I was interested in the ways that the author seemed to avoid some of the “standard vampire” stuff and how she seemed to give a more “science-based” explanation for things than the mystical/ demonic theme. I read the first book and really enjoyed it. A lot. And I wanted to read the second one. A lot. It took a few days to get a copy of the other books, so by the time I did I REALLY wanted to know what happened next. ( those who have read the books and enjoyed them can relate). I had a free day (some how. . .still can’t figure out how that happened) and read the second book in about eight hours. . . and started the third one the same day. By this time, I was driven to know. In all, I finished all four books in six days—four days of actual reading. This should have been my first warning. I missed it.

I found myself restarting the series because I wanted more.

Then, I heard some of my Wednesday night students talking about the books and I noticed that a lot of people were really getting wrapped up in the stories too.

About this time, our church celebrated its 40th anniversary and our pastor’s 70th birthday. God opened up a flood of revelation about the church and a host of other things. . . including these books I’d been reading.

I was really looking forward to the next movie to come out. I spent a lot of time thinking about the series—particularly where my students were concerned. They range in age from 10 to 12/ 13. I have been trying to teach them about the importance of reading and KNOWING their Bibles.

At this point, I need to give a brief overview of the story for those who have not read them.

The story is about Bella, an ordinary girl, who falls in love with a vampire, Edward. Edward is part of a “family” of vampires. These vampires, the Cullens, don’t kill people; they hunt animals instead.

It was on that note that God inspired me to ask myself, “What difference does that make?” That is when it hit me. The danger for kids to be reading these lay in that question. I knew that if I asked my students , “what makes the Cullens good and other vampires bad?” they would answer because the Cullens don’t eat people. My father is a Bible scholar, so I was raised with reading the Bible cover to cover. So I was aware of a scripture (one I had made myself forget/ ignore to read these books) that is very important to all of this.

Leviticus 19:26 Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. Do not practice divination or sorcery.

Anyone else find it interesting that God associates consumption of blood to communing with spirits?

Leviticus 7:

26 And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. 27 If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.' "

Leviticus 17:10 (New International Version)

1 The LORD said to Moses,. . . . (check it out)

10 " 'Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people.

Deuteronomy 12

16 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.

23 But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. 24 You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. 25 Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

Leviticus 7:26 was particularly interesting to me. It says specifically not birds or animals, which is exactly what the Cullens did. But people will always say that that is what makes them “good.” Here is the problem: the books set up a standard for good and evil that is contrary to Scripture, and we accept it without even realizing that we are doing it.

Once that settled in, the door was open for God to reveal many more things.

There are numerous distorted parallels to Scriptures. For instance: Dr. Cullen is the “father” of the Cullen family. He is the one who “turned” most of the family into vampires. So, look at this. This “father” chose out individuals who were doomed and already dying. He transforms them into a new creation and adopts them into a family. ( the transformation takes about three days, by the way) This new creation can live forever. The books do not describe this so bluntly, but it IS what happens. I want to point out again that I read these books and enjoyed them, so, remember that none of these things I am describing are obvious until you look for them. This is NOT what the story is about. I don’t think that the author was trying to do these things. In fact, if you have heard an interview with her, (available on youtube.com ) she got the premise for these books from a dream that she couldn’t let go of. She was as obsessed with the story as much as her readers are. She had never even written a story before. She openly says that the biggest amazement to her was not the dream, but how when she went to write it down, the words just flowed for her. I submit for the readers’ consideration that the dream had a spiritual source and that the spirit was NOT God.

In the books, the vampires say that twilight is their favorite time of day because it is the time where they can be out in the light without being seen for what they are. John 3: 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

The reason given in the book was that when vampires come into sunlight, their skin sparkles like diamonds in their skin. 2 Corinthians 11: 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Dr. Cullen was the son of a preacher. When he was attacked and changed, he hated what he had become and eventually decided to hunt animals instead of people. (Humans are, by far, the preferred . . . prey… for vampires, so this is a huge struggle prominent in the stories.) Dr. Cullen holds on to the hope that there is still a chance for their redemption ( a chance for heaven) even though they are “evil creatures.” Edward, the boyfriend vampire, disagrees. Arguing this concept takes up quite a bit of conversation throughout the books. All of this sets up the background for Edward to point at a large wooden cross hanging in the Cullen home (it was from Dr. Cullen’s father’s church) and refer to it as the “family joke.” I think that this is a “signature” of the demonic influence inspiring the writing.

All of these things were going on in my mind to try and explain why it wasn’t a good idea for kids to read these stories. The whole time, though, I was carefully phrasing my arguments for the kids specifically. Then I heard God say, “What are you working so hard to justify?” That’s when I realized that I was still trying to work all of this out in my head so that it would be okay for me to go see the next movie. “It’s just not good for the kids. Right. That’s when I saw that I was showing signs of addiction. Denial, obsessive behavior, needing more (a fix). . . . why else was I re-reading the series again after less than a week. There is something really not right with these stories. They shouldn’t stay with a person like they do. I would probably have dismissed this revelation as nothing but my own problem, but then I noticed that other people talked about the books the same way, not that they were addicted, but that they LOVED reading them, and that they were their FAVORITE books and so on. Have you ever noticed how MANY people are crazy about these books? Watch interviews on youtube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv2Jxu7VS2c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKeLtHsixU&feature=related

Again, I do not think that the author meant anything but a story in all this, But I DO think that there is a very real and dangerous spiritual influence behind it that is following these books. Which leads me to my biggest point: If I hadn’t known those scriptures already and hadn’t already been seeking God and His voice, I would have missed this.

Please read 2 Thessalonians 2.

2 Thessalonians 2

Events prior to the Lord’s Second Coming

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

5 Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? 6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

The devil HATES us and is and has been working to use any and every method he can to undermine God’s influence in our lives.

I am not judging anyone, or telling anyone what to do. But if I see a lion in the streets, I’m not going to stay quiet. I’m going to say “LOOK OUT!”

May God bless any who read these words and have them take what He would from them. God is Good.

I would like to point out that I do not intend to teach on any of this in my Wed. night class. I'll talk to parents who are interested, but I'm not going to get into something like this without specific parental consent.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Voice in the Chasm

Here I sit in the dark
All alone by myself
On a chair bound in ropes in the cold
There are sounds all around
In this cave where I am
I feel tired, I feel weak, I smell mold.
I hear the sound of the drops
Of the tears of this place
As they fall into pools of remorse
Add to these from the streams
That have dampened my face
I'm at sea without compass or course.
As a breeze fills the chasm
And I shudder and cringe
And withdraw fearing cold, pain and grief.
But I don't feel a thing
I don't know where it went
I'm filled with anger and with rage; not relief
So I scream in my rage
'Till my throat fears to tear
As my anguish compels me to do
Then my cry (at first wordless)
Is transformed in my ears
To the question "Oh my God, where are you?!"
It is then that I realize
In the dark in the cold
That I'm bound not in cords but in shame
I am sitting rejected
In this underground hole
And my Hope has forgotten my name.
Then the breeze once again
through the chasm returns
And this time I can feel its caress
At that moment all around
In that chasm: no sound
But the echoing breeze and my breath
So I scream (just to hear)
Maybe to frighten my fear
To that wind:"Why torment me this way?
Haven't I had enough pain,
Enough sorrow, enough shame?"
. . . .I hear a whisper, but of what I can't say.
And the breezes starts to fade
I hear the tears of the cave
All my rage breaks inside to despair
Now I sob in this pit
While my heart begs to quit
And I plead "Oh dear God! don't you Care?"
And the Breeze like a storm
Rushes in strangely warm
All at once I see light though it's dim
And then there on my face
I feel the Breeze's embrace
My heart gasps because I know that it's Him.
Then He says "I AM here
Peace, be still. Have no fear
I have been here though you haven't seen
Now cast off your shame
For I GAVE you MY name
Stand up now from that chair you've been in.
I AM He who brings light
And restores the blind sight
And for you this will easily be
You closed your eyes out of fear
That's what first trapped you here
So open your eyes, Child of Zion, and be free."
I now stand myself straight
Out from beneath a great weight
And my eyelids begin to spread wide
Here the vision for me
Not a chasm or sea
But a meadow,and mountains and sky.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The "End Times" aren't COMING; They're here.

You know, for as long as I can remember, I've heard people talking about what it will be like in the "End Times."  About how scary things will be, and how bad the world will get.  Look around, though.  Not at the TV set or the fashion scene.  Not at the movies and music that are popular or the things that are advertised and available on the Internet.  Look at the Christians.

I'm not even talking about the "fair weather" Christians.  Look at all of us.  We talk about how bad the "end times" will be, but what are we doing to prepare?  Buying generators and stocking up on bottled water and can goods?  . . .  Against the Anti-Christ?  Against the Devil?  I'm not accusing anybody but the Devil.  He has spent generations getting into homes and households weakening the resolve of Christian to fundamental SURVIVAL needs.  We still say that it is important to read our Bibles, but how much time do we spend actually reading it OUTSIDE of church?  We say that it is important to go to church, but does that take priority over other things?

Two Sundays ago I stayed home from church.  Not because I was sick or too tired to go, I just wanted some peace and quiet and a little free time to put our house in order.  It seemed reasonable at the time. . . *sigh*  My Pastor, a man I am continuously grateful for, gave a message this past Sunday that mentioned people "just taking a Sunday off."  And asking, no telling, us that we need to really respect God's time, His church, and His service.  I knew I had messed up when I found myself justifying myself.  "I never take Sundays off." or "I made good use of the time." or "I had my own time with God."  Then I realized that none of that is valid.  Christianity is NOT PART TIME.  

The Devil isn't taking time off, so he's thrilled when we do.  It gives him a wide open door to throw garbage into our lives/ minds/ hearts/ HOMES.  

You want God to work through your finances?  Tithe EVERY TIME.  You want God to live in your home?  LIVE in His Word.  You want God to speak to you? SPEAK TO HIM all the time.  (YES, He IS interested in your day-to-day life!)  Will it make the problems go away? No.  But it will add POWER to how you deal with them.

Going to church on Sundays isn't enough.  Hearing a sermon once or twice a week isn't enough.   Imagine you could lose those privileges any day, and think how hard you'd listen or attend.  Think about how much time you'd spend reading your Bible if there was someone out there performing miracles in Satan's name.   Now go back and think about the things I said I wasn't talking about in the first paragraph. . . . . . . . . Think about how many of GOD'S Christians are wrapped up in those things. . . . . . . . And ask yourself if you think someone might actually BE out there doing Satan's work.

A friend of mine told me that while he was in Vietnam, he saw guys duck down during a gun fight and start praying, and he'd yell at them: "You should have been praying before!  Now you've got to stay alive!"

To borrow an old line:

Personal daily devotional:                      30 mins - 1 hour per day

Prayer Time To GOD 
(Who WANTs to hear)                           minutes throughout the day

Tithe                                                    a dime from every dollar

Walking hand-in-hand 
with the author of 
creation (who wants 
you to call Him DAD)                             PRICELESS


Thursday, May 7, 2009

Knowing God's Voice

I recently heard about something that shepherds do/did with their sheep. At one time, it was common practice for several different shepherds to keep their flocks together. This was useful for keeping them safe and convenient for a number of other reasons. Have you ever wondered why shepherds sing to their sheep? When the shepherd would come in the morning to collect his sheep from the common holding place, he would call out to them or sing to them. His sheep would recognize his voice and come to him, but the other sheep would not recognize his voice and would run away. Jesus said: "My sheep will know my voice." (Read John 10, please!)
Many times we have heard God's Voice and not recognized Him and run away.
So how do we get to know God's voice? That's an important question because God isn't the only one trying to talk to us. So how do we know? The Bible says to test every spirit. (1 John 4:1-6)
I've heard it said that we need to memorize scriptures to help with this. Okay, that's good as far as it goes, but have you noticed how BIG the Bible is? There's no way that most people will ever have the time or motivation to memorize the whole Bible. If you think that you don't need to know/ be familiar with the whole thing, you might want to consider why God put it all there then.
For example: you look at the hundreds of examples that God gives of how He spoke to His people. The different ways. The different words. What He likes. What He isn't like.
So Why?
Well, here a suggestion. I have heard God speak clear words, heard partial messages that only made sense to the people that I shared them with, seen visions, similatudes, had dreams, interpreted dreams, heard sounds (like thunder and horses running), smelled scents, and had scripture references (that I wasn't familiar with) pop into my head. That's a lot of variety for God to use. I also read my Bible. I've been through it many times. ( Not bragging, could have done a LOT more. Just saying what I believe God wants us all to know) We need to know God's written word so that no matter what way He chooses to speak to us, we will have some frame of reference to know if it is Him or not.

What is the most important thing in any relationship? Communication! The Bible says that we were created in His image. Is it likely that God said, "Hmm, make 'em like Me, but then I'll make 'em need to express themselves and then ignore them. . . . " That doesn't line up with "God is love."



He is always speaking to us. Always loving us. Always calling us to Him.




After the Order of Elijah

When I was 12 or 13 years old, I went to a teen retreat that was sponsored by the church I was going to at the time.  It was 3 or 4 days long and for the first couple of days it was interesting, but didn't amount to much more than a summer camp or an excuse to get away from my family for a while.  That changed on the last night there.  I don't know what the speaker spoke of, but afterward he gave an altar call.  There were probably 50-60 teens there between the ages of 12 to 18.  At least half of them answered the altar call.  I was sitting in the next to back row watching other kids my age go forward and meet God there.  Then I felt the first powerful move of God on my own spirit.  I went up to pray with/ for a friend and felt God wash over me like a tidal wave.  The next thing I knew, I was praying for someone else, and someone else, and someone else. . .  I prayed until I was hoarse and prayed for my voice, it came back instantly and I prayed myself hoarse again.  When my voice didn't come back that time I figured that maybe I should stop and see what happened.  I was praying for God to tell me what was going on and felt Him "calling my heart."  I was afraid that He was calling me to be a preacher, so I freaked out and ignored it.
A few years went by and God's call never let up, but I spent most of my time thinking about how messed up I was and how far from "usable" I was.  ( I'll save that story for another time.)  By the time I was 18 I knew that God was really calling me to something, but I didn't know what.  Then one day I heard Him clearly say "I'm calling you to be a prophet after the order of Elijah."
Okay, what was THAT supposed to mean?!  I checked up on Elijah and saw fire falling from heaven and a man out running chariots, not to mention years of drought.  So, I figured that I must have heard Him wrong.  That word never faded.  So, while I was pretty sure that the fire and stuff was not what God meant, I thought that I should probably figure out what being a "prophet" meant.  So I focused, REALLY focused, on hearing God.  It was rough at first, because I wasn't ever sure if I was hearing God or just my imagination.  
I was in a group that met on Sunday nights where we talked about God and what He was doing in our lives.  It was a great environment for learning to hear God.  So I wasn't afraid to try to "give a word," because if it wasn't directly from God, it was still scripturally accurate and encouraging. (An important point.  You are never wrong to encourage if it lines up with scripture)  After a while, it got easier to tell the difference from good Biblical advice, and a direct "living word from god that was pertinent to the situation."  You hear or see things that have the "ring" of God's voice to it, or it's "just God's style."
A few more years went by, (I was about 23) and I was at a conference my church was a part of.  The speaker was great and I got a lot out of his message.  Then he said something that froze me in my tracks.  He mentioned something about the call of Elijah, and I MISSED THE REFERENCE!!!!  I asked some others who were with me, but the reference wasn't as important to them as i was to me so they didn't pay attention.  So I scanned and scanned and someone said something about Malachi.  

MALACHI 4:5-6

5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 
6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Ever had the light come on?  Ever heard a loud "click" in your head when something fell in place and you finally got it?  

Now I knew what "the order of Elijah" was.  Now I knew what the purpose of prophecy was.
The point of hearing God and speaking His word, is to draw people to God the Father!  

I can hear God and the reason I can hear God is so that I can show others that THEY CAN HEAR GOD TOO.  God wants a close, intimate relationship with ALL OF US!!!!!!


Friday, February 13, 2009

God Loved Cain

I was reading in Genesis the other day, and I saw something I've never noticed before.  

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

I have always thought of Abel as the one God loved and Cain as the one that God was mad at. But then I saw this:

 6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

This was a huge shock to me.  Look at it again.  God was telling Cain that it was his offering and his attitude the was being rejected, NOT Cain himself.  In fact, God was pleading with Cain to be careful. because
"Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you."  

Cain didn't listen and he fell vitim to Sin.  Then when God punished Cain, Cain complained that the punishment was too hard, and that anyone who saw him would kill him.  So, God put a mark on Cain so that no-one would harm him.
God made sure that Cain could live long enough to have a chance to learn to trust God.  There is no evidence that he did, but God made sure he had the chance.

GOD LOVED CAIN!  He punished Cain because He is Just.  He Loved Cain because He is GOD.

THAT'S JUST COOOL!!!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

"To Him Who Sits On the Throne. . ."

Okay, this was another dream/ vision.

I was entering into a court room with a large number of people.  We were all the accused.  As I looked at the others in the group, I noticed that while I couldn't make out any of the faces, I knew that I knew them all.  They were "friends and family."  
As we all approached the bench the judge came in and went to his seat.  I had to blink a few times, because the judge looked just like me!  Then, the next thing I knew, I was the judge! and I was looking out at everyone I knew.  Then, before I could really get used to that idea, everyone in the crowd . . . was me.  (VERY WIERD)
Hold on though! The scene changed again and now I'm sitting on a great golden throne.  The judge's table and gavel are still there, but off to the left a bit.  Directly in front of me was a LONG series of stairs coming up to the throne.  The thing that caught my eye, though, was Jesus walking steadily toward me.  He paused and said:  "You know, There's really only enough room in that seat for One."
Needless to say, I didn't waste any time getting out of THAT chair.  I dove forward and found myself in the crowd with the accused again in the court room.  Jesus turned and took His seat.  After a moment, He looked at me and the rest and smiled and said: "Good.  Case dismissed."  He banged His gavel and it was done.
One of the others turned to me and said: "I don't understand.  Were we guilty or not?"
I looked back and said: "Listen, if it's not important enough to HIM to pass judgment, then who am I?"
Then Jesus smiled again.  I really think He likes it when we treat eachother the way He treats us.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Offering of Praise!

I was driving home tonight listening to some worship music.  I was really getting into it when I started imagining a "friendly" competition between myself and the angels as to who could worship God better.  I knew that God would be pleased with the idea.  But, as I thought about it, it really started to bother me.  (I have a very active imagination and I think that God uses that.)  As I thought about angels and people, I couldn't help but realise that angels had some serious advantages.  Angels don't have to stop to sleep; they can praise without ceasing.  Angels don't get distracted; God is right there in their faces--they see God's glory non-stop.  Angels don't have to stop to eat. . . . That's where I got an idea.  Fasting.  We can give up food to praise God.  Then in my mind's eye I saw an angel (the one I was competing with?) kind of smile encouragingly at me.  It was like he was saying: "Yeah, keep going. . . " It was like he wanted me to win this competition.  

Then it hit me.  Angels don't have to eat, sleep or breathe.  We do.  It doesn't cost them anything to praise God, but every breath we use to praise Him is one we can never have back.  My heartbeats and breaths are limited in number.  Every one of my life's breaths I spend is a gift that I can give that no angel can.  

If I sing praises out of obligation or as a "song service," I waste a golden opportunity.  But if I sing that praise knowing that I spend (like money) part of my LIFE to praise God, Then I can know that I give God praise that puts every angel to shame.  No angel can praise God like I can! No angel can give his heartbeats and his breath to God's glory! 

Then I saw the angel's eyes water up with joy and he lept up and rejoined in praise.  It was like he knew that he couldn't give what I could, but by helping me to see how I could, he got to share in the reward of my praise to God.

I don't know if this was a "real" vision from God or if it was my imagination focused on God, But  I do know that the message is true.

Spend your life's breaths in the praise and glory of God and give Him the gift that only we, His children, can give. 

Praise The LORD!